Alain's birthday

[key-youth-bert.livejournal.com]

It's almost sunset, and the preparations are almost finished.

Cuthbert, Lilly, and the waitrats they've roped into helping out have set up tables with food out by the lake. On one of them, there's a small CD player currently playing The Beatles.

A few games are set up in the surrounding area--the kind you'd find at any country fair or picnic--but on the whole, there's nothing elaborate.

All that's needed now is for people to show up.


[Summary: Alain has a birthday party. Roland, Cuthbert, Susan, Lilly, Faith, Ace, Meg, and Gavroche attend. There are snow cones and lovely presents and a general mood of "there's doom all around, so let's make this one thing tonight happy and fun".]

Comments

[faithful-slayer.livejournal.com]

"Yeah."

Beat, for a second.

"You know about Tonks, yeah? We're going after her tomorrow."

[awesome_lilly]

Lilly looks up, meets Faith's eyes.

"Good," she says quietly. "I'd go with you in a heartbeat if I thought I'd be more helpful than in the way. As it is, I'll just be happy knowing you're going to kick all the ass necessary to get her back."

She pauses.

"Is... is Bernard going with you?"

[faithful-slayer.livejournal.com]

Faith shakes her head. "I don't think so. He can't leave."

Beat.

"The gunslingers might be. I'm not sure."

[awesome_lilly]

Lilly nods.

"I hope they do. I mean, the more the better, right?"

Pause.

"I'll stay with Bernard while you're gone. It's going to rip him up that he can't be with you, he shouldn't be alone."

[faithful-slayer.livejournal.com]

"Up to a point, until it gets where you're tripping over each other...but with Alain and Cuthbert, yeah, that'd be good."

Faith smiles, faintly. "Thanks, Lilly. You're right, he shouldn't be."

[awesome_lilly]

"Oh, no need to thank me, hanging out with the seriously upset is kinda a specialty," Lilly replies flippantly. "It'll be a nice change for them to be able to see me, though."

[faithful-slayer.livejournal.com]

"That's right, you were all ghosty in your world. How'd that go for you?"

[awesome_lilly]

"Sucked unbelievable amounts of ass," Lilly replies cheerfully. "I spent a year and a half ghosting around my hometown and friends and family and no one could see me and I thought I'd be doing it forever. Definitely not the most fun I've ever had."

[faithful-slayer.livejournal.com]

"That had to blow," Faith says sympathetically. "But hey, you got to come here, so it could be worse, right?"

[awesome_lilly]

"It really blew," Lilly says, still a bit too cheerfully. "I mean, just when I thought I couldn't be more pissed about Mom leaving me to die, the whole aiding and abetting my ghost thing kicks in and I manage. But you're right, I did get to come here and for all its occasional sadness, this place kinda rocks."

[faithful-slayer.livejournal.com]

"...your mother left you to die?"

[awesome_lilly]

Lilly grimaces.

"...yeah. Sorry, I forgot I hadn't told you that. I just remembered the whole thing a week or two ago, under hypnosis."

[faithful-slayer.livejournal.com]

"Huh."

A beat, as Faith considers this.

"My mother tried to sell me to a pedophile for alcohol when I was ten. We lucked out, didn't we?"

[awesome_lilly]

Lilly grins wryly.

"Considering mine left me to die slowly from a bleeding head wound because she thought my brother'd hit me in an epileptic fit and wanted to protect him even at the expense of my life, I'd say so. Definitely lucky."

[faithful-slayer.livejournal.com]

"So who hit you, then? I'd like to know this, so if I ever get into your world I'll know whose lungs to fillet."

[awesome_lilly]

"My boyfriend's dad," Lilly says. "Aaron Echolls, big movie star in my universe. Pete beat the shit out of him when we were back saving my best friend from him, so feel free to jump in on that if you're ever in Neptune."

[faithful-slayer.livejournal.com]

Faith files the name away, nodding.

"Aaron Echolls. I'll remember."

That smile? That's not a friendly smile.

[awesome_lilly]

No, it's not, but Lilly finds it strangely comforting nonetheless.

"Thanks, Faith."