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

[sai_delgado]

She just winces.

[awesome_lilly]

"Oookay," Lilly says. "Moving on, then? You're Kooshbert's girlfriend, any chance you can talk to him about the whole hat thing?"

Topic-changing isn't Lilly's specialty, but she'll make the effort for Susan. They're in the same club, after all.

[sai_delgado]

And oh, she appreciates the effort, even as she seizes quickly on the new topic with a smile.

"What-- what hat thing?"

[awesome_lilly]

"The hat thing that has descended upon his head, and occasionally his face. He's not going bald, right? Because that's the only way I could see him inflicting that kind of horror on all of us."

[sai_delgado]

She giggles, shaking her head.

"Nay-- he's not going bald, Lilly, say true. His hat-- it's been with him for a long time, do'ee ken? He's-- he's attached to it."

She's fond of it herself, oh aye."

[awesome_lilly]

Lilly nods sadly.

"I figured it might be too late for him. Haberdashery abuse is very difficult to kick in its later stages. Poor Koosh. Poor, poor Koosh."

[sai_delgado]

"Haber--" She breaks off, shaking her head, guessing from context.

"Nay, Lilly-- it could be worse, do'ee ken?" A beat. "And it's not that bad, really."

[awesome_lilly]

"I suppose it could," Lilly says thoughtfully. "He could have one of those big jester hats with the bells..." she trails off, then smiles wickedly.

"Susan? When's Koosh's birthday?"

[sai_delgado]

And at this question, a very strange expression crosses her face, and Susan looks away, out toward the lake.

"I-- I don't know, Lilly." Softly.

[awesome_lilly]

Oops, Lilly thinks.

"Luckily, ugly hats need no occasion," she says cheerfully. "It can be a random surprise some time, switch the hats while he's sleeping."

[sai_delgado]

A very wry smile curves her lips.

"Ye never-- ye weren't here for the ka-mai Fair-Day, were ye?"

And oh, but she seems very amused at something now.

[awesome_lilly]

Lilly shakes her head.

"No, I haven't even been here two months yet. Ooh, what'd I miss?"

[sai_delgado]

"It were--" She thinks about it for a moment, then beams, remembering. "It's called April Fool's. And Cuthbert--"

Susan starts giggling, but manages,

"--he had a special hat for it, do'ee ken? A sombrero, red and velvety with gold?"

[awesome_lilly]

Lilly cracks up, and for a few minutes she can't talk for laughing.

"Oh man, I can't believe I missed that! God I hope someone has pictures."

[sai_delgado]

"He still has the sombrero," Susan tells her cheerfully.

"He's threatened to wear it if his own hat were to abandon him again."

[awesome_lilly]

"Really?" Lilly looks intrigued. "Well, wouldn't it be a shame if his own hat disappeared for a few days, then."

[sai_delgado]

Very, very hastily--

"Ye wouldn't-- I wouldn't want to see it lost--"

She flushes, but is very sincerely determined, say true.

"-- 'Bert's not the only one who's grown attached to it, do'ee ken?"

[awesome_lilly]

Lilly finds it really damn cute that Susan likes her boyfriend's disreputable hat enough to save it for him.

"Oh, Susan, I'm not that evil," Lilly says cheerfully. "We'd just hang onto it long enough for him to wear the other hat a few times. A hatnapping, but the hatstage would not be harmed. Cleaned, maybe, but not harmed."

[sai_delgado]

She looks more than a little relieved at this, but tells Lilly firmly,

"I get to have charge of it."

Just in case.