Happy Birthday to Meeerrrrrreeeeeeeeee [Open Mingle]

[abrightboy]

Who: The residents of ADI Apt B1 and YOU.
When: January 18th, from early evening onward.
Where: Apartment B1 at the ADI complex.
Summary: Tim Drake discovered Meredith Idlewild's birthday is today (by snooping in her stuff) and her boys decided to throw her a little surprise celebration since she, you know, looks after them and shit. Ofc neither of them knows how to do that, really, so Malcolm has recruited Neal Caffrey as Party Planner.
Warnings: To be added as necessary but none to start.


Thanks to Neal's intervention, the party Malcolm and Tim are throwing for Meredith is very nice, with tasteful decorations and good wine, alongside fancy finger foods and even fancier cocktails. Neal mans the 'bar' personally, mixing drinks for anyone who'd like to try one.

Malcolm and Tim will try to be social. It's for Meredith.

They did use Tim's connections, too. He recruited Jeff to slip invites onto people's desks if they work at ADI and take some over to Bonnie's. Meredith deserves maximum appreciation. The invites instructed everyone not to say anything to Meredith. When she comes home, it's meant to surprise her.

Early evening: SURPRISE!
When Meredith gets home, get ready to shout!

Mid-evening
Mix, mingle, eat and drink.

Late-evening
Your hosts will arrange a cab if you can't make it home; they already have a police lieutenant sleeping on their couch and tonight has been a lot of peopling for them. If they need to carry you down there... they're more capable of it than their slight frames would suggest.

Comments

[henchgal]

1. Early Evening [OTA]
Mere's had a helluva day, interrogating Khalil Nassir and handling paperwork on incidents related to Things of Beauty. She hasn't acknowledged the significance of the date at all, and really didn't expect anyone else to care. Birthdays were what children celebrated, when another year older meant exciting things. After 21, there's nothing gained by going around the sun another time.

But apparently there's people here who love her and want to do more than her family's tradition of a phone call and an off-key rendition of Happy Birthday. Quick, hide, here Meredith comes now, unlocking the door to B1 and stepping inside.

2. Mid-Evening [OTA]
A glass of white wine in hand, Meredith's trying to catch everyone to at least say 'hi' to. She wasn't reserving spoons for a party, so you might catch her leaning on furniture or walls as she raises her glass in greeting.

"Hey, glad you made it. How long have the boys been planning this, do you know?"

3. When Everyone Has Gone Home [Closed to the Party Planners]
Once the crowd has parted sufficiently, Mere moves to the kitchen to begin putting away cake and leftovers, a smile lingering on her face.

"You guys all know you didn't have to do this, right? I...this is the biggest party I've had since my bat mitzvah, I think."

What she means is 'thank you', even if those aren't the words coming out of her mouth.

X. Wildcard me.
Here's your chance to whatever in Mere's direction. I love you all, you wild beasts.

2.

[wolfssegen]

When Ches had seen an invitation to Meredith's birthday party, he'd only really thought about it for a few minutes before deciding to go - she's a good girl, he likes her, and he's enjoyed the time they've spent together so far. But he also makes a point of not hogging her attention all night. It's obvious she's got a lot of people here that she's closer to.

So he spends a chunk of the night meeting people he's never talked to and doing a bit of people watching. It's while he's people watching that he catches sight of Meredith and lets his eyes follow her around the room a little. She seems tired, though she's masking it well, and he catches her leaning against the wall a few times, taking the weight off of her sore joints. It only takes a few seconds of thinking about that before he finally makes his way over to her, wearing a warm smile on his face.

"Hey you. Happy birthday!" he says, his expression warm and genuine as he says it, and then he gestures to the nearby couch, "You want to sit with me and chat? I can grab you a refill of your drink if you'd like."

A pause, and he glances at the people on the couch, gives a little laugh, "Hey guys, make way for the birthday girl! We need the couch. Thanks."

[henchgal]

She knows what he's doing--it's not hard to guess, given her levels of exhaustion. What surprises her is that he's paying that level of attention to her, this early on. Most people just don't think about her level of fatigue, or notice when she's flagging. But he did, and that's...special.

"Yeah, just tell Neal it's for me. He knows what I'm drinking."

Under most circumstances back home, she'd never trust a guy (or someone of any other gender, honestly) to fetch her a drink at a party. But between Neal himself and the hyperobservant crime-fighty men in the room, she feels safe enough. Besides, she's (at least in theory) the center of attention, so people would notice if he did anything untoward.

And she doesn't think he would, honestly. It's early days, but Mere believes Ches to be 'one of the good ones', deeply and truly. And if he's not, someone will be sure to let her know they disapprove.

She flops onto the couch and sets her cane down somewhere hopefully no one will trip over it.

[abrightboy]

Malcolm waits for Meredith to go to the ladies’ room, then scoots in to sit in her spot on the couch. This guy has been awfully attentive. Malcolm observes. It’s what he does.

“Hi. Malcolm Bright. Meredith’s roommate.”

2

[worthallthis]

Winter is not in the best shape after his run-in with the police and then a day or two of basically mugging people for their phone cases, but Meredith is important, so he comes.

The whole "surprise" bit was... too much for him. So he skipped that part. But he does poke his head in the door an hour or so after they were supposed to show up, looking kind of nervous. And also rough about the face, but Meredith has probably seen that already by now so it probably isn't too much of a surprise. It's just ugly. But it's a party for Meredith, so he's here, and he's at least going to say hi.

[henchgal]

Meredith doesn't immediately approach when she sees Winter. Instead, she stops to grab one of the brownies someone brought, to bring to him. Because he's important too, and this is how she can show it, in a small way.

"Thank you for coming. I'd hug you, but." But she knows how he reacts to touch, so she's just going to offer the plate and a bright smile.

2

[bossyboiler]

"I don't actually," Kate says. She has brought a gift. It's only appropriate. She offers Meredith a clear, cellophane bag that are filled with a dozen or so vanilla macarons. "Happy Birthday."

[henchgal]

"Oh! Wow, thanks. Let me hide these away so no one mistakes them for party food. I love macarons, so I'm not sharing." She's only slightly joking--she will share with her boys later (though she's not sure Malcolm can do macarons...)

"They really did manage to surprise me completely on this one."

2

[aelwyn_aberration]

Aelwyn jolts slightly when she's spoken to, her own glass shaking just a bit. Ah, hello birthday girl. She's had a weird day. She smiles at her and takes a small sip of her own glass.

"No idea. Their time management is something to be admired, however. We've all been pretty busy. They must really care about you."

[henchgal]

"Yeah, it seems like they do. I mean, we've managed to share living space for six months without killing each other, so I knew they thought I was alright, at least, but this is a surprise."

It's been a weird day all around. For Meredith, it was her first interrogation ever, and she's still not sure how to feel about the success.

1-ish

[twicelost]

Katrina doesn't sing. For one thing, she doesn't know Meredith. For another, ADI told her not to do anything potentially magical while she's here, and given her song can do significant brain damage, she's being good.

Even so, she tries to be social this evening. She keeps an eye on Meredith and approaches when there are very few people around.

"Meredith. Hello."

She sounds polite enough, if still sort of tense. Much line how she looks. It's difficult to relax in a room full of people she doesn't trust yet. ADI has already proven they can outclass her in a fight, so she feels less confident in her raw strength.

But this is a party. People look happy. So Katrina tries her best. She doesn't force a smile, but she makes sure she doesn't look hostile.

"Happy birthday. I am Katrina. Neal is roommate."

[henchgal]

"Oh, excellent. I liked Neal's last roommates well enough, and I'm hoping to like you too."

Look, Katrina seems like someone to be honest with. Mere's not going to layer on the bullshit when it's just not needed.

"Did you just arrive, or was your room shuffled? If you got here in December, I missed it because I was in medical."

3.

[abrightboy]

Malcolm grins at her, because that was the point. And not having to do it is a given, considering she didn't even actually tell them her birthday.

"Then you had a lot of birthdays to make up for," he points out. "No uneventful birthdays for you while you live with us." A beat and he glances at Neal before looking at Meredith. "While we know people who actually know how to do things."

2.

[bloodalwaystells]

Jaeger is there when Meredith first arrives, but he takes his time in approaching her, letting her get her greetings said and herself settled into the party. He's a gentleman and careful not to crowd her, after all, especially with so many other people here.

Social obligations are sort of a bitch, but he understands the proper etiquette around them. That's why it's a bit into the evening before he makes his way up to her. There's a half-finished beer in his hand, his usual party fare, and his gaze is as quick and alert as ever. Combined, of course, with that polite gravity of his.

"Happy birthday, Meredith. I hope it's as kind to you as it can possibly be."

[ployboy]

She's probably exhausted, Tim thinks, but she looks... relaxed. Comfortable after the chaos. And that's enough to make him think it was totally worth it, even if he's teetering on tired too, for different reasons.

"What else were we supposed to with so much cake?" he counters, making himself useful in the kitchen for once. "And wine. And then Neal and Jeff showed up with, um, enough food to feed an army. Someone had to take responsibility for it."

It was awkward, but worth it. Because Meredith is happy, and that's pretty nice to see. It's made Tim totally forget he's rocking a horribly short ponytail, courtesy of a Meredith makeover and leftover scrunchie. Waste not want not et cetera.

He rambles on. "It's not like you were here all day. So clearly we had to pin the blame on you because you made it so easy."

Malcolm Bright | Prodigal Son | OTA

[abrightboy]

Early Evening
Malcolm is letting people in and taking coats until Meredith arrives. He's still pale and he's still a little shaky, but he's back on his meds and off the food he can't eat and he's happy to see the look on her face.

Mid-Evening
Find him around the party. He spends at least some of the time hanging around the bar for absolutely no reason at all, even though he and his iffy stomach have been nursing the same two fingers of scotch all evening. No reason at all.

Late Evening
No, really. If you need carried to your cab, you might discover that he's stronger than his size would suggest, even in his slightly unsteady state. Otherwise, he'll be politely saying good night and starting to clean up.

Mid-Evening

[mistersquirrels]

Eric isn't a big drinker, but the stress of this world and the craziness have made him a little more enthusiastic about drinking enough to forget his troubles. Which means he's probably going to forget this entire night, the previous day, and maybe the previous week, too, by the time he's done.

He goes up to the bar, next to Malcolm, waves, and promptly lays his head down on the bar.

"I'm not sure if I'm on a spinny chair or the world is just turning really, really fast. Wheeee..."

Mid-Evening

[bossyboiler]

Kate has approached the bar for a refill. It will be her second of the evening. She knows better than to just keep throwing them back because while that will make her fee good, she doesn't like dealing with the morning consequences.

She looks over at Malcolm and can't help but smile at him. His secret is out. Kate has been talking to Meredith. "You've been hanging around the bar a lot tonight."

Jeff | OTA

[cacophonish]

Jeff's here at the party, carrying a tray of food, courtesy of a catering company that Tim asked him to... procure some hors d'oeuvres from. With magic.

(Shh, don't let the ADI know, since this is going to be his very last magically-assisted food heist before they sic a tail on him and ruin all his fun.)

So he sets the tray of mini tofu summer rolls (and peanut sauce!) down and gets to drinking (however awkward it may be to have Neal mix his drinks, considering their last conversation) and... drinking.

And drinking.

He just wants to be loose and have fun, okay. And he wants to get to know all of Meredith's other friends-- her, like, ADI friends! So he'll wander up to pretty much anyone at the party, bearing an offering of summer rolls and peanut sauce on a little plate.

Here's an ice breaker:

"Do you think... do you think they make this with real peanuts? Or is it just peanut butter..."

Is he implying that peanut butter is not, in fact, made of real peanuts?

...yes.

[bossyboiler]

'Do you think... do you think they make this with real peanuts? Or is it just peanut butter...' Kate isn't certain that she understands the question. She looks at Jeff for a moment but doesn't immediately reply. "I'm sorry. What?"

[abrightboy]

Malcolm lights up when he sees the bard.

“Jeff! You made it!” He will hug him if he’s not discouraged. It might seem like he’s acting weird but he’s just feeling mostly better, back on his meds and his digestible diet with the new added bonus of Neal’s romantic attention. He’s in a good mood. “Want a drink? I’ll get you a drink. What do you drink?”

[ployboy]

"It's just peanut butter that's like, melted in the microwave." He says, imparting wisdom that's not at all wise but is said with a heck of a lot of conviction. This is because Tim is, indeed, a moron. "With some lemon salt and juice, I think."

And this is why he doesn't cook.

And to be fair he didn't ask Jeff to use magic in procuring the dish, alright? It just happened. To be fair he also never expected this party to turn into... a party. But. That'll show him to ever mention the word Birthday within the walls of B1. Meredith seems to be enjoying the company. So Tim can-- pretend to be less awkward than he feels, in the vicinity of people who know what he did.

Anyway.

Jeff.

Tim takes a spring roll. "How are you still standing?"

[mistersquirrels]

It's been awhile since Eric's been to a fun party, and he's gonna enjoy this for all it's worth. There's a drink in his hand but no food in it, and he's gonna remedy that. He reaches over to grab a roll.

"It's probably just peanut butter."

A sage nod.

This line of logic and thinking makes perfect sense to him.

Andrew Jaeger | OTA

[bloodalwaystells]

Early Evening

Jaeger isn't the type to jump in on surprise parties, but on the other hand, he wants to show his support for Meredith. And he's not quite so somber a type as to spoil the surprise, so he'll be there.

Some of that early prep time will go toward formally meeting the people he's only briefly encountered up till now. He's seen most everyone around at ADI at some point, but he freely admits he hasn't been as good at introductions as he should be. He'll be trying to remedy that, in between bouts of looming quietly on the sidelines, and happy to offer what assistance he can in the setting up.

Okay, he might be a little bit spooky with his size and watchful demeanor, but he's on his absolute best behavior.

Mid-Evening
With a drink or two in him and time to adjust to the small crowd that's gathered for the festivities, Jaeger has relaxed a bit into the company. His present for Meredith, a festively wrapped purple box, is there to be gifted to her at the most convenient time, and from time to time a fleeting smile might cross the big man's face. Small talk comes easier with a couple of beers, and while he's still watchful, some of the edge has slid away from him. Small talk might actually be an option, and if nothing else he'll be greeting familiar faces with a nod of his head and a murmured hello.

Late Evening

Jaeger is entirely too aware of the 11pm curfew at the ADI housing, but he'll linger for a good long time at the party, especially to help others get where they're going. As usual, he's sober after only nursing a couple of beers, more than steady enough to provide an escort home to anyone who needs it.

Eventually, he'll head home himself, unconcerned with the walk. The fresh air will be good for him at the end of the night, and he moves with a quiet grace that speaks of someone used to a nighttime patrol.

Early

[abrightboy]

While waiting for Meredith, Malcolm is lingering around the bar, where Neal is preparing to serve the partygoers. He sees the big stranger enter and he heads over.

"Hi. I'm Meredith's roommate. My name's Malcolm Bright. Can I take your coat?"