Movie Mingle

[musicdied]

Who: Yelena and anyone who wants to show up
When: Evening on August 5th
Where: ADI apartment grounds
Summary: Yelena has procured a projector and a copy of Jurassic Park. Everyone's invited.
Warnings: None at the outset; please add any applicable warnings to your subject lines.


The invitation that goes out on Monday night is simple:

un: jelica

Jurassic Park showing outside housing Block C this Friday. Movie starts at 8:30pm. Chips, popcorn, soda, blankets provided. Feel free to bring alternate snacks and seating if desired.

Before
The benefit to showing a movie outside, projected against an apartment wall, is that there's only so much set-up required. A few folding tables holding large bowls of chips and popcorn, a couple of coolers for soda and whatever people bring with them, some large blankets spread on the lawn, and everything's just about ready. Yelena - and whoever's volunteered or been drafted to help - has everything ready to go an hour ahead of the movie's start time.

There's plenty of time to chat with old colleagues and new acquaintances.

During
There is still a strip of light at the edge of the horizon when the movie starts, but on the eastern face of the building, it's dark enough for the scene to play out clearly against the large white canvas that has been suspended from the rooftop, weighted so that it doesn't stir in the breeze and disrupt the picture. It is not - quite - the full drive-in experience; there is no stretch of windshield and hood to make the moment when scaled predators jump onto one of the vehicles all the more immersive.

The sound is up loud enough to cover some chatter, but talking too loud still risks getting popcorn thrown at one's head.

After
The movie ends ahead of curfew, enough so that there is a little time for those who've opted to live off campus to chat, or help with clean-up, before saying their goodbyes and slipping out before the gates lock for the night. Or to arrange a place to crash for the night, if they want to linger longer. It's a lovely night, and there probably aren't any actual rogue dinosaurs about.

Probably.


(ooc: Party-style log for group movie night! Tag amongst yourselves!)

Comments

[punched_hitler]

Steve does smile at that. "Well. Yelena is a friend, but - I take your meaning." After all, "Maybe we could make it a regular thing. Pass around the responsibility, so no one person has to pick it up all the time."

[abrightboy]

Yelena seems to have a lot of friends for a thoroughly unpleasant person, but okay. Good for her.

"Exactly. Share the work and all that. A lot of people in ADI haven't had the chance to see some amazing movies."

[punched_hitler]

Steve is, admittedly, used to being friends with people who are a little rough around the edges.

"Exactly. I know we're not exactly here to relax, but - something like this can help." As long as there aren't any pressing disasters, anyway. "Just give people a breather. Having your hackles up all the time is the quickest way to wear a team out."

[abrightboy]

"Everyone needs to relax sometimes," Malcolm agrees. "Mental health shouldn't be taken for granted." He looks over at Steve. "You talk about a team like someone who leads them."

[punched_hitler]

"I... have led a team or two in my time," Steve admits, a mix between modest and nostalgic. "Usually unconventional ones, but they get the job done."

Plus, everyone here at ADI definitely constitutes an unconventional team, in his book. Maybe the most unconventional he's seen so far. "I think the more people you have, the more important it is to make sure everyone gets some space to come at the problem fresh. More viewpoints can be a benefit, rather than a problem, but only if people are willing to listen."

[abrightboy]

"What job are you doing for ADI?" Malcolm asks curiously.

[punched_hitler]

"Security," Steve answers, sweeping a few more empty plates and cups into his arms so he can bring them over and deposit them in the bag. "I figured that's where I'd do the most good, anyway. Nobody wants me behind a computer, trust me. How about you?"

[abrightboy]

“Investigations,” Malcolm answers. “But my boyfriend is in Security.”

[punched_hitler]

"Oh yeah? What's his name?" Steve asks. He doesn't know a lot of his coworkers well - he's been kind of bad at that, honestly - but he does at least know people's names and faces. In fact, he's very good with names and faces.

[abrightboy]

“Neal Caffrey,” Malcolm tells him. “We live in the ADI apartments.”

[punched_hitler]

Steve nods - "I've seen him. We haven't really talked, though." Maybe he'll change that, next time their paths do cross.

"Yeah? Me, too - it made the most sense, really, even if I sometimes don't know that I like the amount of control they have over our lives."

He shrugs one shoulder; he often feels like he's being a little paranoid, but he's had some bad experiences in the past. "Guess I can't hate it too much, though, if I live there."

[abrightboy]

"The arrangement works out for me. Their pharmacy provides my medications and I have my own room so I don't... disturb people with my sleep disorder. A curfew isn't the worst compromise to make." He shrugs. "And Neal and I are assigned to the same apartment now, so that's nice too."

[punched_hitler]

Steve nods. It does sound like a reasonable arrangement. And his own roommates are, well, seeing each other, so he gets that, too. "It's a little like the Army, too," he allows - though he'd enlisted for that. But plenty of guys hadn't. (So maybe it's still like the Army, in that sense.) "I just want to make sure we're on the right side - but it does seem like we're doing good, so far."

[abrightboy]

Malcolm nods. "The avatars we confronted in Wolf's Pen did demonstrable damage to the innocent."

[punched_hitler]

"They did," Steve agrees, voice quiet. Serious. "So I know that stopping them, whoever they're with, is a priority."

He offers Malcolm a tight smile. "Did you come out of that all right? That was a tough time for a lot of people."

[abrightboy]

"My sister disappeared and a friend of mine decided not to come back here," Malcolm tells him. "I don't know where either of them is now."

[punched_hitler]

"That's awful, about your sister," Steve says, frowning. "I'm sorry." He means it, too. "I've heard about people disappearing. But just because it's commonplace doesn't mean it's okay. Are you still looking?"

[abrightboy]

Malcolm shakes his head. “Her stuff was gone when we got back. My roommate too. I don’t know whether he disappeared or if he went with our friend. They were kind of… seeing each other.”

[punched_hitler]

"That does sound... complicated," Steve admits, sympathy in his voice. "I don't know how it works when people disappear here, but I know it happens. Of course, there are more mundane ways to disappear, too."

And not knowing which it is, when it comes to your family sounds horrible. "If you think there's something that another set of eyes could do, let me know."