Go girl! It's your birthday!

[solar_flare]

WHO: Yang Xiao Long, OPEN!
WHAT: Spring is in full-bloom in Nova City, making it the perfect weather for a birthday barbecue. Come hang out with your favorite deputy guardian (me)!
WHEN: April 22nd, 2018 - Sunday Afternoon
WHERE: Nova City Park

There really was nothing like the smell of grilling meat, smoke, and freshly-cut grass. ...Was it actually grass, or astro-turf with eau de grass sprinkled here and there to make it seem like grass? Well, whatever, they got the smell right if that was the case!

Yang was completely in her element, spinning her spatula and flipping burgers and hot dogs onto plates and into buns with carefree ease. While it wasn't really hot enough to warrant the tank top and black denim short shorts, Yang was completely comfortable in her sporty attire. Her wild mess of blonde hair was tied up into a ponytail to keep it out of the way as she grilled and shifted her weight from sneaker to sneaker as she whistled along with the thrum of the stereo set up on one of the picnic tables. Looped around her neck was a barbecue-sauce-stained 'Kiss the Cook' apron. Because of course she would wear something tacky flirty like that.

Not only was there plenty of food available from the barbecue station, there was also a table set up for a potluck if anyone decided to bring a dish from home. Or chips. Chips were good too. Next to that were a few bins for outdoor games, such as a sloped board with holes in it for a beanbag toss, a rack of hula hoops, a box of assorted Frisbees, and some odd belts with two colored strips velcroed to either side. Those familiar with tag football would recognize the belts for what they were, since Yang was all about a fun, safe contact sport. There was no guarantee she wouldn't wind up tackling an opponent anyway, of course, but so long as they could take it... :D

A water balloon volleyball net and bucket of balloons was set up, along with a tower of folded old towels meant for partners to lob the balloons back and forth. And for those who wanted to relax in the sun or shade, there were several lawn chairs perfect for lounging.

[OOC: Come on over with your prompts, tag around, have a ball! You can safely assume that anyone who showed up that Yang doesn't hate is getting promptly bear-hugged.]

Comments

[crapton_of_luck]

Yo!

[Lucky practically bounces into the party area and waves to Yang, Caesar, Aslan and Aravis trailing along behind him.]

Caesar get back here!

[Careful Yang you're about to get nuzzles from a little robot lion.]

[solar_flare]

Whoa, what the--

[She looks down to see what just started rubbing up against her leg. It's a...]

[...]

[Well she doesn't know what that is, but it's cute, and seems friendly.]

Hey there, little guy! Where'd you come from?

[She goes to one knee and pats its head, then glances up to spot Lucky moving in their direction.]

This one yours?

[crapton_of_luck]

[Lucky couldn't help but laugh and shake his head in amusement.]

Yeah, sorry about that, I should have warned you about how friendly he is.

[Caesar mock-growls at Lucky as if saying 'gee thanks Dad' before bouncing back up to his shoulder.]

Sorry I didn't bring a present, I wasn't sure what to get.

[quick_clean_pure]

[Graverobber is there, seemingly unused to this much sun or brightness, but handling it like a champ. And he did bring two sets of chips, as promised.

He spends a while grazing around the potluck, taking bits of various foods and dumping it onto an overheaped plated.]

[solar_flare]

[Graverobber is one of those guys where first impressions don't mean squat. She thought he was going to be a sleazy troublemaker, but so far? He's been pleasant, charming, and surprisingly easygoing. He even kept his promise about potluck food, nice!]

Heya! First time in Nova City?

[She holds out a plate of grilled hamburger patties, because of course he's going to want one. Or several.]

[quick_clean_pure]

[He tries his best! Granted, he is a tiny bit sleazy, but definitely is less so now that he no longer lives up to his title.]

Ooh, thanks. [He immediately plucks one burger up gratefully.] . It's my first time anywhere except Fortuna Palace. I got a job there, so that's been the extent of my being in Nova City, so I haven't really explored it much.

[inthedriversseat]

[ Her friend and roommate's birthday party! If that isn't a reason to celebrate, what is?

Mikaela can be found flitting about, trying to help ensure everyone has a good time and plenty of drinks. Keeping with the spirit of willing it to be summer by sheer barbeque power, she's wearing her cutest tube top and shorts - summer is a way of life, not just a season on the calendar!

She will be trying to drag people into a dance or a game of volleyball, and if you're very lucky you might get a water balloon lobbed at you just for fun.

She dances back towards Yang's side at the barbeque, grinning at her. ]

Cashed in any kisses yet, cook?

[solar_flare]

Not yet! But I'm keeping my cheek primed and ready just in case.

[She winks, and flips a burger with ease. There are two things she can cook well: breakfast, and barbecue. She's in her element.]

You know, this is a really nice city. Kinda makes me want to consider a change of scene.

[Yang won't outright say she wants to move. She'd rather gauge her roommate's reaction first, since it's just the two of them in their apartment now.]

[inthedriversseat]

[ It's a good thing Mikaela loves both breakfast and barbecue - it makes Yang the perfect housemate. She might, in fact, be eyeing the burgers greedily right now but when Yang mentions a change of scenery, it's a suitable distraction. ]

Yeah, it is nice...

[ She looks around too, enjoying the skyline. ]

It's like something out of a science-fiction movie. I guess I've always dreamed of living in a place like this. High-tech the likes you only see in movies. I mean, come on, they've got robots everywhere here!

[nrgsvr]

[ Mayu doesn't know Yang very well, but they have a few friends in common. He shows up with rice balls. He is also shirtless. He waves casually.

He spends some time just lounging. He joins in whatever game people ask for. He may be lazy, but he enjoys exercise. He doesn't dodge any water balloon thrown at him.]

[solar_flare]

[Well well well. Happy birthday to Yang! And the riceballs are okay too. She waves right back, and isn't at all ashamed to roll a cheeky growl at him followed by a wink.]

[Even if it wasn't her birthday, she'd still flirt up a storm. But since it is, she has extra justification.]

[nrgsvr]

[ Flirting is not something Mayu has experience in or really understands.Yang is at least one of Mayu's types. Her strength, endurance and speed would make her great at judo.

He shows a hint of confusion at the growl, then grins.]

Happy birthday, Yang.

[mother_of_monsters]

Dray arrived at Yang's party with a smile on his face and a present in his hands. He didn't like parties as much as the idea of them. Big crowds had the tendency to overwhelm Dray, yet he loved the music and the laughter, people dancing and smiling. It was so different from his home world that he was determined to enjoy himself until so many people became too much to bear.

He walked among the crowd, looking for Yang or a familiar face. The present he has brought was a homemade one, a set of hair care tools that he had crafted himself.

[solar_flare]

"DRAY!"

That was all the warning he got before Yang zipped up to him, giving a traditional bear hug greeting. She knew Dray had no concept of personal boundaries, and thus, she felt she was free to take liberties and hug the crap out of him.

"You made it! Can I get you something to eat?"

[mother_of_monsters]

[He loves hugs so he's not bothered in the sightless. Dray lets out a surprised but happy laugh and curls his tail around her in reply.]

I wouldn't have missed it for the world! Happy B-day, darling.

[Once he's put down, he's going to give Yang a kiss on the cheek and offer her the present.]

I'd love a piece of cake but first, I got you something.

[conner_el]

She won't be waiting too long before Conner makes his fashionably late entrance. Maybe five to ten minutes after people start arriving, he drifts down from the clouds like the show-off he is, changing course to set-down by the grill once he spots Yang.

"Hey," He says, grinning and flipping her a casual wave as he sets down next to her. "Happy Birthday."

[solar_flare]

Welcome to the party, flyboy.

[She grins, giving her metal spatula an artful little twirl in her fingers. Then she pauses, and after a brief glance to make sure there's no one else running up to greet him, decides it can't hurt to ask.]

You didn't bring your girlfriend?

[The one he's doing daily and nightly and ever so rightly?]

[conner_el]

"Girlfriend?" He asks, arching an eyebrow in confusion and cocking his head to one side like a befuddled puppy.

Looks like the fact that he's doing someone 'daily, nightly, and ever so rightly' is news to him.

[solar_flare]

"Yeah, girlfriend." What, was he going to play dumb now? Yang folded her arms, her brow furrowing. "You know? Monika?"

At least, she was pretty sure that was the name. If it turned out that the boy scout was actually a player, she was not going to be happy about it.

"I heard you guys were super tight. I was going to congratulate you about it."

[conner_el]

"Well I'm glad somebody decided to tell me?" He says, that same, pretty genuine confusion plastered across his face. "Because this is the first I'm hearing about it. I don't think I've even met anyone named Monika."

There's a beat before he amends that statement, "Here at least - I know like ... two, back home."

[solar_flare]

He seemed like he was being honest, but there was still a seed of doubt that Yang couldn't quite shake. What if he was just saying that, with aims of getting his own little harem? What about that little conversation they had, was that just to gain Yang's attention via sympathy?

She wished she knew. He acted like such a good guy, but she didn't really know him all that well.

...Then again, why did it matter? It wasn't as if she were looking for a new boyfriend, and if he was working his rebound game, why should she even care?

"Well, if you say so. Hamburger or hot dog?"

[conner_el]

"I mean, I'm more of a burger guy, but I'd rather talk about this right now." Both because he's genuinely not sure what the hell she's talking about, and ... it might be him misreading things, but she seems to be genuinely kinda pissed off about this.

She's nice. She's one of the first people to talk to him when he got here. He'd rather things be cool between them than have her mad it him. Especially over something he didn't do.

"Yang, I'm not messing with you."

[solar_flare]

"I figured. If you had a secret romance, there's probably a good reason as to why it's secret." She shrugged. "It's not any of my business either way, right? Forget I brought it up, it's just something I heard in the checkout line."

To be fair, she knew Conner a lot better than the chatty Cathys in front of her. Rumors always had a bit of truth to them, though, didn't they? It couldn't have just come out of nowhere.

And he'd said he knew a couple of Monikas back home. Maybe one woke up recently? She was about to ask, but closed her jaw. It was none of her business, she'd just said as much.

[conner_el]

"Well no, I wanna clear this up because there is no secret romance," He says, the barest hint of exasperation creeping into his voice because he doesn't know how else to say this or how to prove it to her.

"I don't know who Monika is and I'm not seeing anyone right now." Which ... yeah, she's right when she says it's not her business, but he'd rather not have one of the few friends he has here angry over nothing.

[solar_flare]

"Dude. It's fine." One of Yang's eyebrows had relaxed, because now she was just flat out perplexed. He seemed pretty adamant about his bachelorhood, which kind of surprised her. Why would he care that much about what she thought of the situation?

Unless he really was trying to make her Booty Call #2, which...she kind of doubted. She might not have known him all that well, but his flirting was on the harmless side of the line. Almost squeaky clean. Unless he was a master of manipulation and playing people, she supposed he wasn't really the type.

She flipped a hamburger onto a bun and held it out to him. "It's a party, I didn't mean to stress you out. Seriously. If you say you're single, I believe you."

[conner_el]

Conner's not a master of manipulation. Beer pong, maybe, but he couldn't lie if you put a gun to his head.

... Okay, bad example because he's bulletproof, but you get the general idea.

"Okay," Conner says, accepting the burger, shoulders relaxing in a little bit of visible relief, "And it's not stressing me out, I just, like ... I've got like three friends and you're one of 'em. I'd rather not have you thinking I'm ... I don't know. Doing shit that I'm not?"

Which ... yeah, he's not sure why she seemed ticked about it, but. Also, don't mind that he's gonna take a bite out of that burger now. He's hungry as hell.

[solar_flare]

The flash of temper was short-lived, thankfully. She still had no idea why it flared up in the first place. It wasn't something she wanted to dwell on anyway, since it was all one big misunderstanding.

Watching him eat his burger dry made that other eyebrow rise, and it coaxed a little grin onto her face. "No condiments? You must have been starving!" Yang giggled. "I'll get you another one. You're going to need your strength anyway when we hit the field for some flag football."

The smart thing to do was to put the Superboy on her own team, but Yang had other plans. She couldn't tackle her own teammate, namely, and he was going down.