[ Closed/Open ] A Nameday Party & An Open House

[fondofapples]

Who: Regina Mills, Neil Blair, Arya Stark, Charlie McGee and YOU!
What: Regina throws a party, jointly in honor of Neil's nameday and a housewarming. Afternoon (CLOSED to extended family, includes Alice and Maddie); evening (OPEN to friends, coworkers, Fayrenite neighbors)
Where: Villa Ascua in Fayren
When: 11/3.
Summary: Shortly after noon, the usual chaos of a Saturday afternoon morphs into a family party with a singular special event. Toward sunset, with the assistance of OUATE, the magically globe-lit courtyard and property of Villa Ascua become the site of a casually chic open house.
Warnings: schmoop, family nonsense, anything that heads NSFW will go to private journals (please).
OOC Note: Please indicate which part of the party your tag is for. Otherwise, feel free to tag in, tag around, have fun.


I. A Family Affair
A half an hour before noon, Regina absented herself from the yard where Charlie and Arya had engaged Neil in a sword-form show and tell. With a confidence she didn't feel, she teleported to Evie and Jack's to grab them and the decorations they'd stockpiled over the course of the week and bring them back to the villa. While the two of them hurried to decorate in shades of silver and blue, Regina made a circuit of the courtyard to remove the magical veils on what had been safe to hang, paint, and hide.

With the help of the cook, she drew the chest-high small round stone tables out from under the portico. They hurriedly set them: one with stacks of napkins, plates, silverware; one with boxes of pizza kept steaming with an innovative use of pieces of Eye of Ember; one with a large bowl of mixed greens and the fixings of an impromptu salad bar; and one with a glasses and a variety of beverages. A few extra chairs were added to those clustered around the shorter tables, and among the decorations, on poolside tables, ledges, and the ends of the (rented) wet bar were glasses filled with silvery blue rock candy.

At noon, Regina magically re-wardrobed herself in a black slip dress with silver jewelry, touched up her make-up, and let the rest of the extended family into the courtyard through the house. And at five past noon, Charlie and Arya "got thirsty" and dragged Neil in to join everyone else. At Regina's orders, no one hid, no one shouted "surprise," no one threw confetti (although water balloons were later very much in evidence). That there was a party at all was fuss enough to overwhelm Neil for a week. Besides, she'd arranged a special sort of fussing for after lunch.



II. An Open House
As afternoon shaded into evening, Regina, the kids and the OUATE staff cleared the traces of the previous party. The courtyard was returned to its usual warmer-toned state, the globe lights bathed everything in a golden glow. Pizza was replaced by the usual finger foods of an open house: crudites, cheese and crackers, small sandwiches, and desserts. And the wet bar was stocked and staffed. At sunset, luminarias lined the villa and led from the road to the open courtyard gates.

Friends and coworkers had been personally invited, notices had been set around Fayren, the children had told everyone they could think of (without Neil finding out). Music had been acquired. Now all there was to do was enjoy--and if you were Regina, worry and wait. She'd never thrown a party without the threat of punishment or worse to compel attendance. What if no one came?

Comments

[Locked to Neil] I. A Little Fuss

[fondofapples]

The idea had come to her the first time she'd used the phrase. She'd just been waiting for the right moment. Whether or not this would be the right moment remained to be seen, but it was the one she had chosen--because the family would all be here, especially the only person in this world who had any idea how much it would piss off her mother (that is, Emma).

When she gathered them all, she felt a little silly about it. If nothing else, it proved how absolutely stupid she'd gone over him. But that was point, more or less, and if it fell flat, it would be excused as part of the nameday shenanigans.

While they assembled, the cook wheeled out a covered sheet cake. On the cart beneath it, hidden beneath the skirts, was Neil's own sword. Regina smoothed down her dress, cleared her throat, and called Neil to stand in front of her.

Re: [Locked to Neil] I. A Little Fuss

[hellorhighwater]

She threw him a party.

Neil was still vaguely dazed and not entirely sure he was understanding everything correctly because--well, it had never happened to him before. Growing up, there had been no parties or presents, and in the Five Realms big deals like this were for the nobility. The rousing chorus of cheers that came with a dinner toast in the palace kitchens always made him feel awkward but strangely blessed, and the Night Dragon's gift every year was always significant for what it meant. Despite his cruelty, despite his harsh treatment...his gifts left Neil with no question as to how he was seen.

This was a party. It was decorations and food and his whole damn family. Shit, he was pretty sure someone ratted him out, too, because there was even rock sugar--he didn't even know they had that in this world! But Regina and the kids...even little Arya got in on the action, keeping him out of the way, Ember bless her...

He was only half aware Regina was herding everyone, he was too busy popping another piece of rock sugar into his mouth and laughing at some crack Charlie made when he heard his name. Turning his head, Neil regarded Regina with a puzzled smile...and couldn't figure out what was happening.

Pocketing the rest of his candy and swallowing the remains of the last tiny fragment he'd been sucking on, he walked forward to stand before her. Raking a hand back through his hair, more a nervous gesture than anything, he raised an eyebrow as he looked down at her.

"Beloved?..." he asked quietly. He was already still kind of reeling from the party--she was going a long way to making surprises a far more enjoyable thing, but this was getting damn mysterious.

Part 2: OTA

[highpitchednoises]

[ Regan was here with Emma, because these were Emma's friends and Regan wanted to meet more people. She had her white-board with her, just in case, not expecting everyone to know ASL. And she had a small drawstring bag at her side, hanging waist-height, perfect for her to put her cochlears in should the sound get to be too much. But the event was quiet and while there were people, the noise wasn't too terrible.

She was dressed in a goldenrod colored sun-dress and tan sandals, hair washed and brushed and the cochlear on her head decorated with a white and yellow daisy and while she was very interested in what was going on, she was also hanging back some. Just people watching and feeling a mild case of uncertainty and unease. This was the most people she'd been around in a good, long while.]

Re: Part 2: OTA

[fondofapples]

Regina had already had a word or three with Emma about not mentioning I'm parenting a kid when she showed up with a child. They weren't unpleasant words, although Regina was more hurt than she'd likely let on to anyone but Neil that Emma hadn't thought she'd want to know or whatever else had kept her from saying anything about it.

But she was absolutely determined not to hold it against the girl, Regan, and as soon as she had a few free minutes, she approached and said, "Hello, Regan," with a little wave. She didn't do the thing people did where they talked louder to people with hearing problems, but she didn't know any sign language and she didn't have the first clue where to begin.

Re: Part 2: OTA

[storybrooke_savior]

[ Emma stayed pretty close to Regan for most of the party, trying to ride the line between nudging her into mingling but keeping a steady and encouraging presence. She came up after she'd raided the dessert bar and had in hand, a plate with a massive slice of cake on it, with two forks stuck in so they could split it. ]

Hey kiddo.

[ She'd have signed if her hands had been free. She did sign as soon as she set the plate down, still clumsy and awkward but learning a little more every day. ]

Doing okay?

Re: Part 2: OTA

[swiftasadeer]

I like your dress.

[ Arya--cleaner and tidier than she usually is, hair in a half braid to keep it from tangling and falling into her eyes--waved a little as she walked by, her hand resting on Needle's hilt. ]

What's that on your ear?

OTA

[madcuriosity]

I.

Alice, now normal size again, had found out rather late that it was Neil's nameday, and she had equated that to a birthday of sorts. Birthdays, or namedays in this case, meant getting the nameday-ee (birthday-ee?) a gift, or at least, that was the logical conclusion Alice came to. The only problem was, she hadn't much in the way of money and she didn't know what to get Neil in general as she was still only getting to know the man. But he did have the ability to control fire, and winter was still coming, or at least, she was rather sure it was coming, though she wasn't entirely sure if seasons were normal in Genessia like they were in England.

But that was neither here nor there, because now with her little present in hand, Alice didn't actually see any other gifts about and she was feeling a bit foolish. Was a nameday nothing like a birthday?

Well, even unbirthdays had unbirthday gifts, but there didn't seem to be any other gifts about.

Now she felt a bit foolish for equating the two, which was why she was promptly trying to hide said little-wrapped box now before Neil or anyone else spots her with it. She was just sneaking around the corner, glancing over her shoulder when she ran smack into someone else and promptly fell with a soft "oof."

"Oh ah- I beg your pardon, I wasn't looking where I was going," only where she had been.

II.

Alice was sitting and watching the dance floor with a bit of a longing gaze. But no matter how much her gaze kept trailing back to it, she made no motion to head for it, and whenever she noticed her feet tapping to the music or her swaying a bit to the music, she would stop and look back to her plate of food. Said food was becoming more unappetizing with each forced look back to it.

Back home, she would never even be allowed to ATTEND a party like this because of how little she was. She should be glad for that, at least. That didn't mean she didn't want to dance though...

She let out a long breath and then blushed bright red when she noticed she was being watched.

"Oh ah, it's a lovely party, wouldn't you say?" that was small talk she always heard adults say at these sorts of things, so clearly, she was supposed to say it, right?

1.

[hellorhighwater]

"Well, be more careful, princess--last thing I want is to see you take any bumps or bruises!"

The deep, slightly nasal voice from above would be familiar, as would be the beaming face connected to it when she looked up to find Neil dropping to one knee to offer Alice a hand up.

"C'mon, to your feet--you okay?" he asked, forcing himself to resist the urge to hug her, even though he wanted to. It was crazy, but he felt way more affection for the kid than he probably should for knowing her such a short time...and his stupid nameday was turning into a damn fairy tale. He was pretty sure he'd hug a Triton if any of those stupid sea rats found their way to the damn party.

"I thought this nameday was good before? Just got a whole lot better." he chuckled, giving her shoulder a fond little squeeze instead. "You havin' a good time? Where were you goin'? Party's just gettin' started!"

II. Regina x Alice, later Neil

[fondofapples]

"I'm glad you think so, Alice," Regina replied, not at all in the tone of small talk. She was genuinely happy to have Alice here with them and hoped she was having fun, but that blush and the way she kept looking to the dance floor was too precious.

She swept her knuckles against the warmed skin of her cheek and then held out a hand to her as she crouched. "Can I tell you a secret? One you mustn't share with anyone?"

Charlie McGee Choose your own adventure.

[thefirething]

I.

This wasn't entirely what she was expecting for a nameday party, but she could dig it. This was a good, close and quiet family affair and Charlie watched the whole whatever it was between Regina and Neil with a small smile on her face. Even if she didn't understand what the hell she'd just seen, she enjoyed the obvious significance of it.

So she'll definitely be around to mingle with the people she lived with. For now, she was comfortable and feeling safe. For now, this was fine.

For now.

II.

It's when more people arrive later on that Charlie starts having a slight issue. But this is for Neil, so she's going to push through. She's going to find ways to keep herself busy and moving and interacting for as long as she can. She does, after all, eventually have water balloons to throw at the guest of honor.

Plus, she'd invited people. She invited Eli, first of all. She poked Sam Winchester about coming, because she liked him, too. Regina did tell her to invite friends and, off the top of her head? Those were the people she thought of that didn't live at the Villa. And she'd told Eli he could bring his roommate, too, because honestly the brief moment she spoke to Derek, she didn't find him half bad, even if he did seem to enjoy being shirtless.

Okay, so that was only once, and she'd gotten in trouble, But honestly, she wouldn't want Neil in her life as much as she did if that hadn't happened. If someone hadn't stepped in the way he did.

But, anyway, now she was waiting for one Eli Bishop to show, trying hard to not mess with her outfit too much.

Until her guest shows up, she'll be keeping herself busy and focused by asking other guests;

"How are you enjoying the party?"

1.

[hellorhighwater]

Neil isn't sure one man can survive being this happy--but here he is: at a party for him, on his nameday, surrounded by his family...knighted by his queen. And it's a party that all of them put together, even Charlie and Arya who went to the trouble of distracting him so Regina could make sure he was surprised...

About ten minutes after Regina's little presentation, Neil spotted Charlie off to one side and ambled over to sit down next to her. He'd stolen one of the glasses full of rock candy and offered it to her as he sat down.

"You oughta try some, it's awesome." he assured her, popping a piece into his own mouth. "Wanted to say thank you for helpin' Regina with...all this."

He paused to glance around, features glowing with unabashed joy and affection.

"Never had a party before...this is fuckin' incredible."

2

[noblecaptain]

Steve turned to Charlie, smiling when she approached. "It's nice," he said with a soft smile. "Everyone looks like they are having a fun time. I... I don't know many people here, but I am glad I was invited."

He motioned around the room with one of his hands. "The place looks very fun. Parties are good. People need to remember how to relax and have fun. Live a little, right?"

I. Charlie x Regina - before the party

[fondofapples]

In a quiet moment of the morning, after Regina had mentioned to Neil she felt like it might be a good day for her to try to spend a little alone time with his 'child-shaped person', Regina settled on a courtyard couch where Charlie sat, reading. She smiled a conspiratorial smile Neil's direction which guaranteed he'd leave them alone, because making sure she and Charlie developed a relationship of their own was one of the most important things in his world. And then turned an even more conspiratorial smile on Charlie, who knew perfectly well Regina wasn't trying to build a relationship (except for the ways in which she absolutely was and Charlie was utterly wrong).

"What's the book?" she asked loud enough for Neil to hear, and then murmured, "Thanks for your help with the party so far."

2 - OTA

[noblecaptain]

When Regina had invited him to the party, Steve wasn't sure about going. Still, he said he would, so he did make an appearance. There were very few people at the party he actually knew. He was amazed at how gorgeous the place really was. The lights. The food. It was amazing, not like anything he'd ever seen.

Steve wandered around in a pair of khaki's and a button down shirt, very casual. He wasn't sure what to wear and he'd really just wanted to come and see how Regina was doing. He'd not had a chance to speak to her since the conversation about rumours with his new job starting. Helping himself to a drink, he wandered around and glanced at all the people he didn't know.

He tried to think what would Bucky do. He always seemed better at approaching strangers.

Hello, incredibly tall blonde man, have an incredibly tiny blonde girl.

[madcuriosity]

While Steve Rogers is roaming about the house, he's going to feel a very gentle tap on his hand. Should he look down (and down), Alice smiles up at him and offers a curtsy in greeting, a white plush rabbit tucked safely in the crook of one elbow.

"Hello sir, how do you do? I was wondering, if it's alright if Basil and I could ask you a question. You see, we started up quite a debate about you and the only way to solve it is to have it answered properly, and the only proper answer would be from you, you see."

Re: 2 - OTA

[fondofapples]

Since they'd spent the entire morning together as a family, Regina felt comfortable leaving Neil and the kids and Swan to their own devices to circulate among the other guests. She didn't know how many there would be, but she hoped to meet some of her fellow Fayrenites who she hadn't seen for work yet and not only as promotion for the company.

Steve was among the first to arrive, bless him, and she found some time to approach him when he hadn't been here for long. "Steve, hi. Thank you for coming," she said and then eschewed formalities for a moment to give him a quick embrace. "Relax. No one's going to bite."

OTA

[hellorhighwater]

1.

"...you gotta be kiddin' me."

Those were the only words Neil could come up with when he got dragged into the courtyard by a couple of tiny girls who claimed they were thirsty--and found himself in the middle of a party.

It would take a couple minutes, and a few eyerolls from Regina, for him to understand that the party was for him.

Neil's nameday had been...amazing. Not just with the way Regina woke him up, either--he got to celebrate, spend it with his family, and more importantly he felt like he'd done something really important for the woman he loved. There were other boxes of souls, other names...but those were for another day. Days he could sit with Charlie and Arya or meditate in solitude to see vengeance done for the people he cared about.

Now there was a party on top of it all, and it was...well, definitely a fucking surprise because even namedays didn't warrant parties for a commoner. And this was a great one, too--the kids helped decorate, there was a ton of pizza, and someone (probably Charlie) had made mention of his favorite candy, a thing he didn't even realize existed outside the Realms.

It was food and laughter, and later water balloons--it was a perfect day, moreso after Regina's "surprise," and no one that would speak to him at any point would find him with less than a dangerously broad smile threatening to split his face.

2.

The party changed tone later in the evening, and Neil conceded to the atmosphere a little when he had to head inside to change after the water balloons came out. When he emerged from the house, it was still in jeans and a t-shirt, but he'd conceded to something slightly more formal and added a blazer over it.

Granted, the blazer was soon forgotten draped over the back of some chair, but he'd tried.

He also found that the slightly more formal affair was fun in its own right. Regina had to take a moment to explain a housewarming party to him, but once he understood the atmosphere of the dual celebration he found it surprisingly easy to relax and, as she put it, 'mingle.' It was the social dance of court with none of the danger, the informal luxury of socializing within Castle Nocturne with a little more attention to detail.

Aside from the fact that Regina seemed stressed out, Neil enjoyed himself--and when he wasn't checking in on the kids or chatting with the people that did show up, he was making sure he was always close enough to pull her out of her own head if he saw her scowling or her brow furrowing, or doing that nervous/stressed thing where she tucked her tongue up behind her teeth while she was watching someone or something.

II - ota

[lostmyhammer]

Yes, Thor is here. Not until the second half of the party, when anyone is welcome. Regina told him he was welcome to come, so he did. If anyone has a problem with that, well, that's just too bad. He's here to enjoy the party, that's all.

Even without the eye patch, even dressed in street clothes, he'd stick out. There's just something about him. The height, or the muscles. Or maybe the general other-ness of him. Whatever it is, he's the definition of "sore thumb." He doesn't mind, though. He's been spending more time on Midgard lately, and with that and the months he'd spent in New Dodge, he can almost pass as human.

He wanders his way around the courtyard, being careful not too intrude too far into private areas of the house, and samples the food and, of course, the alcohol too. It all leaves him with a sense of homesickness -- because it's not an Asgardian party, and there will never be one of those again. He's now been to two places that weren't home on his way to finding a new one, and he wonders if he ever will, or if he'll ever even see his people again.

Way to ruin a party, Thor.

Re: II - ota

[thefirething]

This guy kind of worried Charlie. No, she didn't think he was a threat. And no, she didn't think he was going to cause trouble. But he did look bothered by something, and that's what had Charlie concerned. Despite her gruff demeanor and occasional attitude problem, Charlie did in fact have a heart that probably glowed like the sun when she actually put effort into caring about people.

"Hey, blonde, giant mountain guy." Charlie...why? Why? "Are you okay?"

OTA

[fondofapples]

I.

After the knighthood ceremony and the cake, Regina slipped away for a few minutes, ducking into the kitchen where absolutely no one who had ever met her would think to look. Regina didn't cook. Period. She baked. And if someone was starving she could manage a sandwich or a salad or some cheese and fruit, or dish out some ice cream (from the ice box that didn't keep things nearly as cold as an actual refrigerator; the only appliances they had in the house were the computers run by the generator and a small refrigerator in the cellar where Regina kept a few essentials like popsicles in case of anyone getting a fever). But if it required applying heat and it wasn't baking, she didn't do it. Which made the kitchen a good place to cool her flushed cheeks and her overheated emotions, as long as no one followed her...

Afterward, she emerged again all smiles and with a bag of water balloons. At Charlie's instigation, she'd agreed to participate in the 'surprise' of it. She ducked behind one of the arches of the portico and pulled out a shimmery purple balloon. Soon, someone walked past and she pitched the balloon at them--without any magical assistance. To her surprise, it hit and even more surprising, planning tactical assaults on her family where no one got hurt proved to be a lot of fun.

II.

It was a quiet event, in spite of all the invitations. Regina didn't know how to feel about that, except that...honestly, it was sort of nice not to worry about back-stabbing (literal) or witch-fights or worse. The people who came seemed to want to be here, and that was new. She did find herself watching everyone anyhow, and drifting from guest to guest to say hello and get names if she didn't already know them.

There were some tense moments: Eli and Charlie smiling at each other, in crush and probably unaware of it (she wasn't going to tell them either, and made sure she was present to distract Neil if it got too obvious); Thor's arrival and generally depressive air; Eli's roommate turning out to be the same guy with the predatory eyes that had caused Neil and Charlie's first fight... But for the most part, it seemed to go well, and Regina only rarely had to set her drink down to prepare a spell that she didn't end up using.

The globe-lights shed a little warmth, but not as much as heat-lamps would, and as evening shifted to night, Regina found herself chilled. Rather than quite obviously changing her outfit, she went to add a blazer--and found she'd rather slip on Neil's. For possibly the first time since her teenaged years, she deliberately wore something completely mismatched--and probably stuck out like a sore thumb. As long as no one mentioned it, she didn't think she cared.

II

[spacepeterpan]

Once the Doctor had identified the lady of the house, he approached to greet her with his usual casual, slightly overly-energetic warmth.

"You must be Regina, hello, I'm the Doctor."

Wasting no time on ice breaking or other fussy details, he leaned to air-kiss beside one cheek, and then the other.

"Congratulations are in order, I believe, a new house, isn't it? And a knight, never had a knight before, been one, but hardly the same, is it, also, got a bit banished at the same time. Busy day. Settling in nicely, I hope?"

Evie Mills - OTA

[blueberryprincess]

Evie'd been just as surprised as most of the others when her mother Knighted Neil. Surprised, but not so much so that it seemed wildly out of character for her mother to do. The truth was, if Evie'd given herself a chance to think about it, it really was something her mother would do. She did, after all, plan a giant party for Neil. Who's to say that the whole knighting moment wouldn't have happened?

And speaking of party planning, Evie was grateful for the event planners she worked with to get this party set up. She could thing huge, sure, but do it herself? Maybe not so much. She kept herself busy with cooking a couple things for the party (not the cake no one wants her baking), making colorful rock candy to go with the stuff people bought, and that was partly to see if she could even make the stuff. Spoiler: she did, and it's amazing and matched the colors of the party.

And when the party was in full swing, Evie could be found flitting from guest to guest one moment, and then either slow-dancing with Jack or eating something while seated on one of the couches in the courtyard.

And when the water balloon fight starts, you can be sure Evie takes advantage of the chaos to use a spell and change her clothes into something more water fight appropriate. After the water balloon fight and while the party is dying down, Evie can be sound sitting again on one of the couches, wrapped in a fluffy towel with her legs tucked up under her chin.

This had been an amazing day and she was glad to have been a part of it.

Re: Evie Mills - OTA

[fondofapples]

It wasn't until the party had wound down enough that Evie had wrapped herself in a towel that Regina found a moment to come and sit with her daughter. But as soon as she did, she wrapped her arms around be-toweled Evie and pulled her in against her. She might have adopted Arya and added Charlie and Alice to the brood, but Henry was her first, and Evie was the daughter of her body that she'd never have. Their bond was different. Not better, or stronger, but simpler.

Like Henry, Evie knew everything. She was her Truest Believer. And it made doing things like giving hugs, sitting close, telling truths, the simplest thing in the world. "I couldn't have done any of this without you," she said, and she wasn't talking about the party. She hoped Evie knew it.

II. OTA

[readsinbytes]

Eli spent the better part of a day scanning date to learn everything he could about everyone he knew might be at this party besides Charlie. Regina Mills, Neil Blair, Arya Stark, Evie Mills, Jack Kelly, Madeleine Hatter, Alice Liddell, one leading to another until he got to Steve Rogers and Thor--friends of the lady who lived with Charlie's not-dad. There probably wouldn't be a lot of stuff to read at the party, but since he couldn't, he did his best to be prepared.

He knew there was a party earlier in the day for Neil. And since he liked the guy, he'd put together a playlist for him that he could play on his phone. He didn't have the cash to buy two portable music players, and the one he did buy, that was for Charlie. Something to help her tune out the noise if the party got too big.

Charlie said the thing was casual, which was good, because he'd fuss at a suit if he had to wear it and try to be chill at the same time. But he dressed model-decent, with a slate blue button down shirt that he'd even bothered to get pressed at the dry cleaner. And a black leather jacket slung over his arm in case he or Charlie got cold.

He even gave Derek a 'you can't growl and sulk the whole time' talk, which meant he could leave his roommate to his own devices for five minutes at a time. Just enough time to introduce himself, grab another plate of food, and then turn around and haul Derek out of whatever corner he was sulking in--until he laid eyes on the blonde, Emma, who was somehow related to Regina. And then he had as much time as he wanted.

Score.

Re: II. OTA

[thefirething]

Charlie wasn't quite at the point of feeling overwhelmed by the party. There were strangers. Tons of them. But this was her home. This was where her family was, so she felt pretty safe, for the most part. She might be skirting the larger crowds instead of walking through them, but she was fine. She could pretend to be fine for a bit longer.

And then she really is fine when she spots Eli. Something about his presence, something she hasn't allowed herself to think about too much, was enough to keep her focused on now and not lost in her own head. She changes her route from the stack of pizza boxes on the table to Eli, a grin on her face as she greets him.

"You made it. I'm glad you're here."

OTA

[goodolcapnjack]

1.

Jack hadn't been sure until the last minute that he was going to this shindig. He'd helped, sure, but Regina was Evie's mother, and he wasn't making no assumptions...least until Evie thumped him upside the head a little (which was mostly just kissing him and telling him he was an idiot) and made sure he wore a decent shirt.

At first, he didn't feel comfortable--especially 'cause he left his hat at the door, he wasn't gonna be impolite in a queen's house--but that was the funny thing about Miss Regina. She was high and mighty as they came, maybe even more than Pulitzer, only she managed to do it and do it with the kind of smile and goodness in her that Miss Medda had. Jack still didn't know how that could be possible, but there it was.

And with all the Italian food and the classy looking candy and Evie's dad ('cause he would be once he and Miss Regina went and tied the knot, Jack wasn't no dummy) getting made a knight or something, it could've been real easy for Jack to feel just like he didn't belong.

Only between the Mills girls and all the other kids...Jack kind of felt like a day like today was probably what it felt like to have a real family.

2.

The afternoon was something else...the night? Not so much.

The family party was nice and easy, kinda silly and full of good food, but as the sun set and all the lanterns came out, it felt a little fancier and through no one's fault, Jack finally did start to feel less like he fit into the landscape and more like he oughta make himself scarce.

He couldn't do that, of course, on account of Evie, but fortunately he had a pencil on him, and snagging a few of them paper napkins wasn't hard. He wasn't hiding in the corners--he wasn't--but if he was a little hard to find sometimes after the whole housewarming whatchacallit started, it was just because he kept finding interesting people to draw, with a very loose plan to present his sketches to Evie's mother and future pops to remember the party by.

2

[highpitchednoises]

Regan wasn’t trying to pry or be nosy, but the guy with the pencil and napkins, drawing away like it was going out of style had certainly caught Regan’s attention. She wasn’t sure if he was doing it because he was bored or because he was uncomfortable, so she was curious. With a notepad and pen in hand, the whiteboard ditched for now because erasing it over and over was a huge pain in the ass, she writes a quick greeting and then waves some to get the guys attention. Once she has it, she holds the notepad out.

Hi. I’m Regan. I’m deaf but can read lips if you talk carefully. Your drawings are amazing.

II (OTA)

[spacepeterpan]

It wasn't that often the Doctor was invited to parties by people he didn't already know pretty well (more often than not through near-death experiences). Really, it wasn't that often he was invited to parties by people he did know, and that only became more true as his list of friends in Genessia had thinned out somewhat...

...so he'd been a bit surprised at the invite (and maybe disappointed that it didn't seem to be a dancing sort of party), but made sure to show up. It didn't quite seem like a white tuxedo sort of event, but it was a social gathering to which he was actually invited and wasn't just barging in while traveling randomly or investigating nefarious activities, so he went the middle road and dug out the Victorian suit he'd tucked away when Amy and Rory were around.

It kind of suited him better, at the moment, anyhow... but no need to go into that. Not at a party, certainly!

Re: II (OTA)

[noblecaptain]

Steve wandered up to the man, smiling slightly. He loved the look of the man's clothes. Honestly, while Steve wasn't the type of man to assume or make a pre-conceived notion, he really hoped that this man was a man out of time like himself.

"Hey, I don't think we've met yet. My name is Steve." Offering his hand out to the Doctor, he hoped that he appeared approachable. It could be hard being at a party and not knowing anyone. He knew people wouldn't bite, but that didn't make it any less awkward for him.

He waited to see if the Doctor would respond to him. "Nice party, hmm?"

II

[storybrooke_savior]

Emma figured she probably qualified as 'family' but she waited until later in the evening to bring Regan with her to the party, because she didn't want her to get overwhelmed. As such, she stuck pretty close to her, ready to step in if she looked like she needed her, but mostly trying to encourage her to try and mingle and make friends.

As the evening went on, Emma couldn't help but think how much Henry would like it here, how happy it would make him to see Regina happy--how quickly he'd have made friends with Arya and Regan. Charlie, too, but the other 2 girls were closer to his age.

But she tried not to let herself sink too far in to melancholy, and Henry was a subject of melancholy; that wasn't the spirit of the day. She smiled and mingled over the buffet, grabbed a drink and finding somewhere to settle while she ate.

Re: II

[notexactlyalphaoftheyear]

"Emma?"

He'd been over by the buffet when he'd caught her scent. He figured it had to be his imagination, or someone else that used similar beauty products...and favored leather jackets.

But no, that was more than shampoo and leather, that was Emma. The unique chemosignals, the mix of hair and skin as singular as a fingerprint--it was her, and when he followed it he found himself watching her walk away from him--a rear view he wouldn't be forgetting any time soon, crass as it was.

So he called her name, he followed to close the space between them--and he couldn't quite keep the smile off his face as he approached.

II. Lea OTA

[hotheadwarmheart]

Someone had mentioned to Lea that there'd be an open house type party tonight in Fayren, and from the looks of things it seemed he'd found the right place. He didn't see anyone he knew after a quick scan of the area, but he supposed that could change. Or who knew; he might meet somebody new.

Still, he couldn't help feeling slightly awkward as he headed over to check out the refreshments. Maybe snagging a drink from the bar later would help him loosen up.

Re: II. Lea OTA

[readsinbytes]

Eli's lost Charlie for the moment and Derek seems to be behaving himself, so he takes the moment to grab a slice of cake. He carries it over to the bar--so what if it's practically falling off the plate? It was a huge cake--and sees a guy he doesn't recognize standing there.

"Hey," he says, friendly even while his brain mad-scans the local data to find out anything he can about the guy. Probably, he's fine. Neil wouldn't let anyone near Charlie he thought was dangerous, but Eli still has to look out for himself.

More importantly, at the moment, is he going for cool here? Because beer sucks with cake. He really want... ah, fuck it. "There any milk back there?" he asks the person tending the bar.