The one with the rules; voice/text
Oooooooookay people, after much work and coordination efforts and the fact I can't get anything done ever, I have finally managed to get everything I need in order to throw a proper kickass party. Wide spaces, music, drinks, food, dark corners, lights. The works.
[ A beat. ]
And yes, anyone can come. But because of that I've written down four simple rules you are all expected to follow:
1. You start acting like a stupid drunk, I kick you out.
2. I see anything besides and smokes in your hands, I kick you out.
3. You start a fight, I kick you two (or three) out.
4. I see you trying to take advantage of a drunk teen...well, you know how it goes.
[ Does she make awesome lists or what? ]
Now! We need to decide on a date. This weekend is kind of taken by that Open House thing, so next week? I guess the best way to welcome the newbs is with a party anwyay. For ourselves. So maybe we'll meet them with a hangover! Please measure yourselves.
So! If you are remotely interested in coming, let me know here, so I know if this is going to be an all out party or something more like three people playing Strip Jenga.
Come on, talk to me people.
[Private to Tony Stark and Oliver Queen]
Congratulations, you two have been chosen to give me a hand making sure the adults play nice. I don't think anything is going to happen, but can you please please please at least pretend to keep an eye on things?
[Private to Stanley Lucerne]
Hors d'oeuvres.
[ She actually says it moderately well. ]
Assuming you're going to come.
[Private to Donny Casey]
You're totally coming.
[ A beat. ]
And yes, anyone can come. But because of that I've written down four simple rules you are all expected to follow:
1. You start acting like a stupid drunk, I kick you out.
2. I see anything besides and smokes in your hands, I kick you out.
3. You start a fight, I kick you two (or three) out.
4. I see you trying to take advantage of a drunk teen...well, you know how it goes.
[ Does she make awesome lists or what? ]
Now! We need to decide on a date. This weekend is kind of taken by that Open House thing, so next week? I guess the best way to welcome the newbs is with a party anwyay. For ourselves. So maybe we'll meet them with a hangover! Please measure yourselves.
So! If you are remotely interested in coming, let me know here, so I know if this is going to be an all out party or something more like three people playing Strip Jenga.
Come on, talk to me people.
[Private to Tony Stark and Oliver Queen]
Congratulations, you two have been chosen to give me a hand making sure the adults play nice. I don't think anything is going to happen, but can you please please please at least pretend to keep an eye on things?
[Private to Stanley Lucerne]
Hors d'oeuvres.
[ She actually says it moderately well. ]
Assuming you're going to come.
[Private to Donny Casey]
You're totally coming.
voice
[ But Ella? Ella is a lightweight, so it isn't even like she's going to actually try to get herself drunk. ]
Make sure to tell them it's going to be really nice? There's lots of food and drinks and I have a tech oriented redhead making sure everything runs smoothly.
[ Never leave your house without a tech oriented redhead. ]
voice
[Which is why she has gotten drunk once or twice in Exsilium, though she prefers to do it alone.
Except for that one time she doesn't think about.]
Nah, I thought I'd convince 'em by saying it'd be shit. [Steph pls. And at the "tech oriented redheard" her first thought is Babs, but a quick check of the other replies makes her reconsider that.] But that's good to know, I've got an iPod full of music if she needs it.
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Well, Ella is going to catch herself before she makes a question she should probably not do. ]
Okay, alright, I'm the worst at this social stuff. And I think that would be all kinds of awesome, because music is one of those things I didn't pack on the way here.
voice
[She used to be better at it when she was younger, and even hanging out with Bailey and her friends wasn't too bad, but that was because she felt like she fitted in with them a lot more than she does with most people her age.]
I got lucky, happened to have mine on me when I got dragged here. [because Babs finally installed in iPod jack in the Batgirl suit] I'll bring it along to the party so you can plug it in. I hope you like Beyonce.
[She has other stuff.
But Beyonce is the best.]
voice
[ This is why she doesn't tell people about herself. Fitting in stopped being an option a couple of years ago. ]
I can survive Beyonce, trust me. We have something of a varied music selection already, but you can't really get music anymore, so it all helps.
voice
[Steph isn't as good at peptalks as Batgirl is.]
If you find me a piano, I could even give a live show.
[And that's a joke, accompanied by a huff of a laugh at herself, because she's sure the sort of party Ella is throwing isn't the kind where you have live piano performances.]
voice
[ That would be the sort-of-obvious sound of Ella taking a deep breath and shaking her head. Nobody can see her so it's fine. ]
I think that's not the sort of party for that, but if you can give me more details I could arrange something for later. [ Is she going to offer her powers to every little whim people mention to her?
Yes, yes she is. ]
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You want me to show up early and help set up? Just so you're not doing it all alone.
[Maybe she'll regret that, but she doubts anything incredibly awful could come of it.
And she's just frysquinting at her tablet with that comment.]
Wait, what?
[What? What are you offering, Ella?]
voice
[ Look at her, pretending this is an actually difficult choice. ]
I guess I would appreciate the help. I mean, Claudia is going to be around too, but...if you want to...
[ The grin is almost audible. ]
You want a piano? I can get you a piano, provided you give me details about it. I know the basics, but I can get it faster if I have a better idea of what you want.
I'm...resourceful.
voice
[Should she sound like she's laughing, as she says that?
Sorry Tim.]
That sounds way too good to be true. Do I have to sign my soul over or anything?
[Faustian deals about pianos, of course.]
voice
[ Ella's laughing too, so it's all good. Sorry Tim. ]
Nope, I'm just a sucker for helping in any silly way I can to make people enjoy their stay, I guess. I've already gotten a guitar for this Joel guy and some weird metal sand for Donny, so a piano...it can't be that difficult, can it now?
[ Ella don't be so naive. ]
Just keep it away from the future boyfriend.
voice
[Steph that's nothing to be proud of.]
You know Donny? [Well, that helps to ease any worry she might have had about this offer of a piano, since she can't imagine Donny accepting something from someone if it were going to turn out horribly.] You don't have to, though. I mean - I haven't played for a while, it was just a joke. If it takes too much effort or anything...
[She's guessing magic of some kind, and she doesn't know enough about how that works.]
voice
And is she excluding herself from that group? ]
Tell you what, if you can get me some details, maybe sketches...just random notes, I'll do what I can and if I get something going I'll let you know. Otherwise, no compromise.
[ There's magic, and then there's Ella. That is to say, Ella wouldn't be able to explain how she does what she does. ]
voice
He's an enigma. [But she sounds fond, even if she suspects Ella might not know about Atlas, since very few people do.] But he's a good kid.
[Ignore that he's older than her.]
I can get you plenty of sketches. Schematics are about the only thing I can draw. [And silly little doodles, but those don't count.]
voice
That's wonderful; I'm always bored anyway, so a project or two won't hurt.
voice
In the end, she decides silence is the safest bet, and moves on.]
I know what you mean about being bored, I've never had so much free time in my life. [That is lie, but whatever] Maybe we'll get lucky and the Initiative'll send us on a mission to somewhere civilized, so I can show you a real piano.
voice
That would be awesome. My only mission so far was so boring I actually wanted to come back here.
voice
[After what happened with Elmer's world.]
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[ Ella what are you talking about. ]
Quiet is good. Too quiet is both alarming and boring...if something can actually be both.
voice
[Steph has a knack for sticking her foot in her mouth.]
The quiet before the storm? That sorta thing?
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[just sayin']
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[ So imagine her world. ]
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