exsilium | 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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I know.

[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.]

Yeah, kinda. I'm not sure one can ever truly know Donny, though. [ It's worth of note that she sounds amused while saying that. ] Good to finally meet one of his friends. [ She's not the not-girlfriend, if any talk of a girlfriend of her own meant what she thinks it did, that much she knows.

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. ]

[She considers making a joke about how she knows it's a shock that Donny does have friends, but remembers that this is public and decides to keep it to herself. It would have been good natured, but, well, Donny.]

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.]

He's a good kid, but he seriously needs to take five from the real world now and then. I guess that's why he has his art. [ Which is actually pretty pretty, alright. ]

That's wonderful; I'm always bored anyway, so a project or two won't hurt.

[There's a moment of silence where Steph isn't sure what to say to that, because what Ella said feels a little too - mean, especially considering Donny, and she isn't sure if she should defend him or go with the joke or what. Things are strained enough with Donny that she doesn't want to risk screwing it up if he takes something the wrong way.

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.

[ Maybe she needs to be called on being just a tad rude. Or a lot rude? ]

That would be awesome. My only mission so far was so boring I actually wanted to come back here.

Careful what you wish for. [Her tone isn't quite sharp, but there's something a little tense in it.] I'd rather things were quiet.

[After what happened with Elmer's world.]

Oh I don't mean it that way. Actually I don't think I usually mean stuff the way I say it, huh.

[ Ella what are you talking about. ]

Quiet is good. Too quiet is both alarming and boring...if something can actually be both.

Yeah, I know how that can be.

[Steph has a knack for sticking her foot in her mouth.]

The quiet before the storm? That sorta thing?

If it starts to feel that way then it stops being relaxing, I guess. And paranoia isn't exactly overrated here.

Paranoia isn't overrated anywhere, really. [Bats] And does it ever feel relaxing, here?

[just sayin']

Compared to my world? Yes, it does feel relaxing now and then.

[ So imagine her world. ]

That must be one hell of a world.