meet the (grand)parents...

[theresalwayshope]

Allison felt a little like she was going insane.

She started out just planning to invite Aramis and Porthos over to meet Jason. Dinner and drinks, nothing big. Then she realized she didn't just feel obligated to invite Athos, she wanted to. So, if she did that, she obviously had to invite D'artagnan, and she really wanted to meet Constance...and she'd promised Grey a chance to help her bake a cake, so if she did something more than dinner, she could let him come over at some point...

The small family dinner became a small dinner party, and with a few more additions morphed into an impromptu potluck for the whole building...or anyone that wanted to show up. She told the family about it privately, asking Porthos and Aramis to make sure the others at least stopped by (with a subtle warning that Jason would be there), told everyone else she knew in the city, and for the rest of the building she posted a couple of handmade fliers: one in the elevator, and another in the laundry room announcing that, with either a main course or appetizer offering, an invitation to the holiday celebration taking place in apartment #39...dressy casual to formalwear welcome, bring your favorite Christmas CD as a bonus.

And, of course, she told Jason...and told him her family would be there.

By the night of the party, Allison was ready...she just felt a little like she was going insane.

She kept her outfit cute, but simple, and took care of dessert by baking some cupcakes, gingerbread cookies, and a two layer chocolate cake which she invited Grey over to help her bake. With a little careful scheduling, she also managed to contribute to the food on hand with her second ever attempt at beef bourguignon: rich, hearty, and sort of impressive under the right circumstances. By party time, she had her front door standing open, some Trans Siberian Orchestra carols playing on her stereo, and while she didn't yet have a tree, she'd gotten some cute plastic holly garland to hang around the apartment, and for fun had ringed her whole living room ceiling in multicolor Christmas lights for good measure.

The party was good to go. The place smelled good, the food came out okay with more to come...the evening was good to go.

And when Jason showed up, her family would show up...and they'd all meet each other...

While she waited for her guests, loved ones, and boyfriend to start arriving, Allison puttered around in her kitchen, swore to herself she was not hiding, and tried to pretend that she wasn't having visions of someone either drawing a sword or a knife by the end of the evening.

Tonight had to be perfect.

(HOLIDAY GATHERING POST! Treat it thusly. :P Front door's open, come and go as you please, anyone in the Bramford Building is welcome, and if you know Allison even remotely she told you about the party. Gather at will, and leave a call for Allison in your subject line if you want to play with her directly! Open eternally, will probably be linked near the end of the month. :D)

Comments

[prodigaljaybird]

He's not nervous.

He's faced more dangers than most people his age will face in their lifetimes, he's not scared of meeting Allison's crazy ancient swashbuckling family. And if Jason's near the window with eight other possible escape routes in his line of sight, that's nobody's business but his own.

Every so often, Allison slides past his vision, fancy earrings and her beautiful eyes sparkling, and the tension in Jason's shoulders unknits, only to return as soon as she's gone again. Reaching up, Jason flicks a cookie crumb from the collar of his shirt and watches the door from the corner of his eye, resolutely forcing his shoulders back down into the posture of an unaffected teen.

He's so not nervous.

[du_vallon]

It's helpful, not having to leave the building. Porthos has draped himself in a snug red woolen sweater and pair of jeans, bringing with him a few plates of little treats in the form of biscuits and a few other appetizers, and sets them down before he eases into the corner to get the lay of the land. Before, people could pick him out of a crowd by the look of him, but now he gets the chance to ease back and watch.

And of course, he spends a lot of his time watching Allison and this boyfriend of hers, recalling the things she's told Porthos about him. Popping a cookie into his mouth, he pours himself a drink from the brandy they've brought and settles in for a night of it.

[silenttrainbaby]

It seems like Grey goes to many parties in Darrow. He can't say he's any closer to knowing quite what to do at them, but he goes, nonetheless. And of course, he'd come early to help bake this cake, eating enough batter for his stomach to hurt.

Rat will be here soon and he looks forward to showing his boyfriend the cake he helped make, to show him the mistletoe that Allison explained. For once, he doesn't wear sweatpants, but what he's learned are called trousers. And a sweater that feels so soft against his skin that he keeps rubbing it as if continuously surprised. His hair is growing out, too and he comes very close to smiling.

[du_vallon]

Porthos gives Jason a little time to settle in. He knows from experience how overwhelming too many strangers can be and he's sure that Allison has given him a brief background about who he and Aramis are. Once he thinks he's good and settled, he approaches with a bright grin, already having decided he's approaching this with warmth and affection, given that Allison has already chosen him.

"Here," he says, offering out a new cookie. "Eat."

[plaguedrat]

He's here in his capacity as Grey's surly boyfriend. The one brought here under duress. At least, that's what Rat will say if asked. All things considered, he's pretty sure it's been a lost cause since Grey bought the Christmas Tree.

How he ended up carrying in a vegetable tray, he's not entirely sure.

[prodigaljaybird]

Jason eyes the cookie, but like any kid who's spent time scrounging in the streets, he's not going to turn down free, unpoisoned food. He takes it quickly, pausing before it's reached his mouth to look Porthos over. His smile is huge and seemingly genuine - real kindness is among the hardest sentiments to fake - and after a moment more Jason returns it with a small one of his own.

"They're good," he offers. "I think that lady on six made them."

[du_vallon]

"You should try some of the ones I made, later," he encourages. "They're dead easy. Peanut butter, sugar, sugar, more sugar," he says with a bright grin, "then you roll 'em in chocolate." Porthos thinks he has a brand new favourite, knowing that he's likely to gain a lot of weight this season if he keeps baking like this. "I'm Porthos," he introduces himself. "Guessing you know that, though."

[prodigaljaybird]

"I love peanut butter," says Jason, brightening, and hurriedly finishes the cookie so he can make room for more. "Where are they?" Casting another look over Porthos, Jason can't help but notice he's as big as Bruce, if not quite as solid, though Jason will hardly fault him that. Not everyone spends the wee hours of the morning doing pullups. "You know you don't look like your typical baker."

[the_other_guy]

Along with spotting the fliers in the laundry room and the elevator, Bruce had gotten a personal invite from Allison by the mailbox, along with an invite extended to Kenzi with a knowing smile that made him blush in spite of himself. They were nowhere near graduating to the point of doing anything yet...but clearly Allison didn't know that.

He felt pretty safe bringing over a rice pilaf, one Allison greeted with enthusiasm when he arrived at the party. Unsure if Kenzi was going to share credit for his contribution or bring something of her own, he'd wandered over solo, and after accepting an offer of a glass of some pretty fantastic brandy Allison credited Porthos and Aramis with bringing, he'd found himself a comfortable spot off to one side, admiring a decorative pair of sais Allison had adorning one wall of her living room.

[howdoyoudefineit]

The text message Al got from Allison was pretty explicit: she was hosting a party, and attendance by the pack was mandatory.

He wasn't sure attending a teenager's party was exactly the best idea, but she'd alluded to having some friends in his own age bracket on site, so he mentioned the party to Melissa, picked up a rotisserie chicken at the grocery store, and brought it along with him.

When he arrived, he was surprised to see that the party was actually a pretty nice little shindig: a comfortably crowded room, laid back, and not just a bunch of kids. The place looked...well, it looked good, too. Allison really had her stamp on it, and as he allowed himself to be offered a brandy, she even pointed out a nervous looking young man she identified as her boyfriend.

Al wouldn't be totally comfortable until he'd met the kid...but when he found a seat on the couch and watched her drift over to burrow against his side, he felt a little bit better at how happy they looked.

Now if only he could find a chance to talk to her about this ridiculous Alpha situation...

[du_vallon]

Porthos grins at the enthusiasm. "They're not here. They're back at my place, cooling in a closed container." Mostly so the cat doesn't get at them, but also so Athos doesn't think he can sneak any pre-emptive samples. "And I'm really not a baker," he promises. "I picked it up when I got here. That, and cooking. Felt like good ways to pass the time, but it turns out, I really like it."

Plus, the knife skill had come in handy.

[prodigaljaybird]

Jason's grin doesn't dim for the lack of present cookies. He knows where Porthos and Aramis live, and none of the windows in Bramford besides Allison's are anywhere close to properly secured. He could probably get there and back with several in the time it takes Porthos to get a drink.

"Too much swordfighting to do at home, I guess," he says, already sure Porthos isn't carrying any of his weapons now, which is a shame, but Allison probably wouldn't appreciate any impromptu sparring between them, however curious Jason is. "You use a schiavona, right?"

[du_vallon]

Porthos' face falls in confusion, the word not making sense no matter how he breaks it down. It's not English and though it sounds a bit like French, it's still not clear enough for Porthos to figure it out. "A...?" He licks his lower lip, clearing his throat. "I guess?" Maybe Aramis can tell him later what it is.

[prodigaljaybird]

Jason frowns, but he picks up on Porthos' trouble soon enough. "It's just some dumb Italian word for big ass sword," he promises. "With a basket hilt. I thought I saw you with one in the street a while back. I'm surprised people don't run at the sight of you with that thing. Looks brutal."

[silenttrainbaby]

Rat's here! All of Grey's face lights up when he sees him. He comes over, his fingers still covered with frosting (don't ask how that happened; he'd been using a spatula).

A kiss, yes? Over the vegetable tray.

[theresalwayshope]

Whenever Allison catches Jason's eye, she feels sane in the moment, relaxed and warm and good, even a little bit giddy to have him around for more than just a hot and half-crazed grope against the wall (or more, and sometimes they even make it to the bed after an especially active night patrolling). When he doesn't catch her looking, though, she can tell what he's doing, and it worries her a little.

In a lull between greeting guests, she makes her way over and, once she knows she's been spotted, she sidles up next to him so she can wrap her arms around his waist and steal a kiss.

"So? Verdict: do I throw a better party than your dad?" she asked cheerfully, hoping to distract them both at least a little bit from the reason for the entire thing. "I mean, it's not Wayne Manor, but I bet a stuffed shirt like him wouldn't think to put Trans Siberian Orchestra on the stereo."

[plaguedrat]

Rat gives him a kiss, softening a little and cupping his cheek.

"How did you get covered in frosting?"

[du_vallon]

It's stupid, but he feels an instant kick of relief when Jason explains what he means. Porthos is trying so hard to keep up with his lessons, but English is a hard language and he'd had to spend years ironing out his dialect after leaving the Court. Learning this one as an adult is more difficult than he stubbornly likes to admit. "Yeah, that's me and mine," he agrees proudly, lifting his chin up happily. "Don't really use it unless I'm fighting or practicing," he swears. "Have you seen Aramis'?" he asks, excitedly.

"It's a bit fancy, just like him."

[silenttrainbaby]

He'd made a cake!

Or more accurately, he'd help make a cake. And eaten raw cake batter and lots of the frosting too. He holds up a finger for Rat to taste too. It's good. So very sweet.

[plaguedrat]

Rat pulls Grey's hand to his mouth, cleaning it of frosting and looking him straight in the eye.

"Let's not do more of that or they'll kick us out of the party."

[priordivergence]

I made brown bread, the way my mother taught me to bake it. It will go well with any other food, whether it's sliced into sandwiches or sopped into gravy. For a potluck, I think it'll go over well. It's not exactly pretty or particularly unique, but I hope its taste will make up for that.

Likewise, I'm dressed simply and I'm only realizing now that black and gray might be my automatic colors, but I'm left plain at best and funereal at worst. Not exactly the mood the party seems to set with all of the fairy lights and laughter.

I put down my bread and hesitate, wondering if I should hurry back to my apartment downstairs and find something in my closet that hints toward festive. Maybe I'll even find some of that eyeliner that Christina said made me so striking.

[theresalwayshope]

Allison had been busy greeting a guest at the door when Porthos arrived, meaning she could only toss off a cursory wave and a smile while she played good hostess. She could afford a little slight in courtesy with family...

She remedied it quickly, however, finally making her way across the room with a small dish of her beef bourguignon, grinning as she kissed his cheek in greeting and handed it off to him.

"Beef burgundy, learned to cook it right in Paris." She greeted him in French before switching to English. "Probably a little simple in your day, but it's made its way back into sophisticated cuisine in my time...and this time, I didn't overcook the mushrooms! If you're going to drink, you're going to eat. No melon shooting in my apartment."

[priordivergence]

I'm not very good at partying, which shouldn't surprise me. At least Halloween had had the disguise of lights and costumes, but now I'm just standing there, hugging my sweater around myself.

"I don't really know what to do," I admit, sidling up to him. "Are you having fun?"

[godless_son]

It is not until is he quite literally outside her door that Castiel realizes this could be considered stalking. He has not been invited to visit Ms. Argent and honestly the compulsion had been quite sudden and largely prompted by his good mood at being back in the correct body and the satisfaction of all the painting finally being complete.

He waits outside the apartment door, listening to what is clearly a party and does not try and enter until someone else arrives, shooting him a strange look as he shuffles inside, photos clutched in his hands.

He'd followed her advice to the tee on the bedroom colors and he's quite proud.

[sciencesaggressively]

He's sucking on a candy cane when he spots the guy, very clearly the Jason that Allison's mentioned more than once if the fact that she's just kissed him is anything to go by. He squints through his glasses, trying to assess the whole situation or whatever because he's Allison's adopted big brother, and he's pretty sure assessing situations is what big brothers do. Then again, he's never been one before, so he could be totally wrong--but he's never wrong, so it's fine.

Newt wanders up to him, slowly but with purpose, and pulls the candy cane from his mouth to point it at the guy. "Jason, right? Nice to put a name to the face." Actually, Allison might have shown him a picture on her phone or something but to be completely honest, he can't be sure. Either way, though. "I'm Newt. I like your shirt."