Valdis Birthday "Surprise" Party - FOR VALDIS CR!

[maximumcake]

Who: Valdis, Max, Fever, Miles + any other friends and family of Valdis (assume they got an invite)
What: Valdis is celebrating her birthday for the first time and her friends want to make her feel special by throwing her a very not surprising surprise party.
When: January 23rd, early evening
Where: Around town first (with fever) and then Max and Valdis's home for dinner.
Warnings: None yet. Will update as needed.


Max wakes up at his usual time that morning out of habit, but he doesn't make any moves to leave for work. He's taken off because it's the day Fever picked to celebrate Valdis's birthday and he is determined to make it special for his love in every way he can. It's already obvious the surprise part of the surprise party he's organized will never keep because he can't stop smiling and he knows Valdis can feel the excitement bursting in his chest. But that's okay, she still doesn't know what the decorations look like. Or the cake.

He's not doing it alone, of course. Fever arrives to take Valdis on a date to keep her occupied out of the house so the rest of them have time to work. As soon as he can, he runs to the bakery to retrieve the extraordinary three-layered angel food cake he'd already made days in advance. It took careful planning and shrewd trading to secure enough berries to fill it in the middle of winter but, for Valdis, he would move Heaven and Earth.

He grabs the decorations he's been hiding in the bakery closet there, too, and hoofs it back. When he gets home, he'll task Miles with hanging them while he gets to work prepping the food. It's going to be the charcuterie board to end all charcuterie boards. Thinly sliced meats, cheeses, more fruits, nuts, even some olives, and, of course, lots and lots of fresh bread and butter. It takes over almost the whole kitchen table. So much so that Max has to move the cake to a side table. It's guaranteed no one here is going to go hungry or thirsty. There's plenty of wine, lemonade, coffee, tea, and a few good bottles of spirits. Enough to keep them toasty and toasted for the evening.

He's been looking forward to this for so long. Now, he steps back to inspect the work one last time as it gets closer to when guests should be arriving, and he smiles. It's simple, elegant, and intimate--just what he wants for Valdis. He's looking forward to an evening with Valdis surrounded by the people who love her most, soaking in all the good feelings from them as they revel in their friendships.

All that's left to do, now, is wait for the woman of the hour to arrive.

Comments

For Fever

[redlightgreenlight]

Valdis knows exactly what day it is, so she isn't surprised when Fever calls her and asks her to meet at the market, but when Max and Miles are both too busy to join her, she begins to get suspicious that something is up. She'll leave them to their plotting, and though she is certain that Fever is part of the whole thing, she's not going to ruin their fun.

So, despite the cold never bothering her too much, she's bundled up for the winter, waiting for her partner to show up. She's sure she won't be waiting long.

[abhorrently]

Of course she's part of it, and it's impossible to truly keep a surprise when their emotions practically overflow with cheer and excitement, especially on the day. But even if the fact that a surprise is coming is not hidden, what it will be precisely is still an unknown. And that Valdis can play along with them is enough.

She won't be kept waiting. Bundled up in return, Fever makes her arrival with a cheery wave and hurries over.

"Happy birthday! How does your first official birthday feel so far?"

[redlightgreenlight]

Valdis smiles when Fever arrives, feeling that familiar little burst of joy whenever she sees the woman.

"Well, I don't feel any different. Like...obviously I've felt what others felt on their birthdays, but there's always a distance there, and I'm having difficulty connecting with those feelings for myself. I do feel excited though."

A sense of anticipation mixed with curiosity over what the others are planning.

[abhorrently]

"Excited is good enough to go with. I've been told a birthday's half an excuse for those who care about you to make a fuss about you, anyway, so as long as you're all right with that, you're doing just fine."

Looping her arm through Valdis's, she grins.

"What do you want to do first? Or is there no plan?"

She's betting on the latter, but is open to being pleasantly surprised.

Open

[redlightgreenlight]

The surprise isn't truly much of a surprise when she can sense the souls of her friends beyond the door. They know that, because they know her, and they also know she's not a huge fan of surprises, but again, they know she knows. Still, when she opens the door and hears them all cheer, she can't help but smile. These are the people she loves. There aren't many, but there are a lot more than she once had.

She greets everyone, both as a group and individually, thanking them for coming, insisting they mingle so she's not the center of attention. The cake Max made is beautiful and she has no idea where he managed to find strawberries in the midst of winter. The charucterie is perfect, he must have spent his entire grocery budget on it. Despite it all she still finds the time to check in with each person who came, letting them know she appreciates them.

[ss_buttcrack]

Crichton is among the rest shouting happy birthday to her. That doesn't mean he won't do it again more personally the moment he gets a chance. That moment is now.

"Happy birthday to you," he sings as he comes up to her, "Happy birthday to youuu~" she can feel free to stop him before he makes it to the next line.

[redlightgreenlight]

Valdis winces when he starts singing.

"Crichton," She smiles. "Uh, thank you, but you don't have to sing."

[ss_buttcrack]

He cuts himself off with a laugh. Okay, because he loves her, he won't torture her with any more of it.

"Just wanted to make sure you heard me," he says with a wink. "So? How does it feel to have a birthday party?"

[lordoftheozarks]

Erik has been keeping himself to the corner of the room, quietly watching the festivities and soaking it up, along with some more of Max's food. But, when a moment comes where Valdis seems free, he steps forward with a wrapped bundle in his arms--a large one.

"I thought, perhaps this year, I would continue the tradition and give you another gown to wear at Merrymeet." This time as a gift from a friend instead of as a peace offering. "I confess this was driven, somewhat, by my desire to see how well this gown will suit you."

He offers the bundle over. Inside is a finely made green embroidered dress with a bodice that will hug her body tightly, while the whispy train makes her seem as if she is walking through the eye of an emerald green storm.

[redlightgreenlight]

Valdis tips her head, both surprised and unsurprised that Erik is here, though the gift is definitely the former.

"Is giving your friend's attractive partner dresses with the desire to see her wear them quite common among vampires?"

She's teasing, and its not entirely strange for someone to want to see her in a dress such as this. She was designed to be perfect, even if she is finding that she is very much not.

She likes being imperfect better, but the dress is gorgeous.

"Thank you, it's lovely."

She's sure Max or Miles would be thrilled to remove it at some point.

[lordoftheozarks]

"Do you know, it actually is?" he says with a chuckle. She'll know he's telling the truth. "We vampires do care a great deal about our image. Often, when sending an invitation to a social event, we'll send each other outfits of request as a gift to encourage attendance. If we want to keep the gift, then we'd better show our faces to that event wearing it. And so, a tradition was born." Honestly, it did wonders to keep them all from stressing over what to wear. To shame another's wardrobe might be to accidentally shame an ally.

"You are very welcome."

[lovethyneighb_or]

Mulcahy is shy at the best of times, but that doesn't mean he won't show. He does love a good party. He hides among her friends, does his best to hold a tune in an untrained crowd (he has quite a lot of practice with that), mingles as he likes, and floats in between people, passively socializing.

The gift he brings to Valdis is the hallmark of a practical-minded man who didn't grow up with much: food. There's a jar of jam, an orange, and several pumpkin muffins.

Happy birthday, Valdis!

I know there's a chance that you don't eat food, but I wasn't sure what else to get. I hope that something made by one of your friends makes you happy regardless. May the universe never run out of new things to show you.

Yours,
Mulcahy

[xiaoxiuya]

Shen Qingqiu was surprised but deeply pleased to receive his own invitation, and he's there with all the rest. As Valdis begins to circulate and greet her guests he smiles and presses a little package into her hands. "Happy birthday, shijie. I hope I got the size right."

Inside are a pair of new kidskin gloves, dyed black and finely stitched. They should look very well on her.

[redlightgreenlight]

"Thank you!"

The gloves fit perfectly and should serve her very well as she goes about her day.

"And I'm glad you came!"

Max Hosting | OTA

[maximumcake]

[Setup - Before Valdis Arrives]
Try as he might, he still can't help the perfectionist side of him trying to ensure every little detail is just so. He centers the cake on the sideboard, stands back, moves it a little to the left, then the right, a little more left... on and on. Maybe someone should tell him it looks fine where it is before he wears a mark into the poor table.

[Greeting Arrivals]
He greets everyone with a smile and (if they allow it) a hug as he welcomes them into their home. Many of Valdis's friends are his friends too, but even if they're not they're greeted with the same enthusiasm. He'll tell them the plan is to wait around the front hall when Valdis arrives and all say happy birthday to her in unison when she comes in. Until then, they're free to mingle, get some drinks, and have a seat in the living room where extra chairs have been set up to accommodate them.

[During The Party]
Since this is such a casual gathering, Max has resolved to be less of an active host and to, instead, try to relax and enjoy chatting with people. Catch him with some wine and a cheese plate in hand doing his best to stay seated (to resist the urge to jump up and ask people if they need anything.) For the first leg of the party, it goes well. After Aster crashes the party, however, he'll be too heated to sit and the wine will be traded for some whiskey on the rocks instead.

the setup, the strat

[upshore]

"You're making yourself crazy with that," Miles says, having been watching Max for several yes-no-yes-nos.

"Here, let me make sure it's centered. I'm a photographer, you know, I can tell when something's not aligned."

He steps back to several feet behind the sideboard, closing his left eye and holding his hands out in a framing-the-shot attitude. The effect's undercut a little by the fact that his right index finger can't complete the box, but hey, you work with what you've got.

"Hmm...yep, looks centered to me," he says, still peering through his imaginary camera.

[maximumcake]

"Sure. Save me from myself," he laughs, stepping back to let Miles work.

"If the professional says so then it must be true. Thanks."

He pauses a moment and then decides to go ahead and ask the questions that's come to him. "Have you considered being a photographer here?"

Morning - For Valdis

[maximumcake]

He wakes at his usual time and uses the bathroom because bladders don't care if it's a special occasion, but the shower doesn't turn on like it usually would after. Instead, Max returns to bed and snuggles right back up against Valdis, breathing in the scent of her and sighing happily. Today is all about her and he's going to start it off by sleeping in next to her for as long as she wants.

When she does decide she's ready to wake, he'll be there to give her a sweet kiss and to whisper to her softly, "Happy birthday, Valdis."

[redlightgreenlight]

Valdis stirs when Max gets up, but doesn't follow him, preferring to stay in the warmth of her blankets. She releases a happy sigh when she hears him coming back and feels the mattress shift when he snuggles up next to her. Though they still see much of each other, they don't get to sleep in together often, so that in itself is a gift.

Still, eventually Anani decides that it's time for them to get up by mewing sweetly at the door and she stirs again, laughing softly as the gentle kiss.

"You remembered."

[maximumcake]

"Of course I did," he says with a happy little wiggle. Her laughter is the sweetest sound he's ever heard. "I've been looking forward to saying it to you. I hope today really will be the happiest for you."

He laughs at Anani as another, louder, meow can be heard. "Ha! Guess he's a little upset that I didn't go down to feed him yet. Speaking of. What do you want for breakfast, birthday girl?"

Fashionably Late [Closed]

[daemoniumexmachina]

-For Valdis-

A gentle nudge to the arm from behind reveals an unexpected party guest, holding a box wrapped in shiny gold paper with a black bow. "Pardon my intrusion, darling, but I couldn't resist stopping by with a token for the birthday girl. I hope you enjoy."

-For Max-

"Nice party," Aster remarks, passing a bottle of very fancy wine to the host. "Feel free to open that now... or later tonight when it's just you and her. I don't mind sharing, after all."

[redlightgreenlight]

Any surprise she feels at his appearance is squashed as quickly as possible in favor of a smile. Valdis isn't sure why he chose to show up at her party, maybe to remind her of their discussion, or cause chaos among her friends, or upset Max, but considering he's managed to do all three, it doesn't really matter.

"I didn't expect to see you here, what a pleasant surprise."

Her heart drops as she opens the box, it's beautiful and, once again, something she likes very much.

"It's beautiful, thank you."

[daemoniumexmachina]

"Only the best for you, as always. I'm certain you'll make good use of it." Aster folds his arms behind his back. "In any case, I wanted to make you aware that the date has been set for Efrain's downfall. I thought that the news might please you to hear."

[maximumcake]

"T-thanks..." Max answers reflexively as he takes the bottle. He makes no move to open it, he's too busy staring with his mouth hanging open. What the fuck is Aster doing here?

"Sharing what?"

[daemoniumexmachina]

"Her, of course. You are aware of our arrangement, are you not?" Aster teases coyly.

Aster is wholly aware that Valdis does not actually intend to marry him. To him, this whole thing is just a big joke. One that he's absolutely using to get under Max's skin.