maximumcake: (Default)
Max Maximum ([personal profile] maximumcake) wrote in [community profile] ph_logs2025-01-17 07:23 pm

Valdis Birthday "Surprise" Party - FOR VALDIS CR!

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.
redlightgreenlight: (Default)

For Fever

[personal profile] redlightgreenlight 2025-01-19 03:46 am (UTC)(link)
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.
redlightgreenlight: (Kinda Happy)

Open

[personal profile] redlightgreenlight 2025-01-19 03:53 am (UTC)(link)
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.

redlightgreenlight: (Kinda Happy)

[personal profile] redlightgreenlight 2025-01-20 06:18 pm (UTC)(link)
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."
ss_buttcrack: (joker)

[personal profile] ss_buttcrack 2025-01-21 01:36 am (UTC)(link)
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: (Kinda Happy)

[personal profile] redlightgreenlight 2025-01-21 01:39 am (UTC)(link)
Valdis winces when he starts singing.

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

ss_buttcrack: (smile)

[personal profile] ss_buttcrack 2025-01-21 01:41 am (UTC)(link)
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?"
redlightgreenlight: (looking)

[personal profile] redlightgreenlight 2025-01-21 01:48 am (UTC)(link)
Valdis tips her head, a less pained, and grateful, smile on her face.

"Weird. I mean, it's not like I haven't had one before, but they were all...fake. For a person I was only pretending to be. So much of my life has been a lie that it's...really nice to have the truth for once."
lordoftheozarks: by gronckle @ij (Default)

[personal profile] lordoftheozarks 2025-01-21 02:03 am (UTC)(link)
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: (Kinda Happy)

[personal profile] redlightgreenlight 2025-01-21 02:11 am (UTC)(link)
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: by gronckle @ij (Default)

[personal profile] lordoftheozarks 2025-01-21 02:28 am (UTC)(link)
"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."
redlightgreenlight: (Kinda Happy)

[personal profile] redlightgreenlight 2025-01-21 02:36 am (UTC)(link)
Of course it was a vampire tradition, but it also made it easier for her to accept the gift. Max wouldn't be offended by this dress after all, unlike another dress still hanging in the closet.

"I'm not sure how well I would fare on your world, but I do love pretty dresses."

And she will never shake the desire to be the most beautiful woman in the room, even if it's not a real goal of hers anymore. It's unnecessary here, where her female friends lift each other up, and there's not an act to be performed.
lordoftheozarks: by gronckle @ij (Default)

[personal profile] lordoftheozarks 2025-01-21 09:45 pm (UTC)(link)
"I worry more about how the rest of us would fare." He makes it sound like a jest but is it really?

"Pretty dresses love you, too. I'll look forward to the next occasion to see you in it."
ss_buttcrack: (soft look)

[personal profile] ss_buttcrack 2025-01-21 10:11 pm (UTC)(link)
His blue eyes soften as she says it. "It is. I'm glad you don't have to pretend. You're our friend, and we want to celebrate you. I want to."

He still feels guilty for how the last party in this house went, and he doesn't want to risk upsetting her again, but he does care about her. He wants her to be happy. That's all he's ever wanted.
redlightgreenlight: (cocky)

[personal profile] redlightgreenlight 2025-01-22 03:40 am (UTC)(link)
Yes, well, she was very good at upsetting the balance of worlds. It was part of why she was created.

She laughs softly.

"Maybe our next dance will be less hostile than the first one."
redlightgreenlight: (cocky)

[personal profile] redlightgreenlight 2025-01-22 03:59 am (UTC)(link)
"I mean, I'd be worried if you showed up to my party to not celebrate me."
redlightgreenlight: (Kinda Happy)

[personal profile] redlightgreenlight 2025-01-22 04:04 am (UTC)(link)
Valdis sighs as her cat rudely starts scratching at the door, but rolls over to look Max in the eyes.

"Something simple, I don't want you spending all morning in the kitchen."
upshore: (Smile // lulamae)

the setup, the strat

[personal profile] upshore 2025-01-25 07:51 am (UTC)(link)
"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.
lovethyneighb_or: (iste confessor)

[personal profile] lovethyneighb_or 2025-01-26 11:13 pm (UTC)(link)
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
ss_buttcrack: (look on)

[personal profile] ss_buttcrack 2025-01-29 02:18 am (UTC)(link)
"I'd be worried too."

His smile turns a little sheepish as he offers out a silk satchel that contains a silver chain bracelet with a few generic charms already hanging from it.

"I bought you a gift. It's a little sappy, I guess, but I wanted you to have this charm bracelet. There aren't a lot of them right now but, I figure, you can add to it over time. If you want." As a token of the people she's loved and the places she's been. He thought it might be a way of carrying them all with her.

abhorrently: (camp.)

[personal profile] abhorrently 2025-01-31 05:27 am (UTC)(link)
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: (Kinda Happy)

[personal profile] redlightgreenlight 2025-01-31 05:51 am (UTC)(link)
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.

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