{ party } you came in scared, but you're leaving bold

[bittersweeter]

[ best day of my life -- american authors ]

WHO || All the bitches, tbh. [open]
WHAT || Faye's 18th Birthday, yay!
WHERE || Lost Society Bar, London, England
WHEN || March 28th, 7pm - onwards [forward-dated]
HOW || Actionspam

Formerly a two story barn, the bar Lila rented for Faye's birthday has an Art Deco theme that continues through the building, with each space having been given a contemporary twist. The lavish interiors create a feeling of forgotten decadence. Each room has its own distinct and unique ambience, all complementing one another yet reflecting different moods, depending on the feeling of the moment, flowing through to the secluded garden.

The man at the door has been notified to waive the cover charge for anyone that comes bearing a gift, but if you don't come bearing gifts... don't expect Lila to feel pity for you. You're paying that cover charge yourself, en-fucking-joy, you soulless, non-gifting-bearing bastard. (This was mentioned in the invites she sent out to all the ladies in the castle. It's possible that it's literally all the ladies in the castle as Lila doesn't care whether they're friends with Faye or not. No boys got invites unless they were verbal. The dress code of "fancy but down to fuck" was also on the invitations...)

Tucked in the back is a partitioned off banquet for the VIP party and once inside the ropes, you get a stamp on your hand so the drinks are free for the rest of the night -- and the drink of the night is a Bailey's Comet. Because it's on fire. Drink, enjoy, be merry. Do things. Save room for the cake.

And if anyone is worried about a bunch of drunk knights trying to drive home, Lila rented a handful of rooms at a nearby hotel because when she plans shit, she plans it well.

Anything for her best friend.

Comments

[uncurse]

Not that I'm particularly opposed to anyone finding an excuse to receive presents ... [ emma approaches her pretty early on with a smile, offering out a nondescript present ur welcome. ] But, I thought you didn't remember a thing before the Veil. How'd you find out your birthday?

[reallywicked]

[She will take that nondescript gift and give Emma an actual shamelessly drunk grin (fort 7).]

I didn't find it. I picked it. Lila and I were talking one night and she just said I should pick one. So I did.

[uncurse]

Guess that's how it's gotta be for some people. [ she seems to accept it easily enough, at least. ] I doubt you two are the only ones who decided to. well. Happy Birthday, regardless.

[reallywicked]

Do you remember yours? We could pick one for you too!

[uncurse]

October 22nd. [ she holds up a hand to pacify faye's jump to inventing one. ] Sorry. Even if I didn't remember it, I came through with my driver's license on me.

[reallywicked]

Oh. [Slightly disappointed, but that quickly shifts to confusion and a little bit of anger.] Why didn't we do anything?? [Paris was in August so they were on better terms and shit by then, so this is a problem for Faye.]

[uncurse]

I don't really celebrate.

[ shrug. she's not apologizing for not CELEBRATING HER BIRTHDAY FOR YOUR BENEFIT, FAYE. ]

[reallywicked]

[Well she may just make you next year. Or maybe she will forget by then... WHO KNOWS.]

You're celebrating mine. With shots. Come on- they set it on fire.

[She reaches out and tugs Emma by the wrist, but it's not really all that forceful (str 7).]

[uncurse]

[ emma rolls her eyes because wow gurl u drunk. but she follows without complaint, not bothering to fight the tug. ]

That is why I came here. [ not for shots on fire. but to celebrate, yes. ] Nothing quite like an 18-year-old's birthday party happening in a bar to remind me how much I'm not acclimated to England yet.

[reallywicked]

Oh come on. I was drinking at the castle at every party all year. It's not like anyone ever stopped me. Now it just legal.

[uncurse]

Which means I'll be starting the countdown until the novelty finally wears off. [ look she's just saying people quickly get over binge drinking once they can actually do it legally. she makes a gesture at the bartender when they reach the bar for him to get them some shots. ]

[reallywicked]

[Faye rolls her eyes and shrugs, because... Yeah, Emma is probably right.]

You still came out for this, though. Novelty can't be completely gone.

[To her, Emma came for a party- not just for her. Insecurity and self worth issues? Yeah, basically.]

[uncurse]

I didn't come here for the chance to get hammered with a bunch of teenagers. [ wow faye that's almost offensive to imply. but emma doesn't sound put-off, because she knows faye's just inept at emotions and doesn't mean it like that. in fact she probably means it as some twisted kind of approval of emma's reckless indulgence and binge-drinking ways or something tbh. so emma's words come out in a neutral, matter-of-fact way. ]

[reallywicked]

So you came for the great company, right? [A beat] Hook's here, by the way. [I don't even know. She's trying to like... parent trap them, but she's doing it alone. And badly.]

[uncurse]

He - [ emma's brow furrows. ] That's ... nice. [ what is faye doing. is she trying to be a bitch about the hook sex thing again because emma isn't rising to that bait a tenth time. she tilts her head, scrutinizing for a moment, then turns to take care of one of those flaming shots that just hit the bar. her tone is obvious, though: where u goin with this, gurl?? ]

[reallywicked]

Just thought you might want to know. [She takes her shot, covers it to douse the flame, then tosses it back.] In case you wanted to talk to him.

[uncurse]

[ she makes a face at what faye's saying as she lowers her shot glass and swallow, brow furrowing before she can even ask; ] What would I have to talk to him about? [ she coughs a little, surprised rather than put off by the liquor. ]

[reallywicked]

Well the guy is basically in love with you, to start. He came and apologized for our hook up. Says it isn't because of you but...come on.

[uncurse]

[ cough hack dying. she covers her mouth with a hand, eyes widening and glancing hastily around. she turns towards the bar and pushes her shot glass away. give her a minute. ]

I - [ she swallows, sitting straighter. ] You don't ... think that's a little extreme?

[reallywicked]

What? That I think he's in love with you? Puh-leez. Do you even pay attention at all? [She is just being real with you.]

I know it got all weird for you because of what happened before but... Honestly that was all my call. And I'm sure you agree with him and think that he should have 'known better' or whatever, but I knew what I was doing. But we talked at another squiring party. He wanted to know more about me, I guess. And I...figured out he's not a bad guy. Plus he's hot, Emma- Jesus you can't tell me you wouldn't hit that.

[uncurse]

And old enough to be your father.

[ her criticism falls flat, and actually lashes back at her because of how maternal she acts towards faye. of all the things to say. she shakes her head. ] We're not having this conversation. [ she grabs another shot as the bartender fills her up and holds it out to faye. ] We're drinking.

[reallywicked]

We're never having this conversation. We never have any conversations, Emma. You just talk at me and then we act like things aren't weird as hell.

[uncurse]

[ fine. she'll take the shot. and then slam the glass back on the bar with a little more vigor than necessary. ]

You want to talk? [ she works her jaw briefly and then nods. ] Not about him. Because every time we talk about him, I don't have any choice but to remember what he did. I'm glad he's won you over, but in all the time he was charming you, did he point out that he kissed me that night? And when I pushed back, that's when he went to find someone else to keep him occupied.

[ she regrets the words by the time they're out of her mouth. it's faye's birthday - this is absolutely not the time to be pointing out anything that would be another hit to her self esteem, and that seems like it'd cause any teenage girl's stomach to sink. ]

He's not a good guy. He's a pirate. And given enough time, he'll find somewhere else to get his kicks. [ she pushes herself out of her seat. one more in a long line of shitty guys she's - what, dated? she'd never even let hook get that far. ] That's why we don't talk about it.

[ all the good he'd done in scotland undone in an instant. faye's the constant reminder - not only because of the way she pushes it, but because of the fact that emma's certain faye doesn't know just how shitty he was to her. she cares entirely too much about faye to just let that drop. it's not even about how it affected emma. she'd expected no better from him, he'd never given her a reason to then, so she could easily dismiss it. but faye is someone she feels the need to protect, and even if it had happened before she'd come to know her well, she still can't rid herself of that reminder. faye may want her to let it go, but faye (she believes) also doesn't know the whole story; it'd be a betrayal to the girl for emma to just forget about it. ]

[reallywicked]

[Her attempt to look unaffected is laughable for her (bluff 17). She never believe that that night with Hook was special, but no one wants to be a consolation prize. She wants to toss back a remark like it doesn't bother her, but Emma has always been able to see through that. Why even bother?]

He didn't tell me any of that. [Wow the rim of this shot glass sure is interesting.]

Why did you come? I mean I'm just this huge reminder of all that. And half the time it just feels like you're pissed at me.

[uncurse]

I'm not.

[ she deflates, apologetic to the point that it sounds like a confession. her expression distorts briefly in anguish and she swallows it down. this isn't what she came here for - she came to be happy, to be there for faye, to celebrate with her. not to find out the hard way that faye never had to be hurt by what hook did if emma hadn't been the one to tell her. so, whose fault was it really? ]

I'm not pissed at you. I'm pissed at myself, and I'm pissed at Hook. I'm pissed about what a mess this all is and the fact that no matter what I decide to do, I make it worse, but you - [ she shakes her head. ] You didn't do anything wrong. [ she can at least do that. it's a bandaid. faye needs to know it, though, because no one had ever bothered to tell it to emma. there hadn't been anyone to say it. ]

[ and none of it answers the question faye had asked. why did she come? if every time they speak she just feels like she's ramming her head into a wall, why come at all? the answer, to emma, lies in their talk on valentine's day. she'd gotten through, then. she'd believed she had, anyway. ]

I came for the same reason anyone else did. [ for the booze ???? no jk. ] I care about you. [ she swallow thickly, expression raw and vulnerable and a little meek now that she's admitting it. she doesn't come forward with her feelings easily. ] Even if I'm crap at showing it, you have to know that. If I didn't, I'd be able to let this go.