i would like you to dance

[wendigoner]

Who: Hannah, Emily, and friends of Emily!
What: It's Em's Seijin no Hi, or Coming of Age Day, so there's a party! Obviously!!
Where: One of the abandoned shops
When: 1/9
Warnings: n/a



( ooc ; the party will be divided into pre- and post-arrival sections, below, with the arrival being emily's! everything is ota unless otherwise marked, so post around and enjoy! )

Comments

pre-arrival

[wendigoner]

[ The scene is one of the abandoned shops. Hannah messaged those who had expressed interest and told them the location, hoping that others would (discretely) spread the word. When the day comes, she makes sure Em is occupied before heading over to set up, and though their supplies are meager in the murder caves, she does a decent job.

The big room has been cleaned up a little so there is more space with as much of the old debris and abandoned objects cleared out. Off to one side are a bunch of tables pushed together and covered with drapes of white fabric for tablecloths. Standing on a smaller table, off to the side, but clearly in view, is a dressform with Emily's special kimono adorning it. There are some flashlights propped up to put a makeshift spotlight on the attire.

There is a space against another wall with some chairs that has been set aside for any musicians that volunteered to play. Also, along the long tables is a spread of fruit and fish, some of the only options for them to eat in Hadriel, but prepared well enough (by people who aren't Hannah) and laid out with some plates, utensils, and napkins.

Hanging above it all is a banner, hand-painted, that says "Congratulations, Emily!" and the same below it in Japanese. ]

helping emily get dressed, etc - closed to hannah and pell

[unfollowing]

Oh my god.

[It's soft, awed, as she stands at the door and takes it all in.]

Han-- [Forgive her the speechlessness, it's just... seeing all of this is really touching.] THis is amazing.

[Emily crosses the room and heads right for her furisode, ready and waiting to be put on. She'll need help getting into it. Her mother was supposed to do the honors, with her grandmother doing her hair. They aren't here now, but as her friends here help her out, she'll think of them, hold them in her mind as if they're here and smiling at her.]

Help me put this on.

[pellameno]

[ Pell smiles, feels a sense of accomplishment that they've pulled this off. He's tried to prepare sushi -- it's not quite the right shape and he and Flick had to make due with vegetables for a lack of fish, but it's the thought that counts, right? And he helped Hannah decorate.

When Emily asks for help he steps forward, reaching for the garment. ]

You'll have to tell me how you want your hair.

[unfollowing]

[Oh god. How to explain it?] Right. It's-- I ccan sketch it, maybe? Would that work?

[Hadriel is really lacking in the resources this holiday requires, and yet here are her friends, making it special for her, because they know how important this is.

It's really, really sweet.]

post-arrival

[wendigoner]

[ After Emily shows up and the cat is out of the bag, the party really starts. The music drifts over the chatter and laughter and dancing is encouraged in the center of the room. The food slowly depletes, but Hannah tries her best to make sure there's enough to go around.

There is a wolf, Wolfie, who has somehow entered unnoticed and who tries his best to take fish from the tables.

Hannah, who is working hard to play hostess, chats with those she knows and asks those she doesn't if they need anything. More than anything, she watches Emily, trying to judge whether or not the other girl is having a good time. ]

ota

[unfollowing]

[Emily is, in fact, having a good time.

This is probably the happiest she's looked since Matt arrived in the city, though compared to the desperate joy of that arrival day, she is much more at ease now. The demons are gone. She and Matt have made up. Chris and Sam have been taken by the Door, but she's recovering from that more quickly than expected. Probably because she opened u pabout it to her friends here, let them see her be something other than an ice queen. Chris and Sam would be proud.

And then there's the fact that she's an adult now. It's funny; she grew up in LA, surrounded by and submerged in American culture, and though she visited Japan at least once a year with her parents, she wasn't quite as involved in Japanese culture as she could've been. Yet here on her seijin no hi, she feels more grown up. She's the oldest one of her friends from home who's here, and now more than ever, she feels responsible for them and their safety.

Ever since she started to work to improve her relationships and atone for what she'd helped cause, Emily has wanted to keep her friends safe. Now, it feels like a duty, one she's proud to take on.

There really is something to turning twenty, she thinks.

Dressed in her furisode, her hair done up in a style that's beautiful if not traditional, Emily paces herself on the drinks (thanks, Delight!) and walks around the room, saying to anyone who stops to talk to her,] Go have a drink. I'm legal in Japan now, so you may as well celebrate with me.

[mismanagement]

[At the end of the day, Maketh understands the importance of ceremony. She was careful to set aside time before the party to present herself just so. Hair pinned up in braids, her hands scrubbed free of grit, and everything in its place. There's no one to conduct inspections, but this matters and so it will be done right. Maketh checks her appearance before she leaves, just to make sure.

Acceptable, soldier. Carry on.

She's not in uniform, though. That seems important. Instead she puts on the dress that Emily made for her, out of scrounged fabric and deft, careful stitches.

It's uncomfortable at first. Maketh prefers the comfort of uniforms, stiff fabric and sharp lines that must be ironed just so. The dress flows around her, loose and light, deceptively fragile feeling.

Nonetheless, she wears it proudly and lifts a glass in salute when Emily circles around to her.]

I believe congratulations are in order.

[Maketh smiles, resisting the urge to reach out and muss Emily's hair. It would be a shame to ruin the artistry of the knots. More than once she's looked at Emily and thought what it might have been like to have children of her own, in another life. A different life. But here they both stand.

This is a good life, Maketh decides. Imperfect and strange, but hers. And in this one, she gets to see Emily come of age.]

You look lovely.

[unfollowing]

[Without her family here, Maketh is close enough that Emily's heart fills with pride at the praise. This is not the girl who looks down from atop her command of the rules of fashion; this is the woman who is wearing tradition and history for all to see that she knows where she comes from and what she bears on her shoulders now.]

Thank you. [She doesn't quite beam -- Emily is still Emily, after all -- but her smile is still warm.] Pell did my hair. He's so good at it. [Thanks for not mussing it up, soldier mom.] I'm really glad you came to celebrate. It's supposed to be a big deal back home, so this is-- Hannah did a really good job.

[skelebro]

[Sans ain't much of an expert on birthdays. He's all but forgotten his own, after living the same day over and over again, and the idea of any annual celebration is one that requires significant adjustment. But one thing he knows without question is that it's customary to give gifts, ain't it? A Coming of Age day - same thing, yeah?

He wouldn't rightly know. But either way, Emily's done more than enough for him to warrant something in return.

He catches her when he can with something that Papyrus would'a called a "weird, sugary quiche." It's pie, or his best attempt at pie, and he don't think it set properly, a little more custard-y in its filling than he'd like, but he did his best with it. He ain't much of a cook, and this is only his second attempt.

Butterscotch-cinnamon is the only flavor he knows, and so this one's the very same.]

Not much of a cook. But, uh, this one's got somethin' special to it.

[That is, it's made of magic. It won't spoil, it won't go bad, and when consumed, it'll convert directly to energy - healing any aches and pains in the process.

A free video game healing item, essentially. Enjoy.]

[unfollowing]

[In shithole cavetown, you take what you can get. Emily appreciates the party, the presence of people she has come to like, and the booze.

A pie is a really cool bonus, and one she was definitely not expecting.]

Oh. Neat. [She takes it in both hands and looks it over -- honestly, it looks good to her.] Thanks. Just making sure, though-- the 'special' thing in it isn't, you know, somehow harmlful to humans, right?

[Listen, she's been burned before. Wendigo event last year, never4get.]

[glacius]

[As Emily circulates through the room and greets the various attendees of her party, she'll notice a pair that rather stands out from the rest-- a tall, gangly clergyman in the presence of a towering, bulky ice alien. Both Glacius and Carlisle are as nicely dressed up as could be managed in a cave whose shops seemed to provide only strange or mismatched items... and neither of them seem to be terribly adept at mingling, so they're sticking pretty close to one another. Though they greet other party-goers and engage in small talk as best they can, they seem to be getting the most contentment form each other's presence.

That doesn't mean there's not room for their friend, however. When the marshal spots Emily coming their way he smiles brightly and waves her over, though his expression turns to one of befuddlement as she immediately hounds them for a drink. That... is something that he had not considered, though he supposes he should have seen it coming given how human celebrations and alcohol seem to go hand and hand! He still hasn't touched a drop ever since leaving his homeworld, and he's still a bit too tightly wound to start now... but maybe over the course of the night they can start breaking that down somewhat. For now Glacius bows his head respectfully to his friend, tucking his arms behind his back as he does so.] Perhaps in time. As of right now, I would like to celebrate by giving you our well-wishes... both Carlisle and I are honored to be a part of this, Emily. And look at you! [He lifts his head now, gesturing to her with one great white hand. The fine fabric and embellishments of the sash that she'd made for him glitters in the light as he straightens up.] You look well. The hardships of this cave have not diminished you in the slightest. If anything you are stronger and more knowing for them... a radiant beacon if ever I saw one, my cherished friend.

[tongueamok]

[Glacius hasn't been imbibing, but Carlisle deftly picked up a glass at some point and has been working on it ever since, hoping to relax himself enough to enjoy the party -- he's not sure he'll ever be invited to another, given his general temperament and the constant dangers the city presents. Thus far, he's spent the night glued to Glacius' side, watching people chatter, his eyes occasionally catching sight of the star of the show as she floats from person to person, clearly making the most of her big day.

He straightens his tabard for the nth time as Glacius greets Emily, feeling underdressed in the sweater and slack he's got on beneath it. His other clothes just weren't in any kind of shape for an event like this.]

Congratulations, Emily. [He offers her a polite bow of his head, much like Glacius' gesture.] I thought about getting you wine, but then it occurred to me that you could just go to the bar yourself and pick out the same bottle any time you want, so it did seem like a bit of an empty offering for such an occasion.

:3

[meatbrained]

( He may or may not have been staring all night. But who can really blame him? There's so little in this place that's truly beautiful, at least when it comes to what's on offer for clothes and other things. He might not know that much about fashion, but even Matt knows that the majority of what's found in Hadriel's shops is not something that would pass Emily's standards.

He'd bet that's probably why she started sewing in the first place.

Waiting until there's a moment he can tug her by the wrist and get her away from all her friends, Matt smiles as he leads them to a little corner. Somewhere reasonably private. )

Congratulations, my lady.

-/////w/////-

[unfollowing]

[Even though Emily is well aware she stands out tonight, she has been too distracted by how all this feels to notice anyone specific watching her -- and that goes to show how much this place has changed her. A year ago, she would've expected and maybe even demanded that Matt pay attention to her. Now, she's just so glad he's here and safe that she's not thinking like an insecure little girl as much. (At all, if you ask her, but that of course comes from a place of youthful ignorance.)

She grins as Matt leads her away, slipping her fingers between his. It's safe and warm and wonderful.]

Why thank you, sir. [She giggles. This is so dumb. She loves it.] Having a good time?

smiles at

[dedikated]

( She came, because, sure. There's drinks. She likes Emily. Girl's made good progress in fighting. And she provides the coffee.

(It's the little things.)

But, mid-drink of her beer, things Kate didn't expect to see? Just how close Glacius and Carlisle are. She waits until Emily's done talking to them before making her way to the girl - now woman, she supposes, but kids are still kids. The congratulations were offered when Kate got here, so now- )

I knew they were close...

( But. Um.

Congrats, Carlisle? )

[unfollowing]

[Immediately, Emily's expression changes from pleasantly content to conspiratorial and intrigued.]

I know, right? Oh my god, it's not just me who sees that. I don't know what happened, but they look like they're going steady?

ota

[skelebro]

[He's not real well-versed on the subject of birthdays, but he thinks he's gotten to know Emily pretty well in the meantime. More than he figured he would've, if you'd told him that somethin' like this would happen when he first showed up in this damn city.

Sans spends quite a bit of time familiarizing himself with Wolfie, if he can; detaching one of his bony hands at the forearm with the faint pop of disengaging sockets so he can bat at the wolf's nose and attempt to lure him into a game of fetch, with little success. So he's fond of dogs, a little bit. Can you blame him?]

[wendigoner]

[ Luckily, Hannah chose not to bring her new(ish) pet nug, since Wolfie is a party guest... ]

Hey! [ She greets Sans with a brief wave, remembering him from their interaction over the network. ] You, ah... like animals?

[ It isn't exactly a dog, but he's tame enough... ]

[skelebro]

'Course. Worked with 'em all the time back home.

[He waves back, cheerfully, despite the fact that he's currently waving a piece of himself around in front of a wolf. He also, uh, neglects to mention that working with animals, back home, meant that he watched the Snowdin Canine Unit run patrols pretty much all the time.

Literally. They had paying jobs and everything.]

[glacius]

[Though Glacius has spent the majority of the night conversing with Emily and staying close to the clergyman he'd arrived with, he eventually steps aside to get a little bit of breathing room... and that's when he notices the diligent hostess overseeing everything. He recognizes Hannah's face from the video feed she left on the network announcing this whole thing, and thinks it would be a good idea indeed to acknowledge and honor the hard work that surely went into this. The alien approaches her slowly and carefully... he knows she's aware of what he is thanks to the video feed over which they held their conversation, but seeing him in person is something else entirely given his size and the icy facets and various spikes of his powerful body. He doesn't want to alarm her.]

Hello. Ah--Hannah, is it? [He lifts a hand in a tentative greeting, still doing what he can to be as unassuming as possible.] Thank you for putting all of this together. It seems to be going well, does it not?

[wendigoner]

Ah - Yes! [ Hannah seems to be a little frazzled, but she smiles hastily and nods. ] It's no problem. Emily's my friend, and... she deserves it.

[ It's not every day you have a very special birthday year, after all. ]

I think it's going pretty well... [ She murmurs thoughtfully, glancing around. ] ... Are you having a good time?

[glacius]

[Glacius can detect the slightly worn-out, scattered way the human responds; he can imagine that organizing something like this is no small feat. Heck, he's feeling a bit of that himself and he's simply attending. Learning to socialize with large packs of humans is tough work, but he at least knows enough to know the proper way to respond to that question. His cheekbones pull up in a smile and he nods.] Yes, as most people seem to be! You've done a very good job procuring food and drink and setting up an area where people can come together. I think this event will be remember very fondly.

latest tag-in ever

[meatbrained]

( Of course Matt's here. Of course he is. They're alright. Better than alright, and this is the nicest damn thing that's happened here since he got dragged into this cave. So Matt's actually taken the time to try and dress up - not easy, in this place, but doable - and found a decent pair of trousers and a top to wear.

He'll wave at people coming in and greet anyone, but especially those he's met himself. All of them are important to Emily though, and that's - ultimately - what matters.

Today is her day, after all. )

Having a good time?

[wendigoner]

Trying to. [ Hannah smiles as Matt approaches, hastily brushing hair back from her face. ] But - um, it's more important that Em and everyone else is, so...

[ Yes, she is, but it's also stressful to manage something like this. It's a big day for Emily and the last thing Hannah wants to do is to mess it up somehow. ... Though, it seems to be going well thus far, so she allows herself a moment to breathe and chat. ]

What about you, Matt?

[meatbrained]

Looks like everything's good to me. ( He gets it. He wants this to go well too, especially as he and Emily have only just found their feet again. It's not exactly the same sort of celebration as Emily had painted for them, but they're in a cave with no way out, catching moments between nightmares, monsters and odd hiccups of emotions. Nothing can be the same as what they expect.

But it can be enough. )

I'm great. It's great. ( And judging by that smile? He really does mean that. ) It's cool that you did this for Em.