The Apartment Above Stark Industries, Saturday Evening

[heroic_jawline]

Did you know that Tony Stark's apartment was large and grand enough to host a Victorian ball? Because it was certainly doing so this weekend! There were footmen to greet the rickshaw arrivals, and maids to take your coats even though it was unseasonably warm this evening.

There was a string quartet from...somewhere...and the finest of Victorian nibbles to choose from while you waited to be asked to dance and gossiped about the new neighbors to town and if they might Secretly Be French.

All in all, it was really a shame that, well, most people this weekend weren't from the Victorian era, huh? Because this was going to be one weird party, and your hosts, Tony and Steve, had no idea why.

Comments

Arrive and Chat

[heroic_jawline]

As one does at a party!

Re: Arrive and Chat

[firstofitskind]

Liam arrived! That is, one second he wasn’t there, and then the next he was, because as an alien-human hybrid he was naturally several Evolutionary Levels above an ordinary human, and so was capable of things like teleportation.

Re: Arrive and Chat

[heroic_jawline]

"Dear merciful heavens!" Steven gasped. "You'll give the guests a conniption!"

His heart was beating far too fast as it was, and he loosed his cravat slightly like some sort of brazen hussy even if they weren't called that then because research is for other people.

Re: Arrive and Chat

[arboreal_priestess]

A furious Verity stormed in a few minutes later and beelined over to Liam, grabbing his arm - and, belatedly pasting on a smile for the benefit of the rest of the guests. "Oh, there you are!" she said. "I have been looking everywhere for you!"

And then, without moving her lips, hissed, "How have you failed to learn anything about discretion thus far? Or did you forget about the assassins?!"

Re: Arrive and Chat

[seriesofbaddecisions]

"You look like you have trouble committing to staying in one place," Sabine told him. "Why do you think that is?"

Re: Arrive and Chat

[thatwaslucky]

There was a party, so of course Rey had to go. She arrived in a showstopping little black dress that really should cause the quartet to stop playing so everyone could stare for a moment.

Re: Arrive and Chat

[heroic_jawline]

"Were you waylaid by highwaymen who took the rest of your dress?" Steven fretted.

Sorry, Rey.

Re: Arrive and Chat

[arboreal_priestess]

"Nice dress," Verity said, appreciating it for its weapon-hiding and leg-showing appearance and also eyeing it in case it was, in fact, hiding weapons.

The assassins could be anywhere, after all.

Re: Arrive and Chat

[special_rabbit]

Now a party! That was just the thing Amaya needed! All of her usual methods of distraction were just not proving strong enough, probably because her usual methods of distraction were inexplicably tied to the very thing she was trying to distract herself from. Thoughts and reminds of her unexpressed, unrelenting feelings toward no one other than her very own apprentice hounded her at nearly every turn of the shop. It made it rather difficult for a girl to focus on a forge with the presence of a certain half-orc looming ever-present in her mind.

But other people, now, that always worked! Throwing herself into social forays to distract her from emotions she didn't dare express. After all, she had a reputation to maintain. How could anyone take her seriously as a tough-as-nails solid go-getter if she went and let something like mushy stuff get to her? Best thing for her now was to ignore it with all her energy and pretend she wasn't harboring such dreadful romantic thoughts toward anyone, much less her own apprentice!, and throw in with the social set.

Easy-peasy! No secret yearnings or swooning here! No, sirree! Perish the thought!

Re: Arrive and Chat

[heroic_jawline]

"Good evening," Steve said with a wide smile. "Welcome to our home."

Which was big enough to host a ball, apparently.

Re: Arrive and Chat

[sake_shinigami]

If there was a party, of course Shunsui was going to be there. He lived for parties! And so there he was, sweeping in grandly with his robes all a-flutter, beaming as he scoped out the digs and especially the beautiful ladies in attendance.

"Have no fear ♥," he announced, with a sweeping gesture of his arms and a bow to the party-goers in general, "Shunsui is here ♥ ! The party can now officially begin ♥! Where's the booze ♥?"

And here's the real kicker: Shunsui was every bit as much the exact same Shunsui as he was yesterday.

Re: Arrive and Chat

[imafuturist]

How terribly forward of him!

Did he not realize that this was the Victorian era AU party? C'mon, Shunsui. Propriety and shit.

"We have some apéritifs for once the party has wound down," Tony said stiffly. Because he was the wealthy one who couldn't properly express emotions to solve the long series of misunderstandings and pining.

Re: Arrive and Chat

[seriesofbaddecisions]

"Here's the real question," Sabine said. "What do you want from life?"

Re: Arrive and Chat

[somethingwithturquoise]

Summer figured she should at least make an appearance at this party thing that was for some ridicuous reason on her calendar, although it was clearly just some rinky-dink nobody affair waytwo friends over twitter later.

"Ohmygod, Becky," she babbled into the phone as she came in, "wait until you see this place, it is, like, so tacky, it's like Jane Austen," wrong time period, Sum-sum, but nice try, "threw up all over the place. Good thing I think I saw an honest-to-god fainting couch over there because I just might need it, ohmygod. ...Yeah....yeah!....like, serously, I am going to maybe load up on some free vodka or whatever, but then I am so out of here before this place, like, catches on me. Can bad loser taste be contagious? I bet it so totally is."

Re: Arrive and Chat

[imafuturist]

"Are you well?" Tony asked, clearly judging her. Because this was The Event Of The Season here. Couldn't she tell from the finger sandwiches laid out?

Re: Arrive and Chat

[arboreal_priestess]

Bodyguards always knew how to fit in - at least if they were secret bodyguards, hired to pretend to be the target's girlfriend while they worked their ass off keeping his obnoxiously cute ass safe. So Verity at least fit in with the overall decor of the evening.

And if all this gown just made it easier for her to hide her arsenal of weaponry, so much the better. It's not like it would impede her fighting any.

Re: Arrive and Chat

[imafuturist]

It was a party meant for chaste pining, after all. So, clearly she fit right on in.

"Welcome," Tony said, bowing his head in polite greeting. "My husband--" Oh, the pain of saying it when it was but a sham! "--and are so glad to have you."

Re: Arrive and Chat

[seriesofbaddecisions]

Manic Pixie Dream Sabine wasn't an adult, but free spirits didn't play by your rules. Besides, men might need her help! She was here with her purple hair and a different flowy bohemian dress than she'd been wearing before, and in certain lights you'd see a little shine of glitter coming from her.

Re: Arrive and Chat

[okteiviakom]

Octavia showed up in a white suit, holding a cigarette on a long holder, because that was just what you did when you were the designated femme fatale, vaguely by way of Marlene Dietrich.

She did not look inclined to mingle, choosing instead to stand to the side, watching with a calculating look in her eyes and a dramatic shadow cast across half her face.

Re: Arrive and Chat

[imafuturist]

How utterly scandalous. A woman in a suit? Whoever could have imagined such a thing?

Tony looked away, feeling his heart clench as she was just his husband's sort of woman. And who was he to stand in the way of true love, his own feelings be damned. "Hello, he said politely. Not letting all that pain stop him from playing host.

Dance

[heroic_jawline]

You can all Viennese Waltz, of course?

Re: Dance

[arboreal_priestess]

Of course Verity could! It was all part of her Spy/Bodyguard training. She was tapping her foot to the music, sometimes staring out at the floor with a look of longing.

But no - surely she couldn't. She had her duty.

Eat!

[heroic_jawline]

No one would leave hungry (unless you weren't a fan of cold tongue, and then, well, too bad for you.): The Starks had set out tea and coffee, ices, biscuits, cakes, cracker-bonbons, cold tongues, and sandwiches near to the dancing for those who didn't want to stray too far from the music.

A more substantial supper was set up in a separate room, with pre-cut pheasant, chicken, and pigeon, ham, and even more tongue all available, as well as jellies, blanc-mange, trifle, and tipsy cake.

And there was wine and spirits available, too, if one asked discreetly.

Re: Eat!

[thatwaslucky]

Rey might have tripped randomly on her way to the food, which she would look at instead of eating any of it.

OOC

[heroic_jawline]

SP for life, folks! Lainey and I are in and out all day, but we can't have a weird weekend without an equally odd party. :)