eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow the mansion could implode via magic

[thesamurai]

Who: Michonne and other residents of Wonderland
Where: The garden
When: April 9th from 4 pm to ????? (probably around midnight)
Rating: Let's start at PG and adjust if necessary
Summary: Michonne throws a party outside because there's nothing prepared to eat her.
The Story:

[She misses it. The house in Alexandria full of people, enough that it spills out onto porches and front yards. No fear of something shuffling its way behind you to take a bite out of your neck or shoulder. Just conversation, the sound of crickets and cicadas in the summer, and booze that's been scavenged with care. That's what she misses, and the people too, but.

She has people here.

It's an epiphany that's come with time and conversation. Just because these people haven't been through her world with her, they've all been through some shit here, and more of them than not have taken care of each other. Maybe that was what it was about. What you'd do for someone, not where they came from. So, she's taken it upon herself to throw a party. Before the end of everything it was the kind of thing she liked to host, especially pre-Andre being born. After that her time was split between courtrooms and midnight feedings, but she'd still done her share of entertaining clients. Then things ended and it became more about sharing scraps of meet and jars of food when they could, hoping things would get better.

They can. They do. Even without her family, her people, she's made a new home, a different group. People she'd go out of her way to do a lot for, and today they get a potluck. Everyone has to bring something; she's provided the main meats and drinks, but the party is open to everyone who offers an item for others to enjoy whether it's food or booze. Everything is casual outside in the garden, with people coming and going from late afternoon through about midnight when Michonne's finally ready to pack it in.

You take moments like this with the people you care about any time you can get them. That's a far cry from her early ambitions in Atlanta to stay alone.]

(ooc: treat as gathering style, make top levels, tag around!)

Comments

ota;

[thesamurai]

Prep work

[Michonne begins hauling food, plates, tables and chairs around two-thirty out to the garden. Decorating is an after thought, and at the last minute she gets some of those tiki-torch things from the closet, just using a room downstairs (now that she's moved to the 8th floor) that's vacant to get everything. She takes care of a lot on her own, but a helping hand would never be turned down.]

Party in full swing

[There's music playing, not loud enough to drown out conversations, but enough to have a pleasant background beat going. She manages to eat a little bit of everything, calling for shots with people every now and again. There's so much food, and enough people that she can talk to different people all night with different things in her hands as she does. She has her katana, never leaves home without it, but for right now it's hanging from a tree branch, right where she can see it, but not immediately on her back. Today's for fun, and she just wants that. She's smiling, more than most people have probably seen her do in a while, and she's a little drunk around ten, but it's all good.]

Wrap up

[Michonne's losing steam by 11:15, sitting back, lounging a little with her final beer in her hand. It's a little warm, the bottle getting sipped slowly, and the music is a little quieter now, the din of noise quieting as the crowd thins. When she speaks, it's to no one at all in particular.]

This was good. This was really good.

Paaaarty! (Zombie style)

[luckynumberthree]

[ Simon and Jo had both made food for the potluck, but Simon had let Jo transport it down in favor of showing up with a very particular potluck necessity in hand.

Which is why he strolls up to Michonne with a smirk and promptly hands over a bottle of tequila, an unopened can of baked beans, and a can opener. ]

Here. For nostalgia's sake.

[thesamurai]

[For a second, Michonne just stares at him, then lets out a laugh.]

You've gotta be shittin' me.

[She takes the can and the opener though, then gestures behind her.]

You're comin' with me then. We're starting a fire, and we're cooking these, and then we're eating them. Roughin' it style.

prep!

[backpacking]

Okay, I'm no good at this stuff, but...

[ Hey, Michonne. Have one (1) Ellie, carrying a fairly-precarious plate of brownie-cookies. The girl flashes a grin before setting them down with a sigh, as if she's relieved she didn't drop the plate on the way. ]

This is awesome. [ The party, or picnic, or whatever it is. Ellie glances around, clearly in a good mood and looking forward to the event. ] What can I do to help out?

[thesamurai]

[Those look damn good, and Michonne'll have one in a little it but for now she looks around.]

We need one more table. Just gonna use a closet on the first floor, could use a hand carrying it. Then? Time to cook the shrimp.

[Because hell yes she's actually grilling, she's not missing the chance.]

party

[bruvva]

[ True to his style he finds the katana hanging from the tree branch. He's like a little kid with weapons. When Harry showed him the weapons room when he first joined Kingsman he almost lost himself. Like seriously. Fucking lighters that aren't lighters, but are secretly grenades? Proper fucking cool. He's left the gear he arrived in back in his room for now. Thankfully. He's dressed down. He ditched the alcohol he brought on some table. Trust the young delinquent chav to bring the liquor. ]

That is proper fucking cool. [ He says staring up at it. It's obviously someone's so he doesn't try to take it or anything. He's not a moron or drunk enough to start believing weapons grow on trees. ]

[thesamurai]

[She's very protective of her katana, and when she sees the admiration going on, she lets it, takes a sip of her beer as she eyes him. He doesn't touch it, which gains him points right away, and she makes her way over.]

You got a thing for sharp weapons?

[circlejerked]

<sub>[A party with open invitations? Count Anders in! Curiosity at what's going on in the gardens prompts him to investigate, and once he finds out Michonne is planning on a gathering, his first impulse is to join in on the fun. He finally has a chance to spend his time as he wants and get to know people. Why not join in?

Bringing food isn't too difficult. It's a chance to share Fereldan cuisine with other-worlders, and he cycles through some easy recipes before deciding on spiced salmon in a pastry, something he'd picked up on the Amaranthine coast. His cooking skills are lacking, but with an abundance of food free for the taking, he's happy to take the opportunity to brush the rust off of them and whip up something a little more elaborate than porridge.

He even coerces Nathaniel to come outside and see what the fuss is about. A little fresh air could do them both some good.

Before the party is due to start, Anders approaches with Nathaniel in tow. Under one arm, he has a cat, and in the other he's holding the tray with the food.]</sub>

Have room for two more? We have an entry fee and we're willing to pay.

_{[Hence the food. The cat's not for eating, though he's willing to share him around the table for pets if need be.]}

[noble_son]

[Nathaniel does not want to be here.

But, Anders is a persistent man and his dogged insistence had worn the rogue down until he'd agreed simply to get him to shut up about it. He supposes, in the end, a little fresh air and company won't do him too much harm.

He left his own new kitten behind, curled up in a small beige and white ball near the bottom of his bed, but now and then he glances Ander's way as if weighing up whether or not he'll try to catch the food or the cat should the mage happen to trip on the hem of his ridiculous robes.

The brief look he shoots Michonne is verging on apologetic. Just for a moment.

Sorry about Anders.]

Wrap-Up

[lightgunhustler]

[Jo smiles as she pulls up beside Michonne with her own beer in hand, inviting herself to sit and settling in beside her with her knees spread, leaning forward to rest her weight on them.]

It was good. Think a lot of people needed this, somethin' good to look forward to.

[Of course, there's more to it than that. The world Michonne came from, this kind of thing was unheard of nowadays.]

How do you feel?

[Relaxed, she hopes. Michonne's had it harder than most lately, with visits home, and finding friends here only to lose them again. Jo's determined to make sure she doesn't feel alone in spite of it.]

[thesamurai]

[Jo’s always welcome company, and Michonne stretches out just a little more.]

Feelin’ pretty good.

[She hands over a plate with four brownies on it.]

These are filled with pot. Jo. Definitely eat one.

Party!

[abelmedic]

[Maxine has done her due diligence. She has brought a dessert. She has done her best to help with prep. And now, even outside, even making as much noise as they are, she is doing her best to ignore the background tension of we are all going to die any second now and drinking steadily.

The drinks help a fair amount with turning that tension way, way down. And by the time eight rolls around she spots their hostess on the way back from the cooler and grins, raising her bottle in a toast.]

This? Was genius.

[thesamurai]

[It’ll probably be like they’ll all be dead or dying by this time next week, but still, it’s not tomorrow yet. She grins at Maxine before taking a swig of her beer.]

I do, on occasion, have a damn good idea.

OTA

[failedparenting]

[Look, the only reason he came out here today was to do some shooting. He hasn't been paying attention to anything that wasn't his immediate concern lately, so this whole thing just. Snuck up on him.

Is it cool to just crash potluck without food? Well, he's still eating.]

[lightgunhustler]

[And here comes Jo to offer him a beer to go along with that food.]

Nice of you to join us. [She smirks. The invitation was open; it's not that big a deal if he didn't show up with something to pass. She holds the bottle out to him.] Beer?

[failedparenting]

[He's already got a mouthful of food when Jo gets to him. The addition of beer, while unexpected, is a pleasant surprise.]

Yeah.

[He takes the bottle, pulling the cap off with his teeth.

See, the thing about Dean and him is that apple didn't so much roll a little ways from the tree as it just...dropped and stuck there. Clearly.]

[thesamurai]

[John gets a pass because they’ve shared ‘crying but not really crying into booze at the bar because of Things That Have Happened and she can’t really find it in her to make him walk back inside to get something from the closet. She’s pretty sure he’d just never come back if she did, anyway.]


There are brownies that’ll get you stoned. Let me know if you want one. Had to keep ‘em somewhere else. Because of kids.

[failedparenting]

[Look, he hates this place. It needs to go down, in flames if need be. But when you're surprised with both free food you technically didn't have to contribute to, beer, and dope, it's really hard to justify your anger.

He looks at the brownies, then back to Michonne. ]

Don't tell my wife.

[Mostly because she'll be mad she did it without him.]

Or my kids.

OTA!

[mypartnerincrime]

Chloe does not want to be here.

This is all Max's fault. She dragged her into this. So now, they have to attend this fucking potluck. A fucking potluck. Chloe feels like she's living in the suburbs, where there's a neighborhood barbeque and all the weird neighbors are here, exchanging stories about their boring office work.

Why am I here. Chloe sighs as she walks to the garden, with a tray in her hands. Well, if I'm forced to attend a boring-ass barbeque, better spice things up with some of my stuff.

The brownies on the tray shift slightly as she walks on the uneven ground of the garden. A potluck, you say? Dessert's on me. They're chocolate brown, unevenly cut but incredibly sweet-smelling. A recipe from her family but with a few added ingredients from Chloe herself. She is ready to promise that her brownies will make anyone forget their own name.

[mypartnerintime]

Max is trying to not be the typical shy geek hiding away in some secluded portion of the potluck area, but honestly that's pretty much exactly what she's doing. Hey, to be fair, it's not really hiding, more like... uhhh, hanging out with herself. Yeah.

Anyway, she catches sight of Chloe and immediately heads over, glad that her best friend didn't back out of her promise to go. A smile forms on her face as she gets withing talking range.

"Hi Chloe! Those look great." She reaches out to grab a brownie off the tray, almost taking a bite out of it before stopping short.

Brownies... from Chloe. Hmm.

[mypartnerincrime]

Shit. Too bad. Max was just about to try Chloe's brownies but then she stopped. Spider Max's fucking spider senses are tingling. Doing her best to keep a straight and innocent expression, Chloe replies, "Thanks. Here, try one." She takes one from the tray and offers it to Max.

sorry i'm so late!

[thesamurai]

Michonne's just going to hang up her katana again after showing it to someone, which means she's carrying it now as someone who looks to be having a less than stellar time wanders in.

"Drink a little. You won't care much about being here then, might even have a good time." She looks old enough, so. Enabling, it is.

freya mikaelson | ota

[deathlessness]

[So Freya's never actually ... been to a potluck before. Side effect of sleeping for centuries of a time, and it explains her very meager offering of alcohol. She's a Mikaelson. They're functioning alcoholics, even on their worse days.

Still, she isn't sure where to start, so she's mostly lingering in the back and observing, trying to figure out the best place to jump in. Eventually she will pour herself a drink and make her way around to mix and mingle and try the food, but she's mostly trying to figure out her place in things.

Social gatherings without a murderous ulterior motive are a bit new for her. Please bear with her while she asks basic questions, one of which being:]

Is this your first potluck?

ota

[lovestheimpala]

What draws Dean to the gathering is the food. Don't make any mistakes. He's only here for the food and to see what drinks there are.

And he's shameless about just loading up a plate with anything that looks tasty, and seeking out a more quiet corner where he can dig in.

[a_chipped_cup]

Belle, contrary to her usual cheerful self, hasn't been much for socializing. Coming to the potluck seemed like a mistake, save for the food and drinks. Much like Dean, she's curious to try what others have brought, just to get an idea of the different worlds that each of them hailed from.

During one of her visits to the table, she spied Dean with the same aim. Her smile a bit more natural, as she remembered him from their strange meeting in the hall. Thankfully, he wasn't carrying his scythe.

"You seemed to have settled in pretty well."