entrancelogs | [OPEN] You can get anything you want at Alice's restaurant

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[OPEN] You can get anything you want at Alice's restaurant

Who: Jo Harvelle, Ray Palmer, John Winchester, and YOU!
Where: The Bar!
When: Backdated to Thanksgiving
Rating: PG-13
Summary: It's a Thanksgiving party! And everyone is invited!
The Story:
[This was supposed to be a family thing, okay? Just family.

John normally scoffs at the idea of family get-togethers, or apple pie, picket fence traditions, but he realizes that now, for the first time, he’s got almost his entire family for a Thanksgiving. And add in Jo with her husband, it’s practically a respectable crowd for a holiday. Mary loves the idea, but when he tells Jo about it, of course she’s got to insist on more people. They’re family too, she insists, hers and Simon’s just like she’s family to him. He’s not so crazy about it. But he sure as hell likes Michonne and Simon, so he finally relents. They’ll have to do it in the bar for the space, but it fits, for them. Feels almost like a hunter party, and he knows that Ellen would’ve approved.

Plans are made, food is cooked, and just when John thinks they might pull this off without some kinda bizarre event going down, Jo makes one herself- why not just have a party for everyone?

He’s really not crazy about that one. She insists, says another guy wants to make his own feast but there was an “incident”, and….yeah. Jo. Fine, fine. Just stop needling. So that’s how they’ve gotten here, a guy with a dislike of family holidays on principal, a bartender who loves too many people, and a superhero who can’t cook sweet potatoes hosting a dinner together.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone, try not to die.]

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[Who ate all the fried onions for the green bean casserole?!]

Edited 2016-12-01 05:00 (UTC)

[ ray is smiling too much and saying thank you too much and introducing himself over and over. generally he's just falling over himself to try to express his gratitude for the help and willingness to have one big wonderland family dinner.

this is probably the third dish he's nearly ruined in some capacity because he's not paying attention at all while he tries to Make Friends and Influence People.

oh god someone distract him from trying to cut the turkey... ]

[You know the one dad at Thanksgiving who lords over the turkey carving like a king?

Yeah, that's John.

Before ray can get to it, John sliiiides in with carving knife and fork in hand. There's two whole turkeys to cut yp, but like hell he's gonna let anyone else tough them. John eyes Ray as he walks over, still u n s u r e about Jo's whole "party" idea. He doesn't even know this guy.

Well. He'll take this turkey from his cold, dead hands]

Hey man, I got this. Don't worry about it.

Oh, hey thanks!

[ aww wow this guy is really nice how cool of him to take over the carving! ray smiles and nods toward those others, not quite getting the hint that he should probably buzz off maybe. ]

They smell great. What's your secret?

[ also would you like to be best friends? ray makes a mean friendship bracelet! :D ]

[Jo pulls up beside Ray at one of the counters while he appears to be marginally distracted-- he's got the makings of stuffing spread out in front of him, but she's pretty sure that judging by how the rest of his day has been, leaving him to handle it alone probably isn't a good idea.]

Need a hand? Seeing as the marshmallow avalanche probably took a hell of a lot out of you and all.

[ ray naturally shoves over to give jo room, glancing up at her with a smile and nod. ]

The more the merrier! [ he lowers his voice conspiratorially, as if it's not very obvious: ] I have to confess, I'm don't use cook meals. I'll take all the help I can get!

Never would have guessed.

[She grins. At least he's honest about it.]

Not to worry. Lots of this stuff is easier than it looks-- hardest part about Thanksgiving is getting everything made so it's ready to eat and still hot around the same time. Mashed potatoes, though? Come on, just about anyone can do that.

Oh, totally-- we're just smashing them, right?

[ said not-at-all awkwardly and fully confident that he definitely knows how to mash things. ray reaches over to grab a spoon which is not the egg beater and give this his best shot which amounts to a mixture of stabbing motions and swirling. ]

Yeah, this is pretty easy actually!

For now, yup. There's a little mixing involved further down the line, but for now, just-- yeah, just like that.

[Sort of. A spoon really isn't the ideal tool for the job, but he's trying. Bless him.]

Might want to use something bigger, though? Beater, or a stand mixer, or if you wanna really get a good satisfying smash in, there are a couple of manual tools you can use, too.

[ look at your life, look at your choices, ray. ]

Oh. I guess I should've thought of that...

[ he'll just grab himself a beater real quick nbd. ray laughs and shrugs. ]

This is the second time you've rescued me today, Jo. Are you a professional knight in shining armor, or something?

[ACTUALLY...]

More like a knight in denim and flannel?

[She grins again; it's hard not to be in good spirits around Ray, to be honest. His cheer is definitely catching.]

I'm in the professional rescue business back home. Guess I just can't leave work behind, even in the kitchen.

[ WHAT THIS IS THE BEST NEWS ]

Are you a superhero? A vigilante? Wait, do you call yourself knights?

[ oh shit that's too much milk time to "casually" add more potatoes... ]

Do you have a hero name? Cause I know a guy who's great at coming up with nicknames.

Not quite.

[But she laughs, because the steady stream of guesses is nothing if not entertaining.]

The community I'm a part of back home? We call ourselves hunters. No capes, no codenames. Mostly unsung heroes. Gotta operate under the radar.

Oh. Whoa.

[ that sounds really hardcore. and super cool. man. "legends" just seems like a garbage name, now.

jo now has ray's full attention, but he hasn't turned off the beater. ]

So what do you hunt?

[She keeps an eye on the beater for him, just in case-- thankfully, this part is kind of hard to mess up unless he decides to let go.]

Monsters. Ghosts, demons, whatever other kind of creepy-crawlies show up that the police aren't prepared to take care of. There's tons of us. Family business, you could say.

[A big, drunken extended family. Everyone has their reasons for getting into it. Jo thinks hers are better than most.]

[ cue the big wide eyes of both ooh and ahh. hopefully they will ... make his next comment suck less???? ]

Seriously? That sounds kind of crazy. [ no, not the entire idea of jo's job, but: ] You have to have a cool code name with a calling like that. Like ... Huntress!

[ ...er hang on. ]

No, that's terrible. Ohh-- what do you hunt with? Or like, do you have a signature move?

[Ray, you're so precious. She laughs, shaking her head.]

A signature move? What am I, a superhero?

[Maybe to some people, but considering where Ray comes from, she doesn't feel like hunters quite measure up-- it's not the same.]

Most of us call each other by name. Some might earn colorful nicknames over the years, but I was always just Jo. The "what" changes depending on what you're hunting, but let's just say my knife collection isn't for show, and neither is the shotgun I keep in the bar.

Maybe to some people you are, yeah.

[ ray smiles, less wattage and more warmth. in a world of flashes and hawkpeople, there are still hoods and canaries. ray thinks jo (plus knives) would give a lot of them a run for their money. he stops mixing, and taps the beater against the side of the bowl before looking up at her. ]

Knife collection? Sounds like an assassin's arsenal to me.

[She smiles back, but it's more sheepish than the ones that had come before it, humble.]

That's what I always thought about my dad, when I was a kid. He was a hunter, and I thought he was a superhero, going out there and doing what he did, saving people. S'why I wanted to grow up to be just like him.

[Really, that never changed.]

Most of the collection is sentimental, but you never know what you're going to need with the supernatural. Some creatures hate silver, others hate iron-- plus I'm small and fast. If I'm in close quarters, I have a better chance with a knife than just throwing a punch if I'm outclassed in size.

[Which she often is.]

[ color ray impressed: he hums in admiration and turns off the beater to tap the remaining delicious fluffy heaven off of the metal. ]

Sounds like you really know your strengths. I'm actually almost the exact opposite, big and bulky and slow.

[ he grins, and holds out the bowl of probably lumpy mostly-mashed potatoes toward jo. victory! ]

I think this is the last of the food-- where should I put these?

Sounds like you make it work for you. You've got that neat suit, right?

[Her first exposure to Ray might have been when Snart had been warning people not to sit on him.

She props a hand against her hip, examining his handiwork. Actually, not bad.]

Just take 'em on out, Simon should have tables lined up against the wall by now for all the food. Thanks for the help, by the way. Really appreciate it-- glad we could join forces for this thing.

Thank you for letting me crash.

[ ray pauses before heading out, because that sounds a little too flippant for him. he smiles and nods. ]

Really, Jo. You guys have a great family, here.

[Talking shit over the pecan pie.]

[ Sarah comes a little later, because she has her brother and Jane and they're not the....mingle types. So she's had a Thanksgiving, but never let it be said that she isn't a woman down for seconds. Or thirds. So, she's glad when people haven't quite settled in to eat yet and are making their rounds. She has no idea if she'll know anyone other than Ray, but also never let it be said that she's shy.

She'll just be sneaking in some pie, raising a very appreciative brow at how good it is, then subtly scanning for familiar faces. ]

[ from across the room, ray catches sarah's eye and gives a little wave.

hey-- who doesn't like a little "long-distance" flirting? (oh crap hopefully sarah does!)

your move, pretty girl. ]

[ Her smile when she sees him is a mix of things - being glad to see him, being happy to see him (which is completely different, thank you), relieved he's here and then a touch of something else. That something else has her ducking her head a little, hair falling in front of her eyes as she bites her bottom lip.

Is this right? Is this long-distance flirting working? ]

[ oh no she's better at this than he is-- a fact you definitely should have anticipated, raymond. because part of what makes sarah special to him is the ease with which she makes living in the chaos look.

the way those wisps hang down when she dips her head, modest and yet fully aware of her faculties.

ray's smiles widens, eyebrows furrowing into mock suspicion.

are you seducing him from afar, sarah weller? (check yes or no.)

((please check yes.)) ]

[ Oh, absolutely yes, and she looks back up at him, eyes meeting his directly now and she mouths hi, with another little grin before turning to put her pie down. She's abandoning pie, heading over to him with wine glasses, one in each hand.

She is neglecting pie, Ray.

When she gets to him she hands him a glass as she leans in to kiss the corner of his mouth softly, speaking low like what she's about to say is some big secret between them in a room of people, even if it's not. ]

Happy Thanksgiving.

[ ray hunches down and returns the peck before straightening back up. wine in one hand, he slips the other around to rest against sarah's back, letting a thumb trace little circles absently. it's so hard to sit still normally, even more so when his beautiful girlfriend is nearby. ]

It is, now. How was your family's dinner?

Edited (oops wow that was kind of a messy tag, sorry!!!!) 2016-12-02 19:44 (UTC)

[ One of her arms loops around him as well and she smiles at the morning and afternoon she just had. ]

Well, it was Jane's first Thanksgiving that she'll remember, so Kurt really went all out. He's been cooking since yesterday, and she thought it was fantastic. The only thing missing was a big parade for her to watch, but that's okay, she'll get there.

[ She loves the little circles. He can definitely keep doing the little circles. ]

[ consider those circles circled forever!!! ]

Oh, that's great! You should've told me, I bet we could've put together a Wonderland parade...

[ though considering how ray's attempt at making people a holiday dinner went??? probably not the best idea. ]

I think right now, they aren't um...upset that I'm not in their apartment anymore?

[ Sarah doesn't want to think about what they're doing while she's not there but there was definitely very little argument over whether or not she should stay and keep contributing to 'family time.' ]

This was really more about Kurt and Jane than Thanksgiving itself, which is fine, I get it. She's had a really hard time. But I'm glad you invited me to this.

[Jo offers a wave across the room when she spots Sarah near the dessert table, recognizing her from both the network and passing visits to the bar. She smiles, heading over to close the distance with a beer in hand.]

Hey, glad you could make it! I was hoping rescuing Ray from his earlier efforts meant he might get a few friends over here.

[ Sarah recognizes Jo and smiles at her as she turns with a plate of pie in one hand. ]

Hey, yeah, I couldn't pass this up. And I was hoping to meet some of Ray's friends. We've spent a lot of time together but somehow I haven't met the people he's close to yet.

[ Events just seem to keep getting in the way. ]

He and I aren't that close, to be honest, but I helped to save him from the marshmallow avalanche downstairs. He's a good guy.

[She feels like that has to count for something.]

It's been tough to meet new people lately, feels like. Lots of the events have been rough-- I think people have needed recovery time.

[ Sarah's smile seems to lighten up everything on her face even if it stays small as they talk about Ray. She glances toward him, then nods. ]

Yeah, he is.

[ She clears her throat, not going to gush or anything, then nods in agreement with Jo. ]

Yeah. Jane had a hard time after that last one. I think somehow she...regresses in the ways she's come out of her shell after events that are particularly bad.

[ Which makes Sarah assume that even if Jane can't remember it, she's been through some pretty bad trauma in the past. But she's no therapist, so she doesn't say that unqualified opinion out loud. ]

[Jo feels like she knows that look, and it makes her smile in turn, glad to see someone else in such good spirits, although she reserves any further comment for now. She doesn't know either of them well enough, and it's not her place, but it's awfully cute to see Sarah brighten just talking about him.]

I think I understand.

[Her smile fades, a little bit, as she considers Jane's position.]

She wouldn't be the only one who's felt the need to withdraw after Wonderland puts them through the ringer. Sometimes that's the easiest way to deal with things, even if it might not be the best. Wonderland has a way of making us think about things we'd rather not, see parts of ourselves we've tried hard to forget.

That's why I've eaten enough food for probably four Thanksgiving meals?

[ Stay with her, Jo. ]

She can't remember any other Thanksgiving before this, and with the last couple of events being...well, what they were, my brother went all out and made everything he could think of, so we started eating somewhere around nine this morning. But it's good to know she's making memories for now that really outweigh the bad.

[ Sarah holds up her plate of pie. ]

And hey, now I'm here, and the food is just as amazing, so I think this day is pretty damn good for everyone.

[ Marshmallow assault aside. Ray did get kisses out of the deal, so. Hard to say it was a bad day. ]

You know, that's really sweet of you guys.

[Jo and Jane are relatively new friends, but Jo can absolutely respect the effort Jane's people have put forth for her.]

There's a lot of power in good memories. She's lucky to have you, both you and your brother.

[She wholeheartedly approves.]

Hard to complain about a day full of good food under most circumstances, right?

[ Sarah likes Jo, pretty immediately now that they're actually having a conversation. They've talked here and there, but this is over food and spirits are high, and there's good things happening all around them. ]

Exactly. The only person missing is my kid, but I know he's safe, and he doesn't have to put up with Wonderland, so honestly? That's a relief.

[ She feels like she'd lose her mind with worry over Sawyer being here. She already can't believe there are actual kids in this place. ]

I wouldn't mind repeating this day a few times before we move on, honestly. I think it's one of the most perfect days I've ever had here.

It must be a real load off, knowing he's safe, even if it's gotta be hard for you to be here without him.

[That he won't be missing her, that time, as far as her kid is concerned, is frozen-- but that doesn't change how Sarah must feel here.]

I don't think I'd mind repeating this one, either. It's been awhile since I've had one this good. The events lately-- we've had so many rough ones in a row, it's been getting to me a little bit.

With every event that passes, I'm really really glad he isn't here. And I'm worried about the kids who are, but as it turns out they're all pretty tough? Like, surprisingly.

[ Which makes her also worry but she can't go around asking about all of their home lives and adopting them. She does sympathize with Jo, though. ]

Does this place ever just...take a prolonged break?

They're tough, and a lot of people make it their job to look out for them.

[Jo is one of them; she and Simon practically adopted Ellie ages ago.]

But most of 'em? Yeah, not to be underestimated, you're right about that.

[She smiles again, and it comes out tired.]

Sometimes? We'll get strings of events that are a lot easier and pretty non-invasive, but this year... it's been a rough one.

[ Sarah wants to help more on that front. Maybe it's because she misses her own kid like hell, or because she'd hope to whoever is running this place if Sawyer ever showed up and she, Kurt, or Jane weren't in Wonderland, someone would look after him. ]

Let's hope for a better year, then, and in the meantime, better appreciate the breaks.

[ Not that she thinks anyone isn't, but she raises her glass in a little mini-toast anyway. ]

I'm all for that.

[She likes the way Sarah thinks. Honestly, they're not all that different.]

I should check in on things in the kitchen, make sure my husband doesn't "accidentally" burn the place down in protest of an American holiday-- but I'm really glad you're here. [She grins.] We should grab coffee or something sometime.

[ Sarah matches Jo's grin then nods in eager agreement. ]

I'm all for that, anytime. Go, go make sure your husband isn't anywhere near open flame. I'll be in touch after the craziness of the holidays.

[ At least, she's assuming they'll be crazy because aren't they always, anywhere? She's banking on it being a universal thing. ]

[Don't talk politics with a mouthful of turkey.]

[Oh my god help wash the dishes, you animal.]

[Jo has managed to resist the urge to succumb to the annual Thanksgiving nap after the meal, relocating to the bar's kitchen once the crowd has started to thin out a little. She offers John a tired but appreciative smile as she passes him on her way to the back counter, starting to collect stray utensils and a couple of mixing bowls to be washed.]

I know it wasn't exactly what you'd imagined, but-- thank you, for today.

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[OPEN] You can get anything you want at Alice's restaurant

PARTY PREP

ray palmer | OTA

Re: ray palmer | OTA

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wow bravo for putting up with whatever grammar salad i wrote up there <333

I feel like it speaks volumes about us that I literally did not even notice...

omg are we an old married couple?? you make eyes at me and i fetch you a beer ;)

That feels about right. <3

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wrap??

MINGLING

Sarah Weller | OTA

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THE MEAL

CLEANUP

Closed to John Winchester