maskormenacelogs | Many happy returns

WHO: John Watson and YOU!
WHERE: House #005
WHEN: 7th July, afternoon
WHAT: His work colleagues convinced John to throw a birthday party!
WARNINGS: Probably none

Today hadn't been his idea.

In many ways, John missed his old job in the emergency room. To name but a few benefits, he missed the urgency and the fact there weren't many opportunities to socialize with his colleagues down there. Being promoted to general practitioner robbed him of these benefits and threw him with individuals he had nothing in common with apart from a doctorate.

One of the girls in reception had ratted him out and John found himself reluctantly inviting his workmates over to celebrate his forty-second birthday. He would've been content to celebrate with a couple of drinks at the weekend with familiar company, some who would've received a text message about today asking for help.

There are refreshments available and a grill and a few kids running about and splashing in the pool in the backyard. Please don't leave him alone with the natives.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ kanaya's never seen a bit of busywork that she wouldn't devote herself to utterly, so the moment the guests start to thin, she's got a trash bag to collect all the red dixie cups they've left lying around. either way, it's nice to see karen as her comrade-in-arms in this war against mess. ]

Who would have thought doctors would be such slobs, hmm?

Kanaya! Hey.

[ She grins back at Kanaya, helping to spread the trash bag open so she can safely deposit all the paper plates inside without letting a single crumb fall onto the floor. ]

I have to wonder myself. I thought it was only their handwriting that was sloppy.

[ she lets out a chuckle, appreciating karen's diligence. it'll save them time on sweeping. ]

I wonder if it isn't just an inherent self-importance. That they actually can't be bothered with details like that, because they've evolved a sort of blindness to them.

I've heard they're pretty arrogant through med school.

[ Funny how they're supposed to be the most compassionate people and yet some doctors come off as snobby. Nothing tops a politician's elitism, however.

She bends over to pick up an unused cup that had fallen to the floor. She looks at it and sighs. ]

I wish I'd gotten more recycling bags. This is a waste.

You know, I've never put a terrible amount of thought into environmentally-friendly disposal. I suppose it just requires an investment that's difficult to put in a world.

[ when they have such a terrible habit of dying on them, and all. ]

[ Thankfully she's stayed put for the most part on her newly adopted planet. Recycling would be the least of her problems otherwise. ]

It doesn't take any effort. All you need to do is remember to put your bottles and plastic in a different bin, that's all. A little effort can go a long way.

Well, most of the bottles I use end up washed and reused anyway. That's one point for vampirism, I suppose, you don't really create much waste.

[ She can't help a faint chuckle, moving across the room toward the kitchen where another full bag sits. She grabs a hold of it, shaking it slightly so the waste drifts further down before she ties it shut. ]

If the planet could talk, it would say thank you.

Also, I gotta ask: since when do you and John know each other?

Oh, you know, we met in the City. [ she casts an uncertain look around. even with most of the guests gone, this hardly feels like the context to discuss new vesuvius. ]

Plus we're both working at the hospital, so there's that. [ where he smuggles her blood, as one does. ] I think any of us who've been around for a while are bound to run into each other eventually.

[ She notes the look, moving toward the backdoor of the kitchen. She pulls it open to drag the trash bag outside so it won't stink up the rest of the house. ]

Think us City folk are closer than before? I haven't felt it personally, but I did arrive a few months before things went to hell. Barely got to know the place.

[ She didn't really fit in with the Cityzens or imPorts there she felt, but it's not exactly a new feeling when whisked from one universe to the other. ]

[ kanaya follows after her, tying off her own bag as she walks. ]

The two of us are closer, aren't we? It may not be true across the board, exactly, but there are shared experiences that mean something, connect us in ways that it won't to others.

I suppose you may have missed a few, being a later arrival. But it's still true of you to an extent.

[ She pauses, the bag hovering a few inches off the ground before she sets it down. She glances back at Kanaya, smiling at her. ]

True. Our experiences aren't something I want anyone to go through ever, but it's nice knowing you aren't the only one in the universe who's dealt with it.

[ She waves her hand in front of her face. Super smell sucks sometimes. ]

Ugh, what a waste of food, too. They must have dumped at least a quarter of what wasn't eaten.

It seems to me like the habits of one who's never been properly hungry before. Even I'd do better than this, and I hardly eat that sort of food.

As for the other thing, regrettable as it is that it's been done to so many, that much is preferable to being alone. [ she takes a glance around the back of the house. ] You've a bin about, yes?

[ She nods, beckoning Kanaya with her finger to follow. ]

It's in a corner of the kitchen.

[ She treks back into the house, heading straight for the small recycling bin they had been provided with. No, really, it's small. She's not sure it's suitable for a five-person house. ]

Anyway, it's been some time since we spoke. What have you been up to?

Oh, uh. Not the one for the recycling. [ she holds up her bag, moving back out the door. ] It's usually along the side.

[ she moves out to the patio, guessing at which side will have the gate. ] I've been busy, about as much as you'd expect. I've found another job, keeping up with the existing ones, doing what I can in the community. There was that bother last week, for instance.

Two jobs?

[ Her eyes settle on Kanaya. ]

Been managing alright? Just from my own experience, it's not exactly a walk in the park.

[ she shoots karen a polite smile, as she lifts the lid on the trashbin to deposit her bag. ]

It;s nothing I can't handle. The stress serves as a reminder that I'm still alive.

Remember not to overwork yourself. Stress can do all kinds of nasty things to your body and mind.

[ She doesn't sound overly concerned, however. Kanaya's presented herself as someone with a good head on her shoulders. She may be young, but she's wiser than many her age. Probably wiser than some humans older than her, too. ]

I've made that mistake enough to know how to avoid it, but it's much easier when the stakes aren't so desperate. Fewer consequences to be concerned over if I should fail.

[ because she's done that whole thing before, fifteen-year-old girl trying to financially support a house full of kids on her own. it was one of the things that led her to dropping out of school.

having something to fall back on when she had nothing to begin with is what made registration such a simple choice for her. ]

Many happy returns

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suddenly drops down to whisper okay self

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