¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[dragony]

WHO: Jaime Reyes, Kanaya Maryam-Lalonde, Laurie Collins, Ruka, and Double Cassandra Power Hour (Cain + Igarashi)
WHERE: America; Finland
WHEN: New Year's Eve + Aftermath
WHAT: The kids need a break; Ruka and Kanaya conspire to celebrate the New Year as far away from imPort Problems as possible, but ImPorts Are The Problem
WARNINGS: The Recklessness of Youth (underage drinking, unsupervised partying, extreme second-hand embarrassment)

---

[ It had started simply enough. All Ruka had wanted to know was what color dress would best compliment a new accessory. Then one thing led to another, and another, and now it's come to this. Sure, there's still going to be fancy dress, and undoubtedly a lot of drinking, but instead of sneaking her way into some posh porter-city party, Kanaya had suggested something... okay, she'll admit, better than the original plan. Skipping the country and celebrating somewhere the fuck else? She's in. They deserve a break. Bringing a few other people who also deserve a break... well, sure. Why not?

What was the worst that could happen? ]

🎇︎ Getting There

[ Between the last-minute plus-ones on one side, and the it's-a-surprise factor on another, it's something of a miracle that everybody manages to get picked up. For some, it means meeting up roof-side, dressed and ready to go for a night on the town; for others, it means the arrival of the designer-slash-hostess-slash-chauffeur with party attire in tow and a strict timeline on how long it should take to get ready. For one attendee, this part is a complete surprise, so -- surprise...

Eventually the portal express will loop back around to you, but in the meantime, it seems like a good idea to see how you look, maybe grab a coat, and check if you have your ID, and... who did she say was on the guest list? ]

🎇︎ Being There

[ Welcome to HELSINKI, FINLAND. It's currently ten pm and a balmy 25° F / -4° C. The city itself is still alight for the winter and Christmas celebrations — strings of lights cross over the pedestrian paths, and the trees that line the road and feature in the junction points are all covered in netted lights as well. The streets themselves aren't terribly packed — holiday or not, it is a little brisk out — but many of the city's windows are still brightly lit, and the sky is clear for the displays tonight.

Still. It is fucking cold. Thankfully, the import party isn't going to be out in the town square: it's indoors, with alcohol, and fucking heating, because some people want to not freeze to death during the night. That's why the party is heading to Hotel Tower, one of the tallest buildings in the city — with the added bonus of four separate bar-slash-restaurants, one of which sits on the top floor, with an attached observation deck. The others on the lower floors are a little less posh — do you miss American food already? They've got you covered.

While you wait for the fireworks to begin, there's one festive tradition to partake in at the bar: fortune-telling. Order a shot, get a small tin horse-shoe; get your shot, melt your horse-shoe; drink your shot, cast your melted tin in cold water. If it shapes a good future, good for you! If not... get another shot.

You're going to be here a while, after all. ]

🎇︎ 10, 9, 8...

[ Here it is. The moment you've been waiting for. The climax to the evening. The end of the year — and what a year it's been, right? Too much has happened; too much gained, and lost, in too short a time. But you're still here now, and that's what's important. You're on top of the world, almost literally, with some... friends? Are these your friends, now? Well, it's probably close enough to count. It's still really fucking cold, but you've all managed to get back to the observation balcony for the countdown and the impending show. There were little blasts in the streets below, but everyone's patiently waiting for the final second for the real show to start.

Now is probably a good time to reflect on the year you've had, and the one impending, and the company you're keeping. It is probably not a good time to only just now remember that you're supposed to kiss someone for good luck.

No pressure. ]

🎇︎ ... what comes after zero?

[ You know how sometimes, when it's just so cold out, a car will straight up freeze and not start? And then you're stranded until it thaws? Well, Kanaya isn't a car, but... it's starting to look like getting back to the United States is going to take a few more hours than you planned for.

Good news! Partying in a hotel means that, well, you're in a hotel, and hotels have bedrooms!!

Bad news!

Not enough bedrooms.

Worse: Are any of you sober enough to handle this responsibly. Whose idea was this. Who's paying for this. Is the bar still open? You're not sober enough for this, but you might not be drunk enough for it, either.

Welcome to 2019. ]

Comments

Cassandra "why the fuck am I here" Igarashi | OTA

[queenofseers]

1. GETTING THERE

[ Cassandra is pretty sure Kanaya would eviscerate her, at least verbally, if she had decided to wear any of her usual attire. Problem was, her usual attire is the vast majority of her attire- the gods of the Pantheon tend to have a look, after all. So she's gone to the closest substitute on for tonight: more of a sheer black dress-ish getup, stopping at her knees. Plus a cape with a hood, because it's cold as fuck and she does have to keep with her aesthetic, and one of her fancier half-masks. This one is shiny! And also pitch black and deeply foreboding.

The fact that she's frowning a little more than she should when she gets picked up outside her house doesn't help. She sighs, her hands on her hips. ]

So- who's coming?

[ Hi, everyone. ]

2. 10, 9, 8...

[ It's not that Cassandra doesn't drink, but- okay, she barely drinks, especially for her age. She has a habit of being a little too responsible, and being sober enough to make sure things don't explode comes with the territory, even if this is a group that's a little more put-together than the Pantheon (no, seriously).

But right now? When everyone's about to celebrate a year that she already knows is about to spell her doom, along with perhaps everyone else's? She doesn't have the fucking patience for this. So she turns to the nearest bartender and says- ]

I need a shot of the strongest fucking thing you have.

[ If you're nosy, this is your opportunity. ]

3. ...WHAT COMES AFTER ZERO

[ Nope! Nope. Fuck this. She's got a hell of a headache, she's freezing cold, and she doesn't want to pick out hotel arrangements with a bunch of people she doesn't know terribly well (at least from her point of view).

She also doesn't want to pay. This isn't her fault, and besides- she's never been the richest person she knew. Especially here.

So Cassandra can be found sitting on a bench in the hallway, head in her hands, mask on her lap. If you approach, she's got one thing to say: ] I don't care what it is, but I'm not taking care of it.

3

[cassassin]

[ wow ok. cass just. puts her hands up in a mollifying gesture. by this point in the night the slim tie she was wearing with her suit is long gone--where, who knows. she forgot. ]

Whatever we do, I've got it. [ it hasn't really been discussed, but like. she's reasonably sure she's got a couple of orders of magnitude more cash to call on than the rest of them. she can handle it for any of them who want her to. cassandra shrugs, and even if she looks about as tired as igarashi, she's. relaxed. she needed tonight. so she presses herself against the wall next to the bench, sliding down to sit on the floor. ]

[queenofseers]

Oh- right. Thank fuck.

[ Cass has some awareness of the other woman's riches, but she'd forgot about it until this moment. At least that's one load off of her shoulders. She picks her head up, resting her elbows on her knees, and looks down at Cain on the floor. ]

So- you alright, there? [ This Cassandra isn't much of the "sitting on floors" type herself. ]

4-3-2-1

[glowsferatu]

[ Kanaya looks very different when she's making a deliberate effort to be herself rather than incidentally revealing who she is. She's actually wearing makeup, for one thing, her lips somehow looking even blacker than they were, eyeliner drawn to a fine point, and its a wonder where she gets grey makeup to cover the dark circles under her eyes. Her hair is cropped short along the back and sides, the rest coming down on one side in big curls. Her dress is a dark shade of jade green, the sleeves cutting off below her elbows, and the hem touching her ankles, with a cutout on the back to bare her shoulderblades. It's form-fitting enough that one might wonder how thick the Psychopomp's robes must be to conceal her hips.

Being that she is absolutely nosy, she takes a seat next to Cassandra, but doesn't say anything until the bartender comes back with her shot. Instead, she lets the silence just sit, to marinate the mood before she begins to pry. ]

Whiskey sour, thank you. Hold the bitters, keep the egg.

[ She waits until they've gone at least a little out of earshot before addressing Cassandra directly, but doesn't look at her as she does. Her voice is flat and tired, almost preemptively. She certainly isn't affecting anything close to the light mood she's been affecting the rest of the night. There's no illusion that this isn't going to be a serious and chat, likely draining for the both of them. ]

I imagine it might help if you talk about it.

[queenofseers]

[ Sheesh, does Kanaya have to be this fancy? Cassandra is no alcohol expert, but even her order sounds poised. Cassandra eyes her as she sits, paying attention to how she doesn't make a move until Cassandra's own drink comes. She's not great socially and never has been, but that's a tell that's just obvious enough.

Which means she isn't too surprised when Kanaya tries to pry again the moment the drink arrives. Of course that would happen. She rolls her eyes. ]

Christ, you couldn't even give me a few minutes. [ She says, finally taking a sip. She makes a face of disgust. ] And I should have asked what the hell this actually is.

So- fine. Let's get it over with. What part are you asking about, specifically? The whole "I'm doomed" shit?

[ Even if it effects her deeply, Cassandra feels the need to poke at it, to bring the danger of it down. It's not her fault, after all. ]

2

[khajidont]

[ Jaime is surprised, though not unpleasantly so, when he sees Cassandra in their strange little party. By the time she makes it to the bar, he's already decided to have the courage to try a shot - which, despite everything - Cassandra seems to need way more than he does - and while he's not feeling the effects yet, he's absolutely feeling the immediate effects. He's still wheezing a little when he says, ] Are you sure? Because they're not messing around here.

[ On one hand, they're not messing around. On the other, this is the first time Jaime's had hard alcohol period. ]

[queenofseers]

I'm very sure.

[ Admittedly, Jaime's one of the most pleasant people here to talk with at this moment. She's in a terrible mood, but he's always been approachable and stable, even after the recent revelations around him. At least he wouldn't be an asshole about it.

She looks him over again, raising an eyebrow. ]

...Can you even drink legally in America? Have you been out like this before?

2.

[dragony]

[ In fairness: it is probably not that difficult to be better put-together than the Pantheon, but that's neither here nor there. What is here, though, is the resident party empath who... definitely does not need to be an empath to tell Cassandra is not in a party mood. Ruka already (still) has a drink, so she doesn't order another in solidarity — she just slushes her straw through the ice, visible attention elsewhere. ]

That bad?

[queenofseers]

It's always that bad. It just feels especially relevant today.

[ She sighs and sits down at the bar, figuring (perhaps wrongly) that Ruka will just sit with her if she wants to talk. She suspects if anyone can relate to how she's feeling, though, it's Ruka, so it's not particularly unwelcome. ]

You know. Potential apocalypse incoming, certain death, that sort of shit. Celebrating feels fucking...ignorant to me.

[fridgeflower]

Getting There - Kanaya

[ Laurie's just finished her mascara when her doorbell rings, and she narrowly misses smearing it across her forehead when she jumps at the sudden noise. Crisis averted, though, and she caps it and heads to answer the door. She's a little distracted, suddenly realizing that she's behind schedule. Not by much, but still. You get invited out, you ought to be punctual.

So she's apologizing as she opens the door. ] Sorry. I just have to finish-- [ Aaaaand it's Kanaya. Suddenly. ] Oh.

[ She steps back and opens the door to let Kanaya is, momentarily at a loss for the right thing to say. Not that there has to be anything poignant, necessarily. Kanaya's... been here long enough to organize a party, at very least. She probably doesn't want it to be a thing. So. She closes the door and moves on as best she can. ]

Uh, I just-- I need blush and lipstick, and I'm good to go. [ She's already gown clad, her accompanying, cream-colored jacket folded over the back of her couch. She gestures to the piece of furniture as she makes her way back towards the bathroom. ] You can have a seat, if you want.


Being There

[ She's a lot better at being out in public than she used to be. Parties aren't a big deal. Drifting from person to person... When she doesn't feel as though she has to make a good, lasting impression, it's much easier to let go. When is she coming back to Finland? When is she likely to see most of these people again? Never. Great.

With her more imPort-specific company tonight, though... There's a little more to finagle over, but she's trying to keep any minor anxieties regarding that at bay. None of it's bad, so she's not going to pick herself apart over it. Cool? Fantastic.

Of course, all of these social resolutions are helped along by the fact that she's nice and tipsy at the moment. Oh, there's fortune telling? Awesome, but this seems complicated. She sidles up to the current subject having their fortune read, watching the melting metal warily. ]

So, do you make a wish, or...?


10, 9, 8... - Cass Cain

[ Was this past year more wild than the other years she's seen here? It's hard to tell, or not really quantifiable. And it doesn't matter. There's nothing in measuring up the past. It is what it is, and what's left is the future. Very philosophical, hm?

Well, there's the present, too, which is something right out a movie or a cheesy novel. It'd be a little more cinematic if it wasn't freezing, or if she'd at least brought heavier coat, but... That's what she gets for thinking about aesthetics over reality. So she's a little curled in on herself, bouncing a little on the balls of her feet just for the sake of movement, and the countdown begins--

Oh, right. She's supposed to be a person of decent bravery tonight. She's always wanted a New Year's kiss, and she's in a more decent position than ever for it. No big deal.

Cass is right beside her, and she nudges her softly with an elbow, turning up an easy smile. ]

Hey...

being there;

[dragony]

Couldn't hurt, I suppose.

[ The current subject of fortune is none other than Ruka, the other organizer of the evening. That's probably still a bit of a surprise, considering her usual demeanor, but she is the one who sent the invitations. (It seemed little less ominous than making an RSVP with an evening with the Psychopomp.) At the moment, she seems in her element — an obnoxious-looking cocktail in one hand, the other holding a spoon over a lit candle, melting her little horse shoe in the low heat. She looks more relaxed than usual, a smoothness in her expression that's usually absent in daylight hours; she's definitely not on her first drink.

Then again, being an empath in a room where everyone else is pleasantly buzzed probably doesn't hurt. ]

This kinda thing's supposed to be general, for the whole year. But all fortune-telling is supposed to respond to your heart, so if you will it a certain way, it'll respond. An answer to a question, or the likelihood of something coming to pass. [ She moves the spoon to get a more stubborn chunk of tin to melt; she's gussied up for the occasion, but the most striking choice is blue gloves instead of red. She always wears red. ]

If you believe in this kind of stuff, anyway.

[fridgeflower]

[ Laurie's impulse is to not particularly believe in things like fortune telling, but one always has to second-guess themselves here. With everything that's real and weird, why can't melted tin predict the year ahead? Besides, Ruka seems at ease and maybe like she's fond of this stuff. She's at least having fun with it. Why deny it completely?

Besides, there's potentially better things to do with it. She smiles and shrugs, leaning her elbows on the bar and glancing between Ruka's spoonful of tin and the laminated cocktail menu beside them. ]

So, what do you wish for? If you're wishing.

[khajidont]

[ Jaime's always been more than comfortable with Laurie - they went on a roadtrip together, for goodness' sake - and he'd been nothing short of delighted to notice that both she and Cass have been invited to this little soiree. He leans over her when he spots her at the bar, chin practically resting on her shoulder, a smile in his voice. ]

Sooooo... you look nice.

[ He's teasing, a little, but there's nothing disingenuous in his voice. She does look nice. It's just that their company is a little different tonight. ]

This is a step up from the last time we tried doing this, huh?

[fridgeflower]

That's putting it pretty mildly. [ She turns to more properly face him, and he gets his own once-over. ] Also, thank you. You look good, too.

[ His clothes not only fit, they're tailored. It helps. ]

Heck of a surprise for you, huh?

[ Because he seems to be the only one who hadn't received an invitation beforehand, and Laurie's trying to pick apart what that's about. There's other minor mysteries, but this is the best one for current company. ]

getting there

[glowsferatu]

That's fine. I'll, uh. I'll just stand.

[ So. This is uncomfortable. Ruka said she might be inviting Laurie, but Kanaya didn't know it was a sure thing until she was sent to pick her up. Guess there's no better time for the reintroductions, and all the apologies that come with it.

Would it be more awkward if she waits until Laurie acknowledges the elephant in the room before addressing it herself? Probably! But she's gonna do it anyway. Instead of standing in the living room, she leans against a wall in the hallway, just outside the bathroom. ]

You're looking well.

[fridgeflower]

Thanks.

[ Laurie's preferred tactic might be to try and wait it out, as well. When Kanaya left, she felt bad that their last conversation had been an argument. Now, though... It's stupid, but it suddenly easy to remember the dig that Kanaya had made regarding her apparent desperation.

It wasn't inaccurate, but it'd been a bit mean. Right? And now, Kanaya had come back, and she'd only told select people, and Laurie wasn't one of them. Not that that's huge, it's just-- It's something.

She moves to finish her makeup, leaning forward towards her mirror for lipstick application. ]

So, when did you get back?

[cassassin]

[ cass is dressed pretty simply. a black slim-fitting three-piece suit, overcoat, leather gloves now shoved into a pocket. honestly, it's obvious laurie was freezing. and she had been about to offer her coat--to at least see if it would fit--but... well. the countdown's going now. truth be told, this isn't a tradition she... actually knows about.

but when she looks at laurie, cassandra can see the signals. it's not subtle. she matches that smile, helped in no small part by the occasional drink she's had spaced out over the night. ]

Hi.

[fridgeflower]

You know... [ Well, she's not sure what Cass knows. She's pretty aware of the fact that Cass has some stuff going on, but it's very vague and nebulous and it's probably prying to tear into this whole thing with too many questions about her life experience.

But anyway, she'll just finish the damn sentence and hope it's not too clumsy or condescending or presumptuous. ]

The midnight kiss is good luck, if you're into that kind of thing.

[ Lip-bite and all. You know how it is. ]

jaime reyes | ota

[khajidont]

o1. getting there.

[ As the sole person who hasn't been informed that this event is, in fact, going to happen, Jaime's already got new years plans. It's a day that most people spend with their friends, going out to some sort of club or watching a bar drop, otherwise ringing in the new year with an abundance of booze and good cheer.

Jaime, on the other hand, is schlubbing it up on the couch by the time others arrive, lounging as he plays something that sounds terribly cute on a handheld device, the TV in front of him playing a first-person shooter that seems to be moving without any input from Jaime, and winning extravagantly. This is how he was planning on spending his new year: just him, Khaji, and an abundance of games. He's a winner. ]

o2. the main event.

[ As trying as the last couple of months have been, Jaime's not without whimsy. He may have the ability to travel anywhere he wants to, but he never gets around to doing so unless he's responding to some crisis or another, so this is a welcome surprise. He may be dressed to the nines in clothing that actually fits him, for once, but the way he's looking around is 100% tourist, simple awe colouring his expression as he looks at the lights, and that view. ] Wow. It's beautiful here.

[ Otherwise, you can find him at the bar, looking as though he's steeling himself for getting punched in the face. He's going to do it. He's going to drink. He's an adult, he darn well deserves it, and he's going to drink. He knocks back a shot, only to turn into a sputtering mess, trying to cough more gracefully and failing. ] Oh, god, that's bad.

[ Later, he'll catch onto what's appropriate for someone like him, and will be nursing something brightly coloured, fruity, and adorned with a chipper little umbrella. ]

o3. the countdown.

[ As the evening grows old and it gets nearer and nearer to the countdown, any interested parties may see that Jaime's attention keeps on gravitating in one specific direction. There's any number of attractive young women - and men - here, all of which would likely be fairly positively disposed to sharing an evening and a kiss with an imPort, but Jaime keeps on glancing over at Ruka as she moves around the room. He's not wholly aware he's doing it, and he absolutely isn't going to ruin things with an ill thought out new years kiss, but...

It was sweet of her, to bring him along. She keeps on doing this, showing him and others kindness in ways that those who don't know her as well would think of as unexpected. And she looks awfully pretty tonight, underneath the sparkling lights of their festive surroundings, standing out against the wide windows looking down upon the pavilion below. ]

o4. the hotel. also... drunk.

[ Jaime is a responsible young man, which means that he doesn't drink to excess. But the fact of the matter is, he doesn't drink at all which means a few deceptively sugary drinks that seemed to be logically spread out over the course of the evening has him well and truly drunk for the first time. Everything's just a little fuzzier than normal, a little funnier than usual, and his coordination -- well, his coordination could use some work. ]

Okay. Okay, okay, so. Girls room with girls, and boys -- [ Wait. ] ...I'm the only boy here.

[ And then, of course, he picks up a brochure, looks at the prices, then immediately sits down on the ground. All at once, it hits him. ]

...I think I'm drunk.

[ Wow. That's new. ]

3

[glowsferatu]

[ Somebody's seeing him seeing somebody, and just seeing that look on his face is enough for Kanaya to try tracing his eyeline. After a few moments of cogs turning, a conclusion is drawn. ]

Oh! Ohhh... Oh my god! Jaime!

[khajidont]

[ It takes Jaime a second to hear her - look, he's distracted - before he turns to Kanaya, a confused sort of smile on his face, the look you tend to give to people when you're very fond of them but not sure what they're going on about. Jaime tends to wear that expression often. ]

Kanaya! [ He chirps back at her, pleasantly enough. ] What are we oh-my-god-ing about?

2. ... FOR NOW.

[dragony]

Oh jeez, Jaime—

[ And that's a gloved hand slapping him on the back, belonging to probably the last person Jaime wanted to see such an embarrassing display. Sure, part of Ruka's demeanor is concern, but she is also trying really hard not to laugh. The smile is mostly kept in check; it doesn't show when she isn't talking.

Unfortunately, ] —you don't have to start with that kind of stuff.

You okay?

[khajidont]

[ Oh, god, this is embarrassing. Jaime's still sputtering a little, blinking the tears out of his eyes as he tries to ignore the not altogether unpleasant burn down his throat, suffusing into the rest of his body with the oddest sort of tingling sensation. He'd rather she not see him like this, but then, he considers, she's seen him a lot worse.

He'll take the coughing. ]

I'm good! I'm good! I'm just -- [ Cough, cough. God, that stuff sucks. He lets out a snort of laughter, more at himself than anything else. ] It seemed, um, in the spirit of things.

Y'ALL KNOW WHO THIS IS

[dragony]

🎇︎ There

[ It's a little surprising how smoothly the whole thing has gone. Khaji made sure Jaime wouldn't be canceling on anyone else to be here, Kanaya somehow roped Cassandra into agreeing, Laurie agreed easy, and even Cassandra Cain — who Ruka didn't know, personally, and only reached out to on Khaji's request — had been amenable after a quick explanation. Kanaya made good on all her promises, which Ruka hadn't doubted, but managed to do so without running herself into the ground, which was more the part she was worried about.

It's a little funny to think that the catalyst for the whole evening was a simple pair of gloves, but... well, that's how life goes sometimes, right? She's in the dress Kanaya promised her: a strapless, backless number, black in the torso, ombre into blue through the length. It runs longer than Ruka's usual choices, in that the bottom hem actually hits the fucking floor. The skirting is layered: a slit runs along off-center to showcase one leg, occasionally, but when the black and the blue shift in movement, they reveal strips of muted orange, and pink, and purple — a sky at twilight, meant to accentuate the blue of her gloves without making them seem starkly obvious. After all, Ruka's usual gloves are red. Ruka's gloves are always red. In any case, the sweetheart neckline would draw attention to a strange silver, not-quite circular necklace charm, or it would when she's not wearing a giant fur stole against the cold. Look. It's cold.

For most of the evening, she flits around, seeming more at-ease than she usually does... any other time, really. Turns out empathy has its perks? This one single time. Even with a handful of imPorts in their midst, the locals here don't have that same pervasive anxiety that Porter City citizens do for an impending disaster, and it shows. You can usually catch Ruka at the bar with a drink or a small snack, or at one of the big windows or on the observation deck overlooking the city — or, commonly, getting asked for pictures, or autographs, or pictures. Hey, when you're one of the first, and your look is this distinct, even people who don't pay attention to imPort minutia can recognize you. She's in a good enough mood that she obliges most, and hey, if it makes them happy, it's good for her, too. Everybody's happy, everybody wins.

It's all going better than she anticipated. Unusually so? Ruka doesn't say as much to anyone, not wanting to curse the evening, but... well, if any disaster goes down, states-side, she's sure their communicators will blow up regardless, so there's no use in checking them compulsively.

Every hour or so, though. That's fine. ]

🎇︎ ... 0, 2, 0, 1, 9

[ The clear skies make for a dark canvas for the fireworks — the locals go all out, giant bombs of color and spiraling shapes, confetti colors over the entire city with the sparkling of bright stars behind them. There's a swelling of awe among all the viewers, and even though the temperature hasn't risen any for the late hours, there's a warmer atmosphere under such a bright spectacle. It's a good night. No matter anything before this, or after this, this is a good moment. This much will last.

Through it, and in the swelling dark after, Ruka finds each of the other imPartiers, sidling up close, her stole pulled tight around her shoulders. ]

Hey. Thanks, again. For coming out tonight.

[ Gotta touch base, after all — make sure everyone got something out of the evening. ]

🎇︎ After zero

[ She is drunk, but she's not so wasted that she can't salvage this. It's very simple, isn't it? If everyone picks their own rooms, they're going to be idiots, because, obviously, right? So she just has to pair people off so that no one ends up dead. Or embarrassed to death.

So while the others are... nursing hangovers or handling the financials, or whatever, Ruka's at one of the hotel lobby couches, trying to sort out room assignments. At a glance, it may not seem like that — she looks like she's playing some kind of solitaire, moving different trading cards on the table, muttering to herself. ]

No, they don't even know each other, right?

[ .... Why did she even bring a deck of trading cards to a New Year's Eve party, anyway? ]

there

[cassassin]

[ yeah cass is checking her comm pretty compulsively. she's stumbled into a prominent enough position in the superhero community that it's--just force of habit. plus her civilian stuff has a lot of stuff going on that she usually does a decent job of ignoring. a tiny bluetooth earpiece keeps her plugged in for most of it, at least. further in the night she manages to relax, knowing notifications and her information from the hall of justice will do the job.

unlike ruka and the others, she's gone for a black three-piece suit. she doesn't know ruka, but she's been vaguely familiar with her for a while. from a distance, at least. she finally speaks up, after spotting ruka doing what she has. also. spent a lot of tonight doing. ]

Hey. [ there's a little bit of a smile she hopes is disarming. with a glance and a nod towards ruka's hand and communicator-- ] It'll be fine. We'll know.