maskormenacelogs | [open] ain't no party like a normandy party

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[open] ain't no party like a normandy party

WHO: The Normandy Crew + YOU!
WHERE: Some restaurant + bar in Heropa. Underage characters can totes get in!
WHEN: Evening of April 11th
WHAT: It's Commander Shepard's "surprise" birthday party!
WARNINGS: Excessive Fun?!?!

[ It's a mild, warm evening in Heropa, and although parts of the city are still recovering from the Hornet attack in February, many parts of it are bouncing back, and many local businesses are even celebrating as such, especially on a Saturday night like this.

It just so happens that one such mega-hip establishment has a particularly festive mood to it, tonight--the presence of balloons by the entrance (some of which say "Happy Birthday!" on them) might say as much. Inside, there are more balloons around one section of the joint, decorating both part of the bar and some of the tables and chairs. The place feels quite open, and they've opened up some areas to create an open-air feeling in addition to having an actual outdoor patio area. The general vibe is laid-back but energetic, the crowd a mix of regulars having dinner, people looking for an early start to getting down for the night, and people who are apparently gathering for some sort of party.

Usually, there's a live band that plays regularly at this place, but tonight? The jukebox is playing almost exclusively a selection of 90's music. For those who find themselves unable to take this music and would like to take matters into their own two hands and vocal chords, there's a karaoke machine in one corner of the restaurant, on a platform where the band would usually be playing.

For those who might get hungry, the restaurant's menu is comprised of typical bar/restaurant food. Those looking for something light might look at the appetizers like nachos, sliders, or mozzarella sticks, but those who are looking for real dinner might order a burger, pizza, or pasta. And for those who are looking to get their drink on, there's a fully-stocked bar, of course.

Also, there's a miniature model of this ship floating around, as if by magic.

So? How about it? It's Saturday night! ]

( ooc: this is an open mingle log for Commander Shepard's ~*surprise birthday party*~! if you're a friend of Shep, Kaidan, or Kasumi's, feel free to assume that you've been personally invited--otherwise, it's totally cool to have your character randomly wander in and meet people! top-level! tag around! MINGLE! PARTY! also, it's not really a surprise because Kaidan sucks at keeping secrets and let it slip to Shep. also, it's being held in a restaurant (and bar) so underage characters are more htan welcome to crash c: )

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Yeah, I can imagine. Isn't there a...superhero clothing fund? All the things I see of them is like...they're...

[ He mimicked it against his own shirt, but he didn't tear it, just made the motion, like he was trying to rip his shirt open. ]

Do they really do that? Just rip their clothes off?

What? People think we rip our shirts off? [He bursts out laughing.] Really? That sounds like something outta...

[Bad porn, honestly. Okay, moving on.]

I've never seen someone rip them off. The worst I've seen is having to put them away somewhere and hoping nobody steals them. Either way, we don't get a fund for anything, really.

[100% non-profit. Yayy.]

Huh. That kind of --

That's not fair, is it? You guys hold down jobs and do this on your down time? How do people do it? You can't really call in sick if there's a disaster, right? You'd lose your job?

If you don't make anything, I'm sure you don't get a benefits package either.

Well... I think we just use up our sick days. I've missed a bunch of school, but my parents don't mind so long as I keep my grades up.

[...and he gets Brenda to write sick notes for him. What they don't know won't hurt them!]

I think if you're part of a group, or if you look too different to have much of a life, the others will look out for you, but we don't get benefits, or a wage. It'd kind of defeat the point of it being volunteer work, y'know? If we wanted to get paid for using our powers, we'd just go work for the government.

[It's self-sacrifice. That's one concept that seems to be drummed into every superhero, near and far. It's a duty, and sometimes it comes at the expense of a lot of comforts in your life, but it's worth it for the good that you do, the fulfillment you feel, the people you meet.

(So, a lot like intern work.)]

I don't know, I just --

I guess, for us, it's like, how can you live, if you don't get paid? You can only volunteer so much, use up so many sick days. It feels...wrong, you know? Not getting something? I mean, yeah, you get to help people, but you deserve to make it too. A place to stay, food on the table.

It's not like you guys would be asking for much, but enough to get by would be the least they could do.

[ Then again, he's military, so. ]

I don't think we'd be able to do what we do if we didn't hold down a job too. There are resources for us if all we want to do is the hero thing, which some people do if they look too different to fit in with everyone else, but. [He shakes his head.] I couldn't do that.

[He wants his life. He wants to go to school and make a bunch of friends there, to have a career, to be able to support more than just himself with the money he makes. He wants fulfillment outside of being a superhero.]

Besides, who's the 'they', here? We can't ask for money from the people. And if we ask for it from the government, then we'd be working for them, and I think that option's already open to us, if we want it. [His smile is small but genuine as he shrugs.] The job's worth a few sacrifices.

Crowdsourcing? [ He looked confused. Why not? It wasn't like they were forcing it... ] Selling merchandise? You guys are well-known, right? Musicians sell their work to make a living, even if you can get it for free on the extranet. Same with actors.

I mean, it's not like you're asking a lot. I guess I just... I know how hard it can be to be good at one job, I can't imagine holding two.

But it's not like we're musicians, or actors. Some people do sell their image, and, well... there's already people selling mine unofficially, but it's not like I've got it copyrighted.

[He doesn't mind. It's mostly things around El Paso, people gleeful to show off their city's very own superhero after a lifetime without one. Blue Beetle shots at the local bars, cardboard figures of him at minigolf, little signs up at corner stores: we support our local hero!

It's sweet.]

I don't know, though, it doesn't sit right with me. It makes it seem like a good way of getting famous and making money. You start selling it like that, and more people will want to do it for the wrong reasons. It's dangerous work. It's really, really dangerous, and... I dunno. I don't wanna glamorize that.

I guess.

[ He didn't agree, but he also didn't...really want to fight Jaime on it either. It wasn't a difference that was crucial, just a difference in worlds, and ways of thinking, perhaps. Kaidan couldn't even comprehend the military putting up being off duty so much, but then, Jaime said that they didn't really sign on with the government either.

There were two very different ways of operating, obviously. ]

Huh, too bad you can't add all that volunteer work to your college applications, huh?

No kidding. If I just outed myself to everyone, I'd get in like that. [He snaps his fingers.] I'd probably get a scholarship too.

[Don't do it for profit, yadda yadda yadda, but he would really, really like that scholarship. As it is, he doesn't have the grades or the extracurricular activities for it -- though even if he had the time for sports, being athletic isn't the same as actually being good. Even if he had all the time in the world, he wouldn't qualify.]

I don't really have to worry about that here, though.

Yeah? I'd say not. It's pretty...well covered here. It's almost...relieving?

Like I don't know, the perks might not be worth it every time, but...there are some good concepts there.

But sometimes the requirements...sting, don't they?

Oh, I meant mostly that I'm not actually going to college here, [Jaime says, a mite sheepishly. He'd be worrying about the costs then, too, and taking up a spot that would be better afforded to someone who's actually going to be staying in this place permanently. Here, he'll content himself with a blue collar job.]

But... what d'you mean, the requirements? I thought about, you know, unregistering 'cause I don't really agree with half of what the government does, but they don't really make us do all that much, do they?

No, not really. I mean, on principle, I don't like everything the government does here. Some of it doesn't sound right, but...

[ He sighed. ] It's hard to tell what's right. I've stuck with it so far, because they haven't made us do all that much, but sometimes... [ A pause. ] Wait, you're not going to go to college? What if... what if you're here for a while? Years?

Ugh, I don't even want to think about that. But, I mean, if I am here for that long, so what?

[Some people want to get an education for the sake of an education. Others have bigger dreams, want to do something for the sake of it, become a scientist, doctor, lawyer, politician, who else knows what, but Jaime's always had simple goals.

He wants to help his family. He wants to put his little sister through college, and pay their mortgage, and move out into his own place. Without his family, what would those years of toil be for?

Nothing.]

There's nothing here I really wanna go to college for.

Oh, well --

[ He couldn't really talk, being from the military himself. ]

I mean, if that's what you want, then I'm glad you've got that worked out. You just always seemed...the kind of guy that has everything worked out. I figured that meant college too, honestly.

[He huffs a quiet laugh.] Well, I'm glad it seems like I've got it worked out!

[He thinks he does, he really does, but the future is a nebulous, mysterious thing to him still. He knows what he wants, but can he achieve it?

Certainly not here.]

You got me pegged right, though. I do wanna go to college, just... not here. Everything I'd be doing it for is back home.

Ah, I see.

Too bad you won't remember this place, huh? It's the chance to do something different. What are you thinking of doing, anyway? Construction work?

[ He couldn't see Jaime doing anything more than something with his talents. No matter what he said. ]

Something in technology?

Yeah, well... I'd like to change that.

[He doesn't want to forget this place, not only the skills he's learned, but the people he's met. It's not worth dwelling upon, however, not unless he's geared up to fix it.]

I'm actually slated for a job at the garage I worked at over the summer. They said that once I graduated, they'd take me on for a full time position. [What would his Dad think of that? Not much, he knows. He wanted Jaime to do something better, not the same thing he wound up doing, but as long as his Dad doesn't show up, he can't disappoint him.] It works for me.

Oh -- [ He sounded surprised, while he mulled it over. It wasn't what he expected but a smart kid like Jaime? Yeah, he could see it. He'd probably be great at it.

He laughed, and leaned forward. ]

Tell you what, I'll bring Shepard's bike by and you can help me disable it. Just in case. I'm surprised he hasn't tried to launch it off something yet.

[ But even so, there was a look at Jaime. As long as he was happy, that's all that mattered, and he supposed that hey, at least there was the chance here. The opportunity to do something he probably wouldn't at home, right?

If he'd been young? Would he have done it? In a damn heartbeat. Without a moment's hesitation. He could understand it. ]

But his bike's so awesome! I swear, Isaac turned it into a work of art.

[He'd love to drive it, but he doesn't know how to drive yet. He's seventeen. It's probably past time that he learns, in his own humble opinion, but it doesn't seem worth it when he can't even afford to get his own. And yeah, okay, he can fly, but he's always loved cars.

Ah, working on cars without getting to drive any...! Life is cruel to a teenaged boy making his way through the world.]

I wouldn't say no to taking a closer look at it, though. The insides of the cars here aren't all that different from the ones back home. S'why they're taking me on -- I already come practically pre-trained.

[ He winced. ] It might be cool, but only in the hands of the right pilot which...

[ Another half-fond look at the birthday boy, and then: ]

Yeah. Maybe you could just... disable it. [ A beat. ] He did make it pretty cool, and hey, it would be your opportunity to learn more. I guess... I can't blame them for taking you on, if you're already into it that much.

I didn't realize you worked on cars that much.

I mean, I like it. I like the way things go together.

[It fits his personality, when it comes down to it. Jaime's good at being nitpicky and meticulous, and he likes to consider things thoughtfully before putting it back together again. He likes it when things make sense.

It's the same with dentist work, honestly, but that's not the only reason he likes cars. It's something of a chicken-or-the-egg question. If you get exposed to one thing while you're growing up, you'll either wind up loving it or hating it.]

But it's not just a hobby, or anything. I've been helping out a lot at my Dad's garage back home. I practically grew up in the place.

Oh, so this isn't a challenge at all then, huh? [ He asked with a half smile. He hadn't realized that Jaime was that into cars, or he might've encouraged him to do it.

Then again, that really wasn't Kaidan's job, but he'd support whatever he'd want to do, honestly. ]

I guess I shouldn't be surprised. You always seemed to be so...technical. Putting things together with no trouble at all.

Oh -- thanks! [He looks a little sheepish, but as usual, any compliment from Kaidan is one he's happy to receive. It always means a lot, coming from him -- mostly because he's so honest that Jaime doubts he'd say anything he didn't mean.]

Whatever you've seen me put together is probably Khaji, though. I'm not like all the inventors we've got around here. I'm just decent with cars, [he confesses with a little laugh.] I'd better be, by now, otherwise our business would've lost a lot of customers!

Fair enough, but it's something, right? I mean...what if you didn't have that? It's -- For being so young, that's something really good to have under your belt.

[ He patted him on the shoulder. It was true, for Jaime. When he'd been his age the only thing he knew how to do was survive and possibly kill a man. Maybe a few things around the Orchards back home, but nothing...

Well, it wasn't that he'd wasted his youth, but Jaime had been just as serious as he'd been. ]

Just think, you could've spent all that time playing video games. [ With a wry smile. ]

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