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: )

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[ 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. ]

[Even before his Dad got shot, Jaime had been working overtime on his schoolwork, hoping that he could just get his grades high enough for his parents to let him work in the garage. It hadn't been about money. It had always, always been about helping his family, so his Dad didn't have to do doubleshifts, so they had more time on their hands for themselves.

Oh, he slacked off plenty, but he wouldn't have ever wasted his time.]

And I probably would've enjoyed it, [he manages to tease back anyway. It's easy making light of things.]

You're right, though, it has come in handy, [he says loyally, not only to Kaidan, but to his Dad.] It's not such a bad thing I had to step it up before I came here.

Yeah, I can imagine. [ Maybe that's why Jaime was so mature?

He couldn't tell. He just lifted a shoulder, a ghost of a half-smile on his face. ] Well, you got me to play around a bit on those video games, so I guess there's something to be said for that. I've never been a fan.

[ As if it wasn't obvious. ]

But that's... that's good. What made you want to help out like that?

I'm gonna make you into a fan, [Jaime says with the sort of aggressive cheerfulness that means, in all likelihood, poor Kaidan is going to be roped into another game of do you like this one or is your logic going to ruin it again?

He's shooting for something that doesn't require much driving or shooting which, admittedly, makes up most of his game library. He's going to try a puzzle game next. He's good at them. He sobers a little when Kaidan inquires further into the nuts and bolts of their garage.]

Oh, well. [He drums his hands on the banister in front of them, a quick, restless movement.] We actually lost the garage while I was, um... gone. My dad got shot -- and he's fine now! [He's quick to reassure Kaidan, holding his hands out in front of him, knowing the follow-up question] A friend of mine helped me buy the place back, though, and he works there with me now! My dad can't really get underneath the cars like he used to, so that's what I'm for.

[In the end, keeping up school, work, and his other duties isn't that big of a change. He's just lacking that support group, all the things that his family did for him that he hadn't thought were a big deal but actually are, and the freedom arrange his work hours pretty much whenever he wants to.

But at his job here, he actually gets paid a decent amount, so you win some, you lose some.]

[ He sucked in a breath, until Jaime reassured him that his dad was fine. It wasn't that he didn't want to know about things like that, he did, and in fact, he'd admitted to Jaime his own problems, so he was glad to hear some from him too -- but he hadn't expected that he worked with a friend of his father's at the garage now.

But at least there was someone around in his life. He was lucky, Kaidan had to admit. He didn't know if he could do that -- live a life so uncomplicated -- he already missed the adrenaline, the feeling of running through the battlefield, but maybe some people didn't really need that to get on like an old soldier like him did. It was practically normal, and life felt a little empty without it. ]

I'm glad. It sounds like you really like it. Like it's...good for you.

Unlike these damn games. [ He said, affectionately. ]

Yeah, I like it all right. I'm not gonna do it for the rest of my life, or anything -- [his Dad would be so disappointed in that; he can practically hear his voice in his ear, a quietly worded desire for Jaime's life to be easier than his own] -- but I'm good doing it for now. Video games, though, those're forever.

[One day, in the very distant future, he's going to be that Dad, grinning at Star Trek on the big television, taking joy in the same creature comforts he always did.]

You should swing by sometime. You'd probably get a kick outta looking at the insides of all of this archaic tech.

[There's a lilt to his voice as he says that, fully aware that what's ancient to Kaidan is futuristic to Jaime.]

Well --

[ He laughed, softly. ] Actually, I probably would. I always liked working with those kinds of things. [ He didn't have what Jaime had, of course, but he wasn't exactly slacking in his skills with electronics. Oddly enough, part of his training with the Alliance had focused on being more versatile than someone who could simply fling things across a room.

That meant he'd focused on the electronics aspect, too. Including vehicles. ]

I used to help out with ours -- on the Normandy. The tank. I'm sure it'd be interesting, although a little old-school. Although I think the concepts would be the same.

Probably! And that way, maybe you can see how it's developed. You'll get a history lesson and a tech lesson all at once.

[His enthusiasm is, for now, completely genuine. He's not the sort of genius who manages to inhale and memorize this kind of information, who's able to draw links everywhere he should, but he's the sort of nerd who enjoys knowledge, even if he's not sure what to do with it. It may not be entirely useful, but he certainly has a happier time of it because of it.

He bets Kaidan would like it too. Maybe it's a useful hobby, but it'd still be a hobby, something for him to do that really has nothing to do with military service at its core.]

The last Blue Beetle, Ted? He used to fly around in this big ship called the Bug, and he's rebuilding it here. I don't really get it, but he's been letting me look at that too. It'd probably be more up your alley than just cars.

[ It was up his alley, and he leaned forward, looking all the more excited by that prospect. ]

What kind of ship?

I mean, well, I'm probably more excited than I should be -- [ He admitted, sheepishly. ]

I do like that kind of stuff, thought. It's...nice -- working with your hands. I can definitely understand why you'd want to work in a garage.

Well, probably, 'cause it's not a spaceship. But it's still really cool! I never got to see it in person, but some people online said it's solar powered, but somehow it's got enough energy to keep it going even if it's armoured and has to be able to hold weaponry, and go underwater...

[Has he asked Ted about any of this? Not yet. He's felt too shy to. He flushes a little, aware of how odd it is to have so extensively googled a guy he now knows, but heck, he had a picture of him up on his bedroom wall.]

...I googled it.

[ Kaidan knew hero-worship when he heard it. It was hard not to, when he had been working side-by-side with the galaxy's damn hero.

At least Jaime wasn't Conrad Verner. ]

Yeah? That's pretty impressive. I don't know about you, but I think I want to get my hands on the thing now, and see how it works. Maybe we could figure out how to make it better.

[ Well, he was from the future. ] Or make one of our own.

You probably could. I mean, if you'd know how to make it go into space... not that I'd really want to go into space.

[What Ted is doing is exciting, but the idea of Kaidan wanting to build his own is a different level of exciting. So long as Ted doesn't think they're just ripping off his idea, or anything, they could try building something together. Maybe not as ambitious as the Bug, but surely they could cobble together an engine, or something.]

What would you wanna do with a ship, anyway? I never really thought about using one for myself.

I don't know, use it to help people? We could try and haul people out of trouble, if they need it?

[ He shrugged. ] I don't know if we could actually get to space, or if the government would be alright with that.

They might get a little mad.

They'd probably get pretty mad unless we handed the tech over. [He grimaces.] Which would kind of blow, for the record, so maybe space travel is out of bounds. If you wanna get your hands on some tech, though, why don't you start small, see how much you can improve on it? It's not a bad sounding project to have.

[He and Kaidan may be decent with tech, but they're no engineers. The Hamadas, or Tony Stark, or Ted will be able to do twice their work in half the time, but who said that they couldn't have some fun with it anyway...?]

Hah, we'll see. I'd have to figure out a reason for doing it, wouldn't I? Besides, I'm not exactly a ship engineer, I'm more of a... on-the-go repairman. Occasional programmer. Nothing special.

[ He'd done his share of repairs, sure. But really, Kaidan was mostly the guy you called when your console wasn't working, or when things weren't firing quite right on the ship. Tech support, but not the guy who could re-build the engine's core systems. That was more Tali's area of expertise. ]

Yeah, s'why it'd just be for fun instead of for real. You know, back when they were first testing me out, the guys at the garage gave me a trashed hoverboard to work on. If you want, I can always ask to take some other junk they can't use, and you can mess around with those.

[He grins.] So long as Shepard won't mind the mess.

You know he'll probably ask to ride on whatever it is I make.

And break everything in the apartment.

[ It was Shepard. ]

But sure, why not. I don't know, maybe I'll luck into something.

Then he should ride it outside where he can break the sidewalk instead!

[It was Shepard. He'll be okay.]

I'll take a look around our junk box on my next shift and see if they'll let me just grab some of the junk. It's not like they'd get any money for it anyway, so we might as well get some use out of it.

That's like asking Shepard to think about something other than the thrill. [ He said, but there was no heat to it. Obviously it wasn't that much of a concern, or he'd be a little more forceful about "no dangerous things in the house", which he wasn't exactly sticking to. ]

You don't mind hanging out more with a girzzled old space marine like me though, huh? Although if you want to, we'll see if we can't do something pretty cool.

Aw, Kaidan, don't be so hard on yourself.

[It should be pretty evident from the smile on Jaime's face that nothing nice is coming out of his mouth next.]

You're not grizzled!

[Shut up, he's hilarious.]

Wow.

[ Flatly, almost dryly. Really, Jaime? Even so, the smile on his face is wide. ]

I'll remember that, next time you need someone who's seen some action. Don't look at me, I'm not grizzled enough.

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