{ 𝕒 } boomerang generation

[theminotaur]

WHO: Residents of Casa Ludgate-Graham & invited guests!
WHERE: Casa Ludgate-Graham
WHEN: Afternoon to evening of Saturday, Aug 8
WHAT: Abigail's 19th (???) Birthday Party!
WARNINGS: Um, Baltimore tbh?

-

While technically Abigail is unsure of how old she is -- there are too many missing months between Baltimore and Heropa and more between Heropa and Heropa -- nineteen is close enough and probably makes up for those missing months. Maybe.

But like Jeff said, it's foolproof.

She huffs and puffs about no party, but then Will made that face and she begrudgingly gave in so long as it was just a cook out and there were no streamers or balloons. Which is why the backyard is decked out with fairy lights and Chinese lanterns and a piñata in the shape of a llama, which she is not complaining about, and another in the shape of a bumblebee, which she vaguely protests because bees are good!

Cheeseburgers and hot dogs and chicken and other assorted barbecued meats are on the grill, there are bowls of macaroni salad, potato salad, pasta salad, regular salad, and a truly ridiculous amount of grilled veggies on the table out back. There are coolers full of soda and probably beer, tbh. The other alcohol is inside so the youths won't get it, presumably. At least that's what they're going with. Somewhere in the kitchen is a cake with candles.

Also there are dogs. And raccoons, both adult and funsize. And an impossibly fluffy cat who thinks she's a raccoon by now. But that seems to be the norm at the Ludgate-Graham home.


{ ooc: party post style, y'all. make a top level, tag around, be merry. make shit up on the menu. go cray. }

Comments

[sizetwelve]

Such a love, thinking of everything. Thank you.

[ His attention to detail doesn't do unnoticed, and she can see how it would be all too easy for many to take advantage of such earnest behavior, even for well-meaning people. Although she wishes he'd gotten something for himself, she'll at least take a bite or two; after speaking, of course.

Reckless violence in the name of acquiring good and honest candy? Of course, she'll at least watch. ]

I'm certainly going to be cheering on anyone who tries. I've heard those can be solid as rocks these days. Are you going to give it a go?

[kinesia]

[ Another quick smile. Mary is earning plenty of those from him.

I will, he signs, and then glances at her. He adds that he hasn't done it before, so he'll watch first, with her. Grey suspects this is another tradition, like the ones relating to marriage that Mary had once explained to him. There's ritual for everything here. For holidays, for events, for birthdays. It seems that nothing passes by unmarked.

It's strange to hit an animal, he adds, still with his hands - though, occasionally, he makes a word with his tattoos instead, when he forgets which motion to use. He'll still do it, of course; he just doesn't know why it needs to be that shape. ]

[sizetwelve]

[ While pinatas may not be incredibly common in London, she's familiar enough with their origin. Still... ]

You should probably ask April, I imagine she knows quite a bit more.

[ There's a fifty fifty chance April will tell him some bogus, elaborate lie that's actually more entertaining than the truth. Either way she opts, it's a win. There's a reason she fancies April so much in her own right, what a peach. Wouldn't want to take away this teaching experience from her.

He'll have enough to follow just with the signing, most like, but her humored laugh at the end doesn't need any translation. ]

They can take lots of other shapes, though. Seen them shaped like rainbows and such. Deceptive, though. Watched a video of a bunch of kids taking a whack, and the parents had to eventually step in to near beat the thing to death to get anything out...and then it had vegetables. Bags of celery and carrots. Oh, the kids were cheesed off. Quite a show!

[kinesia]

[ So piñatas are an April thing, and not a Mary thing, and that’s interesting to know. Grey generally directs most what is it and how and why questions to Will, since in his experience pretty much everything is a Will thing even if it’s also an other people thing. He pushes that thought away for now.

Of course, if there’s candy involved then it’s obviously an April thing. Grey doesn’t need to be familiar with birthdays to know that no one wants celery at them. Actually, he’s fairly sure that no one ever wants celery at anything, and if they claim to, it’s probably because they’ve not learned what real food should taste like yet.

If that one is April’s there won’t be celery, he advises Mary, and the words ‘April’ and ‘celery’ are tattoos on his hands. The rest are signed, carefully. This is a decent combination. He could get used to this, he thinks, until he learns how to sign competently. He thinks Mary would be pleased with that, and after all that’s why he’s attempting this. Did you never have one? On your birthday. ]

[sizetwelve]

[ She'll just laugh and shake her head at first. The birthday she celebrates isn't even her true birthday, and rarely is a big deal made over it at any rate. It's fun seeing what others make of their own, though. ]

None of that. Just small dinners for me. Didn't even do anything this year.

[ Backing up, she'll find a chair to sit at so she can poke at her salad. She'll have take a break from signing with both hands occupied, but not everything has to be a lesson. ]

How are birthdays handled where you're from?

[kinesia]

[ Grey follows her, naturally. He doesn't get a chair; the grass is good enough for him, so he folds down onto it, with his legs folded around him. He keeps signing, as best as he can, though it's more halting now.

Not because he doesn't know the words. How are birthdays handled.

We didn't know when it was a birthday, he explains. We guessed sometimes. For the younger ones. They got the ball to themselves for an hour.

That seems so foolish now. Grey's eyes flick away when he says it, like it's something he should be ashamed of. They'd had so little. And everything had been shared, and fought over, and it's not like that now. It's strange to look back on that, and feel guilty. He has so much now. The feeling is a complicated one, and he doesn't really know what to do with it. So he flexes his fingers and moves on, trying to shut the feeling down.

We never knew the date. Except for New Year. I don't know when my birthday is.

April - signified by pointing at her, this time - said I should pick one.

He lifts his eyes back to Mary now, wondering what she thinks of this. Whether it's allowed, or whether it's cheating. Does she approve? His expression seeks the answer to that question, even though it's not one that he signs. ]