12489/Lois' Belated Birthday Bash

Lois' Belated Birthday Bash
Date of Scene:	20 August 2022
Location:	Avengers Mansion - Rooftop Pool
Synopsis:	Lois' birthday party includes presents, foam and... drag. You'll need a drink for this one.
Cast of Characters:	Janet van Dyne, Emma Frost, Lois Lane, Terry O'Neil, Kian, Steve Rogers

---

Janet van Dyne has posed:
There are parties, and there are *parties*. This is the latter-- not a polite gathering, but an event. A celebration. It starts at eight PM, and the guest list is incredibly exclusive. Lois' friends from the Planet, from the Justice League, Avengers, other super hero teams, personal friends, and the rest of them-- the beautiful people of New York, the socialites and celebrities and entertainers who make the city thrive.

And every one of them required to sign an NDA, leave their phone behind, and thanks to JARVIS-- any government employee not on the whitelist was summarily rejected.

The music pauses and airhorns blast a trumpet, one-two-three-fouuuuuuuuur. The lights around the roof go dim and the mains flood the bandstand. Fireworks explode up from the stage. First a platform raises up, bearing some statue with wings wrapped around it. Then the band rises as well, each member on their own platform. An electric guitar starts playing the iconic notes to 'Happy Birthday', heavy on the reverb.

Then, last of all-- front and center-- emerge two women on their own platform. One of them is the iconic Janet van Dyne. The other is Lois Lane herself, dressed absolutely to kill and wearing a bright pink sash that proclaims her 'Birthday Bitch'-- and a tiara that glitters like only platinum and diamond truly can.

An invisible singer starts up, her voice breathy and full of suggestion. "~Hap-py.... Birthday... to you..." The crowd starts singing along. "Happy birth-day.. to you..." Janet's mouth is moving along and she steps back out of the spotlight to let Lois command the stage, grinning up at her bestie from one step down.

"Happy birth... day... Lois Laaaane," the crowd chants.

"Happy Biiiiirthdaaaay..." the wings unfold and Dazzler emerges from in between them, clad in white leather pants, a white-and-silver vest, and with an iconic blue facemask painted on.

"~TooooooOoOOoOooo.... .yoooooouuUUUouou," she sings, and her voice blows the crowd's chants out of the water with a powerful and sustained note than leaves them going wild and cheering for the amazing entrance!

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma Frost is here because it's never a bad time to drop by Avenger's Mansion. At least when there's no end of the wrold crisis going on. It has been awhile since hse was here over in a personal state. And it's never a bad time to get on the good side of the Fifth Estate afte rall. Or is it the Fourth? Whichever it is. emma doesn't take it with any particularly big warrant.
    She's here for the booze, the chance to mingle, and to check up on Janet. Going over to watch the karaoke and event for the woman of the hour. She has an amused expression on her face with a quirked smile and a wonderment as to how her friend manages to hit those notes without passing out or exploding everything around them.

Lois Lane has posed:
The party, excessively over the top, is certainly planned by Janet. While Lois might have planned something a little more low-key with a couple of people at a bar, you obviously can't throw your /own/ birthday party. At least, that's what Janet insisted. She smiles broadly at the dramatic entrance and the singing, though she waves it away with a hand in the air like she's being humble or embarrassed. She /might/ actually be one or the other, but it's hard to tell.

When she's finally officially arrived and able to step down the stairs, she adjusts both the birthday sash and the tiara. "Okay, I definitely need a drink after all of that."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"Oh my god!" Terry grips Kian's arm, "That's Dazzler!" he says to his date, in the most Captain Obvious way possible. It probably doesn't help that Kian has no idea about earth celebrities, but he /does/ know Dazzler is one of Terry's regular playlist spins, right there with ABBA and The Killers.

Insert Golden Girls clip of Dorothy Zbornak: "Who are you to judge me???"

"This is the second time I've gotten to see her perform at a birthday without getting an autograph," Terry is in his human shape, and is dressed nicely enough for the event- a rather elegant long-sleeved shirt in forest green with a mandarin collar, and dark umber slacks. Gingers have to avoid pale colors, citrus hues and anything within that range because otherwise they look like the walking dead. It's not easy, being red. "... hey, maybe someday I'll be a big enough deal that she'll perform at /my/ birthday, right?" he grins at Kian and gives him a wink. Sadly, Beast Boy could not make it to the party today, on account of having a last-minute thing cropping up that required him to travel to see his adoptive father. "C'mon, I want to say hi to Lois before she gets swarmed!"

Pulling Kian along, he tries to make a beeline for the Birthday Bitch, "Boss! Boss!" he calls out, waving at her as he approaches, "Happy Birthday!"

Kian has posed:
    Birthday celebrations still make no sense to Kian, but he's learned to adapt, since Earth people don't grow wings and have a First Flight, so they have to mark their passages somehow.
    Besides, one of his partners is Vorpal. *Nothing* is weird compared to that, even when he's wearing his human body.
    Kian does not have a Facebook account upon which he might check an "It's complicated" box.
    Janet he remembers from the whole doppel mess, and from a party with and for Nadia, but before he can wave hi he's goinked towards the person of the moment, one Lois Lane, whom he only knows as someone who a) scares his lover and b) can be propitiated with coffee.
    Humans are weird, but then, humans find him weird.
    Yanked along Loiswards, the most rational thing he can say so far is "Ack!"

Steve Rogers has posed:
    Steve gave serious thought to not coming to this. Very, very serious thought. Janet's throwing the party, after all. And he should have come /with/ her, and been giving Lois a joint gift, and--

    C'mon, Steve. You're the one that broke things off. You're a big boy, you can live with the consequences of your actions.

    So... he's here, to be there for Lois as a friend, with a hastily-bought gift, wearing the only suit he could find in his closet that wasn't something Janet had given him. So he's sort of lurking awkwardly off to one side, though he /does/ sing along with the crowd. He can go congratulate Lois when there's less spotlight on her, yeah?

Janet van Dyne has posed:
Janet loops her arm through Lois', like she's the reporter's personal escort. "Honey, we've got the best bartender in New York here tonight, an open bar, and everyone who is anyone is here to see you," Janet promises Lois. She walks the reporter over to the VIP area-- technically the whole party is VIP only, but there is an even *more* exclusive area just for people who actually know Lois personally. As much as Janet loves a spectacle, she knows well that Lois wants to spend time with the people she cares about most.

"I'll go get you a drink," she promises Lois, and sits her down on one of the comfortably padded benches before heading to the bar to find some drinks for the two of them, and leaves a few beats for the people on Lois' list to start mingling and offering their congratulations.

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma Frost would go to take a moment to give a slow nod over at Steve in sympathy for appearances over. And then over at Lois. She would take a moment to glance about ot see if anyone else from the Daily Planet was present then as well. Shuffling a package underneath one arm that was carefully wrapped to see wehre presents were being piled. She would hardly be so gauche as to be invited to a party and not bring one.

Then she would take note of Janet's location and head in that direction. A quick 'how are you doing' look on her face. "Janet, what a lovely event you've put together here. It's quite good on short notice. And you did a great job getting ALison in here. She always gives amazing performances."

Lois Lane has posed:
"Somehow I think I'm going to be very tired by the end of this," Lois says grinning, then looking over to Janet before drawing her attention back to the guests now that Janet's off getting her a drink. She searches the crowd, noting Terry and offering him a wave. "You came! I was hoping you wouldn't miss the opportunity to come to a party like this."

Lois also notices Steve, and she takes a quick glance to the direction Janet headed off before waving him over. Coast is clear for now!

Terry O'Neil has posed:
Terry approaches Lois with the biggest grin, "You kidding? Miss your birthday party? Like hell I would!" the redhead laughs, and yanks Kian close, "I don't think you've met Kian, my other boyfriend? He's from outer space!" Now isn't that a thing they have in common, "Kian, you've heard me talk about Lois! She's the one who makes sure I don't get into trouble." Glance. Grin. "She's really good at it!"

He clears his throat, "But happy birthday! I brought you a gift, but it's fooooor just a bit later. Gotta make sure it's fully wrapped before it's brought in."

That's not suspicious at all.

Terry is not privy to the interpersonal drama between Janet and The Captain, nor does he know that Nadia will soon have to call him something other than Captain Stepdad. All he knows is that Lois is waving Captain Fricking America over, and he looks positively giddy.

They have interacted before in the field. Okay- once, when someone tied to take out T'Challa in the middle of a press conference, and he's pretty sure the Captain thinks he's a weird little cookie.

But he was in his cat form then. What are the chances he even knows it's the same person, huh? Could potentially make a fresh first impression, right?

Kian has posed:
    Kian can only follow Terry's lead.
    Good luck with that.
    "Nobody is capable of making sure you don't get into trouble.  I can't, Gar can't, your mother can't, so it can't be done."
    He greets Lois with a bow and a slight wing-spread.  "/Kie/, Chronicler Lois.  I have heard a lot about you from Terry."
    He does not say *what* he has heard.

Steve Rogers has posed:
    Steve is grabbing a glass of champagne when Lois waves him over, and it's a lucky thing he notices, because otherwise he might've been lurking near the drinks table when Janet came by. And wouldn't /that/ have been awkward! So, luckily, he ducks away from the table and heads for where Lois is sitting, putting on a bright smile.

    "Hey," he says, taking in Terry and--Kian. Who he's actually met before, just once, but it's hard to forget 'Titan with actual wings.' He clears his throat and tries again. "Hello. Happy birthday, Lois. Having a good time?"

Janet van Dyne has posed:
Janet turns when she's addressed, and beams happily when she realizes it's Emma. At the praise she giggles, and gives Emma a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks," she tells her oldest friend. "I'm fine," she promises the blonde. "This sort of thing--" she gestures at the party. "Well, you know me. This is my bread and butter. I'm feeling more human already," she states.

"And Alison and I are tight, she loves performing for the cape crowd," Janet tells Emma. "Isn't she incredible? Half makes me want to get into the recording industry, bankroll her next album."

Janet picks up two drinks and looks back at Lois.

And Steve. Her face goes completely blank, blood draining from her cheeks, and she turns back quickly before she is caught staring. "Here, um.... have a drink," Janet tells Emma, and offers her rum punch over while she sips the gin and tonic she grabbed for Lois. "Thanks again for the help the other night, I do feel a lot better."

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma Frost would nod over at Janet, "of course. Alison is one of the nicest people we both know after all." Emma goes to keep her persona in public on the more relaxed side with everyone present over and smiles at Janet. "Of course. What are friends for?" She would offer while going to take her hand up to squeeze Janet's shoulder.

"Just ask her to record an album for you and you'll make her some new outfits. I'm sure that you can arrange the trade if you promise her enough to wear." A smile.

Lois Lane has posed:
"I hope it's all good things," Lois directs to Kian. After all, he better not be talking bad about her. She smiles, then looks towards Steve. "I am, Janet insisted on something big," she offers him a sympathetic smile. "I'm glad you showed up, all things considered." She's well aware of the situation and /just/ how awkward it is that Janet might run into her ex. She does, however, give Terry a skeptical look. "The present's not going to blow up or something, is it? Or make everyone hallucinate?"

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"Oh, Lois, come /on/!" Terry says, looking shocked, "I'd never do that for your birthday party." Then he grins, "That's for /my/ birthday party!"

Except he's never had one. Reason being, he has never told anyone what his actual birthday *is*. As far as he knows, only one person outside of his mother and HR knows what his birthday is: Garfield Logan, and only because he peeked at his wallet while Terry was taking a shower, the thieving raccoon. "But don't worry, you'll love it. It's very memorable..." ping. He glances down and takes his phone out of his slacks, and huhs. Kian can see a text from Agatha: <<Here>>.

"In fact... it's here. Please excuse me..." he gives Lois a wink, and then the Captain gets a nod, "Captain, pardon my having to leave. I'll be right back, though." He glances at Kian with a mock warning glare, "And no embarrassing stories about me, Kian."

The redhead slips away, to a rendezvous away from most eyes, thanks to prior arrangement, where a certain someone has a package for him. The exchange is done almost like a top secret document sale between double spies, neither seeming to acknowledge the other as they pass each other, but the package changes hands.

And with that, he goes... somewhere else. Things need to be prepared.

Kian has posed:
    "Well, my gift doesn't cause hallucinations," Kian says, offering a bottle to Lois.  Janet might recognize it as identical to the bottle of high-octane alien brandy she got at the party near Jupiter.  "Unless alcohol makes you hallucinate, but I'm told it doesn't do that to humans, so it should be fine."
    "I, uh," is about all he has the chance to say before Terry is scampering off.  He looks helplessly to Lois.  "Good luck.  You may need it.  I have no idea what he's up to."

Lois Lane has posed:
"Since Terry's gone, we can absolutely tell embarrassing stories about him. I've got a few myself. One of them involves a stack of jelly donuts and a filing cabinet not secured to the wall," Lois is hiding a grin. Kian's gift gets a warm smile as she takes the bottle. "That's very kind of you." But he's... warning her against Terry, and that's making her concerned. "I'm not surprised he's got something up his sleeve."

Steve Rogers has posed:
    Steve doesn't notice Janet staring; instead he focuses on Lois and shrugs. "I figured I should come out and wish you a happy birthday at least. Glad you're having a good time."

    He blinks as Terry scampers off. "Uhh... well, that's..." He clears his throat, and offers Lois his gift, which will turn out to be a couple of tickets to an otherwise sold-out Broadway show, the sort of thing people press on him all the time and he never knows what to do with. Hopefully Lois will appreciate it!

    That done, he steps back a bit to let other people come congratulate Lois. And maybe get out of the potential line of fire of Janet coming back around.

Janet van Dyne has posed:
"Oh stage costumes, that's not my jam," Janet admits. "I can do a lot, but like, I fully acknowledge that good stage design requires someone who doesn't give a shit about rules. I've got a guy though, Bernard? He's amazing. He designs for a bunch of big names on stage. Edie recommended him to me after she kicked him out of her MFA course. Hired him on the spot."

Janet dares a glance over her shoulder-- a mixture of disappointment and relief washes over her face as Steve takes his leave. It's hard to say which is more prevalent, and she signals the bartender for two more drinks. They're promptly delivered, and she smiles at Emma. "I gotta go babysit the birthday girl, but there's a big show right around the corner. You won't wanna miss it," she promises Emma, and starts back towards the other end of the VIP area.

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma Frost would nod over at Janet, "Then go ahead and take the time to make sure that you give her someone that's good over as a contact and she might consider it. And you're right, they do have different sorts of styles." She would think over to a moment.

"Good luck with the children. IF you ever want to trade off sometime.." Then she goes over towards Lois and moves to take the package up she had under an arm to pass it over. "Congratulations and happy birthday."

Lois Lane has posed:
Lois smiles at Emma as she takes the package. "Thank you for coming, that's very nice. Janet's a hell of a party host," she says. "I hope you enjoy the party." She gives a little wiggle of her fingers to Steve in farewell, not wanting to call too much attention to him, and she glances in Janet's direction and waves her over instead. She's directing traffic in order to avoid the awkwardness.

Kian has posed:
    "Jelly donuts and a filing cabinet... do not sound especially strange by Terry's standards," Kian remarks, a little dubiously.  Well, that much is true, anyway.
    Look, you fall through a couple holes in reality with your significant other, you can be blase about jelly donuts and a filing cabinet too.
    This doesn't mean Terry won't get asked about that later...

Steve Rogers has posed:
    The traffic directing really is working great! Steve goes back to lurking on the sidelines, sipping at his champagne and keeping an eye on people. Someone's bound to come try and chat him up, and he's not /entirely/ in the mood for that.

    But he's going to linger, because he's curious what in the world Terry is up to. Not that he actually recognizes Terry--it's more just that potential pranks by co-workers or subordinates are usually a good time, and it might lighten the mood. Get him in the party spirit, y'know?

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma Frost would hand over her package to Lois, "Thank you, I am. Janet always does unique events." THe package, if opened would contain a fedora dating back to the 1930's with an equally as ancient and preserved tag stuck in it that read 'PRESS'. "I thought of you."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"Your attention, please!" a voice booms through the loudspeaker. "Please turn your attention to the main stage, where a very special announcement is about to take place."

And when the lights come on, it's clear that someone has taken the stage, illuminated by the spotlight. The first thing that catches the eye is the scintillating red color coming from a sequined strapless gown with an incredibly low back. The figure is facing the band and has its back turned to the audience. There is a mass of red hair that cascades across the back and over a pair of strong, broad shoulders, and it is so lush and voluminous that it almost looks like a red lion mane. There is absolute stillness for about three seconds, and then one arm moves. Clad in a purple opera glove, it brings the microphone up just as the head turns slightly to look at the audience over one shoulder, revealing a purple venetian half-mask that obscures the wearer's identity by revealing only the pale lower half of the face and a pair of crimson-painted lips.

"Music, maestro," says a husky voice, clearly affected in order to not be recognized.

Dazzler gestures to the band, and a synth brass plays a six-note fanfare instantly recognizable as 'Big Spender.' During the introductory fanfare, the figure stands still- and at the first 'ding' of the triangle, the hips sway to the right. Another 'ding', the hip sways to the left... and then he turns around with a dramatic gesture, red hair swinging over a shoulder. The dress has a sweetheart neckline and a high thigh slit. Because of course it does. "I hear we have a Birthday Bitch in the house. Can we get a spotty? Yes?"

Bam. Glaring light on Lois. "There's a good girl!"

Lois Lane has posed:
"That's lovely, thank you," Lois says to Emma, setting the hat aside. "I'd wear it but I'm pretty sure Janet would give me the stink eye if I took off this tiara." She laughs, then is distracted by the stage. "Oh god. Janet, did you do this?" It's certainly got to be Janet's joke right? She shields her eyes against the spotlight. "Yeah, uh, birthday bitch right here..."

Kian has posed:
    Kian... just blinks.  Okay, Terry can still surprise him.  New rule for life: never doubt that Terry can still surprise.
    "I... have no idea what he's up to," he says quietly, stretching and re-folding his wings.
    Now seems a really good time to get himself a drink.

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma Frost would smile over at Lois, "I'm very sure that you will when it's appropriate. And I think that your talents are called upon the stage. Alternatively Janet is very good at helping get rid of bodies."

Janet van Dyne has posed:
Janet takes the hat from Lois and puts it on her head at a rakish angle. "There, do I look like an ace reporter now?" she asks the little circle of friends. "Am I gonna stick my nose in where it doesn't belong? Look into the wrong dirty politician, end up in a trunk?"

She looks at the roof's edge, then laughs merrily. "Why do I have a sudden urge to jump off the roof and wait for Superman to save me?" she inquires with an amused rhetoricism.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"Perfect! Stay. Right. There, honey!"

There is a clattering of heels as he runs into the audience. Then he returns, dragging Captain America with him. "Sorry dears," he says breathlessly as he centers Steve, "These productions need a certain je ne sais quoi. Incidentally, that's French for 'Blue-eyed dreamboat.'"

Rimshot.

"Now you just stay riiiiight here-" he says to Steve.

The drums begin the high hat pattern as the drag queen in Jessica Rabbit garb begins to strut around Steve, facing the end of VIP stage which, wouldn't you know it, is not too far from the table at which Janet placed Lois. The crafty little-

The microphone is set up on a stand that comes out of the ground, and the crimson lips approach it as the husky voice begins to sing. He leans on Steve, one arm draped across his shoulder as if conveying a secret:

"So who's gonna shout 'Stop the press?'
Don't you see we have a gal of distinction,
a real go-getter?"
One purple glove extends, pointing towards Lois, while the other one begins to pull at it, beginning to slide it off the arm.

"The nightmare of every crook
And when it comes to Superman she wrote the book!"
One purple glove is now off and it gets stretched taut between both hands, playfully draping it around Steve's neck like an ascot before then tossing it out into the public. Presumably in Lois' general direction.

Wait. Is this a strip-tease?

The crimson lips pout as one bare hand begins to work at the other opera glove, rolling it down the well-defined arm while he steps behid Steve:

"So let me get right to the point:
I don't grant a scoop to just every gal I see-"

The second glove is off now, and it is being swung around in circles at the held note.
"MISS REPORTER!"
And the glove flies towards Lois' lap, while the singer leans on Steve's other shoulder, one leg 'pops' behind him in a Marily Monroe pose:

"Write an expose...
on me-"

And then the song transitions into the base pluck and snaps of Eddie Cooley and Otis Blackwell's 'Fever.' The hands pull at the dress to reveal a seam that runs right down the front, and the upper body parts to show off a muscular chest. The peeling off of the dress stops at the waist. For the moment.

(And yes, there is a recording, True Believers: https://soundcloud.com/maus-merryjest/just-talkin-bout-lois/s-mtDiSj2SRnI?si=06a7a4fed0654d8898b46daae55194ed&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing)

Steve Rogers has posed:
    Steve was, at first, blinking rapidly at the display on stage, obviously a bit confused. But then he's grabbed and pulled on stage and--wha?

    ...And then Terry is /dancing/ around him and pulling off clothing and he just kind of stands there, dumbstruck, blushing furiously. He /ought/ to play along and dance with or something but this is all just a /little/ too much. At least he's playing along insofar as standing up there as directed.

    He does shrug to Lois and mouths 'I don't know, uhh, sorry?' to her.

Lois Lane has posed:
Lois laughs at the hat on Janet. "I mean, with a look like that I'm sure you'd get saved," she teases. But /oh no/. That's... that's some kind of performance. There are no words for it, but Lois looks both amused and distinctly uncomfortable at the same time. She glances to Steve, shrugging a bit and also looking apologetic that he's being dragged into a... yeah. There are no words.

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma Frost would just watch over, "Amusing. I think he would do well in a talent show." Emma was a cynic. But she'd been a teacher for years and seen the yearly chaos and destruction that was the yearly talent show performance at Xavier's. Anda ll the mental trauma from that which needed the occasional mindwipe.
    "Happy Birthday. May this one be forever etched into your brain." Emma doesn't have a buzz. Nor is she trying.
    Fortunately she can borrow Janet's.

Janet van Dyne has posed:
Janet is abruptly not there with the others. Maybe it's just a little evasion or even some liberal use of Pym particles, but when the spotlight crashes down on Steve, Janet beats feet away from the crowd. All that's left in her wake is Lois' new gift, sitting on her vacant seat.

Not that she'd abandon Lois during her party, but for the Wasp, right now she needs a few minutes to herself, perched on a window sill in minature just under the roof's railing.

It's the next best thing to invisible.

Kian has posed:
    Kian stops halfway to the drinks and just watches, and mutters something in his own language.
    He was right, it's time for a drink.
    Sip.
    Watch.
    "Chronicler Lois," he finally says, with a bit of a smirk, "If you're wondering why you hired him, at least you don't have to go home with him..."
    Sip.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
The singer turns to Steve and sings, as if gossiping about Lois to him:

"I have heard she likes her coffee
Just the way she likes her men:
Strong enough to stop a bullet,
faster than a speeding train-"
The singer flexes for a moment, a high contrast with the fluid and soft movements from the earlier number, and gestures with his chin to Steve, encouraging him to flex as well. Maybe he will. Maybe he won't.

Then he returns to the gentle movements as he brings his hands to waistline to grab the dress.

"And I heard that Lois
Jumps out windows
Just so she can save on time!"

And here, at the rolling of the drums, with one quick gesture the rest of the dress tears in half and lands at his feet, revealing that the singer is wearing mid-thigh bike shorts. Red. And yes, sequined. With one quick gesture, the wig is off, as well as the mask, and it confirms without a shadow of a doubt that Intern Terry O'Neil is the culprit. And he sings:

"Lois!
Once went missing
In her closet of Van Dynes-"

And then his hands rest on the waistline of the bike shorts, with a wicked grin on his face, he hooks his thumbs in just as the fanfare from Big Spender rolls again. He makes a move as if to pull down the garment and complete the strip-tease-

And then there is complete blackness as all the lights go out, but the band plays on. There is the sound of something that sounds like cloth being ripped, though.

And the lights come up for the final fanfare. Instead of a naked Terry O'Neil, however, there is- Vorpal, the Cheshire Cat. Fully dressed in his hero suit, holding something that looks suspiciously like the kind of latex VFX suit that actors wear when they have to play cheap aliens in B-movies, and it looks like an empty 'Terry' suit, split open at the back. Well, it was definiitely a strip-tease. He gives the Captain a wink, "Aren't you glad phones were not allowed?" and then turns his attention back to the party.

"Happy birthday, boss!" Vorpal cries into the microphone and throws the 'Terry' suit at Lois

Before it reaches her, though, it explodes into glitter.

Which, mercifully, vanishes into thin air before it gets on anyone or anything. Because Terry does not have a death wish and does not wish Janet Van Dyne coming after him with an army of roombas. He gets that enough at the tower.

"And let's have a hand for the Cap'n for being such a good sport!"

It is also at this moment that the foam guns begin to fire, flooding the pool for the foam party, underscored by another burst of fireworks.

Vorpal jumps off the stage and lands on his feet, and walks over to Lois with a gigantic grin.

"Toldja."

He may be a dead cat now, but like Edith Piaf, he has no regrets.

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma Frost goes to watch, "I think he would get along quite well with some o fthe others I know." Emma would allow after some thoughts, taking a sip of her drink. How was she not going crazed over this?
    Well she had been best friends with Janet since boarding school after all. She would go over to give Lois a sympathetic smile. "Know that your friends are ever so willing to go out of thier way to give you the immedaite excuse any jury will need to make the call of 'justifiable homicide'. They really do care." ANother sip of wine.
    A quick mental press of 'you all right' sent over to Janet up there in the alcove as Emma would check up on her for just a moment. Her smile and mirth never leaves her face as she keeps up her image. This is Lois' night to enjoy herself, celebrate..

Steve Rogers has posed:
    Steve flexes when asked, because at this point what is there to do but go along, unless it's flee in terror? And Captain America does not flee in terror. Not even from strip-teasing cross-dressing superhero interns.

    But if Terry was trying to make another first impression, he certainly did.

    When the lights go off, Steve tries his best to edge off the stage, then freezes as they come back on. Then goes ahead and bows at the end of the number, before getting himself the hell /off/ the stage.

    And then stalks right over toward Terry, expression /very/ intent.

Lois Lane has posed:
Lois doesn't know what to say.

Really, what can she say about that? It was amusing but /holy shit/. She narrows her eyes at him. Thankfully, she doesn't immediately murder him on the spot. "Terry O'Neil, I am not certain how you think that would be a good birthday present, but I'm certain that you'll find a lovely job in the theatre at this rate..." She rubs her face with both hands. "You rewrote all of those lyrics yourself, didn't you?"

Janet van Dyne has posed:
~Get out of my head, Em.~

Janet's voice sounds tired and defeated, and she picks up the bottle of rum she took from the bar and takes a few pulls from it. ~Just... let me know when everyone's ... done,~ she finishes, and rests her head against the mansion's stonework behind her.

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma Frost would give Janet the mental equivalent of a nod sent along <<I'll do so>> then turning her attention back to the stage, smile fully on. "Well, you know what his talents are, you can redirect him to a more appropraite venue.." Still not phased, even as she would take another small sip of her martini.

Kian has posed:
    Kian finishes his drink and slips up to Terry, wrapping an arm around his waist.  "I don't know English well enough yet to have helped him, so yes, that was all his faul... uh, his doing."
    He chuckles.  "This is why I don't celebrate my birthday.  And why Terry is not allowed to plan the days I *do* celebrate."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
Vorpal rubs the back of his neck, "Aw, it was all in good fun, Lois! I had to improvise 'cause Gar got called away by his dad at the last minute and I didn't have a-"

His eyes focus this way and that. Wait, where did Janet go? He is getting the feeling that he's screwed up. And that's when he notices Captain America coming for me with the kind of expression that was reserved for The Beaver whenever he almost burned down the town, or something like that.

"Oh look the foam party has started!" he says, hoping to distract people by pointing it out. And then craftily trying to slip off somewhere not so noticeable, like the bar.

Steve Rogers has posed:
    Steve sizes Terry up, looking like he has every intention of just punching a guy that's some nine inches shorter than him. Holds the expression for a long moment. An awkward moment. An 'oh god Cap is just going to punch Terry O'Neil right here at Lois' birthday party isn't he?!' moment. He will evidently not be distracted.

    Then he breaks into a grin and reaches out to grab and shake Terry's hand. "It's a pretty brave man who can get up there and perform like that in front of a crowd like this." Given the sheer number of VIPs at this thing and all. "So, congratulations."

    Then he /does/ punch Terry. Lightly. In the shoulder. "But next time warn a guy before you drag him onstage? I looked like a /goof/ up there."

    C'mon, Cap wasn't gonna /punch/ Terry, that'd just be bullying at this point. And of all things in the world Steve does not like, bullies are at the top of the list.

Lois Lane has posed:
Lois shoots a sympathetic look to Kian. "I am glad you don't let him plan anything for you, you're all the better for it." She looks back towards Terry and then towards Steve. She laughs. "You're a good sport, Steve," Lois grins. "And Terry, don't think I'm not forgetting about this anytime soon!" She calls after him.

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma Frost is just looking over, highly amused while watching things and with her lips twitched upwards. "I'm sure that it was quite the spectacle. You could certainly find alternative employment as an entertainer. If you'd like I can get you in touch with Alison."

Janet van Dyne has posed:
Once the furor is over, Janet emerges from her little isolation and reappears back with the rest of the revelers. She spots Steve and Terry almost immediately, and walks a path around them to head back towards the VIP section. Once there she smiles at Emma and Lois, and picks up Emma's gift before beckoning one of Janet's personal aides over.

"Make sure to put this somewhere for safekeeping," she bids him. "It's Lois'." She finds her seat again, and flashes a smile up at Emma and gives Lois leg an apologetic squeeze. "Had to use the ladies," she lies, and looks over to Lois. "How about it, birthday girl-- wanna go jump in the foam pit with me? You gotta do it at least once in your life."

Kian has posed:
    "Oh no, he already doesn't get enough sleep between being a Titan and working for the Planet," Kian says.  "He doesn't need a third career."
    He grins at Terry.  "And now that I have been your voice of reason, you'll probably go ahead and accept her offer anyway, yes?"  He chuckles again, and turns his attention to Lois.  "I really do try to keep him on an even keel, but I'm sure you understand what a challenge that is."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
Vorpal looks about as awkward as Steve looked onstage. However, he does manage to compose himself to say one thing- "/That/ is /not/ why I don't get enough sleep," and said with a pointed look at Kian. And only too late does he remember that the bird-man, because of his planet's culture, will not be embarrassed by that comment.

He rubs his shoulder and gives a sheepish smile, "Right, er, next time, yes... no... no need to get me in touch with her-" Dazzler, of all people, like she would have time for /him/. One thing was a vaudeville bit that required no real singing talent, actually performing was something else altogether.

"I should... er, I'll go fetch us some refreshments," he says to Kian quietly, "At the bar on the other side of the- yeah."

At which exact moment he slips away to the bar, it's hard to tell due to his ability to cast illusions. One moment he's there. The next one, he isn't. A few feet away, he takes the guise of a completely unremarkable person who could really be just anyone, easily lost in the crowd, so he can quietly slip away and go somewhere and have a bit of a moment to collect himself.

It isn't until he's slipped away to a quiet corner of the property, invisible, that he realizes that he left Kian all alone.

"... oops."

Someone's sleeping on the couch tonight.

Lois Lane has posed:
Somehow, Janet is right where Lois needs her to be. With the present whisked away for safekeeping and her best friend offering to escort her to the foam pit, she looks relieved. "That really does sound wild. I'll have to give it a shot." How often do you get to jump into foam in the Avenger's Mansion? She looks to Kian. "I'm so sorry for you being caught up in the Terry's messes all the time. You have my sympathies. Keep him on a short leash--" She stops. "Not literally, that might be a bit weird. You know, just..." She doesn't finish that thought, just moving to go with Janet to the foam pool.

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma Frost would just look over at Janet, "Why, you're letting her into those parts of the place? Well done. I suppose you only live once." She would opine over while taking another sip of her margarita, appreciating it and taking another small bit. "And why, Ms. Lane, what sort of indulgences -have- you had that you need to specify that sort of thing?"

Steve Rogers has posed:
    With Terry spoken to and having given his gift to Lois, Steve glances around and--catches sight of Janet. And realizes that he /hadn't/ seen her in the crowd during the performance. And... well... she organized this party. So he finishes his champagne, sets down the glass somewhere it'll get collected, and slips away to let the girls enjoy the rest of their evening.

    At least there wasn't a big confrontation, right? Phew!

Kian has posed:
    "Leash?  Oh, I understand what you mean.  In fac... where did he go?"
    Kian looks around for his errant partner.  "Uhm..."  A confrontation tonight cannot be ruled out now.
    "I think I need to find him before another musical number breaks out."