13790/Operation BIRTHDAY: January

Operation BIRTHDAY: January
Date of Scene:	22 January 2023
Location:	Swordfish Bar (SHIELD)
Synopsis:	Happy birthday to all! A cheerful moment for SHIELD.
Cast of Characters:	Jane Foster, Mary Jane Watson, Detective Chimp, Toni Ho, Carin Taylor, Jessica Drew, Lara Croft

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Jane Foster has posed:
Who doesn't love cake and free beverages? Certainly not the spy agency dedicated to many things, most notably keeping the country safe. Intel wants its cupcakes, R&D tinkers with mixing up cocktails, and undoubtedly the career agents flat out run as soon as Department O comes calling. But for those who don't know the dangers they face -- and truly, these are dangers to some degree -- it's all fun and games.

Agent Park is celebrating his thirtieth under a pair of plastic party glasses that probably ended up stolen from Elton John around 1976. Agent Klein, one of the many Quinjet mechanics, is up to 42 with a horribly sparkly hat on. Noisemakers blessedly are absent, due to a higher than usual incidence of sound-based PTSD triggers, but the fanfare is otherwise hopping.

Of course, anyone under 21 gets no liquor, they get to try a wide sampling of international sodas. Cupcakes in the shape of a form -- 1255-C, one needed in duplicate to requisition party supplies -- are stacked up in a corner.

Jane herself might not completely be in the mood to party but she'll make do. A previous mission still weighs on her, but that's no reason not to spin a wheel and win herself a ticket for some kind of raffle that she undoubtedly isn't going to win.

Mary Jane Watson has posed:
And there's enoug people here with heavy weapons that Mary Jane doesn't have to worry about the normal tribulations that come with parties and festivals. She's seen how enough attempts at celebration go to know that it's just asking for something to happen. That's rubbed off on her from Peter.

But, at the Swordfish it means there's plenty of other people that will have the same issue as the rest of them, and that they'll be just as annoyed at it too. So, Mary Jane is one of those under-21 types that isn't touching the alcohol (this has much complaining from Sonja, and the constant twitch of Mary Jane's face is indicative of it). She goes to take a bite of pizza and lets out a sigh.

Detective Chimp has posed:
Detective Chimp does not make it to many of the get togethers, but he happened to be in the area, and decided he would check in. He comes walking in looking about and heads towards the bar to get a beer, and a seat. Turning to look about and see what of the old time agents he knows here, and some of the newer faces as well.

Toni Ho has posed:
Toni, honestly, wasn't going to come. She wasn't really feeling it, mostly because she knew that the liquor police weren't going to let her get into any. Despite the fact that she is allowed to pilot a multimillion dollar powered armor that she built. Despite the fact that she has three Ph. D's. Despite the fact that she can absolutely go out in that armor and kick HYDRA in the face.

She has some Feelings on the matter.

Still, she shows up, holding hands with somebody special, and doesn't seem -that- torn up about it.

Carin Taylor has posed:
    It'll be a couple more years yet before Carin can join the drinking party, but she at least is able to join the party. "Is it... okay to be here?" Carin asks of Toni as they walk in, hand-in-hand. "I'm super new to the team and all and..." she looks around, seeing pretty much nobody else she knows. It makes it easier for her to try and hide behind Toni, to an extent. She's not in any SHIELD uniform, either. In fact she's gotten rather attached to the Robot Unicorn Attacks hoodie she was given by the Outsiders.

    "...or are we just here for some snacks and cake?" she asks, sounding more hopeful for that. The redhead is always self-conscious, though, being all pale and peculiar.

Jessica Drew has posed:
Seasoned agents learn to carry the darker missions behind a facade that some would call blase. Jess calls it the swan effect to newer agents, facing the realities of field work. Darkness will exist in the world whether she has a good time or not, and she has learned to welcome good times when they come.

The vodka martini in her hand sparkles with the same light scintillating off her draping sleeveless lame blouse. Wide-legged silk pants and precariously high heels that require spider reflexes to walk in complete her 'party-when-you-can' look. After grabbing her drink she makes her way across the room to join Jane.

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara was a little late to the party affair, but when she arrives she does so with a pleased smile gracing her visage after striding through the entrance. Wearing a black leather jacket over a dark grey hoodie, Lara removes the jacket to find it a open hangar amongst others to drape over it. She sorts her hoodie out then around her waistline and starts to walk toward the faces that she recognizes. A wave is given and Lara smiles to Jane first. "Hey, sorry that I'm late, traffic got me. Imagine that, in this city?" She states with a light smirk before she regards some of the others. She is quick to then offers 'happy birthdays' to some of the others that she knows the party is for, those who are closer to it in date, where her own was falling in around the end of the line.

"I suppose I should join the revelry and grab myself something to sip on." She states next, stepping then to the bar to share a small back and forth with the tender tending to it.

Jane Foster has posed:
The Swordfish Bar is one of those relatively spacious places that feels intimate. Patrons can carouse or have conversations without being entirely atop one another if preferred. Several tables that normally seat two end up squashed together in a large diamond host to three cakes on stands that resemble a Millennium Falcon or a helicarrier. Someone has a sense of humour. An orderly queue slides up to the triple chocolate cake iced with peanut butter and chocolate buterrcream rosettes, while another that features yuzu and citrus traced in splashes buttercream requires a mildly more adventurous palate. Nonetheless, anyone who wants to snarf a sugar cookie cupcake or vanilla raspberry champagne cupcake is free to help themselves from the form over thatta way near Detective Chimp. No one's going to judge if someone eats three. Or /will/ they?

A DWARF turned into a balloon carrier zips back and forth drunkenly overhead, pausing for a moment. Jane stares at the unblinking sets of blue lights, and slowly points away. The bobbling device zooms over to pester MJ, checking something and carrying on. Is it scanning for alcoholic indulgences? Is it building a composite photo for HR to put in a newsletter?

A cheerful claxon someone's installed by the bar starts flashing when Lara enters. "You have your choice of a hat, a sparkly cape, awesome glasses, or a tiara to celebrate your birthday." The brunette gives the claxon a death-look. Someone in R&D is going to pay. She turns, and then offers a wave to Jessica after catching sight of her. Someone else to drag into this mess. "State your preference and one of our guests here can bring it over. Welcome, Ms. Ho, Ms. Taylor."

Mary Jane Watson has posed:
Mary Jane Watson would wave over at Lara, "Hey there birthday girl!" Someone's going to punch her for that aren't they? Mary Jane is just wearing an off-duty SHIELD uniform while going to tap her fingers along the counter, taking a pieceo f pizza. "This has been a really great idea." She would smile at Jane, "Sure a lot of people appreciate it."

At the dwarf going to take a scan of her, she goes to -gah- even as Sonja takes over, and one of those plastic knives used is hurled at the optic of the thing to hit it near dead center, presuming if it does land to bounce all the way off.

Detective Chimp has posed:
Detective Chimp has picked up a couple of the cupcakes that were in or near arm's reach. He looks over to Mary Jane nodding to her, as this confirms something he suspected around Christmas time. He thanks the man behind the bar for his drink and sips it. He does look up at the dwarf and his flying and ponders uses for it later.

Jessica Drew has posed:
Somehow she had missed the dress up announcement. Pivoting in place she sights the table with the birthday goodies and aims for it. Along the way, she smiles widely at Mary Jane then waves and grins at Detective Chimp. As she passes Lara, she asks with a nearly straight face, "Cape, hat, glasses or tiara...what's it going to be?"

Once at the table with the disguisements, her hand hovers between the tiara and the cape then decides on both. It is going to be an evening of bling. After settling the tiara into her dark hair, she slings the cape over her shoulders. Content with her choices, she goes in search of yuzu cake to complement her martini.

Toni Ho has posed:
"We're here for cake. We can't get into the other stuff, they've got it locked down," Toni grouses in an aside to Carin, giving her hand a squeeze. "It'll be okay. I'm here with you. Promise."

She squints at the drone as it makes its rounds, making a face at it. Toni's dressed in dark skinny jeans, black ballet flats and a black t-shirt with the astrological symbol of Saturn on it in purple. Stealth weeb.

She tugs Carin along, making a bee line for the cupcakes. "Hi, Miss Foster. Thanks for having us!"

Carin Taylor has posed:
    The 'alarm' makes Carin jump a little, maybe it's because the sound reaches her ears and her entire body goes into hazard mode. She's looking around as time dilates around her, the world in slow motion, looking for threats, attackers, bullets. But. It's tempered in an instant when Toni squeezes her hand. "...so we steal a bunch of cake and food and go watch the rest of that box set?" she asks, tapping the Saturn symbol on Toni's chest with her free hand.

    Then she casts a smile to Jane, "Thanks for having us!" she echoes her roommate/girlfriend. "..this is.. actually really kind of a cool place.. do they serve nachos here? ...and... when do they cut into the Helicarrier?" she stares, wide-eyed, at the more... complex-looking cakes there.

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara receives her drink from across the bar, then raises it up for a sip. She's sipping it when the 'choices' are presented to her, and result in her releasing a lightly melodic laugh. "Oh, uh... I'll take the hat." She says then. After taking it in her hand, she places it atop her head, then pulls the little stretchy string down so that it pops in place beneath her slim chin. Her hand then goes up to push the hat gently off to the left so it points off in that direction. "Truly dapper now, I am sure." She says, her eyes going to Jessica with a grin. "You look lovely tonight, by the way. How have you been" She asks before her free hand now goes for one of the vanilla raspberry cupcakes. With it placed upon a napkin, Lara starts to walk back to the two tables that are pushed together, she finds a open seat to sit down on the edge of, placing her drink and cupcake before her.

A smile is offered to Toni and Karin then from the British woman. "Is it your birthdays as well?" She asks in a calm tone of voice, speaking over the other ambient sounds around, including silly Dwarves.

Jane Foster has posed:
"Help yourself to some cake whenever or feel free to turn up the music and dance. Yup, they have nachos. Careful of the extra spicy ones," she warns Carin and Toni sotto voce, "they may well be contraband. Our higher-ups like us to socialize together. Builds teamwork outside the office, and those bonds are important." So says a deputy commander, who by dint of position, might fit the bill as WAND-oriented higher up. Jane drifts away from the raffle wheel, though a gesture in its direction. Brightly coloured pie wedges indicate different raffle ticket types, and the fat rolls of tear-off tickets have more impressive babysitters than her.

She stifles a laugh when the DWARF wobbles with its new imaginary ding from MJ's hurled cutlery. Plastic won't harm it, but the balloon it pulls bobbles around.

"We're obligated to sing Happy Birthday to the celebrants at least once. As Agent Croft has joined our line... Forgive us, Ms. Croft, but they insist. If you see Agent Romanoff anywhere, we need to sing it to /her/ too."

Because no matter how cheerful and familiar that oft-recorded voice of hers is, her podcast a greatly popular thing, it holds a vague air of rank here. One reinforced by the excited wave from Anno team member Agent Almquist. A blond woman in a bright blue shirt and pencil-skirt waves. HR is present. HR demands birthday sacrifices. HR demands SONG.

Mary Jane Watson has posed:
As the others look over at her, Mary Jane just smiles over at the machine. "And happy birthday Dame Croft." That was what the proper title was, after all from her readings. "And not near it for me. Not unti the summer. And I'm pretty sure that it will be accompanied by something horrific just to make sure expectation lines up with reality."

She looks over at Jane with a flat, "I see that you really don't want to live until it's your turn to celebrate, don't you?"

Jessica Drew has posed:
"Always better with friends and comrades. And thanks, I positively glitter this evening." Jess eyes Lara's hat, and in a British accent that has begun to fade with time in the States, "You suit the topper, dearie. A happy birthday, may you have many more."

Lara's question to Toni and Karin redirects her focus. With a smile and a lift of her glass to the two, "That's a lot of January babies! Happy birthday!"

Grimacing at the necessity for song, Jess gets a slice of cake, on a plate and a fork then turns to face out into the room, ready to make the birthday sacrifice to those on the altar. "Nice crowd," she comments to those nearby.

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara grins at the words from Jessica, then sips her drink again before she starts to peel that wrapper off of the cupcake she'd selected. "It is a great crowd. I hadn't realized how many people within the agency were celebrating birthdays near to one another, though I guess it only makes sense considering how many people work there..." She smirks at herself before Mary Jane's words draw her attention. She shows her a quick smile at the use of the title.

"Ah, the joys of sounding pretentious..." She says softly. "Dame is a title for those who have been granted Knighthood. I merely inherited my nobility from my father, and was very lucky to be amongst the first women to be allowed to retain their peerage even after the passing of the patriarch, and last male successor in the family. Thus, Your Grace, or Lady, but, again... I'm merely saying this because as I grew up, I was forced to memorize all of these things, and now I feel as though I have to say it, just to try and get it out of my head." She smirks again. "Sorry. It's awkward." She notes with a glance around the table at the others. "I really don't like any title, if that helps though. Just Lara, please." And then she offers a half-cocked smile before taking a larger sip of her drink.

Toni Ho has posed:
Toni giggles just a little when Carin asks if they're going to take the cake and run. "I was kinda thinking that way. We can stay as long as you want, Zoomy." Which implies they can leave when she wants, too.

Though, the mention of dangerously spicy nachos gets her attention. Her eyes flicker over that way. She gives Carin's hand another squeeze to stay strong. She loves dangerously spicy food, but it doesn't love her back.

She blinks as Lara asks about birthdays. "Oh, not mine. Mine's the twenty-ninth of May. We're a way off."

Those in the know will realize that she shares a birthday with Tony Stark. Ironic.

Jessica Drew has posed:
A small smile lifts the corners of Jess's lips as she listens to Lara's recital. Being titled sometimes seems to have more minuses than pluses not everyone capable of navigating them as well as the intrepid archeologist. She murmurs with a wicked smile to Lara, "How is the cupcake, your ladyship? Should I use the same caterer?" The agent takes a step away and innocently looks up at the DWARF with its train of balloons.

MJ's rejoinder to Jane earns a puzzled glance between the two and a lifted eyebrow.

Jane Foster has posed:
It's safe to take the cake and run. Cupcakes are more portable than a small helicarrier on its helicarrier-shaped cake plate, though, for sheer portability. Maybe they have tracer dye for catching people red-handed.

Jane breaks into a grin at Jessica. "You make an exceptional party favour. The rest of us shall have to raise the bar. Perhaps literally. The very happiest of birthdays to you, Agent Croft."

But Almquist won't have just that, the music filtering through the conversation turning to a jazzy rendition of everyone's favourite or most hated birthday tune. Others celebrating in January and February groan, adopt a pained grin, or lurch into a chair and strike a pose. A loud chorus of "Haaaappy birthday to youuuu!" builds up.

The astrophysicist isn't singing loudly, but she does, at least to keep some time. "My review's coming up," she asides quickly enough to the redhead.

Mary Jane Watson has posed:
Mary Jane Watson would boble her head over at Lara, "IT's fine, sorry. I should have known better." Going to take her fruit juice, Mary Jane would waggle her fingers over in salute. "Will remember it. If I do it again, you have my permission to try and shoot me in the gut." That seemed a fair deal!

Going to take a dab over at the cake. "I see. You mean for HR, your next birthday, promotion, or 'pissing off Deputy Director Hill and being assigned to degaussing the fuel reclamation systems on the Hellicarrier' reviews?"

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara's eyes go back to Mary to whom she offers a sweet smile toward. "I wouldn't dream of it, and thank you for the kindness." She says before her eyes dart over to Jessica who draws a laugh from her. She then has to release a little groan, short and simple. "I was thirteen when they passed it on to me. Now it is primarily just a great way to make an absolutely dreadful pair of extended family members utterly churn with disdain to keep it, and keep it from them." She states with a little grin following those words.

Lara's eyes dart back over toward Toni, and Karin, but before she could say anything to them the singing starts. Now Lara just sits straighter in her seat, her hands on either side of the yet-untouched cupcake with its skirt peeled down around it in a lewd display of delicious cake.

Once the song subsides with a round of applause, Lara smiles to all of those who sang, Jane in particular. "This is too much." She tells the astr-physicist. "I love it though." She adds before finally she raises the cupcake up to take a sampling indulgence.

A bit of chewing, a little bit of swallowing, a clearing of her palette and Lara once more finally looks back on to Jessica. "It's utterly delicious... and thus madly dangerous too." She smirks again then.

Carin Taylor has posed:
    "No issue with spicy here..." Carin says quietly. Her pale cheeks darken some when she's called 'Zoomy' though and she gives that hand a squeeze. "...that's uh... a really cute nickname.." she admits, giving a shy smile. "..my birthday's already come and passed. I guess a full go-round before I'm getting asked to put on a party hat in here and getting a song sent my way, huh?" she offers, looking between Lara and Toni, indicating her birthday had JUST slipped by the January window! Oh no, whatever will she do?

    "But I think she just said we could take the cake and run.." she whispers, playful and conspiratorial, perhaps deliberately with Jane in earshot. "...think we can get the whole Helicarrier out of here?" she says with a smile. Oh no. Putting her and Toni together might've been a horrible idea in retrospect. "...or we stay for singing and nachos and a cupcake or three..."

Jessica Drew has posed:
"So, is the yuzu cake, not that I count calories. Not yet at least. Have you ever seen a fat spider? Gruesome," she adds with a theatrical shudder. She then applies herself to the cake and martini, enjoying the sugar rush, before observing, "Glad to hear you are using the title to good ends. This is divine."

Jess pretends not to hear the whisper. Aloud she muses, "Nachos? Perfect after too much cake!"

Toni Ho has posed:
"I don't think we can lift that giant cake working together," Toni stage-whispers to Carin. Clearly not actually planning on stealing it. She'd have to go to the lab and get tools for that, and it's not worth it.

She's about to continue, but the singing starts. She joins in. She's not too loud, but it's not exactly half-hearted either. That done, she ponders. "Or, we could wait for the cakes to get cut, then run off with cupcakes, nachos and helicarrier cake to binge watch cute anime."

Mary Jane Watson has posed:
Mary Jane Watson would go to work over her cake, giving a grina nd a wave, "I think that running with cake, donuts, and other snacks is acceptable party etiquette." she would smile at Lara and Jessica. "And thanks for letting me know. And I'm sure that's the best part of it." To Lara, on 'keeping hte title'.

Spoken as someone whom did things purely to frustrate and upset her own family members could agree on.

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara continues to grin over at Jessica. "I haven't." She says of fat spiders. "I did watch a video about a wasp injecting eggs in to the belly of a tarrantula just the other day though. That was both... informative, and disturbing. Very disturbing, in fact." She smirks again before another sip of her drink is taken.

Her eyes go over to watch the other party people enjoying food and drink, before she regards Tony and Karin again. "I don't think we've had the pleasure." She states, offering a hand. "I'm Lara, Croft. With the WAND division. Though the D in WAND stands for division, so I feel redundant any time I follow the acronym with division." She smirks again before she leans a little back in her chair and enjoys another sampling of the cupcake. It is roughly 50 percent done now!