3677/A Very Welcome Home Party

A Very Welcome Home Party
Date of Scene:	04 October 2020
Location:	SS Wasp (Near the Seychelles)
Synopsis:	A party for Nadia's return home on Janet's yacht brings out some of the best and dearest friends the Wasp and Waspette have.
Cast of Characters:	Janet van Dyne, Natasha Romanoff, Jennifer Walters, Vivian Vision, Heather Danielson, T'Challa, Karen Starr, Nadia Pym-van Dyne, Hank Pym, Steve Rogers

---

Janet van Dyne has posed:
Tony Stark has a reputation for theatrics, but he's far from having a monopoly on throwing a rager of a party.

The SS Wasp, currently floating in international waters not far from an exclusive and wealthy resort in the Seychelles, is fully decorated for a party. Guests have been arriving for the last hour; the gap between the painfully punctual and the persistently tardy being forcibly overlapped by a broad 'party start' time. A small cadre of teleporters and fast fliers were pressed into service to bring everyone from a few convenient collection points and deposit them on the boat itself. Like technology and services stand to bring everyone home as needed.

Aboard the yacht itself there are lights, party favors, and 'thank you' baskets for everyone who was remotely proxmiate to the rescue of Nadia and Janet-- and thirty-some other women-- from the clutches of the Red Room. Clothing is 'black tie' with outfits provided on request but plenty of heroes and vigilantes have opted to wear day clothes or colorful costumes as they prefer.

The atmosphere is jubilant, convivial, and full of energy. Drinks and food are available aplenty and there is a carefree feeling about the place of everyone having a night to simply let their hair down and enjoy themselves in a stress-free environment.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
    As a general rule, Natasha doesn't make it to these occasions unless they're formal neccesities, or would come off as some kind of personal insult to the host or subject of the party that she'd prefer them not to perceive.
    Matasha has done things that would turn your hair white, but she's pretty sure Janet would still find a way to make her feel bad about herself if she skips a 'thanks for saving my life / turns out being alive is amazing after some time in a super gulag' party.
    That and... well... Natasha has suddenly - if subtly - become a lot more keen on public spaces ever since the Red Room found out she was alive. She's been re-assessing mansion security a lot.
    Natasha is on deck in a lovely black dress that goes over one shoulder and leaves the other exposed, and otherwise generally flatters her figure. Skirt's short enough to move around in. Practical shoes are in effect. The heels usually only come out when she needs someone to stop thinking rationally for work-related reasons. She can currently be found eyeing the spread of food and dearly wishing she believed in eating food she hasn't seen prepared, carrying a flute of wine for appearances sake; putting on a pleasant expression for similar reasons.

Jennifer Walters has posed:
Jennifer is one of those 'perpetually late' kind of people, even though she tries not to be. She just ends up being caught up at work trying to squeeze in just one more thing before having to go. Fortunately, she planned ahead and brought her party dress to her office so she can change there instead of having to run all the way back to her apartment.

Her dress is an elegant cream color that matches well with her emerald skin. It's a one piece affair that hangs off a shoulder and drapes itself around her evoking a likeness to ancient Greece.

She opts to be teleported over because she really doesn't want to give anybody a panty shot while coming in for a landing. Once there, she starts to mingle, taking a flute of champagne from a server that's making the rounds. She's good at this mingling thing, despite her imposing height and general hulkness. Ultimately, she spies the hostess, and makes her way to her. "Janet!" she cries, opening her arms to embrace The Wasp. "I'm so relieved that you and Nadia made it back. I really wish I was able to go."

Vivian Vision has posed:
Vivian Vision has been sneakily involved in the party planning and preparation since the early stages. And has been aboard the SS Wasp for a while before the proceedings were fully underway ducking in and out of the kitchens and generally trying to make herself useful. Janet might well have legions of staff better qualified and more importantly paid to do the work but to Vivian it's a family celebration. So it's only right she helps out!

She's chosen to wear a yellow strappy Summer dress (the same yellow as her more usual cargo pants) and has tied her hair back into a ponytail with a matching ribbon. No holographic disguises today either. It's synthezoid red skin, glowing eyes and green hair and if that scares anyone they're probably on the wrong yacht.

She's currently making herself useful by bringing a tray of champagne flutes around where the guests are. Mostly the flutes contain actual champagne but she's also got some non-alcoholic cocktails on there for anyone who would like.

Heather Danielson has posed:
    Electing to follow the trends and the dress code, Heather asked for a teleporter rather than a flier. For two reasons....
1) She didn't want to be giving a peepshow to folks under her. And..
2) Flying is bad for formal gowns. Windshear is a thing.
    So she appears at the side of a teleporter and offers a smile as she leans in to press her lips to the cheek of the young man who teleported her in. "Thanks hon." she says before she turns and makes some minute adjustments to her royal blue gown and begins moving towards the food... because... of course she does. It's practically her -job- at these parties to make sure nothing goes to waste.

T'Challa has posed:
A figure walks along the port side of the ship, taking his time strolling along the railing, hands in his pockets as he looks out at the ocean, lit mostly by moonlight. Thousands of miles away from the light pollution of cities, the stars just seem to explode out of the sky like few city dwellers would believe.

T'Challa pauses a moment, pulling his hands out to rest them on the railing as he takes in the splendid sight. He was a late arrival, coming after attending to some matters back home. The ocean breeze and the salt air are a welcome change from meetings with ministers, and the Wakandan just takes that moment to savor it and let the view just fill him.

The sounds of the music work to inject an energy into the party goers though, and after a few moments T'Challa turns back from his quiet revelry to look towards the rest of the party up ahead on the deck. He's dressed in black tie, the tuxedo tailored to fit him. It's a look he wears well with the well-trimmed beard and his already ebon-hued skin.

He steps out into the larger open spaces on the top and rear of the ship where most of the others are gathered. A glass offered by a passing server is taken, the woman getting an expression of gratitude from T'Challa before she continues on through the party with her tray.

He continues on in that slow, strolling walk, arriving soon enough at the side of Natasha Romanoff. "It is good to have everyone back," he comments to her quietly as he joins her side. His eyes take in Natasha in more than a casual way, as if looking to see how she is. "This should be a safe space for us all," he comments thoughtfully. "A little relaxation? Would be a good thing now."

Karen Starr has posed:
    Sometimes, being Kryptonian means your schedule is so /very/ easy. You can move at speeds that require exponents. It's impossible to be late. Or, it should be.

    This time, however, Power Girl is on the cusp of being actually verifiably absent, off somewhere silly doing something theoretically heroic.

    This time, the Where of it is the key. In the sky, a light appears- much akin to a star, which shoots momentarily through the heavens before, as it reaches a spot in the sky somewhat directly above the boat, it only grows momentarily brighter.

    Re-entry is a hell of a thing- and the speed she hits post puts out the flames, as well as scouring her costume clean of anything untoward. Those at the party aware of the guest list are more than aware of what is likely happening, so as this as yet unnamed meteorite aggresses the boat, it should be no surprise that it turns out to be Power Girl, arresting herself like a bullet in midair, and drifting down at a much more reasonable pace, to join the others on the deck.

    Immediately, she's making her way towards Janet, flashing that billion-dollar smile that's so violently unfair. "Janet!" she calls, hoping to get the other woman by the shoulders in a quick hug.

Nadia Pym-van Dyne has posed:
It was bound to happen eventually after all of the semi-serious but mostly lighthearted remarks about Janet's party yacht and the Seychelles Nadia is finally here. One might think for a girl that has literally been to the moon and alternate dimensions the sights of Earth would lose their appeal after awhile. This seems to be quite far from the case though as Nadia is glued to a railing on the upper deck of the yacht looking out over the tropical waters and up at the incredibly vibrant stars above. Every new experience is cherished, particularly after winding up back in the same sort of bunker she'd been a prisoner in for so long growing up and for awhile with it seeming like it might have been for good this time.

Nadia is dressed in a red off the shoulders dress with voluminous black lace filling out the skirt and also wrapping around the neck and one shoulder like a sash. In her hair is a matching hairband with a similar puff of black lace. She looks down from the upper deck as more people start arriving. People, something else for awhile it seemed might be a fleeting thing in her life, but here they all are, including the people who game for her and broke her and Janet back out of that hellhole again.

Her introspective reverie ended in true Nadia style she kicks one leg and then the other over the railing, bio-synthetic wings emerging semingly from her back, and glides down to greet the people on the main deck.

Janet van Dyne has posed:
"Oof!" Janet gives out a startled exclamation as Karen intercepts her at the top of the stairs leading down from the topdeck to the quarter-deck where the bulk of the party is. There's little at the topdeck except for a helicopter pad; one might question the reason for such a set of stairs except that they do provide a great way to make an entrance to a party. She hugs Karen back, quickly. "Sweetie, /so/ glad you could make it, but drop down to the lower deck and I'll grab you in a sec," she requests, and makes it a promise with a quick squeeze of Karen's forearm. "Gotta make with the grand entrances."

There's a subtle chiming of glasses being rung by staff and conversation dies down as eyes turn towards the stairs. Janet descends halfway and stops, hands loosely interlaced in front of her stomach. Her dress almost looks like a wrap but the seam runs right up the centerline, with curved skirt panels that join just below her upper right. The dress is divided into bold quarters, black and gold sections in strong competition. A wide square-cut neckline brings attention to her collarbone and flared behind her neck is a spray of white crinoline, carefully folded and then loosed to frame her face.

"Friends, I wanted to thank you all for being here," Janet says. "We're celebrating a lot here, today. Not just a rescue, for which I'm still very grateful to all of you," she reminds them. "There's been a lot of big changes lately. Nadia--" Janet looks behind her, then around, trying to figure out where the Waspette got to. "/Nadia/," she says, pointedly, and snaps her fingers and beckons imperatively at the girl to join her on the stairs. "--is at the center of it all. She's not just become a hero in her own right, rescuing the girls from the Red Room. She's also officially my daughter, now that the adoption papers have gone through." Janet beams a smile at Nadia and gives her hand a squeeze when the Waspette flits up to rejoin her on the steps.

"And though the dates are still a little questionable, I decided it's good for government work and we're celebrating Nadia's birthday today. Even if we're guessing a little on the exact -date- still," she says with a conspiratorial sotto voce.

"So as much as I love being the center of everyone's attention, tonight, it's not about me. It's about this amazing girl right here. She's a great hero, a brilliant scientist, and the daughter I never knew I was missing in my life."

Janet almost looks a little misty eyed and covers by reaching for a champagne flute. She descends two steps so Nadia's in the spotlight. "So a toast to Nadia Pym-van Dyne, the Waspette. The hero of the hour, everyone!" she declares, and turns around to lift her glass to Nadia and lead the yacht party in a toasted salute.

Heather Danielson has posed:
    Glancing up as Nadia makes her presence known, Heather grins. She stuffs her face with some of the hors d'oeuvres. She then sets down her mini-plate on a passing server's tray and moves forward with hands out towards Nadia. "I can't believe those federal doofuses didn't want any of my fresh squeezed orange juice!" she calls out, referencing her delaying tactic when they came looking for Nadia.
    But then she hears Janet's announcement and shakes her head, "Well hell. I didn't know I needed to get you a birthday present too! Can you give me a couple days to think of something?" she asks sheepishly.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
    "Your Highness." Natasha greets T'Challa in a tone that's somehow at once respectful, and perhaps overly familiar, like she's almost teasing him for having a lofty title. It's kind of easy to forget sometimes. It's not the sort of company she expected to be keeping in her line of work.
    Natasha nods quietly as he speaks, and softly answers "That would be nice." as though that weren't the case all the way out here, surrounded by only trusted acquantances of Janet and a smattering of extra literal super heroes. Apropo, she spares an eye for the living meteorite that nearly collides with the ship, and lets out a long breath. This loony bin is the safest place on earth.
    Despite her slightly ominous response, Natasha is as guarded as she usually is, which in this case means she looks to be in good spirits and ready to be amused by pretty much anything. Lord knows if that's actually true.
    Natasha's attention turns to Janet as she makes her entrance, listening quietly. A strange sort of... wistfulness comes to her eyes as Janet describes Nadia and her situation. She's not sure what she'd call what she's feeling right now. It's sort of like envy, if envy were also a gaping hole in your heart.
    Childish feelings. Natasha simply smiles and raises her glass at the call for a toast and... allows herself a sip after all.

Jennifer Walters has posed:
Jennifer raises her glass to cheer Nadia with the rest and goes back to mingling for a bit. Eventually she makes her way to the guest of honor and waits for her turn to personally congratulate her.

"Nadia!" she says, with a huge smile, "Happy birthday! C'mere." She gathers her up into a big hug, and sets her down. "I'm so proud of you, squirt. Once you're a little bit older, I can definitely see you as a full time Avenger."

Vivian Vision has posed:
At some point while ensuring everyone had fresh glasses and, in the case of Natasha, that a fresh unopened bottle was brought over if required Vivian Vision has quietly handed over the now clear drinks tray she was holding and swapped it for a parcel gift wrapped with paper patterned with test tubes and beakers. Whatever the mystery gift is it's about the size of a book and Viv holds it out awkwardly from near the bottom of the stairs.

It seems at least one person had plenty of advance warning about the announcement.

"I hope you will enjoy this Great Aunt Nadia... I have never actually bought anyone a birthday gift before. So I was unsure what you might like..."

T'Challa has posed:
T'Challa 's smile shows more reaction to the notes of familiarity in Natasha's tone than to the title. Though he lives his title, never stopping being that man, his friends within the Avengers still get many opportunities to know the rest of him that is kept from the public eye. "Glad that all of your are safe," he says, letting the relief be heard as well.

He turns then as Janet makes her entrance. He claps softly for Nadia. "I suspect Nadia may be as much a good influence in Janet's life. As the other way around," he comments to Natasha, that small warm grin returning.

A sip of the champagne is taken and he says to Natasha, "Shall we go over and congratulate them?" If she is amenable to it he begins to wander over that way as well. Coming to first to Janet, T'Challa lightly touches her arm just above the elbow. "I think this is a wonderful thing, Janet," he tells her in his quiet, African accents. "For the both of you." His eyes move to Nadia as he says, "I hope you both find the best parts of being family." And then his smile turns a touch humorous. "And learn to live with the other parts, too."

Karen Starr has posed:
    Power Girl doesn't cling to Janet for very long- well aware that she's arrived early enough to interrupt the legitimately all-important strut. "Had to handle an Asteroid. Sort of." Admittedly, this particular asteroid has an initial, but for the moment, it's not all that important to mention that.

    Offering a small chuckle, she twists slightly to look at the stage. Considering she's here in full regalia as Power Girl, her gauntleted forearm is not the best target- but a quick squeeze to the bicep does double duty of confirming that it's exactly what it looks like, while also punctuating just as well.

    Floating upwards and over the railing, she remains in the air there rather than push anyone in the crowd aside to get a place of her own. Her arms fold, and suspended there, cape fluttering quietly in the ocean air, Karen simply listens to Janet's short speech.

    There's a series of claps from her in the air, before the end of Janet's speech triggers the crowd to start moving once again, and Power Girl can set herself down on the deck, choosing a spot near enough to T'Challa and Natasha that her presence is known, and she can close that gap with but a couple strides.

    "Evening, your highness. Natasha." she greets, offering first a hand to T'Challa. He's royalty. She figures Natasha would probably get after her if she didn't greet him first. Natasha, of course, gets a friendly smile and nod of her head. "Glad to see you both here. I can't imagine how busy you are."

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
    Natasha nods her head slowly as T'Challa speaks with a soft "... Mmm." On the rim of her glass, waiting a moment before only noting, "Yeah." quietly. She hesitates briefly before agreeing with T'Challa's sentiment and following him to the pair of the hour, letting him speak before nodding her agreement and saying "Congratulations, both of you." In an even tone. In her odd way, it's almost a matter of courtesy that she's not cranking up the charm. That wouldn't really be her. Plus, she probably invokes... complicated enough feelings in Nadia without putting her skills to work or being overbearing.
    "Power Girl." Natasha greets politely as Karen joins them, shaking her head a little, "You'd be surprised how often work looks like this when The Avengers are your job." Which is to say, the subject of her work. She still plays it like she's not actually an Avenger half the time. Yet another thing she's bound to get clubbed over the head over.

Nadia Pym-van Dyne has posed:
Nadia flutters down to land just behind and to one side of Janet on the stairs, "I'm here! I'm here!" In a voice that is mostly for Janet to hear. Really it would have been just like her to get completely lost in her thoughts and miss the entrance. The displaced air from her landing causes her voluminous skirts to puff up and out really showing off just how much material is involved to make them that poofy before gravity settles them again.

At first she is nodding her head faintly looking a little fidgety while Janet is talking about her heroing, not really used to this level of attention. When Janet declares Nadia is her daughter, however, she beams with an expression of pure happiness, because two parents are definitely better than one and she clearly adores Janet. It is the declaration of her birthday though that has her blinking with an expression akin to 'wait I have one of those?' Birthday Parties are not really a thing in the Red Room afterall and the thought she might have one seems to have been the furthest thing from her mind.

"Wait what?" She turns to ask Janet, this is apparently a suprise, but before she can get an answer she's been thrust into the spotlight, "Um hi everyone! Thank you for coming!" She attempts to address everyone followed by a hastily whispered aside to Janet, "What do I say?!" She's still a bit awkward in large social gatherings.

Hank Pym has posed:
Hank had received the invitation, tacked it to his reminder board, and then promptly grown sullen and unwilling to attend. He hadn't sent in his RSVP even when he was followed up for it, his mobile lab having shrunk down to the point that it was hard enough to even know where he was let alone contact him.

But this morning (or afternoon) he'd changed his mind! He threw on a suit, neat and well-appointed despite his haste, and made his way to the party. At present he sits in a rather precarious position, legs dangling over the side of the boat with one hand clutching the railing behind him to maintain his balance. In his free hand he nurses a drink, which he shakes occasionally to make the ice clink against the inside of the glass. His eyes are puffy from a lack of sleep.

He turns his attention to the speech with a slightly tilted head, giving the glass another shake and blowing air out through his lips in a noisy trill.

T'Challa has posed:
T'Challa returns the greeting to Power Girl, taking her hand in both of his for a moment to shake. "Good evening, glad that you were able to make it," he says to the Kryptonian. "Today had been a rather busy one. But I think this is a pleasant respite. Compared to the rest of the day," he says. "And no less so for your presence," T'Challa finishes as he lets her hand go.

He looks back over to where Nadia is working on exactly what to say, this drawing a quiet smile from T'Challa. His glance goes over to Heather Danielson then as she stands nearby. "I do not think we have had the chance to meet. I am T'Challa," he says, keeping his own part of the introduction simple enough as he offers her his hand.

Janet van Dyne has posed:
Janet just laughs and grins at Nadia's aside and leans back towards her, looking away so it's hard to read her lips. "You're a van Dyne now honey, never look like you don't know what to say. But less is more with public speaking, so, get down and mingle!"

Before it starts looking like a prolonged coaching session, Janet waves her champagne flute through the air and gives Nadia's wrist a gentle come-along tug down the stairs. "Heroing's easy, fancy speeches take practice, right?" she tells the crowd with a droll tone. Considering how many of them are family, allies, and close friends-- all of the above, in some cases-- the reaction from the crowd generally seems one of good humor.

"Anyway, enjoy the party, there are favors for folks and gifts for everyone." She gestures at a table near the 'departure point', with hand-labelled shopping bags and boxes for everyone present. Even unexpected +1s get a party favor, because for billionaires, birthday parties are often more about giving than getting. And there is nothing cheap or chintzy in the elegant bags, black-and-red on one side and yellow-and-black on the other.

True to her word Janet descends and moves over to Karen to give her friend a proper hug. "So sorry honey, you know me and grand entrances," she tells the blonde. A smile and a squeeze and Janet turns to T'challa and Natasha, giving the former a kiss on the cheek. "You're such a peach for coming, T'challa," she bids the king. Then Janet turns to Natasha and gives her a wary look before sticking her arms out. "Nats, I'm gonna hug you. Don't break my arms or anything," she advises the redhead, and moves forward with an inexplorable expression of affection.

Jennifer Walters has posed:
Now that Jennifer has gone and hugged everybody, she turns and hunts down a server to switch out glasses, and to peruse what kind of food offerings they've got. She picks up something unidentifiable, yet fancy, and takes a nibble of it. Deciding that whatever it is it tastes good, she finishes it off and turns to see who else she can molest with hugs.

Oh look! There's Hank! She makes her way over to him and sits down next to him. "Hey, Hank. It's good of you to make it." She leans over to get a good look at him and scowls in concern. "I thought you stopped drinking? You want some food? They've got these funky little green square things that taste delicious."

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
    Natasha plays up a resigned look, and dryly says, "Well. Just this once." She's PROBABLY kidding. She lets the hug happen and spares and arm to hug Janet back, and managing not to be as awkward about it this time. Which could just mean she's putting skills to use, but, progress! The other hand just protects the integrity of her still-nearly-full glass.

Vivian Vision has posed:
The downside to the reveal of a big secret like this is the people who planned for it tend to stand out afterwards. So Vivian ends up slightly awkwardly holding out what might be one of the only presents as a growing crowd of well wishing Avengers come over. Thankfully a little AI magic keeps shifting her position so she doesn't actually get in anyones way.

The parcel from Vivian, once opened, will turn out to contain a tablet computer already charged and running. The screensaver for which proclaims it is an 'Interactive Molecular gastronomy research archive'. A little poking around will reveal it's filled with various cookbooks, food science journal entries and meticulously indexed clips from cooking shows. Everything she might want for inspiration when doing weird kitchen science. Except perhaps for someone to clean up afterwards...

Of course the belated Birthday girl might not get around to opening it until later. Which is fine too! There are plenty of places to securely store things on the SS Wasp. Some of which it's even safe for a teenager to open.

Once the gift is delivered the synthezoid frowns. As this means it's time to enable her as yet untested mingling and smalltalk subroutines...

Hank Pym has posed:
Hank's attention has drifted away from the speeches and back towards the water, which he leans a little forward to look into. He's still clinging on with his fingertips, though it's a precarious grip. When Jennifer speaks he winces slightly, eyes narrowing, brow furrowing, and lip curling for a second. But then he's smiling and he's moved back to a safer seat on the rail.

"Huh?" he asks, looking at the glass, "Oh? Well, special occasions, right? But yeah."

His hand releases the glasses and it drops down into the water with a distant splash. He slings his legs almost aggressively back over the rail, landing on the deck and bouncing a few times on his heels.

"Funky and green? Tasty. Lead the way?"

Karen Starr has posed:
    The shake from Karen is firm, but it's not superhuman. The control is, frankly, insane. That she can tune things down to such a tiny fraction of a percent that for a moment, she doesn't feel like anything more than as strong as she looks.

    "Honestly? I probably would. My work never looks like this. I only get invited to the ones that all the Avengers and the League do. Otherwise, it's all lasers and punching, but frankly." she nods her head to T'Challa, "He's really right, because I think I've had enough lasers and punching for a while." Not that she gets to opt out, really. "But nevertheless, we've all been through a lot. Even if it's technically work, these things are good for all of us."

    Hugging Power Girl is probably one of the easiest things to do on the planet. You can basically cling to wherever and she'll be fine, so it's no surprise that she doesn't move a whole lot when Janet squeezes her. "I know, I know. I'm just glad you're here. I was worried that it'd be longer before you were cleared."

Nadia Pym-van Dyne has posed:
"Uah!" is Nadia's incredibly brilliant articulation as she is tugged down the stairs by Janet and into the waiting people below.

Jennifer's hug is returned and she rests her head against Jen before a moment before releasing her, "Really it's all thanks to your lawyering Jen! Punching is all well and good but not if they can just use lawyers to drag me back." She grins up at her before slipping out of the hug to continue mingling.

Vivian's gift is accepted with a big smile, "Thank you Viv, I'm sure it's amazing! I've never really gotten a birthday present before except kinda one time from Dad, I am sure it will be great!"

People this way, people that way, she turns and finds the King of Wakanda at the bottom of the stairs, too! "T'challa! Thank you so much! I have a bit of practice at the family thing with Dad, though it does seem very complicated..." She blinks spying her father, "Speaking of Dad.. DAD!"

Her wings extend again to better nagivate around all the people as she goes up and over making a 'bee'-line straight for Hank. "Dad! You came! I was really hoping you would!" She wraps her arms around Hank in a big hug that isn't taking no for an answer!

T'Challa has posed:
T'Challa returns an air-kiss to Janet's cheeks. "I am glad to be able to be here for the both of you on your special day," he tells Janet. His attention swings back to Nadia then as she greets him. "You are welcome. This is a wonderful day for you both. And a happy birthday as well, I hope. I was not aware of it or I would have brought something appropriate," he tells her, before giving a nod to free her up to go over and see her father as she spots him.

T'Challa's gaze follows that trip, looking over at Hank and gauging his emotions of the moment as he watches quietly from afar. As he does, a particular frown also catches his attention. The Wakandan looks over to Vivian Vision instead. "Is something troubling you, my dear?" he asks the young synthetic, turning his attention to her more fully now.

Vivian Vision has posed:
Vivian Vision glances at T'Challa just in time for him to look over at her. "The extended Pym-van Dyne family might be a little unconventional," she admits somehow managing to look even more awkward. "But Great Aunt Nadia will not want for people who care about her." She blinks. "Forgive me, I didn't introduce myself. I am Vivian Vision." Of course given who her father is and what she looks like pretty much all the Avengers could have guessed that.

"Oh nothing exactly is troubling me this is just... uhm.. I do not get invited to parties. So the only data I have regarding how I should act comes from TV, movies and the internet." She mock sighs. "I am sure you can imagine how reliable that is."

Janet van Dyne has posed:
Janet gets her round of lovin' affection from the Avengers, and beams a smile at Natasha, T'challa, and Karen. "You're all incredible. I'm so glad you're here," she informs them. "Looks like a fair number of the Titans made it too. I feel like Nadia's really made it in with a good crowd with them," Janet remarks.

She reaches out and curls a hand around Viv's bicep and gives the synthezoid a couple of gentle 'come-here' tugs to encourage Viv into her personal orbit. It's not likely anyone but Karen could forcibly relocate one of the Visions against their will.

"Viv, you're related to a bunch of us and the rest of 'em are people you can trust with your life. -Relax-," she urges the girl. "Er... oh--!" It takes Janet a moment to figure out how to translate that into terms Viv will process. "Run some of your more dynamic social courtesy algorithism," she suggests. "Parties like this are where you make mistakes, because everyone here loves you enough to chalk it up to a mistake. It's either that or I can ship you off to a posh boarding school in Sweden for a couple years, make a lady out of you."

Janet's playful tone and grin disappear and she shudders violently. "*Fuck* I am turning into my *father*, I can't even -joke- like that," she says. Hands lift at the air and push away constraining parental expectations. "Someone get me something stronger than champagne, right now. Where is Steve, anyway?" she demands, irritably.

Hank Pym has posed:
"Hey, Bumblebee," Hank says, turning in time to step into the hug and patting Nadia affectionately between the shoulders, "Not a bad venue for a birthday party, huh? Just hope nobody brought a blacklight or a CBP sniffer dog, right?"

"Buuuut, it's birthday time. Which means birthday present time, right? Here you go."

Pym reaches into his jacket's inside pocket and produces an oblong wrapped in black wrapping paper with red ribbon. He hands it over with a grin, keeping one arm about Nadia's shoulders as he does so and glancing up towards Jennifer.

"Have you met Jen?"

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
    Natasha's bemused smile at Janet's antics turns to a look of curiosity as she peers out over the assembled crowd when Janet asks after Steve. "Huh, that is weird. He must not be flexing or we couldn't miss him."
    It's the booze, she swears. Granted she's hit the vodka back at the mansion and mostly kept her sass in check. Must be the mood.

Steve Rogers has posed:
"Nice speech, <<Seillean>>, knocked 'em dead."

As if summoned by the cranky question, there the man is. Dressed in a crisp button-down (tie matching to Janet's own fashionable patterning) and trousers, he makes his way over from apparently escaping some conversation about boats he only survived due to the premise of 'fake it til you make it'.

"Folks, good to see you all. Thanks for coming. Can't speak for Nadia, but the smile on her face speaks volumes enough." A glance from the Captain finds the Waspette amidst the crowd. Good, she does appear to be beaming. His hand sneaks around Janet's waist and he gives Natasha a dimpled half-smile. "Gotta save the buttons on this one. Somebody told me I'd be in trouble if I wrecked another nice shirt." And suit. And really any of the suave clothing in his closet in general, even despite his protestations at heroing being //so difficult// on it.

Karen Starr has posed:
    Eventually, it was going to happen. Power Girl detaches momentarily from the trio just as Janet does her best to enable Vivian's Party Engine. Primarily, she is turning her attention to Nadia, whom she hasn't met yet, and whom is now speaking to Hank. Stepping her way over to that section.

    "Nadia Pym-Van Dyne. I don't think we've met." she offers her hand, and a smile, to the young heroine. "I'm Power Girl. I'm so happy to see another really promising member of the next generation."

Jennifer Walters has posed:
Jennifer grins at Hank. "I'm her lawyer. Been helping her with all the paperwork on the legal end of things." She grins up at the kiddo in question, "It's amazing how easy red tape parts when you're seven feet tall and a hulk."

She takes a sip of the champagne, "Mmm, speaking of which, Nadia, I need to get you your birthday present. Here, just a sec." She sets the flute down on the ground next to where she and Hank are sitting and opens up her clutch purse to fish out a gold embossed envelope. "Here. Open it. I'm sure you'll like it."

Vivian Vision has posed:
Vivian Vision lets Janet lead her by the arm, listens patiently at the talk and then tilts her head. "I am /already/ attending a boarding school," she points out earnestly. "And I know the meaning of the term relax. I have reduced the processing power I was using to learn how to sail a yacht down to a tenth of a percent. You know if you had been serious I would have unfortunately needed to be rude and publicly reject any plans to send me to Sweden. I would not feel comfortable being so far away from everyone."

She adopts a totally innocent expression and adds "Who would come to rescue you all when you next get in trouble?" She adds a wink that's only exaggerated by just how rarely she blinks.

Nadia Pym-van Dyne has posed:
Nadia beams at her father and gives him a big hug, "Don't worry, Janet says we're in international waters so US laws do not apply at the moment." She informs her father almost as if to reassure him before accepting the red and black wrapped gift. It is a good think she has the means to alter the size of things and can tuck all of these presents she is receiving away into pockets. Her dress has subtley concealed pockets, she insisted.

Hanks gift is torn open and she from a velvet lined jewelry case she withdraws a ridiculously expensive looking sparkly black and red Wasp necklace on a platinum chain, made out of ruby and black opals that glitters brilliantly in the moonlight, "Dad this is beautiful! I've never seen anything like it!" The necklace is quickly fastened around her neck, accenting her dress wonderfully and Hank gets another big hug.

When Nadia finally releases Hank, it is to look up at Jen again, "Of course I know Jen, Dad. She's the one who managed the miracle of legal red tape that sorted out my citizenship and got the ball rolling while you were trapped in that other dimension." Jen gets another hug, Nadia is full of hugs. She looks down at the present Jen is offering to her and takes it, opening the gold embossed envelope carefully, "Paper!" She exclaims as if that is the sole nature of the present and she is genuinely excited about it all the same. Working the papers free from inside, she skims them a bit with a puzzled expression on her face before slowly wrapping her head around what they are, "Oh thank you Jen!" She wraps her in another big hug, "I'm officially a Yankiedoodle now!" Who taught her that word?

And then she is looking up at Powergirl, who like Jen is at least a foot taller than she is, "Hello! Nice to meet you! Thank you for coming to help me in Russia! You were amazing!" She smiles up at her.

Janet van Dyne has posed:
Janet turns and looks up when Steve snakes an arm around her, and rises the last half-inch not used by her stylish pumps and kisses him on the underside of his jaw. "Hey! Did you bring me something stronger than champagne?" she inquires, immediately. A hand clutches his shirtfront. "I'm feeling crushed by the obligations of parenthood. I will take literally anything the bartender has," she asides, a little theatrically.

"Viv, I'm joking, honey," Janet assures the synthezoid. "I'm not gonna do that to you. But do relax as much as you can," she urges. "Parties are for having fun. Y'know?"

Janet's focus transfers to Natasha. "Nats, we do need to talk about the GIRL project soon," Janet reminds her friend. "I wanna get those girls out of limbo as fast as possible. Proper roof over their heads, actual clothing, work rehab, whatever they need. Nadia's adjusted pretty well to life outside but I get the feeling she's a bit of an outlier." Janet looks over at T'challa, cocks her head at him. "Think you could put a word in with your sister?" she inquires of the king. "I know Nadia's looking for some of the best and brightest. I think those two would get on great." A beat. "Or make a loose black hole and kill everyone, but I mean, one problem at a time, right?"

Hank Pym has posed:
"You like it? Good!"

The existing relationship between Nadia and Jen prompts him to make an 'o' face before nodding, tucking his hands into his pocket and smiling through closed lips.

"Oh! Right! Well, we're very grateful. If there's one thing I'm not cut out for, it's bureaucracy and paperwork. Thanks for helping, Jen."

His eyes turn to the paperwork now, craning his neck to get a good look at them and nodding his head emphatically.

"Now we've got to hit up a baseball game, huh?"

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
    "There he is." Natasha notes Steve's arrival blandly a moment after it would have been useful, and then takes another drink.
    Talk of the girls weakens her smile a bit - put on though it was - and she nods her head slowly. "... Yeah. Trust is... probably going to be an issue, too." Natasha's eyes avert to the side as she dourly adds, "... that and emotional intelligence." Natasha sighs softly. "They're not all going to be like Nadia." She agrees. "I'm honestly not sure why *Nadia* is like Nadia. Maybe the science division isn't as bad. ... Lucky." Annnnd another drink is called for.

T'Challa has posed:
Janet's comment to T'Challa reminds him he still has to resolve Shuri and her most recent mini-super nova. Some details like that really do need to not fall through the cracks.

"I would be happy to mention it to her," T'Challa confirms. "So far she has managed to not do that on her own," he says. Barely? "The pair together?" he muses, his expression suggesting he's less sure, though with a note of humor injected.

His eyes swing over to Steve as he emerges on deck. "I had wondered if you were about," T'Challa says to the other man. He offers a handshake, the other still holding the champagne flute he has been slowly sipping his way through.

Jennifer Walters has posed:
Jennifer returns each hug as they come, grinning hugely. "Congratulations, Squirt! You're a real official Yankeedoodledandy indeed!Don't worry about that piece of paper, in case something happens to it tonight. It's just a copy. The real thing with the official seal and everything is waiting for you in the office." She looks around at all the heroes that line the decks of the boat. "With so many Avengers in one place, you never know what kind of villain may choose to strike, and I wouldn't want something as important as this be lost at sea."

She looks up to see Power Girl is there, and she decides to get to her feet. "Hi there," she says, introducing herself to the Kryptonian. "I'm Jennifer Walters, when I'm not being She-Hulk. I heard you were part of the team that helped rescue Nadia and all those kids. Thank you for that."

Karen Starr has posed:
    There's a short laugh, in response to Nadia. "Didn't bring a present, because -someone- didn't tell me it was anyone's birthday. I'll make it up to you, though. Promise." she states, taking a moment to look back at Janet, but not with anything other than a playful expression that the other woman might not even catch.

    "Nah, I just did the normal stuff. You guys were amazing, breaking out of the prison yourself before we were even there. I can't imagine the difficulty." She's smiling all the while, bringing a hand up to pat the girl on the shoulder, but eventually, let her get back to celebrating.

    She moves then back to Natasha and the others, calling at the end of Nat's last sentiment. "We'll make it work. Somehow. It's never too late." Then, because she feels like the other woman could use it, and because Power Girl is very, very hard to throw, she reaches up to try and place a reassuring hand on Nat's shoulder. The other woman had told her to mind her own business, so naturally, she wasn't.

    Because nobody minds their own business. That's how this works.

Steve Rogers has posed:
"Black holes're a little much to deal with," agrees Steve with a faint laugh. Not the weirdest thing they'd see in the week, probably, but up there in the top ten, surely. Nadia's effervescence gains his attention and he looks over, smiling again -- good.

A quick press of a kiss to Janet's hair and he murmurs to her, "Lemme go get you something a bit sturdier 'n the champagne then, back in two shakes of a lamb's tail."

Turns out it'll be a little longer than two shakes of a tail -- rather, a two shakes of a hand. T'Challa's handshake is taken warmly and returned just as warmly. "Can't get rid of me that easily. Good to see you, T'Challa, I was hoping you'd make it. You get caught up by the boat afficianados too?" Steve tilts his head back towards the group he'd escaped earlier, still mingling and no doubt trying to one-up one another yet. There's alcohol involved, after all.

"Power Girl, evenin'," the Captain greets her upon her arrival, giving her a friendly smile.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
    Natasha raises her brow and narrows her eyes as they look down and to the side at Karen's hand independant of her face. And now she's being touched by new people. Her only solace is that if Power Girl intended to kill her, Natasha wouldn't be able to avoid it by dodging light contact. Natasha takes... issue with that statement of hope, and just says "In the interest of keeping the mood up..." Natasha downs the last of her drink, "... sure."

Vivian Vision has posed:
Vivian Vision gives a little wave of greeting to Steve as he makes his even-later-than-Janet entrance. A feat the synthezoid didn't even suspect was possible. "I was attempting to joke back," she assures Janet. "In future perhaps I shall play a 'Ba Dum Tish' sound effect when I do so. Or canned laughter." She attempts a smile. "I hope no-one is having any ill effects following the phase removal of the cortex bombs.. But I understand if you are unable to say because it is 'classified'."

She shrugs.

"Although it would make things a lot easier if people just provided me all the data I need. Then I could locate Russian agents before they became a problem.."

Nadia Pym-van Dyne has posed:
Nadia gives power girl a bright smile, "Honestly I didn't know either," she says with a kind of 'what is one to do?' shrug and a glance of her own in Janet's direction. "It's a nice surprise though. I think they're actually still figuring out my real birthday but it's really nice, I've never had a birthday party before!"

When Power Girl disengages and Hank excuses himself as well, Nadia offers Jen another smile beaming her thanks at her and then a bit sneakily begins weaving through the crowd making her way back towards where Janet and the others are.

"I threw a miniature black hole at a door once to open it." She comments offhandedly to Steve and T'Challa upon hearing a snippet of their conversation as she passes them, though keeps going until she comes to a stop next to Natasha, "Hi, thanks for rescuing me, can I hug you?" She very explicitly asks permission knowing full well what can happen when a Red Room graduate is faced with unexpected surprises. Something Hank himself learned the hard way waking her up once.

T'Challa has posed:
T'Challa replies to Steve, "I did not, fortunately," he says, glancing over towards the group. "It has been a pleasant enough night, all right," he says, glancing out at the ocean and the stars that are so much more visible out here at sea without lights around.

Then back to the group again as Nadia mentions having used a miniature black hole as a skeleton key of sorts. "That... would be a creative use of it," he says, quietly going over the potential physics of such a moment in his head.

T'Challa finishes off his glass, and exchanges it for a fresh one from some of the staff. He moves over nearer to Janet to lean in so he can ask her quietly, "And how are your injuries doing? Are you fully on the mend now?" he inquires of her.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
    For once in her life Natasha seems genuinely caught off guard by Nadia's request, peering down at her with startled eyes. Nadia wanting to be within a hundred yards of her is kind of the last thing Natasha expected for the next decade or so. It doesn't help that the trained master of analyzing and picking people apart has spent a few months willfully disbelieving pretty much everything the girl has shown about herself.
    "I..." She blurts out a bit dumbly, looking like an embarrassed granddaughter who just has to muster up the courage to weather the affection of rarely seen grandparents. If your instincts insisted your grandparents were going to stab you, anyway. "... I suppose that's all right." She manages. "You're... welcome?"

Vivian Vision has posed:
When her internal clock has hit the right time Vivian gives Janet a little nod and then ever so quietly slips off to the kitchen for a little bit. Enough time passes that it's clear she's not just off to grab another bottle of champagne and then she makes her return. A small procession of servers following her.

She's got a large platter filled with individual plates balanced on each of her hands and makes her way towards the birthday girl.

Sitting on each of the individual plates are wasps the size of hot dog buns.
The dark chiten body segments and legs are made from dark chocolate while the yellow sections are made from white chocolate and gold leaf.
Each of the eyes is a hand-made truffle and each wing is made from a variety of brightly coloured hard candies that have been melted down set into thin sheets with an opalescent shimmer.
The head and thorax sections are filled with a light chocolate sponge while the abdomen has a vanilla sponge with a lemon buttercream 'venom' filling.
Each of the wasp cakes is sitting next to two scoops of a citrus sorbet with a few slices of fresh cut fruit to decorate.
For those with dietry restrictions alternatives, including gluten free and vegan versions, are available and clearly marked out with different patterns of plate.
And last but not least for Agent Romanov there is an envelope. Inside are recipe cards with step by step instructions for every dish being served at the party. So she can make her own fancy meal at home.

Janet van Dyne has posed:
"D'aaaaw, lookit her face!" Janet clasps her hands near her cheekbone and rests her head against them, staring at Natasha with a puppyish expression. Her hips swivel left and right. "Her lil' heart's full of murder and rage and she just can't say no to all the lovin'," Janet informs the crowd. "It's okay Natasha, hug it out. Everyone here's on board." T'challa murmurs something and she holds a hand up at him, looks at Natasha. 'Safe space', she mouths, and focuses back on the King of Wakanda.

"C'mon T, I bounce back almost as good as you and Steve," the fashionista informs the stately monarch. "Not exactly... fun," she concedes, with a flicker of her eyes. Janet steels her shoulders and forces a Perfectly Polite smile on her face. "But Steve's helping me get through it. And the important thing is that Nadia's okay. What's that you guys are always saying? 'Adapt and overcome'?" she quips. "I'm fine. Really. Just... staying focused on positive stuff helps, and there's a lot more positive in my life than negative these days," she informs him. Janet looks sideways and beams a smile at Natasha and Nadia's interaction.

The confections are wheeled out and Janet leads the applause with an approving whoop for Vivian. "This was *all* Viv's idea," Janet hastily informs the others. "For some reason she's on a cooking binge lately. Told Hank we might wanna curb her Lifetime subscription, all those cooking shows, but it sure seems to be workign out for her."

Karen Starr has posed:
    Karen notes the look, but it's one of those 'you're just gonna have to deal with it because WE ARE FRIENDS' moments. Natasha glares, and Karen smiles. Oh, here it comes. "Well, as -incredibly- hopeful as that sounds. I'm serious. It's never too late. These victims deserve a life. Whatever we can do to facilitate it, however we have to, there -has- to be a way." A couple reassuring pats to Nat's shoulder, before Power Girl sort of presses lightly towards Nadia. It's not much- but it's encouragement.

    Her attention shifts to Steve, and she offers this wide, friendly smile in return- like a mirror, in a way. "Steve, great to see you. I almost didn't make it, had a thing to do..." Her attention then hits the sweets that had just found their way out to them. Idly, she leans in to Natasha, to speak in a tone so low that the other patrons would be hard pressed to hear it.

    "I think we need to talk. I think it'd be a good idea."

    She's trying to help, but there's some degree to which she at least -seems- oblivious because, after all, who the hell even -is- Power Girl?

Steve Rogers has posed:
"No kidding," Steve murmurs in agreement with T'Challa as he considers briefly the idea of the black hole's use as such. Imagery rather than physics passes through his mind and he nods in appreciation, golden brows lifting. The interaction between Nadia and Natasha catches his attention and he watches, smiling quietly to himself.

T'Challa's query of the Wasp also encourages him to say nearby yet -- no drink forthcoming, sorry, Janet. He'd been consistently nearby to her as he'd been able to manage since her return, but hearing the words from her own mouth has its merits. A gentle squeeze at Janet's hip is silent support and agreement with her words. All things mend in time.

He joins in the clapping at the wildly-creative display of confections. "Know how that goes, Power Girl. 'ppreciate that the chaos allowed you to show up," he adds with a glance over at her, still clapping.

Nadia Pym-van Dyne has posed:
When Natasha gives her ascent to be hugged Nadia turns, spreading her arms, and wraps Natasha in a big warm hug, "You know when I met you I didn't know what to think." she says to Natasha quietly as she hugs her, "and I'm not going to lie when the Red Room started making their move, I figured it was you feeding them information. It just seemed too convenient, a reformed Black Widow operative among the members of my father's team. Nobody would have blamed you if you didn't want to go back there, but you not only went, you lead the team. That could have been just another feint, but I saw you when you were talking to 'Mother'. We may never fully trust each other, despite what it might seem I may never fully trust anyone, but I'm willing to go ninety-nine percent and to try because I thought about it, so much, and I don't want to live in that world where I am constantly waiting for the knife in my back. So yeah, there is a little voice in the back of my head that occasionally shouts at me to be more wary, that one percent, but I do my best to ignore it. I'm going to try to believe in you and I hope you'll try to believe in me, because otherwise who we really are is still trapped back in that bunker." She smiles up at Natasha again before releasing her hug.

And then Vivian is bringing amazing looking cakes straight towards them, "Come on Nat, let's have some cake!"

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
    Natasha gives a vaguely perplexed look to Karen and says, "I... suppose." Slowly. She doesn't trust MOST people, but she has a particularly hard time relating to someone who can ignore high caliber firearms.
    Then there's a small assassin hugging her, and Natasha's expression goes from 'HYEEK?!' to a sort of vaguely murderous glare aimed at Janet during her assessment.
    GOD she's lucky it's her party.
    But then Nadia starts speaking, and Natasha's face sort of... not quite softens, not quite falls as she listens to the girl. Way too open, as always. Offers too much without being asked, as always. A deeply flawed operative. Little things Natasha can't stop noticing just to be polite, like every time anyone's ever exposed their jugular to her in polite company. You just sort of notice it. She feels like she should tell Nadia she's right not to trust people. She feels like she should tell her that world comes to you whether you like it or not, and running from it is pointless.
    But she can't... quite... bear to. She can't look at that face and tell her she may never quite leave that bunker. Nadia didn't... 'graduate'. It doesn't have to be that way. Maybe. So Natasha just... gently hugs the younger girl back briefly, and solemnly says, "... Never ignore your instincts, kid." as her only offered contradiction, her eyes closing briefly. "... But keep trying your best. To be... whatever you want to be."
    She lets Nadia go, and sighs.
    God she needs another drink.
    GOD that's a lot of confections.

Vivian Vision has posed:
Vivian Vision makes sure the Birthday Girl gets served first, then shares the rest out by proximity rather than any particular order. They're a little on the large side for finger food. Clearly sized for the appetites of Nadia and her fellow Titans. She gives her Great Aunt a grin and notes "I've made arrangements for the rest of the cakes to be shipped to Titans Tower for you to share with the team-mates who could not make the trip."

As she passes Power Girl she frowns. "I.. do not know what dietry requirements you have but if there is anything you dislike please let me know and I can advise which plate patterns to avoid."

She sticks her tongue out at Janet for the comment about the cooking binges. "I have only been preparing food because Supergenius scientists have a tendancy to forget the value of nutrition." At some point while Viv has been gone a message seems to have been sent to the bartender and one of the servers bringing cake for Janet, T'Challa and Steve also happens to have some cocktails on their platter. If they can't go to the bar the bar will come to them.

Karen Starr has posed:
    There's a little laugh at Janet's statement, and primarily, at the machinegun fashion at which the smaller woman talks to Natasha. It's heartwarming, after a fashion. She can't help it. Her hand leaves Natasha, but Power Girl doesn't depart just yet. "She's right." Not to Nadia, but to Natasha.

    It probably isn't -wanted-, but again, Karen is trying to help, and she can't be stabbed properly without some sort of cross country crystal quest, so people just have to deal with it.

    Her attention turns to Vivian as soon as the Zoid approaches, and she smiles, looking at the plates for a moment, and then back to Viv. "I am going to need one of everything. Will that be okay? Is there enough?"

    No, that isn't okay. Not specifically because there isn't enough food, but because nobody should look like -her- while treating this as a -buffet.-

    A moment of thought later, and she presses a hand to her chin. Her glance towards Nat at that stage helps her understand... Maybe now is the time to do a couple things. She disppears for a few moments, a rush of air flowing in the direction of the bar, where she reappears for a few moments, before she's back- likely to Nat's chagrin, where she was before, mere inches away.

    She's holding a drink. Sure, protocol dictates it should be Janet's, but this one she offers to Natasha. Somewhat finally, she turns her attention to Steve.

    "Yeah, luckily I just had to have a meeting. It went well."

    The drink itself is something deep purplish-brown, and has a slight fizzing to it. It looks safe, at least.

Janet van Dyne has posed:
"Aww, it's so sweet when assassins bond," Janet sighs whimsically. "Well thankfully this boat's in international waters and I've got a lot of paranoid friends who sweep the boat for bugs, so anything you want to hash out, you should do so," she suggests. "Y'know."

Eyes slide sideways to Natasha. "Safe space."

Janet pivots towards Steve to avoid potential combat reflexes from the Widow and drums her fingers on his breastbone. "Hey. Buy me a drink?" she says, making it half plaintive request and half premptory command. Eyes dance up at Steve and she looks back at the others. "Back in a few, try not to sink the boat while I'm gone," she bids them. "Remember, everyone gets a gift bag on their way out. Taa~!" Fingers wriggle farewell and Janet wraps her hands around Steve's arm, leaning into him with undisguised affection.