7376/Madison's Sweet Sixteen

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Madison's Sweet Sixteen
Date of Scene: 15 August 2021
Location: Madison's Apartment -- Palm Tree Apartments
Synopsis: A successful Birthday party is hard! After all, any party where you play Imperial Assault is a win. Even if there is some love triangle awkwardness amongst the teens.
Cast of Characters: Madison Evans, Irie West, Billy Batson




Madison Evans has posed:
    Does it surprise anyone that Madison has enough Star Wars themed Birthday items to make any four year old boy insanely jealous? She has paper plates, and napkins, and cups! There's a cheezy table cloth! She's got a Star Wars themed Happy Birthday banner, with Star Wars themed balloons - and the words 'Sweet Sixteen' under the other banner. Many of the serving dishes are Star Wars themed, and the cookies are cut out with Star Wars cookie cutters. There's even a Death Star waffle maker next to a pitcher of waffle batter and a bunch of fresh fruit toppings.
    "Man, thanks so much for helping us set up!" Maddie says eagerly to Irie. "This would have taken fooooooorever otherwise!"

Irie West has posed:
The only birthdays that Irie has ever attended were either ones for her family or a couple of her fellow Titans. This is really the first one that she's gone to that's a good friend, so she went all out and bought a really nice present for her. Hopefully she doesn't have this one already. The present is wrapped neatly, with a bow and everything, and a Star Wars birthday card with BB8 on the front going BEEP BOOP BEEP! (happy birthday!).

She showed up wearing some yellow shorts with red trim and a white t-shirt that has the Flash logo emblazoned on the front. Nothing like advertising who you are when you're out of costume. She brought an extra bag of snacks, because you can't have too many snacks when you have a speedster around.

"No problem!" she tells Madison, fists on hips, striking a super hero pose. "Always happy to help a citizen in need!"

Madison Evans has posed:
    "Man. We even have extra time!" Madison is dressed today in a shirt she custom ordered. It's got art of Princess Leia in her iconic outfit from A New Hope, complete with cinnamon bun hair style, and a blaster held in an almost Charlie's Angels pose - and the message 'Birthday Rebel' on it. Around her neck is a silver necklace in the cut-out shape of the Jedi Academy symbol - the outfit is completed with a pair of jeans.
    It's as her hand touches her necklace that she suddenly remembers her awkward experience of the day before.
    "Oh gosh. Oh gosh, Irie," Madison asks hurriedly. "How do you know if a boy likes you or not?"
    No. It doesn't occur to her that Irie might not be the most qualified person to ask. Why is she asking the 5/-15/16 year old?!     

Irie West has posed:
Irie's eyes go wide at the question. "I don't know," she admits. "Maybe they get all tongue tied and flustered around you. That's how I know I have a crush on somebody." When Madison touches her necklace Irie notices it for the first time. "Oh! Is that a Jedi necklace? Let me see!"

Madison Evans has posed:
    Madison lets Irie look at the necklace as she says, "Well - yesterday at school, one of the boys - ummm, Billy - he gave me a birthday present, yet? And it was a California necklace. With a heart in it! I mean, I guess I must have talked about being homesick around him. And I thought it was really sweet of him... And then he asked if he could put it one for me. And he like... took forever doing it. You know? Like lingered behind me fiddling with the clasp. And- I mean, it has a //heart//in it. Do you think- could he- do you think he //likes// me or something?" she asks uncertainly.

Billy Batson has posed:
Where the heck is Billy? Not here. The new on the television is droning on about the biggest Shazam (the red guy) trying to deal with a leak on te USS Intrepid Air Craft Carrier slash Museum. Shazam is helpfully holding it up while the workers finish repairs. At one point he sets the vessel back in the water and starts welding damage above the water line. He lands to meet a group of children wanting selfies. They all want selfies. Have they never heard of Air Drop? Back in his Captain Thunder days he's charge ten bucks a pop. He finally ruffles a few heads and shoots off. He splits the sky getting to the Palm Tree Apartments in under a minute and hesitates. He really doesn't want to meet Bea here. She needs her space. He finally takes a deep breath, changes to Billy and ascends the stairs. And he forgot his shades. Wen he knocks on the door his black eye is very much in full bloom.

"Hey gu... Madison, hi Irie." He bears a huge bag of popcorn he popped himself. Shazam helped.

Irie West has posed:
Irie blinks as Madison talks about Billy being all sweet on her and Irie falls silent for a while. "Um. Yeah. I guess that he likes you," she says trying to hide her disappointment. "If he put it on you, I mean. That's the kind of romantic thing a guy would do I guess."

And then speak of the devil. Here's Billy. "Oh, um, Hi Billy," she says stammering a bit. She feels like a fool, now, for having feelings for the teen when he obviously doesn't have them for her. "You brought popcorn!" she says quickly tuning away. "There's a whole table for snacks. It's over there."

Madison Evans has posed:
    "I- oh! Billy! Hi!" Madison says promptly, and brightly. Oh God. Oh God. Did he overhear? He probably didn't overhear, right? I mean, they weren't talking that lou- "Wait what happened to your eye?" she asks in concern. "Gosh - are you okay? Should we like- I mean, you don't need a doctor or umm... I bet there's a bag of frozen peas in the freezer?"
    She looks towards Irie to see if she has a better idea what to do about Billy's massively miscolored eye socket.

Billy Batson has posed:
Billy Batson smiles and says, "Ice is no good. I got this... Thursday. Anyway, it's not as bad as it looks. I was on the beach and didn't look where I was going and went right into that 'No Dogs Allowed' Sign.' It was kind of an act of god." Yes. Pan. Shazam was surely going to give him a beat down next time they met.

He brings the popcorm to the table but scoops a two cups out and offers one to Irie first. Well he tries. She isn't quite facing his way. "Irie, you want some popcorn?"

Irie West has posed:
Irie shakes her head helplessly at Madison, "I don't know. The frozen peas might make it feel better and reduce the swelling," she suggests. Shoving her hurt aside and firing up the care-o-meter she asks, "How old is it? Did you just get it? Do I need to beat somebody up?"

When Billy explains, her eyes narrow. "You ran into a sign," she says disbelievingly. "Okay." She's not going to push it since this is the first time she's seen him with an obvious physical injury. Plus she knows Billy well enough that he really /could/ have just not been paying attention and ran into a sign.

She takes the scoops of popcorn and says, "Thank you!" and starts chowing down on it. "Mm. Popcorn."

Madison Evans has posed:
    "You really should be more careful," Madison remarks with concern - wrinkling her brow as she considers Billy with puzzlement.
    "Well. Thanks for bringing the popcorn, though. That was real nice of you! You should try the cookies - look, there's even wookiee cookies." Because of course there is. For her part, though, she pours some of the waffle batter into the waffle iron, sealing it closed as she waits for it to cook.
    "I don't honestly know if anyone elsse is going to come," she adds a bit awkwardly. "I mean, I am still 'new' at this school..."

Billy Batson has posed:
Billy Batson gets another scoop for Madison. "You could have a word with that loud mouthed blonde guy from Calculus. the one things he can grow a mustache. He was wolf whistling at me big sister. Just kidding. Oh, my big sister is back in town. Her name is Mary. She's a dungeon maker, mapper... master. She's okay, but kind of a doofus." He looks over at Irie a little puzzled. Then he looks at Madison and grins. No reason. Okay this is sort of rocking already.

Irie West has posed:
Irie scowls at Madison. "Well that's no good. We need to go and find some more friends!" She's already finished the scoops of popcorn that Billy had given her and has now moved onto the Wookiee Cookies. "Mm, these are so good."

"I didn't know you had a big sister," she says to Billy. "And a dungeon master too? Aren't those kind of rare?" She looks over at Madison for the answer. She really doesn't know D&D all that well.

Madison Evans has posed:
    "We could use more Dungeon Masters for the D&D Club!" Madison supplies eagerly. "Is she still in school? Or is she - like - a //lot// older?" she asks in a curious tone. After all, sometimes older siblings can be a decade or more older than their siblings!
    Towards Irie she adds, "It's alright. by this time next year I'll have loads of friends - right? It'll be fine." She flashes her a broad grin, though she isn't //entirely// certain if that'll be the case...

Billy Batson has posed:
Billy Batson raises an eyebrow at Irie scowling. She seems a little intense? He answers Madison's query, "Way older, she's twenty! She goes to college. And there are a lot of Dungeon Masters. My sister is just a great one. To hear her group talk. She mnight do a session. I'll ask her."

He whispers to Irie, "Are you all right? Honestly... you don't have to run out and round up friends. I'm good with Madison and... you." Yes voice catches a little. He gets her another scoop of popcorn, last of the bag really.

Irie West has posed:
"She could be a special guest Dungeon Master!" Irie says, grinning. "It'll give J'onn a break." She moves over to one of the sugar cookies that's shaped like Darth Vader's head. Picking one up she intones in a deep voice, "Luke. I am a tasty snack. Omnomnomnom." Yes. She actually says 'omnomnomnom.'

Billy gets a quizzical look. "Yeah. I'm fine. It's not like I'm going to go out there and kidnap random people for Mads' birthday party. Besides, the three of us are enough to play some board games."

She turns and grins at Madison, "Speaking of which, open your present!"

Madison Evans has posed:
    "Right! Present! Okay!" Madison says brightly. She glances at the waffle maker briefly - it probably isn't ready yet - and instead hurries over to where Irie left her present. After openin the BB8 themed card, and happily giggling at the, she tears open the susiciously box-shaped present. In fact, it's suspiciously //expansion// sized. So she figured it was either a Star Wars puzzle or- "Ooo! Heart of the Empire!" she says brightly. "I hadn't got this one yet because I got the Lothal one instead!" she explains, giving Irie a broad, excited smile. "This is perfect! Thanks! I wonder if this'll unlock a new campaign in the app?"

Billy Batson has posed:
Billy Batson smiles tries to look engaged. He's pretty sure something is up with Irie but he really has had no chance to see her this past week. Things are busy during school hours and after there's homework, fighting the forces of evil, and at night, he's in the dorms and she's living n a big 'T'.

He says to Irie, "I wasn't thinking you abduct random people. I figured Vivian or that Bando guy."

Irie West has posed:
"Probably!" Irie says excitedly. "I can't wait to try it out! Plus it's got an ATAT like thingie inside for you to paint. It looks really cool."

Irie grins sheepishly at Billy. "Oh, yeah," she chuckles, rubbing the back of her head. "They would be good, but I think Viv is dealing with superhero stuff today. I've never met Bando before, though. "

Madison Evans has posed:
    "Viv would probably just remind me that lightsabers are dangerous and impossible," Madison remarks with a frustrated sigh - before adding brightly, "But should we play Imperial Assault? I can get out my mini case. And we can load up the app on the tablet - there's a whole bunch of different characters you can pretend to be. Jedi, soldiers, a medical droid, a wookiee - just about anythihng! We're all good guys, of course, and we're fighting against the //evil Empire.//" Her gaze shifts eagerly between the pair.

Billy Batson has posed:
Billy Batson heaves a sigh of relief when she grins at him. In fact he grins back. Oh thank goodness. He was mistaken. She's fine!

He says, "Is this outfit like superhero casual? You can party or rescue people? It's cute. You could start a fashion line... super casual. You have a good eye for it." Shut up shut up. He blushes and get up to get drinks.

Billy looks at the board game? Tablet, app expansions. Where was the Deathstar? "I... thought we were going to play something like Monopoly or Risk. He was pretty good at Risk. Frank and Rosa insisted the kids learn and play board games of their choice.

Irie West has posed:
"Yeah," Irie agrees. "Viv is like that." At the mention of the board game, Irie's eyes light up. "Yeah! Let's do that! I had so much fun the last time we played.

Irie picks at her shirt and blushes when Billy compliments her. "Yeah. It's kinda like my costume. I got the t-shirt at the Flash Museum, and the shorts at an S-Mart. It's kinda like low key cosplay, but I'm cosplaying as myself."

Irie's eyes go wide Billy's board game naivete. "Oh you're in for a treat!" she says. "This is nothing like those games. It's fully cooperative so it's us against the app. We can help teach you play!"

Madison Evans has posed:
    "Should we load up the new content?" Madison asks. "Only then the new pieces won't be painted at all but we can work on that later, I suppose, for the next ti- OH THE WAFFLE!"
    One her feet in a flash, Madison dashes to the waffle maker, popping it open to discover- "Phew. It's perfect. I thought maybe I forgot about it too long." She starts cheerfully piling fruit onto her waffle as she nods Irie to the box on the shelf. "Do you remember how to start setting it up?"

Billy Batson has posed:
Billy Batson wonders if he'll ever have a museum dedicated to the Shazamily? Irie is part of a legacy. He might be starting one, provided he gets his act together." He looks at the game a minute. "You know... this would be a great format for a game about... mythology. Like the Trojan War. The gods fought in that war, choosing sides. Aphrodite wounded, Ares took the field, and was struck down by an enchanted spear. Or the war of the gods and the titans. I wish I new how to write these apps. I could throw a game like that together." For a moment he is not a skinny kid but speaks as though he'd seen something of those battles.

Irie looks really nice.

Irie West has posed:
There's a yellow and red blur, around the apartment, and then suddenly the table is cleared and the game is set up (and maybe half the cookies are gone). "There! Done!" Irie says, rubbing her hands together. She grins at Billy's suggestion, "Yeah! That'd be really good. I did some reading up on this game and it turns out that it's based off another game, but it's fantasy so you've got orcs and monsters and stuff. But, yeah! Like, history stuff would be cool too!"

Madison Evans has posed:
    "Descent!" Madison supplies. "And the app for Imperial Assault is based off the Mansions of Madness app with hall the Cthulhian Horros and stuff. But mom said I couldn't have Mansions of Maddness //and// Imperial Assault." Like that was a hard choice for Madison. "They're both very expensive games."
    She retrieves her tablet and her box of minis, and offers Billy a stack of Imperial Assault character cards. "You can pick first - since you've never played before. Whoever you want to be! There's a loooot to choose from - oh, Irie, can you get the new character cards out of the box?"

Irie West has posed:
Irie nods and grabs a kitchen knife to peel the cellophane from the box, and opens it up. Normal speed so Madison can ooh and ahh at what's in the box. She, first, pulls out all the minis and sets them in front of her friend. "Here's all the minis," she says. "And there's some cardboard punch outs." She starts punching out the tokens and boards, setting them aside in neat piles, and then opens up the cards, and pulls out the character cards that come in the expansion. "Here you go."

Madison Evans has posed:
    After everyone's picked out their characters - and Madison's had time to study her new minis - they get the game started on the app, assembling the map using the requested tiles. It's a near thing for the heros - battling nexu, and E-Webs, and even an AT-ST - but they somehow manage to limp across the finish line a couple hours later, with the McGuffin in hand, and the prisoner rescued - and two of the heroes injured. A third injury would have lost them the scenario!
    It's at this point that they enjoy the cake Madison's mother baked, before Billy can excuse himself for the evening.