7454/Happy Clone Day!

From Heroes Assemble MUSH
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Happy Clone Day!
Date of Scene: 20 August 2021
Location: X-TREME ZONE
Synopsis: Gabby has a birthday party with a range of guests that may sometimes be at odds with one another. It goes surprisingly well.
Cast of Characters: Gabby Kinney, Rahne Sinclair, Laura Kinney, Thomas Blake, Kitty Pryde, Tim Drake, Cain Marko, Negasonic, Cassandra Cain




Gabby Kinney has posed:
The day was here. Gabby was, naturally, super excited about the party she'd set up for herself. If you want something done you right you got to do it yourself. There were little party cards that had been sent out to various friends and relatives with a cartoon kitten on the front announcing the party at X-TREME ZONE, the tristate areas number one activity and party zone! It was often rented out for parties for kids or even used as the occasional get away for business retreats for places that liked old school fun. The laser tag arena here was two level, there was a go kart track out back, and the main area was filled with games of skill, chance, and likely some theft given how much money you had to crank into them to get those stupid little tickets that got everywhere.

Balloons were set up in various cheerful colors, tables were arranged around to allow for easy movement as well as access to the buffet food table. There were hotdogs, hamburgers, fried chicken, sushi that probably wasn't super high quality but it was there. Fresh cut fruit, salad, and of course cake. There were three cakes: Chocolate, red velvet, and birthday cake! with all the sprinkles ever.

Gabby is hopping around from place to place taking after Noriko and Jubilee as she often watched their own party arrangements just to make sure everything is JUST RIGHT. There's even a crown shaped party hat on her head because of course there was.

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
Rahne Sinclair shows up bearing a crown shapes party hat in her hands. She stands in the door, the surprise for Gabby becoming a bit of a wince as she sees the excited young lady bouncing around, wearing a crown shaped party hat already.

She takes a deep breath, glancing to see others about to arrive, and decides not to block the doorway. "Um..be this th' place?" she asks, rather unnecessarily. The big 'Party!' sign is rather a dead giveaway.

All she has in the way of gifts is a small rectangular package, about a foot long and ...no it's not a knife.

Laura Kinney has posed:
Laura is not usually the sort to attend a party. Not without a disguise and a tactical objective in mind anyway. But Gabby is her little sister and so exceptions sometimes have to be made.

She's dressed in (what is for her) a smart casual style. Black tight fitting pants, black top and black boots that are on the sporty end of tactical military surplus. With not a single weapon in sight.

Those are all stashed in the trunk of a nearby parked car.

For now at least she lurks near the buffet tables. Having dropped off a bottle of her own homemade hot sauce. A sauce so spicy that the label uses the internationally recognised symbol for poison and simply says 'Not recommended for consumption unless you have a healing factor'.

Thomas Blake has posed:
Thomas Blake for his part considered his invitation for a while. Satana was off doing her demon stuff. Fine. Then he saw the card for Cain.

"Oh. I wouldn't miss this for the world." He padded up to his guests' room and slipped any mail or outstanding warrants under their doors and padded away.

"Eh. I was getting soft laying around here anyway. A little joint time will keep me toned."

That day, no Satana. He scrawled a note, calling her an inconvenient demon who was often feckless, signed it with a heart and changed into a track suit and headed out to the Extreme Zone, card and flowers in hand. Females like flowers. He comes in right behind Rahne...

"Gabrielle's party, right? It checks out." He didn't say he cased the place earlier in the week. Exits, alarms all that good stuff. "Hello, I'm Thomas," he says greeting Rahne.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
The door opens to admit another person to the party. Those from Xavier's school will recognize the student readily enough. Anyone else will just see some kid in his mid-teens, who is a little pudgy and with short cut brownish hair. He looks a lot like the chubby kid from Stand By Me.

His real name is James though most people at the school call him Hambone. Hambone has a wrapped present under one arm, though it might be easy to miss while one is taking in his attire.

Hambone came ready to play laser tag apparently. He carries his own laser gun in one hand and is wearing the sensors already. Beyond that, Hambone is wearing combat boots and a pair of black fatique pants. And a t-shirt that has fake muscles drawn onto it, showing where not covered by a fake black tank top printed onto the shirt. He has a black bandana tied around his brow.

Rambone has arrived.

"Where's the cake and ice cream?" he asks, looking around and showing his priorities. "Ooo. Buffet!"

Tim Drake has posed:
    The Tim Drake most civilians know is too much of an introvert to attend parties, despite getting invited to most of the ones that happen around the Gotham U campus. The Tim Drake anyone at this party knows is too much of a workaholic to attend parties, and yet here he is anyway. Wearing a hat and sunglasses in deference to the whole secret identity thing, because if he has anything it's an overabundance of caution. But at the same time it's not as if his and Gabby's (and Laura's) costumed associations are common knowledge, are they?

    One of the employees carries a large pinata that she sets down amidst the party tables with a soft grunt of exertion. "Man, what's this thing filled with, rocks?" she grumbles before wandering back to the front counter. "Who would want to beat up an otter for their birthday, anyway?" Which, excuse her, it's clearly a wolverine (the animal, not the short guy).

    Tim (or whatever alias he's going to be going by for today) arrives moments later, holding a package a bit bigger than a shoebox tucked under one arm. The paper it's wrapped in is shiny, with an abstract pattern that makes it look like the inside of a geode. Bougie. The folded edges of the paper are done so crisply and perfectly that it almost looks like it's been wrapped by a machine. Bougie *and* overly meticulous, now that's Tim.

    His free hand emerges from the pocket of his hoodie to wave at the birthday girl. "Hey, Gabs. Happy birthday," he says, even as his head is subtly turning so that he can scan the assembled group.

    Just for situational awareness. He's going to behave himself.

Cain Marko has posed:
And there's one more entrant to the party! There's a sort of thrumming in the ground, as though something big were drawing close to the venue. Then a massive figure appears in the doorway, taking up way more of it than is typical, ducking down and into the building. Some of the people there may recognize The Juggernaut, albeit outside of his usaul armor. Others might just see a really tall redheaded guy with a somewhat brutish face.

Cain Marko scans around the room, absently scratching at his chin with thick fingers. He's wearing a fairly nice button up shirt and slacks,a long with leather shoes. Clearly all custom. Maybe he goes to Ralph's Really Really Big And Tall over in Mutant Town. He has a moderately large box in one hand, which in his grasp looks on the small side. He notes the assembly of other people there. If he recognizes any of them from past encounters, he doesn't show it. Well, other than Thomas and Gabby. Those he raises a hand towards. "Hey. So this is the place, huh?"

Then he's making his way directly towards the birthday girl, pretty much ignoring anybody that happens to get in his way as he does. Coming to a stop before her and bending over to ruffle her head with his free hand. "Happy Birthday, Gabby. So how old are you now? Fifteen?"

Negasonic has posed:
Who even invited Ellie and why would they? She's just going to ruin everything by being snarky. Showing with a hoodie under a leather jacket in the middle of August like some sort of goth troll. The hood is up, the earphones are in, and the attention span is limited. Not so much that she doesn't see the decorations, which Gabby has put a lot of effort into and Ellie isn't giving enough appreciation, but close...

Truly, Ellie is like SOMEONE'S ungrateful ass cat.

Walking with one hand in her pocket and the other holding the strap of a backpack. Single shoulder like it's 1999 or something. There will be many selfies.

Up on her tippity toes, looking over a bunch of people she doesn't know trying to find th eonly person she does know....

Gabby Kinney has posed:
"Laura! You came!" There's a hint of surprise there from Gabby but she's not about to rub it in either. Instead she bestows the first of likely many hugs on her older sister only to take a step back with a wide grin. "I'm glad you're here! A lot of people said they'd come so I'm hoping it'll all turn out okay..." Ah, speaking of. Her attention shifts over to the others that soon come in. "Rahne, Thomas! This is my sister, Laura," she introduces simply as she makes her way over to offer the two hugs as well.

"There's tons of food and plenty of cake and games and welcome!"

Then there's Hambone. "Heeey Hambone! Make yourself at home... Yeah, foods over there," she agrees with a solemn nod. His laser tag gear does cause her eyes to narrow in thought. He might be a stealth contender in the game. Hm. Thankfully there's the wonderful distraction of a pinata being brought in. Her eyes widen with a look of surprise and delight. "Who brought that? I didn't bring that! Oh my god it's a wolverine this is too perfect!" A little squeal of delight starts to bubble up in her when Tim offers his greeting. "T--man! Yeah! Thank you! I hope you have fun..."

Stomping. Oh that earns another grin. Was it an earthquake? Nope! It was apparently another anticipated guest. The overly large redhead that shows up is met with a wave to garner his attention. "Hi! Thanks for coming, C!" And right behind him the darkness that slips in... "ELLIE-BEAR!"

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
Rahne knuckles her own forehead in respect as Thomas speaks to her. "Rain Sinclair," she seems to say, though there's perhaps an accent involved there. "Um...can...ah take...your coat?" No, wait, abort, you're not serving this party. Guest! Ack. Too late.

She has on a sundress in a nice sea green and sandals, and as she looks up and up and up behind Thomas to see Juggernaut, she pales slightly.

"Ah dinnae work here," she mumbles. Ack. Redhead! She lets him pass, oh lord does she let him pass.

She waves to Hambone, not really sure what to do, until Gabby yoinks her. Probably for the best, she's got a lot of issues and if left alone too long will probably spiral a bit.

"ah cannee stay too long," she whispers, hoping not to be heard by anyone else. She slips her gift, the wrapped one, into Gabby's hand and mumbles something else. So many people, she's starting to freak out a little bit.

But it's an awesome party.

Laura Kinney has posed:
Laura Kinney responds to the hug by freezing in place for a moment, as if holding still will make the hug end faster, then quietly says "Check your pockets for your gift." Ahh yes. Typical Kinney family hijinks. Palming the gift into a pocket rather than gift wrapping it like a normal person.

Of course when Gabby does check her pockets the only unexpected thing she'll find is a key on a keychain. What's it a key for? Who can say! She'll no doubt find her surprise when she heads outside.

Rahne and Thomas get a nod of greeting. Along with anyone else that enters immediately after them.

Tim gets a raised eyebrow. Not because of anything he's done. More likely it's a result of some of the more unusual guests...

Thomas Blake has posed:
Thomas Blake chuckles at Rahne's offer. "That's all right Rahne. Do I detect a Scottish accent. My family is originally from Scotland -Blake. It's nice to meet you... excuse me Cain, I'm speaking to the lady. relax I doubt anyone here bites. We're all here for Gabby. She's one of a kind."

He turns to Laura a moment, "Your sister is a fine young woman. Nice to meet you." To Ellie he chin nods.

"What part of Scotland are you from?" He doesn't look terribly Scottish. Apart from the red hair, he has a baked in tan.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Despite Hambone's interest in the buffet, he goes over to Gabby first as she calls out to him. "Smells great," he says. He offers her the present, which it looks like he wrapped himself, given how it has extra paper hanging out in spots and about three times as much scotch tape as required.

"Here Gabby," he offers to her. "I'll be happy to play it with you whenever you want," he says. Making it quite likely to be a video game. Something that involves shooting people.

The loud entrance causes Hambone to look over towards Cain. Though at least he's seeing people with unusual appearance so he doesn't stare. At least not at Cain.

That platter of chicken fingers on the other hand gets a long look. "I'll just go and... make sure everything is set out nicely," he tells Gabby as he drifts away towards the buffet.

Tim Drake has posed:
    Given that his appearance coincides with the en-masse arrival of many other party guests, Tim doesn't try to get in close with Gabby just yet. He's more suited to lingering at the edges of crowds anyway, and it's a good place to be for a little... bird watching, shall we say? Ah-ha-ha.

    Eh. It's a good thing Tim keeps most of his jokes to himself. He has enough self-awareness to know they're absolutely... fowl.

    Man he needs to get out more.

    "Don't worry about me. Today's supposed to be about you," he tells Gabby from where he stands out of the way, a small smile on his face. Which only twitches a little bit when the ground starts to shake, and slowly his head turns to look towards Cain. Given that his hat is pulled down low and his sunglasses hide a good portion of his upper face, it's hard to get a read on his expression. It doesn't really change much. But when he glances in Laura's direction, she might have enough familiarity to notice the tension.

    Still. He's behaving! He gives Laura a subtle lift of his chin in greeting.

Cain Marko has posed:
The accent from the much shorter redhead causes Cain to glance at her curiously. It's cute. But then he looks back at Gabby. "Yeah. No problem. Figured I'd at least stop by. Looks like you're gettting some people." He bends over, and briefly scoops up the tiny painless berseker to plant a smooch on the top of her dome. Then he settles her on her feet again and straightens up, turning to consider the rest of the party again. "So. Who are all these weirdos then?"

He studies each of them in turn, seeing if any of them spark a memory. None of them are wearing ridiculous costumes though, so it's probably harder to figure out if he's punched one of them in the past. His eyes eventually settle onto Laura. "Hmm. Sister. Yeah, I guess I see the resemblence." It would probably be weird if he didn't. Rahne gets another glance, the huge man eyeing the lupine feral. "Y'okay there, kid You got an expression like you just walked in on your parents together."

Some of them stood out by not standing out. Like... Hambone. The kid looks like just a normal kid to him. Hmm. Pudgy kid. It briefly stirred up old bully instincts in him, but he didn't act on them. And then there's Tim. He also looked relatively normal. Though he was also dressed like he was stalking somebody. And then there's the girl that's... edgey. Well, Gabby IS a teenager. He supposes he should have expected a bunch of kids. On the other hand, she invited him.

Negasonic has posed:
Edgy is a mean spirited moniker.

True... but mean spirited.

Gabby's greeting shout across the room draws Ellie's attention and the hint of a frown. "Ellie-Bear?" it's mouthed more than spoken. It's better than Snugasonic. It'll do.

Headed towards the birt- cloneday girl, she unslings the backpack off her single shoulder and holds it out. "It's a bunch of those lame ass candles you like. And a bookmark with a cat on it."

Has the sides of her head shaved. The top starting to grow out, it's almost enough for a mohawk... almost.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney calmly, and cooly, with a hint of pride responds, "I'm seventeen. It was too busy last year to celebrate my sixteenth so I wanted to go all out for this one. It's my first official birthday party ever!" The coolness slowly descends into glee at this -- She really was excited about it. A hand pats over her pocket to feel the key that Laura had placed there. The urge to run out and examine what exactly was out there is pushed down for now. Party first.

When Cain scoops her up into that hug she stretches her arms as wide as she can to return it with a laugh. Apparently, in spite of the giant man's reputation, she wasn't scared in the least by him. Given her personality and family though was it really any surprise that she could make friends among the most diverse crowd. "Friends, fellow students, family. I get around, I guess." That takes on a whole new term but thankfully she wasn't too old for it to be taken wrong.

Tim earns a grin and she nods at him in understanding. "Sorry, I know not everyone likes crowds," a glance is cast toward Rahne as well reaching out to give her friend's arm a quick squeeze, and she nods toward Laura as well. There were so many here that weren't fond of crowds.

Ellie's approach earns a bright grin as well. The bag is taken with a little sniff and glance down at it. Even through the bag she could smell those candles. It was hard not to! "Aww thank you! You're so thoughtful! And your hair is looking great," she adds with an emphatic nod. "There's food and cake and plenty of things to do! Gonna do some laser tag later. No real explosions though, sorry."

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
Thomas gets Rahne's attention, as she opens her mouth then closes it again. She blinks, she pauses. She tries again. "Ullapool," she says softly. "Ah hail from Ullapool."

But she doesn't chat. She does look at the growing crowd, and gives Hambone a bit of a sign. Something he might or might not know, but it boils down to 'tactical retreat'.

Then she gives Gabby an apologetic, but panicked, smile, and ducks out the door. So fast, so light on her feet. So very very gone.

Happy birthday Gabby.

Thomas Blake has posed:
Thomas Blake watches Rahne depart. "Every so often... you run across a woman brings you down to earth, Cain. Even me."

Not to be left totally empty handed he grabs onto Gabby and almost throws her over his shoulder. "Happy birthday, 'Hermione.' Your gift is detailed in your card. A night out." He sets her down.

Laura Kinney has posed:
Laura Kinney nods back at Thomas. "I am aware of this," she assures, sniffing the air. "Usually I would make some ominous comments about people who mistreat my sister. But she is more than capable of looking after herself... Also people tell me that sort of behavior is impolite at parties..."

When Cain looks over at her she returns the stare with a remarkable lack of concern. Clearly though there is some recognition there. "I do not think they will have laser tag equipment that will fit you."

Another sniff of the air and she turns to look at Ellie. "You must be my sisters roommate." A statement not a question.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Hambone disappears over to the buffet table. He loads up a plate with finger food, a fair amount of it fried, and then some pools of sauce to dip them in. He wanders back over going through his plate steadily.

He drifts over and finds himself near to Tim Drake. Hambone says, "The obstacles in this laser tag arena make for a lot of good ambushes. I just wish they let us use laser grenades like the place over in Brooklyn. You can really wrack up the points there, they let you use one per match," he says, nodding his in a knowing way.

"So how do you know Gabby?" Hambone asks before digging back into his plate, dipping some fried cheese in marinara and then eating it.

Cain Marko has posed:
Cain glances around, seeing if there's somewhere to put the present he brought. By the pinata, right? He lumbers his way over there. He's more graceful than you'd expect for his size, but he IS still very large. So its lumbering. He sets the box down on the table, and then wanders over to grab a plate of various snacks before returning to the birthday girl. He raises a brow over at Thomas. "What, you get shot down?" He thinks. "Aren't you dating somebody or something?"

The comment from Laura draws his gaze back to the other feral clone, and he cocks his head. "Well, that's not really my sorta thing anyway. Laura, she said it was? I'm Cain by the way." He holds out his huge hand to Laura. Then offers it ot anybdoy else that happens to be nearby. "We might've met before.I dunno. I... run into a lot of people, in my line of work. Hard to keep track. Especially when they're in... casual clothes." He gives a broad grin. "Plus a lot of them aren't worth remembering."

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Someone walks out of the laser tag area. Not a word, barely even a sound, but there's a sudden CLANK as something is set down loudly and anyone with an ounce of self-preservation would likely glance up to see...asian girl. Cassandra, if you know her. Orphan if you don't.

But for once it's not her that really draws the attention. She brought something that is SO horribly out of place, inappropriate, and insane that it can't possibly be a gift.

Cassandra just placed a vulcan cannon on the ground. A chain-gun, a rotating barrel monster of a fully automatic weapon. It appears to have no ammunition, which is likely her attempt to be nice.

It has a pink bow on it. Oh lord, it's a birthday present. She brought a chaingun for Gabby's birthday.

And she just looks as if she's slightly tired. Or perhaps on a walk in the park. Well, it's not loaded.

Tim Drake has posed:
    There's a moment where Tim allows himself to stare wistfully at the buffet table. It's the fried chicken that really catches his interest, because 'fried' is not a word that exists in his food vocabulary. So tempting, though, especially as one of the other party-goers drifts over to where he's leaning against the wall, still holding his gift for Gabby.

    "Oh, do they?" Tim asks, and his head tilts over towards the laser tag arena's entrance. That is less tempting, if only because he'd purposefully have to dumb his skill-level down so as not to be too obvious. Which would hurt him deeply in his over-achiever soul. "I'm not much for laser tag. I have a hard time seeing anything in the dark." And then he taps his sunglasses, which might either be a joke at his own expense or an attempt at leading Hambone astray, let him make his own assumptions at what Tim means.

    When Gabby offers an apology in his direction, he shoots her a fond smile and shakes his head. He's fine! So long as he avoids looking towards Cain he can just pretend he isn't here and Tim's sense of obligation won't kick in. Willful ignorance at its finest.

    He plucks at the bow (made of real ribbon!) on the gift still in his hands, fluffing it up from where it's been slightly crushed. "I met her through her sister," he explains, and nods in Laura's direction.

    As Hambone stuffs a bite of fried cheese in his mouth, Tim's stomach growls. Like, audibly. His head tips back to smack against the wall. "How'd you meet her?"

    His head swivels slightly at a loud sound to his right, and then there's Cass. No words. Tim just stares, and after a long moment, gestures at her and the gun she's just put down like 'Really?!'

Negasonic has posed:
"Yet. There's not really explosions... yet.." Ellie counters Gabby, but she does so with a super rare, super sardonic grin. "Happy birthday, GabGabs." She even reaches out and ruffles her hair. See? SEE?! She's capable of human companionship!

Then she's off like a shadow to engage in recreational food consumption. Stopping only long enough to give Cain the long eye because... Seriously, it's Cain Marko. She's distracted from this by Laura's comment and glances her way without a word. Immediately looking back at the chicken fingers.

It was, afterall, a statement not a question.

Cain Marko has posed:
Cain doesn't know her as Cassandra OR Orphan. So when he hears the clank and looks over, he just sees an asian girl. Carrying a chain-gun. Hmmm. That's not a bad gift. He appraises her consideringly, then raises a hand her way. "Hey there. and what's your name?" His incredibly deep bass voice is curious. It's not the most pleasent voice, being on the rough side. But...uh. It's loud? He hasn't seemed to notice Tim's lack of looking at him. And might have laughed if he knew what the boy was resisting the urge to do. But then, he doesn't see most people as threats. He does return the look from Negasonic, squinting his eyes at her. "Yeah?" Geez. How many teenage girls are there at this party? He feels like he's going to end up on a watchlist just being here. A different watchlist from the other ones he's on.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney laughs when she's hoisted up into a hug by Thomas only to nod quickly in response. She's set down again though left to give another quick look around. Well then. It did seem most everyone was here, and a good amount were still holding onto presents. While an eager part of her did want to tear them all open--Lookit that perfect wrapping from Tim waiting to be shredded--She didn't want to just jump on it all.

So she compromises by making her way around, "I can take the gifts to put on the table and then we can have cake and... pinata I guess?" She reasons with a look over at it already curious as to what was inside THAT too.

Cassandra's arrival along with the gun earns a squeal of apparent delight, handsd clapping together. "Oh man! Thank you Cass! So! Um." Glancing again to the growing pile of gifts she mumbles, "I wasn't really expecting so much but thank you!"

Laura Kinney has posed:
"I do not believe we have met before," Laura replies to Cain with a little shake of her head. "Although you may have tried to kill our father in the past. He smokes a lot of cigars and calls people 'Bub'. So long as you don't try kill my sister we won't have any problems though."

Quite what she'll do if there is a problem is left to the imagination. But it probably doesn't involve actually killing Cain. Maybe getting someone to strand him in an alternate dimension or deep space. It's almost as good.

Cass turning up with a Vulcan cannon gets a raised eyebrow. Those things cost a fortune to operate. She sighs and mutters. "Someone will need to bribe the venue staff to forget they saw that."

And that someone will be... well hopefully it will be Tim. He's the rich one after all. But failing that she can always do it.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Hambone is oblivious to what the sight and smell of his food is doing to Tim. Heck, with food in Hambone's hands, it's good fortune he keeps up his end of the conversation. "Know her from school," Hambone says, finishing off the fried cheese and then going after... that looks like fried dill pickle. "She's kind of intense," says Hambone, who is about the opposite of intense with his slow delivery and general obliviousness.

The youth dips a chicken finger into one of the sauces, which turns out to be Laura's hot sauce. He takes a bite, not expecting it to be quite as spicy as it is. His face starts to turn a bit red as he gasps. He makes a face kind of like he's straining at something. And then after a few moments his face starts to fade back to a normal shade. "Whew," he says. "That was hot. Going to be hell coming out the other end."

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Cassandra idly shifts. She looks at Thomas with an uplifted eyebrow, then shifts a bit as she's spoken to by the giant. Her eyes look up at Cain, and she stares at the man as if looking at a statue. He face is blank, and up close it does look as if she might...perhaps...be older than the others here. Hard to tell sometimes.

"...Cain," she says. Then she turns away, looking at Gabrielle. And Tim. Because Tim is hilarious.

She lifts her right hand to her face, pulls down her right eyelid just a bit, and sticks out her tongue.

A moment later she offers Gabby an upnod and a smile, but no words. Her eyes aren't so distant, but that might be Tim's influence.

Then she looks at Laura, eyes just slightly narrowing. She determines that this is not a challenge, and allows it.

So Hambone and Negasonic get a friend at the chicken fingers, which she proceeds to study as if deciding if it is in fact food.

Oh. Sushi. Yay, I can actually eat tonight.

Cain Marko has posed:
Cain shrugs a shoulder and says to Gabby, "You're a good kid, Gabby. No reason you shouldn't get a pile of presents." He reaches out to pat her on the head, his hand pretty much engulfing the entire thing. Then he looks back at Laura. "Since you presumably have the same father as her, yeah. I've met the runt a few times. He has an atittude on him for such a short guy. I got no plans on killing Gabby. Like I said, good kid." He winks over at her. "You and her are lucky you didn't inherit more of his looks." It's said in a clearly joking sort of way. He pops a chicken leg into his mouth and chews it up, bone and all, before swallowing.

Then he looks down at Cassandra. The response gets a small frown from him. "Cain? Huh. That's my name." He considers that with furrowed brow for a time. Finally he says, "I'll just call you Small Cain." He nods firmly then goes back to eating. His plate is quickly emptied.

Tim Drake has posed:
    There's no winning here, not for Tim. Cassandra makes that face at him and Tim scoffs like he's offended, and then he turns to Hambone with his hand still out, held towards Cass. It's a very clear 'can you believe this?' gesture which would maybe have more impact on someone who knows who he and Cass are.

    But that is not the case. He stares blankly as the kid dips into what Tim thinks might be Laura's homemade hot sauce. "Do you know--."

    Welp. Too late.

    "Yeah," he says, as Hambone struggles. "Intense. I guess I can see it."

    Behind his sunglasses, his eyes pinch shut. The youth these days. Tim is rapidly becoming aware of exactly how out of touch he is, the more this conversation goes on. "I'm going to go, uh," and then rather than finishing the sentence, Tim just lifts up the present in his hands and starts to walk away, though he does toss a, "Nice to meet you!" over his shoulder.

    He makes his way over to Gabby and comes at her from a flanking position, just so he can swoop in quick, wrap an arm around her in a tight hug, and then press the gift into her hands. "Fun party," he tells her. Even if he's not the intended audience (in that he has no understanding of the word fun) he can still appreciate it. "I'm going to go before I--."

    But then... then he spots something over Gabby's shoulder.

    "Is that the Jurassic Park arcade game?" He clears his throat. "Excuse me, I have to uhhh--I gotta go."

    Tim walks away and crams himself into the enclosed arcade game, picking up one of the light guns. "Heck yissssss," he hisses.

Negasonic has posed:
Having given GabGabs her gift and made an nominal appearance, Ellie does what Ellie's do best and snaps a few pictures to put on twitter... but then, and only then, she secludes herself in a corner to engage in some internet terrorism: As one does in 2021 when they are 16. Because socializing in person is for losers.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney reaches up to pat Tim's arm when it slides around her, apparently not too surprised by the stealth hug from behind. The package is taken in her free hand as she listens to his excuses for why he needs to go be elsewehre. At least until he spots the video game. A knowing smile creeps over her as she gleefully agrees, "Yes, yes it is. Arcade is open," she assures even as he already makes his way over there. See, she KNEW everyone would find SOMETHING they wanted to do here.

With that she turns away to head for the tables were most are already converging to place the gift down. Then picking it up again. Idly she responds to Cain and Cass' little convo, "She's not much of a talker, but her last name is Cain. Works out though," she has to admit with a grin. "Thank you for the gatling! I'm gonna see what Tim got..." And so she does by tearing open the package gleefully. Oh that poor wrapping paper.

Inside is a stuffed honey badger plush, and a piece of paper that she reads only to let out a gasp of apparent shock. "I've got an adopted honey badger son! OMG!" The box is about to be set down but... it was still heavy. She digs down and pulls out a row of throwing knives in a leg sheath. "OOOOH! And toys!"

Laura Kinney has posed:
"I hope they're ceramic," Laura chimes in when Gabby gets out the sheath of throwing knives. "Better for getting through metal detectors and you don't have to worry about metal bones.." Still it's more important that they're balanced well. Which of course they will be.

She checks her pocket. Thankfully she generally has enough cash on hand to cover a few bribes. Enough to convince the staff the cannon is just a movie prop. After all what seventeen year old gets military hardware for her birthday?

At least in New York. Who can say in places like Gotham or Bludhaven.

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Cassandra looks around the room. She glances up when Gabby speaks. She glances up when anyone speaks, almost as if she's tracking by sound rather than hearing them speak. But mostly she's interested in all of the things.

She fails to respond to Cain, as she investigates sushi that isn't made by Alfred. She misses what Gabby says about the gatling, as she pokes at the game that Tim's playing. She doesn't really catch Laura talking or the unboxing as she looks at a laser tag gun, being briefed on the rules by the staff.

She doesn't go to play it. She's pulling down balloons a moment later, thoroughly investigating this event. There are many things to look at it seems.

Honestly is it a party for Gabby or for her?

Cain Marko has posed:
It seems like people are starting to split off and do their own things. Whether playing games or doing teenager things on their phone. Cain watches Gabby start to unwrap her presents. "You seem to be gettin a lot of weapons." Which is fine and all but... maybe he should have gotten her a gift certificate to the mall or something. The way Cassandra is acting does distract him somewhat, and he watches her investigating the place for a minute or two. Finally he says, "Not been to a lot of parties, Small Cain?"

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney tips her head up toward Cain when he mentions the amount of weapons. She's quick to tuck the knives away though, nodding toward Laura at all the advice. "They feel well balanced. I'll investigate more later," she assures before chuckling quietly. "Yeah, I guess I'm kind of easy to guess at what I'd like. I mean. Given my upbringing it comes in handy." The stuffed honey badger is still hugged beneath one arm though. It was soft and squishy and easy to carry visibly unlike some of the others.

Curiou she picks up the box Cain had gotten her to open it up as well. Inside a handgun is found, one that looked rather space-agey and could easily be mistaken as a toy. Gabby however regards it thoroughly. "Is this a Kree weapon? Oh man. This is *great* thank you!"

Her attention shifts over to the video arcade with amusement watching Tim just snipe digital dinosaurs.

Tim Drake has posed:
    Tim doesn't so much as look away from the screen when Cassandra pokes her head in. "You know, chaostician isn't even a thing. They totally made that up." He sticks his tongue into his cheek as the arcade cabinet starts to shake with the approaching footsteps of a T-Rex. "Jeff Goldblum still pulls it off, though," he adds.

Laura Kinney has posed:
"Speaking of aliens," Laura says, giving the alien weapon a glance. "I hear you dealt with some kind of alien bug person when your school had... problems."

Tim and his gaming get a bemused look for a few moments, as if she doesn't really get the point of arcades, until she figures he's probably maintaining his cover.

Or perhaps the stress has finally got to him...

"Just make sure you don't keep these anywhere your fellow students can play with them." She makes a subtle nod towards Rambone. "Most won't have had your level of training."

Cain Marko has posed:
Cain shrugs at her. "Maybe? I'm not really sure. I bet somebody could tell you you, though. I... picked it up. While I was working." Meaning he probably stole it from somebody somewhere. He scratches his chin. "You'll be fine. What's that about alien bugs?" That sounds kind of interesting. Or possibly gross.

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Cassandra walks up beside Cain. She looks so out of place, but she also looks as if she likely might be able to take him. It's not true, but she apparently is unafraid of the attempt.

Still, Cassandra proceeds to offer everyone, one at a time, something from her pocket. It's...what is it? it appears to be a pea pod. On closer inspection each one is in fact a pea pod, fairly fresh, and as she hands out the last one she herself puts hers into her mouth.

And grins. Apparently to her this is a treat. She's learned to share!

Cain Marko has posed:
Cain looks down at Little Cain when she comes over t him, head tilting to the side curiuosly. Then she offers him a pea pod, and he takes it, confusion passing over his oversized face. When she eats the final one herself, it becomes a smile as he gets it. He briefly lifts a hand and rests it on her head, if she doesn't dodge it. She should be able to tell he's not attacking her. He pops the pea pod into his mouth and chews. Hmm. Not bad. "Well. This has been fun. Thanks fo inviting me, Gabby. And nice meeting you Laura, Little Cain, other people whose names I didn't hear. I'll try not to kill any of you if we ever end up on different sides of a fight."

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney takes the offered pea pod only to pop it into her mouth after with a grin of her own. She's actually a bit surprised by how sweet it is, and hms thoughtfully. This was a new food to try in the future again. Cain's exit earns a nod and grin. "Thanks for coming! I'll see you around!" There's even an enthusiastic wave at him though perhaps she didn't really NEED to do that. To Laura she assures, "I'll keep it all safe, really." And the festivities go on!

Tim Drake has posed:
    At some point, Tim seems to have vanished. As has a very small wedge of the birthday cake with the sprinkles.

    If anyone checks the arcade machine, though, they'll see a TJD has claimed the top spot of the hi-scores.