Two years in a row now, someone I loved died on my birthday

[controlledvariable]

Who: Steph and friends!
What: A birthday party
Where: A restaurant in... let's go with Howl Barrow? It's not really important.
When: Sukkadi night
Notes: HI. If we haven't pre-discussed this and you're unsure whether your character would be invited, hit me up and I will tell you. On the off-chance your character would like to bring a friend/SO, we can work something out. But yes, come here, tag around and feel free to talk to everyone. Have fun or Steph will make sad faces. P.S. She's wearing this because I wanted an excuse to use it.
Warnings: None for now

Birthdays are weird. They've never been a big deal for Steph. Her parents never cared, she rarely had friends close enough to make a big deal out of it, and she didn't even tell Tim for a long time (she's pretty sure he actually found out by snooping). Last year it was a quiet affair, just dinner with her mom and a few small gifts. Things had been too awkward with Tim to do anything together, and Cass was - busy with something that Steph can't remember now. Baedal makes it even weirder, for starters she'd forgotten it was her birthday for a good two weeks and then she hadn't been sure exactly how to go about recognizing it, considering the fact it wasn't the actual date of her birthday here. On the other hand, she feels like she has more friends here than she has back home, so she takes Angela's suggestion about a party to heart.

After much deliberation, Steph decides to rent out part of a restaurant for her partying needs. Babs had offered her house, but Steph feels like the population of Baedal, her included, has imposed on Babs enough already. So a restaurant it is - one that Angela helped her choose, pay for and organize, which Steph is extremely grateful for. As a result of Angela's help, said restaurant ends up being a little eclectic, hole-in-the-wall place with a restaurant/bar downstairs and the private room upstairs, serving platters of food that Steph isn't entirely sure she recognizes. There's odd pieces of art on the walls, the chairs, small sofas and tables don't actually seem to match each other, but the whole thing seems to fit a general theme and Steph likes it, so that's good enough for her. She'd entrusted music to the venue, not really having the resources at the moment to put music onto one of those fancy crystals; it's been good so far though, a little on the instrumental side, but Steph doesn't mind that. There's a small bar up here, too, with Steph choosing the package that gets them free beer and house wines - if anyone wants anything stronger or fancier than that, it's up to them to pay (Steph isn't made of money, alright).

She's kind of nervous about it, this is the first party she's ever thrown for herself and she just wants everyone to have a nice time. When she'd invited everyone - either by private CiD message or in person - she'd told them that presents weren't necessary, that it was just a small get together to help her celebrate the technical passing of a year. She really just wants everyone to have a good time.

Comments

[controlledvariable]

Steph gets distracted from any more comments about cake by the gift. She takes the box without making a fuss, she knew nothing she said would stop Kate from buying her something, and has subsequently expected a present.

"I'll like it," Before she even starts unwrapping it, because she trusts Kate's taste. She unwraps it carefully, smiling widening in delight when she sees what's inside, "How did you--?" Find something like this, is the unfinished question, but she's too busy laughing to finish it.

"It's perfect," It takes her a moment to put the bracelet around her wrist, and then she's pulling Kate into a hug, "Thank you."

[joiedeviolet]

How did she? Well, Steph sleeping like a rock made it easy to sketch out the general bat shape even with Kate's lackluster art skills. Finding somebody who would make the charm and not ask questions (because who hasn't seen Batgirl using the city as her personal jungle gym yet?) was a little more difficult, but it got done in just enough time for the party.

But Kate's sure Steph isn't really interested in all those details so she smiles and accepts the hug, relieved it's well-liked gift. "You're welcome. Happy birthday, Stephanie Brown."

[controlledvariable]

"You're too good to me," She's not letting go of Kate at least for a little while longer.

It's a bit hard for her to accept sometimes, that she does actually deserve nice things in relationships, but she's working on it.

"Now you've set the bar high for your birthday."

[joiedeviolet]

"It's not a contest, you know?" Her telling Steph to not get her anything for her own birthday seems like a lost cause even if Kate really doesn't want or need anything in particular. Stephanie Brown never listens to Kate Bishop, so Kate's not even going to argue.

Much.

[controlledvariable]

"Everything is a competition," said with a seriousness that she obviously doesn't mean, and it almost sounds like she's mocking someone (Bruce, probably).

She pulls back from the hug just enough to look at Kate, "I'll have to buy you a car or something."

In Baedal. Good plan, Steph.

[joiedeviolet]

Kate screws her face up in a half laughing, half expression of disbelief. "I don't even know how to drive."

Not only a car in Baedal, but a car Kate can't even drive? Best plan ever.

[controlledvariable]

"Well, at least we know where to start, then." Which is Steph code for how do you not know how to drive?. Clearly this needs to be rectified as soon as possible, or, as soon as Steph can find a car.

"Please tell me you can at least ride a motorbike?"

[joiedeviolet]

She's a New Yorker. That explains why Kate can't drive. She can hail a cab and ride the subway with her eyes closed and get where she needs to be in one piece, but sitting behind the wheel of a one ton moving object isn't in her repertoire.

"I can ride a bicycle?" The look on Kate's face along with the shrug basically says no.

[controlledvariable]

"I'm going to teach you how to ride," With the almost finished motorcycle that Steph moved into Barbara's backyard after her apartment got squished.

Because seriously, Kate is missing out on one of the greatest experiences in life.

[joiedeviolet]

"So you're going to teach me how to get myself killed?" With a raise of her eyebrows, Kate smirks at Steph. Not that she actually fears getting on a motorbike, she just can't make anything easy for her girlfriend. Not when Steph doesn't make anything easy for her.

[controlledvariable]

"I've been doing it since I was thirteen, I'm sure you can manage," Stephanie that is far too young to be riding motorbikes. But she had some older friends with crappy street bikes that they used to let her try, and she'd taken to it almost instantly. Going fast is fun.