Costume Party in Honor of Lex Luthor's Birthday [OPEN]

[defenestration]

As stated on the invitation, Adrian is throwing a costume party to celebrate Lex's twenty-fifth birthday at the Luthor-Veidt Building in Brock Marsh. Everyone is welcome, whether they know Lex or not. There's plenty of food and free alcohol (mostly wine, fancy beer, and champagne), music and a space for dancing, and room to mingle and make new friends. Some simple and classy decorations, purple of course, have been put up on the first and second floors to create a festive atmosphere.

(A note to those who might try to take the opportunity to go snooping: security is insanely tight. The elevators will not go beyond the first and second floors without a special code, and there's an elevator operator who is very obviously there to make sure you don't try anything funny. The stairwells are likewise under guard and the private areas of the first floor are locked and under camera surveillance.)



[ooc: Please wait until a few threads are set up before tagging! Party time! Everyone is welcome!

Note: I've turned off notifs so if you need my attention in a specific spot, please PM or plurk me.]

Comments

[captaincocksure]

"I've actually thought this through," Jim counters, maddeningly calm in the face of McCoy's annoyance. "It makes me more approachable. Poor guy, only half a costume, right? And I'm wearing the half that makes it possible for me to talk to people."

He steps closer, glancing around to make sure they aren't overheard. "Look. I need to start making connections around here. Hellsing's great and all but I need to network outside of it, too. Connections lead to information and help, and information and help is what's going to hopefully get us the hell out of here. If I have to be a horse's ass for a night to help that along, so be it."

[aviophobia]

McCoy has known Jim for a while now, but the kid surprises even him sometimes. He's a crafty son of a bitch when he wants to be, and he's got a lot going on under that mop of wheat-colored curls.

"Do what you have to, then," he replies, then narrows his eyes. "I'm not gonna be the asshole who left you without a front half, am I?"

[captaincocksure]

"No, no," Jim protests, holding up his hands. "I'm not gonna do that to you. I'll tell people that much. Anybody tries to give you a hard time or make you the asshole, you send them to me, I'll set them straight."

He grins. "I'm not even expecting you to hang out with me all night. Go, Bones. Go meet people and try to have some fun. Don't just sit in a corner scowling and drinking?"

[aviophobia]

That is, in fact, precisely what McCoy intends to do. "And what's wrong with sitting in a corner? Someone's gotta keep it in place, you know, damn things go all over the place without proper guidance."

[captaincocksure]

Jim resists the urge to throw up his hands. At least, he tells himself, Bones isn't sitting in a corner alone in his room. He still might manage to meet some people.

"All right, all right." He points at Bones. "Don't go getting sloppy drunk. Don't make me have to carry you home, you'd never live that down. Hauled home by a horse's ass."

[aviophobia]

McCoy holds up his hands. "Give me some credit. I'd never let myself get put in a situation where I have to get hauled home by a horse's ass - " An eyebrow quirks. " - not when he's announcing it to the world, anyway."

[captaincocksure]

"I'm just referring to the costume. But you know that's a detail that would get lost in the retelling," Jim replies, wry. "It'd forever be the tale of how the erstwhile Dr. McCoy got hauled home one drunken night by some horse's ass, let that be a lesson to you, children."

[aviophobia]

McCoy lets out a bark of laughter. "If I'm trying to miss the 'getting hauled home by a horse's ass' train, that one departed a long time ago. First week at Starfleet Academy, if I recall correctly, which I probably don't, because I was really shit-faced."

[captaincocksure]

Jim rolls his eyes, feigning hurt feelings. "I see how it is. I make sure you get back home okay and this is the thanks I get. Fine." Cue one overly-dramatic sigh. "And for the record, you were totally shit-faced."

[aviophobia]

"Hey, I didn't say I wasn't grateful for the horse's ass carrying me home," McCoy pointed out, "just that that's a train that's been outta the station for years now."

[captaincocksure]

Jim squinted at his friend for a long moment, thinking.

"...That was back home," he said, pointing at McCoy. "That hasn't happened in this city yet. So the legend could still be born. I'm just saying."

[aviophobia]

McCoy held his hands up in mock surrender. "Noted, noted. I won't get too shit-faced tonight."

[captaincocksure]

Jim laughed. "You could always get someone else to take you home. Find someone trustworthy."

He paused. And then that smile stretched into the grin that suggested nothing but trouble. "Or someone cute. If you find someone cute, get them to take you home. Just leave me some sort of sign on the door so I don't ruin a tender moment."

[aviophobia]

The Look McCoy flashed his best friend would have been fatal if it hadn't been so underlined with fondness. "Yeah, I'll put a goddamned sock on the door again, how's that sound?"

[captaincocksure]

"Perfect. Sock on the door, no busting up the romance." Jim laughed. "So, you want a drink, or is drinking with a horse's ass out of the question too?"

[aviophobia]

"As though I'm ever gonna say no to a drink, even with a horse's ass." He shook his head. "Where d'you think they're keeping the bar?"

[captaincocksure]

Jim surveyed the crowd, craning his neck a little. "That way," he decided, gesturing. "Looks like people are congregated toward the back of the room. I'm guessing that's where you get drinks."

[aviophobia]

McCoy nodded, then adjusted his mask so it sat a little more comfortably on his nose before gesturing, waiting for Jim to follow. "Let's go, then."

[captaincocksure]

They wound their way through the crowd, headed for the bar. It took a while to get there, between the press of people and Jim, as only he could, making a path for them with judicious deployment of his charming smile and the odd hand here and there on someone's shoulder, elbow, back with a murmured excuse us.

(That "someone" was usually a lady. Imagine that.)

Which of course meant they had to stop a few times along the way to chat, so he could say hello, ask if they'd met his good friend Dr. McCoy, and to put on his best woe-is-me-I'm-but-half-a-horse-and-no-Dr.-McCoy-didn't-abandon-me-to-this-sad-fate-don't-get-mad-at-him act.

The grin he flashed his CMO as they finally bellied up to the bar was downright accomplished. "This worked better than I was expecting. Maybe it pays to be a horse's ass sometimes."

[aviophobia]

McCoy nodded and made polite (enough) small talk with the people that Jim introduced him to, explaining his costume briefly but not rudely. A surprising number of people laughed, which was pleasantly unexpected.

"That did work pretty well," he admitted, grudgingly, impressed. He knew Jim could network, but it was always a bit of a shock to see it in action. "Not bad, kid."

[captaincocksure]

"...'Kid," Jim repeated, bristling (though it was entirely without rancor, a smile playing across his lips still). "You haven't got that many years on me, Bones."

He was pleased at how well that had gone--not so much for his own sake, he was never anything less than confident in his ability to work a group of people. He was happy with how well Bones had handled it. He knew, deep down, the man wasn't entirely cantankerous and difficult, but getting him to show it was an effort and a half.

"So," he said, making conversation as he tried to catch the bartender's eye, "how's Hellsing treating its new CMO?"

[aviophobia]

"Hellsing is treating its new CMO fine," McCoy replied, leaning on the bar. "Just - weird as hell. I met this guy - LeMat, you know him? - and he showed me this thing he can do, summoning a ... Pa...tronus? Yeah, I think that's what it's called - like this spiritual guardian thingamajigger. Goddamned manticore."

[captaincocksure]

"A manticore." Jim blinked, and then he laughed, shaking his head. "That beats my experience. I went by the other day to meet people, figure out where everything was, and make sure people knew my face in case an emergency rose up. I didn't meet anyone who could summon anything or any spiritual... whatevers and certainly not any damn manticores."

He looked over at his friend, with a clear you are not gonna believe this expression on his face. "I did meet a guy--Winchester--who taught me how to make holy water with a rosary and an incantation. He swears it's one of the best things for running off vampires and demons. Vampires and demons, Bones. Thing of it was, he wasn't using it for that. He was watering tobacco on the grounds of the guild hall with it. 'Holy Smokes', or something like that, I don't even know if he's legitimate or not. I guess we'll find out if I ever meet any of these vampires or demons."

[aviophobia]

"Vampires and demons," McCoy echoed, then decided the best defense was a good eyeroll, and so he did, and quite emphatically. "Of course there's fucking demons and vampires with the wizards and non-humans and all the other crazy shit running around here. I don't even know why I bother being surprised anymore."

[captaincocksure]

Jim spread his hands. "i guess, in a way, it's like encountering alien life all over again. Just... Creepier."

A pause, and then the barest hint of an impish grin tugged at his lips.

"Imagine Spock here trying to reason with all this."