open | we always are together

[morphogenia]

WHO: Kamala Khan
WHERE: House 6
WHEN: Dec. 13th; late afternoon aka KAMALA'S BIRTHDAY PARTY
OPEN TO: residents of house six, assorted cr of Kamala and the other house six residents - basically everyone who knows Kamala, Frank, and Jessica and is on good terms with them. It's basically everyone.
WARNINGS: Possible mentions of horror settings or past trauma since Kamala does live with Frank Castle and Jessica Jones who are their own warning. Honestly this is a rated G birthday log.

---

She wakes up super stoked to be alive. It's not unusual for her honestly. Kamala is more excited than usual if only because it's not every day you get superheroes coming over for your birthday. Granted she's seeing them more as ordinary people who do incredible things sometimes. That's a positive change as far as she's concerned. It doesn't change the fact that Kamala from like age seven and up would have seen this as a dream come true. Who is she to question the wisdom of tiny Kamala?

She spends a decent portion of the day (following breakfast) getting ready for guests. She styles her new, shorter hair cut as elegantly as she can, dresses in the hunter green dress and pants outfit given to her by the Observers because screw them it's pretty and they can't ruin it with what they pulled after.

By the time she finishes, it's time to greet guests and see what Frank's done with the rest of the house while she's been hiding out in her room to obsess over her appearance. She'll go around greeting whoever shows up, shoving food at them, and generally be grateful they came. It's her seventeenth birthday. She's away from her home, childhood friends, and family. Having anyone here today means a lot more than she lets on. It's about the only thing allowing her to feel happiness instead dwelling on what she's missing.

(ooc; top levels will be posted by Frank in like five minutes for setting info. please hold for those! feel free to tag those or make your own starter once they're posted. I'm flexible.)

Comments

CAKE!!!!

[oorah]

[ who doesn't love cake? there are plenty of other snacks (unlimited popcorn anyone?) and refreshments for everyone. frank's homemade wine which is kind of gross but tolerable, coffee in a ridiculous quantity, assorted herbal teas he makes himself because of course he does... on and on and on. but the piece de resistance, of course, is the cake. pretend it's slightly less perfect than the photo but yes he went all out. he will lament to anyone listening that while it isn't a chocolate cake, it is something he's proud of. just be aware that if you're allergic to nuts or any kind of berries you may want to steer clear, but it is 100% halal/kosher naturally. if you try to take a small piece, frank will somehow appear to give you another slice. no one is getting out of this easy!!!! but it's honestly a delicious cake, he worked stupid hard on it. oh and those flowers are edible though not made from spun sugar. enjoy!

when it comes time to sing happy birthday, he'll teach anyone who wants to know how to sign the song in the language of the natives from reims. eat so much cake and try not to feed too much to the rude, table surfing dogs. ]

Kirin rides

[oorah]

[ yes, kamala is turning seventeen, but frank is still thinking in terms of kids parties. or maybe he just knows what she likes. either way - he has a mostly domesticated kirin left behind by a previous villager. there's a bit of snow on the ground still, but it's warmer today and he's happy to give anyone a ride on the animal, one he calls a 'horse-dragon.' creative as always. no one is too old to be led around on a pony, right? he doesn't just ask the teens if they want a ride, but literally anyone who came outside with them. make fun of him or ride the horse gleefully, you can't crack his spirit today! ]

[constructionzone]

[ Little known fact: James Rhodes has never been to a party with a pony ride. It makes sense. The Rhodes' just weren't in that kind of income bracket, and he didn't meet Tony Stark until both of them were a little beyond the pony ride birthday celebration.

That said, he's not there because of the inexorable pull of ponies. He's there because this isn't a pony. It's some kind of Tolkienesque creature that would have thrilled the fuck out of his freshman roommate, a man who currently splits his time between fantasy cons and teaching chemical engineering at the university level. That is if he's not ash. Rhodey didn't think to check. ]

It looks like it should shit rainbows.

[ Look, give the man a break. He's only here because he heard a bloodcurdling scream. ]

[oorah]

[ that coaxes a snort out of frank who turns towards rhodey with his friend on a lead. the kirin tips its long neck inquisitively towards the new arrival, clearly curious about him. ]

You want a leg up, Colonel?

[morphogenia]

[The source of that scream is wandering up with this baby in her arms with a pink scarf around its neck, wrapped in the shape of a bow. She never had the whole pony ride birthday celebration before now either. As much as it is super extra, Frank had been right to think she'd love it.

It's zero surprise she came back over to either sneak in another ride or watch someone else do it before they go. She laughs softly at his comment.] Yeah this place has like every fantasy creature ever. It's kind of awesome.

games/gifts/whatever

[oorah]

[ if you've never played this game the concept is simple. it's like a timed 20 questions except everyone else knows what you are because there's a label on your forehead with a noun. it could be anything from popcorn to cruella deville. help your friends win or sabotage their fun. be a good sport or just get drunk until it's funny, whatever works! the only problem is a pitbull in a blue sweater might come up to you and try to eat the paper off your head. that just makes it more fun though, right?

after a few stupid games like this, it's time for presents and frank insists on bringing his out last because he knows it will end the party then and there. give your gifts or well wishes to kamala before being on your way! then it's time for the grand finale. and look it's yet another animal to add to the castle-khan-jones household. what a shocker!! yes, he knitted the baby sheep a big pink bow-scarf. shut up about it. you'll be able to hear kamala screaming all the way in the north village so if you weren't at the party already that might be your reason for stopping by now... ]

gifts - frank + ota

[morphogenia]

open:

[So she actually feels really weird about this. Sure, Kamala has a secret gift project going since like forever it seems like. There's a strong chance she's going to be giving them gifts soon. Still it's weird to be accepting things just as life gets tougher around here. Maybe it's healing in a way too to do something normal like celebrate a teenager's birthday when things have been so bleak in previous months.

Regardless, Kamala will be thanking everyone who has something to offer and reassuring anyone empty-handed that she's fine really. Having them around is enough for her.]

closed to Frank:

[She knows Frank is really drawing this out for a reason. Kamala wants to tell him to knock it off because one: he's already done an insane amount for her and two: she needs to know like now. Kamala may be bouncing a little in her seat once the last reveal comes. Yes, she screams as loud as she can once she sees the new addition to the family. She rushes over to hug them both.]

Babybabybaby- [She may be having a mental breakdown over this. No judgment. >( She leans down to give the baby sheep a surprisingly gentle hug before looking up at Frank.] Thank you, thank you, thank you!

[She moves to hug him next a lot less gently.]

[oorah]

[ he has to laugh, a rare and unbridled sound as he covers the sheeps ears then stands up to rub at his. that piercing scream probably would have scared the shit out of the sound eaters, why didn't they try that? make as much noise as possible, those fuckers. it's easy to think about what they could've or should've done in that place when this one follows none of the same rules, though it's just as challenging in its way. in the end, he can't be upset that they're together. frank is sure she intends for the hug to be bone-crushing, but he obviously can't hug her back just as tight so he does the next best thing. he sweeps her up into his arms and spins her like she's legit five. ]

[demiurgency]

[Billy hadn't had much notice, and in fairness he hasn't known Kamala for all that long, but she'd already been really nice and friendly to him, and you're only a teenager once, so efforts have been made. Efforts in the form of a macrame bracelet that's been dyed two shades of pink using beet juice. Not that he's trying to imply anything about her being a girl and girls having pink things, just...it seemed like a nice, bright color, and that reminded him a little of how cheery Kamala always was. The bracelet is wrapped in a scrap of green cloth, one that he offers to Kamala with a little smile.]

Hey, Kamala, happy--

[Aaaaand that's when he notices the lamb, immediately distracted and falling to his knees to look at the little critter with its bright bow.]

Oh my God, look at you--

[Is that his voice rising in pitch half an octave? Yes, yes it is. He's not even sorry a little.]

Whatever

[notsoangry]

[ It's a little later in the evening when the others are mostly distracted that Bruce walks over to Frank and smiles. He's awkward with others, but he feels like they've reached a comfortable enough level to not be nervous starting a conversation. His glasses are on and he crosses his arms, watching Kamala's happiness with so much softness he's living up to Natasha's teasing about being all fluff on the inside. ]

She's a really good kid. After all she's been through, the fact she's still like this is amazing. [ Still full of so much enthusiasm and joy. It's truly impressive.]

goody bags

[oorah]

[ don't forget to take a bag on your way out. if you were at the observer birthday party you might realize the bags are recycled from that event in all the scrubs colors as well as some of the items inside though these are handmade by frank himself of course. a hand-carved kazoo (it really works, annoy all your friends with it! frank sure will), hair ties made from the hems of scrub tops, a handmade soap in the shape of a heart, moon or star, spiced elk jerky and a hand-rolled joint. he might try to remember not to give drugs to the minors, but eh. (respond to these or make your own ota, whatever is clever!) ]

[nonstopnarcissist]

I'm giving this to Thor. [ This being the Kazoo Tony's holding in his hand, having immediately peeked into the goody bag with a smile. The rest he'll hoard for himself but- the Kazoo? Thor will love that shit. ] So whatever comes of it? You've only got yourself to blame, Wurst.

for Kamala + OTA

[underachievement]

[ Jess isn't at the party, she just lives here. For the season. Her plan had been to avoid the party altogether, sticking out winter in her dim, ugly little house, and instead she's hunkered on the stairs of Kamala's house and eating her birthday cake. Tucked onto the step behind her are a glass full of basement wine and rectangular gift, short but long, wrapped in pulpy homemade paper that's torn at several edges. It looked a little too tacky, concealing it in just torn book pages, it was a simple process of pulping it down and reintegrating it, and she had little cause to make candles anymore despite the same amount of time on her hands.

Most of her time will be lurking exactly there near the entrance but when no one is focused on the birthday girl, Jess slips into the party to find her and give her her present early (prior to games or goody bags). Afterward, she'll be trying to jacket up and sneak out the house, headed for the bunker prolly. ]

[morphogenia]

[Kamala is moving around like a good host. She'd been hoping to run into Jessica for a while now if only to let her know she's totally fine with her disappearing somewhere. This whole situation is a lot. She'd never ask for her to hang out long term just because it's her birthday.] Jess! I was starting to think you ran away...

[She cuts herself off to basically fulfill her role as the shoujo heroine who gets hearts in her eyes once she gets something she wants.] Early gift!

[oorah]

[ most people are heading home except for kamala's friends closer to her age. if jess is leaving maybe he should pop out and give them some time to hang out or whatever it is teenagers do in horror towns. he unfortunately has way too much experience with that by now. there's a joint in his pocket and he even managed to leave the dogs behind with minor fuss, though bruno was a near thing. he thinks he's given that poor creature separation anxiety by doting on him so much. it's almost as cold tonight as it was mild during the day and even with the jacket he'd made the croc-dog he'd probably be miserable out here. or that's his justification anyway for trying to snag some alone time. except he's not heading towards the park like he originally intended but falling into jessica's boot-tracks. when he's officially followed her for long enough to be weird, he calls after her, ] Bunker shift?

Parties Aren't His Thing... | OTA

[skyward_eyes]

The upside of being an infiltration and intel operative with Garden: a lot of missions involved parties. Not even kidding, a surprising number of them. He'd been to galas and balls, festivals and shindigs. There had even been one hootenanny, but defining the difference with that was a bit of a mess.

The downside of being an infiltration and intel operative with Garden: you didn't really know how to behave at a party. When he was there he was a member of the staff to catch secrets. Or he was posing as a guest. Or he was crashing the party.

Technically this was the same thing, because he hadn't been invited. Just knew it was coming up, knew Kamala's birthday was happening, and when he saw the fuss, he'd slipped in the door. And now, looking around in hopes of finding her, he looked awkward. Beyond awkward. Like he really didn't belong here. How did you even celebrate something?

[oorah]

He notices the shifty guy come in, this is his not!daughter's party, after all. May as well see what's up with him. Frank takes the most intimidating dog, a big gray pitbull, to greet him where he seems to be hanging to the outskirts of the party. Of course, the intimidation factor is ticked down some by the knitted turtleneck and the doofy smile the dog is sporting.

"Hey, you here for Kam?" As always, Frank's voice is almost impossibly soft while still carrying above the din of the party by the quality of its gruffness alone.

[morphogenia]

He doesn't have to wait long since Kamala isn't a jerk. Her coat is always safely away from the animals too since she learned pretty early on they'll nest in just about anything. She heads out with it covering her dress, but her new flower crown is visible making it clear who the birthday girl might be even if this is technically their first meeting.

Being the only person on the porch makes Nida an easy find too. "Hey! Sorry you're allergic to our house, but thanks for coming. It's nice to meet you in person."

For Kamala

[fwips]

Coming into this situation, Peter had thought he was actually pretty well-prepared. Obviously his gift wasn't as nice as he might have given back home with access to actual stores and May's girl expertise, but he thought he'd done okay. The wrapping is pretty boring, just a kitchen towel he'd grabbed from one of the empty houses tied into a little sack, but inside he'd tucked the soap shaped like a donut and the cupcake bath bomb he'd gotten way back at the party over the summer. They were too girly for him, so they'd just sat in a drawer all this time, but Kamala likes that kind of stuff, right?

Except now he sees that everybody here got fancy soaps in fun shapes, and they're not even old and have no lint on them, and he might just be looking for a place to stash his present so he can act like he forgot to bring one.

[morphogenia]

She'd been wondering when he'd show up. He was one of the first people she met here. He's been a good friend to her ever since. Today wouldn't feel right without him. Kamala smiles bright once she catches him in the crowd. She doesn't hesitate to ditch whoever she'd been talking to in order to greet Peter. She is a host, after all.

"Peter!" It's only once Kamala gets closer that she realizes he seemed to be looking for something. Her brow furrow as she tries to figure it out before going with the obvious. "Are you trying to find the bathroom or something?"

OTA

[digging]

And to think, Karen had been a little sad at the idea of Kamala's birthday being in the cold months, so that the party couldn't go all out with flowers and fruit and all the bright and pretty things appropriate for a 17-year-old girl. She probably should have known better, considering Frank's all-or-nothing strategy for most things in life, but regardless, there's definitely nothing lacking here. It's as bright and beautiful as any summer party could be.

Her gift is modest, but she's hopeful Kamala will like it: A bracelet woven from floss left from the campfire sing-along, or whatever that thing by the spring was supposed to be. It's purple with Kamala's name in pale yellow, with little stars on either side. Karen had struggled with it more than a little, had started over three times and cursed effusively throughout, but the end product is one she's satisfied with. She sets the bracelet gently aside with the other presents and steps over to the cake.

It is a hell of a cake.

Aretha turns up at her side and leans against her leg. Karen absently reaches to pat the dog's head and then glances down to her.

"Did you help with this?"

[oorah]

He overhears the question and snorts, coming through with the other two dogs, the croc-dog in his arms as usual and wearing a little parka he made from elk hide and zalpaca wool. The pitbull, Aloe, is wearing a blue sweater and nudges at Karen's free hand to get in on this love, too.

"Sure did. Clever girl." Frank's smiling softly, a rare mood settled over him that would be hard to break. He hasn't spoken to Karen at length in some time, though he did leave a set of knitted goods with Foggy to hopefully get to her. He skips a greeting in favor of following bright blue eyes to the monstrosity he'd made. Frank really isn't perfectly happy with how it came out, but he hopes it does the trick anyway. "Not bad, I guess. Though it's no chocolate cake."

Which is what Kamala asked for so of course, he's disappointed in himself. Nothing new there, and Jessica's gift of a crate of chocolate bars was almost a slap in the face after the fact.

[morphogenia]

Little known fact about Kamala is that she actually loves jewelry. Her trademark bangles simply aren't something she can wear daily here. She has a ton of chores and projects that could damage them. Sure, her pregnant great-grandmother may have fled for her life wearing them, but that doesn't mean she wants to be the one to actually damage them outside of battle. There is no battle greater here than endless projects to help the people around them and the creatures they've taken in.

Her super big reaction to the gift will come later. Right now the birthday girl is joining her by the cake. "So in hindsight I probably should have been babysitting Frank instead of obsessing over my hair. Everyone seems to like it so far so maybe it's okay that he went way overboard?" She smiles warmly. It means a lot that she came. Karen is another person she thinks of as of having better things to do despite not being a superhero. "Thanks for coming, Karen."

//silent fam//

[oorah]

Jessica and Frank make it back to the house sometime late(r) in the evening, together which is an odd enough change of pace. Bruno is all over him the second they open the door as Aloe sniffs at Jess and Aretha dozes on. She knows these two, they're old news and she isn't disrupting her sleep schedule for this!!!! He picks up the small dog as he edges into the house to see if any of Kamala's friends are still here, but it seems like everyone has gone home even as he hears a soft clatter in the kitchen. "You better not be cleaning up in there!" It's your birthday, Kamala!!!! He'll be so mad. He spares Jess an impossibly soft glance before carrying on to the kitchen. Even as his high wears off, he intends to follow through on their agreement, once Kam is in bed.

[underachievement]

Jess was game to stagger her pace and appear to arrive sometime after him but it seemed silly once the time came. Kamala's not so immature that she needs to go above and beyond in maintaining her privacy. She will assume they were colluding on village intel or checking on Jess's house well before she questions if they were cuddling for warmth.

Once inside, Jess feels like an icicle in an oven as she struggles to get out of her jacket. With frozen and drunk fingers she finally manages to keep her hold on the zipper tab and tug it halfway down before fumbling it again. Overwhelmingly glad to be out of the cold, Jess registers the emptiness of the house and a bit of noise and that's it. She's happy to be on her own as the blood in her fingertips unthaws. Jess gradually gains momentum as she unzips her jacket, slips one arm out and shoves the sleeve down and off the other. She shucks off her fingerless gloves with hooked thumbs, then rubs her hands together vigorously and takes in the state of the house.