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WHO: Peggy Carter
WHERE: #43 - The Vincennes
WHEN: December 27th - Evening
OPEN TO: All!
WARNINGS: n/a
STATUS: Open (Gathering Style)

When the gifts had arrived, Peggy had treated them at first with the same suspicion as anything else here. Things simply weren't that good to be true, but these gifts had people's names on them this time. With the exception of several that she couldn't begin to understand (such as that one from a man named Ivan, that she barely recalled interacting with), the rest were so kind and thoughtful that she soon found herself with a wealth of possessions she hadn't hoped to possess here.

The party had been borne of one single thought: I have nowhere to wear such lovely things and when she'd found the wine and liquor from others (including Tony, which didn't surprise her in the very least), she knew that she could change that. She'd posted a quick notice at the inn using some of the cardboard of a box and the lovely fountain pen Helen had given her, then did the same at many of the public buildings, inviting people to her home and inviting them to bring any food or drink they might like to provide, as well as suggesting this as an opportunity to wear their fanciest.

She set out her drinks (the ones she was willing to share) and made sure to tidy the home so that it was presentable. In her youth, back during her first engagement, she might have imagined entertaining like this on a regular basis, but that had been swept away by the war. Instead, Peggy was left hoping that such a gala would be acceptable and that she wouldn't simply be here alone tonight.

Setting her new record player (and her single record) down, she cranked it to begin playing the record that had come with it (a pressing of the Glenn Miller Band), and then she began to convince herself that there was nothing more that she could do.

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It's a rather lucky thing that Helen had been as good as she was to give Ravi a decent shirt that was perfect for an event like this. Unfortunately, the black scrubs trousers would have to do, but if you didn't squint too hard, it wasn't the most undignified thing in the world. He's also brought a bottle of absinthe with him because apparently Tony Stark wants to make him lose his vision and Ravi is more than happy to share that sort of trip with his nearest and dearest, because nothing says friends like taking an alcohol or drug trip together down a path of which no one wants to remember.

He'd already polished off the In n Out burger the moment he'd seen it, felt sick, and then had been immensely grateful for the herbs. It's like he's being given the message that he needs to be more careful about these gifts, which is why he's so ready to give some away. Placing his coat in one of the spare bedrooms, Ravi heads back inside and feels a little out of time -- more so than usual -- because the music is old, the scenery is even older, but the clothes are so modern and anachronistic that it's throwing him off, slightly.

And he hasn't even had any of the absinthe yet. Speaking of, he searches around and finds himself a glass to pour the slightest bit of liquid possible, stomach already turning. "All right, you can do this," he says to himself, beginning the long process of psyching himself up, "you've done utopium well knowing the potential risks, in the name of science, you can do this too."

"Psyching yourself up? It's a party, I didn't think it would take that much to convince someone to have a drink," Riza observed.

She'd been standing against the wall for some time. Watching people come and go. It was a little tame for a party, but she imagined some of them were still reeling from the events that transpired around Christmas. She was grateful for the little distraction, even if normally she wasn't much of a party person. She had, at least, dressed up for the occasion, wearing the new light blue dress she'd received from someone she barely knew and her hair falling over her shoulders to cover the tattoo on her back.

She reached over and grabbed a second glass, "Would you care for someone to join you in that?"

"Riza, you look lovely," Ravi praises when he turns to look at her, bowing his head to give her the proper respect? Is that a thing you do? Where's Liv when you need her for proper party etiquette. He feels like that's the sort of thing she'd know, brains or no brains. He lifts up the intensely green drink in his hand, wincing as he does. "Someone did the unfortunate deed of gifting me absinthe, which is something I've never tried before," he explains.

"I'm not entirely sure this one is without hallucinogenic properties or not," he says. "Hence, the risk."

Honestly, Riza would not be the one to ask. She was used to soldier's salutes and not bows from a social gathering. It was one of those times where it was the thought that counted though so she dipped her head in reply. "Thank you. Apparently someone thought this was an appropriate gift, though I can't actually say I've met the person who gifted it to me."

She shook her head, "Still, it seemed like the proper time to wear it. It's not like this place has much of a social scene otherwise." And unless there was a wedding coming up, she was pretty certain parties like this would be the only time to dress up.

"I can't say that would be my drink of choice either, but maybe we can find something to dilute it with?"

She really does look beautiful and it takes Ravi aback to realize that it's because they're only ever in their functional scrubs all the time. There's no variety and no differences, so it's nice to see everyone outside of that. He gives his shirt a little tug, as if boasting, and says, "I've got a little something myself," he says proudly. "And I do know who gave this to me and I'm definitely going to give her a very big thank you later."

"Or we could find someone we don't really like all that much and suggest they try it first?" he suggests, reaching onto the liquor table for the red wine. "This looks much, much safer, unless it's somehow also tainted with whatever insanity this place has."

"You should. It's a nice shirt on you," Riza replied with a small smile. It was strange to see people in garments that weren't scrubs. It really did make for a nice change of pace -- even if some of the outfits had to be piecemeal together. At least in Ravi's case he had scrubs that worked well for that.

She sighed, "I have a name from a gift I wasn't too impressed with. Unfortunately I'm not sure if they are even here." She wasn't even sure she knew what they looked like, though apparently they'd thought enough of her to give her lingerie of all things. And, sure, she might have even been wearing it. But the fact that someone had thought it appropriate to gift a complete stranger lingerie had rubbed her the wrong way.

"Weren't you the one drinking and eating everything in sight at the feast awhile back? Why are you suddenly skeptical of everything now?" Her question was more out of curiosity than accusing him of anything. She really wanted to know why a party like this and gifts that were given was suddenly the line where the mysterious feast that had appeared in the inn had been free game.

"Not everything," he feels it important to clarify, holding up a finger. "No, no, even I have my limits and green alcohol that can cause hallucinations and a ridiculous trip is not something that I walk into lightly, not without a planned environment, careful self-purchase, and available food in the event it goes poorly. I can hardly run to the store here and buy ginger ale if things go awry." He gives her a wary look when she talks about a gift with a name on it, because that's another fun thing he's learning about - that apparently, there is a big toy store in the sky and they're apparently sending down items based on...something? He's not entirely sure what.

"I hesitate to ask, but what did you get from me? Provided you did get something from me," he says, wondering how this works. Ravi knows he didn't sit down and write out a list to some secret village Santa.

"Fair enough," Riza concedes. She can see the point of what he's saying and it certainly wouldn't do to blackout tonight. Riza would much rather remember what happened at the party, however small it may be.

As for his question, well, she wasn't sure how it had all worked either. She could have sworn half the people she received gifts from were people she had barely spoken to or even met. So, it wasn't quite as awkward to answer the question as it might have been if he had actually been responsible for getting gifts. "I actually didn't receive a gift from you."

Well, now he feels like a complete cad and awful, at that. It's not like he willfully sat there and didn't think of anything to get her, but at the same time, it really does make him look like an asshole. He reaches for something a little less potent and hopes that other people will take advantage of the absinthe lying there so that Ravi can observe the effects and decide whether it's safe to drink and take home, himself. "Well, then, I'm sorry," he apologizes. "If I'd known we were going to have some kind of strange Christmas gift explosion, I would have tried to get my hands on something for you." He thinks that if he could have given her a puppy the likes of which she'd talked about the first time they'd met, he would have.

Unfortunately, it looks like he's missed the boat on that one. "How about I offer you a gift down the line? Sort of a rain cheque gift?"

She holds up a hand, "Please, it's fine. It's not like we knew what was coming. I can't begin to explain some of the gifts I received or what I might have even gotten some people." She wasn't a very materialistic person anyway, nor very sentimental. What she wanted weren't gifts but people or at the very least answers for this place. She wouldn't actually wish to see the people she cared about unless it was to get out of here and see them again.

She shakes her head at his question, "You don't have to do that, really."

"I'm going to feel really guilty and horrible if I don't," Ravi confesses, giving her a shrug that says that he's helpless to do anything else. "Honestly, I don't even know what we're talking about here, but it'll assuage my worried soul if you could promise to let me do something like that."

"I mean, I could also offer to help unwrap more gifts, but that might get a touch personal," he admits, seeing as there's really no way of knowing who might get you what, in this place.

Riza supposes she can understand that feeling, she knows she'd likely feel the same way if the tables were turned. Although, that does make her wonder, "All right. But did I happen to get you anything while we're on the topic?"

She shakes her head at his offer, "I already unwrapped most of them just to get a sense of what I had. Better to be thorough." After all, there had been no telling what was useful and what wasn't.

"Well," he begins, in the tone of voice that speaks of feeling very encouraged and pleased to announce this, "it appears you think that I needed a little help relaxing, it seems, because you gave me a bottle of kahlua," he says, which had been quite the lovely thing to open. "Maybe my gift to you ought to be half the bottle," he says, seeing as he hasn't even opened it up yet in order to enjoy it, and it's the perfect drink to sip and enjoy with friends. "I mean, if we had more, we could make some really incredible martinis out of it," he says, his mind drifting away to dream of a time and place where he can just run to the store to pick up anything he wants, if it's missing.

Then again, a little bit of kahlua over ice never goes wrong and they have plenty of that, these days.

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"You at least have something resembling an actual set of clothing to wear," Helen said, giving Ravi a quick once over. She only had the scrubs she'd been gifted with upon arrival, unfortunately, but she'd paired them with a lovely cashmere scarf gifted her by Stella and decided to make a real go of it.

"You know, I wouldn't have been caught dead at a party in my old life wearing less than my best. My, how times have changed."

"As if you aren't already beautiful enough," Ravi says critically, but then he remembers what side his toast is buttered on and offers a far kinder smile, leaning down to press a welcome kiss to her cheek as he gives the shirt a little tug, spinning like a model to show it off. "What do you think? I don't know what prayers you sent up to whatever gods are up there, but clearly it worked, I look incredible."

"Besides, once people drink enough, no one will even remember what anyone is wearing," he promises, holding up the absinthe. "Now, can you tell me if this is going to kill me," he says, seriously.

"Absinthe? Hardly. Though, from what I recall, it's quite the experience. I haven't drunk any in a long while."

Helen grinned a little and leaned in, kissing his cheek in return. "And thank you for my marijuana. Hopefully I can get Mark to help me keep those seedlings alive for both medicinal and recreational purposes. Christ knows we need something to amuse ourselves around here."

Ravi opens and closes his mouth, not entirely sure what message he'd been trying to send when he'd apparently gone and given Helen some pot. "I think maybe I was trying to offer you a medicinal pain reliever, not implying that you ought to be stoned more often," he allows, though heaven only knows what this place is like when it comes to gifting people with these random things. "I mean, I'd still prefer some dibs on the first crop. Not for me," he clarifies. "The lab rats, though, could use a bit of testing and what better than to test mystery marijuana!"

"And, you know, potentially some recreational self-use," he admits, "sad that it's come to this."

"I don't fault you for it. I'll want to engage in a little recreational self use myself. But as a pain reliever, it's actually not a terrible one, and if we have anyone who needs some sort of anti-psychotic, I can't think of anything better than that in a pinch."

It could, always, have the opposite effect but Helen hoped they wouldn't be faced with such in their closed society.

"It'll be nice to have something to take the edge off."

"I can't believe I'm in a situation where the best prospect fo a hobby in the future is stoner," Ravi says with the sigh of a man who used to have a fulfilling, full career, and has now been reduced to simply looking forward to what sort of bong he might be able to create from the natural resources around the village. "Honestly, I wasn't really in the practice of drug-use back home, though I did try Utopium under extremely controlled guidelines," he admits.

"I regretted it every single moment of the next morning. Honestly, there wasn't a single moment apart from possibly the moment I ate some bacon." Then, there's really nothing that can go wrong, because you've got bacon.

"What, on earth, is Utopium? I presume given the name, it's going to induce some sort of feeling of paradise but it's no drug I've ever heard of. Street drug, I presume? Some sort of amphetamine?"

Helen was honestly curious at this point and while talking shop was hardly appropriate in a party setting, neither she nor Ravi had a shop to speak of. The normal rules didn't apply.

"Designer drug flooding the market, sort of a rip off of MDMA, ecstasy..." he shares, straining to recall what he had felt like when he and Major had taken their little excursion down that road. "Extremely dangerous, in certain situations, especially given the drug trade and the fact that you see the drug dealers end up on your table, being the ME," he says, remembering that dark day and how it had sobered him up, making Ravi realize that he wasn't just playing around when it came to Utopium, and that doesn't even go into the whole Max Rager connection. "I tried it, once," he admits. "It does produce a ridiculous amount of euphoria, I can understand why it's so popular."

"As a lifestyle choice? Not entirely too smart," he says, judging as much as he feels he should (and in this case, he feels like he should judge a lot).

"No, actually, it's a terrible idea. Then again, you're speaking to a woman who dosed herself with vampire blood to make herself immortal so I don't really have the best judgment when it comes to these things."

Helen had never really admitted it out loud to anyone in the village but Ravi, at least, seemed a safe sort to confide it to. "I don't think it's working any longer, though."

Ravi gives her a judging look, but it's tempered slightly, because he's also the man who was bit by a rat through his gloves and spent a whole day worrying that he'd been about to become a zombie. At least he hadn't sought it out willingly. "Scientifically, that might have been a bit power-hungry of you," he informs her, that judging look still lingering his eyes as he gives her the nod of 'you should know better'.

That admission is curious, though. "Even with the healing waters, you think that you're ageing?"

"I've started having my menstrual cycle again," Helen said, biting her lip a bit as she thought it through.

"My cycles were suspended the entire time that I was under the influence of the Source blood, you see, so now I believe I have resumed my normal biological processes. I've also found grey hairs that I didn't have before. Granted, it's not something I can really test, or anything, and my cycles are irregular - I haven't had one every month I've been here - but it's unusual for me."

Well, that's certainly odd. He thinks it might be a little stranger if they were back home, especially seeing as there's so many questions he has, feeling like he can ask them here, but won't be able to get the sort of accurate samples he wants in order to truly understand what she's talking about. "Do you think it's a fully normalized rate?" is what he asks, because even though he can't get all the information he wants, he still thinks he's going to pursue as much as he can. "Or is it a slow snap back?"

"And how did you even do that? Why would you do that?" This time, there's no judgment in the question, simply a scientific, needy curiosity.