so shine bright tonight.

[america]

Who: steve rogers (starspangle), peggy carter (revlon) and some of peggy's closest friends (u kno who u are)
What: peggy's birthday is on the 9th, but they're celebrating on the 8th with an intimate dinner
When: april 8th
Where: at the rogers-carter residence
Warning(s): possible cavities from the sheer sweetness of this entire event tbh

❚❚❚❚❚ i. ARRIVAL [ It's the weekend and it's just a couple of days before Peggy's birthday. Steve Rogers has never hosted a party before, let alone a party for his partner, but life is all about trying new things and being the best boyfriend (hard to think of himself as such, still, even after all of these years, but he likes the feeling) he can be, and Steve takes both of those things very seriously. So he sends out invitations and makes plans - nothing fancy, nothing big, because everyone's just survived one of the worst events since crash-landing on this planet, and also because he knows Peggy isn't the kind of woman who relishes in big, flashy parties. He certainly isn't. A quiet dinner with her closest friends feels right. The small, cozy apartment is well-lit and tidy. When you enter, you come up a small set of steps to enter the main space - a kind of living-dining room combined. It's cute and comfortable and somehow reminds you of an older time without actually being dated. There are a couple of poetry books stacked on a side-table by the couch, and leaning against it is the possibly familiar, but very much noticeable circular star-spangled shield. Around the room you'll find drawings on the wall - sketches, meticulous and detailed but with a loose, free spirit - of the New York City skyline, Brooklyn, the Empire State Building. There's a delicious scent coming from the kitchen area. If you brought a gift, or some wine, you can leave it at the table with the single bottle placed there already and make yourself at home. Chat it up with the host, or with other party guests until the guest of honour arrives. ] ❚❚❚❚❚ ii. DINNER [ Considering the smallness of the space, it makes a little more sense for guests to grab food from the 'buffet-style' arrangement set out on the dining table and find any place to settle and eat. Soft music plays in the background, something jazzy and a little big band-y. There are enough plates and cutlery to go around (thank God), and there's more than enough food and drink too. Most of the ingredients are very similar to Earth's, but still manage to have a ... strangeness to them that feels uncanny. It's the alien-ness of this place. Thankfully it doesn't affect the taste. Steve's made some assortment of meat, stew, rice, and salad - not combined, don't worry. It's very vaguely Japanese-ish, if only because his culinary sensei happens to be You Watanabe, but he's picked up a couple of tips from some of the locals too. He's no Gordon Ramsay, but he's a good student and the food should taste pretty decent. Cake (bought at a local Olympian bakery) will be served at the end. ] ❚❚❚❚❚ iii. A LITTLE WINE, A LITTLE COFFEE [ After dinner, guests are welcome to mingle and stay for however long they'd like. Music continues to play, and everyone should feel happy and full. It's a pleasant night and the company is delightful too. At one point, Steve will offer guests coffee or maybe some of that wine from earlier - he's not entirely sure where it came from but it seems all right, and while Steve can't get drunk from it, it tastes fine enough. ] ❚❚❚❚❚ iv. CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE [ more of an ooc note, but! please feel free to leave your own top-levels and mingle amongst each other! these prompts are really, really general and are mostly meant to set the tone of the party. pick a prompt and play with it, take some cues and make your own, etc etc.! if you have any questions, absolutely feel free to hit me up! pls have fun and wish our best girl a happy birthday! ]

Comments

[revlon]

[ The gloves make her pause, but not enough to dampen the mood or even register in her expression. Peggy had been part of that rescue operation, she'd seen the state the captives were in when they arrived; she's managed to put that behind her some — or, at least, enough to carry forward in the weeks after. She's glad to see Claire (and Jamie, of course) in better spirits and not only well enough to be here, but well enough to travel.

Wyver! Good Lord. Don't think she won't ask later in the evening, Mrs Fraser. ]

Thank you, [ she smiles back, cheeks high with colour. ] It isn't until tomorrow but I suppose Steve knew I'd be more suspicious then. [ Sincerely, ] It's good to see you. Please tell me you've had something to drink.

[nineteenfortyfive]

Indeed, and I wouldn't have known at all if Steve hadn't told me. [She gives Peggy a look, playfully disapproving. It simply hadn't come up, had it? Difficult to talk about birthdays and such when there seems to always be something going on. In this case, the celebration is a nice distraction from recent events. Wyver was that, too.

Except Claire spent most of the time uncomfortable and wishing she were back here.]

Actually, no. I didn't want to start the party before you settled in. Shouldn't Mr. Rogers be fetching the drinks, as the host?

[Kidding, kidding. Mostly.]

[revlon]

Mister Rogers, [ she laughs, making a face. ] Captain, at least, if not Steve. I don't think I've ever heard anyone call him 'mister.'

[ She shakes her head, gently untangling her hands from the other woman's, but not before leading her the short distance to the dining table where the wine and glasses are set up. She goes about pouring a measure for each of them. ]

I think he's done more than enough. The least I can do is help serve a few drinks. [ And handing one off to Claire. ] There we are.

[nineteenfortyfive]

I think I'll need a few drinks before I call him Captain Rogers. I can't remember the last time I addressed someone by an official title. [Because unless they've earned one here, whatever they were in the past doesn't really count, does it? Lord, lady, whatever it may be, it's all excess, here.]

You're too kind. [Claire teases, taking her drink.] But I'd better not see you collecting any empty plates or glasses. Let someone else take care of that.

[She'll do it, gladly. She's already warned Steve that she won't be stopped.]

So, how old are you now? Twenty-five?

[Again, more teasing.]

[revlon]

[ She looks mildly indignant at the suggestion — she may not have grown into the proper lady and wife her mother had hoped her to become, but she still knows how to manage a crowd such as this one. Clearing up after them is expected and she will not let Claire get away with it. Not with her hands.

But then the question shifts and she almost snorts into her glass of wine. Twenty-five? Christ. She'd been in the middle of the war at that age. ]

Twenty-nine. Although I thought it wasn't polite to ask a lady about her age?

[nineteenfortyfive]

[Just because Peggy can doesn't mean she should. Not during her birthday celebration. Claire might not be eager to dunk her hands into a sink, but she knows she can at least gather things up.]

We lived in a hovel for how long together? I think I'm allowed.

[revlon]

God, [ she half-groans, half-laughs. ] Who knew that we'd find cheerier accommodations in less than a year?

[ Peggy sweeps her left arm out to the room at large, the gesture careful as she's holding a full wine glass in that hand, too. The apartment is cosy but not cramped in the same way their first home had been; mismatched wallpaper and decor depending on what they'd found in the shops or what had already been part of the place when they moved in.

It suits Peggy and Steve rather well. Not a time capsule, but a near thing. The friends gathered around just warms it up even more. ]

What do you think? We've spruced it up a bit since moving in. [ A nod. ] Steve even added some artwork to the walls like we'd discussed.

[nineteenfortyfive]

[The Stark's house feels a step further back. Between Sansa, Jamie, and Jon, their tastes are a few centuries behind, and Claire has absolutely no problem with it. The colors, the textiles, the abundance of fur and metal and stone around the place--it's a home. It feels more like Lallybroch than Boston. Nothing wrong with that.]

Did he? I hadn't taken a proper look at the walls, but it does feel like a home. It's been lived in, and that's never a bad thing.

[revlon]

Well, we're hardly the first occupants — if that wallpaper is anything to go by.

[ Fruit for the kitchen, for starters. And it isn't even fruit they have on Earth, which makes it even more unusual. But it's part of the charm of the place; they picked it out because it felt the most familiar to the time they both consider 'home.' They're all misplaced in this alien world so they must do what they can to find ways to settle more comfortably. ]

But yes, Steve's a wonderful artist. He's done some sketches of New York. I thought it might be risky if any locals come wandering through our door, but I doubt that's likely.

[ Unless Cree, or one of his agents, comes snooping. But she's been so careful to keep her work separate from this life. Hopefully there's no crossover. ]

[nineteenfortyfive]

[Claire can appreciate the wallpaper. It's hardly like her nicely painted home in Boston, jewel-toned and looking like something out of a catalog, but that was Frank's doing and not hers. She's never been particularly inclined to decorate on her own.]

He can always say he's made it up. People draw fantastical things all the time. I wouldn't call it incriminating at all.

[revlon]

[ No, she thinks as she sips on her wine. The incriminating things are hidden elsewhere in this apartment. Like her firearms and other miscellaneous gadgets for espionage purposes... or the photograph of Steve before the serum. ]

Well, I should hope no one would think to turn up uninvited to the home of two members of the Guard.

[nineteenfortyfive]

One would hope.

[But that's dancing too close to the darker subjects, and Claire's determined to at least ensure others have a good time tonight, if not herself. So far, it's been going rather well.]

Do you think I could bully Steve into drawing some things for Jamie and I?

[revlon]

I don't see why not.

[ She grins. ]

I got him a beautiful set of coloured pencils for Christmas. It would be a shame to see them go to waste.

[nineteenfortyfive]

I'll keep that in mind. I'm sure he'll need some time to bask in the glory of this evening before he's chained to a drawing desk. He did good.

[She doesn't know a lot of men who would be able to pull this off.]

[revlon]

[ She does seem immensely pleased by that, looking back out to the modest gathering, the soft music weaving through the chatter and the scrape of cutlery. ]

I'll have to find a way to properly thank him for it later.

[nineteenfortyfive]

[Claire doesn't say anything because she's too busy sipping her drink, but she does lift her brows. Oh, she's sure Peggy can figure something out.]

[revlon]

[ The pause is enough for Peggy to glance back over — and immediately turn an attractive shade of pink, jaw dropping with indignation. Hissed under her breath: ]

Claire.

[nineteenfortyfive]

Hmm? What, did I say something?

[The epitome of innocence is looking right back at Peggy.]

[revlon]

Actions speak louder than words and all that, Mrs Fraser.

[ For God's sake. Peggy takes a sip of her drink and narrows her eyes at the other woman before declaring, with absolutely no heat at all: ]

You're a menace.

[nineteenfortyfive]

That's uncalled for. I have nothing to do with you matching your lipstick, Peggy.

[Except that air of innocence is ruined when she smirks. Better cover it up with another drink from her glass.]

[revlon]

You have a terrible face for poker.

[nineteenfortyfive]

A good thing I don't play poker, then.

[She smiles over her glass. She thinks she's hilarious.]