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]

[ She bites her lip around a smile, trying not to look too amused by the comment. It's an exaggeration, surely, but he's also not entirely wrong — in their world, at least, Captain America is an enduring symbol of strength and patriotism. The soldiers on the front looked to him for inspiration and guidance; the children at home saw a hero. Peggy, however, has always seen the man behind the shield first and foremost.

And so: ]

It is incredibly patriotic, isn't it? [ Her smile softens. ] But at the time, that was something the Allies sorely needed. [ Is that saying enough without giving too much away? Peggy flicks her gaze over to Steve across the room, where he's chatting with one of her friends. ] But to answer your question, no, I doubt there's any vibranium to be found in El Nysa. It's a remarkable metal, though — it can absorb the kinetic energy of an impact with little to no recoil.

[ The thing can ricochet without losing strength or speed because of that property, too. Funny how much damage a shield can do. ]

[phykios]

[ world war ii again. he hadn't specifically thought about when steve was from, but it'd make sense if he and peggy were from the same time. it's enough to make percy wish he'd talked to nico di angelo or hazel levesque a little more about the time period. or almost enough to make him wish he'd paid more attention in world history.

almost. ]

Really? [ and we're back to looking at the shield with interest. ] That's incredible. I've never heard of anything like it.

[ he waNTS TO HIT IT SO BADLY JUST TO SEE. he also wishes there were some vibranium around here now, because that's awesome. ]

[revlon]

[ He should tell Peggy about his friends some time. She'd be very interested. ]

Neither had I, [ she admits as she goes back to poking at the stew on her plate. Compliments to the chef; it's better than anything she might attempt to whip up. A wonder anyone eats in this apartment. ] Our friend Howard is an inventor, he managed to get a hold of some. Not only is it the strongest metal on Earth; it's also the rarest.

[ She smiles, taking in the eagerness in his bearing, the interest in his voice. ]

I suppose with the way you fight, it's no wonder you're taken with the shield. Why not ask Steve about it?

[phykios]

[ it'll happen, one of these days. he'll either slip and mention one of them or deliberately opt to to mention the special situation of the children of hades/pluto. ]

Those two always seem to go together.

[ strong and rare, he means. or powerful and rare. or any positive quality and rare. then again, that's not necessarily a bad thing.

he raises his eyebrows, says, ]

Yeah, that wouldn't be weird. [ exaggeratedly, ] Hi, you don't know me too well, but I want to hear all about your flag-shield.

[revlon]

[ Flag-shield. She tries not to choke on her mouthful of stew when she laughs. ]

I don't think he'd mind. [ Peggy dabs at the corner of her mouth with a napkin, somehow managing to keep her lipstick intact as she does so. ] Would you like me to introduce you?

[ She actually doesn't know if they've met or not. Obviously Steve reached out to everyone in this room to invite them, but she isn't sure if their social circles overlap much beyond the Frasers or Emma. It's not a bad thing or intentional by any means; she's glad they're all meeting one another. Moments like this — relationships like these — are important, especially with things on the planet the way they are. ]

[phykios]

Nah, [ he says, waves her off one-handed, ] we've met before. Well, we've met once during the riots, and talked once or twice after that.

[ about, among other things, thor....... ]

Point is, no introductions necessary.

[revlon]

I didn't know that.

[ The riots. Peggy doesn't exactly look disapproving but she does frown briefly, glancing from Percy to Steve and then back. It's not that she minds their having met, she's delighted; but the circumstances could have been better. Then again, their brief friendship is coloured by adventure more than moments more mundane. Such as tonight. ]

You fought with him too, then?

[phykios]

[ he winces under her not-quite-disapproval. ]

At the palace, yeah, and trying to put out the fires. It was before I ran into you.

[revlon]

[ She raises a sharp eyebrow and somehow that seems to convey enough of her feelings on the matter. He's a capable young man, more so than most because of the circumstances surrounding his... everything. And really, she's one to talk, carrying on as she did in the midst of the riots (and didn't she fight alongside Captain America then, too?).

Even so.

Peggy looks down at her stew and fishes out a potato as if to say, I see. ]

So long as it wasn't after you bled on that sofa.

[phykios]

[ he opens his mouth indignantly, half a sputter before he finds his way to actual speech. ]

Come on, I didn't bleed on your sofa! [ but even then, he does shoot a guilty glance in the direction of said sofa. ] ...I didn't, did I?

[revlon]

[ She holds that silence for long enough to be slightly uncomfortable. It is, perhaps, a little unfair of her but she can't quite resist teasing him a bit. Then without looking up from her food, in a rather mild sort of voice: ]

No, of course not.

[ Peggy flicks her gaze up to him after a beat. ]

Although I do wonder about Steve's shirt.

[phykios]

[ wow!!!

he makes a face, since he's the paragon of maturity, at all that teasing. ]

His shirt is fine. [ sourly! leAVE HIM ALONE ] That reminds me, I gotta bring it back sometime. I keep forgetting.

[revlon]

Take your time.

[ And she smiles at him, her next words warm and genuine. ]

You know you're always welcome here.