[ open ] HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA (not you abraxas)

[princessvegas]

Who: Julie + Dean + open
When: July 4
Where: Julie's club in the Horizon
What: June sucked, it's time to party patriotically 🇺🇸 Dean's invite here 🇺🇸 no, the Americans don't care that it's not America, they're doing it anyway (just like real life)



[ Approaching Julie's club on this particular day, you can tell from the outside that something is going on. The pink neon has been swapped for red, white and blue, the pink carpet and velvet ropes changed to the good ol' stars and stripes. The front doors are wreathed in an enormous and very patriotic balloon arch, and they're wide open. American flags hang across the walls of the entranceway, and the music is what most Americans would recognize as July 4th standards.

Inside, Julie has obviously been incredibly hard at work, and the club has undergone its most massive changes to date. The entire first floor has been modified -- where there was once a dance floor and seating, there is now an Olympic-sized in-ground pool, dotted with a variety of American themed floats and balls. The glittering quartz flooring is all gone, now replaced with lush lawn grass, and sensible concrete wrapped around the pool itself. At one end, a truly enormous inflatable water slide can send you flying down from fifty feet in the air, just to land with a splash in the water.

How has she managed that height? Well, where there's ordinarily a roof, there is now only open sky, blue and picturesque with puffy white clouds lazily floating by. The sun is bright but never too hot, and incapable of burning anyone's skin. The only thing between the sky and the building are dozens of red, white and blue decorations, strung from the balconies to overhang the pool.

Don't worry if you weren't exactly prepared for a pool party! Julie, queen of not only parties but also wardrobes, has helpfully converted the warehouse part of the building for this very problem. Racks and racks of bathing suits and beach towels are available for use, with every conceivable style up for grabs. Trunks, one-pieces, string bikinis, banana hammocks, she's got it all! While many match the red, white and blue theme, all types of colors and patterns are present. Grab a towel from a stack, hop in one of the striped changing cabanas, then get to swimming. Don't forget your red, white or blue flip-flops and sunglasses!

Hungry? Well, Dean has you covered. On the lawn, Julie has provided him with a wet dream-inducing grill and every imaginable kind of meat to cook on it. Also in this section are tables and tables full of snacks, desserts and drinks, along with the full bar that is always present. The bartender, Steven, is always ready to make anything you could want. (He is dressed in what is best described as "Sexy Uncle Sam" -- in that it's a star-spangled wrestling singlet, a glittery red white and blue bow tie, an Uncle Sam hat and a small, fake white beard.) Plenty of picnic tables are present to eat at.

As the afternoon passes, the sky will gradually darken until it's black and clear, with a wide expanse of stars, the way Julie remembers seeing night from the empty prairies of Kansas. Between Dean and Julie, there is no shortage of fireworks; as proud Americans raised in places where there's little else to do, they are experts at blowing shit up in creative ways. The tables disappear and are replaced with blankets on the grass, meant to be laid on and shared. An incredible fireworks show rounds the night out, and only once the sky is calm again are people expected to leave.

Or pass out. Getting completely wasted is also an Independence Day tradition. ]

Comments

Maybe wrap here or on yours! On time for new stuff :)

[itookashot]

Jesper's always flirting, one way or another, no matter the age or gender of who he's talking to. He even flirted with Goro, for crying out loud. But he does like flirting with sweet boys who may not be entirely used to it, and at first, Wilhelm is reacting that way. He is a little surprised that the reaction seems to be distancing, wondering if Wilhelm is straight and doesn't appreciate being hit on. Which of course would be his prerogative, but it isn't obvious at first glance.

"That's exactly what I theorized. Maybe they thought people would like us better this way. It isn't an unusual observation, that the good-looking are treated differently. Or we stand out." Cold and calculating to point that out, maybe, but it is true all the same. He has yet to meet an ugly Summoned, that does not seem like it is a coincidence. "Or they just want something pretty to look at." Also an option.

He can tell Wilhelm's mood has shifted and he isn't going to guess at why anymore, it's not really Jesper's way to get too much into his head about basically anything he doesn't understand. He did just sit down here without an invitation after all. Jesper smiles warmly at him and slides back to his feet, even that movement very smooth. "Time to fly off to the next few blankets, pigeon. You stay sweet, you hear me?"

perfect :)

[ordinar]

As Jesper stands, all liquid, languid limbs, Wilhelm looks over at him in surprise. In the dark the flicker of disappointment in his expression is hard to discern. With the fireworks starting soon, he figured Jesper might stick around to watch with him. But of course he has plenty of friends to choose from, and Wilhelm is just some gullible kid he just met.

The way others tended to flock to him just because of his status always annoyed him, but the upside was that he always had someone to sit with at least. Here, though, he finally has his wish.

"Yeah, okay," he replies with a tight smile. "I'll see you around, Jesper."

Which is a stupid thing to say, he realizes as soon as it's out of his mouth. It's not like Jesper lives at the castle too. Nevertheless, he does hope that he can see him again.