Maybe tomorrow is a better day.

[malleableform]

Characters: Group post! It’s party time! So Raven and ANYone else; EVERYONE else, as a matter of fact.
Date & Time: July 22nd, evening
Setting: Outside, because it’s a party by the lake. And the lake is outdoors. Ergo...
Summary: Party by the lake! (oooh) Party by the lake! (yeah) We’re a whole bunch of mutants on our way to an awesome party by the

Comments

[rageserenity]

Erik was a man who thrived on punctuality, which was why he arrived half an hour before the invitation stated. Of course he'd offered to help Raven with her preparations, but been told that she had everything absolutely covered and that she'd see him later.

Erik was hardly the party type, and he'd never 'helped' put one together even in so far as carrying things outside, so his offer had been rather gallant all things considered. But since it could generally be considered to anyone who was in the know that they were engaging in some form of conventional relationship, he had a very genuine interest in assisting her.

And he'd really wanted quite strongly to see her in her bathing suit before anyone else, hence his very early arrival.

Of course he hadn't countered on someone else having similar ideas - though not about the bathing suit, he wagered, because Alex had other young ladies in mind, and Raven was far too old for him in Erik's very firm and correct opinion, and also she was very much taken as of the present time.

He arrived in his black wetsuit shorts, lowslung and tight and clinging to his body far too snugly for very aerodynamic reasons, but he'd hardly been sure what to wear for a 'lake party', whatever such an event involved. And he didn't own any normal swimming trunks a man might wear. When Erik swam, he did so for the sake of fitness, or for other reasons involving submarines and Shaw and Charles and... best not think of such dark thoughts on a day like today.

Erik presumed one was meant to be cheery for a party. It implied as such.

But as he neared the lake he saw he there, barely noticing Alex for a moment stood off to the side on dry land fully dressed. His eyes were only for Raven, knee deep in lake water and beautiful beyond compare to him, despite her disguise, her hair the brightest fuschia pink.

But then of course Alex appeared again in his peripheral vision, and he inclined his head in acknowledgement and greeting both to him.

[donotmockme]

So. Point of fact. Hank? Hank McCoy? Had been working out. He had cut back on his time spent cooking, and reading Sophocles, dedicating that time to looking more... well. Manly. He could run fine, but running didn't build abs. Running didn't get the attention of...

Good for the body, good for the mind.

He arrived a little before the party was supposed to start, hoping to get a few moments alone with Raven- only to be disappointed by seeing the lack of estrogen thus far. Of course. Logically men would show up earlier... and Erik was plying chaperoned. Obviously.

He sat off to the side, finding a log and doing his very best not to look awkward.

[eagleonfire]

Amara got there at what was probably on time, but she didn't have a swimsuit, so she just wore a thigh length tunic over her underwear, and she had a bra on for once. If anyone had a problem with swimming in underwear, she didn't mind swimming in her tunic.

The first person she spotted was Hank and she decidedly did not greet him. He didn't deserve any attention from her, and she didn't think he deserved attention from any female, but...there was no accounting for bad taste.

Then she saw Raven and Erik, waving at them casually. The hair on Raven was a bit of a surprise, but she thought it suited her. Made her look older, different. Amara liked it, not feeling brave enough to do the same to her own hair.

Finally, she saw Alex, a small smile gracing her features. She was glad he was okay, and she made her way over to stand close to him. "Hi. Are you...is everything okay?"

[fuzzybamf]

Kurt was apparently among those who hadn't felt it necessary to show up early to the party. Not that he didn't care, of course. It was just why bother showing up places early when he could be there right on time, whenever he wanted? Especially when they were in such close distance to him.

In a burst of sulfuric smoke, he was standing near Amara and Alex, who he glanced briefly at, offered a rather large grin and asked. "Hope zhat you guys are ready for zhis! It's going to be killer."

This was probably the most exposed anyone would ever seen Kurt, who usually stuck with outfits that covered his very obvious physical mutations. Now he was wearing only a pair of old khaki shorts, his tail sticking out a hole in the back.

[staticsnap]

The first hint that this was going to be a doozy of an occasion had come earlier in the day when Ben Westwood returned to his room after foraging in the kitchens and promptly had his legs fly out from under him like birds taking to wing after a gunshot's crack. He landed (badly) with a solid, wrenching thud on the unforgiving hardwood floor and lay there, mouth gaping where the wind had been knocked from his lungs, wondering just how many babies he had tarred and feathered in a past life to deserve such viciously unrelenting retribution in this one.

Before he could muster up the hope that perhaps the catastrophic tumble had been the worst blow of the day, Ben sat up and it was then that he'd found the cause of his fall - a slip of paper, it's neat typeface now bearing a single, perfect shoeprint right in the middle. Suddenly the pain that growled in his hip was nothing in comparison the sinking feeling of doom in his belly.

A party. It sounded like a good time and from what he understood, that's exactly what parties were. Never having been to one himself he could only base that assumption on hearsay but it stood to reason that people wouldn't continue to host them if there wasn't some kind of payout.

But this particular event posed two very compelling problems:

1. There would be people there. People that Ben would have to talk to which... was always an interesting study in crash-and-burn.

2. It was by the lake. The lake. As in water. As in definitely-a-massive-electrical-conductor-oh-god-sorry-didn't-mean-to-kill-you-my-mistake-body of water.

And then he'd looked to see who on earth had even thought to invite him of all people and realized there was no way that he couldn't go. If it had been anyone other than Raven hosting, he would have just barricaded himself in his room but there was something unfailingly warm about the woman that could not (would not) be refused. She had an infectious personality that drew one out in spite of even the deepest of reservations and besides that, if she were bound and determined to accomplish something than it would happen. The temptation to take advantage of the near-empty mansion was great but Ben decided that so long as he stuck to the sidelines and limited the potential for disaster, a party might be a... a fun way to spend an evening. Besides, the boy was pretty sure that anyone who didn't show would be dragged out by their toes.

So it was that as the hour of the party rolled around, he found himself gamely meandering toward the gathering. Ben was notably not wearing swim attire, dressed instead in slacks and a button down; even if it hadn't been a general hazard for him to get in, he was not a water dog. It wasn't that he couldn't swim at all but rather that it was less swimming and more... not drowning.

Ben gave a little wave as he reached the group and tried not to concentrate on the giant shimmering surface of the lake that was so close he could smell the high-copper scent of it, all brassy reeds and cool, wet sand. The boy dropped to the grass as far away from the lapping water's edge as he could while still remaining a part of the group and looped his arms around his knees, taking a bracing breath of the heady summer air.

[malleableform]

Raven turned at the sound of Alex’s voice, grinning up at him. He wasn’t exactly dressed for swimming... but she suspected that he was probably not much in the mood for celebrating, after what had happened with his powers. She hoped that he would stay for just a little bit.

“Hi Alex!” she greeted him, brushing pink strands of hair behind her ear. She laughed. “Thanks. Decided to experiment a little.” She put a hand on his arm. “I’m really glad you decided to come. You don’t have to stay very long if you don’t want to... but I hope you decide to stay.” It would be (if everyone showed, of course) the first time that the original six had been together since Darwin’s death.

Her attention was drawn by Erik’s arrival, and she grinned at him. He had even offered to help her prep for the party, but she had had it all under control and had told him as much. She had appreciated the offer, though. It had been rather sweet of him; she was fairly certain that he wasn’t exactly the party type. And yet here he was, in his wetsuit shorts looking extremely attractive.

Raven was glad to see Amara arrive, and returned the other girl’s wave with a smirk as if to say ‘Ta da! Party by the lake!’ She’d managed to pull it off. At least it was looking like she had; the night was still young.

Even Hank had come, which made her very happy. She had told him that he needed to get out of the lab more. He was currently sitting awkwardly on a log off to one side. Hopefully he would have a good time. For now though... she made her way over to Erik.

“Hi,” she said quietly, smiling up at him. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Ben make his way over to the party area, taking a seat on the grass as far away from the lake as he could possibly be and still be included. She was rather glad he had come, and would definitely have to chat with him at some point.