You and I in a little toy shop by a bag of balloons... [Party Thread]

[thewalkin_dude]

((OOC: Enjoy the parade! Comment on the floats, band, politicians, whatever. Mingle! ^^ Also, Flagg gives off normal human psychic-ness to anyone who might be poking around

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[sinsofskin]

Leona has positioned herself near Flagg. Not so close that people might assume they work together - there's always the possibility that someone might recognize her as someone who works in an unpleasant business, as that might taint public perception of their golden-boy candidate - but close enough to keep a subtle eye on his lady companion and to sate a bit of her interest.

To someone in the know, Flagg practically reeks power under that one-o'-the-boys public face. And Leona has always been one for power.

[allmydiredreams]

PARADES! Babel freakin' loves parades. So many colors and candies and balloons and people. She's noticing that a good many of them have subtly different bodybeats, as well, and that's always interesting -- she'll go poke her nose into others' businesses in a moment.

But for now, she's content to stand there in her big fuzzy coat, staring up at the balloons and grinning over her steaming mocha.

[shadowseeks]

There's a flit of darkness on the ground, and...

O HAI, BABEL. Your shadow now has a bodybeat. A very laid-back, slightly curious one.

Onyekachi is no stranger to revelry. What he's a stranger to is revelry on this scale, of this sort, and he's been passing amongst the crowd trying to get a sense of everything. And to see if anyone will spill some wine on the ground.

[allmydiredreams]

Babel herself hasn't noticed that there's a certain bodybeat that's been...shifting from person to person through the crowd, though her hindbrain's picked it up. Her hindbrain is also the things that's noticing the pattern of Organization operative moving through the crowd. She's paying attention to neither.

So when her shadow suddenly starts beating, syncing with her own beats, she jumps a little and looks down at her feet. "Never known you to sing before," she mutters at it, furrowing her brow a bit. She may lift up a shoe to inspect the sole of it, just in case. In case of what, even she isn't sure.

[shadowseeks]

Onyekachi hasn't been paying all that much attention to the people whose shadows he's been inhabiting, honestly. Most of them haven't noticed him, he hasn't paid attention to most of them, it's like this between shadows and people.

But, you know, when they talk to him...

"Was I singing?" He consders that for a moment, humming out a brief few notes. "Hm. The man by the tree thought it strange to hear a shadow sing, so too."

[weallendupalone]

Maria was at the parade. And, whilst looking around to see if maybe Zoe had come, too, she happened to stick around for the speech. Something makes her want to believe him. Support him.

And anything that makes her want to support someone for a position she knows nothing about in a country she couldn't vote in even if she were old enough? Makes her suspicious. She's going to head over to talk to Mr. Flagg. But if anyone wants to catch her on the way...

[sensi_doctor]

JD has managed to hand out most of his balloons during the parade, weaving through the crowd and sometimes sticking strings in empty, out stretched hands without a word. He likes to think of himself as the parade's balloon!ninja, which almost resulted in a daydream that would have halted the entire parade.

"Hi, do you want a balloon? I only have three left!" There are four in his hand. One of those balloons is for him.

[weallendupalone]

Maria stops and stares at him for a moment, almost disbelieving, like she can't believe he'd offer a fifteen-year-old a balloon. Then she decides that a balloon would be awesome anyway.

"Sure, why not?" she says with a laugh. "Can I have the red one?"

[sensi_doctor]

Don't worry Maria. He hands out balloons to people of all ages!

"Yay! You know I usually don't bother asking anymore, cause for some reason people don't like balloons as much as they should and they give me this look like Wha-a-at? How dare you offer me a balloon and I'm like, I'm just spreadin' the love, y'know? Anyway." JD pulls the red balloon from his fist and hands it to her. "Here's your balloon. Red is a good choice."

[bonkraptor]

Bonk was napping quite peacefully in a relatively non-urine-smelling wedge between a heating grate and an Italian restaurant, having pleasant dreams about being warm and full of tasty food, until she was woken up by all. the damn. people. And this stupid-ass parade.

But, it's not like she has anything better to do. She's clutching a cardboard sign saying "HOMELESS - HUNGRY - COLD - ANYTHING HELPS - GOD BLESS" with a crude drawing of a fish (better the fish than the cross), and working the fringes of the crowd. She's not very good at it, and while she's picked up a few dollars, mostly what she's gotten is rude stares and cold shoulders. Bonk isn't pickpocketing or pursesnatching either; she'd like to, but she's even worse at that, and she really hates getting caught.

She's cold, thin, bedraggled, obviously lost, and a demon, if you can tell that sort of thing. She can't.

[scorching_black]

Sirius Black, Gryffindor Extraorindaire, is physically incapable of ignoring other people's suffering.

Especially pretty girls.

So when he sees Bonk, he really doesn't see where he has an option; he ducks into a nearby store and comes back with a warm fleece blanket, which he promptly brings to Bonk, along with a small stack of bills.

There's about $50 there.

[bonkraptor]

The girl jumps, obviously startled, and blinks at the blanket, the money, and then the person who's offering them. "Oh! Uh... thank you!" She smiles hugely, accepting the blanket and wrapping it around her shoulders tightly. "I'm Bonk - that's not my name, but my name is stupid, so just call me Bonk. And, um, wow." She flips through the money, and smiles again. "Least I can do is treat you to lunch! Um... where's a good place to eat around here?"

[scorching_black]

"There's a coffee shop around the corner, but you're not buying me food. Save that money." Sirius offers her his hand. "I'm Sirius Black. It's nice to meet you, Bonk. And I've got a friend named Mundungus, so whatever you're called it can't be the worse thing I've ever heard."

Friend. Con artist. Whatever.

[clockwork_doc]

Doc has no idea why anyone in Chicago would want to hold a parade in January, especially with the cold weather they've been experiencing. Still, it's a distraction and a chance to get a little fresh air. So he's out there with the rest, black coat on and holding a cup of coffee. He's again using his weather powers to warm the air around him a tad, but he's making sure it's not all that noticeable. Too many of the regular population squeezed in around him to risk more.

He's not sure what to make of Flagg, honestly. Politics has never been his thing. Still, if the guy really thinks he can help out Chicago, more power to him. Doc sips his coffee, and idly scans the crowd for any familiar faces.

[sensi_doctor]

"Doc! Hey!" JD grins, practically skipping in his glee as he weaves through the crowd with his red balloon to reach Doc.

There may be a few peeved people left in his wake. People often have a difficult time understanding why a grown man would act like he was twelve years old.

"How's it going," he asks, holding out a fistful of candy for Doc. "Aren't parades awesome?"

[clockwork_doc]

Doc brightens immediately. "JD! Hello!" He doesn't mind JD acting like a twelve-year-old -- he's never exactly acted his age either. And it's nice to see a cheerful JD.

"I'm all right," Doc says, accepting the candy with a nod. "Wondering why they chose to have this in January, of all months, but. . . ." He shrugs. It's Chicago. "It is a pretty nice parade. They've had some truly excellent floats." Doc appreciates craftmanship, and it appears a couple of the organizations who did floats do too. "How are you?"

[sensi_doctor]

"Yeah, that seems weird. Maybe they were trying to cheer everyone up? Warm them up with an exciting parade! Or something. I don't know. I love it, anyway, but I love parades," JD says as if this wasn't beyond obvious at this point.

He scuffs his shoes against the pavement.

"I'm good. I'm really good. The last couple of months have been so good that it's... hard to believe. I mean, from all of the crazy to this."