Behind the Shelter in the Middle of the Roundabout...

[oh_muh_darlin]

The fact that her roommate's birthday was approaching hadn't gone unnoticed. In fact, Clementine kept a pretty close watch on the birthdays of the people she knew. The birthdays that she'd had on the island herself had all turned out pretty shitty so far, passed by without so much as a mention, and for once, when someone she knew turned another

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[one__song]

Doris, that was the damn thing's name.

As Roger strolled along the beach, thinking about the truth and all the things he did while telling the truth and how Prior would likely never again hear the truth, and how Brian was the truth and blah, blah, blah. It carried him far. So far, in fact, that he stopped in front of a bus and took a break in his meandering through processes to remember the name of the bus that housed Stillwater at some point, and probably still had a discernible amount of Stillwater DNA crusted into the cushions. Oh, tour buses. They were like nomadic college dorm rooms. Or so Roger imagined

[oh_muh_darlin]

Clementine had run to the back of the bus to grab Penny's present, which she'd stashed underneath her bed on the bus. For such small living quarters, Clementine had gotten pretty fucking good at hiding things, and at least she thought that Penny hadn't caught a glimpse of it.

That'd be the way to ruin the goddamn surprise.

And what was the point of a surprise party if it'd ended up fucking ruined?

When she emerged again, she paused, noticing a face that she didn't expect to see amongst the crowd.

[one__song]

Oh, crap, there she was. Somehow, in going to talk to Clem, Roger had managed to forget that he had to talk to Clem. It was a big fucking deal because it would most likely end in getting things thrown at his face and he liked his face.

After taking a brief moment to glance down and collect himself, he looked up again, feigning confidence in his shoulders, but lacking the commitment to it in his face. Stupid pretty face.

"Hey," he said, approaching her. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

[oh_muh_darlin]

Clementine stared at him for a moment, eyes narrow. "Look, I think a second just went by." She tilted her head and raised her eyebrows.

"And I'm pretty sure bus crashing is a punishable island offense."

It totally wasn't, but Clementine was starting to think that it should have been.

[all_happening]

There wasn't much Penny had wanted to do on her birthday less than thinking about the last party she'd been thrown, back before she'd even arrived on the island. Coming home to a party, then, was just about the last thing she'd expected, and while she'd never been one to turn down a party, it didn't make getting that one sentence -- I'm sorry the plane isn't bigger -- out of her head.

Still, that wasn't the sort of thing she wanted to publicize, and so she put on a good show, smiling and laughing, playing the part of the surprised birthday girl. Only after greeting people and making clear just how thrilled she was did she head for the alcohol Clem had managed to procure. It wasn't enough to get her as tipsy as she might've liked, and definitely not enough to forget about the party before, with Russell and William and Dennis fucking Hope, but it would more than suffice. After taking a long swig from her glass, she bit her lower lip, and murmured to herself, "It's all happening." The occasion called for it, as far as she was concerned.

[texas_forever]

"That a good or a bad thing?" Tim asks from just behind her, his voice lowered, barely loud enough to be heard over the music and the voices of people crammed inside the bus.

It's been a couple days since they've seen each other and, when he'd found out about the party, he'd wondered about maybe not going. But, if there's one thing Tim's done enough in his life, it's push through awkward situations and he'd figured he could handle another one.

[all_happening]

The sound of Tim's voice, almost surprisingly, was enough to bring something of a faint smile to her face, even before she turned to look at him. "Could be either," she replied lightly, shrugging. "It's just - a thing we used to say back home. Old habits, you know."

The sentiment was one that suited her well, beyond just repeating things she'd said before, but she was pretty sure if anyone knew that, it was Tim. She'd been in the reverse of the situation often enough to remain casual, though, and she wasn't sure she'd ever been quite so grateful for that.

[texas_forever]

He nods his understanding, a slow bob of his head as he gives her another small smile. It feels a little forced or smothered or something however casual and friendly he tries to remain.

"You havin' a good time?" he asks her, casually resting his hip against the back of a seat.

[anewwaive]

When Clem had mentioned her idea to Gideon, she pretty much convinced him it was what she'd probably want. He didn't know shit about this kind of stuff, so he just went along with it, helping as much as he figured was required of him. He wasn't all too excited about the thing, and the lack of alcohol didn't help all that fucking much. He didn't really know what she told people about him, and until then, he didn't even need to think about it.

He always was good at hiding shit, though. He hung around just outside the bus, just kind of observing the shit going on.

[all_happening]

What little alcohol there was, Penny was trying to make last as long as she possibly could, and so when she wandered outside, having seen Gideon through one of the bus windows, she was still carrying a glass holding most of it. She was definitely in need of a break -- just a few minutes to get some air before she went back to pretending there was no reason for her to not be a fan of her own birthday.

She was still smiling, though, as she came up beside him, albeit slightly less so than she'd been around everyone else. "Hey," she murmured, glancing at him over her shoulder. "What's up?"

[anewwaive]

He'd just been about to go in - look social for a while or something - when she came outside. He certainly wasn't going to fucking complain.

"Just waiting for my turn with the chick having a birthday. You seen her? I heard she's pretty hot," he replied, jokingly, and his expression relaxed into something that was far less forced. He leaned down to press a single kiss against her temple, a hand sliding to rest against the small of her back. "Happy birthday. You get any good shit yet?"

[all_happening]

Penny was almost surprised that she managed a laugh at the first thing he said, and once his hand was on her back, she eased in against him, resting her head on his shoulder. "There's not exactly a surplus of good places to buy presents around here," she replied wryly. There was the market, of course, but even that was minimal bartering, and little she saw herself as needing.

She shrugged, though, taking a deep breath. "But it's a good party," she added, and raised her glass like she was toasting before taking a sip. Better than the last one she'd had, at any rate.

[wishesandsmoke]

Eden was in favor of any and all parties on the island, and she tried not to miss any occasion that livened up the dull social calendar around here. Some parties were more important than others, though, and Penny's was top of the list -- even if Penny hadn't known about it before it happened.

Presents had been hard to figure out, but she'd been determined to come up with something. Carrying the bundle, she boarded the bus, grinning. Any party involving Clem and Penny was sure to be memorable.

[anewwaive]

Gideon had kept an eye out for Eden. He more or less figured he'd hang out with her most of the fucking party. He didn't feel like he'd have to act any way but normal with her.

"You get her anything good?" he asked, not getting up from the seat he'd been sitting in.

[wishesandsmoke]

"Depends on your definition of good," Eden replied, flopping down into the seat beside him with a wry smile. "There aren't exactly a lot of options around here, but I think she'll like it. You find something?"

[anewwaive]

"Fuck yeah," he grinned, looking smug. He reached behind him to grab one of the bags of junk food - the bag of M&Ms - and showed it to her. "Bet you didn't even fucking know this shit was on the island, right?"

[first_worde]

Rupert couldn't help but grin broadly as he came upon the party, tipping his head up to watch the streamers move in the breeze and change color the farther they moved from the firelight. He wasn't wearing his uniform. It wasn't that kind of party.

He started through the crowd to search out the birthday girl.

Or maybe the birthday girl's best friend.

[oh_muh_darlin]

"Hey," Clementine said, when she found Rupert, coming up on her toes to whisper over his shoulder. It was a moment that someone else might have seen as something small and romantic-- almost intimate.

Clementine was not one of those people.

"So, I'm thinking about dying my hair again."

[first_worde]

Rupert didn't start so much as straightened slightly, then turned his head, only, and grinned a it.

"What this time? Blue? And where do you keep finding this stuff to do it with?"

[oh_muh_darlin]

"I don't know," Clementine said, rocking back on her heels when she backed away from him, "I got some pink the the box that the weird fucking island gave me, but I haven't been that color since 1997."