Happy Un-birthday to you

[patriotqueen]

This had nothing to do with Guy's recent lies towards Willie. Nothing to do with baiting him into talking to a professional about the war he had been through and the nightmares and trembles he suffered. Guy was, as always, utterly unapologetic about his liberal managment of the truth. No guilt there.

So, that was not the reason Guy had decided to

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[over_and_dunne]

Willie did not know of the party that Guy was planning up until the moment it was actually happening. He seemed to have wandered out to it entirely by accident and once there it seemed that he would be remaining there for some time, seeing as it was his party and all, even if it was two months late and rather unexpected. At least there didn't seem to be many guests yet as Willie still didn't enjoy being around too many people all at one time.

He didn't think that his own birthday was such a great thing to be celebrating, especially two months later. He had not had a proper sort of birthday since before the war started and he had not had an actual party for it at all. A cake and a toy when he was a little lad perhaps, but certainly no grand parties. And certainly no grand parties thrown by Mr Burgess. All Willie could do was be thankful that he hadn't done anything too over the top and watch the Englishman carefully, half afraid that he was about to burn his own face off with the cooking.

[patriotqueen]

This wasn't a grand party by any standards. For a grand party one needed more expensive liquor, a more assorted group of friends, live music, and a smokey clinging atmosphere on 5 Bentinck Street. It wasn't any of that.

At the moment Guy didn't care. Another woosh of fire came from the pan. He quickly pushed the pan further forward and pulled his face back to shield from the flame.

[over_and_dunne]

Willie bit back a muffled sound of terror as Mr Burgess continued to court death trying to cook a bit of pastry. Or at least Willie assumed it was a pastry. He couldn't really be sure.

"Do... Do you need some help with that?"

[patriotqueen]

Guy only laughed in response. When the flame died down, he looked at the contents of his experiment. "Oh," he pretended to sound dissapointed. "I might have scorched a bit too much..."

[worth_having]

Ever since the Carpentier fiasco at court many of his acquaintances had taken swimmingly to lighting their dinners on fire. But a flambé was not what Dorian immediately thought was occurring as he approached with a little box in hand, looking dreadfully fine in clothes that he felt were rather unexceptional.

"My God," Dorian laughed good-naturedly upon closer inspection - though not too close, mind. "Well, nobody will be able to say this wasn't an absolutely spirited affair."

[over_and_dunne]

Willie was still trying not to stand quite so close to such a great fire. Mr Burgess had him worried, but something in him couldn't help remembering flames, and he supposed they must be the flames from the shell that had hit for all that Willie couldn't rightly remember them, but there had been no other fire that he could think of that might have shaken him so. His scars seemed to be twitching very slightly, though that may have just been his mind.

"Hello, Mr Gray," Willie said, turning to the other man to take his mind off of the fire and sipping a drink from one of the mismatched cups Guy had provided.

[worth_having]

"Willie," Dorian greeted with a fond touch to the boy's shoulder, "They say the older the fiddler, the sweeter the tune." He smiled. "Are you a musical man? If not, then I shall have to make you one," he declared and tapped the small box with pleasant enough purpose.

Longer than it was wide, the oak box ran the length of his forearm with a little silver snap lock that caught the firelight and flickered merrily.

[over_and_dunne]

"I sing a little," Willie said. Memories of the hall in Dublin where he'd lost the singing competition because he had not known what to do with the fiddly bit of piano that Schubert put in the Ave Maria came back to haunt him. Mr Gray would not have fit in such a place, no more than he would have fit in the soldiers' concert where he had sung it again to hard, battle-worn, weeping men. No. He didn't think any of the songs he knew would do for Mr Gray's tastes. "Nothing very good."

[i_am_elizabeth]

It was my mother brought me news of Mr. Burgess' engagement, and in an endeavor to be more sociable- God keep me greater company, if I'm resorted to actively seeking to become more sociable, heavens- I have decided to make an appearance, if only in hopes of some invigorating conversation with the host. I have dressed plainly, stretched a pale pink fabric with sheen to it over my existing bodice and donned the wig I wear most days, now, long and loose and more difficult to keep neat but so much less stifling than my formal Church wig I arrived in.

For the first time in... a very long time, I have foregone shoes. God, I feel positively girlish.

Hah.

[worth_having]

She was a handsome woman by right, but the firelight worked to slough away the years of a stony rule right before his eyes; she moved and Dorian followed, though his feet remained elsewhere until he could have her alone.

"And here you are, Ma'am," he greeted with a bow of his head, "Celebrating the birth and life of a simple soldier. How shall I greet you tonight?" he smiled, perhaps with an inappropriate amount of familiarity. But he did mean so very well; one could not begrudge him that.

[i_am_elizabeth]

"My country was built by simple soldiers, Mister Gray," I reply, turning where I stand to see him cast against the dark of the water and sky, illuminated by the friendly fire, "and I daresay more reigns than mine maintained by them. You may greet me however you wish," I add, "so long as you remember who I am."

I do not mean my name.

[worth_having]

A lovely sentiment, he felt, and true. He was positively enchanted, though he gave a sober nod and withheld too much enthusiasm lest he seem overeager. "You are very right to caution me, your majesty," he held out a hand for hers.

"I find that I have adjusted myself well enough to the ways here. I cannot decide if I am homesick for England or sick with too much idle time," he wondered.

[the_sweetshrink]

It was probably some sort of ethical breach, but Sweets had been invited and so he went. He'd been to the beach, but generally he preferred to stay in the compound. Blame the modern age- he liked the air conditioning.

He held his cup and stood near the fire. It was supposedly Willie's birthday, but he knew from his file that the date was wrong. Time here was weird, though, and parties were frequent, so Sweets went and tried to enjoy himself. He sort of wished he knew someone who wasn't a patient, though.

Ethics kinda blew, sometimes.

[callofkaren]

"You know, when you said bonfire, I didn't think you actually meant bonfire." Karen didn't sound all too miffed or confused, either way; having seen the fire down the beach from her hut and hearing about it from Lance, she couldn't have stayed away.

Even when she barely knew anyone there, let alone the person who the party was for.

[the_sweetshrink]

"Does bonfire mean something else around here?" Sweets asked, as he cracked a bright and boyish smile. "Although it's a little bigger than what I'd expected."

[callofkaren]

"I was thinking more along the lines of smallish fire on the beach," Karen admitted just a bit sheepishly. "But I guess if you're gonna throw a party and say it'll be a bonfire, you go all out."

[toomuchlikeher]

It was happenstance that Johanna had wandered upon the gathering, she was perhaps only an acquaintance only of the person the celebration was intended for (she found out upon arrival that it was in fact Willie's birthday, or his quite belated birthday) - it had been her curiosity that had drawn her to the flare of fire she had spotted some distance away, that looked thrilling. Though proper manner deemed to might be rather forward to invite yourself, she had learned manners were rather different here; even if she still dressed in the more elaborate clothing recognised from her own time.

She held a cup that she had been handed with a smile, though she wasn't entirely certain what was in it, it did smell rather strong, and she hadn't yet taken a sip for inspecting it, enjoying the light of the fire from a wise distance.

[patriotqueen]

Guy grinned when the newly arrived girl sniffed the contents of the glass he had just passed her. "It's palm-wine," he assured, "I stand for its quality." To those who knew Guy knew not to trust such statements.

[toomuchlikeher]

Johanna gave a polite nod of her head to the host of the party, feeling rather bold for having attended alone, and without an proper invitation. Yet no one seemed to mind at all. "Palm-wine" She echoed, hurried not to cause offense as she took a sip, doing her best to mask reaction to the taste. With nothing else to compare to, she believed this must be the very best. "Thank you, sir." She smiled, unsure as the taste lingered and she sipped again. "I think it is a very kind thing you have done for Willie this evening."

[patriotqueen]

She tasted it and she kept it down, meant she liked it. Indeed it was one of the better batches.

"It's a party worth celebrating, don't you think?" Guy replied cheerfully.