I CAN'T IMAGINE THERE'S A WAY —

[retravel]

WHO: Fitz, SHIELD, and you!
WHERE: New Amsterdam's medium-est bar: Refraction
WHEN: 01 September
WHAT: Leo's turning 31 100
NOTES OR WARNINGS: TBA

[ On his actual birthday, Fitz celebrates with his two closest friends (the people who’ve kept him together, despite wobbles along the way). Bobbi and Daisy, however, know that when Fitz says I hate people and don’t want to celebrate in the middle of a secret war he means I hate being alone, even on days without symbolic meaning. Daisy and Bobbi send out the mass evite, and Bobbi uses her powers of persuasion to find a more upscale venue for a discounted rate. Due to the flipped schedules in the height of New Amsterdam’s summer, Fitz’s party happens in the morning (the new night for anyone working a 9-5 gig), sun rising high over the city as it begins.

Welcome to REFRACTION, a classy bar tens of floors off the ground, with a stellar view of the city, not far from the river. Beams of light weave across the back area of the venue, well-lit by various glowing fixtures. Something about the place has an old world flair, with its dark colour scheme and minimalist decor. Maybe today’s an acceptable excuse to dress smart, celebrate with a friend, and drink up:

— enjoy the food (which might have had British roots at one point, but it’s hard to tell given the variety of fusions on display in bite-size portions) and initial round of free fizz, compliments of the host (and the host’s super stem friends)
— buy drinks at the bar and get wankered (as the birthday boy will be, around the new midnight)
— people watch from the tables and sofas
— dance to NA’s top synth pop hits (coming through hidden speakers above and holograms of the singers at some tables, activated by the proximity of nearby implant viewers)
— try a piece of cake, reading Happy 100th Birthday, Fitz! and looking a bit like it came from the same space-themed, child's birthday do as the evite. If your piece of cake has a wee star inside it, it means you’re one of the lucky winners and get a freebie at the bar.

As a nice establishment, rowdiness will only get you tossed on your arse by the bouncers, so everybody be cool.

At one point, someone nudges Fitz forward to say something. Dressed in his finest blues, he cuts a smarter figure than the usual corporate cut-out. ]

Right. [ said in the tight voice of someone who is definitely on the verge of crushing the flute in his hand. ] I never know what to say, and I didn't have time to prepare because, ah. Surprise. [ he splays out his free hand. ] So I will just say that — that there's someone I wish was here, despite all the horrible happenings, but that I am so so grateful that you're all here despite them, too. It's not for — forever, but it's pretty nice. Right now. [ As another SHIELD agent said: We have what we have when we have it. That's it. ] Thank you. Cheers!

( if you don't think the SHIELD losers would have invited your character, please feel free to come up with a semi-plausible reason for attending. gatecrashing, plus ones, hearing the commotion and wanting to be nosy. all are welcome! )

Comments

[revlon]

[ She tips her head this way and that, smiling still, as if she's mulling over the question but there isn't much to consider at all. It's a simple enough question at an event that's as wonderfully benign as possible. Peggy is aware they ought to be grateful for the lull for as long as they have it; given how they've all come to be in this city, the other shoe is liable to drop any time now.

And keep dropping and keep dropping. ]

Well enough. It's been nice to meet people under better circumstances than the last one. [ Then she considers the other woman, pleasantly curious. ] I couldn't help but notice your accent. German?

[mechanisch]

[ It does feel... unexpectedly normal, something as innocuous as a birthday party in the middle of everything. While it's not really enough to make her forget that this place is the farthest thing from normal she's ever experienced, it's almost a comfort to know that others are still reaching for those touchstones of familiarity, anything to hold onto. Besides, there will always be birthdays. ]

The arrival part can be... jarring. [ She hasn't been trying to stifle any signs of her origin, but when the other woman identifies her accent readily it does prompt a small lift of one eyebrow. ] Yes. I'm Gaby, by the way. And you are?

[revlon]

[ It's nice to know they share a world by that answer alone. The war is only two years past for her but the history shared doesn't matter here; different time, different place, different circumstances. ]

Peggy Carter. [ Her smile softens. By way of explanation: ] I've done a bit of travelling in my time. It's good to hear something so familiar.

[mechanisch]

[ She's no stranger to a wartorn world, a country divided right down the middle and territory afforded to two different sides. Sometimes it feels like not much has changed in that aspect, at least in regards to what separates them from the others, all of them plucked from different times and places but united by that one shared circumstance. ]

For business, or do you enjoy traveling outside of that? [ Maybe she's being too obvious in her curiosity, but Peggy Carter strikes her as particularly keen even next to some of the other people here, several of whom have also made a strong impression. ]

[revlon]

[ This is the first time she's had to explain her life before New Amsterdam — most people haven't asked her anything like this, which is curious in of itself. It's simple small talk, asking about hobbies, where one grew up, what one does for a living. And while Peggy Carter hasn't kept all her secrets (can't, by virtue of having members of SHIELD here), there are a few things that are better left private.

She travelled for business, traversed Europe from Western to Eastern Front under the barrage of warfare as a spy. But Peggy Carter in New Amsterdam isn't a spy and ought to maintain that cover for however long she must. ]

A bit of both, [ she answers easily, still smiling. ] My family loved to go on holiday when we could manage it. I suppose that stuck with me when I got older because I moved to America for work. Nothing quite like a change of scenery, you know? [ A huff of breath. ] Although this place is giving me second thoughts.