No Big Deal

[Lani Hunter]

Date: May 24th

The weekend before Saturday Caroline had pointed out that Lani was going to have his birthday the following weekend. Lani cringed, he really hated making a big event out it. It was just another day and Lani really hated having attention on himself. Caroline had declared they throw a big party and Lani had scaled that back to a few friends and a few snacks. He sighed as he texted those he wanted there. He started to realize after he’d warned Adam and Adrianna that Odion would be there invited and then warned Odion that Adrianna was invited that none of the people he considered friends actually liked each other. But Lani realized he’d never be forgiven if he failed to invite Odion or Adrianna, not that Caroline would let him forget either. Lani’d also shot Avinea a text in case she could spare a moment to stop by. Now it was all a matter of if everyone would show up with the given warnings and such.

Lani was just really hoping that this didn’t end up like last year. He was definitely starting to get a bad feeling about this. He almost wished he could just do something quiet and without people, but knowing Odion he would find a way and Adrianna would just be hurt and Caroline would be upset and… Lani sighed and went to work clearing the kitchen and making some last minute cleaning before people were supposed to come over. Caroline was making herself busy playing with the cats in the living room. “It’s not too late to cancel,” he called from the kitchen, if everyone he wanted to show up showed up there could be blood and he really didn’t want there to be blood. Last year his birthday had been one for the history books, and not in any of the good ways.

“It’ll be fine,” Caroline replied and came into the kitchen to start working on cutting stuff for a vegetable tray, “I’m here for backup.” Lani grinned at his sister, she liked Adrianna and she liked Odion, but she was definitely bias in the fact that she thought Odion and Lani needed to rethink their relationship. He’d told her that he and Odion had a date and she had demanded all of the details. Lani heard a clink of glass and he looked back at his sister. He reached over her shoulder and grabbed the bottle of rum out of her hand and pointed a finger at her. “Don’t even think about it.” He was much taller than her and when he placed it on the refrigerator Caroline had no hope of reaching it. “But you’re not 21 either and you’re drinking,” Caroline protested.

Lani crossed his arms and looked down at his sister. “And you’re 13, so don’t even think about it.” She frowned up at him, he was being a little hypocritical, he’d started drinking when he was a couple years older than Caroline was now, but he wanted to protect her. He sighed and cocked is head to look at her. “Alright, I’ll make you a deal. When you graduate, with honors, I’ll buy you a drink, and we’ll drink here in the safety of my apartment. Deal?” It would put Caroline at around eighteen and she would be heading to college, where she would drink, it was a fact of life. Lani wanted Caroline’s first time potentially getting drunk to be with him so he could take care of her if anything happened because wherever she went to college, Lani wouldn’t be able to protect her any longer. Caroline nodded and held out a hand. “Deal.” The siblings shook on it and there was a knock on the door. “It’s open,” he called and wandered into the living room to see who it was.

[Deleted]

Adam had been home all day dicking and messing around in his room(not doing that you guys! Gross!) all while on the computer(which I know sounds even worse but NO) trying his hand at a few select sites(I give up) which he’d never tried before. Posting, that was what he was doing. And blogging. And reciprocating(that doesn’t sound right). And responding(better?). Adam was gabbing about a new theory he’d just come up with while on the john and had to get it down right away! But then he got caught up in reading other people’s theories, especially of this one troll, XplodR, who always seemed to have an answer for everything that anyone had to say against his stupidity. Anyway, they ended up getting into a flame war and Adam lost all track of time, completely forgetting that Lani was supposed to be having some sort of thing shindig today(that he’d actually prepared for, believe it or not!). So by the time Adam was done with his little internet excursion, there was already the feeling that there somebody in the apartment who was not his poltergeisting roommate.

Actually, it was the sound of a young girl’s voice that really caught his ear. A young girl…who could that be…..OH SHIT RIGHT!

That’s when Adam remembered about the whole birthday-type event that Lani was holding, that must have been Lani’s kid sister or something out there, because it certainly didn’t sound like that other chick who stopped by sometimes. He grabbed a dull brown gift bag and twirled it around his finger as he finally emerged from his room just in time to hear a kind of conversation about drinking and being underage. “Come on, Lani. Don’t be such a stick in the mud. That’s how you get them from ever starting, you know? Let her have a sip, it’ll suck, and then the little tyke will never drink again!” It was a foolproof plan! Because there was no way she could develop a taste for something like rum or beer at her age, right?

Adam turned his head to the door as a knocking came from it though didn’t move as it seemed that Lani had it alll under control. Yup.

[Odion Martins]

Odi was happy to have been invited to this at all. After talking to Avi about what to get Lani, Odi decided that what he wanted to give wasn't going to be given at the party, not in front of everyone else. So instead, he had a simple birthday card in his hand as he approached Lani's apartment complex. He wasn't going to show up without something though, and so decided that a nice bottle of Port would do the trick. Lani could read the card to himself, and if he was interested, Odion was sure the blond would let him know at some point near the end of night. The note in the card involved a bit of star gazing, and maybe a stolen high powered telescope.

Naturally, Odion was looking sharp as usual in dress shoes, jeans, and an orange shirt under a black casual suit jacket. It mattered not that Adrianna was going to be there, Odion had yet to apologize and decided that the event would be the perfect opportunity. It wasn't as though he saw her on a regular basis, so this seemed to make sense.

Walking into the apartment, Odion felt a little awkward as he shut the door behind him. But a few unsure steps into the living room and Caroline was coming at him for a hug. She may or may not have said his name on her way to him, but he was too caught up in the embrace to know for sure. "I've missed you so much," she said, the sound of her voice caused Odion to grip her tighter. "You too love," he said, looking down at her with a big smile. "You're growing like a weed," he said, pulling back from her to get a full view, "much prettier than a weed though."

Seeing as Caroline broke the ice, Odion didn't feel as strange as he may have before, walking up to Lani to give him a hug and hand him the birthday card. "Happy birthday," Odi said, not lingering as he went to set the Port on the counter. The cats were next in line for attention, and Odion picked up LJ, who was already purring before Odion could settle the feline on his chest. Glancing around the room, Odion gave Adam a single nod as though only noticing him now. Well, it wasn't like he was here to visit the idiot.

[Lani Hunter]

Lani looked up as Adam came into the kitchen his power and his eyes taking a quick look at Adam and the bag he was twirling. It was then Lani pulled his power back, it would be cheating if he looked, wouldn’t it? Did it really matter? Well, considering the bag he had from Caroline had a note on it that claimed if he peaked she was gonna swat him. He liked to avoid being swatted by his much younger sister, mostly because he couldn’t hit her back. He snorted and shook his head, covering his sisters ears as Adam spoke. She swatted at his hands and he couldn’t help but laugh and he released her. “You,” he pointed a finger at Adam, “Are are terrible influence. Caroline pay no attention to him.” He joked and when Caroline went to look at the door Lani put two fingers to his eyes and pointed at Adam in a ‘I’m watching you’ manner.

Odion was the first to arrive and of course the most impeccably dressed. And here Lani was in a black tee and jeans, hell he wasn’t even wearing shoes. He couldn’t stop a smile and he covered it with a hand as he watched Caroline rush toward her other big brother. The fact that Odion had dressed so nicely gave Lani a warm rush through his heart and he looked back into the kitchen as if he were actually keeping an eye on Adam, mostly to give the appearance of giving Odion and Caroline a moment. They hadn’t talked about the fact that she was Odion’s secret agent since it came to light and that was working for the siblings. All had been forgiven but there was a little bit of tension behind Lani’s eyes as he thought about it. Lani had himself propped up against the wall lost in his own thoughts when his eyes caught Odion moving.

He returned the embrace and gave a smile. “Thanks,” he just took the card and set it aside for the moment. “What’s that?” He asked as he looked at the bottle with interest. It looked fancy, Lani didn’t drink a whole lot of wine, and when he did it was usually from a bottle less than five dollars. And then sometimes it wasn’t even a bottle. It would probably give Odion a heart attack. Lani felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and checked it quickly to see that it was a message from Adrianna. Apparently, Odion being there was a deal breaker. It honestly hurt and Lani quickly texted back that it was alright, but if she changed her mind he’d love to see her. He could understand though, Odion had slapped her and Adrianna wasn’t the kind of person to turn the other cheek.

Lani pocketed his phone and looked at Odion. “Can I get you something to drink?” Caroline had stationed herself next to Odion and scratched the cat’s head. “I’ll have a beer! she chimed and Lani barked a laugh before he delivered a swift, “No.” He prayed he wasn’t going to repeat from last year, that needed to not happen. “Also, we’re gonna just order pizza any requests?” He asked, he knew Adam wasn’t picky and he knew that veggies were a no go as far as Caroline was concerned. He hoped Odion ate pizza, if not there were only really snacks here, unless Odion wanted to have a microwave dinner. He was trying to be a good host and Caroline had stolen Odion for the moment, which gave Lani a moment to gather his thoughts.

[Avinea Jale]

Somehow Lani’s sister Caroline had gotten a hold of Avi’s number and texted her informing her of the party. Avi was more than okay with what Lani’s sister wanted to do and had even offered her services as baker. She grinned as she showered and changed into her outfit, sporting her declaration of cats as a boyfriend sweater and her fabulous boots. Avi had been in the kitchen all morning before the party and was quite pleased with the various things that had been created this morning. Avi grinned as she threw her hair up into her signature ponytail, and packed all the goodies up making sure to keep special hold on one of the presents for her friend.

Managing all five different types of cookies was hard, not to mention her other two presents, but somehow Avi managed to get herself to the apartment and balked with she remembered that this apartment had many many stairs and no elevator. Taking a gulp Avi began to climb the stairs, actually having to take two trips since she had brought so much stuff with her. Setting the containers of cookies down Avi quickly texted Caroline saying that she was here. Avi went down to the bottom of the stairs and grabbed the other two presents, one in a very large brown bag, and the other in an equally large box. She tried to balance the two as she climbed the stairs again, finally reaching the top.

Avi set down the box and kept tight hold of the bag as she looked at her phone realizing Caroline had texted her saying the door was open. She just hoped Lani wouldn’t be too upset with her. After all it was his birthday, she thought he deserved a good present. Stopping to open the door Avi skillfully grabbed all of the containers of cookies on bottom, the big box on top and the bag in her hand as she entered the apartment not really seeing anything very well. “A little help over here please?” Yes Avi did just walk in unannounced and without warning. Well, Lani should really be used to it by now.

Avi was just trying to hold everything and keep it from falling. “Dude, Red, Little One, Random Guy, Lani, Someone, I need some help please!” In the box on top was a cake for the birthday boy shaped like an orange cat, but Lani didn't know that and she just wanted to set it down somewhere. The orange cat cake looked suspiciously like the orange stripey kitten that was currently hiding in the brown bag she had in her hand. Again Lani didn't know this. This was going to be an interesting party that was for sure.

[Odion Martins]

Odion smiled at Lani in return. “A bottle of Port,” he stated, an eyebrow raised, since Lani could’ve surely read that for himself. Noting the nearly stupefied look on Lani’s face, Odion cleared his throat. “Sweet red wine.” For God’s sake mate, we’re thieves, haven’t you ever stolen a good bottle of Port before? Odi was going to have to talk to him later, when his other gift was given in private.

“No thank you,” he said, not really ready for any liquids just yet. The redhead laughed when Caroline stated she wanted a beer, and then even harder when Lani said no. “Beer’s not that good,” he stated firmly, then bent down a little to whisper in Caroline’s ear, “I’ll sneak you a shot of Port later.” Odion didn’t see the big deal, Europeans had their first drink when they were three, and their first espresso when they were four. Caroline scowled in a perfect poker face and Odion shot Lani a look. If she was going to try it, she may as well do it with people who could take care of her. It’s not like she was getting drunk.

“I’ll have whatever everyone else is having,” he said, not about to express his views on pizza. It wasn’t that he didn’t like it, he was just very particular about what he liked and didn’t want to cause any hassle. If he had his way, the pizza would be extra thin with some cheese and nothing else. Odion didn’t see what all the fuss was over pizza anyways.

Looking over his shoulder, Odion couldn’t suppress the huge smile that overcame his face. He chuckled at being called Red and set LJ down, causing the cat to meow up at him in protest. In two long strides Odion was at Avi’s side, taking the big box from her hands. “I’ll just... Put this on the counter,” he said, holding it carefully. The blond had brought half a dozen kinds of cookies with her, so what else could this be. Avi had certainly... Stolen the cake, as it were, in terms of gifts and what not.

Adam seemed to meander back to his room, claiming to have forgotten something. Odion simply ignored this , his attention going to the other present Avi had, an eyebrow raising as it twitched. Odion slunk an arm around his best friend’s shoulders, giving her a squeeze and a kiss on the temple. He didn’t know what he’d do without any of the people in this room right now. It was strange for him to be as affectionate as he was being right now, but it was the right time and place. The little brown bag wriggled again. “I think that one should be opened first,” he said, not adding that he was worried that whatever was in there would die otherwise.

[Lani Hunter]

Caroline was a sly creature and the things that she was able to do really shocked Lani. It had never occurred to him that she had picked up his tricks. Lani was going to have to keep an eye on her. Port meant nothing to Lani and he was really glad that Odion elaborated. “Ah,” he nodded, “Thank you.” He nodded and turned away getting himself something to drink. He was looking to get himself a beer but if no one else was drinking yet he didn’t want to start, so he poured himself and Caroline a cup of soda. He wasn’t planning on getting drunk tonight, not around Caroline. But, there were a lot of people in his apartment and he couldn’t doubt that alcohol gave a little bit of a calming effect. He was turned away and didn’t hear Odion and it was a good thing because the look Lani got when he turned back around made him give a skeptical look. The two of them looked too conspiratorial.

“Alright,” he grabbed his phone and dialed the pizza place. Caroline hoped toward him and they alternated making faces at each other while the phone rang. When Lani was focused on the pizza guy Caroline wandered away, presumably to keep bothering Odion. He caught sight of Adam disappearing into his room. The telekinetic could never completely tell what was going on in that crazy head of his roommate’s. He shook his head a little bit and worked on setting out some bowls of dips and munches of all sorts. Nothing homemade, he had attempted cookies but they had somehow become small black disks of death. He ordered two, one with pepperoni and another that was supreme. While he was one the phone he heard the door open and heard Avi’s voice pleading for help. He went to the living room to see Odion already assisting and so he gave Avi a little wave. He quickly finished with the pizza company and hung up.

“Avi! You shouldn’t have!” He declared, just seeing the shear amount of containers of food and bags and boxes. He was going to kill her, she knew how much he hated people making a big deal out of his birthday. Lani was a hypocrite in that regard and he knew it. He liked doing nice things for people especially on their birthdays, he did not like it when it was his. He got extremely uncomfortable with the attention. Even in elementary school when the teachers would make a big event of it Lani wished for invisibility. He went forward to help he grabbed the cookies out of her hands and put them on the coffee table where the other snacks had started to multiply. He returned to give her a hug. “Thanks for coming,” he said with a bright smile. He glanced at Odion and got extremely curious about the box he’d placed in the kitchen and the bag.

Lani tried very hard to not sneak a peek with his power, but his curiosity was gripped as soon as his power swept it and as far as his power was concerned it was empty. He couldn’t figure it out because he could be fairly certain there wouldn’t be something alive in it. “Come in, come in,” he said realizing that they were loitering in the doorway. “Can I get you something to drink?” Speaking of which… where did his cup go? He glanced around and then found it in the kitchen. He wasn’t sure how well liquids went with his power so he walked over to grab it. He waited by the fridge in case she wanted something.