Annual Recruiter Party [Semi-Open]

[Florence Bryant]

Since the MSAD showdown had finished, and gradually her collegues had been discharged and given clean bills of health, Florence had been quietly planning the Annual Recruiter party - an event that normally happened just as the weather started to get warm and pleasant enough for staying outside. Of course, with all that happened, the conjurer had decided to delay it till everyone would be well enough to attend. She'd kept a close ear to the ground for news of any other nasty attacks, and when none came, she'd breathed a sigh of relief, and sent Gwynie to go to the party shop and grab balloons, decorations and party games.

She, on the other hand, had sat silently in the study making little handcrafted invites with the help of a very dexterous little Slow Loris familiar, who was using her hands to stick little black decorations to cream thick paper. Every invite was specifically decorated to each of her guests, and with a very definite "Plus One" written in Flo's tidy handwriting underneath the time, date and venue.

She decided to lay off the theme idea for this party. After everything that had happened, Flo decided it was more important for everyone to just relax and laugh. Gwynie had helped her prepare party food, and get the barbecue out into the garden, and even volunteered to help make the fruit punch for those not wanting to drink alcohol. Steaks, chicken, ribs and shrimp were in marinades in the fridge, potato chips sat outside on a fold out table with the fruit punch and sandwiches. Tomato and Mozzarella tart was delicately cut into squares, and indoors was a set of lovely desserts - mostly bought from the bakery, but there was strawberries and cream too. For those with special diets, she'd made a lovely tuna nicoise salad, there were thick pats of garlic bread and other salads set around for everyone to help themselves to.

At 2, the party guests were set to arrive, so Flo had just enough time to clean herself up and get dressed into party gear. Leaving her daughter to keep the flies away from the food outside and finish setting up the music and limbo stick, she disappeared upstairs for an hour, primping herself up.

Finally, 2 rolled round and the young mum opened up the door, tying balloons around the front garden's fence and the door handle. She hoped people would turn up - after everything that had happened, people could just sit at home and brood over everything. If that happened, she'd be a little embarrassed, but she and Gwynie could probably scoff themselves over the weekend to reduce the waste of food. Standing in her best party outfit, she nudged her daughter upstairs to get herself fresh, and waited by the door, feeling more than a little anxious.

[Ella Tate]

The invitation to her very first recruiter's party was sitting on the counter of her unusually clean kitchen as Ella got ready for it.

Asking Chloe had been a majorly nerve-wrecking feat. For one, the invitation card said Plus One. To Ella, Plus One had a lot of meaning behind it. It might also bear a lot of meaning to other people too.

She had an internal conflict before she asked Chloe and it carried on whilst she asked. But she couldn't disguise the fact that she was quite relieved when the pretty blond said yes. Enthusiastically at that.

So, in a powder blue sun dress, a pair of flats and her hair tied up in a high ponytail, Ella knocked on Chloe's door and prepared to leave.

She didn't actually know Florence too well but they had exchanged pleasantries on more than one occasion so Ella hoped attending this party would get them even more acquainted. If Chloe didn't distract her too much that is.

Ella found the place easily enough, what with the balloons and once she saw Florence, she grabbed Chloe's hand and steered her on to the pavement. "We're here. Hey Flo!" Ella held one hand up in greeting, the other still grasping Chloe's, completely unaware of the implications of her actions.

[Rhys Rockwood]

There was no obligation to show up; no one was even really expecting him to be there. It was one of the days he didn't have to work. He could be spending time with Sawyer, but he did need to go see his coworkers a little outside of the office. A few hours with them certainly wouldn't hurt him, so rather than making plans with her, Rhys had made his schedule accommodate attending this party.

His morning routine barely shifted, giving him ample time for a long run, vigorous workout, and a hot shower before a ridiculously sized breakfast. Rhys wondered how many people were actually going to show up; the office had seemed bizarrely tense lately. People might just not be in the mood for a party right now. 'I guess I'll see how things are when I get there,' he thought.

After watching some pointless TV shows for a few hours, it was finally time to head out to the party. He tightened his Vibrams on his feet and flipped up the bottom edge of his nicer jeans to keep from tearing them up against the ground. Rhys pulled a long sleeved gray shirt over his white t-shirt, rolling up the sleeves carefully and leaving the top few buttons of it unbuttoned. He grabbed his wallet, cell phone, and keys, then headed out the door for Florence's place. It wasn't too far; the walk wouldn't even break a sweat.

A while later, he was walking up to the address on the invitation. He had spotted Ella and another woman just a moment ago, and Rhys sped up a little to catch up to them. Interesting the way Ella was grasping the other woman's hand...he made a note to corner his friend on the issue later. Rhys couldn't help the smirk that developed; that moment was going to be entertaining.

Rhys would be walking up a few moments after Ella would reach Flo.

[Chloe Singleton]

Chloe was never the type to over-think, so when Ella asked her to the party, she took it at face value. Ella was just asking a friend to go to a party with others from the Institute, she had no real need to look for any deeper connections than that. And besides, she was too busy being excited about a party that she didn't have room in that cute little airhead of hers to worry about what anyone would think about the two women arriving together.

Even though her degree was fresh, Chloe spent her college time actually doing productive things, not going to parties, or even making meaningful relationships. She had a handful of friends, though once she moved back to Pilot Ridge, she'd lost touch with them. This was her first grown-up party and boy did she feel awfully young (and green) in comparison to many of the other staff members at Hammel.

It had taken her a good hour to finally get ready, having gone through about 5 different outfits before settling on a baby pink sundress with a sparkly black cardigan over it. Ella's knock was enough to finally draw her out of her room before she started second guessing this choice as well.

Chloe had no problem walking hand-in-hand with Ella, who was quickly becoming someone that she would easily call her best friend. She leaned in close to the brunette's side. "Oh! There it is!" She said somewhat belated, having been looking around every which way but the right way when she felt the little tug on her arm. As they walked into the garden, Chloe beamed at Florence. She'd only really seen the other woman in passing and knew very little about her, but the blonde was always a friendly one. Waving vigorously, she didn't even notice the man that was coming up the walk behind them. "Hi there! Looks like we're first! I'm so glad I didn't make us late."

[Willow Kovacs]

Upon receiving the invitation for a get-together specifically for recruiters, Willow's expression turned to a puzzled one. Perhaps it was the fact that Florence was just being polite in including her, but it was rare that Willow received invitations for... anything, really. The raven was exactly social, and it was obvious that she wasn't the most pleasant person to be around. That hadn't changed since their battle with the MSAD. If anything, the shapeshifter had retracted more into herself, opting to give her coworkers a polite nod as a greeting, and rarely start conversation with them. She immersed herself in work and routine, breaking it only occasionally for a chat with a preferred acquaintance.

She applied light makeup to her eyelids, blinking and taking a step back from the bathroom mirror to study her ensemble. A floral print sundress (the most colourful article of clothing she owned) ended just above her knee, her feet adorned with strappy red heels. Willow pursed her lips, her hand raising to her neck, where a sliver of a scar showed from the battle along the curve of her thin neck. She had a lot of those now, scars that reminded her of how human she really was. It bothered her, the memories of the battle shown through permanent markings on her previously flawless skin. Making a disgruntled expression, she snapped the eye makeup container closed and exited her apartment, only pausing to grab a dish she had made for the vegetarian members of the staff.

Finding the home was simple enough, her heels clicked lightly on the pavement as she walked up to the front door, only minutes past 2. She heard voices inside, causing a short, barely noticeable strike of anxiety through her stomach. Social gatherings still made her uncomfortable, but it would be a comfort for both her and her coworkers if the entirety of the staff was there. A feeling of assurance would be there that they were all okay, even after such a terrible occurrence. She offered Florence a small smile, only slightly forced, as she entered the abode. "Good afternoon," She said pleasantly, her eyes sweeping the room momentarily. "Uhm. I brought hummus... Where would you like me to put it?" She tilted her head to the side slightly, offering the dish of green chile hummus and assorted vegetables. As a vegan herself, she figured there wasn't much for her to eat at a cookout.

Glancing at the other occupants of the room, she offered a short wave to her coworkers, and hopefully an inviting expression. "Hello," She said in a cool tone.

[Mason McQueen]

To say that Mason was clueless about the things he should do when he received that invite from Flo would be an understatement. Yes, he knows it’s a recruiters’ party and he’s ways off from being one, but trying to argue his way out with Flo is like arguing with a rock. The only difference is that a rock has no ability whatsoever to scare tease you so much that you’d follow her every whim. Nope. In Mason’s mind, nothing comes close to a determined Florence Bryant. Not even a twenty-foot boulder running down the hill straight to him will. (He can easily cut that with his hair, should he try. But Flo? Nothing scares that woman. Nothing).

So despite all the grumbling that he’s been doing since Flo has told him of the event, once the day started, the man found himself in the kitchen, trying his best to bake lasagna. He figured that it’s only polite to bring something to share when you’re going to another person’s house, and since he knows mac-and-cheese isn’t really acceptable by any standards (no more teasing for him, thank you very much), he has to go for the next best thing – pasta. Hopefully the house won’t burn in the process though.

It took a while, but the man did get everything done before the clock struck one. Once the dish was baking, Mason made a quick dash to the tub to get cleaned, groaning once more about his inability to choose an appropriate garb. But since he was pressed for time (Flo told him to be there by 2; it’s already 1:25), he simply grabbed a shirt

[/url] and just got on with it. Hopefully he won’t look too underdressed.

He arrived just a little past two (he had to let the lasagna cool for a bit) and was relieved to see that he wasn’t all that late – the crowd wasn’t too big yet, at least. Bad part about it though is that he can’t vanish to the sides easily. Damn.

“Flo!” he said, barely shouting while waving his hands when he saw the said recruiter. He walked towards her with a big grin, saying, “I brought lasagna. And yes, I baked this myself.” It took longer than expected, but he was rather proud of it. “Where should I put it?”

“Also, you know where Gwynnie might be? Andrei just got back from Florida and he wants me to give her this.” And no he’s not bribing little Gwynnie to get to Flo. What made you think that?[/blockquote]
ooc:
Woot! Parteeeh! \(^-^)/
- Jam[/justify][/font]

[Midori Hawkins]

There was a funny thing about plus one invitations that left them wide open to interpretation. Midori had taken full advantage of that fact today. Upon receiving the invitation to the recruiter’s party, she’d debated asking Eli to join her. But with the behaviour Flo tended to exhibit at parties, not to mention the fact that most of the recruitment team could be a little wild at times, perhaps it was better that she hadn’t asked him.

She had, however, decided to bring Tory. For the simple fact that Florence would probably murder her if she didn’t bring him along. If the party got a little out of hand, he would come in handy as a good excuse to leave early, as well. Not that she was planning on that.

It would actually be nice to see her team again. She’d missed them, being on maternity leave. Granted, it wouldn’t be for much longer. She’d be back at work, and back at recruiting students. She missed that, too. And now she was a mother herself, maybe that would help her convince worried parents to let their children go.

On her bed, Tory was sitting in his carrier, already dressed. He was always ready before she was, these days. He was content to play with a set of plastic keys as she got dressed. Considering the summer heat (and the fact that her jeans still didn’t look all that great yet), she opted for a simple summer dress.

As usual, Tory didn’t fuss as he was put into the car, nor did he seem to mind the short trip to Flo’s house. As soon as they arrive, Mii unclipped the carrier (just in case he felt the need for a sleep later), and carried it in. People had arrived already. She could see Willow, Ella, and Rhys. Flo couldn’t be far away. So, she set Tory’s carrier down in a corner and unstrapped him, picking him up and setting him on her hip. She carried him over to where the hub of the guests seemed to have gathered, managing a bright smile. “Hi guys!”

Time to socialize.

[Gwynie Bryant]

Gwynie had just finished straightening her hair when the first guests arrived. Truth be told, she was rather excited! She was going to get to see all of her mother’s work friends again. Along with some potential new people that she’d never met before. So she hurried through the rest of her routine (although not too much, because she certainly didn’t want to look messy), wriggled into her favorite yellow dress. It had tiny white polka dots and a bow at the side. It was awesome. She paired it up with little white Saltwater Sandals and a white headband with a bow. Perfect. If there was one thing she learned from her mother, it was how to look fashionable for a party. And Gwynie sure loved fashion.

She made her way out of her room and down the hall quietly, peeking around the corner to watch everyone who was here. There was a pretty brown haired lady holding Ms. Singleton’s hand (at least she thought it was Ms. Singleton. She didn’t know everyone at Hammel yet.), a solemn looking blonde man, serious Ms. Kovacs (who was looking very pretty, Gwynie noticed). She brightened when she saw Ms. Hawkins and her baby; she had to make sure she played with Tori a little bit before they left. And over there looked like awkward Mr. McQueen.

Awkward Mr. McQueen who apparently had something for her.

Considering that the impetus she needed to come out into the party, she emerged from the hallway and made her way to Mr. McQueen. She walked over to him and gave him a sweet smile. “Here I am, Mr. McQueen. Did you ask for me?” Because she couldn’t just ask what he wanted to give her. That would be rude. So she had to be sly.

[Florence Bryant]

For a few horrible minutes, Flo thought no one was going to turn up. She was about to groan and tell Gwynie to stretch her stomach for some serious feasting when she heard knocks at the door. Several of them. Opening the door and smiling, she greeted her guests cheerily.

"Hello everyone!" She laughed, reaching over to give everyone a kiss on the cheek. "It's lovely to see you all." At the pro-offered extra foods, she took them gracefully and headed out to put them on the table, beckoning everyone in. "Come on in, there's plenty of room for everyone." She eyed Gwynie as she looked all innocent in anticipation for the gift. "That's nice of Andrei." She cooed, putting her hands on her hips in a motherly stance before squealing at tiny Tory.

"Hey little man." She said softly, stroking the baby's cheek. "No sign of our beloved leader yet?" She asked, pulling her hair out of her face. It wouldn't surprise her if James had to give it a miss - Chase had been a mess after the MSAD fight and she wasn't sure if him, or even Niko would want to come to a party. It'd be nice if they did, but she wasn't going to yell at them for not coming. "It's really lovely to see you all." She added warmly, giving the small gathering a tender smile.

"You must be Chloe." The conjurer said as an aside to the blonde woman she hadn't yet met properly. "It's a pleasure, just be aware that things can get a little... well, out of control at these things." She grinned, then moved over to Willow, shaking her hand gently. "You look beautiful Willow, I'm so glad you came." The fellow recruiter had always seemed a little more... insular than the others, but honestly, Flo thought she was a lovely woman. Flo thought everyone was lovely though, so that hardly says much.

"Gwyn, can you help me pour the punch out?" She called to her daughter, beckoning her out into the garden. Tutting to herself, she blushed a tiny bit. "That's a good point, everyone's okay with punch to start off with, right? I don't want you all drunk too early." A mischievous twinkle lit up her eyes - she'd set up the camcorder ready to film everyone's antics and post them on the staff forum online later on.

Mostly, Flo was delighted everyone had turned up, especially Mason - since Stephen was nearly always busy, and she didn't want poor Rhys to be blown away by the sheer volume of estrogen in the house. Maybe if James turned up it'd balance it out even more, but for now she was cheered. "So, how are we all? Isn't it the most fantastic day?"

[Dr. James Campbell]

James didn't want to go to a party.

It wasn't Flo's fault, of course, or any of the recruiting staff, for that matter. He really did like the rest of the recruitment team. He liked that Flo's daughter was just the right age to play with Niko. He liked that everyone seemed to enjoy each other outside of work.

No. James just didn't like parties. They made him anxious. (The only exception was the yearly Christmas party he hosted, but previous years Chase had helped him keep calm, and they'd skipped it entirely last year.)

He wasn't too much older than his colleagues, and he wasn't the only one with kids. But he was the only one who was married, and his husband was even less interested in the party. (And who could blame him? He'd seen Willow get injured, something James had only heard about second-hand. That entire day was still a gap in his memory. His mind went straight from hurrying Niko up so they could get to the grocery store to waking up in the hospital bed, thinking he'd crashed his car.) So it was just him and Nikki, at least for now. Chase had begged off, saying he had to do a private training lesson with a senior who was almost set to graduate, who just needed some confidence before her training final. James had made him promise to stop by after, if he wasn't too tired.

James had a feeling he would be too tired.

"We don't have to stay too long, Niko." The head recruiter said as he parked his husband's jeep--though Chase had cleaned the sedan thoroughly, they had wordlessly agreed that for a while, they'd be trading cars--and unbuckled his seatbelt. "Gwyn is going to be the only other kid there, probably, unless Midori brings Tory." But Tory was a baby, and obviously didn't count. "So if you want to leave, just let me know."

Of course, he couldn't show up to the party empty-handed. (Call it a Catholic thing.) He handed his son the cheesecake he'd made that morning to carry in, and he picked up the bottle of wine himself. This party was supposed to be stress relief, after all. Then he headed up to the door and rang. When it opened, he forced a smile, "Hey. Sorry we're a bit late."

[Nikolai Campbell]

Chase had the right idea. Niko should have stayed away, too. But he couldn't stand the idea of James going alone, even if it meant he had to be the only kid at an adult party. Truthfully, Chase probably wouldn't have been too quick to agree to let him stay while he was trying to train. How entertaining could it really be to watch his dad coax a kid into using their power? And Chase probably wouldn't let him stray too far out of sight. He'd just be in Chase's way. Despite this, it still felt like Niko's choice to come. Ever since the incident Niko'd been overly protective of James. It felt as though he could lose James if he wasn't careful. Chase wasn't in as much danger, but James... Niko looked away from the window of the jeep so that he could make sure James was still there beside him, driving without the gun to his head.

"Okay, I'll tell you, dad."Niko agreed when James insisted that he let him know if he was bored. No he wouldn't. That was a lie, and he knew it. Unless something scared him or made him cry, he wasn't going to bother James at all tonight because fun was just what his dad needed. To James' credit, the reassurance that they could leave if he got bored made him feel a lot better even though he wasn't going to take him up on it.

Niko followed his dad's lead and unbuckled his own seat belt. When James handed him the cheesecake, he took it without a word. And when James knocked on the door and greeted the person that answered, Niko smiled shyly but said nothing aloud.

[Ella Tate]

And just as she filtered in, almost everybody else came after. Ella could only awkwardly smile at Midori's baby, a little bit apprehensive to approach them for fear of having to hold the baby and consequently drop him. Why yes, Ella was indeed very much a little bit paranoid. Mason's arrival had Ella waving the free hand she had, the one holding on to Chloe's still pressed into the other woman's.

When she heard Flo asking her little daughter to pour out the punch, Ella quickly volunteered to help. "Why don't you go mingle." She squeezed Chloe's arm lightly. "I'll be back in a bit. Gwynie, let me help you." Ella waved to the little girl, following her to the punch bowl. At least it was something to do.

She was aware of Dr. Campbell's arrival and with him, a little blond boy Ella thought she recognised as Dr. Campbell's adopted son. There were so many kids, suddenly! Ella couldn't help but chuckle in amusement. Neither looked too happy to be here but considering recent events, Ella didn't blame them at all.

[OOC: Sorry for the lateness and the crapness and all >_<]

[Chloe Singleton]

There was still a lot of the recruiting team that Chloe didn't know or hadn't met. She recognized James and Willow, but the young woman with the baby and the man that arrived shortly after her and Ella were definite unknowns. She made a mental note to change that before the night was over.

It was actually kind of a relief to see Mason show up, it made her feel better that she wasn't the only non-recruiter at the party. And Florence seemed so nice that even though there had been butterflies in her stomach earlier, they had already dissipated. "It's nice to finally meet you!" Chloe smiled warmly at their hostess, giggling a little at the warning. "Oh, well in that case I'm sure it will be a blast!" The blonde squeezed Ella's hand a little, then gave her a rather motherly look. "Will I have to keep an eye on you?"

Not that she'd mind if she did.

At the instruction to go mingle, Chloe nodded and made her way to where Rhys was standing. "Hi there!" She beamed, offering her hand out to him. "I don't think we've met, so I'm Chloe! I'm new-ish and not a recruiter." She giggled. Introductions were always awkward anyways, but she figured being polite was a decent enough way to break the ice. It wasn't like she could consult 10 Ways to Make Introductions Less Awkward because as far as she was aware, there weren't any books by that name. And believe me, she's looked.