noteful | Birthday Party for Laura/X-23

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Birthday Party for Laura/X-23

It's a pretty low-key party, all things considered, and not significantly different than the one Parker or Meg would have thrown in a dorm room for a friend at home, not-exactly-traditional menu not withstanding.

There's music, low enough to talk over (and maybe with a little more folk in the mix than one expects to find a party). Balloons and streamers in purple and blue and red. A place to leave presents. People to meet or catch up with.

And, most importantly, a chance to wish X-23 (or Laura) a very happy birthday.

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"Uh-huh. So do you, I'm guessing."

A beat.

"She's pretty nice."

"... right."

She's not disagreeing, but she doesn't know what Sam means by that. Elle doesn't usually qualify how she feels about people by whether they're 'nice.'

Sam eyes her.

"You don't think so?"

Pause.

"I didn't think about it."

"Uh-huh."

A beat.

"Okay, let me try it this way -- Laura's a friend of yours?"

"... I got an invitation."

That's an answer, right?

Answer enough, although Sam's curiosity is up, again.

"So, she's a friend. Generally people think their friends are nice, in my experience."

Elle clearly seems rather dubious about this.

And it's not exactly hidden in her voice when she only answers, "... okay."

"... why, what would you call it?"

Beat.

"What? Being around X?"

"Sure -- or around friends in general, even."

She'll be sticking with X. It still takes her a long moment to answer, finally -

"I get what she's saying."

Elle says this rather pointedly, as though Sam always insisted on speaking in Russian around her.

"That always helps."

Nonchalantly.

"Yep."

It doesn't look like she's going to say anything else, until she adds, this time far less pointedly -

"And I believe her."

A beat of silence, and then--

"I do, too."

Elle looks neither skeptical nor particularly swayed by this.

But she still gets to what's possibly the point -

"She doesn't have to be nice."

There's swift reappraisal in his look. Sam nods.

"No. She doesn't; you're right. It's not what I meant to imply."

A beat.

"What I meant was that I like her. For who she is."

"... all right."

It still doesn't sound like Elle really knows what to think of this.

He cocks his head a little to one side, looking at her curiously.

"If you don't mind me asking... what were you expecting me to say?"

... now it definitely looks like she doesn't know what he means.

Slightly defensively, "I don't know."

He holds up both hands.

"Just wondering."

"Yeah, well, I don't know."

Beat.

"You asked me."

"Hey, hey -- okay," he says.

She's one of the most defensive girls he's ever known, but --

-- Sam shoves aside the tiny twinge of thought that's trying to make itself known, and shakes his head.

"Look, I wasn't trying... never mind."

A beat.

"Want something to drink?"

It takes her a long moment to respond, again as though Sam were speaking some other language that she had to translate.

Finally:

"I can get it myself."

"I'm sure you can," he says patiently, "but would you like anything? That I can get for you?"

Re: Mingle with the other guests

ellectrical - 2009-03-05 05:01 (UTC) - Expand

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