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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There's a small table in the corner with rather a lot of purple balloons tied to it, and a few wrapped gifts on top. If you brought a gift, this is the place to drop it off.

There's a small box, wrapped very neatly in dark blue paper and tied up with a white ribbon. Inside is a pair of fingerless gloves, knit out of a soft yarn in the deepest darkest red that can still be considered red, and a copy of Anne of Green Gables.

The card reads simply, "To Laura, with many, many wishes for a happy birthday. Your friend, Meg."

The oblong package has been wrapped in the comics page of a New York Times from 2005. It contains a photograph of the Golden Gate Bridge by night, set in a minimalist black frame.

The card says:

Consider this an IOU; the other part of your present is going to take a little more time to put together. No hints. Happy birthday, Laura.

-Liz

Parties were something long gone when it came to Elle's birthdays. But gifts were not. It was never something he made much out of, but her father still always bought her something on her birthday.

So Elle understands that she's supposed to bring a gift (a card, or having it wrapped, not so much). But X never seems to really need or want things, and Elle couldn't go back to her world to look for anything.

She walks over to the table, and stares at the boxes already there with a blank expression, before making the decision. Elle reaches up, pushing her hair aside and undoing the clasp of the gold hoop necklace around her throat. She pulls it off, redoing the clasp before placing it on the table.

There's no card or label, but Elle has worn it often enough that X might remember. Elle doesn't think of it, in any case.

But it's pretty. Elle knows X has trouble with that.

Kate knows some key details, but when it comes to birthday presents she's pretty sure she doesn't know Laura very well at all. She has no clue what you get for a mutant who works to protect people both here and at home. She isn't really sure what Laura likes.

Other than protecting people. And drinking root beer floats.

On the table is the gift she chose, wrapped in red paper along with a package of curly straws (the kind that's not too thin since she had floats in mind when she picked them out) and a neatly folded piece of paper that serves as a card. Happy Birthday, Laura, it reads, I wasn't sure what to get you, but everybody finds something to like about Patsy.

From Iowa to Australia to the end of the universe, Patsy's music is a constant.

There is an oddly cylindrical gift sitting close to the table's edge. The wrapping is surprisingly enough, completely absent of jagged edges or missing pieces of wrapping paper with the entire thing being crowned by an enormous multicolored bow. Someone's interpretation of a bow anyway. The object in question is roughly spherical, comprised of a wide variation of ribbons and one might be forgiven for likening it to an exploding Koosh ball. The adhesive fixing it in place isn't exactly conventional either. Apparently the aforementioned someone decided to forgo the Scotch tape or glue and went with something that looks suspiciously like slobber instead. In place of a card there is a brief inscription on the side.

One significant perk of living in Milliways is how easy it makes shopping and wrapping gifts. Bar can always make suggestions, is never out of stock, and will eventually take pity on you if your efforts at gift-wrapping make it abundantly clear that you have no idea what you are doing.

So the deep violet package Cal drops off has crisp, professional-looking corners and a neatly curled sprig of white ribbon affixed artfully on a corner. It contains three DVDs: True Lies, Winchester '73, and The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean.

The copy of True Lies has a Post-It stuck on the front:

X,

I know you have this one already but, this is the version from my world and it's a little different. I thought you might be interested.

Cal

That's right - True Lies the musical.

(The other two are the "normal" versions from X's world.)

Parker's present to Laura is in a rather large gift bag (there were some odd sizes to contend with).

The card reads: To Laura. Wishing you a very Happy Birthday. Your friend, Parker.

Inside the bag are a pair of fuzzy, soft purple slippers, a colorful popcorn bowl, and a board game. Clue to be precise.

A Happy Birthday, and many happy future slumber parties.

Written in neat, oddly formed handwriting is a note.

X-23,

Jamie insists that I leave a present; such is not the custom of my world among equals. A present implies that the recipient now owns a debt, and I would not indebt you to me. However, I realize this is not the custom of your world. If there is something you need researched, do not feel like it would put a strain on my time. I will use the resourced available to find your answer.

May Uquar shed light on your path,
Helen

Adam's world has some pretty awesome stuff, Jamie has discovered.

Stuff like a motorized spaghetti fork.

(Yes, it's silly. But Jamie always feels that X can use some more silliness in her life! And it's silliness that maybe she'll use, you never know.)

The card just reads: Many happy returns and all! Your friend, Jamie.

Set carefully in the middle of the table where it won't get bumped is a thick plastic tank. Swimming around inside is a deep blue betta fish, who seems to be watching the proceedings curiously.

A small device attached to the (covered) tank seems to be controlling the water temperature and monitoring purity and oxygen levels.

There's also a small container of fish food and a thin book about keeping fish, wrapped up neatly next to the tank.

Zoe might have borrowed her father's credit card to buy a gift.

But she would deal with that when she had to.

There was a box (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000I10PY2/ref=s9_mgif_c10_t3?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-10&pf_rd_r=0G5ZEYRRT7JDQB05KV77&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=332383201&pf_rd_i=11075831) wrapped in red paper with a smaller box (http://www.amazon.com/New-Super-Mario-Bros-Nintendo-DS/dp/B000ERVMI8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1235918699&sr=1-1) on top.

And a card that read:
I know it's not as good as skeeball, but I hope you enjoy it anyway.

Zoe

Bela's present is a large white box with Chanel stamped across the top. A black silk bow is the only decoration, but the present looks elegant.

Inside is Chanel Couture outfit Bela spotted on a shopping spree in not her New York City. She hopes X will like it. The coat is to die for.

Medusa's present has been wrapped in a large sheet of red linen. There is a note, folded and slipped and slipped under the black cord that binds it all together.

The present itself is a long jacket made from woven goat-hair, with sturdy ties instead of buttons. The outside is black, with black embroidery all over to make it quilted. The inside of the jacket is colourful; yellows, reds, greens and blues in strips, all with strips of black between them. On the colours, the embroidery is easier to see: patterns, symbols both Amazigh and Medusa's own.

The note says:

X,

I hope you like this, and find it useful. I've made it to fit, so if it doesn't, bring it back and I will fix it. I have no idea if my magic would work in your world, but the symbols are of protection and good luck. The jacket can also be worn with either side showing.

And happy birthday, from Medusa

One small wrapped package bears a card from Mary Anne.

Thought I'd share one of my favorite classics. Keep fighting the good fight.

The gift is a copy of Sun Tsu's Art of War.

And cue one slightly lumpy package wrapped in tissue paper.

Inside is a white fedora with a pinstriped band.

Happy Birthday, X!

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Birthday Party for Laura/X-23

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