And Blackjack [IC]

[alderwitch]

"Let me catch my breath first," Taylor protested laughingly to Jack. Once Grim finished her turn at the machine, Taylor let herself get pulled to her feet. A little breathless still as Doc dragged people up to dance with him, she was smoothing down her skirt when Grim headed up. As Taylor saw Grim coming, Grim's hug closed around the mystic's body rather than air and Taylor flashed her a sweet if slightly self concious smile, "Thank you. Really."

She let herself be pulled away, catching up to Jack's long strides as she enquired, "What did you have in mind?"

[Avenger Assembled]

"Well, it's corny as hell, but how about I've Got Rhythm?" Jack suggested to Taylor. "Looks like they've got a version here suitable for mixed company." He grinned. "We can jump off the cliff of making fools of ourselves in public together, the way we're supposed to."

[Cyroa]

He was having fun, despite the oddity of this. It was nice to be out with Stesha and friends; everyone having fun and relaxing. He leaned over to Stesha and, after kissing her cheek, spoke up curiously. "So how long has this particular form of recreation been popular? Embarrassing oneself, though most here seem to be truly impressive vocalists, for entertainment and all that." He had no illusions about his own singing ability.

[Dr Archeville]

Yes! YES! Feed me your adulation! FEED ME!

Whoa, step it down a notch! We are here for her, remember? Not to strut our stuff.

Can't we do both? Besides... it's not like we held the attention of those feckless lovebirds for long.

True, but that's only because they so obviously care for each other. I am especially happy for Dark Star, he needs someone to keep him... grounded.

Hey, bad puns are my shtick.

Yes, well... oh, look, Lynn is up!

"I vill be glad to send you a copy of de lyrics, Stesha," Archeville quickly replied before Lynn started in on her song in earnest, "as vell as lyrics for other songs by de same voman. Dr. Parrott, biology teacher from New York, mit a very keen musical mind. She did a bit of touring back vhen I vas a student in Germany, und ve haff kept in touch."

{after Lynn's song}

Meh!

'Meh'?! That was a great performance!

Yeah, if you're on an LSD trip. Which, I am sad to say, we are not currently on.

I am surprised, though, that she is here alone. She should have no trouble in finding some hanger-on.

... is that a note of interest I detect in your voice?

What? No! NO!

"Herrlich! Wunderbar!" Archeville cheered once Lynn was done. "Simply wunderbar!"

[Heritage]

Grim finishes off the last of her rum and Coke and signals the barkeep for a refill.

"Y'know, duets are great and all, but when do we see you open presents? I say you and Jack should do something classy, y'know, like 'I Got You, Babe', and then we do presents. Ah, thank you!"

She has a sip of her new drink, and then continues. "Mmm, nummers! Look, we have the rest of the night to sing; I just wanna see if you like what I bought."

[alderwitch]

Taylor laughed, "I'm not sure I can do Cher justice. If presents are on everyone's mind, the least I can do is gracefully give in to the crowd's wishes."

Dimples flashed in her cheeks as she leaned into Jack's side. "But, really, I'm just glad you're all here."

[Avenger Assembled]

"I'm just glad to be here," said Jack, smiling at Taylor and ignoring the others for a moment. Planting a kiss on her cheek, he said, "Why don't you open my present first," he suggested, bringing out a box wrapped in glossy black paper. "That way you won't have me heckling you about it the whole time."

[alderwitch]

"You really didn't have to. You've already gotten me so much," Taylor protested but she accepted the wrapped box after snuggling back against Jack's side before carefully pulling off the glossy paper. Jack really did have a tendancy towards high shine black. Taylor didn't even know where one would get wrapping paper in that color but she was somehow unsurprised that Jack knew.

[Avenger Assembled]

Inside the wrapped box there glimmered a smaller, shimmering box covered in a slick, shiny film, with the faces of terrible fiends glaring up balefully at the world. "It's the boxed Universal Monsters DVD," said Jack proudly. "I found it on eBay." All the greats were there; Dracula and Frankenstein, the Mummy and the Invisible Man, the Bride and the Wolfman, even the Creature from the Black Lagoon and the Phantom of the Opera. "I'll even watch them with you, because I love you," he teased.

[alderwitch]

"Oooh," Taylor enthused, quickly flipping it over to scan the back. She paused to grin at Jack, her cheek dimpling as she teased, "You might even enjoy them. These are the classics, Jack. Everyone should love the classics."

She leaned into kiss is cheek and thank him, "Will you even manage to not make commentary about how unrealistic or prejiduced the films are? Is that part of my present too?"

[Heritage]

Lynn got very excited when she saw Taylor's classic monster movies. "Oh, those are good ones! You should watch the Hammer ones, too, sometime; Christopher Lee is an awesome Dracula. Here, open mine next!"

She then practically shoved her lightweight flat box into the birthday girl's hands; from the look and feel of it, it was probably clothing of some kind.

[Avenger Assembled]

Jack refrained from commenting that the Hammer films were too gritty and realistic for his taste; particularly Christopher Lee's Dracula. "I promise," he told her as she took Grimalkin's present in hand, "I will be good as gold. Now, let's see what's in the box."

[Dr Archeville]

Can we go yet? I have Science! to do!

All in due time. Besides, it will still be an hour until the autoclaves are done, so you may as well sit there and enjoy the atmosphere.

Well... I suppose I could go chat up those two over by the bar...

No, we will not be doing that; we are here for Taylor, nor our own -- your own -- desires.

Pft... well, at least get me a drink!

"Madame? A rum und Coke, please," Archeville ordered from a passing waitress. He looked on as Taylor opened her gifts, waiting for the moment he could unleash his present upon the unsuspecting heroine.

[alderwitch]

Taylor dutifully accepted the present and turned to demolishing the wrappings with good cheer. She was mildly uncomfortable with being the focus of everyone's attention but in a good way, really. It was a mark of how far she'd come in a year, from having colleagues as Phantom to having friends as Taylor.

"Is it pants?" She teased Lynn as she opened the box. Phantom's costume was ever impracticle, much to the heroine's internal dismay. Thank Heshem for the huge cloak otherwise she'd have to never be seen in public.

[Heritage]

"Is it pants?"

Lynn sighed and shook her head. "No, it's not pants; it may be a little daring for you, but I really think you can pull it off." inside is a plum-colored sweater dress in wool. Grim leaned in to the birthday girl so she could whisper.

"I know you can, because I spent the day shopping as you, and we look awesome in that dress. Also, if things don't work out between you and Jack, Terry at Macy's customer service desk totally has the hots for you."

She gave them both a playful wink and leaned back to sip her drink.

[alderwitch]

"I don't think the counter guy could keep up with me." Taylor said with a wry grin and a blush, glancing down at the very thin fabric. Better not to think about the shape shifter shifting into her and changing. Even for Taylor's life that was more than a little weird. Instead she leaned over to give Grim a hug, "Thank you, Lynn. Its my favorite color."

[Heritage]

""Thank you, Lynn. Its my favorite color."

Lynn smiled and hugged her friend warmly back. "Lemme know how it works out when you find the nerve to wear it. Y'know God gave you those curves for a reason, girl; you gotta use 'em from time to time."

The young shapeshifter turned her attention to the other guests. "Okay, who else has something nice for the birthday girl?"

[Dr Archeville]

Me! MEEE!!!

Would you like some cheese with your ham?

"If it please our honoree," Archeville said as he nudged his sizable (1'x1'x1') blue-with-red-bow present towards Taylor, "I should like mein present to be opened next." Judging by the solid sound it made as it was nudged, whatever it was was not only big, it was a tad on the heavy side.

And it was ever-so-softly ticking.

[alderwitch]

Taylor blinked and tenatively touched the ticking package.

Okay, so he's creepy. He's not going to get me a bomb for my twenty-first birthday. That would just be... insane. Taylor smiled at the doctor and then with a good deal of care and some judicious use of her mystical senses, slowly peeled the paper away from the heavy object. Maybe its a clock. A really big and really heavy clock. Using plutonium.

[Dr Archeville]

It was, in fact, a clock, a very ornate wood-and-brass chalet-style cuckoo clock; at the bottom left was a spinning water wheel. At the bottom right were two figured in an embrace -- tiny representations of Jack and Taylor!

Mine is the superior gift!

It is not a contest!

"I do hope you like it," Archeville said, beaming, "und dat you haff room for it on your valls. Dere is a key in de back, you vill need to vind it every night to keep it running. De volume control is back dere, too, and- oh! It is about to chime de hour! Look!"

A few seconds later, as the hour struck, the little door at the top opened and the cuckoo sounded, once for each hour. When it withdrew at last, the figures of Jack and Taylor began to move, turning, bending, and pecking each other on the lips.

[alderwitch]

He is completely insane. Taylor smiled at the doctor and firmly told herself that the man wasn't insane, he was just German. "Thank you, doctor. It's an amazing level of craftsmanship. Once I have a wall to put it on, I will be sure to hang it. At the moment, I'll have to put it in Jack's apartment."

Her eyes danced in amusement at the idea of the clock hanging in Jack's sleek decor, "I'm afraid my apartment didn't recover from the zealot fiasco. I didn't even get my deposit back."