Scene #2485: Mandy's Birthday Party

Owner	Pose
Mandy Rose	Mandy's home is like one of many, in the upscale suburbs of this Detroit. White picket fence, driveway with two cars, tree with a tire swing in the back yard... And, currently, party balloons tied to said tree, as well as the fence, with a banner across the front of the house proclaiming it to be a 'Special Princess's 9th Birthday', with a little '(Probably)' note under it. One might even forget this is Confederate territory, really, with how NORMAL it all seems. Mandy is at the front door, beaming as guests arrive. She's wearing a pink party dress, although she's forgoing shoes right now - just wearing a pair of white socks. She is at home, after all. Meanwhile, her mother - a downright ordinary looking woman in her early thirties - is in the living room, putting the finishing touches on the finger food buffet.
Staren	Staren arrives at the suburb via teleportation. He's a guy, wearing a labcoat. Carrying a package, a soft one, wrapped in silver-green-and-blue wrapping paper with an abstract design. And he begins to feel kind of out of place as he approaches... a child's birthday party. He smiles when he sees Mandy, though. "Mandy! Happy birthday!" The present tucked under one arm, he steps up and extends a hand to shake. "How is... how's your birthday going so far?" He looks around, taking it in. So this is where Mandy lives now...?
Ayako Hasekawa	Ayako is here with Staren as well! She's just a seemingly normal girl. When Staren starts to feel like he's out of place, she gives him a gentle nudge from behind with a cheerful smile. She's also carrying a soft-looking bundle in silver wrapping paper dotted with white stars and a white ribbon. Ah. This must be Mandy. "Happy birthday Mandy!" Ayako might not know her, but birthdays are to be celebrated! That's just the type of water spirit she is.
Kirikou	There is, of course, no difficulty for Kirikou in coming here. He's a decent guy, but he's undoubtedly a Confederate citizen. He can throw his weight around here, though of course it's not like there's going to be any need for such things at a birthday party. He's accompanied, as always, by Fire and Thunder. They wouldn't miss this... they LIKE Mandy. They also liked Rose Petal, and if they see any difference between before and now they're certainly not telling anyone about it. Kirikou's fancied up a little, wearing a dress shirt and slacks. The sleeves of the dress shirt are rolled up to his forearms though, so he's not THAT formal. The Twins aren't formalled up at all, but they're at least clean. They're also carrying a little package each, something no bigger than their little hands. Kirikou's carrying nothing, but it's him that greets Mandy. "Happy birthday, special princess!" he says, noting the other arrivals as he does so. Staren's known, and as far as Kirikou's concerned he's trusted. He helped Mandy after all. Ayako... is an unknown. Kind of cute too, if old enough that the term 'girl' isn't about to be applied to her. He studies her frankly, and fortunately not lewdly. "Friend of Mandy's?" he finally asks, and though there's some slight hint of challenge there, his tone's not really aggressive.
Ayako Hasekawa	Ayako smiles softly at Kirikou. "I heard from Staren that someone's having a birthday today, so of course I would come to celebrate!" She idly plays with the wrapped present she's holding. It's pretty easy to tell by the way she's holding it that it's a stuffed animal, though!
Mandy Rose	Mandy smiles brightly as Staren arrives, although she gives Ayako a curious look. She doesn't get a chance to ask the question she obviously wants to ask, though, as Kilik is arriving not long after - with Fire and Thunder, too! Mandy is positively ecstatic that so many people showed up. Even if she doesn't know one of them. "Hi everyone! Um... come in!" She huffs a bit as Kilik calls her 'special princess'. "...The banner was dad's idea," she says with a pout. The inside of the house is... fairly normal. The hall quickly leads into the living room, which adjoins the dining room with only a half wall to separate them. The kitchen is off near the rear of the house. There's also a door further down the wall that probably leads into the basement... As well as a set of stairs leading up to the bedrooms.
Staren	Staren smiles. "Being a special princess isn't a bad thing, is it?" He glances around the room, his automap taking it all in, force of habit. "Hello again." He says simply to Kilik and co. -- he doesn't really know where he stands with this guy. He also offers a wave to Mandy's Mom. "Hi, uh... Mandy's Mom. I'm Staren." He grins a bit awkwardly.
Hana	Hana is here somewhere, if you know where to look. She is currently sitting in a piece of pottery, pretending she's a decorative shrub. She's pretty good at this, since her flowers are currently covering the surface of her rotund body. She also somewhat bad at this, because she smells a bit like garbage. Looks like she got into something she shouldn't have.
Ayako Hasekawa	Ayako bows towards Mandy and smiles cheerfully when she notes question that is in her eyes. "I'm Ayako Hasekawa, a friend of Staren's." She waves hello cheerfully to Mandy's mother and points inquiringly at the present she's holding, wondering where she should place this.
Mandy Rose	Mandy's mother stops fiddling with the buffet and looks up at Staren. She seems like a deer caught in the headlights of a mach truck for a second. "Um. Yes. Hello." Nervous! "I-if you'll... excuse me, I have to go... do. Something." And she curries off. There's a spot cleared for gifts, on the table! Handy, that.
Kirikou	"Well, I hope you're a friend of Mandy's too!" Kirikou says to Ayako, grinning. Again, mostly jovial with the slight hint of a challenge. Staren's okay, he figures. And any friend of Mandy's is okay. But a friend of Staren? Who knows. He notes Mandy's mom being nervous. Possibly because of there being both Union and Confederate ELITES in her humble home. Well, that's understandable. This isn't the sort of place to make enemies and influence people however, and the Meister figures he should put in at least a bit of effort to keep things friendly. Kirikou's not about to start anything at a birthday party even if he were the type to start things elsewhere. "Daddy's special little princess huh? Sounds about right." he grins. "Expecting anyone else? Or what's up? Party games? Presents?"
Mandy Rose	Mandy rubs the back of her head. "...I was thinking we'd just, like. Hang out and eat unhealthy food. And then people would give me stuff 'cause that's how birthdays work, right?" She glances over at Hana and her shrub impression, wrinkling her nose a bit. But she says nothing! She doesn't want to spoil Hana's disguise. "Umm. Pleased to meet you, Miss Hasekawa," Mandy says politely. "I'm Mandy Rose, and it is really weird to be introducing myself at my own birthday party..."
Staren	Staren blinks at Mommy Rose's reaction. Then realizes he's a Union elite in Confederate territory. "Oh... hey, don't worry, I'm a nice guy! What, am I like, a bad guy on the news here or something? But I haven't /done/ anything, I mean my last op against the feds was, uh...." oh she's gone. Well, that probably couldn't be more awkward... He looks back at Mandy. "Uhh, yeah, that sounds good! Speaking of which, where should I put your present?"