revivalproject | You are invited:

Who: Janet Van Dyne, Tony Stark, OTA
What: A party to celebrate the approximate 4th of July and one Steve Roger's B-day
When: The 4th of July
Where: Temba Beach
Warnings: TBD, Drinking, Creature Attacks

The beach had been transformed, perhaps not to the level Jan was used to back home, but still fairly impressive. A number of newly built beach pagodas littered the purple sands, sheer white draperies shifting with the breeze. There were tables and seating provided in each, for more intimate conversation, a larger buffet style table laid out for people to browse from. In addition, there was a table for special themed cocktails (and mocktails) for the guests. Jan had been very proud of finding local alternatives, but some of them may come with some…unintended side effects.

Jan had found a collection of opalescent conch like shells, and scattered them about liberally to serve as decorations. She and Tony had been working in secret for ages to pull this together for Steve, and the pair were dressed in white, a request she’d made of all the guests as well, but no one would be turned away if they couldn’t manage.

A dancefloor had been built, and Eddie had been offered something that must’ve been pretty damn valuable, because the metalhead had been talked into playing Disco for the party.

When the time came for cake the hosts got a little bashful. Jan had always hired out for this, but she had been sure it couldn't be all that hard to make a cake. It turned out she was wrong. But it was the best they had, and so it was presented rather sheepishly to the birthday boy and to be shared amongst the guests if any were brave enough to try it. It doesn't taste great, but at least there are no mystery side effects to go with it.

As the sun set, a host of glowing necklaces, wands and bracelets were passed out, and once it was truly dark the light show began. Rather than the more traditional fireworks, they had a series of drones lighting up the sky in a dazzling display.

However, something unexpected comes from this. As though awoken from the light, the shells Jan had so proudly decorated with were not as abandoned as she’d thought. Little legs slid free, and the creatures began to head for the nearest light source, whether that be the drones in the sky or any of the heroes with their glowing attire. And to make matters worse, there is a large SOMETHING in the water, shrieking with a sound that shakes the beach. What could it possibly want, and what does it have to do with the little shell creatures??

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The drinks/effects: (All effects will wear off)
Truth (cocktail): Can only speak the truth
Justice (mocktail): Temporarily Blinds Drinker
Liberty (cocktail): Extreme Excess of Energy
Fireworks (cocktail): Loss of Powers or Granting of One (1) Not Game Breaking Power
Mr. President (mocktail): Causes Short Term Amnesia

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

It wasn't that Tony wanted to manufacture a reason to talk to him, and he breathed a laugh with a nod at the permission to outright lie instead, and had half raised a hand to produce a good one about something weird behind that tree over there that they should check out when he froze with confusion. "Uh..." he couldn't really answer, glancing up at the drones only briefly, already dismissing them to watch how their light played over the man's profile and the flex of his neck. "It's not bad," he allowed graciously, because if he had been the one in charge, the display would have been a lot more spectacular, surely. More drones, definitely. "But you've got the wrong guy. Let me know if you find him, I'll tell him he missed the best part of the show."

Well, that's a bit odd. If Tony hadn't put together the drone show, then Jan would have, and it's unlike Tony to disparage her work like that. No, it's always about what a genius she is and how aesthetic everything is, and he's right. Even if it's not always Steve's style, he assumes it's always Tony's - flashy, rich.

Maybe he just doesn't realize how the statement's coming off. It's fine. He asks instead, very cordially: "Oh, yeah? And what's the best part of the show?"

That new edge of tension was hard to place, should have been harder to even read in a stranger, but Tony could see it around the man's eyes maybe, and it was enough to make his wry smile start to falter. He didn't particularly want to get blood on this nice white shirt by doubling down even if the guy seemed fine with the flirting until he wasn't, so he let his sharp gaze drop away after a beat, tossing a shoulder to concede to the challenge before anyone got any more tense. "Didn't mean anything by it, big guy, relax," he suggested. "How about this, you can have that one for free, try it on the next gal down the beach, she'll love it."

"Oh," Steve says, now understanding that Tony had implied it was him. He doesn't know whether he should say that's sweet of Tony to say or not, but he does say: "I know you don't mean anything by it, Tony, it's okay." And to cut the tension: "You know that if I tried that line on anyone else I'd fumble it anyway." Way worse than the other person just missing it entirely. There's a self-deprecating smile in there. "How about I get you another mocktail and we figure out how to cut this cake?"

Oh, he did know Tony's name, he wasn't just mistaking him for someone, and seemed casually familiar enough that Tony didn't really know how to handle it, leaving his mouth opening only to close like the matter of the cake was particularly challenging. If anyone had asked a second ago, Tony would say he was pretty sure a guy this broad and beautiful had never fumbled a line in his life. Was this a line? Instead of answering, Tony had to ask, "Do I know you?," eyes narrowed with confusion, and corner of his mouth turned up and ready to laugh at this weird tactic.

Steve can't tell if he's joking first, but then he looks at him and realization slowly dawns. His eyes widen, and several emotions flash across his face - shock, confusion, and fear in chief.

"Yes, Tony. You're my friend," he says, like he's trying to convince someone.

Tony did laugh, but it was without much humour as he studied the man's face, trying to read that concern. "Sure, okay," he allowed, "how could I forget, we take your yacht to St. Lucia every summer, we played football together in college, you're my rock climbing instructor...?" One of those had to land somewhere close, if there was a friendship that Tony should have been pulling from his memory. Every suggestion seemed absurd and wasn't helping him triangulate what he was supposed to be remembering, though.

Now he's very concerned. "Okay," he says, "party's over, I have to take you to medical." He reaches over for Tony's forehead, trying to check if he's got some sort of fever. "You don't remember me at all?" he asks. Maybe he's forgotten a few years, but surely, he'd already know about the multiverse. "Do I look similar to someone you know?"

It might have been a fun game, up until that hand came for his face, and then it felt a little too intimate for Tony not to step away, frowning at the audacity. He felt perfectly fine, he just didn't know this man, or where he was, or why, and he'd figure that out eventually. Probably. "What?" he had to ask, because he was less sure he was capable of figuring out where a question like that had come from. "Similar? Is this some kind of test?"

"Yes, and you're not doing all that well at it." He knows that has a good chance of Tony just freaking out and moving away, but he can't lie to him just to cajole him into a sense of complacency to follow him.

"Can you tell me about why we're at this party?" he asks, cautiously.

No one was ever supposed to confirm that fear, and it took Tony aback again. The man's apparent conviction was unnerving enough that Tony glanced away, eyes darting until they snapped back on him defensively for the question that felt both patronizing and far too aware that Tony didn't even know where to look for a safe exit or familiar face. A little too hard to be flippant, he still tried to play off, "To get to know each other? You know, dance, have a drink, sneak away for fifteen minutes and convince ourselves that no one else noticed...Are you getting invited to different kinds of parties?"

Steve raises an eyebrow and then sighs. "Kinda would be hard for me to sneak away from the party without anyone noticing," he says, glumly, because he doesn't think Tony wants everyone to know of his current condition.

"It's my birthday," he explains. "My friends threw me a party; it was kind of a surprise, 'cause I wasn't expecting anything. I couldn't have asked for better friends."

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