8965/Blow Out The Candles, Peter

Blow Out The Candles, Peter
Date of Scene:	26 August 2019
Location:	Harry's Hideaway - Bar - Salem Center
Synopsis:	Xavier's students and staff, Cap, Tony, Cindy and Carrie gather at Harry's to celebrate Peter Parker's and Alek's birthdays
Cast of Characters:	Shadowcat, Cypher, Spider-Man, Silk, Cannonball, Captain America, Carrie Kelley, Cyclops, Smart Alek, Nightingale, Iron Man

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Shadowcat has posed:
It took some persuading into getting Harry to let them have the karaoke birthday party here. But the staff from the school are a number of his regulars, and when they agreed to hold it on an off-night, he finally relented.

Kitty sent out word to those at the school, and Peter to others of his friends and family. She got a karaoke machine full of just about any song someone could hope to find and it is now set up and thoroughly tested.

A table has been covered over with a table cloth and some presents are set out already. There is also a birthday cake which reads, "Happy Birthday Peter Parker" along with a big 26 in blue frosting that has red around the outside edges. A bunch of candles are set up on the cake as well, just waiting to be lit.

A couple of tables are pushed together or in close proximity, and Harry brings over the first pitcher of beer and a few icy mugs. "Thank you Harry," Kitty says with a big smile. She passes over the check she agreed on for Harry letting them hold this here. That gives Harry a big smile.

Cypher has posed:
Did someone say Karaoke? Nerd senses tingling!

Doug looks up, still in his bespoke suit from the day's work, jacket slung over his shoulder, as he has a seat.

"You know, the best karaoke game is that somebody *else* picks the song for you." He looks around, and then says, "Well, I think it's fun!"

Spider-Man has posed:
Dun Dun Duun, Dun Dun Dun-Dun Dun Dun...

Enter Peter Parker with one Aunt May upon his arm. The usually nerdy dressed Chemistry teacher is dressed nerdy. A pair of cargo-shorts, flip flops, and a Space Ghost: Coast to Coast t-shirt. Meanwhile, the brown haired May is rolling her eyes at something her nephew said, wearing a plain blue t-shirt over a black long sleeve cammy, jeans, and brown boots.

"Kitty." May greets her with a smile and a warm hug, shooting a side eye glance at Doug in the process, "Uh... How about 'Hero of the Day'? Or is that too retro?" Back at Peter, who shrugs and moves in to give Kitty a hug as well. "This looks great, Kits."

Silk has posed:
    Hanging back, looking a little out of place is Cindy, choosing a seat near the wall the oversized sweatshirt hangs off one shoulder to show a tank top beneath. A pair of leggings and sandals make up the rest of her ensemble as she holds a brightly colored blue bag in her lap. One hand curls around the bottom of it, holding it in place as she lifts her cup and drinks from the contents - it looks lemonade like but who knows? Her dark eyes sweep over the others and she is already looking at the door even before Peter enters.

    She shifts uncomfortably in her seat when he does and there is a smile, somewhat tense but still a smile all the same. She remains where she is, watching the interactions briefly.

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie comes walking in looking about. He has a half shoebox sized wrapped box with him. He looks around the place, and hmms a bit in thought "Wonder if we could get the place again next week." He comments walking over towards Pete, and the others. He smiles and says "Pete, Kitty, Ma'am." to Aunt May he offers a greeting to all of them

Captain America has posed:
Steve Rogers promised he would attend.

He did not promise he would sing.

Or play an instrument.

Regardless, he arrives with a present tucked beneath his arm, his motorcycle parked out on the street. Wearing a simple green t-shirt beneath his leather, fleece-lapel jacket and jeans, he walks into the main room hosting the gathering. Searching the small crowd for familiar faces, he lifts a hand towards Kitty -- she was the one to reach out to him, after all. The Captain's present, thin and double-stacked, its items, wrapped in red paper and sporting a silver bow, is placed at the collection point on a table.

He takes his time meandering over after retrieving a cup of beer from the offering Harry put out.

Carrie Kelley has posed:
*TWEEEEEEE~*

The somewhat annoying sound of a noise maker being blown through announces the arrival of Carrie as she makes her way into the bar. There's already a party hat on her head as well as the noisemaker caught between her lips, but she's also got a party supply bag slung over her fingers which is held aloft. Snagging the noisemaker from her mouth she approaches the table with her friends, some she's met and some she hasn't, cracking a huge grin. "A little Kitty told me there was a birthday boy here tonight!"

Another party hat is fished out of the bag which she presents to Pete. It's a crown that says 'Birthday King' and is covered in way too much glitter. Poor Sam happens to be near when she does this, so she proffers him a cone shaped hat as well. Oh yeah. She went all out.

Shadowcat has posed:
In addition to the pitcher of beer, there are pitchers of lemonade and soda, and Harry brings over another pitcher, a stout this time for variety. Kitty looks up, grinning at Doug as he arrives. She moves over to give him a tight hug. "Oh, be careful what destruction that could bring," Kitty tells Doug with a grin.

The brunette doesn't recognize Cindy, but spots the bag that she's holding. Kitty is just moving over and about to greet her when Peter walks in. Kitty reaches over to hit the queued up music of Vader's anthem for Peter's entrance music. Her face lights up, but she looks back to Cindy to spot the look of recognition. "Let me greet the birthday boy," Kitty tells Cindy before she turns to accept the hug from Aunt May.

Kitty gives the older woman a warm hug back as she grins. "I'm so glad you could make it. I apologize for having it so far out of the city," Kitty tells Aunt May. "Not too retro at all," Kitty says, before letting the woman go to give Peter a tight hug and soft peck to his lips. "Happy birthday," she tells him brightly.

Kitty motions over to Cindy. "Is this a friend of yours?" she asks Peter, her smile to Cindy inviting for her to join them. And then Carrie and Sam are arriving and Kitty is smiling and waving over to them. She also waves to Cap, though Harry's eyes bug out as he spots the famous Avenger. "Oh my god, Captain America in my bar?" he murmurs to himself, looking through his selection for the best booze in the place. "Steve, you made it," she says happily, waving him over to join them. "Have you met Peter's Aunt May before?" she asks.

Cypher has posed:
Doug returns the warm hug from Kitty, and flashes Aunt May a grin. "I love that song. You like Bonnie Tyler?"

"Hey Pete." Doug says, "I got you something."

He reaches into his pocket, and then takes out a little keychain fob. "This makes noise, but it also adjusts the volume and apparent direction of the sound, making it almost impossible to find. I mean, not to say you'd stash it in somebody's room, or their *office* in order to play a *prank*..." He looks over at Aunt May. "He'd never do that to anybody ma'am, I just thought it was neat."

Cyclops has posed:
Scott Summers pauses outside Harry's for a few moments, and listens to the...music inside. It was a cacophony of musical sounds that reverberated throughout the parking lot. Taking off his motorcycle helmet, and locking it on his hog, Scott unzips his leather jacket, and decides to go for it.

Walking inside the bar, Scott is wearing a leather motorcycle jacket, jeans, a white t-shirt underneath, and his trademark "crimson" sunglasses. Taking off first his right leather glove, then his left leather glove, he neatly tucks them both in his jacket pockets.

Walking up to the birthday boy, Scott starts there. "Happy Birthday Peter." Then a slight bow to Aunt May. "Ma'am." Then a nod to Kitty. "Kitty." Looking around the room he nods to each member of the School, and finally at Captain America. "Rogers."

Spider-Man has posed:
Did somebody say Captain America?

Aunt May's brow perks so high it widens her eyes and turns on her heels to face the American Hero with exactly the kind of star struckedness one has to come to expect from seeing the Blonde American Male walk through the door. "Peter..." She reaches out, fumbling a little to grab hold of his sleeve and give it a few weak tugs, "Peter, is that-" It is, Kitty is introducing them. With all the poise she can muster, May glides over with a grin, "Hello, I'm May Parker. I guess you can call me Aunt May if you want to, but it seems... like maybe you shouldn't." Clearly this is where Peter gets his awkwardness.

IT is, point of fact, amusing as hell for the 'Birthday Boy'. Who, with a little twitch, flickers a little where it comes to his smile and glances with a searching blue stare at Cindy. His head cocks to one side, not answering Kitty immediately when she asks if this is his friend, "Huh? Oh... yeah.. Hey, Kitty. Let me... Cindy, this is Kitty. Kitty, Cindy. We're friends from High School." Motioning between them, back and forth, back and forth... back and forth.

"Cindy?" May glances around with a furrowed brow, "Oh my god, Cindy!" Waving with a huge grin and a knowing wave at Doug, winking in his direction. "Oh please, yes he would. That is precisely the thing he'd do..." Pete just shrugs grins and turns to Carrie as she pops a hat in his hand, which he immediately pops on his head, "Thanks for comming, Carrie.. Give me a second.."

Again he starts to move in Cindy's direction, and there's a Scott! Grinning at Scott, "Scott, this is my Aunt May." Motioning to her, where she has resumed eye molesting Captain Rogers. "Maybe if you wink at her, you can distract her long enough for Steve to get away?" Teasing, she definitely heard that.

Captain America has posed:
The emminently-recognizable theme song played upon Peter's arrival has the Captain hiding away a particular grin behind the rim of his beer cup. The beer isn't bad -- standard, and he isn't aware yet of Harry's attempt to scrounge through his offerings for something termed 'better'.

"I did," he confirms to Kitty and then looks to Aunt May. Her awkwardness, apparently in Peter's genes, only makes the super-soldier give her a knowing, kind smile. "Miss Parker then. Captain Rogers," and Steve offers her his hand not wetted by condensation on the cup. "I have the pleasure of knowing Peter. He's a good kid." For all his wording is simple, the sentiment is honest by his expression.

He glances over at the arrival of Scott and nods back to the man. "Summers," he greets before sipping at his beer again. The amount of glitz and overt funning aimed at Peter is enough to make a mild smile appear on Steve's lips once more. Good.

Silk has posed:
    There is a flutter of nervous tension that has Cindy shifting in her seat as her back straightens. Kitty gets a smile, one that remains but fades as the greetings begin to ring the room. Waiting. That she can do and Captain gets a brief lifting of her hand but they did not so much meet in the get up she is currently wearing.

    Cindy hesitates when introduced to Kitty but then extends her hand in greeting. "Nice to meet you," she says and gets to her feet so she's not wall hugging in a chair. Especially when May recognizes her and begins to wave at her. "Aunt May!" she remarks with a bit of surprise, "I nearly forgot your Aunt," she asides to Peter, drawing a deep breath that has her shoulders squaring as she finally shuffles that blue bag about and extends it towards him. "Happy birthday. Was not sure what to get you, perhaps cooking lessons would have been better than this," she expresses and then draws her hands back to clasp them both before her as rich dark eyes sweep the room over the others she does not recognize. "Hope its a great year for you." She adds. "Great party," she remarks to Kitty.

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie takes the hat, and smiles telling Carrie "Thanks." He offers his hand and says "Sam." He says in introducing himself, and says "Friend of Peter's? He will ask as he scans around where to put the gift he has since the arrival of the Avenger distracted Pete and May from him.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty's greeting for Cindy is a warm one, shaking her hand with both of Kitty's. "Glad you could make it, Cindy, and really nice to meet you. We need someone who can tell old Peter high school stories," she says with a welcoming smile for Cindy.

Kitty laughs as Peter gets the glittery hat. She reaches up to rub at it and make sure some of the glitter comes off into Peter's hair. She watches Aunt May's reaction to Cap, doing her best to hide her grin. Kitty reacted much the same her first time meeting the First Avenger, so she can relate. And the second meeting too if truth be told but she held it in better that time.

Scott is given a warm smile and Kitty moves over to give him a side hug of greeting. "Scott Summers, this is Peter's Aunt May. And this is my friend Carrie Kelly. And this is Cindy Moon," she says, making the round of introductions.

Harry comes out from behind the bar, carrying a bottle of French cognac, and a tray of glasses. He brings it over to Steve Rogers and says, "Sir, it's an honor to have you in Harry's. Please, accept this on the house," he says, pouring glasses of the expensive beverage and holding the tray around to those of age to get a glass.

Carrie Kelley has posed:
Carrie Kelley allows herself a satisfied grin when Peter takes the crown from her, then goes off to introduce his other friends. Kitty as well is busy being the hostess as she usually was so her attention turns back to Sam with a quickly flashed grin. "Nah, I'm Kitty's friend from Gotham," she explains as she reaches out to take the offered hand to shake. "Carrie. Nice to meet you, Sam. I think this is the first time I've really gotten to properly meet Peter... but it's his birthday so I had to do something to make it fun. Even if it might be a little childish," she admits with a shake given to the bag of goodies she'd brought. Another few hats are popped out to set on the table should others want to partake as well in the throwback fun.

Then Kitty pipes up introducing her to others. Lifting a hand she waves to Scott with a, "Nice to meet you all! I've got accessories if anyone wants." The redhead holds up the bag of goodies again with a wink and chuckle.

Cyclops has posed:
"Indeed she is Peter." A look to Kitty and a smile. "Thank you Kitty." A turn. "It is a true honor to meet you "Aunt May". Peter has been an incredible boon to the school as a teacher and a mentor to the students. You should be very proud of him." A sideways nod. "Nice to meet you both Carrie and Cindy. Oh." Looking at Carrie's accessories, Scott smiles. "No thanks."

Looking at Cap once more, Scott says, "Thanks for coming. It means a lot to him." Looking around and seeing everyone's look at him, he adds, "It appears it means a lot to everyone." Free drink. "Even our host."

Scott maneuvers around the table, and grabs a drink from the bar. A ginger ale. He takes a sip, and crunches the ice cubes in his teeth absently, after dropping a few hundred bucks towards the cost of the night, putting his finger to his lips in a "shhhhh" gesture towards "Harry", to not let anyone know.

Stepping back out of the "centre of attention" Scott absently looks through the song list on the table. "Sunglasses at Night" by Corey Hart catches his attention. "Naw." Looking over at Sam and Doug, Scott says "Hey Sam. Doug. Nice to see you."

Smart Alek has posed:
Alek has hitched a ride with another one of the TAs, his dimly blue glowing eyes take in the bar as he enters, a look over of everything and everyone here is just a quick non-eye contact scan of the place and he looks to his feet as he walks in the direction of Doug, he gives a small very non-committed wave to anyone who happened to see him enter.

TOn his pathway to Doug however, the cake and the woriding on it gets his attention, he headtilts as he looks it over.

Spider-Man has posed:
"Alriiight, May... let's not get drool on Steve..." Peter reaches out to guide his Aunt towards the pitcher of beer and various other party items, "Pete, why didn't you tell me you knew-" Pete tut tut tuts her quietly, "I did, I had to have, how would I forget to mention something like that? Next you'll be asking me if I have a clone named Ben Reilly.." Moving right along.

Pete smirks as glitter rains down upon his hair, leaning in to wiggle his head against Kitty's shoulder to shake some off upon her as well, "Hah! You have been infected! It spreads..." Closing her waist in a quick hug and glancing sidelong at Cindy with a smile when she offers out the bag. The fob Doug handed him is slipped into a pocket and accepts it in both, "Thanks, Cindy.. you didn't ha-.." From the bag he pulls out an old High School Trig textbook.. heavily dog-earred with hand written notations in the margins of most of the pages he flips through. As he does a program from a mathlete competition drops out onto the floor to quickly be scooped up... Pete looks from the two items balanced in his hands, up to Cindy, nodding slowly as he reads something written on the front page. "Thank you." After a second, he opens his arms with a big shrug and a raised brow, for a little bit staring at her as if there is literally no other person in the room.

Thankfully there's Aunt May! "Oh, Carrie! Well, any friend of Kitty's is definitely a friend of mine. Can I have a hat? Maybe one of those noise makers? I want to blow it annoyingly in Peter's ear when he's not paying attention." Without glancing away, Pete chirps, "I hear you, May. Don't do it."


There's only so much isolation in a bubble any party can handle, however! Pete glances away with a grin, "Cap! I'm not use to all this attention... Usually it's a single slice of birthday cake I bought at Publix.. I'm a little out of sorts." May smiles at Scott and rubs a hand along the back of Pete's arm, "He's alright I guess. I love seeing him do something with his brain for a change.. I sometimes forget he has one."

Nightingale has posed:
     Running headlong into danger? Sure, no problem. Parties? Those scared the bejeebers out of Shannon, but for the friends she'd made at the school, it was well worth it. Given that it was a bar, it was likely to be a brief appearance, anyways. She slips into the bar, keeping to the fringes of the action for the time being. She's in her favorite light blue paisley sundress, with her hair long and loose as usual, her brown leather rune-stamped bag tied at her waist. And... that was it. Strangely unremarkable, in an odd way. Though the weather was finally starting to cool down, she stubbornly refused to give up wearing her daisy flip-flops till the last possible day. She holds a small package wrapped in red paper and tied with gold ribbon, little curlicues of ribbon taped as decoration on the center of the top of the package.

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie 's brow raises a moment at the name as if he might have heard it before, but the reaction is only there for a moment." He looks over and waves to Scott in greeting when the man greets him. To Carrie he says "A pleasure to meet you. Kitty has some pretty cool friend, Ah should work on meeting more of them and embarrassing he more." He jokes a bit. He will move to get a soda and will tell Harry, he is one of the DD's tongiht.

Carrie Kelley has posed:
"I'm always up for meeting new people," Carrie responds to Sam before he heads off to get a drink. Scott gets a bit of a pout when he turns down a hat, but she doesn't press it. It only takes a second for her smile to return again as she offers a shrug. "Suit yourself." At least she wasn't going to be pushy about such things.

Besides, Aunt May is soon approaching earning a bright grin at the request. "Oh absolutely!" The bag is held open to display the contents to Aunt May exposing the variety of hats, noise makers, and... Carrie's voice drops to a conspiritorial hush, "There's party poppers, too. Grab a few!" Nothing quite like popping those little champagne bottles of plastic to send streamers flying everywhere. She might have to help clean up by the end of the night for her contribution to the mess.

Carrie glances at the others as well tipping her head toward Cindy, and Steve Rogers. "Would either of you like a hat, too? No pressure, it's just for fun," she assures them with a little shrug.

Captain America has posed:
"It's the curse of a birthday: it makes one discombobulated sometimes," Steve replies to both Peter and Aunt May, shrugging his broad shoulders in his good-natured banter.

Carrie's bag of goodies is tempting. He might pocket one of those noise-makers if only to bring it back and see how many times he can make Janet jump in her seat with sudden, unexpected introductions of the sound before it vanished mysteriously. "I'll take one of the noise-makers," he decides, holding out a hand for the item. Once he has it, he pockets it and gives Carrie a grin purely troublemaker.

"Thank you, this is unexpected," Steve replies to Harry, eyebrows dancing high, and does take one of the offered glasses of cognac. "It's an honor to be hosted by a hard-working man of your calibre, one with a big heart and the means to host a birthday of this magnitude."

Stepping aside from the clotting around Peter and Aunt May, to better hear Scott, the Captain nods to him. "Got the invite and promised I'd be here. Hope folks have a good time; been hard enough to find reasons to smile lately." Still, he quirks one side of his mouth. Scott's decision to slip a few large bills into the tip jar earns him a curt nod of approval from Steve -- he intends to do the same before leaving, after all.

As he moves to discard his empty beer cup, still holding the glass of cognac, he passes by the gift table. A glance up brings him to see Shannon -- sans wings. Her face is familiar, but no feathers is...different. The cup is tossed. "Hey, I think...I know you?" he asks of the young woman.

Silk has posed:
    Cindy lifts her hand in greeting as Kitty goes forth to introduce her, "Hello," she offers, a nod shifting her shoulder length dark hair about her face as she crooks a smile. But that crinkle of the bag is enough as the others continue to interact and it quickly draws her eyes back to what Peter holds. Her gaze locks on and she watches the well worn text withdrawn with a softening of her expression - nearly nostalgic. "I realize cooking lessons would be better, but I went back for it. Thought maybe that's a better place to start..." she says and lifts one shoulder in a shrug as her eyes finally lift from the book.

    Peter's offer of a hug is noted and Cindy starts to hesitate. A shake of her head is given as she holds up her hands. "Best not. Go enjoy the party. I need to catching the ferry back soon." She says and shoves her hands behind her back but does rock forward, lifting on her toes in an agile motion to try to get a look in Carrie's bag. "You certainly did come prepared."

Cypher has posed:
Doug has fallen quiet for the moment, sipping his diet coke and watching the party. He seems to be in a quiet mood tonight, at least for the time being. Tired from work, probably, he's been really busy a lot.

Shadowcat has posed:
Harry's chest can't be stuck out any further than it is, swelled with the pride of Steve's comment to him. "Thank you sir. An outright honor. Everything you've done for the good ole US of A. Thank you sir," he says before moving back over towards the bar.

Kitty grins to Carrie, giving her a hug of greeting finally and taking one of the noisemakers. She tells Samuel, "You better watch yourself, Guthrie. I've got the karaoke on remote from my phone. Might switch you to RUN DMC in the middle of your country song," she teases with a finger waggle.

Shannon is given a smile from Kitty, and waved over. Though the sight of Alek gets a big reaction from Kitty. "Oh thank goodness, you made it too," she tells Alek. "This is Alek Simon for anyone who doesn't know him. His birthday was the day before Peter's." Kitty moves over to open up a box that holds a second cake, this one says, "Happy Birthday Alek" and with a 21 on it. Kitty says, "Give me a second to get the candles on," she says as she starts adding them to the cake.

Kitty waves towards the table and says, "Alek, there's a blue-wrapped present with a gold bow for you there." She saves her gift for Peter for the moment. The nostalgic items from Cindy draw a warm smile from Kitty.

Cyclops has posed:
Taking another sip of his ginger ale, Scott stands back and watches the comraderie and actions of everyone present. He allows himself a smile and looks at each person in turn, listening to the laughter, the banter and the familiarity. *crunch, crunch, crunch*. Ah, the ice. Mournfully as he takes another drink, he notices that he has eaten all the ice.

It was times like these that Scott was not great at being the life of the party, but he was good at being there. Listening to Steve Rogers made him shake his head, understanding where the man's charisma was coming from, and why everyone looked up to him.

Finishing off his drink, Scott orders another, and Harry offers him a smile to go with the drink. "Hard man t'a follow aye?" Scott nods in agreement. "Yeah. He's earned the respect though.

Looking over at the man of honor, Peter Parker, Scott raises his glass in a toast, and takes a drink. Then, he spots Alek, and does the same to him, mouthing "Happy Belated Birthday" without a sound.

Smart Alek has posed:
Alek realizes he might have forgotten something as he checks his pockets, what does he give the birthday boy for a present.. he glances to the door and then back to Doug and now with Kitty pulling the open the second box he blushes, "Ooh.. I... don't need a cake." The present with the gold ribbon, "And.. present. I... need to give Peter something though.." The candles on the cake get his attention now, he transfix his eyes and he seems mezzorized.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon smiles and nods to Steve. So much for staying on the edge of the action. "We've met a couple times. How have you been? Did that song I transcribed for you ever reach you?" She glances about the room, inching just a bit closer to where the party seemed to be happening. Great. A bar. She would never hear the end of this. Keeping a smile on her face, she just observes the gathering a little while longer, or at least until Kitty waves her over. "Hey there... whew, at least the cake made it here intact." She smiles at Peter and holds out the small package. "Happy Birthday, and may you see many more happy, healthy ones to come. By the way," she giggles softly. "The answer is 42." What the dickens could be in that package?

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie will smile a bit seeing Alek has came, and waves to Shannon, but does not seek to interrupt her. He looks over to Kitty and says "You do know Ah work at a dance club right? And if your going to make me do a Rap song, Gotta get Berto here, and he, Doug and Ah can maybe do some beastie boys." He says and heads over towards Doug, noticing the women who does not seem comfortable with hugs gets his attention for a moment, but not everyone is a hugger.

Carrie Kelley has posed:
"One noise maker coming right up!" Carrie fishes in the bag to proffer one out to Steve. When Cindy comes over she glances into her bag considering. "Well I don't get to celebrate things often, and I kind of missed Kitty's birthday so I felt like I ought to make this one count. You're welcome to take whatever you'd like." There's a little digging in the bag to pull out a red envelope. "Except this. This is Peter's for whenever I can get over there." He was the center of attention for good reason after all.

Kitty's hug is accepted and returned with a tight squeeze. "Sorry I've been absent lately. Just... a lot of things going on. Miss you." She mumbles before squaring her shoulders and stepping back again to regard the group in the bar. "Good turn out. Looks like it'll be a great night for him." There's a pause, and she crinkles her nose. "Wait. Karaoke?" Doomed.

Spider-Man has posed:
Peter bobs his head in a nod to Cindy, slipping program back into textbook and textbook back into bag, "I could definitely have used the cooking lessons." Scratching at the back of his neck with the ends of his fingers, stepping back a little, "You going to do some Karaoke?" Jutting his chin in the direction of the empty stage, glancing over his shoulder for the table of presents where he can set the bag with the other offerings. "Or a beer?" There's plenty to go around, really.

Lots of faces too.

Aunt May is making her rounds, though, "Oh, Alek, is it? Happy birthday! And you're 21st.." Smiling easily with her own little birthday hat on now and a noise-maker in her free hand since the other is holding a chilled glass of beer. With Scott's salute to her nephew, she rises her own.

Pete's fingers slide back into his hair, pushing it out of his face for it to fall right back into it, looking like some of the wind has been knocked out of his sails until he finds Kitty amidst the gathered. "Okay, so when you said a few friends for some karaoke I grossly underestimated your ability to throw together a shindig... If..." Pointing at the stage, "If the Show-biz pizza Jamboree is behind that curtain, I swear to all the things that are Holy and Just... okay first I'm going to run out of here so fast you'll think it's on fire, but then later... much later.. after you catch up to me... which you wont.. I'm going to be very impressed indeed."

Now beside Kitty, he smiles to Carrie, "Sorry, I'm so glad you could make it.. The hats are amazing." Wiggling his head to sprinkle more glitter down upon himself quite intentionally.

Cypher has posed:
Finally, Doug says, "Alek." He's not forceful or overly loud about it, he just raises his hand. "Did you get my gift?" He looks around at the others, and then says, "Impressive crowd." A quizzical expression crosses his face, and then says, "I was saving the Show-Biz Pizza Jamboree for Illyana's birthday. Just for that *super* awkward moment--"

He sips his drink, slowly. "I don't think I've ever been to a birthday party where Captain America was on the guest list before. Moving up in the world."

Captain America has posed:
Oh, yes -- the young woman at the music store up north, Shannon, with the...wings that aren't there -- and at the last charity gala he attended, where they spoke in passing. Steve reminds himself he's not crazy even as he laughs softly once. "It did reach me, yes. Thanks for that. It was a bright spot in my day." He notices her reticence in the social atmosphere and is glad to see her depart when summoned by Kitty.

The Captain lingers over by the bar himself now, down the counter a ways from Scott and his discussion with Harry. An easy lean is taken up as he sips the cognac and watches, content to be off on the side lines for a time.

Silk has posed:
    "Uhhhh I don't do Karaoke, I am not Japanese for one thing," Cindy points out, trying to be clever. She gives Peter bright smile and looks at Kitty, inclining her head befores he is slipping away when is quite distracted. Carrie's little bag of joys does keep her for a moment, her hand snagging in to take up a turn about nosemaker and gives a few spins of her wrist. "Ooof, that is annoying. Which makes it perfect. Thanks."

    She steps back and gives the room at large a survey before she heads for the bar, the lemonade she left behind watered down. Beer. Shoving dark hair back behind her ear she gives a whirl of the noisemaker and takes up a seat at the bar. "Good to see you again," is offered to Captain. As Harry asks her what she wants, there is some hesitation, "I..I am of age but..something sweet? I really have no idea." SHe's missed the boat for her own twenty first some time in the past but passes over the ID. Gotham.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon quietly deposits the small red package next to Peter and tries to slip away, doing her best to not bump into anyone. It was a particularly busy party, and it was good to see him honored so. She smiles to herself as she makes her way to the fringes of the gathering again, though the sight of the empty stage and hearing 'karaoke' has her freezing in place, glancing towards the area. Naaah. It was a crazy idea. She shakes her head and chuckles a little bit, watching and waiting to see if anybody takes to the stage.

Carrie Kelley has posed:
Carrie Kelley turns her attention to Pete. It's the first time she'd really gotten to see him up close, and she ends up staring at him with a small thoughtful frown. "You're Peter?" It almost sounds incredulous, suspicious even, but she gives a slow nod. The smile she often wears reaffixes itself and the card she had is proffered over. "You look kind of familiar now that I think about it. Anyway, I wasn't sure what to get you, so here. It's not much," she points out with a little shrug. "But I hope you like it."

Iron Man has posed:
The karaoke system releases a sudden loud musical riff, after a few sharp drum beats. There's a few stanzas of proper, LOUD, rock and roll, where the sound bounces from two directions - both from the stage, but also a monstrously loud speaker system of some kind from directly outside the bar. A glance outside will show the insane bright red sports car - Stark. And he's hacked into the bar's karaoke system. Just /borrowing/.

There's one Avenger that is extremely prone to this, and all the fanfare of party arrival? -- it won't be a surprise to his fellow Avenger in the bar, at least.

Outside, there's immediately a lot of attention on the street, as Tony hops out. He's delayed from heading directly into the bar by the greeting he gets outside, which means that he does the first few lyrics well before actually coming inside.

~~ "Back in black; I hit the sack; I've been too long I'm glad to be back--"~~

Tony's amused, charismatic tone is in the bar well before he is, amidst the blasting AC/DC rock song. He misses a few lyrics - a visual on the situation will show that he's laughing and getting inside, a small mic from his headpiece turned aside from his mouth as he actually enters the bar, hand lifted. Finally, a wink and flare of finger-gun is thrown towards the party itself, though Tony's en-route to the stage.

Cyclops has posed:
With a nod towards Steve, Scott moves a bit closer, so that only he can hear. "Nice to see you...Steve. What really brings you here? I know that Parker is someone we have fought with before. I am just surprised that you aren't...busy Avenging." A smile. "Not that it isn't good to see you and all."

Sipping his drink, Scott looks back at the people in the bar, a full house. A true testament at how much Parker is repsected. "He's a good kid. Respectful. Honest. A good teacher. Smart. We're lucky to have him...even if he isn't a mutant."

Another sip. "He does look like he is having fun though. That is a good thing. I am just worried about our ears if he makes it to the stage..." Scott laughs, a short one, but a laugh nevertheless. And then Stark arrives.

Smart Alek has posed:
Alek as Aunt May goes about giving him a congratulations as well, he just grins a bit.. as the box is presented and he touches the contents, "Tablet..." his eyes glow a bit more, "Wow, never seen this configuration before.." he quirks, "You make this Mrs Pryde, it's.. really unique." The tablet turns on and begins to flip through it's apps at lightning speed, Alek doesn't seem to be making any motions at all to have it do this... Tony's arrival however causes the tablet to suddenly just stops operating. Mic drop.

Nightingale has posed:
     "What the h..." Shannon just rolls her eyes and facepalms, laughing. That answered her question. Ask, and ye shall receive. By the time the first few chords of the song have reverberated through the room, it's pretty obvious just who's arriving--the oncoming bullet train colloquially known as Tony Stark. "Hello again!"

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty returns to Peter, slipping an arm about his waist. "No animatronic band /this time/," she tells him with a small smile. She looks up as Carrie comes over. "Yes, this is Peter. Peter, this is Carrie Kelly, a very good friend of mine. Goes to Gotham U. The next great actress that Hollywood has yet to discover," Kitty says of the redhead, smiling over to Carrie. "This is Peter," Kitty says, her eyes shining with a bit of warmth as she looks back to the mild-mannered young man.

As the music blares, Kitty pulls out her phone to fix the machine, and quickly discovers someone has hacked the karaoke machine. Her eyes go to Doug at first, but then the sound from outside makes her realize another guest has arrived. Kitty laughs. "Oh gawd," she says, arm going back around Peter's waist.

Kitty taps her foot along with the singing as Alek comes over. "Yes, my design," she tells him. "I made it to be especially easy to hook memory into, and for rapid transfers. There's a storage bank I put together, dedicated for your use, that this will connect to encrypted." Of course Alek will have learned all of that himself.

Kitty turns back to the rest and smiles over to Aunt May. "I absolutely apologize if he hits on you," Kitty stage-whispers to the attractive aunt. She looks back and waves a greeting over to Tony.

Captain America has posed:
Recognizing the voice if not the face, given Cindy was indeed in her suit last they spoke, Steve gives her a searching look accompanied by a small smile. "Good to see you too," he replies politely, rummaging through his memories to see if he can figure out who matches her timbre of speech.

He straightens in his lean as Scott approaches. "Peter's one of ours too," the Captain quietly informs the X-Man. "And believe me, I had to make time to be here -- trying to make the cognac last because once it's gone, I've got someplace to be. Just glad Kitty reached out to me about it."

And there's Tony, with bells on -- and all of the karaoke speakers at once. Steve, very used to these types of displays, sips his cognac again and indulges in a slightly bigger mouthful than he has been thus far.

"Speech, Stark, speech!" Steve shouts overtop the music in his usual dry humor aimed at the genius-inventor.

Spider-Man has posed:
"No mention of the creepy Russian serial killer on my birthday!" Peter calls out to Doug, playfully. "Does she give everyone that creepy, I'll eat your soul spread thinly on toast vibe or am I alone?" Glancing around, someone help him here. May frowns a little, but Pete shakes his head and winks in her direction, "Just kidding, May, she's lovely. You'd adore her."

Pete's hand snaps out infront of Shannon, "Have you been sneaking into the Hellfire Club while I wasn't looking?" Teasing her with a little playful grin, "Glad you could make it, Shannon." A glance up at Carrie, lowering his arm so Shannon can slip away if she so desires, "That's what people keep telling me... I guess it could be a con..spir...a-"

Pete slowly turns from stage to doorway at the sounds from that way cometh..

When Tony comes in singing, he Pete errupts into laughter! "Oh hell no! Kitty, you didn't tell me you had the Starks of Winterfell, AC/DC coverband playing my party!" Two fingers, thumb and pinky, jut into the corners of his mouth for a sharp wolf whistle in Tony's direction, "Excuse me. I have to go preform." Playful wink at Kitty, kissing her cheek.

Sing with is probably not entirely accurate, Pete comes up on the stage with a hop, not daring to grab a mic, but he'll /absolutely shred/ an air guitar. Proving, with zero percent room for error, that he's got zero need and/or wnat to look cool.

May, likewise, is laughing and shaking her head... Glancing up at Kitty with a bemused grin, "I had no idea you were so well connected, Kitty.. Certainly this must be your doing?"

Silk has posed:
    Harry gives Cindy a look as he gazes over her Ident before he sets it back down and holds up a finger. He's on the move. He's busy making her drink to her specifications of 'sweet' and 'first drink' as best he can. She offers Cap another smile though she grows slightly amused when the reply seems somewhat searching. Her attention shifts to Scott, an inclination of her head as she offers her hand out. "Cindy Moon, a friend of Peter's from school..high school," she quickly says.

    Then everything changes and she blinks, looking aside to see what is going on before she catches sight of an entrance. Stark. She sits up a bit and even braces her hand on the bar to get a better look just as the tumbler is set down before her. Its some sort of rich gold liquid - definitely mixed. When she sips it the expression is one of 'I don't hate it'.

    So she drinks. And she watches.

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie does frown a bit at the comments about Illyana but he does not say something and at the music kicks in, and tony walks in, he will look over to Doug, and asks "Is this why we make sure Berto is not tech savy?" He jokes a bit . He will find himself a seat at one of the wall tables, so he can watch the goings on and sip his soda.

Cypher has posed:
"Only if she likes you!" Doug calls back. "If she doesn't like you, keep extra pairs of clean underwear handy. I know bringing up old movies is lost on some people, but I'm talking Allison Arngrim in 'The Bad Seed'." He shakes his head, and sips his diet coke again, before he adds, "You built Alek a tablet huh? Neat."

Then he says, "Alek, by the way, I want to bring you in to spot-test some of the security systems that I'm setting up for the X-Corp. If they can stop you from getting in, then they're pretty much perfect."

Doug looks up at Sam, "Bobby is better than tech-savvy, he's people savvy. He has me for the tech and you for everything else."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon rolls her eyes and chuckles at Peter, not quite making it to the outer edges of the social savannah after all. "Oh suuure, all the time." Her tone is dry, but her eyes twinkle with amusement. "Didn't you know I've taken up dancing there?" She laughs and just stays right where she is, her eyes going to the stage once again. This should prove rather interesting.

Cyclops has posed:
With a sideways glance at Cap, Scott nods in complete understanding. "I can appreciate that. Making time. It is hard sometimes. I get that." Scott drinks his drink, and crunches some more ice now that he has a new glass full. "Kitty is good at that. Glad she reached out to you too. You are always welcome."

Shaking his head while Tony arrives, Scott doesn't say anything this time, letting Steve ask for the speech. It was a moment or two of reflection later when he realises...maybe that was not a good idea. "Ah well...you win some..."

Iron Man has posed:
Tony makes his way to the stage: slower than an agile Peter, who can go and hop up there and begin his guitar just before Tony will manage reaching it. But that's fine: Tony can sing his part from anywhere, including outside the bar, so there's no REAL hurry.

~~" Forget the hearse 'cause I never die,"~~ Tony sings.

Tony's dressed pretty well for the part: one of his immaculate black suits, the collared shirt under it a fiery crimson, no tie (he removed it in the car from a previous engagement). Stark isn't really a singer: he won't be recording ANY albums, but he makes up for that with stage presence and presentation. After all, it's all about the presentation.

"'Speech'? We're in the middle of a song, Captain," Tony says in deadpan, between lyrics as he mounts the stage, looking over his glasses at Steve, his smirk evident. But then his attention is on Peter, with a laugh, and a welcoming sideways gesture. By all means, a 'duet'.

Spider-Man has posed:
"Oh lawd... Aight, but I'm making up my own lyrics." Pete slides up to Tony for a little duetitude. It turns out that what spider bites do /not/ give is a wonderfully true singing voice. This is going to hurt and it will not be over quickly.

At least he doesn't lack for artistic expression!

Yes he does.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty Pryde relinquishes Peter to go pursue his dream job of air-guitarist in Tony Stark's ACDC cover band. She grins and moves over beside Aunt May, slipping her arm about Peter's aunt as she laughs. "A bit of my doing," Kitty agrees. "My first job back in the States was for Janet van Dyne's company. She kind of became a bestie. And from there, met Steve and Tony, and Tony hired me to work at Stark Industries, though Janet made him agree to loan me back to her from time to time. And we had a thing at the school where they came out and spent time with the kids," Kitty says. "Which was the biggest thrill for them."

Kitty watches Peter playing the air-guitar, laughing and shaking her head. She pats May and then moves over towards the bar to mingle more while she has the chance. "Cindy, I'm really glad you were able to come. I hope I get to see more of you," she tells Peter's old high school friend with a smile.

Kitty looks to Scott Summers and Steve Rogers. "Thank you both for coming out. I know it means a lot to Peter. I don't think he's used to having this many friends about him for special occasions," she says. "I wasn't sure that Tony was going to be able to make it. He helped me out with Peter's gift, can't wait to give it to him," she says.

Captain America has posed:
"That's never stopped you, Tony!" Steve fires back, but he still waves a hand towards the man with a laugh muted by the continued song. A good call, letting Peter have his air-riffing and joining in on the display. He glances over to Scott again and shrugs one broad shoulder, still good-natured.

"About time Stark showed up. Figured he would, since he's been working with Peter on the side. Good to see him away from his computer as is. I'll see if I can't stop by the Institute sometime soon here, touch base with everyone." Another sip of cognac is appreciative and he looks back to the karaoke stage again.

Kitty gets a wry little grin from the Captain. "Tony, not make it to a party? Perish the thought -- and you're welcome, Kitty. Happy to be here."

Smart Alek has posed:
Alek nods to Kitty, as Stark's appearance draws his attention for a moment before slipping back to the tablet.. which again flickers as it goes through it's apps, "Thank you so much.." and he nods to a bit Doug, "And thank you too for the email.. I've already played with few lessons.. between bouts of Ultima." he grins, "I never really had friends before.. this is like a dream." The mention of the security test gets him to nod a bit, "Well, is it really fair though? I guess if the security system has a mean personality.. can't wait to see if I can manage to negotiate with it."

Cyclops has posed:
Scott watches the situation deteriorate on stage, and he calls out, "Nice work Stark! Don't quit your day job...or your night job!" Scott shakes his head, and looks over at Cap with sad eyes. "He must drive you crazy, Steve. Absolutely crazy! Yes, please stop by!" Scott laughs, takes a drink, and then hears a voice.

"Nice to meet you Cindy Moon!" Scott points to his vest, and raises his voice so she can hear. "Scott Summers!" Scott takes her hand, and shakes it once. "Starting to get loud in here!"

Looking back at Kitty, and Peter, Scott says, "No problem! It was my pleasure! Thank you for taking care of this! Well done...minus Stark!" A smile reveals he was only partly kidding at that one.

Silk has posed:
    "Loud is a way to put it, pleasure Scott," Cindy says, wincing some as Peter is defintely 'trying'. She clears her throat, sipping form her tumbler when Kitty makes her way over. She sets her drink down and gives her a nod of her head. Leaning in to share words so as not to shot. "Glad to be here, but I think I have to get going soon. Ferry back to Gotham. Seems you know quite a few ...people," she says the last as if she was not sure WHAT to call them as her gaze slips past Kitty to the stage.

    She sips from her tumbler, the drink nearly gone - albeit it was not all that full to begin with. Her foot bobs a moment where her legs cross upon her perch of a stool.

Iron Man has posed:
Tony's aware of the vocal mistake by encouraging Peter to sing, and it shows up on his surprised expression he turns sideways at the younger man. Then again, this is not a song that requires dulcet vocal tones, and Stark can salvage anything by just throwing more fuel on.

Off-mic, Tony quips during a musical bridge, "You don't need to make them up, Pete. Karaoke prints them for you to read," Tony can't help but tease, with a gesture at a monitor for Peter.

The song won't last forever, anyway, and as it winds down, Tony's relaxed, easygoing deep laugh comes through the mic towards the end, and he gives Peter a good smile, one hand coming across to clasp Peter's opposite shoulder.

"Happy Birthday. I suppose I'll return the evenings' entertainment to Ms. Pryde, now," Tony chuckles into his mic, giving a shameless, playful smile towards Kitty while he waves at those in the bar (and outside the bar: it's been a loud spectacle).

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon stifles a laugh at the interchange between Steve and Tony, her eyes twinkling with mirth. She shakes her head and begins to make her way back towards the fringes of the gathering, relatively close to the door. However, in the vicinity of her back, there's a flickering, white, hazy sort of image for a few seconds, but when one blinks, all appears normal again. For the moment. She chuckles and glances over to Steve. "Was this the soundtrack you mentioned that one time?"

Carrie Kelley has posed:
Carrie Kelley leans back against one of the table edges when the place gets Stark-ified with the booming music. Peter on stage gets a clap of appreciation for a few moments. It's obvious that it can't really be heard over the music to begin with so she lets her hands fall back to her side fiddling with the bag she'd brought. It's deposited on the table behind her as it seemed most had already got what they wanted out of it. The rest of it is left there in offering as her attention roams over those in the bar just watching everyone enjoying themselves.

Spider-Man has posed:
May shakes her head and rolls her eyes /so very hard/ at Peter going up to join Tony, first when air-guitar, then when singing. "Sweet lord, Peter, do you /have/ to sing? Don't you remember what happened..." It's too late... With a quiet groan she looks up at Kitty and smiles warmly at the young woman, wrapping an arm about her in an embrace, "This is wonderful, Kitty. I'm so glad you did this for him.. He really doesn't get out much." Cutting eyes to the side and jutting her head in Pete's direction making a bafoon of himself.

Then again, he's making a bafoon of himself with Tony Stark... So.. suck it?

She looks as well to Cindy and finally gets a chance to wave her over, "Cindy, my gosh, it's been ages." Glancing between the pair of Kitty and Cindy with a grin, "Cindy and Peter were both mathletes in... 10th grade?" Looking to her confirmation.

Pete still has no idea the words to the song, so at some point stops singing those and starts just murmuring until the few he does know come up, singing those /very/ loud. When it finally ends, he laughs quietly and shakes his head at Tony, "I did /not/ expect that. Thanks, Mr. Stark." Perhaps the hand on his shoulder was misunderstood! Pete turns a little and hugs Tony...

Immediately realizes that he's hugged Tony and starts to loosen...

"Nope, I'm sticking with my guns..." Tighter squeeze.

"This is nice." Head on shoulder.

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie will stand up, and looks over to Doug "Be right back." He will head out and did bring Alek's gift as well in case he showed up. After a few moments, he will walk back in with what looks to be about frammed poster sized package, and an envelope on the front of it. He will head over to Alek to offer the other guy the package "Happy bday."

Silk has posed:
    The drink is set down quickly when Aunt May approaches. Cindy may no longer be a high schooler but she's certainly acting like she got caught red handed, slender fingers giving little nudges towards Harry. "Thank you, Kitty, really," she begins and then turns to Aunt May, offering her a warmer smile that gathers her eyes up at the corners. "It is good to see you and yes...tenth grade. Feels ..well its been a decade," she admits loud enough to be heard.

    "It just feels like forever ago," she remarks and glances down at the watch on her wrist. "Though I am at the point where I need to hurry so I can catch the ferry back. I will have to come visit, ask you how you have been. And to get to know Kitty." She says, sliding off her stool, dark hair shifting back into place as it escapes her ear. "Captain, Scott." She turns then to AUnt May and reaches a hand out to touch her arm. "Aunt May.." the grip is a little firmer before she smiles at Kitty. "Let Peter know I wish him the best. He's busy and I need to slip out. Good to meet you."

    She tugs at the off shoulder top and fixes it back into place as she slips out after making her good byes.

Captain America has posed:
Steve's just shaking his head in friendly exasperation at the stage and its occupants when Shannon addresses him. He looks over and leans in, needing the lessening of distance to make sure he heard her correctly. "It's one of 'em," he confirms with a grin. "Tony's got a handful of 'em to put to use."

When Peter gives the genius-inventor his hug, the Captain's eyebrows dance up. Still, he smiles to himself. A little lift of his cognac towards Tony is followed by another sip.

"Good to see you again, have a good night," he bids of Cindy on her departure. Given the fine golden liquor in his glass only remains at a third volume, he too won't linger for much more.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty grins as the song finishes. "Anyone who wants to go next, feel free to jump in," she offers. Kitty picks up one of the microphones. "Anyone. Anyone at all," she says, sidling over towards Doug Ramsey. She slips a microphone into his hand if she's able. "Anyone... anyone at- Oh, it looks like Doug is up!" Kitty exclaims.

She'll pass him a controller to pick a song, if Doug takes it, and then she goes over to the table of gifts to find her own for Peter. Kitty grins at Carrie, moving near her to say, "So glad you came tonight. Been far too long. And glad you got to meet Peter," she says. She looks down at her present. "Hope he likes this," she says with a smile to Carrie, and then turns to go over to where Peter is hugging it out with Tony. "Do I need to send Steve to chaperone you two?" she asks, flashing a grin over to Captain America before looking back to them. "Happy birthday, Pete," Kitty says, offering him a box, wrapped in red foil and with a blue ribbon wrapped about it at the corners.

Iron Man has posed:
There's a flash of a look of confusion from Tony as he's hugged on stage. Initially it was fine, but then Peter doubles down with some private, quiet sentiment. Sentiment that Tony's mic picks up and broadcasts nice and loudly. A dart of a sideways look of 'what do I do with this' shoots out sideways from Tony, ending up aimed at his friend in the room - Steve Rogers. "Real" feels are difficult, guys. The lift of cognac at him gets a little snort from Tony.

The small, miniscule, window of being unsure passes, though, as Tony recovers, and pats Peter a bit /firmly/, and pulls back with clear intent. "What's even nicer? Next round's on me," Tony announces at the bar, in his immaculate way of spinning things. "The drinks are not your gift though," he assures Peter.

Cyclops has posed:
With a nod as Cindy leaves, Scott puts his now empty glass on the counter. With a quick salute to Steve, a shake of his head at Stark, a nod to Sam, Doug, Alek, Shannon and Carrie, a slight bow to Aunt May, a wave towards Parker and Kitty, and a final look back at everyone. Scott heads towards the exit. Zipping his jacket up as he goes, Scott heads out into the night air. "Happy Birthday."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon laughs softly. "Well, at least he has good taste. Though his voice... well..." Her eyebrows quirk slightly, and she just coughs a bit. "I ought to get going, though, got some studying to do. It's great to see the guest of honor having such a good time, and glad to catch up with you as well." There'd be plenty of time to catch up with everyone else later, when it wasn't nearly so chaotic. She starts to make her way to the door, taking advantage of the flurry of activity on the stage to engineer her exit with as little fuss as possible.

Spider-Man has posed:
Pete is easily pulled away, initial hug was gut response, the follow through was just to make it weird. Smirking at Tony, Pete looks over to Kitty and hops down off the stage to give /her/ a hug before taking the gift, "Thank you, Kits." Said quietly, then settles down upon the stage to open the gift he's being given. "What?!" He pulls a brand new METS cap, much like the one he usually wears until losing the previous to Rhino, and immediately pops it on his head. Along with a pair of tickets to the Yankees at Mets game. "Behind home plate! Duuuuuuude!" Another hug and a heavy kiss on the cheek for one Katherine Pryde, "Best, girlfriend, ever." Alright, so Public displays are not his thing, really, but she earned okay?

He missed that hat.

"Everybody give it up for my Girlfriend huh?" Holding her hand up so she can do a lil spin. "Setting this all up, making me get out of a book and come out to sing Karaoke with Tony Stark... Steve Rogers over there sipping Cognak like a boss.. Don't think I didn't see you, big guy!" Pointing over at Cap. "Friends, family... Aunt May.. always lovely. Even when you're giving me judgemental eyes." May gives him rolling eyes and raises her beer.

"I love all of you, thank you, seriously."

The tickets are put back in the box, lid closed, and he just looks... happy. Which isn't his neutral setting. "Alright, let me go talk to Cap before he goes and beats the shit out of some European dictators. Tony, you're like a dad to me. Only without the child support. We should talk about that." Kidding, mostly kidding.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty Pryde gives a huge smile at Peter's reaction to the present. She turns part of that smile over to Tony. "Tony gave a huge assist on the tickets, else we'd be up in the upper deck," she tells him. Kitty's look to Tony turns grateful before she looks back to Peter, laughing as he turns MC and thanks everyone.

"Ok, let me go get the cakes out," she says, moving over to the table. "That's a lot of candles," she says looking at the 26 on Peter's and the 21 candles on Alek's. "I hope Harry's fire insurance is up to date," she says, lighting them all. Kitty will start up Happy Birthday on the karaoke machine and starts singing to them. She's at least not completely out of tune. "Make a wish, but no spitting on the cake blowing the candles out," she tells Alek and Peter.

Carrie Kelley has posed:
Carrie Kelley flashes a grin to Kitty when she stops by again. "Of course, no problem. It's been too long. We should grab burgers sometime or something." The song starts to wrap up though earning a laugh from her as Kitty zooms off to go hug Peter. She pushes off from the edge of the table she leaned against and wanders closer to examine the cakes being brought out to watch and prepare for the usual singing along with it.

Captain America has posed:
"You have a nice night then, Shannon. Good luck with your studies," the super-soldier bids too of the young woman, giving her a small smile. "G'night, Summers!" He raises his voice for this to carry towards the door and the departing X-Man.

Then Peter's at the mic. When called out, Steve takes it in good manners and salutes the birthday boy with his glass of cognac -- indeed, like a boss, Parker. The commentary about punching dictators makes Steve outright smirk for a second and shake his head. No pending dictators on his to-punch list...for now.

He does sing along to the birthday song, however, his voice quiet and mellow in the background. Steve Rogers can, in fact, carry a tune, even if he's not forthright about this ability.

Iron Man has posed:
Tony flips the fingers of his right hand up, tucking the lead to the short mic away from his jawline (and disengaging the mic there). The proclamations at Steve, and then himself, draws a chuckle from Tony.

"...Right. So. I'll jump on that 'dictators' grenade, give me that drink, Cap," Tony says, coughing, and moves towards the bar. "We're cutting you off." And Tony really wants it. Really.

Then Kitty gives Tony credit. Which Tony's always happy to take. "No nosebleed," he promises, on the tickets.

Smart Alek has posed:
Alek nods as he touches the other gift as well.. the tablet's background shifts to be one of the logos from the contents of the digital poster. "It's awesome to have friends." he looks at the cake that come out, "So many candles..."

Cypher has posed:
"You know, Elixir gave me hell for being a Mets fan?" Doug says, to Sam.

"If we only ever rooted for the guys who won all the time, what would that say about us?" Then he looks back at Sam. "Look at who I'm talking to, the world's biggest Yankees fan." He smirks. "...He gave me hell about liking the Bills, too."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon stops for just a moment and smiles. "Thanks, really. See you around, maybe." Parties were a medicine to be taken in small doses, and right now, she was nearing overdose. She slips out the door without fanfare, smiling. At least the cakes had gotten to the party intact, and she only hoped she baked the right kind for each of the guests of honor.

Spider-Man has posed:
Pete turns a little when the cake is presented, with candles, and the music starts up.. "Whoa, okay, that part." Standing across from Alek now, leaning upon the tables on which the 47 candles are blazing! "You ready for this? I'm pretty sure afterwards we get jumped for birthday ass kicking... Ill go high, you go low, they can't catch us both.." Joking of course.

He waits for the singing to ebb and then takes a might breath... to begin blowing the candles out one at a time like a child... and counting them. "1..." Breath. "2..." This could go on for a while.

"Peter, I swear, if you don't blow those candles out so I can get some cake..." Enter the real hero, Aunt May, berating her bratty Nephew with a narrowed eyed glare. "Move it!"

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty sings the time-honored song and then begins laughing as Aunt May gives Peter what-for as he delays blowing out the candles. "Come on Alek, you and Peter both," she encourages. "Make a wish. Make it a good one. And no wishing for more wishes or else we'll have to break out the djinn number from Aladdin to explain the rules of the thing," she tells them.

Kitty gets herself another beer, pouring the sudsy drink into her mug and sipping it while waiting for the birthday boys to do their thing. She says to Carrie, "We absolutely should. I made it to Gotham the other night, will have to tell you about it. Met someone new, friend of Mr. Wayne's," she tells the redhead.

Kitty grins over to Doug. "Well, if you were a proper Cubs fan it wouldn't be a problem. But hey, not everyone can have great taste," she teases him.

Captain America has posed:
"You can get your own drink," the Captain informs Tony. Of course, a glass of cognac never goes over badly and he clinks glasses with his fellow Avenger finishing off the remnants of his own serving of the liquor. It does nothing to him, of course, but now, in honor of friendship and public conventions, he'll be keeping half an eye on the genius-inventor and his own drink consumption.

Hearing someone speak of baseball, however, is enough to garner his attention. "Dodgers until the day I die," opines Steve. This clearly requires another glass of cognac and he grabs one to lift it in salute to the team.

You know it, Barnes -- Dodgers FOREVER.

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie will smile to Alek "Glad you like it." He looks to Doug, and says "Hey you can't have good taste in everything brother." He grins a bit more, and says "Turns out we got a Red sox fan around now." He looks around noticing he missed Shannon leaving "Everyone can have their own team only a few of us can have the good one it seems." He teases.

Smart Alek has posed:
Alek nods a bit and inhales and then waits for the appropiate moment, perhaps changing shades of color as he waits for the right time to exhale.

Carrie Kelley has posed:
Carrie Kelley flashes Kitty a smile when she moves over to speak while Peter and Alek get to those candles. "Yeah? That's cool. I moved in... He didn't give me much choice. Oh, and there's the thing with Tim." Lightly clearing her throat she glances away to look over some of the others with a sigh. "Can't even flirt tonight. So sad." It's all said teasingly though and she elbows Kitty lightly. "Glad to see you smiling again, girl. Seems like a great guy you met here."

Spider-Man has posed:
Once the Candles are all blown out, after May's delicate redirect, Pete holds his hands up in victory and reaches to turn his cap around backwards on his head. "Alright! One year older." Double finger guns at Alek, "Happy birthday, my man." Side stepping in the direction of Steve to finally get a word in with the All American! "Yeah, but they were the Brooklyn Dodgers then, Cap... Now they're in Los Angeles. So, clearly, you have to stick close to home and we both know the Yankees are no good, so it's all about the Mets. Queens 4-life." Four fingers up, thumb out to the side to make the L.

At the bar he hops up on a stool beside the Steve and leans back on his elbows with a little grin, "You know, it's not exactly my hundredth, but this wasn't bad as far as birthdays go." A little conversational, definitely quieter given what he says next, "The last nine, I missed it.. Always something. Seveteenth, Scorpion stabbed me through the gut with his-" Hook hand shooting out ward, face all scrunched up, "-tail thingy.. stinger. With his stinger. Is it a stinger if it's on a suit? Whatever, he stabbed me through the gut with it. /Least/ favorite." Rambling, "Thanks for coming." Side long to Cap, "I'm really sorry about that crap with.. your friend. I've known BC a long time and... loyalty is important to me."

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie looks over to Pete "You are angling for that birthday ass kicking aint you parker." He jokes a bit and sips his soda, but will move in line to get a piece of Alek's cake since it aint Met infected.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty Pryde grins over to Samuel as she takes a sip of her beer. "He missed a few good Dodgers years didn't he?" Sam says of Steve Rogers. "Though, might not have been as sweet in LA, I'm not sure." Kitty grins as the candles are blown out. She moves over to Peter as he departs the cake, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. "Happy birthday," she tells him warmly before letting him go to talk with Captain America.

Kitty turns back to Carrie. "He is pretty great," she confirms softly. "Not as much a case of opposites attracting as before. I really didn't expect it when it happened. Just kind of did, you know?" Kitty says.

Aunt May moves over to join them. "You're going to have to tell me that story still, Kitty, of Peter ever managed to avoid stumbling over his own feet to ask you out." Kitty just gets a warm smile for the woman. "It was pretty charming actually," she says. Kitty begins serving up cake, and there is ice cream as well. Slices of cake are handed around to everyone who wants them.

Captain America has posed:
Steve snorts at the hand sign thrown in his direction from Peter. "You get a pass on your terrible taste in baseball because it's your birthday, Parker." Shaking his head, he sips at his second glass of cognac, knowing it'll do nothing for him but taste as it does.

The Captain slides over a half-foot in his leaning against the counter to open up a nice space on a barstool and gives Peter a small smile, listening to him talk. He winces at the appropriate times to hear of the inevitable damage taken in the thankless life of a superhero.

"'m not gonna get mad at you about loyalty, Peter. Buck can hold his own. We've been in trouble like this before -- we'll get out of it again. We're the Brooklyn Boys," he shares with a grin, even if there's a tension about his eyes. Must be some bad trouble. "'nd you're welcome. Happy to be here enjoying the simple happiness of surviving another year."

Cypher has posed:
Doug on the other hand, helps himself to a slice of that New York Mets cake. He licks a finger, and then says, "...So when do we get to the karaoke?" His eyebrows raise, "Though Tony Stark's a hard act to follow." He takes a bite, and then says, "This, I like this." He says, "This is nice. This is *really* good cake."

Spider-Man has posed:
Pete smiles over at Kitty as she serves out cake with his aunt, who immediately jumps into help without being invited and refusing to be swayed in doing so. It does not mean he's not listening, turning a little to glance at Cap with a little nod, "I meant what I said though. If /you/ ask, I'll tell you.. Which probably moot now, but I don't mean just that. I trust you, Steve.. and if I can help, I will help." Glancing up at the tension in the heroes eyes, "Probably out of my depth though."

It's good to know what where your lane is and stay in it.

"Anyways, what's that." Pointing around his body with the hand oposite that near Cap at the wrapped packages, "I'm guessing it's for my Aunt May to have put up with me for twenty two years?" She hears that, but she was meant to hear that, "Yeah and you're still as ungrateful as the first day." She chims right back without missing a beat.

Good comedic timing comes from being able to assure both parties are of one mind.

That's our meta cover for the night.

Carrie Kelley has posed:
Carrie Kelley nabs a peice of cake herself--she's not picky which as she didn't have any loyalty to any particular team. Not really. She licks some of the frosting off her fingertips, flashing a grin at May and Kitty breifly. The little speech about missing birthdays from Peter earns an arch of an eyebrow and a pointed look at Kitty. "Ah, I see." Grinning warmly she none the less shakes her head. "I'm afraid I have to head out too if I want to get back to Gotham sometime tonight. Happy Birthday, Peter!" She calls out with a wave sent his way. "Good meeting everyone else and catching up."

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty Pryde thanks May for helping with getting the cake and ice cream served and handed out. Kitty rests a hand on her back to give her a smile before moving over to say goodbye to Carrie. "Thanks for coming," Kitty says, giving Carrie a tight hug. "I'll come visit soon, we can go out together," Kitty says. Code words for a patrol.

She turns back to the others, pulling out her phone as she goes to get a microphone. "Let's see, I think Doug... needs to go first with the Karaoke. And since I have my phone out... maybe a good song would be..." she says.

Kitty hands Doug the microphone just as the first notes of 'Call Me' by Blondie start up. Kitty queues up some lighting effects from the machine and then retreats over to the bar to where Peter and Steve are talking.

Cypher has posed:
Doug peers down at the mic in front of him, and then says, "...D'oh." He snatches it up, and gets up, before he says, "All right." He says, "...Really. Okay."

He gets up. "But be careful what you're inflicting on the world." He twirls the mic in his fingers, and looks around, slowly, before he rolls up his sleeves, and loosens his tie. Then he opens his shirt, halfway, exposing his chest, before he leaps onto a table and starts in on the song that put a stake in Disco's greasy heart long before anyone in this room except Steve was born. "Color me your color, darling!
Color me your car!
Color me your *darling*,
I know who *you* are-
Come up off your color chart...
I know where you're comin' from...
Call me! On the line, call me, *call me* any, *any time*...!"

Captain America has posed:
Accepting of a piece of cake, Steve sets aside his drink in order to appreciate it. It is not, to be noted, Mets cake: the man was deadly-serious in his support of the Dodgers, apparently.

Still, he speaks quietly yet to Peter. "I appreciate your offer, Peter, 'nd I'll keep both things in mind. If it turns out we need to talk, then we will. For now, it's your birthday. Don't let an old man's problems make you fret." With a self-effacing smirk does Steve then go back to eating his slice of cake. He leans out and around Peter to follow the line of his finger pointing and nods.

"Sure, if she likes old movies. Picked a few of my favorites -- you'd call 'em classics. Open it once you're back in your room, watch one if you want." Peter will find the entire //original// Star Wars trilogy as well as the entire //original// Indiana Jones series of films within the wrapping paper.

Having finished his cake, Steve gets up from his lean on the counter. "Time to take Tony home, I think," he comments sotto-voce as he sees Harry trying to field a very animated, inebriated Stark-ly elucidation on the merits of aging scotch past a certain point. Seeing Kitty on the approach, he smiles. "Thanks for inviting us both, Kitty. Good to be here."

And on that note, the Captain manages to corral his fellow Avenger with the white lie that Pepper is looking for him, yes, she texted Steve earlier, come on, we'll get you back to the Tower. A wave of his hand and shout of "G'night!" is for all remaining to enjoy karaoke.

Spider-Man has posed:
Peter bobs his head slowly at Steve, only the smallest of smirks playing across his face, "Not that old. What's a century, besides a decimal of a hundred?" As he slides down from his stool, "Thanks for coming, it meant a lot to have you here." Which means, in all things Pete is still a wide eyed fan as anyone. No amount of swinging around is likely to change that. "But I have a Kitty to go hang on and shower with endless attention."

Sauntering over to drape his arms around Kitty's shoulders from behind and lean forward to rest his chin against the back of her head, "This was great, Kits." He murmurs quietly, tilting his head out and down to one side, "I really needed this."

Eyeing Doug up on stage, "Is there anything he can't do? Like, how do you go from rocking fishnets to tearing down Blonde?" Fingers in his mouth, once reserved specifically for a Karaokizing Tony Stark, to wolf whistle at Doug up on stage.

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie :will get the gift he brought Peter, and offer it to him now that things have gotten a little quieter. He does smile a bit over at Doug singing the sing and cheers for him.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty Pryde leans back against Peter as his arms go around her. She wraps her arms atop his and just basks in the contact. "There really isn't," Kitty agrees about the lack of limits to Doug's capabilities. "We're really old friends. Known him since we were young teens," she tells him.

Kitty smiles at Peter's enjoying the party. "I'm glad you liked it. I loved getting to have everyone together for you like this. And great of Steve and Tony to come out. Tony had Pepper get the tickets when I told him the best I was able to do was nosebleeds," she says, patting Peter's hand.

She lets go as Sam comes over with his gift, so Peter can take it from him. Kitty shines a smile to Samuel.

Spider-Man has posed:
Pete kisses Kitty's cheek as Sam comes over, "Nosebleed would have been just fine, Kits. Obviously you're going with me..." Which is either a punishment or reward depending on her opinion of the Mets! "When we got meet your mom, we can go to a Cubs game I guess..." Joking as he disengages from her long enough to accept the gift from Sam with a grin, "Hey pal, thanks." Holding it up, then begins to dig in.

A grin plays across his face as he pulls out camera parts, "Oh dude, I've got an old Nikon this would work on.. Hey, Kits." Showing her the various camera equipment in the box, "For Paris, eh?"

Cypher has posed:
"Ooo-ooo-ooo, we speak the languages of love!
Oooh-oooh-oooh amore, chiamami, chiamami!
Oooh-oooh-oooh, appele-moi mon cherie, *apple-moi*!
Anytime, anyplace, anywhere, any way-
Anytime, anyplace, anywhere, *any* waaaaaay~"

He winks, and says, "The only thing I can't do is *cook*, Pete! I could burn water in a cold oven-"

Spider-Man has posed:
"Join the club, Doug!" Pete shouts back to his name being called in regards to cooking, "I accidentally set a stove on fire making cereal."

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie smirks a bit and says "Thats why we make sure you know where the freezer and microwave are Doug." He tells the other man chuckle deeply.

Spider-Man has posed:
Pete returns to Kitty, wrapping her up, "You ready to get out of here? Aunt May wants to take me to dinner and, obviously, I want you to come with." Because of course he does. May is already moving presents, loading them into the back of Kitty's car since Pete picked her up in it.

"Guys, I think there's still some rounds on Tony's tab, but if not.. take a few on me too. I really appreciate you both coming out." Said with a grin as he starts loading arm with the last few gifts, as well as the mets cake!

Cypher has posed:
"Yeah well, he's got a problem -- Kitty can't cook either!" Doug breaks down into a fit of giggles on the table. "Oh, I'm joking, I'm *joking*--"

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie holds up his Soda, and says "Ah will be here till closing, Ah have the wagon outside so will make sure everyone gets home safe and sound." He looks over and says "Glad you like it, heard some folks check old camera stuff for lightsaber parts. " He will move to sit at the bar to watch folks for the night

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty grins at Doug. "No, I can't cook. But I make a /mean/ bowl of cereal," Kitty tells him with a waggling finger. "But I'm a good cook's helper. I chop vegetables with the best of them."

Kitty smiles to Peter and hugs him back. "Dinner is then. Happy birthday," she tells him, smiling and giving him a slightly longer kiss than a peck, but still keeping it PDA appropriate. "Sam, Doug," she says when the kiss parts. "Thanks for coming guys. You mean a lot," she says warmly.