[006. Lydia's Birthday is always the party of the year.]

[lydiascreams]

[Video - Public]

[Lydia is actually not in her room for a change. She's currently sitting in one of the study rooms in the library and she looks a lot more relaxed than she did back in her previous video. She definitely feels more rested than she's had since she got to the barge. Mostly thanks to her occasional sleeping arrangements. But she also knows she needs to find more activities for herself. She doesn't have school here and she's craving social interaction. Which is the whole point of this video.]

So I've been thinking and I think both Wardens and Inmates alike could really benefit from more social activities here at the Barge.

I know the boys are starting the Lacrosse teams and I think that's a great start but we can go a lot further. We can have movie nights and theme parties and dinners. It'd be a good way to get to know more people.

Which is why I'm looking for volunteers for a social event planning committee. Is anyone interested? Or does anyone have ideas on activities we could do?

[Video - Private to Friends*]
I can count on you guys to help, right?

[This comes with one of those Lydia smiles. The ones that will either make people automatically smile back at her, or if they know her, know that saying no will just be a mistake. It might have both effects on certain people.]


[ Private Video - Arya]
I'm still working on it, but let me know if this looks anything like what you have in mind.

[She moves the camera over to the sketch board and shows Arya the snowy mountains she promised her.]


[ooc: *friends would be pretty much she's had friendly interactions with before. If you think your character would be on this filter, they are! If you wanna make sure anyway, let me know by pm or on plurk, but I'm pretty chill about it.]

Comments

Video -- Private

[voluntaryapnea]

[Yep. Stiles knows exactly what that means, and he's one of those people that experiences both effects. The problem is, her request couldn't come at a worse time. Well. It probably could. But when he's helping Crichton plan sabotage? That doesn't seem like a great time to be making hopeful kinds of plans. He's still not sure that he's not gonna end up kicked off the Barge or locked up in Zero for weeks or something.]

I'm pretty sure that wasn't really a yes or no question, Lyds.

Video -- Private

[lydiascreams]

I'm pretty sure that doesn't qualify as an answer, Stiles.

[She's still smiling at him, but it's a little more sincere now. Especially because she can instantly tell something is up with him.]

Video -- Private

[voluntaryapnea]

I'll help. [A beat.] Uh. How soon are you thinking about doing all this?

Video -- Private

[lydiascreams]

Thank you. As soon as I have enough people and ideas.

[She's definitely suspicious now.]

Why?

Video -- Private

[voluntaryapnea]

[Crap. King of subtlety he is not.]

No, I'm just supposed to hang out with someone later. No big deal. [Certainly no kinds of plans to cause destruction of any kind. Nope.]

[ Private Video ]

[fearcutsdeeperthanswords]

[When she sees it, Arya bites her lip. She hasn't bitten her lip in months and months, but she does now. She doesn't let herself chew it, though, doesn't let herself give into old habits.

Not because they're habits that belonged to Arya Stark, but because they're telling.

She sees it and she sees home, sort of: she sees snow covered forests, she sees the view from the window in the bedroom she shared with her sister, she sees a family that is scattered and separated and--

Arya lets go of her lip, and smiles. It's closer to Mercy's smile than to Arya's, bigger and easier than she would smile on her own, but she knows how she should respond, and she can keep up the facade. So she does.]

It's pretty.

[Arya isn't usually a girl who likes pretty things, but this is pretty in a way that she never found dresses: snow is pretty, harsh mountains are pretty, a sun rising in the east to glint on snow, snow, snow. It is pretty.]

[ Private Video ]

[lydiascreams]

[Lydia is usually really good at reading people. She can always tell when they are faking something, when they are interested, when they are bored. It's how she managed to become the most popular girl in school. It's how she managed to deal with her ex-boyfriend. It's how she knew he cared about her even when he wouldn't show it.

She has always knows how to manipulate situations based on what she was seeing from the other person, has always been particularly good at getting things her way because of how good she is at playing off of what she's reading from them.

But with Arya? She's not sure what to make of her reaction right now. She's smiling, yes, but it's not entirely sincere. Her words are, however. And maybe she's just hiding a reaction to the drawing. Maybe she's just not someone who is comfortable with showing how she feels. That much at least, Lydia knows has to be true. In a way, her mostly stoic expression reminds her of her best friend. It took her a while to really be able to get a good read on Allison.]

Thank you. Is this what you were picturing? I can change it. Or add more details if you want it to look less generic.

[ Private Video ]

[fearcutsdeeperthanswords]

Can you add trees?

[Arya has never been afraid to ask for what she wants, and when she sees those mountains, she sees home. But when she thinks of home, she sees trees.]

Along the bottom, and up the mountains. Mountains like that have a lot of trees, in the north.

[ Private Video ]

[lydiascreams]

[Since the Nemeton, trees are not exactly her favorite thing to draw. But she promised Arya and it's not like the Nemeton is on board the ship for it to be able to hurt them, so she nods.]

Yeah, of course!

Is this something that reminds you of your home? [She asks it offhandedly and while looking at the drawing, because she doesn't imagine it's something Arya will easily discuss.]

[ Private Video ]

[fearcutsdeeperthanswords]

[She bites the inside of her cheek. It's not like there's much left that she needs to keep secret; the question is more what she wants to share. Spinning around on her bed to face the other wall, Arya nods, standing up on the thin hay stuffed mattress.]]

Winterfell. It's in the north. The last place before the Wall. [That's not quite true, but it's the last place of any note, and it's the only place that matters to her.

She turns the communicator around, so that Lydia can see the giant map that covers her wall: Arya aims it at Winterfell, with it's detail of mountains, and the white background. Snow, mountains, and trees. That's what she sees, when she thinks of home.]

[Private]

[semifreakingnormal]

Um, [he starts, because he remembers that smile and he definitely knows better than to refuse without a good reason,] yeah, sure. I'm pretty sure practicing all day is a bad thing, anyway. [And there's the smile! Please don't make him decorate a dance.]

[Private]

[lydiascreams]

[That earns him a grin. Not that she thought Scott was going to say no, she knows him better, but considering he's technically her Alpha, it's still good to know she remains effective in her ways.]

Thank you! I'll add you to my list.

Practicing all day might be fun for you, but really, Scott not everyone has your stamina.

[Private]

[semifreakingnormal]

I probably don't have my stamina.

[Being an alpha hasn't really changed him: under it all, he's still Scott.] So what're you gonna do first?

[Private]

[lydiascreams]

Please, Scott. You should have a lot more stamina than most of them.

[When Aiden was an Alpha-- is not a story she's going to share but she knows werewolves and stamina, okay?]

Looks like movie night is winning. I told you I was gonna plan it, didn't I?

[Private]

[semifreakingnormal]

[Yeah, no, he definitely does not want that story.]

Yyyyeah.

[Hm. About that.] Are you, um. Are you mad at me? About Daneca?

[Friends Filter]

[myresponsibility]

Uh, sure? I mean- [What does one do as a part of these things? He's never really... done. This.] Movie night is fun.

[Friends Filter]

[lydiascreams]

Thanks, Peter! I think we can start with that, something lighter.

[She'd really rather have a party but, she'll need to check if there's enough interest.]

Any movie ideas?

[Friends Filter]

[myresponsibility]

Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Jaws, Rear Window, I don't know. Maybe some other Hitchcocks?

[Friends Filter]

[lydiascreams]

Most of them are pretty good suggestions, I will add them to the list along with some more feminine titles.

[Because, why not?]

[routemistress]

Oooh, I volunteer! I don't 'ave the patience for organising, much, Lydia love, but I'm good for ideas and getting the party started.

[lydiascreams]

Sounds great, Iris! Ideas will be very helpful. I have a few volunteers for the organizing already.

[friends filter]

[notsoneedy]

[Needy's kind of surprised to be here, but well, they did get along more or less, those few times that they did talk. And Lydia seems...nice. If a little Jennifer-like.

Especially with that smile.]

What did you have in mind?

[friends filter]

[lydiascreams]

[Lydia likes Needy. She feels bad that she went through everything she did all by herself. And she thinks she might benefit from being around people with similar experiences, even if they don't necessarily talk about.]

Looks like we'll be starting with a movie night. But I definitely think we need to plan parties. I think we could all benefit from distractions, don't you?

[friends filter]

[notsoneedy]

I think at times this place can be distracting enough.

[She has to laugh, a little.]

But no, you are right. A nice, sort of planned distraction would probably be better.

[Private]

[lydiascreams]

Well, this is good distraction. There's a surprising amount of people our age here, even if no one else wants to hang out, we should.

[At least if any of them need another form of distraction, anyway. Which, eventually, Lydia will definitely need.]

Are you up for a movie night, then?