undergrounds | Happy Birthday, Caroline! [Night of Oct 10]

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Happy Birthday, Caroline! [Night of Oct 10]

1. Getting ready for the party (for Thomas)

To say Caroline was excited about her birthday would be an understatement. Especially because this was one of those important sounding birthdays, twenty-one. Nevermind that she was in the UK now, where the drinking age was eighteen. It was still a big deal, or at least it felt like it.

She'd been trying on clothes for the last fifteen minutes or so, before finally settling a cute black and gold outfit that was sexy but in a more grown-up way.

For a moment, she wondered what her mother would think of it. She smiled sadly at her reflection before turning her focus to the clock. It was about time for Thomas to arrive to do her hair. She couldn't wait to see what he came up with.

2. Get the Party Started (Open)

Caroline had decided on a pool hall in Haringey as the location for the party, since it seemed like a good, neutral place. She'd basically invited everyone she'd met in London, which mainly included some co-workers (the ones who weren't working tonight), neighbours, and a number of vampires who she was fairly confident wouldn't be snacking on the other guests.

All and all, she was fairly satisfied by the turnout. It made her feel like this London life of hers might actually work out for the best. And so she started making the rounds, smiling at each familiar face she saw - and a few unfamiliar ones too because the more, the merrier.

3. Sorry I can't hear you, I'm kind of busy (Open)

The party has been going for awhile when Caroline heard her phone beeping, alerting her to a text message. She froze for a moment when she saw the notification. It was from Stefan.

Of course he would pick today to end the months long silence. She put her phone away without reading the message, then headed over to the bar for another drink. She wasn't sure how many she'd had at this point but after that, she definitely needed another.

[Feel free to join the party even if your character doesn't know Caroline well enough for an invite, everyone's welcome]

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Evie will admit it- she didn't expect her first text from Caroline to be a birthday party invitation. But she's happy to accept the invitation regardless. She didn't know how many people would be there, and she believed that she didn't want to be someone that didn't show up, leading to an empty party. So here she was.

Though, honestly, a pool hall probably wasn't the safest place for vampires, Evie would have to make sure no one broke any cues. And she'd do it armed with one of her own- she was surprisingly god at pool.

When she spots Caroline, however, Evie hands the stick over to someone else to finish the game for her. "Caroline- happy birthday!" This was an event that would get less significant with time. Evie hardly blinked when it was her birthday, now. "How old are you, then." She wasn't asking physically.

Caroline had eventually realized the dangers of billiard cues, but by that point it was too late to change the venue. Besides, she liked playing pool. At least she was pretty sure everyone she'd invited would get along okay.

She beamed when she spotted Evie - she hadn't been sure that Evie was going to come. It has been some time since they met at Guilty Pleasures, after all. But she was thrilled to be proved wrong.

"Thank you! I'm so glad you came. And I actually am twenty-one." She knew it was young for a vampire. Heck, it was pretty young for a human too.

Evie smiles broadly. "Wouldn't miss it for the world- let me buy you a drink." She was good for a drink or five for the birthday girl.

"Perfect- old enough to drink back in the States, right?" And old enough that she didn't have to worry about her driver's license or passport looking odd. She's so young, though, that doesn't escape Evie's notice.

Caroline laughs. "A drink would be great." Ideally, she won't be buying anything for herself tonight.

"And yes, it is. Though I have to admit, being underage never exactly stopped me. But at least now I won't be another cautionary tale." Her brow furrows as she remembers saying something to that effect before, while speaking to another vampire who was quite a bit older than her.

Thomas made sure his tote was packed and ready to go. Curling iron, bobby pins, combs, brushes, hairspray, anything he might conceivably need, he packed. After all, he wanted to make the best possible impression of his hairstyling skills, in case he decided to try making his own night operating hairstyling business. If nothing else, it would be useful for vampires that couldn't get out during the day.

Upon arriving at her door, Thomas knocked, and waited.

Edited 2016-10-09 23:35 (UTC)

Caroline was at the door in a flash, as she'd been eagerly awaiting Thomas' arrival. "Hey," she said with a smile as she opened the door. "Come on in." Her apartment wasn't much - and right now it was a bit of a mess, with clothes and make-up all over the place. Hopefully Thomas wasn't the judgey sort.

Thomas clearly had been enjoying the party, and seemed to have managed to drink enough to get a vampire drunk. He'd wished Caroline a happy birthday at least once, and had flirted with half the people there. Mostly women, but a few men as well. However, drunk as he was, he still seemed to catch the way she looked at her phone and quickly put it away. Maybe it was the look on her face when she saw it, but whatever it was, it caught his eye.

"Hey, is something up?"

"Hey," he said with a grin, coming in when he was invited. He didn't have any problem with how messy things were. Truth be told, he really didn't have any room to talk. While his own apartment was larger and nicer, and he kept the first rooms a landlord might see if they peeked in neat, he was a disgusting slob when it came to the rest of the rooms in the place.

"I didn't know if you had something specific in mind, or if you just wanted me to do whatever, so I made sure to bring everything I might need."

"You know, I haven't really decided yet." She looked at at the mirror. "And up-do of some sort, definitely, but as for the rest, well ... I think I'll leave that up to you and your expert opinion."

She pulled a chair away from her kitchen table and positioned it in front of the mirror. "Is this set up okay?"

"Uh, yeah ... you could say that."

Caroline grabbed the shot she'd just adored and tossed it back. The burn was just what she needed to feel right now.

"I just, uh, well ..." she searched for the right words. "I got a text from a friend back home who I haven't heard from in a while. It caught me off guard, I guess."

On the way to the bar, Caroline was shadowed by a concerned Gwen, who had noticed the other woman’s obvious distress and thought she might be in need of a friendly ear or sympathetic shoulder to lean on.

“Hey.” She lightly touched the back of Caroline’s arm. “Allow me. I think I owe you at least one more. What are you having?”

Guinevere has been looking forward to this all week. It’s been months since she shared a night out with company. What better way to break that sad streak than a birthday celebration with Caroline, a woman she has come to think of more and more as a friend?

Unfamiliar with the place Caroline picked, Gwen shows up in a simple but elegant sheath dress, something she thought would work in either a casual or upscale place. She intends to find the birthday girl straight away and wish her a happy twenty-first. After that, well…pool is not something with which Gwen has had any experience, so she will probably stay off to the side, drink in hand, watching others play.

Aside from the birthday girl, she doesn’t know anyone, but she’s hoping to change that. If Caroline found these people worthy of an invite, hopefully she’ll get along with them as well (and maybe even lay the groundwork for a new friend while she’s at it).

Whenever she sees a friendly-looking face, she’ll approach with hand outstretched.

“Hi! I don’t think we’ve met yet. I’m Guinevere. Are you here for the birthday celebration as well?”

Edited (forgot to include her icebreaker. and a stupid spelling mistake.) 2016-10-10 03:58 (UTC)

Caroline tensed a bit at the touch, though thankfully didn't react more than that. She took a slow, deep breath, focusing on the question. "I'll have whatever you're having," she said, since she honestly couldn't remember what her last drink had been.

Oh. Well. Gwen has been nursing the same drink all night, so…

“Another of the same, please.”

She indicated Caroline to let the bartender know whose drink she meant, before turning back to her focus on her friend.

“Something’s happened, hasn’t it? Did you want to talk about it?”

Gwen wouldn’t push if she didn’t. Sometimes keeping someone company was enough.

Caroline pretty much always wanted to talk about these things and right now was no exception. "Urg, yeah. It's boy drama, of course." She paused sighed heavily. "I got a text from uh, I don't even know if I can call him my ex, really. It's complicated." To say the least.

She'd spare Gwen the gory details, especially since a number of said details were quite literally gory. It was those details, as well as her mother's death, that had led to her fleeing the States in need of a break. Which she'd finally felt like she was getting, until just a few minutes ago.

“With boys, when isn’t it complicated?”

She smiled ruefully.

“I’m sure it wasn’t a coincidence that he contacted you tonight. What did he want? Is he nearby?”

Having no idea who this man was, she decided to start with where, in case he was any sort of physical threat to Caroline.

"No, he's still back in Mystic Falls. It's not ... he's a good guy. Things just didn't end well and that's mostly on me." She wasn't just saying that - she'd been the one who jumped on a plane, the one who decided things were too broken to even try fixing.

The bartender appeared with her drink just in time and Caroline drank a large gulp, barely tasting it. "I didn't actually read the text yet. But it's the first time he's contacted me since I moved here."

Nancy had been on her way to the bar for another drink when Caroline arrived. It took her one glance at Caroline's face to know something was up. She'd been a girl for long enough to know that sort of look.

"Alright, what happened?" What were friends for if not bitching to on your birthday?

Nancy would like to consider herself a friendly-looking face. She's a few drinks deep- she's always a few drinks deep- when Guinevere approaches her. So, smiling, she extends her hand and shakes it.

"Beautiful name- Guinevere. I'm Nancy- yeah, friend of Caroline's." She could say that now, they'd run into each other on a few occasions, and she'd gotten an invitation. She was newly free, and it would serve her right, she was realizing, to get herself more friends.

"How d'you know her, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Wonderful." She waves her over towards the bar, and manages to catch the eye of the bartender. "Two... whatever the lady wants. Top shelf liquor." Because she believed in treating yourself.

Evie laughs. "Well, congratulations to that. I don't believe a drinking age has ever stopped anyone." Evie had been lucky: she never had to deal with such a thing. It was safer in her time to drink alcohol rather than water.

Caroline thinks for a moment. "Two Manhattans, in honour of my dearly departed homeland." Oddly enough, even though it was her birthday, she wasn't feeling homesick at all tonight.

"I can pretty much guarantee that it hasn't," she replies with a grin. "At least not where I'm from and I'm pretty sure Mystic Falls isn't the exception to the rule."

Caroline isn't surprised that her feelings are that obvious - she's never exactly been accused of having a good poker face.

"Oh, it's just ... trouble. I just got a text from well, let's call him my ex." That wasn't completely true or untrue. "I'm sure he's just trying to be nice but I haven't heard from him since I left town."

Evie nods. "Solid choice." Wordlessly, she hands over a few bills to the bartender.

"I wouldn't dare to argue that one. That's a bit high, though, don't you think? I like the ones here of eighteen."

Nancy makes a face. She's had all of one ex in her life, and that in and of itself was a very complicated subject.

"And it stings, yeah?" She asks her. "Think he's doing it on purpose?" Seemed like a reasonable thought.

"Yeah, it's a bit of a weird hang-up that I don't quite understand. But I guess it really doesn't matter anymore, I'm legal everywhere." Caroline laughs, realizing how little it all matters anyway.

"So, it's been awhile since I saw you. How have you been?"

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Happy Birthday, Caroline! [Night of Oct 10]

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