The Party

[LYourLocalAutist]

She smiled, a little bit bashful at Clarissa's flagrant admission. Gaah, she shouldn't be so proud. Not somewhere like this. Never. She shook it off and approached to follow the pair to the wall she'd be set up against. With that finished, she knelt before her and handed the cup off to her. She fumbled a bit with the cup as it was passed back to her, but couldn't help but chuckle at her drunken crack at a joke.

"Hey, c'mon now. Any more we'd have to ask Stella for a stretcher or something."

She could feel a little proud now. As a treat. She turned to face Clarissa and smiled up at her. "And thank you for getting her here. If she'd stayed lied down this drunk..."

Ew. Gurgle. Blech. Shiver. Little disgusted face. Please turn your blackout-drunk friends bumming on your couch sideways.

"...Ahh, just- thanks, C."

[Cicada]

Meggy earned some pats on the back. Gentle sort, not Clarissa's preferred attackattackattack that she did to be cute with friens sometimes.

"The vodka's for me now, Meggy. Water for you. Be a good girl for me and maybe some juice or something." She smiled sympathetically up at Sylvie. She assumed, no proof, that both of them looked pretty stressed and upset now. Like, the shallow breath tears in the eye way people usually did after they got a moment to relax after nearly dying... but, uh. Not that dramatic. Or something. Clarissa definitely knew what she was talking about but could not the words.

"Lets try not to stress out Stella any more."

Clarissa really did not like the thought of that. She wasn't sure if she'd see Stella tonight but she hoped Stella was having fun, wherever she was. Wish upon a star, out of all the zero visible in the light pollution that blanketed the Milky Way over Las Vegas.

Back to basics. Generic questions, always a crowd pleaser.

"How's everyone doing," Clarissa mimed a heavy breath and to be honest she actually felt like that poked a hole in a balloon in her and lightened her up a little. "Are we all alright?"

[Kermit]

Click, click, click, click, click, click, against the floor above them, moving across the building.

100mm black stilettos — versatile improvised weapons in case of emergency. Attached to a cheerleader's leg, they connect right and they can puncture lungs or pop eyes.

Down the stairs.

Constant pace. Walking with intent.

Growing closer.

[SharkyTGirl185]

“Oh, you know…I’m living.” She laughed a little, enjoying the comfort of Clarissa’s arms.

She paused, blinking at the noise of clicking down the stairs, which, in her drunk brain, sounds like a hammer hitting a metal sheet.

[LYourLocalAutist]

Sylvie's smile broadened at the sight of Meggy in slightly higher spirits after the water and Clarissa's trademark TLC. It was a nice little alcove they'd made here, put away from the rest of the party's rowdiness, centred around their drunk buddy. She took a deep breath in and out. Relaaaaax. People are fiiiiine.

Her thoughts momentarily turned to Stella when Clarissa spoke of her. Her drinks table hypothesis had been proven wrong minutes ago, and that got Sylvie properly thinking as to where she could be. She had this look about her when she was at parties— totally unmissable ok, tone it down girl. At her own party, no less. Ahh, probably nothing to worry about. She'd probably appear soon after her name came up. Speak of the devil, after all...

For now, she could keep herself okay with the smaller things in chat.

"Yknow, yeah! Great party. Nice home, nice drinks... dedicated security..."

Sylvie let herself meander off as a sound that stood out began to make its way down the stairs. Her instincts from... back then... never really disappeared. They were just relegated more, say, substitution positions. She was sure everyone else could hear it anyway. Something loud. Something bold. Something approaching. Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's floor. Her eyes widened lightly and she turned her head in that direction, almost like she was missing some kind of main event.

[midnight_twelve]

"Great minds, and all that." Niall gestured at Sylvie's own bow with a polite smile.

Stella's fellow cheerleader seemed none the wiser as to her whereabouts, but she seemed willing to have a glass of champagne, so Niall figured he'd stick around to see in the New Year together. Some of the others on the settee, many of them football teammates of his, made for decent company to, especially when everyone had a drink to hand. He resigned himself to the possibility they might have to drink fifty dollars of champagne out of plastic cups and adjusted into a slightly more comfortable lean. That lasted, however, only until people started to notice everyone's favourite cop- the competition was not stiff- might have had a little too much to drink.

Towering as he did over Sylvie and Clarissa, Niall assumed he might have been more use in shifting Meggy from a purely physical perspective; but it didn't feel appropriate to touch her, and, more selfishly, she was something of a vomiting risk, and these were some of Niall's finest clothes. So he would make himself useful and tidy up instead. He carried an armful of cans to the kitchen and, returning with a cloth and a towel, he dropped to one knee and set about wiping the floor. There had not actually been much in the way of beer spillage; broadly fortunate, unfortunate only in that it meant Meggy had imbibed more than she otherwise could have. He shot her something of a withering look. Alcohol was something to be savoured, enjoyed, something to ease your anxieties and enable good conversation. Not slammed back like some fraternity brother's first rager. He couldn't fathom how Meggy would ever make it in the police with such little self control- or, at least, how she could ever rise above the average thug who patrolled the streets in the name of the law.

"Is she alright?"

[Kermit]

Click, click, click, click, into the hallway leading to the foyer, Christ these things were horrible, click, click, click, click, crowd parting around her and staring as she walked, click, click, click, until, at the doorway, wearing her coooooool fuuuckin party dress or whatever, she stamped her right heel twice against the hardwood.

CLACK, CLACK. Earsplitting.

"HEY GANG, THESE ARE MY "BRIXSEN DIDN'T DO HIS JOB AND STELLA HAS TO DO EVERYTHING HER GODDAMNED SELF SO SHE NEEDS YOU TO LISTEN UP" SHOES," coach voice, over the music.

Standing there in the doorframe, not that drunk but speaking in a cadence most people had never heard from her, Stella Nyquist in the flesh. Walkie-talkie in her left hand, phone open to the foyer's camera feed in her right.

"WE HAVE LESS THAN TWELVE MINUTES BEFORE EVERYBODY TRIES TO PACK IN HERE AGAIN SO THEY CAN WATCH THE LIVE THING, WHATEVER, ON TV. THIS IS NOT GOING TO BE A GOOD SPOT FOR MEGGY. THERE'S AN OFF-LIMITS ROOM UPSTAIRS WITH A TV. WE CAN STAY THERE WITH HER."

[SharkyTGirl185]

Meghan grabbed her head at the loud voice that suddenly rang out, feeling the pounding in her head come rushing in as she turned away "Owww, too loud...."

[Cicada]

She had only just noticed Niall, wearing his usual Thing he liked to wear like it wasn't from prehistoric times, and he was uh, cleaning up? Too many cooks in the kitchen or something like that? Wait, this was a foyer, so-

Clarissa derailment was promptly re-railed by a) the friend shapes around her talking and
b) the clickyclack stompystomp

"I'm glad we're all alright. And yeah, hey Niall! Meggy needed a little water but-"

The noise was not abating, it was getting closer and it was becoming. Stella. Nyquist. Manifesting Clarissa's last month of guilty pleasures into very real life flesh. The sort that was like the sun- hard to look directly at, way too hot, etc.

She did not look happy. To be honest she didn't look like she had any emotions at all. Also to be honest the foyer lighting kind of sucked and it was hard to read her expression, half turned away from them, and also since when had Clarissa ever been able to read the shape of people's faces except to say 'yep those are eyes and lips and a nose in a certain order right there, I can confirm this'.

Stella sounded mad. At Brixs too. Even if Stella hadn't namedropped anyone, just the fact that she was yelling in a manner that reminded Clarissa of

--

MOM THE BREAK BLEEDER IS STILL OVERFLOWING AND THE BACKUP ISN'T WHERE IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE NOR WHERE YOU SAID IT WOULD BE AND CUSTOMER THREE OH SEVEN IS PICKING UP THE BUICK IN HALF AN HOUR AND SOMEONE ELSE IS ON HOLD GETTING READY TO YELL AT ME MORE COULD YOU PLEASE HELP CHECK FOR THE BACKUP THANKS LOVE YOU MOM

--

That particular Buick had been a bomb ass 1997 Regal GS but that aside

Hearing Stella actually. Taking something seriously? Sounding professionally stressed out? Dead inside? No, none of those things happened in cheer meets. That was definitely not the Stella that showed up in Clarissa's late night weird half awake moments.

Clarissa's mane whipped in time to her back and forth glares between Stella's forboding shadow and Sylvie and Meggy and Niall too apparently, her lips working, her fingers ponting up at ceiling straight at Stella side to Meggy and she was trying to say way more things than she could cram down her throat and thus nothing at all was coming out despite her mouthing the concept of verbiage:

'Doweletherknowweheardher'
'ArewetheoneswhoshouldbringMeggyup'
'Isthismyfault'

And Sylvie in particular would recognize the intense off-center glassyness in Clarissa's eye, like it was the ground zero of a nuke strike, the 'I am about to have a Moment please help' look Clarissa got every now and then when the problem did not involve awesome metal burpy things called cars and did involve fleshy burpy things called human beings.

[LYourLocalAutist]

"Uh, yeah..."

Not all of Sylvie's heart was into her response to Niall. Most of her focus was directed by a simple noise of approaching. Click. Clack. Clack. CLACK. CLACK. Sylvie knew in her mind this really wasn't anything to be worried about. Probably Stella. Here to help. Nothing to worry about at all. These soothing words did very little to calm her heart down which was crying and overflowing with instinct in a corner of her chest. Trying her best to look casual, she perceived the shape of Stella through the sea of bodies. She was about to raise her hand, wave, call her out with a smile and thank her. She was interrupted and her heart was at once vindicated.

She visibly shrunk from the noise of Stella's voice. It wasn't otherworldly in the good way, today. This wasn't like the Stella she knew, but Sylvie of all people knew that people who appeared cheery all the time were usually anything but. Small shiver. Instinct, again. Damn it all, just listen- the words. The meaning. She is here to help she is. Just loud about it. Like mom and dad sometimes. Deep breath in and out as Stella finished her tangent. She could keep it together another day.

...But her friend next to her wasn't about to have that same luck.

The violent gesturing was what drew Sylvie's eyes and her immediate recognition. One situation to another to another. But she knew how to handle this one. Her eyes widened and she quickly reached out to clasp her shoulder. She pushed down slightly- a bit of a grounding motion. "You're still here and you're okay", the comfortable pressure said to Clarissa. Hand like an outlet wire for stress. Sylvie opened her mouth and a very gentle voice came out, all in concordance with the grounding.

"Hey," She breathed out. "She means us. We're fine. Just gotta get her up, yeah?" Nod towards Meggy, gentle, encouraging smile towards Cs. The soft kind she was very good at, and liked doing.

[Kermit]

Playlist hit Genesis x Phantom (WWW).

Click, click, two steps closer. 5'6'' in these shoes; towered over Sylvie and Clarissa.

Code switched.

"Hey Niallll," she turned her head to him for a sec, gave him a wave with all her fingers wiggling, "I like your fit toniiight."

Click, click, click, click, click, click, until she was standing at Meggy's feet. Safe distance. Bent forward a bit, still upright.

"Hey Meggyyy, it's me. Do you feel like you can stand up?"

[SharkyTGirl185]

Meghan felt of more embarrassment and intimidation as she quickly nodded "Y-yeah, yeah,I can stand. I'll just head over to that, bedroom-" She scrambled, swaying as she stood on her feet. She felt emotional, sniffling "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get so hammered, I didn't wanna ruin the party..."

Oh great, she felt herself tearing up. She was now in an emotionally drunk state. Some would say this was worse than being blackout, and if she had to choose between crying or choking on her own vomit, she'd probably wish for the ladder.

[Cicada]

Sylvie's hand on C (her, Clarissa)'s shoulder was like a push start (DTCs for those were hell, hi Mom). Clarissa.exe smoothly booted with only a quiet engine grumble, and was once more functional. Her eyes were alive. Suddenly forecasting future rain. Gravid, the shape of the eye swollen with saline.

"Y-yeah... Thanks, Sylvie."

Like she'd been shot she recoiled to one side, her arm around poor similarly teary Meggy's back becoming a fleeting hand on the shoulder.

Maybe Clarissa could have been less obviously... weird. That was the word for how she was acting now. Stella was talking to Meggy. Doing the actual comforting with that more familiar cheerful voice of hers- which was somehow in the moment even more anxiety inducing than her business typefont 'get the fuck out of my way'... thing, whatever she'd yelled at them at. For some reason she kind of wished she had the excuse Meggy had now. The part where the alcohol became mood swings. Clarissa knew it at least in passing, from the tiniest bit of experience.

Busy. Keep her mind busy. Ignore the dread of humiliation.

She could lift Meggy. She was useful like that, she promised to herself and everyone else without saying a word. She'd always been strong enough to do base work for the squad, just too short, and per Mrs. Harper, way too good at dancing to not be one of the dancers.

The music was weird, in a very Stella way(?). Clarissa only just noticed her heart was galloiping along at the same pace. She stared down at the floor. Calm down. She didn't want to force Stella or Sylvie- mostly Sylvie- to have to deal with her any further. Every forceful blink was like a big paper towel, just enough to get soaked and ruined and require another one on top of the pile. Pat pat, drier. Pat pat, drier.

[LYourLocalAutist]

Sylvie's face fell a bit as Clarissa recoiled slightly, her own hand reluctantly retreating in tandem. She didn't look okay. It was in her eyes. Eyes like dams. She knew them well because they were hers for a few years. Seeing them on someone else just made it kick harder. Looking down at their charge made it kick the hardest. Damn it. Parties were supposed to feel good.

Using her free hand to help raise Meggy up, she couldn't help but feel a sense of whiplash. It was like Stella had flipped a switch. Half of those present other than her had tears in their eyes from the sheerness of her tone, but now she was just... her(?) again. Pretty little wave to Niall and sweet little talk to Meggy. Like it'd been nothing. Nothing at all. She then fully turned around to see Stella, standing tall and styled. Sylvie knew people could be faceted, but with Stella it was a bit... uh... unnervv...

...tall woman...

For FUCK'S SAKE NOT THE TIME

Sylvie expunged the thoughts from her head. Not the time. People counting on her. Like Cs, for instance. As they began to move Meggy, her gaze turned back to her, clocking the downwards gaze. She moved the helping arm further along Meggy's back to clutch her shoulder again. Soft-soft. No words left her mouth, but she didn't think any needed to. Clarissa, like Meggy, just needed... someone.

...Please don't let things get any worse.

[midnight_twelve]

Niall registered the distraction in the girls’ voices before he had taken notice of the footsteps, and was, briefly, bemused, eyebrow slightly raised, head slightly tilted, until two stomps struck the floor behind him, thunder-thump, thunder-thump, heralding the coming of the host. Niall turned his head over his shoulder, then, when Stella spoke, his whole body turned to her. Clarissa and Sylvie looked terrified. Niall had to admit it wasn’t a side to their host he’d seen before, icy anger, frozen, furious, cold and hard on the ears and on the heart. Meggy clasped her hands to her head. Sylvie shrank, if such a thing was possible, shrank so small she might have disappeared if she only shrank again. Clarissa was coming apart, head cracking like a whip, composure cracking like a cup, words spilling through.

Niall breathed in, calmly, and took a half step forward, calmly, hands starting to raise, calmly, ready to intervene, but as quickly as it had come, the storm lifted. The thunder in Stella’s voice burst and fell as gentle rain, so gentle, so friendly and flattering, pitter-pattering raindrops that brush the leaves and fall away leaving not so much as a tear torn or a tear wept. Niall met her compliment with a small bow, same polite smile. But already Stella was gone, floating over to Meggy, floating down a little, focused now on the drunken girl. Niall turned his own attention back to Sylvie and Clarissa.

“Well, you heard our host. You two help get Meggy to safety.”

Niall stepped into the doorway, breathed in, filled his chest, filled the doorframe, and crossed his arms overtop. Shot them a slight smile over his shoulder. Standing now between the foyer and the flood, Niall could keep the crowds back, give Meggy some space and the others some time.

“I’ll hold off the hordes.”