[HALLOWEEN PARTY!] -- [Open to ALL PLAYERS!] -- [IC Event!]

[kirktastic]

It had gone out as an announcement over a month ago, sent to every padd and station by one very excited Captain. A Halloween party! Must come in costume, must have fun!

Despite the hell that had been going on for the last few days, Kirk was determined that it still would happen. After a long discussion with the ship's quartermaster, along with a small army of crewmen who wanted to help, the largest rec room was decorated.

A huge buffet table had been prepared by the galley and sat spread out, all in Halloween theme. Green punch with floating eyeballs, cake decorated to look like a gravestone, a huge bowl of candy, a holographic severed hand that was scurrying around on the table top. There was even a bar set up with quite an expanse of liquor that had been secured on Risa.

There was a small seating area off to one corner, a huge dance floor, tables spread out for a real meal, and a small corner set up for music.

(OOC: Just like the thread with Risa... this is a party that's 'open' from now until Sunday night at midnight! Go nuts! This IS supposed to be IC, like the Risa party, so keep that in mind!)

Comments

[rn-chapel.livejournal.com]

"She would?" Tina asked. "Is your car intelligent, too? Goodness, what next?"

[len-not-spock.livejournal.com]

"Oh, Bill hadn't told you?" Probably too busy perfecting his Kirkian swagger, or something. "Yes, she's sentient. I kind of... accidentally mind-melded with her the other day, and it seems to work for Bill, too, but don't ask me how. I think she's a bit lonely, to be honest. Need find a way to track down the Enterprise, she might be able to help."

He turned that thought over in his head briefly. How did you track down a sentient ship that was all around you?

"Speaking of sentient inanimate objects, how's your bra?"

[rn-chapel.livejournal.com]

Tina laughed. "Still a prank, as far as I know, if a clever one. I'll believe it when I actually see it doing something non-bra-like in person," she said.

"And tracking down the Enterprise... I don't know, have you tried typing in a message or something? I assume she's capable of noticing everything here all the time, but I don't know how much attention she pays to various things."

[len-not-spock.livejournal.com]

"Fair enough," even if Leonard had his own suspicions on the matter. Then again, he wouldn't have believed his car was sentient if it hadn't started talking to him.

"That's what I was wondering, whether it'd just fly past her subroutines or something technobabbly like that." He grinned. "I suppose it'd be too much to hope that she might actually be attending this party. You ever met her in person?"

[rn-chapel.livejournal.com]

"I haven't," Tina said, shaking her head. "Maybe the Captain could tell you more? I understand that they communicate a fair amount."

[len-not-spock.livejournal.com]

Leonard laughed. "Why do I suspect that would be equally tricky, if not more so? He seems to be running all over the place." He broke off, serious now. "It's good to see them all back. I might not know them that well, but we were more than a little worried."

Which had to be the understatement of the century, he was sure.

[rn-chapel.livejournal.com]

"It was a relief to get them back," Tina said. "Though, of course, when they first arrived in sickbay and we saw how much work we had ahead of us, that was a different kind of worry."

She smiled. "But they're all back on their feet, so... Yeah. It's good."

[len-not-spock.livejournal.com]

"You been up to anything interesting since then, now that you have a bit of downtime?"

[rn-chapel.livejournal.com]

"The usual sorts of misadventures," Tina said lightly. "And of course, sickbay always hums along with a steady stream of headaches and minor injuries. What have you and Bill and De been doing with your time? One of these days, we'll have to try baking again."

[len-not-spock.livejournal.com]

"Not very much, to be honest. Talked to the Buick, sat around a lot," slept with Jim was probably best censored, "De's discovered hydroponics, I think." He smiled encouragingly at Tina. "Go on, surely not all of your misadventures can be that bad as to not talk about them. I need to live vicariously, these days, I'm in danger of developing space fever or something."

[rn-chapel.livejournal.com]

"Well, I think the high point was probably my accidentally taking on a bunch of memories that don't belong to me and which are so disturbing that I immediately threw up on my boss."

Tina smiled wryly. "Also, I've been re-reading Pride and Prejudice, and that's always fun!"

[len-not-spock.livejournal.com]

Leonard felt immediately chastised. "I'm sorry, Tina," he said, touching her wrist lightly, "I honestly wasn't trying to pry into things that are none of my business. I just... like you, and would like to get to know you better, and clearly I'm rubbish at small talk these days."

He shot her a concerned look. "You alright now?"

[rn-chapel.livejournal.com]

"Oh, Len, no... I'm fine!" Tina was immediately contrite. Sometimes her sense of humor made her sound upset about things that she'd genuinely gotten over already.

Well, she wasn't entirely over her embarrassment with McCoy from that day, but that was a separate issue.

"It's just that most of my misadventures are, uh, kind of gross. I deal with a lot of bodily fluids for a living, you know?" She smiled. "And I really am enjoying my Austen re-reading."

[len-not-spock.livejournal.com]

His relief was palpable. For one thing, if he'd genuinely upset Tina, he'd never hear the end of it from Bill. He seemed oddly protective of the young woman.

"You much of a fan of classic earth literature then? Or specifically the Regency period?"

[rn-chapel.livejournal.com]

"I like Austen a lot. And, I'm slightly embarrassed to admit, more modern romances set in something that vaguely resembles the Regency period," Tina said. "Some of which really are excellent. Though there are plenty that... Aren't. And you?"

[len-not-spock.livejournal.com]

"I've always preferred the Victorian era, myself. Probably a mix between the dresses and how utterly twisted they really were. Generally I just tend to read across the board, doesn't matter what genre so long as it's well written. I admit I have a bit of an elitist fondness for Shakespeare, but then again, what actor doesn't?" He grinned slyly. "But if we're talking guilty pleasures, here's my dirty little secret - I've been reading Star Trek fanfiction for far, far longer than anyone suspects. And trust me, some of the early stuff was pretty dire."

[rn-chapel.livejournal.com]

"Fanfiction, like that kink meme thing?" Tina grinned. "So, not substantially different than my guilty pleasure reading."

[len-not-spock.livejournal.com]

"Hmmm, although not predominantly written by Bill or Jim. And yes, it's similar enough, except more gay, obviously." He chuckled, remembering some of the raunchier stuff. "Star Trek fans have an unparalleled and slightly frightening imagination when it comes to alien genitalia," he informed Tina with a wide grin.

[rn-chapel.livejournal.com]

Tina looked blank. "More gay? Oh! Of course, you won't have read romances from any later than... When did you come from? 2009?" She smiled. "There's plenty of gay in the more modern stuff, even when it's set in a historical period, I assure you. But I don't usually read genres where alien genitalia, real or imagined, comes into it."

[len-not-spock.livejournal.com]

He nodded in confirmation. "You're right of course, I keep forgetting how much more progressive you are about these things. I mean, not that you can't find that type of thing in 2009 at all, but you have to know what you're looking for, and there's very little of it in the way of historical romances, and what few there are of those, seem to be more focused on female homosexuality, which is a bit of double standard if you ask me." He paused, a frown coming to his face. "I mean, hell, last time I looked like this, if you were unlucky enough to be found in flagrante delicto with a man, it was off to prison for you."

[rn-chapel.livejournal.com]

"I'm glad that we've progressed beyond those sorts of attitudes," Tina said. "Well, for the most part. Prejudice still exists, of course. But I think we're doing pretty well as a species right now."

[len-not-spock.livejournal.com]

"I must admit, I'm a little jealous you got to grow up in a world like that. It must be... freeing, not constantly being faced with that kind of hate. But anyway, I shouldn't monopolize you - I'm sure a lovely young lady like you has things to see, people to do, even if Bill likes to think you're the Virgin Mary." There was a distinct twinkle to his eyes at the last words.

[rn-chapel.livejournal.com]

Tina laughed. "Oh dear. Does he? He's so sweet, but that's going to get very awkward, one of these days."

[len-not-spock.livejournal.com]

"I think you remind him of his granddaughter, or daughters, something like that. It's the only reasonable explanation I can come up with."

Because as genuinely respectful as Bill was of women, he also had a tendency to flirt with every one of the pretty ones. And Tina was most certainly in that category.

[rn-chapel.livejournal.com]

"That sounds right," Tina said. "And I don't mind. I like him, and if it makes him happy to be a little fatherly towards me... Well, my own dad is pretty far away right now. It's nice."