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[ She's always been a little less than composed when she addresses the network and she's not sure why. It's usually just initially, like she needs to warm up because she's talking to...well, a lot of people. And this may be seen as the dumbest idea ever, but hey, if she believes it's good, they'll believe it's good, right? ]

Hey there. So. I went away for a little while and now I'm back. Can't say I missed this place, but I'm sure you get it, right?

[ That, at least, she's sure everyone can relate to. Going home and coming back, realizing you're stuck again. Crying a little about it. ]

Anyway. It's nice to see all of you again. Kind of. Through this thing.

[ Get to the point, Patterson. She can almost hear Weller in her head. ]

So I was thinking about how nobody really has a birthday here, not in the traditional sense, I think, right? I'm sure some people have parties anyway, when they think of it, but. I was thinking - what about a birthday party for us? All of us? We kind of deserve it? And it would be retro-themed, so think Pin the Tail on the Donkey, water balloons, embarrassing games of Twister, ice cream cake. Just to name a few. I'm open to suggestions. Who's in?

I'm flexible on what to do about gifts for each other, so really, suggestions are totally welcome. On the subject of parties, what's the best party or birthday - or both - you ever had?

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'Retro-themed' might be a bit difficult when what's retro is so relative to one's year of origin.

[ hello, patterson. she's been looking forward to meeting you. ]

Oh, yeah, of course, you're totally right. This party is all-decades-inclusive. The corrected theme would be...highlights from childhood? What was something fun you used to do at birthday parties when you were a kid? For me, water balloons were always a must.

Cake, of course. [ suddenly -- and for the first time ever -- she feels as though her childhood might have been woefully under-served when compared to later time periods. still, she tries not to think too hard about it. ] Truth be told, we didn't really do parties. Not for birthdays, at any rate.

[ and certainly not for the children. they had a nice meal, as a family, and modest gifts were given. peggy always coveted her brother's; his always seemed more interesting. ]

Cake's a given. [ Well, for kids born in a certain century and specific decades, she supposes. Which may be why things are a little off. ]

So birthdays weren't too special, necessarily? What did you have parties for?

Oh, they were certainly special. But modest, too. A nice meal and presents after pudding. On our birthdays my mum would let us have full control over the wireless after we ate. One day a year we didn't have to listen to the unending drone of the nightly news.

[ music! adventure programmes! these were exciting things to a girl growing up in the roaring twenties and the far less opulent thirties which followed. ]

-- Coronations were always a big big affair, however. The whole borough turned out.

That sounds nice. Cozy. Everyone together. [ But there's the mention of wireless so now her curiosity is well and truly piqued. Wireless means something entirely different in her time period, of course. ]

Listen to the nightly news. That's something I don't hear...ever, these days. [ Could just be semantics, of course, but usually it's "watch" the nightly news, or catch the highlights on social media. Plus, she's pretty sure a radio was called a wireless. ] So was this - what, the 1930s? 20s?

What were coronations like?

[ Tell her everything, Peggy. ]

Both, I suppose.

[ which isn't the most helpful answer. so peggy clarifies: ] It was '47 when I left home and got dragged here, but you asked birthday parties and I confess I haven't really gone out of the way to celebrate one since I was a child.

[ -- in the 20s and the early 30s. ]

As for coronations? Well, they're all bunting and flags and lined up picnic tables heavy with lunch along the borough green. Merry all around.

We can fix that, then. I was planning just a big get-together for everyone, obviously, but if something lowkey is more your style, we can work with that, too. When's your birthday?

[ Time is weird here, she knows, but they can give it their best guess. Also, talking to someone from 1947 gets her nerd radar going. ]

Your coronations sound like summer barbecues and the Fourth of July for us. I mean, kind of.

They're not dissimilar. [ and she'll just skip on by the question about her birthday, actually. best to not even engage with it enough to decline. ] I've lived stateside for a few Independence Days, now.

Hell, the bunting is pretty much all the same bloody colours.

[ red and white and blue. ]

[ She definitely has every right to avoid the question, so Patterson won't call attention to it again. Moving on ]

Oh, yeah? We throw a good bash, mostly. Especially in the city, the fireworks are incredible. What parts of the U.S. have seen?

[ frankly, she could do without the fireworks. she doesn't react quite as dramatically to those bursts and explosions as other veterans do -- but the association is hard to shake. that's something of a downer to mention -- so peggy presses onward. ]

I live in New York, actually. But lately I've been also had my fair share of the west coast as well.

Can there be a piñata? I totally could use something to hit.

And shots. There should definitely be shots.

Ugh, yes. That's gonna be a must-have.

And shots before you try to hit the piñata, right? For maximum hilarity?

Of course. And they should probably be tequila shots, to keep on trend.

Oh, hey, now we're talking. Important question: what do you fill the piñata with? I lean towards anything chocolate. There's something about breaking one open and finding just a bunch of twizzlers and jolly ranchers that isn't as exciting as Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and Milky Ways.

I gotta say -- I love a good Twizzler, but chocolate is probably a better bet, because everyone likes chocolate. Can't go wrong with that.

Maybe just a really good mix. Everyone has different tastes, of course. What else should this party have? Pie-eating contest? Flag football? Guess it depends on how many people even show up, really.

Yeah, we'll need a good amount of people for team games like football. Maybe horseshoes or cornhole?

Works for me. If a ton of people end up coming, well, we can adapt. Was there ever anything you always wanted to do at a birthday party when you were a kid but never got to?

Edited 2018-03-07 01:12 (UTC)

I didn't have a lot of birthday parties in general, honestly. [not after she was twelve.]

So a lot of this is new for me.

I know this would be an "all-in" style party and not super personalized, but hopefully if we get it off the ground and people come, it turns out to still be meaningful and fun.

That makes me think presents should be involved somehow. Like a secret Santa thing, maybe, but without the Christmas theme.

[ Liv's been worried. She was worried when Patterson left, but it's officially been over a week, and while all of her roommate's nerd gear is still here (said with love), her roommate is still nowhere to be found. She toys with the idea of asking the mansion at large how long someone can be gone exactly without losing their memories when she hears a key in the door. And as soon as the door opens, Liv gets up from the couch, eyes wide. ]

Patterson! You're back!

[ Moving forward, Liv hugs her right away. ]

You've been gone for so long, I mean it feels like forever. Are you okay? Is everything okay?

[ Honestly, Patterson was a little worried when she first got back, too. Just not knowing how long she'd been gone, if all her friends would still be here. It's especially good to see Liv, and she offers her friend an immediate smile, hugging her back. ]

I'm okay, yeah, I'm...I'm good, I think. I was home, but nothing new really happened? It was weird. How long was I gone here? Are you okay?

You were gone, like, two weeks. Usually, everyone comes back after a week and when they don't, all their stuff disappears and they don't remember anything on the return trip.

[ She's so, so glad that isn't the case here, and she heads further inside so Patterson can finally sit. ]

Uh...you know, I'm fine. Did some things out of boredom since you weren't here.

[ Liv clears her throat, suddenly interested in a spot on the ceiling. ]

Two weeks? Oh, wow, that's kind of a while in Wonderland time. [ Although time is so weird here anyway. But she sits down with her friend, just listening. ]

Oh, no, this can't be good. What happened?

It was long enough to be really worried about you.

[ Liv reaches out to squeeze her hand softly before wetting her lips and rocking forward a little bit on the couch. ]

Okay, so. I kind of made an announcement to the entire mansion that I'm a zombie. Everyone knows now. The jury is still out on whether or not I regret this decision.

[ Her jaw actually drops a little, and she just looks stunned and then horrified and worried. ]

Liv...what? God, are you okay? Is everything okay? Did anyone try to hurt you?

[ Liv reaches out to hold onto Patterson's arm as she shakes her head. ]

No, nothing like that. I mean, one guy said he was going to stock up on weapons now, but nothing happened. It's okay, I'm okay. I was afraid if I kept hiding it Wonderland would somehow use it to exploit me and it'd be worse.

I guess that's a smart strategy, staying ahead of it, but...I just don't want anyone to get the wrong idea and come after you.

[ She's genuinely worried for her friend, though if this was a few weeks ago now and no one's done anything, she's probably in the clear and it's fine. But still. You always worry about the people you care about. ]

If anyone tries to get to you, they're seriously in for it, though.

[ Liv just goes in for a hug now, letting out a soft breath. ]

You're a really good friend, do you know that? Because you are.

[ When she pulls back, she does the patented Mom check. ]

And you're really sure nothing happened at home? You're okay?

[ She hugs her friend tightly in return, smiling as they hold on before pulling back. ]

Honestly, I'm so glad I have you here because you're awesome, too. And I promise everything's fine, really. In fact - nothing really happened? It was weird. I know a lot of people go back and things change, time passes, but...not for me. Not this time, at least.

That's super weird. But it just makes me glad that you're okay. Jane actually offered to protect me if something happened after I made that announcement. It was sweet of her. Other than that, though, I don't think you missed anything important.

[ She gets up, moving to the fridge to get them both a beer before coming back and sitting down. ]

There isn't even boy gossip. You literally missed nothing.

Edited 2018-03-15 15:21 (UTC)

That sounds fun! I feel like I haven't had a birthday in forever.

Can we get a Fudgie the Whale?

Well, we all definitely deserve it, honestly. Fudgie the Whale - you mean like...that ice cream cake thing?

Yes! From the commercials!

[Wait. GASP.]

I bet you could get as many as you want from the closets!

[ She can't help laughing just a little. ]

I guess we probably could. It's like the one good thing about Wonderland.

Yeah, the closets are pretty great. But I like all the people here too! I've made a lot of friends.

[ Did someone say "party?" It's like a siren call, and Emily responds accordingly with a bright smile. ]

I. Am. In. I love it!

I love the Twister thing, too. What about a water balloon fight? And one of those water slide things - remember those? You wet it, run, and slide?

Like, the place is magic. We could go all out! Even have a whole carnival kind of thing!

[ Patterson grins in response, excited to see someone else equally excited. ]

Oh, yeah, now you're talking. I mean, water balloons are fun, but I say we go all out and get the water slides.

[ Emily's face puckers as she considers the possibilities. ]

How... big could we get the water slides?

You know. For the sake of speculation.

Would Wonderland really put any restrictions like that on it? Although for safety's sake and to avoid actual death, probably not super high.

[ Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaasp. ]

They wouldn't. Wonderland doesn't care if you die until you die the fifth time.

I mean, yeah, obviously. Avoid death. But- but there aren't any limits!

Other than the sky, I mean. Because the sky's the limit!

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