Hot Potato (party log)

[desperate_times_right]

Who: Chloe Frazer & any and all party people!!
What: Harvest Celebrations/Halloween Party/Ruby’s Birthday/Rat Marriage/Big Communal Cooking Party so Chloe doesn't burn down her house
When: October 12
Where: At Chloe’s house on Greene Street

Content Warnings: Food descriptions, probably.
Other Notes: Feel free to make this a mingle and reply to other characters!

Chloe had wondered whether to go through with the harvest party once Lalo had disappeared, but as they say, the show must go on. There's still a lot worth celebrating, and people need something hopeful after the mess last month. Luckily her house had made it through everything all right.

The poster had said to wear a costume, so she's hoping to see a lot of those, and she’d recruited some people to help her put together the menu exactly to Lalo’s specifications, so unfortunately no one is safe from British Potatoes. There are even candles for the birthday cake.

Chloe herself is dressed as a sexy lumberjack, with one of Lalo’s old flannels tied in a knot under her breasts and denim cutoffs made from the jeans Kostya had gotten blood on (shh). She's got a fire roaring, because otherwise she’d freeze.

Comments

[friendsfordinner]

Christ, his stupid officers. Hickey rubs the bridge of his nose before grumbling, "I still have no idea why certain numbers of those men are popular."

John Irving sucks? Have people considered that? Irving sucks and he's awful and Hickey desperately would like to stab that man again, but he's keeping that to himself.

"I'm out in the woods every other day. So if you need meat or pelts, I'll keep you supplied as well. We've got to look out for each other, yeah?"

Because no one else will.

[desperate_times_right]

“It really is a mystery.” Upper-class Englishmen aren't exactly Chloe’s idea of a good time in her present, let alone Victorian ones.

“Yeah, thanks. Somebody’s got to, huh?” When Chloe, starving, had been turned away from the community hall at gunpoint, Hickey had been there for her, hadn't he?

[friendsfordinner]

"Somebody's got to," Hickey says, with a nod. Chloe's smart. Chloe's sensible. Chloe won't look too much into the in-depth questions of how and why Hickey does what he does.

But that's too serious a conversation for what's supposed to be a fun party. Hickey gives Chloe a smile, hopefully to knock out some of that seriousness, before he teases,

"Really, for a few of my former coworkers, all we've got to do is have you or Wynonna show a little thigh, indulge in a little cleavage, and they'll die of embarrassment or awkwardness. Women are much more covered up in my time."

[desperate_times_right]

Chloe snorts. “Some guys in my time are like that too.” Nate would probably collapse if he saw her like this and he had actually seen her naked on multiple occasions! On purpose!

“The guy in the pirate costume looks like he's going to crumble into dust any minute now.”

[friendsfordinner]

The guy in the pirate costume? Which one's that? Hickey casts a cursory glance around the room, then lets out a small noise of annoyance when he spots said guy in the pirate costume.

"Yeah, he looks like he's going to crumble into dust because he's one of mine. Edward Little, first lieutenant back on Terror. Why he's showed up to this is beyond me."

Maybe he likes Ruby? A lot of people do.

[desperate_times_right]

“Maybe he got the news that vitamin C prevents scurvy,” Chloe jokes. “And he's going to steal all my carrots.”

[friendsfordinner]

"I'd love to see Little try to steal anything," Hickey jokes back. "He seems too rule abiding to even think about toeing the line."

[desperate_times_right]

Chloe snickers. “God, right? The little toy soldier. I can't believe you guys lived together for so long before anyone started killing each other.”

[friendsfordinner]

"The giant murderous bear did a lot," Hickey shrugs. "Harder for everyone to go after each other like that when we've got that bear as an enemy."

[desperate_times_right]

Chloe snorts. “Well, the Darkwalker’s not helping, is it?”

[friendsfordinner]

"That much is true," Hickey laughs. "It's certainly not making things easier, I know that much."

[desperate_times_right]

“Of course, your bear didn't have like, mind powers, did it?” She's pretty sure it didn't. “It just killed people and ate them.”

[friendsfordinner]

"Not to the level of the Darkwalker. But that bear...it was more than an ordinary bear. It could think, it could plan, it was more."

Try as he may to hide it, Hickey's eyes are sparkling a bit as he talks about the bear. He's going a bit weird about it: that bear entices him.

"Far as I can see, it was closer to a god."

[desperate_times_right]

“You said that about that thing in the lake too,” Chloe points out. “Could be like, a spirit or something.”

[friendsfordinner]

"Far as I can see, there's not much of a difference. God, spirit...what matters is they'll benefit me. Or at least, not rip me limb from limb."

After all, Hickey is absolutely certain that thing in the lake would have torn him to shreds had he not appeased it.

[desperate_times_right]

“Yeah, that's always a benefit.” One thing Chloe has learned from working with Nate is there's a lot of magical shit out there that wants to kill you.

[friendsfordinner]

"Call me a simple man with low priorities, but that's what I've been focusing on most lately, yeah? Making sure no sea monster or Forest Talker or whoever ruins what I've got."

And Hickey can't help it: his gaze idly moves towards Billy as he says that. Billy, who's undoubtedly wallflowering it up somewhere. Billy, who Hickey loves and adores and is going to protect with his goddamn life.

[desperate_times_right]

Chloe follows her friend’s gaze and smiles.

“Honestly, I'm impressed he even showed up. Happy, but surprised. You must really be a smooth talker.”

[friendsfordinner]

"Course I'm a smooth talker! I know what I'm doing."

That being said, Hickey's demeanor is very obviously 'now give me more compliments.'

[desperate_times_right]

Chloe laughs. He sounds just like she had talking to Victor about Nate back in the day.

“Did you have to trick him?”

[friendsfordinner]

"I asked nicely," Hickey answers, with an annoyingly little smug smile on his face. "But nah, he'll show up every now and then. He's shy, not a misanthrope."

[desperate_times_right]

“I wanted to give you both the chance to celebrate your marriage the way you would have been able to if you lived now, but I know he's not a fan of being the centre of attention.”

Unlike some other people she could name.

[friendsfordinner]

Who could Chloe be possibly accusing of being the center of attention??? Who could she be talking about, certainly not Hickey!

It's Hickey and they both know it.

But Chloe's comment about how you would be able to celebrate if you lived now catches Hickey's attention. There's a moment's pause before, "I'm glad we're able to celebrate. Back home, I gave him a ring, but it's not like we could talk about it. Here...I don't mind being open about it all."

[desperate_times_right]

“Yeah, it's like… some people are going to be dicks about it, but most everyone else will shut that shit down.” People on the whole are way more likely to object because it's Hickey than because it's two men.

[friendsfordinner]

Hickey gives Chloe a little nod...before admitting to a moment of sentimentality.

"'S nice," he says, like it's just casual conversation. "There's plenty of my circumstances that people will judge." The Englishness. The Victorian era. The colonialism of it all. "Nice to know that there's one less thing to worry about."