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edgewoodrp · 4 years

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Spencer’s Birthday || Indoor Festivities

Date/Time: July 14th, 2020, 6:00PM -- 2:00AM

Location: Two Old Crows

Participants: @spthorne, @dominic-kingsley, @maxinebeauchamp, @charlottexkingsley, @darklighterxdemitri, @heatherpayne, @julietxhawthorne, @logancree, @valeriebianchi

Summary: Spencer’s birthday kicks off with a small gathering of his friends, but an uninvited guest tries to spoil the fun. At least there’s cake. 🍰

Maxine stood near the table they'd reserved to make it a bit more obvious. She'd invited her friends, Spence's friends, and Nic's friends so it would be a fun mix of people. "Hey there, so glad you could make it!"

"Of course!" Charlotte exclaimed as she approached the table, card in hand. "And what a throwback--I haven't been here in ages! Was this your doing or the birthday boy's?"

"Me either," Maxine commented, moving in to gave Charlotte a quick hug. "Oh, it was a combined effort. Spencer picked the place, I sent out the invites, and Nic picked the gift."

Dominic confirmed the initial order for appetizers at the bar and then headed back to the table to greet the first few guests. "Hey Charlie, I'm so glad you decided to come," he joked, as if he begged her to come.

Charlotte grinned and hugged Maxine back. "Teamwork really does makes the dream work, doesn't it?" And to her brother, she sighed dramatically before moving in to hug him. "Of course--I'm just glad I found an opening in my busy schedule to swing by."

Spencer walked back inside from the terase and spotted the three next to their table. Smiling, approached them to greet their first arrival of the evening. "Charlotte, great to see you," he said and extended his hand to shake. "Hope you don't mind that it's an air-kissing evening for me." Spencer shrugged before glancing at his partners to say jokingy, "You two might get actual kisses."

"In our case, it sure does," Maxine commented, releasing the younger woman. "Actual kisses? Well, aren't we lucky," she teased her partner, winking at him. "Alright, I'm going to get something to drink, does anyone else want anything from the bar? I think Nic already secured some appetizers, but not drinks."

Juliet smiled as she saw everyone coming in for the party. She was working and while she would have attended even if she wasn’t, she felt like this was a better opportunity. “Did somebody say drinks?” Juliet asked as she walked over to the table. She recognized mostly everyone and then offered Spencer a warm smile. “Happy birthday. Your drinks are on me tonight.”

Valerie glanced down at her phone after sending a message to Charlie saying she was here and wondered if a gift card was the right call. She knew Maxine but her partner Spencer, well not really. She had received a quick message from Charlie talking about her brothers partner having a small birthday gathering and when it came to parties, Valerie never said no.

Releasing her brother, Charlotte accepted Spencer's hand to shake and passed him the birthday card. "You too, Spence, happy birthday!" She smiled at his comment and watched her brother's partners flirt back and forth. They were adorable together, she loved it. She recognized the bartender and smiled; she almost waving her down to order something, but her phone buzzed at that moment. Looking around, she saw Val lingering by the door and waved them over. "Val, hey! Glad you could make it!"

Spotting Charlie, Valerie smiled wide and made her way over. “Hey Charlie!” The shifter turned her head then and looked at the two men besides Maxine. “So who’s the lucky birthday man!” She said, wiggling out a little bag with a gift card.

Seeing Juliet a quick flash of displeasure appeared, since Maxine had reason to believe the woman was a vampire and too curious about her partners. "Yes, I said drinks. If you want to cover Spencer's drinks, you can, but we'd already arranged to do so," she commented, indicating to Nic. She was quickly distracted by Val appearing. "Val! Glad you could come. It's Spencer's birthday. Now does anyone else want a drink from the bar?"

Dominic smiled as he hugged his sister and then turned to the birthday boy. "Its your birthday, so maybe I'll give you the kiss." He didn’t know the bartender well, and wondered how she knew Spencer.

Releasing Charlotte's hand, Spencer grinned widely at his partners. “I wouldn’t say no,” he said in Dominic’s direction. Before he could tell Maxine his order, Juliet walked up to them. “Oh, hello Juliet. Thanks you and for the offer, but it’s like Max said. We’re throwing the party, so let me offer you a drink instead.” He was then distracted by the new arrival and with a slightly awkward posture raised his hand. “That would be me, thanks for coming. Val, is it?” he asked and extended his hand. “A local beer for me, Maxine.”

Val smiled wide putting a name to the face. “Well happy birthday Spencer!” She reached out and shook his hand also while saying, “Valerie is the full name but I go by Val too!” Handing over the small bag, she playfully teased as she said, “Spend it wisely!” Turning over to smile and look at everyone else, she decided to hold off on the drinking for now. Maybe later, she thought.

Waiting for a beat to jump in, Charlotte said with a laugh, "I'll have a drink, I don't care who's paying." She looked toward Juliet. "I'll have a Moon Man--ooo wait no, let's do a Spotted Cow, please. Do you want some help carrying everything over?"

Maxine gave a nod hearing the drink orders and turned to Juliet again. "Alright so a local beer, a spotted cow, and I'll take a glass of whatever petite sirah you recommend."

"Thanks, Valerie," Spencer responded with amusement as he accepted the present. "Alright, so, drinks," he pointed at Juliet, "and food," now he pointed at Dominic, "are checked off the list," he said. "There are darts if anyone is up for a bit of a competition?" Spencer glanced around with a raised brow.

Heather easily found the group in 2 Old Crows and approached. "Hi everyone," she greeted, relieved to know all gathered so far, though Valerie was only barely and not quite friendly. "Did I hear competition? I got you a gift Spencer, but I can also give you defeat."

Dominic leaned over and gave Spencer a kiss on the lips. "Happy birthday," he wished as he pulled back. "Good luck." He'd already secured a beer while ordering the food.

Juliet opened her mouth and then closed it. So many people, so many drinks. Thankfully, she had a good memory. "Unfortunately, I'm not going to drink while I'm working, Spencer." She smiled at him. "Please allow me to buy at least one of your drinks. For I didn't get you a birthday present." She frowned slightly, wishing she had. Maybe she could make it up to him?

The Vampire then turned her attention to Charlotte and offered her a smile. "I can bring them over tray by tray. I don't mind." She began memorizing every drink order, nodding as they told her. Her eyes then moved, Dominic kissing Spencer catching her attention. She furrowed her eyebrows slightly, a bit confused, but it was not the time to ask any such questions. "Alright. I'll go make these drinks and be back in a jiffy." She smiled and walked back to the bar.

Valerie gave a nod to Heather and drew her attention back to Spencer and Dominic smiling wide. They really were a triple power couple. The shifters eyes then shifted over to Juliet and tilted her head listening to her words. Thats not typically how people talk, she wondered. “I’ll pass on the darts...last time I played I was this close to hitting someone who walked by. But I’ll be your guys cheerleader on the side!”

Charlotte perked up at the sound of darts, and waved at Heather as she joined the gathering. "You know that's my game, Spence, count me in!" She nodded to Juliet and let the woman get back to her job (even though she wanted to grill her about how house hunting was going), but the look on her face momentarily stunned Charlotte. Whatever friendly interaction they had before was about to go out the window if she opened her mouth about the boys--

But fortunately she didn't. Charlotte's pleasant demeanor returned as she looked to Valerie. "Yeah that's not terrifying, or anything," She said, letting out a laugh. "You're definitely rotating in if we bring out bag toss. Maybe then we can work on your aim."

When Juliet offered again, Spencer conceded. “Alright then, later? And thanks, Juliet.” As he heard a new voice join their group, he turned towards Heather with a smile. “Glad you could make it, Heather, can’t wait to see if that’s only talk,” he said with a laugh.

Spencer grinned widely at Dominic as he leaned back from the kiss and stared at Valerie with a mildly scared expression and chuckled as Charlotte spoke. “Every game needs some cheerleaders. So, are we playing in teams or everyone for themselves?”

Okay, now Dominic was really concerned about this bartender. She seemed most interested in Spencer, and not just because it was his birthday. He caught a glimpse of her expression after the kiss, and felt his worries confirmed that she was jealous. Well, he wasnt going to cause a scene at the party. "I'll be your cheerleader."

Heather gave Valerie an odd look at her hitting people with projectiles comment, but she didnt seem to be accusatory. "Let me just set this down and then I will crush that attitude," she joked at Spencer. She set down the bag with his present--it was very obvious if wrapped--and then started dramatically doing some arm and shoulder stretches.

Maxine also caught the glance from Juliet. It wasn't like the woman didn't know about the three of them, Max had mentioned it to the woman when she asked, but there was something very suspicious about her. She would be keeping a keen eye on her through the evening. "Oh yeah, we definitely should not use darts after everyone has had a few drinks. But for now, I say we do teams."

“Aw, thanks babe,” Spencer replied looking up at Dominic. His eyes crinkled in laughter as Heather put down the bag and started to stretch. “Oh-oh, it’s on.” Then he proceeded to flex his fingers just as dramatically. As Max spoke, he broke his staring competition with Heather to look at her. “You’re right as always, better not play live targets or we’ll be banned for life.” He pointed over his shoulder at a bag next to their table. “We got the volleyball for when that happens,” he offered.

Now Val’s eyes lit up at the mention of volleyball. “Volleyball! Ohhh now I’m in!” She smiled wide glad she was in an outfit she wouldn’t mind getting dirty in.

"Teams are fine," Heather commented. "How are the numbers. We have 3 so far, but is that you saying you are in, Maxine?" She laughed, a maniacal look in her eye. "Do you offer live target darts at the Underworld?"

"More importantly, are we playing for anything other than bragging rights?" Charlotte inquired seriously as she pulled her hair back into a short ponytail.

Spencer smiled in Valerie’s direction and said, “The somewhat drunk volleyball game is on.” At Heather’s words his brows shot up. “I really hope we don’t, the paperwork alone would be nightmarish,” he said with a shudder. “Since Heather here practically challenged me, obviously we cannot be on the same team,” he said with fake seriousness. “Bragging rights are the highest honor. Unless?”

"Unless the winner gets free drinks for a week at the Underworld?" Charlotte suggested, grinning at Spencer, Maxine and Dominic encouragingly. "But bragging rights are good, too; Birthday Boy gets the final say. I could take take Heather on my team, but if Max is in the game, you two on the same team are going to be a solid challenge."

"I'm definitely down for this volleyball later." Dominic said. He raised an eyebrow in Charlotte's direction. "That's a pretty hefty offer from someone who doesn't own the place."

Juliet had memorized all of their drinks. She took her time making them, seeing as they all were conversing with one another and already having a fun time. She'd rather take a little bit longer with drinks if it meant not messing them up. She hated having to redo things; she was a perfectionist.

She gathered the drinks, putting them on two separate trays and slowly carried both of them to the table. Being a vampire definitely had it's perks when it came to strength and agility. "Here you all are." She said with a warm smile as she placed the two trays down on the table. "Is there anything else I can get for you guys at the moment?"

"Bragging rights are more than enough for me," Heather declared. She wouldn't abuse the free drinks enough, but she loved to brag. "I promise that I am enough of a challenger myself, but I'll take Max with that attitude," she teased Charlotte. She moved out of the way for the bartender as she set the drinks down. "Oh, excuse me, I missed you on your last round, but can you please bring me a coke when you have a chance?"

"Well yeah, that's pretty much in my job description. Where's the fun in my brother being a club owner if I can't give away inventory on a whim?" Charlotte teased back, wiggling her eyebrows. "Alternately, here's another one: the loser--or losers, since we're doing teams--jump into the lake?"

The return of Juliet dampened her joviality somewhat; she accepted her drink politely and watched the woman as she went around the table again. Charlie's silence broke when Heather spoke. "Ouch, alright, betrayals are starting early tonight--that's fine, Spencer and I can take you both with our hands tied."

Valerie smirked at the suggestions and thought why not go back to old high school dares. “Why not add a little more to it Charlie?” Looking around at those present, she wondered who all would be game. “Losers jump into the lake....naked! We can do it until it’s dark-you know, in case there’s children present or we want to be away from any other strangers walking by.” She wiggles her eyebrows playfully as she added, “You know, make Spencer’s birthday a night to remember!”

Charlotte was very glad she hadn't taken a sip of her beer yet because it most definitely would've been spit out and all over everyone else at the table. "It's only Tuesday night, I'm not risking getting naked in front of my brother over a game of darts." The witch exclaimed with a spluttering laugh. "I mean you do you, but my ass is staying fully clothed tonight, thank you very much."

Brother? Something clicked in Heather's head. "Oh, you're Charlie Kingsley." She had heard of a Charlie from Bridgette and the Underworld trio, but had assumed a Charles and never put the pieces together. Any clarification on the odd comment was cut off by Valerie's ridiculous suggestion. Heather scowled at her. "Most of us can make memories just fine with our clothes on."

Valerie laughed and shrugged. “I was meaning whoever lost after the volleyball game. I’m a cheerleader for darts.” A smirk played on the woman’s lips still as she stared back at Heather and raised an eyebrow. “Fine fine....ignore my suggestion. Let’s have a PG party tonight.” Her shifter temper suddenly shifting and on edge. Relax Val, she told herself. “Think I’ll go for a drink now.”

Juliet paused, waiting to see if anyone else wanted anything to drink. She offered Heather a smile. "Of course. Anyone else?" She asked, her eyes flickering between the others. She was listening in on the conversation, noticing one of the girls suggesting losers get naked and jump in the lake. Her eyes widened and she couldn't help but laugh. Oh what it was like to be young. She thought and then the last name Kingsley was said. It was a family name she would never forget. One that she was more perplexed by now that it seemed as though her family and theirs got along. Honestly, Juliet didn't understand. She lifted a hand to her temples, rubbing them softly as the others continued to speak. "Yes, a drink--" Juliet turned towards the woman who had suggested getting naked. "What would you like, sweetie?"

Demitri had been watching from the bar, listening and smirking at the suggestions of what the group should do and how they should punish the losers. "I think Valerie is the only one here that knows how to really party." Demitri said as he walked over to the table and took a seat. "What's the saying now a days... you only live once." Demitri said with a smile. "Why not live a little?"

"Me? Yes, I'm Charlie," Charlotte responded to Heather before turning back to Val. She patted the shifter's arm and smirked. "You're a party animal and I love it, but I don't think this is the right venue to free the nipple. Points for spirit, though."

As Demitri made his presence known, Charlotte cringed inwardly. Having had a few run-ins with him already, she was glad she wasn't alone with him. "I've got the living part covered, but if you would like to strip for my brother, go right ahead." Looking down the table at Maxine, she thought 'Please tell me you didn't invite this guy?'

Dominic frowned as the strange man inserted himself into the party. He looked around to see the other's reaction to him. Finally tired of the stripping talk--that was fun but not now and not with this crowd-- he held his hands up. "There will be no stripping at this event. The only ones stripping for me will be my partners, and that can wait until I'm home without my little sister." He glared a warning at the man who was egging this on. Valerie had at least been invited.

Heather flinched at Demetri's voice. Oh no. Whipping around, she snapped, "Who the hell invited you?" Damn why was the creep egging on skinny dipping? "And for fuck's sake I am still not swimming with you."

The shifter chuckled and still smiled. “It’s your guys party. I second Charlie’s idea of free drinks at the Underworld then!” Val then looked at Juliet and said, “A rum and coke please.”

Charlotte's gaze shifted to Heather as she silently raised an eyebrow. Still not swimming with him? There was a story there, and she made a mental note to ask the other woman about her... relationship with him later. "Or, if not drinks," Charlie said, suddenly enlightened with a new idea, "How about loser gives a tarot reading to the winner?"

Maxine snickered at Heather's comment. "It definitely means I'm in for darts, and no, live ammo is not a typical thing at our club." For a moment, she could only watch the exchange in amusement. Getting drunk and jumping in a lake naked was something she used to do, but not at Spence's party. "How about we do that next time you through a party, alright Val?" Maxine winked at Nic, given his comment, but she frowned seeing Demetri approach and caught a certain glimpse from Charlotte. 'No, I didn't invite him at all. Dude acts like a total creep,' she projected the thought back. "I do have some tarot cards in my bag."

"Okay then, Maxine and I versus Spencer and Charlie," Heather concluded, "even though you are breaking my heart about the darts." She fake pouted. The image of throwing a dart at Demetri fueled her though. Accidents happen.

When Juliet returned with their drinks, Spencer turned towards the table to help move the glasses off the tray. "Thanks," he said towards Juliet before turning to watch the conversation unfold. He snorted, shaking his head when skinny dipping was suggested and was glad that the others shot it down, maybe another time and without any siblings.

As the new arrival just lounged on the chair, he frowned momentarily before smoothing his expression, turning towards Max and Dominic with a raised brow 'who's he?'. "Looks like we're on opposite teams, may the best one win," Spencer grinned at Maxine. He leaned forward to peck her on the lips and then turned to their guests. "A tarot reading it is then. I hope you won't let me down tonight, Charlotte." He grinned at her.

"Those teams sound great, and, ha, maybe you should try hunting or something. Sounds like that’s what you're needing." Maxine glanced back at Spencer and heard his thought, projecting back an 'I don't know him well, but last party he was kind of a creep -- I didn't invite him.' But her skeptical look disappeared as Spencer placed a peck against her lips. She wanted to pull him back in for deeper kiss, she would at home. "Alright, we have red darts and blue darts. Anyone have a preference?"

Charlotte grimaced at Maxine's response. It was a little unnerving how he managed to keep showing up out of nowhere, but as long as he didn't cause trouble... maybe it would be an okay night. She did perk up when Max mentioned the cards, though. "Oh good! So you're ready for your inevitable defeat, perfect." She grinned, saying nothing of the deck she had stashed in the car. "Don't worry, Spence, we got this," Charlotte grinned back. "This is my game." At Maxine's question, she deferred to Spencer--it being his special day and all.

As Max’s response echoed in his mind, Spencer wondered if Dominic was the one to invite the stranger. He turned his attention back at the game discussions and hummed for a moment as if deep in thought about which color to choose. “I think... that red will bring us victory tonight,” he said and went to gather the darts, handing the blue ones over to Maxine and three of the red ones to Charlotte. “Since it’s my party and all, I say we go first.” Spencer stuck out his tongue at Maxine before turning to face the dartboard. “Oh, we playing 301 or 501?” he turned to ask.

Dominic shrugged as he caught Spencer's eye, trying to relay his confusion. Heather and Val clearly knew the man, though it didn't seem either of them invited him over. He had just been sitting at the bar watching as far as Nic could tell. "Sorry Max, but I've already promised my cheers to the birthday boy. This did turn out nicely though where no outcome can disappoint me."

"No, I don't want to be a hunter," Heather said a bit defensively. She shot a glance at Demetri. "Blue works fine for me." It was her favorite color, after all. She held her hand out for Maxine to hand her her darts. She frowned at Spencer's question. "While I am good at throwing these things, I will admit that I don't know what that means. Are we playing by some sort of tournament rules?" While Heather was super competitive and loved rules, she knew that learning a whole new game at a party would get complex and make her a bit intense. Others have not enjoyed her in that state.

"Thank you, why don't we start with 301?" Charlotte suggested as she accepted the darts from Spencer. She spun them idly between her fingers as she looked to Heather. "As for rules, throw from the... professionally done, grungy taped line on the floor and don't hit anyone. Optional house rules include: take a drink every time you miss the board?" It seemed like a safe suggestion; the night was still young and no one was drinking anything hard yet.

Spencer chuckled and shook his head with fondness at Dominic. “Sorry, it’s just what score we start from to deduct our points from. 301 is shorter,” he explained and went to pick up his glass of beer. “I second Charlotte’s rules additions.” He took a sip from his beer before going to stand behind the line, aiming his first dart and hitting the 5, 15 and 1. “That’s 21, so we’re left with 280,” he stepped aside to let Charlotte have her turn.

Valerie simply smiled at Maxine and wondered if she even wanted another party. But that would be a thought for another time. Right now, her phone rang and after taking it out of her bag, she watched everyone start getting ready for their game. Now would be a good a time as any. "I'll be right back! Gonna go get my drink and take this." Turning around and heading to the bar, she answered her cell and told Logan where in the area she was for him to drop off a costume she'd need for a photoshoot of hers.

Demitri let out a sigh, rolling his eyes at everyone. I swear each generation gets more boring. He thought to himself as he leaned back in the chair and listened. At Heather's remark, Demitri barely even gave her a glance. "I came without an invite. It's not exactly hard to figure out what's going on in this town." He answered her. "And, surprisingly, not everything I do is about you, Heather. I just thought I'd give my thoughts on it considering it is someone's birthday. But of course, you guys just like keeping things boring."

Juliet waited, listening to those that said they'd like drinks and nodded. As she walked away to the bar, she kept her focus on what they were saying. And she had definitely heard right. Spencer was involved with the Kingsley family. It caused a cold chill to radiate down her spine. Times must have changed if this was even allowed between the families.

Heather nodded in understanding. Okay good, this was going to be casual...as she could manage. "Now that we got the rules down I know exactly how to crush you," she returned to her trash talk. She only had a coke to drink, but would just drink it in the spirit of things. She glared at Demetri. "Thank god. I would prefer that nothing you do concerns me but you just keep popping up, as you have admitted, uninvited."

Logan had the outfit, one that Valerie thought was a costume instead of the real deal, shipped to him from his other residence outside of the states. Sighing, he stood in front of Two Old Crows. The vampire had told Val he had an outfit that would work for her client’s themed photoshoot and in exchange Val would sing at his lounge a night or two. But coming and interrupting a birthday was not his intention. They might already be too busy to even notice you Logan. Quietly, Cree stepped inside and looked around first.

"Bravo, bravo," Charlotte applauded Spencer's first round of points. She stepped up to the line and took aim, landing on 19, 20, and 1. "And that brings us down to 240!" She announced victoriously as she went to retrieve the darts. But of course Demitri opened his mouth again and now she was even more concerned. Uninvited and, thus far, having no friendly interactions with anyone present, what were the odds of him having found the party? Out of all the bars in the city and the town? Was he... was he stalking someone here? Her grip tightened painfully on the fistful of darts as she addressed him. "We do like to keep things boring, thanks for noticing. And since this clearly isn't your scene, feel free to hit the road, Jack."

Spencer turned to face the stranger, he might have let the attitude slide when thinking someone was friends with him, but after seeing the reactions he elicited that was quite enough. “Right. Seeing as it is my birthday, either leave or go lurk in another corner. A far far away corner,” he demanded and turned away with a tight smile in Max and Heather’s direction.

After his sister's outburst, Dominic's mind was made up. But Spencer beat him to it, and he couldn't help but whistle in appreciation at his telling off. He still moved towards the man to intimidate--and decidedly between him and his sister. "Thanks for coming, but this is a private party," he said tensely. And now he finally recognized the interloper as the strange man who approached him at Riverfest. Nic hadn't dwelled on that encounter much, but he had been kinda rude then too.

The corner of the plastic fletching began to bite into the palm of Charlotte's hand. Loosening her grip, she nudged three mostly unharmed darts into Spencer's hand. With her free hand, she reached up and squeezed Dominic's shoulder. The last thing they needed was to start a fight on Spencer's birthday...

Maxine was on board the rule additions and was about to step up and take her round when Demetri openly admitted to not being invited. "As my partners have stated, this is private. This whole room is reserved just for us, so I highly suggest you leave," she practically demanded, using her charm ability in hopes to be more effective in shoo-ing the creeper.

"I may be uninvited but this is a public bar." Demitri said bluntly to all of them. He honestly could care less about the party. And it thoroughly amused him that so many people were even paying attention to what he was saying. "Who said it wasn't my scene?" Demitri asked, tilting his head at the other woman that was talking to him. "So the birthday boy tells me that I can stay in the room, and as you say 'lurk' in a corner." He used quotations around the word. "And all of you are going against that?" A smirk formed on his lips as he shook his head back and forth. His eyes flickered towards the darts as one of the girls passed them to the birthday boy. And then another girl steps forward, giving him a demand.

Demitri took a step towards the dark haired girl. He wasn't afraid of her and if she thought he could scare him off, she was sorely mistaken. His eyes flickered up to glance between her partners. "She's cute when she's demanding, isn't she? A little feisty one you have here." He smirked and then lowered himself slightly, just so his 6'5 self could be eye to eye with the woman. "All I'm hearing from your mouth is suggestions. Doesn't mean I have to leave at all." His voice was eerily calm as he talked to her. "It's gonna take a little more than a couple of suggestions to get me to leave this public bar, sweetie. So why don't you turn back around and go play some boring dart games with your friends? I'm sure they are a little worried by the fact that you're so close to me right now."

It was Heather's turn at darts, but how could she play when this asshole was threatening her friends? Her hand tightened on the darts as he just kept talking. Did he take a course in this creepitude? Before she knew it, Heather was across the room and shoving Demetri away from Maxine. "Learn to take a fucking hint." She pulled the darts up and pointed one at his face, held more like a knife than a dart. "Or I will relieve you of your eye."

Ah, Heather. Demitri thought to himself as he was shoved backwards and threatened. He watched as she held the dart up to his face and he chuckled. "That thing isn't sharp enough to take my eye out, Heather." He lifted a hand and placed it around the metal end of the dart.

As Juliet walked back over to the table with the drinks, she noticed a small scuffle happening and she frowned. She slowly placed the drinks on the table, eyeing what was happening, but she didn't do anything about it. Yet. She placed herself near Spencer and Preston, just in case.

When Logan entered, his ears heard 'this is a private party' and automatically he cringed. Great, it's clear they don't want any new faces mate. Make this quick. Without delay, the vampire quickly made his way over to Valerie who stood by the bar with a drink in hand waiting.

Valerie smiled wide, thanking and accepting the garment Logan had lended. "Why don't you come on over and say hi to everyone! There are some people from my birthday. Come on!" Without waiting for a reply, Val tugged on his arm and the vampire didn't argue. Especially not when his eyes landed on the tense scene.

Cold dread trickled down Charlotte's spine as Demitri made his stand; the honeyed words of Maxine's charmspeak seemed to roll right off him (even if he did technically adhere to them). As the incident escalated, she noticed he didn't hardly flinch as Heather held a dart to his eye. "Okay, this is getting out of hand," Charlotte started, forcing her feet to carry her forward and squeeze between the bodies blocking her from the action. "Everyone's eyes are staying where they belong--" She said behind Heather, willing her to back down. "--and those giving unwanted opinions on parties they weren't invited to can find that corner to lurk in." She added, staring as neutrally as she could at Demitri as she neared them. "Now, how about we all take a deep breath and calm down, and not start a bar fight over a game of darts? Because that's just embarrassing for everyone."

"Oh, I'm calm, darling. You don't have to worry about that." Demitri winked at Charlotte before glancing towards Heather. "See now if you were more like your friend over here..." Demitri jerked the dart out of Heather's hand. "We might be able to get along." He spun the dart in his hand as he took a step back from the two girls and glanced over them towards the boys. "It's interesting to me that you guys let girls fight for you." He ran his tongue over his front teeth, sucking on them for a moment. "But I know weak men when I see them."

At that, Juliet pushed through everyone, not caring if she had to move them out of the way to get to the man. She was not about to let him ruin her decedents birthday like this. "Come on. You're not a paying customer and you are obviously not here to cause anything but trouble." Juliet quickly grabbed the man's arm and jerked him towards the door.

Demitri rolled his eyes, turned and threw the dart at the board. It hit the 25 area, just outside of the bullseye. "Valerie has my number if you actually want to play nice and invite me for a game sometime." He offered Valerie a smile before jerking his arm out of the woman's hand as he neared the door. Juliet quickly shoved the man out the open door and stood in the opening, arms crossed, making sure he didn't try to come back. She watched as he walked off and then finally closed the door behind her. He didn't even wait until he was further away from the bar. He used his power to orb away just as he left.

Heather held her death stare as Demetri ripped the dart out of her hand. She had held on tight, but he was quite strong and the fletchings dug uncomfortably into her hand. "I'm pretty sure that the problem I'm this relationship is you." As he was dragged out of the bar, Heather intentionally put herself behind Spencer to make it a bit harder for herself to rush after him. After his sexist comment, she was tempted yet again to throw a dart at him, and most likely would have if there wasn't the bartender near him.

Dominic scowled at the man when he called them weak. "We would all appreciate if this didn’t turn into a fight, but if it comes down to it, trust me that these girls are a lot stronger than me. I think your comment says more about your opinion of women than it does our "manliness"" Once Dominic was sure that the intruder had left, he visible relaxed. "Thank you miss for taking care of him," he said to Juliet.

Every word out of Demitri's mouth seemed designed to grate on Charlotte's nerves and goad the others into joining the fray, but fortunately, no one took the bait. Her glare hardened, but she kept her eyes on him as he snatched the dart from Heather and threw it at the dartboard. The tension visibly evaporated from her limbs as Juliet escorted him outside, but her hands trembled. She looked out the window in time to a dark mass fizzle away in the evening light. What...? Returning to the fold, Charlotte leaned (heavily) against a table and tried to calm her racing heart. She, too, looked to Juliet and gave her a weak smile. "Yeah, thanks for that. Talk about a real party foul."

Val was very confused and clearly had missed a lot in those few minutes away from the group. But when Demitri said what he did, the shifter froze with wide eyes and mentally groaned. No.... Lifting the drink in her hand eagerly to her lips, she took a long sip before speaking and gesturing to Logan. “So, Uh, anyway, Logan stopped by to giv-“

Logan quickly interrupted Val’s words. He knew she only meant well but he felt the sooner he was away from the tension the better it was for everyone. “I came to drop something off and I’m aware it’s a privet party but I’ve just come to wish you well on your birthday mate. Enjoy the rest of your evening everyone.” The vampire offered everyone a soft smile before nodding and turning back towards the bar.

Heather tensed as Logan, another man she found a bit sketchy, approached, but he proved once again that at least he had manners. And after what just happened, she was feeling more strongly that Demetri was not an ordinary human. Was the eye piercing comment a bluff, or a admittance of power. As she calmed down slightly, she was glad that she hadn't tested poking out an eye in her rage, but she still very much wanted to punch him in the face. And the fact that he had shown up at a party with so many witches concerned her. Maybe he wasn't stalking her, but someone else here could be in danger.

The whole thing happened so quickly, but Maxine's charmspeak having no impact on the man made it even worse. However, before she could even get a word in edgewise, Juliet was escorting Demetri out - a move that surprise her. ‘My charmspeak did nothing to that creep, what the hell is the deal with that man?’ she projected to both Charlotte, Nic, and then Spencer. "Jeez, who the hell tries to start a fight at a birthday party? Well you almost had your opportunity for a live dart board, Heather...Thanks for interjecting, something about that creep nearly froze me for a second." She waved her thanks to Juliet as well, taking a long swig of her drink before Logan walked in. And thankfully walked out. "Alright, I think it's my go now." With that she stepped up to the board and threw her darts, one landing on the twelve, and another on the triple ring on the 10, totaling in 42 points.

Spencer was about to step up next to Heather when Charlotte took the place next to her, but he knew that if push came to shove he would get between them easily. At the stranger's next words Spencer rolled his eyes dramatically, 'typically fragile masculinity'. Seeing Juliet pull the guy and throw him outside was actually quite impressive on her part and he really hoped to never face the man again. "That would be a pass," Spencer called out after the stranger's last remark before he was out the door. "Thanks, Juliet." He gave her a genuine smile. When Max's thought reached his mind, Spencer turned to frown in the direction of the door, 'that's odd'. As they settled back in, Spencer cleared out of the path to the dartboard and went to pick up his glass of beer."Good throw, love," he said with a more relaxed smile as the tension left his body.

Valerie stood quietly holding her drink in her hand watching everyone's reaction-none of which were directed towards her. Thank goodness, she thought and took a larger sip then she should have. The shifter smiled and quietly cheered for the team which she was on.

'I don't know, but it can't be anything good,' Charlotte thought back grimly. She picked up her beer and took a long drink, almost enough to empty it. After what she saw, she knew she was going to have a long night of reading ahead of her--just maybe not tonight. Her nerves were shot, and tonight was about Spencer. She perked up a little at Logan's familiar friendly voice and waved at him before he turned back to the bar. "Alright, Max, nice shot!" She cheered, perhaps a little too loudly.

Heather stomped up to the dart board to yank out the one Demetri had thrown into it. He sure had gotten a lucky shot. She snorted at Maxine's comment. "Yeah, I really lost my chance there." She turned to Spencer. "I'm sorry for almost starting shit, but I've ran into that guy multiple times and he's always like that." Heather then leaned in to whisper to Maxine. "We need to talk later about that guy, Demetri. I suspect that he may be more than your average creep."

Heather cheered as Maxine hit a triple and went in for a high five. "Best round so far, let's up that!" She steeled herself and lined the darts up. She hit a 7, then an 18, and then the triple ring of 12, totaling 61 points. She whooped in excitement. "I am the champion, and now we are at only 198 points!"

Spencer faced Heather and shook his head. “Don’t apologize. I’m not one for violence but I would have totally punched that guy,” he said with a chuckle. “The things he said were pretty creepy,” he took a deep breath and exhaled sharply, “let’s see if tonight wasn’t completely ruined?” He looked around with a grimace. As Heather scored her points, Spencer whistled. “You’ve got a good arm on you,” he said before walking to the board to pluck out the blue darts and handing them over. “Let’s see,” said and took his place. Throwing the darts, they landed on a tripe 6, 7 and double 4. “That’s 33 so we’re at... 207,” he added while walking to the board to pull out his darts.

"Ooo, brava, brava, very nice Spence," Charlotte applauded her teammate. "You guys better watch out, looks like we're catching up!" Despite her bravado, she rolled the darts in her hand nervously. They were still shaking, and that wasn't doing her aim any favors. While Spencer cleared the board, she picked up her bottle and downed what little remained; once he was clear, she stepped up to the line and threw. None of her shots went where she wanted, but they at least hit the board--that was enough. "13, 10, and 2 brings us down to... 182, I think?" She counted as she removed the darts from the board. "Back to you, Max!"

Maxine had been about to project into Heather's mind out of instinct but just remembered not to. "We definitely can. He's more than a little unnerving. And he stepped on my toes tonight," she whispered back. The woman backed up to let Heather aim and cheered at the shots before Spence took his turn. "Nice shots, babe," Maxine winked at Spencer. When Charlotte hit the 13, she gave a small clap before taking the darts. The first shot hit a 4, the second an 11, and the final a double 12. "Alright, I think that takes us down to 159."

Heather entertained the idea of Spencer fighting. It definitely didn't fit her picture of him, but it was nice to know he had her back. She smirked and bowed dramatically at the compliment. She couldn't admit that it was mostly luck. These things were deceptively hard to aim precisely. "It's not gonna be enough, Charlotte!" she yelled, but still gave a sportsmanlike clap. The witch gave Maxine a nod to acknowledge their plan, and once Maxine did her turn she gave a whoop. Taking aim, she managed to hit a double 15, but then her luck flopped with a 5 and a 3. "Oh, looks like we have only 121 points. That's gonna take a miracle for you to catch up."

Dominic frowned at Maxine's message. Her charmspeak having no effect may mean that he wasn't human. There were plenty of supernaturals in Edgewood, but an unknown antagonistic one could become a problem later. Pushing that from his mind, he returned his attention to the dart game. "You got this Spence and Charlie!" He cheered, seeing them falling behind. Despite his professed allegiances, he cheered for every person playing, enjoying the friendly competition.

Spencer bowed at Charlotte's cheering and threw a grin in Max's direction. "Not bad yourself," he said after her throw and confirmed her subtraction. "Glad to see it wasn't all talk, Heather," he teased her after they finished their round. "Not let's try and catch up and then some." Spencer took his place and after aiming for managed to hit the triple 8. "Okay, not bad," he said mostly to himself. His next two throws hit 12 and 17. "Okay there might still be a change for us, Charlotte," he turned to her, "we're at 129, I'm counting on you now," he said with mock seriousness, his expression morphing into a grin a second later.

"Ooo, how's that look for a miracle!" Charlotte exclaimed with a laugh, grinning at Heather. Now all she had to do was not fuck it up. She schooled her expression into one serious enough to match Spencer's and gave him a salute. "I won't let you down." The tremor in her hands had subsided considerably since her last turn, and it showed in her throws--all landing near to the center. "14, 18, and almost-bullseye makes 57, which brings us down to 72!" She counted, clearing the board for the next team.

Maxine let out a low whistle as Charlotte almost hit the bullseye. "Impressive." Once the darts were out, she lined up making her shots. The first hit a four, the second hit a twenty, and the third a triple ten. "Hell yes," she cheered to herself at the last hit. "I believe that's 54 total, bringing us down to 67."

Heather conceded and let out a cheer at Charlotte's near-bullseye. She was grinning wildly back. This was some fun competition, but she wasn't about to let them win. "Damn, you guys are really gunning hard, but I think I will manage the 5 points to keep our lead." Her first dart hit the 14 quite close to the bullseye, and her correction attempts still didn't hit the mark, earning her 9 and then 20 points. "Shit, still at 24. That round could have gotten us to zero."

"Could have, better luck next round," Charlotte replied, still applauding their point gain. She rolled the darts in her hand again as she stepped up to the line and took aim. The shots canted to the board's right side, landing on 4, 6, and the inner ring of 13. "Down to 18!" The witch counted gleefully, spinning to face her teammate. "We're so close, Spence, you've got this!"

"Charlotte, I knew you'd make me proud," Spencer said with. hand over his heart. With a grin he turned in Max's direction. "Let's see if you can catch up," he teased and stuck his tongue out. "I'll be right back, Charlotte go first if I'm not back," he said and sprinted to the bathroom. Spencer returned just in time to see his teammate hit the 13. "Ooh we might just win, if I don't get slippery fingers now." He aimed for the 18, dart goes flying and lands on the 13. 5 more. Trying to hit the 5 got him a miss as the dart got stuck just outside the circle, but at least it was on the 5. Spencer groaned. "I could do with some cheering, Dominic," he glanced at his partner with a pout before aiming again, going for the 5 again, but instead landing on 12. "Minus 7, does that count?" he asked, arms spread.

As the last few darts hit the board, Maxine couldn't even be angry with the results. "I'd say it counts, good job, babe." She leaned over and placed a kiss on his cheek. Then turned to Heather. "Well, we put up a good fight anyways, but, come on, time for a reading." With that she moved back to the table and pulled out her deck. She first passed it over to Charlotte so she could shuffle the deck, before pulling out the cards. "As you shuffle, think of a specific question you would like to ask the cards," she informed, before taking the shuffled deck back.

At the desperate pout of his partner, Dominic resumed cheering in earnest. "Just one more dart babe, you got this!" He cupped his hands around his mouth even though they were in a small space. He let out a whoop at their victory and gave his sister a hi-five before giving Spencer a peck on the other cheek. "You won, and it's all thanks to my superb cheering. Congrats!" He moved back to the table with everyone to watch the tarot card readings.

Tragically, Heather found herself on the losing side. "Damn, that was a close game. Good job guys, but be ready for my revenge." She made the 'watching you' gesture with her fingers. She was surprised at how little she was disappointed at the loss. It seemed that maybe playing with people you like could be just as fun as winning. "We'll crush them next time," she told Maxine, going in for a high five. Heather followed her back to the table and stood behind her to watch the first tarot reading. The witch knew how they worked, but didn't put stock in the actual predictive properties of tarot. Magic like active powers and potions could be seen and proven without being left to vague interpretation.

“If the audience is in favor, it’s good enough for me. Good game, guys!” Charlotte grinned, applauding the ‘victory’ Spencer secured them. She returned Dominic’s high five with gusto, patted Heather and Maxine’s shoulder, and stuck her tongue out teasingly at Heather as she returned to take a seat at the table. “Any time, any place, I’ll be ready.” With the cards literally on the table, Charlotte accepted the deck delicately and began shuffling and thought about what she might want to ask about. It had to be... “Okay, let’s hear it.” She said, passing the deck back.

"I'm doing a three card reading, so this indicates past, present, and future." Maxine placed cards in each representative spot. In the past: ace of wands, present: death, future: the tower. "First, the past - ace of wands. This card signifies potential, movement, and activity. Your past often effects your present, and there was a major decision in your past that you may have shied away from, or taken that is where you should look to now for some questions you are having."

Next, she indicated the death card. "This card means change is happening - not actual death, but some part of your life is undergoing a major shift and you may have an opportunity to do something over again. It could be putting an end to something you've never had closure on, or a chance to restart something else. Lastly, the tower. Like the death card, it also indicates change. Typically this is change that you are more resistant to or surprised by. It will shake you at your core, but the message of this tower is change or be changed."

“Interesting...” Charlotte leaned over the table to study the cards carefully, letting their images and Maxine’s words wash over her and sink in. The results weren’t unexpected--she pulled those exact cards during a self-read this morning. It certainly solidified some... thoughts, and notions she’d been considering as of late. The image of the Tower card drew her in; she carefully ran her fingers over the artwork. A rueful smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. “Very insightful, thank you Maxi.” Leaning back in her chair, she reached for her her beer bottle, only to be reminded it was empty. She'd grab a refill after Heather gave Spencer his reading.

Spencer shook his head with a laugh at Heather's gesture and returned his partners’ cheek kisses. "It was really that last cheering that brought us the victory," he said with a teasing smile in Dominic's direction. He followed them to the table as Max pulled out the tarot cards for their punishment reading. "Well, that was deep," he raised his brows glancing as Charlotte for a moment before turning to address Heather, "it's my birthday so let's not go too gloomy, eh?"

After Charlotte was done absorbing her reading, Heather reached across the table and grabbed the deck of cards and put the three back in the stack. Handing it to Spencer, she said, "I have no control over the cards," and then raised her hands in surrender. "Like Maxine said, think about what you want the cards to answer."

Spencer accepted the deck and started shuffling. “Alright, alright, no negative thoughts in sight,” he replied and concentrated on what he was most curious about. There was something he has been contemplating recently and maybe the cards would help him move forward. He closed his eyes for a moment and focused on the weight of the cards in his hands as he shuffled them, stilling for a second before handing them back to Heather. “Done. Let’s see.”

Once Spencer was done shuffling, Heather took the deck back and drew the three cards, laying them down as she named them. "Okay, here we go: for the past we have an Ace of Pentacles, the present is a King of Swords, and for the future we have the 2 of Wands." She thought for a moment about what these meant and how to present the results poetically instead of just the standard meanings.

"So, Aces are about potential, and this particular card refers to potential in money or your career. So, you've had some big opportunity in the past for money. Next, we have the King of Swords for the present." She leaned forward to look at it and smiled, the image resonating with her. "That's a cool design there. Anyways, it represents motivation, and being present it means you have a lot of power now to change things, make a good decision. Well, technically the court cards could refer to you or someone else close to you, because why not be ambiguous. Um, and the card also reflects a stern but compassionate nature." She moved her hand to point at the final card. "And finally for the future you have the 2 of Wands. The 2 refers to a choice, but the 2 of Wands gives a good outlook."

Leaning against the table, Spencer looked down as the cards got uncovered and tried to remember their meanings, but he never truly put his attention on studying them and their interpretations slipped from his mind. Spencer nodded slowly as Heather started her reading, frowning slightly as he made sense of her words. At the second and third card together his brows shot up, he didn’t think he’d get such a direct reply from them, but he knew better than to question the ways of the cards. “Believe it or not, that was actually pretty helpful,” he said finally and looked back up at the group. “Anyway, I think it’s time to refill some glasses, right?”

“Yesssss!” Charlotte nodded in agreement and began collecting the empty bottles and glasses on the table intending to take back to the bar. Before she got far, Juliet ( sensing her favorite patrons were in need ) materialized at the tableside to replace the empties with another round of drinks--and kept them coming as the night wore on.

Somewhere between their third game of darts and tipsy attempt at a volleyball showdown, the collective of party-goers returned to their table to catch their bartender delivering a homemade cake to the table adorned with a handful of skinny, vibrant-colored candles. It’s a sweet gesture made sweeter yet by their altered state of mind (and the perfect amount of buttercream frosting) that none of the party guests think to question it.

Surrounded by friends and loved ones, in the bar at the table or under the stars by the lake, Spencer can’t imagine any other way he’d want to celebrate his birthday. Rocky start aside, there’s no place he’d rather be.

#event: spencers bday2020 #spencer hawthorne #dominic kingsley #maxine beauchamp #charlotte kingsley #demitri #heather payne #juliet hawthorne #logan cree #valerie bianchi

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