Grab Your Partner By The Ear, Lash Him To The Wheel

[crushed_pearls]

Who: Anyone & Everyone
What: A showing of Muppet Christmas Carol & Muppet Treasure Island with a light party after
When: October 1st, starting roundabouts 6 PM
Where: The pool
Warnings: Alcohol, Muppets, and whatever you bring with you


The invites get delivered by Erin, who prowls the ship with a stack of them and a genuine goblin grin; gold watercolor on black paper, with the neatest handwriting declaring that YOU! are invited to a showing of two films and miscellaneous episodes of The Muppet Show, starting at 6 PM on Friday the 30th. The invitations are not signed by the artist, but at the bottom, in gel pen, are a white skull & crossbones and a Victorian top hat, drawn in the same neat hand as the writing.

Snacks and an open bar are promised.


Fast Travel

- Invitation Handout
- Pool Bar
- Snack Table
- The Pool
- Serious Discussion Of The Fucking Muppets
- A Touch of Privacy
- Wildcard

Comments

Pool Bar

[crushed_pearls]

Alcohol pillaged from elsewhere in the ship is attended to by the esteemed Johnny Summer, who has graciously agreed to play bartender for the event. Find him here if you need him, share a drink, see Erin drop by for sweet wine to keep her nerve frequently through the event.

OTA

[businessorlibation]

Of course Johnny's the one running the bar. Secretly, the pool bar is one of his favorites to take over, but he will not be offering the frozen daiquiris, pina coladas or mojitos tonight, mostly because running a blender during the movie would be rude.

That's okay, there's plenty of fun to be had here. At one point, Johnny reaches under the bar for drinkware and find some oddly thematic mugs. Which might not be appropriate for the drinks he's making, but like.

Why the fuck not have your whiskey out of an Animal mug? He starts using them immediately.

[pointofhonoria]

"Reckon you're gonna see an uptick in people asking for stiff drinks whenever you're manning a bar, the next week or so."

They've both already had the worst of the news everyone's getting at that info meet-up, of course, but she's saw plenty of people taking the news... well, about as well as expected. She's sure there'll be a few more Johnny's in the bunch, people who feel some amount of relief, but it's definitely not everyone.

Those plans of his to keep people's spirits from totally crumbling are about to get even more relevant.

Then, a quiet huff of laughter as she notices the mugs whilst leaning against the bar, "Well those are... appropriate."

[businessorlibation]

"They're also completely adorable. I love it when the ship provides for our needs without us asking."

He's actually in very good spirits compared to everyone else, a sunny smile on his face.

"Anyway, I will be at Hurikane most of the time, for support."

[pointofhonoria]

"Good luck. Hopefully the folks who're resorting to breaking stuff first off ain't the drown their sorrows types." There's at least one of those, she's pretty sure she heard something crashing around whilst she was still sat in the library. "Just a whiskey for me tonight, I think; feeling boring."

She watches him for a moment, head cocking just a bit. Sure, she's not particularly broken up about any of the info that's spreading around the ship—or at least not more than she already was—but here's Johnny looking like a summer's day (ha).

"Alright, what's got you all lit up? No cute mugs or uh, Nuppet films is behind all of," she gestures a vague circle around his face, "that."

[businessorlibation]

"Why, detective, I simply haven't any idea what you're talking about." He tries to stifle his grin as he places a glass of whiskey in front of her. It doesn't work.

[pointofhonoria]

Crabb gives him such a look as she takes the glass and gestures vaguely at him with the same hand. "Don't you 'detective' me, Summer, you're grinning like a little kid who just snatched the best sweet roll from the bakery whilst half the ship wants to lie face down on the floor. C'mon."

[businessorlibation]

“Did you ever regret that you couldn’t be there for Ducky and Mimley’s wedding? On a cruise ship, surrounded by strangers, such an interesting place for one.”

He’ll let her connect the dots.

[inhairently]

Steve's been circling the bar off and on like a buzzard since the movie started. Alcohol is annoying here, as in he's tried to sneak some from the bars a couple of times and it didn't exactly work out. Other times, he managed to get a responsible 21-or-older individual to get him a beer. He can't gauge if this bartender is going to be one of the cool ones or try to serve him up a virgin daiquiri.

After the fifth or sixth time casing the joint, he finally decides to make a move and approaches the bar. "So," he says, totally cool and totally chill and totally casual. "Any recommendations on what pairs well with a Kermit mug?"

[businessorlibation]

Johnny gives Steve a quiet, discerning look. He wasn't on the beach for Never Have I Ever, he doesn't know everyone's exact tolerances. But he's reached his own conclusion: anyone who's asking for a hard drink here probably knows what they're getting into.

"I find a mint julep in a frog mug feels a little silly, but also somewhat fitting. The movies are silly, why not let the drinks be, too?"

[inhairently]

Steve of course hails from the high school party world of keg stands and "dumping whatever we can get our hands on into a bowl of punch" so it's no surprise that he's never had a mint julep. It's something his parents might order, he thinks, but he's not really in the mood to be picky, so he shrugs.

"Mint julep? Yeah, sure," he says. "What's in it? Besides mint, I guess."

[businessorlibation]

"Bourbon, a little simple syrup, just a touch of water to loosen it up. Here, want to watch me make it?"

Careful, Steve, this is an adult who will lead you down the path of balanced, good-tasting cocktails instead of drinking purely for the effects of getting drunk.

[inhairently]

"Yeah, sure," he shrugs. "I guess so."

He doesn't really mean to sound so blasé about it but, y'know. Teenagers. For what it's worth, he does lean over the bar so he can get a better look.

[businessorlibation]

Johnny demonstrates each step of making the drink--the muddling and pouring and stirring--before passing it off to Steve.

"Let me know what you think of it."

[crushed_pearls]

After a long party of slowly nursing her wine (to say nothing of the whiskey sour with Izzy, earlier), Erin comes back to the pool bar again with her cheeks a little red, cloudy hair all askew like it's been pulled this way and that by crosswinds, and takes a seat instead of taking her drink standing like she has been. She's not drunk, not yet, a testament to an alcohol tolerance that cannot possibly match her body one-to-one, but she's got a pleasant buzz that has the sandalwood and charcoal scents playing merrily in her resplendent Mantle. Johnny can hear the distant sound of a Spring rain that is not happening.

"So," Erin starts, all shy smile and faint, vibrating energy, "...how'm I doing, so far? And couldja hit me with, hrm...I'm feeling...no, Long Island ice tea will hit me a bit fuckin' hard...y'got any Tequila Rose on this fuckin' boat?"

[businessorlibation]

"Long Islands are a barbaric drink. Even the Tokyo tea is a hangover I don't desire to repeat. Tequila Rose, though, I believe I've seen it at Hurikane. Not sure if any is he--"

As he looks into the refrigerator, he startles. "Right, yes, I have some. How would you like it?"

[crushed_pearls]

"Couple shots on the rocks, I gotta switch to water here soon or I'm gonna regret it."

Erin gets out a knife, goes to start trimming her nails with it, and then remembers she's in public. The knife vanishes.

"Tokyo tea I've not had," she admits. "But I did try the Boston lemonade after learning it killed Edgar Allen Poe. Pretty good drink, for a murder weapon."

[businessorlibation]

"Is that so? I've heard of Poe--American writer, yes? Never read any of his work, though. Is it good?"

Johnny's behind on a lot of the writers who hit it big on other Earths. Timeline shenanigans, after all.

He sets her first shot in front of her, making sure it's audible, helpfully.

[crushed_pearls]

"I liked it, but as one of the founders of American Gothic it's strange in comparison to what the genre has become."

Erin lets the shot warm in her hand until a thin film of cream and water is on top. This she sips, rather than knocking it back.

"You're avoiding the first question though. Was all this -" she gestures at the party. "...I still don't know everything about the ship. The passengers. I'm throwing things at the wall here Johnny."

[businessorlibation]

He sighs audibly, pouring himself a drink as well.

"I don't think any judgment of the reaction to this showing would be fair to your hosting abilities, Erin. Everyone's just been thrown completely off balance, the ship isn't behaving like it usually does...it's not a fair thing. I do think this is helping. But it should have been more lively, more joyful."

[pinballer]

Vance show up, arms crossed, brow furrowed, looking as grumpy as he possibly can. It'd be weaseling out of the deal to just straight-up say 'you better say no to this or I'll punch you', but he can make himself out to be as unpleasant of a student as possible. He's even messed his hair up a little. Who'd want to teach an unkempt delinquent like him?

"R'you Johnny?" he mumbles, "I'm s'posed to ask you if you'll teach me how to be a gentleman."

[businessorlibation]

"Supposed to? How interesting. I doubt you actually care to learn."

Johnny is a short man--less than five and a half feet tall, clean-shaven beardless, with hair slicked back neatly. In the dim light of evening, there's an eerie golden light in his eyes.

"And I'm certain I couldn't manage the trick in one evening. But this is an interesting diversion from everyone's moods. Here, come around the back of the bar and wash your hands. We'll start with some basic mixology and people-watching. What's your name?"

[pinballer]

He sighs, slumping his shoulders in defeat. He tried to look like the least gentlemanly guy of all time and somehow still passed the entrance exam.

"Vance hopper," he says, grumbling to himself as he reluctantly washes his hands, "And I warn you, I'm the worst student of all time. I've never been 'a pleasure to have in class' on my report cards, even once."

[businessorlibation]

"And you were sent to me to learn how to be a gentleman. Someone's got a sense of humor."

He considers Vance for a moment, before his eyes scan the crowd briefly. "Johnny Summer, as you've probably been told. I'm more of a businessman than a gentleman, but I suppose I know how to put on airs. Question: what's the point of being a gentleman?"

[pinballer]

He has to think on that for a moment.

"My dad says it's to lord your upper-class upbringing over us working-class stiffs," he says.