Champagne Shenanigans [IC]

[Dariusprime]

As she worked out the details of the displays, more like improvised sculptures by any account, she glanced at Victory. "No craters or cracks as far as I could see," she replied to his earlier question. At the moment she was building at tremendous speeds, and only slowed down enough to speak.

"I'd be careful about those flashy landings though. Not all surfaces are as solid as a mansion's main drive," she said with a smile.

The displays slowly took shape, a diverse cross section of Freedom's well-known and obscure heroes emerged. The obligatory Centurion, Johnny Rocket, Atlas, The Scarab, Tank Jack, Dead Head and a group pose of the Atom family all were among others included in the ensemble. For a second or two she stopped stone still, tapping her chin in thought. Including Johnny, Dead Head and Atlas may be construed as controversial choices, but uptight stuffed suits and elitist old money snobs could stick it as far as she was concerned, potential patrons or not. Principles came first.

As for the fuel additives, those took a bit more work than she imagined. Chemistry was something picked up along the way of producing her livelihood, which simply meant she lacked formal science training. She managed reasonably well, and judging from the fireworks charts, Victory would have a variety of red, blue, green and even gold contrails at his disposal.

Examining the list, she held out a scratch paper to Viktor, "Are these formulations correct?"

[Heritage]

"That's very nice, Mr. Hughes," she said, all daggers in her smiles. "I'm going to go talk to Ms. Loeb over there in the corner," she said politely as she left the pair behind. "You have a lovely rest of the evening."

A shiver practically ran down Estelle's spine as the mood in the air dropped to subzero; hopefully Corbin wouldn't merit a mention in her next column.

"Was it something I said? The bit about the photographers?"

The chemist sighed and shook her head. "More than likely, but I doubt there's anything you could say that wouldn't offend Ms. Collier's delicate sensibilities." She leaned in close (but not too close!) to whisper. "You see, Corbin, Ms. Collier doesn't like us very much; the well-to-do, the moneyed set, the capitalist bigwigs gorging themselves on the blood of the oppressed workers, whatever you want to call us." She offered him a wry grin. "Congratulations; you've just survived your first brush with a Champion of the Common Man. And Woman, of course."

Outside on the patio, Gossamer wrapped her bare shoulders with some of her hair to keep out the evening's chill.

"I didn't want to upset her, but those photographers were going to far. I didn't want those girls on my arms, or anything. Does she not believe me or something?"

"Oh, it's not a matter of her believing you or not, Corbin; on some level, the very fact that we even exist troubles her very deeply. She may, of course, merely think you're too young to attend this sort of affair, what with all its alcohol and loose women, and more than likely is questioning both your upbringing and your parent's moral fiber." She shrugged again, raising shoulders draped in gold. "I really wouldn't worry about it, at least not tonight. Oh, I do hope they get to the fireworks soon! I'd like to get back to our dance!"

[KnightDisciple]

Corbin frowns deeper.

"My family earned our money. My mother and father worked hard for years to get where they are; they started off a couple decades ago in what were basically entry-level jobs. That's why I seem so "unsophisticated". I'm really not used to life at this...level, if you will. Did she ask if we give to charity? No. She's just making assumptions about what she thinks are facts. I dislike that not only as a target, but also as a historian."

He gave a sidelong glance at her hair's efforts to keep her warm, but made no comment about it at this moment.

"And if our existence troubles her, she needs to get thicker skin."

A sudden thought came to his mind, and a fierce expression crossed his face.

"So help me, if she slanders my parents in the paper this week, I'll personally contact one of the lawyers my mom knows. I-"

He stops himself, closes his eyes for a moment, and takes several deep, calming breaths.

"No, that's what she wants. What they all want. To get a messy public reaction out of me. You're right, let's not worry about it, and enjoy the show."

He looked around, trying to spot any part of the operation of said show.

"Hm. Maybe they're delayed because they're making sure everything's perfect? I don't mind waiting a couple extra minutes if the payoff is god enough."

[Heritage]

"So help me, if she slanders my parents in the paper this week, I'll personally contact one of the lawyers my mom knows. I-"

He stops himself, closes his eyes for a moment, and takes several deep, calming breaths.

"No, that's what she wants. What they all want. To get a messy public reaction out of me. You're right, let's not worry about it, and enjoy the show."

Estelle nodded sharply, proud of the young man’s steely resolve.

“Now that’s the right attitude to take, Corbin! ‘Damn the critics, full speed ahead!’ And remember, Ms Collier will never be able to slander you or your family…because it’s called ‘libel’ when it’s in print.â€

She gave him friendly wink, took another sip of wine and then playfully bellowed out in her loudest ‘Joe Sixpack’ voice.

“Bring on the fireworks, dude!†:rock:

[Avenger Assembled]

When she was through chatting with the representative from the Distinguished Competition about how amusing it was that the Hughes family policed their heir about as well as any other rich family bothered to do, acutely conscious of the fact that Lana Loeb would of course get one of her reporters on the story that a reporter from the Ledger had so unthinking dropped in her lap, Joan walked out onto the grass for the fireworks show and sighed softly. She didn't like parties like this, and it was starting to seem like they didn't like her very much either. And why not? They're a school of fish, she decided with a wry little smile. They're not going to like an octopus in their number. But I can't change what I am, just like it looks like they can't change what they are. But we'll see. It's a long night.

[KnightDisciple]

Estelle nodded sharply, proud of the young man’s steely resolve.

“Now that’s the right attitude to take, Corbin! ‘Damn the critics, full speed ahead!’ And remember, Ms Collier will never be able to slander you or your family…because it’s called ‘libel’ when it’s in print.â€

Corbin gave a crooked grin.

"You're correct. It is libel. Besides, I don't intend to do anything truly objectionable. I have consumed no substances it is illegal or inadvisable for me to consume. I'm not, ah....well, I'm not proving an embarrassment to my gender, we'll say. And I'm striving to be polite. I suppose if I stick to that, I should be okay, yes?"

She gave him friendly wink, took another sip of wine and then playfully bellowed out in her loudest ‘Joe Sixpack’ voice.

“Bring on the fireworks, dude!â€

The young man just sighed and shook his head with a rueful grin.

""Dude"? That's...unexpected, all things considered, Estelle. Or...would you prefer I keep it at "Ms. de Haviland" or "Dr. de Haviland"? "

[Aoiroo]

Totting a plate of pinapple slices and crab cakes Etain started to wander the party scene more or less just observing the people around here. There were mostly older people as well as girls like the ones that had harassed Corbin, though after the first confrontation they gave her a wide berth while they spent there time attending to a still rather dizzy McRock. While she moved through the crowds while she picked off pieces from her plate she heard some announcement about a show from the host, so she followed people were moving outwards near the grass to see. Following quietly she found herself standing next to a woman who dwalfed her by a good ten inches with dark hair, it didn't stop her from speaking however,

"Excuse me, I heard there is to be a show, what are we watching?"

[Dr Archeville]

It was good that Archeville only needed part of his attention for the fireworks work, because a good part was focused on Victory's visible cybernetics (now that his clothes were out of the way) and the armor that soon exploded out of him. "Volk and her people did some fine work there, Lieutenant."

Man, Gina would love to see this! As shame such advances only come after such horrible accidents.

He smiled at Fulcrum's arrangement, and gave her a thumbs-up at her formulations. "I keep telling you you are more than just another pretty face, liebchen."

I really should try and get in touch with Nitorvich. I cannot imagine he has many friends now. Maybe Mona and I can go on a trip to Russia to see him!

Moments later, Victory was prepped and ready to go spread fireworks through the night sky.

[JackgarPrime]

Victory smiles in response, his retractable armor and helmet all deployed, looking as he does when he's on-duty. As soon as all the fuel and measurements are in, he nods over to the Doktor. "I'm sure she'll be happy to know that you think so! I'll make sure to tell her." All the ports close back up, and the fuel begins to mix into his body, as his internal navigation computer begins to feed the new instructions to the rest of his body. Once they were in, and the fuel was mixed, he looked over to Fulcrum, as well.

"Looks good. I'm sure the sky will light up very well with all this."

He begins to curl his body up a bit, getting ready to let it all out in one big push of his legs, when the supervisor gives the word. He checks to make sure Victory's ready to go, and Victory gives a thumbs up in response, as all his jet hatches open and deploy, ready to go. The energy builds up, each jet seemingly a different color, when he finally gets the word to go, and blasts up into the sky, fireworks launching all around him, leaving a very colorful trail on the way up...

[Avenger Assembled]

Joan watched the fireworks and applauded along with everyone else, thoroughly impressed at the show. "That's beautiful!" she called up to the sky, awed by Victory's colorful display. She could appreciate Victory as both a representative of the military-industrial complex and an artist. It must be tough balancing the two, she thought. He seems like a rare man. She took out her digital camera and took a few pictures, commenting to her neighbor about how talented Victory's display was.

[KnightDisciple]

Corbin noticed the final preparations occurring, and gently nudged Estelle, pointing towards the crouching Victory as he did so.

"I think it's about to-"

At that moment, Victory launched into the air. Corbin ceased speaking, his arm slowly falling to his side as he watched the dazzling display. The cyborg seemed so fast, yet so graceful in the air. He found himself feeling a hint of jealousy.

"It much be great. Being able to fly like that, I mean. I wonder if heroes take it for granted, or at least the ones who can fly. For millennia, man has dreamed about flying, told stories about flying. Just over a hundred years ago, the Wright brothers achieved that dream, and yet it still fell short of the full glory of our collective imagination. But now? Now, we have so many amazing people who simply think hard enough, and they soar with the birds. It's incredible. It must be, to be up there, free, soaring, turning..."

While there was wistfulness in his voice, it wasn't as heavy as his words employed. Then he turned to Estelle for a moment with a sardonic smile and a wink.

"To put it another way: I want my dang jetpack already, hm? Just like those old movies promised us."

[Heritage]

""Dude"? That's...unexpected, all things considered, Estelle. Or...would you prefer I keep it at "Ms. de Haviland" or "Dr. de Haviland"?"

Estelle laughed and shook her head. "Ah Corbin, there are so many things you don't know about me...and hopefully never will. Estelle is fine, thank you."

Once Victory hit the sky, all eyes were upon him as he began an simply gorgeous display, turning the sky into his canvas. Between Viktor, Fulcrum and him, it was an extravaganza of light. Still wrapped in her golden shawl, Gossamer's face remained upturned as the colors of the night played across her lovely face.

And then Corbin had to ruin the moment by talking... :roll:

"It much be great. Being able to fly like that, I mean. I wonder if heroes take it for granted, or at least the ones who can fly. For millennia, man has dreamed about flying, told stories about flying. Just over a hundred years ago, the Wright brothers achieved that dream, and yet it still fell short of the full glory of our collective imagination. But now? Now, we have so many amazing people who simply think hard enough, and they soar with the birds. It's incredible. It must be, to be up there, free, soaring, turning..."

While there was wistfulness in his voice, it wasn't as heavy as his words employed. Then he turned to Estelle for a moment with a sardonic smile and a wink.

"To put it another way: I want my dang jetpack already, hm? Just like those old movies promised us."

Ah, the verbosity of the teenaged poet! When Corbin finished, a single golden tendril extended to point out Viktor Archeville as Estelle spoke, her eyes still fixed on the sky and a wry grin on her face.

"Ask Viktor; I'm sure he can set you up." ;)

[KnightDisciple]

Estelle laughed and shook her head. "Ah Corbin, there are so many things you don't know about me...and hopefully never will. Estelle is fine, thank you."

Corbin gave her a confused glance, then shrugged.

"As you wish, Estelle."

Ah, the verbosity of the teenaged poet! When Corbin finished, a single golden tendril extended to point out Viktor Archeville as Estelle spoke, her eyes still fixed on the sky and a wry grin on her face.

"Ask Viktor; I'm sure he can set you up."

Corbin glanced at the good Doktor, and gave a small, snorting laugh.

"I walked into that one, I suppose. Sorry to disturb the show with my musings."

He continued to watch, awed at some of the complicated maneuvers Victory was achieving. He wasn't anywhere near as good as this guy! Maybe Cobalt Templar could ask him for tips one day...

[JackgarPrime]

Lance couldn't help but admire what sort of patterns Arkeville had programmed in as he carried them out. Some very complex maneuvers, no question. And the various pattens of shape and light he was leaving look like something out of a living piece of art. Some sort of unusual modern piece with all sorts of experiments with color and lines. He didn't know enough about modern art to say what, of course, but he knew at least a little. Not to mention all the time he'd spent doing sky writing for charity. In fact, that's one of the things he misses about being a more "normal" pilot. He doesn't get to do sky writing shows anymore. He used to love seeing the faces of all those families after a show, when he would come out to meet them. In fact, as he works tonight, he takes a glance down to see the faces of his audience. Good, they were happy. Shame there were no kids at a party like this, though.

As the pattern continues, lance decides to add more of his own spin on it, as he begins to add all manner of spins and dives in addition to his flight plan. In fact, he even makes some more improvised images in the sky. A champagne glass. A small flock of birds. And his personal favorite: A hand giving a big 'ol thumbs-up! So what if there are a whole bunch of the snooty high-class types here? Anyone who can't appreciate a good thumbs-up is someone he wouldn't want to associate with anyway!

[Supercape]

Felix sat upon his elephant, produced a vuvuzela and gave a trumpeting blow as the fireworks display started.

The outdoor band struck up a rousing, and loud, medley of Wagner to accompany the show.

The crowd, slightly tipsy by this point, roared their approval. Victory had not let them down. The music and the sheer ostentatious of an elephant all added to the spectacle. Bow ties were loosened and glasses raised. Cheers punctuated the "ooooohs" and "aaaahs" as the fireworks exploded.

Cindy and Mindy squealed with delight.

[Dariusprime]

Fulcrum stood next to Viktor, taking in their collective handiwork. Well, their upgrades and the lavish entertainment presented by their host. Who was riding...an elephant and blowing a vuvuzela?

For a moment her face fell. The cause wasn't the elephant, the fireworks or even the party itself. Not really. Something just seemed to trouble her in a way, even she, perhaps, couldn't quite place. She glanced around at the faces among the crowd, then looked to Viktor.

The contemplative moment passed, or at the very least, she put aside whatever was bothering her. The whole display, while a bit gaudy, was spectacular. Particularly the wonderful skill and artistry shown by Victory. She smiled.

[Heritage]

It was truly a magnificent orgy of opulence, and Estelle had to admit it was all pretty darn cool. But then the tiny devil of guilt reared its head in her chest, and once again she was struck by the pointlessness of it all. Shivering despite the warmth of her golden hair's embrace, she leaned over to the handsome young teenager and spoke with a voice tinged with sorrow and regret.

"Treasure this moment, Corbin; some day the obscenely rich might not have so much to celebrate..."

[KnightDisciple]

Corbin was engaged in the fireworks display, admiring the complexity that had been achieved.

'I don't think I could copy half this stuff, even with my ring! This is awesome! I really need to talk to this Victory guy later, about flight tips...'

It was truly a magnificent orgy of opulence, and Estelle had to admit it was all pretty darn cool. But then the tiny devil of guilt reared its head in her chest, and once again she was struck by the pointlessness of it all. Shivering despite the warmth of her golden hair's embrace, she leaned over to the handsome young teenager and spoke with a voice tinged with sorrow and regret.

"Treasure this moment, Corbin; some day the obscenely rich might not have so much to celebrate..."

He was almost unnerved by Estelle's rapid mood shift. He looked over at her, an expression of concern on his face.

"What's wrong, Estelle? What do you mean? I mean, yeah, sure, life has no guarantees, but...?"

Meanwhile, a small distance away, Albert and Sarah Hughes were basking in the glow of the show, holding each other and smiling. They'd seen their son standing with Estelle, but chosen not to interfere. Both seemed to be behaving well enough. And it was good for him to socialize.

"Really, what triggered this? Are you feeling okay?"

He really seemed worried about the woman standing with him, though he managed to keep his volume down low.

[Heritage]

"Really, what triggered this? Are you feeling okay?"

Estelle blushed apologetically and waved a dismissive hand. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound so negative." But then she stopped herself and considered the young man beside her. "Corbin, you're a student of history; surely you've read enough about the falls of empires to see the similarities between say Rome and the proud nation we now live in?"

She sighed and shook her head. "Unlike you, I've lived in this rarefied air my whole life; I went to the best and most expensive schools, spent my winters in the Caribbean and my summers in the capitols of Europe. I've met presidents, captains of industry and even the occasional royal."

And here a touch of that unnamable ache returned to her voice. "And I've studied chemistry. Are you familiar with Hoyle's Third Law of Thermodynamics? 'As a system approaches absolute zero, all processes cease and the entropy of the system approaches a minimum value.' In short, and in admittedly reductive layman's terms, it means everything breaks down eventually. Even our empires."

She casts her gaze over all the fashionable glitterati, all the food and drink, and of course the elephant, and sighs as she wraps her arms about herself.

"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:

Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"

At last she smiled sadly and took a deep breath of the chill night air.

"Forgive me, Corbin, I seem to be very poor company tonight; perhaps we should save our dance for another time."

[Avenger Assembled]

Joan watched the party with some interest before heading home, having taken careful note of the story she'd write the next morning. Felix Fassbinder certainly threw a mean party, even if the real party had been about the other guests rather than the show he put on. It was late when she got back; Lois was asleep on the couch and Charlie working on the city accounts; she chased the first off to bed, and hugged her husband before sitting down at her own desk to start getting her ideas down on paper. She thought back to her conversations with Bombshell and Ms. Americana, with Corbin Hughes and Estelle de Haviland, and as she started to wrote she began to smile. "At Felix Fassbinder's famous society party last night, some surprising things were on the menu..."

[KnightDisciple]

Corbin listened thoughtfully to what Estelle was pondering.

"No, I spilled your champagne. I owe you a dance. I don't mind you musing aloud. It's...refreshingly honest.

I think you're right, but also wrong. I may not be a chemist, but I can understand that principle enough. Thing is, if you keep fixing something, it won't ever quite break down.

And as a student of history, I'd also point out that while Rome did, indeed, fall, other empires and countries have survived. Perhaps diminished, but they live on, their culture still flourishing. Just look at Britain. Centuries of existence as a country. At their peak, they had holdings all over the world. Today, they may not control much beyond the Isles themselves, but they're still a respected international power. A financial center, cultural center, and so on. They adapted to the times, and stood against the worst this world had to throw at them.

America's a melting pot, but there's more than a bit of our heritage that comes from Britain. We've withstood a lot in our days. I think the country will, in time, find its feet. We may end up sharing the "superpower" title with other countries. But I don't see us going down in flames."

He smirks.

"That might just be the optimism of my youth, though."

[Heritage]

"That might just be the optimism of my youth, though."

Estelle chuckled and shook her head. "No, of course you're right. Or maybe we're both right, in a way; life is cyclical and ever-changing, and every generation complains about how wonderful things were when they were young."

She shrugged, her mantle of gold riding up on her shoulders.

"In fact, it's one of the most wonderful things about being human, that certainty. It's what's wonderful about being young...and growing old."

With a satisfied sigh, she linked arms with Corbin and patted him affectionately on the back of the hand as she turned her eyes skyward again.

"But enough talk of Man and his destiny; let's watch the pretty lights some more." ;)

[KnightDisciple]

Corbin chuckled as he stood there. Estelle seemed like a good person, really.

"I think I can settle for saying "life is cyclical" and watch a few more pretty lights."

He too fell quite, following the display with his eyes again. He seemed to be almost memorizing the patterns, trying to take the whole vista in at once.

"I'm going to have to try drawing some of this later..."

[JackgarPrime]

Indeed the pretty lights keep on going, as Victory rockets through the dark sky. Unfortunately, his fuel gauge is showing that the extended tank is beginning to run low, which is where he was storing all the specially colored fuel. Checking the flight plan really quickly, he sees that there isn't a big ending already programmed in. Not sure how he'll end it, he begins to look over the crowd below. Even though his show was going on and was fascinating quite a large part of the party, there are still some people on the other side of the house who can't see....now there's an idea....

[Supercape]

Victory's dipslay was better than Felix could have hoped for, and the crowd was enjoying the spectacle immensely. Felix jumped off the elephant - perhaps a little to sprightly for a man of his age, but nobody was paying particular attention, and sidled up to Sleaze McRock

"Sleaze, you devil, I see you have met Cindy and Mindy!" he noted, as the two young ladies waved at him and gave him saucy smiles.

"I Just so happen to have a few amps and a guitar. Oh, and a rock band, in the mansion. Care to give us an improptu performance by the pool?"

"You bet!" was the sleazy reply, as the rocker raised his glass of Tequila and roared his approval in time with another volley of fireworks and roar of cybernetic jets.