a birthday like no other.

[neverplays]

Who: Mindy & EVERYONE that wants to go bowling
What: Mindy's Birthday Party
When: April 29th. After the reception, but before Brock and Mol duck out for their honeymoon.
Where: Alley Oops: Bowling Lanes
Notes: This is back-dated! There is bowling and there are bumpers for those that are LAME and can't bowl like grown-ups.



Mindy hadn't wanted something big. In fact, she'd pretty much informed Molotov the complete opposite of wanting a party. Weddings were a big deal. All the movies she'd watched about them had shown just how important they were to the bride and any attention that wasn't on the bride was a bad thing. Mindy was happy to just be a part of the wedding, to be asked to do something important that wasn't requiring extra ammo clips or a blunt object. The birthday was literally the frosting on the cake. The birthday cake that was staring at her as she entered the bowling alley.

It was amazing and Mindy couldn't actually believe that this party was hers. There was ice cream and bowling and all of her friends would show up at some point. She opted not to change out of her dress from the wedding. It was pretty and she'd never had a dress like this before. Plus, she figured the bowling shoes would still match.

Moving toward the cake, she circled it like a predator watching her prey. "This thing is unreal. It can't be real cake. It's fake, right? The real cake is off somewhere else." Mindy glanced around, trying to spot where the actual cake was hiding. "I mean, it's all..." Her hands moved on an angle, trying to mirror the sharp angles of the cake.

"Mol! Is this real cake or art cake for the magazines?"

Comments

[molotov]

Molotov, who had changed, because wedding dresses are not made for bowling, stopped arranging a massive pile of wrapped gifts to smile over at Mindy.

"It is real," she said, delicately placing a rectangular gift (charm bracelet) on top of a large square one (full-size Hello Kitty gumball machine). "Even those little stars are edible, if you like fondant."

[neverplays]

"What's fondant?" Mindy asked, not really wanting to mess up the cake by taking parts of it away.

"I don't want to cut it up. It's too perfect. Why would anyone make a cake like that?"

[molotov]

"A type of icing that is smooth and made for molding," Molotov answered, glancing over at the cake. "They made it because I wanted you to have a nice cake, and that is what I ordered. We cannot eat it unless we cut it, though we did just have cake. So probably you can hang onto that one if you really want."

She tilted her head to one side, thoughtfully. "Do you want to blow out candles?"

[neverplays]

"Oh! I should do that before the wax messes up the top part."

Shutting her eyes, Mindy thought for a long time about what she wanted to wish for. She thought about all of her friends, about how they came and went into the castle. She thought about Damian and how he'd already left and she hadn't told anyone. She thought about her dad and how much she wished he could've seen her patrolling a whole city on her own. She missed him and she knew that if she went back home that she wouldn't get to say good bye again. He was gone.

Exhaling she made her wish and opened her eyes to blow out the candles. One large breath and she blew, trying not to get spit across the top of the cake.

"Yes! I got them all. That's my impressive lung capacity."

[molotov]

Molotov just watched quietly while Mindy made her wish, and clapped when the candles were out. "You should be a swimmer," she said, presenting her with a cup of soda in lieu of a slice of cake. "You can open your presents when other people are here."

[neverplays]

"It was something dad made me work on," Mindy replied.

"Wait -- I didn't want presents, though." It was fine that they were there, but she could just wish for stuff. Why would she need people to give her things too?

[molotov]

Molotov looked a little puzzled. Of course Mindy could just wish for things, but it wasn't the same. People can just buy themselves stuff, but you still give gifts at Christmas, right?

"But it is your birthday," Molotov said, looking at the pile of gifts. "You should have presents for your birthday..."

[neverplays]

"I know, but I have a lot of stuff already. Maybe there are kids in the city that could use them?" Mindy just didn't want to be a burden right now. This day was Molotov's and already she's having a party too. Which was really amazing and she was happy to have it, but it still made her feel odd.

[samson]

Unlike Molotov, Brock hadn't bothered to change out of his wedding outfit. Tuxedos were find to bowl in, and besides, they'd just wished it up anyway. It wasn't like he would have to pay anybody if it got ruined.

He did take the coat off though, just for ease of movement. It was easier to kill a guy with a sportscoat on than it was to go bowling, apparently.

"I wonder if they do cosmic bowling here," he said idly, looking around.

[neverplays]

"That's where they turn out the lights and use black-lights right?"

Mindy asked the question as soon as she got over to Brock. "I bet it'd show all the gross body fluids in the place."

[samson]

Brock just stared at Mindy when she said that. Because. Why ...

"How the -- what kind of shows are you watching?" he said, horrified. "Don't watch TV anymore."

[neverplays]

"What? It's just any normal procedural. They might get some things wrong, but body fluids are everywhere."

Mindy sounded very sure of herself there.

[samson]

"You should be watching like cartoons, not police shows," he said, giving her the hugest frown.

And then he sighed, running his hand down his face. "Well, I guess you're growing up now. Right? Birthday party and everything."

It was hard for Brock to deal with kids actually aging at a normal rate, since the Ventures aged so slowly -- it didn't help that Paradisa kept Mindy at the same physical age, either. It's okay. Brock. Just let go. Baby birds gotta fly out of the nest.

[neverplays]

"Cartoons are boring, I like the police shows." She shrugged, moving to try and tug him toward the cake.

"I need you to cut this, but keep it pretty."

[samson]

Brock let himself be pulled toward the cake! If he got to screw around with knives, he was happy. Not creepy.

"Yeah, alright -- what do you mean, 'keep it pretty'?"

[neverplays]

"I don't know, just..." She gestured around the cake, not making her gestures very clear.

"Keep it so that the pieces stay ... like pieces."

[samson]

"Keep it so the pieces stay like pieces," he repeated, brow furrowing a little. "Right."

That didn't make a ton of sense, but whatever! Women and their sentimentality, for real. He approached the cake and cautiously began to slice it, going slowly so Mindy could tell him if he was doin' it wrong.

[neverplays]

"WAI--okay, that's fine." Mindy exhaled, nodding and gesturing for him to continue. There was a close call with one of the decorative ribbons, but Brock masterfully seemed to avoid the disaster.

"Are you and Mol going to stay married forever?"

[samson]

He was starting to get the hang of it now. Just avoid the pretty shit, basically. Simple! These slices weren't going to look normal, though.

"What?" he said, glancing over at her. What a weird question! "Well, yeah. I mean, until one of us gets sent home, I guess ..."

[neverplays]

"Okay. Because sometimes people get married, but then things happen and they don't stay together."

Mindy watched him for a moment, "I just really like you guys and I want you to be together, like forever."

[samson]

Oh my god, Mindy, that's just so touching ...

But Brock's also a big blob of awkward at all times, so he just laughed and smiled at her. "Well, thanks. I'm sure we'll be okay. But you can yell at us if we start to fight or something."

[neverplays]

"Alright. I'll keep the two of you in line."

Mindy looked at him with a stern look. It's a no-nonsense kind of look. Which immediately melts into joy as she figures out which piece she wants.

"That one is mine!"

[samson]

He laughed again, shaking his head. "I'm sure you will," he said indulgently, then scooted the piece she wanted onto a plate and handed it to her.

"There you go. Happy birthday, Mindy."

[neverplays]

"Thanks, Brock."

Mindy took the plate and the piece and she made a beeline to the nearest table and she opted to just eat that whole piece.

[whatialways_do]

It's been a while since Max's been bowling. Life back home didn't leave a whole lot of time for it, but it's fun, and considering it's Mindy's birthday, now was as good an opportunity as ever.

She wandered into the bowling alley, present tucked under her arm, and she can't help but grin when she saw that cake.

"Nice."

[neverplays]

"Mol picked it out for me. It's way too cool to eat."

Mindy was clearly impressed by that cake.

[whatialways_do]

Max gave her a bit of a playful look. "No cake is too cool to eat."

[neverplays]

"This one is pretty close."

[whatialways_do]

"Alright. I guess I can give you that."

[neverplays]

"Brock is gonna cut it so that it doesn't get ruined."

[whatialways_do]

"Cool."

She then paused, before glancing around the rest of the room.

"I haven't been bowling in a long time."

[neverplays]

"It's really easy. Plus, if you suck they put up those lame bumper guards in one of the alleys."

[whatialways_do]

She laughed. "Well, fortunately for me, I don't suck."

[neverplays]

"Yeah? Is that because you're an XFive?"

[whatialways_do]

"A little bit. But I've had a lot of practice too."

[neverplays]

"Well good, because I'm not gonna go easy on you."

[whatialways_do]

"I wouldn't expect anything less." And she didn't. It always used to piss her off when people gave her a break because she was a kid -- she didn't expect for that to change as an adult.