Operation: P.A.R.T.Y.

[hatesboys]

Who: The children and teenagers of Mayfield. also any nefarious adults who sneak their way in
What: A Kids Next Door recruiting event cleverly disguised as a house party.
When: idk during a night of some day
Where: 625 Topper Street
Warnings: children

[Private Assembly Regarding Tactical Youth

You've seen posters vaguely referring to this so-called "party" for the past few weeks, always in places most frequented by young people, like the diner and Make Out Point. Well, tonight's the night, and you've decided to show up. Hey, what could it hurt? Parties are always fun.

On first inspection, it doesn't really look all that different from any other house party. There's snacks, music, a section of chairs pushed into a corner for all the losers incapable of basic social interaction-- nothing too out of the ordinary. Except, there's a clipboard, half-hidden between a bowl of popcorn and chips. It reads:

ARE YOU READY TO FIGHT ADULT MAYFIELD TYRANNY?
sign up for the Kids Next Door today!

Are you? There's a box of crayons nearby, if you are.]

Comments

THE CLIPBOARD OF POOR LIFE DECISIONS

[hatesboys]

[On the clipboard, there is a line for your name, age, and area of specialty. Nerds like Slugger who already have codenames can put those down as well.]

Re: THE CLIPBOARD OF POOR LIFE DECISIONS

[hintcoinplz]

[Sign up? Well Luke was a member of the K.N.D. once, so let's do it.

Name: Luke Triton
Age: 13
Specialty: Puzzles and investigation
Codename:

[Luke proceeds to scribble this as his codename:

]

[hintcoinplz]

[After Luke signs his soul away, he decides to check out the snack and music selection. After all, it's still a party, right? He'll be looking over the music, quietly judging it for not being the kind of music he likes.]

[ceasetoexist]

[For a bit Pokey just pissed around the meeting room. He kept looking out for a moment at the others who may assemble there and then back to himself.

There was something he wanted to say. And just a bit ago in the scheme of things - hell at least before he got to Mayfield two years ago - Pokey would have had no problem just getting up and saying it. But in time he'd learned at least a little about humility and while Pokey still didn't have too much trouble making a spectacle of himself he almost felt...guilty that he should try this. And embarrassed since it was crap so unlike him.

In the end he decides he has to. Pokey gets up on one of the chairs and starts whistling and shouting and waving. After drawing enough attention to himself he starts to speak.]

So hey.

[And he just pauses a minute at that. Brilliant introduction. And God. He can't believe he's going to do this.]

A lot of you here probably weren't here the first time we tried this out. That was a couple of years ago and because of the way this hole works it didn't work out. People left, confusion set in, yada yada yada. You know how crap like this works probably. So I guess it'd seem stupid to try again.

In a way yeah. It is stupid. But it's....

[God. He pauses at this. Because it's so sappy and something he's just...so unaccustomed to saying. But when he does manage to say it? It's clear there's sincerity there.]

It's important to try. The worst thing you can do in this town is try and go it alone. Trust me. I tried. And it sucks even for someone as awesome as me. I mean if I can't do it you all sure can't and-

[Oh right. He meant for this to actually be somewhat inspirational.]

...Sorry. What I meant is that if you're alone here you're going to get chewed up by this place. And even if you make friends here, or get along with your "family" here...it's nice to have an actual place to belong. And you will belong here. It doesn't matter who you are or where you've been. You'll belong here. If anything I guess I can promise that.

If you haven't figured it out yet, there's also the fact this place is dangerous. And there's strength in numbers. And while it might seem like you could go it with any group....I guarantee you'll be happier here if you just give it a try.

Because if you're new here you don't know the type of trouble this place can bring. There's the town switching what it's own nature on a common basis, or mind controlling you or others, or sending out swarms of murderous thugs. If you're in this town you're already in trouble, so hey. We might as well get into trouble together. I...guess I just wanted to say this because...joining up here the last time is maybe one of the things I don't regret I've ever done. And I think it could work this time if we just try.

That's all I wanted to say. You losers can go back to doing whatever now.

[And with that Pokey will solemnly get off the chair he's standing on. By which I mean he will nearly fall off the damn chair he's standing on as he tries to get down.

It doesn't matter he guesses. He made an idiot out of himself enough.

But he had to say it.]

[battlestations]

[Don't mind Nigel. He'll just be over here with his back to the wall, stoically watching anyone that comes in.

He's really hoping to see familiar faces. But he's not about to take control of the situation. That didn't work so well last time, so he's going to let 86 do her thing. Maybe her ironfisted style is what they need here. Although he'd hate to admit that out loud.

Yeah, he's still a little affected by all of the lost time.]

[battlestations]

[oh.

It had its ups and downs, but there was something interesting about seeing this. Unexpected, maybe, from the Pokey he knew before. But, all this talk of being happy together and accepted ... yeah, there's a lot of value to just making friends in the KND. He's happy that, if nothing else came out of it the first time, that there's this.

But no need to get all mushy. He'll just say this while the other boy's getting down.]

Excellent speech, Pokey.

[ceasetoexist]

[In the year and a half since he last saw you Pokey has gone through a lot of changes. But not enough changes to keep Pokey from being a snobbish asshole when confronted with the chance to praise himself.]

Of course it was. I gave it. Speeches are kind of a thing I do, y'know.

[Technically not a lie. Speeches were indeed something he did a lot of. Inspirational ones? Not so much.]

[hatesboys]

[There are times where Frances will sit back and think that, if things had gone differently and planets had shifted, Pokey could have been born into her world. He could have easily climbed the ranks of KND's high command. With her.

She's actually there to steady the chair as he gets down, though she'd rather die than reveal how much his speech got to her.]

... I'm glad I forced ya to join, way back when.

[hatesboys]

[oh hey guess who's just

behind you]

You!

[ceasetoexist]

[There are few things he would have liked better. To have been anywhere other than Onett would have been great even if by now he knows it was never the fault of the world he was born into, but the fault of the people he was born too. And if there was any chance that he could go wherever Frances could? He'd take it.

And it's nice to have someone save him from falling on his ass, literally or metaphorically.]

.....So am I.

We'll get this thing working. I believe in it.

[And he believes in you.]

[hintcoinplz]

[You'd think he'd be used to people sneaking up on him by now, but nope. He'll just jump a couple feet in the air.]

W-wha - I didn't do anything this time!

[strike_you_out]

[This takes him back. Back to the day over a year ago when he'd first joined K.N.D. just for shits. But this time he's 'renewing' his membership with a somewhat different mindset:

NAME: Slugger
AGE: 13
SPECIALTY: hitting people things, stealth
CODENAME:
6-66

Apparently some things, like stupid codenames, never change.]

1/2

[battlestations]

Uh, no, I didn't know. This is the first I've seen one from you.

[a pause.]

[battlestations]

... I didn't know you were happy, either.

[Pokey was always questioning Nigel about the way he ran things back then. It comes as a bit of a surprise. But he smiles a little.]

I suppose there's a lot I don't know about you, still. We ought to change that.

[hatesboys]

[Nearing the end of the party, Frances will come up to him, clipboard in hand. She holds it out to him.]

So! What do ya think? [Because this is the hard part about leadership, the part where you deal with people you aren't going to brainwash in five minutes. Nigel is somewhat more experienced in this realm.]

[shallbeavenged]

[Might as well.]

Name: Ai
Age: 13
Specialty: Illusions, stealth, punishment

[witchofthechalk]

Name: Tiffany Aching
Age: 16
Specialty: Witchcraft, medicine and fire.

[witchofthechalk]

Hello Luke.

[Teenage sister witch is here as well.]

[a_gentle_boy]

Name: Lucas
Age: 15
Specialty: Psychic healing/defense.

[1_truth]

[ It's probably dangerous for him to be out and about like this but he can't risk the kids of Mayfield getting themselves wrapped up in some sticky situation like what always happens back home with Genta and them. ]

[ He lets out a sigh and moves over to the snack table. Kids pretending to be secret agents and recruiting more kids would probably try and hide a 'secret' sign up sheet near the first place a kid was likely to go. It doesn't take him long at all to find the clipboard-what little information they require. ]

[ With a sigh Conan pulls his ball-point pen from his pocket and scribbles down the information. He won't let these kids put themselves in danger. ]

Name: Conan Edogawa
Age: 7
Specialty: Detective.

[1_truth]

[ There's a boy in glasses leaning against a wall with his hands tucked casually in his pockets and bored expression on his face. He's watching the room carefully and making note of everyone there just in case. ]

[ He'd really much rather be back at home watching the window for signs of Gin, but since he can't in good conscience leave these kids to their own devices, he's infiltrated their meeting with every intention of keeping them all out of danger. It's just like dealing with the Detective Boys. ]

[ ...Which means this won't be easy. ]

[ceasetoexist]

Who said I was happy?

[Well. Pokey himself just did. But like hell he'll admit that. Pokey just stares at Nigel for a moment before shrugging.]

There isn't much about me worth knowing.

[dumbfabric]

Name: Sweetie Belle
age: 8
specialty to be determined

[These guys can definitely help me get my cutie mark]

[battlestations]

[Nigel looks up at her with the briefest surprise - he honestly didn't expect her to ask him for his opinion, but he's not going to read into it. He takes the clipboard and looks over it carefully. Then he looks over at her and pats the page idly with the back of his hand.]

Have you gone over this too?

[He only asks because he's kind of intrigued that she didn't cross out the teenagers or kick them out or anything. He recognizes Lucas and Tiffany, and that their interactions had been nothing but positive. But 86 was the head of Decomissioning. If she's turned a blind eye to their ages, that's a powerful statement indeed.]

It's a good lineup. Most of them are returning Operatives, except for the ... teenagers... but, I think we can give them a chance? Tiffany was a friend of Aisling's.

[Oh, and he just now spotted Conan at the bottom. He's not sure who that is. Nigel thinks he'll have to look around for him later.]

[battlestations]

I definitely heard happy. What's wrong with that?

-- That's not true. You're very intelligent, and I always thought your inventions were amazing. We may have disagreed sometimes, but I enjoy talking to you.