#e.l&lbdayextravaganza

[thephoebeyates]

≈ linc and leon's birthday extravaganza, o'shea's, 8th august 2024. open. ( @bluestarters )

FULL CAPACITY.

Of course Phoebe was having a fun time. She was a fun person. She was at one of her favorite places, celebrating two of her favorite L-named, Weaver Ridge born men, who both seemed to be enjoying the low-key festivities being hosted in their honor. What was more fun than this: a perfect night full of laughter, drinks, and people banded together who loved Linc and Leon as much as she did?

Well, everything was almost perfect, except for the fact that everyone in the party-planning process didn't seem to consider the temperature of the pub in the August heat, and thus the longevity of the ice-cream birthday cake. Phoebe had tried to keep it in the freezer for as long as she could, and had even set up a standing fan near where it was presented on a table to attempt to blow some non-existent cold air in its direction, but she could see it was beginning to melt, the tell-tale sweat beads at the sides already forming.

"Does anyone know where either birthday boy is?" She called out to the crowd in general, "Because, I know it's a little early, but maybe we should do cake and candles? Or maybe...someone can help me haul it back in the freezer until later?"

[archived-thecjwelford]

Who knew that CJ Welford was such a prolific darts player? And what did 'prolific' even mean? Regardless, the former F1 driver was having a blast at this birthday shindig for Linc and Leon. He was taking it easy though, only having had five tequila shots so far. After winning yet another game (and with the amount of people around, it was easy to drown out the cries of how he almost got people in the eye or whatever), he decided to go find his room-spouse, who slipped through the cracks of the crowd seamlessly during one of the previous games.

Figuring Seb was probably having a smoke, he ventured outside, just in time to hear the tail-end of Linc's warning...about him.

"Duck?!" He exclaimed in mock-horror, reaching behind to entrap Linc's neck in his arm, angling over to ruffle his hair. "Fuck you dude, my aim is perfect!" The person Linc was speaking to politely smiled in their direction, stating they'd see them inside and left them to it.

"Seriously dude." He said, releasing Linc from his grasp, turning the younger man so he could face him. "This party is sick. You havin' a good time?"

who: Linc & open! ( @bluestarters ) what: Linc & Leon's Birthday Extravaganza! where: O'Shea's Irish Pub

It was a good day already, barely past eight and Linc had downed.... three, maybe four pints. He was doing his best to play a good host, saying hello to everyone and not staying in one place too long. The turnout was better than he'd expected from a last-minute, distinctly informal text... but that was sort of the Weaver Ridge way. It was a tradition now-- to gather at O'Shea's in between Linc and Leon's birthday (never on Leon's birthday, of course), and drink until they had to stumble home serenaded by the cicada song.

Though it was usually bad form to take a beer outside, Linc had negotiated a pass for his smoke breaks. It was much worse, he figured, to smoke without his beer than it was to potentially get Leon in trouble about the liquor license. Leaning against the patio railing, Linc took a swig of the glass bottle and balanced his cigarette between two fingers. "Oh, hey!" he called to the familiar face turning towards O'Shea's. "I'm so glad you could make it, this is amazing!" Without a second thought, he threw an arm around their neck in a warm greeting.

Linc's typical reserved nature gave way to a more self-assured enthusiasm when he was a couple drinks in, and he was feeling sappy about how many people had come out to celebrate with him and Leon. It didn't matter who they came for-- or if they were a relative stranger. Tonight, they were family. "I will warn you, CJ was playing darts when I left," Linc said, grin reaching his eyes. "So.... duck?" He patted the railing next to him, "Or join me for a second, if you want."

[thephoebeyates]

It wasn’t the aspect of driving that had Phoebe worried about Linc. Rather than despite all these years, he still had lightweight tendencies and trouble holding his drink. But still, she tapped his arm good-naturedly, smiling fondly as they walked down memory lane together.They even managed to save the cake without too much hassle, wiping melted ice cream that dripped on her hands onto a spare napkin. Though despite grimacing at Linc’s insistence she needed a drink, she let out a resigned sigh.

“Fine, just one. But if this kills me I’m haunting your ass, Welch.” She warned, eyeing the bright liquid suspiciously, before taking a sip. Slow, making the decision to nurse it lest she end up feeling as sick as the birthday boy. Even if it was a request she could have easily denied.

However, she had a hard time saying no to Linc. Of any of her friends, really, but her little buddy was a big exception to the rule. Just something about his big blue eyes and boyish, impish charm always tugged at her heart strings. “Promise me you’ll get some water soon, ‘kay? It’s a good party, shame if you wake up not remembering it.”

End.

Every time Phoebe called him buddy, Linc's entire chest filled with warmth. It was a piece of their childhood, an affectionate nickname she'd been using in place of his name since before Linc got tall. It was funny now, both of them being full adults but caring for each other just the same. Every day, Linc woke up feeling so grateful he had a good family and a bonus family-- he didn't know what he'd ever done to deserve such good karma.

"It is kind of annoying of me to insist on ice cream cake, huh?" Linc said, tone pleasantly apologetic. "I can't help that it's better this way!" He laughed, remembering the birthday in question fondly. "Remember when Seb promised he could still eat it with his hands? I think I had ice cream in my hair for like a month," he laughed. It was strange, in a beautiful way, to have shared his entire life with them. There was nothing Phoebe and Sebastian didn't know.

"Just um..." Linc paused to count, quickly furrowing his brow and giving up. "I lost track... but only 'cause people keep buying me drinks!" He grinned, throwing his arm around Phoebe's shoulders and squeezing her for a second, "Don't worry. Didn't drive." He'd planned ahead for that part, at least. At Phoebe's suggestion, Linc placed his glass down on the table with a clank. He saluted her, teasingly saying, "Aye aye." It was a bit of a show, Phoebe lugging the quickly-melting cake back to the industrial freezer while Linc pushed the doors open, but they made it.

By the time they'd returned to the party, Linc's drink was gone-- replaced by a full pitcher and a couple of glasses. "You need a drink now, Yates," Linc insisted, pouring her a glass and putting it in her hands.

[thephoebeyates]

She nodded along, half absent-mindedly, focusing more on keeping the cake upright, as Rachel hurriedly explained her friendship with Leon. "He doesn't really advertise it. Like I said, he agrees to a party and stuff to mainly humor me and Linc." It wasn't Rachel's fault, or a testatement of the seriousness of her friendship with the bar owner, if Leon hadn't disclosed his birthday to her. He was just like that. Phoebe had basically known him her entire life and still couldn't get some basic information out of him if he wasn't in the mood to share.

The quietness of the kitchen compared to the main bar area was almost a shock to the system, and Phoebe led the older woman to the nearest counter, sliding the cake down on top of it, before walking over to pull the freezer door open. "I wouldn't be surprised if I walk in and see Leon just hiding in here." She joked, going back over to the cake, lifting it again. "But thanks for doing this, Rach. You've been a great help really."

Hearing Phoebe's explanation, it made more sense what she had meant. She didn't know much as the lore as the younger woman clearly did, but it was interesting to learn more. Even if she'd lived here for just about three years, there was always history to learn. "I'm sure that he's appreciative that you guys included him in this." She reassured, not knowing that for certain but wanting to hope that was the case because she found it all awfully sweet of Phoebe to care so much about the party and Leon.

Rachel felt herself experiencing a bit of whiplash at the question. "Uh...we're friends. Yeah. We have gotten to know each other it's nice, I wouldn't say super well. I mean I didn't even realize his birthday was even close." She didn't want to act like some dickhead who knew someone Phoebe was obviously close to better than she did. Because she really couldn't say she did. It wasn't like she wanted to downplay the situation, but considering she had a feeling this would all somehow get back to Leon, she didn't want to say something and then it turn out he didn't feel the same way about their friendship. It scared her a little bit, not wanting to feel like she was trying to compare with others. Trying her best just to focus on carrying the cake with Phoebe instead. She chuckled, glad that she wasn't the only one who felt this way about ice cream cakes. "Hey, it's better you say it than me." Rachel gave a small wink as she used her back to push open the kitchen door.

[thephoebeyates]

It was the stress of making sure both the birthday boys were having a nice time, sure, but Phoebe couldn't help but feel a little talked down to at this so-called chef's comment. "I mean, I don't think you need to go to culinary school to figure out what happens to ice cream if left out the freezer. My friend's kid knows that, and she's two years old." She supposed he was just trying to be nice, in his own roundabout way, and figured saving the cake and making him feel like the Big Man on Campus for a minute or two would be a win-win. However, Phoebe did keep a mental note to ask Foster if it was a chef thing to be this arrogant, or if the man in front of her was a special case.

"I mean, you can help by opening the doors, if you want." The cake wasn't exactly heavy, just boxy. That and it'd be a sure-fire way to keep him out of the kitchen, which would definitely piss off Leon.

guarding  of  the  dessert  with  sudden  relish  was  rather  comical.  with  how  she  was  acting,  chance  would  believe  she'd  been  the  one  to  bake  it.  dessert  chefs  were  definitely  like  that.  he  had  met  a  few  who  were  hesitant  to  even  cut  through  their  creations  during  the  celebration.  for  this,  he  couldn't  completely  blame  them.  some  of  their  artistic  endeavours  involved  blown  sugar  -  glass  and  ornate  icing  decorations  and  hand  -  made  chocolate  leaves.  he  wouldn't  want  to  touch  a  damn  thing  on  his  cake  either.  he  didn't  have  much  actual  baking  experience;  just  enough,  due  to  how  many  lines  he  worked.

regardless,  this  was  a  different  kind  of  line.  he  held  both  hands  up.  “hey!  hey,  suit  yourself.  i  was  just  tryna  be  friendly.  ‘cause  i’m  a  chef,  and  i  know  what  can  happen  to  ice  cream,  that's  all.  didn't  want  it  to  melt  all  over  the  others.  i'm  already  having  a  good  time,  i  promise."  the  pub  was  a  usual  kind  of  bustling  environment  for  chance  as  well.  he  was  more  accustomed  to  this  than  the  finer  things  at  the  pearl.  which,  whenever  he  called  it  that,  he  thought  of  his  favourite  pirate  movies.  did  she  think  he  was  a  cake  pirate?  yeah,  he  wouldn't  blame  her.  “just  wanna  keep  it  good,  yeah?  for  everyone.”

[thephoebeyates]

Though it wasn't exactly what she meant — referring more to how he seemed preoccupied rather than drunk — Phoebe respected that the two of them weren't exactly close friends, and thus if he didn't feel comfortable talking about anything on his mind, she wouldn't push. "Join the club!" She exclaimed, teasingly, "Don't tell Linc this, I did the classic 'throwing a shot over my shoulder' when he handed me one earlier." Gesturing to the cake, she smiled. "C'mon then."

Oliver looks over at Phoebe, holding up his drink. "It's soda." He doesn't typically drink when he's about to meet up with Damian, it's the last thing he would ever do. He doesn't even keep it in his apartment because of how much he wants to support his best friend. "So, if you're worried that I've been over here nursing or chugging back hard liquors I can promise you I haven't." Even though it seemed like a good idea after running into Scarlett earlier that week.

"Come on, let me help you or else everyone will be having cake pudding."

@thephoebeyates

[thephoebeyates]

Phoebe frowned as the stranger seemed to momentarily forget their name, shaking their hand a bit too long, trying to keep her face perfectly neutral rather than show obvious concern. Were they more drunk than they gave off? Perhaps some sort of enemy of both Linc and Leon and had to think of an alias? "Vesp — Valentine!" She corrected herself as they did, about to ask which name was preferred, when she caught the surname.

Coincidences existed, sure. But if Phoebe had learned anything of late, it was that they were far and few inbetween in Blue Harbor. "Sorry if I'm completely off-base here, but like considering your accent and everything, you don't happen to be related to Jasper Finch, do you?" She smiled softly at the thought of the soft-spoken librarian. But also tried not to give too much away about them on the rare chance this was a true coincidence. And even if this person turned out to be lying, the truth would come out anyway. It always did.

When they seemed insistent of carrying the cake, Phoebe froze, because she still just didn't quite trust them. "Oh, it's not about if you can handle the weight, really. Like this thing is a beast," She gestured to the cake beside her, "But like, Leon is a bit funny about people going in his kitchen, that's all. I think he's scared people are going to steal the potatoes or pie crusts or something." The intern added the latter as a type of joke, to soften the blow as it were.

“Yeah, I sure hope they do…” They said, a bit absently, putting their hands in their pockets and looking around the small room. The woman hadn’t offered so much as a name for either of the birthday celebrants, which spoiled the whole exercise of picking their identities up by virtue of context clues. Now, they were stuck in a whole conversation with barely a connection to go by. “Phoebe. Hi. I’m…” They took the woman’s outstretched hand and shook it, hard and firm, in the way they’d been oriented to do all those years ago. If they don’t remember your playing, then you make sure they’ll remember your handshake, which, in retrospect, was an advice best befitting for business majors who’d like to make their way into the corporate world than for a painfully shy fifteen-year-old cellist who’d just learned what executive even meant. 

It wasn’t until the customary exercise of introductions that Valentine realized they hadn’t said their name at all. “I’m Vesper.”  Here, Valentine froze, realizing that amid their ruminating train of thought regarding corporatespeak, they’d defaulted to the use of their professional name. One that they hadn’t made use of in almost a year. “Sorry, I meant… Valentine. Valentine, um, Finch?” They backtracked, hoping that the invocation of their family name would at least offer them some sense of credibility—though each of Finch siblings had their way of retreating into themselves, Valentine, on occasion, being the worst of them all.

Linc! There’s one name offered, but it didn’t quite ring a bell. And Val was certain the pub owner’s name similarly bore four letters—oh, if they could just open their phone right now—“I’m quite settled, thank you.” They nodded, though their request was insistent, “I’m really not doing anything. I can hold a cake just fine. I’ve carried heavier things.” They stretched their lips a bit further, all gentle corners and a display of teeth, hoping it communicated something like reassurance.

[thephoebeyates]

“I think he just gets worried. Linc and Leon’s families are like this,” Phoebe crossed her fingers over each other as example, “And we might be little annoying brats, but we just like to make sure Leon’s having a good time. Lincoln is just…less subtle about it.” Perhaps the intern was being hypocritical, since Linc might have cornered people, and Seb might have physically jabbed them, but Phoebe had a whole history of staring intently and wondering if the people she cared about were having fun (they usually weren’t, due to her intense staring putting them off). But Rachel didn’t know this about their odd Weaver Ridge family, so making herself sound better than her friends was basically a victimless crime.

“So, you and Leon know each other…well?” The owner of the bar was like a fortress sometimes, no matter how much Phoebe badgered him about his life outside of O’Shea’s. She understood it wasn’t really her place, but she also knew Leon wasn’t actually annoyed by her questions, and would stop if he ever got genuinely uncomfortable. “Okay, 3…2…1.” And the cake was up. “I mean yeah, I think cake is a generous description. Just like a rectangle of icing with some cake hidden underneath.”

"Uh oh, I mean could we blame Lincoln for trying?" Rachel didn't know the other man that well, but also realized that maybe the comment would make Phoebe cringe or not. It wasn't like she shared her personal attraction towards certain people other than celebrities. She didn't want to make things weird by saying that, especially since after the one off she'd had with Leon, she didn't want to make things any more awkward.

She nodded enthusiastically as Phoebe confirmed that she would help. "Of course, it's no problem. I like feeling useful in these situations." Rachel shared, feeling like she hadn't seen a lot of familiar faces and so when she only knew certain people she liked to help with things. It wasn't that she was nervous of meeting new people, it was part of her job or rather used to be part of her job to meet new people.

Rachel shooed the idea of Leon being upset about her coming into the kitchen. "It's fine. He knows I wouldn't even try to touch anything because I would somehow magically ruin it." She wasn't too concerned that either of them would be chastised seriously though. And if anything she'd defend Phoebe and take the words. "Ah, got it. Costco does have pretty damn good sheet cakes. although I wouldn't be as sure of whether or not I could help carry that." Rachel teased, knowing how those cakes are notoriously rather heavy with all that icing that is on them. And no one was depending on her arm muscles for sure.

[thephoebeyates]

Even though it had been Phoebe’s suggestion to haul the cake back to the freezer, she stilled at the outright bossiness of someone she didn’t quite recognize. Regardless if they were a friend of Linc or Leon, she was always hesitant to let people she didn’t know in the back, especially those who tried to man a situation she was handling fine. Perhaps it was just her attachment to O’Shea’s, but it was more than just a pub, especially to Leon, and unless she could vet for them, or they had the older man’s trust, she felt hesitant to allow them out back.

“That’s okay, I think someone is getting Linc.” She stepped in front of the cake, ready to guard the dessert with her life if need be. “It was his idea to bring the cake out so, he should be the one handling it.” She wasn’t going to get blamed for the oversight of not having a cooler for it at the ready, or for picking it at all.  “Thanks though. You should go enjoy yourself.”

he  never  liked  to  meddle  when  it  came  to  parties.  he  was  there  to  attend  or  something,  provide  a  laugh,  be  the  comic  relief,  then  leave  out  the  back  door.  sometimes  with  someone?  but  it  didn't  have  to  be  a  requirement.  now,  here  he  was,  staring  down  the  table  with  the  cake.  the  ice  cream,  beginning  to  melt,  and  the  cook  in  his  heart  wanted  to  grab  it  and  throw  it  back  in  the  freezer.  if  it  went  the  same  way  that  it  was  sliding,  it  would  go  all  over  the  floor.  hard  work,  and  a  party,  ruined  in  one  fell  swoop.

he  cleared  his  throat,  rotating  his  drink  around  in  his  hand.  “haven't  seen  ‘em.  sorry.  i  think  we’d  be  better  off  to  just  haul  it  back.  otherwise,  you'll  lose  the  whole  damn  thing.”  it  emerged  as  drenched  in  sarcasm  as  the  rest  of  chance  tended  to  be.  pointing  things  out. 

glancing  around,  there  was  no  one  else  in  the  immediate  area.  he  sighed,  setting  his  drink  down.  “right,  let's  get  this  over  with.  which  freeze  you  get  it  out  of?  i'll  take  this  side.”  he  huffed,  rubbing  his  hands  together.  “should've  brought  a  cooler  or  something  for  this  monster.”  he  offered  a  chuckle,  just  in  case  it  sounded  too  sharp.  “it's  about  to  cause  a  mess  without  one.”

[thephoebeyates]

It had been a while since she had seen Oliver, namely because she had been teaching Seb to not bother people at work by leading by example. That, and if she found herself in the tattoo studio, she would have been tempted to get more ink, and even though it was her body and she could do what she wanted, she felt like her and Foster had enough surprises to last a lifetime, and decided her next tattoo would be with the support of her boyfriend, and he’d have the grace of a heads-up if it happened. Still, it was nice to see the artist all the same, smiling over at him as he came to offer his assistance.

“Hey, Oliver — oh, thank you…you good? You having a nice time?” She had noticed him hanging round the bar, and as nice as his offer was, couldn’t handle it if they let any distractions potentially put the cake at risk, no matter if they had a job that required a steady hand.

Oliver leans against one of the counters, a beer in his hand. He was lost in thought, probably lingering around one area for a while as he waited for Damian. Honestly, he hopes that his best friend will be at this little event especially with a little fiery red haired woman lurking around town. How could she come here? This was his fresh start not hers. He stares off into space until he hears a voice. He blinks a few times before turning his head to look over in the direction of Phoebe.

His gaze shifts down to the cake before he turns to look around the area around them to see if he could see either of the birthday boys. "I don't see either of them but I can help you lug it back to the big freezer if you like, Phoebe?"

@thephoebeyates

[thephoebeyates]

She managed to contort her grimace into a smile as a clearly inebriated Linc stumbled his way through the crowd and to Phoebe, gently grabbing onto his arm to help prevent him possibly knocking into the very cake she was trying to save. “It’s okay.” She murmured, rolling her eyes at his smile, the mirth sparkling in his alcohol-glazed gaze. “I feel like you’re never going to learn from your tenth birthday, buddy.” Now that had been a party to never forget, if only from the tears of all the little kids at the mess of the cake Linc’s dad had been in charge of, and how Seb — being the oldest party guest there — admittedly had made it worse. 

Phoebe begrudgingly let the younger man pull her into a hug, the smell of beer hitting her and making her wrinkle her nose. “Linc, sweetie, how much have you had to drink?” She tried to keep her tone light, not too nagging, not too overly concerned (something both boys had complained about on multiple occasions when they were ‘trying to have a good time, you’re not our mom Pheebs’). She knew it was his birthday, but she also wanted him to remember it as more than flashes of light and blurry faces. “I love you too.” Because she did. He was her little brother in all but blood, but stuff like that didn’t matter in somewhere like Weaver Ridge, where you had no choice but to be dragged up and adapt to the tough nature of your surroundings.

Anyone with eyes could see that Linc was in no state to handle anything heavier than the glass he had been clutching, and whilst Phoebe didn’t know where Leon had gotten to, she figured (or well, hoped, because it meant he was having a good time) he was in a similar state as the other birthday boy. “Maybe let’s not bother him, buddy, ‘kay? I can pick it up if you hold the doors open.”

Linc was pleasantly buzzed before eight, mostly because people kept pressing beers into his hand. He couldn't get two feet empty-handed before someone clapped him on the back and handed him a chilled glass-- and somewhere between the alcohol-soaked haze and the sweaty mob of friends, Linc had to wonder. Is this what Elysium is like? He was on his way to the patio for a smoke when a second person stopped him, asking Linc to please check in with Phoebe. It dawned on him, then, that another friend had told him the same thing maybe thirty minutes ago. Shit.

"I'm so sorry," he said, words tripping over each other as Linc broke through the crowd and stood in front of Phoebe. "I...." he dropped his gaze to the cake, grinning at Phoebe's predicament. It was admittedly funny. "We should've thought that through, huh?" Linc asked, reaching over to pull Phoebe into a hug. He was tipsy and he was hit with the sudden need to tell Phoebe how good of a friend she was. "Love you, Yates, you're a better friend than any of us deserve," Linc mumbled, pressing a platonic kiss to her hairline.

Linc made a mental note to find Sebastian next, but before he could do a proper sweep of the bar, Linc remembered the cake. He dropped his eyes to the quickly-melting dessert and wondered why he'd ever thought it would be a good idea. Linc set his glass down on the table, looking from Phoebe to the kitchen. "Um... should we take it back, or... should I get Leon?"

[thephoebeyates]

Phoebe eyed the stranger; not with suspicion but definitely with curiosity, trying to place their face with either Leon or Linc — or at least a friend of a friend of theirs. She tried to do her best to talk to everyone who showed up, even if it were awkward stilted conversations like with Lia, but hadn’t run into this person yet. She gathered that they weren’t a Blue Harbor native, if  the accent was anything to go by, and thus wondered if they were someone from Linc’s LA days, Leon’s New York days, or maybe a different connection altogether. 

“I’m sure they’ll show up.” She decided, resigning herself to the fact that somehow this cake was probably going to get ruined, whether it be the neglect in the heat or one of CJ’s wayward darts landing right into the middle of it. “Anyway, hi, I don’t think we met yet, I’m Phoebe.” She extended her hand out to the stranger, hoping this would be the best way to work out exactly where in the connections map of her mind to fit them.

The offer of them helping haul the cake back to the freezer made Phoebe pause slightly. She was sure they were trustworthy enough, but considering she herself couldn’t vouch for them, she was unsure how Leon would feel about it, especially if they were more Linc’s guest to the birthday bash tonight. “Oh, no that’s okay. I’m sure I can drag Linc away from whatever he’s got himself up to long enough to help me. You should, uh, enjoy yourself. Thank you though — you’re all set on drinks?”

Valentine stayed awhile on the corner of the bar, leaning against the brick wall and lifting their gaze on occasion to watch the emerging crowd. They’d chosen the wrong time to survey the establishment, that much was certain, but they made no move to turn back. It was fast becoming dark out, and the streetlight flickered on and off. Better to find a friendly, or at least a familiar, face, before making the trek back home to Cardinal Hill. 

At once, a woman’s voice punctured through the air. Her words were tinged with worry about the cake and candles in question—though no one seemed to have heard it or had resolved to ignore it in favor of drinks and party chatter. Birthday boys, then, though they couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to celebrate in such a place. 

Without forethought, Valentine moved towards the voice’s source, the next clear thing amid the noise. “I don’t really know where either of them are,” they shook their head, making a cursory glance towards the dank, sparingly-lit establishment. Their words, fortunately, also served to obscure their lack of knowledge of the birthday boys in question—boys? did they let anyone under 21 in here?—but if they wanted to land the prospective bartending gig, perhaps familiarizing oneself with the pub’s layout could count as a merit. “I can help bring it to the freezer if you want. It’s not a big deal.” 

[thephoebeyates]

The idea of Leon hiding from his own party wasn't one out of this realm, and Phoebe automatically glanced over to the entrance to the office — as if she could see through the old brick walls of the pub, envisioning the surly bar owner sulking away from the people celebrating him — before back to Rachel with a shrug. "Eh, probably. That or he got cornered — literally — by tipsy Linc." She loved her little brother figure, but tried his best to avoid him when he was inebriated just due to how...lovey-dovey he was.

She shook the thought of her friend away, grinning at Rachel's offer. The older journalist just seemed to be that kind of person, always wanting to help Phoebe out at work, even when it'd be at the possible risk of falling out of Deb's favour. "You would? Thatd be great, thank you!" She beckoned for Rachel to come closer, so they both haul up either side at the same time. "I mean, Leon would probably kill me for letting someone see the kitchen, but I also think Linc would get sad if he had no cake. And he's the one who picked it, I think if it were up to me, I'd just get one of those Costco sheet cakes."

Rachel wouldn't have missed this night. She had to chastise Leon for not telling her his birthday sooner, but other than she wanted to be there for him. She saw plenty of familiar faces here tonight including Phoebe, who she adored and always wanted to support her growth at Blue News. Right now she could tell that she was in hostess mode, even though she wasn't sure who exactly put all of this night together.

Moving over to Phoebe to see what she could do to help, she heard her words and let out a small hum. "I don't see either of them, Leon could be hiding? I could help you with the freezer if you want? I wouldn't want this to melt. Did you pick this out?" Rachel asked as she looked at the ice cream cake with a smile. It was an extremely sweet gesture and though she wasn't the strongest and her track record of accidents was incredibly high, she wasn't going to let that stop her from offering a hand.

[thephoebeyates]

End.

She nodded along, half absent-mindedly, focusing more on keeping the cake upright, as Rachel hurriedly explained her friendship with Leon. "He doesn't really advertise it. Like I said, he agrees to a party and stuff to mainly humor me and Linc." It wasn't Rachel's fault, or a testatement of the seriousness of her friendship with the bar owner, if Leon hadn't disclosed his birthday to her. He was just like that. Phoebe had basically known him her entire life and still couldn't get some basic information out of him if he wasn't in the mood to share.

The quietness of the kitchen compared to the main bar area was almost a shock to the system, and Phoebe led the older woman to the nearest counter, sliding the cake down on top of it, before walking over to pull the freezer door open. "I wouldn't be surprised if I walk in and see Leon just hiding in here." She joked, going back over to the cake, lifting it again. "But thanks for doing this, Rach. You've been a great help really."