Logs:Joy springs all radiant in my breast; Though pauper poor, than king more blest,

Joy springs all radiant in my breast; Though pauper poor, than king more blest,
Dramatis Personae Kitty, B, Hive, Tag 🤨, Fury, Ryan, Alma, Charles, Scott, FitzSimmons,
In Absentia	summer solstice '23 / jax's 31st birthday "Eat! Drink! Be Merry!"
Location <NYC> Rooftop - SHIELD Headquarters - Times Square
There's an unexpected oasis at the top of this gleaming high-rise, the whole of it carpeted in thick, soft, layered ground cover of sedums, grass, and moss. A small, carefully manicured grove serves as the centerpiece, with benches, tables and chairs scattered around in the shade. Beside it, a professionally landscaped garden boasts a pond and quite a few planters that either used to hold plants or still hold dying ones. The greenhouse is somewhat sparsely and eclectically populated with tropical plants, flanked by garden beds even more sparsely planted. An open lawn on the side overlooking Times Square makes a great spot for a picnic. The otherwise unsightly structure housing the roof access, a single stall bathroom, and tool shed has been covered on three sides with turf and shaped into a little promontory offering a breathtaking view of the city. The peace of the rooftop has been Rapidly Disrupted -- fifteen minutes ago, some SHIELD staffers were enjoying an early supper under the balmy light of the solstice sun. Now -- Well. The lawn has mostly disappeared under the newly assembled raised stage, wires for lighting and sound systems running through the grass to generators that definitely do not belong to SHIELD. The tables have been commandeered as food and drink stations, the promontory as the drop-off spot for guests arriving via Various Modes of Flight instead of signing in on the ground floor of the building. And there are so many guests already, people from all over the city, not just Jackson Holland's large collection of personal friends -- a collection of bikers in MMMC cuts, artists still with paint stains on their hands, teenagers who probably should still be up at Westchester and definitely didn't sign out, mutant musicians with guitars strapped to their backs. The chatter through the soundcheck is not so loud yet, but the volume is slowly rising. At one of the commandeered tables, Kitty is fussing with a huge water jug and stacks of paper cups. "-- Do you," she's asking earnestly, dipping her cup into the jug and pulling it out full of water as she does so, "know where I can get another trash can? I don't think we brought enough and Blink is really due for a break." Next to her, Leo Fitz's eyes are bugging out of his skull, staring at Kitty's immaterial hand. Blinks once, twice. "...Sorry, what did you say?" He is probably still not listening. In the background of the cheerful chatter there's a quiet droning hum, one tiny blue-and-silver hoverbike floating up to hover just over SHIELD's rooftop. In addition to the many other regulatory transgressions happening, B is not currently wearing her usual sharktooth helmet -- just a tight silvery-mesh tee shirt, fairly see-through over a lacy black halter crop underneath, a pleated miniskirt in black and silver, and very stompy metallic boots with matching wristcuffs. She has her Mongrels cut over top; her claws and the slender dotted liner limning her enormous eyes are actively glowing in a slightly luminescent silvery-blue. "Have fun!" she's chirruping to the pair of (definitely not signed out!) X-Kids she lets off, who are promptly scampering off to explore the Drinks Options while they think enough adults are looking the other way that they can maybe sneak some booze. B is definitely not sneaking booze, but ze is taking a short break from ferrying duty to scarper off hirself, in order to locate Jax so that ze can deliver a quick hug to the Birthday Boy Dad. By dint of being connected at the brain, Hive has already found the birthday boy. Hive is slouched on a picnic bench, leaning against the table with a droopy-lidded expression that suggests he might already be half asleep despite the ongoing commotion. He's sipping on a lemonade, looking mostly drab in faded old jeans and a grey tee shirt with 'BLUE SUN