Tony Stark (in_extremis) wrote in oh_marvelous, @ 2011-07-04 01:56:00 |
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Illuminations
Characters: Avenges, SHIELD people, various friends and acquaintances Avengers and SHIELD people, pretty much OTA. If you're not sure, the answer is probably yes, get in.
Setting: Tony's lake house, upstate New York. Fourth of July, and beyond!
Content: This thread has been approved for audiences over 14 years of age.
Summary: It's Cap's birthday, it's America's birthday, it's probably other people's birthdays, let's all have a ball.
It should have been expected when Tony said 'cottage', what he really meant was 'compound'. Last year, they had invited the city to the party and put on a celebration for an incredibly battered and brave population, but this time it was about getting away and relaxing. At least, that was the idea. The venture to Las Vegas and Cassie's birthday had gone so radically poorly that Tony felt it probably would be best to put them as far away from civilization as he could sell it, and enjoying the luxuries of summer ended up selling itself. After all, they didn't get much opportunity for an experience like that, and Steve in particular seemed to think it was some kind of myth. Fishing, camping, cannonballs off the dock, the whole thing. Theoretically.
Tony's self-described 'cottage' didn't quite conjure the proper atmosphere. A long, winding, drive through the forest opened up to a perfectly manicured lawn gently sloping down towards a shoreline so evenly curved it had to be manufactured, stretching off into the distance in either direction. Before even reaching the house, visitors had to pass luridly green and impeccably surfaced tennis courts, a barn with a dressage ring and a lovingly cultivated apple orchard that Tony couldn't admit to ever having set foot in. The sandy shore barely had a pebble on it and boasted a far reaching dock the same honey colour as the sand, and a boathouse that must have held more toys than Tony knew he actually owned.
The house itself was a delicately architectural nest curving away from the drive and reaching towards the lake, taking an obvious inspiration from the militant rows of heavy apple trees. At least, to Tony's eye. It sat low to the ground and, from the outside, was a series of interlocking, honeyed wood bows that gave way to carefully set glass domes that glinted like the water's surface in the sun. Inside, the communal rooms were an open concept series of sunken villas in a latticework of that polished, fragrant wood, looking out to those glass domes that contained an inviting conservatory and glittering pool, in case the lake wasn't big enough for all of them. Bedrooms, dozens of them, private annexes and a warm, cozy library were hidden up and beyond staircases flanked by raw birch branches, inviting the guests to follow them to the far reaching corners of the home.
If that wasn't enough for everyone, there was always the kitchen. Food never disappointed.