Livingroom: Marta / Seven
She'd been there the day before and earlier in the morning to help Audrey and Hannah, to tidy and prepare, to hang thousands of tiny, strung lights, and to make certain everything was ready for the party. It filled the double purpose of making her feel like she'd helped her friends (an almost unfamiliar, but welcome, feeling), and giving her the excuse of not having to actually attend the party later in the evening. She hadn't actually seen the invitation list, but assumed that there would be at least one person in attendance that she was better off not encountering. Not that she was hiding... just making thing better for everyone, and ensuring that everyone would actually enjoy the party.
Which was fine, until she was sitting on her bed at home, Jafnadr and Ljos starting their evening of activity by sniffing around on top of her covers, nudging their noses into the slight folds of the blankets. When they wandered close, she would reach out to pet a finger along their so-soft backs, smiling at the way it made them twitch their ears every time. It was a nice, quiet evening, the lamp on low in her room, but it was much like any other night she had. Though every other night didn't have a party going on somewhere that friends had invited her to. The quiet gave her space to think, and her thoughts kept circling around the party, around her friends (who weren't among a number large enough to simply wave off). And it finally got to a point where she could no longer fight off the thought that she had every right to be at the party as well. And if someone else didn't want to see her there? Well fuck them - she had an invitation and she'd helped to make the house sparkle.
She didn't have any sort of costume to wear (most of her clothes were made for work, not for parties), but she also knew that it wasn't a set-in-stone sort of theme, so she didn't feel too bad about simply choosing something nice but fairly comfortable, something that she felt good in, and heading out the door. It was a walk, but not too far, and it didn't take long before she was stepping into the glowing house with a smile, happy to see the effect of all those lights. It made everything warm and inviting, and she kept her eye out for either of the hostesses to let them know how nice everything looked.
For the moment though, she wandered slowly from the kitchen to the livingroom, soaking up the warmth and music, and watching other partygoers. (And carrying one of those grasshopper brownie bars, eating the M&Ms off the top, one by one.)