setting up;
"Family is more than bloodline," Claire answered as she pulled back out of the largest box. A lot of the decorations were more Mandolorian than anything else, true, but Claire had thought the sentiment was appropriate for celebrating Ailyn, given that her future family was comprised of more than just blood relatives. Really, it was a sentiment most of those brought to Los Angeles, or born here later, had learned or would learn over their time.
"And I swear it won't be," she said when she turned back to face the stage, noticed the dubious look on his face and recalled his complaint moments ago. "It's just a party, like a birthday or holiday or something, only this is about a baby and a new family that's being made."
It hadn't taken long to rearrange this end of the ground-level bar to make use of the stage and a few tables that weren't booths, which was good, because they didn't have long. There was more space upstairs in the restaurant, but this wasn't going to be a fancy party at all, and there were fewer tables and surfaces in the downstairs dance club. Plus, the stage would be there if anyone decided to be silly.
"We don't have much time left, guys, so let's hurry up," she said, snapping out a tablecloth so she could place the cake, cookies, miniature pies – yes, with Dean and Ben in mind – and other desserts on it and move on to the main food table. She'd even, with Ailyn and Mary's help and a good deal of trial and error, managed to create a few desserts (and other food, to go with the rest of the 'lunch buffet' type fare) that were Earth-ingredients best formation of foods Mirta and Sam would have known from home. Claire was especially proud of the uj'alayi, even if the syrup was still maple syrup at its base.
The small tiered cake, however, was the part she was most fond of, in terms of food, as aspects of the artwork she'd had made for one of the presents (Sam's patch and the circular Ke barjurir gar'ade jagyc'ade kot'la a dalyc'ade kotla'shya.) had also proven to be a great design for the cake when used as separate (the saying iced around the round tiers) and combined (the whole design on the top tier of the cake) elements. Aspects like these – the cake, decorations and so on – had been "shower standard" ones that she had kept, but altered so this was more party than Earth-tradition baby shower.