[ open ] birthday time!

[picky]

WHO: Marcille, Ryoji, and YOU!
WHAT: A party for the April (and May) birthdays!
WHERE: LILICO Game Center in Akihabara
WHEN: April 20th
WARNINGS: TBA

No matter who you are, you receive a text early in the morning from Ryoji (memors):

Good morning! Did you know it's a special someone's birthday today? Actually, we have several birthdays to celebrate, so join us today at the LILICO Game Center! There will be cake! Lots and *lots* of cake. Hope to see you there!

This is an open log, so feel free to tag out or top level or respond to the prompts below. Have fun!

Comments

[memors]

[ He couldn't decide between the two cake flavors, so instead he has two small-sized pieces, one from each. Hopefully these suit everyone's preferences, but if not, he will absolutely book it to the nearest bakery to get what they want! Even if it's not their birthday party. It's fine.

Anyway, he's filling out the survey, dutifully writing down his name...but hesitates before putting down his birthdate. ]

Oh, right. I should decide on that...

[ How do you pick a day to celebrate yourself? ]

[ignoreher]

[ funny enough

that is exactly what malkuth's trouble is too, drumming her fingers on the table in thought. she knows... the month, but not the day. would it matter any? should she pick one that she had a lot of fun on? to make it memorable...? but ryoji has it worse, she thinks, being the personification of death.

... as unbelievable as it might be just looking at him right now. malkuth nudges him with her shoulder. ]

Don't think too hard about it. Do you have a favorite month? One that means something to you? That's... sort of how I'm going about it myself, I think, since I only remember half my birthday.

[memors]

[ The thing is, he'd give her the exact same advice, and yet hearing himself, he feels paralyzed by choice. There's several important days that come to mind, but how does he choose the most important one? Or is that the wrong way to go about it completely?

Maybe he should just put a calendar on the wall and throw a dart. ]

A lot happened for me in the month of November, but I haven't even experienced all the months of the year yet, so it seems unfair to exclude those. [ Should he consider Minato's birthday? No, he doesn't want to take away Minato's own day... ] What's the half of yours that you remember?

[ignoreher]

The month. I only remember that it was around March, but the day is totally lost on me.

[ so she's already had it... hmmm. malkuth'd like to erase his small worries, just as she's done for her, so she continues a little softer. ]

I think the new year suits you, actually. If you don't mind a real suggestion. The ending of one, the beginning of another... A time where everyone reflects, and then looks forward to the future. Fearful and exciting. And apparently fun with friends, though I've never experienced it myself.

[memors]

[ Even if she doesn't know the date and it might've happened before he arrived, that means he totally missed celebrating her birthday!!! He blew it...

The new year, though...a thoughtful hum. ]

New Year's Day... [ Ironically enough, a day he would never get to see as Ryoji. Not back home, anyway. ] That day holds some personal significance for me, too, though...not necessarily for a good reason. That said, maybe here, it can come to mean something different to me.

[ He'd like that. ]

[ignoreher]

[ stop... just give her a belated birthday date now. she'd love it. ]

I hope so! I'll make it mean something different when it wraps back around, whether you make it your birthday or not. We can go on a date then.

[ future date... that's so far, ]

[memors]

[ It's SO FAR...but also, it's nice to have something far into the future to look forward to? That's pretty new to him. ]

Really? That would definitely make it something far more special. If I can look forward to dates with you, I'll want to have a birthday every month.

[ Every week? He's shameless. ]

[ignoreher]

[ oh. she can Feel march's judging soda sip as her cheeks warm and grin widen. stop. she knows he's a flirt, even if he means it (because he enjoys malkuth's company, why wouldn't he seek a reason to spend more time in it?) but it still makes her play with the end of her sleeve. ]

I really shouldn't let you get to me, Ryoji, but I can't help it. Why don't we skip the birthday excuse and have a day ourselves anyway?

[memors]

[ March is definitely judging them both...but he gets the impression Malkuth doesn't mind the attention, so far be it for him to deny her. ]

I'd really love that. Is there anywhere you'd wanted to visit that you haven't been able to yet? The city is our oyster, especially if we make a day out of it.

[ Yes, he's going to take "day" very literally. ]

[ignoreher]

[ oh, he's taking day so literally. she has to make sure there are No plans when those days come up. ]

Plenty of places! I'm just one person, you know, I usually throw a dart at the wall and figure out what's in the area -- usually just food places, but that's because museums and stuff are better with company. I've been meaning to look at some junk shops for tattered books people have thrown away and all.

[memors]

[ Quickly nodding, and making a mental note of all the places that Malkuth wants to visit: ]

I have a few record shops I've been wanting to check out, too. They're supposed to have some pretty niche, experimental collections...

Sounds like we're in for exploring Neo Tokyo. Who knows what hole-in-the-wall places are right under our noses!

[frostfist]

[ imagine trying to pick out your own birthday (says guy who picked out his own birthday)

Here he is, also with a slice of strawberry shortcake on a plate, peering at the clipboard and most definitely not making any overtures towards writing his own birthday down. Maybe if he gets bullied into it later.... ]

Don't remember your birthday? [ Well, harbingers of mankind's doom probably don't come with birthdays preloaded, huh? ] What about the [ .... ] person you were with? Did they have a birthday?

[memors]

[ He should choose December 25th as a power move...take that, Jesus.

Anyway, he doesn't miss that moment of hesitation in Wriothesley's words, eyes brightening with amusement. ]

His was in March, so I could use his...I wouldn't want to take away from the specialness of his own birthday, though.

[ Minato already gave him so much — he shouldn't take that, too. ]

What day is yours, Wriothesley-san?

[frostfist]

You don't think it would be just as special to celebrate a birthday with someone important to you?

[ But it's not like birthdays have ever been particularly important to him, so maybe he's just pulling words out his ass. WWMD? (What would March Do) ]

But if you're worried about that, you could pick another date that's important to you.

[ Just gonna. Ignore that question about his own birthday for now. They need to figure out Ryoji's birthday conundrum first. ]

[memors]

[ He's doing his best March impression, bless you, Wriothesley. ]

November 4th was the day I incarnated into this form. [ Normal!! ] December 2nd was the day I regained my memories...December 31st holds a lot of significance as well.

[ Yet all those dates also have negative connotations, too. Maybe he could reclaim them, in a sense? But also: ]

Hang on, you didn't answer my question!

[frostfist]

[ Smoothly: ]

My birthday? It's in November.

[ Good enough!! Back to Ryoji now: ]

End of the year, huh? That's quite some time from now. [ ......... ] How long did you say you've been in this form again?

[memors]

[ THAT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH WRIO!! ]

Let's see, I suppose it's been...about three and a half months now. It feels like it's been much longer than that, though. Some might even call it a "lifetime".

[ But that may be the experiences he shared in Minato's soul speaking. ]

[frostfist]

[ Settle on a birthday first and then he'll offer up his. :/ Homework assignment for the day.

A lifetime though.... Three months doesn't sound like much on paper, but the passage of time has always been one of the most subjective human experiences. Those first few months in the Fortress had felt like an eternity to him, while his time here has passed in the blink of an eye. ]

So not too much time to gain real experiences of your own. [ Minus the ones he got as part of someone's other half. ] There's nothing wrong with waiting to decide on a birthday if you're not sure now. I'm sure these sashes will still be here months from now.

[ Because that's obviously the real reason anyone here announces their birthday. ]

[memors]

[ Look, he's not wrong, Ryoji wants to be treated like a princess with a sash too! ]

Maybe you're right. Maybe we'll simply reach a date that will hit me as the day meant to celebrate myself. [ Or will delaying his choice make it harder to choose than it already is? ] As strange as that sounds...

[ Is that something he even really wants? Perhaps that's the first question that needs answering. ]

Would you tell me...what do you enjoy doing on your birthday? Or maybe...what's the most special birthday celebration you've ever had?

[frostfist]

[ His own birthdays? It's not an unexpected question given a) the nature of the party they're at right now and b) the conversation leading up to it, but it's still enough to prompt Wriothesley to fall silent in thought.

Around them, the low hubbub of the party swells to momentarily fill in the silence. ]

I never really celebrated mine much. It's not a day that holds much significance for me [ outside of being the day he went to jail, lol ] so I never really bothered with anything special. I suppose the most memorable ones were the dinners I had with a few good friends.

[ He offers up a wan smile. ]

Sorry. That's probably not the sort of answer you were hoping to hear, was it?

[memors]

[ Truthfully, there's no answer that Wriothesley could give that Ryoji would be disappointed by, because anything he could offer is another morsel of humanity for him to mull over and digest, another piece of that vast puzzle. Yet even in his limited scope, he likes the simplicity of it. Birthdays don't need to be something grand to be something special. ]

That's the perfect sort of answer. [ Authentic, personal. ] Making more memories with those that make your life worth living...sounds like a tremendous way to celebrate to me.

[ Nodding to the table beside him: ]

As long as there's cake, of course.

[bruisehaver]

Decide on it?

[ She is skipping out on cake.... and instead snooping on other people's surveys. Right now, Ryoji is her target — or Death, rather. Does Death even have a birthday? ]

Have you no memory of when you came into existence?

[memors]

[ Some would say Death's birthday is December 31st, but that day is...well, a bit touchy for Ryoji. Does he want the day he chooses to celebrate his life, such as it is, to be the same as the day he asked SEES whether or not they would kill him?

He's...running into that issue with a lot of the days he's debating. ]

Not...exactly. I had little sense of self beyond my purpose, so my memories of that time are...hazy. I believe it was in December, though.

[ If not ten years to the day that he recalled his memories on the Moonlight Bridge. ]

Do you find that odd? That I want to choose a birthday, I mean.

[bruisehaver]

How else will you keep track of the passage of your life, if you do not choose one?

[ That is to say, she doesn't find it that weird. It's practical, at least. ]

Even the strictest of warriors need things to look forward to and celebrate. Otherwise, fighting would have no meaning.

[memors]

[ So for her, it's something of a landmark, is it? Each birthday passed is another year lived, for a warrior. He may not consider himself one in the strictest sense, but he would certainly consider it an accomplishment if he lives to see more than a year in this form. ]

So it's important for you to celebrate yourselves. I like looking at it that way...in that case, I'll chose a day I won't come to regret later.

[ Not any of those dates fraught with turmoil, caused by himself to his friends. ]

Malkuth suggested January 1st, so...maybe that's the way to go. A day that means new life.