open || ain't no party like a birthday party

[complementing]

WHO: Minako, Sakura, Ragna, and you!
WHERE: One of the arcade bars in the city.
WHEN: March 10th
WHAT: BIRTHDAY PARTY!
WARNINGS: None foreseen! Feel free to threadjack for Minako's Hot Potato Categories game.



[Welcome to the Emporium, an arcade bar that Minako and Sakura have decided to host their joint birthday party at! Come on in and have some fun playing games, eating junk food, and just hanging out with the birthday girls (and guy, if he decides to come).

There are, of course, the numerous arcade games that the place is known for, ranging from the old school 2v2 fighters to the shooting gallery kinds. But there are a smattering of other games as well, like DDR, darts, mini hoops, skeeball, and the pool table, too. There's also a wall of crane games in the back, with plenty of random and mostly cute prizes to win.

Make a stop by the purikura booth if you have time. Make some duck lips at the camera and then take the snaps home! (Or give them to the birthday girls for the memories.)

Oh, and be sure to exchange your money for tokens before you play all these games. The token machine seems kind of finicky, though. Maybe a strong (and hopefully discrete?) kick will help jumpstart it.

Walk to the dining area, and there'll be a feast waiting you! The arcade is providing a ton of pizza and wings, as well as alcohol, if you can show your ID. For dessert, there's the cake that Shuji made for the girls, as well as Minako's lemon tea cakes. Those are limited supply, though, so snag one before everyone eats it up.

Next to the dining area, there's a big sign that says "DUNK TANK OUTSIDE". Maybe take a look? Just be reaaaally sure you want to climb in before you do it, though. The towels provided by the arcade are pretty small.

And finally, if you need a break from the chaos, there's a couple of couches on the second floor. Take a load off and watch from above.]

Comments

[spirithacker]

I won't 'accept things'. Stand back up.

[Even if Kei doesn't mean to insult him, Shinji feels insulted, and that gives him the authority to tell a grown man what to do.

Then again, Shinji's never needed authority to yell at adults.]

[livingimpaired]

How cold.

[ He supposes that he'll have to deal with a pain in his neck. Kei turns his head as he chuckles to himself at the turn of phrase. A tired grunt comes out as he places one hand on his knee before pushing himself back up to stand. Dusting himself off with the back of his other hand, he adds: ]

Is this really better, Shinji Matou? Well, you are the troubled party while I'm just attempting to be comfortable. So I suppose it doesn't matter much to me.

[spirithacker]

Yes. It's better.

[Shinji is a stubborn type, so even if it wasn't better to have Kei loom, he'd insist that it was. Because Shinji has never been wrong about anything, ever.]

You're here for Sakura, right? Do you talk to Sakura a lot?

[livingimpaired]

[ He just rubs his neck and gives a small nod. At least, one of them is happy. And honestly, that's how it would be normally so-- ]

I'm here for her, yes. [ A beat. ] Hm. I wouldn't say that I talk to her too much. We just happen to run into each other every so often. Why?

[spirithacker]

'Cause I want to know about my cousin's weird friends.

[Kei is weird, but maybe not a friend.]

[livingimpaired]

[ An interesting question, even if Shinji doesn't mean for it to be. Kei doesn't know if he considers himself Sakura's friend. But that doesn't seem to be how Sakura views him. ]

Hm. [ Well, that's a thought. ] I am her friend, so what is it that you want to know about me?

[spirithacker]

[Why would you go to a birthday party if you aren't friends or family? Obviously this guy is Sakura's friend, if he isn't here for the other girl.]

How did you meet?

[livingimpaired]

She came into my restaurant one day.

[ A slight pause. ] It was luck and fortune that had her come into my restaurant that day.

[ He muses over mentioning that her father asked him to watch over her, but well, he decides to explain and not explain. ] Her father is someone that is important to me so I was relieved to have met her, then. [ Holding his hands out in surrender, he continues: ] I suppose you could call me a friend of the family. Or a meddler that comes in from time to time.

Both would be fairly accurate. [ A soft chuckle follows. ]

Either way, I recognized who she was and offered her a nice meal. I wouldn't say the talk was had anything really interesting said. But it was a nice first meeting all the same. [ Rin had threatened to call the police on him so the meeting with the younger Tohsaka sister was much more appreciated. ]

Sakura has that sort of ... energy about her, I suppose. The kind that draws other people to her, don't you agree?

[spirithacker]

[Kei likes to talk about as much as the average eight-year-old. Shinji manages not to interrupt, somehow.]

If she didn't, she wouldn't have so many guests at her birthday party.

[A vague gesture to the rest of the party, where there are indeed a number of people. Though Shinji has no real idea how many are there for Minako.]

You're friends with my uncle? I've never met him before - Mom and Sakura's mom are sisters and Mom talks about her, but I don't know much about Sakura's dad. What's he like?

[Insatiable curiosity is a good trait of Shinji's except when it leads to talking about not-yet-apped NPCs.]

[livingimpaired]

[ Kei doesn't know how to respond for a moment as he doesn't fully understand what he's saying about Sakura. He frowns for a second before simply nodding -- Shinji gets the gist at least. The gist is good enough for an eight-year-old. ]

Mmhmm.

[ He blinks and tilts his head. ] Oh. [ His gaze drifts up as he muses over his answer. ] Tohsaka-senpai is someone that I respect. He is someone that carries himself with class and dignity. [ Hm. ] He is a higher caliber of character than most people. [ He brings his gaze back down to Shinji. ]

To put simply, he is a good person that loves his family deeply. [ Kei opens his mouth to almost say that his senpai is not without his faults, but he decides against it. ] To his extended family, yes, that is the image that I want to give you of him.

[spirithacker]

He sounds cool.

[Class and dignity... Shinji's never had class in his life.]

I want to talk to him. But we still can't call places outside of Recolle for some dumb reason.

[The towns he'd never heard of before February don't count as real places, even though he's actually been to one of them.]

[livingimpaired]

Right?

[ "Cool" may not be the word he would use, but he agrees it is adequate. ]

So it would seem. I also miss being able to talk to him. [ Yet he's missing it less and less. ] In any case, if you were to call him, he will probably be willing to listen to whatever you wish to say. [ Kei holds his chin in thought. ]

But I wonder... what is it that you wish to speak to him about, Shinji Matou?

[spirithacker]

Don't people want to meet their relatives just 'cause they're relatives? I don't need a special reason.

[Shinji might not be related to him by blood, but they are family, and it'd be good to talk to him at least once. Maybe they'll get along, maybe they won't, but one conversation wouldn't kill either of them.]

Plus, he's probably super worried about Sakura and Rin right now. Somebody should tell him they're okay.

[livingimpaired]

No, not all the time. But if that's the only reason, that's a good reason. It's a reason that few people can come up with as they grow up.

[ He closes one eye, not really winking but grimacing with a smile. ] The older one becomes, the sillier and foolish they become toward family. [ Kei certainly does not exempt himself from this. ]

That's difficult to say. As he is outside the influence of the app, he may not even notice anything is amiss. But it is nice of you to worry about him.

[spirithacker]

I already know grown-ups are dumb.

[That's something he knows without Kei having to tell him so. It's also easier to respond to than the rest of what's been said.]

Did you have the app in February? 'Cause I had to tell Rin she should tell Sakura she loved her before she went on the probably dangerous mission outside the city. Even though she just told me I should tell my parents. Teenagers and grown-ups are super dumb.

[livingimpaired]

[ His head gives a small tilt as it seems Shinji once more gets the gist of what he is saying.

But he gives a small nod at being asked if he had the app in February. Yes, that is the month that he mostly was setting himself on fire. Turning his head, he grimances for a second as he recalls all his foolish actions before looking back.

He hums, and thinks that Rin probably did as Shinji asked but thinks on the relationship between the two girls. Well, that will be up for Sakura to fix. ]

So they are. But sometimes, it is hard to tell someone that you love them. So don't think too poorly of Rin.

[spirithacker]

[why did you subject yourself to Shuji's dokis, Kei]

I won't.

[Because Rin is his cousin, and despite being really dumb sometimes, she's family and he likes her. Same with Sakura.]

Am I going to be that kind of dumb when I grow up?

[livingimpaired]

Probably.

[ He shrugs his shoulders. ]

As your world gets bigger and your perspective expands -- as your understanding of what you see grows, you will become stupid. [ Kei chuckles to himself as he slides his hands behind his back. ]

But you also become smart in other ways. It is just the little ways that we were clever and kind when we are young slip out of our grasp as we grow older.

[spirithacker]

I'm already smart enough. Growing up sounds like a waste of time.

[Not that he really has any choice about that. Obviously he'll grow up someday. What else would he do, stay a kid for the rest of his very short life?]