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

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

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.]

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[ Kei looks around for a second, careful not to move his head too much. He observes the party carefully and feels exhausted from all the excitement and joy. Allowing the bottle to drop out of his hand, he's glad that he had finished his beer. Regardless, it wouldn't do to cause a mess. In any case, he lifts his hand up to lightly touch the side of Howard's face. ]

I always felt a little tired around the happy, because it was like their emotions were always bursting while mine were calm and stable. Like being on two different frequencies. The tired that you still feel. It was once the same, wasn't it? The exhaustion I feel comes from another source now... no longer just slipping into apathy but... something I can't quite name. [ He lightly cups the side of his face. ] It scares me. Yet I will not give up on saving myself. But Howard...

[ And his friend stirs, his hand drops away. ]

Don't worry about it. I had a nice chat with a very understanding person. [ Kei offers a warm smile. ] So, there's nothing to worry about. I'm grateful that you fell asleep. Sometimes, there are only things you can tell someone when they're not able to hear it.

I was...asleep. I couldn't answer...

[He blinks, confused. Who would speak with a sleeping man? He stares at Kei, unsure what he means. A conversation? About what? What secrets did Kei confess, when he was deep in the realm of dreams?]

Was it anything important? [He doesn't know what to feel. Maybe he should've stayed awake and listened?] I mean, if you need me to lend you an ear, I wouldn't mind. I wouldn't mind at all.

[ His eyes roll up at the thought of it being something important. He frowns as he decides that it probably was important in some way. Kei isn't even certain how the sentence would end. But he does recognize touching Howard's face feels different than touching Oda's. Hm. ]

You already did. [ He seems pleased, chuckling a little. ] But there's nothing to worry about, Howard. I suppose all I was saying was embarrassing things... like how much I value you as a friend, and how in the past we have always felt the same sort of feelings. Such as in parties like this. [ His shoulders lift and lower in a small shrug. ]

Saying them aloud, they come off needlessly sentimental.

...

[Again, Kei swerves off somewhere with his words, becoming more unreadable. Howard just stares.]

[After a moment, he just shakes his head, raising a hand to wipe down his face to fully wake himself up, obscuring his expression.]

Well...sentimental looks good on you. [He lowers his hand - his mouth is twisted in the same unreadable line it almost always is in. There's a pleased sort of glint in his eyes, though.] There's nothing wrong with that.

It only looks good on me because you benefit most from it.

[ There is little venom in the words. If anything, it ends on something like a half-laugh. But does Howard? While what I say is true... the source of all those feelings is hardly kind. That sobers him up enough to offer a sarcastic kind of smile. ]

Anyway, it just simply sounds nice. [ Kei blinks at the manner in which he is looked at with a slight tilt of his head. Hm? At least Howard no longer looks too troubled. I have been enough of a menace tonight. ] Also, I'm certain that you've heard much nicer strings of words.

Me? [It's like saying "I look good because it makes you feel good". It surprises Howard, who lets out a noise that sounds like the mixture of a choked laugh and a huff.]

Ah, well, not really. [He slides his hand to push back the strands of hair that have fallen into his face. His gaze has not moved off of Kei.] Besides, you have a way with words. You know I'm a writer, I just can't help but...admire your skill.

Is that so?

[ His skill with words admired? Well, that isn't the first time that he's heard such praise -- though, he believes that Rin had meant it mostly in jest. ]

Even so... when you write, you're able to create something that comes from a real and true place. Somewhere that exists within your soul, Howard. I have nothing like that, and so as kind as it is to admire my words... I much more admire your soul. [ It would be nice if I could be envious of it, but I lack that ability. I am who I am, but I can still recognize someone better than myself. ]

My soul? It's hardly anything to write home about.

[Is the haze in his head from the beer he drank before? He shakes his head, even frowning - no, no, Kei is the better one out of the two of them? He just writes ghost stories. But Kei...]

But you can...really understand people in ways I can't. You can connect with their worlds and bring them peace, and I just... ["I just unsettle them". He swallows.] I could listen to you forever, if I had the choice.

It's a lot to write home about. I'm certain Sakura would even call it "wonderful."

[ Indeed, he could see her beaming up at Howard and telling him how much his soul shined. Kei would probably add that it shined with black, foreboding light upon everyone -- and it'd be seen as the kind words that they were. ]

It is more like peeling away people, if I am honest. I can understand a lot about them, but I cannot connect to them as you can. [ A laugh. ] But listen to me forever? Is that a marriage proposal? I'm afraid that I'm already married to Cthulhu.

Ah, well, Sakura likes that sort of thing...

[Dear Sakura. A girl who knows him in and out. Sakura knows he used to be a monster. So does Kei, actually. And yet they both have stayed around him, unwilling to leave.]

[That's...a nice, nice, wonderful feeling. One that he doesn't have time to dwell on, because-]

Married? [He doesn't know why he suddenly feels scared, anxious even, like he wants to jump up and question just WHO Kei is married to anyways, and then...the last part finally gets through. It's...a joke?]

[Either way, he's still flustered by that tease that he wants to marry Kei. Haha, like that would happen, ha, no, just a joke...]

No, no, goodness, I-I didn't say that as a...um. [His ears feel like they're burning.] Why are you married to...Cthulhu, again??

She likes you, Howard, so she'll always find your soul pleasing.

[ Kei feels his jaw twitch about speaking completely for someone not present. It gives him an uncomfortable feeling, even if it is a positive remark. His head tilts like he may twist to crack it, but pauses over hearing the surprised question over his joke. ]

I only meant to tease you a little. [ Though, he is a little surprised by the response, himself. His eyebrows lift at following question. ] I am going to double-down on my joke to ease your discomfort. [ Kei decides to announce casually, because it should make Howard feel better to hear him go off about an imagined relationship than fret about actual marriage. ]

Cthulhu accepts me as I am regardless of the fact I have no desire to join his cult. I suppose that is well and good. You cannot truly be with a person if you worship that individual. There will always be discord in the relationship thanks to the glorification of the entity.

[ He holds his hands out. ] But that hardly gets down to the why. If I put it into simpler words, it would be [ His chin lifts as he decides his initial thought would be too dark for his joke. ] not love but mild interest the both of us have in the idea of marriage. He's an ageless being but never experienced marriage, and I am myself. Personally, I feel Cthulhu is getting the short-end of the deal, but I'll be just a blip in his life, and he'll come to forget me after eons have passed, so it works out to ease any guilt.

I don't know about that...

[He still remembers how he had just up and abandoned her when Mateus had approached them several months ago. He had apologized, and she treated him as usual, but...was that enough.]

Cthulhu. Okay. Alright. [He lets out a huff, focusing on the joke rather than his heart beating a thousand times a minute. It seems like a very random choice, Cthulhu...Howard briefly wonders if this is some reference to an inside joke or something he can't really parse.]

So you just got married for the sake of...marriage. [A tch. He folds his arms, considering Kei's points. ] Well, you can't blame a being like that for being interested. I don't think he'd get the short end of the stick at all. I mean...just that human experience of having a bond with someone else is something he's never had. He sleeps all the time in the ocean, though, are you sure you'd be interested in someone who just does that all the time...?

Edited 2018-03-21 14:21 (UTC)

I suppose that is true. If all he has had is cultists or those fearing him, it would stand to reason that he does not know what it is to be connected to another person. [ His head gives a small tilt as he admits that he also isn't quite sure what that feels like, either. The bonds that he has with others always feel a little artificial. For them, they feel real, but he should not be getting so philosophical in thinking on an imaginary marriage. ]

I'm certain I could be interested in someone like that, Howard. They don't have to be awake all the time just to appease me. They don't need to do anything for me, if they don't want. If he is happiest sleeping, I see no reason to upset that wish. I would rather the person live as they want to live instead of live as they think they should live for me. [ He chuckles. ] Honestly, such selfishness is refreshing to me.

That makes it sound like he's lonely.

[Can an eldritch monstrosity even feel loneliness? Howard purses his lips, thinking over it. A terrifying beast like that, who needed to be around others...]

[The thought makes him uncomfortable, in some strange way.]

Selfishness is refreshing to you? [So he'll accept my- - he stops his own thought, shaking his head. No, that's foolish. They're talking about Cthulhu, who lays dead and dreaming.] You're probably the first person I've ever heard say that that's something they want in a relationship, you know. A relationship usually implies a level of selflessness...

Maybe? But that would only be true if he valued human connections. If he does, he will be lonely. If he doesn't, it is only something to try for the sake of trying without the benefit of easing anything.

[ Furthermore, Kei has no desires for any of the powers the unspeakable horror commands. And the monstrosity would want nothing he has. There is no negative or positive. In short, it becomes such a non-action that there's no reason not to. Am I have fun with this imaginings? Well, it certainly is cheerier talk to have at a party. ]

It is. [ He shakes his head, lifting his hand to stroke his chin in thought. ] I've known too many people that would give up their own happiness and comfort for others. While the people that benefit may understand and appreciate the sacrifice, I cannot.

[ He cannot reciprocate the feelings -- and it would only make him more aware of his own emptiness. True, he accepts his empty state as it is; he believes those that would sacrifice for him deserve better. His morals tell him so. His sense of duty tells him so, especially if that person is in a relationship with him. And if he cannot reciprocate, the action becomes pointless. But so long as I leave all that out those reasons, the topic is still a fantastical one to have with a friend. ]

I could never call such a sacrifice "good" if it is for me. [ With some added cheer: ] And so, I'll take my eternally sleepy and sleeping horror over any normal human. I suppose that is why we are happily married, though.

I guess we'll never know what something like Cthulhu wants.

[Because Cthulhu doesn't exist.]

[Hahaha.]

So sacrifice isn't worth it, if it's for you? But if someone sacrifices themselves for you, wouldn't you consider that valuable? I mean, to know that someone out there loves you so much, would forgo even their own life to make you happy...

[If someone doesn't want to do anything for you at all, wouldn't that be heart-breaking...?]

Anyways, I'm sad you didn't invite me to the wedding. It must have been something else. [There's a lilt to his tone, amused, trying to imagine Kei standing next to Cthulhu in a wedding dress or wedding suit.] Congrats to him for getting a catch like you.

[ He flinches. It isn't Howard's fault. Kei almost wishes he had the bottle to have something to hold onto instead of balling his hands into fists. It's a second but he remembers that young woman dying. His eyes drop as he unclenches his fists, looking at his palms and relieved to not see blood. And yet... I just wanted to kill her. That is the only sorrow that I felt. ]

I would consider it meaningful... I wouldn't consider it valuable. [ He swallows, realizing that Howard doesn't know what he said. ]

I'm sorry for not inviting you. But we decided to elope saves on having cultists try to kill me, at least. [ He ignores how sweat runs down his neck, anxiously, as he recalls that woman. Instead, he indulges in the joke. Kei lifts his hands up, like he is being held at gunpoint. ] And I told you, I'm the one who caught him.

Hmm. I don't know, maybe they would coincide, being meaningful and being valuable...

[He doesn't notice anything off with Kei, just staring straight ahead at the party. Is someone's sacrifice meaningful, but only that? Can someone's sacrifice be considered worthless? It's odd.]

[He turns back to the other.]

How did you find him? Cast out a fishing pole or something...? [He blinks, noticing the sweat rolling down Kei's neck. His eyebrows raise, his frown concerned.] Hey...are you feeling alright?

[ If someone loved him enough to die for him, how would he feel? Would he see any value in it? No. His life is lacking in fulfilment so there's no reason to die to maintain it. He feels his own emptiness, even as it benefits others, causes quiet fractures in their sense of self. Should he be asking and constantly ripping out the pieces of a person until their weaknesses are exposed? They may become stronger, but what is he looking for in others?

He accepts he cannot feel happiness -- ignoring the times when he does since it is swallowed up violently to guilt and disgust. He can mimic the image of someone happy, but he feels odd doing so sometimes. His enjoyment in anything is brief, but none of this troubles him. He accepted this all about himself. But is a person like that worth sacrificing for? No, he doesn't think so. ]

Hm? [ Kei realizes that he allowed himself to slip into too much navel gazing and decides that he won't chase any of those questions he came up with. ] No. I'm sorry. I allowed my mind to wander at the thought of someone sacrificing themselves for me. It actually happened in a memory. I realize how I could never consider it be valuable for a person to give up their life to save mine.

[ He lifts his hand up, wiping some of the sweat off of his neck and frowns. ] It makes a fun conversation more serious. [ A beat. ] But it's all right. [ Is it? ] It's all right because I don't think anyone I know will do that for me, and we have our death pact so... it isn't anything to worry about.

I...see.

[That's not odd, having a memory coming back least when one expects it - but someone sacrificing themselves for past life Kei? Huh. He has the urge to ask about it, but...it's not his business. He thinks back - has anyone sacrificed themselves for him? - but can't recall a single thing relating to that.]

Isn't our death pact null and void because you said you're Catholic? [He says, casually. Good discussion between friends: DEATH PACTS.] Like I definitely remember you saying that.

[ Oh. ]

I did say that, didn't I? [ Yes, his father would actually come back from the dead about him making death pacts. Kei had forgotten that part of it. Wait, that means in some way I think Howard would sacrifice himself for me, and need to make some sort of contract to ensure he doesn't.

He leans back, feeling relieved. Impossible. Howard would never do something so foolish. No matter what, he is someone that is held close and loved by others. It would upset a lot of people and once he realizes that, it would be enough for him to hesitate and allow me to die. ] That's right, I did.

Well, I don't need to worry about it, anyway. I was just worrying for nothing.

Okay. I mean, if you ever need to talk...

[But he's terrible at giving advice. He's terrible at helping as far as words go. That's Kei's strong suit. But the best he can do is listen, at the very least.]

You know...I'm here for you.

[ It's a birthday party at an arcade, but he's already -- ]

Of course. [ A soft laugh. ] I'll definitely tell you another time about it. I think... yes, I think that you'd be the only person that I can tell. [ Would Howard be horrified about some of the memories' thoughts? Perhaps. But the man is turning into a monster. He smiles as he decides that they can be monsters together. ]

...

[He should have red flags waving at that statement, but somehow, he doesn't.]

[Kei has always been there for him. It's only fair that he's here for Kei, if Kei needs him.]

Alright. Just let me know, Kei. [His hand reaches out, awkwardly, his fingers brushing against Kei's shoulder in a semblance of a reassuring gesture.] Just...let me know...

[ A small nod before he decides that he should stop pulling Howard down with him. He had come over looking rather bright and happy about being able to do something for someone he liked. ]

Sakura is lucky to know you, Howard. [ He lightly pats the man's shoulder before he leans down to pick up the discarded bottle he dropped. ] I'm going on ahead. Thank you for staying with me. But... it's a party, right? Don't spend all your time in the corner with me. [ Another half-chuckle as he goes to find a trashcan and maybe harass children around the arcade games. ]

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ohrlyeh - 2018-03-22 00:13 (UTC) - Expand

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