lifeaftr | cake day

Entry tags:

cake day

Who: Ann Takamaki and you!
What: It's Ann's birthday today, and she's taking some time off from exploring the new island to chill out and relax.
When: November 12th
Where: Enso
Warnings: Potential Persona 5 spoilers might come up, otherwise nothing!

[ after her lifenet announcement, ann can be found anywhere on enso unless anyone else has any specific requests to hang out somewhere else.

more notably, for anyone else who didn't get her announcement--or maybe just runs into her without the intent to hang out--she can be found sitting on the beach. her knees are up to her chest, arms wrapped around them as she looks out at the ocean. just last month, she was here for a different reason entirely. she'd been trying to save "shiho", when in reality, she herself was the one who needed saving. she was so wrapped up in a version of shiho that wasn't real that she lost herself in the process.

now...after everything that's happened back at home, she's a lot more at ease. and she's slowly coming to terms with what happened, both in tokyo and here. she seems at ease...but she won't turn down any company. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Despite last month, it's actually something of a small delight to see Ann here. So when Aster sees her here, she flops down next to her, pulling her boots off so she can dig her toes into the sand with relish. ]

You like the beach too? Normally, I mean.

[ The kind of things a place like this world pulls notwithstanding. ]

[ ann smiles over at aster. she's real glad to see the other girl again. the sand is warm beneath her feet, and she turns back to look out at the horizon. ]

Yeah. I have some pretty good memories from when my friends and I had a beach day back at home.

[ even if her memories from here aren't as good, she still thinks the beach is a nice place for relaxing. thinking. and it's not the same place where "shiho" almost got her killed, either. ]

How've you been?

[Somehow, incredibly, birthdays got to be...important around here. It's not the war-zone of Sol Raveh, or god knows where else people have been, and it's not much, but it's...]

[It feels important to do something, when someone says it. He has the time to work on something, on and off, throughout the day. By the time the late afternoon rolls around, he finds Ann out on the beach.]

[Even if he's done this before, by now, it's still hard to fucking present it in a way that feels right. He's not a social guy by nature. He's not someone who's ever done the birthday thing, except obliquely. He leaves shit for people where they can find it, if he can, because the alternative is...this.]

[This painfully awkward routine where he shoves his hands into his pockets and tries to marshal his thoughts into helping him approach this in a way that isn't weird. He doesn't really know her all that well. She's at Denny sometimes, helping, which kinda has him feeling responsible, but now? After last month?]

You, uh...heard your thing. On the stones. [rhgh great start]

[ y'know, as awkward as tim can be? ann's really taken a liking to him. he's a good man, as far as she can tell. he let her help out at the denny. he didn't write her off as some kid who wasn't capable--something that the adults back at home tend to do. a lot. she really appreciated that.

his company is welcome, and when she hears him approach, she turns towards him and smiels warmly at him. he heard her silly little birthday thing, huh?

she gets up onto her feet to greet him properly. ]

Hey, Tim! Yeah, my dumb little birthday announcement... [ she lets out a little laugh. ] Honestly, I just wanted to hang out with you guys today. I kind of figured we could all use a day to just relax and have fun after, well...

[ after everything last month was, goodness. ] Thanks for coming to meet me, though. It seriously means a lot.

[It takes some getting used to - this grouping of you guys, this familiarity that doesn't feel earned, that doesn't feel like it applies to him because it never applies to someone like him. He's just not - he's just not. He's the weird guy who smokes too much and has too many secrets, so many that he choked on them as they grew out of his lungs.]

Sorry I couldn't, uh... [He's messing this up already. He didn't have time to wrap it or anything, and it's not like they have fucking wrapping paper or anything, but he fumbles in his pocket and draws it out. Spent the whole morning on it.]

[Either way, he doesn't know how to end that sentence. Sorry he couldn't think of something better? Sorry he couldn't make something better?]

...do you like cats?

[It's a carved barrette, which feels...especially stupid, because he didn't even check to see if she liked cats. Most people here seem to, but maybe she's allergic.]

[ tim. oh my god.

for a moment, she just looks at it. her eyes are wide, like she can't believe he's giving this to her. she knows he made it--or, at least, she's assuming he did--and... ]

Did you...did you make this for me?

[ as for his question? oh man. she really wants to tell him about the phantom thieves, one day. maybe later today, maybe some other time. right now she's too shocked, too touched. she takes it from him, holds it carefully. ]

Yeah, yeah! I love cats, how did you--how did you do this?

[ there's a lot of wonder in her voice, mixed in with a lot of appreciation. ]

[Oh, thank god. The relief is short-lived - he has no idea what to do when someone's gratitude is like this: immediate and genuine and impossible to ignore. He mostly just settles for leaving stuff where people can see it, so he doesn't have to struggle with whatever comes next.]

I've gotten pretty good at whittling since I ended up here, so I just...

[SHRUG. It feels cheap to him, somehow, like he couldn't think of what to spend a story on so he just made something out of wood instead. Dumb. Dumb idea. What the fuck do you think you're doing thinking you can just act like this is normal you think any part of this is normal you fucking lunatic - ]

[Just breathe.]

It's kinda...clunky, I guess.

Are you joking? This is one of the nicest things anyone's ever done for me!

[ a handmade gift, just for her. not even her parents did that for her on her birthdays. they'd bought her expensive things from overseas, which was still a nice gesture, but this... it's a whole new level of sincerity, and she looks down at tim's gift for a moment.

she holds it gently in her hands, not wanting to break it. she looks back at him with the warmest of smiles. ]

Tim...I'll take good care of it, okay? I promise. Thank you.

[This is the part he's the worst at. The part where he has to stand and fumble with himself and wish he could justify having a smoke but deciding not to, ultimately, because he can't just turn to trying to siphon away his lungs every time he encounters a situation he has no idea what to do with. Which he...doesn't. Currently.]

[Because he's not really a smiler and he doesn't know how to approach things, even this, so he reaches up and scratches at the back of his neck with something approximating a shrug.]

...happy, uh. Happy birthday. Figured it was worth, you know. Celebrating. Even here.

[ man, she can tell he's kind of fumbling with himself, but she's so happy that it doesn't really bother her at all. he's trying, and she can recognize that! it means more to her than she can ever say. ]

Thanks, Tim. Think I can mount this on my wall somewhere? I don't wanna damage it or anything, but... I think it'd look really nice being hung up, y'know?

Sure, yeah. I can see if I can make a...hook or something, if you want.

[He's never made a hook before. The challenge might be...nice, he thinks, and it'd pair with the handmade quality of the gift pretty well, probably. He's not sure how he came to be the guy who does carpentry, except that it started out as a necessity and this is just his life now.]

[But it's useful.]

Yeah! That'd be super awesome. And when you figure it out, let me know how you did it, yeah?

[ she's literally never learned any carpentry up until tim taught her how to saw through wood with a knife. if that's even considered carpentry, anyway. ]

You...I mean, you'd wanna learn?

[He's not sure he's really an expert, considering he taught himself everything he knows, but if he can get Harv to set up a place to work things out...]

[It's worth thinking about. It really is.]

Of course!

[ she says it like he should know this already, but that's just ann being ann. ]

I mean, I asked you to teach me how to saw through that chair leg, remember? I wanna learn as much as I can here so I can be helpful!

Yeah, I mean I - just didn't...

[You don't have to be useful. The sentiment dies in his throat; coming from him, that'd just be a bitter hypocrisy. Scrub it out. Start again.]

I'm not much of a teacher, but I can give it a shot.

Yes! You're the best!

[ if ann were more affectionate she'd probably pull him in for a hug or something, but she settles for a light bump to his shoulder with a loose fist. ]

[Affection is not a trait typically associated with Tim Wright, no. In fact, he...he's not sure he's ever actually heard someone say something like that with that level of enthusiasm before. You're the best. He's not, really. He's - ]

[He doesn't even jump, when she bumps his shoulder. That's progress. He looks startled, but not - unpleasantly so.]

You've got low standards. [But he says it almost like a joke, as if that might deflect the underlying current that runs counter to the levity.]

[ She can't pass up a chance to celebrate a birthday, and especially Ann. Admittedly, they haven't talked a whole lot recently, but Mira considers her a friend. So... Mira goes to the beach. She isn't sure, really, what Ann likes, but she seems like she has a sweet tooth.

She's made her a half dozen little cakes, filled with berries. She holds her makeshift box--thick blades of grass woven tightly together--as she comes over to sit next to her. ]

Happy birthday, Ann.

Mira! Hey!

[ she's so glad to see her! ann scoots over a little to make room for her, and looks curiously at the box. a present, maybe? ]

Thanks! You know, it's strange. My birthday happened a few days before I wound up back here, when I went back home. And now...I'm celebrating it again. Weird, right?

Hi, Ann.

[ She sits down next to her, and gives a little laugh before she holds out her gift. ]

Well... I'm glad you're celebrating it with us. And I made you something--it's not much, but I hope you like it.

What? Seriously?

[ man, all you guys and your gifts. and here she just wanted to spend time with everyone! though she should have seen this coming when she announced it on the network--still, though. ]

Mira, you made all of this for me?

[ She nods, and she looks pretty sheepish. ]

I-I did. I hope you like them.

Oh man! Mira, I love desserts--how did you know?!

[ she's gonna just take one of those cakes and take a huge bite out of it! ]

Mmmm...it's soooo good!

[ omg. She's absolutely delighted. She laughs as she shakes her head. ]

I didn't, but I'd definitely hoped. I'm really happy you like them.

[He had heard the announcement and went to find Ann. Clearly if she had announced it then her birthday was important to her and so Shion wanted to help her celebrate it.

He found her on the beach and approached, a basket of fruit in his arms.]

Happy birthday, Ann.

Shion! [ she waves him over and jogs up to him to meet him halfway. she's so glad to see him! ann considers him a really great friend and she's enjoyed their talks a whole lot. ]

Thanks! You brought some fruit for us to dig into, huh?

I did. I thought you might like something nice for your birthday. [He passes the basket over.]

Hey, thanks, Shion! This is really sweet of you!

[ she takes the basket and flashes him a grin. her stomach growls a little. ]

Let's share, okay?

Alright. I wasn't sure what fruit you liked so I just picked a little bit of everything.

[Sure enough, there are a couple of pieces of every fruit that is grown on these islands. More of the smaller things.]

How old are you today?

[ she's really lucky that she's found so many good friends here. she takes one of the fruit and starts to peel it, gesturing at shion to take one himself as well. ]

Okay, so here's where it gets reaaaally weird. I went back home recently and turned seventeen, right? But then I came back here, and I had my birthday happen all over again. So...eighteen?

[Shion laughed slightly, he should have known better than to ask such a complicated question.] Eighteen then. I know how you feel. I was sixteen and a half when I left my world, in the Tower I grew and I was there for two and a half years but my body wasn't real. When I arrived here I looked like I had when I left my world and I haven't grown since. Between leaving the tower and arriving here I seem to have missed anywhere between two and eight months and it was my birthday again a couple of months ago. I think I'm twenty but really I have no idea. [He laughs again. It's probably a silly thing to worry about, considering everything.]

...No offense, but that's super confusing.

[ which is most likely the point he's trying to make! ]

I'm just gonna assume that you're twenty because that makes the most sense, right? I dunno, it's hard to keep up with these things when time is so weird around here.

Yes, that's what I assume too. If you think my age is confusing you should speak to Aster about her age at some time. [Her age had been confusing before her soul had been stolen from her world. He shrugs, time is weird. It doesn't do what it should, doesn't seem stable even within these worlds never mind between them. He knows that there was time that had passed whilst he had been in a state of suspended animation, did that count?.] Twenty seems about right, even if I don't look it.

[He pauses a moment.] You went back home? What do you mean?

[He scuffs his Paladin boots more than normal to make his approach obvious. He comes around her side and sits. A large shaggy blue wolf sits on the other side of him. He smiles at her.]

Hold your arm up and brace yourself.

[When she does Ember lands on her arm as gently as he can. He shifts his feet to grasp her arm but not harm her with his talons.]

Hey! You got another friend!

[ she's delighted to see keith, of course, but the appearance of another furry friend is exciting. man, she wonders how he'd take to morgana.

(they might not get along so well, now that she thinks about it. whoops.)

anyway, she follows keith's instructions and holds her arm out. ember lands, and ann doesn't even flinch. she smiles at the phoenix and brings her hand up to pet right under his beak. ]

It's great to see you too, Ember! [ then, to keith: ] You're just gathering all the animals from here, aren't you?

Sort of. He's from home. I found him in space. [The wolf settles down and Keith's smile turns fond.] I raised him just like I raised Ember here.

[Ember leans into the petting with little clacks of his beak. His eyes close with obvious joy. Keith's smile widens.]

There's a lot of interesting animals here. You've seen the Tigerlilies around, right?

He's from home? Whoa...how'd he end up here? Just like the rest of us?

[ that. shouldn't be as surprising as it is, considering they have a talking spider here among other creatures... ]

And yeah, I have--actually, I have one myself! Named her after my best friend, too. She's somewhere back at the shack.

[Sup, housemate. He heard about your birthday.]

Your birthday, hm? Would you like to see something unusual?

Uh-huh! You heard, didn't you? [ ...except uh. "something unusual"???? ]

...Okay, sure. Hit me with your best shot!

Mm. Follow me.

[He stops his Extra™ lean against the doorframe and starts at a leisurely stroll towards the mana pool.]

It’s Damen’s birthday soon. I was preparing something for him, but I think you’d enjoy seeing the surprise in advance.

Edited 2018-12-06 11:50 (UTC)

[ edgy. she follows him towards the mana pool; at least this time they can actually talk without seeing things and getting distracted. ]

Oooh! How romantic! Can't wait to see it, and I promise to keep my lips sealed!

We’re lovers, one should pay attention to these things.

[It’s a dumbass excuse for “I’m Love Thsi Man But I’m Bad At Saying It”. The blonde sounds positively fond when he says the words- which is an incredible rarity.

The mana pool takes them to the Storyteller’s Temple.]

Almost there.

[He steps nimbly into the forest, and whistles- a long, distinct note- towards the trees. This close to the Temple the forest has grown sparse, well-worn from traffic; and so it’s possible to spot the dark shape in the undergrowth, that turns slowly and approaches with heavy hoofbeats.

Is that….. a horse?

[ she's noticed that laurent's bad at saying it. but she knows how he feels deep down!! or so she likes to think.

but uh. first, look at that horse. it's an absolute unit. ]

Whoa, wait--that's your surprise? A horse!

Truthfully Chuck is too small for Damen. And Chuck bullies him. I don't know why he's so partial to bad temperaments.

[And evidently, as this big girl comes up to them it's clear that she's larger than their existing horses. Laurent is dwarfed by her size, and has to reach up to pat her head.

Brent sniffs the familiar human, then turns her head to sniff at Ann.]

This one should be big enough for him. What do you think of her? [and to the horse:] What do you think, girl?

Edited 2019-01-08 05:36 (UTC)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

cake day

beach

no subject

beach

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

one month later...

oh SHHHH

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

ze beach

no subject

no subject

one month later...

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

one month later...

No worries!

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

one month later...

BELATEDLY, maybe the house? or the beach, whereever works

the house works!!!

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject