Happy Birthday, Viatorus!

[westfallcorndog]

Invitations to this party have been written in neatly legible, semi-calligraphic font, hand-crafted with care and talent by Amelia Ronsam. Harrowheart has asked that she create a few more than necessary on the off-chance anyone lost theirs and was liberal in handing them out.

The room mentioned on the card is easy to find with a map of the aquarium: In the Earth wing, past a long series of exhibits, and through a glass hallway over which the water rests and the fish are free to swim. The corridor ends in a dome-shaped room spacious enough for a party of a few dozen. 

The meeting space, like the hallway, is composed entirely of glass walls around which a vibrant array of Earth’s tropical fish drift through bright blue waters. Now and then they dart in odd directions, flashing their gem-like scales as their school is disturbed by the passing of a sea turtle or the flowing wings of a manta ray. Far, far in the distance are the silhouettes of whales that, on rare occasion, shadow the dome as they pass between the party and the far-off source of light above the water. Simpler creatures crawl through the coral just on the other side of the glass: crabs and minnows tease at algae, grinning eels poke shyly from their dark crevices, and anemones dance with the motion of the flowing seawater. The only thing to break the immersion of the scene are the mermaid attendants, glimpses of whom can be caught as they feed the fish while trying their best to stay professionally unnoticed. 

Outside the glass is the beauty, but inside is the party! There are bubbly balloon letters hung from the ceiling reading HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Green streamers dangle from the ceiling like kelp, and someone's even set up a motorized shark balloon to swim through the air. Set up against one rounded wall are two buffet tables of food laid out. Stacks of cheese-stuffed fried peppers, fried chicken, grilled corn cobs, a kind of savory pork stew, something resembling black crab legs that’s been labeled ‘Duskwood Land Crab,’ a fruit and vegetable platter, a single pizza for the guests to fight over, and for the English Birthday Boy, cucumber sandwiches. Drinks are a bowl of punch and a keg of water. Looks like this aquarium party is a dry one. The sweets are cookies and hard candies laid atop a pile of pink candy floss. Then, of course, there is the cake: One large sheet cake of marbled chocolate and vanilla iced with buttercream frosting. On top there rests a little gingerbread man with black icing hair sleeping soundly atop a little frosted bed, a red smile on his face. Four tall candles make the posts of the bed. An unsteady hand has piped along the side ‘Happy Birthday Viatorus!’

Two people beat the crowd to enjoy this quiet afternoon retreat. Harrowheart, who sits at one of the tables in the middle and watches the passing of the fish, is dressed for the tropics. He’s bought himself a Hawaiian shirt to go over a pink tank with a pair of palm trees on the front, and of course he’s wearing his usual cargo shorts and tan work boots. Any rumors of pajama dress code were greatly exaggerated. With him is Amelia, whose garb for the evening is much more demure than her usual. The first sign is her lack of visible weapons. The second is the combination of dark navy jeans and black blouse. Her hair is tied back in a simple braid and the hair pin she's always been so fond of is nowhere to be seen. 

((If you'd like to greet the host and/or hostess or remark on your character's entry, feel free to tag this post. Otherwise, try the Gift-Giving or Free Mingle subsections: Viatorus will accept gifts and well-wishings in the Gift-Giving section, and threadhopping will be with OOC permission. Free Mingle will be a threadhopping-encouraged area for party-goers to interact with each other. Meet new characters, talk about fish, fight about who gets to eat the pizza.))

Comments

[heirtothearcane]

It seems that every time he learns something about Harrowheart, he sees the undead mage in an entirely new light. For someone who seems so unusual, what Harrowheart describes is the perfectly picturesque of a normal person.

It takes him a moment, but he smiles warmly. "That sounds very nice."

"I-I'd like that." Viatorus shrugs, his smile turning sheepish. "I'm a terrible cook. I've tried, but... I never make anything worth eating."

V gets a new icon? :0

[westfallcorndog]

"You've tried?" Harrowheart gets to be surprised in turn. First he gapes, then he smiles. "I never woulda guessed you tried. You didn't have any food in your apartment here in the Nexus! Maybe you oughta? Maybe now and then we can cook together? And talk about magic as we do? You can tell me about dreams while you whip up batter."

Rubbing the back of his neck he says, "I think that's about the best gift I could give ya. Amelia paid for all'a this party, and I don't really got the funds to buy you anything else..."

Just for Harrowheart ^^

[heirtothearcane]

"I'm really not very good," he reiterates. Being bad at something so close to alchemy, a magical art, bothers him though it only shows very slightly. "I'm better at trying to help other people cook, I think."

At that, Viatorus' brow shoots up. "Oh, I should have said! Nobody needs to get me anything. Really, Harrowheart, I don't need anything at all." He smiles again. "This party is... is far more than I could have asked for. It's wonderful."

*super flattered*~

[westfallcorndog]

Harrow pats Viatorus gently on the shoulder and returns the sweet smile the younger man had given him.

"Nobody needed to, but we wanted to. We're all happy to make you happy. I'm happy that you're happy."

They're edging dangerously close to 'sappy couple' territory, so Harrow swiftly guides them back to less-saccharine waters. With a little laugh and a final, light pat to V's shoulder he says, "So how 'bout this: Next time we hang out in your apartment, you can tell me about dreams and I'll mix the batter."

He nods toward the party like he's about to usher V off to talk to others, but then. Then he gasps!

"I never found out how old you are! Nobody knew and nobody wanted to ask." Just don't mention that he told Naugus that V is nineteen. That will be a secret between evil wizards.

[heirtothearcane]

The proposal pulls Viatorus' smile wide and he nods. "That sounds like a nice day. We should certainly do that."

And then Harrowheart is gasping. He does tend to be dramatic about somewhat mundane things sometimes and it continuously catches the scholar off guard. Viatorus smiles softly when he realises what it's about. "It's my twenty-fourth birthday." Then back to childlike curiosity. "How old are you? When is your birthday..? Oh, I suppose you wouldn't have the same calendar as me..."

[westfallcorndog]

"I'm, uh."

Harrow clears his throat. How old is he? Certainly older than he acts. That realization is really starting to dawn on him, especially with everything they've been through lately.

"I was born in the middle of summer, but I never really thought about Earth's calendar bein' different from mine. Guess that makes me feel better for not knowin' the exact day. I twenty six when I died in the Fall or the Winter, and I been dead for six years, so I guess that makes me..."

He pulls an uncomfortable face.

"Thirty two. But, hey! Twenty four! When I was twenty four I was on a different world across the stars fightin' a war. You're twenty four on a different world makin' new friends and workin' towards a nice future. I'd say you're doin' pretty good, V. Don't take it for granted. Bring an extra piece of cake home for Morpheus and say thanks to him for watchin' over you and givin' you all these opportunities, huh?"

[heirtothearcane]

So much information... and he's left so little time to react to it all. His face dips in and out of expressions as he's told all of this. The main piece of information he receives is that Harrowheart's birthday should be celebrated on midsummer.

"That's a good idea!" He beams at Harrowheart. "I'll have to save him one of the best pieces." His grin widens. "And then your cake will be offered to a god. That would be a nice thing for both of us, then. I know he's not your patron god, but he is a nicer one..." Another thought hits him and he tilts his head at his friend. "I should make you a nice dream some time."

I scream, you scream, we all scream for nice dreams :>

[westfallcorndog]

Harrow had a good idea! He's brimming with pride at all of that, and it's hard to shake the happiness even when Viatorus changes the subject to something that, unbeknownst to him, is a little difficult to breach.

"I don't think I can dream," Harrow says, still managing a smile through it. He wouldn't want to upset V for his innocent question, after all. "I tried a lotta different things. A druid's magic feather, a potion, just thinkin' real hard before I set myself to sleep. When I'm out I'm just kinda –" He pulls a face as he draws a line across his neck. "But... Y'know what?"

He crosses his arms and nods at his friend. "Guess I haven't tried a dreamwalker, have I? Shoot, maybe you can be the first guy who figures out how to give good dreams to the dead. That'd be somethin', huh?"

... That is perfect

[heirtothearcane]

"Oh." Sometimes, somehow, he forgets that Harrowheart is dead and what that really means. Though the excitement initially vanishes from his face, he manages to smile and nod again. "I should talk to you about it some day, at least."

He fidgets and casts an eye around the small crowd. "It... seems like dreams are a strangely difficult topic for lots of people." He shakes his head. "It's not right. They should be the simplest thing. A relief." The slight worry weighing on his brow lessens then. "I wonder if there's something I can do about it..."

Next Halloween Event: Viatorus' mass dream-fixing spell misfires, terror ensues

[westfallcorndog]

"Most folks can't control their dreams," Harrow suggests, neutral and honest. "I think if they could, maybe then they'd be a relief. But all our worries and bad thoughts follow us to sleep. We avoid 'em all day long and can't stop 'em when we're too tired. It's kinda like you told Steve and me: Dreamin' when you're exhausted and dreamin' otherwise are two different things, huh?"

Another confident nod and he says, "I bet you can find a way to fix that, though. You're smart, and you're passionate, and you got a whole lotta test subjects who'd be happy to help you out."

That could definitely be a thing

[heirtothearcane]

"I should gift everyone a dreamcatcher," he half-jokes, though his smile is slightly sad. It's such an awful thing, for so many people to have such bad dreams. More earnestly he adds, "I would like to, though. Make the Nexus a place of sweet dreams, that is. Of all people, I should be able to offer my friends a peaceful night's sleep."

[westfallcorndog]

This kid is cute. Dangerously cute, terribly sweet, painfully optimistic. And he's so sincere about it. How does he do it?

"Make that your birthday wish. Think about it, blow out the candles, and maybe it'll come true? With a little hard work, of course."

[heirtothearcane]

The addendum to Harrowheart's suggestion gets a wide smile from Viatorus. Hard work does generally help wishes to come true, but it's still a nice idea.

He looks over to the cake and then back to his friend. "Should I do that now?"

[westfallcorndog]

Harrow's hands clasp together, and as he nods his eyebrows shoot right up.

"Yeah! Before the candles melt down and get all over little gingerbread V. I figure he doesn't need his chest waxed."

[heirtothearcane]

Without noticing, Viatorus rubs his own chest and gives a sympathetic, lopsided smile. "No, neither do I. Alright then."

Stepping up to the cake, he takes a deep breath and blows out all the candles. The last one flickers back to life, but with a small gesture and a cheeky shrug and smile, he uses a little air magic to put it out again.

[westfallcorndog]

Harrow's all pride and quiet enjoyment until he catches sight of that sly smile. When the candle goes out magically he takes in a quiet breath of air, a gasp free of all theatrics like his usual. There's a tiny look of surprise and awe across his features at even that small trick he was shown. Why does magic surprise a magical being?...

"You did magic!" he says, eyebrows raised, mouth agape in a smile. "I never saw you cast before!" Then, more calmly, his smile more even, he adds, "That was a real nice way to see your magic for the first time, V. Your birthday present to me, huh?"

[heirtothearcane]

Harrowheart's delight and surprise delights and surprises Viatorus. The other knew about his magic after all, and Viatorus hadn't suspected that he'd be quite so keen to see some of it.

"I guess so," he says finally. "I mean, you saw some of it. When Steve dreamwalked and you... used ice magic, was it? I can't remember. I know it wasn't really me doing it, but it was my magic. I don't often need to use it in any showy way."

[westfallcorndog]

Harrow rubs at his mouth to wipe away his smile. "Shoot, how'd I forget about the dreamwalkin'? Guess I'm so used to magic bein' flashy that I forgot it ain't your style. You and I are gonna have to get around to magic lessons after all, just so I can see what you can do."

He very lightly cuffs V's shoulder. "Listen to me, makin' all these plans to hang out with you. I'm lucky I ain't got a real job, they'd fire me for goofin' off with my friend all the time."

Without realizing it he spends a moment in silence then, staring and smiling. It's so good to see Viatorus happy. It's nice to bring him something other than worry and fear. Nice to bring that to anyone for a change. Looking around, most everyone seems to be in a good mood. They needed this all of them did.

Softly he says, "I feel like I kept you here so long. It's only fair I share ya, right? Why don'tcha cut yourself a piece of cake and get back to your fish and your friends."

[heirtothearcane]

Briefly, he wonders what Harrowheart's job is. Farmer, maybe. The alternative gives him a reason not to ask. He doesn't really want to hear that his friend is a soldier and has to hurt people. Not when they've only just gotten over a friendship hurdle. Instead, he smiles and appreciates the nearly serene expression on his friend's face.

His smile widens for a moment, honest when he says, "Thank you, Harrowheart. For everything."

And then he will, indeed, help himself to some cake.