daybreakacademy | A Birthday Boy

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A Birthday Boy

Who: James, Keith and the people invited to James' birthday party (Toki, Ana, Adelaide, Nana, Ruby, Nadia, Allura & Yuya!)
When: August 13th (Keith part), August 18th (Party)
What: James' birthday (spent at home in Arizona) & James' Soleil birthday party, spent at a Café de la Lune in Soleil.
Warnings: None for party, mentions of NSFW in Keith & James', though anything explicit will be moved off-comm.

[ All people listed above will have received a text message on August 15th. ]

Hey there!
I'm currently out of the country, but my birthday passed recently and I'd like to celebrate with my friends a little once I return home. Are you free on August 18th? I'd love to get a group together and go down to Café de la Lune for the afternoon. It'll be my treat.

No worries if you're not free that day, but I'd love to see you there!

[ On the actual day of, everyone will find that James has reserved the biggest table in the café so everyone can fit comfortably. He's already ordered a few pastries for everyone and is more than willing to order more. James is pretty much beaming. Also his toad is here. Just sitting on his shoulder. Occasionally being fed bits of cake from a special toad-reserved spoon. ]

Thank you all for coming! If I'm honest, I actually had a bit of trouble making friends when I came here. That was new to me. I'm all the more happy to have met all of you. You made me look forward to coming back to France after vacation.

((Feel free to post open top levels and just chit-chat with one another / interrupt conversations, as it tends to happen at group tables. Also no pressure to tag in, anyone who doesn't will just be seen as having been busy that day and not as having skipped his party, haha.))

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[ Finally someone who knows how to dress!! James had admittedly been mildly worried because you never know what to expect from someone who's lived in the Outlands this far, but Allura looks more than presentable and its raising the visual status of the whole table.

The flowers are accepted with gratitude. James is beginning to accept pink is just a color he has to live with now. ]

Thank you so much, Princess. August has been really lucky so far, it's true. I'm not holding my breath on that to last, so it's good to enjoy it now.

[ Cosmo may not be present, but Sir the toad is curiously hopping over the table to get a closer look at the mice. Finally some companions that are his size! It's interesting. ]

[Allura would be very pleased to know that she's helping bring the average style rating at the table up. It's anyone's guess where she found some stylish clothes, but she's not too bad at blending in with the other humans.

And pink is a great color! The flowers themselves are fragrant, with three petals to each stem and a delicate yellow stalk in the center of each. (Juniberries of course.)]

It's good to enjoy it now, but you shouldn't be so pessimistic.

[Meanwhile the mice are very cautious about their new hopping friend. Plachu has his fur on edge, sizing the amphibian up, while Chulatte and Chuchule are happy to walk right up to Sir, offering him a bite of their food. Platt is napping nearby.]

I think in times of Nightfall that's more realism than anything. But that's why I find breaks like this are especially meaningful. They really raise morale and make it easier to keep going even if things get hard again.

[ He's spent a lot of time thinking about how much free time is too much and how much is too little when every moment theoretically matters.

Sir meanwhile hops a little closer and sticks his tongue out to grab the offering of food. He blinks to swallow. Then he nods his head a little bit as if imitating the human gesture of approval...? Trying his best with resting grump-face here. ]

[She hums] Do you think of everything in terms of how it can benefit the bigger picture?

[There's no teasing in her voice as she asks that, although there is a soft, fond sort of smile. He reminds her of her father in that way.

Meanwhile, in the animal companion part of the story: The mice cheer at the successful first contact with their amphibious friend. Chuchule toddles up to Sir, meanwhile Chulatte skitters around the other side, making a pantomimed show of wondering where Sir's tail is supposed to be.]

I try. I've been raised to be a soldier against Nightfall, it only makes sense that I'm always keeping it in mind in my choices.

[ Not always succeeding in it, but he likes to think he is at least doing better than the average.

Sir meanwhile turns turquoise. There's your answer, mice! Then he lets out a single short squeak. ]

It's an admirable trait. The Nightfall will be upon us sooner or later and it's important to stay vigilant.

[Seen here: fellow busybody encouraging others to be too serious at all times. They really need a third party to encourage them to lighten up a little bit.

The mice jump back at the color-changing frog, squeaking up a storm. Allura glances over at them, like she's listening in to some mouse-related gossip. She laughs,]

I think they are making friends.

[ James looks back at the animals and can't hold back a smile. ]

You hear that, Sir? At this point, you'll soon have more friends than me.

[ Sir squeaks again and turns pink, which makes James laugh. ]

Oh, that pleased him. Pink's the good color, I learned that so far.

[Allura brightens, ]

Oh do the colors mean different emotions?

[It's like a mood-ring in a frog form. She leans in holding a hand out for Sir to hop on should he so choose.]

I think pink is a very good color on you, Sir.

[ Sir sucks some air into his expressive cheeks, puffing his chest out, He's looking very pink and handsome, for toad standards. Even if his face is still the grumpiest. ]

Yes, the colors are his ways of expressing himself. Red is anger or frustration. Those are the key ones I've figured out so far, the others are a work in process. He can also glow, but I am not sure when he does that versus when he doesn't.

[And Sit gets a little bit of a scritch... if toads like that.]

If they're anything like the mice, yellow means tired and content. [she laughs, glancing over at Platt who has already decided to take another nap.] You're lucky, my mice just tell me what they want through our psychic bond. It gets rather loud sometimes, I can barely hear myself think.

[ This toad likes it a lot! ]

Can they actually talk? Like, in words? Or is it more like feelings and impressions?

[ This is fascinating, how does it even WORK... ]

[She shakes her head, then tilts it to the side, thinking,]

A little bit of both, I think. It is difficult to explain, if I'm being honest.

It's more like concepts. For instance, there are certain words that are quite clear. Like food. [She smiles, looking down at the mice crowding around Sir,] Or friend. [a laugh,] They do not have the largest vocabulary.

But otherwise, it is a combination of things. Like how I know that you are my friend- I don't spend every moment thinking 'I consider James my friend' nor is it purely a feeling. It just... is.

[She winces,] I'm sorry, I think I made it more confusing than it was already.

No, no, I think I got it. Not that I've ever experienced something comparable, but... you know. It makes theoretical sense.

[ He gives the mice a pensive look. They don't look telepathic, but when does anything look like what it is. ]

Let's hope they can figure out how to talk to Sir even without a mind-link though. I'm always a little worried he gets bored on campus.

[There's telepathic hawks flying around too, eventually you just come to terms with being at a magic school.

Meanwhile, the mice have approached Sir again, pantomiming that they want him to open his giant mouth- amazed that it's even bigger than Platt's.

Allura laughs,] I think they will do just fine. And Sir has you and Keith to keep him company. And Keith's wolf, of course.

[ Sir willingly opens his mouth and as a bonus, he extends his tongue. Which is long. It's probably a mouse's length. Even James seems momentarily distracted and impressed. ]

Cosmo tried to eat him first they met... I'm always amazed they're friends now.

[She laughs, meanwhile the mice are absolutely entranced by the tongue. One of them lifts it up, hoisting it above it's head.]

Well, I had been ready to fight with Keith when he first met me. We are friends now.

[She thinks anyway.]

[ The tongue-lift tickles, and Sir ends up retracting it with a little squeak that sounds almost like some kind of sneeze. ]

That's good to hear. Keith and I didn't get along at all either, when we met. Not for years. So you're right, I shouldn't judge so easily there.

[The mice jump at the noise, fur going up in little tufts.

Meanwhile, Allura smiles. It’s interesting to learn about her friends- the lives they lived while she was still sleeping inside of her castle. Sometimes it’s hard to really fathom how much happened in the interim,]

May I ask what changed?

[Not getting along to dating is a big change for anyone.]

I guess being assigned as roommates forces you to re-evaluate each other automatically. There'd been a lot of misunderstandings between us that we were able to sort through... somehow.

[ He's not sure how. He's not sure if it went well either. It was mostly painful and associated with a lot of fighting. Worth it in the end, but an odd process. ]

[She nods,]

I'm glad you did. [It feels a little odd to comment on their relationship like that.~~She ships it.~~] Perhaps it's just because I met you afterwards, but it's hard to imagine the two of you at odds for any length of time.

[ That one outright gets a laugh from James. ]

Hell really has frozen over. We were at odds for years. Not that I miss that state at all, it's just...

[ There's a short pause. It's what...? It's... ]

Honestly, I'd never considered we'd seem this way to someone else, even now. I like it.

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A Birthday Boy

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