James Griffin (
onebetter) wrote in
daybreakacademy2019-08-14 12:11 am
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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.))
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.))
no subject
Dinner was.... weird.
[ He shrugs and puts the helmet over his head. ]
Nice seeing everyone again, but... yeah, I'm not really at home here anymore.
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Well, hop on, birthday boy. I'll get you out of here.
[It's a flippant response to a more depressing conversation about feeling isolated, but the last time they talked about it had almost erupted into a fight about the secrecy clause. Keith forcibly bites back what he could say -- would like to say -- and simply shifts the gears on his bike.]
Do you have to stay with your parents tonight?
[It's phrased with deliberate nonchalance -- as much as he can force, actually, if only to try and mask the hidden request for James to hang out with him for more than an hour or two.]
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I told them I'd be out late, but I'll call them when we get to your place and say I'm sleeping over at a friends'.
[ If the question is between going home to his childhood backroom, that feels nostalgic but way too big, and spending the night with Keith in the desert... well, then it's not much question at all. James knows how he wants to spend his birthday.
His arms wrap tightly around his boyfriends' waist. ]
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A little lonely.
Inexplicably. Even though he shouldn't be because James is staying the night with him.
Keith bites his lower lip as he faces the road and kicks up the engine.]
Alright. Hang on tight.
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James knows the desert, he's lived here all his life, but seeing it with Keith is like he's meeting both his boyfriend and the landscape a second time.
The sun is just beginning to set when they finally pull up to a house that is well and truly in the absolute middle of nowhere. James looks around without taking his helmet off yet, impressed. ]
Your father really liked his privacy, didn't he? It's a pretty spot, but wow, how did the mailman find you guys?
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He parks, cuts the engine and hops down from the bike, yanking off his helmet immediately. He runs his hand through slightly unruly hair and grins up at the beautiful sunset. A flash of blue light comes from inside the cabin, then a husky bounds over to greet them both. Keith kneels down to undo the collar to reveal a familiar face.]
Rented a P.O box at the post office in town. No way a mailman would find this place.
[He scoops Cosmo up in his arms, then turns to face James.]
The house needs a bit of repairing, but I got the cabin fixed up alright. [He grins a little sheepishly.] It's not much.
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After he deposited the helmet back in its designated place, James walks around the bike to come next to Keith and also pet Cosmo's head. ]
I can't wait to see it. This whole time I've been excited to see where you actually grew up.
[ The house that the child Keith had loved so dearly.... and its shack. Admittedly, she shack isn't as interesting, but James understands that renovation work isn't a two day deal. Especially not for one boy alone. ]
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Well congrats. You're the first person I've ever brought back. [A beat.] And probably the only person to be excited about being in the middle of nowhere.
[It's all stated fairly lightheartedly as Keith opens up the trunk on the motorcycle to fish out a couple of plastic bags.]
Just gonna take this stuff inside then I can show you around the house if you really want to see it. You comign with or wanna outside for a bit?
]He gestures towards the tree with the swing tire hanging from a branch.]
Tested that yesterday. It won't break if you want to sit on that or something.
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Okay, I'll wait. But I do want to see the house, even if it's just the tour.
[ And there Cosmo goes again, licking. ]
-- oh buddy, come on!!
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Alright. I'll be back. Keep James entertained while I'm gone, buddy.
[And with that, he turns towards the shack, grabbing the key from his pocket to unlock the door. It's far from an ideal living space, but he's got all the necessities set up, in no small part thanks to the wolf helping him teleport all the heavier objects around. He leaves the plastic bags on the kitchenette counter, moving only the perishables like milk into the mini fridge for now.
It's only a few minutes before he steps back outside again and closes the door behind him.]
no subject
Alright, we're ready!
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This is gonna be a problem if you get a whole lot bigger, buddy.
[But that said, Keith shakes his head and carefully carries the wolf in his arms while Cosmo wriggles and licks at his chin. Keith heads towards James and the house.]
Just warning you, it's a little messy.
[He fumbles around his jacket pocket for a moment before producing another key. He unlocks the front door, swinging it wide open. The door creaks on its hinges quite loudly -- evidently it needs to be oiled pretty badly, but there's a long narrow hallway that's immediately visible along with a living room to the right and a dining room to the left.
The wooden tiling has rotten through in places, and it's clear that in Keith's absence more than a few arthropod and arachnid species have made this place their home. Though some kind of cleaning attempt has clearly been made, there's still a few stray cobwebs and some remnant of musty air from a lack of proper ventilation.]
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At the same time, his eyes dart around curiously. He can imagine this place having been really cozy in the past, when it still had inhabitants. James is glad they visited Keith's father's grave earlier in the week. It makes him feel less like an intruder as he walks in and peers into the living room in fascination. ]
Pretty good for a home so far out.
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Yeah.... dad was pretty proud of this place. [He smiles a little fondly, as he pauses by the bookshelf.]
Used to say we had the biggest backyard in the world.
[He brushes his thumb along the handrail heading up the stairs, then rubs his fingers together to wipe off some of the peeling paint chips.]
... you wanna see my old room?
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Also it's no surprise Keith is so good at kicking butt, if he started young. That also comes to mind.
It takes James a second to answer the question as he tries to decipher the details on the trophy. ]
Okay, do you really have to ask? Of course.
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Okay follow me.
[At the top of the stairs there's a shorter hallway ending in four doors. Keith reaches for the door closest to him on the left and enters. His room's on the smaller side and mostly occupied by a desk, bookshelf, a cabinet for clothes and a bed. The bed's been stripped of all its sheets, leaving a mattress and a bed frame, but if James looks closely there are race cars carved into the bed posts. Faded posters of what looks suspiciously like the spaghetti monster and cartoon depictions of Cthulhu are taped on the wall. On the desk, there's an empty terrarium and the bookshelf appears to be filled with kiddie detective novels and picture books of animals.
Keith puts Cosmo down to open up the window to let in some fresh air and sunlight. The view from his window faces west, giving them a clear view of the sun setting over the desert landscape. Cosmo immediately goes pawing for something under Keith's bed and returns with a homemade slingshot. Keith laughs when he sees it, but turns to James expectantly.]
... well this is it.
no subject
... you've always been adorable, wow.
[ Not that James didn't use to put up posters in his room but they weren't nearly as nerdy - he likes to think. Keith would have probably found James' childhood room boring. And James would have... well, he'd probably have found this place strange and exciting. Intimidated by the weird creatures on the wall and the scorpion in the tank, but excited to have made such an extraordinary friend. ]
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Pretty sure I was mostly kinda weird.
[He says, kneeling down to try and grab the slingshot from Cosmo.]
... but thanks? I guess. [Still a little doubtful. Cosmo teleports away from Keith to go hide behind James' legs, tail wagging. He straightens up again to look out the window.]
It always looked like the sun was rolling off the edge of the world from here. But you could see all the stars at night. It was weird watching this from the city when I got moved. Suddenly I couldn't see a damn thing.
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Do you still miss the desert? I do sometimes. The French forests are beautiful, but it's not the same. I miss the desert more than the people, these days.
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[Keith turns his face towards James, half smiling.]
I missed riding my bike out here a lot. Used to be the only thing that'd help clear my head after a bad day.
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[ The teasing is gentle as James smiles back. ]
Driving here was really fun though. I never really went off-road when I got my license and I only ever drove in a car anyway. Also feels good, but... not as good. I will admit.
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Learn how to ride a bike and we could race some time.
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[ But that's Jailbreak for you. James is learning to deal with it. ]
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You don't trust me to teach you. I see how it is.
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Okay, if you put it like this.... I trust you more than Jailbreak. Way more. I was mostly thinking of her because she's got the power to hand out legal licenses somehow.
.... I hope they're legal. The school board is in on it, so they should be.
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