It's Cake Day

[this_loser]

♥ Who: All Ya'll
♥ Where: Prompto, Noctis, and Pyra's place
♥ When: backdated to October 25
♥ What: Birthday!
♥ Rating: PG at most

Another birthday party! A very chill, no-fuss, come as you are kind of party. If you know Prompto in any small or large way, you've been invited.

There's food over there, most definitely a cake, music. And if you're here, you better be ready to take a photo with a birthday boy.

Anyway, you know the drill.

Comments

The best partygoer

[original_is_best]

Amazingly, somehow Verstael actually got an invitation to this thing. Maybe it was just because he gave a somewhat decent gift before.

However, he was not particularly a party person. In Niflheim, parties tended to mean bumping elbows with the aristocrats - one of Verstael's least favorite activities. Though he was perfectly aware that birthday parties were a thing, he didn't attend any. So beyond the very basics he knew about nothing about birthday party activities.

The present was easy. He'd bought a tool set before, so what else was necessary for any good engineer? A multitool. One with everything necessary for portable engineering, to help fashion Prompto into the scientist genius he should be.

And that was almost it. But, walking by some of the nonsense fan made products that the natives had been making of the otherworlders, he did recall something Prompto had mentioned before. This brought more hesitation. A multitool was easy - simple, functional, something anybody should want. But this? Was something more personal and specific, and entirely foreign to Verstael. And, more than that, something Verstael wouldn't want for himself, which made it more difficult for him to reason out its purpose.

But, he decided to give it a try. Thus, he did show up at the party. He rather quickly spotted wherever the presents were being placed, and went straight to it, placing his own: a chocobo plush with a multitool. The most prepared chocobo plush around. Unlike before he hadn't even bothered with poor wrapping, just leaving them as they were before turning to probably head back out.

Unless someone actually wanted to talk to him for some reason, but why would anyone want to do that?

[this_loser]

Is that Verstael dumping something on the gift table and then trying to leave without so much as a hello? Sure does look like it.

"Hey." Prompto is quick to intercept, sliding into Verstael's path, but craning his neck to see what he put on the table. Is that...? No way. "Thanks for coming."

[original_is_best]

Funny enough, Prompto might be the person he was least expecting to talk to. It was his party, which meant he should be preoccupied with friends. And while they had been working together, he was under no delusion that they were best friends.

A brief silence fell between them as he processed how to proceed with this conversation, momentarily shifting to the niceties that one says at a feast or gala before sneaking out to go back to the lab.

Appropriate response identified. Initiating polite conversation procedures.

"It is my pleasure. You must be engrossed in your festivities. I will not monopolize your time."

[this_loser]

"Um, you're not." The polite thing was to at least say hello to everyone who came by. There wasn't so much going on that he couldn't spare some time. "I didn't actually think you'd come."

[original_is_best]

"Had you been hoping I wouldn't?"

No offense came through the response. If this was some sort of invitation of obligation it didn't make much difference to him. It would almost make more sense that way.

[this_loser]

"Not what I'm saying. I'm just...surprised, is all." It's not like they had a stellar relationship. And, well, birthday parties didn't really strike him as Verstael's scene.

He glances back at the table. "Sooo, what'd you get me?"

[shroudedsecrets]

There was a time when it too, would have been strange for Honerva to be visible at a party, only putting in a customary appearance if she could allow herself such a break from work, though those sorts of days were long behind her.

Still it's that reason that Verstael's presence at all doesn't go unnoticed; he certainly seemed the sort to be too caught up in other things than to appear at something as light as this, though it's mostly for Prompto's sake that she observes him and his attempts at stealth.

"... Greetings, Verstael."

[original_is_best]

Damnit. The armor apparently gave -10 to his stealth stat.

Still, it wasn't as if he was incapable of speaking to people. It was more that parties tended to be, well, political events. At least the sort he ever attended.

"Greetings. You are participating in this gathering?"

[shroudedsecrets]

"Prompto is important to me. I would not miss an opportunity to celebrate him thusly."

A gathering could be anything; most of them were not places she'd normally be without invitation, and even then, socializing tended to be limited. Still, something like this was a little different; more personal.

[original_is_best]

"...He does show promise as an engineer. It's regrettable that he hasn't expressed any interest in magiteknology or parasitology."

Competency is what makes someone important, right?

[shroudedsecrets]

"He is kind, patient and has a keen eye for what others may miss. It is well suited toward his current interests."

They clearly have different values in mind, but his rationale is not unfamiliar to her.

[carbungle]

Seeing as this is his bestie's birthday, Noctis would be here anyway, but since it's going down in his house, he's extra-pleased that he can be a little lazy about it and feel more at home instead of going out and looking fancy. He'll help with hosting as needed, especially if it gives Prompto extra freedom to get his good social mingle on, but for the most part he's happier to do his usual wallflowering, AKA hang out somewhere out of the way yet visible so people can bother him if they want to talk to him and ignore him if they don't. It's been a weird month, so he's at least grateful for the distraction.

He's still about as good with gift ideas as he ever is - that is to say, not at all - so he'd settled on this fancy portable video camera from one of the expensive media shops in town, something that he'll surely regret later. Prompto with a photography camera is danger enough, but Prompto with video equipment? ...Still, there's no point in having an excess of money if he's not going to spend it on people he cares about, so that's how it is.

[this_loser]

What is there to regret? The video camera is the best thing Prompto has ever seen! He was a little wary of messing with it too much at first, seeing as it was obviously expensive. But the want to play with it and figure out all its cool tricks won over.

He's currently panning around the room, zooming in and out and various things and people.

"Dude, I am so filming the cats at the temple tomorrow."

[carbungle]

"At least you picked a quality subject."

AKA "thanks for filming cats and not me", is the unspoken truth. He's smirking a little anyway, despite knowing he'll pay for this generosity later. Prompto with a camera is always an inevitable danger to his dignity, it just depends on when, not if. Still, he's glad to see his best friend enjoying himself. He's always been kind of fun to watch when he's geeking out over technology.

[this_loser]

Just wait. The only thing better than embarrassing photos is embarrassing videos. And even better than that, cool videos. He's not planning on getting into any fights with the wildlife here, but...

"How well do you think this thing would hold up in hostile conditions?"

Is it even waterproof? He starts digging through the paperwork to find out. Could he design some kind of protective shell for it?

[carbungle]

"Dunno. We can throw it at the wall a few times if you want to find out."

He smirks, fully expecting a protest even if he's joking. Prompto's usually careful enough with his tech that they survived the whole journey, and he wasn't afraid to take them to riskier places, but actively testing their durability wasn't really in the usual game plan.

[this_loser]

Prompto gasps and clutches the camera to his chest. "We will not throw my new baby at the wall!" He immediately switches gears, powering the camera back on and fiddling with it some more. Are those filters?? "I was thinking it'd be cool to record you warping sometime."

[shroudedsecrets]

Oh look. A house with a bunch of her favorite people in it, with the celebration aimed at someone she's quite fond of and more than happy to say so. Honerva is by no means someone who socializes, but for the first time in a while she seems more comfortable at a party, knowing who it is for and without any odd hangups. That, and they could all use a break from the oddness of the month to focus on something else.

Gifting is somewhat difficult but she manages; at some point she presents the birthday boy with an elegantly wrapped box that he'll have to work his way through, but inside will be some carefully wrapped digital-display picture frames... as well as a commissioned square-shaped pillow with embroidered baby chocobos on it. It's cute. Hopefully he doesn't mind cute.

[this_loser]

"You really didn't have to get me anything... But thank you so much!"

He adores cute. This pillow will have a home on his bed for the rest of forever. And the picture frames...He'll have to figure out the best places to put those later, but he spends a good while gushing over them.

"I'm really just happy to see you."

[shroudedsecrets]

"Well, I would not overlook an opportunity to treat you, of course."

Since as soon as the idea for the gift came to her, how could she resist? The frames were so he could look upon his work, but having something soft just seemed right.

"But I am quite grateful to be here. Thank you for the invitation."

[this_loser]

He just beams and carefully sets the frames aside. The pillow stays on his lap, so he can trace over the chocobos while they talk.

"Of course! You were the first one on my list. Well..." He nods a head in Noct's direction. "People who already live here were assumed."

[shroudedsecrets]

"... Really?"

It still genuinely surprises her to hear sentiments like that, but her ears give a little flutter.

"Well, of course they were. Your housemates make fine guests on any occasion. I bet they didn't hold back on treating you, either."

party party party

[iustaegis]

Prompto...!

[ She's holding out one of the cakes for him, because, yes, whatever cake he's gotten she's also made a +1 cake. ]

Your turn to make a wish!

[ Or another one, if he's already blown out candles on his first cake. ]

[this_loser]

Pyra!

[He grins stupidly at the second cake - OMG, he got two cakes!! - and blows out the candles. Wish made!]

Thank you! Are you having a good time?

[iustaegis]

[ She nods happily, setting the cake down and preparing to cut him a slice. ] I am! [ Of course she is! ] I am, because I get to celebrate the existence of one of the most very special people in the world!

[ She turns around, offering him the generous serving of cake. ]