[Semi-Open] Oh, would you look at that. It's Joshua Day.

[reasonandrime]

Who: FF16s and anyone who has positive CR with Joshua is invited (friends of friends can also drop by!)
Which: Semi-Open Log
Where: Starflower Cafe!
When: Backdated to March 25th
What: Once upon a time, some people looked at a baby and said, "You are Joshua." Today, we celebrate the 29th anniversary of that occasion.
Warnings: None!

It's early evening, and the golden hour sun shines gently through the windows of the Starflower Cafe. There's a modest array of red, white, and black decorations strung from the roof and set upon the tables to catch the flickering flames of lantern centrepieces, but the overall ambience is simple and warm, reminiscent of Rosarian hospitality.

Clive and Jill extended invitations earlier in the week, emphasising that the celebration is a surprise for Joshua. Guests are encouraged to arrive early, whereupon Jill will guide them not into hiding, per se, but at least to places where they can't be spotted through the windows. Meanwhile, Clive will be escorting Joshua to the party under the pretence of treating him to a name day dinner.

As such, guests are also encouraged to surprise some JOY into Mister Phoenix Boy when the brothers arrive.

Once the excitement of the surprise subsides, all guests will receive a softly glowing phoenix feather imbued with healing dreamotion. Joshua is handing them out personally as tokens of gratitude, so come and get yours!

Early mingling will happen over the appetizer buffet, which features potato croquettes, charcuterie boards with a heavy emphasis on cheese, various veggie platters with dips, and small cups of ice cream. Or, guests can sit down and chat over dinner: a roast with all the fixings.

After dinner, everyone will be escorted outside to where a bonfire has been set up. There, guests can enjoy roasting marshmallows, s'mores, and other sweet treats over the fire while watching a fireworks show to end the night.

TL;DR it's a party. So, like, party y'all.

(Clive and Jill will be around, but they'll be busy ensuring everything goes off without a hitch, so they won't be interacting much. Please feel free to assume that introductions have happened & that everyone present has been invited to their wedding, where they will be much more present!)

Comments

[wwtd]

[ no worries hiyori has the requisite sweet tooth

and she seems happy to have him next to her. friends, indeed! she gets to work on finding another stick and marshmallow to hand over ]

Well! You've come to the right place. I'm not an expert, but I've roasted a s'more or two. My family goes on family vacations in the summer and winter. When we go to the mountains for the summer, this is a staple...

[ after saying that, her smile dims slightly ]

[amnesiadragon]

Is that a usual thing?

[He tilts his head a little and smiles a bit sympathetically.]

Are you okay? ... You miss them, don't you? I think we all miss people...

[wwtd]

[ a look of surprise crosses her face and she thinks of smiling it off but... it's true, isn't it? everyone is missing someone. they're all struggling. they're all fighting their own battles.

though she smiles, it's a melancholy one. yet somehow, it reaches her eyes. ]

Yeah. [ she's okay. she misses them. all of the above. ] But having friends here helps and admitting it aloud does, too. Thank you for asking, Ryu-san.

[ with that in mind, while putting another marshy-kun on her stick, ]

Who are you missing?

[amnesiadragon]

Of course. We're friends, aren't we?

[He hopes so, at least. The question has him dipping his head slightly as he takes a moment to think of them.]

Cray and Nina, and Ershin - or Deis - and Scias. Even Ursula... she was ordered to capture me but she's been really nice and helpful. And the good people we've met... they're all precious to me.

[wwtd]

[ a small pause, but her next smile is happy. ]

Yeah. We are.

[ those are a lot of names. one she recognizes -- deis. that was his other half. or something similar? ]

On your adventures, right? [ taking her stick, she hovers it near the fire and hopes ryu will follow her lead. ]

As much as I miss people back home, if I were to leave here I would miss the friends I've made in Reverein just as much...

[amnesiadragon]

[A fellow god. But close.]

Yes. ... And I would miss people here, too. Joshua is... my brother. I don't want to leave him alone. He's got people from his world here now, but... I worry about him. He's so gentle...

[wwtd]

[ dang. we'll get 'em next time.

warmth enters hiyori's gaze. perhaps it's inherited from the bonfire going. it's more likely it's because of ryu's words, though. ]

He is. [ from very, very early on she could tell how soft-hearted joshua was. ]

... What are you worried about? [ as gentle as he is, he doesn't seem like he couldn't make more friends. in fact, joshua could easily be friends with everyone in reverein, in her opinion! ]

[amnesiadragon]

... I just worry that someone might try to... to hurt him. On purpose or by accident. I know he can take care of himself, I just... don't want him to have to go through any pain.

[Ryu's gone through enough, and he knows Joshua has been through some, too. He doesn't deserve to go through any more.]

[wwtd]

[ ... hurt him? ]

Wh-why would someone want to do that?

[ joshua is literally the nicest???? she doesn't want him to go through pain, either. joshua or ryu or anybody here that she's met. ]

I, I know sometimes Songerein can make us do some weird stuff! Especially with the mirrors and the monsters and sometimes transforming into things, but nobody has ever tried to hurt anyone!

[ hiyori realizes she hasn't been here as long as some other people. ]

... Right?

[amnesiadragon]

I don't think so but... I don't mean just physically hurt. I want to protect his smile. ... I want to protect everyone's smiles, but he's... especially important to me.

[wwtd]

[ oh.

that kind of hurt.

the question remains -- who would want to hurt him? or it's ryu. he's been through... well, she can tell without him saying anything that he's been through much. he's protective of his friends. not just friends, but people. all people.

a good god. ]

You two are close, huh? [ she attempts to ease his worries with a smile. it's not like she feels too different. it would be wonderful if, while they're here, they can live on peacefully. in ways they maybe can't? while waking. ]

[amnesiadragon]

... I think so. He's as close to me as any of my companions are.

[Well. Each of them has their own kind of closeness, but Joshua's no different in that respect.]

And... I know I shouldn't worry. I don't want to protect him by putting him away from the world, because the world is wonderful. I guess all I can do for him - for anyone - is to be there when they fall to help them up.

I think, at least.

[wwtd]

[ protect him by putting him away from the world.

protect someone by avoiding them.

two schools of thought hiyori struggles to understand. both said by gods -- ryu and yato. you protect someone by being at their side when they need you, she thought. she knows.

so hiyori is quick to leap onto ryu's last idea of what protecting means. ]

Th-that's right! We should support the people we care about, not try to control them...!

[ yato's father. that might've been too vehement, though. her marshmallow is starting to burn. ]

[amnesiadragon]

I don't want to control him. That seems... cruel and unneeded. Instead I just want to support them. ... Just like any mortal would. Just like any person would. I'm just glad that he's okay here.

... Even if he does disappear sometimes. He always comes back, but...

[He wants to ask, but he's not sure if it's okay to ask.]

[wwtd]

[ it is. it is cruel and unneeded and she's thinking of--

someone she shouldn't be thinking of right now. hiyori finally pulls her marshmallow away from the fire so it doesn't burn or plop into the fire again. the outside is charred. ]

... Joshua disappears? You've tried looking for him though?

[amnesiadragon]

Yes. It's pretty regular, to the point where I can predict it. I go over and take care of his chocobo - which is a bit like a very large bird from his world? But I've never asked him why.

... Maybe I should.

[wwtd]

[ that often?? the first thing hiyori would have asked is WHY

is the large bird cute? nonono, focus. ]

I don't think it's a bad idea to ask him. [ hiyori replies, softly with hints of mild concern for joshua. maybe she should ask, too. ]

... We can ask him together if you like. There could be something we can help him with if he tells us what it is, right?

[amnesiadragon]

[It is indeed very cute.]

No, I... I think I can do it. I just... have to be brave and ask him. I don't want to bother him...

[wwtd]

[ kweh. ]

Ryu-san, I don't think your being concerned about Joshua's well-being would ever bother him.

[ hiyori says is softly, gently but emphatically. then, she smiles. ]

If it were me, I'd be touched and happy someone was that worried about me.

[amnesiadragon]

... Yes, that's... that's true. I'd... I'd be happy, too. I just don't always know what the right thing to do is because I'm new to this sort of thing...

[Being a person. Being alive. It's hard, and it takes a lot of practice.]

[wwtd]

[ ryu is a bit like a child. a very well-spoken child who has clearly been through a lot already but someone still learning about the world around him and its people. he has a good heart. he's on the right track. ]

It's okay not to know. It's okay to make mistakes, too. Sometimes you might not be right and... it's okay. That's why we have friends and people to surround ourselves with. To help.

Right?

I follow my gut. What is yours telling you?

[amnesiadragon]

... I think... it's telling me to talk to him. ... To ask him to open up.

Because if we don't open up to each other, how can we take care of each other?

[wwtd]

[ hiyori gives him a small, playful nudge before holding out the s'mores she's made toward him. ]

See? You do know what you're doing. You just have to believe in yourself.

[amnesiadragon]

[He looks down at it curiously, tilting his head. What... what is this? He's so confused.]

... What... is this?

It looks... very strange...

[He's been momentarily distracted, okay.]

[wwtd]

[ MOMENTARILY. ]

D-does it? It's a s'more. It's like a, um, a dessert sandwich.