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

Entry tags:

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

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!)

Threaded | Flat

🌼 I. The Big Surprise!

[ Being apart of the cafe staff (and dearest friends with the owners) certainly has it's perks... especially when birthdays are involved! She is almost too excited as the plans were being made for Joshua, and does whatever she can in order for the entire event to go smoothly! And while Jill and Clive seem to have most of the preparation covered, Lyria is eager to help where she can.

So when the lights begin to dim and the birthday boy comes into view... surprise!! And pop! goes a magical confetti blaster of Lyria's own dreamotion creation. It erupts the side of the room temporary with a dazzling light, complete with holograms of birds and sun shines! There may be actual confetti and glitter in there too, so if you just happen to be near Lyria during the time of the ~~explosion~~.... oops! It comes out? Maybe? ]

Happy birthday...!!

🌼 II. A Sticky Situation

[ Lyria loves s'mores! But sometimes, they don't always love her back.

While cozied up by the bonfire in the company of so many loved ones, the little girl finds herself attempting to enjoy the delightful creation she made for herself... but maybe she put it by the fire for too long?

Slowly her face turns from joy to panic as she bites into it and the marshmallow inside burst from it's cracker chambers! Perhaps adding three marshmallows was too much? She turns to the nearest person, face and hands now trapped in the sugary ooze!! ]

Oh, ah— could you help me, please?

🌼 III. Fancy Feet Fireworks

[ What a perfect way to end a perfect night!

Lyria starts the night with the music of her own making- humming and dancing along the firepit- but when her corgi Cantata gets involved... now it's a real party! The bells on her fur give off a charming ring, and soon accompanied by Lyria's singing does music begin to fill the air around the fireworks display.

She might be getting so involved that she ends up taking the person's hand closest to her for a dance! Willing or not, it's too late to say no now...! ]

(Anya arrives at the party, eager to give the birthday boy a good time and she has presents to give to him: three in fact. She has brought with her two beautiful phoenix figurines and a leather bound journal, all wrapped up inside a nice velvet covered box and tied with red and black ribbons. She does hope that these will make him smile upon receiving them today, she had some time to find these in a small local shop earlier that day.

Plus she isn’t the only one who has come to the party, Pooka and Mashka are also with her, tagging along and very excited to see the animals at Starflower Café once again.)

1. Birthday Boy:

[Earlier before the party began, Yato brought two gifts: a gag one of a fire extinguisher (in case those cool flames set something alight!) and the real one of a handmade bookcase decorated with an elegant chocobo motif and painted in red, black, and gold. Standing at six feet, it's entirely wrapped in shiny paper, too, with curled ribbons, bows, and everything. Extra, just like Yato himself.

When it comes time for the birthday boy to arrive, Yato's perched upon his larger present so he can let loose with a shower of red rose petals (left overs from last month - hey, you make do with what you've got) and streamers, making sure Joshua ends up covered in them. It's a pity they didn't have any silly string... Oh well.]

Sur~priseeee! Happy Birthday, kid!

2. Buffet Bash:

[Never one to pass up an opportunity to party, especially when it's for that of a friend, Yato has decided to bless the occasion with his godly presence.

In other words, once the birthday boy has been congratulated, he heads straight for the buffet and loads up on a lot of everything. Nothing is left untouched; his plate is probably pilled six inches high, if not more. A glutton for both punishment and food, he starts munching while mingling with the rest of the partygoers, sometimes forgetting that people can actually see him here. So from time to time he bumps into someone, almost losing his mountain of food but thankfully rescuing it with practiced reflexes.]

Whoops!

3. No S'more:

[The deeper part of the evening finds Yato out by the bonfire with the ingredients necessary for making s'mores because he's a kid like that. Only, instead of doing the sensible thing and toasting them over the bonfire, he's opted to try using dreamotion to create his own mini flame in both his hands, leaving his marshmallow on a stick to be held between his knees.

Except instead of creating a steady flame, he manages a series of rainbow sparks that burst out of his hands, showering anyone nearby with them. It also manages to catch his lap on fire, earning a surprised yelp of pain as he flails about in a futile attempt at putting himself out.]

WAAAAHHH! Yeeouch! Ouch ouch! That's hot! [Somebody save him from himself...? Or just dunk his ass in water.]

I - Birdthday Boy

Ryu is not sure what to expect from a birthday party - he's only faintly aware of what both 'birthdays' and 'parties' are. But he shows up with something in a long, narrow box that probably betrays what it is. Oh well. He waits for his friend to show up and follows everyone's lead, popping out to yell 'surprise'! ... A little delayed, but the spirit is there.

He waits for people to clear away from Joshua before approaching with his present. He's been vaguely listening - not to be nosy, but he doesn't even know what to say on someone's birthday. "... Happy birthday?" That's right, isn't it?

II - Buffet Bother

Food! Wonderful food! He's doing his best to control his usual large appetite, but there's too much good stuff! The ice cream is totally ignored - it looks cold and he's not a fan of that - but the croquettes get a try as does the veggies. ... The dip is also ignored because he's not sure what to do with that.

He does take a double portion of the roast, tearing into it and possibly getting the sauce on his neighbors. It's not that he's starving, it's more that he's always hungry. ... Sorry.

III - Bonfire Boo-Boos

Ryu is absolutely delighted by the bonfire, though the concept of roasting marshmallows is a little confusing. He follows someone else's lead and puts one on a stick. He's surprised by how it's turning golden brown, and then black, and then - oh! It's on fire!

He pulls it out of the flame and waves it to extinguish it, but he grabs it right afterwards. Hot sticky sugar ends up all over his hand and he makes a surprised and pained noise. "Ow..." He's resistant to fire, but that's different than being immune.

[Tifa and Eustace had been happy to let Clive and Jill use their café to host this party for Joshua, both of them having become acquainted the young Dominant in his time here. Eustace made special care that the various animals aren't a bother to everyone, and especially do not get into the food.

Otherwise, Eustace just kept the side as usual, letting everyone else do the grand surprise, socialize and mingle until he felt it only appropriate to greet Joshua himself. So he'll come up to him a little later, lightly tapping him on the shoulder.]

Enjoying yourself?

a) YOU ARE STILL JOSHUA.

[ hiyori wouldn't say she's a party girl, but she could say she's a girl who appreciates her friends. new and old. honestly? she's just glad she didn't have to practice dancing for a flash mob. even if, in the end, that had been really fun. if embarrassing...

once she got over herself.

she sets her gift (THE LITTLE NOTE DOES NOT SAY DARLING it probably says "happy birthday, joshua!! from, hiyori iki") where the other gifts are and mingles until bday boy arrives. she does her best to keep yato out of trouble, too... but that's an ongoing, everyday struggle. sigh.

once clive approaches with the man? boy? MALE of the hour, hiyori hushes the rest of the partygoers herself and ducks down into hiding. untttilll!! the door opens. CONFETTI ABOUND. ]

Surprise!! Happy birthday!

[ life goes on, doesn't it? no matter where they are. no matter who they're with. the best they can do is enjoy it. for now, her life is here in reverein with the friends she's made. who deserve to know others so cherish them.

ah, she has a lot of confetti and glitter in her hair. so does everyone. she laughs and starts picking it out of her hair then turns to who is nearby. ]

You've got some... [ GESTURES ] In yours, too, hehe.

a) PHOENIX UP.

[ it's been a while since she's seen fireworks. sitting by the bonfire, making s'mores, hiyori watches the spectacle with bright eyes and a small smile. if only yukine were here. he would enjoy this. they could enjoy it together. he and joshua would get along, too. there probably isn't anybody yukine wouldn't get along with.

times like these make her miss home. she misses everyday things like going to school and seeing her friends. she misses seeing her mom and dad and her older brother around doing chores or just existing. she misses delivering her grandmother's coffee to her and listening to an anecdote about her life. she misses stopping by kofuku's and spending time with everyone. she misses being with the people she loves.

all her friends in reverein keep her happy. yato keeps her sane.

.... and insane........

ANYWAY, HEY, HOW 'BOUT THEM S'MORES!!! hiyori is staring at the fire for perhaps too long, lost in her thoughts because her marshmallow melts right off the sick and plops sadly into the flames. burnt to a crisp. ]

GAH!!! N-nooooooo....!

[ notice the similarities between our beloved noragamis??? yeah, they're all IDIOTS. every single one. ]

Threaded | Flat

lyria | granblue Fantasy

Anastasia Romanova | Anastasia (1997)

Yato | Noragami

Ryu | Breath of Fire IV

[ closed to birthday boy ]