Happy Birthday My Olde Friend [August 24] [Shepherd's Haven] [Open]

[numberedshepherd]

Who: Lazarus, Nathan, Misa, OPEN to anyone in Shepherd's Haven or who might drop by
Where: Town Hall
When: August 24, Monday
What: Just because Tony stalked off doesn't mean that they aren't still going to be celebrating Nathan's 20th birthday. Look at the kid. You'd have to be a dick to even imply that he was born at an inconvenient time.
Warnings: Probably the most depressing birthday party ever.
Status: Ongoing/Open. Set your own threads here! Have fun! Or try to.



The day before had been a mess. Not only had Lazarus' doppelganger resurfaced after a full year of silence, effortlessly bringing infected sore points to the surface and sowing gleeful discord in his wake, but Tony had left on bitter and angry terms, accompanied by Richard. Understandably, it's cast a pall over the settlement, but as always, there are other things to think about, matters of obligation and the heart.

Nathan is turning 20 today. Lazarus remembers it blearily as he wakes up hungover. Dragging himself out of bed, showering, and dressing, he mentally runs over all the things he needs to do today.

See Misa about a cake. Get some toys from Woodend. Generally announce that this is happening, and above all, don't forget to smile.

He glances at a mirror and gives it a shot. His dry, pale skin, cracked lips and deep undereye circles don't make it look particularly encouraging. He fights back a wave of nausea, taking a quick seat, deciding that he can wait for it to pass before he tackles today's priorities.

Comments

[lovesickkiller]

"There's the birthday boy!" Misa yells excitedly as she skips up to Nathan, giving him a quick hug. She is no more in the mood for this than he is, but unlike him she is very good at affecting cheer. "Sorry the party's kind of... last minute. Next year I'll make sure we put together a really good one!"

[solvethepuzzle]

Nathan is never prepared for hugs, and he tenses while he's in her grasp. Fortunately, it does not last long.

"It's alright. The party is fine." Delivered in his normal almost toneless fashion.

And it truly is, for a given value of fine. There is not anything of the setup itself that he finds wrong with this day. But they're not talking about what is really wrong.

[lovesickkiller]

Misa would be offended, if not for the fact that calling the party 'fine' is actually being generous.

"A party should be better than fine! It should be great, and lots of fun!" she insists. "I bet the presents and cake will make you feel better~"

[solvethepuzzle]

Nathan hardly has high (or any, really) standards for parties. The slapdash execution would have been perfectly okay with him were it not for outside circumstances. It's difficult to be picky when one has never had a proper birthday party before.

"It should be." That is what they are supposed to be like, isn't it? He's resisting the urge to wind his fingers into his hair. "Perhaps."

He . . . really isn't expecting them to.

[lovesickkiller]

"They will! So tell me the truth," she says, leaning in conspiratorially. "You're not really turning 20, are you?"

[solvethepuzzle]

"... We have been telling the truth about this from the beginning."

He has to wonder how long this is going to go on, if she is ever going to believe that he is exactly as old as they keep telling her. She is not the only one who mistakes him for much younger, and he does understand where it comes from, but after a while it becomes tiresome.

[lovesickkiller]

"Don't be so serious," she chastises, giving his shoulder a squeeze. "Twenty is a big number!"

Far too big to still get so much enjoyment out of children's toys. Or to look like a 13 year old. But this is Nathan's day, so Misa mentions neither of these things.

"You don't have to give our your age on a birthday anyway, Misa is going to start making people guess!"

[solvethepuzzle]

In his defense, the enjoyment of children's toys had been an Echo, something entirely out of his control. But it is at least a harmless thing, so he has relatively little problem indulging in it, at least privately. It's less unsettling than other things he'd discovered about his Other.

And the reason he's small enough to look thirteen isn't something he casually mentions, anyway.

He blinks at the phrasing, tilts his head. He's never heard her speak that way before. "When did you start doing that?"

[lovesickkiller]

Misa mirrors his head tilt, seemingly confused. "Doing what?" she asks.

[solvethepuzzle]

Subconsciously, he is glad for this distraction. It keeps his head away from more depressing thoughts.

"Referring to yourself in the third person. You never used to."

[lovesickkiller]

"Oh. Did I?"

Though something in her expression tenses, Misa remains smiling and tries to laugh it off. "I'm just trying something new and being silly! It's a party, right?"

[solvethepuzzle]

He catches the subtle shift, eyes briefly and unintentionally studying it. There is more to her dismissal than she is willing to let on. Precisely what he cannot say.

"If you say so." No, he still has no concept that this sounds dismissive. "And . . . yes. It is."

What does one do at a party they do not particularly want to have, though?

[lovesickkiller]

There's no doubt in her mind that Nathan has logged this bit of information away to study later, possibly with Lazarus. Fine. If Lazarus asks, she will tell him the truth. But she is not going to try explaining all this now, and certainly not to Nathan. Misa might have helped throw this party for him, and she certainly has affection for him, but when he pays any attention to her it always makes her feel like an insect trapped beneath a magnifying glass. He's too perceptive, in a way that feels about as human as his toy robots when paired with his social lackings.

"It's nice that this many people came on such short notice, right?" she asks hopefully. Attendance is a little pathetic, but that could have just as much to do with Nathan's difficulty making friends as anything else. Misa considers the crowd a modest success, all things considered.