Surprise Party
   
  

 /===================( - Port Island - SEES Co-Ed Dorm - )====================\ 
|                                                                              |
|  On paper, this building is a co-ed dormitory for students of Gekkoukan High |
| to live in for whatever reason. In practice, thanks to meddling by Shuji     |
| Ikutsuki, this is the home of SEES. Keeping close to one as protection from  |
| the Shadow threat, this is where almost all of them come at night.           |
|  The lobby of the dorm is quite spacious, bearing an appearance akin to a    |
| hotel lobby... all the way down to a sign-in sheet on the counter to keep    |
| track of comings and goings. Brown, earthy tones are the dominant colors,    |
| with a green floor with little yellow and orange tile patterns. A few        |
| couches face around a table at an unfavorable distance from the small old    |
| CRT TV in the corner. In the back is a small counter and dining table.       |
| Generous numbers of lamps keep the area well lit at night. Two restrooms,    |
| divided by gender, are off to the side of the hallway leading up to the      |
| staircase. The staircase is something of a square spiral that leads to the   |
| higher floors.                                                               |
|  Most of the SEES members spend their time here. One of the most common      |
| subjects among each other are primers on their own strengths and weaknesses  |
| in battle, spoken in peculiar amounts of self-aware detail. The only real    |
| downside to living here is that in order to get to Gekkoukan on time, one    |
| has to take the monorail.                                                    |
|===============================( - Players - )================================|
| Aigis [SEES] <Rangda>                 Akatsuki Enda [SEES] <Hector>          |
| Yuuka Chiba [SEES] <Lilim>            Shinjiro Aragaki [DS] <Castor>         |
| Thora Kobayashi [KDA] <Garm>          Himeru Namikawa [DS] <Hannya>          |
| Arisa Shiratori [DS] <Ölrún>          Shiki Ichimonji [SEES] <Gawain>        |
| Hinata Itoh [SEES] <Skuld>            Blaise Cameron [U] <Lancelot>          |
|===============================( - Objects - )================================|
| The Possessed Table                                                          |
|================================( - Exits - )=================================|
| Up <U>:                  SEES Dorm - Living Quarters                         |
| Out <O>:                 Port Island                                         |
 \============================================================================/
November 25, 2009: the future has arrived. And in that glorious future...it is Shiki Ichimonji's birthday.

Itsuka has been scrambling for most of the week to arrange things for a gathering celebrating this great day, which has included a lot of running around, as many text messages as can be counted (probably one to YOU, too), and of course a lot of wasted time because she is not the most efficient of planners and she hasn't really done this before. Perhaps there are other efforts made to make /everything better/ but either way, there is a certain set of decorations placed about the back of the dorm's lobby, all gathered about a certain 'trophy table'. There are ribbons, and decorations, and a cake, and there may or may not be hats. (Goggles are hard to find, but hats seem to be up Shiki's alley.) It is time....to party.

Everything is set! Or is it? Itsuka has placed the care of the lobby (and the hidden cake) in the care of her /trusted friends/ because right now she is outside, walking with Shiki back to the dorm for a hastily-contrived excuse. What has everyone done!?


The mines were set, the flamethrowers criss-crossing to make a deadly killzone, the shrapnel launchers positionned to make it even worse and turn anyone stepping in there into some sort of charred messy chunk of meat and bone. Ice Laser Cannons positioned strategically beforehand to slow down anyone who would approach the Death Zone as she had come to call it, leaving Himeru grinning widely. "Come worms, march, march to your doom!" she gloats softly before having a soft megalomaniac bout of laughter for about six seconds.

She's...playing some sort of Tower Defense on that new SEES-supplied phone of hers. The game store had interesting titles, so she could not resist. She's also sitting behind the couch closest to the wall. She had dimmed the lights so their presence could not be easily seen, but had gotten bored staying silent and waiting. Waiting like lions stalking the helpless antelope...mmmyeesss...

The instructions were simple after all: When the door opens, count to three for Shiki to fully open it, and then reveal yourself and shout 'Surprise!'. There's no way to screw something like that up, now that the other decorations had been set. Banners, colorful paper strings, hats...


Hinata has been here /all along/.

Having taken care of the dorm's newest resident and taken a quick moment to freshen herself up, the youngest of the Itohs quickly scampered back downstairs to beat the rush of birthday well-wishers. She had only wished she had something more festive to wear other than her school uniform. There were plans in the making, but... you can't rush quality!

Once back down, Hina makes sure her gaily wrapped box is placed in the right pile, the envelope is set perfectly atop of it, and only then does she grab a party hat. Currently she's helping to set up another surprise at the TV. For if there is a party, there must be party games, and what better games than DDR and KARAOKE!

There is no shame involved when it comes to celebrating the life of someone as amazing as Shiki!


Aigis likes ribbons :*.

And she is a stealth master. A ninja robot if you will. And so she is cosplaying as Athena in a costume equip she recently got in a Tartarus dungeon.

But she is hidden in a box. Someone has written 'not a robot' in felt marker on the box.


What has Thora done?! ...maybe helped with decorations if she arrived early enough. She had to come all the way over from Inaba which isn't as easy a task for her these days. Hopefully Farah could make an excuse.

Should Fumiya have required it, she would have given him a ride over on her motorcycle too. Motorcycles are much more awesome than public transportation anyway (though given Fumiya's earliest attempts to ride on Thora's motorcycle, she won't be too surprised if this offer is refused).

For now, Thora awaits the arrival of the victim from her hiding spot behind the "registration" counter to the left of the door. Her back is pressed against it and she even has to duck down a little so her hair doesn't peek over the edge. She would have hidden behind one of the couches but a bunch of the other SEES members had that same idea. There was also the comedy 'behind the bathroom door' option but Thora opted out of that.


Fumiya didn't think he'd be going back to the SEES dorm again so soon after his little encounter with Shinjiro and Adachi there. But if there's one thing that can rouse a teenager into action, it's the promise of a party.

Plus it gave him a chance to hitch a ride on Thora's motorcycle and hopefully not get into a shadow-induced accident again.

Dressed in his best neons, and with his schoolbag slung over his shoulder, he arrives at the dorm and lets himself in. Because he was invited, darnit. "Wheeeewwww..." He sighs, when he arrives. One babe, two babe, and probably more in hiding. This should be a fun party. "I was hoping this would be a blast, hey Hinata-babe." He says to the girl he recognizes.

Well, Himeru he may recognize, but he never did get her name. He just has her mentally noted down as 'the babe with the bokken'.

"So where /is/ Shiki, anyway? Is someone bringing him here? I never got the whole run-down on the plan."


You know the best THING about being about 4'9, 4'10, 100 lbs soaking wet, and fairly good at squeezing into small places?

You can hide pretty much /everywhere/.

Yuuka Chiba, tiny girl extraordinare, has squeezed herself into the counter, shutting the door after her. Let's just hope Yuuka hasn't actually fallen asleep in there, as it is dark and relatively comfortable. Otherwise Fumiya will have to steal Shiki's present out of her lap, or something, 'cause she forgot to put it on the pile. Oops.


And then.... there's Arisa. She doesn't really know Shiki. She does, however, know Himeru, and it was Himeru who invited her over, meeting her at the station to lead her to the infamous SEES form. Looking out of place in her sundress and white shawl, Arisa probably may not seem all that recongizeable to Shiki, who may not remember her at *all* due to... well, being rather in a unique state at the time when she was first present. And that's not counting, well, the run-ins with his personas (ha ha) around Mikage-cho.

So, like the social creature she is, she just starts there next to Himeru, feeling.... lost. "Everyone here is a persona-user..." she asides to Himeru quietly, blinking. "Is this SEES a sort of club for Persona users?" If *only*. "... And it's been a while since I've been to a birthday party..." Is this the same girl who attacked a powerful manifestation of a young woman's will to stay within her perfect world (or was it something else?)? She just looks... lost. And she hasn't really budged from Himeru's side, either.


Akatsuki would have helped out with the birthday celebration for Shiki more if he weren't busy with all of his usual stuff + trying to research ways to prove that Yoshiro and his dad's business are innocent of that firebombing + attempting to tutor him back into shape now that he isn't constantly working. Akatsuki privately wonders if he'll really be able to make it in time; he's already in academic probation and has bombed three major exams in a row. Still, Yoshiro *is* his underclassman, and he'll do his best to help him, even if Yoshiro's gushing about how awesome senpai is is mildly discomfiting.

Partytime, thus, is a /great/ idea. Being tall, it's rather more difficult for Akatsuki to hide than some of the other members of SEES. He's not worrying about it for now, instead opting to help Hinata set up her DDR and her karaoke and so on. The third-year's present is likewise on the pile, though he has opted out of wearing a hat.

He does glance over at Arisa in some surprise when he overhears her remarking that everyone in the room is a Persona-User. She can tell? She must be like Tohya and the other spotters he knows... She does look pretty lost, though, and seems like she's kind of nervous. Akatsuki resolves to talk to her later to try to make her feel more comfortable. For now, he looks to Hinata and asks, gesturing at the set-up of the dance pad and the karaoke machien, "Do you think that's enough?"


Deidra Doyle has been in the kitchen since she got back from Inaba of all places cooking there's been some smells comming from it, pizza and prehaps a few other things. DD wasn't sure what to get so she's making food it sound like also music of various sorts can be heard comming from in there.


Shiki has dropped most of his school stuff at home, but he hasn't changed out of his school uniform-Shikiattire combo! His plans for the evening were "do stuff with Itsuka", and it's what he's doing right now! But apparently she forgot something at the dorm? Hey, that happens!

Heeee's got a small idea where this is going, but he doesn't dare get his hopes up. Just because Itsuka was nervous while telling him this doesn't have to mean anything, right? She's been nervous about everything, lately! Poor girl.

In fact, she might have /another/ reason to be nervous thanks to a blunder from the boy last night, but he has decided, maybe wisely, not to bring that up for now! For now, he pushes the matter to the back of his mind! He won't be forgetting it (repressing too hard sounds like bad mojo for him these days, for some reason), but now probably isn't the time for it!

Making smalltalk, he pushes the door open and walks into the dorm, regardless of the dimmed lights...


Party games!? Oh, that's going to be great. And don't worry, Aigis, there may be been extra ribbons put out /just for you/ though unfortunately since Aigis is so well-hidden they will perhaps not be available after all. And um, as for people who aren't familiar with the plan, Itsuka sort of just vaguely explained it and then ran off after Shiki. At least people aren't asleep on the job back here, right!?

The lights are low, and Itsuka is just behind the begoggled boy as he comes up to the dorm, not talking at all about whatever blunders there might have been. She is, as the door opens, focused, carefully concentrating, and as they actually walk in...it's time for the signal!

"So um! Yeah, I thought, who really combines bananas with avocado anyway??" ...No one said it was a good signal, but it's at least distinct. It was hard work guiding the conversation towards that, too!


"Every single person in this room, to my knowledge, yes." she admits before closing her game since it's almost Time, while being not terribly surprised at Arisa' surprise at sensing so many but a little thankful she seems less uneased than when they first met. She knew Shiki would remember her, since he claimed to remember and know everything that his 'actors' did back in Mikage. Thus, she wasn't too afraid for her friend to be able to explain why she would be here, not to mention she thought Arisa might enjoy seeing some of the same people from Mikage-cho in a more 'relaxed' environment. "Not exactly." is Himeru's answer to the 2nd query about the nature of SEES. "I am not the best qualified person to explain, but I will try later. He should be arriving soon..."

"Hide, Neon-Man!" she whispers from her spot. She could not force others to do the same, their reluctance to follow the plan of Birthday Planning Overlord Mizuhara (for today anyway) would be noted.

When the door opens, she tenses. If there's no signal it means it's another dorm person. But someone is speaking about bananas AND avocado, IMPOSSIBLE for it to be a mistake. Hime then jump upward and shouts "Surprise! Happy birthday!" with as much cheer as she can manage. Probably the first time she ever used this much cheerfulness in the last two months.


Aigis brought her own ribbon, it is cool, dawg.

She is a little confused with this codephrase. Who does combine bananas with avocado? It is a mystery that bears investigation.

"Surprise Shiki-san." Aigis says monotonally in her box and then lifts the box over her head and sets it aside. Her voice was pretty muffled. "Surprise, Shiki-san."

"The lovable rogue and cocky antihero Dark O has hidden many party games throughout the SEES dormitory to challenge your skizzles with. boop. beep."

Aigis also makes her arms waggle in stilted motions. Like Alph-Alpha

The signal is given, and this is followed by a loud thump behind the TV, an 'oof', and then a pop-up of flying ponytail. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" she shouts with enough volume to hide something that stings like the dickens.

... Boop beep?


Between Himeru, Hinata, and Aigis, Yuuka's giggling underneath the counter in the back probably reveals her, as the petite teen giggles a mite hysterically, although tshe does pop out and slide onto her knees into the main area. "Surprise~" She chirps, loudly to Shiki, looking back behind her. Oh, right, left his present underneath the counter. That done, she looks at Hinata.

"Don't hide behind the TV next time, Hinata-san?" She suggests, helpfully(not really.)

Did somebody say BANANAS AND AVACADOS? Clearly this is equivalent to flashing the Batsignal in the sky. Only it's the Shiki's birthday surprise signal. She listens for the door opening, counts three seconds, and then...

Shooting up from behind the counter, Thora whirls and /slams/ her hands against the counter with all the force and gusto of an ace attorney. Her back is hunched and she leans forward, her eyes almost threatening to slip into that 'murderous berserker glee' state. Almost. No, of course this doesn't happen.

"SURPRISE." Thora bellows.


Fumiya glances at everyone present, and at the other arrivals. Looks like Shiki will have quite a party. And here he was worried he'd have to fall on his back-up plan just in case it turned out hardly anyone else came. While he takes a moment to look around the dorm lobby, having not gotten the chance to do so on his last trip, his attention is taken by Himeru's whispering.

Fumiya is /neon/, where do you expect him to hide? He seems almost stunned for a moment when he realizes just how soon Shiki will arrive. The fact that he really doesn't know the dorm all that well doesn't help either. So he just ducks into the first room he finds.

Oh hi there girl's washroom.

Ok ok ok nobody panic, it's only for a moment, this isn't sexual harrassment or anything, it's for the sake of a party, it's cool alright STOP HITTING ME!

That conversation may or may not just be happening in Fumiya's imagination.

Nevertheless when Shiki arrives he jumps out with everyone, his neon brightening the room by about 8 percent. "HAPPY BIRTHDAAAAAAAAAAY!" He attempts to try and sing it, but it probably just gets drowned out by everyone else. Especially Thora.


Arisa, at least, obeys her Birthday Planning Overlord's Assistant. Kneeling down aside her and glancing around, she notices... a fellow valkyrie. .... yes, Hinata, her name was? Olrun seems more at ease now, not grabbing at resonances like a pokemon trainer on their first field.

"... Happy birthday." Arisa attempts to at least sound excited, but at least she's earnest! And, really, it's nice for someone who had to go through all of the events of Mikage-cho to find themselves at the center of such love and attention. .... Granted, her paltry contribution probably is overshadowed by heartier cries of celebration.


"Happy birthday!" Akatsuki calls, joining in with (the much, much louder) Hinata as Shiki walks into the dorm. Hiding didn't really turn out so well, but he sort of figured it wouldn't; even helping Hinata get this stuff set up didn't let them get everything up in time. His wishes will probably get drowned out by everyone else's, though, but that's fine. Thora's... really surprisingly vehement, though--Akatsuki wonders if she enjoys scaring the crap out of people.


"Yeah, wouldn't pineapples work bett-- AAAAAAH!"

SIXTEEN YEAR-OLD Shiki Ichimonji DID expect this a bit, but the discussion topic was distracting enough for him to forget about his suspicions for a moment. A crucial moment!! The goggled boy jumps back a bit at the sights and sounds assailing him, nearly avoiding a heart attack. Cheerful Himeru! Fumiya in the girls' bathroom(?!)! Cosplaying Aigis! Thora, full stop!

"Man, that guy really is something!" The new sixteen year-old adds, holding back a bit of laughter at Aigis' little explanation. Lovable rogue, huh?

And the lights come on for real! He looks at the group assembled, beaming. "W-woah, you really went all-out, didn't you?" And around the Trophy Table, even! You shouldn't have! Friends, some from SEES, a few not!

And amongst them... there's really only one unfamiliar face? Who's she? His eyes land on her, he raises an eyebrow. Oh, wait, flashback from his other selves incoming. This is always /so weird/. The boy resumes beaming! "Hey, I know you too!"

And he makes his way in! This is gonna be /nice/!


Shiki's comment about pinaeapples is left in /silence/! Birthday Overlord Mizuhara is indeed pleased with how things are going, from the pile of presents to the way everyone leaps out just on cue, even...if.Okay, Itsuka's eyes drag for just a moment in the direction of the bright, singing neon coming out of the girls' bathroom. Is Fumiya cool enough even for tha--Such enthusiasm! Itsuka looks around at everyone for a moment like it's her birthday instead before turning back to Shiki and giving him the biggest smile she can. "Happy birthday!"

Really, in the face of Thora yelling like that and apparently /surprise games/ there is not much she can do but go with the flow. Not that she'd planned otherwise! Just, well.

"Hey, it's a special day! How could we not, right?" And from behind Shiki as she walsk toards their trophy table, too, Itsuka puts out her hand to deliver a thumbs-up to the successful partygoers (even Akatsuki though Itsuka is still a little nervous around him). It doesn't matter if wishes are drowned out, they're all important. "And like Aigis-san said, there's more!" So uh, he seems happy at least that's good.


Maybe Thora really does like scaring people? She smirks and relaxes soon afterwards, straightening and neatly trotting around the counter, pausing to eye Fumiya for a second. Wait, did he just jump out of the girl's bathroom? Nevertheless, her enthusiasm seems strange. Edging closer to Fumiya, she confides:

"This is the first time I've done one of these things. I wasn't too..." Thora gestures vaguely. She'll get around to greeting the birthday boy properly in a second. All of his SEESmates were bound to mob him any second now. (Well, SEESmates and Himeru though from what Thora could tell, she definitely affiliated herself with SEES now.)


"Well, you only get to be sixteen once." And seventeen, and eighteen. Point was, birthdays are meant to be moments to make memories with those around. To do any less would be an insult, and besides Itsuka asked for some help so who was Himeru to refuse? A bad or selfish friend would refuse maybe, but not her. Although the cheer and love at which some called the cry of surprise had been a little surprising and beyond her expectations, must mean that boy was really loved.

Seeing where Shiki's eyes went however, well, this had gone as was expected. "Shiki Ichimonji, Arisa Shiratori. You two already know each other indirectly, but proper introductions seemed necessary." she explains. "And I believe you have already met Itsuka Mizuhara, Shiratori-san?" That one was less certain, "She is also a classmate of mine and Shiki's." And more, but not her place to say.

"Pinanas." is Hime's surprisingly solemn statement, as if that name was BORN to be a slushie flavor even if it came suddently and a little strangely out of place. A hat is slipped upon her own head, and she holds one for Arisa should she not have picked one already. "I think it was alright, Thora-san. It was...you." No adjective fitted to describe it, until Thora threatens the people at Webster to have 'Thoraesque' added.


Aigis has no idea what Dark O is, but she hazarded a guess there. She figures it is probably close enough. She may have forgotten hitting it for 243 damage.

"Sixteen," She says, "So old..." Perhaps he will need to use a cane soon. "We are your friends. It is our pleasure to go all out. The reaction, as they say on the internets, is priceless."


"Pineana?" Yuuka offers to Hinata. "Or Banapple, but that sounds like bananas and apples..." Yuuka muses over this issue as she makes herself back to the counter, grabbing the present and closing the door to the counter. The ridiculously small present - like, small, credit card or library card sized. Maybe Yuuka had an issue picking out a gift and just uh, got him a gift card? Fail, girl.

"... Watanabe-san, did you hide in the girls washroom..." Yuuka asks Fumiya, one thin eyebrow raised. "Happy Birthday, Shiki-san!" Yuuka says quietly, grinning at him. They should really have a list of when everyone's birthday is...


No one saw that. Except the girls who may or not have been smacking him. IT IS A GREAT MYSTERY AND WILL REMAIN THAT WAY. Fumiya isn't quite ready to make himself unwelcome here, after all.

80s Kid seems a little surprised when Thora whispers to him, he doesn't quite know what she's talking about at first. "Oh... uh... no, you were fine! The point is to be loud and enthusiastic." He replies, finally getting a sense of Thora's little social anxiety. "Look, don't sweat it. Stuff like this doesn't really have hard rules besides 'have a good time'. Just follow along and do what feels right."

There's no 'The More you Know' star, but Fumiya's clothes are bright enough to count as a substitute.

"Yooooo Shiki!" He says, walking towards his now fellow 16 year old. "Never had time to wrap this, so you'll have to settle for this incredibly decorative plastic bag." He tosses the bag to the birthday boy, since he didn't want to leave it next to all the really nice /wrapped/ gifts. And because he wanted his to be FIRST. HAHAHA.

As for what's inside, it's a copy of 'Mr. T and the T-FORCE #1', a 'Mr. T in your Pocket' (press the buttons for poorly recorded voice samples!), and a gold (plated) chain with an ornament of Mr. T's head attached.

It's possible some of this might've just come out of Fumiya's closet. But it's in too good condition to really tell for sure!


Deidra Doyle finall comes out of the kitchen. She's got am apron on too. She's grinnding though as she's carrying on a planntter is a giant pizza which likely is fresh out of the oven and she calls out. "Sorry this took so long but is anyone hungry?"


"Hello again, Ichimonji-san." Arisa looks serious as a grave for all the cheer going on around her, though, at least, she doesn't seem unhappy or disgusted in the least. "I am sorry I did not get to properly introduce myself to you- I am Maki-sempai's friend, from when we were both little. That was my connection to everything." Well, that's it in a nutshell at least. She attempts to smile. "Happy birthday. I hope you enjoy yourself. You have been through a lot, and I hope you enjoy what's been planned for tonight." Which is... uh... something?

"Mizuhara-san." She thinks. "... In awkward conditions, yes." An apologetic smile cracks her solemn mask. "... But that was the case for all of us, wasn't it?" She takes the hat from Himeru and puts it on. "Himeru-san invited me here so I can properly meet you all," she says. "I am Arisa Shiratori, first year at St. Hermelin High. It's good to meet you all again in better circumstances."


Shiki is introduced to Arisa! For real, this time. "I see. Huh. But thanks! It's nice to meet you, Shiratori-san!" He bows, smiling. He's usually super-quick to give people the First Name upgrade, so his using her last name like that should probably not last! Of course, she seems rather... strict, not unlike the one who brought her here, so we'll see. "I know it's been, um... a little weird, but I look forward to interacting in person!" That's pretty much the best way to put it he can think of. "Enjoy yourself too!"

Shiki will let Itsuka handle the party hatting, as Hinata proposed! But not before chiming in with "Bananapples?" ...Hime's idea is good, too! And Yuuka's, while we're at it. Aigis' naive robot assessment only gets a smile from the boy, but he'll let someone else explain human lifespans to her!

And woah! Presents already! He barely came in, and already he's assaulted with material possessions! "Fumiya-san!" The two hadn't really seen each other since Mikage-cho, but he's glad to see Fumiya is back to his exuberant self now! "...I haven't really had the chance to say thanks for helping rescue me, so I guess I'll say it along with the present. Thanks!"

And he opens it and-- Yes! Yesssss! "A-awesome!" Mr. T, such a badass. Immediately, Shiki puts the gold chain around his neck. While partygoers will have to deal with Mr. T scowling at them for the rest of the evening, chances are the boy won't add this to his /permanent/ equipment, luckily for all involved.

"Ah, thanks, Yuuka-san!" The best presents always come in the smallest boxes, or so the stories say, so Shiki isn't too disappointed with what Yuuka brings him. He hears talk of ~pizza~, but that'll have to wait! For now, he's busy opening that small box, first.


"Oh, yeah! Um, don't worry about that or anything. Just call me Itsuka! I mean, if you're friends with Maki-san and Himeru-chan, then you're friends with me, right?" Itsuka nods pleasantly Arisa's way before latching onto something else that was said, with all the attention span of a high schooler at a party! If Arisa is a little stiff, well, uh, that's just fine.

"Pinanas! That's a great name!" Itsuka nods firmly at the idea of this new and interesting slurpee flavor, one that she'd totally be proud to hand out and maybe try at some point when she gets around to it because there are a lot of things to try, really! "...Banana and apple sounds pretty good too, though." This is clearly a very important thought, and the first-year treats it with all the gravity it deserves.

In the meantime, she will accept her party hat and put it on, leaning Shiki's way with the other. "Yeah, sixteen's pretty important!" Aigis does get a slightly funny look at the 'old' comment, though, as Itsuka sort of tilts her head that way in vague confusion.

But for now, there is scowling and presents and Itsuka taking the time to creep up near Shiki and help him out by putting that hat right on his head, actually smiling at Yuuka of all people as she does it. ...And peeking around Shiki's shoulder to see the next present, after the glory of Mr T.


Aigis is pretty solid on human lifespans. Sixteen is just a few short years until you are an adult at which point you might as well be dead, frankly. Compared to her own lifespan of immortal, anything seems short, but sixteen? Aigis is only ten.

"I purchased a book of much celebratory secretness and mysteritude."

Manga for dummies.


Yuuka admits, with a giggle, "I don't know what to get anyone that you couldn't possibly already have, so... I kind of blew a couple of weeks of allowance to try to find something that would help and look cool..." She gives a bit of a shrug, and a warm smile is sent back to Itsuka. "I think I got it, though?"

When her present is unwrapped, it's a pair of fingerless gloves, much like Fumiya might wear, white with fire, and impressed on the back is the kanji for fire.


To her credit, at least Thora didn't break the counter. Maybe made it shake a teeny tiny bit. She seems a little surprised when Himeru speaks up, assuring her that the 'surprise' was perfectly fine if very...her. "Ah..thanks, Himeru-san." Himeru's...older, right? Thora actually has yet to ask. She'll bug the girl about that later.

Likewise, Fumiya's words are pretty reassuring. She'd always been awkard around parties, mainly because she so rarely goes to them. In fact, this is actually the first birthday party she was invited to.

She lifts her hand and practically bites it to keep herself from laughing at Fumiya's gifts. They were just so.../quirky/. She too has a gift waiting for Shiki on the That Table-wrapped in a small cloth bundle that clanks when it's lifted. Given that its from Thora, the contents probably won't be very surprising.


"Sorry, Shiki." Hinata just beams at Himeru, "Pinana it is! Though Banapple sounds tasty too! We'll have to try both!" Arisa seems so formal and serious, a little different from the girl Hinata remembers from the Fairy Forest. "Hey, you're a first-year student too?" Its the St. Hermelin's student's turn to get the full force of cheer, "I can't remember if I got to introduce myself back there when we were running over a minotaur. I'm Hinata Itoh, I'm a first-year here at Gekkoukan! I'm glad you could make it too!" Yes, there will be loosening up. There will be valkyrie bonding. Over /karaoke/.

"That's... a lot of gold," the youngest Itoh muses over the chain, only to giggle once Shiki's bearing it like Mister Period T himself. He'll definitely have to wear that more often. And since we're gift-giving, Hinata dashes off to go grab her own gifts, two of them at that! One being a medium-sized gift-wrapped box, the other a large letter-sized envelope. "Hey, those are flashy gloves there, Yuuka-senpai! And, uh, I think that book will come in handy, Aigis-senpai, and..." Sniff. Sniff. "... I smell pizza."


Fumiya beams with a wide smirk as Shiki accepts the gifts. Finally, someone to foist all that junk off to---- err, rather, all that precious Mr. T paraphenalia can finally have a good home! Yeah!

Spotting Yuuka's gloves, he just gives a thumbs-up. Shiki may not be a fist-fighter, but that doesn't mean he doesn't need to have /style/.

All the talk of Pinanas and Banapples goes over his head as background noise. There's only so many people he can pay attention to at once, after all. So, for now, he invites himself to have a seat on one of the couches in the lobby while more gifts are opened and, more importantly, food and games are set up.


"Humans tend to live up to a hundred and more before we die of horrible organ failure, disease, depression-induced suicide or simply passing away peacefully, so you have a long time before having to worry about any of that Shiki~." Cheerfully points out Himeru, clearly in a good mood even if what she described is not something often seen with such brutally clear light. It might be because of the hat too, a little.

Her own gift is not in hand, but rather in the pile. She does observe the other gifts, wondering where Yuuka found those gloves as they are somewhat neat yet practical looking, and also where Neon-man found those strange accessories. She's clueless about who that man on the DVD case or the chain is, unfortunatly.

Her head turn to face...someone she doesn't know the name. Familiar, they crossed paths, but never spoke. But apparently this person was the assigned food caretaker? A nod is offered to Deidra along with "Thank you for your hard work." as thanks.


That is like Seven Shikis of life.

Aigis nods favorably towards Himeru and looks over to her new friend, whom she does not readily recall.

"Nice to meet you too." She says.


Arisa being a seriouscat has more to do with her inexperience with being in a social situation where she *isn't* the subject of some joke than any real... need to be serious. She doesn't feel in control of the situation, so, like a snail, she creeps inside her shell.

It doesn't keep her from continually peeking out all curious-like. "Yes." At Itsuka's comment, Arisa's next smile is a little more relaxed than the first one- eventually, she'll get relaxed enough to not feel like she needs to keep as rigid as a metal rod. "..... Bapple...?" She offers the next suggestion quietly, a thoughtful look on her face. "Pleanab. Banaple." She's having fun with these combinations!

Turning towards Hinata, Arisa nods. ".... Yeah. I don't really look it, do I? Some people wonder if I've been held back, but... I'm not." She smiles. "Thanks for having me here." Uh. Present. "O-oh. Shiki, I did some research and realized what you did, so, uh, I hope my present will be okay." She gives over a small wrapped package which, when unwrapped, will reveal a set of marker pens. ".... I don't know if these are the sorts mangakas use," she begins after Shiki opens it, "but they seemed nice."


And Shiki is now behatted! With his new golden chain, his Party Equipment rating is slowly going up! And when he opens Yuuka's present, you can see the music note pop up above his head as it goes up again. "Woooah, Yuuka-san! Those are cool! Thanks!" Much like Fumiya's present, those are immediately put on, showing them off to those close to him.

STYLE +1

Aigis' present comes next! Full of celebratory secretness and mysteritude, huh? He opens it, and--

What? What the HELL? What is it, after all he's done, she still thinks he's a DUMMY? What kind of JOKE is this? Is she trying to send a MESSAGE? If he's not welcome to SEES, she should just go ahead and say it! That GOD DAMN ROBOT is gonna pay for this insul--

Psyche!

Shiki has to blink a little at the sight of the book, but his grin comes back on nonetheless. "Thank you, Aigis-san!" He probably won't get a ton of use out of it, but at least it'll probably be good for pointing out the inaccuracies and stuff! Besides, it's true, when you think about it. She really /is/ ten years-old! It's... kind of adorable.

Shiki turns his head nervously, gulping a bit at Hime's little comment. "...Forget everything you said, your sense of humor's what's gonna kill me." It certainly doesn't seem to have sunk down his good mood, though! The hats on either of them probably help not think about it too hard.

And Hinata's present, not present/s/ come next! Shiki heads to the table itself, with the fire extinguisher bearing its own party hat, so as to make the gift-unwrapping a little bit easier. He figures the envelope must come first, so that's opened before the box!

Arisa's gift elicits a small grin from Shiki. Hey, as far as he knows, the girl could have come with nothing at all, but she went out of her way to pick something for him! Not anything big, but it's good nonetheless. "Not quite," he answers truthfully, "but I like to draw with other stuff sometimes! Besides, I think these'll look great with my Super Special Robot Challenge Chalice." ...What is he even talking about?

And Thora and Himeru's presents are next on the list! Since their contents haven't been described yet, whether or not they will be unwrapped or not remains in a state of quantum uncertainity for now, to be decided by the actual giftgivers. How convenient!


Oh, those actually /are/ pretty cool gloves, aren't they? Itsuka is admittedly having fun seeing what everybody picked out for Shiki; she likes this kind of thing. And now Shiki has a hat! Everyone admire the hat!

"...Aah..Um, right." Itsuka laughs nervously over at Himeru, trying to put on a good show but honestly a little creeped out by her friend's sense of humor. But it just wouldn't be Hime-chan without that vague uncomfortable feeling every so often! Secretly, it's not something that the shorter girl minds. ..But Shiki's response actually stops Itsuka short, her jaw dropping a little bit at a joke that seems /totally weird/ for the fire-jacketed boy! ...After it sinks in, she just starts laughing, thankful a moment that her hands aren't full.

At least Arisa is part of the group, now! And that present..."Hmmm, yeah!" Does she already know!? But uh, speaking of presents, that reminds her. "...ooo, yeah, these are pretty great, huh?"

And with that, Itsuka moves not particularly stealthily (even if she is quiet!) over back behind the bar. She has a mission.


Undoubtedly, Shinjiro was one of the people on Itsuka's mass mailing/txting list. So where IS that wayward senpai? Admittedly, it's probably not that much of a surprise that he didn't show up to help with setup, or that he didn't show up to help with the 'hide and surprise,' or that... he STILL hasn't showed up, even now. He's a very reclusive and independent creature, and people would do best to realize his presence is more the exception than the norm.

This does not mean he doesn't care.

About halfway into the festivities, the front doors to the dorm quietly open, admitting both the tall senior-- and his companion, a certain lucky blonde. Apparently Shinji and Ran were out together this afternoon, like /normal eighteen year-olds/!! With the assurance of an alleycat, Shinji stalks in towards Shiki, wearing his customary grave look-- which looks a bit out of place in a ~*party*~, but is also something to be expected.

"Well... sixteen today, I heard," he says gruffly, resting a hand briefly on Shiki's shoulder... and using that window of time to lean down a little, and add-- sotto voce, so nobody else can hear-- "Go look on Itsuka's door later."

...Did Shinjiro actually /get Shiki something/? Has that been (part of) what he and Ran were doing all afternoon?!


Deidra Doyle is seeing how busy every one is, but the exchange student is grinning. She moves to set the pizza somewhere everyone can get it and heads back for the kitchen, she's going to get some napkings plates for people. who needs it. She replies to Aigis "Not a problem, I it was actually fun!"


"Sometimes I worry if I spend too much time with Fumiya-san." Yuuka admits wryly to Shiki. Her emerald eyes flick over to said neon boy, grinning impishly at him. His gift done and on his hands(Yuuka expects a equipment update on the page!!), the small teen detaches herself from the crowd, heading over to a couch(by Fumiya? The other one? Who knows.) She does look a mite uncomfortable with the large crowd, a bit anxiousness on her face.

Digging into her small mini back-pack, she pulls out a book, missing Shinjiro and Rans' entrance. Sorry Senpais, Yuuka is feeling a *tiiiiiiiny* bit out of place here.


So far so good, right? Thora's behaving and becoming vastly amused at the presents that Shiki is receiving. She does pause at 'Manga for Dummies' though. His art /was/ pretty good. But perhaps Aigis figured with her TERRIBLE ROBOT BRAIN that he could use it.

Wait, did this mean that Aigis read Captain Rebellion? That's awesome.

As Shiki plows through his presents, Thora quickly snatches hers off the table to present to the newly 16-year-old. She doesn't really say much when she presents the gift either.

The contents? ...weapons of course, the primary gift of all Thoras. Contained within is a thick bundle of sleek knives (apparently Thora doesn't think it's time for his mid-season upgrade yet?!). They feel a little on the heavy side and are made of a bright silvery metal that is, in fact, silver so Shiki is equipped for handling Werewolf Emergencies. Or demons even. Each blade almost has a...fish-like shape to it.

"Happy birt..." Thora pauses, looking up to stare at Shinjiro being there with Ran. What? Shinjiro at a party? "...day."


Hinata's last minute scrambling wasn't that last minute. One gift had been in hand for a couple days now, but she had debated over it and decided to get another gift because she wasn't completely sold on the first one. Then she had second thoughts, and third thoughts, and it was by the point she got to her sixteenth thought that she voted to give him both and let Itoh luck handle the rest.

The envelope opens to reveal a couple pages worth of sketches. A closer look will notice they appear to be costume sketches of a certain manga character, the kind one may come up with when putting said costume together. The tiny color printed coupon attached to the top paper explains everything:

The Bearer Of This Certificate Is Entitled To
Appearances By One(1) Hinata Itoh As F-Force Five Member

HARUKA

At Any Author Signings, Conventions, Advertisements, Smitings Of Evil, Etc.
certificate good for as many uses as bearer wishes
autographs available after batting practice
appearances by rest of F-Force Five dependent
on bearer convincing Thora to put on costume

She really did miss that little ditz.

The box contains a more traditional gift, a model of a certain giant robot who may have been involved in death-defying lava adventures and may also have a certain resemblance to a knightly Persona. (http://www.amazon.com/Great-Mazinger-Model-Kit-Toy/dp/B000BZ6T68)

Hinata would be waiting expectantly for his reaction except there are new visitors. Anyone who knows the Itohs can pretty much expect what happens next. "Nee-chan!" she shouts, racing over to greet her older sister in the traditional near-tackling method. There is no tackle for the boyfriend, though the smile he gets is just as broad. "Shinjiro-senpai! You made it too- uh-" Waiiiiiit. Did they conspire on a gift together? And left it on /Itsuka's/ door!?

Hinata smiles~

And that was what the metal clanking was for! The youngest Itoh perks up at that gift, grinning to Thora, "That reminds me, uh, do you take commissions? I have something I've been meaning to replace and everyone loves your work!"


All this festivity and warm feelings and birthday wishes and presents!!!

...Are not simply not enough! Earlier today, Ran got the Important Message about Shiki's birthday party. (She does not check her phone often enough.) So.... she tried to make him a present, reasoning that gifts from the heart are better than things bought at the store (or fished out of a closet).

One triggered fire alarm and an exasperated Shinjiro later, she decided that instead of baking cupcakes, she should probably just go out and buy something. So when she and Shinjiro actually make it to the party(!!), she's carrying a small, crisp-looking paper bag and a hastily-wrapped present. "HAPPY BIRTHDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!" the blonde crows as soon as she spots the birthday boy, and thrusts both handfuls of gift at him.