A Belated Birthday - video and action options

[needmyspace]

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[At least Keith knows how to keep a feed steady on his face. He's had a lot of practice at this. His voice is somewhat hushed, and he is in a darkened room, glancing back over his shoulder before he finally clears his throat and starts to speak.]

It was Lance's birthday on Sunday. And I totally forgot, and I think it might have hurt his feelings. So. [He takes a deep breath, glancing back behind his shoulder again.] I guess I'm going to throw him a late birthday party, so he stops sulking. Please, everyone, I could use some backup here. If you could just show up at the house this afternoon for a few minutes or something, that would be great. You don't have to know us. He'll just be happy to have people paying attention to him.

[There's some noise behind him, and he looks back again before standing up hurriedly and speaking in a hushed voice.] Okay, Keith out.


action

[Keith is pretty sure that Lance is aware that something is up, because he's been running around like a madman setting things up for what he hopes to be at least a decent little gathering. With luck, people have heard the message and will show, and that should help Lance feel a little better. Not that Keith cares, of course. He just wants his roommate to stop making snide comments.

By mid-afternoon, he's managed to set up a table with some food -- of questionable quality, but still edible -- and found a bot to play some music quietly. It's not like any sort of music he's ever heard, honestly, but it'll do the trick for now, hopefully.

Now to wait and pray that someone actually shows. Even better if they bring something with them.]

Comments

Action!

[velvetinmate]

[Akira certainly likes Lance well enough, so of course he was gonna show up to the birthday party.

He really wishes he could've brought a proper gift, but this was so short-notice that it'll have to be a rain check. He did, however, bring coffee for Lance and Keith. It's not amazing coffee, but it's decent coffee.

But hey, he's here and he's wandering in, lifting a hand in greeting.]

Hey!

[needmyspace]

[Sorry about the short notice, Akira. Keith got a bit blindsided. Funny how birthdays seem to matter so much to some people.]

Oh hey!

[Keith looks relieved, glad that at least one person has shown up.] Uh, make yourself at home, I guess.

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[betheirwayfinder]

It's always a bit disappointing to have a birthday get missed but you're a good friend for trying to make it up to him! I don't really have anything I could bring for him though, and we haven't met, so I imagine it would be a little awkward.

Please wish him a happy birthday for me though!

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[needmyspace]

I suppose. [He shrugs.] Personally I don't care much about my birthday. He's generally pretty dramatic though.

Yeah, I get it. I know, it's kind of weird circumstances. [He rubs the back of his head.] Thanks though. I'll tell him. He'll appreciate it.

Video -> Action

[trashbot]

Oh, I love parties! I'll for sure be there!

[Hopefully Keith isn't too weirded out by a robotic face replying to his video before hanging up to go get ready. He only has a vague understanding of what a 'birthday' is, but a party was not a foreign concept for a Cybertronian. Then of course he remembered that humans usually gave each other gifts on important occasions. And the idea of calling Keith back to ask what to bring just seemed awkward. He'd think of something humans liked. It couldn't be that hard, right?]

[A few hours later, Tailgate knocked at the door to their house, before stooping to get his seven foot tall frame inside. In his hands he was holding a strange dog statue. It had taken a while to find a chunk of rock debris around town and then carve it into an approximation of the dog statue from that show Swerve watched all the time. The male humans on the show loved the dog, so he didn't see why male humans here wouldn't also like the dog.]

[Plus he didn't have enough money to really buy anything that looked cool.]

Hello? Is this where Lance lives? I wanted to congratulate him on being born.

Re: Video -> Action

[needmyspace]

[To say Keith isn't weirded out at all would be an exaggeration, but he has traveled the universe and seen a lot of crazy things that he never could have imagined, so comparatively, he handles it well. He thanks the robot man and then wonders if there's even enough room in the house for him...

Apparently he doesn't have to worry too much, since Tailgate at least seems aware that he's a bit large for the space.]

You found it, come in. [He gives him a little smile, eyeing that weird dog a bit skeptically. Maybe it's symbolic to his culture somehow?] Lance is just in here somewhere...

[arraignments]

[ Oh, that... sure is a statue???? ]

Ah, that's... quite the gift. I'm... impressed.

[ That's somehow genuine. He is somehow genuinely impressed. ]

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[thekingsshield]

Aw, I'm sure he'll come around! We all got mighty confused when we got brought here, sometimes things just slip.

Say, what would he like for a birthday gift?

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[needmyspace]

[Well that's a face that isn't easily forgotten. Keith has trained himself not to react too much upon meeting an unfamiliar race, though. He's seem enough of them, after all.]

I honestly didn't think it would matter that much to him.

Oh, uh... I have no idea. He likes animals, I think? And um...water. He grew up on the beach.

Action!

[arraignments]

[ He's here and he probably did his part in whatever it took to drag Will here, too. While he comes from a culture where birthdays are important, he is kind of used to not celebrating them. Still, he managed to get the food replicator to spit out a few dishes that don't absolutely suck, even if they're not... conventional for birthdays?

It's a couple of fruit-based dishes that don't taste quite like what one might expect (a bit on the salty side or just a tad bit too tangy or... sour?). It did its best, probably. Still, it doesn't stop Akechi from feeling a bit nervous as he presents it to the one throwing the party. ]

Hello... I hope this is okay.

[ The food, he means; he, uh... hopes it's understandable that the food machines suck, and all. Once let inside, Akechi sets the dishes on a table with the other food (in the event that they weren't taken). After examining the food already on the table, he's turning towards the closest person. ]

I can hardly recall the last time I was at a birthday party... Have you been to many?

[needmyspace]

Oh.

[Keith was not expecting more food things, and he blinks in surprise. Apologies for his poor hosting skills. He's never actually thrown a party before and it's not much his style.]

Thank you, uh, come in.

[He gestures to the house, where a small gathering has already come together. It's frankly more than he expected.]

[stingyshima]

Not really.

[Kei gives a roll of his shoulders, glancing around with passing curiosity.]

Seems like more of a little kid thing to me. I haven't been to one since I was eight, at least.

[Nor does he seem at all wistful for the disappearance of this cheerful event from his life. Any excessive noise is met with a judgmental look. For the most part, he doesn't wander far from Akechi. He's here, but no part of him is actually invested in this birthday.]

Action, OTA

[the_tailor]

[In a family like Lance's, birthdays were always a Big Deal, despite there being a ton of people in the household. It meant lots of parties, lots of presents, and lots of fun. And being the baby of said family (aside from his niece and nephew) meant that he always got a little extra attention. Yeah, he's a bit spoiled. So sue him (except don't because he doesn't have much to his name at the moment). Even in space, Hunk had took it upon himself to throw a party for Lance like the best friend in the universe he was.

So when this one came and went without a peep... Lance wasn't really expecting anything, perse. Only one person here knew him, after all, so no one would know it was his birthday. But Keith! Keith had to have known! He was there that last party! And yet the black paladin treated it like a day unlike any other. Always one to find it difficult to hide his emotions, Lance had been sulking since, but was too stubborn and proud to tell Keith exactly why. Stupid mullet, they'll see how boring October 23rd is. And yes, Lance remembered that.

The man in question, however, was beginning to act suspicious. And on this particular day, Lance had been faintly observing with some confusion Keith setting up far too much food for the two of them (three, counting Kosmo) to eat. And the music? What? Were they expecting company? Did Keith somehow, despite all odds, manage to make new friends?

Turns out the older paladin had indeed set something up behind his back. A very, very uncharacteristically (?) kind something. So the mullet did have it in him, after all.

Lance's mood is brightened tenfold as the party gets into swing, and flits between guests as he enjoys the food and any presents he's given. Come say hi to the very excited birthday boy?]

The reason why open invites are a bad thing

[original_is_best]

[Parties and birthdays didn't pique Verstael's interest in any common way. It was more that he had yet to meet someone by the name of 'Lance', and that needed to be remedied so that he could accurately document information about all of the new arrivals. He showed up, not quite blending in as he wore his full suit of imperial armor as normal people do when they attend parties, and taking a brief look around their residence.

Didn't seem much different than the place he had decided to settle down in for the moment. Knowing little more than Keith's appearance and Lance's name and gender from the video, he took an educated guess at who the birthday boy was.]

You are Lance?

[His voice seemed a bit too deep considering his modest size and he had a conceited air to him. Yet, there was no hostility or disrespect in his tone. He simply wished to talk.]

[wannabethehero]

[Casually showing up around town was just a Thing Kiwi Did. Especially when it came to people in need, and a person whose birthday had been forgotten was definitely a person in need! They didn't have much they could give in material presents, but what they did have was their sweet sonorous voice, and that was always enough before.

Their first order of business was quickly finding Keith and asking him to point out the birthday boy, then they approached cheerfully.]

Hi! You're Lance, right?

[twistedempathy]

[Will at least has the advantage of having met Lance before, so it's not too hard to spot him in the midst of all the guests. Will bounds over, holding a long cardboard tube that he probably snagged from a roll of paper towels to transport his gift.]

Laaaaaaaaance! Why didn't you say anything on the network? We can't party if we don't know there's something to celebrate!

[this_loser]

[He wasn't sure if he should come. Sure, Keith said even people who didn't know them were invited, and there's a very good chance this Keith and Lance don't know him. He's going into this assuming they don't.

Still, he had counted Lance among his friends, and if he had to start all over with that, then that's just what he'll do.

He doesn't have much money yet, so he wrangles up some supplies and puts together a card. It's got a paper gun on the cover, and a simple "Happy Birthday, Lance" on the inside. He hands it over with a smile.]

Happy birthday, dude.

[needmyspace]

[The majority of Keith's birthdays have been forgotten, at least until Shiro "accidentally" let slip to the other paladins. While he had appreciated the gesture, it had still felt a little uncomfortable and foreign.

It's not that he forgot Lance's birthday, he just honestly didn't think it mattered any more than any other day. He's not Hunk, after all.

But a part of Keith knows that if there's one thing that'll cheer up Lance, it's a party. And he can set aside his misgivings for a few hours if it means improving Lance's sour mood. He hangs around a little awkwardly, making sure to greet guests at least and point them to Lance. That's where the attention should be, on the birthday boy.]

[begguiling]

[Hello there, birthday boy! At their nearest convenience, Lance is getting floated right up to by Magolor, who offers him . . . a Magolor. The toy may be wearing a different robe, but Magolor is unmistakable. It's absolutely a plush doll of himself. At least it's extremely well made? And he has absolutely no sense of shame in handing it over.]

Happy birthday! That's quite a friend you've got here throwing this together for you, even if he does call you the skinny one. Hehe!

[velvetinmate]

Lance, hey! Happy birthday!

[Akira's making his way over to say hello with a grin. He's managed to get his hands on a thermos somewhere, which he's holding out.]

I brought coffee. Mind taking a rain check on a real present?

[trashbot]

[Keith had pointed out Lance for him, but Tailgate waited for a moment when he didn't look busy. It wasn't like they had met before so he didn't want to interrupt if Lance was talking with a friend. He also maybe got distracted checking out all the human food and wondering what it all was.]

[BUT once Lance didn't look busy, the seven foot tall Cybertronian came over with the weird dog statue that he had tried to recreate on a somewhat smaller scale.]

Hey! You're Lance, right? Congratulations on being born!

[Tailgate holds out the dog statue to him.]

I had no clue what to get you, so I hope you like this.

action!

[begguiling]

[Magolor isn't the kind of person who does things for charity or friendship, but he is the kind of person who knows exactly when you need to plant those seeds so they can sprout later. If ever that time has existed in his life, it's now, when all of them here are kind of relying on having relationships good enough that they can tolerate extended physical contact. And good PR is important!

So of course he comes, without bothering to actually respond to the video callout, just knocking on the door some time later with a small himself wearing green in his hands . . . everyone likes cute stuffed animals, right? It's absolutely not weird that it's, you know, him?]

You know, your pitch could use some work. But here I am anyway!

[needmyspace]

[It's that strange puff guy again. Keith opens the door to let him in, standing back a bit.]

Um... Thanks?

[There's a baffled pause before he shakes his head.]

Come in. Lance is in the living room. That's him, the skinny one. [He points helpfully.]

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[twistedempathy]

You're going to throw together a whole party in just a few hours? I'm impressed! I bet he'll be, too. How'd you even know it was his birthday to begin with?

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[needmyspace]

Not really sure how good of a party it'll be, but I'm going to try.

[Lance had better appreciate this. Hosting social events is hardly Keith's forte.]

Oh, well, we've been teammates for a few years now, and he likes to celebrate. [Keith shrugs.] Normally one of the others throws him a little party, but it's just us here right now.

[stingyshima]

[Kei is... here? He's here, but he's about as present as a piece of furniture, like some sort of grumpy standing lamp.

He came in with Will and Goro, and for the most part, he doesn't linger far from their sides. But when he does, it's clearly not with an intent to socialize; it's a quick trip to the bathroom, or a moment to sit down to eat some food. It's not shyness that has him not speaking up so much as.. a general disinterest and even dislike of the current situation.

That he's not a partying sort of guy goes without saying.

He's not the most interesting character at the party, that's for sure. Or maybe the way he's hanging around and yet completely disengaged is something worth poking about? Either way, he's not completely adverse to chit chat. Feel free to drag him into an activity, too.]

[trashbot]

[As an expert in grumpy people, Tailgate can tell when someone doesn't really want to socialize.]

[Which is why he immediately makes his way over to Kei. For one thing, it gave Kei no valid excuse to pretend to be too busy to talk to him. For another thing, maybe he was just the kind of grumpy that wanted to socialize, but just wasn't good at it yet.]

Hi there! Can I get your help with something?