They say it’s your birthday

[dredefulchilde]

Who: Joss and everyone else who wants in
What: Surprise birthday party for the train’s resident eternal fifth grader
When: Domino 15

Joscelin is suspicious by nature, so when he finds a mysterious invitation to come to the dining car an hour before dinner on his bunk, he knows something is up. The handwriting on the invite is childish and looks awfully familiar...

(It’s Romeo’s, of course. Only Romeo has that scrawl. How many times has Joss sat next to him in school, watching him practice writing and helping him learn cursive?)

When he gets to the dining car, all of the lights are off but his vampiric eyesight makes out several shapes in the gloom, crouching behind tables and benches.

“...what’s going on?”

Comments

[myblueskies]

Romeo has never been to a birthday party before! He's definitely never been to a surprise party before but luckily there are plenty of people around who can explain to him what it is all about.

He and Tony made a birthday cake, it is a red velvet cake and Tony made sure it had only a normal amount of icing!

He is hid behind the bench as Joss entered and he looks around, was it time to jump out yet?

It was too exciting to wait any longer!

"Surprise! Happy Birthday Joss!"

[runs_on_batteries]

It had been fun helping Romeo plan this party. The announcement Joss had made regarding his birthday hadn't gone unnoticed and given what he knew of the boy's background, he wanted to do something positive. Romeo had been too cute and overly enthusiastic while they were putting the cake together. Tony was pretty sure he'd evened out the icing to cake ratio, but it still was more than he would've done- not that he'd tell Romeo that.

They'd made really cheap party hats and made some confetti out of scraps of paper. It wasn't much, but it was what they could do on a train.

He waited for Romeo's cue before standing up and cheering for the guest of honor.

[pleple]

...this is DEFINITELY a new experience for Ple Two. Oh, sure, there was a birthday or two among the soldiers she technically fought alongside - those little celebrations weren't for her to participate in. Mingling with common soldiers was above her and her purpose. So she'd been told, so she'd acted on.

Getting to be a part of it was a lot more fun, even if her "Happy birthday" was far from the most enthusiastic in the room, her smiles brief and slight.

And the cake was a definite bonus, but don't bother her about that!

[dredefulchilde]

A few things happen in short succession:

1. Romeo jumps out and yells something about surprises and birthdays.
2. Other people do the same, with various degrees of enthusiasm.
3. Someone remembers to turn on the lights.
4. There is cake.

Joss is left standing in the entryway, blinking in puzzlement.

“...did you organize this, Romeo?”

[dredefulchilde]

A little later, Joss makes his way over to Tony. This isn’t like any birthday party he’s ever had before. It’s...childish, almost. Normally he celebrates his birthday in a fancy restaurant (run by a vampire colleague of his) or in his fancily appointed London flat, with a few fellow vampires, some excellent wine, and plenty of blood. Not anything like this.

When was the last time he had a birthday cake? Had he ever had a birthday cake before? He can’t remember.

“I’m rather glad you didn’t try to put 681 candles on the damn thing,” he tells Tony by way of greeting.

[dredefulchilde]

“Thank you.”

Joscelin doesn’t know the girl particularly well, but as a fellow member of the train’s small cadre of young chicken he’s glad she came.

“Is this common in children’s birthday parties? I’ve only ever seen this kind of thing on television.”

[pleple]

Some of the 'children' aren't exactly children - but she usually doesn't feel much like a child herself. So it's fine to support each other like this.

"I can't say that I actually know. Perhaps that's where the idea came from..."

[internetsexsymbol]

His own injuries be damned, Reigen is making that cake for Joscelin! Besides, multiple cakes are necessary for big parties. Hence there's also a chocolate cake with 'Happy Birthday' written with colorful frosting, maybe not as fancy as the red velvet cake but it tastes fine.

Once Romeo starts to jump out, Reigen follows suit. He's honestly just as excited, how long has it been since he's celebrated anything like this?

"Happy birthday, Joscelin!"

Omg that typo in my last post. The perils of phone tagging!

[dredefulchilde]

“Could be. Or a book. Romeo is rather impressionable.” Joscelin looks toward his best friend with fond exasperation. “This isn’t what I thought would happen when I mentioned it was my birthday...”

[dredefulchilde]

Joscelin rarely gets one cake for his birthday, let alone two. He looks slightly taken aback at the gusto with which Reigen greets him. With Romeo it’s one thing, but a grown adult...

“Thank you. Really, you needn’t have gone to the trouble. How is your leg?”

phones are traitors

[pleple]

"It's a little fun though, isn't it?" Regardless of the cause, Joscelin seems more than happy to humor Romeo. He's a well meaning kid. "Do you really know your age?"

[myblueskies]

"Everyone did!" Romeo bounded over to Joss to clasp his hand and give him a hug. "Everyone wanted to celebrate your birthday! Mister Peter told me all about surprise parties and mister Tony helped make cake and there's other cake that mister Reigen made too!"

Romeo was practically bouncing, he's very excited. Joss' birthday was very important, especially as he hadn't had one last time probably because he had been a shinki and didn't remember!

[dredefulchilde]

Joscelin smiles. He’s doing that a lot more lately; Romeo’s gentle influence, plus the friendship offered to him by many people on the train, is working a change on his personality. “It is. I’ve never had a surprise birthday party before, and I’ve had a lot of birthdays.”

The next question is a little more difficult.

“Well...I don’t age, so technically I am ten and a half years old. But I’ve been around, not aging, for a very long time. I suppose this would be my six hundred and eighty first birthday, or something approximating it.”

[dredefulchilde]

Joscelin returns the hug, still a little confused. Why would they go to the trouble for him? What has he done except be an obnoxious brat all over the train. He’s a monster. Why do they care?

Well, he knows why Romeo cares. But why everyone else?

“I...don’t know what to say, Romeo. Thank you.”

[internetsexsymbol]

"Hey, I promised you cake. Romeo-kun had the whole party idea, so I figured why not go along with it?" Reigen's playing off his excitement slightly now that he's actually talking to Joscelin one on one. No one will know Reigen's history with birthdays, not if he has anything to say about it.

"Oh, that? It's fine now. Minor injuries like that can't slow me down for long!" That might be an obvious lie, but he wants to act like it's not a big deal. Besides, it all worked out in the end!

[pleple]

It's nice to have friends, if a bit strange to find people who just... like her for being her.

"...that is a very large number." Even Ple Two sounds a bit amazed that nothing has gotten him in that time.

[myblueskies]

"You don't got to say anything!" Romeo grinned at him, "You just got to eat cake and have fun because it's your birthday!"

He hoped Joss liked the cake! All the cakes! It's a party so he's pretty sure they can play some games as well if Joss wants to.

He's not sure if Joss will want to, after all he's not really a kid anymore even though he looks like one.

But he's still Romeo's best friend so that's fine.

[sensitiveapple]

Misa does not realize the purpose of a surprise party, or how they work. She's never had a birthday party in her life, and she's pretty sure, she's never going to. But she shows up in the dining car, actually hoping someone is around to feed her. She's hungry. Of course, Bucky had shown her how to make a peanut butter sandwich, but she's hoping for something a bit more substantial. Bothan peaches are too much to hope for.

So, it is that she shows up after the confetti has been thrown, and everyone jumped out at the birthday boy. Honestly, she's hoping there's something to eat that isn't cake. She doesn't eat many sweets.

She frowns, listening to some of the other conversations. She doesn't understand. What's the big deal about being born? It's gross and messy and dangerous.

[dredefulchilde]

The boy looks quite bitter and unhappy for a moment, and his smile has lost its warmth.

“It is,” he agrees quietly. “Too big. I should have died centuries ago.”

[pleple]

"Is it selfish... to be glad that you're here, then?" That's too long for any mind to put up with. How much longer can he last?

[dredefulchilde]

Joss doesn’t respond verbally. He just pulls Romeo into a bone-crushing hug.

“You idiot,” he says eventually, sounding oddly like his cold has returned. “You bloody idiot.”

(‘You idiot’ often translates to ‘I love you’ in Joscelin-ese.)

[dredefulchilde]

Joscelin considers this for a moment.

“Isn’t being selfish human nature?” He smiles, and looks so much more childlike for it.

“I don’t hate being alive. And I’m quite touched that these idiots decided to throw me a party.”

[myblueskies]

The hug is tight and almost hurts. But Romeo doesn't mind because it is Joss and Joss is happy. He can tell even though Joss is calling him an idiot. Because he says that when he is happy with Romeo.

Joss is strange, but it is what it is.

"Joss... I know I'm a shinki but I still got to breathe!"

[so_dark_a_road]

"Happy birthday, Joss!" says Curufin, coming into the dining car. Being on cooking detail this month, he has been spending time in the kitchen, and he hears the ruckus upstairs in the dining section and comes to offer his best wishes to the young man. He brings a tray of party food with him.

[pleple]

"I suppose it is." Instead of just... existing to serve someone else's selfish ego. "So... I'm glad you don't hate it, then."

[dredefulchilde]

“...Reigen, your leg is a brace,” Joss points out, eyebrow raised. “Seems like it’s slowed you down considerably. Here.” The boy drains the water glass he’s been holding in a couple of gulps and steadies himself. In a smooth motion, he pops his fangs and bites down, hard, on the inside of his wrist, working the wound until he has a steady stream of blood draining into the cup. Once there’s enough for a small mouthful, he draws his hand away from the cup and sucks on his wrist until it begins to heal.

Not a drop of blood spills or stains his clothing. He’s obviously done this before.

“This should be enough,” he says once the cut on his wrist has closed. “And no, it won’t turn you into a vampire. Not unless you die in the next, oh...hour or so. It’s just enough to get you out of that brace. Little known property of vampire blood, this; it heals in small doses.”

[dredefulchilde]

Oh, it’s her. The pretty girl who he’d spoken to before the mission. He’s glad she seems to have made it through all right.

She looks distinctly ill at ease standing there, surrounded by the people who have arbitrarily decided to celebrate his birthday. Joscelin walks over.

“Erm...thanks for coming, I suppose.”

[sensitiveapple]

Misa smiles. He's a nice boy. Of course, she doesn't know many people her age, or around it anyway.

"You're quite welcome." She hadn't come on purpose, but she knows that actually saying that isn't polite, so she'll play along.

"I don't understand, though." Maybe he can explain it to her. "Why are they celebrating?"
Birth is not a thing to be celebrated, but feared, in her opinion.

[internetsexsymbol]

"Ok, it's not minor. Still, it's healing up fine--" Reigen is shocked into silence when Joss is suddenly chomping on his own arm and draining the blood into the cup like a juicer. If anyone he didn't know was an immortal vampire did this in front of him, he'd probably faint.

Taking the cup, Reigen squints at the blood inside. It's not that he doubts the healing property of vampire blood, but...

"Are you sure this is sanitary? I'm literally drinking your blood."

[runs_on_batteries]

Tony chuckled at the remark, giving the old-young man a grin. "I thought about it but didn't want to scare everyone with the fireball that would create."

He looked around at all the guests having fun talking and eating cake. "What do you think?"