"In cento anni o cento mesi, l'acqua torna a' suoi paesi."

[sharktrash]

Who: Squalo and YOU!
What: birthday catch-all! Squalo's turning 23 on the 13th. Yes he is Pisces because his character wasn't fish-related enough yet.
When: 12th-14th
Where: All around Vista city, the mall, the bars, Pride HQ, MANTICORE penthouse, Junkyard Carnival penthouse, etc.
Warnings: Squalo language, violence, substance abuse, (mentions of) banging, will update as necessary


[ prompts in comments! ]

Comments

March 13th, morning to 4-6-ish PM // MANTICORE penthouse // OPEN; feel free to mingle if you'd like!

[sharktrash]

[ On the 13th, starting from the morning, he’s making lunch. A lot of it. Clearly more than MANTICORE alone could eat. It will be on the table around midday. Anyone from the label is free to come over and mingle! Except you, Lesedi, nobody invited you. The selection’s similar to their Solstice party, though not quite as wide; there’s fish stew, raw tuna, pasta, steak, homemade baked goods, wine and a few kinds of coffee, all very much Italian in taste. Not-mom might’ve brought in cake. ]

[ Oh yeah, there’s also a huge “GIFTS OR GTFO” sign by the door, sure to greet everyone who might be coming in. A sticky note stuck under it reads, “Will also take tits”. ]

[dishevelment]

[Gifts? How about a giant plush shark that was the size of a body pillow, with a simple bow delicately wwrapped around it's neck?

There might be a cursory knock on the door before it cracks open for Baby Shark to stick it's face in.]

[sharktrash]

[ BEAUTIFUL. ]

[ Okay he might not quite squee or anything when he sees it, but there's definitely a brief flash of adoration on his face. ]

Shit!! [ he half-yells, half-laughs, and pulls the door open further. FINALLY A NEW SHARKY THAT WON'T DIE WITHIN A FEW WEEKS. ] I can't fucking believe this.

[dishevelment]

[He'll find Koumei with surprised look on his face staring up at Squalo, not entirely sure that he believed that the childish squee he heard had actually come from the rough and tumble, smokey-voiced man.]

Happy Birthday!

[He said, grinning sheepishly. He hadn't expected that his gag gift would actually go over so well!]

[sharktrash]

[ WOW HE DIDN'T ACTUALLY SQUEE!! IT WAS ALL IN YOUR IMAGINATION!! He just swore in a slightly higher pitch than usual shh shh nobody saw anything. ]

Thanks. [ This is HILARIOUS. ] You do know I'm a bit older than 5, right?

[scalpedsociety]

[Since a cake isn't enough and helping make the feast isn't enough, Cello!Mom comes in carrying baskets of vodka. Nearby there's Avery, her bodyguard carrying some more into penthouse.]

I wanted to save money, so I opted for quantity. This might wet your mouth for a few moments. Buon compleanno, my dear Shark.

[She gives him a hug and mommy kisses. Miiiight just slip some keys in one of his pockets.]

[sharktrash]

[ Cello!Mom please, your attention is enough already! Definitely not gonna say no to all this, though. He'll gladly exchange kisses with her (shh, it's how Italians greet family), grinning in a pleased manner. He... probably won't notice those keys just yet. ]

Grazie! There can never be too much vodka in the house.

[scalpedsociety]

[But it's his birthday and her baby shark deserves everything on this day.]

I don't want you to be alone without liquor in case Pride runs out of it.

[sharktrash]

[ True true. :0 Like every other day but you know. ]

Now that would be a nightmare.

[blindfoldcode]

[Kido's not sure she has any place to talk, and surprisingly unlike the last few weeks where she was absolutely comfortable in the penthouse, actually moving in has left her with the worst kind of social anxiety.

But still. She is popping her head in the kitchen, looking surprised while he cooks. It's not really her place to say anything, but.]

... It's a little backward to cook for your own party.

[sharktrash]

[ Hello new bandmate (or not yet?), you're about to get used to the guys cooking. It's pretty much always either Squalo or Genos in the kitchen. They can both probably be asses about it. But social anxiety, wow, please. ]

[ He waves a knife at her. It's probably supposed to be a friendly gesture. ]

No shit, but who else would do it right? [ that ego. ] By the way, I don't think I've asked yet: what's your favorite food?

[blindfoldcode]

I can help. What do you need? [Guess who can actually cook really, really well. It comes from actually having grown up with two brothers and a girl who would probably burn the house down if she let them near a stove. Granted, she only remembers bits and pieces, but the memories are still there.]

I'll eat anything. I'm not picky.

[sharktrash]

Uh. [ He looks over what he's prepared so far and what wouldn't be Completely Ruined by the unwarranted touch of Foreigner Hands. ] Cutting things right now, mostly. If you're good at thin slices you can do the tuna.

[ He'll push the cutting board with the fish toward her, then make a disapproving noise. ]

No, no, don't give me that crap. You've gotta have a favorite. It's the fucking Rule. So when things go to hell again I can cook it and make you feel better without talking about feelings or some pussy ass shit like that.

[ Welcome to being part of MANTICORE, Kido. Where Squalo actually cares, to whatever extent he's capable of it. Have fun. ]

Re: March 13th, morning to 4-6-ish PM // MANTICORE penthouse // OPEN; feel free to mingle if you'd l

[magic_to_do]

[Trucy arrives early in the morning, announcing her presence with overly enthusiastic knocking. She has a large box with her, wrapped in paper decorated with tiny cartoon sharks.]

[sharktrash]

[ Oh hey! Well, this is a little awkward. He wonders if maybe he shouldn't open the door, but he's too damn curious about the box. ]

Hey. [ Casual greeting as he lets her in. ] I thought you've already given me a present.

[ You know, your bassist. ]

[magic_to_do]

Did I?

[Honest confusion. Mostly because she thought of it more in terms of Kido leaving System Crash rather than joining Manticore. And either way, she doesn't blame Manticore. If Trucy couldn't keep her family together it's because she wasn't strong enough. It's no one else's fault.]

Well, here's another one! Happy birthday!

[She holds out the festive box.]

I saw this in the mall and thought of you right away.

[snapcrackleburn]

[ Roy figured everyone would be giving Squalo shark-related gifts so he opts for something that will benefit the living fish in Squalo's life. Not long into the morning Pride staff delivers the gift Roy ordered- a much larger fish tank for Sharky WhateverNumberItIsNow with plenty of fun decorations and a quality filter to keep the tank looking nice.

Between waves of guests and conversations, Roy sticks his nose in one of the chemistry books he keeps buying. Generally he's good at joining in the festivities but it's still out of place to see someone reading between activities. ]

[sharktrash]

[ Wow, Roy, you're the best. Squalo would shed a tear at that generosity if he was capable of it. Surely Sharky #?? will be very grateful too. It probably remembers that hazing kiss fondly, if it's the same one at least. ]

[ Squalo's just gonna peer at that book over his shoulder as he passes by. ]

...back in school?

[snapcrackleburn]

[ Roy would rather forget that kiss. With all this fake memory vs real memory confusion he's not sure if he has kissed a girl or if Sharky #?? was his first smooch. Pretend it never happened. ]

[ He looks up from his reading for a split second before staring back down at it. ]

If I'm going to put together the best effects for our shows I need to be on top of the research for it.

[ Funny. He's not reading an engineering book right now. Instead it's some sort of advanced chemistry text. ]

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

One of these is your real gift!

[Jecht holds out two packages. One is large, one is smaller. He balances them in his hands, showing off their respective weight.]

And one of them is not.

Choose wisely!

[sharktrash]

[ Squalo stares at him for a moment as if he can't believe what he's being subjected to. ]

Are you fucking kidding me?

[ HE'S TRYING TO SNATCH BOTH OBVIOUSLY ]

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

[Jecht swings his arms back and throws out his chest to bounce Squalo back with his pecs, grinning all the while.]

I said CHOOSE WISELY, numbnuts!

[ace_of_hearts]

[He's got no tits, but he IS shirtless.]

[And face first in that giant buffet.]

[Probably dead.]

[Might want to check for Bianca poison.]

[Or a pulse on the topless food-devourer just in case he's not really dead-dead.]

[He also did make a present by the gift pile for what it's worth. But since he doesn't know Squalo well yet, it's just a badass silver belt. Because who doesn't love belts? Fuck you, everyone should love belts. Belts are awesome. In fact, he got like five belts. Because that's how awesome belts are.]

[Award for weirdest present to be tacked onto his corpse(?) please and thanks!]

[sharktrash]

[ CLOSE ENOUGH clearly. ]

[ ?!!! WHO LET BIANCHI IN -- wait. We don't even know if he knows her. Either way, this is clearly an emergency and needs investigation. ]

[ Which means he's walking up to the possibly-dead guy, gripping him by the hair on the back of his head and pulling him up and away from the table. It probably hurts a bit. ]

The hell're you doing?

[ace_of_hearts]

[That would only work with a truly conscious person.]

[Despite the yelling, the yanking, and general aggravation...]

[Ace just snores loudly in Squalo's face.]

[Happy birthday to you...]

[Happy birthday to you...]

[Your new party-crasher is a narcoleptic...]

[And belongs in a zoo.]