HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

[vrdr_mods]

[Visitors to the Velvet Room are in for an unusual sight.

Gorb balloons. Streamers. Banners that not only read, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GORO AKECHI! but also...

CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR FRIENDSHIP!

This particular banner has cutesy illustrations of a normal Akechi and Falcon. Yes, really.

There are multiple, multi-layered cakes. One is an angel food cake, decorated to resemble Robin Hood. Then there's another cake, fashioned after Loki, with lovingly decorated dazzle camouflage frosting. Inside is a heavenly red velvet.

Lastly, there's a purely chocolate delight, patterned after Hereward.

There are even little Gorb cupcakes, designed to look like the myriad Akechis resident in the Velvet Room. Fresh brewed coffee and Jazz Jin mocktails await those who seek a beverage, and there's even some curry. How thoughtful!

So... care to mingle?]

Comments

[rookandhound]

"Yeah, obviously. It's- not a condition, or anything. But any time you want to try, that offer's... not going away."

[gorobo]

"I- didn't think it was," Falcon says, more nervous than he'd like. He can't help it. This is about his very being. "Even so, I..."

He trails off, his face scrunching up a little. He looks a little like a feral stray who is only just starting to trust someone, and is debating whether to allow them to pet him. His eyes dart away.

Come on. Hereward encourages. It's no deal with the devil, Mephistopheles reminds him.

"... I've decided that I want to trust you," he forces out, before he can chicken out, then corrects himself. "That I- trust you. Over what Shido did to me. Over how Glitch 'patched' me."

[rookandhound]

Something in his chest tightened.

"I- okay. Okay! I... Well, just- say the word, I can make that arrangement and, uh. Have a look. Obviously I'll... promise to stay in constant communication with you and back out the moment you say stop and it can happen whenever-" the words came tumbling out in a nervous rush of his own.

"And I won't- implement anything you don't okay."

[gorobo]

"Yeah. Yeah. That sounds," terrifying. Horrific. Like his worst fear, and yet-- "okay. Fine."

As fine as it can get, probably. He... it's really, really fucking scary. This could fuck him up forever. Wolf could change him irreparably, and he wouldn't even know.

But it's Wolf. He doesn't... he doesn't know if he can trust it, not fully.

But there's nobody else capable of that he'd even think of trusting with this.

"I'd. Like to do get it over with as soon as possible." Before he loses his nerve.

[rookandhound]

"Alright. Just, um."

What could he even say that would make this less terrifying?

"Try to relax, I guess. I'm not sure how this will feel to you, but it's never once damaged anything, so-"

"Goro, I rather think he meant 'as soon as is possible once we're in a more private setting', and not 'right this very instant'."

A beat.

"Ah. Right. Yeah, that. would. make way more sense."

[gorobo]

For a moment, Falcon tenses, realizing he hadn't made himself clear-- wait, no, not in the middle of a crowd, not--

Thankfully, Rookmon intercepts Wolf, and he lets out a small, robotic noise of relief.

"Yes, I... meant it more like that. Let me just..."

He shoots a quick text at Magpie, letting him know what's happening. Having done that, he nods at Wolf and Rookmon.

"Right. Let's... go, then."

[rookandhound]

"Okay. Sorry, I guess I'm just. Nervous, too. I don't..."

He sighed, and followed. "I don't want to screw this up. It's important. You're. Important."