[closed] we took the long way around to the future we pursued

[thedarkbond]

Who: Ren Suzugamori (thedarkbond) & people he ended up inviting (so Juno Steel (stuns), Mollymauk Tealeaf (mollymocked), Iskandar (conqueredhearts), Yusei Fudo (planetary_bonds), Allura (quintessent), Diana Cavendish (fiendennor), and Axel (icingonthecake))
What: not another birthday log Ren's 23rd birthday party, a.k.a. a study in cramming eight people into a tiny apartment (mostly).
When: December 12th
Where: Ren's tiny apartment in western Wyver, and then some of the Fyrran-Blessed Waters further out west.
Warning(s): Nudity b/c public baths, but nothing yet otherwise.

[About a week and a half ago, Ren sent out some texts to people he actually knows decently enough here to invite to a party - he eventually caved on his own intent and did actually tell everyone that he was inviting them to dinner for his birthday, but it came with the caveat of only having to bring a present if you wanted to. There's even a bonus shrugging kaomoji there to accentuate exactly how much he doesn't mind.

It's a little obvious once anyone gets there that Ren had to be a bit...specific about the logistics, though, because even eight total people in an apartment this small is going to be an interesting prospect. It's single room and puny, with even the bed lying on a heightened loft since there'd be no room for it on the main floor, with the kitchen beneath the loft and the rest of the room mostly taken up by a couch, a cupboard and some drawers, and a line of shelves that sticks out of the windowsill, a small brown cat lying on the cushioned top of these. There's a table dragged out slightly into the middle of the room with plenty of food all over it ranging from cute sweets like donuts, cookies and dorayaki (many with cat designs or icing), to...more cute sweets, to some actual proper food in-between all that, including sausages cut to look like octopi, some kind of rich soup in a very large self-serve bowl with lots of meat pieces in it (that Ren probably won't mention is tripe unless he's asked, because he doesn't think that's important as long as it tastes nice), and lots of takoyaki. He's playing to his favourites here, really, but it's all made well and it even looks like Ren might be a little tired from making it all (all rumours that he's tired from having fallen asleep in the stasis room the previous night are entirely fabricated). He doesn't have a singular cake, but instead a plate of cute cupcakes of kittens playing with yarn. Each one has a different fruit center, so feel free to trade them around to find out what they all are!

Though, honestly, you're going to be sharing at least one thing anyway, because nobody is getting any personal space around this table. You're going to be pretty much literally rubbing shoulders with the person next to you for the entire dinner segment, so enjoy that.

Thankfully, at least Ren realises that's not really viable for the entire night, so after dinner, anyone who's happy to depart then can leave, and anyone who enjoys a good public bath can follow Ren out further west, down a lengthy and winding path that it looks like Ren himself might not even remember the way down at points (though the fact that there's occasional salespeople offering towels and bath salts and the like is probably a good sign he's still going the right way). What lies at the end of it is a large, but secluded natural spring, water running gently into it from a second spring that lies slightly higher up. It's pleasantly warm despite the cold weather out, and once anyone sinks into the waters, they may find themselves even more relaxed than usual. It's a lovely night, the pool is surrounded by flowers and the occasional overhanging tree, and there's the pleasant buzz that comes after good food and probably some amount of alcohol.

Anyone who can't make their way back to their own home or prefers not to find an inn afterwards is welcome to stay overnight back at the apartment, but the main sleeping options are either the couch, on the floor with all the cushions, or sharing with Ren in the loft, which is not terribly roomy.]

Comments

[stuns]

Really? Didn't realize that was a rule on account of I used to get birthday punches. That a thing where you're from?

[ juno doesn't look one bit sorry for it, and he's not planning on changing that. still, when the shirt is plucked at, he almost immediately shucks it with a somewhat frustrated, but maybe edging on playful, look. wrung out, it gets tossed over to a nearby rock with a loud plop.

he sighs and leans himself back against the wall where ren is, nearly shoulder to shoulder. wow. he's great company. ]

[thedarkbond]

[Ren looks faux scandalised at even the implication of birthday punches.] Why would you punch someone on their birthday? That's so mean...

[If it was a thing where he came from, it wasn't common enough for him to have encountered it before now, apparently. Either way, once Juno finally takes his shirt off and leans against the wall, Ren sinks down a little more, so the water isn't quite touching the roots of his hair and his knees are hiked up a bit. At least his total nudity is still mostly hidden under the water, though.]

But that wasn't so bad, was it? I don't really get the point of coming to a bathhouse or spring and then leaving your clothes on, it's kind of awkward...not to mention dirty.

[Baths where he comes from are for clean relaxation, not washing, so not being completely clean before you enter is a bit of a faux pas. Though this gets more of a pass since it's not set up that way.]

[stuns]

You're the one who pulled me in so really, whose fault is that?

[ he side glances over. like really side glances over. it's true, he's right, you know it, you dragged his ass in here clothes and all. he doesn't sound too annoyed by it, rather, just a little annoyed by it because now he's very wet and his only choice is to sit here until he figures out how to become unwet. or dry. that's the world for it. ]

[thedarkbond]

Still yours. Would you have taken your clothes off if I'd left you alone...?

[Ren's tone is firm(ly petulant) at that, because obviously he wouldn't have had to pull Juno into the spring if he'd just taken his clothes off and gotten into it in the first place. Besides, it doesn't seem like he's that fussed by it, so Ren has more scope to be kind of annoying about it.]

[stuns]

Well I guess you'll never know. But I wouldn't be in this water with my clothes on if you hadn't pulled me in. And don't go saying it's because I didn't take my clothes off in the first place. Because it's not.

[ stay petulant and so will he. that's the way of the world according to the both of them. still, juno could be more annoyed about it - but he isn't, leaning back against the wall and staring upwards. it is nice, okay. but he'll be damned if he says that out loud in any sort of way. ]

[thedarkbond]

Hmm, but it is...? I wouldn't have pulled you in if you'd just gotten in the spring like everyone else, you know. And you don't seem to have that much of a problem with it.

[This is apparently just going to keep going in circles, because Ren is also not going to cede his ground on this matter. Mostly because he wants Juno to admit it's not that big of an issue, but also just because it feels like the thing to do.]

[stuns]

[ it's going to go in circles and juno knows it the second he's tempted to open his mouth and argue back. for a long moment he gives ren A Look (TM), the kind that doesn't need words to say "you know what fine, you can have this one." because words mean that he actually has to air it out and he's not going to. ]

It's not bad.

[ a beat. ]

I'll remember next time.

[ woooooow ]

[thedarkbond]

[Ren's response to The Look (TM) is to give an airy, innocent little smile back, as if he definitely had no intent at all to make this non-argument fall in his favour by sheer being annoying. Still, he laughs a little at Juno's eventual concession.]

I hope so. It's no fun if I have to talk you out of your clothes every time you come bathing.

[Ren seems to be taking for granted the fact that talking Juno out of his clothes is a valid possibility for him.]

[stuns]

Yeah, well, first time and all that. You’re just gonna have to deal with it.

[ he does look like he’s settling in, in fact, the water pleasantly hot and the company isn’t actually terrible at all. he raises a brow at ren just a little after a few moments. ] So how often would you go to these back home?

[thedarkbond]

[Ren does, at least, look pleased that Juno is starting to settle, and he hums a little in thought at the question.] I was actually too busy to do it too often...but sometimes if I was visiting other regions for work, I could take a day to go to a hot spring town in that area. There were a lot of towns in my country that had enough springs to base their economy on that.

[So it's almost definitely a more impressive affair than this when he usually does it, even if he likes the very natural air of this one in the sense that it's not attached to an inn.]

[stuns]

Sounds nice, [ he sighs, tipping his head up a little, mouth twitching as he tries to imagine it all. ] You ever travel anywhere outside of your home? Like outside the country?

[ he knows earth's got a lot going on, and if ren's a ceo he probably gets around right? ]

[thedarkbond]

Oh, of course. I actually used to travel a bit for Vanguard tournaments...stuff like the Asia Circuit was all countries pretty close to mine, but I did travel for work too. [It'd be a bit of a slog to list everywhere he's gone for work, though, which is why he's focusing on other things.

His tone becomes a little more wistful as he goes on, though it's a subtle thing.] And then after we all finished school, Kai went to Europe to join their Vanguard league and Aichi-kun went to America to study, so it was good to visit them sometimes.

[stuns]

Still managed to stay in touch pretty well, though. At least it sounds it by the way you talk about 'em.

[ there's absolutely nothing at all that might be a little envious of that. juno lost contact with sasha and mick pretty willingly after shit went south and sasha simply just vanished into the dark matters ether. mick always managed to find his way back into his life, but juno makes it difficult.

why? well, it's just easier to push people back than it is to let them in more than he has already. ]

[thedarkbond]

Mmm, we messaged each other a lot even when I wasn't visiting. I wouldn't feel right just letting them go without keeping in contact. [And if "keeping in contact" sometimes meant things like regaling them with 3am whining about his awful terrible work day that he mostly made Tetsu do anyway, so be it.

He tilts his head a bit towards Juno after a moment, though.] Did you have many people back home you did that sort of thing with...?

[stuns]

Kind of? When I was a kid, sure.

[ he shrugs like it's not supposed to matter, like he doesn't find himself thinking about mick or sasha from time to time, as infuriating as the both of them are. sasha wire's aloofness, mick's complete and utter inability to take anything seriously. he rubs at the back of his neck, pinches. ]

Eventually we just drifted apart. Sasha joined up with some dumb super secret agency and Mick just kind of. Stayed Mick and I… wanted to be a cop so I went to the city. We had our own plans, I guess, and didn't really bother involving each other in 'em.

[thedarkbond]

[That's kind of sad to hear, honestly, and Ren frowns a bit, turning himself over to lean against the side of the bath and pout more directly at Juno.] Is that it? Even if you split up, it doesn't sound like that much of Mars is habitable from what you've told me...it couldn't have been that hard to keep up with each other if you wanted to.

[Ren might be questioning the strength of that friendship just a little bit, or Juno's willingness to keep in contact with people who might - gasp - care about him.]

[stuns]

[ juno looks somewhat hesitant to answer at first. his mouth works over the shape of the words for just a second before he waves a hand vaguely in the air. ]

Wasn't like she gave me a direct number to go calling Dark Matters or anything. Like can you imagine? [ a hand going up in the shape of a phone, just you know. for emphasis. ] "Heeey, Sasha... yeah just calling your super sketchy secret job to see if you wanted to... go out for drinks."

[ his hand drops into the water. ] And Mick's like a magnet for trouble. I tend to see him more often than I want to.

[thedarkbond]

Couldn't you have given her yours...? Or surely there was a way to get in touch with her that wasn't related to her sketchy secret job... [How else would someone get in contact with people unrelated to her work? It's not like you could give someone you just met your sketchy secret phone number. Probably.

The point about the other friend sounds a little bit funnier, though.] You're almost making it sound like you're not a magnet for trouble too.