[Voice / Action: CH1 Floor 4, 5/1] Birthday Party (Joint post with Ino)

[16autumnroad]

[VOICE, INO]
[A loud, familiar voice would be heard throughout the network today. Good thing it's not so early in the morning when it hollers or there'd be a lot of ruined mornings today despite the important announcement.]

Hey, Luceti! We've all had a lot of drama these past few days so, what do you all say about a little party? It's Chouji's birthday today and, of course, that needs celebrating!

Come by the first community building and you'll find the happenings on the fourth floor. See you there!

[With a little giggle, the announcement ends there.]

--

[ACTION]
It was only a little bit of a surprise to Chouji when he received an invitation to his own birthday party, delivered to the apartment door. These were things you just had to expect and accept with Ino as a teammate. Everyone on the floor along with Kiba and Asuma received paper invitations. Then he heard her network post, inviting pretty much everyone in the village. Ino.

He'd laughed and grinned when he woke up to a knock on the apartment door and the smell of chips that morning, a purple whirlwind demanding entrance to the apartment so she could decorate it. A glance down the hallway showed a trail of butterfly decorations, marking the path of Hurricane Ino.

Chouji gladly spent half of his birthday in the kitchen, likewise decorated with butterflies, cooking for his own party. He'd always been the team's cook, and there was no reason for that to change just because it was his party.

By dinnertime, the common areas as well as Chouji, Shikamaru, and Masaomi's apartment held enough potato chips to feed an army even without all the food Chouji cooked. Barbecue, of course, along with vegetables, rice, fish, chicken curry, miso soup, and one or two desserts. He made sure to include pudding, his thanks to Ino for her thought and effort.

Now they just needed some guests to help eat it all.


((OOC: I am very close to done with the semester and will be back to full tagging speed ASAP! I'll match whatever format you tag me in, prose or brackets.

Open to anyone! Threadhopping and mingling highly encouraged! It's a party.))

Comments

[niceguypose]

He hops to attention energetically and gives a quick bow, nervously trying to be as youthly as ever. "Chouji-kun! It is my honor. I hope you are having a joyous and youtful birthday!"

[16autumnroad]

"I am! Ino organized all of this for me, so I have to enjoy it, right?" Lee can get away with the pretense for as long as he wants. The last thing Chouji wants to do tonight is hurt any of his friends.

[niceguypose]

And he's all too eager to keep it up. He doesn't want to bring out any of the drama from home and ruin Chouji's birthday. It's a time to celebrate life, not lament death.

"Of course you do, Chouji-kun! Consider that your S-Rank Mission for today - as a youth of Konoha!" he says as he pulls out the nice guy pose.

[16autumnroad]

Was it just his imagination, or did Lee's teeth sparkle a little less than usual? It was probably just the light in here.

"I'll do my best. I hope my party isn't as dangerous as an S-ranked mission, though!"

[niceguypose]

Chouji's imagination was not faulty. Part of that sparkle was gone.

"Of course not! Today, your only dangers are just the mundane perils of youth! And Chouji-kun, I know you can endure."

[16autumnroad]

"I will. I'm inspired by your faith in me, Lee." And by Lee's attempts to hold up and manage a smile in spite of everything he's experienced recently. Chouji tries never to see a ghost when he looks at Neji, but it's hard. For Lee, he knows it's infinitely harder.

He smiles at Lee. "One of the perils of youth is the food table. You should brave the curry and find out whether it is medium-spicy or too spicy to handle. These are the mundane trials we face!"

[niceguypose]

"Chouji-kun, this is a trial I would not wish on anyone!" he says with a widening grin as he beholds the curry in all its glory. "For it is a trial I want to keep all to myself!" And he does a flip - spilling some more of his drink - over towards the food table.

[16autumnroad]

Chouji can't help marveling at the fact that centripetal force kept any of the drink at all in Lee's cup, given the acrobatics. His astonishment sparks laughter. Even with everything else, Lee has managed to make Chouji smile.

"I thought that you were the right man for the challenge. I know the answer already, but I promise not to give it away!" In fact, Chouji has the curry carefully separated into two degrees of spiciness, and he has been keeping an eye on it to warn away anyone he thinks wouldn't like the hotter.

[niceguypose]

"That is very considerate of you, Chouji-kun." He turns to beam at him before directing his attention to the two types of curry.

He looks over them carefully, with an appraising eye. Then he smells at the air. There's no need to ask; he's quickly homing in on the spicier curry, wielding a spoon as his sword and begins to make quick work of devouring it.

[16autumnroad]

There. That was the reaction Chouji was hoping for when it came to Lee and curry. A spark of Lee's usual enthusiasm, even if it's only a spark, not youthful flames or whatever Lee himself would call them.

He smiles at the sight of Lee sniffing out the spicier of the two curries, the expression shifting to a full-on grin as Lee chooses and begins to eat. "Did you get the one you wanted?" he asks innocently, as if he doesn't already know.

[niceguypose]

He turns towards Chouji with a broad grin that is just leaking his curry a little. He speaks with his mouth full at first, "Yes! I... oop!"

Aware of himself, he snaps his mouth shut and swallows his current mouthful. Then he turns back to Chouji with the same enthusiasm. "This is quality curry. It's rousing a youthful fire in my belly!"

Then a nice guy pose. It may not be the Curry of Life, but there's no denying that it's great curry.

[16autumnroad]

Chouji would choose food over politeness any day, but it comes as no surprise when Lee would not. Laughing lightly, he nodded in answer to the praise. "I'm glad you like it, Lee."

And the pose. Ordinarily, Chouji might find Gai and Lee's antics a little over-the-top and overdramatic, but the gesture is a very welcome sight right now. Chouji's teeth may not sparkle like Lee's, but the smile in return is genuine.