[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

[medicalpunch]

Given the low mood that had been hanging over much of the Konoha enclave for the past few weeks, Sakura was glad to see spirits brightening with a party -- especially Ino's spirits, truth be told. After all, at the end of the day, they were best friends, and seeing Ino so unhappy was difficult.

Once the party starts, she'll be rolling in with a flat rectangular present for Chouji that's easily identified as a cookbook -- one with recipes she's never seen before, and he probably hasn't either. She picked it up from the item shop and is pretty confident that it's not anything from their world. (Enjoy a 1950s French cookbook, Chouji; there's gotta be plenty of interesting things to make from that!)

"Chouji! There's the birthday boy!" She greeted him with a bright, cheerful smile. "Happy birthday!"

[16autumnroad]

"Sakura! You didn't have to get me anything." A standard protest, but Chouji is grinning. He was as glad as Sakura to see Ino happy and planning a party, and the fact that she was doing so for his sake just meant he appreciated it doubly.

Chouji's interests are well-known, and the shape of that present suggests one thing. He might not be blessed with Shikamaru's deductive capabilities, but he doesn't need to be. It's book-shaped, and bigger than most books he's seen here. Except, of course, for the books in which he's most interested. Chouji is willing to bet it's a cookbook, and he keeps smiling. (He'll be sure to make Sakura something from it!)

[medicalpunch]

"Oh, don't be silly! What's the fun of having a birthday if you don't walk away from it with a little something, hmm? Are we putting these somewhere for a big present-opening extravaganza, or are you just taking them as they come?" She's happy for either; it's just good to have a reason to celebrate here. "It looks like you've got half the village attending!"

[16autumnroad]

"I didn't really make plans for that, so I think opening them as I get them is more sensible." He takes the gift from Sakura, beginning to slowly unwrap it.

"Well, Ino invited the entire village, so we can't be too surprised."

[medicalpunch]

"Of course she did." It comes out as an affectionate laugh, though, speaking of her best friend. Maybe there's some rivalry to things (okay, maybe more than some) but she hasn't ever stopped really liking Ino, despite the bumps.

"It's one way to mix and mingle," she adds, watching Chouji unwrapping the present.

[16autumnroad]

It is a good way to see the friends that have been a little scattered lately, and meet a few new ones too.

"Ah, thank you! I haven't made this sort of food yet!" He opens the book and flips through it, pausing to take a closer look at any recipes that seem particularly interesting. "Did you see anything you wanted to try when you picked it out?" Yes, he's already offering. All of it looks good to Chouji, so he might as well treat Sakura to something she'd like. He'll probably work his way through most of the cookbook eventually.

[medicalpunch]

Chouji really is a generous spirit; Sakura smiles brightly, and even blushes a little. "Well, some of those desserts..." With a wave of her hand. "I don't know, maybe it sounds horribly greedy, but they look amazing." Whoever these people were that created this cookbook, they had a fine sense of the absolutely decadent.

[16autumnroad]

He grins. "I'm hardly going to accuse you of being greedy for wanting something good to eat." Chouji glances over at the food table. He was careful to cook a few other people's favorite foods, but really, he just wanted there to be plenty of food available on his birthday. The more dishes he cooked, the more dishes he got to eat. "They do look delicious. I'll try my best!"

And then, while he's looking over at the food table, Chouji thinks to warn Sakura, "The curry in the bowl to the right is too spicy for you. That one's for Lee, among other people. The curry on the left should be safe to eat."

[medicalpunch]

It made her laugh, that warning -- and the open note of just whom the really spicy curry was intended for. "Thank you for the warning! I'll be sure to be careful." With a bright smile for him, she eased her way over to the food set out, avoiding the bowl on the right and selecting from the milder options. She didn't care to have her mouth burnt off during a party!

[niceguypose]

[Lee is in a corner, nervously eying Sakura as she makes her exchange with Chouji. It's the first time he's been in the same room as her since... well, since everything that went down before he went home.

He's not sure what to say - how to confront her or speak with her, now that he's lived through the same thing. This definitely isn't the environment for it. But he's afraid that he won't be able to hold up a casual conversation with these thoughts nagging at his mind and his heart.

Lee opts on heading for the kitchen. A nice, refreshing cool drink perhaps could calm his mind. And so he made some bounds across the room, towards the kitchen. He'd be back before his absence was even noticed - or he would be if he actually made it to the kitchen. Instead, very rarely his foot trips over the couch as he was trying to bound over it, and he winds up faceplanting directly into the floor near Sakura.]

1/?

[medicalpunch]

[And Sakura, off her guard, jumps when Lee crashes to the floor just barely in her peripheral vision.]

[medicalpunch]

[Wait, what the hell was...

Lee. How did Lee, an experienced ninja, pull that off?

Why is another good question.]

okay done sorry

[medicalpunch]

[But that did look pretty painful, so she'll make sure he's all right, moving over to kneel at his side.]

Lee?

never apologize!

[niceguypose]

[Probably by virtue of being Lee. He rolls into his back and stops himself from springing back to his feet due to Sakura being right there. He has a light smile despite all his conflicted feelings.]

Ah... S- Sakura-san. Hello.

<3

[medicalpunch]

[Well, it looks like the kneeling was unnecessary; she rises to her feet again, feeling a little reassured to see that he doesn't appear the worse for wear from his little interlude with the floor.]

...Hello, Lee.

[It's hard to know how to face him, after their last meeting, but she doesn't think that holding them in that unhappy state will do anyone any good, so she offers a smile in return.]

It's a nice party, isn't it?

[niceguypose]

[He rises the floor a bit more slowly than he originally intended to and fairly sheepishly. Trying to keep calm and not let out his depression was like the recurring challenge of this party. But he kept up a smile.]

It is. Ino-san has done a truly wonderful job setting up the place. I... I am very happy to celebrate Chouji-kun's birth.

[medicalpunch]

[He's good with challenges like that. And in truth, sometimes it seems like they're all contending with that same challenge. The number of faces in this room that are covering a heart in pain... well.]

We're all happy to. It's a good thing to come together for.

... Were you going to get a drink?

[niceguypose]

[It is definitely odd. Especially wondering which faces are oblivious so far. After all, he knows he hasn't talked to Tenten yet.

He nods at Sakura's questions.]

Mm. That was my intention. I - I intended to seek something refreshing and cool!

[medicalpunch]

Maybe you could go more normally. Walking is allowed, you know.

[She offers it lightly, trying to make a joke -- trying to find some kind of ground where they can talk without that huge, painful loom of their last conversation hanging over them.]

[niceguypose]

[A truce. That's good. It's so simple. And the way Sakura says that, it makes him smirk a bit.]

So it is truly permitted! [That's how he tries to build on the joke.] I suppose... perhaps I can train myself at acting normal. Normal in the spirit of youth!

[medicalpunch]

It is! I heard they rescinded the rules against walking just recently. So it's a new thing!

[Yes, she's totally willing to roll with this. Joking around is much easier.]

because we clearly need more threads AND IT'S NOT LIKE I HAVE SO MANY TAGS ALREADY AKSJDH

[floralogy]

[Once she spots Sakura, Ino will approach her with a smile the pink-haired girl probably haven't seen in days. Well, it's not like Sakura's hard to miss, what with that huge forehead of hers. With a bag of chips she has been handing out to everyone, Ino greets her.]

Good to see you can make it. Enjoying yourself so far?

Re: because we clearly need more threads AND IT&#39;S NOT LIKE I HAVE SO MANY TAGS ALREADY AKSJDH

[medicalpunch]

Of course I can make it -- I wouldn't miss it for anything!

[Hey hey she got bangs a while back, thank you very much! Lazy mun just hasn't tried to get edited icons, whoops Even if they're starting to get long enough that she has to clip them back now. Maybe she should get another haircut.]

Yes, I'm having a good time -- I'll say this, you do throw a good party.

[floralogy]

[SHE WILL GET HER RAZOR ONE DAY, SAKURA. JUST YOU WAIT.]

Good! And of course, Sakura, because what can I say, I'm just naturally talented.

[medicalpunch]

[AND THEN THERE WILL BE WAR.]

Oh, of course you are. Everyone has to have some kind of talent, after all. I'm so glad that you've finally found your opportunity to show yours off, after being left behind so long.