[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

[savedtheworld]

[Aang may not have met Ino first, but Chouji was already considered to be a good friend by Aang, so he was very excited that it was his birthday. He shows up within an hour of the message, after preparing some treats at the bakery that he brings. Most of them are whichever ones Aang noted Chouji seeming to enjoy the most at the "bake sale" event.

He goes around excitedly in his formal yellow robes, ready to mingle with the various guests - and maybe get some dancing going on!]

[16autumnroad]

Aang! I'm glad you could come! [Chouji would thank Ino again for the party if they hadn't already promised to stop doing that. It was actually really nice to see all of his friends at once, and by now he was entirely on board with the idea even if it hadn't been his to start with. Friends and food, what was there not to like?]

What's that? [Chouji gestures to what's in Aang's hands. Because of Aang's work at the bakery, Chouji has his suspicions.]

[savedtheworld]

"Hi, Chouji! Happy birthday!" he announced as he held out... whatever contained the stuff was in. With a warm smile.

"Why don't you take a look for yourself? And a smell!"

[16autumnroad]

That is enough to confirm Chouji's suspicions. He takes the box and inhales deeply, a smile spreading across his face. "Thank you."

Chouji takes several of the buns for himself before leading the way to the food table to set down the rest. He can share, after all. There's an awful lot of food here. Taking a bite out of one of them, he assures Aang, "It's just as good as I knew it would be!"

[savedtheworld]

And Aang beams with pride at the birthday boy enjoying the snaks.

"Thanks! I'm glad you like it, Chouji."

[16autumnroad]

"Of course I do." Chouji is nothing if not predictable when it comes to food. Aang's offering is greatly appreciated.

He nods down at the food Aang brought as he asks, "How's it going at the bakery?"

[savedtheworld]

"It's been going well! Rapunzel came back to running the bakery the other week, so everything's going smoothly there. Now I just help out a little."

[16autumnroad]

"Oh, I'm so happy to hear she's doing better!" Chouji may not have met Rapunzel, but what little he knows of her is enough to make him wish her well. She is a friend of Aang's, and she bakes delicious things. He assumed that something went wrong on the draft, given their last conversation on the topic of the bakery.

"I still think that your baking skills have progressed enough that you can be proud of them," he adds, knowing that Aang had considered himself a substitute baker.

[floralogy]

[BECAUSE AANG MET HINATA FIRST LMFAO but anyway, Ino recognized him the moment he went in. He's not exactly unfamiliar since she had seen him here and there, just that they haven't properly conversed.

Oh well, time to fix that! Handing him a bag of chips (you know, as appetizer or a giveaway) Ino smiles at him.]

Aang, I assume? I'm Ino - the one who made the announcement? - glad you can make it!

[savedtheworld]

[Well now that Hinata's out of the way, Aang can finally meet Ino. Aang himself is sure that he's seen her around the flower shop at least several times in the past. But he returns her smile and accepts the bag of chip graciously.]

Thanks a lot! That's me, alright. You're one of Shikamaru's teammates, right? [BECAUSE I CAN'T REMEMBER IF SHE CAME UP IN ANY OF THEIR THREADS BUT IF NOT IKKI PROB BABBLED TO HIM.] It's nice to finally meet you, Ino!

[floralogy]

[MOST PROBABLY IKKI.]

I am! Together with Chouji, we make up Team 10. [Or Team Ino.] Likewise, Aang! Have you been enjoying yourself so far?

[savedtheworld]

Team 10? That's a good number! And yes, I am! I really like this party so far. Did you set up a lot of it!

[floralogy]

I did! [She looks around.] All the decorations were made by me and some of the food, too. [Chouji did most of the cooking, though.]

[savedtheworld]

You really did a great job! Like a... ninja decorator! [He says with a soft chuckle.] Chouji definitely looks like he's enjoying himself.

[floralogy]

Thanks! [She snorts, evidently amused.] I like that title. I think I'll keep that. [Upon mentioning Chouji, though, Ino looks around and smiles upon seeing the birthday boy somewhere enjoying himself.]

He does, doesn't he? And honestly, that's all I need.

[savedtheworld]

[He gives a proud smile at her acceptance of the title.]

I think I know what you mean. In a place like this - whenever you can make a friend feel happy, especially someone who's really close to you... It really feels great. I know it helps me to get by, here.

[floralogy]

Oh, so you have some similar experiences [She smiles a tad sheepish because she doesn't know if it's alright to pry. But welp, small conversations are a-go!]

[savedtheworld]

I guess lots of people do when you've been here long enough. When I first got here, I did notice that in my friends who've been here longer... They weren't happy like back home. But whenever I can make them feel some kind of joy like that happiness, it's rewarding. And it's the same for the friends you make here. [He did arrange that big birthday party for Rapunzel the other month.] I think of it as the real best way to fight back against this world. By finding ways to still be happy and still be ourselves.

[floralogy]

[Aw, those are such wise words, Aang! Ino can't help but smile wistfully at those words because they're nothing but true. When she can, she'd like to make her friends happy too and it's something she won't mind doing over and over again. This place might not be the vacation she wanted, but it's not terribly bad.]

Very well said, Aang. I really couldn't agree more. You know, for a kid, you're really mature. [HAHA IT'S BECAUSE HE'S 100 YEARS OLD but yes, she doesn't know that lalala.]

[savedtheworld]

[Rude he's totally a teen now.]

Thanks, Ino. I guess it's cuz I got a few hundred extra years in my soul. All part of being the Avatar!

[floralogy]

[He doesn't look it, okay!!]

You're welcome, but... a hundred extra years? [Okay, what the hell. Ino's surprised by this.]

[savedtheworld]

Uh... Yeah! Well, I got the Avatar spirit! I've kind of lived a lot of different lives before, but I don't really remember them myself. And I got frozen in an iceberg for a hundred years.