Book Party [ota]

[myblueskies]

Who: Romeo, Elfnein and literally everyone in the heavens. Even if you weren't personally invited every invite came with a +ALL YOUR FRIENDS and there's also a sign. Strangers are just friends these two haven't met yet.
When: 29th April. Afternoon onwards
Where: Temple Smol (Gegute's library)
What: Just the cutest book party the heavens has ever known! Bring your best book!



Arrival

You might have received an invitation, or perhaps you are just passing Gegute’s library but there is an brightly painted sign outside.

Book Party today!

Everyone welcome! Bring your best book or dress up!

Lots of tasty food!

The doors of the temple are open and once you arrive in the lobby there are more bright arrows pointing the way into the library. If you are still stuck mister Goat is at the help desk, he’ll direct any one who needs it!

Activities

The layout of the library hasn’t really changed at all, except a few tables being moved to accommodate activities and all the comfy reading cushions have been brought to a central location. All the shelves are decorated with colourful paper chains and streamers.

Romeo had really enjoyed Yuna’s birthday party with the activities to do so he had copied the idea for Elfnein’s book party! On one table there is material for making bookmarks. You might want to recut the card strips, they are a little wonky. There is ribbon and glitter and colouring pens and glue.

On another there is a cardboard box puppet theatre, painted in a riot of colours with colourful strips of material as curtains. There is some felt and other material, as well as scissors, glue and wool to make puppets with. A sign reads in childish Hirigana. Show your best book!

Food

The invitations had promised lots of tasty food and there sure was a lot! A whole table filled with tasty treats, Romeo had been very very busy! There was a whole tray of chopped fruit, another of vegetables like carrots and cucumber.

There was bread and cheese and two bowls of pasta with different sauces. Another bowl of noddles with meat and vegetables. There was a huge bowl of rice too with a tray of grilled fish and a bowl of broccoli and asparagus.

An entire part of the table was taken up by apples and things with apples in them, apple turnovers and even an attempt at an apple pie, it was a bit smushed but probably tasted fine.

There was a tray of very misshapen cookies with messy icing and another of even messier cupcakes with far too much buttercream. There were also churos and a chocolate Gateaux, these seemed to have been bought rather than made, Romeo hadn’t even known where to start it making them!

There was an attempt at making books and other shapes out of rice and vegetables packed in the two bento boxes Ebisu’s temple had given him for Christmas, but they were a bit crumbly, misshapen or just plain strange. In the centre of Romeo’s bento attempts was his magical bento box, every time it was opened there were different fancy bento creations, if the children’s attempts left a lot to be desired.

Have fun!

Comments

[myblueskies]

Romeo followed Chikusa over to the table and clambered up on a nearby seat. Hakkai just takes people? It was true Hakkai was a good person and looked after lots of people.

"You have other people too. But Ken is your best friend and your boyfriend!"

[kokuyoyo]

"Yes." Definitely no disagreements on the Ken part. Well, the 'best friend' thing is sort of weird to hear, because Chikusa is pretty sure he's had no other friends for.... most of his life, and he suspects a lot of his afterlife. But then.... That brings them to their current conversation.

Nibbling on some food, he observes Romeo for a minute before speaking up. "It feels... like a lot of people decide on their own if another person is their friend or not."

[myblueskies]

"Yes." Romeo nodded. "I think they do. When you like a person a lot and spend a lot of time with them then you think they are your friend and hopefully they think you are their friend too!"

That's how it worked, sometimes it was really quick and sometimes it was slower. He says all this patiently, Chikusa seems a little confused about it.

[kokuyoyo]

A lot of things that seem normal to most people are confusing to Chikusa, if he's frank, which he's not really found to be a problem most of the time. However, well... Sometimes people seem to think differently around him. He chews patiently through some of the food he's accumulated, listening to Romeo.

"...And what if they don't? I mean... what if they don't think of you as their friend...?"

[myblueskies]

"Well..." That was a sad thing, if someone didn't think of you as their friend even if you thought of them as their friend. But...

"You just got to keep being their friend regardless! Be nice to them and do all the good things that friends do even if they don't do it back and they might decide you are their friend later but they might not and that's sad but at least you made sure you were really nice to them!"

Some people just find friendship tricky, like Hibiki and apparently Chikusa.

[kokuyoyo]

"That... sounds like a lot of work." Chikusa slouches back into his seat, part of a cookie still sticking out of his mouth while his mile long legs stretch out straight. "Why put all that energy... into someone that won't return it?"

That's one of the things he really doesn't get about regular people. Why does it matter so much? If he tried to do that... No, scratch that. Chikusa is pretty sure he's incapable of expending that much energy for that many people.

[myblueskies]

"Because sometimes..." Romeo thought, he hadn't really thought about it before and it was sometimes hard to find words to talk about all the things he felt.

"Sometimes people don't know how to be friends, because they haven't had a friend before or... are sad or scared I think. So they don't know how to be a friend back but you still got to be their friend or they are all alone and still sad and scared but a friend can make everything better and keep their spirits up, so it's important."

Even if it took all your energy and they never returned it, it was worth it to help another person!

[kokuyoyo]

...Well. For all that Chikusa would argue with a few points in that argument, he can't deny that it strikes a little close to home in other aspects. His lips thin for a second before he goes back to focusing on his food. No more answers, just stuffing his face.

It's genuinely not a thing he thinks he can answer... so he almost hopes that if he just focuses on eating, Romeo will go away. That's... how it works, right?

[myblueskies]

Romeo watched him for a few moments, not going away at all. He was used to Chikusa taking a long time to gather all his thoughts before he spoke so the pause wasn't anything strange at first.

But it went on and on for a long time and Chikusa didn't say anything. It was a big thing to think about after all.

Romeo was patient though and just sat, waiting to see if Chikusa would say anything.

[kokuyoyo]

...Well. Hm. He's not leaving. Chikusa glances up at him from beneath his hair and just over the rim of his glasses, the awkwardness starting to reach even him. It feels like there's something he should be saying here... Except he has no idea of what to say.

After a second, he manages to come up with... something. "What if you just get used from that kind of thinking...?

[myblueskies]

"Get used to it?" Romeo tilted his head. "Get used to not making friends?" Was that what Chikusa was trying to say? Romeo was a bit confused but it was alright, he was used to Chikusa being confusing!

[kokuyoyo]

"No, I mean..." Well, he wasn't clear enough, which he supposes is his own fault. Chikusa knows he sometimes skimps on words, or forgets to add in an important detail or additional sentence. "What if someone hangs around you... but doesn't think of you as a friend. And just keeps you around because you're useful to them..."

[myblueskies]

"Oh." If someone just thought he was useful and didn't think of him as a friend. That would be a sad thing if that happened, it's difficult for Romeo to even understand that sort of mindset, of seeing people like that instead of as his friend.

"I guess that's okay, I'd still want to help them anyways."

[kokuyoyo]

"...That's foolish." Chikusa begins to sink a little bit more into his seat, picking at his food. "That feels... as though you're just setting yourself up for hurting yourself."

[myblueskies]

"But that's better than hurting other people. You got to make sure your a good friend to people because then they will be happy. If they are a good friend back that is really nice but if not then you don't got to worry too much. They might be your friend or not but you are there's and so you can help them!"

Even if it hurt you. It was still important.

[kokuyoyo]

At this point, Chikusa would like to think that Romeo has picked up Chikusa's subtle and not so subtle views on hurting other people... but it's not something he's going to say outloud here. Not right now, anyway. He's exhausted from this conversation as it is.

Speaking of which... "Where do you get the energy for that kind of thing? It sounds so tiring..."

[myblueskies]

"Just from inside me!" He has lots of energy, he's not sure why Chikusa doesn't. It is a bit worrying. Maybe he needs to sleep more, or eat more, or spend more time with friends.

"I get tired sometimes," Especially when talking to Chikusa, who is very confusing. "But then I keep my spirits up and my energy comes back!"

[kokuyoyo]

Literally nothing Romeo has said makes any bit of sense, and he blinks slowly at the boy. Just... keep spirits up. Okay?

"...I didn't think it was that easy."

[myblueskies]

"It is!" Said with confidence. There's not often Romeo can claim to be an expert on something but keeping your spirits up is something he knows how to do for sure!

"Do you want me to show you how?"

[kokuyoyo]

For another few long moments, Chikusa stares at him. This seems as though it's almost guaranteed not to really work, but he also has no idea on just... how to get out of this situation. At least, while he's still eating, which is an action he doesn't really wan to abandon just now. So, after a second, he moves one shoulder in a sort of shrug.

"Go for it." Maybe that will be easier to weather.

[myblueskies]

"Right! Well if you ever feel sad or scared or angry and you got to keep your spirits up and it's tricky you just do this."

He punched the air, fist straight up to the sky.

[kokuyoyo]

...Children are just downright mysterious. Chikusa isn't entirely sure how he managed to make it through childhood himself, now, even disregarding the whole human experimentation thing.

He stares down at Romeo, and then slowly back up to where his fist is raised. "And that.... does what?"

[myblueskies]

"Keeps your spirits up." He grins, it's a great trick. One that works every time!

He reaches out for Chikusa's hand. "I can show you!"

[kokuyoyo]

At least with Chikusa, as long as he doesn't think or sense there's any danger, he's game for being moved around in just about any which way. Romeo, needless to say, is not someone he finds to be particularly dangerous. Honestly, if he were more of a danger, Chikusa would almost feel weirdly.... reassured.

There are really too many children here who don't know how to do a murder and he doesn't like that.

So all he does is blink as Romeo grabs his hand. "But aren't I already a spirit?"

This may or may not be a joke. It's hard to tell with Chikusa sometimes, and his terrible, terrible sense of humor.

[myblueskies]

"It's a different kind of spirit." He smiles at him. "It's the type that can be happy or sad and this trick will make it go to happy!"

He holds onto Chikusa's hand and then pulls it up into the air. See! The perfect way to keep your spirits up!