Battlefield Birthdays

[walking_nuke]

Who:	Residents of 847 Goldberg (Balin, Virginia, and Caesar), as well as any guests (Utsuho, others depending on what happens!)
What:	Balin has the unfortunate predicament of having been born right before April Fool's. He's 28 today!
When:	Friday, March 30, 195X+4
Where:	847 Goldberg Street
Warnings:	Nukebirds in boxes? Nah, probably nothing serious.

[For soldiers deployed overseas, celebrating birthdays is hard enough. In the AFS, though, practically everywhere is the front line. With Earth gone, there's no relatives or friends from home to send you birthday wishes or throw a party for you when you come back—you're lucky if any are still alive and deployed on Foreas or Arieki. Still, soldiers find ways to party.]

[In Balin's case, though, he's now been stuck in Mayfield long enough to grow a year older. It dawned on him in a conversation with Virginia earlier in the week, and now ... he's really not sure what to do for his birthday—somehow, being stuck in Mayfield feels even more limiting than living among the militarized remains of the human species. But maybe Virginia or Caesar have an idea in mind ...]

[(Note: This'll be a multi-thread log, for various interactions and tags throughout the day depending on what happens.)]

Comments

[also in the house]

[commentboxtroll]

[Caesar's likely been asked to stick around and wish Balin a happy birthday, so he's still chilling in the living room with a book by the time anyone else is up and about. Awake, even! And, even more surprising, there's a wrapped package sitting on the table. Though it looks like someone put an effort into wrapping that thing, so whether it's even from Caesar or not...

That's debatable.]

[walking_nuke]

[And here comes Balin, fully dressed after having encountered Okuu-in-a-Box upstairs.]

Mornin'—

[Wait. Is that a present on the table?]

[... Yeah, Balin's just gonna stand there a bit slack-jawed. If only because he didn't expect any gifts today—much less from Caesar of all people!]

[commentboxtroll]

Good morning.

[He yawns and turns to a new page in his book.]

[walking_nuke]

[Maybe he shouldn't be too hasty in assuming that present is for him ... He's not entirely sure the kid likes him enough for that. Especially after ... well, everything since November.]

[Buuut he'll just kind of make his way over to the coffee pot.]

[That'll justify getting a better look at the present!]

[commentboxtroll]

[Nope. Not saying anything about it.]

[walking_nuke]

[He's going to at least see if there's a tag or label attached to the thing saying it's for him, at least!]

[Of course ... He's not a Spy. Acting subtle is not Balin's strong suit.]

[commentboxtroll]

[Caesar peeks up from his book and watches Balin as he hovers around. If there is a tag, it's on the other side. This looks like the bottom of the gift, with the edges of the wrapping paper visible.]

[walking_nuke]

[... Clever boy.]

[Well, there's no sense trying to tiptoe around his curiosity now. So while he's making himself a cup of coffee from the pot, he'll call out to Caesar.]

Uh—hey, what's'a present for?

[commentboxtroll]

[Aaand he looks back down at his book.]

What present?

[walking_nuke]

[Oh ... so maybe it isn't something Caesar did.]

That one on'a table'ere.

[commentboxtroll]

[No, it is. In a fashion. But Balin isn't getting answers so easily! As aloof as he is sometimes, Caesar does have a sense of humor somewhere.]

Oh, that. That's probably just for my girlfriend.

[walking_nuke]

[If Caesar didn't seem so disinterested and defensive to all the girls that collect around him—barring what the flowers did of course—he might have believed him ... except for one other thing, and it's that thing which makes Balin smirk.]

"Probably?"

[commentboxtroll]

Or my boyfriend.

[Turning a page.]

Or maybe a present for the cat or the horses mysteriously appeared. Who knows. It's a strange world like that.

[walking_nuke]

Presents for regained stuff? That'll be'a day.

[So evasive! Well, with the coffee made and his curiosity still unsatisfied, Balin heads over to the table. He sets the mug down and then turns over the present so that it's right-side up.]

[commentboxtroll]

[There is a tag on it! It says... 'To Dad'. Huh.]

Or it's something I got you while I was still a drone.

[walking_nuke]

[... Well then. That ... probably makes the most sense, and answers a question he didn't have. Drones know the real birthdays of captives.]

Guess you're right.

[He's having mixed feelings about this, and it shows!]

[commentboxtroll]

If someone had bothered letting me know a whole lot earlier, I may have gotten you something for real. All I have on hand right now are books and you're probably less interested in those than Crowe was.

[Speaking of books, he finally closes the one he was skimming.]

Anyway, it isn't dangerous. I can't quite recall what it was exactly, but I do know that much.

[walking_nuke]

[Still having visibly mixed feelings, at least at the open admission from Caesar that he'd actually bother getting him a present.]

Guess at'd depend on'a books'ey got here. I never really looked, you know? After hearin' things about'a Library I wasn't sure Mayfield stocks anything actually interesting to read.

[Which begs the question—kind of things would a droned kid get for their "father?" Maybe some ties or clothes or something.]

[commentboxtroll]

I keep getting books from home... [Too many history books. Too many!] And I'm working on fixing that library problem.

[But that's a different discussion! He can't help but notice Balin seems less than thrilled at the thought that he would have actually gotten him a present... or maybe he just doesn't believe the gift from the drone is harmless.

There's no way to be sure, so Caesar doesn't bring it up.]

Well? Are you going to open it?

[walking_nuke]

[Balin looks up at Caesar. He doesn't look startled, but something in his eyes almost suggests that kind of expression, like Caesar calling the gift to his attention had jostled him out of a train of thought.]

Oh! Uh—yeah. Sure.

[And he's going to get right on unwrapping that thing!]

[Seriously this is the most awkward birthday ever.]

[commentboxtroll]

[What is with that look, man?]

Is something wrong?

[He's only now starting to wonder if they're going to be at odds forever here. Even over this! Oh, but now he's opening it, so he leans over to watch. What is it, what...

...

A... a 'World's Best Dad' mug.]

Wow. That's awful.

[walking_nuke]

Nah, it ain't anything—

[He looks back down at the box, now that he's opened it.]

... Pfft.

[Balin pulls the mug out of the box to get a better look at it.]

"World's Best dad." I dunno, does havin' a kid when you're ten really count?

[commentboxtroll]

Would it only be ten? I thought you were older than that.

[Like super old.]

[walking_nuke]

I toldja I was pushin' thirty, right? I'm 28 today.

[Beat.]

How old didja think I was?

[commentboxtroll]

Did you? I figured it was somewhere between thirty and forty, I guess.

[Not really, but whatever whatever.]