IRIS MESSAGE - MARCH 24, AFTER DINNER

[angeliaforos]

[Finally. Finally, he's got it, and he's so excited about this. At least, the cake part. (Thanks, Jehan.)

There's a part of turning 18 that scares the everloving crap out of Gabriel, especially being here, of all places, but he's not going to think about that right now. No. Right now, he's going to think about how freaking great this cake is going to be.

But first he's got a little matter to settle of who he's going to share his birthday cake with. He sends out an IM, the giant cake very visible in the rainbow.]

Really, guys? You're gonna let me sit up here by myself and eat the whole thing? By myself? Really, guys?

[He's teasing, of course. That was his idea of an invitation.]

Comments

im;

[habitually]

Oh, no no. You're an adult now. Adults don't get to whine into rainbows about cake.

[ Raising his dark eyebrows in greeting. ]

[angeliaforos]

I'm pretty sure being an adult means I get to whine into anything I want about anything I want without being told what to do, dad.

[Hi, Grantaire. Come eat cake with him. Please.]

[habitually]

Well it does, I guess, but it also makes you annoying. [ cue dramatic emphasis. ]

I didn't know you had it in you to share. Kind of mature of you.

[angeliaforos]

Yet you keep coming back. Guess that makes you a masochist.

[A little shrug.]

I'm turning 18. Might as well.

[habitually]

Wow, stop. Your perception kills me. [ Smirking and moving to dismiss the rainbow. ] Gimme a minute.

[ Making to walk over and up onto the roof for the second time in the past week. ] Happy birthday, dumbass.

IM

[shylyintrepid]

I could!

[angeliaforos]

Then get the hell over here. I'll help you up.

[Maybe. He's kind of in the mood to see if Jehan figures out how.]

[shylyintrepid]

I'll just get a ladder.

[Cheeky grin]

Save me a slice?

[angeliaforos]

Oh, you take all the fun out of it, dude.

[A little shrug.]

You made the cake. You earned at least one.

Action

[serenesuccessor]

[Only a few minutes after the invitation goes out a vine creeps up the side of the cabin, and shortly there after a mop of brown hair with faded blue streaks is peeking up.]

What kinda cake?

[angeliaforos]

[Gabriel reaches over to lend Naomi an actual hand. This is so much more creative than her big brother's ladder idea.]

Chocolate. Is there any other kind?

[serenesuccessor]

[She's got an awful lot of practice after the tree incident and when she use to visit John on the roof. Still, she accepts the hand happily.]

There's vanilla 'nd red velvet 'nd rainbow 'nd lemon 'nd strawberry 'nd-[She continues, listing off every cake she knows.]

[angeliaforos]

[Well, it's good to see her improving. He pulls her up, clasping her hand.]

No. All those flavors are invalid - especially rainbow. That's just yellow cake with food coloring in it - trust me, I'm an expert on this.

Action

[toeverywhere]

[Cake? Friends? Someone she could maybe talk to about how gigantically she had fucked up this past week? She hadn't been able to even look at Sojourner. But, mostly: cake.

Safe to say, Elizabeth was so down. The second Gabe ends his IM, she appears behind him, smirking.]

So you gonna cut a slice for me?

[angeliaforos]

Christ, Lizzie.

[Because as much as he likes to think he's a master of stealth, she one-upped him. Again.]

So long as you promise not to smash it in my face. I like eating cake. Not wearing it.

[toeverywhere]

I'll try not to.

[Yeah, sorry, she's got Shadow Travel down pat. And it's just kinda fun to appear out of nowhere and scare people. Can you blame her?]

Though I heard cake is a new fashion statement.

[angeliaforos]

It may very well be. Among weddings. And hipsters. Now, I'm no hipster, and does this look like a wedding to you?

[Still, he reaches over to cut her a big slice.]

[ospreyed]

[It didn't take long for Eponine to make her way up to the roof.]

I heard a rumor about cake. [Gasp! She was going to eat something. It was a small miracle. With a grin that doesn't quite meet her eyes, she gives Gabe a quick hug.] I owe you a birthday present.

[angeliaforos]

You heard damn right, Eps.

[He grins a little bit. He's actually happy she came and that she's going to eat something. Even if it's junk food.

No, especially if it's junk food. Everybody's got a little bit of a vice, and...this is perfectly legal.]

I'll owe you one too. We'll think of something. Y'know, when we can actually get out of here.

[His voice drops a little low at the end of the sentence.]

[ospreyed]

Seriously.

[She sighs. Her birthday had been back in November, but hadn't made a big deal of it. Not her jam. Besides, birthdays were weird.

Flopping next to him, she sighs.]

When we can get outta here, I'm planning on visiting Montparnasse. I have some words I need to have with him.

[angeliaforos]

Yeah?

[One of his hands moves to her hair, just idly scratching at her scalp, meaning to be comforting.]

What're you gonna tell him?

[impetueux]

[Cosette should probably just walk away, given her weird feeling toward Gabriel, and pretend she didn't see a boy sitting on a cabin roof with a large baked good. But:

a.) Her sweet tooth knows no bounds and

b.) It's his birthday. It'd be rude.

So here she is, craning her neck up at him and trying to figure out how to get up to the roof herself.]

Why are you even up there?

[angeliaforos]

[He gets it. He kind of likes pushing Cosette's buttons, anyway. (Okay, really likes. Pushing Apollo kids' buttons is what he does.) He gives her a little shrug, speaking through a mouthful of cake.]</small. I live here. Free country. Why the hell not - have you even been on that shiny-ass roof of yours? View's amazing.

[impetueux]

Why have you been up on-- You know what, never mind.

[There are so many reasons why she shouldn't ask why Gaberiel has been hanging out on her roof.]

So, want to give me some clues on how to get up?

[angeliaforos]

I- oookay, never mind.

[He's about to explain to her before she asks her next question.]

You know how to climb a tree? It's kind of like that. Footholds are everywhere.