Those Meddling Bastards (Open RP, Great Hall)

[serrulata.livejournal.com]

_{((OOC: Backdated to the 22nd. Happy Birthday, Bad Fox! :D ))}

For all his efforts to the contrary, the school's congregation of House Elves had, once again, managed to trap him in the Great Hall with cake, party favors, and a stupid little party hat that one Elf kept trying to hang festively on one of his ears. He was amazed at his own restraint thus far, having only threatened an unforgivable curse on his pint-sized tormentors.

The cake, this time, was a multi-layered thing with more frosting, fondant, and sugar flowers than absolutely necessary. The candles numbered something in the hundreds, yet somehow the nuclear heat from their combined flames only melted the face of anyone nearby, leaving the cake itself unharmed. Sometimes, especially in cases like these, Kurama really hated magic.

Kurama waited at one table on the far end of the hall. All the exits were guarded by overly-cheerful elves soliciting passing students to come and celebrate with the "birthday thing." It was better than 'birthday boy,' but not by much.

Comments

[mello-n-choco.livejournal.com]

"Birthday thing, is it?" I ask as one of the house elves push me into the room. For 'servants,' they sure are pushy. I glance at the cake. "Looks like they did one per decade, though, old man."

[serrulata.livejournal.com]

"I hate cake," Kurama snarled, more at the elf (who laughed at him) than at Mello. He crossed his arms in a huff and slumped back against the table. "And right now I hate everything else. These little fucking sadists never do this to anyone but me."

[mello-n-choco.livejournal.com]

"You know, I think I have a very stylish jacket that'd fit you. I can get it for you," I offer sweetly. "The 'candy' that goes with it is a little harder to come by, but I'm sure we can get you some of that, too."

[kingbandit.livejournal.com]

Curiosity was natural to a thief, part and parcel to their trade. Curiosity brought Jing in, avoiding the house elves, giving him a chance to take in the ambiance. "Do you use a horn to blow out the candles?" he asked, amusement very obvious in his voice.

[serrulata.livejournal.com]

"I bribe Karasu to bomb the damn thing," he muttered, avoiding Jing's eyes. "Go ahead and laugh."

[kingbandit.livejournal.com]

Jing looked at the cake and then back at Kurama. "It would make a mess and I don't think the candles would go out," he mused. He moved to sit near Kurama. "I also didn't think you liked him," he added, looking at his shoes. He turned his head to look at Kurama. "You should play with friends," he said, grinning. "That makes a good birthday."

[journal-aigis.livejournal.com]

Aigis blinked as she was shoved into the Great Hall to celebrate. "But I don't even eat!" she protested, to no avail. She tried shooting a house elf, but it vanished before she could.

"This is unfair. And imprisonment."

[serrulata.livejournal.com]

"You're telling me," Kurama grumbled from his slump at the table. A pair of overenthusiastic elves were trying to wrap him up in birthday streamers. At this point, he was too morose to try and avoid the rainbow paper.

[journal-aigis.livejournal.com]

Aigis pointed a gun at the elves. "Scram."

They complied, but kept Kurama under the streamers. Aigis began to undo them.

[prettypendulum.livejournal.com]

Kuronue tried not to laugh. Really.

Not very hard though.

He collapsed against the table and seated himself, holding his stomach. "Hey, birthday boy," he greeted, amused at the amount of candles. "Is it one candle for each year?"

[serrulata.livejournal.com]

"Didn't bother to count," he growled back.

[beyourvalentine.livejournal.com]

Vincent, for one, liked the atmosphere.

He'd come to appreciate the mood of things here. As he moved towards Kurama, the elves mostly kept out of his way, which amused him. One did seem to hang onto his cape though. He let it trail along after him, then stared at it when it stood by his side once he had taken a seat beside Kurama.

It asked him if he would like cake. Tilting his head, he said yes then turned to Kurama.

"Hello again," he greeted, pushing at the nearest floating candle with the tip of his claw, sending it careening towards the cake. As if driven by gravity, it took up place on on of the tiers of the cake.

Red eyes turned to Kurama.

[serrulata.livejournal.com]

Kurama would have challenged Vincent for being so apparently amused by this, but seeing the gunslinger with any expression but a morose glare was so surprising that he was caught off guard.

"And well met, it seems," he said, watching the elf totter back with a slice of cake that could have fed a party of five.

[sadistdream.livejournal.com]

At the mention of a birthday party, Road Kamelot came skipping into the Hall. "Are you the 'birthday thing'?" she asked, not bothering to hide her amusement.

[serrulata.livejournal.com]

"What tipped you off?" He muttered, not caring about the answer and knowing, with his luck, that she was the cheerful and babbly type. Came with the territory, he supposed, of skipping to and from places. Eugh.

[ilikethemdead.livejournal.com]

It might have been laughable, but Karasu took it all in stride, his eyes flitting from candle to candle before settling on Kurama. The elves didn't seem too keen to stay around him, nor get too close.

"Kurama," he purred, standing on the other side of the table. His hands were in his pockets, hair shinning in the light of the candles. "I didn't forget, you know."

[serrulata.livejournal.com]

"That's nice," Kurama muttered, reaching into a pocket to slap a ward down on the table. It wasn't with any malice or smugness attached, just a normal, everyday thing in a world with Karasu. He wasn't even in the mood to banter.

[ancient-adam.livejournal.com]

Methos took in the scene with an amused smile. He circled the impressively bright and cheery cake, hands in his pockets. That didn't stop a house elf from shoving a gigantic piece into his hands, complete with a fork.

"This is exactly why I don't tell anyone when my birthday is," he said. "Or I lie and tell them I can't remember when it is." Methos set a ceramic sake bottle on the table before the birthday 'thing'. "It won't make them go away, but it'll make you care less," he offered.

[serrulata.livejournal.com]

Kurama eyed the man first and the bottle second, but lingered on the bottle longer. He took it with a nod of thanks.

"I made the mistake of putting the correct date for one incarnation down for one of Kusu's classes," he sighed, beckoning for an elf to bring them each a cup. If Yukimura had taught him nothing else, he at least knew it was no fun to drink alone. "They've been doing this since. Have we met? You smell familiar." Perhaps they hadn't met, or he could't remember completely, but that smell...

[ahbrakedahbra.livejournal.com]

Draco stalked into the Great Hall with a disgusting jut to his jaw. He stayed in the threshold to the Hall, taking in with his bloodshot grey eyes the scene taking shape before him. The half-breed being fawned over by the wretched house-elves. Again Draco rubbed his eyes, no longer having the protection of the popcorn to keep dust motes and the brilliance of light from them, they were irritated to the point of sensitivity of touch; but the itch needed to be scratched - not unlike how a scab needs to be picked. As he watched the party favours sound around the detention-awarding Professor, it only made him think further on the idea of scabs; the half-breed was just another pest that needed eradication.

((Hey! You don't need to reply to this post if you don't think it garners one. It's just a means to have Draco out and about instead of being beside himself outside the popcorn room. :D - and edited for excessive quick typing and [thus] bad spelling.))

[serrulata.livejournal.com]

It was only by the gracious whim of fate that Kurama managed to glance up and see Draco.

Usually, he would have smirked. Now, he gave the boy a glare that was such an atom-bomb death dealer that the uppity little prick should have been nothing more than a splattered shadow on the far wall. Unfortunately, fate's whims weren't that gracious.

"What the hell happened to your eyes?" He demanded. Anything to distract him from this damn party.

[sincethe900s.livejournal.com]

One look at Kurama's face should have told anyone that he was not predisposed to take kindly to well-meant birthday wishes, but Holy Roman Empire was not just anyone. "Oh, is it your birthday?" He smiled brightly. "Congratulations, Kurama Youko."

He noticed the bonfire atop the cake then, and shifted the papers he carried under one arm behind his back, to put a bit of distance between them and the heat of the candles. "Are you enjoying your celebration? It seems very lively."

[serrulata.livejournal.com]

"I'm having a blast," Kurama replied, voice deadpan. He managed not to scowl too much. Even while the Holy Roman Empire was ancient, he couldn't get past that childish appearance. "Go ahead and have some diabetes. I mean cake."

[witchthaegan.livejournal.com]

Thaegan did not abide by witty entrances - she was above things like that. She had heard the commotion taking place in the Great Hall and had to investigate, for such happiness and fun could not be allowed to be prolonged. She sauntered in, taking in the creature with fox ears and the mess of disgusting house elves that plagued this castle. She had a dark smile, her amber eyes glinting with a hidden distaste to the creatures as she pushed past them, shoving one house elf with a party hat on one ear with her hand on his otherwise bare skull, knocking him into other house elves. She did not acknowledge Youko Kurama, as she zoned in on the cake.

With a talon-like finger she swiped the corner of the cake, and pressed it on her tongue, sampling the frosting with a lascivious moan. She closed her eyes and was quiet for a moment, before finally composing herself and staring down at Youko Kurama with a gloating, and challenging, stare.

"I didn't think demons celebrated their creation," she murmured cattily.

[serrulata.livejournal.com]

"Do I look like I'm celebrating?" This icy statement, complete with stare promising slow and painful death, was belied by being covered in streamers and other party paraphernalia. Kurama didn't recognize the woman, and wasn't sure he wanted to know who she was anyway, and he certainly wasn't up to being a challenger at the moment.