zerotohiro | Some Legends Are Told, Some Turn To Dust Or To Gold [CEREALIA INBOX]

Well... I know people eat cake, and I guess there's something about presents? I don't really know much else about them. Like how to celebrate them, or what kind of presents you give someone.

[he learned a little from when xion had made inquiries about it, but in the end... he still doesn't really know what to do with mary's birthday coming up.]

Huh. Okay. You know what a birthday means right? It means you were born on a certain day and you're another year older. Usually there's candles on those cakes to signify how old a person is...unless you're my aunt. She doesn't like that. Anyway people usually celebrate by having parties, but some people like celebrating by spending the day with a few close friends. You pretty much do whatever you think is fun and the person's favorite things. That's kinda the difference between a birthday and Christmas. Christmas you have to share the holiday with pretty much everybody.

[Did you think he was done talking? Sorry Roxas, meet Hiro. He doesn't like to shut up when he really knows something.] Presents can be the easiest part or the hardest part of the whole thing. Depends on how well you know somebody. You don't know somebody well enough, you get them a gift card and let them get whatever they want. Thought that counts, whatever. For the people you do know best, you get them something that you know they'll like but also something that'll make them think of you.

...does...that make any sense at all?

Uh...

[some parts of that make some sense, and other parts are definitely just there to confuse him a whole hell of a lot more than he already had been. why this, hiro! he was not prepared for an explanation like this!]

I know what they're for, yeah. But... I still don't really know what to do for them. [he... should probably give hiro some context here.]

Mary's birthday is soon, and I know I want to do something, but I've never helped anyone celebrate a birthday before.

[There's a pause...and an awkward sort of laugh like maybe Hiro knows something that Roxas doesn't. (You know, besides the usual.)]

Dude, you could have started with that and I probably could have skipped pretty much all of that. I didn't know her birthday was soon. [He'll have to make a mental note of that.] Knowing Mary she's going to be happy you do anything at all...but you want it to be special don't you?

Yeah. It's on the 21st.

[he's not really sure what hiro is laughing about, but... well, does he ever?]

They're supposed to be special, aren't they? [so.. yeah? he wants to make it special?] I guess I don't want it to be just anything, but I don't really... know what to do, either.

That's not that far off either. [Please ignore Hiro's laughter, Roxas, it's usually unwarranted.] Let me ask you something. When you think of Mary, what exactly do you think of?

[There's a point. Just go with it, buddy.]

Uh...

[he'll roll with it, but he's not exactly sure what kind of answer he's supposed to give, so he just lists off a couple of things that remind him of her.] Flowers, and manga... pancakes...

Trust me when I say that pancakes are probably not a good idea. They're dangerous. [He's pretty sure nobody else would have all of the problems he had with them, but it's worth saying. He hums to himself, thinking about this for a moment.]

Too bad you don't know how to draw. I'd say you could make her a manga or something. [...that's actually something to consider, but he'll shelf that idea.] Instead of getting her a birthday cake, you can get her a stack of pancakes with some candles in it and have a picnic in the gardens or something. There's a ton of flowers there, I bet she'd like that.

Pancakes are... dangerous?

[hiro, what.]

I dunno, do you think she would like something like that? Is that... really something you can do for birthdays? They're kind of confusing, I really don't get what's supposed to work and what doesn't.

[not that a picnic sounds like a bad idea. but they do go to the gardens sometimes, and he's really not sure about this whole PANCAKES INSTEAD OF CAKE business because he just doesn't get it at all.]

They are when they light on fire.

[...please don't ask, Roxas.]

Nothing says you can't do something like that for birthdays. I've been to amusement parks a lot as a kid and we still sometimes went for my birthday. The whole point is that you put thought into it. That's what counts. [But he knows he's confusing his friend further and there's a small pause.]

...why don't you ask Ruby? She's a girl. [Thanks Hiro.] She might have a better idea and she and Mary are kinda friends, too. I'll give it some more thought too but I think something with the gardens is probably your best idea. Like I said Mary...is gonna love whatever you do for her. Trust me. I'm not wrong about that.

[he's not going to ask right now. but he's eventually going to ask how the hell he made pancakes light on fire.

even roxas can make pancakes, okay.]

I... well, if you say so. I'll think about it some more, and maybe I'll ask Ruby too. Asking... more people can't hurt, right? The more ideas, the better... [urgh!!!] This would be a lot easier if I knew how this stuff worked to begin with.

[thanks sora for your no-good holding onto memories that you ended up losing and having get all fucked up anyway!!]

[Look, when a boy has a crush on a girl...but okay in all seriousness he actually seems relieved when Roxas says he'll think about asking Ruby. It's not so much that he thinks she might have a better answer (but she might), but also he's of the opinion it doesn't hurt for the two of them to get to know each other better, too. Ruby and Mary are starting to. Everybody just needs to be friends to make his life easier, the end.

Sorry about your Other having a shitty memory inventory, buddy.]

Asking more people definitely can't hurt. It's always a good idea to get second opinions when you're not sure of stuff and...I don't think Ruby will care if you don't really know how this stuff works. I've had to explain some stuff to her, too, that's different. She'll probably just think it's a "different worlds" problem.

I can probably dig up an archive too from when Xion asked about birthdays on the network...? I know she's your friend and she's gone now but there might be something there to look over, too. [If it's not too hard for him to deal with, he means. People react to disappearances differently.]

Yeah... I guess second opinions really can't hurt anyway. I'm not used to any of it, so... I guess I have to learn somehow.

[even if it's by asking other bumbling teenagers who are really just as clueless as he is, albeit in different ways.]

I didn't even really think to look back at what Xion found out. [so maybe that would help too. it's not too hard for him to deal with, even if the reasons he's still a bit sad over it don't have much to do with the fact that she's gone.

as ever, it's complicated, but roxas doesn't make any indication of that, because he's not thinking about it either right now.]

[This is precisely why they're all friends. None of them really know what they're doing.]

It'll be fine. You've got a few days to figure it all out anyway and if Ruby doesn't know then she'll probably ask--[...Yang. He was going to finish that with "she'll probably ask Yang", but with things being as they are he's not sure about that.] Someone else. But don't worry about it. I trust her to have good ideas.

[There's a pause before there's a ping!, a sign that Hiro's sent Roxas an attached link.] Found Xion's old post. There're probably others like it, too, but I remember that one specifically because I talked to her myself. Hopefully that'll help.

Well, if you say she'll probably know something... I believe you. I'll call her up later.

[after they're done talking here and he has time to figure out how to make words. regardless, he's glad to have the link as his disposal, because he likely wouldn't have remembered when this happened without digging back into his own diary.]

...Thanks. Maybe I'll be able to find something in her post, too.

Sure, no problem. Let me know if you find anything or if you think of something else. I'll keep thinking on it, too.

Thanks, Hiro. I appreciate it.

[what a bro.]

Some Legends Are Told, Some Turn To Dust Or To Gold [CEREALIA INBOX]

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