(backdated to: 10/31) five (video) ♞ ❝this is the last time i let you in my door.❞

[curepotion]

[ the video flickers on--some of the camera is obscured by some books. they're classical novels and manuals for robotics, machinery, and there may be a cookbook and karate in there. someone's been making very good use of the library here.

but besides the book, part of the clock can be seen as it hangs on the opposite wall, reading a few minutes before midnight. not a creature is stirring, not even a...

... no, nevermind, something's beeping. rather loudly--rather annoyingly. it's a grating, hissing sound that would wake anyone up.

there's a creak of the door and a groan and Riku walks out, all mussed hair and tired eyes. in a tank top and bright neon blue boxers, nonetheless. he glares in front of him, then completely bypasses looking at the video camera, right to the culprit. ]

Who drinks coffee at...

[ ding!

the clock strikes twelve, chiming a few times, catching Riku's attention.

... ... ]

... it's Halloween. [ sigh--he runs a hand through his hair. ] Too bad there's no trick-or-treating he...

[ ... ... he stiffens and turns away from the clock. ]

... I'm ... seventeen?

Comments

[endured]

Halloween? ( so many strange holidays he's been hearing of!! ) Oh, um... happy birthday?

1/2

[curepotion]

[ agh no ]

... that wasn't supposed to be recording. [ futile effort at pushing his hair down because it might as well be mimicing Sora's. ] Halloween used to be about scaring bad spirits away. Now, it's about giving candy away and trying to scare anyone you can.

2/2

[curepotion]

[ ... ]

Who are you?

[ his voice is confused, rather than accusatory. ]

[endured]

( oh, well... let's shy away from birthday stuff then. )

Huh, so it's sort of turned into something fun. ( Hope is pondering this before the question catches him off guard, blinking. ) It's Hope, my name that is. Hope Estheim. I just arrived here the other day.

[curepotion]

... Hope? [ eyesquint. ]

You were... here, before. But... you were older.

[endured]

Huh. ( one word explanation to everything going on in his head at the moment. )

Are you– ( of course, he's sure. who would just say something like that? ) I mean, uh, sorry... that just sounds really strange.

video

[fourscience]

What is Halloween? A holiday, I assume? What is its significance?

[A pause, and then she smiles broadly

Congratulations on reaching seventeen years of age!

video

[curepotion]

[ blank staring because oh my god two sets of eyes

it must be hell to wear sunglasses--

no, focus riku, focus ]

I think you're supposed to scare bad spirits away on Halloween. It's a lot more fun just to scare everyone you can, though, and get candy out of it. When you're a kid, you go door to door and you get candy.

video

[fourscience]

Ah! A festival of superstitions! And this is widely celebrated?

video

[curepotion]

You could say that. I haven't gone to a place that hasn't celebrated it.

... besides here, anyway.

voice;

[boughtabookstore]

Happy birthday, Riku.

voice;

[curepotion]

[ lookit, first person who he'd actually accept a happy birthday from ]

Thanks.

voice;

[boughtabookstore]

[ awww Riku ]

You're welcome. Will you do anything for it?

voice;

[curepotion]

I don't know... even if I did, I wouldn't know what I'd do. I haven't done anything for them since I was a kid.

[Video]

[feel_nevermore]

It's your Birthday?

[Just like Jinx.]

Happy Birthday, then.

[Video]

[curepotion]

[ a little awkwardly; ]

Yeah, it is. And... thanks.

Rather celebrate Halloween, though. Not that we can, here.

[Video]

[feel_nevermore]

You don't like celebrating your birthday? That's kinda rare.

[A pause.] ...That said I don't either.

[Video]

[curepotion]

It's not like there's a point in celebrating it.

Everyone's already throwing a party on Halloween. Why add to it? It'd just create problems.

... when's yours?

video;

[fortissimos]

Halloween, huh? I guess that'd make it easy to remember. [ She looks tired, but she forces on a smile. ] It's not the best time to celebrate this kinda stuff, but... happy birthday, anyway.

video;

[curepotion]

[ oh, tiredness. he could assume it's because of the time, but... ]

Thanks. ... you know, it's too bad. Maybe it'd boost morale if we celebrated Halloween.

[ ... ]

You okay?

video;

[fortissimos]

Maybe... I've never really done anything for it, but it's supposed to be fun.

[ Though really life is scary and full of enough monsters rn to not need the help. As for the second part... ]

I'm fine. Fighting's not really a problem anymore.

video.

[moondances]

[ a smile. ]

Happy birthday. I'm afraid I don't have a present..

video.

[curepotion]

[ an awkward chuckle. ]

I don't usually celebrate my birthday, you know. Halloween's good enough. Besides... this place isn't exactly a great place to have a birthday in.

video.

[moondances]

I'm sure you could make do. It seems there's plenty of people that want you to enjoy it.. myself included. We can't forget to have fun sometimes, even here.

[ color her curious, though. ] Is.. Halloween a holiday, where you are from? I've heard people talking about it approaching. It sounds like a festive day.

video.

[curepotion]

... looks like there are. [ which is so, so weird. ]

It's a holiday. Guess not every world has it. Did anyone explain what it's about?