[Sfw] ♡ Birthday Room ♡

[awuka]

[Everyone on the ship receives a pink envelope sealed with a red heart sticker under their door. Inside it is a card that says "Happy Birthday Alluka! Dear (insert your character's name here), you have been invited to the birthday party taking place on September 14th at this location. There will be cake, icecream, games, and kitty magic all day. Please think hard about the gift you'd like to give before arriving! See you there!" On the other side of the card is a map with precise instructions on how to get to the room from the receiver's exact location.

Newly freshened from brushing her teeth and hair in Killua's bathroom, Alluka feels ready enough to pursue the room in the birthday invite. Hidden behind a door decorated in pink balloons and streamers, the room invites her inside.

Beyond the door is a big parlor decked to the teeth in ribbons, flowers, and colorful balloon animals. Alluka steps inside and looks around. There's a wide table at the back with a big, gray Pusheen cake on top of it with a tray of gray kitten cupcakes, a big cake knife, and bags of party favors and candy on either side of it. There's a long table for guests to sit at as well as a comfortable area for guests to play games.

Alluka runs to the cake and starts inspecting it. It doesn't look like any cake she's seen before. Is something so cute really supposed to be cut into?]

Comments

[devil_or_angle]

*killua follows alluka into the room, pleased to see that it's exactly as advertised in the invitation, a safe, welcoming space for alluka to celebrate her birthday. as he watches her run up to the cat-shaped cake, he can't help but feel a melancholy tug at his heartstrings, thinking about how long it's been since she was able to enjoy this. he doubts their parents allowed her the luxury of a calendar to keep track of the date while she was locked up, and he regrets that not even he knew it was coming. but now that it's here, he's going to make sure that this is the best birthday of her life so far.

he walks up behind her, hands in his jacket pockets as he leans over her shoulder to peer at the decorated cake. he confirms it's edible with a sugary sniff of the fondant covering, but she still looks a little confused by it.*

want me to help you cut it?

[awuka]

[Today isn't a sleepy day. Alluka is full of vigor in anticipation for the treats and games. She looks forward to possibly seeing some of her friends today, psyched up at the thought of having more than three real, living people in a room at once. She thinks she might be overwhelmed, but the more the merrier, right? Feeling Killua over her shoulder, Alluka looks over at him and smiles at his offer.]

Yes please! I have clumsy hands, Oniichaaan~

[She reaches down and picks up the knife, turning it and watching as the metal glisten in the light. Then she turns to Killua and holds it out for him.]

I wonder what's on the inside? Chocolate, maybe~? Or maybe it's strawberry!

[devil_or_angle]

*killua takes the knife from alluka and plunges it deftly into the cake with all the skill of someone who intimately knows how to use one, brows lifting in surprise when the cake begins to ooze red around the knife in an apparent imitation of blood. he quickly makes another cut and pulls out a slice, laying it sideways onto a plate so he can inspect the dark red contents with a curious sniff.*

wow. looks like red velvet... with strawberry filling.

*with a nonchalant shrug, he offers the plate to alluka, lips quirked in a grin.*

birthday girl gets the first piece.

[awuka]

[The knife slides easily through the layers of fondant, frosting, and red velvet. The scent of strawberry that gets released into the air is heavenly, tickling her nose and making her stomach growl in yearning. The fake strawberry blood is such an excellent touch. Whoever was responsible for this party knew her tastes well! It was a little creepy, though... She feels a chill, like she's being watched everywhere she goes. Wasn't her room safe?

Awkwardly pushing that thought aside because there's nothing she can do about it, she takes the plate, grabs a fork off the table, and digs into the treat. The sweet and gummy outer layer protects the cakey inside. When the velvet touches her tongue, its tangy cocoa flavor is brand new to her. She chews carefully and swallows.]

Big brother, you have to try it! It's sweet and chocolatey!

[devil_or_angle]

*killua's already slicing another, heftier piece for himself as she speaks, plopping it onto a plate as his mouth waters in anticipation of tasting his favorite food.*

yeah! red velvet's a kind of chocolate. with a lot of food coloring.

*he trades the knife for a fork and cuts off a chunk of his piece, getting a bit of every layer into his mouth at once so he can savor the interplay of sweet strawberry and rich chocolate. a happy hum rises up his throat as the cake rolls down, which naturally vibrates into a purr as, unbeknownst to him, two cat ears perk from his hair.*

delicious!

[awuka]

I didn't know that! I've only had regular chocolate cake..and the catnip kind, hehe~

[As the cake takes its effect, a pair of fuzzy black ears sprout from her head and a brand new tail eagerly waves behind her. She feels them twitch and tilts her head up, then looks at Killua who has just taken his first bite. She is delighted to find out he has cat ears, too.]

The cake is turning us into kitties, oniichan!

[scarlet_chains]

*When Kurapika returns to his cabin, he finds a bright pink envelope just inside the door. He picks it up and opens it, gingerly taking out the card inside. His eyes widen as he reads the contents, thinking back to the young Zoldyck with cat ears he met months ago. He wonders how she's doing now. Has she managed to escape? Has Killua come for her?*

September 14th... is that today?

*He has been trying to track the time while he's been here, and the date seems to add up to his calculations. His thoughts then shift to what birthday present to bring. He puts a hand up to his chin and thinks for a minute, remembering their time together in the cat room. When he thinks of just the right gift, he then wonders how he's supposed to procure it, but before he manages to even think about going out to find a store, a present wrapped in sparkly pink paper appears in his hands with a poof.*

What the... hm. Looks like this will do.

*Gift in hand, he steps out of his room, checking the provided map for the route to the room, which is easily recognisable as decorated for a birthday party once he reaches it. He knocks on the door and pops his head inside, scanning the room and seeing a familiar face over by the table.*

Alluka! It really is you!

[awuka]

[Alluka is busy enjoying her first plate of gray-fondant covered, red velvet Pusheen cake when she hears a voice she hasn't heard in roughly eight months. Baby blue eyes widening in surprise, she whips around. Seeing that first person who was kind to her here makes her face split open with an infectious grin. She sets her cake down and runs over to him, not even noticing that she's spawned a cat ears and a tail. She didn't even notice the hats that appeared on every guest's head including her own, either.]

Kurapika! You came!! I'm so happy!

[She's practically jumping in joy, excited to update him about her freedom.]

Look! I found my big brother! [She gushes, gesturing to Killua.] You were right!

[scarlet_chains]

I'm so glad to see you! Oh, and happy birthday.

*He feels something like joy bloom in him as Alluka runs toward him, and he hands her her present with a pleasant smile. As he moves into the room he feels something on his head, and when he catches a sight of himself in a mirror on the wall he sees he's wearing a blue party hat with green polka dots and red streamers coming out of the top. Ridiculous... but he'll grin and bear it for Alluka. He nods to Killua, who he hasn't seen for almost as long.*

I see you found your knight in shining armour.

[galacticgroovin]

Pitou woke with a start. Her dreams filled with the toxic wasteland again, fearing she had been dragged back. After a moment of looking around her room, she found herself safe, as well as a pink envelope by her door.

She hopped out of bed and swiftly dressed. Going to the envelope and flipping it between her hands. Nyow what do we have here?

She opened it and read the letter. Her eyes widening in delight! Allukas birthday! I wish I had known sooner. The princess needs the perfect gift.

”It wants me to think about a gift?” She thinks on what she had been wanting to give the girl. A silver tiara, that looked as if it had been woven from smooth rose stems. Two roses made of rubies sitting on either side, with a prominent aquamarine stone between them. Carved and shaped into the shape of a cats head.

Pitou jumped as a gift wrapped box appeared and fell into her arms. The wrapping matches her own eyes with a white bow. “Does that signify it’s from me?”

Without a second thought as to question how the box manifested, she quickly left her room, running the halls to the instructed location.

Upon arriving, unsure if she should just walk in or not, she knocked and waited patiently.

[awuka]

[Hearing a knock at the door, Alluka puts her plate down and scurries to the door, pulling it open. Behind the door is Pitou with a bright red present and a party hat that just spawned on their head. Alluka moves so they can come in.]

Pitou! Hi! I didn't even know it was my birthday until I got a note, isn't that funny? Come in and have some cake!

[galacticgroovin]

Really? Pitous ears wiggle at the appearance of the new hat that rested on her head. She followed in.

I guess it is hard to keep track of the date in here, isn’t it? But happy birthday all the same! She declares happily. A smile on her face.

Seems like you are enjoying yourself. Her tail wags behind her. The smell of the cake tickled her nose tantalizingly.

[awuka]

Thank you! I'm really happy that two of my friends have come so far. It's already bigger than any party my parents would've thrown for me!

[She guides Pitou to the table full of cake and cupcakes.]

Which do you want? I'm not very good at cutting cake, but I can try!

[galacticgroovin]

I maybe have one of those cupcakes. Pitou purred. I imagine we won’t be the last to arrive Princess.

Anyone you are most excited to see? I imagine killua is already with you. With one hand she reaches for a cupcake and licks the frosting lightly. Enjoying the sweetness that enveloped her tongue.

Oh! And where would you like me to put your gift? Have you opened any yet?

[descendsanathema]

*It felt like an eternity since Kalluto had seen his sister last. Back then, he didn't even know her as as sister. He stared at the note, not needing much time at all to think of what he should give her.

Kalluto supplemented what he remembered about Alluka's preferred clothing with the scant details he'd been able to garner from Killua as they spoke, and conjured a vivid image of Alluka in his mind. Just as he was about to gather some paper, it appeared in his hands, glossy and shiny. Immaculately made, and about a foot tall.

He grumbled, since it was a little more work imbuing existing paper with Nen - he'd have preferred creating it himself - but he still was long finished by the time he reached the door specified in the pink note.

He knocked at the door, a polite rapping that identified him as a Zoldyck, because of acculturation rather than any specifically agreed signal.*

[awuka]

[Alluka and Killua are busy eating Pusheen's red velvet and strawberry guts and enjoying their cat transformation by the time a new challenger appears. Hearing a knocking at the door, Alluka sets her cake down and calls at their visitor through the door.]

Coming!

[Her mind is only trained to identify one knocking pattern, so she doesn't recognize that anything's up when she goes to open the door. However, when she finds Kalluto at the other side, she freezes for a moment.

Why's he here? He's holding something... Is he really coming just for the party?

Gulping, Alluka trains her face into as friendly of an expression as she can muster. Trepidation settles in her gut, but Killua was hopeful, so she has to believe in him.]

...Hi, Kalluto..! You got a letter too? Well, um, do you wanna come have some cake?

[descendsanathema]

*The door opened, and Kalluto froze, finally face to face with his sister after so much time.

The monster that dominated his childhood, the standard against which he was measured and chastised, and the thing that took his brother away twice were all concepts that felt too heavy for the slight, nervous girl standing at the doorway clearly trying to contort their face into something amenable.*

I'd love some cake. Maybe I can give you your present first...?

*He stepped inside, turning to face the door as it was being closed.*

Bumped into... Gon's dad? He said he'd be late.

[devil_or_angle]

*killua feels a sudden chill run up his spine at the sound of the knock, cutting through the chatter of the various guests at a familiar frequency that rattles in his bones. he gulps down another mouthful of cake to calm his nerves, reminding himself that the only other zoldyck here is kalluto. he's still getting used to his presence on the ship, and he's certainly nervous about how he and alluka will get along, so he watches closely as his little sister opens the door for their youngest brother.*

[awuka]

Oh?

[She looks down at the object in Kalluto's hands. It looks to be a doll made of paper.]

What's that? It's cute!

[She steps aside for Kalluto to come in in the meantime, gesturing for him to walk past her. She shoots Killua a nervous look for assurance but ultimately returns her gaze on Kalluto's pale face.]

[descendsanathema]

Thank you. It's a paper doll. Worked really hard on it.

*He notes Killua's presence, and decides to explain the gift for both of them, at a volume the other guests wouldn't hear but Killua would.*

You should hang it up somewhere in your room. It's for... talking, not playing.

[mito_freecss]

Mito looked at the note and at the door she had been led to. Re reading the instructions of thinking of a gift.

What does she like? She worried. I wish I could have met her before now. I don’t have enough to go off from Killua..

She paced back and forth anxiously. “Maybe a cake? But what if there is already a cake in there?”

Her mind settled on a cake. Specifically her home made strawberry shortcake. The fluffy white icing and cream filling, filled with fresh picked berries from the garden. A light drizzling of chocolate over the top.

Mito could see it clear as day, as soon as the thought was definite, a round green and silver box appeared in her arms. The bottom was warm, with the sweet scent flowing out.

I hope she enjoys..I wish Killua would introduce us so she doesn’t get nervous. She knocked on the door lightly.

[awuka]

[Alluka is talking to guests when a knock arouses her attention. She heads to the door and opens it, finding a much taller adult woman on the other side.]

Hi! Um, who are you?

[It comes out a little rude, not that she realizes it.]

[mito_freecss]

Mito tilts her head looking at the girl. “Is she Alluka? She doesn’t look anything like Killua..”

Hello, my name is Mito. She smiles sweetly. I’m Gons aunt. I found this note slid under my door. I recognized the name as Killuas sister that he had told me about. I hope that’s not a problem.

[awuka]

Oh! You're the nice lady who made me pancakes! They were really good! Come on in!

[She steps aside for Mito to enter.]

Wanna have some cake?! It gives you kitty parts! Like the cat room~

[Her ears twitch, her tail swishing eagerly behind her.]

[mito_freecss]

Mito laughs. I’m glad you enjoyed them! I’m sorry I wasn’t able to introduce myself before.

She glances at Allukas ears and tail as she steps in. I’ll happily have some. It smells delicious.

She goes to the table and placed the box on a free spot. How have you been enjoying your birthday?