[PRP] Birthday Wishes and Get Well Kisses (Calder + Barth)

[Toshihiko Two]

He'd known they weren't safe here. Ever since he'd learned the identity of the Sloth Demon at the Florestival. We can't die, he reminded himself. Normally. We are, at the least, very hard to kill. We can be netted, though. And caged. And changed.

The figure in red had told them to get stronger. That he was waiting. And all Barth could think was what might happen during their graduation. If the Hunters had captured forty students from Amityville, it would verify their existence. And they, like Halloween in general, wanted to keep their existence and scuffles private from the whole of the population. But he hadn't wanted to catch them. Not then. Not really. You wait until crops have grown to harvest.

It was a dark series of thoughts to spend a birthday with.

He should be furthering studies on the equipment Christof had scavenged from the Hunters, but although everyone thought science was generally a good idea, none of the students had come forward with any magic-oriented insights.

For now he just felt like sleeping, which is what he had been doing all morning, and some of the afternoon.

With Mandy's contract filled, and his fridge finally fixed, he'd just gotten up to scavenge through the vast territories of his fridge when there was a knock.

"Hello, who is it?" he asked from the kitchen.  

[MoonKitsune]

Calder waited outside the door, adjusting the heavy basket in both arms as he hanged low to the ground. He'd gone a bit overboard with the dinner, but he wanted it to be special. It didn't help that while most teens his age has Tub-O-Scare, he only used heavy dishes to keep his food. Still, tucking the orange checkered cloth over the basket and smelling the rich aroma, he knew he did good.

He tried to make it perfect. He'd dressed to compliment Barth, wearing the most matching outfit he had. A frilled cravat with poison ivy broach, black coat and trousers that stopped at his knees. His shirt was a creamy white, with a green vest with darker ivy design. His hair was tied in a plain green ribbon that hanged low down his back. He decorated his hair with white ivy.

"It's me!" He called out, and then wasn't sure if Barth would know who he was. "Calder."  

[Toshihiko Two]

The door opened with a mechanical sound.

"You err- you alright? I thought you might be...resting, still. I'm...it's good of you to stop by. ...I'm err, in the kitchenette."  

[MoonKitsune]

Calder looked up at the sound, before using his hip to bump the door all the way open and step inside, heavy basket swaying as he used his hip again to shut the door behind him. "I'm fine. I'm taking it easy." He assured him, before moving to the kitchen and heavy the basket up and onto the table. He let out a huff at the relief of not having to carry the food anymore. "Happy Birthday, Barth." He beamed, wiping his brow a moment as he caught his breath.  

[Toshihiko Two]

"Thank you. ...You carried that here?" Barth asked, slightly appalled. Calder was sweating. That was not taking it easy.

"Here, sit down, let me-" Barth felt suddenly distracted. Calder always dressed nicely, of course, or he had since the summer, and always in a very earthy sort of way, which Barth appreciated. The Mudds were Earth elementals, after all. But dressed in this style, with fabric that said custom and expensive, and tight detailing work...and periodic, as was fashionable with demons...

There was something luxurious about it. Excessive. Sinful.

"let me- you look...that looks- very good on you."  

[MoonKitsune]

Calder was pulling at the cloth, wanting to show Barth what he had brought, when the demon went over to look him over. Flushing more from the looking than the heat, he stepped away a moment to give a slight twirl. "Really? I really hoped so. I don't usually get to wear these sort of things, but my father always said it was best to have a variety in your wardrobe." It was actually one of the more expensive pieces. His family's seamstress, a neighbor who they traded and haggled with since he was little, had asked a pretty hefty agreement for more of the heavily refined pieces, but they were always worth their weight. It was also in pristine condition as Calder often worse his kilts as opposed to any of the other varied outfits as he felt it was necessary to reflect his clan. He also never had an reason to wear the other outfits until he came to Amityville.

Now he had an occasion and he also wondered if Barth, who often dressed in such a way, would like to see him in a similar dress. His reaction said yes and Calder made a note to try his other outfits some other time. He also wondered it Barth thought it was...sexy. Ever since he spoke with Herryk, he had been thinking about their relationship even more than before.

"I brought you dinner. I have Eel and Snake with vegetables. Oh, and made some rolls." He also had a small treat for the boil's Bday, but he was going to hide that away until after they ate.  

[Toshihiko Two]

"Ah, good!" Calder had brought food! Wonderful. The fridge-rifling session was off. It still looked like a lot to carry. Why someone felt compelled to build the demons dorms on the largest hill on campus was a source of mystery to Barth. Liking to look down on everyone, he supposed. But that always entailed an unfortunate amount of climbing.

Well, carrying when he could help it, but.

"I was just about to find something to eat," he said, slowly poking his claws through the basket, and looking back up at Calder shyly. "Are those the eels you made before?"  

[MoonKitsune]

Calder smiled and shook his head, reaching into the basket to help Barth with his foraging. "No. Slow-worms are not very common around here. I had to make due. They are just river eels, and some snakes I found in the woods." He set down a green dish with a glass top, but it was hard to make out most of it with all the steam fogging up the glass. Calder pried the clamps off and opened it. showing a bubbling pot of vegetables of odd colors and spots, herbs, and pieces of eels and snakes cut up. The heads were left in for taste, but the fangs had been removed. Calder actually liked eating them, but thinking of Barth and how he might not be able to bite into the soft skulls, he cooked it a bit longer to make them very soft.

He also opened another basket where he showed fresh rolls, fat and lumpy. There was a third container, a silver, dented tin, kept on the bottom, but Calder kept it in the basket as a surprise and covered it, setting the basket aside. "If you're hungry, I can grab us some dishes."  

[Toshihiko Two]

"Mm, it smells vile. Yes, please. ...Drinks are in the fridge, anything from there's fine."

The dining table was economical, with room for maybe three people, four if they were comfortable with each other, and cozy enough for two. Barth took a seat.

"But you really should relax the rest of the afternoon. I don't want you to overexert yourself. Especially with- with everything that's been happening lately."
 

[MoonKitsune]

Calder moved to the fridge, grabbing a few Croaks from the fridge and setting the fizzy, green drinks down on the table, before he grabbed them a few bowls, and silverware. He placed them on the table and then used the wooden spoons he had in the basket to dish them out, giving Barth a good serving of both snake, eels, and a head and tail here and there. He then gave him a roll and then gave his own serving.

Walking over, he only kissed Barth on the cheek. "I don't think you should be thinking about that on your special day." He moved over to sit, and started to tear his roll apart. "We don't get too many days to be happy. We have plenty of days before and after this to think about....that. Right now, let's just enjoy ourselves. Can't let me rest after all if you get me all riled up on thinking about that sort of stressful mess." He pointed with his fork before dipping his roll into his bowl, letting the bread soak up some of the heavy, brown sauce.  

[Toshihiko Two]

He smiled morosely. "I can't help it. When you don't do a lot of doing, you do a lot of thinking."

His claws made forks slightly awkward, but he handled it with a practiced elegance, at a distance from his hand, and cut into the soft eel head, swirling into the eye socket like picking a cherry off the top of a cake.

He couldn't help the thinking. Calder in the chamber, a button-push away from purging. Lured away to help Shehk, back to the island, where the teachers wouldn't venture again, not to rescue a measly handful of students...just one portal- and then- now he was only hurt, caught in an explosion, but- when he thought about everything in that light, even across the table Calder was too far.

"But alright. Not another word about it. How was err, how was your day?""  

[MoonKitsune]

"Well then, I should help you do more than spend all day thinking about things. You'll only wind up exhausting yourself thinking in circles, Barth. You're smart, but don't overdo it by sitting here cycling over your thoughts. Especially about...all that. We'll have plenty of time to think about that after. If you want, and need anyone to talk about that, feel free to call me. There are plenty of people around here who probably are talking about just that." He poked his food a moment. "And will be." It was the whispered talk of the school. You couldn't help thinking about it.

"My day? Well, I..I cooked. And Herryk came and talked a bit. Seems he wanted to learn how to cook for Freya. Those two are....really sweet on each other." He poked his meal about before taking a bite. "....really sweet on each other." Too sweet actually. Herryk and Freya were making leaps and bounds in their relationship and Calder was still figuring out what Barth liked. They just got to kissing, and he wondered if they were going too slow.

Maybe he could use Barth's birthday to his advantage?

"Hey, how about you think of a very special birthday wish I can do for you. Anything you might like. Okay?" Maybe it would give some insight into what Barth might really want deep down inside.  

[Toshihiko Two]

Barth quirked a smile, leaning forward and resting his chin in his claws as he played with the fork.

"That's really dangerous, you know. Telling a demon you'll do anything for them."  

[MoonKitsune]

Calder smiled back, leaning in his chair as he tore off a bit of his roll. "Maybe I find that fun?" He kidded back. In no way did he think Barth would hurt him in the end. "..and you're not just any demon."  

[Toshihiko Two]

"Yes, that's right," Barth said with mock importance. "I'm a very lucky sort of demon. Whose boilfriend is an excellent cook," he sucked the sauce and meat from the fork, lingering on the taste.

"...and apparently very brave. So. Let's see. I already know you're good at hornicures..."