dreamcrystals | Happy Birthday, Dork | Backdated to August 31

[Listen, it's really good cake. Naoya is a great cook when he's not shuffling the responsibility onto his younger cousin!!! He'd be an asshole to not share it.]

Honestly you make for way better company than him anyway. He's so weird all the time.

[And thus when Ken does take a bite out of said cake? All he could do was raise an eyebrow at him.]

...I'm starting to think there is something a little bit more between the two of you that I don't really understand.

[It's very, very subtle, but Kazuya does flinch ever so slightly when he says that, and for a moment he seems a little panicked, at least before he narrows his eyes suspiciously.]

I don't know what you're talking about. He's just my cousin.

[See this? This is him giving a certain look. He was going to say something but instead?]

...Then I guess he is. But I just hope the two of you will get along some day.

[Pause]

What else are you planning on doing for your birthday? After we raid his closet that is.

Edited 2023-09-22 21:06 (UTC)

[His expression quickly drops back to neutral after that, and he tilts his head a bit.]

We actually get a long pretty well. [Shocking, shocking. Kazuya just likes to put up a fuss.] More often than not, anyway.

[But as for what to do afterwards for his birthday... He doesn't know. Normally he'd spend it with Yuzu and Atsuro, but they're not here, and even if they were it might be a little awkward now.]

I'm not really sure? Usually I'd get dragged off to karaoke or the nearest shopping mall, but something tells me that those aren't really options here.

[At this point, he wasn't sure if he should continue with this topic or not. Not when he seemed uncomfortable with it. That said, as he looked at the cake, he poked at it a little before thinking to himself.

Indeed, he didn't know what to do for his own birthday either and just played soccer with some people.]

Or I treat you to some restaurants here. Would that work?

You don't have to do that. [He'd feel bad making someone pay for his food? Especially someone who he's basically just met, in essence...]

Maybe we could do something else? [... But what... There's no video games here, and it's not like he's got anything of use for playing things like basketball or baseball or soccer.]

Uh...

[Well, now what? He didn't know what to do as he scratched the back of his head.]

Then I guess a walk around the place would be good too?

[The biggest shame is that he hadn't ended up here a month before his birthday or a month after.... At least then he wouldn't be in this weird position.]

That could work? I'm still unfamiliar with the area, so it'd probably help me out a lot if you can show me around?

[And he won't have to walk around with Naoya, which is it's own blessing.]

I wouldn't mind, there isn't too much that you have to worry about. Once you get familiar with everything here, you'll get use to it all.

[Minus the fact that there were always random things going on here and there and the occasional dangerous nightmares going on but...!]

...You want to do that now or raid your cousin's closet first?

Root through his stuff first, then we can take a walk around.

[Because it's funnier for him if Naoya is home for it and can actively hear them doing that. Also because it's not like he could stop him even if he wanted to.]

Then I'm ready whenever you are.

[He said with a chuckle before getting up from his seat.]

Shall we get going?

Lets.

[Kazuya gives him a quick salute, and leads them both to Naoya's room.

Where he unceremoniously opens the door without any common courtesy. No knocking, no announcing, no nothing.

He figures Naoya already knows he's coming to ruin his stuff anyway, and he only raises his hand slightly in greeting as he moves off to where he knows he keeps his paperwork and immediately starts going through it.]

[Of course he knows they're coming. They announced their plans to the world.]

[He just sits on the bed off to the side, watching as Kazuya marches over to his desk. It's nothing sinister, just a simple wooden desk with a few notebooks on it. There's one that is clearly his notes on dreamotion that looks... a little messy. The other is some kind of book of diagrams - things he wants to build.]

[There's also a smartphone on the desk, but he hasn't told Kazuya the password. And it's unlikely that he can guess it.]

[Was this a very bad idea? Of course it was but Ken was a little curious to see how this would go. Looking back at Kazuya and then back at Naoya, he wondered if he should say anything.

Instead, he'll just...follow Kazuya and see what would happen next.]

Uh....

Hm?

[ He's already going through Naoya's notes, specifically the ones about Dreamotion because he's curious about that more than what his invention plans are.

And just as he said he would, he's putting everything out of order as he goes through them. ]

[There's not much so far. Just that it seems to be from emotion and that good or at least neutral dreams seem to generate more of it. There's notes on the noctaere he's seen. ... There's probably too many forms written down to be really healthy, but no one ever said Naoya had good dreams.]

[He raises a hand to greet Ken and goes back to watching Kazuya curiously.]

You could just ask, but I know you won't.

[Less fun that way.]

[Again, Ken just kept on looking back at the two family members. If Kazuya wanted to annoy his cousin, that was on him. Ken was just here being awkward as he was wondering why he would do this when his cousin was still around.]

I'm surprised you're letting him go through your things.

[And sitting as though it was nothing too!]

He couldn't stop me from doing this even if he wanted to, so it's better off for him to just let it happen.

[ He says, very nonchalantly. Naoya might have the height, but Kazuya has the raw power to back his words up. ]

Besides, he didn't even bother to try and hide anything, so he's not actually bothered by it.

[ However, he does reach over to Naoya's phone without much looking, only missing it a few times before finally grabbing it. ]

Mm.

[He doesn't comment on that part, but...]

He's right, though. I don't have anything to hide.

[The phone is easily grabbed, and when Kazuya pulls it close it's got a lock screen up. The background at the moment is just pure black. It seems to require a four digit passcode. Kazuya's birthday doesn't work. Naoya's birthday also doesn't work.]

You're going to end up locking me out.

[Such is the strange relationship between the two family members. Watching Kazuya grab the phone, he was starting to think he should just leave the place. But at the same time, it seemed to be rude to do so.

What was he supposed to do here?]

Uh....you want to try someone else's number? Like maybe a street number?

A street number? I don't think so...

[ He tries to think of any such street number that might have meaning to Naoya, but honestly nothing comes to mind.

He tries a few more dates that might hold meaning, but nothing. All return the same message: Pin Invalid.

He turns to Naoya, tilting his head but with narrowed eyes. Suspicious.]

It's not your birthday, is it?

[ Not... Naoya's birthday. Cain's birthday.

One of Naoya's notebooks falls off the desk, and Kazuya makes no motion to grab it.]

Do you really think I'd put it as a birthday? I'm not an idiot.

[Nope. Not even close, Kazuya.]

Your friend here is closer, but still not right.

The beginning of a phone number?

[Because it was another way to identify someone right?]

I'm not even sure...

[... His phone password is a birthday. :(

Not his, at least, but Yuzu's. She's his childhood BFF, after all.

But he's really wracking his brain here for an answer. Surely he has to know the password to his phone.]

Is it Christmas?

[... He's asking that one just to be an asshole, what with the birth of Christ and God and all that fun Christianity stuff.]

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kazuya > naoya > ken order!?

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