Seasons Inbox

[shatterdriven]

You've reached Nine.

If this is important or an emergency, I'll get back to you as soon as I get your message. If not, I'll get back to you when its convenient and if I feel like it. I'm not making any promises either way.

I won't waste your time, so don't waste mine.

Comments

[shatterdriven]

I appreciate you respecting my boundaries. But if I have time to talk outside of or while doing work then I'm open to in person as long as you can keep pace. [So feel to ask if you can meet whenever you want to.]

What's the diner? We can either meet from here or I can find you there if your place isn't on the way instead.

[splittingheadache]

Your boundaries are important. Not just to me, but in general -
If anyone disrespects them, tell me. I'll remove the nuisance for you.

[Just... offered up so pleasantly, a smile in his voice.]

As for where, the diner is a small, cozy spot in Solarpeak; I'm quite fond of it, as it offers vegan options alongside their regular menu.
You'll likely find something you like, and I'll have plenty that I can enjoy, as well.

Here -

[GPS ping! Showing Nine right where the address is.]

I'm currently in Dayrise. So if it would be simpler to meet at the diner, we can do so; but if you'd like to meet halfway due to being elsewhere, we can do that as well.
Whichever provides you the most ease.

[shatterdriven]

I'll be sure to remember that.

[Is this even a fraction of the protective murder energy that Sonic is surrounded with? It felt kind of nice.

Nine is tempted to ask if it doesn't count as vegan options within the regular menu and not alongside it, but it's passing and he quickly just sorts out his travel time.]

Actually, I can be there in about ten minutes with a portal. I just need to sort out lunches for the Pokemon first. Does that work for you?

[splittingheadache]

[Oh, it's going to be a lot more than just a fraction. Nine is someone who's dearly precious to Lycaon -
That means Louis is already willing to lay down his life for the little fox. And Louis is very, very, very, very difficult to kill.
Just wait until he and Lycaon are an item, Nine'll get to experience a good and proper mama bear in the form of a little undead twink.]

That works just fine for me, yes; I can meet you there. Thanks to teleport crystals, the walk will only take me about five minutes.
I'll use the extra five to pick a good table for us. One with booths by a window, obviously.

[shatterdriven]

[That meshes well with the fact Nine's also fiercely loyal toward Lycaon and all the things and the people that matter to him. If Louis needs him, he's basically on call from the moment they met onward...even if he'll never say so out loud. And if given the tools to, he'll reshape the world for his family in an instant.]

Then I'll see you in ten minutes.

[It's almost exactly ten minutes later when a swirling red portal opens outside the diner and Nine steps through, looking up at the diner as it closes behind him. Because only someone reckless leaves such gates open. He walks inside and looks around for Louis.]

[splittingheadache]

[Thankfully, Louis's not hard to spot thanks to the whole "pearlescent hair and foot tall horns" thing - though he's made it even easier, his outfit almost entirely a bright, blood red color with even the nails to match.
Which'll be nice and easy to see when Louis lifts a hand high and waves it to get Nine's attention! At a booth table, of course.

From the looks of it, he has menus, but hasn't ordered anything yet - he'd been waiting, obviously, for Nine to arrive.]

[shatterdriven]

[Even harder to miss when you're so short that you have to actively look up at basically every person in this world. Also that is a lot of red.

Walking over to the booth, he slides in across from Louis...looking more like someone's eight-year-old due to his height.]

You haven't even ordered a drink yet?

[He's not judging, just a little surprised.]

[splittingheadache]

...

[Before he answers, Louis turns to rifle through his little hammerspace bag beside him to retrieve something, which he passes to Nine once he finds it -
It's a really, really nice looking cushion. Tall and thick, velvet, with high quality golden tassels.]

Here. I carry this for when I find myself too low at tables; you run the risk of getting your sleeves in your food, and I'd hate that for such a nice jacket as yours.

[... Louis's only five feet tall, so, y'know. It's a necessity.]

And, no, I haven't; I wanted to wait for you. ... It's also less work on the waitstaff, not forcing them to flit back and forth between our table for every bit of an order.

[shatterdriven]

[This is not an insulting thought, but...who are you and how are you like this? Before Lycaon, Nine has never meant someone so considerate.

He takes the cushion and places it under him, still not fully used to being thought of with consideration.]

Thanks. And I guess that is a good point, since it's only been a few minutes.

[splittingheadache]

[Despite being generally Not A Good Person™, being considerate of others is a trait Louis prides himself in!
Especially when it's someone important to him. Welcome to the world of being important to Louis, Nine.

All of that is even being met with a warm little smile from the Grim Reaper, too.]

That, too; waiting for just a few minutes doesn't harm me at all, so why not wait for you, hm?
Besides...

[Sitting up taller, looking out at everyone on the floor - he locks eyes with a waitress who doesn't look busy, and his own flash orange for just a second...
Which means the waitress is making her way over immediately and without question, of course.]

... It's easy to get one of the waitstaff over here as needed, regardless.
Why not have a look at the menu? I already have an idea of what I would like to order.

And once they're making it for us, we can discuss what's on my mind.

[shatterdriven]

[Give him about six months and maybe he'll have settled into it. And without the obligatory "You're Not My Real Momma Bear" phase.

He does quirk an eyebrow at the flash of orange and the waitress immediately coming over. Some sort of compelling maybe? It's bright enough in here that she couldn't have just noticed from a distance and reacted immediately.

He opens his menu to look it over. The nice thing about not being picky is it's not hard to find things you'll eat. The hard thing is being spoiled for choice. So it takes him a moment to settle on something.]

I'll just take the BLT with onion rings and an iced tea if that's okay.

[splittingheadache]

Of course. You can have anything you'd like, Nine.

[The waitress ends up at their table, and for a moment she seems confused, as if she's not sure how or when she got there... but seems to shrug it off, lifting up her notepad.
Louis gives her their order - Nine's BLT, a vegan quiche for himself, iced tea for both - and she's quick to scurry off to get their order to the kitchen.]

... After we finish, we can get a dessert of some kind, if you'd like; I've heard you don't have much of a sweet tooth, but the offer is there for you.

At any rate - I have a few different things I wish to discuss... but the first is a simple one.
If you were invited to a party, something simple and casual, would you want to attend?

[shatterdriven]

[Definitely looks like some kind of compulsion.]

I'll think about dessert. I don't dislike sweets, I just don't really crave them outside of juice usually.

As far as a party, I'd go. I've been invited to a couple others, so it's not too unfamiliar. What would the occasion be?

[splittingheadache]

[He's completely correct! :)
He's also getting another one of those sweet smiles that Louis has to give.]

My birthday. I plan to ask Lycaon for help with arranging it, likely the weekend after... my birthday, itself, has a, ah -
Different... sort of gathering happening then, arranged by a dear friend of mine, but that one isn't exactly open to people... who are below a certain age.

[It's something arranged by Evangeline, two guesses what it's for and the first doesn't count.]

So I would like to hold a proper party, open to all, should you want to attend such a thing. Granted, you aren't the only person I know who I'd want to be certain to hold an "all-ages" party for -
But I would certainly rethink how I wish to do so if you decided you weren't interested.

[shatterdriven]

[It takes a few extra seconds for the wheels in Nine's head to start turning. Two birthday parties, one for all ages, and one very not? He can guess the broad strokes, but there's a lot about that he doesn't know yet so...]

Under a certain age limit? You mean under sixteen?

[Probably things he hasn't seriously considered exploring despite how may people his age are well into it?]

But, I'll come to your all ages party, if you like. And help with setup if you need. Once you know what you'll be doing.

[splittingheadache]

[Yeah, Louis can't help but chuckle.]

Technically, the limit should be eighteen... but my own form is nebulous at best, having been frozen at seventeen due to my immortality.
So, yes, the limit for that one is sixteen at youngest.

[Life kind of uhhhh sucks for some Grim Reapers! There are a couple of bars back in the land of the dead that he's not allowed in despite having existed for nearly thirty years total, and it infuriates him to no end--]

I'd be very happy to have you there, though, but frankly... I have no idea what I'll be doing.
I have never had a birthday party before, so it'll be left with Lycaon to come up with ideas.

The most I am aware of is cake and presents. And even then, I'd rather not expect gifts from others for whom I'm inviting for their company...

[shatterdriven]

...Luckily even though I'm sixteen, I'm not invested enough to push that.

[He'll understand the appeal someday. But not today, and not about a party that at least includes the man his dad has feelings for...because that would be beyond weird.

And hey, you can go to any and every bar you want here, Louis, so improvement?]

I have...really limited experience with birthdays, as my first was last year. From what I understand from also being a guest at one, gifts aren't something you expect from your guest. It might just happen unless you specifically make it known you'd rather not.

Besides that, it seems to be doing what you enjoy that you think your guests would too. So you should definitely have input on what we'll be doing.

[splittingheadache]

Well... admittedly I'm not sure I would want to invite Lycaon's son to that sort of party, regardless of if you were invested or not. My apologies.

[So, yeah, he agrees that would be pretty damn weird. ... Especially since he's got feelings for Lycaon in return and all.
Subconsciously already slotting himself into the role of "other parent".

(But he has, in fact, been living it up in Ellipsa, don't worry about that. He's got a couple bars he frequents, since the alcohol helps him keep his Orange magic in check!
Can't get him drunk, but it sure can dilute his horribly tainted blood.)]

Hmm... that, then, will be even more difficult for me. Socializing is... something I "bomb" at, so to speak.
And thus, I don't quite know what sort of activity my guests as a whole would enjoy... that I would also enjoy.

[...]

Perhaps an arcade?
Despite sounding as though I've been torn out of a particularly shitty, overly-prosed novel, I am fond of video games. So long as they're horror, but arcades abound in zombie shooters.
But would that be too much, what with the lights and sounds...?

[Too much for Nine, he means.]

[shatterdriven]

[That actually gets a little chuckle.]

I don't think you should apologize for not wanting to do something we both probably agree would be weird.

[Arcade...he'd probably like video games honestly, so it would be a good time to try some.]

I wouldn't know. I haven't been in one. But whether you go with a full arcade or just a dedicated game room for the party, I know someone with a boyfriend who also really likes horror games. Maybe you could get suggestions from him.

[splittingheadache]

Well - I apologize anyway, less for what it is, more for feeling guilty that I have an entire party that I can't invite you to.
I was... raised to believe that if you hold a gathering, you must invite all of your contacts to it, otherwise it's a grave insult.

I understand, of course, that it isn't, but...

[Rich people, man. Networking above all else. It's so ingrained in him, he can't help but feel bad disallowing Nine from going. Despite what it is.]

That said - if you haven't been to an arcade, then I almost feel we must choose that as the setting.
Or a dedicated game room, as you suggest, but I own nothing to fill such a room with.

All the horror I own, rather than being video games, takes the form of novels and films. And... somehow I feel people wouldn't enjoy a horror film marathon for a birthday party in November.

[shatterdriven]

That's a weird thing to raise people to do. Which isn't a reflection on you.

[Societal rules around nicety...not something Nine is upset he missed out on.]

I can say I don't dislike the idea, so if it's something you like, you have my vote and I'm sure I can help you set something up in time. [Meaning pester a friend for suggestions to bring over.]

...you really should meet MK's boyfriend though. He makes the guy sound like he lives horror. He'd probably marathon movies any time of year with you. Birthday or not.

[splittingheadache]

Ah, what can I say? My parents cared more for our family's image than my own personal wellbeing.

[He's very, very happy he lives on a completely separate plane of reality from his parents, now. :)]

Mm... have I met MK, himself? I'm sure I have heard of him... who might his boyfriend be?

[shatterdriven]

I'll just consider myself lucky Lycaon's the only parent I've had then.

[Good, use that independence and be happy.]

If you've been to the Dealer's Den you've met MK. He owns it and is there basically every night. I haven't met his boyfriend but MK talks about their movie nights when he comes in for checkups or needs something. His name's Cole.

1/2;

[splittingheadache]

As you rightly should; he is a wonderful person, and I have no doubts he's equally wonderful a father.

[Careful, Nine, or he might gush about your dad--]

I've yet to visit the Dealer's Den, myself... but perhaps I'll have to change this? So that I may meet him and his boyfriend.
I could use more people to talk horror with.
It's a bit difficult being a fan of such when most everyone I speak to can't handle the idea of a little bit of blood.

2/2;

[splittingheadache]

- Ah, that reminds me, however. Something else I wished to discuss.
You know of my powers...

I didn't want to say this in front of Lycaon, as I feel he would disapprove. But I wanted you to know, should you ever need them... you may call for me at any time.
The full gamut of them.

Consider them a tool in your toolbox for the future. ... And know, too, that if anything happens to you -
I will not hesitate to use these powers to keep you safe.