middaeg | hap birth

Who: America and OPEN; threadhopping encouraged
When: Juril 4
Where: America and England's cottage in Haven
What: It's America's birthday, and that means a party! He's cooking out in his backyard and anyone who wants can come by! Bring gifts/food/food gifts.
Warnings: none

[America's found an impressive amount of red, white, and blue items for a place that has no idea what the United States is. Sure, they're not flag decorations, but the colors are right, and he's got plenty of food, and America isn't going to let anything get him down today! He's made something of a grill, since you can't just not have a cookout, so there's plenty of hot dogs and hamburgers. There's also plenty of cake, because America made himself a huge one. There's also ice cream, though that's inside, because it's hot out here (for today).

Anyone who happens to check out what's going on gets waved over.]

Hey! You want food? It's my birthday, you know! [As if anyone could have missed that.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

1. food & gifts
[ This is the first birthday that Lex has celebrated in a while. It's definitely the first birthday that she's celebrated in Geargadas, and she's a bit nervous about what might be different. Meat, luckily, seems to be universal. While Lex has never had a hamburger or a hot dog before, she can be seen eating both - and giving them to Dogmeat after he patiently waits for one.

When she has a second with America, she tugs a stars and strips bandana out of her pocket to offer him. It's been cleaned up a little, but it's undoubtedly old. ] It's from home, [ she tells him, fidgeting slightly. ] From before the war.

2. guns
[ ~~because nothing is more American than this~~

Lex had promised to bring the guns that she has with her over for America to shoot. She's brought a few targets made out of scrapped wood with her and takes her time setting them up out of the way. When someone shoots, she wants to be sure it's not going to go too off track and accidentally injure someone else.

Once the targets are set up, Lex can be found looking over her weapons, performing some idle maintenance. Dogmeat is curled up nearby, head resting on his paws. ]

[America absolutely lights up when he sees it. It's not like it's really been that long since he's been home, but being away on his birthday makes it feel like forever. He takes it carefully, running his hands over the fabric.] This is really great! Thanks, Lex!

[He really does seem genuinely excited about this. Nations are kind of dumb about symbols.]

[ He likes it. Lex smiles a little wider, dropping her hands to her belt. ]

You're welcome. I hoped you'd like it, with your name and the theme and all. [ Since, haha, she was too sick when they first met to know that he is, in fact, a Nation. ] Just be careful if you need to wash it; it's pretty old.

I'll be careful! [Admittedly, America doesn't seem careful about a single thing, but he seems sincere.] I'm pretty good at taking care of old stuff when it's important old stuff. Like that jacket I was wearing when I got here!

[Sadly, he can't wear it anymore, because he would have to cut holes for wings, and he refuses to.]

Oh? How old is the jacket? Is it- special?

[ It is, clearly, to America - but Lex wants to know. She likes the history of her friends, knowing more about them. ]

But I really am glad you like the bandanna.

[Toby is curious about guns. Human-Controllers usually use Dracon beams, which have to be more dangerous overall, but her people are probably going to have to worry about human weapons someday, and it seems like firearms cause more damage than the size of the projectiles they emit would suggest.

She recognizes Lex from around the city and it's uncomfortable being at the same party, especially with the human being the one with the weapons. Toby stands some distance away, upright and braced on her tail, considering her options.]

[ The green Deathclaw is watching her.

Lex can feel the eyes on her and grimaces slightly, scrubbing at a particularly stubborn mark on one of the guns. She has no idea what to do about it. It hasn't attacked her, and it isn't like she isn't turning into a monster herself. Even the gaze on her feels slightly different than that of an actual Deathclaw; much less predatory.

Dogmeat doesn't seem to mind, though. He stands, padding a bit closer to sniff the air around Toby. ]

[She does have brow ridges that resemble a permanent frown and piercing red eyes, but there's also a lot of intelligence in her gaze, a different level of evaluation.

Toby considers the dog, and then sinks to her haunches in a slightly awkward imitation of a pose she's seen humans take when trying to beckon their pets closer, extending a hand palm up, so her wrist blade is pointed down and away.]

[ There's no scent of blood and predator, so Dogmeat takes a step closer when Toby's pose changes. He sniffs at the offered palm, looks back up at her, and wags his tail.

Friend? ]

[Toby smells like pine sap and something not of this world, something that doesn't bleed red. A flighty animal might take that scent as something to be cautious of, but it doesn't have any earthly connotations.

Also she has no idea what to do at this point. Reaching for the dog could probably be misread. Tail motion like this is probably good, from what she's observed? It's good in the books she's read mentioning interaction with dogs. Her tail is curled on the ground helping to support her crouching, she tries ponderously waggling the end of it, with its heavy curved blades and the watch strapped between them.]

[ It may not be of this world, but many of the scents here are new and strange for Dogmeat. He is used to radiation, to suffering clinging over everything like a mist. So he sniffs, and sees the awkward wag of Toby's tail, and happily barks and nudges his head into her hand.

The bark makes Lex look up and over- but Dogmeat seems pleased. There's a faint narrowing of her eyes, but it's definitely the look of someone trying to figure out what's going on, not someone ready to shoot. ]

[Well all right then. Gingerly, minding her claws, Toby pats the dog. This is probably how it's done, isn't it? She's glad to stop moving the end of her tail, that isn't a really natural way to use it.

She looks up at the dog's owner. It's hard to read Toby's face, which just isn't as expressive as a human's, but she tilts her head at the dog like Well?]

[ It's close enough to how it's done, at least; Dogmeat wags his tail harder, nuzzling into the patting. It's enough to, after a moment, make Lex break and smile slightly. ]

He likes being scratched right behind the ears, [ she offers after a moment. Even if she's still uncertain, Dogmeat isn't. That should be a sign - and if nothing else, she's going to try and make sure her dog gets the best experience possible. ]

Does he? Very well.

[Toby turns her eyes back to the dog, because her claws are large and sharp enough to help her climb trees and she should mind them around creatures less sanguine about minor lacerations than Hork-Bajir are. The leaning in makes this more tricky, but she can kind of infiltrate her claws and fingertips into the animal's hair.]

[ Whatever she manages to do works; Dogmeat leans into the scratches, tail thumping as his eyes half-close. It's the Good Stuff, and Lex snorts in amusement. ]

He'll never leave you alone, now.

hap birth

the lone wanderer "lex" | chimera | ota

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