Half time goes by, suddenly you're wise

[iamnotgod]

Date: October 6th, 2018
Characters: Walter Weekes; anyone who wants to bug the birthday boy!

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A year before, and he might not have paid attention to the date on the calendar, with how he tried to keep himself busy.

Oh, he never forgot it; he'd just never asked for anything spectacular as a gift. Close friends either found out the date through casual conversation or ferreted the information out somehow on their own, but his family had never thrown lavish parties and he'd never wanted one.

(Haley had gotten one, once, once she'd chosen her degree back in London. Everyone involved had agreed afterwards to Never Speak of it Again.)

But he found the day special for a separate reason - or perhaps the same one, if people considered "discovering who you were" to be a form of rebirth.

What with what he now knew as a Numbered, though - that this day, six years ago, had been the activation of his first Echo/flashback/remnant of another's memory - it was all the more surreal.

[This is a post for Network communications, threadings for birthday shenanigans at the flat, and one (1) bike run in the evening!]

Comments

[channingchanningchanning]

Chad has taken to sneaking out of the house and wandering. He's trying to find the girl.

The girl that kissed him. She feels important. Ever since she kissed him he remembers this weird experience...

...Too bad he barely remembers her scent, and just as barely remembers what she looks like. How do you find someone you could perhaps identify if you met them, but not much more?

Which is what leads him back to the place where he stayed for a bit while the bomb things happened.

And as the door is open and there are voices to be heard inside (one that he recognises, one that he doesn't - a visitor, probably) he sneaks inside. It's not likely that she's in there, but really, any place is as good as the other at this point...

[warped_replica]

Although neither of them had been keeping it a secret per say, Sadie and Benjiro had been making plans together to meet up for lunch then head over to the flat to drop in unannounced and wish Walter a happy birthday. Better to surprise him given how little Walter had said of the matter last year until Benjiro had found out the date far too late. Sadie had selected her gift thoughtfully, and it paired well with his choice in a balance of play and work. His time on external exclusion had given him the opportunity he needed to pursue a concept to solve a complaint Walter expressed to him since the aurora set everything with the numbers into the next gear. He would have made it regardless, but the special occasion makes for a nice excuse.

Walking along the sidewalk as they approach the building, Benjiro keeps his gift in a shopping bag, careful to avoid bumping it into anything as they come up the steps. He opens the door and follows Sadie inside, lowering his voice to avoid being heard as they head for the door of Walter and Russell, “Do you want to give him your gift first or should I?” It makes no difference to him, knowing their mutual friend will make use of each one.

taking a couple cues from the buddies thread

[spaghettimonster]

Russell hadn't intended to stay up til the birds began singing, much less to sleep in until well into the day.

Sometimes unexpected things happen. Sometimes those unexpected things are rediscovering an actor, realizing how wonderful they are, and spending the entire evening browsing their filmography. That's just part of life.

He did at least remember to leave a congratulatory card and a wrapped gift out on the counter, before shuffling off to his slumber.

But all the lunchtime chatter is enough for him to start stirring, and eventually Russell shuffles out - hair mussed and pajamas on - in search of food and caffeine.