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[gravings]

I will definitely put something here this time

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[gravings]

[ Poor sweet Raisin. Gray uses her non-knife hand to give him an apologetic rub on his gargantuan head for her deception. ]

I don't think he'd mind.

[ This is more a function of Eustace being too soft on her than anything; her characterization of him is more than likely a bit skewed. ]

If cake is the only thing this knife has to cut, I'd prefer that too.

[gravings]

[ That he would say that about himself is genuinely puzzling to her, and she looks at him a bit helplessly. ]

You've always been easy to be around. You're thoughtful, don't complain, and take care of yourself well.

[ Her standards...........

There's a lot more she'd like to say, but she doesn't want to make this too much like a goodbye. She hesitates and then carefully draws the black knife he gifted her, the ringing of the blade as it's freed gentle like a bell. It's still pristine and well-polished; she made sure to clean it thoroughly after cutting her birthday cake with it. ]

By the way, this knife seemed so special that I wondered if it has a name.

[ Magic and enchanted blades always seem to. The mages of the Clock Tower would probably say that the symbolism of a name solidifies its status in the world, or something like that. ]

[lockedon]

[ Her standards are truly so low.....but it's not like he can really blame her, especially when it keeps him in her good graces. That dagger though....

He stays where he is, crouched low on the ground, expression settled back into a neutral as he looks at the outheld blade. Nice to know she kept it, even out of obligation. Maybe a different style would have suited her better, though it's not exactly like he'd had a choice in that matter. ]

It didn't have a name when I got it. [ Received it as a reward more like, though that's unimportant. ] You can name it, if you want.

[ After Rhongomyniad and Flamek and Unbroken Faith, why not give this dagger a name too to round out all the weapons in the household (or were in the household)? ]

[gravings]

[ Sweet of him to think a simple black knife doesn't suit her when Add looks the way he does. ]

Naming a weapon myself feels a bit embarrassing.

[ Also, hard. It would be easy to pick something deadly or mysterious, but that isn't how she actually views the knife, whose presence has provided a measure of comfort in Add and Eustace's absences. After a moment's thought, she thinks that something straightforward would be best. ]

Gwyliwr. How does that sound?

[salvageable]

So would I.

[ It's a little sad, the way Dokja says it, but it's a sentiment he genuinely wishes for but knows will never be the case. But with that said, he gestures back toward the cake on the table. ]

As the birthday girl, you do the honors.

[ He'll go grab some plates! ]

[gravings]

[ She nods and gets to cutting! For all that she's stupidly coordinated and proficient in all kinds of weaponry, she cuts the cake with comical slowness, trying to get it perfectly divvied. She thinks about sneaking a taste from what comes away on the knife, but resists like a responsible almost-adult. She carefully makes her way to the kitchen so that she can deposit the knife by the sink for a proper scrubbing later.

By the time she returns to the cake, hopefully they are well on their way to being able to consume it. A bit suddenly she says, ]

By the way, I'm seventeen now.

[ She feels old saying it out loud. ]

[lockedon]

[ The word itself doesn't ring any bells, but there's something about the way it rolls off the tongue that makes it sound somewhat familiar. Maybe he should have looked more into the different languages spread across the skydoms instead of the bare minimum needed for his various missions.

But if Gray's picked it then surely she must have chosen it for a reason beyond how it sounds. He tilts his head, curious. ]

Does it mean something?

[ Names usually do, as far as he's concerned. ]

[salvageable]

[ i don't know what flavor cake this is and i'm leaving it up to you

Anyway, they have their cake slices and Dokja is actually eating for once. He's mid-bite when Gray next speaks, and he speeds up his chewing so that he doesn't have to talk with his mouth full. ]

That's definitely older than five, [ he says jokingly, a small smile on his face. ] Congratulations on seventeen. It probably doesn't mean much from me, but you've grown into a really kind person.

[ Which is great because he knows so many teenagers who are just the worst people. ]

[gravings]

It's a word for someone who watches.

[ Explaining the full reasoning would be a bit too embarrassing for her, but. ]

Since I keep it behind me, it's nice to think that it's watching my back.

[gravings]

[ It gets to be a chocolate cake because they are superior. She savors the first bite, eyes closing with contentment as the rich flavor of the cake settles on her tongue.

She looks over at Dokja curiously when he calls her kind. It's a bit of an odd compliment... but "kind" is better than "cute," so she doesn't try to refute it. ]

You make it sound like I was a mean child.

[ But she smiles, showing no offense taken. ]

Were you very different when you were seventeen?

[salvageable]

[ At seventeen, Dokja was taking regular beatings from both his peers and his relatives, but that doesn't seem to cause him any discomfort as he leans back in his chair, fork stuck in his mouth as he thinks about it. ]

I guess I was a quiet kid?

[ Not that he's very loud now, but he at least talks more. He removes the fork from his mouth as he crosses his arms and tilts his head to one side like he's trying to remember. He'd given away so much of his personal details to the other half of him that he's not sure what he has left. ]

Honestly, it was so long ago that I can barely remember.

i'll come back for you next month

[lockedon]

[ She's already cried in front of him multiple times, what is there to lose. But the powers that be (me) have decided to go easy on her this time, and Eustace simply nods in acceptance of the answer given. It's a pretty considerate name, all things considered. ]

Sounds fitting. I hope it's able to watch over for a long time.

[ In case more things happen and certain people end up disappearing again. Hey, speaking of disappearing—his form grows a little more translucent with every passing second, Springstar's eternal sunlight shining a little brighter. ]

For your birthday next year....we'll do whatever you want.

[ It's a promise and a threat. ]

[gravings]

... Really? You don't look that old.

[ He looks younger than her 29-year-old mentor. ]

[salvageable]

[ 29 is probably where he's at... Sometimes you lose track of your age after tens of thousands of years and also wiping out half of your memories. Normal problems. ]

Ah... I'm probably a little older than how I appear.

cya space furboy...

[gravings]

... Alright. It's a promise.

[ Her smile wobbles at the edges as he begins to lose opacity, knowing it must mean their time is up. She keeps it up until he's disappeared completely, only then blinking away a couple final tears. But when she turns to leave, rubbing at her face, at least her smile isn't completely gone. ]

[gravings]

[ Dodgy... ]

When's your birthday?

[salvageable]

[ The way he wouldn't have known the answer if not for Sooyoung and Joonghyuk celebrating his birthday earlier this year. ]

It's February 15.

[gravings]

[ So he's self-conscious about his age, but doesn't mind people knowing about his birthday (so that they can surprise him with gifts). ]

Right afer Valentine's...

[ Are his memories around that time of year extra fun or extra painful?? ]

[salvageable]

[ Dokja's brain does not take that many steps ahead when it comes to himself. Sooyoung and Joonghyuk remembering his birthday was a fluke. It will never happen again, he tells himself. ]

That's right.

[ When he was younger, he would treat himself to a small chocolate treat on sale after the holiday, but that tradition faded with time. Also, he doesn't have that memory anymore. He doesn't have many memories about his birthday at all, actually, so he doesn't look all that pained or delighted by the mention. ]

How's the cake?

[gravings]

It's delicious.

[ She's easy to please when it comes to food, but especially when it comes to desserts. With only one tiny ulterior motive in mind, she follows up: ]

Do you like sweets?

[salvageable]

[ Dokja, 29(?), oblivious and stupid. ]

Yeah. I think sweet foods put you in a good mood.

[ He is certainly enjoying this cake, that's for sure. ]

[gravings]

[ Ah. Then she'll graciously eat no more than 50% of the cake. She didn't think he had a sweet tooth, so she looks at him a bit more curiously. ]

What else do you like, Mr. Dokja? I don't feel like I know that much about you.

[salvageable]

Oh.

[ He looks taken aback by that! It's not often that he gets asked about himself (which is what he prefers), so there's a hesitant pause in the middle of what should be an easy answer. ]

Well, I guess you'd be able to tell that I like reading. [ Considering there are just books scattered around the house. ] Uh, what else...

[ Has a person ever struggled so much with a simple question. ]

[gravings]

[ Luckily for him, he's chosen his one (1) interest wisely. Gray lights up as a fellow enthusiast of reading. ]

What do you like to read about the most?

[salvageable]

[ Ah, an embarrassed look crosses Dokja's face, and his voice drops a couple notches down in volume. ]

Mostly fantasy novels...

[ It never fails to always feel childish to admit. ]