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[pancakeboy]

[Text him! Or do whatever, I'm not the police, and neither is he, thank God. Just specify if you want the more-fun-but-less-stable pre-11/20 guy or the grumpy third semester/postcanon guy. Pancake only for VRDR guys please, he's not third semester yet]

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[pancakeboy]

[... huh. He hits the mute button pointlessly, just to be annoying, and glances at Raven.]

Are we reckoning that you're already past your birthday? Or is this premature?

[fogboundcrow]

...Oh.

[He squints for a moment, racking his brain.]

It was May 1st when I came to this place, and I believe it's been at least a month, so...

[Damn.]

Shit. I turned thirteen without realizing it?!

[pancakeboy]

[... right. He starts to laugh under his breath.] A shame nothing here costs money. Makes presents a little pointless.

[He flips the mute button, drags Crow back in to the land of the audible.] Did you get all of that?

[fogbornphantom]

You enjoy toying with my perceptions, don't you?

[Snrk. He's not even mad.]

I could say something about how you already gave him the 'gift' of spontaneous Loki awakening, accompanied by an embrace of understanding, but I doubt he'd say no to a more material gift. He hasn't really had an opportunity to celebrate with anyone before.

[Which is likely part of why it slipped his mind.]

By the way, I believe he wants to offer you a bite of his pancake, but is being a bit shy about it, so I'm extending the offer in his stead. It doesn't taste all that bad, but it is awfully sweet.

[pancakeboy]

[Shit. He glances at Raven again.]

How sweet? Are we talking food blog, or diabetic?

[fogboundcrow]

Well, there's a light chocolate drizzle and some fresh berries. Thankfully, there isn't too much added sugar beyond that.

[He likes it, but it certainly is... extra, to put it lightly.]

[pancakeboy]

Powdered sugar too, by the look of it. [Just between him and the spines inside his skull, he likes chocolate drizzle.]

Since it's your birthday, I'll try it.

[And he reaches over with his fork, to take a piece. A small piece. It isn't bad at all.] Hm.

[fogboundcrow]

If you want more, we could always split it. You didn't seem to be enjoying yours...

[Over the phone, Crow chuckles.]

Shall I RSVP you two for the beach? You can get there rather easily with Inaba's compressed distances, but I've already left directions in the Velvet Room.

[pancakeboy]

[Ugh. Very reluctantly, he glances to Raven, lifting his eyebrows in a silent question. Do you want me to go?]

[fogboundcrow]

...If it's not too much trouble. I understand if you have other plans.

[But maybe he'll agree to it? That might be fun.]

[pancakeboy]

[Ugh. He adjusts the phone against his ear.]

We'll be there. But you owe me. Again.

[fogbornphantom]

Yes, yes, I know. But perhaps you'll even have fun.

[Oh, someone's having fun.]

At any rate, I'll leave you to your breakfast. Enjoy!

[He hangs up.

As he does so, Raven ponders...]

Clearly, we should come up with something outlandish for him to do for you. That would be fun.

[pancakeboy]

[Strictly inside his head, he thinks, maybe we should have him get you one of those Evokers. But even he can see that's not a great idea.]

Maybe back home I could have used a personal dogsbody. Here, what's the point? Absolutely nothing but free time.

What do you want for your birthday? [Subject change.] Not an Evoker.

[fogboundcrow]

...One of those show accurate Featherman weapons? The expensive kind. I'd like to see if they function properly in the Metaverse, and I could use a nice sword to go with my gun.

[He pauses, not wanting to seem greedy.]

But I'm just as open to surprises!

[pancakeboy]

Is that right?

[He thinks he can probably find the kid a decent sword, if the shops hold out—not a true replica, but an overpriced fantasy sword like the one he first picked out at sixteen. Whether it would be sized for Raven, though... or, actually.]

I suppose it wouldn't even matter if a sword wasn't sized for you. I'm sure you could wreak some havoc with it either way. [He finishes the miso soup. Beaches. Why.]

[fogboundcrow]

I'm conscious enough of media tropes to know that many action heroes wield comically large swords. I welcome the challenge.

[He also welcomes this next bite. This sugary treat will certainly give him boundless energy for the beach.]

But there's no strict deadline or obligation. Your time is equally as valuable.

[...]

I'll just have to make sure I'm dressed for the occasion.

[Obviously, his current attire isn't exactly ideal for ocean antics. It's a school uniform.]

[pancakeboy]

Yes, why are you still walking around in your school uniform? Force of habit?

[He's not, for instance. He looks a lot more put-together, though, than when he dragged the kid out of his apartment into the park.]

[fogboundcrow]

That and the pockets are convenient for storing odds and ends. The others use their school uniforms when they enter the TV world, so I figured I'd do the same.

[He shrugs.]

It hasn't been too big of a problem, even if my outfit changes in the Metaverse.

[Oh, come to think of it...]

I'll have to see if I have two costumes now, but another time. I assume that once we've eaten, we'll need to get ready for that beach trip.

[pancakeboy]

That seems like a plan. We can pick up something for you on the way back through Kichijoji. And, by that, I do mean "steal".

[Sure, he'll just... say things like that now.]

[fogboundcrow]

It wouldn't be my first foray into theft, anyway. I may be a law abiding citizen with a stable home now...

[...]

Actually, that's a bit of a lie, considering I photographed Narukami-san and his friends behind their backs to gather proof that they could enter the TV.

[pancakeboy]

[Heh. Like that time outside Okumura Foods with the Phantom Clowns. But that comes along with a boatload of other things he'd rather not examine too closely.]

Nice work. I did that to Ren and the rest, you know. The right to privacy quails before a detective with a suitably big stick.

[He stares down at his neglected pancake, and shoves it away; he's done with food for the day, hopefully. It turns out thinking about Ren makes him want to break something.]

[fogboundcrow]

It was also pertinent that I gather as much information as possible on the town's supernatural occurrences. Even 'innocent' examples still warranted investigation.

[Well, he's just about had his fill anyway, so after wiping his face and finishing his water, he vacates his seat.]

But I digress. We should probably get ready before Crow thinks we're playing hooky.