Happy Birthday, Ryoji

[puppy_lancer]

Characters: You know the drill. Lancer puppy_lancer, Ryoji notsogrimreaper, the people they invited between the two of them, and everybody else who just happens to stumble into the party.
Setting: Floor 25, November 17, morning-evening
Format: Open, anything goes
Summary: It's Ryoji's birthday, so Lancer is throwing him a big party. Anyone is welcome in! (And nobody is gonna kick out those who aren't so welcome)
Warnings: None for now

[It's been a long time since Lancer had thrown any parties. Therefore, he's making this bigger and grander than the last two parties he's thrown. It's a good way for him to distract himself from all the emotional turmoil that had popped up during the battle with Sephiroth, if anything.]

[There's two tables laden with food over at one side of the floor. The centerpiece for that is a big double-tier cake with "HAPPY BIRTHDAY RYOJI" written over the side of the bottom layer. The top layer is little more than a glorified candle holder, as several handfuls of candles have been jammed all over that second layer.]

[Over on the other side, there was a variety of party games. They're all old favorites like pin the tail on the piggy (pinning spiraling paper tails onto a "pig" with Ganon's face), apple bobbing (various fruits in a water-filled wooden barrel), and everyone's favorite--the pinata (a scarecrow with a berry-filled paper mache head supposed to represent Jason).]

[In the center of the floor, there is a stage nailed together from wooden boards. A ways behind that, a pile of wood stacks into a bonfire pyre. A turnip lantern leers at the party goers from one corner of the stage.]

[For decorations, there are black feathers and crude little paper doll cutouts resembling angels scattered around on the ground or in the corners of the dining tables. There are also a few more turnip lanterns.]

[And of course, Lancer, like a good host, stands on the stage, dressed like a hobby horse, waiting for people to show up. He's feeling pretty relaxed, if only because the major unwanted guest, Sephiroth, was locked up and in no danger of crashing this party.]

Comments

[fionnuisce]

[Waver didn't even say a word. He stood up very calmly, curled his hand into a fist, and threw it as hard as he could in the direction of Lancer's face.]

[puppy_lancer]

[Lancer sees it coming, but doesn't even try to dodge. The fist smashes into his face, knocking him backwards.]

...Ow.

[fionnuisce]

Don't fucking 'hey' at me like everything's fantastic! You're lucky you got my hand and not the goddamn mercury!

[puppy_lancer]

Yeah. I am.

[He gets up, rubbing at his face.]

...I'm sorry for everything that happened.

[fionnuisce]

What the hell made you think that was an appropriate time to hold a fucking conversation?! Did Scathach hit you on the head one too many times, or are you just naturally that braindead?!

[puppy_lancer]

[He frowns.]

I needed to know if the battle I was fighting was an honorable one. But in the end...that didn't matter, did it?

[fionnuisce]

You think honor has any place in dealing with a fucking monster like that?

[puppy_lancer]

Hey, I'm a hero. I slay monsters. I don't become them.

[fionnuisce]

You know what they say about 'he who fights monsters'?

[puppy_lancer]

No, actually. What do they say?

[fionnuisce]

"He who fights monsters should see to it that he himself does not become a monster." It's a stupid fucking quote, and let me tell you why.

To fight a monster, sometimes you have to become one yourself in some measure. People like Sephiroth don't play by the rules of 'honor', they don't play fair, and they don't even take such concepts into account.

The perceived lack of honor you find in the methods we used are irrelevant. Because if you had chosen to go about it the 'right' way, then you would have either lost outright or simply have taken time in which Sephiroth could have done god only knows what.

I'm not saying I'm happy Diarmuid set that fight up the way that he did. I should have been the one to default to the underhanded method. But he wasn't wrong to do it when it comes to someone like that, and you should keep your fucking mouth shut about things you could never understand.

[puppy_lancer]

[For the first time in their conversation, he shows a trace of emotion, and that emotion is anger. He glares the magus right in the eyes.]

Then why didn't you? Why didn't you stop him and keep him from degrading his honor?

[He growls and crosses his arms.]

Don't tell me to keep my mouth shut. If you've read the legends right, then you'll know what I've fought before. What Diarmuid has fought against before.

[fionnuisce]

Because why should Sephiroth give a flying fuck about a message from me? He had no reason to accept a challenge he thought was from me, never mind believe I was suicidal enough to fight him one on one.

I know exactly the kind of shit you've both fought, which is why I'm so fucking angry at you that I can't see straight! After everything you've seen and done, everything you've fought, are you so stupid as to hold on to your honor so rigidly that you can't accept a situation where it's not applicable?!

[puppy_lancer]

I can't accept it because that wasn't one of those situations! Did you see what people were saying over the network? How they mocked out efforts and everyone's sacrifices? How they degraded Diarmuid?

[He desperately wants to hit something, yet he can find nothing to hit.]

[fionnuisce]

So fucking what?! That's what happens when you take the less desirable path to get what you're after, imbecile--not everyone's going to be sunshine and fucking rainbows about it! What everyone else thinks is worthless; all that matters is that you do the right thing.

Stopping Sephiroth, even if it might be just temporary, was the right fucking thing. I don't care what anyone else thinks and if you had half a brain in that head you'd see how inconsequential whatever they say really is!

[puppy_lancer]

B-but...

[He shakes his head.]

Throwing away your honor just for what you think is right...that's not what a knight does!

[fionnuisce]

Isn't it? So what you're saying is that a knight should just allow cruelty and injustice because stopping it might put a dent in their morality on occasion?

[puppy_lancer]

Of course I wouldn't allow it! I would...just find a way to stop it that suits me.

[fionnuisce]

There isn't always going to be an honorable method, or time enough to find one. You should accept that now before you do anything else that gets someone killed.

[puppy_lancer]

[He grits his teeth.]

Fine. Maybe there's time when there won't be. But I won't give up easily.