because I promised raincake

[retraced]

Who: Gilbert Nightray and OPEN
When: The afternoon of the 11th
Where: The park near Winthers lake
Summary: Gilbert laments best when there's bad weather.
Warnings: Warnings for soggy cake

[There's a cake in the rain.

Well, more specifically, there's a cake in a box on a bench near a man in the rain.

A box that doesn't reside inside of a bag, and is therefore damp from the rain. And, from the state of it and the man sitting next to it, it's been sitting in the rain for a while. It's a curious sight indeed. While people stroll by with umbrellas overhead and jackets wrapped tightly around themselves to protect from the late winter storm, Gilbert Nightray is sitting forward with his elbows on his knees, eyes staring directly at the soggy ground through his damp hair, a half-finished cigarette hanging between his index and middle fingers.

People have been encouraging him to relax lately, take a rest, spend some time by himself to be alone and sort through his thoughts, to meditate, do yoga--the list goes on and on. It seems different people all have their different ways to unwind and cope, and so far none of them had worked for him. If he's home, he'll clean and bake and fret. If he's at work, he'll clean and bake and fret.

So he's relaxing outside. He's taking a 'breather'. He's trying not to think about obligations and duty and doing his best face his anxiety and stress head on, so he's sitting outside in the rain with a cake in a soaked box.

You know you're curious.]

Comments

[axetrid]

<sub>[Go buy more milk - that's what she'd been told to do, or well, had taken upon herself to do. They were out of milk, you see, and so Astrid Hofferson had decided she would go buy some. This time she'd remembered to ask Hiccup for a few coins and walked to a convenience store to do just that. After struggling using the money and still trying to get over the fact that milk came in strange, clear sacks, she'd begun her trek home, passing through the park with an umbrella held high (another amazing invention!).

It was here she met Gilbert Nightray, or would soon come to discover. The odd, wet man was sitting on a wooden seat with a box beside him, looking utterly miserable. Why? Most would've passed by but oh no, not Astrid. She walked right up to him, eyebrow raised.]</sub>

You're really wet.

[retraced]

[The statement is so dull and lackluster that Gilbert replies with something equally so as he turns his head to look up at her.]

It's raining.

[axetrid]

Yeah. I noticed.

_{[Came her own reply as she cocked her head to the side, still staring. Strange girl? If her attitude didn't give it away, her clothes surely would.]}

Why are you sitting out here in the rain? Sure, the rain is great sometimes, but it takes forever for clothes to dry, you know.

You thought I wouldn't really do it, huh?

[inthejunk]

[Hey, Gil. There's an umbrella over your head now. One of those funny Japanese ones that you can see all the way through. And it's attached to a kid, who is dropping down next to you and giving you a concerned look.]

Dude, you okay?

['Cause it's raining on you, ya know.]

omg dude

[retraced]

[Huh, that's weird. Where did the rain go? He looks up with just enough time to be aware of two things. One, Yosuke has found his super secret angsting spot. And two, Yosuke is about two inches away from letting his butt collide with a soggy cake box.

One of these things is far more important than the other, currently.]

No Yosuke don't sit down there--!

you know you love it

[inthejunk]

[SQUISH.]

[Give him a second here. This is going to take some time to process. He glances down. Yeah...okay...you were , what? Just taking your pet pastry box for a walk in the freakin' rain? Is that what he just sat in? DAMN IT.]

[He's going to make shrill, unhappy noises at you for a minute here.]

What is that? What? Why is it...? ARGH! It's all over my ass! Oh, man.

[motioned]

[For a week or so, she's been in the habit of taking short walks in the afternoons; a distraction of sorts.

Of course, she didn't expect to see someone familiar this time. More than that, she didn't expect to see him just sitting alone in the rain. With a sigh, she approaches the bench, leaning against the back as she holds her umbrella over his head.]

You're going to get sick, you know.

[retraced]

[CAUGHT BY BITTIES OH NOOOOO.

He jumps visibly and peers up through his damn hair at her in a way that there may as well be the word 'GUILTY' written across his forehead.]

A-Ahiru...good afternoon?

[motioned]

[She holds the umbrella out for him, waiting for him to take it.]

You don't have to look like that!

[littlepwny]

[Dash isn't the least bit bothered by the rain, flying loops above and below the clouds. During one of her dips, she notices the guy and the box, and decides to check out what's going on.

Instead of walking up to him like a sensible creature, she instead taps him on the head from above with one hoof.]

Hey! 'Sup?

[retraced]

[And he, being the classy dude that he is, turns to look up at whoever has tapped him, expecting to see maybe someone he knows or has met before in passing somewhere.

And instead sees a flying talking pony.

So he does what any classy dude would do. He yelps, flails his arm and then falls right off of the bench onto the wet concrete with a pretty hard thud.]

E-eeeeeh?!

[littlepwny]

[For a second, Dash just stops and stares.

Then...]

PFFFFFFF HAAAAAAAAAAAAA HAHAHAHAHA! Oh wow! The LOOK on your face!

[thelightbringer]

Now that's just a waste of good sugar.

[Lucifer likes the rain, so he's been out in it a little longer than the cake. It shows. He doesn't even own a coat.]

[retraced]

[Coats aren't just for keeping warm, Lucifer. They're for standing around looking cool in too!]

It's probably still okay...

[But he throws a cautionary glance back down at the box anyways. Huh, maybe not. It's looking pretty soggy.]

[thelightbringer]

[Lucifer wouldn't know 'cool' clothes if they bit him in the face. :( Look at his suburban dad attire.]

What are you doing out here? Luring in squirrels?

[whitefeathered]

[She came upon him suddenly, in a completely vain attempt to duck between the raindrops. Without an umbrella as well, she was soaked, even the indominable bushiness of her hair tamed, flattened and dripping. But in spite of her rush, she couldn't help but to slow at the sight of him, the haste of her footsteps falling slowly away until she stood, wet and blinking at him through the droplets.

There was a strange kind of poetry to it . . . a man sitting next to a sodden box in the rain.]

Ah . . . [Her voice came out soft.] Are you okay?

[retraced]

[Poetry to last the ages; the tale of a man and his dampened box of cake. Ruined deserts. Woe for all dinner endings. Well, it's poetic if the cake becomes a metaphor for something greater, which in this case, it definitely is.

Even if Gilbert doesn't realize it himself.

He's quick to turn his attention to her, sitting up properly rather than hunched over like he is.]

I'm fine. I'm sorry - did you want to sit here?

[cruelwonder]

[Alice has avoided Phantomhive Manor for some time, feeling empty and broken since her session with Seward the month before. But when she passes Gilbert in the rain, she has to stop. She likes the man and he looks...absolutely pathetic where he is.

She approaches with an umbrella, holding it out so he can take shelter under it.]

What are you doing?

[retraced]

[Jump! Oh, well isn't this the best way to greet her again after such a long radio silence between them. He blinks and peers upwards at the umbrella before actually making eye contact.]

Alice...it's been a while. How are you?

[Ignoring the question on purposely, of course.]

[fortuneprince]

[Being the observer she is, it doesn't take Naoto long to actually notice a man just sitting there on the bench, soaking wet, with a strange box next to him. For a moment, she just stares at him curiously, trying to figure him out then walks over to him.

She holds the umbrella out over his head]

You do realize you'll catch a cold.

[retraced]

[Nothing strange at all about a man in the rain with a ruined box of cake. Nothing at all. And by this logic there's nothing strange about his reaction, which is to look extremely guilty, as though he's certain he's just ruined this young woman's day. Not to mention that she sort of looks like his sister, and he's a little terrified of said sister.

He swallows and clears his throat awkwardly.]

No...the rain isn't really bad, I'm sure I'd be fine a while longer. Sorry.

[cruelties]

[Vincent stands over him with an umbrella and a smirk.

He'll let Gilbert speak first.]

[retraced]

[What? There's nothing strange about this. Insert best embarrassed glaring expression here.]

What's with that face...?

[greenshift]

[ The thing is, even after two months she still likes exploring and sort of wandering aimlessly around the Port. City living is just a big adjustment after thirteen years on a deserted island, okay, and sometimes her apartment with Kanaya - as much as she loves it! - is a little claustrophobic and in times like those, she goes out. She's all prepared for the rain today, dolled up in a nice matching set of rainboots, jacket, and umbrella - courtesy of Kanaya, else she might've gone out with just an umbrella or nothing at all because she likes the feel of rain against her skin.

She, like everyone else, notices him and the cake in the box when she walks in his direction, and does indeed approach him to hold out her umbrella!

...over the cake. It looks terribly sad, okay, she can't even help herself, and she assumes that the man - rather like her - maybe doesn't mind getting rained on. ]

What are you doing?

[retraced]

[If the cake could talk, it would probably express appreciation. But it's a cake, so the man sitting next to it will have to speak on its behalf. He blinks a few raindrops out of his eyes as he turns to look up at her, half confused by the navigation of the umbrella and half panicking because for a second at the right angle, she almost looked like Leo...

It's been a long day.]

Me? Ah...I'm just enjoying the...view?

[Gesturing out past the storm towards the lake.]

Sorry, am I in your way?