Balance IC Inbox

[eudaimonikos]

INBOX text / audio / video / action Hello, this is Michael. I can't pick up right now, please leave a message. code credit

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voice | during mermaid storytime in field mission 4

[coolranchbaby]

[Whatever Michael is doing during the early underwater Lyrabar time, he's getting a loud message notification from his bracer.]

Why didn't you tell me you were the bartender?!

[eudaimonikos]

Hi, Eleanor, how are you today?

[That's sarcasm. Your sudden yelling from his wrist was startling.]

Never got around to it, I guess. Plus, I thought it was clear from how I manipulated everyone else into going to Sydney. [...] You didn't recognize me like they did.

audio, shortly after wonderland

[feytality]

[ it's been some time -- despite more or less trying not to think about what happened in wonderland, one thing sticks in her mind. a lot's happened and there's a lot she doesn't know -- she's been preoccupied. ]

[ something sticks in her mind, though. it's michael. her thoughts keep drifting back to him -- to all of it, in wonderland. ]

[ she's put this off long enough. ]

Mr. Michael? Can we talk?

[eudaimonikos]

[Oh.

Michael knew he should have apologized to Maya. He apologized to Alex already. But that was only because Alex stumbled across him first - he's sure that if that hadn't happened, he would have avoided both of them just as hard. He'd be avoiding them still.

Of course he meant to find her and apologize eventually. He just doesn't have the words yet.

It takes a few minutes before he responds, voice hoarse.]

Uh, if you want.

forward dated to the 25th

[dialetheism]

[ If asked, Lion would wholeheartedly admit that they had no idea what to give Michael for Candlenights. But as the day rolls around, there is, somehow, a present waiting outside his door. Except it is decidedly not a cheerfully wrapped box. It is, instead, a small canvas bag, with a note adressed to him pinned to the top.

Inside is the first-aid kit from hell.

Not literally from hell - but if Michael thought Will's borrowed emergency kit in Wonderland was interesting, this is a whole other beast. There is several different bottles of disinfectant. There is superglue. There is, frankly, an obscene number of bandages - and knives, for some reason? And a field suture kit. But nestled under a small vial of hydrochloric acid is a battered book of local remedies, from around Lyrabar. Any entries involving sea quartz have been carefully marked with "no." in the top-right corner.

Opening the note reveals a letter Lion's neat, overly formal handwriting.

"My apologies if you've already made your own since Wonderland, but I remembered that you found Will's first aid kit interesting - so I asked for his help to help make one for you.

We may have gone a little bit overboard.

Happy Candlenights, Michael-san,
- Ushiromiya Lion." ]

text, that afternoon

[eudaimonikos]

Thanks for the kit!
Do humans use hydrochloric acid medicinally, or is that just for offensive use?

[Michael recognized acid immediately, of course, but in his experience humans do not mix well with it.]

25th, morning

[alethiological]

[ Left on his doorstep is the most generic-appearing gift basket to ever exist. There's socks (of the star king stuck upside-down in a chimney), bath bombs (in only the most motivating of scents), a bottle of holy water (that smells like top-shelf vodka), hand-carved ornaments (from the lesser key of solomon), and a dozen cookies that aren't cursed in any sense of the word (aside from being sugar cookies, and thus, inherently cursed).

The card wishes him a happy 70th birthday.

Happy Candlenights and other miscellaneous holidays. This is how humans celebrate this holiday, correct? With the most generic of gifts given with the most generic of intentions.

This is a joke.

Your actual present ran into a bit of a snag. There are two options. You may either wait an additional few months and receive it when it is completed, or you may receive it now and have the finishing touches put on later. Send me a message of your preference at your leisure. An absence of a response will be taken as you hoping for a Valentine's gift.

Give Eleanor my regards,
- Will ]

later that afternoon, text

[eudaimonikos]

[Okay, well now Michael is extremely curious about this present!

But then again, he's the sort who's very particular about his own projects. He'd hate delivering an unfinished product, even if it was at the recipient's request. What's a few months to folks their age, anyway?]

Thanks for the gift basket. I shared the holy water with Eleanor.

[She never gets the good vodka!]

A few months' wait is fine!
Apparently I've already gone on a date with one angel, so what's a Valentine's gift more?
╰(▔∀▔)╯

some absurd hour on candlenights eve

[petsthedog]

[Everyone can blame Mira for these extremely last minute gifts, because friendship guilt hit him hard and now he's looking for things for all his friends in earnest and it feels very embarrassing!!!

Michael getting him something was also pretty unexpected, and honestly he gets kind of stuck trying to think of something he'd like. After all, most of what he knows about him is that he's a demon who formerly tortured people in hell, and that he's not about that life anymore.

Ultimately, what's dropped off at Michael's door is a small potted cactus, a few packets of different kinds of seeds, and new gardening gloves. There's also a small tin of cookies. The note attached reads:

thanks for the tips. here's how it went.
happy candlenights
-aragaki]

candlenights day

[eudaimonikos]

Thanks for the gifts. The gloves fit.



My friend Janet used to have a thing for cactuses. She gave me a lot of them at one point. Didn't have any anymore, though.

25th

[hxppythxughts]

[A messily-wrapped box, with Michael's name written directly on the colorful paper. There's a handmade card on top, decorated with stickers and doodles of wintry images like snow, gingerbread men, etc. It's not properly signed, but the signature isn't necessary. On one side of the interior:]

Tall green trees in lights twinkling bright,
Sparkling strands of tinsel and snow pure white,
The smell of hot cocoa and apple cider too,
A very merry Candlenights, from Sayori to you!
[And then on the other side:]

Thank you so much for the gifts, I love them! I don't actually have a knife but Wash did teach me how to use one. There are a lot of poems in that book I've never seen before so I'm excited to read them all!

You're always wearing fun ties so I figured you might like these. Thanks for always keeping me company when it's hard to sleep.

[Inside the box is a colorful floral tie with a matching pocket square and a gold tie pin bearing a flaming shield.]

text, that afternoon

[eudaimonikos]

Thank you for the gifts! I love the pin. Where is everyone getting these custom pins?

[Unless that's just like, a standard thing? He doesn't know.]

You know, you really should have a knife.

present!

[feytality]

[ michael will find a homemade fire squid plushie, an ornament of him pointing lawyer style, a light up bowtie, and a card from maya wishing him happy candlelights. the card is full of doodles of him in various poses -- and one of his squid form, but it's cute instead of scary. there are some doodles of him with eleanor, some of him doing various outlaw activities, him as a pirate, and etc. the card details how happy maya is to be friends with him, how she admires what he's doing and who he is, and how she gives him hope. it also wishes him happiness, safety, and success in fighting against the system that makes judgments on humans. ]

[ there's also a small squid shaped 'success' omamori, blessed by mia and maya ]

text, afternoon of the 25th, 1/2

[eudaimonikos]

Thank you for the gifts! I really appreciate all of that.

[He does - that was so, so kind. The card in particular; the doodles of him and Eleanor are lovely, and the sentiments expressed are honestly touching.

Michael is still fairly unused to honest gestures of friendship or affection. It's only been a year or so since he had friends at all. Much of that time wasn't exactly conducive to giving gifts or even just compliments to one another. It's all been a bit of a roller coaster, and Faerun hasn't been that much better a lot of the time. The idea that someone could be that genuinely kind to him - could even enough of him to bother - is still a little staggering.]

2/2

[eudaimonikos]

[...and that history is a large part of the reason he can only hold himself back a few minutes before adding:]

But just to check, you still haven't told anyone else about that whole thing, right? With me?

morning of the 25th

[ikanteven]

[ Chidi hadn't thought much about the approaching holiday until Michael had left the books on Faerunian ethics for him on his doorstep. This left him scrambling to come up with something appropriate to give in return. He hated giving gifts, in general, because he always had the worst time deciding on anything. But this left him with a direction to go in, at least.

On the morning of the 25th Michael will find a securely packaged gift with a bow on it on his doorstep with a card from Chidi on it. ]

To Michael, the most improved student I ever had. –Chidi

[ The contents of the package were a trilogy of books Chidi had picked up not long after arriving here, which was one of the rare works of fiction he'd ever indulged in. The detective featured in the series was supposedly the paragon of ethical behavior, but because of the complexity of the situations the main character had faced, it resulted in various dilemmas for the reader to consider. Chidi had found it interesting, yet difficult, to read, which meant it was perfect for a reciprocal gift for Michael now. ]

[eudaimonikos]

[Michael is certainly aware that Chidi hates giving gifts. He knows all of the humans' neuroses - and really, most things do freak Chidi out. He could probably tell some stories about times he's tortured Chidi by making him pick gifts for someone or another...but that's neither here nor there.

So it's nice to get anything at all from him. And that note is so sweet?]

Thank you, Chidi. These are very nice! I'm sure I'll like them.

["I'll let you know if I like them" is the kind of precision passive-aggression he'd have used in the Neighborhood, so he's just trying to do the opposite of that.]

morning of the 25th

[coolranchbaby]

[On the morning of the 25th, there's a long and large shield leaning beside Michael's door. There's a large and messily tied yellow bow wrapped around it, with a note:]

Until we get the "no more magic thing" fixed I figured you needed something big and heavy to defend yourself. Meet me in the training arena before the next mission?

- Eleanor

[It looks like there was something else scribbled underneath but was hastily scribbled out at the last minute.]

[eudaimonikos]

[....huh! Eleanor has, somehow, come across the single weapon (?) that Michael hasn't used as a torture implement! Frankly, carrying a shield has simply never occurred to him at all. But he guesses it's fairly multipurpose - you can bash someone with it too, like Captain America!

Anyway, he'll text her once he's found the gift:]

Wow, I don't think I've ever used one of these before! Thanks!
When do you want to meet?

25th.

[protegge]

[Happy Candlenights! Michael receives: An incredible sweater. A handwritten dictionary of Italian swears. One bow tie in Bureau of Balance colors, one in Mista's colors, and one that's a shark.]

afternoon of the 25th

[eudaimonikos]

Where did you GET this sweater?

CANDLENIGHTS

[doubledsofjustice]

[Michael will be receiving a pretty black box with a pair of gold cufflinks inside, each shaped like little miniature bowtie, with an inscription in Japanese for "self actualization".
The box is inside of a coffee cup with shocking white glaze dripped over it for a molten look, the inside of the ceramic mug glazed with a multi-chromatic shimmer. It's all wrapped up in champagne colored paper.

A note attached reads,

Michael,

You're certainly one of the more interesting people I've met here! I have to thank you for always answering my questions. There's quite a bit to know about you.

I hope you'll find these gifts useful at all, but remember that the cufflinks are actually a bit of a luck charm. Omamori with this inscription strengthen the truest and whollest self, if worn regularly, and are blessed by both myself and Maya. Hopefully you'll find them stylish, as well.

Have a wonderful holiday,

Mia]

[eudaimonikos]

Thanks for the gifts!
What is an omamori?

[Maya gave him one too, but he felt vaguely bad about asking her. Plus, now that he has two of them that look like completely different items, he's more confused.]

early january;

[quiescis]

[You receive an ominous little message on your bracer that might have been intended for you? Or it might have been intended for someone else? It’s hard to say. But suddenly there's a "poem" for you to read with no explanation at all.]



Heat - tormentor of my dreams
Through which came igniting, igniting, igniting
And its eyes have all the glowing
I threw my rut upon the floor
Only this and a fever
To warn me about the bright
Lethargy - lethargy - lethargy!
I crave the twinkling, thermal tailspin
I crave the stupefacient, stupefactive stagnancy
'It's that nervousness,' I muttered
My malaise, I could not awaken

[eudaimonikos]

[Michael assumes this was intended for him! That's not because of anything in the message, though, more the fact that he's never really seen anybody fuck up with their bracer quite so spectacularly.

Anyway, this is...sort of weird? Maybe it's because everybody knows he's ventured a little into the world of poetry, thanks to the voidfish. Michael still can't imagine why he'd be the recipient of this over Resident Poem Girl Sayori. Does Yuri just not know her? She doesn't know Michael all that well either, but.]

I was a lava monster once, you know. Just entirely made of lava!

[He has. No idea what this poem is about. Just gonna take a stab at it. Did she send it to him because she figures demons would know about oppressive heat and fire?]

backdated Jan 1st

[snyaiper]

[On new years, there is a package left outside Michael's room. Now, Ogata doesn't know anyone older than Michael, so he's wrapped up a package of sembei rice crackers, a pack of dried sardines and a tin of nice green tea, because that's what HIS grandparents like.

They are accompanied by a card simply reading;]

Happy New Year
-Ogata

text; Jan 1st

[eudaimonikos]

[Oh. Oh!

Well, this is weird on a number of levels, but Michael remembers how hard it was for him to try giving genuine gifts at first. He'd have been really angry and defensive if someone questioned him then.]

Thanks for the gifts!

Late January; weird psychic network, because why not

[unrecovered]

[Wash has three full heart crystals on his wrist and a lot of unresolved anger at the situation as a whole and Karsus in particular, but now is not the time to worry about that. Now, he's doing what he can to help the people he can. A lot of the Reclaimers he'd run into had been able to bond with one another and would probably be okay without his help, but Michael...]

[Well. Michael triggered his Epsilon memory via long-distance torture. Michael probably needs a goddamn intervention.]

[So Wash sends the equivalent of a yell down that psychic connection. This conversation is on his terms.]

MICHAEL! GET IN HERE!

[If you want to call the Boogeyman to the carpet, the first thing you do is startle the shit out of him, right? Hopefully this works.]

[eudaimonikos]

[He's used the name Michael in the past, when he had to pass as a human. If he ever really thought about it, he might realize that his connection to the name is sort of vague; he doesn't remember quite when he started using it, or any others he might've used over the years. Even though...that doesn't really make sense, right?

But, you know. He isn't thinking about that. So, though he recognizes it as a name of his, it's not just the surprise that stops him from responding right away. That's an alias, not who he is.]

What? [Is this about that thing from before? That was like, days ago, get over it.]