[The last experiment was a weird one, but thankfully nothing too traumatic happened for it to stick with Ion in the long term -- even if he is kind of upset that he spent a few days as a girl again and, just as last time, apparently no one noticed. He's not that girly, is he? Sigh. His former Manliness instructor would be so disappointed.]

[But he's not going to dwell on that too much, because it's almost May 1st! And that means it's almost his birthday! He missed his chance at getting to celebrate on the actual day in the years past due to various different circumstances, but this year he'd definitely have a birthday party! He's never had one before, after all... but other than that, he's not really sure what else someone might do for their birthday. And he wanted this year to be special! Which is what eventually inspires a short post over the journal:]

If you could do whatever you wanted on your birthday, our current circumstances permitting, what would you do?

I've been thinking about this myself for a few days now, but I don't have much experience with celebrating my own birthday. So I was wondering what other people might do to celebrate the occasion.


[House One - April 27 - May 1st]

[But as the day wears on, Ion starts to find himself feeling a little under the weather. It starts with a cough, quickly escalates into a fever, and by around late afternoon he staggers into the house with his face flushed and looking worse for the wear. He won't really stop to talk, instead making a quick beeline for his room and crawling into bed. He'll probably pass on dinner that night as well.]

[And unfortunately for him, that's where he'll be staying for the next few days, all the way through his birthday on May 1st. He'll be more lucid by then at least, but still mostly confined to his bed. Looks like whatever birthday plans he eventually settled on would have to be put on hold this year as well.]

[ooc: House One folks/visiting CR can choose any day in that gap or just skip ahead to his birthday if you want!]

[Today started out very strangely for Haru.]

[For starters, he woke up in a room that, albeit familiar, was not his. How did he fall asleep in Flo-chan's room again? How strange! If he doesn't remember falling asleep there... did that mean he forgot to tell Oneechan he was staying over!? Oh, no! He doesn't want her to worry about him! Still, it is odd that he doesn't remember. And he doesn't like not remembering things. He has enough things he still needs to remember... maybe someone in the House knows?]

[After that, he'll start heading back towards his real home over in CH 7. But not before giving Yui a little message so she knows not to worry. Unfortunately, he really has no idea how filters work, so the whole message is very much public. The voice is certainly Ion's, and anyone who knows him well enough might be able to tell the visual difference between him and Florian given he's a bit older now... but the way he's talking sounds much more like a child's voice than his own. Not to mention the fact that he's suddenly using Japanese words despite not looking even a little Japanese.]

Oneechan! I think I fell asleep while visiting Mama yesterday. But I'll be home in a little while, so don't worry about me!

[Of course, given this is Haru and not Ion, he'll probably get distracted along the way. Feel free to find him around the village, most likely in any place where there are flowers. And of course, aside from the fact that Haru doesn't bother hiding the scars on his neck, he'll look just as he always does! ...if not just a bit more spaced-out.]


( AU Info )

[Even with the month of February coming to a close, the weather has still been rather cold. But that didn't stop spring from trying to make its way through, and even now, one could see the start of buds on trees around the forest. Appropriately bundled up for the weather, Ion rests at the foot of the largest tree in the cherry tree grove just north of the village. Taking in a long, steady breath, he absentmindedly opens his journal. When he speaks, it doesn't even seem like he's addressing the journal at first. His voice sounds distant; he's had a lot on his mind lately.]

I wonder what it would be like to live in Luceti longer than I lived back on Auldrant... so far. [Those last words are added rather hastily, like an after-thought. There's a wistful smile on his face.] Thinking about it used to make me feel sad... now I'm almost not sure what to think. It feels like the longer I'm here, the greater the chance is that I might start to forget things about home. The sound of the city bustling to life in the morning. The way the sun shines off the fonbelt in the sky at sunset. The faces of all the kind people I've met...

[He trails off before smiling a little more brightly.]

But I guess it really hasn't been all that long. [Two years in Luceti. Almost a year back on Auldrant. Nearly a quarter of the time he's been alive.] Besides, there are things here that I never want to forget as well...

[He trails off and looks off into the distance. The only sound for a few moments is that of birds chirping overhead. Aburptly, he looks back down at the journal.]

Ah. I think I lost track of where I was going with this. I'm sorry for rambling.