inbox.

[dregs]

☎️💬📽️

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text; UN: Intergalactic Baseballer (breaks open the inbox post....)

[starwill]

Important question, would you be willing to help answer a yes or no decision with a coin toss as the master of coin tosses? Asking for a friend.

(Spoilers: that friend is me.)

un: gambler / text - the inbox is now blessed uwu

[dregs]

That depends, are you going to tell me what the decision is over?

Other than something about yourself, that is.

[starwill]

I'm trying to figure out if I should confess right now.

[dregs]

Confess? This could be one of two things, have you done something atrocious that you need to repent for? Or has the esteemed Trailblazer fallen for someone here?

[starwill]

Do I look like the kind of person who would commit a nefarious crime?

[dregs]

You never know, maybe you dug around in the wrong trash can, found a body and ended up framed for murder.

{ just saying.... }

[starwill]

Haven't seen a body in a trash can yet.

delivery! surprise! it's a knife--

[chrysolis]

[ Sometime after they've all returned from the Liar's Mansion in as close to one piece as they'll get (lmao), Aventurine will find a yellow gift bag stuffed with teal tissue paper left on the doorstep to his apartment. Turns out someone did, in fact, decide to make a cat cake as their next plushie project.

As for what the plushie looks like? Well. While she's not predicting the future and designing a perfect match with Honey Dice, she's clearly drawn a lot of inspiration from Aventurine himself. The flower-like top of the cat cake has been reimagined to look more like a roulette wheel, while the sides of its teal body have a golden diamond, heart, spade, and club symbol on them. The cat inside is kept simple in comparison, a solid yellow with his eyes, though if he tries to remove the cat he'll see she's also attempted to recreate his earring with some beads.

There's also a very short but sweet note tucked into the bag: ]

I hope you will accept this gift from me. I figured it would only be right for you to have the first cat cake I make.

Castorice

text; cries happy tears while bleeding out-- also stabs back ig

[dregs]

{ he does, initially, almost trip over the bag since he wasn't expecting anything. but seeing the bag there he's cautious at first. unfortunately, castorice likely has no idea how many people have tried to kill him over the years. she wouldn't know that just dropping and leaving a bag unannounced at his doorstep is something to be wary and cautious of. granted, there's no reason to think any of those people are here--but you never know.

thankfully those worries are immediately swept away by her neat writing on the paper. he has to reread it a few times for the words to sink in. castorice made a cat cake? castorice made a cat cake that is apparently inside this bag? castorice made a cat cake... for him? this is actually a gift for him?

he pauses again, swallows as he brings it inside, forgetting about wherever he was going for now. this is more important.

he takes his time drawing it out, and castorice doesn't need to know how his hands tremble as he sees the design. how he gently squishes it, too many complex feelings overwhelming him as he stares at its cute form, the colours and design and how much work did she put into this?

how is he even supposed to say thank you?

thankfully she'll never know how long he stays behind his door just holding and clinging onto it. the actual cat cakes peer out to check on him a few times, worried and pawing at his ankles until they realise it's good emotions. then they're just supportive little critters.

it takes him time to write something back via text, mostly because he can't bring himself to let go or sit down or anything just yet. }

You really didn't have to go through all the trouble, but you're right, you did do a fantastic job of it.

Thank you.
-Aventurine.

un: saintpudding or something because Nilla inspired me

[eighthday]

[It's sometime after everyone returns from their respective excursions and the dust settles and things move along. Some time passes, but not too much. It's a very 'in which people learn new arts and crafts and try new things' sized time.

And Sunday has a few conversations with his friends and thinks about a few things, and ends up feeling really nostalgic for Penacony and he bakes a delicious strawberry cake. (It takes a few tries but he gets it right!) But also, what is one fucker going to do with a wholeass strawberry cake? Even with a sweet tooth, Sunday can only eat so much.

So, one thing leads to another and-]

When will you be back home?

[He's dropping a slice of personally home made strawberry cake outside of Aventurine's door. It's in a tupperware container.]

wings this as much as possible ksddgjsgn

[dregs]

{ unfortunately, he's a bit worse for wear since the excursion he went on. it was mentally very taxing, and things potentially got worse before they got better so. he's been at home and pretty much in bed the better part of a few days at this point.

he squints at his phone. pats the cake cat pressed against his cheek while contemplating how honest to be here.

then gives up. it likely isn't anything important. he's too tired to come up with anything else anyway. }

I'm home right now, why?

[eighthday]

[Oh. Um.]

I have too much cake. I brought you a slice.

[This Feels Weird. Here he was, banking on dropping off a slice all nonchalantly and Aventurine picks it up like Doordash, or something.]

I was just going to leave it in front of the door if you weren't home.

[nbd nbd]

what a caketastrophe

[dregs]

{ sunday gets left on read for a moment, since, see, the cake cat with him seems to be curious about who he's texting. so now he has to have a half guess work conversation as he tries to answer, it goes back and forth until finally it seems to perk up when sunday's name is mentioned, even starts pawing at the screen.

sunday is unfortunately now associated with treats.

he isn't thinking of the implications of sending a photo angled so it just shows the cat cake, maybe some of his own hair which is very much bed head hair at this point (it's too early in the day to still be in bed really, but it's probably obvious that is where he is), but he's getting encouraged with maas and mrrghs along with some swats so here they are.

sunday gets a cat cake photo. wide hopeful eyes stare at him. }

Someone seems like they want to see you.

{ the question is, is this just a helpful front because he's lucky he has pets that like sunday or not- }

[eighthday]

[He's bracing himself for a 'leave the cake outside and I'll get to it when I get to it' response. Being left on read kind of has that vibe? Not in a bad way, necessarily, after all, Aventurine's a busy man and has a lot of things to do and-

And there's that cat picture.

...thankfully, no one can see the look on his face.

...anyway.]

I'd love to see them.

[He shouldn't, he shouldn't, he shouldn't.]

And you as well.

[But Sunday did it anyway- why did this have to happen when he's bringing over homemade strawberry cake, all of this would be much more normal if it was takeout, or, better, none of the above. Swinging by to let him know that Castorice did a thing, or...

Something.]

[dregs]

{ there's that cat picture indeed.

said cat decides to stop pawing at his phone and moves to his face instead, as though it's trying to point out his reaction to reading those two lines back to back. it's a good job no one has to see this mess. a loud maaa! follows, and aventurine can't tell if it's being supportive or mocking at this point.

he really should get the animal amulet from riki's store.

a sigh follows, and thankfully he stops being left on read again. now he knows he's with the cat hopefully it excuses the pauses. }

I'm not going anywhere. Just drop by when you're ready.

{ does it help he isn't drawing attention to it...? hard to say. }

text; godking

[pyramidsmash]

I have an early Yuletide present for you.

The Casino has agreed to let you back in, as long as you don't make the bankrupt.

[dregs]

Ozymandias, my good friend, that may be some of the best news I've heard in a while.

Of course, it only ends up being fun with the right company, wouldn't you say? Will you join me for my first time back there?

action; a few days after The Incident at the Liar's Mansion

[godofdust]

Aventurine?!

[She heard about everything from Boothill, how terribly everything had gone, how many people had been killed, and she knows that Aventurine should be revived and hopefully home by now. So... she's at his door, knocking, maybe being a little too loudly and with a definite tone of urgency.

Of course she's worried about him. Of course she is!]

Aventurine, are you home?

The Incident...

[dregs]

{ he did revive, he is at home, for what it's worth. he can't even sleep well as it is, so it isn't like he can just sleep off the feeling. try and pull himself back together to head into the outside world again.

his cake cats are following him everywhere, maaing at him in worry since he got back. this means when he does open the door, after trying to pat his hair down and look at bit more presentable, they are hot on his heels. }

Maa?

{ one stretches up around him, falls back with a jiggle.

aventurine smiles, but it's clearly a struggle. it wobbles at the edges, teeters on not making it to the end, then comes on too strong. almost }

Miss Guizhong, to what do I owe the pleasure?

[godofdust]

[There's the tiniest stomp of her foot.]

To what do you owe the pleasure?

[Then, wagging her finger slightly at him.]

You know very well why I'm here, mister. Boothill told me about what happened, and I've been waiting--

[Huff!!!!! She breathes in, exhales, shakes her head, closes her eyes for a moment to compose herself. She has had friends die before, but they never came back. They could never stand there trying to smile and ask her why she was unexpectedly visiting.]

I'm here to make sure you're all right. Because I'm worried about you.

[dregs]

{ his mouth twitches at the answer that is met with, torn between carrying on with the act and letting himself just. stop. for once.

of course boothill told her, why wouldn't he? how much had he told her though? does he even know all the details? he's avoided delving too deep into checking. hasn't even sent the apologies he needs to send yet.

his fingers dig into the door, trying to stop the way his hand shakes from nerves. he doesn't know how to deal with this. why is she worried? she barely knows him. doesn't know what he's done or who he is. knowing boothill can't be enough. surely.

so that's why-- }

...Why? I'm... { he exhales, he pauses, then his words speed up, as though he's trying to convince her of this. he believes it enough to be true, so. } I'm probably the reason it ended up this way to begin with. I don't deserve your worry, certainly not your sympathy.

[godofdust]

Don't be ridiculous. You deserve just as much care as anyone else who was involved.

[Guizhong certainly has a way about speaking that makes it clear she regards her opinions as facts, at least to herself. She shakes her head as she looks up at him, not fooled for a moment even without how terrible he looks as he stands there.

She glances up, looking him over, from the way his fingers are whitened against the door and the subtle tremor he's trying so hard to suppress, to the way he's not holding his expression together quite as well as he might like, and how he just looks so tired.

One small hand lands on his arm. Rubs gently against his sleeve.]

Can I come in?

[dregs]

{ You deserve just as much care as anyone else who was involved.

he wants to believe it, on some level. craves it. craves being thought of or cared for as though he isn't another disposable piece. isn't just another cog in the machine.

his mouth opens as though he's going to speak but the words catch, instead what bubbles up is... a laugh. it's not the kind of laugh someone would use for laughing about something funny though. no. it's self deprecating, disbelieving. }

You'd be one of very few people to think that.

{ his eyes dip to her hand that lands on his arm, and... he steps back, enough to let her into the apartment. if she looks down, she'll be met with six pairs of very large with eyes peering up at her pleadingly. they, too, are worried. }

delivery! surprise! it's not a knife--

[twofacedlight]

[ Listen. She might really like the gifts he'd gotten for Yuletide, but she's a petty bitch. And thanks to his choice of packaging, she's going to be finding glitter around her apartment for weeks.

So a glitter bomb in the form of a "thank you for the gifts" card addressed to him is totally justified. Clearly.

... that's it, that's the tag. enjoy. ]

i'm still fucking laughing

[dregs]

{ now he has three sparkly void cats... thanks jyoti. he won't respond though, she doesn't get to know if it bothered him or not. }