🎉 if i celebrate, i want to offer my heartfelt and honest congratulations

[nortonnnn]

Who: Norton Campbell, Nagito Komaeda, and open to anyone who'd be willing to offer Komaeda birthday wishes of their own volition
When: April 28, after class
What: 3rd floor, music room

---

Arriving

( so, it's like this: nobody likes komaeda.

well, it seems that way a lot of the time, from what norton's observing, and the unfortunate fact of the matter? no matter how absolutely off-his-rocker insane he's been acting, he... well, real or not, he didn't seem to be a bad guy in those memories norton has of him. try as he might, he can't simply act as though they don't exist either. so instead, with a sigh of defeat and an important date that he'd learned in those strange memories in mind, he'll go about collecting those who seem to be... more tolerant (even if that's a generous way to express it) of komaeda lately.

he's already arranged for the most reliable chef he's yet to meet in this school to help by preparing a birthday cake, (and learned quite a bit in the process, actually,) and he's let the others know where they should gather. so, when norton decides it's about time to drag komaeda to the survival club's meeting room for some kind of survival club-related excuse of a reason, there should hopefully already be at least a couple of people there and waiting for them—including one boy holding a white cat who may or may not look a little out of his element.

his voice is soft, but as the cake and the small collection of people he's managed to gather come into view, norton offers a smile. )

Happy birthday.

---

01.) ♡

( so... how will you greet the birthday boy? tag-ins will be assumed to be for komaeda, unless otherwise indicated! )

Comments

[closewithnewintown]

[... she was about five minutes from going into a whole Thing and now she's just distracted.]

We're here because we were kidnapped? If I'm here because I'm hopeful, I won't even hope for snow on Christmas anymore.

[commences]

It's just a hurdle, that's how you look at this.

( let him slowly get his point across. ) If you have hope, you'll be able to get over this pretty easily.

( and christmas? ok... god forbid they're still here until christmas. ) Even with all that has happened, you haven't let your feelings overwhelm you, Stephanie-san. It makes everyone believe that maybe they can make it.

[closewithnewintown]

A hurdle. [we have two corpses and possibly a third one we're all slowly consuming like transubstantiation that is a very large hurdle

... sigh.] All you can do is keep trying. As long as you never give up, you can never fail.

[commences]

As long as you all are together, then you can't fail... and I won't let of you do that.

( as long as he's here then it'll go fine, besides, there's nothing to be worried about so far. )

There's no try either... you've all been doing, and it's really nice to see that. Some would have accepted defeat, but none of you did...

[closewithnewintown]

There's always a way. You just need to find it.

... I think it'd look nice there. [points at a spot on the wall] That way everybody can see it when they come in.

[commences]

( find a way... she's not wrong, rather, as long as they're able to find hope... )

You're right, everyone can see your work.

( now that he thinks about it. )

Since we found a spot, you think I would have remembered to bring along some tape.

[closewithnewintown]

[... snort.

and she just breaks into a fit of giggles after that.]

You're silly.

[commences]

Oh? Am I?

( that catches him off guard, a little confused. )

Am I that idiotic to you... ( he sighs, shaking his head. ) I must be.

[closewithnewintown]

Did I say that? Or did I say [pokes his cheek] silly, you big silly.

[commences]

( well, i'm pretty sure she doesn't want komaeda to answer that. )

Yeah, you're right... I was pretty lame to say something like that.

( and he smiles after, leaning into her finger that she's poking him with. )

I'll do better next time.