[FIN] It's My Birthdayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

[Suudonym]

Unsuccessful in the garden, he returned upstairs and checked the mailbox. His efforts still returning no results, he moved downstairs once more, surveying the entire apartment building. Hmmmm. He started to make his way upstairs again, stopped, returned to ground level, and leaned down to check the underside of the first flight of steps. "Prankster's gambit returns to my favor!" he announced loudly, extricating a small key from the underside of one of the stairs where it had been held with duct tape. "Thinks he's clever," he said to himself, triumphant, as he returned to unlock the door. "Thinks he's sharp. Doesn't stop to think that I know him better than he does. After you." The door swung open.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

She couldn't help but be amused by his endeavors, especially his proclamation once he found the key. "That was a nice present for you, huh?" She asked as she stepped through the opened door. "Leaving you a treasure hunt for your birthday."  

[Suudonym]

"Mmmhmm," he hummed. "He's a real bro, ain't he? He forgot the map, though. Make yourself at home; I'm gonna go grab some of the s**t from the car." Nate returned downstairs again, passing the pokemon on their way up, to retrieve the remaining packages from his back seat - and a bag of bread from his trunk, for good measure. The apartment that greeted Seraphine was fairly orderly, offering nothing unexpected except for a sheet of paper on the table bearing a message: Nate I swear to god if you're in my apartment right now so help me.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

The brunette hummed an agreement, moving over to the nearest lightswitch she could see to see what lights would turn on. The flood of light illuminated a piece of paper on the table, so she stepped over to glance at it - and almost snorted. Well, that answered that question. Idly she pushed the paper towards the edge of the table in the hopes that'd make it much easier for Nate to notice when he got back, then moved further into the apartment. She should probably feel bad about being here, she realized, and a pang of guilt went through her about it, because honestly she didn't feel that bad. She felt bad about not feeling bad, though, but didn't feel bad.. s**t that was kind of confusing.

Mordecai had balanced as many cases atop his flat head as he possibly could, and carried as many as he was able in both arms, and hovered after Des. While eager to help, he fully realized he had absolutely no idea to which apartment he should bring all of this to.  

[Suudonym]

Des made his way up the stairs, flapping madly to keep the cases aloft, and eased into the apartment to deposit them on the floor. Nate wasn't terribly far behind the pokemon, hefting cases on his shoulders with the bag of bread clamped between his teeth. He kicked the door shut behind him and set his burden down on the table, noting the paper as he released the bag from his mouth with an unattractive blehh. He looked over Cory's note briefly before grabbing it and crumpling it in his hand, watching Sera with a knowing grin, "Such a great pal." The balled-up paper was flicked unceremoniously aside, and Nate dusted his hands and started towards the mound of alcohol he had stocked. "So I understand I owe you a fortress."  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Mordecai followed Des in, then carefully - and systematically - moved his burden from his person to the table and quickly stacking them according to bottle and package size.

"Mmmhm," she hummed in agreement as she caught his grin, then moved closer as he approached the assortment of beer cases. "I think I specifically said 'an amazing beer box fortress,'" the brunette clarified, her pale green eyes flicking up to him, "and from my understanding, it would have glass windows," if his lengthy text about weeping over a bottle of beer in the corner of said glass-windowed fortress was of any merit.  

[Suudonym]

"Oh ********," he said, "guess I got my work cut out for me. I'm gonna need some empty bottles for them windows, though, if you catch my drift." He pulled open the seal on one of the cases, removing a pair of the bottled beverages and extending one to Seraphine.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

"Can do," she responded readily as she accepted the bottle, the end of her left arm pointedly remaining in her pocket. Drink beer to provide empty bottles, heck yes please, let us begin immediately. Her first hurdle appeared instantly, though, once she realized that she did not have one hand with which to hold the bottle and a second with which to uncap it, and so she frowned down at it a little for a moment.

Not long, though. "Mordecai," she said, and the Metang hovered over to her in an instant. She offered him the bottle, and he swiftly removed the top for her. Ha, take that. Pleased with the results, she took a long sip before lowering the bottle. "Alright, you can build it, I will provide you with windows."  

[Suudonym]

"All righty, chief," he said, taking a long swig from the bottle himself. Exhaling excessively when he had had his temporary fill, he set the bottle on the table and got to work, migrating to a corner and maneuvering an armchair to form one of three walls. "You hurt your hand or something?" he commented offhandedly, hauling the crates over two at a time to form the fourth wall. Just kind of seemed weird to have her pokemon open her beer.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

While the question briefly startled her, she should have expected it. Honestly, she should've been surprised he hadn't brought it up sooner. "Um," she started hesitantly as she frowned down at the bottle in her hand, then took another long sip, absently scanning the apartment because it meant she wasn't looking at him, "sort of." Whatever vaguely positive feelings she'd had before all but vanished completely.  

[Suudonym]

"I see I see," he responded, apparently satisfied with the vague explanation. He disappeared down a hallway, loudly singing a phrase of classic rock. When he reappeared, it was with armloads of sheets and pillows, likely stripped from Cory's bed. He dumped them into the center of the little room he was concocting, arranging them with surprisingly attentively before continuing his construction.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

"Yeah," was her vague response, and though she yet again projected her assumptions of his expectations onto him like she did with everyone else, he neither pressed for additional explanation, nor did he even stay long, as he disappeared down a hallway. Well, that was.. She wasn't really sure. Maybe he didn't expect further explanation? Regardless of her confusion, she remained silent for the time being and didn't offer any herself, instead finishing off her beer and setting the bottle on the table while Mordecai opened a second for her.

Even if he didn't seem to expect further explanation, he probably expected conversation... "You seem well versed in the arts of beer box fortress building," she commented as she gently leaned against the table.  

[Suudonym]

"One of my many amazing talents," he explained with a wide flourish. He grabbed chairs from the table and arranged them with a sheet to create a covered entryway. "Needs some decoration, though, don't you think? Something's definitely missing." Besides the bottle installments in the spaces being left for windows, but that would take some more work on both their parts.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

She watched him assemble the front of it, then tilted her head at his question. "Yeah, I think so too. What d'you think's missing though?" Because she honestly had no idea.  

[Suudonym]

He stood in a leaning posture, his arms crossed and his eyes narrowed in scrutiny. Eventually he gave her a sidelong glance, "Bread?"