2744/Eighteen

Eighteen
Date of Scene:	22 August 2025
Location:	Cafe BAKE Neko
Synopsis:	Masato tells his friends what his true age is, after a few years of aliases, disguises and ambiguity. Upon hearing that it is his birthday, they rally last minute to plan a birthday barbeque.
Cast of Characters:	Nephrite, Makoto Kino, Minako Aino, Usagi Tsukino, Mamoru Chiba

---

Nephrite has posed:
It is the day before Masato's eighteenth birthday.

It's not terribly busy in the Cat Cafe, this late in the afternoon. The still-warm weather has him in branded athletic wear: small shorts and an open red and white jacket and tank top. White socks half way up his calves and expensive running shoes. His hair tied back, iced long black in hand, and making notes in a small personal organiser of some kind. Notes about the Setagaya house, and the nosy might notice, several scratched out things. The nosy and canny might notice that they seem to pertain to magical checks and ritual components, with peculiar notes about Bonsais, the back yard, and the second storey in particular.

He's distracted by that enough that he barely notices the cat until there is a fluffy tail in his face, which he shoos, but not in time enough to prevent a sneeze.

Makoto Kino has posed:
"Somebody gossiping about you?" Makoto asks teasingly. She's just emerged from the back, absently lifting the mess of curls that the heat and humidity in the kitchen has made of her ponytail up off the back of her neck with one hand. The other carries a lemonade tinted pink at the bottom with some kind of fruit syrup.

She more or less invites herself to a seat at Masato's table, sliding into a chair and leaning back in it as she gives his organizer a curious look, albeit from too far away to really get nosy about what he's working on. "Hi," she says instead, by way of a slightly belated greeting.

Minako Aino has posed:
"Well I'm not talking about him!" Minako assures both Makoto and the sneeze-ee as she had just come in around this time herself. With a new fashion magazine tucked under arm she strolls in, strappy sandal heels and a skirt with a simple v-neck blouse worn. Fashionable, but not exactly high-end. Just... Cool in the Summer heat.

A bright, cheery smile is offered to the pair as she approaches the table. "How're you both doing?" Curiousity gets the best of her so she nosily leans over to try and peer at what Masato's writing.

"That's not school work. Ooh secret project?"

Nephrite has posed:
If anything can pull his attention away from his thoughts and plans, it is Makoto. Sapphire eyes hold to her as a small smile settles into place-- the humidity really does a number on her hair, his poor Starlight-- and he sets the pen between the pages, easily charmed.

"Hi." Warmly returned, his hand reaching to cover hers briefly, before he lifts his gaze toward Minako's voice.

"It might not be you, Mina-chan, but somebody will be... And why wouldn't they? I'm me," He lifts his chin as if this is an immutable fact.

"And it's my brithday tomorrow, but thanks to my time being an unstable megalomaniac, most people probably have no idea what my actual age even is." Masato sighs a little, but drowns it with a sip of his iced coffee. "Anyway. Sort of."

Makoto Kino has posed:
Makoto laughs a little and dips her head in a minute nod. "It's not a bad reason to be talked about," she observes, before lifting her eyes toward Minako with the briefest, mildest little twinge of envy for how bright and breezy and put together the blonde manages to look even freshly strolling in from the summer heat.

"I'm fine," she answers easily. "Just about to melt, is all. Anyway," this to Masato, as her attention shifts back to him and the topic at hand, "doesn't that just mean you can tell those people whatever age you want to?"

Minako Aino has posed:
Minako Aino moves to slip into a seat next to Makoto though she takes care not to sit between Masato AND Makoto. Far be it for her to try and get in between the two love birds! She does take the magazine she holds to fan the air near Mako though, helping to cool her with a little breeze from the pages.

"Oh your birthday! We need to tell Ami-chan too. What do you want to do?" Mina fixes a look on Masato sternly as she looks him up and down much as she can while they're all seated.

"Drinks and BBQ?"

Nephrite has posed:
Masato has been giving different people different ages and aliases since he was fourteen, he realises, and glances between both of them.

"I don't know. I can't remember the last time I actually celebrated it with an actual party... I think I might've been twelve." He confesses, and glances at his drink. "I'm turning eighteen, by the way. In case you wondered what the truth was."

It was an odd thing to admit, how young he actually was, when most people might readily believe he was in his mid-twenties. In days past, he had employed glamours to make himself look closer to thirty, at times, or to employ disguises. It occurs to him here that a lot of his reckless and bombastic behaviour, his spending, his overtly flashy habits and self-spoiling, tended to come from a rebellious or wish-fulfulling place. A much more conservative childhood held a relative lack of the spotlight being on him.

"Drinks and BBQ on the roof sounds really nice, actually."

Makoto Kino has posed:
Makoto makes a slightly sheepish face and reaches for her lemonade. "I figured you were pretty close to Mamoru-san, at least," she says - a roundabout way of admitting that no, she didn't know and yes, she was wondering.

"Drinks and barbeque on the roof it'll be, then! And cake, unless there's something you want in its place. Now's your chance to make a request." She says it with a bright smile that suggests she's ready to pull a last-minute cake out of thin air if necessary.

Minako Aino has posed:
Minako Aino does give a little bit of a suspicious look when he talks about no one really knowing his age. "Well you do look..." She hesitates, unsure if she ought to say it. "I mean. I think we all age really well to begin with?" If their future selves were any indication! Then again, she had no idea how many medical miracles may have come about since then.

"Oh, eighteen, yes that makes sense." A quick, rapid nod comes as she accepts it in stride. Twenties? Thirties? No, eighteen, that made sense. "Yes! We'll have a rooftop party then! With balloons and --" She pauses to consider. "What kind of things do they have at a guys birthday party anyway?"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi Tsukino walks into Cafe BAKE Neko with a bag on her back and a look as retro as ever - a sheer long-sleeved white shirt, and a bright pink knee-length spaghetti-strap dress over it, and white sandals. She brightens when she sees her friends, hurrying over to claim a seat at their table. "Hi, hi everyone! What are we celebrating? How come Masato-kun gets to make requests?"

She doesn't sound jealous, but curious, and she's fully expecting to hear that he's getting Special Boyfriend Rights.

Minako answers her question with her own excited ideas and since her own experiences with birthday parties for boys involve little kids and grave cleanings, she offers no suggestions but instead turns to Masato with bright, excited eyes. "Your birthday is in August too? Happy Birthday! Happy soon to be birthday! Happy whoops its over already Birthday!"

She's covering her bases, okay?

Nephrite has posed:
"Thank you, Usagi-chan. It's tomorrow." There's a faint puff of laughter to it, and his notebook-- and its list of troubled notes concerning haunted property-- seem well forgotten for now.

"Honestly, I was planning to book the cruise and not bring up my birthday at all. Just drinks, sun, swimming... good times." He confesses to Minako, clearing his throat. Flashy distractions, luxury to hide within. "But... Mamoru still isn't good with the ocean and I don't really care about a cruise. I know I talked a big game," He smirks a little, "But I just want to spend time with my friends. It would be a miserable time without him there."

Masato bites his lip now, because he's never been much of a sweet tooth, though Makoto has been slipping him a variety of desserts and sweets to sample for months now. It seemed to have become a process of elimination, slowly but surely whittling out what his preferences were, and perhaps that effort was paying off now.

"Well, if you're going to work your magic, maybe a Tiramisu or... something like cotton cheesecake flavoured with tea." Surprisingly humble requests, perhaps, but Masato's gaze held a slight sparkle, for a moment. Grateful and fond. "Oolong or matcha."

Minako Aino has posed:
Minako Aino twists to the side to flash a grin toward the newest senshi to make an appearance. Of course her fellow blonde was just as excited about birthdays as she was. "Right! It's short notice but we can totally put something together. I want a huge party next time my birthday comes around--No Paris though. That's where I spent the last one." In the catacombs. Ew.

Slightly leaning toward Makoto she whispers helpfully, "I can keep Usagi out of the kitchen for you." Then leaning the other way she suggests, "We should get some decorations set up for it! Maybe a pin... pin-yacht-ah?"

Spanish. One of the languages she did not somehow inexplicably know.

It's Masato that finally ends up with a nod of complete understanding. "It wouldn't be the same if he couldn't be here, too."

Makoto Kino has posed:
"Hi, Usagi-chan!" Makoto lifts her glass of lemonade in something between a wave and a salute. "Why wouldn't Masato-kun get to make requests?" She might have explained further, or she might not have - either way, Minako fills in the pertinent details just fine, and Mako nods along, suppressing a laugh as Usagi runs through the possible options for birthday wishes.

"It doesn't have to be sweets, you know," she tells Masato, with an only slightly rueful smile. It has not escaped her notice that he's not a big sweet tooth by preference. "But - I can definitely work with those." The mental wheels are already turning as she considers options, prep times. "If it's tiramisu, do you like it traditional, or something more summery? I was looking at some interesting variations using white chocolate and limoncello..."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"Oh, good, I'm not late then," Usagi smiles even more brightly and squishes up against Minako. "A cruise sounds fun, but yeah Mamochan probably wouldn't like it. He'd come if you asked, but last time Thetis did all this whirlpool nonsense, so, hanging out with everyone and having fun sounds great! We could play games if you like."

Makoto is given a mischievous grin, and the Moon Princess says without shame, "Well I thought you'd say you were planning a date, and I'd get to tease and follow you around on one for a change."

Oh, she's so been holding that one in! But who could be surprised, really?

"Minako-chan, on your birthday, we'll have a big party, and on Mako-chan's birthday we'll have a big party that's less noisy," Minako's party has not even been planned yet but there's no way it won't be noisy ans chaotic. She knows her girl! "But this time, since it's Masato-kun's birthday, he can tell us the important stuff, like what kind of birthday gift he wants!"

Nephrite has posed:
Masato holds up a hand, looking mildly sheepish now. "It's fine, you don't have to get my any gifts..." He's in the habit of buying himself most of the things he wants on a whim, as it is. He has nothing that even springs to mind, nothing important, and certainly nothing on a budget.

"Just a card. Well wishes." He paused, "Perhaps a shrine talisman for good health or to ward off evil."

He clears his throat, "Traditional Tiramisu, that's the coffee one, right?"

Minako Aino has posed:
"Yeeees," Mina agrees with a solemn nod as she leans back against Usagi companionably. It was nice to have her friend back and not have to pretend to be her for awhile. Right now the idea of a party, and celebrating a friend's birthday, sounded like the best end-to-Summer they could hope for.

The talk of gifts comes up and she focuses ever-so-intently on Masato. Who does the usual guy thing of 'oh I don't need anything.' Here she pauses, considering with a thoughtful squint. "Hmmm. Right, you do have a lot of stuff already. That doesn't mean we can't try though!" Talisman. Well that was a Rei thing, easily enough done. Of course, none of them had Masato's credit limit.

"We'll think of something."

Makoto Kino has posed:
Makoto pulls a bit of a face at the suggestion of 'just a card,' but simply shakes her head. "We'll figure it out," she agrees with Minako, with a firm nod, before settling back in her seat.

The momentary dissatisfaction is easily brushed aside; when she looks to Masato again, she's smiling once more. "That's right. Ladyfingers, coffee, mascarpone cream. A bit of cocoa, maybe some chocolate. Though I did a white chocolate version this past White Day that came out all right." She tips her head back, looking thoughtfully up at the ceiling. "I wonder if we could get a temporary karaoke setup on the roof."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"I'll definitely get you something," Usagi says decisively, "It will be something to match the nice letter I'll write."

Because of course, of course it would not simply be a card!

"The talismans can be Rei-chan's gift, I'll remind her." She will voluntell her, she means.

"And we can definitely do karaoke! As long as everyone stays away from the plants they won't get stabbed even a little. Who's going to complain about the noise, huh?"

Nephrite has posed:
Masato can already tell they're all going to get him something, anyway. He can see it in their faces. Usagi promises a nice letter, and by that point, he's smiling again.

This is nice. Unexpected, and very different from how his usual birthday is spent, but it's certainly something he could get used to.

"Mako-chan, you know I'll eat anything you put in front of me." He settles the smile on her first. "Just having a cake of any kind is a gift, coming from you."

He does brighten a little bit at Karaoke. "If we can pull off Karaoke on the Moon, we can do it on the roof."

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Mamoru slips in through the people-and-cats airlock (the front door) with Anko on his shoulders, being a relatively small cat today, roughly Luna-sized. You can tell she's Anko only because she has the same calico markings as ever. Mamoru's in a plain white undershirt and a loose and colorful short-sleeved button-down, unbuttoned, over regular jeans today, and his stupid expensive shoes.

He NO LONGER has red tips in his hair!

He sees the crowd, of course, and waves! and gets his coffee first before coming over. "Karaoke on the roof?"

Minako Aino has posed:
"Mamoru-kun we're plotting birthday stuff for Masato! I'm totally up for karaoke. I don't want to get rusty!" Minako practically bounces in her seat as she adds, "I've got a portable karaoke machine at home but it's a bit out of date and needs new songs added."

Is anyone surprised at this?

She does settle down a little though as everyone gathers around further. "If it's the first birthday you've celebrated in years, then we want to put some effort into it, Masato. Trust us."

Makoto Kino has posed:
Makoto shakes her head, smiling fondly. "That's very sweet," she tells Masato. "It doesn't do much to help me make sure you get something you really like--" a teasing laugh bubbles under her voice, softening any actual criticism out of it, "but it's very sweet. All right!"

With this declaration, she rises from her seat. "If I'm going to have something ready tomorrow, I'd better get going on it. Hi, Mamoru-san, we're planning Masato-kun's birthday. Bye, Mamoru-san."

With amused deliberation, she bows to Mamoru and Anko, then turns and crosses the few steps needed so she can bend and kiss the top of Masato's head. "See you soon."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"We're planning his birthday, Mamochan! Come and help, and convince him we can't all just get him cards!"

She waves for Mamoru to come and sit next to her, but then Makoto has to leave to do birthday treat making, which is fair, and her gestures turn to indicating Mamoru should sit next to Masato. She's got a little notepad out. She's starting to work on that letter.

Nephrite has posed:
Masato preens a little for the kiss as Makoto sets off to bake things, but he chuckles at Minako. "Alright. I'll trust that your banged up old Karaoke machine won't electrocute anyone."

He turns his grin to Mamoru and Anko, "Barbeque and drinks tomorrow night sound good to you?"

Well. Things were certainly different, this year.