[ It's true, he has said some pretty damn wild things to his bromies. Don't worry about it. He was definitely not imagining your smile when you see it on a rosy background or anything. ]
It's called a "dreamcatcher". You hang it up somewhere-- in your bedroom, I suppose-- and it wards off most of your nightmares. Or... "catches" them? It is really more of a "nightmarecatcher" in that case, but that is a little clunky to say, so I am not surprised they did not go with that for the marketing.
[ The expression of confusion shifts to doubt, turning the dreamcatcher this way and that. Could that really work? Doesn't feel like it should work.
Then again, he can also conjure wind and heal small wounds with a thought now, so ... What does he know? ]
Hmm.
[ He doesn't smile or say thank you or anything like that, of course. But he does get off the bed and throws a look around for somewhere to hang it, then steps over to the window to tie it to the curtain pole. The only thing he can do is try it out. ]
[ It shouldn't, but neither should all the things they've been able to do here. All this "magic". At this point, why not try it out? The worst that could happen is it doesn't work. ]
[ Zura does not seem discouraged by that apparent lack of reaction in the slightest -- and maybe he's aware that Gintoki actually finding a place to hang it immediately is an incredible show of appreciation. So he just smiles and claps his hands together like a kindergarten teacher trying to garner excitement for the next activity of the day. ]
So! What would you like to do, Gintoki?
[ He'll even go along with it! Unless it's something too unacceptable, but that's unlikely. Not that that's really anything unusual nowadays. They've been spending quite a lot of time together, each the other's closest connection to home. ]
[ He considers grousing at Gintoki about eating a proper breakfast first, but it is his birthday, and supposedly diabetes can not kill him here, so... perhaps it's fine, for just one day. ]
[ It also makes him happy that he's evidently willing to eat his cooking this time. ]
[ He also suspects there are some (low energy) activities hiding behind that "nothing", so he won't complain about Gintoki's boring plans too much, though he still exhales in that half-amused way that basically says, "Well, what can you do." ]
Very well.
[ He hops off the bed and goes to prepare tea water (though there's every chance that Gintoki will want to chug his disgusting strawberry milk instead, which Katsura steels himself not to protest today). Gintoki will find that a suspiciously ice-cream-machine sized spot has been cleared on the kitchen counter where it would be convenient to have something like that standing on the regular. He sets down a couple of plates and mugs, and then goes to retrieve his cake creation out of the fridge. ]
[ (Yes, there will probably be 27 candles on it. Or one of those big candles that are shaped like numbers.) ]
[ Does Gintoki wonder if said baked good will be laced with laxatives? Of course he does. But he has also decided that if it is, he'll still eat it because it's his birthday and Zura made it. And he will happily put the ice cream machine in that prepared spot, then excitedly mess around with it while Zura sets the table.
As soon as he's got the machine working on some ice cream, he turns back around to see what exactly Zura made. And, well, colour him impressed. ]
[ Now that's true love dedication! Just because of this, the cake will actually turn out to be perfectly harmless and even tasty! Because the beauty of friendship has to be rewarded sometimes. At least one day out of 365. ]
[ It's still a bit askew and the cream and strawberries are smeared in a not very decorative way, but hopefully no one here cares too much about the aesthetics. There's clearly effort put into it! In fact, Zura's pretty proud of it, so he nods. ]
I did. I think it came out quite well.
[ It didn't even somehow turn into fried rice, for one! ]
[ The aesthetics of cake - of desserts in general, really - is sort of important. There's nothing quite like looking at a very beautiful cake or parfait or cupcake. But, no, he doesn't care all that much, especially not when the cream is evenly spread and the strawberries evenly placed.
He doesn't say anything else, but the almost-awe is visible on his face the moment before he goes to grab strawberry milk from the fridge and then sit down at the table. ]
[ Listen, maybe it is, but surely the love it was made with can make up for the lack of it!! ]
[ Zura's still making tea because that's apparently just a breakfast ritual for him at this point, but he says nothing about the strawberry milk. Perhaps his close run-in with Hijikata and his mayonnaise coffee has given some immunity to being unsettled by questionable beverage choices. ]
[ At least something good came out of the catfishing.
After grabbing a glass and putting that and the milk on the table, he sits. While Zura is making tea, though, he'll be good and not blow out the candles or cut into the cake. This patience better be appreciated. ]
[ It's true, that's probably the main benefit of it. He didn't even get any particularly good information out of it. Bummer. ]
[ The patience is indeed appreciated. Honestly, Katsura wasn't even expecting Gintoki to wait for him, but once he catches on that that's indeed what is going on, he'll finish up quickly and take a seat, feeling some sort of way, and it might reflect in how his eyes seem to soften further when he looks at him and nudges the cake knife toward him. Go on, then. ]
Happy birthday~ to~ you--
[ Yeah. He hadn't actually said it until now, and now he's singing it, probably a little off-key. At least it's not long? Happy birthday, Gintoki. ]
Off-key and sort of terrible, and he wouldn't have it any other way. Afterwards, he makes a wish and blows out the candles, and wastes no time cutting up a biiig slice of cake. He almost looks a little excited. ]
[ Good. He should be! This means he has spent another year alive, even if part of it wasn't with all of them this time. But still. It's really more this fact than any particular date that Katsura wants to celebrate. ]
[ He does the best impression of an applause he can muster on his own when Gintoki blows out the candles -- luckily, nothing explodes -- and probably looks excited enough for them both. He has high hopes for the verdict of this culinary venture!! ]
[ In the meantime, there is a bit of an odd sense of peace and melancholy when none of that gets interrupted. No excitable brats making a ruckus, no bazooka shells blowing out a hole in the wall, nobody getting smacked with a placard. It's just them. ]
[ But, on the bright side, it's both of them, still alive, doing well. ]
[ It really is way too peaceful. That thought has crossed Gintoki's mind many times since their arrival here, and it's another reason he asked Zura to move in with him. He's not used to being alone anymore and he prefers it that way.
This peace is pretty bittersweet, but at least they're not alone.
Speaking of interruptions-- It isn't really one, but Sadaharu comes in at about the same time that Gintoki puts the knife down with the handle in Zura's direction. For now, the dog only sits down next to the table to watch, as Gintoki takes a spoonful of the cake and puts it in his mouth. ]
[ It's a little sad that he had enough time to get used to it in the first place (though perhaps not fully, not entirely, because an old lady downstairs is still not quite nobody). But that's good. Perhaps neither of them is truly cut out for solitude. ]
[ And, well. If it's lack of peace he wants, he has certainly made the right choice. ]
Ah. [ Katsura regards Sadaharu as he slowly cuts himself a slice -- much smaller than Gintoki's, of course, he's mostly doing this for company though he is also curious if it came out as well as he hoped -- and glances toward Gintoki. ] Should I get a third plate?
[ It's a good cake. It could perhaps be fluffier, but it's rich and flavourful and sweet. Gintoki doesn't react in a particularly noticeable way, but his eyebrows rise a little and he quickly gets another spoon of it. ]
Guess you better or he might swallow the whole thing.
[ Sure, Sadaharu easily reaches the table but-- Really? Gintoki leans over to take the plate and put it down, but before he gets that far the dog leans in and takes the whole slice in one bite.
[ Assuming he's been informed about the reasons for Sadaharu's several day of monstrous size he probably witnessed from a distance if nothing else-- ]
...Fair enough.
[ Hopefully the pup is placated by the piece of cake he got and doesn't try to swallow the rest. Katsura will volunteer to walk him if Gintoki would rather stay inside today, otherwise they can both have a pleasant walk in the park and return to rot on the couch together. Perhaps they can borrow a game console from a neighbor, otherwise it's probably going to be Annika's Heart marathon time, or whatever else Gintoki decides he wants to do. ]
[ The pup will be placated by the piece of cake, especially since he quickly enough gets fed regular dog food.
Gintoki will also come along for at least one walk, then there will be UNO and an Annika's Heart marathon. It is the perfect day, just as he predicted. It would've only been better if the brats had been here too. ]
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It's called a "dreamcatcher". You hang it up somewhere-- in your bedroom, I suppose-- and it wards off most of your nightmares. Or... "catches" them? It is really more of a "nightmarecatcher" in that case, but that is a little clunky to say, so I am not surprised they did not go with that for the marketing.
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Then again, he can also conjure wind and heal small wounds with a thought now, so ... What does he know? ]
Hmm.
[ He doesn't smile or say thank you or anything like that, of course. But he does get off the bed and throws a look around for somewhere to hang it, then steps over to the window to tie it to the curtain pole. The only thing he can do is try it out. ]
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[ Zura does not seem discouraged by that apparent lack of reaction in the slightest -- and maybe he's aware that Gintoki actually finding a place to hang it immediately is an incredible show of appreciation. So he just smiles and claps his hands together like a kindergarten teacher trying to garner excitement for the next activity of the day. ]
So! What would you like to do, Gintoki?
[ He'll even go along with it! Unless it's something too unacceptable, but that's unlikely. Not that that's really anything unusual nowadays. They've been spending quite a lot of time together, each the other's closest connection to home. ]
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[ Cuddle Sadaharu, watch soaps, play UNO ... It'll be a perfect day.
But, first, he's going to pick up the ice cream machine to go and find somewhere to put it. ]
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[ It also makes him happy that he's evidently willing to eat his cooking this time. ]
[ He also suspects there are some (low energy) activities hiding behind that "nothing", so he won't complain about Gintoki's boring plans too much, though he still exhales in that half-amused way that basically says, "Well, what can you do." ]
Very well.
[ He hops off the bed and goes to prepare tea water (though there's every chance that Gintoki will want to chug his disgusting strawberry milk instead, which Katsura steels himself not to protest today). Gintoki will find that a suspiciously ice-cream-machine sized spot has been cleared on the kitchen counter where it would be convenient to have something like that standing on the regular. He sets down a couple of plates and mugs, and then goes to retrieve his cake creation out of the fridge. ]
[ (Yes, there will probably be 27 candles on it. Or one of those big candles that are shaped like numbers.) ]
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and Zura made it. And he will happily put the ice cream machine in that prepared spot, then excitedly mess around with it while Zura sets the table.As soon as he's got the machine working on some ice cream, he turns back around to see what exactly Zura made. And, well, colour him impressed. ]
You actually made a cake?
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true lovededication! Just because of this, the cake will actually turn out to be perfectly harmless and even tasty! Because the beauty of friendship has to be rewarded sometimes. At least one day out of 365. ][ It's still a bit askew and the cream and strawberries are smeared in a not very decorative way, but hopefully no one here cares too much about the aesthetics. There's clearly effort put into it! In fact, Zura's pretty proud of it, so he nods. ]
I did. I think it came out quite well.
[ It didn't even somehow turn into fried rice, for one! ]
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He doesn't say anything else, but the almost-awe is visible on his face the moment before he goes to grab strawberry milk from the fridge and then sit down at the table. ]
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[ Zura's still making tea because that's apparently just a breakfast ritual for him at this point, but he says nothing about the strawberry milk. Perhaps his close run-in with Hijikata and his mayonnaise coffee has given some immunity to being unsettled by questionable beverage choices. ]
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After grabbing a glass and putting that and the milk on the table, he sits. While Zura is making tea, though, he'll be good and not blow out the candles or cut into the cake. This patience better be appreciated. ]
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[ The patience is indeed appreciated. Honestly, Katsura wasn't even expecting Gintoki to wait for him, but once he catches on that that's indeed what is going on, he'll finish up quickly and take a seat, feeling some sort of way, and it might reflect in how his eyes seem to soften further when he looks at him and nudges the cake knife toward him. Go on, then. ]
Happy birthday~ to~ you--
[ Yeah. He hadn't actually said it until now, and now he's singing it, probably a little off-key. At least it's not long? Happy birthday, Gintoki. ]
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Off-key and sort of terrible, and he wouldn't have it any other way. Afterwards, he makes a wish and blows out the candles, and wastes no time cutting up a biiig slice of cake. He almost looks a little excited. ]
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[ He does the best impression of an applause he can muster on his own when Gintoki blows out the candles -- luckily, nothing explodes -- and probably looks excited enough for them both. He has high hopes for the verdict of this culinary venture!! ]
[ In the meantime, there is a bit of an odd sense of peace and melancholy when none of that gets interrupted. No excitable brats making a ruckus, no bazooka shells blowing out a hole in the wall, nobody getting smacked with a placard. It's just them. ]
[ But, on the bright side, it's both of them, still alive, doing well. ]
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This peace is pretty bittersweet, but at least they're not alone.
Speaking of interruptions-- It isn't really one, but Sadaharu comes in at about the same time that Gintoki puts the knife down with the handle in Zura's direction. For now, the dog only sits down next to the table to watch, as Gintoki takes a spoonful of the cake and puts it in his mouth. ]
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[ And, well. If it's lack of peace he wants, he has certainly made the right choice. ]
Ah. [ Katsura regards Sadaharu as he slowly cuts himself a slice -- much smaller than Gintoki's, of course, he's mostly doing this for company though he is also curious if it came out as well as he hoped -- and glances toward Gintoki. ] Should I get a third plate?
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Guess you better or he might swallow the whole thing.
[ Now, shh, he's eating. ]
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...That is a fair observation.
[ He gets a plate, puts a generous slice of cake on it, and pushes it toward the edge of the table closest to Sadaharu. ]
There you go, Sadaharu-dono. It's nice to have you here for the joyous occasion of celebrating your owner.
[ He does apparently expect the giant puppy to eat with them rather than on the floor. ]
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[ Sure, Sadaharu easily reaches the table but-- Really? Gintoki leans over to take the plate and put it down, but before he gets that far the dog leans in and takes the whole slice in one bite.
Well.
Great, he didn't topple the table. ]
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[ Still talking to the dog... ]
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[ S T O P ]
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[ UNSHAKEABLE ]
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[ Sure, tea shouldn't be a problem, but he doesn't want to find out. ]
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...Fair enough.
[ Hopefully the pup is placated by the piece of cake he got and doesn't try to swallow the rest. Katsura will volunteer to walk him if Gintoki would rather stay inside today, otherwise they can both have a pleasant walk in the park and return to rot on the couch together. Perhaps they can borrow a game console from a neighbor, otherwise it's probably going to be Annika's Heart marathon time, or whatever else Gintoki decides he wants to do. ]
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Gintoki will also come along for at least one walk, then there will be UNO and an Annika's Heart marathon. It is the perfect day, just as he predicted. It would've only been better if the brats had been here too. ]