003 - [Video] Happy Birthday, Chloe Price.

[helladoomed]

[It's a little after noon when Chloe turns her communicator on. She's sitting on an old white plastic deck chair, and from the look of the buildings behind her, probably on a roof somewhere in Nonah. She's in a worn old white tanktop with a skull on the front, her jeans-covered legs propped up on something, her coat hanging off the back of her chair. She's spent the morning avoiding people, not answering her texts, just...brooding. There's a cigarette between her lips, and she takes a drag off it before she catches it with her other hand, her attention mostly on the phone.]

You ever think about time 'n shit? Like, how it hella doesn't make any sense here? Like, okay, back home, before I wound up here, it was 2013 right? In October.

[She leans back in her chair, resting the phone on her leg, tilted up so all the screen really catches is her face and neck and the clouds.]

Suddenly I'm here, it's three years and a couple months later. Just, wham, welcome to the future except it's a weird fucked up cold war version of the future. And I get like, it's way worse for other people, right? Pulled from other centuries or other fuckin' planets with their own weird-ass calendars but.

Three years.

[She's not even really sure what she's going on about, honestly. She'd been puzzling this over in her head all morning and hadn't gotten anywhere, so maybe she thought rambling out loud would help. It wasn't really working.]

So here we are, right? March 11th, 2016. Shit had gone different, I'd be twenty-two today.

[She hesitates, her gaze distant, up on the clouds as she took another puff off her cigarette.]

Instead, I guess I'm twenty. Sort of. Minus a couple months. Still my birthday though. [And then she smirks, pointing the two fingers holding her cigarette at the sky.] Fuck you, universe. Chloe Price made it to twenty after all.

[She scooped up the phone again, and for a second is framed in the picture again, the camera half-covered by her thumb as she reaches for the disconnect. Her voice is quieter again.]

Didn't see that comin'.

[Click.]

Comments

[subourbon]

I hope you like chocolate!

[She'd had to use the cafeteria kitchen at the school where Akito's birthday had been held, checking on the cake and putting it together whenever she had a moment. It's not up to her usual standard, but she's fairly certain it will be delicious nonetheless.]

[helladoomed]

I'm a fan. [She grinned, leaning over the cake, just kind of looking at it before she leaned back up.]

Seriously, this is hella awesome. You didn't have to do this.

[subourbon]

Well, it's your birthday. Everyone should have a cake for their birthday.

[Especially those people apparently separated from their loving mothers. She rummages around in her pocket and pulls out a small, colourful paper bag with this inside.]

And this is for you as well.

[helladoomed]

[Chloe was strangely touched by all this, and she just sort of smiled awkwardly (but happily) as she accepted the bag, peering into it.]

Huh.

[She pulled the little charm out, resting it on her palm, then grinned.] Nice. Thanks.

So, Sarah told me you guys have your birthday comin' up.

[subourbon]

Oh.

[Since her birthday is almost a month away, she can only assume this means they'll be adopting Sarah's birthday as their own. Great.]

Yes, well, that's true. We haven't discussed any plans yet.

[helladoomed]

[Well maybe if they weren't lying to her about it, she wouldn't make mistakes like that.]

Sarah said you guys didn't know each other when you were younger, right? Gotta have crazy big parties to make up for it now, I bet.

[subourbon]

[A "crazy big party" is the last thing Alison wants to add to her already long to-do list.]

I'm not sure that's in the cards for us, but we'll see.

[helladoomed]

Hey, your call. I can help if you want though. Won't even smoke around the decorations or anything.

[subourbon]

[Sound a little sarcastic:]

That's very thoughtful of you.

[helladoomed]

[Chloe deliberately grins right through that sarcasm.]

Hey, I'm a giver.

[subourbon]

... anyway, go get us some plate and utensils for your cakes. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to pick up candles.

[helladoomed]

Plates and forks, check.

[She disappears into the cabinets and emerges with plates and forks and a big cake knife.]

I think I'll live without getting to blow out a bunch of candles, Alison. The cake is more than enough.

[subourbon]

I know, I know, you're probably too old for them.

[But to Alison, candles seem integral to the birthday experience.]

Did you want to cut the cake, or should I?

[helladoomed]

Nah. [Chloe grins.] Never too old for candles.

Go crazy.

[She plops down at the table and hands over the knife.]

[subourbon]

[Alison cuts Chloe a generous slice and then a smaller piece for herself.]

Make sure you don't let Cosima eat all of it if she comes to visit.