Max's Birthday Month! OTA

[maximumcake]

Who: Max Maximum & Open
What: It's Max's birthday month
When: Through December, His birthday is the 20th
Where: The bakery, Max and Valdis's Home
Warnings: NSFW content must be marked appropriately



Nose to the grindstone
Early in the month, Max realizes that his store of powdered beet sugar is finally starting to run dangerously low. It's all the macarons and sugar cookies with royal icing he's been making, he's sure. They've been flying out the door of the bakery just as fast as he can pipe them. Not that he blames anyone, but even raising the prices couldn't slow sales down. He's finally forced to admit that he needs help. Like, a lot of it.

That's when a new post goes up on the bulletin board:

WANTED:
Strong arms for grinding. Must be willing to do repetitive motions for extended periods of time. One free pastry of choice for every pound created. Inquire with Max Maximum at the Bakers' Bakery!

What he means is that he's asking people to come help grind powdered sugar in a mortar and pestle for a few hours, but one could be forgiven for not quite getting the same message.

Those who haven't checked the notices might still be invited to help out if they happen to pass by the bakery during daylight hours. Max will be out in the street with the automatic mixer and grinder tool Bart invented for him, grinding away for hours and hours making as much powdered sugar as he can stand.

As people pass by, he gives them the big brown eyes, "Would you like to help?" If they say yes, he will set them up in front of that same grinder and show them how to crank the arm. Then, Max will take up a spare mortar and pestle and start manually grinding more. No time to lose.

"I appreciate the help," he'll say, pounding away with his sleeves rolled up, forearms glistening in the winter sun, "I can't believe I let it get away from me like this..."


Happy Birthday!
On December 20th, it will become clear why Max was so desperate to get more powdered sugar. The centerpiece of his entire party is this macaron tower But, let's back up a little.

Over the month, Max will be going around delivering cards to all of his friends and acquaintances. They're invitations to a 'small' birthday party he's throwing himself out at the home he shares with Valdis. It will be an open house affair taking place all day on December 20th. He plans to have food and drinks but nothing 'too fancy,' he simply wants everyone to come by for as long as they feel like to hang out and spend time with him. No gifts necessary, he just wants time with his friends.

In addition to the cards and personal invites, he also hangs a post on the bulletin board inviting anyone in town to come and visit. Truly, all are welcome. That includes pets!


***

[For Valdis]
The day of December 20th arrives at last! Max has been giddy with excitement waiting for it all month. He asked for the day off of work for this (and so has Valdis) but he still wakes up early so he can put the finishing touches on all of his cooking and baking plans. Some decorating, too. He told Valdis to sleep in as long as she could because she was out late, so he's alone in the kitchen for now...except for the various cat and Pokémon companions that are all sniffing the air and salivating over what they smell. But that's what they do every morning.

He hears a creak from upstairs and smiles. Valdis must be awake. He'd better hurry and put these heart-shaped pancakes on the table before she comes down. It's a surprise. He's already smiling to himself, picturing her face when she sees them.

[For Ylva]
Max kept his own plate of pancakes light this morning because he has early brunch plans with Ylva. She may not have as much of a sweet tooth, but she knows good meat. (Not that kind, shh.) Max asked her over to help him build up the pit for the fire. She's better at this than he is.

"Morning!" he says as he rushes to give her a big bear hug and a headbutt for good measure. "I really appreciate you offering to run the meat station for me today. I've been hankering for more of your perfectly cooked steaks, you know?"

[OTA]
With Valdis and Ylva's help, Max manages to get everything just perfectly where he wants it. There's a buffet of different cake and pastry options on the kitchen table, with the tower of macarons as the centerpiece. No matter how many people come and how much cake they eat, the table never seems to run out. It's almost miraculous. There's also, of course, tea, coffee, and wine to go along with it as beverages.

Max will spend much of the day loitering around the sweets table, so it will be very easy to catch up with him. The first thing he wants to know, of course, is, "How do you like the macarons?" He's very proud of them, even if he will have blisters for weeks.

When he's not in the kitchen or near the cake table, he's outside hanging alongside Ylva in the meat-cooking area. Cake is nice, but it's hard to just have sweets alone. He wants to make sure there are some savory options as well. Ylva has become a pro at this, so he's taking the opportunity to actually sit and relax a little on his own birthday. Imagine that?

"Try the deer," he says to anyone that comes up to the fire, "It's delicious."

In addition to the cake and meat selection, there's one more food table of note: Pokémon specific treats! Max is considering this a soft launch for the new item he plans to introduce in the bakery. Poke-puffs, based on the recipes he got from the Poke Center, so he can guarantee they are completely safe for Pokémon consumption.

"Try one of the poke-puffs!" he encourages to anyone that seems hesitant. "Well, not you. I mean feed one to your pet. They'll love it, I promise."

[ooc: Totally fine to do mingles on this post; it's a party! Assume there's standard party setup with tables chairs and blankets to sit on spread around where appropriate. Max didn't make a present table because he didn't ask for any but someone can make their own if they feel like it.]

[NSFW]
As it is his birthday, he's feeling pretty randy. He won't hold back flirting, and if anyone starts to really mean it back, he might just be up for showing them his birthday suit. But he has to feel he can trust them enough, and he'd really rather find somewhere that's not the house--to spare not only Valdis but any visitors who may show up with awkward timing. Either way, he just wants to have a good time today with his friends and family.

[ooc: Putting it out there that I'm open to doing some light NSFW smut on-screen but I'm also just as good with FTB and aftermath threads. Trying to dip my toe in slowly. My game inbox for Max is HERE if anyone wants to take it there instead.]

Comments

John Rambo | OTA | CW: possible NSFW content in threads

[theydrewfirstblood]

Birthday Party

John's done at least one round, if not more, of sugar grinding for Max--and when he gets the invitation and realizes why the poor bastard was running so low, he's tempted to buy one of his pastries and smash it in his face. With a lot of love and affection, but still.

So when he arrives, it's not empty handed: along with a whole basket of fry bread, dandelion syrup, and some really great preserves he's been buying in town and kind of gotten hooked on, he has a present for Max he's going to put right in his hands. Idiot thinks he has to bribe friends to help bake for his birthday...

John's painfully fond of him, and it's enough that he does pretty well at the gathering. He socializes a little, he's not too much of a wallflower--and best of all, he's able to eat one and a half macarons before nerves get the better of him.

And he finishes a whole cup of coffee. All in all...he's damn proud of himself.

[[NSFW]]

It's later in the party that John finds Max, a small deerskin pouch in hand. The present is inside, but he made the bag, too--a small, second gift.

"Next time you try to give me a damn thing for helpin' you with birthday prep? I'll get you something store bought, spend a ton of brass, 'n then you'll be sorry." he teases, handing Max the pouch. "Hell, just in general--you wanna see me flex, just ask."

He blames the sugar for letting that come out of his mouth--but there it is. And yes, he's blushing.

And inside the pouch, Max will find a simple, but well made pendant made of bone with a couple of metal beads on either side, strung onto a leather cord.

"Happy birthday, nerd."

CW: possible NSFW content in threads :]

[maximumcake]

Max tried his best to stress that no gifts were necessary but he isn't actually disappointed to receive such a bounty from John. He's even going to be selfish about it and keep all the jam and honey for himself (no matter how tempted he is to set it out for others to try.) He accepts the gift with a bright smile and a hug and promises to put it away inside for later.

Speaking of later, Max is astonished to find the gifts are still coming. His eyes get a little glassy as he takes the pouch. Just that would be an excellent gift. He can see himself wearing his keys around his neck in it when he goes into wolf form. But that's nothing compared to the pendant inside.

"Thank you so much. This is beautiful. I can tell you put so much care into it." He's blushing a little too, which looks funny when he's pouting playfully at the same time over being called a nerd.

His voice dips into an unfairly deep baritone as he teases back, "I always want to see you flex~"

[howtheyshine]

Yellow watches that second half of a macaron with growing dismay for about three minutes before he makes himself known by saying, "Why aren't you eating it?"

That's it that's the tag.

Nose to the grindstone

[lovinglefthand]

One of First Aid's friends might yell at him for it at some point, but he really can't think of a better use for his time off than helping out at the bakery. Max's pastries are so good, helping him is basically a public service! So you can count on First Aid being there bright and early to help out.

"Hi Max!" First Aid calls out to him as he pulls up next to the bakery, transforming out of carriage mode with the usual whirr. "What are we grinding? Your notice didn't say!"

[maximumcake]

"Hi," Max waves enthusiastically to the carriage, treating this as nothing out of the ordinary. The conversation doesn't miss a beat. "It didn't...? Oops!"

Max slaps his own forehead, cheeks a little flushed in embarrassment but mostly the amused kind. "I can't believe I forgot to say, but it's powdered sugar. I try to make a little of it every day to keep up with how much I use, but recently I've been slacking off." That's not really true. It's not that he's slacking, it's that he's using more of it than he used to now that he has a steady supply of almonds to source for almond flour.

"I start with beet sugar, but it needs to be ground into a powder form. This was a lot easier when I had electric appliances..."

Birthday Breakfast

[redlightgreenlight]

Her late nights often don't correspond with Max's early mornings and as much as she doesn't need sleep, she values that Max wants her to, so she stays in bed until her normal time to rise. It doesn't take much for her to get ready, and there won't be any guests for several hours, so she grabs a robe and heads downstairs to find Max and their menagerie busy in the kitchen. Shasta and Ava come over to greet her, Anani winds around Max's feet and Crumpet is dutifully helping as always.

At least one of the four house pets was useful.

Her eyes light up when he sets the pancakes down on the table.

"Good morning, my love," she says. "I thought I was supposed to be spoiling you, today, but I should know better."

Re: Birthday Breakfast

[maximumcake]

"Yeah," he says with giddy glee, "treating people is what I love most, so you know I have to."

Now that his hands are free, he steps around the animals and reaches for her, intending to lean in and give her a good morning kiss. "Not just a good morning, my love, it's the best morning because I'm spending it with you."

Combat Drill to the grindstone

[rexthebuilder]

Rex sees the ad and realizes that pastries are things he can actually work towards receiving. Because buying them is out of the question since César won't let him spend his last 100 Brass, saying he needs to 'save' and that they've got desserts at home, ugh. But he wants multiple pastries, and they mostly ever got cakes and those already made danishes in the Providence cafeteria.

He runs over because sometimes it's fun to just. Take a run instead of flying, and it isn't too far away to trigger the "ugh, walking" reaction.

The door to the shop opens maybe a bit more forcibly than is polite, and an excited teenager comes in. "I can grind! Better than anyone here!"

he's a growing boy!

[maximumcake]

No one tell Rex that if he mentions those horrible pre-made danishes in earshot, Max will feel honor-bound to give him some actually good ones.

Max's pet fidough, Crumpet, lifts her head off the pillow in alarm as the door flies open, but she stays where she is once she sees it's just a teen.

"Bold claim," Max says with a laugh from behind the counter. "Let's see if you can back them up Mister...?"

[actuallyawolf]

She clings to him tightly, even as she snorts with laughter.

"Don't say perfect, I can't do perfect." There will be at least a few over or undercooked steaks, though she's definitely getting better. It's a process. "I don't mind. Gives me something to do, and it's practice."

Ylva takes a moment to kiss him, lingeringly.

[maximumcake]

"I can say they're perfect if they're perfect for me," he protests playfully.

She wins the argument by default with that lingering kiss. He can't help but be drawn into her, greedy for more, holding her closer and forgetting where he is, too lost in the moment. She might have to remind him they are supposed to be doing something. Or not :3

grind, children, grind

[tehilim127_1]

Max gets a call by Sending Stone the day after the bulletin board post goes up.

"Mr. Maximum? Hi, this is Zivia Birnbaum. I don't think we've properly met?"

[maximumcake]

"That's me," he answers brightly. "Call me Max. No, I don't think we have formally met, yet. What can I do for you?"

Edgar | OTA birthday mingle

[hate_gettin_older]

Edgar's here, and dressed up by his standards -- spotlessly clean blue jeans, his one pair of really nice shoes, a snowy white shirt, the amber-yellow vest from the suit he and Max picked out at the Black Stag lodge, and several strings of multicolored beads.

(If this were back at Ainmhian, he might have glitter in his hair too. But then, if this were back there, this might be a different sort of party.)

He's brought a gift for Max, a bulky package wrapped in layers of glossy soft paper and tied with ribbon, and is eagerly awaiting the opportunity to present it. But it's a party, and that means he's also here to have fun with other people! Come say hi.

[maximumcake]

"Edgar!" Max races up to him with his arms open wide. Hug protocol initiated.

He also takes a moment to admire the outfit, looking him up and down with a wolf whistle. "I like your style. Especially the neckbeads. Hey, look, it's not beads but I kinda match," he lifts the carved bone pendant shaped like a feather to show Edgar. John just gave it to him as a present.

Speaking of presents. "Did you bring me something? You know I don't need any gifts..." but he also looks like he really wants to open it and see what's inside.

Lord Erik Osborne | OTA Party Mingle

[lordoftheozarks]

Vampires can still cry. The proof is that Erik is standing here with fresh tear tracks down his cheeks, holding one of Max's chocolate macarons that has only the tiniest little bite taken out of it.

These are so good. He knew they would be, because Max made them but... these are SO good he's actually crying with joy. His worst regret is that he can probably only eat one without getting sick. He'll just have to take his time savoring it, one tiny nibble at a time.

He's been here since a little after noon. Max is now the proud new owner of a sandwich press (he's promised to make Erik's first grilled cheese sandwich on it later today.) Until then, Erik plans to hang around mostly outside alternating between chatting with other visitors and crying into his cake and pastries.

He brought his (now) haunter, Maxly, along with him, too, but the mischievous ghost type has already floated off somewhere to, Erik suspects, get himself into trouble with his brand new hands. Erik is half-right. Is it really getting in trouble if Maxly is just using his new hands to steal more puffs from the poke-treat table--and maybe feed a few of them to the other pokemon in the house while he's at it?

Crawls from the rubble of finals

[goodweather]

"Erik!"

Phil jogs over; he's wearing an eyepatch, and true to Erik's advice, it matches his outfit's accent material and color. He's been circulating and being friendly, but here's a man who practically saved half his life, and yes he's going to be that dramatic when it comes to the affairs of his appearance because it matters to him, okay???? Okay?? (And of course, more than that, it's allowed him to compensate for his disability with... not even a lack of shame, but a measure of pride.)

But he slows a little when he gets close, a look of mild concern g rowing on his face. "Oh, uh--... are you... is this a bad time?"

Starting with Grindstone. Because he would.

[medekh]

Artemy notices the Wanted message posted. And notices who it's signed by. And has not forgotten Max's kindness on his first social event in Pumpkin Hollow.

Not by a long shot.

So Artemy finds himself at his Bakery. Ready to work. But he'll shoo Max away from the manual mortar and pestle, sitting down himself at it.

"I've ground herbs since childhood, and my arms are bigger than yours." He says so not as a way to brag, but just as a matter of fact. Artemy's taking off his winter jacket and rolling up the sleeves on his knitted sweater in preparation to get to work, "I came to help, and help I shall. Sit over there." He says, gesturing to the automated contraption.

:)

[maximumcake]

"If you're sure...?" Max answers reluctantly, though he is definitely eyeing those muscles. He doesn't doubt Artemy has the brawn for it. He might not be able to take his eyes off of it.

Back with his automatic grinder, Max starts it up again, chatting as he cranks, "How are you settling in? I've seen you around at the festivals and stuff. Looks like you're making friends."

Nose to the grindstone but he's also totally crashing the party

[howtheyshine]

Yellow saw the sign. He saw the reward for things ground. He can grind things, that's easy. And he likes pastries.

So in he marches, Dogbear the maschiff at his heels, and he walks up to the counter and slaps it a couple of times to get Max's attention.

"What do I need to crush?"

lol

[maximumcake]

"I'll be right over," Max says, laughing a little in response to the counter-slapping. He likes pastries too, he gets it. Crumpet, Max's Fidough who sleeps in a dog bed by the door all day, is less enthused because it has disturbed her good nap...until she notices Dogbear. Oh, never mind, a new friend!

While Crumpet gets up to come sniff at Dogbear, Max finishes putting a new row of croissants into the display and straightens to say a proper hello. "Hi there! You must have seen my note on the board. I have sugar that needs to be turned into powder. Think you help?"

for max.

[decrypter]

No presents is a strange ask, Helena thinks, when they're in a place where they finally can properly celebrate birthdays. But Max's wish is Max's wish, and the most she has is an envelope in her bag and her own presence, showing up for a little while to offer good wishes and to bask in the company of friends. Sure, Max has a lot of them, but at the least, she knows this space, and can always take a seat if it's too much.

Everyone gets greetings, and she keeps her ears ready for the birthday boy - she can hardly wait to give him the card. Moments like this, she can almost forget the ice outside in favor of joy.

[maximumcake]

Here he comes. His energetic footsteps are always easy to detect. "Helena!" he says, and the pace increases as he all but runs to her.

"Glad you're here! Can I get you some cake?"

Arthur Lester | OTA | Possible mentions of disordered eating

[lestercraft]

It's the poster on the community board that draws his attention to the party. And despite the genuine concern that there'll be more people from wherever Crichton and Fever came from, that perhaps they'll take his presence less amenably - his curiosity won't be denied, and so he turns up largely just to mingle and at least try to get to know more of the other immigrants.

He hovers around the macarons a little, at the very least trying them, but his sweet tooth runs out quickly and he certainly doesn't want any of the meat yet, so he sort of just hovers awkwardly by the front doors, debating how quickly he should slip away unnoticed.

[howtheyshine]

There is someone WATCHING YOU, ARTHUR.

It is Yellow.

He is methodically eating a pastry while staring in slight suspicion, like a kid sizing up a new classmate on the playground.

Eventually, he migrates close enough to say, "Why can you see here?"

Valdis | OTA

[redlightgreenlight]

Valdis greets everyone with a stunning smile and a welcome, mingling and laughing with anyone she knows and those who just happened to see the poster Max put up. Opening her home up to so many people goes against her every instinct, but it's not just her home anymore.

"Please eat more of the macarons, they are delicious, I cannot store them after tonight and I definitely cannot eat the leftovers on my own."

[ss_buttcrack]

Crichton and Max may have gotten off on an awkward foot due the whole... rebounding with Arthur thing, but, that's water under the bridge now and considering this is one of his big sister's closest loves, he really should make the effort to stop being so awkward around the big lug. So, here he is to show support and definitely not because he heard there was going to be food.

"Don't have to twist my arm," he jokes, while having five macarons stacked on his plate already. "Lovely party so far. Haven't seen the birthday boy yet, though. He must be popular. How're you doing?"

Happy Birthday <3 CW: possible NSFW content in thread

[battlebyballad]

Music was honored to be invited to Max's party, and decided she wouldn't miss it for the world. After all, he'd never been anything but lovely to her and lovely to look at. He's at the sweets table when she arrives, and she wastes no time crossing the room to greet him.

"Ten wishes, King-of-the-day. Such a wonderful in such a beautiful home."

Re: Happy Birthday <3 CW: possible NSFW content in thread

[maximumcake]

"King of the day!" he echoes her, "I like that. Thank you. I really do feel like a king today. King of the baking too, look at all this. Help yourself to whatever you see. It's delicious I promise."

grindstone

[closureisformovies]

Whilst Alice will certainly be there on his actual birthday, she first turns up during Max's sugar grinding era. Does she have particularly strong arms? No. Does she even have much endurance? No. But—

"—maybe hard physical labour will fix me." Beat. "And if that doesn't do it staring at your arms might."

[maximumcake]

"Now I see why you're really here," Max snorts. For the record, she's not the first and Max doesn't disapprove at all.

"Don't know what part of you needs fixing, but I guess it's worth a try."

for max, let's see where the probable flirting goes

[liesdontfindyou]

CT swings by the party out of a mix of curiosities, mostly. Hard not to hear about Max and his baking at some point, especially when he's the partner of someone she works relatively closely with. She doesn't even really intend to stay too long—give birthday wishes, be a little social, try some of the food—but that doesn't mean she won't be convinced to stay a little longer.

"This is a very impressive spread you're putting on," she compliments, when she gets chance. "Most people would leave the work to someone else on their own birthday."

;3

[maximumcake]

Max can be very convincing~

"Thank you," he answers proudly, "I know. But for me, hosting is something that brings me joy so I wanted to do it this way. Have you tried any of the food yet. Can I get you a plate? You're CT, right? You work with Valdis. Nice to meet you, officially."

post-birthday wildcard

[hadnoright]

Daisy drops by the open house party just long enough to give Max a hug, a brand new novelty apron, and eat a few of the baked treats before leaving him to it. Parties with their potential crowds are still a sometimes food for her and she knows Max won't mind, and he can enjoy the rest of his day as he fancies.

She comes by again later the next day. Gets her morning Hunt in, cleans up, then heads to his place.

"You alive? Or've you been reduced to a dehydrated husk?"

i love her jokes

[maximumcake]

"Ha, ha very funny," Max says in mock dryness, before he adds, "It was a close call, honestly. Ylva and Valdis both had it out for me in the best way." He looks rather smug about it, actually. Daisy will, unfortunately, be able to verify that truth. The man still smells like six different kinds of sex even after several showers.

"I'm in the middle of frying bacon. Come on in." He waves her through the door, where she'll get a better look at him in his brand new apron. All smiles. He loves it. "I got some coffee brewing, too."