Being discreet wasn’t his thing; he tried to keep it a surprise, nice and steady, slow with each silent step. Then those silent steps became erupt and loud, echoing with excitement as they grew closer to the Scorpio Saint at an alarming rate. “Oi, Kaaarrdddiiiiaaa!!!”
And with one swift motion, Manigoldo wrapped his left arm around Kardia’s neck and shoulders, pulling him into a half-embrace. That very left arm’s hand held a big, rosy red glistening with running water droplets and a freshly carved ‘Happy Birthday’ onto its surface. The Cancerian had a small sack with him, exuding the scent of baked goods and the clanking of glass. Manigoldo held the apple to Kardia’s face, grinning lazily with narrowed eyes mumbling. “Happy Birthday, Kar! It’s the only day I’ll be very nice to you.”
---
Waking up had never been Kardia’s forté- While one could see that during the day the Scorpio Saint apparently had a sort of unlimited source of energy, after a night of sleep, Kardia needed at the very least half an hour or so before someone could actually consider him as ‘awake’. And yet, even if that drowsy state of his, where everything was somewhat numbed, he could hear it.
The booming sound of... Steps? Someone running inside his Temple? His brain couldn’t properly process that thought as ‘someone is coming’, it just stopped at ‘someone is walking’, so- No big deal, right? It became an actually HUGE deal when something (...A limb? Most certainly a limb.) was flinged around his neck and his whole body turned around only to be squished in what was most certainly a hug. “...Whaaa-?” And someone screaming his name. Someone terribly loud. Someone very crab-esque. “Manigoldo, what the hell, I ju- Is that an apple?” Of course his train of thoughts would stop and crash right at the fruit.
Then, after Manigoldo actually pointed out what was happening, Kardia practically woke up all of a sudden. “Already? You serious? Feels like yesterday when it was me wishing you a happy birthday, you old lobster.” The Scorpio Saint laughed pretty loudly, taking a second to bite a good chunk off the apple before wrapping his right arm around the Cancer Saint’s shoulder. “Thank you, crab- I am moved you remembered, really.” As casually as he could, the Greek vaguely pointed at the sack. “...Y’brought something to party with, I hope.”
