Something's waiting on the counter of the bar in the Moonlight Roller when Wilford returns. Packaged in brown paper, it's not very exciting or visually appealing, though it is neatly tied up with twine with a card neatly tucked under it. Said card is also bland with a generic flower design on the front, and when opened, a crow feather can be found waiting inside, along with a very simple and to the point message.
Opening the box reveals a few things tucked inside; a leather pouch containing a rather fancy flip knife with a gorgeous wood and metal handle, a wooden puzzle, a trinket box (definitely stolen), and at the bottom was... another card?
Upon opening it, Wilford is met with a spray of glitter to the face and a loud, obnoxious chorus of "Happy Birthday" coming from a music chip.
— @alwayshorrible (wilf birthday!!!)
Wilford was downstairs, overseeing a roller skating party, leaving the running of the bar to his capable staff (it was good practice. They’d be in charge more as the Holiday season kicked in, after all!). As the partygoers took a break, he darted upstairs to make sure there wasn’t too much chaos - life always needs some madness, after all! - he was surprised to see the staff gesturing for him at the bar. There, waiting on the table, was a brown paper package tied up with string (Wilford knew that reference!).
“Aw, guys, ya shouldn’t have!” he cooed as he lifted the present.
“That’s the thing. We didn’t?” Two of the staff swapped looks. “A guy dressed in dark and moody clothes left it in. Insisted on keeping his shades on for some reason...”
“Wait. Did he have a long coat of some sort?”
Wilford nodded. “He’s harmless. Just don’t meet him somewhere quiet by yerself an’ y’ll be safe as houses. Thanks fer mindin’ it fer me.” With that, the package was taken downstairs to the party, to be opened once the guests were back to their next skating lesson. As he wasn’t the instructor, he could claim part of one of the booths to untie the strings.
The card was simple, but fitting for Murdock. A feather was a pleasant surprise. He’d need to find somewhere special for this. Maybe he could ask someone to get him a frame of some sort?
A glimmer of metal caught his eye the moment the box was opened. A knife! One that was lightweight and flipped effortlessly with a simple gesture of the wrist. Only a user of a knife would be able to gift a well-crafted one to another knife use. He might need to make sure there was a proper varnish on the handle to make it blood resistant to make it much easier to clean later.
Next, the trinket box. The peacock theme made him snort. Blues were never his colour - even in the other life, he seemed more drawn to darker, warm colours - but there was something really nice about this that he couldn’t quite put his finger on.
“God, you’re such a peacock in that costume, Mar-”
“What’s the occasion? I didn’t think you and your brother would ever wear blues, let alone any colour at all, Cel-”
Whatever it was, it brought a wistful smile. Hadn’t Dante always told him to make his dressing-room-office space more ‘professional’ looking? Maybe he’d appreciate seeing this on Wilford’s desk. It could hold little officey knick-knacks!
So caught up in a strange surge of nostalgia was Wilford, was that he wasn’t at all prepared for the burst of glitter to the face. For the first time in a long time, Wilford let out a gasp at being caught by such an obvious trick.
But it didn’t matter. The laughter drowned out the cheesy birthday recording.
