OPEN BIRTHDAY POST

[kilimanjaro]

Guess what, guys?



This is an open post to do anything and everything celebrating Kili's birthday! It can either be his seventy-eighth, or on an earlier birthday in different scenarios. Either way, go crazy and have fun!

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[kilimanjaro]

[Kili always wins their running matches anyway. Longer legs, after all. He's gotten tall in the last few years. There's a laugh as Fili tousles his matted hair, and then he's bursting out like a loose cannon.

He eats happily, though Fili's words make him pause and look up, his smile bright enough to rival the sun.]

Of course I am!

[walkingarsenal]

No taking that back now.

[Fili lets his remark hang there -- it's more dramatic than any of the steps that Kili will go through today warrant -- and pops the last piece of his roll into his mouth. It's Kili's coming of age day, but that doesn't make him too old to be the target of a bit more brotherly teasing.

Their mother and their uncle exchange a glance.]

[kilimanjaro]

If you could manage it, so can I.

[There's a set to his jaw, that Durin stubbornness showing through as he glances to where Fili's tattoos are hidden beneath clothing.

He wasn't allowed to be in the room during Fili's marking, but he was there to help him care for it and clean it, and it was obvious that it hurt. There's a twinge of nervousness in that regard.]

[walkingarsenal]

[It hurt, during the ritual and afterwards, but Fili has as much faith that Kili will manage as Kili does himself (or tells the world), if not more. They talked about it back then; alongside Kili's willing help, which gave him plenty of opportunity to see the markings at every stage from fresh on somewhat tender skin onward, Fili had question upon question to answer, so his brother should be well prepared.

One hand going to Kili's back, Fili smiles at him, dropping the joking manner.]

You will. I don't doubt it.

[And as soon as the rest of breakfast ends and the table is cleared, Kili's turn is that much closer. As they did when it was Fili's, his family have their own roles to fulfill.]

[kilimanjaro]

[The marking at the coming of age is one of the oldest of dwarvish traditions, dating back to the Waking of the Seven Fathers by Aule himself. Thorin will be the one doing the marking, as Kili's stand-in father, while the rest of his family will be there to help with the ceremony.

Breakfast finishes up, and a few minutes later, Thorin enters, clapping Kili on the shoulder and squeezing. There's pride in his voice and in his eyes, and Kili feels something warm rise in his chest.

It's time.

Licking his lips, Kili nods and stands, following Thorin as they make their way to one of Ered Luin's more traditional rooms. He glances to Fili, nervous.]

[walkingarsenal]

[The walk takes them deep beneath the mountains -- no one outside hears any screams then, some might say. (Not that there will be any screaming.) Thorin leads the way and Fili brings up the rear, Kili in the middle, and when his brother turns to look at him, Fili offers him another smile and gives him a nod.

Of age and the elder, he isn't barred from entering the room. He'll be there to witness Kili's marking and to help Kili in and out of his robes.]

[kilimanjaro]

[Mahal, is Kili nervous. The ritual, though traditional, is simple, and it's not difficult to get through. It's when he settles into the chair, Thorin fetching the needle, that he starts to get a bit scared.

He looks to Fili for support, eyes wide and conveying his anxiety. Part of him wants to reach for him, but the rest of him doesn't want to look childish.

He can't help the sharp gasp of pain as he feels his uncle begin to work at his right shoulder blade. The ink will go down to his elbow once it's done, and Kili is suddenly keenly aware of how long that will take.]

[walkingarsenal]

[That chair isn't made to be comfortable and Kili will be sitting in it for a while. Only at certain points can Thorin pause in his work altogether; neither Kili nor Fili can interrupt him once it's begun. Asking for near silence from Kili, who is expected to keep still through each jab of the needle, the ritual seems a test of endurance more than it does a celebration of a milestone reached.

Fili stands to the side not far from his brother's chair. He's close enough that Kili's gasp doesn't escape him, and again, his eyes meet Kili's.

Kili is ready for this. There's no need to be nervous, he tries to convey in the look.

Truth be told, the reminders are for Fili himself, too. He wants to touch his brother's hand, no different a gesture than any other time, but no one did that to him five years ago.]

[kilimanjaro]

[He wants Fili to help, but that's violating the rules of the ritual. Kili needs to endure this himself.

He takes a deep, shaky breath and closes his eyes, gritting his teeth against the pain. It seems to take an age, but eventually, that needle reaches his elbow and stops.

It's over. Kili lets out a sigh of relief and slumps against the chair as Thorin closes the ceremony with the traditional words before coming over to ruffle his nephew's hair and tell him how proud he is. Kili smiles weakly, proud of himself but aching with pain all along his right side. He glances to the ink, amazed by the marks that now color his skin.]

[walkingarsenal]

[It's over, and when Kili relaxes, so does Fili, even though he remembers his own marking and knows that Kili can handle it, that Kili doesn't need his brother to step in. It was harder to remember these things while he stood here and watched Kili's discomfort, eyes on the pained grimace that Kili was wearing, but he knows.

The end of the ceremony releases each of them from their places. Fili, smiling, takes his brother's left hand to clasp it after all. Right after Kili admires himself, Fili looks at his right arm with him.]

How does it feel to be my grown-up little brother?

[kilimanjaro]

[Kili grins at his brother and clasps his hand firmly. He's proud of himself for sitting through that without flinching; His ink is perfect, bearing his name, his family crest, and the traditional blessings of strength and a long life.

He's done it.

There's a sheepish sort of laugh at Fili's words and he shrugs.]

Right now? Hurts a bit.

[walkingarsenal]

[Chuckling at Kili's answer, Fili shakes his head.]

I remember that part. I hear some dwarves bite right through their tongue when they get their ink. [Must be something about needles, even for the sturdiest folk of all.]

Only a bit won't keep you from the rest of your day, then. [He presses Kili's hand as firmly as Kili did his. Kili has every right to be proud of himself and he has more to look forward to, from his newly smithed gift to the evening's festivities.]

[kilimanjaro]

[Ew. Kili pulls a disgusted face at that. Needles are fairly worrying, yes.]

Nothing's going to keep me from that. [He grins, though there's a slight wince as Thorin gently bandages up the newly marked and bleeding skin.]

[walkingarsenal]

[He may or may not have been exaggerating slightly, and he aims to keep any evidence to give him away off his face, though Kili's expression makes that difficult. Letting go of Kili's hand when Thorin finishes, he holds out a lighter tunic to help his brother into.]

Come on. Let's show you off to Mother.

[kilimanjaro]

[Kili grins at that, slipping into his tunic with Fili's help and wincing slightly.]

Let's!