Betcha didn't expect this.(birthday fun for Sylar and everyone invited to his party)

[its_notluck]

After Claire found out the address to the house in the Hamptons that Adam bought on a whim, it was fairly easy to convince Sylar where they should head without really telling him what they were going.  She was just a curious girl after all and she wanted to see what the houses were like in the Hamptons because she had heard there were some that

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[powered_otaku]

Hiro sits on the edge of the group, making sure that he's not particularly seen or that anyone will bother with him. He put his present on the table, but it's sort of hidden by the rest of the presents. Right now, Peter's empathy would register him as a complete blank - he's killed his emotions so much that there is nothing inside him at the moment. He thinks it's better if they don't notice him because this is supposed to be Sylar's big day and he really has no right to be here. But Claire has asked him to be here, so here he is.

[mapetrelli]

"Being avoidant, are we?" Angela asked, stepping up behind him. She, too, felt a bit out of place here, but she had promised Claire she'd put in an appearance, so here she was. Besides, she thought it was probably in the best interests of everyone if she came, even without her promise. Gabriel was trying, after all, so perhaps she should be, too.

[powered_otaku]

He stands up and bows to her. "I thought it would be best, yes."

[mapetrelli]

Angela returned the bow, offering him a mildly apologetic look as she straightened, still not sure if it was proper for a white woman to mirror Japanese customs. Really, it had been too long, and she'd stopped bothering around Kaito when they'd become familiar enough.

Regardless, however, she hoped the look would do the trick either way, and so she said nothing concerning her possible faux pas, instead asking, "May I ask why?"

[powered_otaku]

He is rather impressed by the fact that she does bow. Most Americans don't do it.

"It is his birthday and he and I are not the best of friends."

[mapetrelli]

"I'm sure you're aware that it's not really his birthday," she pointed out, calmly. "Though, even if it was, I get the impression that he would have chased you away, screaming into the proverbial night, if he didn't want you here. He's not exactly subtle."

Nor did she think Gabriel unselfish enough not to shoo Hiro away, if he didn't want him there--especially given the fact that it was his 'birthday'. She could only imagine what her son thought he could--and most likely had--get away with, simply by telling people he could do whatever the hell he wanted, because he was the birthday boy. From what she'd seen, Gabriel oftentimes had the mentality of a small child, after all.

[powered_otaku]

"It is a surprise party. He has no idea I am here. He would not chase me away screaming, but it would be his right to tell me to go. It is not fair to him to have to deal with me on his day." His tone is very formal and quiet.

[mapetrelli]

"Claire's here, isn't she?" She didn't quite give him time to answer that one, the question purely rhetorical. She'd seen her granddaughter chattering with the rest of the group earlier, and she was sure Hiro had too, even if they hadn't arrived together. "I'm sure he can guess that you're around somewhere from that alone."

And yet she still hadn't seen Gabriel stomp over and tell him to leave.

"All that aside, though ... " A pause, in which she pressed her lips into a thin line, studying him. "... you are planning on marrying my granddaughter, aren't you?" It seemed like a departure from their topic of conversation, true, but in honesty, it wasn't. She had a had a reason for asking.

[powered_otaku]

"Claire would be here with or without me. She has been looking forward to this. Because they celebrated Peter's birthday, she felt that he deserved to have a big party on his day, too."

He looks very confused at her. "Of course I plan to marry her, Mrs. Petrelli. We even have the date picked out. And there will be two ceremonies - one here and one at home. My sister is already arranging for the ceremony there. You will come to both, yes? The one in Japan will be two weeks later so everyone has time to get to Japan. After all, she needs her family with her as well."

[mapetrelli]

Angela nodded, allowing Hiro a small, genuine smile. "If you and Claire would like me there, then I wouldn't miss it for the world." A pause, the smile sliding from her face slowly, and then, "But I'm afraid that's not quite where I was going with that

[powered_otaku]

"Of course we want you there. Both of our families need to be there. Although I do not know how many of my relatives will show up for the ceremony here."

Hiro looks at her for a moment, then remembers that she was well-acquainted with his father for many years. "It is true - I am here to be polite. I feel uncomfortable and I feel unneeded, unnecessary. It is not him alone that makes me feel that way, though his situation and mine is the worst. I have overstepped my bounds with Nathan and I do not know how much you know about my and Adam's past. Even now, I still do not think of him as 'Adam'."

[mapetrelli]

"I know very little, honestly. Adam never talked much about what he did before me." Whether that was true or she was simply deflecting away from talking about the immortal, who knew? It could very well be either, really, given how Adam rarely trusted anyone with his secrets and considering the fact that this conversation was about Hiro, not Adam. "Regardless, though, you do realize that you're all but burning your bridges, sitting over here? You have issues with the others--that's understandable ... "

Not particularly, but she wasn't inclined to comment to that effect, at the moment. It wasn't any of her business, and to pry would be dishonorable or something. Maybe she was just making excuses for her lack of will to actually poke her nose into other people's lives, given the fact that she was still drained from the meeting at her house weeks ago, but she dared not admit it. Not even to herself

[powered_otaku]

"I...do not know how," he says quietly. "I am at a loss. Much as I have spent time in this country, it still confuses me a great deal. I have no right to ask for anything they are unwilling to give me. I have no right to demand that they ignore their own blood because he and I are angry at each other. They are the ones she will spend forever with. I will only be here for a small part of their lives. One day, I will fade from their memories completely. I would rather fade in honor with some small fondness than make them unhappy by being a demanding selfish oaf."

[mapetrelli]

Angela eyed Hiro for a moment, frowning, wondering if Kaito had been this bull-headed while he'd been alive. She supposed so, given that he hadn't bothered to let Adam out of his cell, even when she thought she had taken steps to ensure his release, and time and his death had simply changed her perceptions. One didn't speak or think ill of the dead; it was still something to keep in mind, in dealing with his son, though.

Sighing, she closed her eyes, briefly, before reopening them. "Actually talking to them generally helps," she offered. "We're here for Gabriel, yes, but you can't let that deter you. It's a party. Most people take that as an opportunity to chat with other people, even if they only end up saying a few words to the host or the guest of honor. You may want to keep that in mind."

A pause, and then, "Or do I have to drag Gabriel over here so that he can give you whatever permissions you think you may need?"

[powered_otaku]

Hiro feels like a little boy being scolded by his mother for being worried about things he shouldn't. Chuck said he wasn't a dork, but in many ways he is. He is awkward and unsure. He knows it's the adult thing to talk about their problems, but he usually finds it hard to strike up conversations that aren't business-proscribed. And the last time he tried to do that he angered Nathan.

He looks all of 6 when he looks up at her. "Please? I would feel much better that way. He is the guest of honor and it would only be polite."

[mapetrelli]

Another sigh, this time as an effort to avoid reaching to comb her fingers through his hair, like she might have done for one of her boys, once upon a time. Then she was casting a look in Sylar's direction. "If you'll give me a moment, then?"

She didn't wait for an answer. Instead, she simply offered him a thin-lipped smile before moving away from him and over to the assembled group.