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Dalal had been excited for days. A birthday party, how awesome! She had never been invited to one before and Lizzi had helped her to find a nice present for her friend.

Now it was finally time to go and Dalal was picked up my a little white bus. Curiously she looked out of the window and hoped that Ranza would like her present. Although she wasn't that much older the feathery girl seemed to be more experienced in life, Dalal thought.

She was dressed in her favourite loose purple pullover with a smiley on it who poked his tongue out. Lizzi had been forced to wash it quickly, otherwise Dalal wouldn't have gone. Luckily she had already told her so yesterday.

As they arrived Dalal climbed out of the bus and spotted Ranza right away. "Happy Birthday!" She exclaimed and held on to the neatly wrapped present she was carrying.

A woman in a very eighties prom dress emerges from the kitchen, her hair pulled into a side ponytail. Exi had just recently watched a half dozen brat pack movies, and is most certainly caught up in the.. allure.. of the 80s era.

"Righteous! You girls having fun?" she chimes, setting down a fresh batch of cookies. "Call if ya need anything, dolls! Cool beans! Okay!"

Thankfully for everyone involved, she disappears back into the kitchen, her lovely domain. Her son, dressed in neon, but not quite a sore thumb because of it, plays in his playpen with a rocket ship, making buzzy noises to himself while swinging it through the air.

Dalal smiled slightly and admired the crown on Ranza's head before handing the neatly wrapped package over to her. "For you." She said and was almost interrupted by the Exi. She nodded at her question and wondered if that person was Ranza's Mom but didn't say anything.

"I'll wait with you." Dalal decided and sat down beside Ranza on the steps. They were a bit cool and her mantis behind didn't like the temperature much, but still it looked like sitting on stairs was a thing people did at parties.

As Sabina approached Dalal wondered if she had seen her once before, but was quite sure that she hadn't. She decided to be quiet and just watch. And hopefully Ranza would like the present she had chosen. In there were some tattoos and a cool pocket watch.

Quincy had never really been to a birthday party outside of family and friends and must say that he was rather intrigued. After having a small celebration after he shot up a few inches and miraculously began speaking in relatively unhindered sentences, he was more than excited to see the eclectic girl once again. In his hands rest a small wrapped package, newspaper funnies with a few colorful ribbons. Inside contained a small collection of bits and bobs; a cog stuck together with a few blunt nails to resemble an airforce pin, a few brightly colored marbles and jacks, a large bouncy ball and a simple blank dusk-sky colored journal. It wasn't much but he hoped she would enjoy the gifts.

Aaron stood behind him, hand resting in the boys hair while the other arm held up his orange squish-brother of an alien. The guardian bent down to Quincy's ear level, pushing a cellphone into his hands. "If you want to leave press 1 for me and 2 for Kilani. Have fun."

"Kay, dad." Quincy grinned and wagged his tail before waving to his father as he walked back to the driver less bus with minimal confusion...he'd probably forget the entire ride.

"Hi." Dalal said to Sabina and looked at her skeptically for a moment before she decided to give her a try. After all she was younger and she had to teach her the lesson of life: Be cool and hate boys.

Still she felt a tiny nagging bit of envy in the back of her mind. Hopefully her present would be better than hers. "Don't know... are more people coming?" The mantis girl turned towards Ranza. "No boys, right?"

"Uh uh..." Dalal said and her antennae twitched slightly. "I once met him. He was ok for a boy."

The mantis girl wondered how parties were supposed to be like. She wanted her friend to unwrap the present and be happy - now! Dalal impatiently moved from one foot to another.

Scanning the small crowd outside of the cottage, Aaron felt somewhat out of place. He'd seen a few of the children before, back at the chocolate factory long ago, but he didn't know any of them that well. Not that he knew anyone particularly well, but for all that Taig annoyed him deeply, Aaron kind of wished that the quirky boy was sitting next to him on the bus, making remarkably inappropriate comments and taking the focus off of the dark haired boy.

Spotting the girl with the bug butt who had seemed like she'd rather eat brussel sprouts than so much as look at a boy, he sighed and wondered if he could just stay on the bus until it left again on its route. Understanding machines though, he expected that this one would not depart again until its passengers had disembarked, he being the only "passenger" on its latest cycle.

Oh well; Ranza wasn't that bad...after all, she had feathers too, and Aaron's small, crisply wrapped box contained a feather brush that he'd designed himself to flatten and put straight bent feathers after sleeping on them wrong. Who else could appreciate it, besides the little green-haired boy who probably wouldn't know how to work it for a long time?

Maybe she could tell him how the bus worked so smoothly with no driver, Aaron thought as he hopped off the bus and its doors shut behind him.