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 Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2015 9:06 am
”My excitement is boundless,” Ethiriel said, her eyes closed as her smile reached them easily. She couldn’t remember the last time she was this happy… or if she ever had been at all in her life. She never wouldn’t have thought that this was what it took for happiness – close friends willing to spend their time with you for such a silly little celebration. It was unimportant as far as she was aware, and they all took the time to spend the day with her. ”I am sure to love everything so long as it is from you all.
Cupcakes sound wonderful, Rhedefre. If only I could eat them… I will be sure to enjoy their aroma, regardless.”
Henry, upon hearing Cruz’s announcement, practically bounced back into the living room, his perpetual grin ever present. ”Okay!” he exclaimed, practically sprinting the short distance from the kitchen to Ethiriel’s side. He gently cupped his hands over her shoulders to guide her to the dining room table.
”Who would like to go first?”
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Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2015 3:35 pm
Following Duncan, Anita came over with her own plate. "Guess she's eager," she smiled, then glanced at Cruz, "Or somebody is for her."
The mistletoe frei shrank momentarily under his guardian's eye but quickly blossomed back into an enthusiastic posture. Anita wasn't wrong. Cruz fluttered back towards the group as they discussed Cesc's cupcakes and rumbled pleasantly. "Nita and Miss 'Nerva really liked them, Cesc." He wasn't especially curious about solid foods, kisses were just fine for him, but the fact a friend made something special certainly made it seem appealing.
Once the humans filed in and Henry guided Ethiriel to the table, Cruz fidgeted. That was a difficult question to answer. He wanted his friend to get all of her presents as soon as possible and enjoy them quickly but they would have to take turns, just like every birthday. Truthfully, he wanted his and Anita's gifts to be opened soon but he was also painfully curious about what everyone else brought.
"Maybe Aina can go first?" Cruz asked with a lift of his brows. She had been clutching onto the bag so protectively before, whatever was inside must have been precious.
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Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2015 4:42 pm
"Well, why don't you come to the bakery sometime soon, then?" asked Cesc, smiling broadly at Ethiriel. "I can make your cupcakes for you and Henry and you can smell all the different aromas that go into yours." He looked down at Aina, too, as she glanced up at him. "You can come, too, if you want! We'll make an Aina cupcake as well."
His smile grew just a touch. Rhedefre leaned to the side, shrinking the distance between himself and the pom Frei. "Don't worry -- I didn't spoil the surprise. I didn't bring any cupcakes today. Her present is something else."
As the humans came back in and Aina was volunteered, Cesc straightened his posture and gave her an encouraging nod.
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Posted: Mon Apr 13, 2015 7:38 pm
Aina nodded enthusiastically at the mention of the bakery, her grip on Cesc's sleeve growing tighter. "Mhm! I wanna go to the bakery too!" When the stag leaned closer, she blushed given her own misunderstanding but whispered back in tune, "Oh...! I was all worried...!" she giggled. A disaster was averted.
Duncan smiled alongside Anita at the comment. He set his plate of food down where he could, and Aina, as Cruz and Cesc both encouraged her forward, looked between them and bounced with eagerness. With one last bright look up at Cesc, she floated toward Anita and Duncan and pointed toward the presents. "Presents!"
"Presents!" Duncan chuckled and followed along as Aina dragged him to where their bags were. Duncan and Aina both grabbed one bag each, then walked back to where Ethiriel was. To Aina, it was a serious affair-- and during their stroll to the tea Frei, she remained deathly quiet. Her expression hardened to focus, nothing else.
Once they were a polite distance from Ethiriel, the two handed their gifts to the Frei, Duncan smiling, Aina quiet. "Happy birthday, Ethiriel," Duncan said; Aina, on the other hand, remained silent.
"Would you like to say something, Aina?"
She shook her head. "She's gotta open 'em first," she whispered.
In one bag was a sturdy wooden box with a latch, and inside was a collection of teas in washi silver tins with labels written in silver gel-- genmaicha, oolong, pu-erh. In the other, carefully wrapped in translucent paper, was a sun hat made of straw with a silver band, with a hole carefully punctured through where her antler protruded.
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Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2015 12:35 pm
”That sounds lovely, Rhedefre. I accept your invitation,” Ethiriel said at the last moment, her attention now being drawn to the others – especially Aina and Duncan.
”Sounds like a splendid idea!” Henry agreed as the elderly man and his young Frei made their way to Ethiriel. His smile grew as he examined Aina; she was so much like a child compared to his own, and it was beyond charming in his eyes. He was thankful that he had the tea Frei just the way he was, but part of him wanted to take care of a child, as well.
Ethiriel smiled and reached her hands out for the presents. Once paper hit her bare fingers, she felt the bag carefully before dipping a hand inside. Once the cold silver of the washi tins touched her skin, the Frei let out a small shiver – it did not feed her, but she definitely felt the pure silver immediately. She pulled one out and examined it, amazed that she could see its shape; she had never seen pure silver in anything other than jewelry. Feeling along its length, she was unable to see the paper that wrapped around its width but she found the cap. Ethiriel unscrewed the cap and took a whiff of the tea inside, her eyes closing with pleasure.
”Thank you,” she said, carefully placing it back in its bag and handing it off to Henry now that he was standing beside her. ”I hope to enjoy it as soon as possible.”
Not that she knew when that was, given her lack of eating or drinking, but she appreciated it all the same.
Then the hat was handed over, and Ethiriel felt it with curiosity. It was a strange shape, and while the ribbon was silver it was merely cloth. With confusion, she spoke, ”I do not know what this is—“
”It’s a hat!” Henry exclaimed, resting a hand against Ethiriel’s in permission to take it. She allowed, and the nurse gently put it on the Frei’s head. ”It looks lovely! Thank you so much, Aina and Duncan!”
”Yes… thank you…” said Ethiriel, a hand reaching up to softly touch the sun hat.
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Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2015 3:29 pm
Aina watched with anticipation as Ethiriel opened her presents, eyes wide. At the look on Ethiriel's face when she opened one of the tea tins, Aina grinned and giggled. "Happy birthday!"
When Ethiriel seemed confused, Aina gasped, ready to speak-- thankfully, Henry chimed in himself and helped the tea frei with the hat. She nodded. "Uhuh! It's-- it's a sun hat! It's a tree for your eyes!"
Duncan managed a soft laugh. "You're welcome. Aina thought it would be nice to have some shade to protect your eyes when it's a little brighter out. We'd enjoy having you over at the garden again when the flowers blossom," he looked down and took Aina's hand, "Isn't that right?"
Aina took her hand in Duncan's and smiled. "Uhuh...!" With that, Duncan nodded and turned back to face the other three guests.
"Who would like to go next?"
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Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2015 10:46 pm
Cruz and Anita both watched in awe at the lovely gifts that were presented to Ethiriel. Everything was so nicely packaged, the mistletoe frei's eyes kept glancing towards the rest of the gifts -- namely his. They were small, just two generically decorated bags picked up from the store. It was always the gifts inside that mattered more than the wrappings, he knew, but that was doubly so for Ethiriel.
A momentary wave of self consciousness blew through Cruz. The Aina and Duncan's gifts were so thoughtful, would this be enough?
He started, just slightly, as Anita tapped his arm. "Do you wanna go next?"
"Yes!" Cruz blurted before he could stop himself.
When he didn't move a moment later, Anita opened her mouth -- it closed abruptly as he moved past and scooped both bags up in his arms. He paused in front of Ethiriel, momentarily stumped on which gift to hand her first. He settled for the one miniature tote that had polkadots with a glittery texture across it. Inside was a covering or two of tissue paper, all trimmings green or white. Beneath that were three small books made of thick material. The front of each, and every page therein, had a hole removed from it inside of which was a unique textile from fabrics to scratchy surfaces and soft, plush materials. Those in particular were Anita's idea. The second bag jostled slightly when it came over. Inside were numerous small shells, all shapes and sizes, collected from the beach. Cruz carefully picked them to make sure they felt interesting and didn't have any sharp points or jagged edges.
His heart was beating so fast it thrummed all the way down to his rune. It pulsed excitedly, anxiously, and Cruz found his hands at his cheeks as he watched his friend explore her gifts.
With Cruz so quiet, Anita took it upon herself to wish the silvery frei well. "Happy birth--"
"Happy birthday!!"
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Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2015 11:30 am
Letting out a gentle laugh, Ethiriel reached out to gently touch (what she assumed to be) Aina’s shoulder. ”I shall wear it always,” she said, giving a light squeeze. Then, she turned her attention to Duncan, ”And I would absolutely love that, Sir Duncan. Hopefully the winter ends swiftly.”
During the brief pause between gifts, Ethiriel dug out another one of the tea tins to smell inside; while it was a different tin, it smelled just as wonderful it its own way. Screwing back on the cap, Cruz’s excited outburst chimed and brought another smile to the silvery Frei’s face.
”Thank you,” she said, taking the first offered bag. At first it was met with confusion, but once the book was open and her fingers met the varied textures and thick paper, her smile grew in excitement. There were a few textures she was familiar with, but the new ones were exciting.
This gift would get a lot of use in her free time.
”It is lovely!” Ethiriel said, her voice slightly higher than her usual tone. ”Thank you!”
Next, she took Cruz’s gift and held it carefully above her ribbon lap. Much like the first give, she felt around the top of the bag and crinkled the paper lightly before reaching her hand inside. Within, she immediately recognized the texture of the shells from when she and Cruz briefly got to spend time together at the beach. Ethiriel’s smile softened as she carefully held a few in her hand. ”Thank you, Cruz…” she said, staring toward her hand.
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Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2015 3:15 pm
Cesc watched the proceedings with a smile, mostly hanging back as everything unfolded. He kept his own small present in his hand, waiting for his turn to present it to the tea frei. His smile grew as he watched Aina, and then when Cruz interrupted his guardian's well-wishes, Rhedefre let out a small laugh, unable to keep it in.
"Happy birthday," he echoed automatically, his mirth obvious in his voice. He floated forward and put the small box in her hands. It was not wrapped, a small light-blue box with a bow atop it (not his own, but one that had come with the packaging at the store.) It was easy to pop off and reveal a blue velvet bag within, luxurious and smooth on Ethiriel's fingertips.
Within was a silver pendant shaped like a curved olive branch. But there was no need to explain to Ethiriel what that was, at least.
The stag's breath slowed, suddenly a touch self-conscious.
"I hope you like it," he said.
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Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2015 3:24 pm
As Cesc approached, Ethiriel gazed upon his silver decoration. Her expression was still dreamy, feeding off the sentimental aspect of Cruz’s gift. She held her hand out daintily, only pulling back once the weight of the stag’s gift settled. Her fingers traced around the box’s edges, enjoying the texture of the box itself – and, of course, she took a moment to feel the ribbon. With a soft hum, she placed Cruz’s bag aside and lifted the box’s lid. The velvet was soft in her hands. Ethiriel enjoyed that for a moment before fumbling it open.
The silver pendant slid out and into her hand in a large lump of necklace. The tea Frei took a moment to straighten out the long chain before the pendant itself caught her attention. Her eyes widened and her lips parted, staring intently at Cesc’s gift. Instead of letting it hang, she slowly lowered it into her palm with a clumsy movement.
If Cruz’s gift hadn’t made her sentimental, this one definitely had.
”Rhedefer, it’s beautiful…” she said, her voice low in volume. Unable to take her eyes off of it, she made no effort to look away. She knew what necklaces were thanks to Henry’s mother dolling her up, but this was the first one she had ever personally owned. ”Thank you…”
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Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2015 3:42 pm
At Cruz's interruption, Anta just let her posture go slack as she gave a short laugh in time with Cesc. She offered Ethiriel the same wish, "Hope you like them," before stepping back and pulling Cruz with her by the arm so Cesc could have the floor.
The croc soon found himself totally enamored with the necklace, as well as Ethiriel's reaction to it. He beamed, first at her and then to his guardian, then to Aina and Duncan, all around to Cesc, Henry, and his brother. None of his glances lasted long, just barely enough time to register eye contact. Cruz's gaze soon settled back onto Ethiriel. Beside him, his guardian issued the thoughts he couldn't quite form to words in his excitement.
"Ohhh," Anita cooed, "Sweet Leaf got so many nice things." Her tone was singsong and her smile easy to hear.
"Hope they get a lot of use," Cruz added. The claws of one hand were still huddled around his face, fingers wiggling idly near his mouth as if they didn't know what to do with themselves.
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Posted: Wed Apr 22, 2015 6:49 pm
"You did," Cesc chimed in after Anita, his expression warm and gentle and fond. "You got a lot of nice things."
He caught himself before he said the next sentence. He meant to say: I hope it shows you how important you are. It had formed in his throat and his mind passed back -- back to when he'd met her, back to when she had held onto her own depression, back to when he'd found out that her guardian had left her. She had to know now, didn't she? How good she was, how important. That she was cherished. Even if one human-shaped scrotum cheese hadn't.
"I'm really happy you like what you've gotten so far," said Cesc, leaning forward and putting one arm around her, squeezing softly.
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Posted: Wed Apr 22, 2015 7:03 pm
As Anita and Cruz spoke, Ethiriel took one last moment to soak in the pendant before clumsily attempting to put it on. Luckly she didn’t need to rely on sight for it, one way or another, and managed to clip it into place. Her fingers lingered on it for a moment, a warm smile on her face.
In all honesty, while less vulgarly phrased, Ethiriel would have agreed with Cesc – especially now. This party, all this effort and everyone’s gifts… it all meant so much. She couldn’t even imagine having greater friends, and happy tears threatened to sting her eyes again. Her smile grew with a hum.
”Thank you all…”
Cesc’s hug was a a surprise – she saw him approach but Ethiriel wasn’t expecting an embrace. She stared into the dark space of her vision a moment before closing her eyes and leaning into the hug. It was the first time she fully picked up his scent since the last they had met; it was definitely pleasant.
”We’ve still got one more!” Henry exclaimed, practically hopping away from his spot beside Ethiriel.
Ethiriel turned her head, ”What?”
Henry laughed, pulling a rather large box from behind the table in its seat in one of the chairs. Ethiriel couldn’t see it, of course, but dainty clinking could be heard from within.
”This is from me! I hope you get good use out of it! Ta-da!”
The box had no bottom, and as Henry pulled it away a pure silver tea set shimmered in the light.
Ethiriel stared, amazed. Unfortunately, she didn’t know what it was – she had never seen its shape but the silver was stunning. Henry quickly realized this and added, ”It’s a tea set! Lucky for us Duncan and Aina gave us some tea for it, too!”
”I…” EThiriel whispered, staring . ”Th-thank you…”
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Posted: Wed Apr 22, 2015 7:51 pm
At the announcement of more, Anita gave a small oh and laughed. Cruz perked up, floating just a bit higher, and lifted his brows. The surprises refused to cease, it seemed, and with Ethiriel's reactions thus far the croc hoped they would keep coming!
"Oh, that's awesome," his guardian murmured, covering her mouth with a hand.
"Look how pretty." Cruz's voice rumbled into a low purr as he leaned closer to examine the new gifts. He looked up, catching Henry's eye, and raised his brows. "Are there more nice things for Thiriel?"
Anita stifled a laugh behind him. "Cruz--"
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Posted: Thu Apr 23, 2015 7:39 pm
"A tea set!" Cesc exclaimed as Ethiriel opened the box, his eyebrows lifting. Tea sets -- tea sets always immediately reminded him of Granny Maplethorpe. She had been increasing her strength, feeling so well in the past few weeks that Cesc had seen her tending to her windowsill herbs and looking at seed catalogues. She had taken her tea leaves up again, after many months of cold fury at them for neglecting to mention Jamie's betrayal.
Ah, well, she had finally said. To everything there is some purpose.
The quote lit a soft light in Cesc's head.
Ethiriel could see silver.
If you put an object in front of a light, it was a silhouette, right? On a silver background, did that mean that Ethiriel would be able to ... well, in some part... see? See tea leaves, the shapes?
It was something to think about, at least.
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