"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you! Happy birthday Grandpa-and-Auntie, happy birthday to you!"

And as the trio of girls hit the last note, the three candles on each of two cakes were extinguished by the aforementioned "Grandpa" (Boyan, who was awkwardly trying to blow out his candles and hold his long hair back at the same time-- an apparently near-impossible task), and "Auntie" (Melody, who squealed and clapped excitedly when she blew out her candles on the first try).

"Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!" The girls cheered in unison, their applause ranging from thunderous (Arc) to polite (Harmony) to a simple golf clap (Zhen).

"What'd you wish for?" Arc asked excitedly, leaning over the table to grab a fingerful of chocolate frosting from Melody's cake before being quickly pulled back by her sisters.

"You're not supposed to tell!" Harmony immediately broke in, scandalized. "You won't get it if you tell!"

"Harmony's right," Zhen chimed in. "And don't put your finger in that!"

Boyan was the one who giggled at that, only halfheartedly covering his mouth as Arc stuck her finger in her mouth with such enthusiasm that it seemed as if she were afraid Harmony and Zhen would make her put the frosting back if she didn't eat it RIGHT THAT SECOND. "The wishing is secrets," he laughed, reaching for one of two cake knives on the table. "Grandpa will never telling."

"I hope you like it," Harmony near-whispered, wringing her hands nervously before nodding at the cakes.

"Yeah, Harmony spent all day baking, so you'd better like it!"

"Arc."

"Oh come on, like you weren't thinking it, Zhen!"

"I was not!"

At this, Harmony forcibly squeezed herself between the two quarreling girls, her cheeks puffing out in a manner resembling a pufferfish attempting to make itself look large and threatening when faced with a predator.

She was rescued by Melody, who was beginning to place slices of chocolate cake onto plates and setting it in front of the girls, and then Boyan who added a slice of strawberry to each plate. Arc dove for the plate with what she perceived to be the largest slices. Zhen haughtily took the one closest to her. And Harmony mouthed a quick "thank you" to both Boyan and Melody as she took the remaining plate.

"--And I hope you like the presents we got for you," Harmony spoke up, changing the subject even further as she gestured to the end of the table. It was easy to tell which presents were whose; Arc's gifts were clumsily wrapped with the brightest paper she could find. Harmony's were neatly wrapped in newspaper. And Zhen's were the the easily the most beautiful to look at; definitely gifts Boyan and Melody wouldn't want to unwrap. With shiny, fancy wrapping paper and large beautiful bows, they hardly looked like they were wrapped by a child.

The cake could wait, Boyan and Melody decided. After all, the girls' eyes were on them, and both Porcelain could sense just how excited they were. Whose presents would they like best? Would they like them at all?

They started with Arc's, Melody ripping into the paper gleefully and Boyan taking his time; carefully pulling the tape off of the paper first before slowly unwrapping it.

[SAFETY SAVE]