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 Posted: Thu Aug 17, 2017 1:00 pm
Buffets were expensive, Zach came to find. He’d set aside some extra cash to buy Fiona a birthday lunch, and thought a buffet might be the best option until he read the price tag. That much for food just layin’ around? Jeez…
Sucking in his defeat, Zach went looking for alternatives. Seafood was spendy as well, far too much for his modest budget, and he didn’t like the idea of shorting one of them food. He’d be too tempted to pick off the birthday girl’s plate. But fast food was cheesy. Cheap, but hardly worthy of a birthday lunch, right?
So much for that idea.
Wandering around the outskirts of the mall, Zach spotted a sit-down sort of establishment. Olive Garden. He remembered from their endless commercials that they offered unlimited soup, salad and breadsticks! Whoo hoo. Zach liked them well enough and they boasted a variety of possible entrees, so it was likely Fiona would be able to find something that tickled her fancy.
The parking lot didn’t seem too full at the time, and, arms full of gifts, Zach sent a quick message to Fiona.
ey pern, looks like the og’s got some tables open. You free? My treat if you dont mind a po boy’s salary hehe. It’s over by the mall. See you in 30?
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Posted: Wed Aug 23, 2017 2:06 pm
She had taken the day off. At the firm was an assistant who would answer the phones and set up appointments but all of Fiona's responsibilities were done for the day because she hardly took time off for herself and she figured her birthday was a good enough reason.
The morning had been spent on the phone with her parents and Peter who had stayed up to make sure they got to their birthday girl. She promised to visit them soon with the full knowledge that she would continue to put it off indefinitely. When the war is over, she would tell herself anytime she told her mother she couldn't come for the holidays this year knowing that the end may never come. Coffee was grabbed with a friend and a few texts came through on her phone from the various people she had met over the years wishing her happy birthday.
Most of them weren't open as she had decided she would wait until the end of the day, when she was in bed, to respond to all of the well wishes.
When she received a message from Zach however, she took time to open it and read the contents. It didn't her long to type out a response and let him know that she would meet him there. From there it wasn't long before she was heading out, sliding on her heels that matched the floral sundress she'd donned for the day.
Once at the place, she immediately looked for him among the crowd.
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Posted: Fri Aug 25, 2017 5:12 pm
As much as he wanted to whistle loudly to signal Fiona, Zach thought better of that idea. Scaring the hell out of the lunch crowd about be a bad idea. Instead, he opted to stand up and wave to her, seeing her from the front corner of the restaurant proper. He'd gotten them a small both, next to a window, overlooking a small garden planted there for looks rather than anything else. Drinks had been started - tea for Fiona and water for Zach. He couldn't make a decision fast enough to please the server. Maybe later. Plastic menus had already been placed at the table, though the boy told the young and frazzled female server that he was waiting on someone else. Come back later for the food orders. Zach thought Fiona might be game for unlimited soup, salad and bread sticks, but he wasn't positive. Better to let the birthday girl decide. Beside him in the booth were two gift bags, bursting with colored tissue paper. "Ey, Fiona~! Over here!" When said birthday girl arrived, Zach moved to give her a friendly hug. "Happy birthday, Pern. I uh... gotcha a few things. Nothin' fancy, but... s'better than nothin' at all, right?" Nervousness oozed from his every pore though, in typical Zach style, he tried to play it off as if it were no big deal at all.
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Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2017 2:56 pm
At first she couldn't spot him but then, he was standing and waving an arm at her. The waving hand was what caught her eye and she looked over, smile on her lips when she lifted her own hand to wag fingers back at him in greeting. It didn't take her long to cross the restaurant and join him at his table. Sliding into her seat was easy, bag set on the floor by her feet and the wall.
"Hi Zach," she greeted, scooting her chair forward after tucking loose wisps of hair back behind her ears. Mismatched eyes took in the gift bags that were obviously for her before flicking back over to the boy's face. "You know you didn't have to do that," she said quietly, fingers pressing against her chest because she was flattered by the gesture.
"Lunch would have been more than enough you know." Even that was more than she expected from anyone, save perhaps Pat. "It means a lot Zach, thank you." She reached across the table for his hand so she could squeeze it with gratitude. "Have you spent the whole day worrying about me? You know I would have been happy just spending time together."
Zach was her friend, that's all she needed.
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Posted: Tue Sep 12, 2017 7:49 pm
"Yeah... yeah I did. I mean, who just up an' doesn't give somebody presents for their birthday? 'Specially since you went with me to... ya know, up there?" Zach's eyes lifted to the ceiling momentarily - space, his moon. "...it wasn't... all that great anyway, so... at least the food's better here, right?" Fiona's question and the hand squeeze caused Zach to react in nervous laughter. "Worry aboutchu? Me? Nah, nah, you got it all wrong, Pern. It was uh... nah, it was nothin'! Really!" Oh god she knows, doesn't she? I can't tell her I spent three god damned hours at the mall, worrying my a** off about every little thing. Dammit, be cool, Zach. BE COOL.Fidgeting slightly and wrenching his head and neck to find that ditsy waitress, Zach tried to keep the focus on Fiona and her birthday, and not those pesky, mushy feelings. They were in public, after all. "So uhh... this means you're, what... twenty?" An anxious smile greeted the redhead, for Zach didn't really pay that much attention to how old Fiona actually was. She was simply Fiona to him, and he knew most women liked to be told they looked younger than their actual age. It was then that the absent-minded waitress returned to take their orders. Zach requested a simple chicken pasta dish and made sure to inform the waitress that it was Fiona's birthday. You never knew what kind of free swag you could get on your special day!
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Posted: Fri Sep 22, 2017 1:59 pm
Fiona found Zach's love for her endearing and his eagerness to make her proud had her heart twisting in an aaaaaw sort of way. "You know that I'll go with you any time right?" Sure the first time had been a little surreal but she'd go again.
Fiona would go as many times as her little dragonfly needed her to.
"Ha, I turned twenty-six." A quarter of a century had passed last year for her and Fiona didn't know if she had her life as together as she presented. "But thank you."
When the waitress came by, Zach lucked out. Fiona did in fact order the soup and salad, as it happened to be her preferred meal choice for the restaurant.
"Should I wait until after dinner for the presents?" She asked.
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Posted: Sat Sep 23, 2017 7:31 pm
Food had arrived in due time, piping hot and delicious (and inexpensive!). The waitress mentioned a special brownie just for Fiona after the food had been eaten, in honor of her birthday. Zach figured they might gather around and sing, but wasn't sure Fiona was down for something like that. "Nah Pern, open whatever you want. It's your day. You get'ta make those decisions n' whatever, you know? You're a whole twenty-six today butcha don't look a day over twenty. Hope you like 'em though." Dropped Fiona a wink, Zach dove into the spicy Italian sausage soup (which he couldn't pronounce the name of) just to keep from embarrassing himself in front of Pern any further. He may or may not have blushed, and may or may not have successfully hidden it.
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Posted: Mon Oct 23, 2017 2:13 pm
All in all, Fiona was extraordinarily touched that Zach had gone to such lengths to provide her with a good birthday.
After a moment of consideration she said, "I'll wait until after." It would be easier then and wouldn't get in the way of their meal, which looked delicious. "You don't have to try and flattery me Zach, I'm already fond of you." The admission was easy and entirely truthful. In all the ups and downs of her life, having good friends was something she treasured greatly.
Besides her boyfriend and a text from Kam, no one had remembered her birthday outside of her family...and Zach. Fiona wasn't the type of person to get upset when such days were forgotten, even if she did her darnest to make sure she remembered her important people's birthday, but to have someone who was still relatively new in her life remember...
It touched her and were she anyone else, she might have cried.
"Thank you, seriously Zach. This means the world to me."
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Posted: Tue Oct 24, 2017 7:59 pm
Nuxaz We can wrap here so it's one less RP you have to worry about? biggrin Thank you very much for this! It's so nice for his development. ;~; "...yeah, well... You know me, maybe a lil too well, I think." Fiona knew how much Zach valued the women in his life, and how much it pained him to think he could disappoint them. Remembering Fiona's birthday and celebrating it in the best way he could (with his meager budget in consideration) was of the utmost importance, and it showed by the way he looked at her. Fiona was like a big sister, a mentor, an aunt and confidante, all rolled into one odd-eyed package. She was Pern, she was Denebola. She was his friend. "Well, next time, I'll have more cash saved so I can give you a real birthday. Maybe dinner and a movie or somethin', heh. I was listenin' to you, the other day, you know, when you said... to think about college. I still dunno what I wanna do with all that, or where I'm gonna get the cash to pay for it all, but..." Spoon in hand, Zach dug absently in the soup for a few moments, gathering his thoughts. "...I'll figure it out, and get a real job an' all that. Cuz you inspire me, Pern. Ain't nobody else I can say that about, so..." A hand reached up to rub the back of his neck while the servers were busy gathering their main course and Fiona's complimentary brownie. "Happy birthday, Fiona."
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