2022-07-16: A Tenth Birthday is the Most Important One

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<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.

    It's a small affair, as it happens. But then, it never could be anything but.

    Fei himself might recall one particularly awkward birthday party back in Lahan where the adults had attempted to gather all the children together for Midori's party, only for the birthday girl in question to spend the day hiding behind her mother's skirts. After that, they had kept things much smaller scale.

    It's much the same now, Midori's tenth birthday. She's grown considerably from the child who had hidden behind her mother's skirts, but some things don't change. There are no other children at the party, which is as much a statement of Shevat's 'ten and under' population as it is of the number of friends Midori has made since returning to the land of her birth...

    Well. Human friends.

    There are Chu-Chu here. Midori is not quite the child she once was, in that she now has a number of friends among the Chu-Chu.

    Having spent much of his time in Shevat (when not backing up Fei or the other Wolves) of late over the last year or so, Citan himself is here, as is Yui.
    She made the cake. Obtaining the strawberries and sugar was a struggle, but one gladly made.

    And then there are the others who have been invited to this little party: some of the Black Wolves who have become friendly with the rest of the Uzuki family.

    "I am grateful that you were able to come," Citan himself remarks, smiling. "I know matters have been ah... quite busy of late. I am certain it means a lot to her."

    Midori, of course, is silent on the matter, regarding the attendees of this particular party in turn with particular scrutiny. "..."

<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.

Lily Keil would not miss an occasion like this if she could help it. She's fond of Midori, though admittedly she wonders if she's the best example to have around a ten-year-old girl. But that's Citan and Yui's business, and if they want her to be here... then she'll come and show support for their daughter. She does like her.

She has made an effort not to be militaristic today; instead of her usual fatigues and armor, Lily is wearing a dark green dress, belted, with nice boots. She has her knife in one boot, obviously. She's not going to just not have her knife. But she hasn't brought an ARM or a sword, so there's that. And the knife is covered up by her long skirt. So it's fine. Super fine.

"Thank you for the invitation," Lily says, her golden eyes... calm. "We can make time for important things."

She smiles, then, at Midori. "Happy birthday."

Lily's projection of mentality at the moment is peace; this is the quietest she's been able to be in some time.

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

    Riesenlied is fortuitiously here in part to get her latest treatment with Shevat's nanomachine technology; it helps to stave off the degeneration wracking her body, to counteract the nanomachines Alhazred has injected in her, and more...

    But she's very fond of Midori, both of them being empaths, so of course she's here. She's a bit late, though; she somewhat awkwardly pushes herself in as she calls, "Ah, hello, are you all in here?"

    She's rather wan and pale at the moment, but with enough strength to enjoy this, at least. The Hyadean is dressed in pleasant Baskar robes with a warm capelet draped around her shoulders... and she has a gift box on her lap.

    Her eyes glance to Citan and Yui, and Lily with a wave; then, she looks to Midori and smiles as she projects her thoughts rather than speaks them, her aura appearing warm and comforting: "<Happy birthday, Midori.>"

    She looks towards Noeline behind her. "I'm glad we made it in time. The treatment course ran overlong because of delays, but..."

<Pose Tracker> Elhaym van Houten has posed.

 
Did chu think they wouldn't be invited?
Chu shouldn't underestimate them.
They're not lower life forms. Chu should apologize now, or chu will be in a churld of pain, holmes.

Elly had come from the surface with several things, one of which is the contribution she can make to the food. Naturally, it is somewhat difficult to travel given her typical choice in meals; the main thing she can do is make dried jerky or otherwise preserve some of the bigger, meatier fishes like tuna or salmon or swordfish. But that's not something fun for a youthful birthday party.

So instead she made croquettes.

... It was a project, but most of them came out okay! (In the second batch. The first batch may have required assistance in disposal -- looking at you, Fei.) A folded basket of potato croquettes, fried golden brown, with a flaky filling of mingled white fish with herbs and salt and vegetables chosen to suit a childish palate, while not being insipid to adults.

Elly is wearing a pleasant blue sundress and some gray leggings against the cooler air of Shevat. "Happy birthday, Midori!" Elly cheers, before folding her fingers together and smiling at Citan and Yui. "I'm glad to be able to attend."

<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.

Fei Fong WOng and, you know, Some Asshole argued in their brain about what gift to get Midori for a while before ultimately settling on just getting two gifts. They're two different people obviously not simply two aspects of one person so it MAKES SENSE that they should give two gifts instead of just one. Grrrr.

Fei arrives without too much fanfare, carrying two wrpaped boxes. One has birdie wrapping paper and the other is flowery wrapping paper. He's worried that since he's been gone for so long that Midori might have new interests.

"Doc, Yui. It's good to see you again." Fei says.. His opinion of Yui has changed dramatically since uh certain training exercises with the lady but if anything his respect for her only grew. He had no idea.

He bends over a little to smile at Midori, less than he used to--he thinks. "Hey Midori. You're really growing tall."

...Hey kiddo. Still here. You good?

As usual Fei is oblivious to these exchanges.

"Happy birthday." Fei beams at Midori. Id also says the same thing but just, like, in the mind. Id is always a bit partial towards Midori. He does not say why.

He looks to Riesenlied. He has to try and do something about that. If only he was as good at this as Kim...

"Hey, glad you could make it, Riese." He says.

<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.

Birthdays! ...are not a thing that have ever been celebrated for Xantia. Not knowing her own birthday, and refusing to replace it with some random date of her choosing, makes that kind of difficult. It's not really something that bothers her, though it's frustrated certain others. Definitely certain brothers.

This does however give her a less than average sense of the importance of these celebrations, and no sense at all about what it's like to be on the receiving end of one. It may explain why she looks a little nervous. And feels a lot more nervous still, to those who can sense such things. She's used to not knowing what she's doing and just winging it, but this is something she desperately wants to get right. For Midori's sake.

Not that she's told anybody about exactly what she's been up to in regards to preparing for today. As far as anybody knows, she's just along for the ride, although it's known that she appears to have some sort of unspoken (well, of course it'd be unspoken) rapport with Midori. Which is rare for her to have with a child. She certainly looks the same as always, as in fully equipped for a fight, because she goes everywhere dressed that way. Who needs a variety of outfits? She has however brought the Nisan cross-bearing bag that Elly gifted her. This implies she needed to bring something of notable size and importance.

Half-hidden behind Fei, she waits for him to speak before she does, giving a small wave. "Uh, yeah, hi, I'm here. It's, uh, been a while, huh? Hope everybody's doing well." She glances at what would obviously draw her attention. "Oh, hey, the cake looks great!" Wait, no, don't get distracted! She clutches her bag a little tighter.

"I, uh, I also brought something for Midori, if that's okay."

Xantia this is a birthday party, why would that not be okay?? Maybe she'll remember to actually say 'happy birthday' in a little bit...

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

    Noeline still doesn't know the exact details of Shevat's help when it comes to Riesenlied's health. She's long-since accepted that there are some subjects and topics that she's never going to really get the hang of, and nanomachine treatment is absolutely one of them. All she can do is remain quietly grateful for their assistance and greet her partner with a smile afterwards.

    This wouldn't be the first time that Noeline has considered introducing Midori to some of the children from the Fereshte - they certainly have plenty of inquisitive kids who would swoop the girl under their wing in absolutely no time at all - but she can understand that the distance involved and the need to leave Shevat and travel worlds to where the ship is currently stuck on Lunar are both rather big asks. Even for a birthday party.

    Still, that gives her some ideas as far as what to bring with her, and when she walks in alongside her partner, she's carrying an oversize card in one hand. She might not be dressed up to her old Crimson Noble nines, but she's ensured that the darker version of the Baskar robes she wears have been stylised enough to let her get in a bit of a sweep to her entrance. Whether Midori will appreciate the over-the-top gesture is a good question, but... Noeline's surprisingly ready to be deliberately goofy around children.

    At least she doesn't launch into an overblown and silly speech on top as she has for some of her own kids - just grins pleasantly at Riesenlied as she helps steady her partner's progress forwards. "I wouldn't have missed either for the world, of course," she hums as she nods towards the others. Her smile turns quiet and fond as she considers what a rag-tag group they look like altogether, but-- well, she'd be the last person to call that bad.

    "A little something from us," she adds when she hands over the birthday card. It certainly is a card, in as much as 'Happy Birthday' is written in the middle - but the rest of it is a riot of colour and doodles and starbursts, a figure that might be Midori if you had to draw her by second-hand description, a very rough drawing of Shevat and the Fereshte, and so on. All she'd had to do was mention there was a birthday girl stuck on her own someplace boring and the Fereshte kids had pitched in.

<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.

    Lily earns a particularly long look, as if Midori were trying to puzzle something out about her -- is she perhaps wondering if Lily has brought any weapons along with her? At least she nods when Lily wishes her a happy birthday, which is probably something approaching more-normal human behavior.
    Though, Lily shouldn't worry too much about corrupting her. To be quite honest, Midori has several worse examples than someone like Lily in her life, already...

    Citan himself seems surprised to see Riesenlied. "Was your treatment today? I had not been aware... I must apologize," he tells her, fidgeting with his glasses. "I am glad you were able to attend. Midori appears to enjoy her time with you."

    Midori, for her part, looks directly towards Riesenlied. -Thank you! Today... I am ten. How old are you today?- is her rather more exuberant mental response.

    Yui had thanked Elly profusely for the croquettes -- after the cake, she had been hardpressed for time for much else, so having extra food -- especially at a celebration like this -- is always much appreciated.

    Speaking of Yui, she has just placed a hand on her daughter's head as Elly wishes her well, as if to prompt Midori in that general direction. ...Midori might not be one for talking but she has, too, graced Elly with a nod, as if to acknowledge her wishing her well.

    Two gifts? Citan may have slightly raised an eyebrow, here. "Fei, it is good to see you again as well. I believe Midori must be glad to see you." After all, Fei is Midori's first friend -- and quite possibly the first friend he might have made in Lahan, as well. He has glanced in his daughter's direction, as if to watch to see if she has anything to say with her hands. In this, he's correct: for Fei, Midori signs 'thank you'.

    But this isn't all she has to say.

    -Yes. I'm ten now. Are you... getting along?- is her silently projected question for Id.
    Who she means should be obvious.

    "Why, thank you," Yui says, smiling gently at Xantia as she compliments the cake. "I believe this should be my best yet." Considering that Yui's cooking is always great, this must mean that this one could be... otherworldly?? It's almost as if she's ignoring any awkwardness that Xantia might be in possession of...
    She approaches Xantia after a moment more, as if she would be willing to take the gift from her. "Of course. She'll like that very much. ...Xantia, was it? Fei has mentioned you before, during our sparring lessons." Well if anyone in this room doesn't know that Yui does martial arts (and more) then they certainly will now.

    Midori, in the meanwhile, has approached Riesenlied's chair (one of the Chu-Chu accompanies her, perhaps for moral support?) -- which means that she's come close to Noeline as well. -Is she your girlfriend?- she asks of Riesenlied, after a moment's study of Noeline. With a particular blend of determined seriousness, she takes the card from Noeline and after a moment, opens it. Her eyes widen and she shows it to her Chu-Chu friend, who then takes it carefuly in their claws.

    "Did chu draw this?" the Chu-Chu asks, perhaps speaking for themself as well as Midori.

<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.

It's true. There are many worse influences here than Lily.

Lily looks back to Midori, wondering what she's trying to puzzle out, but her power only grants feelings, impressions, not words and intentions. But she nods, and that's good. Lily does have something else with her, though. She pulls it from behind her back, as she says, "...I also brought this."

She pulls a small stuffed animal out. It is a fuzzy black dog with big glassy eyes and a very huggable form, sized for a little girl. "...I can't leave Dog with you, so..."

It's a little awkward.

<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.

It's true. There are many worse influences here than Lily.

Lily looks back to Midori, wondering what she's trying to puzzle out, but her power only grants feelings, impressions, not words and intentions. But she nods, and that's good. Lily does have something else with her, though. She pulls it from behind her back, as she says, "...I also brought this."

She pulls a small stuffed animal out. It is a fuzzy black dog with big glassy eyes and a very huggable form, sized for a little girl. "...I can't leave Dog with you, so..."

It's a little awkward.

However, from the entrance, Dog pads in, and pauses, sitting down on her haunches to look at Yui in particular, tilting her head as if to ask permission.

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

    Riesenlied is always pleased to see Elly's cooking, given she's become fond of the way she prepares fish (she usually eats vegetables, but she's not so adamant and picky that she won't eat what others prepare for her); but today, there's croquettes!

    "Elly, Fei," she smiles towards the both of them. Then there is a pause, and... she looks to Xantia peeking behind Fei and reassures, "Surely that would be all right."

    Citan sounds a bit surprised, and Riesenlied nods. "I apologise for not telling you, it slipped my mind. I did bring the results for both you and Lily, if you would like to peruse them later."

    In truth, there's a lot about her treatment that she herself doesn't know, just like Noeline -- she just has to accept that this is helping, and buying her more time, since time isn't something that's on her side and she needs to work it as much as she can in her favour.

    Still, she's very fond of the way Noeline wears those robes she no doubt helped pick out -- and she laces her hand with her as Noeline shows the card, which has her own message as well. All the kids in the Fereshte chimed in... even if they can't see her right now.

    Lily offers a stuffed, fuzzy black dog! Aaah, it's terribly cute! "Hee hee... it certainly resembles Dog, does it not?" But then Dog is here too! Aaaah! It's been too long!

    Riesenlied can glance towards Id in her mind, smiling; from behind her, Nasrin is, for once smiling as well, wordlessly 'waving' on that mental layer. They seem more... warm, and together -- she's not detached and frozen, stuck in that broken room.

    -Happy birthday from me as well,- Nasrin echoes, before she looks to Id. -It's been a while.-

    Riesenlied chuckles to add, -Ten! That's something to be really proud of.-

    Midori asks, psychically, if Noeline is her girlfriend, and Riesenlied turns with a very fond smile towards her... and focuses on their rings -- Midori can briefly see how they're connected through them. Noeline may even be able to sense it in turn. -Mmm. We're going to get married soon, when the time is right.-

    She gestures towards the present and speaks normally now, since Citan and Yui might want to hear. "Since you are growing up, I thought of a present that might suit you now. There is a little locket inside, and I have placed in it a prism which I used when I was younger to focus my mental thoughts."

    As if to demonstrate, she focuses her empathic thoughts and Midori can feel a 'ping' from the box in turn.

<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.

Fei has purchased Midori... SEEDS FOR HER GARDEN THAT HE GOT FROM MERIBIA AND OTHER TOWNS. Id has gotten... A STUFFED CHIMERA ANIMAL. They set the gifts down with other gifts.

Fei grins at Xantia. "Hey you made it. Course it's okay, sis." He gives her a quick fistbump and a broad smile. He's in a good mood even if he never quite manages to dial down his anxiety to 0.

He is oblivious--there, in the distance--

A pink furball looking at Fei.

"<3"

Fei signs back to Midori: 'you're welcome. Double digits...!'

But that part of his mind he isn't entirely privy to...

...There's good days and bad days. More good than bad lately. Id isn't going to lie to Midori. There's no real use unless he wants to try putting up some kind of mental defense but he is never going to do that. The deaths that Id didn't mean to cause are the ones that weigh the most on his mind.

"It's good to see you too, Doc. Heh." Fei says, oblivious to the raised eyebrow which is for the best. "I missed one so..." That's going to be his excuse because he thinks sidestepping the issue is probably for the best.

"You should do a session or two with Yui too, Xantia." Fei adds to her, scootching towards Elly instinctively.

He feels like it could be dangerous if he doesn't for some reason.

The chu chu continues watching him with big round eyes.

<Pose Tracker> Elhaym van Houten has posed.

 
Having been thanked for cooking... it's a new experience for Elly. She'll have to deal with it later, when a party for a precious child is not in play.

Elly smiles at Riesenlied and Noeline gently. "Oh, tell me what you think of the ccroquettes - you can be critical later, if you want, it was sort of a new experience."

"Of course," Elly tells Xantia, though she does hang back a little just in case - okay there's agreement. She beams at her. (If necessary Elly will give Xantia her cake, save for a bite or two.)

Elly had also brought a present which her player forgot to describe due to rampant drug abuse!!! That present was wrapped in lightly decorative paper and contains three items.

1. The Desert Scouts' Guide to Profitable Exploration of the Sea-Side - a scouting manual from a youth movement with outposts throughout Aquvy of various intensities, mostly describing some elementary survival and physical culture methods, with an extensive documentation of sea-life likely to be found easily from the beach or on a ship's side. There is also guidance on how to be thrifty, brave, clean, good to the Guardians, &c.
2. A decorative mesh net with glass floats on it, done up to decorate a wall with gray and blue and green.
3. A hand-scribed comment on a single piece of fine paper from a hotel, loosely imitating a railway ticket and promising guidance on ONE journey through ANY water or rivering feature by ELEHAYYM V. HOUTEN, ANGERLINA OF THE SIXTY-FIRST LEVEL for purposes of EXPLORATION, PLEASURE, or CUISINE.

She blinks a couple of times at Fei, although she takes his hand when she gets scooched up against. Her head turns a little as she sees the chu-chu, and then glances back at Fei, asking him quietly, "Is everything alright...? If we need to take a walk, then..."

Elly hasn't even sensed her rival. How churuel...

<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.

Fei's reassurance helps Xantia at least a little. She's not about to leave a fistbump hanging, at any rate. Although, where Yui is involved, Xantia has no problem smiling to begin with. It's been a while, but she was invited along for dinner at the Uzukis a couple of times, and knows to appreciate the woman's cooking mastery. That cake is something to look forward to, for sure. What she didn't know, however...

"...Sparring lessons, huh? Well, if you can teach Fei, you must be a really good fighter. I don't feel like regular lessons really work for me, but if you ever feel like going all out... I always enjoy a good fight where I don't have to hold back." She grins, pleasantly. That sort of thing really is genuinely fun for her. Maybe Yui understands the appeal of the sort of fight she means, which she may have heard a thing or two about, if Citan shared details of his own fight with Xantia.

She does not, however, choose to leave her present with Yui. It's important to do that part herself. At the risk of making too much of a big deal out of it... well, it feels like a big deal to her. She's not exactly an expert on gift-giving beyond 'here, this is for you', and that just... doesn't feel good enough, in this particular case. And so she steps over to where Midori is, giving Riesenlied and Noeline a silent wave as she approaches the general direction of the Hyadean pair in doing so. She takes a deep breath, and clears her throat.

"Sooo... this is a little embarrassing, but I just want everyone to keep in mind that... I don't remember what it's like being Midori's age. That's probably why, if I'm perfectly honest... I can't really figure out children, like in general. They're just... different, in ways that I don't fully understand. Which is why I really had no idea what would make for a good gift." She sets her leather bag on the floor, holding onto the straps for now. Not doing the actual giving yet, she's getting to that.

"The obvious thing would be food, right?" The obvious thing to Xantia, sure. "But then I was like, your mother is pretty much the best cook ever, and Elly was already making something too, they know what they're doing a lot better than I do." No flattery intended there, just honesty. She doesn't miss a beat and continues with a slight shrug.

"So what else could I do? I mean, I could've asked someone, but I feel like... it's not really a gift from me if someone else came up with it, right? So I asked myself instead, if I was living up in here in Shevat, what's something that I might like to have? Maybe that would be good to give? And so, here's what I came up with!"

After all that buildup, Xantia finally reaches inside of the bag with both hands, and lifts out... a rather sizable stack of books, which she places down on the floor next to it. Every single one of them a ten-gella novel.

"Books!" she clarifies needlessly, indicating the stack with her hands, before adding more detail. "All about action, adventure and exploration, the kinds I used to read to learn about what Drifters are like, and what all is out there in Filgaia. In fact, I've read all of these myself, so I know they're all great!"

Thankfully, there's no need to worry about the racier kind of ten-gella novel being mixed up in there. If these are all about things that Xantia understands the appeal of, then the bodice-ripper kind of novel would absolutely not be among them. She probably doesn't even know what a bodice is.

Adding to this, Xantia turns to Midori with a bright smile, and engages in a series of hand motions, communicating in sign language: 'These are for you, I hope you like them. Happy birthday.'

With Xantia expressing interest in Midori's use of sign language, Yui once agreed to help her find a book she could use to learn it. And learn it she did, well enough to manage this much without any mistakes. Midori seemed to appreciate her interest when she mentioned it during their first meeting, that was all the reason she needed to make the effort.

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

    Noeline is not a psychic per se - but she's been linked to Riesenlied by her bond for a long time now, and you don't spend that long sharing senses with a psychic without picking up some hint of it yourself. Though she doesn't seem to be able to pick out the exact words so much as the sensation of communication, she still focuses a little towards the girl as she replies to Riesenlied's well-wishes.

    That feeling slips away from her when she's addressed more directly, her attention focusing to the Chu-Chu as it asks the question; one thing she certainly can't do with her fledging awareness is multitask it. With a chuckle, she shakes her head, looking back to Midori. "Well! It is certainly true that I helped. But it comes from the children on board the Fereshte. They wanted to meet you and say hello sometime, but this was the next best thing," she tells Midori with a pleasant smile.

    Riesenlied focuses on her ring, and Noeline's responds in turn. She blinks once and then closes her eyes to better turn her own focus in on it - and though she doesn't respond directly to Midori's silent question, she can obviously pick up enough of the context from her partner's response that she huffs out a breath, equal parts bashful and prideful and warm.

    When she opens her eyes again, the corners of her lips quirk even higher. She might not let Lily ever forget the image of the hardened Black Wolf awkwardly holding out a stuffed toy to someone, which looks a lot more natural coming from Fei afterwards. ... of course, her own worries about Midori having to travel to make new friends are clearly not shared by Elly, whose gifts can only be described as outgoing. With a quiet chuckle, Noeline really has to wonder if perhaps the greatest threat to Solaris' existence would be their barring Elly from going fishing. Maybe the only reason they still fly is because she hasn't found a hook big enough.

    She offers Xantia a nod in return - and though there's surprise on her face as the girl pours out her heart, there's patience there as well. She and Riesenlied have gained a lot of awareness over the years about how difficult it can be to just be a child in Filgaia... though she can't help but immediately burst out a laugh as the present is revealed. "Ah!... well, it's a good thing that I didn't go this route," she grins as she kneels down a little to regard the stack with an expert's eye.

<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.

BLURAYED INTO THE PREVIOUS POSE AFTER THE PART WHERE HE SPEAKS TO MIDORI

Id has this to say to Nasrin: Hey again. Been a while. ... How's Riesenlied healing? Does he maybe feel a bit responsible?? Well he'll pretend like he doesn't, believe it!

<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.

    Citan shakes his head, at least. "No, that is quite alright. Surely, you must have much on your mind..." He trails off, glancing in Lily's direction. "Lily, let us review them later?" Right now, it can be set aside as there are much more important things to attend to.

    Midori's mental communication to Riesenlied carries with it the suggestion of a nod. -Yes. It's an important number. I'm... glad my friends are here- Midori finishes, her flesh and body self curling both hands into fists. Her friends, which don't include a single person her age (The Chu-Chu perhaps aside...?). But perhaps age alone shouldn't constrain one's choice of friends.
    Or even species, all considering.

    The connection there is palpable, for one as keenly attuned as Midori -So you'll get married... Mmm. I've never been to a wedding.- Midori frowns, as if in deep thought. -I hope it's a small one, so I can attend.-

    She speaks of her gift, aloud so that both of Midori's parents can hear. "Her 'mental thoughts'? Hmm, I suppose that may be helpful. I assume that it helps one calm themselves?" Citan muses, whereas Yui remarks, "Be certain to say 'thank you', Midori." Just because she talks with her hands doesn't mean she can opt out of proper social behavior.
    And so she does, with hands and mind alike, -Thank you.-

    She can feel that 'ping' from within the box. It might be more helpful than her father realizes.

    Midori hesitates when Lily brings out the toy dog, appearing to pivot between the twin axes that guide her. But, after a glance at her Chu-Chu friend (beware beware the other pink-furred one that regards Fei longingly from afar!) Midori approaches Lily to then take the plush into her hands. She might be ten and officially a 'big girl' now, but she's not too old for soft toys.

    Even if she glances over at the door mere moments after. Strangely, she's already looking over there before Dog makes her appearance...

    She's going to get an armful of plushies, isn't she? It's a fortunate bit of coincidence with the seeds, as her father has just finished making -- for her birthday -- a set of small planters that are just the right size to be anchored up onto the sides of one of the buildings in Aphel Aura.

    'Yes', Midori signs back. Are her finger movements just that much more energetic than usual?

    -That's good- she tells Id. -You should be nice to each other.-

    "Well, if I am being honest..." Citan starts to say, only to grimace as if thinking better of remarking on just how many birthdays he's missed for his daughter. "...Well, let us leave it at that. I believe Midori shall forgive you!"

    Elly's gifts are perhaps more welcome that she'll know (at least not immediately) -- living in Shevat has its benefits, but it also cuts Midori off from much of what is a given for those on the surface. Also, her room is a little bland and having some color is perhaps sorely needed. But these are the perils of living in five-hundred-year-old architecture, in a home you share with several other people (no one will mind the net).

    She might duck away from Elly after accepting the gift but she does -- particularly when Yui glances in her direction -- sign a quick 'thank you'.
    There is something about Elly that is... not scary. Not exactly. But also...

    "Oh, would you care to join us, Xantia? I believe we may be due another session soon," Yui says, looking in Fei's direction. "Perhaps after that, I might take you up on your offer. It does not do to injure a student." Which just implies that another practitioner is a separate matter altogether. "Though perhaps you may not need much instruction to start with, if what I have heard is true."

    Yui will do the honors here as regards to Midori's gift from Xantia, taking one of the books from the stack and regarding it. "How thoughtful, Xantia. I had been thinking that we should obtain more books for Midori. Most of what we have in the library here is not appropriate for a child." Mostly, because it's written for advanced academics and not for... other reasons. "Dear, would you look through these?"

    'Thank you' Midori signs back, her gaze on the stack of titles as if she were trying to read them herself. 'There are so many'. She fidgets, momentarily, but having her arms full of stuffed animals seems to help in that regard.

    Midori turns towards her Chu-Chu friend as Noeline explains who made the card and frowns, as if thinking this over deeply. 'Other... children...' she signs. The Chu-Chu interprets thus, "Midori's good, but shy, chu know."

<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.

Lily nods to Citan. "Yes," she says to him, "Let's do that." She looks at her friends; how they all come together for this occasion, to see Midori, all have their own different presents and ideas of what to give her. She suspects perhaps the greatest present is Citan's, though. And that's a bittersweet thought. It reminds her of birthdays growing up, picked on a certain day because they didn't really know...

But that is a thought for another time. Lily shakes off that emotion, and Dog, approaching, pauses to lick her hand before happily walking up to Midori and taking a seat nearby. Not too close, but not too far. Within reach, but not crowding.

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

    Riesenlied smiles at the way Fei and Xantia interact -- like they're siblings now. Everyone's found family is growing by the moment... and that only strengthens their bonds.

    Id speaks to Nasrin, and she pauses for a moment and answers: -Our mind is more at peace than it ever has been. She's warmer now... her father doesn't have as strong a grip on her. But her body...- She frowns a bit deeper.

    Xantia gives them a wave, and she gives one in turn; then she listens to Xantia's heartfelt thoughts, and how she didn't have a childhood she remembers... and how she's working through thinking of what to give her -- and settles for books! "Oh, that's a wonderful gift idea!"

    Xantia's earlier comment of not knowing birthdays, and Lily's too... Riesenlied technically knows... the date of her creation, but it isn't something Hyadeans celebrate as a birthday. But she's adopted the custom, because it's important to understand and take time to reflect on one's progress, and to bring a bit of joy to one's life.

    Fortunately, there aren't any racy ten-gella bodice rippers in there. Noeline says she's glad she didn't go that route, and Riesenlied actually goes for the very rare case of teasing: "Do not corrupt her with your kind of novella, Noeline."

    It's terribly light, though, because she certainly remembers digging into some of them and blowing up red with colour; she draws in to her and leans against her fondly afterwards.

    Midori communes with her on the empathic level further. She does sense it... a bit of loneliness of not having friends her age. And she does understand how important that is.

    -I hope so too. I am not too good with big crowds myself,- Riesenlied chuckles.

    Citan asks about the gift. "Yes, it was particularly helpful for calming and centering myself." She wonders if she should take Citan aside to explain Midori's empathic power, but... she thinks it's something Midori herself should take the step to, as well.

    "That is right. We have not had the opportunity... but I would like to have Janey and Mikaia meet Midori," Riesenlied expresses.

<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.

"Of course!" Xantia replies to Yui's offer with enthusiasm. "I kinda... learn differently, usually, so I dunno if you'd call me a good student. But I hope you can show me stuff I've never seen before!" Finding unusual ways to deal with unusual situations tends to be where she shines.

For the moment though, she's trying to find a usual way to a usual situation. As such, she is visibly startled by Noeline's laugh following the presentation of her gift, worried that she might have done something weird without realizing it. That happens all the time and isn't usually a problem, but she was really making an effort to do something that most people would consider sensible this time. Laughter was not the reaction she was hoping for!

Thankfully Riesenlied and Yui's reactions appear to imply that she did just fine, prompting a sigh of relief. "Those books in the library you have did seem difficult, and kinda boring," by her estimation. Even if she was surprised by how much made sense to her, it wasn't particularly fun to read. Quite the opposite of the ones she brought, meant for entertainment as they are.

Noeline (and possibly others who take a look) will probably take notice that among the books there are several that one might call 'the classics', such as they are in the world of ten-gella novels, but there are at least as many that aren't well-known at all. A random selection in that regard, but they do paint a good picture of what Xantia is interested in. It's just as she said: most of them have Drifter protagonists, often detailing their adventure on a dig of some kind. The overall theme here is 'overcoming hardships, while discovering great sights and treasures along the way'.

...One will probably stand out to Noeline in particular, for the title alone. "The Last Crimson Noble". It's pretty much what one would expect from that kind of novel, a story about a brave Drifter who confronts the biggest vampire stereotype imaginable. Although it doesn't paint the Crimson Noble in a particularly bad light, just someone very bored and looking for entertainment, agreeing to leave the region in peace after being bested in a convoluted game of chance. All very dramatic and complete fiction of course, much like the rest of these books. Even though Xantia being Xantia, she undoubtedly took all these stories at face value and treated them as factual events.

In any event, what was by far the most important here was Midori's reaction. Xantia doesn't have quite as much to go on as others do in gauging how Midori feels about things, but the reaction she gets is enough to make her smile, deciding this went well. 'I brought a lot so you wouldn't get bored quickly', she explains in sign language, before letting out a breath, visibly relieved.

"Right then... I'd like to try some of that cake now!"

There's the Xantia we know.

<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.

Id, STRANGELY BASHFUL. Ah, well... It's your special day don't worry about us. For all his plans and schemes...Midori is different. Just like how Elly is different. Just remember that, he tells himself. You carry these little pieces along with Xantia and hide them so the Coward cannot find them. Like precious marbles in a small box under the bed.

Fei knows he's to blame for at least one or two of those. "I'm sure she understands. She's a smart kid," Fei promises Citan, no doubt underestimating the sort of work Citan actually does that kept him away all the other times but nevertheless.

To Nasrin: ...IF I could do more than destroy I could help, but maybe Emeralda can when she's a little older. If we had all our memories...

A LONG TIME AGO.

"You activated my trap card...! And with that, your remaining life points... are depleted!" Yogi Modo, card based drifter, shouts dramatically.

"Uggh... Fine, I'll let Halloween end." Marivel says before turning into a bat and flying away.

NOW

Fei is not so sure that Riesenlied can avoid at least a medium sized wedding. She has a lot of people who love her but it's possible they could maybe break up the wedding into sections maybe? Well, Id isn't sharing these secrets with Fei. Sucks to be him.

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

    Noeline's chuckle is softer this time; she nods to the concerned Chu-Chu, but kneels down to be a little more eye-to-eye with Midori, reaching up to pat her on the head at the same time. "I understand. And it is quite alright to be shy. But if you ask me, Shevat can be a little too quiet at times, so if you ever feel like you want to try it, all you have to do is let us know. We'd be alongside you all the way. Of course, your family too." She certainly doesn't need to add that for Citan's sake, and probably not for Yui's either - but for Midori's, at least.

    Her eyebrows raise in surprise as she swivels around at her partner's comment, eyes wide. "Excuse me!" she puffs. "I would hardly pick titles like that! Don't underestimate the breadth of a voracious reader, is all I am saying. A great many of these have passed through my collection as well. Ah, you have a few of the Chronicle here, and the Almanacs-- hmm, and the early ones, for that matter, before that new editor took over and made everything so bland." Noeline don't just appraise someone else's gift, even if it's positive!!

    She pauses at the final title she finds, lost in nostalgia, before chuckling as she straightens up. At least she has the grace to look a little embarrassed. "Ah... my apologies. At times it feels like I will always be a reader first, and then everything else second. ... it's a very good collection," she adds to Xantia with a smile.

<Pose Tracker> Elhaym van Houten has posed.

 
Elly smiles when Midori takes hold of the gift. If Midori has seemed hesitant about her, it has at worst played into Elly's guilt complex - of course she might have issues trusting her. She is the spitting image of an agent of Solaris; she has distinctive hair; a thousand little things about her are unusual, particularly to a sheltered girl. She does not begrudge Midori shyness; if anything, she envies her the possibility of shyness.

Elly does not know, of course, about the sense of a line behind her, trailing through a wasteland.

The eye can't see itself - even a mirror is only a reflection...

"I feel that I ought to join you as well, just to stay on top of things," Elly remarks about sparring, "but I suppose that's something that can wait for after the party, can't it?" She smiles, a little. "Maybe Shevat should order some books, then... oh, they could be cryptic about it. The price for each visit, a single book for children..."

But how many can there be?

"I understand," Elly tells the interlocuting Chu-Chu. As she does, she squeezes Fei's hand.

Her eyes close for a moment, as if to mark this moment in her memory. Even as Xantia calls for cake, and Elly opens her eyes to look towards Yui - smiling momentarily at Dog, and glancing past or away to smile at Lily, before saying to Yui, "Would you like me to get the cake?"

After all, Yui's already done quite a lot.

<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.

    -Be good.- Midori impresses, again. -I don't want you to be bad.-

    That other boy within Fei has always seemed to sad, since the day Midori discovered he was there.

    "Oh, I see. So you are one of 'those'," she says, with a chuckle to Xantia. "But do not worry. I went so far as to marry one of them."

    Citan says not a word but with a sheepish look, simply shrugs as if to say 'what can you do'.

    "...And you as well, Elly? Well... perhaps I should make a formal class of it," Yui concludes, regarding Elly thoughtfully. "How are your hand-to-hand skills? Or would you prefer to focus on staves?"

    Animals, at least, are always easier for Midori.
    People are chaotic, though. Even a regular person's mind is so much, like jumping into an ocean and sinking to the bottom. Being around many other people is like drowning. Unless she pulls back early, she'll sink and sink again, until she's completely overwhelmed.

    And some are more complicated and deeper than others.

    And some are shallower, but louder and brighter than others.

    The latter is why she struggles around other children.
    As for the former...

    There are a lot of people in here. It's loud. But it could be louder. There are deep spots, but she knows them well enough to avoid looking at them again.

    Though then again, there is Elly's mind. It's hard not to look at it, as bright as it is. Yet she can't look at it. It's like looking into a mirror reflecting itself, an infinity swirling off forever. A line that travels the desert, without beginning or end. An eternal loop.

    Citan himself is, as asked by Yui, going through the books in the set, as if to briefly evaluate their content. While he might have his own opinions on the appropriateness of the non-picturebooks in Shevat's collection for a child (pushing past set boundaries is not a bad thing, precisely, in his view) by the same token one should learn to walk before they run.
    And at least, it's a decision that Midori should make for herself.

    "Hmm, I think many of these should suffice... ah, though, perhaps I would start with this one?" he says, proffering a particular volume Yui's way.

    "'Discovering Our Past'... well, I shouldn't have been surprised," Yui says, smiling to herself. Midori herself looks towards Xantia and nods. 'Good. Everything here is getting harder to read.' She has her tutor in Shevat helping with her education, so there's plenty of 'boundary-pushing' to be had on that front already, it would seem.

    -So it isn't just me... Everyone is just so loud- Midori sighs, mind-to-mind with Riesenlied. -But someday... I'll be able to do it. I hope.-

    Perhaps with enough time and enough practice.

    Citan rises to his feet, book still in hand. "Oh, I see... Then, in that case..." He glances once towards Midori, as if unwilling to speak of his concerns about his daughter where she can hear them.
    Midori has already heard what he hasn't said, of course.

    Midori startles, if briefly, when Noeline kneels down before her, but her friend takes her hand in... paw and Midori stills herself, long enough to receive that pat on the head. She's silent -- as usual -- and unmoving for a long moment after. But she nods.
    "Someday, maybe," the Chu-Chu translates.

    But when Riesenlied remarks on Noeline's preference of title, it's all that Citan can do to keep a straight face. "I should... say not," he says at last, shaking his head, his amusement perhaps more oriented towards Noeline's reaction than... anything else. It's a sobering thought, realizing that your daughter is just on the cusp of her teen years...

    'Right then... I'd like to try some of that cake now!' Xantia declares.

    "Yes, I do believe that it's that time. Shall we, Midori?" Yui asks of her daughter.

    Midori's response cannot be misunderstood: she nods, quite emphatically.

    "Yes, please do, Elly."