[OPEN] A time for celebration!

[theheroics]

Who: Aerith, the cast, and all of her CR!
Which: Open Party Log
Where: The Starflower Sanctuary and Café (with permission by the courteous Tifa)
What: It's Aerith's birthday, so it's time to celebrate!
Warnings: General shenanigans


Despite how bustling The Starflower is on any normal given day, this day in particular seems a little bit more lively.

With general contribution to various vendors and pulling some strings here and there, the cafe has now blossomed into a flower wonderland!



Each guest is greeted with their very own paper flower upon arrival, small enough to be worn as a hair accessory or pinned somewhere on your clothing. (Though some may already be crumbled when received- they were done by hand, after all!) Once equipped, the flower is known to give off a feeling of happiness or light heartedness.

There is also a cake seated at the center of the room, surrounded by all different types of delicacies- both from more heartier meals to a light snack! All are free to mingle, eat, drink, and shower the birthday girl in gifts! However, if you're looking for a little something more to do, look no further than the stations set up on either side of the room for your enjoyment:

Posterboard Doodles 🎨
Sitting against one of the empty tables is a blank canvas in need of your words! Use the brightly colored markers and crayons available to write a heartfelt message, draw, or whatever you like! Leave no space unmarked!

Materia Cornhole (!?)
Is that... actual materia? Don't ask too many questions, just enjoy a friendly competition! (Note: being inebriated has shown to provide better results.)

Party Animals 🐶
You thought you'd come into this café and not get swarmed with animals? The furry friends of this fine establishment have risen to occasion with their festive gear to play alongside all the party goers!

But be warned, just because a party is going on inside, doesn't mean the troubles from the outside can't creep in...! Love is in the air, after all! ❤️

Comments

[inheritedearth]

Mmmnope!

[Even if he thinks it's pretty lousy news, she doesn't seem too broken up about it.]

I didn't have a lot of friends as a kid, and even if I did, you don't really see a lot of birthday parties in the slums. There's usually not a whole lot to go around. I never minded, but— it does make today extra special.

[She's definitely going to remember all the effort he put into this.]

[inheritedearth]

[He struggles enough that she almost tells him to stop, but—

She can't bring herself to interrupt this display. It's art, honestly. Once he's done, she offers him a little bit of applause for his efforts, reaching for a slider of her own.]

I think I'll take it a little more slowly, but that was pretty impressive. I could tell you're no amateur.

[He's clearly eaten a lot of burgers of all sizes. His skill level is obvious!]

[inheritedearth]

[Maybe one of these days, he'll get used to her approach. In the meantime, she'll continue to be a well-meaning menace.

Her expression softens, her grin giving way to a genuine and appreciative smile— there really had been a lot of hands involved in all of this, hadn't there?]

Sure seems like it took a whole lot of effort. You all worked hard to make this happen. I really do appreciate it, you know.

[It probably goes without saying, but she hasn't seen a whole lot of this kind of thing firsthand in her life.]

And— the fact that you're all here. That means a lot, too. I wouldn't want it any other way!

[inheritedearth]

Weeeell, I guess you have a good point there.

[She hasn't received a whole lot of birthday gifts in her life, aside from Elmyra always wanting to make sure she had something to look forward to when it came around, but she does know that flowers are considered a thoughtful gift— by her more than most people, really.]

I'm usually the one giving flowers to other people! I'm not used to getting them myself, but it's not like they're common back home.

[Certainly not in Midgar. She does smile as she reaches out to take the flowers from him between both hands, even if her eyes still read as bewildered.]

Thank you, Rufus.

[Oh— that feels strange, addressing him by his name, like a friend.]

ii

[flamekthunder]

[Eustace will have one of his usual pups in tow as he passes by, watching her for a moment.]

I'd be careful if I were you... They can be a handful.

[In fact, one or two of them recognize him from he first had to trap them from before and they still give him the stinkeye.]

[theheroics]

[ She might be content with it all, but Zack's visible discontent is very evident by the frown still plastered across his face.

He'll eventually lift himself off from the ground, patting out his pants, before straightening himself out in front of her. ]

Then we just gotta make this the best day ever, right? Leave it to me!

[ Operation: Best Birthday Ever was a-go!

He'll quickly replace that frown with a glowing smile before leaning down and taking hold of her hand. Unbeknownst to himself that the moment he does so, little pink hearts will begin to gently float off of his shoulders. ]

I think I set up the Whack-A-Tonberry on the other side. Wanna try it out?

[theheroics]

[ Normally sickness would have symptoms, right? Yet for some reason none of the usual tiredness or ailments had followed him. He could have blamed it on allergies, which he was never accustomed to, but the body changes... there would be a number of things happening that Zack just couldn't think of the reason to at this very moment.

He felt perfectly fine expect for the redness in his nose that had suddenly appeared from all the sneezing. Why the hell was this happening? ]

Not one bit. And I think it's getting worse, too.

[starshower]

[She eyes him warily.]

Red's fine.

[Weird enough that she was talking to him, but now he's offering to pour her wine...? Barret's head might have blown off if he were here to see this right now, she thinks to herself.]

Let's grab a table by the window. [She casts a quick glance in Eustace's direction while he's distracted by Aerith.] More privacy.

[starshower]

They are... Makes it hard to be responsible about it.

[She motions to the one in her palm.]

How are you supposed to say no to this, right? Surprised no one's taken one, or all of them home yet, to be honest.

[ambitiousblond]

Red it is.

[He's just taking the bottle for them along with the glasses as he follows her to the table. He sets the glasses down on the table, pouring them both generous glasses before taking a seat.

He takes a drink from his glass before speaking again.]

Ask me anything you want- if I can answer, I will. But I will give you the same warning I gave Miss Gainsborough- once you know, there is no going back.

[starshower]

[Well, if that doesn't fill her with a sense of absolute dread, she doesn't know what would, and as she sits down and takes the glass, she grips the stem of it tight that it creaks between her fingers.

Where to even start?

An awkward, heavy silence falls over the table that not even the sounds of the café can fill before her shoulders finally rise and then slump with a breath.]

... You know stuff that we don't, then. Am I right?

[ambitiousblond]

You're welcome- it's the least I could do.

[This time he can't hold in a chuckle at her bewildered look, especially when says his name like that, like they're just old friends.]

Midgar was never known for its natural beauty and even above the plate it often was preferred to have fake flowers since it was less messy that way.

[He frowns a little at the memory of the city of light and mako which lays in ruins now, a haunted tomb but he decides not to dwell on that.]

Anyway, I'm glad you like them, I've never picked out flowers before.

[ambitiousblond]

I do.

[He hears laughter somewhere in the cafe but he doesn't look away from Tifa, noticing how she grips the stem of her wine glass.]

From what I can determine, about two years more than you do at this point, if the last time you saw me was the rooftop.

[inheritedearth]

[Aerith looks up at him with a bright and beaming smile, shaking her head.]

Oh, I don't know, they're not so bad— although I think I would always be worrying about losing track of them if I were to adopt them.

[Which means that even though she's been considering finding a new companion for herself, these guys aren't it.]

They are pretty wily, huh? I like that. They've got spirit!

[inheritedearth]

[She doesn't love the look of that frown— it looks just plain wrong on his face— but it becomes a smile as though he's flipped some kind of switch. She smiles warmly in return, her gaze moving to follow the little pink hearts floating above his shoulders, much like the ones that have been following her around throughout the day, and reaches up to gently poke at one of them with her finger so that it starts floating towards him, its trajectory aiming for his nose.]

Best day ever, huh? Well, you've got a great head start!

[To say that she's appreciative of all the effort that has gone into the day is an understatement!

At his offer, she helps herself to looping an arm through his, her smile hitching wider.]

Whack-A-Tonberry sounds perfect. Just lead the way! I bet I beat you.

[She won't, but she'll try.]

[inheritedearth]

I'm surprised, too. They're pretty irresistable!

[She proves both their points as one of the little rabbits gives her a pleading look and she can't help but break off another piece of cracker to crumble into her palm for them, letting out a dramatic but affectionate sigh.]

Actually, I've been thinking about adopting someone for myself. As fond as I am of these little guys, I don't think I'd be the right owner for them, but that doesn't mean I don't love playing with them when I'm here— if someone does adopt them, I'd definitely miss them.

[inheritedearth]

I never had any trouble growing them there, but— I guess that's a special case.

[They both know full well why she was the exception to that particular rule of life in Midgar. It was almost impossible to grow anything otherwise. Getting real, fresh produce to eat was a luxury for a lot of people, too.

She smiles all the same, looking down into the bouquet directly to admire them.]

Well, you did a good job— I never would have been able to tell. If you ever need a second opinion on flowers in the future, though, I happen to know an excellent florist.

[Her. It's her.]

[spikyheaded]

[Cloud continues to look at Zack for a moment, almost expecting him to sneeze again, but letting out a sigh when nothing comes. Neither of them knew what was triggering it, which meant they had no idea how to counteract it either. And with all the running around to get things together, it wasn't making the situation any easier on Zack.]

Maybe you should sit down somewhere before we start. You're starting to look like a moogle.

[Not even taking a second to acknowledge his own joke, he gave the Starflower a cursory look, punctuating the gesture with a half-shrug.]

The place is pretty much set up already.

[spikyheaded]

[Cloud blinks at that, not sure what to do with the look on Aerith's face or her show of appreciation. But he shakes his head, looking away as if to play it cool.]

Don't mention it. Not sure you could call it a party if no one showed up for it.

[That was fine to say right? Even if this wasn't the first party he'd attended, he still can't help but feel like he was out of his element. If it were up to him, he'd find himself a drink and just stand somewhere he can be on his own.

But he should at least try to be amicable, right?]

I think Tifa's got a couple of drinks at the ready. Want me to get you something?

[flamekthunder]

Too much spirit...

[Those rabbits are still making dumb faces at him before they scurry away. Ignoring them, he turns to Aerith instead.]

Are you thinking of adopting?

[theheroics]

Way to make a guy feel self-conscious. [ He groans, throwing a hand up to cover his "moogle" nose.

... And just in time, too. For the moment he reaches towards his face another loud sneeze will accompany the gesture.

He sighs, halfway defeated before letting the petals fall from his palm to the floor before nodding his head. ]

Alright, alright I'll sit down. But only for a minute. Gotta make sure this place is perfect for her, y'know?

[ It's the first time he's really gone so hard into planning any sort of birthday, so on top of all the sneezing... he seemed a little nervous. ]

[spikyheaded]

[Even Cloud braces himself, recoiling slightly when Zack sneezes, having been on the opposite end of one throughout the week. He's more thankful for his earlier comment than he'll ever admit.]

What are you talking about? It's already perfect.

[He does catch onto Zack's nervous energy though. It's not often that he's seen Zack so high-strung.]

Worried she won't like it?

[inheritedearth]

Mmhmm!

[She nods, then looks towards where some of the other resident animals are playing together a ways off.]

They all need 'forever homes,' right? And my place has been feeling a little empty. I've never owned a pet myself before, but I'm good at taking care of things.

[They would be in good hands, if the way she treats her plants— and everyone else's— are any indication.]

[inheritedearth]

[Oh, Cloud. Still struggling to engage with people. Never change.]

You probably could, I guess, but it would be a pretty sad excuse for one, huh.

[It would have been terrible to see all of everyone's hard work go to waste, besides! At the mention of drinks, however, she brightens— and he's offering to get one for her? How chivalrous!]

A drink would be great! Tifa's are always the best— not that I do a whole lot of drinking to begin with, but most everything she makes is the best.

[spikyheaded]

[He's at least trying to mingle. Gotta give him that. So if getting the birthday girl a drink helps in that regard, he'll do it.]

You're right about that. Don't think I've ever had anything she's made that wasn't good.

[Totally unbiased opinion there, clearly, even if it was true.]

You okay with a Cosmo Canyon?