songerein | [OPEN] A time for celebration!

Entry tags:

[OPEN] A time for celebration!

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!

title or description

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! ❤️

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[ This was a big day!! A huge day!! And Zack was going to try and make sure everything went super well for Aerith of all people. So by the time she finally found him the man was seen sitting crisscross applesauce on the floor attempting to blow up another balloon... and popping it. Again.

Welp. ]

Know about it? I'll have you know that I actually played a big role in getting all of this together! [ He won't take all of the credit because this was really just trying to convince Tifa to throw everything here. He was more of the brains behind it all while she handled the more... technical pieces of it all.

Yet, despite how frantic it may have all been trying to put it together, everything was coming along great!

So he gleams up a her, a wide smile across his face. ]

Happy birthday, Aerith! You like it?

[Oh, he really is doing his best with that balloon, isn't he? She gives him a sympathetic smile after it pops, reaching out to give him a comforting pat on his shoulder.

You're doing great, sweetie.]

Are you kidding? I love it. Hmm, so this was your idea. I had a feeling you and Tifa worked together on this!

[It's got both of their names all over it, and she bites at her lower lip to try and stifle that beaming grin of hers, with very little success.]

You know, I've never had one of these before. This is a pretty great first birthday party.

[ The shoulder pat is well received despite his seemingly murderous attempt on that balloon, but that won't stop Zack from smiling... especially after seeing hers. Or what she was trying to hide of one. It was infectious regardless, and on such a special occasion it was hard not to.

... That was until she spoke up again. ]

Wait, hang on. You're telling me you've never had a birthday party? Like ever?

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.]

[ 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?

[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.]

[ He didn't notice the hearts at first... not until they were literally in front of his face. And as one hits him directly in the nose he blinks- a mixture of both surprise and confusion. He had noticed them periodically throughout the party, but were they coming from him!? Great, more things to add on to this already strange day.

Yet none of this was going to deter him from making sure she had a great day! He was a man of his word, after all!

So putting aside the hearts for a moment (he's keeping an eye of them, though. just in case more appear) Zack will graciously take Aerith's arm and give it a small squeeze in compliance to her forwardness. That sure doesn't help from more hearts sprouting, though— ]

Uh. Heh. [ He had no idea what they meant!? Just. Play it cool, Zack. Play it cool.

Thankfully he's able to bounce back pretty quickly, all things considered. Especially when she gives him enough bait with her own words. ]

Oh yeah? Willing to bet on that?

[A few more hearts seem to spring forth from her direction as well as he gives her that squeeze, and she laughs a little as she gladly sidles closer to him. She hadn't exactly been a wilting violet back when they'd first met, but she has grown a lot more confident in the time they've spent apart. She's not afraid to make her wants known, when she allows herself to admit to having them.

As for what the hearts actually mean, she's not going to worry about it too much. It's all just seasonal fun, isn't it? Hearts are straightforward enough, as far as she's concerned.]

Hmm, that could make things especially interesting.

[She's not saying no!]

Alright, what are your terms?

[ The hearts were pretty straightforward... guess he was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that she had hearts dancing off of her. He could blame it on the seasonal shenanigans this world usually had to offer, but he wasn't going to deny the fact that something was there— something was still special. ]

Alright. If I win— [ He begins, attempting to take a moment to think about his options. As if there was anything but one, though. ]

—then we go on a date. A real one. A big, "you pick me up at five" kinda deal. [ A pause as he eagerly looks down at her. ] Deal?

Oh, that's a good one!

[She laughs brightly again; it's a nice callback to when they'd first met, and that moment had certainly inspired her later on, though she doesn't say as much. She grins up at him, meeting that eager gaze with her own.]

We are overdue. [By a long, long while.] Deal. Now I have to pick something, but that's going to be harder than I thought— what if I want the same thing?

[ Please excuse the hearts continuing to sprout as she speaks. He always knew she would reciprocate, but still- ]

Not a problem! The winner will get to choose where to go on a date, or anything you want to happen during it.

Terms accepted!

[She doesn't seem to pay the hearts any mind, but she still has plenty of her own sprouting, as well. She's simply accepted them as part of the seasonal experience! It makes perfect sense to her that she and Zack would have them around one another.]

That sounds perfect. Whoever wins gets to choose the location and activities for said date. Hand-holding implied, anything else may require additional negotiation.

[She's kidding.

Probably.]

[ Anything else?

Oh.

That... does cause Zack's usually cool demeanor to falter slightly as his eyebrows raise and bit of pink brushes against his cheeks. But she won't get the upper hand that easily... even if it was her birthday! ]

Well since we both know who the winner is going to be, wouldn't hurt to get ahead of ourselves?

[ He says with a smile before reaching down to take her hand, giving it a playful squeeze as he leads her to the end of the café where the game is set up.

It's a simple design; an almost cornhole like area with extra holes sawed into the middle. Plastic squeak hammers sat beside the table with dreamotion imbued balloons which expanded and collapsed at different intervals. An invention of his own design, and something he (probably spent too much time on) was proud of! ]

[Her own playful demeanor softens slightly as he takes her hand, and she feels her heart skip a single beat as he squeezes her hand, offering a squeeze of her own in reply. After so long apart, even something so simple as holding hands felt like a tremendous leap forward, and she takes the opportunity to scoot an inch or so closer to him as they make their way towards the game.]

Do we? Hm, I'm not so sure...

[Even if in the end, they're both going to win this one.

The game setup is really rather impressive, especially considering that this spot had been home to a cafe table the day before. Aerith looks openly delighted, nudging him in the ribs with her elbow.]

You made this? It's actually kind of cute!

[Cute on the first try, imagine that—]

[ The air around them was certainly a bubbly one— with flowers and hearts and the peace that settled between them. Here where they were free to laugh and experience the warmth exuding from their smiles.

And the compliment? Well, that just about trumps everything else.

He actually looks a little shocked from the "cute" statement, but grins wildly in response. ]

Oh yeah? Clock that in with the rest of my handiwork! [ He's even puffing out his chest a little in his pride- ]

Wanna be the first to give it a go, birthday girl?

Mmm... it hasn't always been up to this standard, but I'll hand it to you, you did get there eventually!

[That first flower cart of his had been a little rough, but even though she'd teased him then and will probably continue to tease him for ages, the sentiment behind it had meant more than any of the frills they'd wound up adding— and it did get the job done!

She reaches for the mallet that's meant for whacking tonberries, giving it an experimental swing.]

Alright! Stand back, let me show you how it's done!

[Honestly, how this pans out is anyone's guess.]

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[OPEN] A time for celebration!

ia! ❤️

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