The Midnight Train to Nowhere

[Fox of Spades]

"I don't want to put an end to your reunion or anything, but the girl's right." He nodded in Ace's direction. "If we stay any longer, we'll be found. Ace, right? I still owe you a ride." Garret's faithful companion received a soft pat to the neck and the dragon lowered itself so the redhead would be able to scramble onto its back. "Xavier here's got enough room for a lot of you," he motioned for Victoria and Numair to follow and both did so without hesitation. "Two more, the younger ones can't carry as heavy a load." He looked to Harper, but the boy was still staring at the guides.

Beneath the shadow of his hat, Songbird's expression was almost unreadable. The item hunter had both hands crossed over his chest and his gaze focused on Brandy. "What are you planning to do?" He asked his best friend. If Brandy was going to leave on some crazy mission to help these humans then he wasn't going to let his friend leave alone. "I think it's a crazy thing to consider, but I'll follow you." His eyes landed on both Leila and Harper. The humans were a pain in the butt, that was for sure... but they weren't all bad.

At this point Ran and a few of the trainees were organizing their escape.

"Sorry about Cobalt, he just misses you." The black dragon let out a happy roar before Ise pointed in Luxa's direction. "Actually, the gang's all here. We should have enough dragons for everyone. They grow so fast, you know?" She tried to keep a smile on her face, but her eyes would occaisionally flit towards the injured Toby and the discussing guides. "Hey, Ran, why don't you come with me and Cobalt, we can take one other person too."

The suggestion made Cobalt's eyes light up and soon Ran found himself bowled over once more.

"I need two more people," Garret's voice rang out once more and he focused on C and Luke.

"You should go," Luke chimed in. "Looks like he really misses you." Garret called them once more, so after giving Ran a friendly wave, Luke dragged C along with him.

Riley was with Dune and Tasha. And while everyone climbed aboard, Garret allowed everyone to converse for a bit more before he called out for Inadi and the remaining humans to mount their assigned dragons. "We can't spare any more time—what?"

Before Garret could say more, both rabbit sisters crawled out of the hole to join them. Serenade looked a little pale in the face.

"They're sending soldiers into the tunnels, it's time for you to go."

Songbird bit back a frown and explained the situation to sisters. Serenade shook her head, but Dissonance like the others looked conflicted.

"It's time to go," Garret's dragon flapped its wings. If the guides wanted to come along, they had to choose now.

 

[Capt. Blu]

Hearing that Ace could ride Tasha instead made her misinterpret that she could ride the dragon by herself. "Alright Little Red! Let's do this!" She laughed as Tasha hopped around and prepared to fly off like the rest. Man, Ace loved this dragon. Just as she was about to hop on (without rider in sight) someone caught her attention. Ever since they met, Ace had the strangest feeling that this dragon rider didn't like her too much. Eh, oh well. "Luca right?" Oddly enough, she heard a tiny voice in her head. 'Huh? Oh, Luxa is it? Thanks...weird voicy person...?' Ace rubbed her ear and then continued, completely disregarding not to upset the dragon rider. "Luxa," She corrected herself. "My bad." The red head couldn't help but scratch her head.

"Why wouldn't I be happy?" Her mouth twisted in confusion and she gazed at all the humans gathering and either finding dragons or talking to the guides. "We've gotten everything we needed. We're homebound. Of course I'm happy. Sure we've gotten ourselves into trouble, but who cares!" Ace laughed and shrugged.

"Me? I get into waaay worse trouble back at home. But them? They all have families, friends, and homes to get to you know? They miss them. And I'm sure they're missed." For once, Ace looked a little calmer as her arms crossed and her gaze fell on everyone. "I'm happy for them. Happy that they get to reunite with people and happy for them. I mean, if we were all sad and mopey, we'd still be stuck at square one! There's gotta be someone who can cheer them up." The calmness faded almost quickly as it came and Ace beamed as usual. "What are you talking about!? That fire dog was amazing! They aren't vicious! And danger makes everything more exciting! I could train one and keep it as my own. We'd do what all dog owners do....just add fire!" There was a sparkle of excitement in Ace's eye. The kind that only happened when she was talking so passionately about burning something down. "Hey! Little Red! Let me see whatcha got!"

Tasha lifted her head and prepped herself. One deep inhale, and right after a stream of fire blew past her face. Most would probably be concerned about how close the fire was... Tasha's rider would probably have more trouble controlling Tasha now. Thank you Ace. "Good job! You've been practicing!" With Ace's attention on dragons, she crouched down and reached out for Aurora. "Hey there cutie! Come cloooser." Ace coaxed her forward, with Tasha close by her side. But of course, Ace decided to go the distance to lean forward and give the dragon a few scratches.

Sitting on the ground, she heard the leader and the guides talking. She looked over and noticed they were still deciding. When Garrett approved of what Ace said, she hopped up and grinned. "Of course I'm right. It's about escaping places. I'm practically an expert on that." Being told that she was owed a ride made her hop over to Garrett's dragon. "You're right! You do!" She turned to face Tasha and held her face. "Little Red, I'm going to ride that dragon okay? Mainly because they won't let me pick you- by myself that is. But don't you worry! One day we will. One day. For now, you should probably check with your rider. Cool?" Tasha didn't seem very happy with the switch at first but she blew out a small breath of fire and bounded off in understanding.

"I call shotgun!" Before she climbed on, Ace took the opportunity to pat Xavier's head when he lowered it. "Good, large dragon." It was way more fun when she snuck up and patted the dragon, but she still was happy to have the opportunity again. She really didn't know what the big deal was when she did it the first time...

Ace then climbed onto Xavier and took the "front seat", waiting for the cue to leave. "Bunny one and two have been here for about five minutes now. By my guess, that gives us ten minutes to escape without being seen. Ehh, fifteen if you want to be daring...Give or take." She shrugged and then continued waiting. She wouldn't mind either way. This was Ace after all. As long as she escaped, she'd be perfectly fine. "Next stop, we're homebound right!"

 

[Cephalogod]

While Sacha took the chance to give Toby a quick checkup and making sure everyone was settled, Brandy was closely scrutinizing the various characters and their dragons before them.

"So the riders..."

There was a deep frown on the rabbit's face as he thought. Decision making to him was never something spontaneous- the pros and cons needed to be made, the possible outcomes mapped and alternative options considered. Not being able to go through the process made him uncomfortable and perhaps even a little frightened, not that he would ever admit it.

"You're asking us to- against our Queen?"

"Yeppers. Against Queenie." Martini gave a sniffle from behind before waving to the riders. "Anyone have anything I could use to strap myself to one of your lovely buddies? Not having legs makes riding things kind of difficult."

"Wait, wait. Marti, you're going with them? Aren't you being a little hasty here? You do realize that-"

"I'll be leaving everything behind? Ooh, thank you sweetie this should work-" The mermaid turned to receive some sort of harness-esque thing that she quickly busied herself with. "Do I realize that I'm going against the Queen? I do know what I'm signing up for, Brandy. We did promise to send them home, and I intend to do just that. Doesn't mean you have to, but don't think for a second I don't understand what I'm doing, kaykay?"

The rabbit just stared at the mermaid for a short moment, not quite knowing how to respond.

"They're sending soldiers into the tunnels, it's time for you to go."

"Already?" Brandy was starting to tug on his ears in frustration. The guides' contracts did say to help the humans, but this? It was unlikely he'd be able to return to his shop or even Nowhere, knowing their luck. But even still, thinking of leaving the humans now after coming so far left a rather bad taste in his mouth.

"I hope I don't regret this." The faint shouting of the soldiers could be heard echoing through the mouth of the tunnel and the rabbit finally balled his fists, grabbing Song's sleeve towards the nearest dragon that didn't already have several passengers already. What was treason compared to throwing bombs off a ship or facing off against witches, right?

"I'm sure we could always move to Sol. I've heard that my clothes are getting popular there, you know?"

 

[Fox of Spades]

Post By Ryver

"15? I think not." Gara stated firmly, as he crouched down, cupping both hands together to give Lelia a leg up Lull right behind Sacha. He turned to Noe and was glad to see her all saddled up with Jasper sitting behind and Toby between them. "Noe! Go! Get Air to take off."

It was a risky move, but hopefully Air's sound blasts would frighten the guards into backing off. "Go, go, go!" He yelled, ignoring Luxa's miffed expression, when he took charge. "You too, Felix, Luxa."

"Sure thing." The usually sleepy Felix was now alert. He turned to his lone passenger, Inadi. "Hang on and don't mind the fragrances."

Air flapped his wings, letting out several sound blasts. Predictably, it made the advancing few bunny guards back away. Their tiny forms trembling. Without warning, the purple sound dragon took off. The sound of his flapping wings and roars magnified several fold. Even poor Jasper winced, as her ears rang.

Everyone lets go, came a confident, girly voice. Ran blinked. "Aurora?" He saw Cobalt blinked in agreement and the man quickly hopped. Just as the black fire dragon was about to take off, Brandy and Songbird ran pass.

"Come here!" He yelled, grabbing Brandy's hand, as Ise grabbed hold of Songbird's hand. "Glad both of you can join us." And Colby's huge, he added silently.

"Martini?" He scanned the area.

Don't worry, I got her, came Aurora's soothing voice. Ran looked up and he saw the telepathic dragon fly pass with two passengers on her back. He focused on an image of him petting Aurora's head and sensed she liked the idea very much.

"Let's go, boy!" Ran said petting Colby's neck. The dragon wanted for Ise's confirmation before throwing open his wings. Cobalt crouched and then took off, showering the nearby bunnies with gravel, grass and dirt.

The cheeky big brother among the young dragons inhaled and spewed a jet of flame down. The fire licked the end of one of the bunny guard's vest, inducing panic among them. Several were biffing their friend's vest only to have theirs set aflame too.
Sensing Garret might disapprove hurting the mute critters, Gara whispered into Lull's ear. A deep, throated purr came from the blue dragon. Several water-filled bubbles were sent below.

"Come on, commander," the sniper bellowed. "The rest of the guards are coming." He and the rest of the platoon watched with bated breath for Xerxes to finally take flight. From their current height, they could see the huge dog getting dangerously close.

 

[Fox of Spades]

​

Outside the Castle:​

Serenade and Dissonance stared each other in the eye, the latter looking quite torn. "You can go with them, Dissonance, I'll buy you some time."

"I'm not leaving you, sis. Geez, I can't believe you'd think that." Dissonance reached out for her sister's hands before her eyes flitted to Martini, Brandy, and Songbird. "Take care alright, we'll find you and that's a promise." The dragons flapped their wings, leaving clouds of dust in their wake. "Not just a promise, but a pinky promise with ice cream and carrot cake on top!"

"We'll come find you," Serenade added in a more quiet voice.

Songbird nodded slowly. "We'll hold you to that promise." Clouds of dust whipped at the sisters' faces but they watched with narrowed eyes as Xerxes and the remaining dragons took to the sky and flew off. A young trainee reached both the sisters and asked if they were alright.

"A little shaken," Serenade lied, "but they're gone now... things will be alright."

The trainee nodded before they all stared at the sky, and the dragons that were nothing more that tiny dots above them.

This will all end soon...

---

Forest of Dandelions: Tower of Demise

"Time, time, time, I must guard time... forever." The clockwork soldier felt a shift in the balance and his eyes flitted towards the last working clock in Nowhere. He had spent his life surrounded by thousands and thousands of clocks. Magnificent grandfather clocks, colorful cuckoo clocks, and humongous clocks of bronze and gold. He was there caretaker, and he watched as each one eventually ceased to work.

Now, there was only one clock left and it was his duty to guard it with his life. Especially during this odd time... something strange was happening, and the clockwork soldier felt it in his bones. The balance of Nowhere was being upset, but by what, he did not know.

"It's so lonely here." Pacing around the empty tower, his eyes flitted towards a bluebird in the distance. "Mr. Bluebird, I ask you keep me company. Please? Even if only for a little while." The bird left shortly after and a frown tugged on his lips. "Utterly and horribly lonely."

He understood that every living creature played a role in the grand scheme of things.

His role was a lonely one, but he would not fail. He would protect the last clock and he'd die to keep it safe too. "I must guard time forever."

 

[Fox of Spades]

"So you're really leaving, huh?" Riley pulled the determined looking Toby into a tight and friendly hug. It had been three earth days since their last mission and they stood outside the hobbit hole with the dragon riders and the guides. The riders would be leaving on a separate mission and the group decided that splitting into two teams would be for the best. They had dragged the the riders and the guides into this after all, and it wouldn't be fair to have the nobodies fight their battles for them. "Can you believe it, Ace? Aw, we're gonna miss you, Tobs."

The blonde tried to keep a serious look on his face but ended up laughing. "Of course we will, I'm only going to be gone a for awhile, y'know? The riders are like family and I have to help them." He pulled Ace in for a group hug then nodded. "We'll be back before you know it, and we've got Vicky with us." Toby looked to the ex dragoon who was talking with Garret, he practically had stars in his eyes. "You guys better take care too, okay? No getting hurt! You better promise." He eyed the rest of his friends and frowned, he was going to miss them a whole lot.

"Ran," the boy approached his the older man with outstretched arms. Things between them had been a little rocky lately, but he decided it was time to bury the hatchet. "Sorry about being a jerk... take care of yourself out there, alright? Make sure Riley and Ace don't go getting into trouble."

Riley shot him a mischievous grin and he grinned back. "Inadi, Victoria and I will keep Jasper safe!"

Jasper smiled, if anything, she was probably the one who'd keep Toby out of trouble. The girl leaned in to hug Inadi tightly, a faint blush creeping onto her cheeks as she did so. "We'll get to go home soon. Promise me you won't do anything reckless?" She tightened her embrace before walking towards Ace, Leila, and Harper and the three of them were pulled into a group hug.

"Don't worry, Jasper, we'll keep an eye on him." At this point, Ace received a rather teasing smile. "If it makes you feel any better, there's no way he could get into more trouble than Ace. Take care of yourself out there." He was going to miss them dearly, but there was no time for second thoughts. They were one item away from home and if they wanted to make it, they'd need to trust each other. "Hey, Inadi, don't get too lovesick, alright? We've got one more mission to tackle and we need you to focus." He tapped his friend cheerily on the shoulder. "We're still going to have one last dinner together, right? So no need to mope around yet." Several tables were scattered around outside the hobbit hole and Harper watched as C and Luke set up the tables, Luke wisely pulling each and every knife out of C's hold.

"Take care of yourself out there, alright?" Songbird looked at Brandy and Martini, a thin frown plastered to his lips. Like Victoria he was leaving with the riders. He hadn't planned too at first, but he knew the dark side more than most and had been there several times. He'd be more help with the riders than with the humans, after all he was an item hunter before anything else. Songbird pulled his hat over his face, he wasn't the most expressive Nobody out there, but he was going to miss them. The humans better treat his friends right this time. "If he causes you any trouble," he focused his eyes on Martini before looking to Inadi. "I'll give him hell."

They were really risking their lives for the humans this time...

"You sure about staying, Noe? We'll miss you, but I'm sure the humans will appreciate it." Ise pulled her fellow rider into a hug. "Cobalt will be accompanying you, so I guess it's kind of like I'm with you in a way." Cobalt puffed out his chest but turned into a puddle by Ise's feet the moment she gave him a scratch behind the ear. "I'll miss you both a lot, take care and stay safe."

 

[MixedUpGuy]

Seeing Toby get emotional about his departure from the group only made Inadi think back to all the danger they had suffered in the ocean fighting the great angler fish that nearly stole their emotions and almost turned them into fish food on top of it. The kid had grown and earned his respect after the initial introductions were very shaky to say the least, though Inadi was mainly to blame for that. He wanted to chime in and wish Toby well and not to worry but suddenly the hugging began and everyone started getting pulled into the tight embraces that would be seen by those wishing a family member off on a great journey. This was no exception, even though none here were related by blood among the humans.

After his apology to Ran, Toby shouted that he and Victoria would keep Jasper safe while he worked with the others in his own mission. Staring and smiling weakly at him Inadi had the realization that Jasper would be away for a while made his heart sink again. He had been battling it for a long time and had even demanded that Jasper go with him on the other mission, but better judgment was able to convince him otherwise from Harper and the others. He was selfish for wanting Jasper nearby, he knew that. But if there was at least one good thing that happened to him here in Nowhere it was her. Hell, she seemed to like him wearing his atrocious banana suit at the party so long ago. If she could like him through that embarrassment added onto his terrible use of the word exotic, she was the girl for him. No doubt about that.

A light frame leaned into him making his eyes look down and see Jasper pulling him in towards her in a tight embrace. Her words came out as a question, but Inadi only heard it as a request. Don't do anything reckless. Sad to say but that was something Inadi had almost felt was his trademark among the humans. He seemed to find the worst and most idiotic ways of handling bad situations. The fish was pretty bad. The witch may have been worse. Being reacquainted with Victoria was one that nearly caused the whole room to hold him down before he said anything else to cause an even bigger rift between them and the Nobody. Reckless was his thing. But Jasper's request was a serious one. So serious that Inadi took it as more of a demand.

"I'll reign myself in this go around," He told Jasper lightly with a quick squeeze back in his own hug as he planted a light and flighty kiss on the girl's forehead. She walked away slightly after that, a blush on he face that Inadi could spot even with his glasses off. Harper then chimed in on the pulling in the four-eyed wonder of the group and Inadi only rolled his eyes. "No need to keep anyone's eye on me for this next and hopefully last job. I can control myself. I am big kid." Inadi said as his voice grew more and more sarcastic and smart-alacky as he got further along into the sentence. Inadi would have liked to protest a bit more, but going over his past reactions again made him realize the jabbing was more than warranted.

Later on Harper tapped him on the shoulder requesting he not be lovesick throughout the next mission and to stay focused. Inadi raised his eyebrow and elbowed his friend in the rib and smiled. "And don't start trying to flirt with Ace or Riley all of a sudden now that we're running out of time for you to make a move on one of them alright smart guy? Last thing we need is unnecessary romantic tension." He said to Harper in a quiet voice so as to not generate any teasing to the leader of the troupe. Inadi had gotten used to the snickering of the group about his relationship with Jasper. Harper, he never took jokes too well when he was the punchline from all his time knowing him, so Inadi figured he would at least cut him that break.

Heading towards the tables that were being set out in front of them for a dinner they would have before they all headed on their different objectives Inadi could only wonder what exactly was to be had. Looking around he couldn't see any signs of food yet as all that was being set up was plates and silverware. No smells in the air yet as Inadi let out a sigh. "I wish I knew what was on the menu. I can handle my hunger better when I know what it is we're eating rather than letting my mind wander and pick out foods I'd prefer eating," Inadi mumbled to himself as he turned around and tried looking for hints, which he found none. "Argh! Hey Ran, Jasper, Leila, Ace. Wanna go check out the kitchen real quick and just see what it is that's on the menu? I wanna get a peak at the spread here before my stomach caves in on itself." He asked the others who were a little bit away. Hopefully the Hooded Figures would let them go inside to see, but if they didn't then he figured a few sneaky peaks wouldn't hurt.

 

[Capt. Blu]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Ace stood with her arms crossed, watching the group split up. She had paid attention long enough to figure out what was going on- unlike during most missions. The groups were splitting and even though she would have much rather preferred to go with the dragon riders, Ace somehow ended up staying back. Now, they were saying goodbyes and Ace was being pulled into awkward group hugs. She still wasn't much of a hugger… "You're breaking up the Troublesome Trio you know? We can't be a trio with two people. I know math well enough to know that's a duo!" SHe laughed lightly and messed up Toby's hair. "Ah, yeah you'll be back. Don't listen to them though. Get into all sorts of trouble- but also keep Jasper safe! I make it your new job! And I'm counting on you." She grinned and roped her arm around Jasper's shoulder. "Although, Jasper is a tough cookie. She can handle her own! Isn't that right Jasper?" She looked at her albino friend with a thumbs up before letting everyone else have their goodbyes.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Relax guys. They'll be back. Not to worry." Despite such, Ace hugged Tasha. "You be the best fire breathing dragon there is! I can't wait to see you before I leave." Hopefully she'd get to see the dragon again. More than once she heard her name and trouble mixed together causing her to roll her eyes and grin. "What are you guys talking about? I don't get into trouble at all. I use my skills to...advance us forward and keep us moving. Obviously." She scoffed playfully before hanging back to wait on everyone else. Ace wasn't one for goodbyes. Goodbyes were normally sad, so she just focused on the fact that they'd be back. Everything would be perfectly fine on their end just like how everything would be fine with their own crew. [/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]She was leaning against the door when Inadi called her name. Feigning shock, she spoke. "What? You want help? From me of all people? Oh boy, Glasses don't tell me you're being reckless now that Jasper's heading off?" She grinned and patted his back. "Don't worry, she'll be back. No need to make crazy decisions and all." As she laughed, Ace turned and walked inside. She had been ignoring her hunger for the most part. It was a tactic she was used to doing when she didn't know where to get food from- now it was just the matter of finding what was available.[/BCOLOR]


[BCOLOR=transparent]"Alright, but if something burns, I'm blaming Riley." Ace snickered and ducked her way inside- even if the Hooded Figures didn't want them in there- It wasn't like she followed directions anyway.[/BCOLOR]

 

[Fox of Hearts]

Outside the Hobbit Hole: Mingling Before Dinner

"You're alright," Ran muttered as he tightened his hug round Toby. He'd miss having his buoyant friend around, but he understood why Toby felt compelled to go. He pulled away and gave the teen a fatherly pat on the back. "Do my proud, kid." He chuckled seeing Toby puff his cheeks up.

"I'm not a kid. I'm a regular ol' tigershark," Tobs flashed Ran his characteristic victory sign then ran off to join the rest of the gang. His eyes sparkling with boyish mischief.

Ran merely shook his head and hung back. "He's going to be okay," he said softly. Toby may be a kid at heart, but the guy was blossoming into a man Ran knew he'd be proud to call a friend one day, if he could find the once they get back.

Scratchy, Aurora's plaintive voice rang in his head. Ran happily obliged by kneeling down and applying even more scented oil along the drier parts of her hide. He could see Luxa listening attentively to both Garret and Victoria. The girl was clearly enthralled by the woman. He grinned. "Guess it's just you and me today, huh?"

Off in the distance, Air and Lull tumbled about in the grass. The purple dragon nibbled his friend's ear flap playfully, earning himself a face full of water. Air screeched a bit then shot off blindly towards Lotus. Lull, deciding that Garret was too busy to play, chased after Air. Once again, in a repeat of what happened during the picnic, the three boys rolled around in a huge ball of teeth, scales and claws.

"Ise, thank you. Allowing Cobalt to come with me means a lot." Noe hugged her best friend tightly. No matter what Milo or Felix said, she didn't feel that brave. It frightened her a lot to strike out on her own without her platoon mates, even Garret said he believed in her. The thought made her feel even more nervous. "I – I hope I keep everyone safe."

Uh oh, Aurora said.

Her eyes flicked over to the huge ball as it crashed down on the two girls, causing them to disappear from sight. Cobalt flailed about then ran after it, fearing for Ise's safety. Unfortunately for the big bro, the ball did a sudden backward side and he was swallowed too. Ran dropped the jar of oil and considered running after the runaway dragon bolus.

Xerxes peered up and yawned. Whipping his tail out from the side, the massive storm dragon managed to stop the ball and pry the youngsters apart. He gave them a stern look, which made the boys looked shamefaced. They sat at attention for less than ten seconds and they were off again. Xerxes huffed loudly, a dragon's version of a sigh. Being in charge of so many energetic young males was a huge headache, in his opinion.

"Are you okay, Ise?" Noe whispered. She pulled her friend to her feet. The spear woman looked worse for wear after their tumble with the four dragons. Noe hugged Ise again then hugged Xerxes next. "Thank you, Xerxes. You saved us again." She waved to him, as Ise dragged her away. They needed to make sure the boys didn't cause any more trouble today.​

"He says you're welcome." Aurora informed the two girls telepathetically. She bounded over and head butted her elder playfully. Seeing that he wasn't keen to play, she scanned the area for a potentially playmate. She yelped happily upon seeing a familiar glimmer.

"They grow up so fast, huh?" Ran asked the magnificent Xerxes. His hand running down the dragon's neck gently. He noticed the dragon blink. "Yeaaah I'll miss their playfulness too. I wonder what they'll be like when they're fully grown."

"Argh! Hey Ran, Jasper, Leila, Ace. Wanna go check out the kitchen real quick and just see what it is that's on the menu? I wanna get a peak at the spread here before my stomach caves in on itself." Inadi's suggestion was met with loads of enthusiasm.

"Sounds good. I'll catch up!" Ran called to the retreating youngsters. He kinda envied their energy, really, because he still felt tired after their surprise visit to castle. He petted Xerxes a little more. "Let's see if we can get you some raw steak. You'd like that?" He pressed a finger to his lips. "Our secret. We know how Garret is strict about what you eat."

He walked at a leisurely pace towards the Hobbit Hole, whistle a jaunty tune.

Kitchen: Disturbing Numair and Sacha

"What smells good?" Ran asked, as he finally popped his head through the doorway. The others arrived way before he did and were roped into helping under Sacha's watchful gaze. He lifted the lid of a random pot. Seriously, Sacha was one of the best cooks he had ever met. "How long do we have before dinner is served?"

Not wishing to be in the way, Ran decided to see how he could help without contributing to the mess. Initially, he planned to join Jasper and Lelia, but the girls seemed to have the wet dishes and the remaining silverware under control, so he made his way towards Inadi. He picked up a handful of peas and began shelling his first one. "Are these peas even real?" He held one round, green sphere to his eye. "The last time we had vegetables, most of them were actually candy shaped to look like the real thing."

He popped it into his mouth and bit down. He made a face. "Yup, they're peas. And … I'm skipping this dish later." With the end so close and things getting really dangerous, Ran intended to treat each meal as his last, which meant no more pretending to enjoy vegetables. Carrots were okay, but not peas and the other greens. "Shall we "accidentally" tip the bowl so we won't have to eat them?" He suggested playfully, hoping Sacha didn't overhear them.

 

[Fox of Spades]

"Really, Ace? If anything bursts into flames we all know you're to blame." Riley stuck out her tongue at the redhead before pulling Leila into a headlock of sorts. "Isn't that right, dragon tamer?" Man, to think they'd all be saying goodbye soon. She was really going to miss them. Inadi threw in something about Harper flirting with Ace or her and she grinned deviously. "Hey, like you're one to talk, Romeo. If anyone's going to bring in the romantic tension, it's you and Jasper." The usually serious Inadi was quite fun to tease. "And if Harper makes a move on Ace, we should support him." The mild-mannered boy next to her was also a goldmine for reactions.

"Hey," Harper tried to laugh it off. "Tease Inadi all you want, but leave me out of this, Riley."

"Whatever you say, Harper ol' buddy."Riley gave his hair a ruffle and Inadi asked if the rest of them would like to accompany him inside.

Harper scrunched up his nose as Riley made her way inside with Leila in tow. "Good luck," he said to Leila as she was dragged past. Some of the Lost Souls were more of handful than others, but he wouldn't want it any other way. "Ran, we'll see you inside." Harper waved to the man who was hanging around Xerxes and several of the younger and dragons before he followed after Inadi and Jasper.

Soon, Toby, Ran and several others squeezed into the hobbit hole and some even offered to help Sacha with the meals.

"Shall we "accidentally" tip the bowl so we won't have to eat them?"

C liked Ran more than she liked most of the humans, but all the same, she shot him a steely glare. "Don't make a mess." It wasn't a suggestion, but a command. She shoved an apron into the grownup's hands before handing even more aprons to anyone who stood within a couple of feet of the kitchen. "Sacha," the girl tapped her fellow hooded figure on the shoulder. "Do you need help?"

Luke caught C starring at the chopping board and mouthed a silent 'no'.

"Hey, C, maybe you and Gargar can set the tables? Looks like Sacha's got it under control." Luke smiled cheerily as he passed a few plates to his friend. Thankfully, she didn't protest and soon she and Gary were arguing about the right way to set a table. "Sacha," Luke peered over his friend's shoulder. "What are you making? You should get everyone to try out your birthday cake." Luke lit up. "He makes the best cake ever... though Mr. Cuddles makes better tarts, better jams too... no offense, roomie."

Meanwhile, Garret was sitting in the living room with Noe. The baby dragons remained outside because there was no way a bunch of them were going to behave indoors. Several riders remained outside as well, and they agreed they'd eat in shifts so one of them would always be able to keep an eye out on the hyperactive tykes.

"You know, if you're having second thoughts, you don't have to do this, but let me just say that I think you'll be a big help." Garret offered his trainee a reassuring smile. "And I think you'll do great." Noe wasn't the bravest trainee out there and sure, she was easier to upset than most, but she had a fighter's spirit and her heart was in the right place. Garret believed those things were important.

"Sir," Ise saluted as she entered with a sealed box. "I have the amulets."

"Perfect," the commander returned the salute. "We'll hand them to the humans after dinner. I can't believe Jerry managed smuggle a box out for us." It was good to know that several nobodies also wanted to see the humans leave for home.

"Anyways, Noe, I think you're the best person for the job. Ise agrees, ain't that right?"

Ise beamed brightly at her more timid friend. "Of course, you'll kick a lot of butt and help out a ton too."

 

[Cephalogod]

Kitchen: Being disturbed

The kitchen counters were cluttered with various ingredients while almost every stove had some kind of pot or pan bubbling over it, releasing various mouthwatering fragrances that were sure to make anyone hungry once they stepped into the room. It was quite warm inside as well, but Sacha hardly seemed to notice the heat as he flitted around, humming quietly to himself as flipped a pan here and stirred something over there.

It was safe to say that he hardly noticed the hummons entering until he was addressed. Sacha blinked down at C, flashbacks from the first and last time she helped out. Oh Gods the screams-

"I'm good." He shook his head perhaps a little harder than necessary. There was a reason there was a list on the kitchen door detailing who was banned from the kitchen, not that it ever really worked. "Take a peek if you want to know the menu tonight, as long as nobody touches anything." He paused, before tilting his head at Luke. "Are we having a birthday party? It has been some time since we've had one." A small smile graced his lips as he turned, pulling out cake pans from a cupboard. "What flavors? What do you like? If I start now..."

It would certainly be fun to have a party, and it would be some time before they had time to relax again until they went home. And after that it would be difficult to track everyone down, so he'd make sure that this dinner would be the grandest any of them have had.

"If someone not on the ban list could help with the cake... I'll let them lick the bowl."

 

[Capt. Blu]

[BCOLOR=transparent]

[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Kitchen: Peeking at Food[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"I never said it wouldn't be my fault, I just said I was going to blame you." Ace playfully stuck her tongue out at Riley right back before strolling into the kitchen with the others. Ace also took down the list of banned people and tossed it to the side, mainly because her name was at the top and really large. As she started to already peek into the containers, she glanced over at RIley and Inadi. "What's that about making moves?" Ace gave a look of genuine confusion, completely unaware of what it meant. Sure, the girl was street smart and had random tidbits of knowledge here and there, but she had no clue about relationships. "Romantic tension..?" She was still confused...Instead of trying to make out what they were talking about, she scratched her head and turned her attention back to the food.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Hmm, what's this? And this?" Ace pointed out, absentmindedly touching things a little too hot. She'd pull her hand away seconds after when she realized she was probably going to burn her hand if she kept it up. "Sacha whatcha making in this one?" She asked again. The rule of 'Don't touch anything' went ignored by Ace as usual, however the mention of birthday parties made her look up. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Huh, haven't had one of those before." The way Ace spoke, made it seem like it hadn't been a big deal. To her, it wasn't. She didn't know what she was missing out on and never bothered to find out. In Ace's defense, she barely kept track of how old she was. It made her think about it though. "Seventeen...Eighteen...Nineteen...One of those." She shrugged off the thought before standing straight, and looking around. "So, who's birthday is it? What do we do for those kind of things?- Oh! Can I lick the bowl!" Ace paused, looking over at the door to the kitchen. "THere is no ban list...Heh, not from what I saw." She tried to pose her most innocent smile. It wasn't like Ace was lying!..Sort of. There was no list on the door! However, she did kind of, possibly rip it off and toss it somewhere. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]But those were just minor details.[/BCOLOR]

 

[four]

Kitchen

"Shall we "accidentally" tip the bowl so we won't have to eat them?"

"Don't make a mess."

"Why would you not want to eat the food, though?"

Leila spoke over her shoulder at Ran as she carefully placed one of the dry, clean plates onto a stack nearby.

All of this scene had a strange quality to it - had she been here before? The hobbit hole kitchen, people scrambling about - enjoying the mess and relaxing more than trying to accomplish anything grand - with the exception of Sacha, who had put up the most professional cook face she had ever seen.

Leila was, in the mean time, quite delighted to notice that the can of dried tea leaves was still in the kitchen, on a nearby shelf.

"A cake?"

Leila looked at the large metal container Sacha was holding, and offered to clean it on the way since she was already at the sink.

She remembered the Hooded figures speaking about having birthday parties at random times, even though none of them could remember their birthdays anymore. She liked the idea.

"Hmm, what's this? And this?"

Noticing the sounds of rattling containers in the background, she found Ace prodding with just about everything within arm's reach on her way into the kitchen. Leila thought for a moment, while she handed back to Sacha the cake pan.

"So, who's birthday is it?" Ace.

"Actually - " Leila said, moving momentarily away from the sink to properly face Ace and Sacha, "what if it's yours?"

It was quite a nonsensical proposal after Leila thought it through. "What if" was a faulty premise, in that whether it was or was not Ace's birthday was not something the be determined probabilistically.
Still, in a strange way, it still made sense, in a different way.

"A birthday party -"

The existence of a birthday party for Ace she found somehow a concept more important than whether it actually was held on the correct date.

"Ace, did you just toss Sacha's ban list into the trash bin?"

 

[Fox of Hearts]

Kitchen: Sorry Sacha!

​

"You never had a birthday?" Toby's jaw fell open and he stared at the leader of the troublesome trio. "That's terrible. A birthday is the best thing ever. There's cake, presents and you get to spend time with your friends." The boy rambled on, happily choosing to omit the bit about getting older, because that didn't matter in a way as it would be too depressing.

He bounced over to Sacha, accidentally knocking several pots and pans off the stove in the process, and hugged the tall Hooded Figure's arm. "Sacha! You heard Lelia! You must make Ace the BEST cake ever. Put in every single yummy flavor possible to make up for her missing her birthday all these years. And I'll help you make it." Toby gave Sacha his goofiest grin possible. "I can help mix everything up in the bowl."

"Toby…" Ran shook his head slightly, but decided to let it slide. There were a lot more important things to handle at the moment, such as C flipping out. He stepped aside to let Luke rush Caitlyn away, while he squatted down to mop up the remains of a delicious looking stew, gobs of creamy mashed potatoes and (strangely) sausages that looked like they came out of a tin. Ran didn't even want to know where those come from or whether the can was way pass the expiration date.

"There we go! All done." He exclaimed, high-fiving Riley, who had joined him halfway through. Ran wiped away the sweat collecting on his brow and leaned against the counter top, as Jasper began washing up the newly added pots and pans in the sink. "So … what next? I can think of a lot of things I'd like to do on my birthday, but nothing too "legal"."

Toby dumped the huge sack of flour he was tasked to retrieve, sending up a huge cloud into the air. He giggled with amusement, when he saw how white the rest looked once the airborne flour particles settled on the table. Actually, seeing everyone looking as white as ghosts gave him and idea. A very, very brilliant idea. His eyes lit up once again.

"You know what would make this even better." He said loudly, emphasizing the word "even". "Costumes! Ace can be the Crimson Justice and –" He knocked his fist against his open palm. "Let's all be super heroes. I bet we'd be or – hey! Let's get Ran and Martini to do their magic." Loving the idea so much, Toby forgot he volunteered to help with the cake and he ran out to look for their underwater diva. If anyone knows how to make an awesome costume come alive, it'd have to be Martini. This was going to be so good!

"Martini, Martini, Marti - wait! I forgot something." He skidded to a stop, narrowly missing Inadi and backtracked to the kitchen. He grabbed Riley by the wrist and pulled her towards the door. "Come on, Riley! Let's go before Ace follows and the surprise is ruined. And everyone knows birthdays are all about surprises!"

Ran chuckled and walked over to Sacha. "Since Toby abandoned you halfway, let me help finish the cake." He picked up a random apron and tied the strings round his waist. "Harper, Lelia, so have you two decided what cake we're making?" He gave them a secretive winked. "Or will our birthday girl get to choose the flavor and design? I mean it's her day so she can ask for anything – crimson and orange flames decorating the cake, a miniature superhero made from icing sugar or crazy things like that."

 

[Fox of Spades]

Hobbit Hole: Kitchen

Sacha's ban list had definitely served a purpose, and the moment the piece of paper was thrown away, everything literally fell apart. Harper grabbed the nearest mop so he could help Riley and Ran then mumbled a series of apologies on Toby's behalf. Thankfully, Luke was there to usher a pale C out of the kitchen and none of them wound up losing a limb or their fingers because of the slip up. "I guess birthday cake for dinner doesn't sound half bad." He shot Sacha an apologetic smile. "Sorry about all your hard work."

At this point Harper heard a door slam shut, followed by Luke shrieking and C pounding at the door with her fists. He dreaded what would happen if the hooded figure somehow managed to break into the hobbit hole. With a nervous chuckle, the boy turned to look at his friends. "Hey, Leila's right. A lot of time has passed since we got on the train, and since time's a little odd here, maybe it is your birthday, Ace."

"Let's all be super heroes. I bet we'd be or – hey! Let's get Ran and Martini to do their magic."

"If it's any consolation," Riley made a face at all the pots and pans that were now in the sink. "Toby might be even more trouble than you are Ace—whoa, I'm coming, I'm coming." The blonde boy tugged excitedly at her arm and Riley barely had enough time to wave before she was ushered out of the kitchen and into the living room so they could find Martini.

"Um, beware of C." Harper warned. "She's kind of banging on the doors... I should probably get this mess cleaned up." Riley and Ran did a great job getting the stew and stuff off the floor, but the carpet had a nasty stain on it and he figured that was why the hooded figure was so upset.

"Hm?" Harper looked up at Ran before focusing his attention on Sacha. "It's up to Sacha, he's our resident chef. But we could do a really big one." He lowered his voice and smiled, but it was still loud enough for Ace to hear. "I'm sure Ace will be happy as long as we set fire to the candles sometime tonight. Isn't that right, Crimson Justice?"

---

Living Room:

"Whatever you do..." Luke sounded out of breath. "Don't open the door."

Toby blinked slowly before an incredulous look made its way onto his face. "You locked cake outside?"

"Um, that's actually pretty good thinking, Luke." Riley laughed. "We should probably keep her outside till she calms down a little." It made a lot of sense and soon both Riley and Toby were focusing their attention on Martini once more.

"It wouldn't be too much trouble, would it?" Riley asked. "It'd just be simple costumes for a simple party, nothing fancy."

"But there should be capes!" Toby interrupted. "No super hero costume is complete without a cape!"

While Riley and Toby continued to pester Martini for her fashion and costume making skills a confused Luke crept back into the kitchen. He wasn't much of a cook, but he liked to watch Sacha in his element. "I'm back, and still in one piece too!"[/HR]

 

[MixedUpGuy]

Ace overreacting to him asking her to join him in the kitchen of the hobbit hole only made Inadi sigh in exasperation. "I'm not being reckless you...you..." While thinking of a comeback the girl came closer and patted him on the back and gave her assurance that Jasper would be back. It seemed like everyone was thinking that he wouldn't be able to live without the albino girl but he felt that everyone was making the whole thing a bit too much of a scene. He wanted to speak up and say something against all the claims, but kept it to himself so as to not offend Jasper. Knowing his skill with words in this group he would say something that made it seem like he didn't want her around in the first place. Ace then walked off with a laugh and Inadi rolled his eyes. "...I bet she hides a bald spot somewhere under that cap..." Inadi muttered to himself as he followed everyone into the hobbit hole.

Finding his ways to the peas that were sitting in a plate Inadi could only look at them and think back to all the grapes and apple slices he had eaten back at the castle when Ran and Toby had first joined their group if he was remembering the whole event correctly. While that was hard to recall, his banana colored suit was not. Shuttering at the thought he saw Ran walk up next to him and noticed the older man start shelling the peas in front of them. He seemed a little tentative to take one into his mouth and seemed a little disgusted at the vegetable. Unsure as to why Inadi took another shelled pea, ripped it from the container and popped two into his mouth. What hit him was the sweetest taste of peas he had ever had. Far too sweet. It was as if these things had been grown in sugar instead of dirt. Quickly swallowing the two he tried scraping the taste off his tongue with his teeth. "Goodness, why does everything have to taste like it was some kind of candy. Can I get something to eat that isn't as bitter as black licorice here?" Inadi asked as he tossed the remnants of the pod back onto the dish.

Hearing Ran's suggestion he gave a quick look around to see if there was a chance they could get away with the "accident". Quickly it was apparent that C was aware of the jest and shoved an apron into his hands. Inadi smiled and looked at the man next to him. "We probably can't tip this plate but we just might be able to hide that apron. Not sure it is your color to be honest." Inadi joked as he looked around to see what else was there in the room. With the girls taking care of silverware and other smaller tasks it made Inadi wonder what all he could do, and when Leila questioned the two about the peas it almost made him sink in shame. Leila had such a soft voice it was almost as if a child was chastising him whenever she asked a question. He wasn't sure why he felt that way, perhaps just her complexion and how young she looked compared to everyone else. Looking back to Ran he gave him a shrug, conceding that he had no ideas on what to do now in the room.

Ran however went on to mop up the floor and clean up what was left to do in the room prior to the dinner party. Toby came in with a large bag of flour and began spouting off things about costumes and other ideas that Inadi couldn't even catch up with all that was said. The boy then raced through the room and almost threw the four-eyed boy into the wall with how quickly he was going in the halls. Inadi wanted to scold and show frustration but kept his mouth shut again for fear of being a downer on the whole scene. After the dust trail settled Ran mentioned something about fixing up a cake and Inadi smiled while picking up an apron of his own without looking back it.

Tying it up behind his back before letting it drape over his shoulders Inadi smiled at Ran and pointed towards the area where the cake would be made. "Deserts were my specialty back when I was working for Mr. Cuddles before I joined the rest of the crew here. Allow me to show you how to make one of the lightest and chewy cake mixes you will ever have in your life," The boy explained in an almost bragging tone as he threw the rest of the apron over his neck. "I would say the word M-O-I-S-T, but a naughty word like that should never be said in a kitchen, so says Mr. Cuddles," Inadi joked as he decided to look at his apron to smooth out any wrinkles. It was at this moment he noticed that the cooking wear was a bright yellow. More than likely just a shade off from his old suit, but reminiscent enough for his smile to disappear into a face that saw the irony in the moment. Turning back to Jasper who was still at the sink Inadi smiled. "This remind you of anything, my dear exotic Jasper?" Inadi moaned out in a drawn out and overly posh kind of voice as if trying to mock someone in higher society. It figured. The closer they got to leaving Nowhere, the more he would remember all the fun things that happened here.

 

[Capt. Blu]

[BCOLOR=transparent]

[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Ace stopped shuffling around and blinked over at Leila. "A birthday? For me?" She scratched her head. "I don't think it's my birthday...there's not a protocol for this is there?" She didn't know how to react, especially when Toby seemed flabbergasted by the realization that in Ace's world, birthday's never existed. "Um…" The poor girl was left stumped as Toby bounded this way and that first to help with a cake and then on to something about outfits and costumes. "...Birthdays require costumes?" Ace wasn't sure about this foreign new ritual anymore, but she went along with it- wondering what was going on. The redhead didn't realize how odd it was to have everyone's attention on her for something...special. This was considered special, right? It was hard to put her finger on it- then again, she wasn't sure how to describe the feeling she was getting thanks to it all. No one in the gang ever did things like this...at least from what she could remember. It made her chuckle softly that even Inadi was willing to help with the cake. Maybe this was some special occasion. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"I'm not the one that made the mess." Ace reminded them when they once more began talking about trouble. All she did was peek into pots and pans. Hearing something about lighting things on fire made her grin. "Huh? Oh yeah, totally fine with it." She laughed towards her nickname. "Yes, the Crimson Justice. Setting fire to things and saving lives." Ace leaned against the wall and took her hat off to twirl it in her hands. "You said you write books, right Glasses?" She smiled over at Inadi. "You should definitely write a book about the Crimson Justice- oh! oh! Or better yet, write about Nowhere! It's like...the origin story of Crimson Justice!" She gave a sure nod. "I'd read that." Her mind wandered almost instantly. "You know, you'd think books are easiest to steal. People actually value those a lot. If someone stole a book from me, I'd be happy that they were willing to read and all." [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]As usual, Ace was random as always, but she came back to present times and looked at the others. "So. Tell me about this birthday thing. What do you do?" Since Leila was the first to bring it up, Ace looked at her first. The girl read a lot of books, she had to know a lot of things. Ace had already assumed Leila was some sort of genius already. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]It was truly shocking how little she knew about something as practical as birthdays. "Before you ask, no I've never been to one. Ever. Don't think I've seen them either- maybe on TV...Lots of celebrations I've been to are filled with people collecting money and... other things I probably am not allowed to tell you guys. In case you know cops and all." She shrugged before curiously giving her attention to Leila (and the others) for explanations.[/BCOLOR]

 

[four]

Kitchen

"So. Tell me about this birthday thing. What do you do?"

"Wh-"

Leila stopped in her tracks as Ace paused in the middle of her exclamations about all sorts of unrelated topics and suddenly tossed a question at her - and one she did not know how to answer.

"- me?"

Leila's conception of birthday parties was a very vague one - something probably made even worse after her stay in Nowhere. It usually involved cakes, children, confetti, and...costumes? She wasn't sure if that last one was there, or just her filling in the gaps with what the other Lost Souls in the kitchen were discussing at the moment.

"Harper, Lelia, so have you two decided what cake we're making?"

She was then distracted momentarily by Ran - he and Toby seemed to be more enthusiastic about the proposal than most of the rest of them in the room - and, definite more than the people out of the room. Leila glanced sideways to see a very nervous Luke, and the wooden door vibrating violently as C pounded on it outside.

"I - I don't know?"

She found herself subconsciously backing off for a few steps from the sudden intensifying of the atmosphere apparently brought about by one lighthearted, random suggestion of hers. In that backing off she ran into the edge of the kitchen sink, which reminded her that she was in the middle of processing the dishes earlier.

"Just - uh, don't - set fire to too many things."

That last statement was very unprofessional and Leila quickly turned around and picked up a plate to scrub.

 

[Fox of Hearts]

Kitchen: How Do We Make a Cake?

"Birthdays? You got to have one to know what it is like." Ran filled in quickly after Lelia trailed off awkwardly. "And no birthday is complete without a birthday cake, which we could be having for dinner, if Inadi or Sacha were to get started on it." His eyes flit from Sacha to the retreating Inadi. Seeing the latter pausing to whisper tenderly into his lady love's ear made Ran clear his throat loudly, but well, the two lovebirds were too caught up in their "moment" to notice the rest of them. "I guess … that leaves you, Sacha."

Ran shrugged. "I was really looking forward to a bake-off! Sacha's Cake vs Inadi's, especially after Inadi boasted that his specialty was desserts." He shrugged exaggeratedly. "… but I don't know. Your food, Sacha, has been the best I've eaten so far since coming to Nowhere." As Ran spoke, his eyes were fixed on Inadi's back, hoping he'd get a reaction out of the love-struck Romeo. "That's why I'm rooting for you."

"What about you, Harper?" He grinned, picking up one brown chicken egg from the basket in the middle of the table and cracking it. He emptied the contents into the bowl and binned the shell, before deferring to their "assigned leader" again. "Will 50 eggs do? I think that's a decent number for a multi-tiered cake. I think …"

"Ace, Ace, ACE!" Toby yelled, as he burst into the room once more; this time accidentally pushing Inadi into a blushing Jasper. The excitable, starry-eyed blonde grabbed Ace by both hands and spun her in a huge circle, nearly knocking half the things off the table. He bounced up and down, ignoring the fact that Harper and Ran were busy pushing the huge bowl of eggs back onto the table. "We have a surprise~! Soooooo close your eyes and no peeking."

"Nooooooooooo peeking." He repeated in a sing-song manner, as he waited for the redhead to cover her eyes with both hands. However, not trusting their fearless leader, he decided to recruit someone to help him with this all-important task. "Leliaaaaaaaa~! Come with me. We got to make sure the birthday girl keeps her eyes closed or the surprise is ruined."

Toby literally pounced in front of Lelia and grabbed her hand too. He pulled both of them towards the door then pushed the girls out. Remaining behind for a short while, the bubbly kid gave Harper and Ran a knowing wink. Riley's Super Duper Secret Distract Ace Plan Version 3.3™ was a success! Hopefully, the costume fitting would distract Ace long enough for the cake to be done. Toby waved and disappeared behind the door. His exuberant voice echoing non-stop, as he pushed Lelia and Ace towards the living room, where the rest were waiting. "Aceeeeeee, No peeking! Pleaseeeeeee…."

Meanwhile, Back in the Kitchen

​

Ran blinked, looking totally confused. "Harper, did Toby just wink?"

 

[Cephalogod]

Kitchen: Maybe nothing will get set on fire this time?

Without the ban list, the empty space on the door felt a little strange to him. Then again, it wasn't like anyone had really ever paid attention to it, and it needed to be updated anyways. There were several names on it that belonged to people that no longer came by, after all.

He was just thankful that the destructive humans were out of his kitchen, and that the tamer ones were more than willing to help. For once leaving simpler tasks to others wouldn't end up him having to patch up cuts and burns. He especially liked Ran's cheerful disposition, rubbing the back of his neck and blushing slightly at all the compliments currently being aimed towards him. Inadi sounded like he would be helpful, as long as he wasn't too distracted by his girlfriend. Toby was also leaving, so he wouldn't have to worry about too many things being knocked over though losing Leila meant he would have to wash the dishes later. Ah well.

"If someone could cut up some fruit," Sacha motioned to the cutting board and the various fruits in a bowl next to it. "and then perhaps color up the icing, it would speed things along. Inadi could start working on a layer with Jasper. And fifty eggs is a good start, though we might need more later on. How many tiers should we go for, I wonder...? No candles if Ace is lighting them. And the other dishes are probably ready, if anyone wants to bring them out to the tables..."

He idly dumped the flour Toby had so helpfully brought into a bowl, mixing in this and that as his mind wandered in every which direction. Baking was so very relaxing to him, and it felt nice to have people sharing the effort.


--------------

Living Room: Costumes? Costumes!

"Superhero costumes? For everyone?" Martini hummed loudly in thought, lips pursed and eyes narrowed before breaking into a grin. "Well, why not? Birthdays are special for humans, right? But where to get the materials? And there's so little time my oh my!" The mermaid swam around the room in a circle, leaving multicolored bubbles in her wake. She had to leave most of her materials behind when they escaped the castle, after all.

"Assuming that none of your measurements have changed since the party and assuuuuuuming that I brought enough outfits to take apart I could probably make a few costumes, but I dunno if I could make them all in time. And some party-poopers probably don't even want outfits," She sniffed in the direction of Brandy and Songbird who were quietly drinking tea in the corner of the room ignoring everything gong on around them.

"I can certainly do capes, however! Wasn't there a storage room somewhere? If people could go salvage usable things there'll certainly be enough capes to go around. Maybe full outfits for those who reaaally want one. How's that? I've never done superheroes before, this should be fuuuun~ "