Our babies are growing up so fast...

[i_am_not_cute]

Who: Pao-Lin (i_am_not_cute), Link (blessedbyfarore), their CR, and anyone who wants to crash a bitchingly green birthday bash.
What: A delayed joint birthday party for Pao-Lin (April 4th) and Link (April 5th).
When: Friday the 13th. Yes, make all the jokes about bad luck and horror movies and blah dee blah fiffersnaffle.
Where: Rec Center.
Summary: Pao-Lin's turning sweet sixteen and Link's no longer a teenager. This is apparently a reason to celebrate or something.
Rating: PG. :|

So, hey, the Rec Center's looking rather festive today, ain't it? There's balloons and streamers and banners and party hats and games and food all around the place, what fun! The party's technically meant to celebrate Pao-Lin's and Link's birthdays, but anyone who could use some distractions from the "errors" of last week is free to drop by and unwind.

Comments

[blessingone]

[the most useful element on the periodic table of bs]

It's nice to see you, too.

[Sophie nods and holds up the present box, which is honestly little bigger than a ring box. "This is for you." ...The nod is the part that means it is nice to see her, too.]

[i_am_not_cute]

[Pao-Lin takes the box from Sophie with a smile.]

Aww, thank you! Do you want me to open it now?

[blessingone]

["Yeah." ...Sophie prefers the direct approach, it seems.

Fenimore laughs a little.] It's your birthday, so that's not really up to us. Though...I expect you won't have a problem with going along with that.

[If she does open it, she'll discover that Fenimore may have come to the wrong conclusion from observational evidence.]

[i_am_not_cute]

[Pao-Lin laughs.]

Not at all!

[She carefully unwraps the box and opens it. She tilts her head curiously as she lifts the hairpin out of the box.]

Ah...thanks! It's really nice!

[It's not really her style, but...she is collecting hairpins. And it's a gift, so she can't just very well ignore it. Pao-Lin slips the pin into place next to her usual flower one.]

[blessingone]

[Fenimore takes a moment to try to determine if that's a favourable reaction or merely a polite one. ...Well, seems pretty good, considering it's not exactly a huge gift.]

You're welcome. [...After a second, she nudges Sophie.

Sophie, after a moment, decides that this is a prompt for: "It looks good." Along with pointing at where the new hairpin is.

...Wrong prompt, but Fenimore decides that it is pretty good, too, so she doesn't discourage that.] And....

["...You're welcome." That was it.]

[i_am_not_cute]

[Hey, it's good enough for Pao-Lin.]

Do you two want cake? Miss Rydia brought a really nice chocolate cake, and there's a confetti cake that someone else brought too.

[blessingone]

[Sophie's answer is immediate. "Yeah."

Fenimore grins.] I don't think there are many people who would turn an offer like that down.

[Though she might if she realized that the next day, she was going to be bartering to make sure that Sophie wasn't given too much cake at the Starfish Festival.]

[i_am_not_cute]

[Pao-Lin nods, and leads the two over to the food table. There's usual party fare like pizza, chips, cupcakes, hot dogs, etc., but there's also some takeout containers of pasta and other entrees that Pao-Lin picked up from Sanji's cooking spree at Seventh Heaven earlier today. She hands both Fenimore and Sophie plates and utensils.]

I can get you two drinks while you're looking at the food. What do you want? We have Coke, Sprite, fruit punch...

[blessingone]

[what is a coke. But more importantly:]

Hold on -- it's your birthday. [Well, belated.] You shouldn't be the one serving us.

[She is taking the handed plates and utensils, though. And Sophie is pretty much willing to take Pao-Lin at her word: "Punch."]

[i_am_not_cute]

[Punch it is! Pao-Lin pours out a cup of the stuff.]

Huh? Oh, it's fine! [She hands the cup to Sophie.] It's just food. [Which is weird for a glutton like her to say, but it's the context that matters.]

[blessingone]

[Fenimore scratches the back of her head.] Ah, well...if you're sure...then I'd like a glass of punch, too.

[It's. Actually the only option given that she recognizes. ...After a moment, she nudges Sophie, who has begun to drink from the accepted glass. After swallowing, Sophie says, "Sanks."]

[i_am_not_cute]

[Pao-Lin gives Sophie a smile before pouring another cup of punch and handing it to Fenimore.]

Go ahead and help yourself to whatever food you want! We're not going to run out anytime soon, that's for sure.

[blessingone]

I guess that's one benefit of having all the food just appearing out of nowhere. [...Oh yeah, being a good role model for Sophie.] Thanks.

[Sophie, meanwhile, is about to tug on Fenimore's dress to ask to be lifted up to table height, but it looks like Fenimore has her hands full right now. Hmm. She turns instead to tug on Pao-Lin's pant leg. Assuming Pao-Lin looks down, she will ask "Up?" and point to the table.]

[i_am_not_cute]

[Pao-Lin's a little startled to have someone just come up and invade her personal space like that, but it's a cute kid like Sophie, so once she gets over her surprise, she'll happily oblige Sophie's request, hoisting the kid up so she can better see the food that's on display.]

[blessingone]

[Awesome. Sophie begins pointing things out with instructions of "that one," and Fenimore obediantly sets down her own stuff on the table to take Sophie's plate and fill it with the instructed food.

Fenimore smiles over at Pao-Lin.] Thanks. [For helping with this, as it is a bit easier than trying to do both parts herself.]

[i_am_not_cute]

It's no problem. I know what's like being short. [She giggles a little at her own self-deprecation.] Hopefully Sophie will grow up to be taller than I am one day.

[blessingone]

[Fenimore does her best to suppress a sigh -- even if it's by probably less than an inch, she's even shorter than Pao-Lin. ...Unless you count her hair. She attempts a smile instead, though it comes out mildly sardonic.]

Well, her mother was taller, at least...though her father wasn't all that tall for a guy.

[Sophie pouts a little -- her parents' disappearance wasn't exactly a pleasant topic -- but Fenimore is too busy finishing filling the plate to notice.]

[i_am_not_cute]

Mmm, I see. [She smiles at Sophie.] Well, it's nice to be tall and everything, but it's more important to be strong! So always remember to eat your veggies.

[ARE THERE VEGETABLES ON SOPHIE'S PLATE THERE SHOULD BE A VEGGIE PLATTER AROUND --]

[blessingone]

[There weren't any, but Fenimore picks up on that comment and thinks it is a good idea, so she is starting to put some on there.

Sophie's lineface is more pronounced than usual. "I am strong," she insists, which makes Fenimore have to cover a giggle.]

[i_am_not_cute]

[Yeah, Pao-Lin's giggling too. Sophie's just too cute!]

Yes, you are! I'll teach you kung fu when you're older, too.

[Hmm...]

[blessingone]

[Sophie considers this offer for a moment.

"What's kong foo?"]

[i_am_not_cute]

Well, kung fu is a martial art from my country! It teaches you how to defend yourself without a weapon. Although you can learn things like how to use a sword and a staff, too. But mostly you do a lot of punching and kicking.

[blessingone]

[...A lot of this goes over her three-year-old head. Martial...art...? But she can catch the punching and kicking.

"Cool."

Fenimore giggles a little.] She'll probably like that. When she's old enough.

[Sophie used UNIMPRESSED LOOK. She's plenty old!!]

[i_am_not_cute]

Well, I wasn't that much older than her when I started doing kung fu. Unofficially, anyway. [She gently sets Sophie down, since it seems like the girl is satisfied with the food that Fenimore's procured.]

[blessingone]

...Is that when people usually start learning things like that?

[Fenimore was a pretty active kid, but learning self-defence wasn't the standard amongst girls back in her village, even if it mightn't have been a bad idea. Also, she's never raised a kid before.

She'll crouch down to offer the plate to Sophie, who will accept it and begin to eat.]