Totally Not a Birthday Party. Really. (Closed to Invitees)

[astralera]

♥ Who: Final Family Fantasies & Co.
♥ Where: Era (+Ardbert)'s new house
♥ When: Late Afternoon April 30th — whenever people gtfo
♥ What: Totally Not a Birthday
♥ Rating: PG-13

☘

THE HOUSE

(( The Light House references! The (5) bedrooms are off limits, and guests will be asked to take care when roaming the backyard garden. Of note, the stairs have an additional 'railing' added to them — just high enough and small enough for an amaro chick to use for safely going up and down the steps. ))

MINOR DETAILS

→ All visitors are summarily greeted by one (1) excited amaro chick, and either one or both Warrior of Lights.
→ Just prior to and during the meal, Emerald Carbuncle will be replaced by the faerie Lily in her 'dusk'-aspected form, Selene. She is approximately one foot tall and heals primarily by Embracing people. She is very friendly, and very stubborn.
→ Everyone is responsible for their own outerwear and shoes.

THE MEAL

[ Era is not the best cook, but over the past nearly a year in the multiverse she's slowly picked up some passable skill—especially with the guidance Hades had given her what feels like an eternity ago. Recipes make far more sense to her now, which has come in handy over the past few days of food preparation.

She makes a few creamy vegetable casseroles, filled with broccoli, cauliflower, and copious amounts of cheese. A rich, hearty stew filled with slow roasted, seasoned root vegetables and cubes of replicated meat. Carrots with a sweet glaze, scalloped potatoes, sweet potato fries, a simple garden salad with a few bottle of different homemade dressings (thanks to Ardbert), and corn on the cob (also thanks to Ardbert. Thank you Ardbert).

The 'main' dish is a marinated salmon cooked to careful perfection (with the aid of a meat thermometre and very detailed directions), then garnished with fresh herbs from her garden.

Of course, no meal is complete without baked goods to accompany it. There are freshly baked dinner rolls, tea biscuits, and chocolate chip cookies. Era also bakes a vanilla cake, filling it with light, sweet whipped cream and fresh fruits, and covering it with a thin layer of fondant dyed a colour resembling Dark-aspected magic. On top of it all she adds little dollops of whipped cream, pomegranate seeds, and blueberries for decoration.

It is lopsided, with the fondant lumpy in some places. Baking is harder to control than cooking, she found, but it tastes just fine and that's what matters most in the end.


Everything is laid out on the kitchen island like a buffet (save for the cake which will brought out later), and alongside it all are bottles of homemade wine resting in containers of ice to remain chilled. The wine is a dark, rich red and smells delightfully sweet. Each bottle is labeled 'Caelumfruit Wine' in Era's tidy, looping Eorzean script, and made especially in preparation for tonight.

Beside the wine are pitchers of ice water with a note (written in the English alphabet this time) requesting they all 'Stay hydrated!' ]

THE CAKE

[ After everyone is sufficiently dined (and not yet heavily wined), Era retrieves the cake she made—with the addition of seven lit little candles, separated into a group of three and a group of four.

Even had her voice been fully recovered she would have made no fanfare when placing the cake down pointedly in front of Ardyn, hoping to be as discrete as she can. She arches a brow at her brother, expression expectant (and uncertain, worried she may have misstepped).

THE BIRD BABY BIRD CHILD

Now ten weeks old, Hythlodaeus is just over two feet tall and beginning to grow some of his adult feathers. He also is able to run with more speed and stability than most who've met him might remember, leaving him feeling more secure and confident in himself.

This leads to him being more inclined to bother any partygoers and demand attention at random intervals, when not entertaining himself by playing out in the back garden with a small, white weasel. ]

THE GARDEN

[ The two main features in the garden are the pomegranate tree and the elf tree, though a selection of blooms give life and colour to the yard. The rail of the back patio is covered by the climbing clematis, and pots of chrysanthemums decorate the patio itself. The fencing of the backyard is partially obscured by a mixture of baby's breath and hydrangeas. There are many other flowers as well, along with herbs, and vegetables. Everything is planted and placed with all the knowledge and care, assuring that nothing is hindering the growth of anything else.

The house is larger than would have liked, but with larger houses came larger gardens. Large enough to plant both Ardbert's elf tree and Hades' pomegranate tree without risking either. The yard still clearly a work in progress, with a number of plants still in temporary pots and soil half-tilled where she meant to root them.

The asphodels are all where they were meant to be, having been her first priority after the saplings. Hades' tree of the Old World is framed by the flowers of the Underworld, and in its shade bloom Asiatic lilies and yarrow. It had originally been meant as a surprise for her partner but now serves as an unintentional (and beautiful) memorial. ]

(( i know nothing of plants, but here are visual references of the current flowers in the garden. ))

Comments

i

[firstbump]

It's later in the party. This is important because that means Ardbert has had a whole glass of wine, maybe even two when he didn't think the first one did very much. He's closer to drunk than sober on some level of tipsy.

"Ardyyyynnnnn!" Is the only warning that Ardbert provides as he walks up to Ardyn and pulls him off his feet in a giant bear hug. "Happy name... birthday! Yeah, happy birthday!"

[scourgingstars]

"Wh--oof-"

Being as tall as he was, this was not a common occurrence. In fact, it was a brand new experience entirely.

"Ardbert, however much have you even had?"

[firstbump]

"Two!" Ardbert says proudly, then adds even more proudly: "And I'm still on my feet!"

Which reminds him that he should let Ardyn go... but also reminds him that it would be funnier to just hold him in a hug for a bit.

[scourgingstars]

"...You're something of a hopeless lightweight, aren't you?"

Oh, honey.

"Could you consider putting me down?"

[firstbump]

"Very!" Ardbert laughs at the question, pretending to consider. "... probably!"

[scourgingstars]

"Please put me down?"

[firstbump]

Ardbert tries to keep Ardyn up there to make him ask it even nicer, but he starts laughing too hard and has to put him down before he drops him anyways. "Fine!"

[scourgingstars]

"Thank you."

Then he leaned over and quite literally swept Ardbert off his feet, picking him up in a bridal carry as though he were about the same size as Era.

[firstbump]

Ardbert's suddenly in Ardyn's arms. This was not part of the plan! He wasn't supposed to tease back!! Ardbert's eyes go comically wide and swings his lower legs a bit with a few weak kicks and squirms to play his reaction up.

"How are you so strong??" Ardyn said but alcohol has made Ardbert forget.

[scourgingstars]

"I told you not to underestimate someone based on appearance."

Older brothers had it hard-coded in their blood to tease.

"Or perhaps you're much lighter than you think!"

[firstbump]

"Aye, aye, I remember."

Gods, he missed being teased like this. It feels good. Reminds him of... well, his family, honestly. And his friends, who would tease him just as mercilessly.

"Guess it comes from bein' a tad short and a lightweight, eh?" Ardbert is just going to lean on Ardyn's shoulder innocently. "You're a good friend."

[scourgingstars]

"And you, my friend, are thoroughly inebriated."

At least it was impossible for Ardbert to fall over.

[firstbump]

"Nay, I can still mostly walk and talk! I'm just enough to be dumb, not on the floor." Ardbert shifts a little and closes his eyes, pretending like he's going to nap right there.

[scourgingstars]

"Oh, don't fall asleep. I'm terribly old, my brittle spine might give out and I could drop you."

[firstbump]

Ardbert cracks an eye open, trying not to grin. "Eh, you'll regenerate."

[scourgingstars]

"Goodness, you're right. I've been brutally called out, how terrible."

[firstbump]

Ardbert wiggles in his arms. "I'm supposed to be getting some of that juice."

He nearly takes off Ardyn's nose pointing at it since it's behind him. Probably be design.

[scourgingstars]

Why are you two like this.

"Alright, alright. Settle down lest I have to regenerate an eye." He set Ardbert back down, straightening up with a laugh.

[firstbump]

Because they just feed off each other. Something about sharing a syllable in their name or something.

"I'd rather not get eye gunk on my finger, so we're in agreement there. ... gods, I just remembered what eyes are like when they squish." He looks slightly green around the gills.

[scourgingstars]

"Charming topic of discussion. Let's get you some water or something, shall we?"

[firstbump]

"Juice!" Ardbert corrects helpfully and starts walking towards where the juice is.

[scourgingstars]

"Right, yes. Anything you say."

Let's just...follow the poor guy so he doesn't fall over.

[firstbump]

Ardbert gets a new glass and a jug of juice and looks back and forth slowly as he holds both before slowly putting down both. "Ah, I'm not sure if I should pour this...."

[scourgingstars]

"..."

A sigh.

"Here." Ardyn, ever grateful for a chance to be helpful, poured a glass and placed it directly into Ardbert's hand, not letting go until he was satisfied it wouldn't be immediately dropped.

[firstbump]

"Thank you!" Ardbert carefully takes the glass in both hands and begins to take small sips; seems like someone's used to dealing with his body being affected by alcohol. "Ohhhhh, I'm so screwed tomorrow."