openish; in-progress

[bequiet_hescreamed]

When; Wednesday, March 3rd
Rating; G
Characters; MKR apartment and friends~
Summary; Umi, Raenef, and Lockon's birthday party. But mostly Umi's!
Log;

It hadn't occurred to Clef to have the party at the beach - probably because it was still a little chilly yet, but that's presumably why Fuu had rented the hut. He still smiled to think of how meticulously she had planned it, and right under the noses of everyone else. She had gotten the decorations together, rented the hut, and sent out invitations even while Umi and Clef were still unable to decide where and how this party was happening. Not just that, but all of Umi and Shin's cooking for the party had somehow been transported here. It was absolutely perfect, he thought, and now that he considered it he knew that this was exactly what Umi would have wanted - whether she realized it at the time or not. She loved the beach, so it was entirely appropriate to have her party there, regardless of the season.

Clef, for his part, wasn't much of a party person. He made sure to give his well-wishes to all three of the birthday people, but aside from that mostly stayed on the sidelines, ready to help Fuu with her hostess duties should the need arise. Seeing all three of the girls so happy made even him a little more cheerful than usual, though, and even as he lurked in his little out-of-the-way corner there was plainly a slight smile on his face.

Comments

at the hut! || open to everyone;

[bigpuffyhat.livejournal.com]

"W-well, I'm not sure who came up with the idea, but I agreed that you would like it," he replied. Behind his back Ascot was nervously fumbling with something.

at the hut! || open to everyone;

[soulofocean.livejournal.com]

Umi, for her part, was too obliviously happy to pay much attention to details. That was, more than usual. Besides she kept her attention focused on Ascot's face. There he went again. This blushing habit of his. Maybe it was just something he did spontaneously!

...What Konata had told her came to mind, and suddenly she found her cheeks heating up too. She lowered her gaze. That was silly!

"Right! Er... Well, you know me well! So does Fuu." She hovered there on her feet a little.

at the hut! || open to everyone;

[bigpuffyhat.livejournal.com]

And Ascot was glad that she wasn't taking notice, he would prefer to seem more calm about everything, but he knew he wasn't doing a very good job of it. With her nervous hands he fumbled with the gift behind his back and brought it in front of him. It was a simple bouquet of flowers, and while he didn't know the flowers he had chosen, he thought they were pretty and hoped Umi would like them.

"H-here. I got these for you...I know it isn't much, but I hope you like them."

at the hut! || open to everyone; 1/2 OMG WHY SO CUTE ASCOT *o*

[soulofocean.livejournal.com]

Then she noticed the fumbling. Maybe she'd been aware of it all along, but just chose to disregard it. Umi's eyes went wide for a second. "Ascot..."

But Clef had told her gift-giving wasn't customary for birthdays in Cephiro! And Ascot had been in The City for such a short time... Did this mean he'd gone through the trouble of finding out how did they celebrate birthdays on Earth since he learned hers was around the corner...?

at the hut! || open to everyone;

[soulofocean.livejournal.com]

...Well... That didn't leave much room for other possibilities, did it. Umi felt this warmth inside, and her passing surprise faded into affection. That he'd gone through that trouble for her sake made her feel a bit undeserving, but happy beyond belief.

"You didn't have to..." She reached to take the flowers from him. They were lovely. Their scent filled the whole room and Umi leaned in to inhale it. "They're gorgeous. Thanks so much! It really means a lot to me."

at the hut! || open to everyone;

[bigpuffyhat.livejournal.com]

She likes them. She likes them. She likes them. And that thought wrapped around his head quite a few times as he happily watched Umi take the flowers. He had been so nervous that he had picked a terrible gift or chosen the wrong flowers, but it looked as if neither had been the case.

"I...I'm so glad you like them, Umi," he said and smiled brightly at him.

at the hut! || open to everyone;

[soulofocean.livejournal.com]

In quite a fact Umi had been learning LOADS about flowers and their language from her job at the Koneko. And this bouquet here? There was no way it could ever send the wrong message. Honestly. Ascot could have picked her up an arrangement of weeds and she'd have loved it regardless.

But they were beautiful flowers and just looking at them made her glad. "Not just 'like'! They're gorgeous. And they look so fresh! Are they wild? I don't think I've ever seen these growing anywhere."

at the hut! || open to everyone;

[bigpuffyhat.livejournal.com]

He shook his head, still smiling. "I used some of the money I had to get them. I wasn't sure which ones to get though. I've never seen flowers like most of these."

at the hut! || open to everyone;

[soulofocean.livejournal.com]

"Well, I have. And trust me, you picked the right place to go for them: they look straight from a prairie." Jasmine. Unless Umi's florist classes weren't doing enough for her. And a little lavender too? Jeez, she had to study harder.

"You know, I should put them in water before they wilt a bit. I want them to last as long as possible!"

at the hut! || open to everyone;

[bigpuffyhat.livejournal.com]

"Ah..." He hadn't thought of that. He'd been too nervous worrying about whether Umi would like to flowers or not. Nervously he looked around the hut. "Do we...is there any fresh water here?"

at the hut! || open to everyone;

[soulofocean.livejournal.com]

"Hey now. What's that I see there, doubt? I'm here, after all!" Umi chuckled with a bit of a smug air about herself. "That should be enough to guarantee fresh water anywhere."

Clef was going to give her A Talk for using her magic for such petty things, she bet. Then she'd argue these were hardly petty things if they involved safekeeping a gift from Ascot.

at the hut! || open to everyone;

[bigpuffyhat.livejournal.com]

Of course! He hadn't even thought about Umi's magic, but of course that made sense. He had of course gotten lectures from Clef in their lessons about using magic wisely, but even if it was only for flowers he wouldn't stop Umi from using her magic.

"R-right. Is there a vase, or some kind of glass then?"

at the hut! || open to everyone;

[soulofocean.livejournal.com]

"...Uhhh. I think that'll be a bit tougher to get." She looked around the room and made a face at the thought. She'd clear up a bottle or any sort of recipient if she had to!

at the hut! || open to everyone;

[bigpuffyhat.livejournal.com]

Ascot looked around and found and almost empty bottle of soda sitting on a nearby table. "Will this work?" he wondered.

at the hut! || open to everyone;

[soulofocean.livejournal.com]

Umi shrugged.

Her beautiful flowers... sitting on a bottle of... what was it, Dr. Pepper?? But it was better than seeing them perish from lack of water, of course!

"It's better than nothing! But we'll have to clean it really carefully." Taking hold of it, she conjured a little stream of water to wash over any remnants of soda left inside.

at the hut! || open to everyone;

[bigpuffyhat.livejournal.com]

He saw her disappointment and frowned. "We can...we'll find something nicer for them when we get back to the apartment, right?"

at the hut! || open to everyone;

[soulofocean.livejournal.com]

"You bet we will! As I'd let your gift just stay stuck in a bottle of soda!" Umi was quite determined about this. It only went to show how important Ascot's floral present was to her, of course. But such was the Water Knight's temper.

She made sure only the purest water from her spell filled the bottle when she was done, flowers neatly arranged in their makeshift "vase". Then she even cast a bit of a sprinkle about the petals so that they stayed fresh. "There we are. All ready."