Birthday for Two PV Group Finished

Interacts: @Willow Anderson, @Alan Vanes & @Flash Holmwood

It had taken George mere minutes to pick out what he wanted to give George and Willow at their shared birthday, but finding them in the mess of his trunk had taken much longer. He didn't find the time to get a card for Willow, but had one for Alan - it came with the purchase of the gift. Hopefully neither would think he was playing favorites between them, even though he did prefer Alan. Thinking quickly, the boy shoved one gift inside the other - tucking the card between the pages of a book - and ran out of his room. The boy was clad in two layers of pajamas - rocket ship pattern worn over puppy pattern - to keep out the night cold.

When he arrived on the grounds and saw the crowd that had already formed near the lake, his heart raced again. He was already late! Jogging down toward them, he clutched his gifts in his arms - trying to hide what they were from Willow and Alan, so it would not ruin the surprise. As he walked in, he passed by Flash at the edge of the light - giving the other boy a friendly smile and an upward nod of recognition. "Mister Holmwood!" he said in passing, though he noticed the boy seemed to be in a foul mood. Hopefully nobody was that upset because he'd arrived?

There were quite a few people he recognized, and even more that he did not. The first order of business was gifts, and then it would be onto introductions. Carefully, he slipped Alan's gift out from between the pages of Willow's gift. In the firelight, people could see the card that George had bought - it was purple and red, the lettering paved with glitter and spelling the name of Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop. Alan seemed to be busy with eating, so instead, the boy stormed up and presented the gift to him with no need for any response. "I got you this!"

He flipped open the card to show the interior - one one side, a beautifully written note reading "Happy birthday, Alan!" as well as an absolutely horrific cave painting of an owl in black ink. It seemed George's artistic talents lay more in writing. The other side of the card had a coupon for the tea shop taped inside of it - afternoon tea for two & dessert for free! George hoped it wouldn't seem like he was trying to buy a gift for himself, although he wouldn't complain if Alan took him. "They have hot chocolate too. It's quite good."

He did not pause to receive thanks before offloading Willow's gift onto her. Shuffling around Mildred and Willow to crowbar into their conversation once Mildred was finished presenting her gift. This one was much heavier - a thick tome with a green cover and a shiny golden snitch emblazoned on the center. He turned it sideways so she could see the title - Quidditch Through the Ages, by Kennilworthy Whisp. He held it out so she could take it if she wanted.

"I got you this!" he said once again, with a slight variation in emphasis on you and this, as it was a different you and a different this. "Brutus Scrimgeour said this was the definitive work on the origins and history of Quidditch. The man in the shop told me it's also got some pretty good tips for a player, so I thought you'd like it!"

He had already teased her enough about the incident in the first-year flying lesson. It would do him no good to bring it up again, now. It was her birthday, now, and she was a Hufflepuff like him. Parties were for making friends, and since he shared so many friends with Willow, it would be for the best if he let it stay in the past.

"I hear they cover staying right side up in chapter two," he added helpfully. Then he gave her a big smile, glancing to Alan as well. "Happy birthdays, you two!"

interacts with @Willow Anderson, @Scott Alexander, @Mildred Wilson, @Jake Morris,
@Flash Holmwood, @Aaron Jones & @George Henry

Alan was about to ask what a kumquat was as he stared at the Slytherin. However before he had a chance to go on and ask about it specifically, Willow tuned in, offering some handy trivia and Alan could not help but smile in relief. He was glad that he now had the information, it literally flew to him. "N-No wonder I wasn't able t-to guess it", he chuckled lightly. They were interrupted by Ruka appearing, which was great as it stopped the situation from turning into an uncomfortable silence. He took the gifts from Ruka, eyes widening at the card and a big smile made his minor anxiety melt away. "Th-Those are awesome, Ruka; I c-can use the b-bookmark f-for my new b-books!", he exclaimed in excitement. Flash continued to place their gifts onto the table onto the table by with the food and Alan safely tugged the card Ruka had made into the picture book that Lydia had gotten for him, so that the wind could not carry it away. The red and black of the bookmark Ruka had made for him surely would look pretty in between the pages of his new books.

When Jake arrived, Alan stared at the pajama and could not help but smile, they just looked so cool! Willow liked them too and even mentioned a movie named Coco, making Alan wonder if it was for any of the teevee things that his cousins taught him about. Willow also had taught him a bit about the internet too and said she would show him during summer, so he was curious about that. Especially because that meant he could thank her mom for making all of this possible, maybe he should bring Willow's mom a thank you gift. His mom would surely scold him if he missed out on doing that to someone who had been so kind to help with his birthday. He quickly returned the hug the Hufflepuff gave him, sure that it must have been an accomplishment for the younger kid, so he just smiled in a reassuring way, letting the kid know without words that he did not mind the hug.

As he unwrapped the present that Jake has gotten for him, his eyes widened in excitement as he flipped through the sticker book quickly. He had never seen so many animal stickers let alone a book just for stickers. He was learning a lot about books this day it seemed like and he stared at it in awe. "Th-This is perfect, Jake. Th-Thank you!", he could not help but feel extremely grateful by the fact that Jake remembered all of this from their first meeting! He quickly gave him another hug as he handed the present to Flash who had been waiting to place it on the table. Alan could not wait until later when he could flip through all of it!

Another kid soon made their arrival and it was one of Willow's guests since Alan had no idea who the kid was. He had met so many new people on this day alone. The boy was wearing chequered pajamas and Alan smiled slightly at that. He addressed Willow first and he watched the exchange of gifts and could not help but be in awe at the thoughtfulness of the gift. He grinned, watching Willow's reaction and greeted Aaron after he had introduced himself. He stared at the bottle and listened to the explanation and had the urge to unscrew the bottle right away and taste it. "Th-Thank you s-so much, Aaron! I n-never had either t-treats before and l-look forward to trying them!", he chirped excitedly. After another glance at the bottle of Yoohoo, he just huffed and opened it anyway taking a mug from the table and pouring some of the chocolate milk into it. He would put the lid back onto the bottle and take a sip from the paper mug. His eyes lit up and he stared at Aaron over the verge of the cup. "Th-This tastes a-amazing!", he voiced astonished, before placing the bottle on the table so that other students may drink from this deliciousness as well.

He noticed Scott accepting one of his presents and as the girl who gave it to Scott stepped towards Willow, Alan grinned. "Scott!", he called over to his friend, "Th-Thank you for accepting i-it while I was busy! Y-You can just put it o-onto the table with the other st-stuff", he called out to the taller Gryffindor who he shared a dorm with. But then he turned to glance at Willow confused by the conversation she was having with the girl. What did he mean with him being nice? They had not even talked yet! He glanced over at Scott suspiciously, but got distracted by a familiar voice that suddenly spoke to him. "Oh- Oh... a-alright", he muttered, worriedly glancing at Flash. He looked uncomfortable and Alan wondered what happened in the few minutes of their conversation that had lead to such a change.

The third year had half the mind to go and follow Flash and actually was about to, when another face made an appearance and he remembered what he forgot; he never told Willow that he invited George as well! But he was positive that there would be no issue and that maybe he could be like a welcomed surprise guest. Was that a thing? If not Alan decided that he just made it a thing! Happy that his friend actually made it here, Alan gave him a hug and grinned. "Y-you got me something?", he asked before letting go of the other kid and glancing at him curiously. He stared at the card and saw a beautiful image of an owl under a neat handwriting of birthday wishes. His eyes wandered to the other half of the card and his eyes widened. "We c-can definitely g-go! I w-would love that, th-thank you so m-much!", Alan was happy with the gift and took the card from the boy after wiping his hands clean with a handkerchief.

George would now verbally wish the two a happy birthday and Alan nodded in excitement, "Thank y-you so much!", he was still looking at the drawing before looking up to George, "Th-That's Cadmus, isn't i-it?", he asked proudly. Again a memory he would never forget, how he and George had met in the pet store.

Interacting with| @Alan Vanes| @Willow Anderson | @Aaron Jones 
Mentioning Pretty much everyone but mostly inadvertently

Another Slytherin showed up with cake and more presents; it was someone that she remembered from that night in a common room. An involuntary shiver ran up her spine as she smiled at Willow and Alan, giving Willow a nod when she told her where to place the box. “It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Willow!” She smiled warmly at Alan, who thanked her for showing up. “Of course I showed up. I wouldn’t miss your birthday, silly.” She tried to be light-hearted and happy, for the most part, she was succeeding. She walked over to the area that the two pointed out to her and set the wrapped box down before turning back around to survey the area again.

She didn’t know most of these people, but the more people that showed up, the better she started to feel. Finally, a familiar face showed up, and that one was Jake. She hadn’t spoken to him in a while, but it seemed like he was doing well, and that made her happy. A nice and quiet boy like him deserved happiness in his life. Then came in Scott acting silly it was refreshing almost since she usually only saw him for headliner business. Really everyone here seemed super friendly, but then again, if they were friends with Alan, then they probably were.

Her attention was caught by someone motioning in her direction. It was Aaron, he had snuck into the party without her noticing. She would make her way over so that she could see what had become of the photographs that she had taken and given to Aaron, and she had to admit it was amazing. “Without ideas, we would be awfully boring people.” She offered as a counter. If it wasn’t for him, she wouldn’t have known what to get for Willow at all, and she thought that it was a miracle when he asked her if she wanted to share the gift. “I think I’m going to go take a seat.” She said more to herself than the others. It was getting crowded by the birthday people, and she needed some space from the crowd.

She was trying to hard not to let the common room incident affect her, but it was hard. She walked over to the food table once more and grabbed one of the Yoohoo things that Aaron had brought and one of the mystery things. Surveying the blankets, she choose one of the empty blankets by the water [Blanket number 3]. It was a little farther away from the rest of the blankets, and it gave her a good spot to watch everyone else. She mentally chided herself for not bringing her camera with her, but she knew if she walked all the way back to the common room, she probably wouldn’t come back out.

Sitting down on the back corner of the blanket, she could hear the waves of the lake gently lapping on the beachline as she read the bottle of Yoohoo curiously. Giving it a little shake like instructed before opening it and taking a sip. She stared at it for a moment before deciding that she liked it and took another drink.

Interacting with @Willow Anderson and @Alan Vanes
Mentioning @Flash Holmwood

Ruka tensed lightly when Willow hugged him in appreciation for his presents.

He knew it meant he'd done something right, but at the same time he could feel his skin crawling with the physical contact, his insides shouting at him to escape the embrace. Instead he quickly wrapped his arms around Willow to give her a quick squeeze before letting go and taking a step back. The smile on his face, he thought, had to look quite forced but he hoped that Willow and Alan were far too preoccupied with their various guests and presents to pay it much mind. 

He wasn't exactly much in the mood to explain himself to anybody.

When Alan told him that he would be able to use his bookmark for his new books, Ruka gave him a little nod. "Yeah," he said, laughing lightly. "Almost like we coordinated our presents." His eyes wandered to Flash for a moment, a frown creasing his forehead as he watched the other boy being handed presents like he was some sort of gift desk before he went to put them with the other gifts by the snack table.

He kept his eyes on the Slytherin as other people came to hand Willow and Alan more birthday presents, only serving to make Ruka feel more and more out of place as some familiar and some unfamiliar faces passed him by, none of them making him feel anything but faint apathy, but the look on Flash's face... There was something there that Ruka recognised all too well and he couldn't get himself to look away from it.

Not until Flash turned to speak to Alan, just far away enough for Ruka not to be able to hear what he said, and then started walking, away from the small crowd of people, away from the fire and the pleasantries, like he belonged there just as little as Ruka himself.

"I'll be right back," he told nobody in particular as he passed Alan and Willow, eyes still following Flash as he was slowly swallowed up by the darkness he was heading towards. Wasn't that just a perfect metaphor for their lives? Didn't it just make sense for Ruka to follow him right down that path?

Without waiting to see if anybody even acknowledged the fact that he was leaving, Ruka took off after Flash in a half jog, collecting the nightgown the other boy had dropped and draping it across his shoulder which he was still carrying the throw blanket on as well.

If anything, at least this would give him an excuse to get himself away from this crowd as well.

He didn't belong there anyway.

Leaving Thread for Now

Opeila was late. Far too late. And deeply embarassed about it. She felt so bad, especially for her friend Willow, who had also been on time on Opeila's birthday. What kind of friend did things like that make her?
There was a very simple reason gor her being late. She had lost Alan's present. The Slytherin wanted to go on time and was only able to find Willow's. When she had to choose between coming late or only have a present for one of the two birthday children, she decided to come late.

She had finally found on one of her dormmates tables. It had probably stood around somewhere and they put it there. Opeila told herself to look after her things better in the future.

She was wearing her pyjama and some loose black trousers on top, since it was still quite cold outside in the evening, and Flash's coat as well. Her hair she had partly tied back. It looked a little chaotic, but Opeila hoped the others didn't mind that.

When she walked down to the lake, she saw that everyone was already there. How embarassing. She just tried to get into the party without drawing attention to herself and instead looked for Willow and Alan.

The Slytherin would find the two of them soon and quickly walked over. "Willow! Alan! Happy Birthday!" She hugged her Hufflepuff friend and then turned to Alan, not sure if she should hug him as well. After all, she didn't really know him... She sent the people around a little smile, she didn't know all of them. "Sorry, I am late, I had a little... issue with... never mind.", she said and shook her head, smiling. Instead she handed Willow a little object, wrapped in yellow paper and Alan a bigger one, wrapped in red paper.

Alan would find a glass filled with caramel bonbons. "My grandmother makes them herself. I hope you like them." She had no idea what to get him really. But this was a good solution, right? ...maybe.
Willow would find a box with a necklace inside with a wooden badger hanging on it.




Interacting with @Alan Vanes and @Willow Anderson
Mentioning everyone

Interacts with @Lydia Cooper
Mentions: Mildred Wilson, Alan Vanes

"Scott! Th-Thank you for accepting i-it while I was busy! Y-You can just put it o-onto the table with the other st-stuff."

Reducio

Oh he wasn't so sure he would. But he smiled innocently still, and waved Alan's words away as if to say no problem, chief, no problem, until his roommate was forced to give another his attention. That's the thing with being a host: since it's your job to keep an eye on everyone, you can't possibly keep an eye on everyone.

Scott looked over to where Mildred had gone to stand and talk with Willow, fabulously getting one of the birthday kids right... He wondered if she'd noticed Alan's exclamation. He felt a little bad now, Scott, as he looked at her- because he hadn't really wanted to mess with the first-year, only with Alan. And she'd seemed very nice, too.. And happy to be there. He didn't even know what her gift was, only that the opportunity had risen.

Well, hadn't he been very friendly with her, too? He'd welcomed her and everything! And offered her food! Eventually he convinced himself that he had even, truth be told, protected the poor girl from possible embarrassment! This he realised very much in retrospect, but let's not hold that against him. Satisfied, Scott quickly placed the package on the inside of his robes and flattened his sides as innocently as he could.

...Why was it so heavy? Clearly not a bag of sweets.

Looking to his side mischievously now, Scott caught Lydia's eye as he turned in search for another bite from the table.

"I'm not a thief." He clarified, lowering his voice though he was grinning. "Not a criminal. Could never be one. I can't even lie very well... Or hide. I'd get caught before the sun went down."

Grabbing a handful of crackers from one end of the table, Scott hurled them over onto his plate with another smile. "I'm merely helping, you heard him. Besides, he'll get it eventually. I'll probably put it under his pillow or something... Isn't that nice! He'll think he's already got all his presents but then, what's this? it's another one! Surely I'm only doing everyone a favour. You understand."

Interacting with @Scott Alexander, @Aaron Jones, @Mildred Wilson
- Open to Interactions -

When Lydia noticed that Aaron had arrived at the party, she gave him a big smile and waved back, shaking a little bit her head as she noticed that he had brought some Yoohoo with him; the boy really liked that chocolate drink, he would drink it constantly, and Lydia even tried it and decided that it was not that bad - even though it was not her favourite thing to drink.

Lydia then focused back on Mildred and Scott talking, as she put some more food on her plate - she was definitely going for a second slice of the mystery pie, since it tastes so good. She listened to Mildred being relieved that she had found Alan Scott, and thanking him for the invite; the older boy was being so nice to Mildred, and Lydia couldn't help the warm smile that appeared on her lips; she always liked when people were nice and kind to one another, especially in situations like these.

"Thank you!" Lydia said to Mildred when the girl complimented her pyjama, her mind instinctively making her adjust the bottom of the shirt. "Yes I do! I actually have two favourite animals: elephants, and cats! To be more precise, Birman cats! I have one back at home, it's the family cat, and we got him when I was six; he is the cutest, fluffiest ball of love!" She added, and then blushed a little bit once she realised how excited she had gotten over her cat.

After Mildred had left them to go to give Willow her gift, the red headed girl looked at Scott, that still had Alan's gift, now safely tuck in his robes, and gave him a half smile, one of her eyebrows slightly raised in a question. She knew that, since he was Alan's friend, he was just keeping the gift for him and not stealing it, and she could help the little laugh that left her lips when the Gryffindor boy take.

"I think that's a wonderful idea! This way his day will definitely be full of pleasant surprises until the end!" Lydia agreed with Scott, as she gave him a big smile, "It was really nice of you to do that for Mildred! Not telling her about your real name I mean. Also, thank you for making me try that pie! I love it, I think it might be my new favourite dish now," She showed him her plate, where a second slice of the pie was laying, together with some crackers and other food.

"I think I'll go sit down by the fire now, this way I'll be less prone to accidentally tilt my plate and waste all of this amazing food," Lydia said and gave Scott another smile, an open invitation for the boy to join her if he wanted to, before she started making her way towards the blanket (number 4) where she had previously left her cardigan.

Interacting with @George Henry @Santario Martin
Mentions @Alan Vanes @Willow Anderson @Ruka Tân

It turned out that Coco was one of Willow's favorite movies, and Jake grinned at the praise his pajamas were getting. He had been so anxious about the gifts he had almost forgotten that he was even WEARING pajamas. Now he was really happy he had picked them. Willow was really brave and even admitted that she cried watching the movie. Jake didn't like to talk about things like that, since it made him feel like a crybaby, but he knew exactly what she meant.

The good feeling didn't last long though. The gifts were now handed out, and then there was nothing to do but to watch the birthday kids open them. The time it took for Alan to unwrap his present could only have been a few seconds, but it felt much, much longer to Jake. It would be ok, Jake tried to assure himself. Alan liked stickers, he knew he did. And he had said he hadn't been able to get any, hadn't he? So it must've been something he would want. Still, he didn't expect to hear Alan call them perfect, and then suddenly he was being hugged and Jake hugged him back with relief.

Then it was Willow's turn. She unwrapped his drawing, and the boy fidgeted anxiously as he watched her. He almost didn't dare look, and yet couldn't keep his eyes away as she looked down at it, and her mouth dropped. For a moment that was all she did. He tried as hard as he could to read her face, but it remained mysterious - a blank slate that gave no clue as to what lay inside it. For a moment he was crestfallen, until suddenly he felt himself pulled into a massive hug. He was as surprised as he was relieved when he heard her call it 'absolutely amazing'. She loved it 'so much' she said. His body relaxed finally, as he smiled. The hug felt as good as any could have, and he leaned on Willow hugging her back.

Once released, Jake took a deep breath. Having been complimented for his pajamas, and having heard that his presents were a success, meant that the night was going about as well as Jake ever could have imagined or hoped for, and he felt like a massive weight had been lifted. The smiles on their faces and the fact that he had caused them gave him more joy than anything else could have. All he had wanted was to make them happy, and though he knew that sometimes people could say they liked something just to be nice, even if they really didn't, there was no questioning the genuine hugs he had received.

As he stepped aside to let the next guest give his gifts, Jake found himself bouncing on the soles of his feet. He couldn't help it. The thought of how his presents would be received had weighed so heavily upon him, that now that he had seen the smiles he felt lighter than air. He didn't even feel tired anymore like he had all week (and the week before that, and the week before that...). The air seemed fresh and he felt alive. When he noticed George had arrived, Jake found himself breaking into a run to greet him - a rare excitement overtaking him. He might have even skipped a little. "Hi George! When did you get here?" he asked. He hadn't seen him arrive. "Guess what? I think Alan and Willow really liked my presents. What did you get them?" He would swap details with his friend then about the gift exchanges, before motioning him closer and adding something important. "Um, don't tell anyone but, this is actually my first birthday party. So um, can you let me know if I do anything wrong?" He meant for other kids, of course, since family birthday parties didn't count. "I don't really know what kinda stuff we're gonna do."

He did know that birthday parties had cake, presents, and games, and they seemed to have already done the presents part. He spied the cake over there. For games...well...he wasn't really sure what kind of games they could play. There was pin the tail on the donkey, and there were piñatas, and Jake had never really been sure what everybody had against donkeys, but there didn't seem to be any donkeys in sight which was all just fine for him. Of course, since they were wizards, it probably would have been a centaur or something, but there weren't any of those either. Still, that just meant that the planned activities would be even more mysterious. He hoped it wouldn't be gobstones - or worse, exploding snap.

Maybe it was time he said hello to all of the other guests that he knew.

He started by waving to the girl Lydia that he recognized from Hufflepuff, and the time they had made desserts. She had been the one who had liked his backpack. Then he wanted to say hi to Ruka too. He hadn't seen him very much lately. He wasn't actually totally sure if they were friends or not. Were you friends if you never actually asked if you could be...? Still, they had worked together to restore Hopper to good health, so if they weren't, they had to be something close to it - Jake had been his assistant at the very least. Ruka had been so amazing with the bunny knowing just to do, and Jake had admired him quickly. Now he always made sure to say hello when he spotted the Gryffindor boy who was especially extraordinary for being a second-year that was not much taller than Jake. There was extra reason to find him today though - Jake had seen Hopper since, outside of the forest. He had to tell Ruka that he had said hello and that Hopper was looking healthy and strong. Ruka would definitely want to know that. But when he looked around, he couldn't find the older boy anymore, though he was sure he had seen him a moment ago. Maybe he had realized that he'd forgotten his pajamas.

The next kid he passed by was Santario. The two of them had met each other long ago, before Jake had even been sorted. Then he had stopped seeing her. After certain things had happened just looking at her would make him feel afraid. But now that they were both here...Jake was still maybe a little scared. But if he didn't talk to her then there was a chance she might have thought he didn't like her anymore. He did, actually. And he missed her. So..."Hi Santario..." he said quietly, walking up to her. "Um...did you see there's a cake?" he asked. He crouched down. She was sitting on a blanket but he hadn't been invited so he stayed next to it. He was beginning to see that a lot of people were eating, but nobody had said that he could take anything. He had to ask Alan if he was allowed to take some food. (As the older of the two hosts, Alan would be the one that got Jake's questions).

Interacting with| @Jake Morris

Slightly entranced by the weird drink she was holding made it, so she didn’t see Jake walking up to her blanket. His quiet voice ringing through the slight din of the other people caused her sapphire eyes to snap up to his face. Upon recognizing whom it was caused her face to brighten up in a smile. She felt guilty about the unpleasant feelings between the two. She knew it really wasn’t her fault, but at the same time inadvertently it was, or at least she thought it was. Jake would never tell her what happened the second time, and she didn’t push, but she knew Kyle. More importantly, she knew his temper so she could assume what happened when all she was trying to do was protect Jake.

Jake crouched down on the edge of the blanket she was on asking about the cake. It pulled her out of her thoughts. “Hey Jake! Yeah, I saw them bring in the cake. I wonder if we’re all going to get to sing happy birthday to them.” She was sincerely happy to have someone to talk to right now. There were more people here she didn’t know than did, and it was awkward. She could chat up a room of adults she didn’t know any day of the week thanks to Grandmother de Clairmont and all her pureblood and political connections in France, but people her age was where the disconnect lay.

“Wanna grab some more snacks with me and come back to the blanket and catch up?” She asked, wondering if he wanted to chat or if he was trying to be polite. She missed her friends so much, and she was really tired of being alone all of the time.

Interacting with @Mildred Wilson @Opeila Seilun @George Henry
Mentioning @Flash Holmwood @Alan Vanes @Ruka Tân

Willow giggled as Mildred screamed out a happy birthday, if there was anyone more excited than Willow herself about her birthday, it was Mildred. Even though it had gotten off to a completely chaotic start with Jack kissing her at lunch she had quickly moved on from it now that she was surrounded by her favorite people. An eyebrow raised when Mildred pointed at Scott while talking about Alan, she gently reached up and moved her point to be towards Alan. "Mildred you know that's not Alan right? That is." Another sweet giggle bubbled up at her best friend's oblivion to the other birthday kid but she knew she was trying her best.

Arms gently cradled the matching alpaca to Chicken and Willow gaped, a matching stuffed animal almost felt more meaningful than a matching bracelet. She opened the card and snorted when she read the part about getting old, and gently punched Mildred in the shoulder as a jest. "I am not getting old! You're just a little youngling." Her expression softened with how much love she had for the other Huffle girl. "This means a lot Mildred, I think I'll name him Rooster! I hope he'll be best friends with Chicken."

Willow turned to share the new friend to Flash but saw him walking away from the party and her face fell. Had she done something? Did he not feel welcome? Was this it for them? Did he realize how obnoxious she was finally? Her heart felt heavy. This wasn't supposed to go like this. They were supposed to be there for each other now. Maybe he decided against it, realizing that he had better things to do with his time. Her thoughts spiraled so much that she suddenly felt dizzy. She didn't know much about birthday parties but she knew usually the best friend didn't up and leave like that, especially without a goodbye. But, if he wanted a clean break maybe this was his way to do it. Quickly she tried to recover, she didn't have time to question it too much and Ruka was already following him. Maybe they were closer than even Flash and Willow were, he had mentioned coordinating the birthday presents for Alan... a pull on her heart hit her as she realized that maybe Flash didn't care about her as much as she did for him.

As she turned back to ask Mildred if she saw what happened while Flash was behind her, a giant green book was plopped in her arms. She almost completely dropped it. As she heard the voice behind the gift, she looked up. George. The boy who would absolutely never let go of her one flying mistake. But who also wasn't invited? She glanced over at Alan, hoping that it was a last minute invite on his part and not just a general party crasher. "Ah, thank you George. I'll be sure to start reading it before my next game." Her face fell once more, but this time out of annoyance when he mentioned staying upright. "One time! One time I go upside down on my broom and you refuse to let me live it down." She rolled her eyes, but ended up pulling him into a hug anyway, remembering that he was hurt when she didn't give him one at the pool party. Then she moved to set the newest set of gifts down, but still kept Rooster firmly under her arm.

Willow hopped back over to the group, spotting the last of the lovely guests for the party. She quickly reciprocated the hug with a bright smile that had only dimmed slightly from Flash's absence. "I'm just glad you made it! You're not terribly late. Everything is just starting up, so you're perfectly on time really." She took the time to quickly do introductions for Opeila to everyone standing around, in their tiny circle of her, Alan, George, and Mildred, while gently accepting the package in her hands. In unraveling her mouth dropped open for maybe the fourth time that night. People just really knew her and her love for her house well. "Opeila this is lovely, would you do me a favor and put it on for me?" Anything that could be worn needed to be immediately on her. That's what happened with Flash's hair fork, and now with the necklace. She wanted to display them proudly.

Her wandering eyes couldn't help but glance every now and again in the direction that Flash had left, hoping he would make his way back soon, if he were to come back at all.