[backdated to the 29th] One year older

[queenscheckmate]

Characters: Kallen and you.
Format: Prose or action, whichever is fine.
This log is: Open
Location: Courtyard.
Summary: It's everyone's favorite ace's birthday. Except she doesn't know what quite what to do with herself today.

Kallen sat under one of the trees in the courtyard, pressing her back against the bark of the tree. Today was her birthday and well... she never took the time to celebrate it; at least not after her brother passed away. She was too busy to remember it at times. But this seemed to be different. After all, she had all the time in the world to just sit and think.

Normally people would treat themselves. But those 'people' were normal and didn't go out to fight a war like she did.

Maybe it was best to do nothing today and treat it like any other day.

Nineteen huh...

Comments

[queenscheckmate]

"Thank you." Kallen gave off a sheepish smile, not really asking for special greetings today. But it was nice to hear it from someone though.

A finger to her chin for a moment as she thought about Grenn's question. "Me? No, I don't have something like that. But if I'm not mistaken March's flower is the Jonquil. It's just a fancy name for daffodil." It was really amazing (to others probably) how she knew this much information. Second top of her class and barely went to school as it was. "Why do you ask?"

[summerstars]

"Ah... A moment, then," Grenn smiled and steered away. At least she knew what a daffodil looked like; it was a simple flower, easy to remember, and usually found in the proper part of parks on stations.

---

It took a bit longer than 'a moment', for Grenn to return, but she was back after twenty minutes, looking faintly embarrassed. But she'd decided she'd do this, and it was nothing special...

"... Here," Grenn said with a small, nervous smile and handed over a simple, but carefully made, woven ribbon replica of a daffodil. "It's... nothing special, but I just thought... I have eighteen of these now. When summer comes around, if... if I'm back home, I'll get my last. You should have something for your birthday."

Grenn knew she was rambling, and uncertain whether it had even made sense. It was a bit embarrassing, after all, and Kallen didn't even know anything about that little birthday tradition (mostly having been invented by those not able to afford frivolously buying flowers, things that would soon wilt and be useless, several times a year).

[queenscheckmate]

"All right..." Kallen couldn't help but be a little confused as to why Grenn left so suddenly. But she had implied she was going to return right? Kallen waited patiently until then.

When she arrived with the artistic object in her hand, Kallen was taken aback. "This is for me?" Kallen hadn't received a present on her birthday since... well of course her father gave her presents with his and her step mother's name on it. But they didn't have much meaning to them. But this...

"Thank you Grenn." She took the daffodil from her. Kallen was really happy at the concept of this small but meaningful present.

[summerstars]

"You're welcome," Grenn said brightly, relieved it had been recieved well. Not just because she'd made it herself and actually had to work for it, but because it was... well, symbolic. Something that reminded her of home, and having Kallen like it made it feel more real.

It was hard to remember that this place wasn't really real, in the physical sense of the word. It was real, yes, insofar as they experienced it as such, and whatever connections they made here were real enough but... Anyway, it was hard to remember that this world was only as real as the computers making them, and that the worlds where everyone came from were the real ones.

Grenn shook her head and chuckled quietly, chasing away those depressing thoughts with something more amusing.

"I... had a thought of asking how old you are now, and making the correct number of flowers, but that'd take a bit too long since you were waiting..."

[queenscheckmate]

"It's okay. This is enough, really. The smile stayed on her face. It wasn't often, if ever that Kallen was touched. But this was one of those rare moments. "I don't know what I'd do with eighteen more of these," she laughed. "Thank you... it really means a lot."

[summerstars]

"I... um, I suppose it'd be hard to find somewhere to put them, yeah," Grenn had to agree with a grin and a shake of her head. It wasn't as if the dorm rooms were all that large or had a lot of space for whatever they could accumulate while here.

[queenscheckmate]

"I can't remember the last time I actually sat and thought about my birthday. I usually just keep doing, not thinking about it at all. But, heh, I guess I've been missing out all this time." Because the feeling connected with it was good.