milliways_bar | Ingress's Sixth Birthday Party

*It's eleven o'clock on Saturday morning, thanks to Millitime, and the stage is set for Ingress's birthday out by the lake. The House of Arch family has gathered around a perfect picnic spot under a tree. Right beside them is a playground Tom has conjured just for the occaision. There is a swingset, a slide, a merry go round, and a sandbox charmed with sand that's perfect for building.

Ingress is wearing a gown fit for a princess. It has been charmed against stains and ripping just for this special day. She is also wearing a blinking button which reads "I am 6!" She is very, very, very excited.

Tom, Door, Gavroche, and Megwyn are putting finishing decorating touches on the picnic tables set up with a gigantic cake, gallons of ice cream from Florean Fontescue's ice cream parlor, and punch. There is also a table with baskets of wizarding crackers. These are gifts for the guests - once the crackers are popped, the recipient will get a hat of some kind (maybe there will be a plethora of pirate hats!) and a wizarding toy or game like chess or gobstones. Or whatever else you'd like - the guest gets to decide!

There are several chairs under the tree as well, providing a good view of the playground.

Come, birthday with them!*

OOC: Summary forthcoming. However, very important (and menacing) Barty and Tom thread within.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Aye, we did, Ingress-soh," Susan says, laughing. Joanie waves the violet about and trumpets more wildly, clearly excited.

"Are thee having a good birthday, then?"

Alain, following Susan out of the stables, grins down at Ingress.

I am. Tom made a playground so we can play!

Hi Alain!

Oh! You guys get a present. And Joanie can have one too!

*She offers them the basket of wizarding crackers.*

They're clearly small party favors, so Alain takes one with a grin, handing two more to Susan.

"Thankee-sai, Ingress."

He looks at it a little curiously, trying to figure out what it's meant to be used for.

She takes them from Alain and hands one to Joanie, who drops the violet in favor of the new toy.

Susan puts her own cracker in the basket and picks up the violet and a package wrapped in a soft cloth, like one might use when working with leather, and hands both to Ingress.

"Presents from us, do'ee ken?" She doesn't quite specify who 'us' is, though.

Thanks so much!

*She takes the package and begins opening it carefully.*

It's a hackamore, that they called a jaquima in Mejis, a soft bitless bridle made of plaited blue leather. It's sized to fit Megwyn, although it's adjustable just in case.

Joanie clutches the cracker in her trunk, banging it against the rim of the basket in what she clearly thinks is a wonderful game.

Susan glances at Alain, smiling, and watches the little blue-haired girl to see her reaction, even as she reaches into the basket to pet Joanie.

"Shush, thee silly -- it's Ingress's day for attention, not yers."

*She holds it up, touching the soft leather.*

It's beautiful. Megywn will look so pretty in it.

*She grins up at them.*

Thanks!

Now you open your crackers! You open them by pulling the ends and they pop.

He obediently takes hold of the ends, and pulls. There's a loud crack, and a puffing explosion of sparkly confetti; Alain, startled, rocks back on his heels.

Out drops a pirate hat -- black, tricornered, and fairly plain -- and a tiny toy boat. Automatically, he catches them before they hit the ground.

He grins at Ingress. "Showy things, these crackers of yours."

Susan laughs and looks down at Joanie, who's still banging her own cracker against the edge of the carry-basket.

"That's not the best toy for ye, mayhap, but ye'll hurt nothing by doing so."

She pulls her own apart with the same flash and bang that Alain's has exhibited -- but her resulting hat is a princess's cap in a dusky rose shade, and a set of gobstones.

You guys got really good hats. I have a princess hat, too.

Hee hee hee, those are gobstones, Susan. They spit at the person you're playing with.

Let's have some cake and icecream. I already had two pieces. And lots of icing flowers.

Ingress has already had sugar? He would never have guessed.

Exchanging a wry glance and a grin, he and Susan follow after Ingress.

*She leads them over to the tables with cake and ice cream.*

We have ice cream from Florean's in Diagon Alley. That's where you get the best ice cream ever. And the cake has chocolate on one side and white on the other side.

"It's a pretty cake for a birthday girl, Ingress-soh," Susan says as she takes a small piece of the chocolate.

She puts a small icing rose in the basket for Joanie, who drops the cracker to pounce -- as much as a tinyphant can pounce -- on the new item.

Joanie likes icing, too?

*Ingress giggles.*

Can Joanie play in the sandbox? Tom made the sand special with magic so it's really good for building.

I know! We could build a castle for Joanie!

That's a lot of sugar, there, at least by Gilead standards. He takes a small piece.

"So we could. Though she might smash down her own ramparts, the silly thing."

*She waits until they at least get most of their cake eaten before dragging them both over to the sandbox.*

We have to make one for her. She'd love it.

Have you made sand castles before? If not, I can teach you. My brother taught me how. I taught Tom, too.

She grew up near the sea, but spent more time away from it -- and so Susan shakes her head, even as she sets the basket down and tips it so Joanie can wander out on her own.

"I've not, at that. Maybe ye'll show the way?"

Cuthbert, who's just been wandering around watching the party since giving Ingress her present, approaches now, grinning.

"Susan. Alain." He drops into a hunkering position beside the sandbox, reaching one hand to pat the tiny elephaunt. "And I see Joanie's made it to the party as well."

Hi Cuthbert! I'm teaching Susan and Alain how to make sand castles and I'll show you, too. Come and sit down everybody.

*She starts mounding the sand into a castle shape.*

Susan moves a little to the side to make a space for him to join in, smiling at 'Bert as Joanie trumpets.

"Ingress is having a busy day, do'ee ken?"

Ingress's Sixth Birthday Party

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