smallestopener | Slumber Birthday Party

The tea party room in the House of Arch has been re-arranged. The chests of dress-up clothes are still there, but the large table is gone. In its place are comfy, overstuffed chairs, a long sofa, and several cushions and bean bags scattered about. There is a small table loaded with snacks like crisps, dips, cupcakes, candy, and soda. There's also a veggie tray and cheese and crackers for all of those over age eight.

An old model TV hooked up to VCR is set up with several video cassettes of movies such as The Aristocats, Sleeping Beauty, Shirley Temple classics, and other fun viewing choices.

Tom and Door have been busy escorting guests into the House, if they didn't already have access on their own, and the birthday girl greets them with squeeful happiness. Megwyn is already there, standing by a basket of fresh hay and apples. Even Companions need treats.

She is wearing pajamas with unicorns on them with a fluffy yellow robe on over. She is very excited and feeling very grown up. She's going to stay up all night.

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"Aye, with illusions. Thom had to show me how. I wasn't very good at magic, then. Didn't like it."

An understatement.

She thinks a moment. "Sometimes I think it would be nice to have magic like that. Like Tom and Gavroche's magic. But I have my own, and it's nice."

"It is," she smiles. "How is Megwyn?"

Her eyes travel to the Companion.

Mary is eyeing the assorted items very warily indeed.

"What is all of this for?"

"It's for dress up! And look-" She holds up tubes and bottles of glisteny pink. "We have makeup."

Or, at least, lip gloss and fingernail polish.

"She's good. She got to see her Mummy when we went to Valdemar."

"It is all pink."

Mary frowns. She doesn't have anything against pink, but it might be nice to at least see some other colors represented.

"There might be some red or black," she says, rummaging through the box. "Oh, here's some purple varnish!"

The makeup palette is a wee bit limited in the Underside.

"Varnish is what they put on wood," Mary objects - not out of contrariness, but in confusion.

She doesn't think she needs to be varnished!

"I'm sure that was nice. Did you have a good trip?"

Alanna looks curious.

Marian has not been having the best last few weeks, which makes her a little reluctant to appear, but she finds early on it s rather impossible not to smile at an exuberant young child dressed up in fluffy, unicorn covered, pajamas.

"Fair eve, I hope I'm not too late."

After watching the younger girls settle down into watching one of the movies, amid spurts of laughing and little girl sighs, Marian wandered toward where the adults were milling.

She spotted Alanna, and smiled gently. "You look radiant. Motherhood seems to be suiting you well."

((Story taken from the retelling by S. E. Schlosser))

Marian decides early on it's story time, both to make up for her lateness and because she'd been reading a lot of strange fiction in Milliways while not heading home, and grabbed the flash light while calling for everyone to gather round.

Once they'd all settled down Marian nodded for one of the other adults to turn off the light, flicking on the flashlight as she began speaking.

"She lived deep in the forest in a tiny cottage and sold herbal remedies for a living. Folks living in the town nearby called her Bloody Mary, and said she was a witch. None dared cross the old crone for fear that their cows would go dry, their food-stores rot away before winter, their children take sick of fever, or any number of terrible things that an angry witch could do to her neighbors.

Then the little girls in the village began to disappear, one by one. No one could find out where they had gone. Grief-stricken families searched the woods, the local buildings, and all the houses and barns, but there was no sign of the missing girls. A few brave souls even went to Bloody Mary's home in the woods to see if the witch had taken the girls, but she denied any knowledge of the disappearances. Still, it was noted that her haggard appearance had changed. She looked younger, more attractive. The neighbors were suspicious, but they could find no proof that the witch had taken their young ones."

Although not a vain woman, Alanna is not immune to flattery, especially the genuine sort. She grins cheerfully, pleased to see Marian again.

"I thank you, Marian. I've taken to it better than most expected, myself included. And how are you?"

"I can bet it's not too far from also getting to go back to other loves" --like her sword-- "As much as discovering how much these little ones suddenly become them, too." Marian said with some amusement.

But then without waiting to answer the second question yet, she took a step forward. "Are those cupcakes?"

"Well said. I'm certain feeling like myself again and training has helped immensely."

She nods eagerly, selecting another cupcake and licking at the icing.

"Aye. They are truly marvelous."

"I'm glad to hear it."

Picking up a cupcake, taking her time to pull a finger through the icing and lick it thoughtfully with a dreamy expression.

"Things have been tense back home, so it's nice to be somewhere filled with laughter and joy."

Alanna pauses, holding the cupcake near her mouth, and gives Marian a concerned look.

This time, she doesn't notice the icing on her upper lip.

"It is," and it's said with rueful understanding. "I'm sorry things have been tense. Has something happened?"

"Ing-gess!" says Susan, happily. She's still struggling with r's.

"I think Susan will like a cat movie very much," Amy says.

Amy grins. "If you've got to thrive on something, activity is probably not a bad thing to thrive on.

"Do you know, I don't think we've spoken since my brother's wedding. There seem to have been a great many arrivals since then."

Amy has gotten a now very sleepy Susan settled, dozing on a bean bag.

She's found a glass of ginger ale and some crackers, but she's always happer to chat.

It's what a party is for, after all.

The icing makes Marian grin, which is the one thing which keeps her from looking grim when the the thought scurry back to the foreground of her mind.

"It was complicated, but it comes down to making the wrong choice for the right reason."

"We haven't!"

She looks surprised at the realization, but only briefly; the months have started to blend together in her memory.

"All three arrived safe and sound, though it was touch and go with Jamie for a while. He was smaller than Thom and Grace. They are a handful, but we love them dearly. Adam has only threatened to trade them for dogs once."

"Ah."

There's a sympathetic smile, but Alanna looks lost in her own thoughts for a moment.

"I have experience with those sort of choices," she says wryly, thinking of Thom. Shaking herself, she sighs and re-focuses. "Are you all right?"

"We did. I always like going to visit. And now it's only four years before I go for school!"

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Slumber Birthday Party

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