Fifth Floor Common Room, Tuesday Afternoon

[soniaroadsqueen]

Ringo hadn't really paid much attention to the date, which was why she'd been surprised when she got back from her morning ride to find a delivery waiting for her. It was a pretty big box, too, but didn't feel like AT parts. There wasn't a return address on it, either.

With a thoughtful frown, she set the box down on the table in the common room and opened it up. Then her eyes shot wide. A cake! A really, absolutely beautiful cake. It took a couple of seconds for her to figure out why anyone would send her a cake, but as soon as she did, she was on the phone.

"You got me a cake!" she accused her sister when Rika picked up. "A really expensive cake."

"You couldn't be here with us, so we got you the same cake we got." Ringo could practically see Rika's smile in her voice. "So at least we could all share that much."

Ringo grinned. "You know I can't eat all of this by myself, right?" she asked.

"Guess you'll just have to find someone to share with. I mean, it'd be lame to spend your birthday all by yourself, so if we can't be there, make sure someone else helps you eat that cake."

"Yes, ma'am," Ringo answered, laughing.

"Happy birthday, Ringo."

"Happy birthday, Rika. And tell Mikan and Ume 'happy birthday' from me, too."

"They know, but I will."

So Ringo was smiling as she rummaged around for a plate and a fork and a glass of milk. She'd totally forgotten it was her birthday, but this was a pretty awesome way to be reminded.

Comments

[spin_kick_snap]

"You would have a cake on the radio when I wasn't there to enjoy it," Kathy huffed, like it was Ringo's fault the squirrels were lecherous little spies. "I see how it is."

[soniaroadsqueen]

"Hey, I wasn't even planning a cake," Ringo objected, trying to sound innocent. It didn't work as well as it would have if she hadn't had her face stuffed with cake.

"Rika sent one since I wasn't going to be home to celebrate birthdays with everyone."

[spin_kick_snap]

"Rika intended for you to wait for me," Kathy declared, basing this on nothing true at all. "I'm her new favorite sister. She said so."

That time when nothing of the sort was said.

[soniaroadsqueen]

"Nice try, but one of us talked to Rika today, and one of us didn't." Three guesses which is which, Kathy!

"Though if you were our sister, today would be your birthday, too, and you'd have your own cake!" Family tradition, you know.

[spin_kick_snap]

"Awww, I can't claim your birthday," Kathy said, laughing. "It turns out I share mine with Dante and he'd be heart-broken if I were to abandon him. Even if it would get me out of the dreaded birthday/Christmas gap."

[soniaroadsqueen]

Ringo giggled. "Hey, we all stole ours from Rika, so you'd just be joining a fine tradition."

"Though," she grinned, "you wouldn't want Dante to get all lonely, that's true."

[spin_kick_snap]

"Lonely?" Kathy snorted, even though that was exactly what she'd said a few seconds ago. "More like I don't trust him to have a birthday by himself. "He'd get up to too much mischief if I wasn't there to temper it."

[soniaroadsqueen]

"Oh, you know, I hadn't thought of that. But, remind me, Kathy, when was the last time you had a chance to get into trouble and didn't take it?"

And that time they kind of made out totally didn't count!

[spin_kick_snap]

Funny, though, that was where Kathy's brain went first, too. Which was why there was a few seconds of stammering coming out of the phone. "No, err, I--the time--hey I was mostly good all vacation!"

[soniaroadsqueen]

"Oh, you managed to be 'mostly' good, huh?" Ringo was definitely grinning on the other side of the phone. "I suppose I really should be impressed, huh?"

[spin_kick_snap]

"The electrocution robot was not my idea!"

Well, the part about getting electrocuted by it wasn't. Going after it...yeah, okay, that was definitely on her.

[soniaroadsqueen]

"Oh, it wasn't?" Ringo had not heard about any electrocution robot, but, well, she could guess. "So remind me again, whose idea was it?"

Sometimes it was hard not to laugh, even when the topic was kind of serious.

[spin_kick_snap]

"...Whoever put it in there in the first place?" Kathy tried.

[soniaroadsqueen]

"Like, put it in your room, where you couldn't help but get electrocuted by it?" Because you totally got electrocuted by it, didn't you, Kathy? Didn't you?

[spin_kick_snap]

"Okay, so it might have been in a cave..."

Right after the cave full of animated, murderous skeletons.

[soniaroadsqueen]

"Oh, right. A nice, safe cave which was probably totally a super-good thing to be exploring." Ringo was nodding along in understanding, Kathy. She was sure you could imagine that.

[spin_kick_snap]

"There were adventurers that needed rescuing!"

Just keep digging that hole, Kathy.

[soniaroadsqueen]

"Well, it's a good thing you were there then." Funny, it didn't sound quite like Ringo meant that.

[spin_kick_snap]

Kathy was going to ignore that tone entirely. "Wasn't it? They might never have gotten out if we hadn't been!"

[soniaroadsqueen]

"And then you would have had to go the entire week without getting electrocuted, which would have been a real shame, too."

[spin_kick_snap]

"Hey, I'm the last person who's going to argue about getting electrocuted!" Kathy protested. "It was terrible! Never again if I can help it!"

[soniaroadsqueen]

"Like you totally couldn't help it this time," Ringo nodded in agreement.

Well, "agreement", at least.

[spin_kick_snap]

"No one was expecting a robot that shoots lightning bolts from a pre-Industrial society," Kathy said primly.

Because magic was soooo hard to have pictured.

[soniaroadsqueen]

"No, no," Ringo said, trying not to giggle, "I totally get it. Who could possibly predict any magic on that particular island?"

[spin_kick_snap]

"I see the Sass Fairy visited you for your birthday," Kathy sniffed, since, you know, Ringo had a point and everything. "Have you thought about saving some of that for the rest of the year?"