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Emily hummed happily as she walked to the door separating home from Granny's shop. She was excited to find out what Sonia had planned for her birthday. Because no matter what her friend had tried to insist, it had been obvious she'd been planning something more than just coming over for dinner tonight with Granny and Antoine.
"Good morning Granny," she called, turning the handle and pushing with her shoulder. It was getting stiff again, and squeaky. She'd have to stop by Oliver's and try to beg another favour. Which meant baking a pumpkin pie as a bribe first. Maybe if she got that going before she started on the chickens then she could--
"And it's the birthday girl herself! Happy Birthday Em's, you're looking as beautiful as ever. Isn't she looking beautiful Sophie?"
Emily stood frozen in the doorway, staring at her friend who was leaning on the counter by the cash register and sharing a smile with Granny, rocking in her chair. A quick glance at the clock showed it was still before seven, far earlier than Sonia had ever been over before, and... And she wasn't wearing her uniform, or any of the stylish clothes she normally chose for her days off.
"Sonia? What are you doing here? And what are you wearing ?" she asked, letting her eyes wander over the dark blue overalls she could hardly believe her friend had put on. Especially with the oily stains on the knees.
"Oh this? It's Oliver's spare work outfit, I'm borrowing it for the day. I was going to ask McDonald, but he is way too short, and I almost drowned in Aadit's when I tried on his. I'm so super lucky that Oliver is kind of the same size as me, right? I look super cute in it, don't you think?"
Emily nodded distractedly while Sonia spun in a circle, waving her arms around and posing like she did whenever she got a new outfit from Carol, or the fashion catalogue from Atara. And while it wasn't her usual style, she had to admit that Sonia was making it work for her.
She'd rolled back the sleeves over the overalls to her elbows so her hands were free, and found a wide leather belt somewhere to cinch in the waist, which was the same colour leather as the boots poking out from under her folded up trouser cuffs. And then she'd swapped her usual headband and feathers for a chequered bandana covering her hair.
"As for why I'm here, it's part of my birthday gift to you!" Sonia went on, clapping her hands together and bouncing on her toes. "I'm going to help you out with all of your chores today! I mean, I was planning on doing them all for you, but I know how much you actually like spending time with your animals, and I also know that if I leave you alone while I go off and do something then you'll just find another job that needs doing instead, so I figured this was the best solution."
Her chest felt strange as she watched her friend talk so excitedly about all the things she'd been getting Granny's help with learning over the past few weeks so she'd be able to keep up with her today, sharing smiles and winks with Granny while she did. And Emily wasn't quite sure what to make of it.
"I, I don't know what to say," she managed to get out, then bit her lip when her eyes started to itch. "This is so wonderful of you, and I don't--"
"Hey hey, none of that. Birthday girl's aren't meant to cry," Sonia said, quickly closing the distance between them and carefully wrapping her in a hug. Her chest did a weird flip flop when Sonia's cheek met her own, rubbing against her and filling all her senses with everything Sonia , and she slid her arms around the other woman's waist so she could pull her close.
"There, that's better isn't it? Now, shall we go out and start with whatever you want to do first, or do you want to open what I've got here for you? Don't worry, it's not the only thing," she added quickly, letting go so she could start digging in her pocket. She made a small sound of triumph, then held up a small jewellery box between them.
"I went halvsies on something with Antoine that I think you're going to love! It really suits you, and compliments your skin tone perfectly! I don't have it here because he wanted to see your reaction too when you open it, so I was thinking when we've done the first few things we go grab him and head to Django's for a break and you can open it there?"
Emily laughed lightly, letting go when Sonia kept talking and turned to Granny to start asking questions about the "dinner surprise" they'd planned. She looked down at the small box in her hand, gently rubbing her thumb over the top, but not daring to open it just yet. The feeling in her chest had settled down into something warm and tingly, but was now growing and spreading until she thought her cheeks might burst from the warmth of it, and she was worried what might happen if she saw what Sonia was spoiling her with.
Because she was spoiling her! Two gifts, on top of dinner tonight, and willingly spending the day before that around animals and mud and dirt? After she'd tried to tell her she really didn't need anything?
Sonia was her absolute best friend ever.