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The sun shone vibrantly on a late spring day. Sam was outside in Willa's back garden, helping her plant some new flowers she'd gotten. The young gargoyle breathed in the warm air and smiled. This felt nice. He glanced over at where Robin was. The young wizard was also helping out, having the important job of removing the weeds. Sam focused back on carefully digging the holes to place the flowers in. He'd been confused at first as to why they couldn't just use magic to make them grow. Willa had explained about 'how magic isn't the shortcut to everything' and 'how she didn't want these flowers she'd been given to go to waste'. Willa handed him a Violet; a basic flower but elegant.
"I really love this kind of flower," he commented as he placed it into its designated hole.
Willa nodded along. "They are quite a beautiful one and be careful with them; They're for a birthday order so we need to keep them in perfect condition." Sam nodded in acknowledgement.
"Say, shouldn't your birthday be soon?" Willa questioned after a moment of silence.
Sam looked at her with a slight hint of confusion. "Should it?"
The older wizard nodded "If I remember correctly, it was somewhat near the end of spring but not too close to summer."
Sam gave a shrug. "I'm not too sure, I don't think I celebrated too much if I'm going to be honest."
Willa's face was morphed into thinking then she stood up and motioned for him to follow. Sam did and he followed her inside over to a piece of pretty paper that hung on the wall.
Willa gestured towards the paper. "Pick a date and that can be your new birthday."
Sam squinted looking at the paper then back at her. "I can't read."
"Ah… well point to a spot on the calendar and then I'll be able to read it out," Willa suggested.
Sam glanced back over at what Willa had called 'the calendar' and looked over it. After a few moments of deciding, he placed his finger on one of the squares at the bottom of the paper.
"Ah, the twenty-seventh; That's actually tomorrow. I'll mark it down but we'll have to do something to celebrate," Willa announced.
Sam felt his cheeks heat up in embarrassment. "We really don't have to do anything…"
"Nonsense. I'll think of something but I want you to have a nice birthday in modern times," Willa stated.
Sam tried to argue but knew there wasn't much effort in trying to argue with Willa; she was quite stubborn on her stances. Sam glanced behind him and saw Robin peeking through one of the windows into the kitchen. He quickly ducked down when spotted and Sam shrugged it off.
"Now come on, we have more plants to sort out," Willa said, making her way towards the door. Sam nodded in understanding and followed, pushing the previous interaction out of his mind.
Waking up the next day, Sam flexed his bones as he stretched, sitting up. The sun was barely over the horizon so it must've been quite early. He sat there for a moment before remembering what day it was. He should've been happy; it was a day of celebration just for him. But Nau wasn't there to celebrate it with him so a heavy sadness weighed on his heart.
A knock on his window brought him out of his thoughts. A knock? At his window? Was it a bird or something?
Walking over to the window, Sam saw that it was a bird… in a way. Robin was at his window, hanging onto the windowsill outside. To say Sam was confused was an understatement. He opened the window and the young wizard climbed through.
"What are you doing here and why were you outside my window?" Sam questioned.
Robin brushed himself off. "Couldn't be bothered to take the stairs."
Sam just sighed and softly shook his head.
Robin reached into his pocket and pulled out a violet. "Anyway, I wanted to give you this, since it's your birthday and all."
Sam took the flower and stared at it. Its quality was a bit off but that was likely due to being in Robin's pocket. Sam loved it regardless.
"I- thank you," Sam replied, glancing up at Robin.
The young wizard gave him a soft smile.
"Where did you get this from?" Sam asked.
That's when Robin looked a bit sheepish. "I… took it from Willa's garden. Don't tell her though."
"I-" all Sam could answer with was another sigh.
Robin chuckled nervously. "Anyway, I'm gonna head back to my room. I want to get some rest before we have those festivities later." The young wizard made his way to the door, pausing before it.
"Before I forget," he said, turning his head back to Sam. "Happy Birthday."
And with that, Robin left the room. The young gargoyle sat down on his bed, staring at the violet in his hand. He gently stroked it. The heavy sadness on his heart lifted a little. Nau wasn't there to celebrate with him, but Robin was; and Sam didn't think he could ask for anyone else.