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February the third, the calendar pinned to the bedroom wall said. The host turns fourteen today.
Darcy mulled over that fact in their mind boredly, spinning a pen in their hand. They felt strangely... off. Like they forgot something. They double checked their to-do list, and everything seemed to be fine, but it all just felt incomplete.
They realized it was only Marcy's desire. She had planned for this day. She and her friends would frolic and prance around a winter Newtopia, drowning in hot chocolate and red velvet cake and playing her favorite games.
Darcy tsked. What high hopes.
They felt melancholy they couldn't live it.
She sighed, propping her head up with her hands, gazing out her window to the frosty world below through the cold glass. When was the last time they'd had a celebration? A party? She missed the taste of birthday cake and ice cream and chocolate dipped crickets and-
She paused.
She covered some of her eyes with her hands, exasperated.
What the hell were they thinking? Seriously?
They giggled, then cackled. They had a host! She could eat till she got violently ill! She could play pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey-beetle until she accidentally stabbed someone. She could dance until Marcy's clumsiness cursed them to fall. She could do whatever she wanted!
She raced from her room to the throne room. Andrias was sitting on the throne, but when he saw them, he quickly stood up as if to offer it to them.
They marched up to him. "Andrias!" She demanded. "Set up a party! A feast, a ball! There will be a large variety of chocolate foods, especially red velvet! You know our favorites. But don't do all chocolate food like you did that one time. Get some music playing, waltz with a violin. Decorate the castle. Invite everyone in this castle to join- though of course, they must."
Andrias stumbled to ask, "What sort of theme, my lord?"
"Kinda Christmasy." they shrugged. "Light some fireplaces, while you're at it."
Andrias looked like he desperately needed a pen and paper. "Is that all, my lord?" He asked politely.
"For now." Darcy spun around dramatically and left, smirking.
It had been over a thousand years since they last had a birthday party. They would enjoy this.
Darcy had wanted to go all out on the Christmas theme, and land the castle on Mount Mutu, but figured the Amphibians wouldn't appreciate the beauty while sleeping.
Still, she indulged in that human Christmas cheer, drinking hot chocolate by a fireplace and reading while waiting for the event to start. She curled up on the reading chair, feeling childish excitement and joy. Oh, Marcy would've loved this. Too bad she hadn't joined them yet. She was missing her own birthday party.
They took a minute to look inwards and watch Marcy. Blissfully unaware, playing with an Anne and Sasha, completing quests and exploring that fake world. She had no sense of time in there.
Darcy was drawn out of their mind by Andrias walking up to them, sitting beside her in the library. "My lord, the preparations are complete. Shall we start now?"
She slid a bookmark into place and put the book on an end table. "Yes."
She stood up, but he did not. He looked like he wanted to say something. She watched him boredly. "Yes?..."
"I- May I ask... today is Marcy's birthday, is it not?" He asked hesitantly.
They tilted their head and smiled at him cruelly. "Aw. You had put it on your calendar?"
He looked away.
They waved a dismissive hand. "You're correct, though. We're using it as an excuse to live a little." She walked past him briskly, then shot him a look over her shoulder. "Feel free to come. Or not, if you're feeling a bit too sorry for yourself." She giggled and left.
The party was grand. A gigantic dining hall, decked with holly, or the closest thing Amphibia had to it. Tables lined and overflowing with perfectly baked and roasted goods. They nearly drooled.
The hall was warm, a gigantic fireplace roaring. Newts were chatting and finally relaxing for the first time in weeks. A small band was playing lively music in a corner. People were waltzing.
She wasn't sure why she felt so amazed. She had seen much grander parties before, ones that made this one look pitiful, but those had all been over a thousand years ago. The memories were foggy, they seemed so distant.
A tall newt came up to them and said, "My lord, the main cake shall be served in just a moment. Did you want candles on it?" The cake they were referring to was a fancily decorated red velvet cake, five cakes tall.
Darcy felt somewhat annoyed that she had to look up at them, but didn't show it. "Yes." One for each of their personalities, including Marcy.
The first thing they did was eat. The cake was rolled out and they blew out the candles. Everyone politely clapped but knew nothing about human customs. Darcy didn't care in the slightest to explain.
They ate till they nearly got sick, waited a bit, then ate some more. She paced from serving plate to plate, trying a bit of everything. They were insatiable. They argued with themselves over which was better. It was fun to banter with themselves over something that didn't matter. It was lighthearted and fun.
They lost their appetite and pulled aside random people to talk. They weren't interested in people's personal lives, but they knew people were anxious when they talked to her. They ought to be. She was their Queen! She found it amusing.
The newt they were currently talking with looked pale with fear and was rambling on about the weather. Darcy waited for them to pause before saying, "We agree, the weather this month has been dreary. At least the view is great, is it not?"
The newt nodded frantically. "It's beautiful!" They said. Darcy deemed them incapable of interesting conversation.
The next newt droned on about chaos theory which they found mildly engaging, and the next one fainted when Darcy called them by name. They bent over laughing as newts hauled him away.
They spotted a tall orange and a short pale blue newt at the edge of the crowd. Darcy crept up to them, spying.
"Maybe if we cut..." Yunan was cut off by Olivia frantically waving a 'shut up!' signal.
"Hello, ladies!" Darcy slipped in beside them, grinning. "How's your days been?"
"They've been good, my lord," Olivia said rotely. Yunan nodded.
Darcy smiled more softly and played around. "I hope that one day, we can all hang out like we used to. The Green Lady adventure was so fun! Right, Yunan?"
Yunan stared at them blankly, like she didn't know who she was talking to. "Ah- uh, Y-yeah. It was... And I would like that..."
Olivia hid a frown and took Yunan's hand. The two looked sufficiently depressed, so Darcy bid them a farewell.
They heard Olivia say, "Happy Birthday, Marc-" cutting herself off and flustered and shocked with herself. Darcy laughed as they walked away. No one else was as fun to mess with as those two. Still, they needed to be collared sooner than later. Tomorrow, they all decided.
Up on a stage, a small orchestra of a dozen played swaying music. People danced to it in pairs, spinning and dipping and all the things they longed to do.
The picked out a good sized newt and beckoned them over. He wearily approached, but got the idea, and the two silently danced. Or tried to. Darcy stepped on his feet and he kept tripping over the wire that tailed her. He twirled them and they felt giddy. He stumbled and face planted, to no fault of his own, and they laughed maniacally at him.
He excused himself to the bathroom so they went to eavesdrop on gossip and listen to the music. The party started to die down, along with the fireplace, so Darcy excused themselves and went back to the library, yawning. They just wanted to read another chapter before going to bed. Or maybe they could just fall asleep in the library. The idea sounded romantic, ideal and cozy.
They hardly got halfway through before they leaned against the armrest and curled into a small ball, half asleep, blearily watching embers and daydreaming. The taste of chocolate was still on her tongue.
She closed her eyes. They peered into Marcy's simulation. The girl was resting with her friends in a tavern. The Core altered it, careful and gingerly.
The tavern keeper approached the three girls, carrying a small cake on a plate. She put it on the table, and her butterfly wings fluttered.
Marcy stared at the cake, baffled. Sasha and Anne cheered, "Surprise!"
Marcy gasped. "I- when, when did you plan for this?" She asked.
Sasha smirked. "A good warrior always has tricks."
Anne giggled. "While you were investigated those merchants. Me and Sash paid for the cake. Red Velvet! That's your favorite, right? Happy birthday!"
"Yeah! Happy B-day, Marmar!" Sasha chipped in. Sasha and Anne high fived at their brilliance.
Marcy nearly teared up. "I... I had forgotten."
"Forgotten what?" Anne asked.
"It's my birthday," she rubbed her eyes before any could fall. She smiled. "Thank you girls. This means the world to me.
The two girls smiled kindly. Anne said, "It's the least we could do for all that you've given us. Join us. Let's eat already!"
"Of course!" Marcy laughed, delighted.