Fic: It's the Thought That Counts
Jul. 6th, 2010 04:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jeriendhalA slightly delayed birthday present for ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
chaypeta
It wasn’t as if Melika had actually forgotten what day it was. It was just that she had gotten out of the habit of celebrating her birthday during the decade or so she had spent on the edges of civilized space working at Madame Cher’s. There had usually been something to do when it came around anyway, another show to put on, another of her sister-in-law’s creditors to placate. And she was willing to admit she had enough ego that the idea of commemorating another step towards middle age wasn’t exactly appealing.
But when Rufus had offered to take her out on a walk through the Brushtail Domain’s capitol city that day, during blessed bit of R&R from the Navaho, she’d been more than happy to go along with him. Arm in arm, they’d walked along neat, tree shaded streets, as she allowed him to point out the sights. At one point they’d stopped for a rest in a public park, sitting with a group in an open air amphitheater to listen to a recitation of one of the old Family Ballads that had sustained their people during the long years of the Subjugation. They’d listened with rapt attention at the performer, at least until Ru had gotten a faraway look on his face and began moving his lips silently, sub vocalizing a conversation through his implant communicator.
“Is there a problem?” she asked quietly, during a pause in the recitation.
“No, no problem,” he said. “Just a bit of news I was waiting on. Fancy grabbing a cab back to the manor and getting dinner? I’m a bit peckish.”
She snuggled closer to him, intertwining her tail with his and resting her cheek on his shoulder. “Couldn’t we go to a restaurant, just the two of us?”
He sighed, “I would, but Mother has been rather pointedly mentioning how much I need to be brought back up to speed concerning the domain’s administration. She’d mentioned going over some of the details this evening, once we came back.”
“That’s an even better reason to eat out then.” She rubbed her cheek against his.
He shook his head, disentangling their tails. “And if we did that, I’d never hear the end of it.”
Melika sighed as Rufus stood and helped her up, sub vocing again to call an autocab, which arrived in less than five minutes to take them back to the manor. When they arrived, she could smell the heady scent of spiced roast mutton coming form the directions of the formal dining room. “I hope we’re not late,” she said. “I wouldn’t want your mother to be upset with you just because you took me for a walk.”
“I hardly think she would be,” Rufus told her. He pushed open the door to the dining room for her and Melika stepped through. She came to a complete, shocked halt as Terinu, Gwendolyn, Matthew and Joleen all let out a loud “SURPRISE!”
“Happy Birthday, Melika,” Rufus told her, grinning at her expression.
“Oh, thank you.” She looked over the table. Aside from the mutton there was a lovely looking garden salad and several sides, including deviled eggs. She looked over at Terinu and his friends and asked, “Did you help make this?”
“Yeah,” Terinu answered. From behind his back he pulled out small box. “I gotcha this too, but it just cost me money. I figured dinner was a better idea.”
“I did the mutton,” Matthew offered. “Gwen and Joleen did the sides, and Teri did the salad.”
Joleen added, “Teri did most of the cake too, but I helped him with the icing.”
“This is all so very thoughtful of you.” She smiled, gave Terinu a hug, then unwrapped his present. It was a bejeweled triangular headpiece, the linen base in a color that matched the dress Rufus had presented to her a few days ago. Not by coincidence she suspected. She clipped it between her ears and let Rufus seat her at the table. “Well, now I know why you were so keen on taking me for a walk around the town, Ru.”
“Needed to give the children time to finish setting it up,” he admitted. “Though I was wondering if there was a delay towards the end.”
“That was me,” Gwen said. “I didn’t think you could burn boiled eggs.”
“It took talent,” Terinu muttered, earning a kick to his ankle from her.
Conversation waned while they all dug into the meal. After stuffing herself on generous portions of everything, though she was hardly the only one, Melika stifled a discreet belch, looking at the cake with trepidation. “I’m not sure I’m going to have enough room for that.”
“You have to at least blow out the candle,” Joleen begged.
“All right, all right!” she said with laugh. She stood up as the manor’s servants took away the remains of the meal and Terinu carefully picked up the cake brought it to the dining table. There was indeed a single candle there, in the vulpine tradition. Also, written in neat cursive icing, were these simple words:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM
“Uh, Mel? The cake doesn’t look that bad, does it?” Terinu asked after moment.
“No,” she replied, blinking and wiping her eyes clear. “It’s perfect, my son. It’s absolutely perfect.”
The End
chaypetaIt wasn’t as if Melika had actually forgotten what day it was. It was just that she had gotten out of the habit of celebrating her birthday during the decade or so she had spent on the edges of civilized space working at Madame Cher’s. There had usually been something to do when it came around anyway, another show to put on, another of her sister-in-law’s creditors to placate. And she was willing to admit she had enough ego that the idea of commemorating another step towards middle age wasn’t exactly appealing.
But when Rufus had offered to take her out on a walk through the Brushtail Domain’s capitol city that day, during blessed bit of R&R from the Navaho, she’d been more than happy to go along with him. Arm in arm, they’d walked along neat, tree shaded streets, as she allowed him to point out the sights. At one point they’d stopped for a rest in a public park, sitting with a group in an open air amphitheater to listen to a recitation of one of the old Family Ballads that had sustained their people during the long years of the Subjugation. They’d listened with rapt attention at the performer, at least until Ru had gotten a faraway look on his face and began moving his lips silently, sub vocalizing a conversation through his implant communicator.
“Is there a problem?” she asked quietly, during a pause in the recitation.
“No, no problem,” he said. “Just a bit of news I was waiting on. Fancy grabbing a cab back to the manor and getting dinner? I’m a bit peckish.”
She snuggled closer to him, intertwining her tail with his and resting her cheek on his shoulder. “Couldn’t we go to a restaurant, just the two of us?”
He sighed, “I would, but Mother has been rather pointedly mentioning how much I need to be brought back up to speed concerning the domain’s administration. She’d mentioned going over some of the details this evening, once we came back.”
“That’s an even better reason to eat out then.” She rubbed her cheek against his.
He shook his head, disentangling their tails. “And if we did that, I’d never hear the end of it.”
Melika sighed as Rufus stood and helped her up, sub vocing again to call an autocab, which arrived in less than five minutes to take them back to the manor. When they arrived, she could smell the heady scent of spiced roast mutton coming form the directions of the formal dining room. “I hope we’re not late,” she said. “I wouldn’t want your mother to be upset with you just because you took me for a walk.”
“I hardly think she would be,” Rufus told her. He pushed open the door to the dining room for her and Melika stepped through. She came to a complete, shocked halt as Terinu, Gwendolyn, Matthew and Joleen all let out a loud “SURPRISE!”
“Happy Birthday, Melika,” Rufus told her, grinning at her expression.
“Oh, thank you.” She looked over the table. Aside from the mutton there was a lovely looking garden salad and several sides, including deviled eggs. She looked over at Terinu and his friends and asked, “Did you help make this?”
“Yeah,” Terinu answered. From behind his back he pulled out small box. “I gotcha this too, but it just cost me money. I figured dinner was a better idea.”
“I did the mutton,” Matthew offered. “Gwen and Joleen did the sides, and Teri did the salad.”
Joleen added, “Teri did most of the cake too, but I helped him with the icing.”
“This is all so very thoughtful of you.” She smiled, gave Terinu a hug, then unwrapped his present. It was a bejeweled triangular headpiece, the linen base in a color that matched the dress Rufus had presented to her a few days ago. Not by coincidence she suspected. She clipped it between her ears and let Rufus seat her at the table. “Well, now I know why you were so keen on taking me for a walk around the town, Ru.”
“Needed to give the children time to finish setting it up,” he admitted. “Though I was wondering if there was a delay towards the end.”
“That was me,” Gwen said. “I didn’t think you could burn boiled eggs.”
“It took talent,” Terinu muttered, earning a kick to his ankle from her.
Conversation waned while they all dug into the meal. After stuffing herself on generous portions of everything, though she was hardly the only one, Melika stifled a discreet belch, looking at the cake with trepidation. “I’m not sure I’m going to have enough room for that.”
“You have to at least blow out the candle,” Joleen begged.
“All right, all right!” she said with laugh. She stood up as the manor’s servants took away the remains of the meal and Terinu carefully picked up the cake brought it to the dining table. There was indeed a single candle there, in the vulpine tradition. Also, written in neat cursive icing, were these simple words:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM
“Uh, Mel? The cake doesn’t look that bad, does it?” Terinu asked after moment.
“No,” she replied, blinking and wiping her eyes clear. “It’s perfect, my son. It’s absolutely perfect.”
The End
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2010-07-06 11:11 pm (UTC)And I know exactly how Melika feels about birthdays. Just too busy sometimes to bother with them and when you're not busy then too grateful just to have some peace. Gwen burning boiled eggs... *snerk* Yup that's Gwen. I don't think she could boil water outside a coffee machine. And Teri's sweet acknowledging his Mum on a cake. :) Something he's way too self absorbed to do in canon ATM.
Thank you for the birthday prezzie. Loved it! As always. :)
no subject
Date: 2010-07-07 12:56 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-07 08:29 am (UTC)soooo sweeet...
...and I really can imagine Teri doing this for Melika ... definitely :D
mjkj