1477/Do unicorns dream of cumulative birthdays

Do unicorns dream of cumulative birthdays
Date of Scene:	30 April 2024
Location:	Classroom
Synopsis:	Hinoiri doesn't have a birthday, but all is not lost for her own birthday squad is soom assembled.
Cast of Characters:	Sayaka Miki, Madoka Kaname, Amanda Faust, Bow, Ikuto Tsukiyomi, Double Trouble

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Sayaka Miki has posed:
Sayaka had been talking around the school about how Hinoiri had never celebrated a birthday and in fact she doesn't even know when she was born, and she also got Ula to do the same thing, covering twice as much ground at that time. At least as far as the magically aware are concerned.

Having announced her intention to give Hinoiri her very first birthday, she is waiting within a classroom at school, having arranged the desk to form a square table and having written on the blackboard with red and orange chalk "Plan: Hinoiri's first birthday."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    It might seem odd for Madoka to show up to such a planning session, considering how Hinoiri and herself don't always get along. On the other hand, those who really know her might not be surprised at all. Half of being someone's frenemy is being their friend, after all.

    She shows up to the classroom in her Radiant Heart school uniform with lacey black ribbons in her hair. The fact that Madoka wears black ribbons isn't that new, but these are a little bit more intricate than what she has normally worn in the past.

    Madoka enters the classroom, followed by Lydian and Gretchen, and all three greet Sayaka (and anyone else here) with a smile. As the pink girl walks towards the desks in the middle of the room, she asks, "So... what kind of thing did you have in mind? I have to admit I haven't planned a birthday for someone like Hinoiri-san before."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy walks in and waves, smiling a bit at the familiar faces. "I figured Hinoiri's world must be pretty cool, but they don't celebrate birthdays, huh? That is sad. Everyone deserves... I dunno, something to celebrate their being in the world, a little, at some point. 'Specially when you're young."

    At Madoka's question, she hmms. "I think... unless she told you" she looks to Sayaka, "a whole lot about her world, we'll probably do better giving her the Earth Human Birthday experience than something that tries to evoke there."

    She mutters to herself in thought and holds a hand to her chin, 'Do non-Earth humans do birthdays? I'll have to ask Hannah... oh gosh what if I missed Hannah's birthday?' She shakes her head. 'We can cover that another day.'

Bow has posed:
Coming in at Amy's remark, Bow was running late. Truth be told, he tried to grab a nap after school and had set an alarm and slept through it. So, he's scrambling into the meeting classroom, half a meatbun hanging out of his mouth as he hears a question he has a patrial answer to. "Mmmf! Mrf, mff mrf mmff ffft!"

Oh right, food in mouth. A few quick chews and swallow. "On Etheria, usually only the Princesses' birthdays were recognized. But for me, I had twelve siblings, so there wasn't that much in the way of birthdays, but really, I knew I was loved every day, so I didn't need a day designated just for me." Oh, he doesn't even know about that really important birthday that everyone celebrates in Decemeber yet.

More importantly and needing to be rectified is the fact that he hasn't seen Sayaka in about a week so he comes over to kiss her warmly on the cheek. "Hi." And that's all the PDA he's going to do as he smiles swiftly to Amy and Madoka. "Sorry I'm late! Overslept."

Sayaka Miki has posed:
Sayaka smiles when she sees Madoka and Amy come in, hugging both of them if they want. "Hello, Madoka-chan, Amy-san, you are here, great!" She is not really surprised to see Madoka here despite the thorny situations that have happened between her and Hinoiri (though she does not know that one of the things that she had questioned Hinoiri over was she doing nothing when Sayaka contracted due to the two of them being stuck in a Witch's Labyrinth). When Bow comes in, Sayaka, unless stopped, moves to hug him too and kiss his cheek, saying "We haven't even started yet, come in!"

Madoka's big heart really seems to have no ends at times, not just due to the pinkette having moved to identify signs of PTSD despite personal feelings before Sayaka even hinted at what Hinoiri had gone through, but also due to her choosing to wear that sign of respect on her at all times.

She was quite surprised when she was first told why Madoka had been wearing those ribbons, at least once she had stopped dwelling on her own problems after the Scroll of Ka business was concluded, but really, that was just like her, and it made just as much sense as wanting to give the Grief Souls, as she had taken to call them, a proper place of rest (not **"resting place"**).

She doesn't really address Amy's comment about Hinoiri true nature (that's one of the things she is still keeping to herself, because she wasn't sure Hinoiri wanted it to be known), so instead she replied about her plans. "I want it to count for everything she could never experience", she starts replying to Madoka. "So, having food, drinks in abundance for sure. I want it to be a birthday that really makes Hinoiri feel her birthdays matter, especially since I think it would help with her recent situation. I will likely be playing some of the music she gave me about her home country, since she liked that, which I will do in addition to her present."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka gladly accepts and returns Sayaka hugs, because of course she does.

    The black ribbons that Madoka wears were originally out of respect for those who died in obscurity or fell in battle due to magical struggles. Those who wouldn't, or couldn't, be mourned... Madoka would mourn them in her own way. Her recent experiences with the echo of the Silver Millenium only further reinforced that feeling.

    With a sheepish, lopsided grin, Madoka confesses to Amy, "Honestly, that time she went off in front of fake-past-Serenity was the most I ever heard about her world, I think. I'm not the kind of person she shares much information with. Either way, from the way she talks, I don't think she got enough recognition as a child."

    Bow arrives and Madoka greets him with a bright smile. "Hi, Bow-san."

    Turning to Sayaka, Madoka quietly wonders how much her childhood best friend knows about her ex. As the bluenette explains her intentions in more detail, the pinkette nods along and listens.

    Gretchen pipes up with, "We should get her a pinata." She has a particular shape in mind, but is hesitant to share it in current company. "She likes games, so that might actually appeal to her."

    Madoka also suggests, "She seemed to like that 'Best Employee' mug she had, so maybe something that praised her would be a good gift? Assuming you haven't already thought of that..."

    Lydian nods emphatically. "I like the idea of playing music. Is there a particular song that's her favorite?"

Amanda Faust has posed:
    "Food and drink were in abundance at the dance -- err, the Princess Prom." Amy notes. "But uh... those were scarce, where she's from? What else did they not have where she's from?" Amy thinks a quick moment. "Video games? Board games?"

    Amy nods at the comment about Sunbreaker -- who by that incident she learned was Hinoiri -- talking about her world in the fake-past.

    That was a whoooole thing that happened. Life is insane now!

    Madoka thinks Hinoiri didn't get recognition. "...Or perhaps she received only hollow recognition, or the wrong kind." Amy replies, automatically.

    At the mention that Hinoiri likes games, her eyes almost sparkle. "What kind of games? Ones where she can use strategy and cunning, probably? Hmmmmm..."

    "Maybe a 'Most Respected Rival' mug...?"

Bow has posed:
After returning Sayaka's hug, Bow moves to take a seat and works on finishing off that meat bun he came in with. After snapping it down, he points at Amy. "Prince and Princess Prom." he corrects. "And the last time I went to one of those on Etheria was because Frosta had become a teenager, and it was to celebrate that. And I may be totally your boyfriend and adore you, Sayaka, but I am not organizing something on that level for your ex. I gotta draw a line somewhere." he is mostly teasing on that front.

"She seems to sound like she's uber-competititive, at least from what Swiftwind told me about her. I know she'd appreciate seeing him again - so maybe ask Adora about that?" he asks, "And I should check on her myself. I haven't seen her since the rescue." A small sigh, and worry that one of his best friends may be in hardcore moping mode. "Anyway, what I was getting at was something competitive that she may have a chance to win at. Like... a joust? Or some type of physical combat activity that doesn't hurt anyone? We used blunted arrows for practice of archery in war games, do you have something like that?" So he's on the same wavelength as Amy on that front.

"Music's good. Dancing's good. Cake is also good." he points out as he considers the options. "Honestly, the only thing I know about her is that she and Sayaka dated, and Sayaka is a peach to still want to do something for her after they broke up."

Sayaka Miki has posed:
There is a lot to go over with what Madoka has just said. Well, it's really just two questions, but they have a wide reach, both of them equally surprising to Sayaka, which is quite evident on her face. And frankly she is so unsure on which one to react to first that for the first two seconds that look of surprise is all the others get until she recollects herself. "Her original world is in some important aspects a touchy subject for her, so I mostly stayed silent. How much has she told you? Also, I don't know who this fake-queen-Serenity is, or the real one. What's up with that?", she asks curiously to Madoka.

"Our breaking up wasn't a disastrous one", Sayaka explains to Bow. "We just agreed that we weren't for each other, and we are better off as friends. But Hinoiri has only done her best for me, trying everything she could to save me from what we know now as my transformation into Oktavia. Yes, I know she ran away at the fight", she addresses preemptively, "but something like that was so unexpected and scary, I do not blame her."

Next she answers Amy's question, giving her the watered down version she gave Madoka. "Her teacher was not giving Hinoiri the recognition she sought, no matter how much she tried. Not much of a teacher, if she can't guide her pupil correctly", she scoffs slightly.

"Anyway, onto happier subjects", she explains, clapping her hands once loudly to bring attention to those particular words. "The idea of games is a good one, but we should keep in mind that everyone should win. The game of the pinata is a good one", she smiles at Gretchen, "because there is really only one participant and everyone else can be trying to steer probably Hinoiri towards the pinata, and everyone gets the candy. It really is important that we avoid competitive games, they are only going to stress her. Other things she likes are racing and music. A while ago I gave her a helmet witn bluetooth included.

To Lydian she says "You can come by my dorm room later if you want. I got several music sheets from her world that she once gave me, and I can show them to you. I will also try to have something ready for you, though I am no Mami."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    "She may have mentioned that her world was named Kirakirafantastica, and that her mentor was Sora, and I'm kindof assuming from context clues that Sora's the one who didn't appreciate her enough," explains Madoka. "That's about all I really know, and really it was probably more than just Sora."

    Madoka taps her chin for a moment and thinks. "How do I explain this? I don't know if you heard but Director Beryl, who works for Obsidian, sent us into some kind of... echo of past events, all the way back in time to an era called the Silver Millenium. Princess Serenity was the one we spoke to, actually, and apparently she was the daughter of an immortal Moon Queen. As in, like, she actually lived on the Moon. I say this in past tense because everything about that kingdom kinda... went up in flames because of a war between the Earth and the Moon."

    "Anyways..." Madoka scratches the back of her head. "... it seems like Sailor Moon is a reincarnation of her or something. It's complicated."

    As for Hinoiri running away from the fight, Madoka glances off to the side, then closes her eyes. "It was probably better that she did run. It was a miracle that things ended the way that they did." Gretchen and Madoka can both remember a number of timelines when things went much worse.

    On the subject of pinatas, Gretchen floats up to Sayaka and whispers, "I think it should be in the shape of a sun!" before floating back to Madoka's side.

    Lydian's eyes sparkle. "Oh really? That'd be neat! Though... I admit I don't know Mami that well so I don't know what you mean."

    Gretchen and Madoka glance at each other as they realize, wow, they didn't really spend a lot of time with Mami did they?

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy grins at Bow. "I'm sure we can find some competitive games."

    "Or, maybe cooperative games." She corrects, after Sayaka points out everyone should win.
    She nods at Madoka's explanation. "Yeah. That's what our life is like n-- You know what? Compared to guy from another dimension and Puella Magi, that's actually par for the course, huh..."

Bow has posed:
Bow doesn't say anything else on the matter, falling quiet as he sets aside his ideas. "Maybe a karaoke party?" he finally suggests, because he's trying to find something, anything that isn't exactly. "No wait, she made that competitive too when I met her there and she made sure to let me know that you dated and if I hurt you, she'll hurt me." A sigh of breath. "You said competition stresses her, it feels more like she thrives on it, bluebird. But you know her best." he decides.

He wasn't around (or even on Earth) when the Oktavia thing happened, so he has nothing really to say on that without being hypocritical, after all, he has no idea how he would have reacted to it.

Sayaka Miki has posed:
"You got most of it, at least the essential parts, Madoka-chan", Sayaka confirms. All that's really left is Hinoiri being a unicorn, and that's not really necessary to understand what happened to Hinoiri.

What of Madoka's explanation Sayaka didn't know, it was enough to dispel the lack of clarity Sayaka has due to the fragmented information she has received. Mostly, it was about who Princess Serenity was. That was something she hadn't learnt from there. This is a sudden time to learn everything that happened there was all too real to some of their friends.

Sayaka reacts positively to Gretchen suggesting a sun pinata, leaving the X-Chara a grin of approval. She hopes that Hinoiri will be able to appreciate the idea at least. "Sounds good, definitely one to seriously consider", she replies. To Lydian she says "Mami has a talent for baking, and I will try to prepare something for you if you come, but it won't be anything on her level."

After likewise nodding with a smile to Amy, Sayaka tells Bow "She has to win when a competition happens, but she wouldn't just enjoy the game due to her need to validate herself. So, that is why we are avoiding those."

The door to the classroom is still open, letting in any newcomers who may have gotten notice of Sayaka going around inviting all the people she knows to decide Hinoiri's birthday.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Gretchen snickers in a mischievous way as she returns to Madoka's side. She, at least, is pretty sure that Hinoiri would get the joke. Such a visual pun might suddenly get a bit dark if Sunbreaker ever actually does break the sun, but they'll cross that apocalypse when they get to it.

    "She said a bit more," admits Madoka, "but it's not all that important." It probably says something about the pinkette that she focused more upon Hinoiri's trauma than she did upon her nature as a unicorn. "Well, aside from the difference between a unicorn, alicorn, and pegasus. She seemed really vehement about that. She kept a lot of stuff secret, but she's really spilling her guts lately. Do you think she'd like horse-themed decorations?"

    Gretchen considers what other kinds of games to include. She gets a wicked grin for a moment, but then goes back to having a straight face once Lydian gives her a grumpy look and crosses her arms. "No, Gretchen," says the art Chara. "We are not playing Monopoly."

    Gretchen shrugs. "I mean... I wasn't gonna actually say it."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy nods at the discussion of Hinoiri's need to win. "That's why I was wondering, what about a cooperative game? Where everyone playing wins. Although I guess then everyone would need to learn it, and either she'd get frustrated they haven't learned it as well as her, or if she did have trouble she'll get frustrated." She holds a curled finger to her chin in thought. "Hmmm."

    Amy looks at Madoka and nods. "Right, yeah. It turns out an alicorn is her world's word for a winged pegasus. I explained that in our world it means-- nevermind." she then remembers where that conversation went.

    At the mention of Monopoly she shakes her head and agrees firmly, "No Monopoly. It's a horrible game. Also it's not cooperative anyway."

Bow has posed:
"A horse is a horse. A unicorn has a horn. A pegasus has wings. An alicorn has both wings and a horn. And a hippocampus is a mermaid horse." Bow explains quickly, for those that do not know for sure. Once that's out of the way, he shakes his head in thought.

"What about something outdoor related?" he asks the others curiously, giving Sayaka a quick smile as he taps his knee in thought. "Something team related?" he asks, "That way she has to work with others and it has to be cooperative?"

Ikuto Tsukiyomi has posed:
Ikuto had been invited to help plan the upcoming party, though...he wasn't really sure why. He didn't know Hinoiri personally, and certainly didn't consider her a -friend-. And yet...

"Ikutooooo, come on! Let's go help Sayaka-chan plan the party nya!" Yoru had been pestering him about it all day. Ikuto gave Yoru an annoyed glance. "Hinoiri-chan is my enemy, Yoru. Do you really think she'll be happy to find out I was part of planning her birthday party? What if anything goes wrong? She'll blame me for sure." Yoru wasn't giving up that easily, though. "You got her a gift, right? It was supposed to be to apologize for outing her to Madoka-chan, but wouldn't it be great as a birthday present too nya?"

The catboy stopped for a few moments and massaged his neck. It was strange getting used to sleeping on a real bed these days, in the dorms. For over a month he had spent the nights tucked away in storage rooms and stairwells, avoiding Easter Company's searching by never using the same place twice. Ikuto had become accustomed to cramped, hard sleeping arrangements. The academy, though. It was safe. He had friends here, and even someone who seemed to want him around. Easter couldn't touch him here. Beyond that though...

"She deserves to know she can turn things around too. To know she has friends who will help her adjust, just like mine have helped me." Ikuto said. Yoru was practically beaming as he nodded, "Yeah! Come on, let's go nya!" It didn't take long to find the classroom, and Ikuto would walk in, glancing at everyone in the room. Looking to see what they thought of him showing up. "Yo, Sayaka-chan, Madoka-chan, Amy-chan, Bow-kun. Uh...why are you talking about...horses? Are we planning a party for Hinoiri-chan or did I somehow mistake 'Hinoiri' for 'Horse' when you told me about that Sayaka-chan?"

Double Trouble has posed:
    Dianora had never actually met Sayaka. She'd heard plenty about the bluenette, and she'd even eaten a good portion of the cake she'd made Hinoiri for Valentine's Day. But they'd never actually met. But Sayaka was telling everybody and Dianora is always listening to the rumor mill. That's where all the drama was, after all. There was no way she was going to miss out on helping plan Hinoiri's special celebration. Nobody on Earth knew her better.
    She arrived late. Fashionably late. Dramatically late. Stepping thru the door just a moment after Ikuto, just in time to hear they were talking about horses, but not soon enough to have the first clue why. She says, "Oh, it's a good thing I'm here. If we do something with horses she'll hate it." Then she gets a little sing-songy, managing to sound impressively like Hinoiri (but not too impressively), "Horses lived in an entirely different country!"

Sayaka Miki has posed:
Would Hinoiri enjoy horse-themed decorations? Sayaka doesn't really know that. Would it be like putting random people you don't even know as decorations just because you look the same as them? "Maybe if it's particularly meaningful horses? I don't know what those would be to a unicorn", Sayaka replies to Madoka.

Sayaka is about to talk Gretchen out of Monopoly if the X-Chara actually was serious, but Amy beats her to the punch and shoots in down quickly. "Right, so, we are still at the planning stage, so both indoor and outdoor options work", Sayaka tells Bow. "So far, we only know the sun pinata for sure, so there is room to development in any direction."

SThe bluenette blinks when Ikuto comes in questioning about who the celebration is for. She certainly didn't have the intention to spread that about Hinoiri everywhere. "Hi, Ikuto-san. It is about Hinoiri, we just aren't sure if she would appreciate decorations like those. I think it would be better to consider other ideas", Sayaka proposes, glossing over why horses would be significant.

She knows Hinoiri has a roommate, but not that Dianora is that one, so she just welcomes her in, and introduces herself. "Right, so that is that about the horse decorations. Sayaka Miki. Welcome here. We haven't been talking for long, so you are still in time to steer the party in a direction she would like. The only thing I am stressing is no competitive games, anything else is fair."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Before her fairies can say anything weird in defense of Monopoly, which deserves no defense, Madoka turns to Ikuto and says, "Hi, Ikuto-san! We were just talking about horse decorations for Hinoiri's birthday party because..." Pause. How much should she really say? "... because reasons."

    Then a girl that Madoka has never once seen in her entire life shows up and says that horses are a bad idea. "Huh? Really? I guess it's more complicated than I thought." Is referring to unicorns, pegasus, and alicorns as horses considered a faux pas? Well, it's a good thing that Hinoiri isn't here to get mad about it. "So... I don't think we've met before. I'm Madoka Kaname!" Polite bow. Bright smile.

    Madoka isn't really sure what Hinoiri wouldn't get competitive about. Like was said before, she even got competitive over something like karaoke. "W-well, we can always think about decorations and activities later. What kinds of foods does she like? That's important, too."

Bow has posed:
There's a small wave to Ikuto. "Hey. I'm more here to support my girlfriend than do any heavy planning." Bow admits as he greets the newcomer. "But there was a mention of Swiftwind coming, so I was just making sure that we knew our horse etiquette. And what our different horses are." he explains as he sees someone else new and unknown, there's a lift of a brow as she seems to be a bit of a Hinoiri-expert.

"Hello." he greets the girl. "I'm Luke Armburster." he greets the girl, as he nods to Madoka at the change of subject. "Not just food, but also the music. Does she like to dance?" comes Bow's question as he leans back a little in his chair. "Did you have an idea for what to play? I was thinking maybe an instrumental of a birthday song? I mean, where I'm from, they're all instrumental... but I'm the stranger in a strange land here, so open to suggestion."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy is certainly thinking about running a group through some TTRPG challenge, or perhaps something lighter like NASA's official RPG isekai module -- didn't Hinoiri like the stars or something? But also it's so light it's missing instructions or stats -- or a team videogame... working as a group in, say, Mechwarrior Online would be pretty cool! ...Maybe not at the party, though. Another time.

    Amy blinks at Bow when he mentions 'hippocampus'. "It's a seahorse. I mean, that's why the part of your brain where memory is stored is called the hippocampus, it's seahorse-shaped. ...Wait, they have actual sea-horses there?" She looks thoughtful and taps her chin. "I wonder if they still--" then shakes her head, "Nevermind."

    Hey, the girl Amy saved from the Cerberus is here! Amy opens her mouth to say that she recognizes Dianora and then shuts it. Right. Veil. "...Yeah, I think taking her to anyplace with horses would just be... weird. Large animals kinda... I guess I'm a little afraid of them? Bein' around something that could kill me if it kicked me hard enough is..."

    Damn, she thought horses were huge before, they'd be ginormous now... she hasn't actually encountered a horse in over a decade... so would they be like, comparatively elephant-sized now? "...scary."

    Oh right, they'd be Swiftwind-sized. He's not frightening though because he can talk.

    "Y'know... speaking of physical activities... there must be cool new activities for events like this these days, right? We got all this new VR tech and stuff... oh, what about escape rooms? I've never been to one, but my old friends have talked pretty positively about them..." She blinks at the people who Don't Know Certain Things. "...my friends back in America, I mean. One of my friends', uh, dads, he and his buddies try to set the best completion times as a team."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    When Ikuto asks that question Amy looks at the others uncertainly. "Ummmm... she likes horses but also kinda doesn't? So like, we're theming the decorations with stylized ponies and horse-based fantasy creatures, but not doing an activity involving horses."

Ikuto Tsukiyomi has posed:
Ikuto ponders horses for only a moment more, before looking to the newcomer. "Is Hinoiri-chan originally from a country where horses aren't common? I sort of assumed she was Japanese because of her name. Perhaps she'd prefer decorations that remind her of home, if you know of anything that would work."

Yoru is practically salivating at the mention of food, when Bow mentions music. "Ooh! Bow-kun, you and Ikuto could play together! We can always st-er, borrow, a violin from the music room for a bit nya." Ikuto facepalms. "I'd like to make it clear that Yoru and I are not condoning the commission of crimes for any reason at all, but that we -can- commit them if it will be helpful for the party."

The catboy tilts his head at Amy. "An escape room...? Like those movies where the guy in the pig mask puts people in crazy trap rooms? That seems a bit extreme even for Hinoiri-chan. Though if it were horse-themed that'd certainly be an interesting twist on things."

Double Trouble has posed:
    Dianora just stands there for a moment looking from one face to another. Faces of people Dianora has never met. At least not as far as she knows, thanks to the Veil. And none of them seem to know who she is. Is she a little bit disappointed? Yes. Does she show it? For a split second. But then she's got a big smile on her face.
    "Oh, I'm Dianora Lagorio, Hinoiri-oneechan's roommate," she explains looking as cute as she possibly can. She skips more into the room and finds a seat, flopping down into it. Her school uniform is all different shades of pink.
    "Don't tell her I told you this, but she loves musicals," Dianora says. "Dancing around and singing about your feelings. You could not possibly go wrong with show tunes." There were just so many ways Hinoiri was the perfect girlfriend for Double Trouble. So many ways.
    "She's vegetarian, and she loves sweets," she says, and then she pauses, thinking and getting a grin as an idea clearly occurs to her. "Especially donuts."

Sayaka Miki has posed:
"I don't think there is anything she particularly dislikes", Sayaka tells Madoka. "When we went to Korma, she was even trying a 4-star of spiciness", Sayaka says recalling when she had her first major encounter with Rashmi's restaurant. "Right and that reminds me, vegetarian food for her, she wanted it like that even back then."

When Bow asks questions over what to play, Sayaka mentions her own special ideas. "I have some I intend to play myself, gifts by Hinoiri that she always liked to hear me play. They are songs from her home."

Sayaka is completely unfamiliar with the concept of escape rooms, so it is just as much due to her own curiosity that she asks what they are like. Though, of course she understand what Amy is trying to conceal, so that's one less doubt for her. "How do escape rooms work? Is there anything that could motivate her to split from the group and play on her own?"

Apparently, Ikuto and Bow share hobbies, so Sayaka starts pushing them towards each other. "That would be perfect, I am sure that if you two started showing off your violin expertise, there would be little the party would need over music." She skips over Yoru's weird klepto-tendencies since Ikuto has taken care of it.

Then Dianora answer the food question correctly too, prompting Sayaka to want to talk to her. "You seem to know a lot about Hinoiri. I wonder why we were never introduced to each other. Do you spend a lot of time with her?"

Bow has posed:
"If you already have music covered, it's fine, Sayaka." A smile offered to her, before Bow moves to rise up. "I need to get ready for work, so I'll step out. Nice seeing you all. I'll text you later." A wink to Sayaka and bow to the others, as he turns to head out of the room.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka considers escape rooms for a moment. Then Ikuto mentions pig masks and horror movie tropes and her mind goes immediately to 'serial killer in a horse head mask'. Her eyes widen as she considers that, and she gives Ikuto a haunted look. "T-that's not quite what an escape room means. It's more like... um... well it's a lot like that but no one's actually trying to kill you. You just have to solve some puzzles and figure out how to escape the room. They actually have some video games based on the idea." Would Hinoiri want to split of to play by herself? "Honestly... she probably would. It might be better to gift her something like that to do on her own rather than trying to make her solve it with us."

    For a brief moment Madoka considers turning her Labyrinth into an escape room, but then dismisses it as she actually has no idea what constitutes a good escape room. Gretchen would want to make something with more-than-three dimensions and that would just get confusing anyways.

    "Vegetarian, and likes sweets," considers Lydian out loud, the tiny art fairy scratching her chin. "I mean, how does she feel about fruit pies? If she likes donuts then I'm willing to bet she'll also like apple pies. Oh, or pastries!"

    Gretchen, the Witch fairy, taps her tiny chin and considers carefully. "Oh, so she's pretty open as long as it isn't meat. I wonder if Madoka's dad would have suggestions on that. That still leaves a pretty wide range."

    "I guess that takes sushi off the menu," muses Madoka. "I get the feeling there probably isn't much point in giving her vegan imitation meat if she doesn't like the taste of that to begin with, either." After all, Madoka suspects that it's less that Hinoiri has sworn off meat and more that eating it just isn't a thing on her world.

    As Bow leaves, Madoka waves. "See you around, Bow-san!"

Amanda Faust has posed:
    At the mention of musicals, Amy oohs. "I did always love musical numbers... Would probably be kinda hard to choreograph something for a birthday party, though..."

    Her eyes widen at the mention of songs from Hinoiri's homeworld. Didn't Bow mention he had some too, come to think of it? "Ooooh, I bet that would be interesting to hear..." Music from another world? What might it even be like? Like, she head people singing some songs in the Past, but something from a completely alien society? What would that even be like? For that matter, I should ask Hannah sometime if Blauer Grief has an MP3 player function and if she brought any music from home with her...

    Amy turns to Sayaka. "Uh, I've never actually been, but it's like... a puzzle you solve together? The clues and tools are in the room. Like a tiny self-contained mix of puzzle and alternate reality game. I don't know if they often incorporate multiple rooms, but I suppose even in a single room she could try to solve everything by herself... not one for group projects, huh...?" Amy slumps. "Understandable..."

    Madoka at least knows what they are! And has the idea of gifting her tickets or something. Amy turns towards her. "Oooh, that's probably a better idea, yeah."

    Do it Gretchen. Do it. You know how much Hinoiri and Amy would likely both be down for solving a 4-dimensional escape room?!

    "Oooh, food is good... does she have any favorites? Maybe we could get her something really good of her favorite food... the difference between having, like, cheesecake, and having really good cheesecake, you know?" She suddenly wonders if Hinoiri is pining for the taste of a favorite kind of hay or the like that her human body can't even eat at all.

    The redhead holds a curled finger to her chin again. "If she's actually never tried meat, she might find it interesting to try the fake meat, but yeah... I wouldn't make a big deal of it."

Ikuto Tsukiyomi has posed:
Ikuto raises an eyebrow. He notices the lapse in Dianora's expression, but doesn't acknowledge it. "Oneechan? You two must be close. A vegetarian...that explains why she looked somewhat ill when Yuki was singing very descriptively about burgers at karaoke. Right, so no meat at the party. Sweets, we can do that for sure. There's a shop in town that makes some of the best sweets. Sayaka-chan, you should ask Chiyo-chan if her family's shop can fill an order for the party. Chiyo Sakai, if you haven't met her before. Just um. Maybe don't mention me, at all. And don't ask her about any rumors you've heard regarding windows."

He nods to Sayaka and Bow, waving as the latter leaves. "If you'll be playing music and it'll be a sentimental gesture for Hinoiri-chan, I wouldn't dream of taking the spotlight from you." Ikuto thinks on what Madoka and Amy say about escape rooms, and of the video games he's heard people talking about. "Oh! So less traps ripping people apart and more like a hidden object sort of game? That does seem like the sort of thing Hinoiri-chan would just start doing by herself at the expense of all others around her. We need an activity that will simultaneously encourage group involvement while not proving to be a source of frustration or make her want to prove she's better than everyone else."

Yoru snickers. "You act the same way sometimes and it's hard enough finding things you won't get competitive over! With Hinoiri-chan this might be impossible nya!"

Double Trouble has posed:
    Dianora looks at Sayaka for a moment and is about to say something, when Ikuto observes the honorific she used, and she brightens up. "Oh yes. My Onee-chan is *the best*," she says. Of course Hinoiri would be the first to tell you that the twerp just decided to call her that after one ice cream. Dianora was impressionable, okay?
    Looking back to Sayaka she nods, "Right? I wondered that too, honestly. You'd think she'd introduce her girlfriend to her roommate." She shrugs. "Communication is really not her best skill."
    Bow heads out and Dianora gives him a little fingerwave. She looks thoughtful for a moment, as they try to think of an activity and then her face lights up. "Oh, I have an idea! I heard they have places where you can go break things. Just like throw ceramics at the walls and just destroy stuff." She gets the most wicked looking grin on her entirely innocent face. "That would be so much fun. She would love it."

Sayaka Miki has posed:
Having music covered doesn't mean that different styles can't be made to mingle together, but Sayaka hopes Ikuto won't make a big deal of her proposal since Bow is stepping out. The tall Etherian gets a smile as Sayaka waves at him while he is heading towards the door and adds "See you later!"

Amy is excited though at the prospect of hearing the music that Hinoiri has given her. "You should totally hang with and listen to it. They are really focused on music over there, and it shows in what Hinoiri has given me. Every single sheet is awesome, I have never gotten tired of playing any of them." But that will be for another time.

Both Madoka and Amy explain to her how an escape room plays out. It's a very interesting concept, and she can totally see the appeal in banding together to crack the puzzle. Unfortunately it's also true that Hinoiri would have a need to prove herself and take the challenge on herself. "Honestly, giving Hinoiri tickets is the better thing to do there, letting her enjoy escape rooms at her own pace", she says nodding approvingly towards Madoka. At least, if she is the only one around, she would have nobody to prove herself to, right? "That is an awesome idea, Madoka-chan. I think tickets are a step in the right direction.

Sayaka has heard no rumors about windows, and the natural response is her mind starting to work on what is it that could have happened involving Chiyo, Ikuto and windows. Did he broke one of hers, maybe an incident at Nounamo Sweets? Either way, she is not one to actually pry, especially since it's embarassing Ikuto enough to preemptively bring it up. "Yes, I can totally place an order at Nounamo, thank you. Probably Madoka-chan's suggestions, they are very well thought out."

"Hinoiri told you a lot, huh?", Sayaka mentions with surprise. Anyway, better late than never. "Nice to meet you, Dianora-san!"

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka's looks at Ikuto with the most innocent expression in the world. Pure, perhaps naive in a way that only an overly hopeful person could ever be. When she asks, she assumes that surely any bad blood between Ikuto and Chiyo could only be a misunderstanding. "What happened between you and Chiyo-san?" Madoka doesn't think that Ikuto's a bad guy or anything, but... a statement like that sounds like it has a story behind it. "Actually... if you don't want to say it now then maybe tell me later, okay?"

    Regarding Hinoiri, Madoka shrugs. "Honestly I'm not sure there's a way to avoid her competitive streak unless we can assure her that no one will be around to grade her performance. I wish I had a better way to address her insecurities, but that's not really what I'm good at."

    Then Hinoiri's previously-unknown roommate suggest taking the birthday girl to a place where destruction is part of the experience and blinks. "I mean... well... sure. That's possible." The pinkette scratches the back of her fluffy hair. "Why do I get the feeling she'd enjoy that a little too much? I mean... I guess it doesn't matter as long as she's happy for the day."

    Better the ceramics than a mahou, she thinks.

    She smiles a bit more brightly as at least some of her suggestions, as well as her fairies', are taken well. Madoka fingerpets Lydian for a moment while the artistic Chara smiles brightly.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy is unaware of any rumors about wind--OH. Oh he was the boy who got defenestrated people are talking about. Not AMy's business, though.

    Dianora describes... places where you break things? Amy looks a bit skeptical. "...For like, people who want to re-enact that one scene from 'Office Space'?"

    Sayaka has music! Amy nods enthusiastically, "I will! Can I have copies? Is any of it vocal?"

    And then she sees Madoka fingerpetting Lydian and just. OMG that is so cute. She stares, and reaches a finger out herself, looking for confirmation before also petting Lydian. How could you not?

Ikuto Tsukiyomi has posed:
Ikuto gives Madoka a quick look conveying his total lack of surprise at this development in Dianora's personality. Oh yeah. This girl is -definitely- one of Hinoiri's friends. "I've...heard of that sorta thing. It's not objects people actually value getting destroyed, right? Just junk dinnerware and things that were going to end up in the trash anyway?"

Yoru nods to Madoka. "I'll let him tell it for once, later nya. I've been making sure he feels all sorts of shame about his actions lately, so it's fine to give him a break I suppose~" Ikuto nods in rather quick agreement. "Y-yeah, I'll tell you all about it later Madoka-chan. I've been meaning to ask you for some advice about a few things, in fact."

When he sees Lydian getting pets, and Amy reaching to also give pets...Yoru is moving. He is inching steadily closer, trying to get in range of receiving pets as well. In Yoru's eyes this is done sneakily, quietly. He is cat, and he is ninja. To everyone else in the room it is about as subtle as his Bearer can be at times, and the little cat Chara may as well be holding up a neon sign asking for pets as he slides over.

Double Trouble has posed:
    Dianora smiles brightly at Sayaka. "Nice to meet you, Sayaka-san!" Better late than never is right. She turns to Madoka and giggles. "Clearly you know her pretty well. I'm surprised I haven't heard your name before." Her lips twist into a thoughtful looking frown but then she shrugs and shakes her head as if dismissing a thought. "It's nice to meet all of Onee-chan's friends, finally."
    Nodding toward Ikuto, she says, "Yes. It's all stuff that's meant to be broken. The whole idea is that it's just so satisfying to break things. Let out your anger in a safe way." Hinoiri certainly has anger. Nobody was gonna dispute that.

Sayaka Miki has posed:
Destroying things would be quite the unhortodox gift, but really, since it has everyone's general approval, plan: destruction is a go(?). "Might be good to vent frustrations and the likes, right?", Sayaka looks around, adding her own positive spin to join the others'. A spin that is also directly addressed by Dianora herself. "Dianora-san, your idea will probably work great", Sayaka tells her as a consequence.

"The one Hinoiri has given me was piano music since that's what I play", Sayaka clarifies to Amy. "I am open to figure out a way to make a vocal accompaniment for it", the bluenette offers. "I didn't know you sang, but I am sure we can figure out things together." Then they can make copies of that one. Can't be too hard now, can it?

"Is everything all right?" Sayaka turns towards Ikuto when he clarifies that was important enough to get advice over it. Not that it didn't sound serious before, she just figured out it was mostly done by the way it was said. Madoka is quite conscientious though, so Ikuto is in good hands, at least.

With most of the things now decided, there is really only thing left on the list: deciding when Hinoiri's actual birthday would happen. "Sounds like we have a good base now", Sayaka exclaims. "This means we can now regard the most important question of all: when to have Hinoiri's birthday. It will obviously be some time in May, but anybody with any special consideration for the exact day?"

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Lydian beams at Amy as she gets petted. As Yoru sneaks closer, Madoka notices and giggles before reaching over to pet the kitten Chara. Gretchen reaches over to also pet Yoru, but she's a tiny Chara and has to use her whole hand.

    Madoka doesn't drill Ikuto any further. Any sort of dragging things out in public could only make things more awkward or push someone into a corner, and there's no reason to handle things that way. Instead, she says, "Well, if you need advice, I'll do the best I can!"

    To Dianora, Madoka sheepishly laughs. "I'm kinda surprised too, but it's probably for the best. I wouldn't exactly say I was her closest friend."

    As Madoka considers the exact date, the thought of the zodiac signs crosses her mind. "Taurus," she says out loud. "She is definitely more of a Taurus than a Gemini. I mean... I don't know how much that really matters but if we can choose any date I'd suggest the 20th or earlier."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Yes, the cat chara is not at all stealthy. Amy smiles and happily pets him with her other hand, scritching the ears too. She wonders what it feels like to have cat ears. Nonzero chance she finds out one day as reality is apparently crazy.

    She realizes she hasn't actually introduced herself to Dianora! "Uh, I'm Amy Faust, from America. Pleased to meet you, Dianora."

    She blinks at Sayaka. "Umm, only amateur, and soem chorus classes, but I'm out of practice..." a hand briefly strays to her throat, then back to petting. "I should take chorus next semester."

    "I can't think of anything about a particular date. Why'd you pick May, again?"

    She also looks curiously between Yoru and Ikuto. "So um. I don't know if this is weird to ask, but... why is your chara a catboy?" Unless, he was some other type of cat magical boy in another timeline like why Madoka has Puella and Witch charas? "I'm... tangentially familiar with furries." she adds, in case that might simplify what explanation is needed.

Ikuto Tsukiyomi has posed:
Ikuto smirks just a little. "I wouldn't go so far as to say that Hinoiri-chan and I are -friends-. But I do want her birthday to bring with it the kind of happiness that she seems to need a dose of lately. She deserves to be able to smile about something besides winning a competition."

He watches Yoru getting pets with amusement. Despite everything...he's still Yoru. "Oh, yes. Things will be okay, Sayaka-chan." Wait, pick a day? "Ehhh...you're arranging a party for Hinoiri-chan but don't know what day her birthday is? Has nobody asked her before?"

To Amy's question, Ikuto smiles. "When Yoru was 'born' I was a child like every other Bearer, except I didn't just -want- to be a musician like my father. I was -already- one. I had a violin in my hands from the moment I had the strength to hold one up. I suppose when the most defining aspect of who you want to be is already a sure thing, the Heart Egg chooses the next closest thing. For me, that was freedom. Freedom from a life chosen for me by others. Like a cat. But, um. What's a furry? Yoru has a bit of fur on his hands, feet and tail but..."

Double Trouble has posed:
    Dianora turns to Ikuto and shakes her head. "No. She doesn't know it. They never celebrated it where she's from," she explains, like it's some weird cultural tradition in another country rather than a whole other plane of existence.
    She looks back to Madoka for a minute. Those are definitely words she said. The little Italian girl--really the green chameleon playing her--doesn't know anything about astrology. But she does do improv. She's a team player. She can riff of that suggestion. "Well, the 17th is a Friday," she suggests. "Since we want to have a party."

Sayaka Miki has posed:
Madoka's approach makes sense. Since picking a day would have to be significant one way or the other, and that's quite clear cut. "A Taurus... That's definitely good, I would say", Sayaka smiles towards the pinkette.

"Only because it would happen soon", Sayaka clarifies to Amy's question over the picking of the month. After all, it would be a waste of the preparations if it would happen any other day.

"Hinoiri has no birthday", Sayaka reminds him. "I have been doing things so that she would get even a small refund on all the birthdays she lost. Because really, everyone deserves to have their own birthday, and it's something quite sad that Hinoiri doesn't have hers." Hopefully Ikuto feels the same.

Dianora goes a step further and picks a date. "Friday is a good approach it. Either that, or a Saturday, but everyone would already be in the school building, so Friday works. Does Dianora-san's choice work with everybody?", Sayaka asks, looking at everyone.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka glances over at Ikuto curiously as Amy asks about his cat fairy, wondering how he'll react. For a Puella Magi, one's Wish can be a highly personal thing. It may be different for Chara Bearers, though. When Ikuto doesn't seem to know what a furry is, Madoka tilts her head, and then her smile turns a little wry. "Maybe it's better if you don't know."

    She clears her throat and says, "It's as Saya-chan says. She doesn't have a birthday." As for why Madoka would pick the Bull over the Twins, well... she keeps that to herself.

    "May 17th works for me," she clarifies, not really having a strong opinion one way or another.

    Gretchen points out, "I mean that works for this year, but it probably wont be Friday next year."

    Lydian, who apparently is checking her calendar on her tiny phone, points out, "Actually it'll be Saturday next year, so I guess that means it still works?"

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy listens with interest and nods, "Ahhhhhh, a symbol of freedom." She looks at Yoru, "Yeah, makes sense. So, wait, 'when you were a child'? How long have you had him?"

    "Uhhhhh..." Amy, while cool herself, grew up in a time of certain groups being internet punching bags normies would be insulted to be associated with and hesitates about what to say. Then she remembers that everyone here is a Zoomer and probably doesn't care. "Someone who really likes anthropomorphic animal characters. Like, uh... Zootopia?" She says, at the same time as Madoka says maybe it's better if he doesn't know. She coughs and looks away for a second, awkwardly.

    Then looks back to Yoru. "But yeah I see here the cat traits are a symbol of freedom, rather than a feline aesthetic for its own sake."

    She nods in agreement at Sayaka's assessment that everyone deserves a birthday. "And yeah... that's as good a reason to pick a day as any. I guess it won't land on the same day of the week next year," she nods at Gretchen noticing the same, "but... who knows, she might have gone home by then. No sense worrying about that now." Oh, it's a Saturday next year? She nods to Lydian. "Even better, then!"

    "'Doesn't have a birthday...'" Amy mutters. "I know she's from another world and it's a difference in culture, but geeze. ...It sounds like she wasn't celebrated enough in any other ways, either." She rubs her arm, looking down at the floor. "Can really mess with a person..."

Ikuto Tsukiyomi has posed:
Ikuto nods. "Not having a birthday...that's a foreign concept to me, for sure. ...You know, this year will be the first time in a while I'll actually have friends to celebrate my own birthday with." From behind Ikuto, Yoru holds up a little note that reads 'Decenber 1st nya!' Ikuto doesn't look back, but says "You spelled 'December' wrong again didn't you? Do I need to get you a tutor?" He looks at Lydian, somewhat amazed. "Lydian-chan, you have a phone? Yoru, why don't you have a phone? You're always using mine..."

To Madoka and Amy he first tilts his head in confusion, and then his eyes widen slightly before he grins. "Ah..I think I get it. Kind of." He watches Amy carefully, nodding at her muttering and giving her a smile. "Amy-chan. wanna hit the arcade with me sometime? You seem to know what you're talking about when it comes to games, and I could use a bit more variety in what I play over at Golden Crown."

Double Trouble has posed:
    "Yes of course it won't always be on a Friday, but this time it will be. Next year will be a party for just one year, but this one is for all her missed ones right?" She just shrugs and then nods her head as if to say, it's obvious why it being on a Friday this time is what matters.
    Everybody seemed in agreement with the date she suggested, and that felt good. Dianora clapped and smiled and then hopped down off her chair. "This is so wonderful. Onee-chan has the best friends. She's going to be so happy."
    Directly to Sayaka, she says, "Thank you so much, Sayaka-san, for doing this. Let me know if you need any help." What help a twelve year old can give? Well, she seems willing at least. She gives a wave to everyone else. "It was so nice meeting you all." Then heads toward the door.
    She pauses in the doorway, to turn back, and say, "Oh, Sayaka-san. You should bake her a birthday cake. Your Valentine's cake was delicious." Then she skips out the door and down the hall.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    "It was nice meeting you too!" Amy waves back to Dianora. "Oooh, cake? I wonder what flavor's her favorite? We should ask-- oh, damn, she's gone already..."

    Amy smiles at the suggestion of videogames. "Sure!" She gives a thumbs-up, "I don't suppose you play Vitual On or King of Fighters? I'm sure we can find something... what games do you play?"

    As she speaks, she walks over to wherever she set her backpack down after arriving at the meeting. She unzips the back pouch, pulls out a 2-pack of styluses, and tears it open, taking out one stylus and putting the package back before walking back over to hand it to Yoru. It's grey and black plastic, shaped like a pen but with a touchscreen-compatible nub instead of a point. "I guess it's still awkwardly big for you, hmm... but if you hold it like a walking stick or something, you can at least use the phone without having to be right up against it."