Merengue Living Room, Friday Afternoon

[life_inshadow]

Turning sixteen already felt much better than any other birthday Tara'd had since puberty. For one, she no longer had the sword hanging over her head of in a few years, the demon will take over and everything will be different. That in itself was enough to make the crisp fall day feel different.

For another, Diana had dropped off a chocolate cake with coconut frosting before grabbing Samuel and disappearing on some mysterious errand.

Tara considered waiting for any other guests, but ultimately decided to just cut herself a slice and enjoy it. She sat in one of the battered chairs in the living room with a Fiona Apple CD playing on the stereo, feet up as she picked at the cake. She was happy.

[OOC: If you want Tara to have mentioned her birthday to you, or if you live in Merengue, this is open (with possible slow due to workiness). Diana modded with permission. Come have cake!]

Comments

[trigons_child]

Of course Raven would have wanted to know it was Tara's birthday! She even had a gift, inside which she had placed some of the incense cones she had brought with her from Azarath.

"Happy birthday, Tara," she said when she arrived.

[life_inshadow]

"Hi, Raven," Tara said happily, and went for a hug. "Thanks. Y-you didn't have to get me anything."

Not that that was stopping her from going for the present.

[trigons_child]

"I know I did not have to, but I wished to," Raven said, hugging Tara back. "We do not celebrate birthdays in Azarath so I am enjoying learning the traditions."

[life_inshadow]

"Then you have to have cake," Tara told her. "That's my, my favorite tradition."

She went to unwrap the gift, letting raven cut her own slice, and gasped when she saw the box. "Oh, this is j-just beautiful."

[trigons_child]

"Thank you," Raven said, helping herself to a slice. "And you are welcome. The incense inside came from my home and not from Airs. It is one of my favorite scents."

[oops-mbad.livejournal.com]

Diana's mysterious errand had resulted with her returning with an envelope and Samuel on her shoulder. "How's the cake?" Diana asked the birthday girl, shifting the cat's tail out of her face.

[life_inshadow]

"Pretty much the best cake ever," Tara said, once she'd swallowed a bite. "S-seriously. You have to try it. Samuel too, if it won't, uh, make him really sick."

[oops-mbad.livejournal.com]

Diana glanced over at the cat who was looking very, very hopeful. "I think I'd rather not risk the cat." She said, and went to grab a slice for herself before handing over the envelope in her hand. "For you, gift card to a bookstore near the school." Don't ask how she got it, just don't ask.

[life_inshadow]

"Thank you!" Tara smiled happily. She wasn't going to ask; it was there. "I th-think I ran through most of my reading list on the trip."

Samuel got an apologetic shrug.

[inthereflexes.livejournal.com]

Jack had no clue it was Tara's birthday; there was cake. Cake was important. "What's the occasion?" he asked.

[life_inshadow]

"Oh, hi," Tara said. "I'm s-sixteen. Have cake." She gestured to said cake, then frowned for a second. "Have we met? You can have c-cake either way."

[inthereflexes.livejournal.com]

"I...don't think so?" he said. "Happy sixteenth!" He helped himself to a slice of cake. "Did I miss the singing? And the candles? I'm Jack."

[life_inshadow]

Tara shook her head. "Singing and candles always make me way too s-selfconscious. Cake is happy. And I'm Tara."

[justwantsquiet.livejournal.com]

Sookie naturally would have wanted to know it was Tara's birthday over break, and so she wandered over to Merengue with a neatly-wrapped gift.

She poked her head in to check whether she'd be welcome coming over, first and foremost.

[life_inshadow]

Some of Raven's incense was burning away inside the room, making it smell like a pine forest in the rain. Tara had been reading, but she looked up happily when she saw who her guest was. "Oh, hi, Sookie. There's still cake if you want it."

[justwantsquiet.livejournal.com]

"Oooh. I do like cake," she said, stepping in. "It smells really nice in here."

[life_inshadow]

"It has coconut," Tara said proudly as she went to cut a slice for Sookie and a sliver for herself.

Not that she made the cake, but whatever. "And thanks. Raven -- I mean, Rachel -- brought it from her home."

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

Merlin had a little bundle of herbs and spices for Tara that... may seem strange, but they were all he could find around the camp with the right uses.

One for awakening magic, protection, and success.

"Hello?" He called, knocking on the door.

[life_inshadow]

"Merlin!" Tara grinned, opening the door. "Oh, hi. Come in. We still have cake."

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

Well, offer him cake and all propriety goes out the wind. There was sugar to be had!

"I would never turn down cake," He said, slipping on in. But, luckily, not actually slipping.

It was possible.

[life_inshadow]

"M-me either," Tara supplied. "I think I might start telling people it's my birthday when it's not, just for the cake."

[brat-intraining.livejournal.com]

Kennedy on massive SP omg poked her head into the cottage living room with a package under one arm (never underestimate Kennedy's willingness to call a cab and head to the nearest mall all on her own).

"Heard it was somebody's birthday."

[life_inshadow]

"Mine, maybe?" Tara halfway teased. "I mean -- hey. It's good to see you. That's -- you goot me something?"

A slight flush was rising in Tara's cheeks.

[brat-intraining.livejournal.com]

"Maybe, yeah. It is what you're supposed to do, right? Get presents on your birthday?" If she noticed Tara's reaction at all she wasn't showing it, and Kennedy stepped in and held the wrapped package out. "Magicky gifts are so not the kind of thing you want me to go looking for last minute, or at all, so not to disappoint, but..."

[life_inshadow]

"Yeah, you don't want to give me something that would accidentally turn one of us into a goat," Tara said, already unwrapping the present. "... not that you had to get me anything at all."

She held the coat up to get a better look. "Oh my god, this is just -- it's gorgeous."

And way, way too expensive, by the looks of it. Did that mean Tara had to give it back? She didn't want to.