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

[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."

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"How often do you think people would fall for it?"

[life_inshadow]

"Maybe once a season?" Tara tried. "Oh, b-but then I'd feel guilty and want to give people cake to make up for it."

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"Maybe if you asked others to say it was their birthday?"

[life_inshadow]

"Oooh, that could work," Tara said, then thought about it. "Or -- or I guess you could just by cake even if it wasn't anybody's birthday."

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"Celebration cake," Merlin replied. "For anything you want to celebrate."

[life_inshadow]

"Maybe you could do a lot of celebrating of that it's Friday," Tara suggested, then cut herself another slice of cake, since she was slicing one for Merlin anyhow. "So when's your birthday?"

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"Not for some time," Merlin admitted. "January 29th."

[life_inshadow]

"Aquarius," Tara said. "I'll remember that. Or -- I'll try to."

Better not to make promises.

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"I didn't even remember it when we got here. It was still fall back home."

[life_inshadow]

"So you totally forgot your last birthday?" Tara frowned. "Weird. H-how long did it take you to notice you missed it?"

She cut him an extra-big slice of cake and passed it cover, as if to compensate.

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"...about a month." It was a busy time! "But I'm not sure it ought to count since it might not be the same amount of time passing back home."

...but cake made everything better.

[life_inshadow]

Tara wrinkled her nose. "So you have no idea how old you should be when you go home? Weird."

They needed cake as a cure, yes.

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"Oh!" Juggling the cake and a bag of herbs, Merlin managed to somehow offer said bag over to her before dropping anything important. "It's not much, but I thought you might like them."

[life_inshadow]

Tara unwrapped the bundles and flashed a shy smile at Merlin. "These are good herbs," she said. "Thank you. Where'd you find the anise?"

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"I snuck into the kitchen," he admitted. "They have it in little bottles!"

[life_inshadow]

Tara considered this.

On the one hand, Merlin kind of stole her gift.

On the other ... he gave her something she could use.

She decided to focus on the second thing.

"Oh," she said, a trace of her uncertainty lingering on her face. "Well, thank you so, so much. It's hard to track down. I, um, maybe should have thought to check a grocery store."

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"...like that Turtle store?" Hey, nicking things out of the kitchens was a time honored tradition!

[life_inshadow]

"Yeah," Tara said, and frowned. "I heard she went to college. Is it still the Turtle store?"

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

Merlin pondered that. "What else would it be?"

[life_inshadow]

"S-someone else could buy it and change the name."

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"But it's Turtle's!" He didn't even know Turtle all that well.