14 . 2 . 08
And here's the party. It's a random piece cooked up for purely entertainment purposes. Most of it was written very late at night with only Jolly Ranchers to keep me alive, and was only read over once the following day (today) to make sure I didn't do anything idiotic. This was to give Cadmus a break from something serious.
I'm also trying out a whole new writing style -- 1st person present tense. I know, go ahead an wince. I had to see if I could pull it off. Let me know if I did, would you? And if I didn't, what I need to change? REMEMBER: this is not the best work I've done by a long shot.
I straighten my shirt and check the clock (5:30), trying to tally the time in my head against when I told Roderic to be here. Poor guy, I think sympathetically, absently fluffing a few pillows on the couch.Good thing he doesn't take my writing his life too hard, or he'd be mad. Actually, would he? It's hard to imagine him mad. I pause to consider it logically. If he considered me responsible for Katharine's death, he would have to be angry, I suppose. But, I just can't see him angry.
A doorbell interrupts my musing and I stop fiddling with a pencil, setting it down on the piece of paper I'd been absently doodling flowers on. I take a running start down the hallway, sliding the last few feet on the polished boards. I pull open the door with a smile, to see the Captain.
"Hey Captain!" I say, grinning and opening the door wider to let her in.
"Hey!" she replies enthusiastically, shrugging off her coat and hanging it on one of the hooks. "Am I the first person here?"
"Yup," I say, eying the large package, brightly wrapped, in one arm. "What did you get him?"
She blushes a little and holds it up.
"A Psychology book on personality traits," she says with a sheepish smile. "I thought it might remind him of her."
"Very sweet," I comment thoughtfully, motioning her to join me in the kitchen. "Do you want something to eat?"
"Um, where should I put this, first?" she asks, indicating the package.
"Oh, right," I mutter, then point to a small table off to the side. "Go ahead and start the pile there."
She places the book on the table and we stand in somewhat awkward silence for a moment. I am about to repeat my offer for food, or maybe drink, when the doorbell rings again.
"Help yourself to anything in the fridge!" I call as I hurry down the hallway to the front door.
Almost sliding too far on the slippery wood, I manage to pull the door open without slamming my face into the wall.
"Anya!" I say happily, letting her in.
Her hands are full of streamers and bags of balloons, and a few store-bought helium filled ones float behind her through the open door. I close the door with difficulty, almost smashing one of the balloons. She doesn't notice.
"Hey hey!" she says with a big smile. "Would you hold these a second?"
"Sure," I say slowly, wondering how well the balloons would transfer ownership. Thankfully, nothing escapes. I didn't want to drag a balloon down from the vaulted ceiling.
She hangs her windbreaker up next to Captain's warmer fleece and unzips her hoodie before carefully taking the helium balloons back.
"Where's the party room?" she asks, "and who's here?"
"The kitchen, and just you and Captain so far," I say, leading the way to the kitchen.
Captain is taking a drink of some sort of juice when we walk in and just waves, then swallows.
"Hi, Anya," she says, spotting the gear. "I see you came prepared."
"Never can be too sure of the decoration in these things," Anya replies wisely, pulling a balloon pump out of her hoodie pocket. "Who wants to do what?"
"I'll fill up balloons," I say quickly, imagining the disastrous effects if I tried to put up streamers. "There's a stepladder in that closet there, and you can drag a chair over from the table if you want. Rod won't be here until seven o'clock. I told him I'd cook tonight, so he wouldn't have to worry about it."
"Hmph," Captain says noncommittally, picking up one of the many rolls of streamers. "We'll need tape. And what colors should we use?"
The doorbell saves me from making a decision.
"The tape is in the drawer under the phone. There should be a few separate rolls," I call as I run for the door.
I have better sliding luck this time and come to smooth stop just in front of the door. I open the door with a flourish and bow to the two new arrivals, who bob their heads in return, arms full of refreshments, before stepping in.
"Ellsie and Faylinn, welcome to the party!" I say, taking the plate of brownies with my mouth watering and balancing the ice cream on top of it.
Before I have to think about the punch, Faylinn, wonderfully, sets it down on the floor. They both hang up their coats and relieve me of the burdens, then follow me to the kitchen.
"He's not going to be able to eat anything else with these brownies here," I say, opening the freezer and taking the ice cream from Ellsie. "Chocolate does wonders for a mourning man."
"Faylinn!" Captain calls, her head behind a bundle of red and blue streamers, "come help!"
"Ellsie, will you hold this?" Anya asks, wobbling on her chair.
The two rush over to help them and I plop the punch on the counter next to the brownies before sitting down and pumping balloons. They chat amiably, taping the streamers in well-thought spirals and even dips and taking the balloons as fast as I tie them off. They decide to go with a mostly blue and red theme, but Anya makes a face when she realizes that means they'll only use half her streamers. So they continue on and decorate the living room in yellow and orange.
"Good job on finishing With Time!" I yell to Captain, handing Ellsie another balloon. "That's so better than anything anyone else could have done with that situation."
"Thanks," she says, on a groan of air, grabbing for a balloon that slipped out of her hands. "It almost killed me, but here I am."
"You couldn't bear to miss out on Roderic's party, could you?" Ellsie says with a laugh, catching the balloon and handing it back to Captain.
"Are you going to update Arranged?" Faylinn and I ask at the same time.
"Soon," Captain says evasively.
I am willing to pursue the subject further, but Faylinn speaks again.
"You finished How to be Invisible, too, Anya," Faylinn nudges, spinning the streamers and eying it to make sure it matches the rest. "Good ending!"
"Then you started another one," I interject. "What's it called?"
"They Came from Near and Far," Faylinn says promptly.
"Yeah, that," I say, tying a balloon, "It's really good. Of course, it's just started, so it's hard to melt and start analyzing characters at the moment."
Anya laughs.
"Thanks. I don't like the title though, for Invisible," Anya says contemplatively, leaning against the wall.
Silence reigns for a minute while everyone ponders. Then, the doorbell rings. I hand the metallic orange balloon to Ellsie and jog for the door, pulling it open.
"Darie!" I say happily, "Glad you could come!"
Darie grins and comes in, shrugging out of her coat.
"I wouldn't miss it for the world! When's Rod going to be here?" she asks, skip-walking down the hallway in her excitement.
"Seven o'clock," I answer, pointing the way to the living room. "Would you blow up balloons? My hands are tired. And I should probably order pizza..."
"No problem! Hey Anya, Ellsie, Captain, Faylinn!"
The girls chorus "Hi!" back and she dives right in, blowing up the balloons and joining the others in a discussion of the most recent chapter of Golden Sands. I flip through the phone book, trying to decide what pizza place to call. Papa John's? The Garlic sauce is a plus, but the crust is a little tough. Pizza Hut? Expensive! Domino's? Can you say cardboard? I decide on Papa John's, calling the number and holding the phone to my ear. Of course, I am put immediately on hold, and the automated people reassure me that I'm very important to them. Rolling my eyes, I blow some hair out of my face and prop an elbow on the counter, listening to them talking in the next room.
"...can she be dead? I mean, really?" That was Darie's voice, and I smile.
"Why not?" I hear Anya say practically. "She was a brat."
"And it's a good plot device," Captain's voice echoes. "Cruel, though."
"Poor Roderic!" Ellsie says, and it's followed by what sounds like a sigh.
"But she might not be dead," Faylinn restates. "After all, what have we heard to prove conclusively that she's dead?"
"There's no body," Anya says. "Mazzie pointed that out."
"I think she's mad at Billi, which is why she didn't come," Faylinn said, but it sounded like she was stifling a laugh.
The phone line clicks and a very hassled-sounding woman asks me what I want. I quickly order three large pizzas, one pepperoni, one cheese, and one supreme, and give her my address. She informs me that they'll be there within the hour and hangs up too quickly to be polite.
"People these days," I mutter, dropping the phone onto the hook and joining the girls in the living room, which is now completely decorated in orange and yellow.
I am about to sit down when the doorbell rings again. Leaving the discussion of Adelaide behind, I take a fierce running start and slide all the way down the hallway. Mentally congratulating myself, I open the door to see Kiwi. To be honest, I actually don't see Kiwi right away, as there's a huge wrapped object blocking her view. But, as she told me she was bringing a life-sized portrait of Katharine, I know it must be her. I help her navigate her way into the foyer and lean the tall frame against the wall before greeting her, both of us slightly out of breath.
"Hello, Kiwi," I say.
She smiles and transfers both remaining packages to one hand so she can grip my hand firmly.
"Hello! I'm sorry about the frame. I didn't realize it would be such a bother," she says apologetically, attempting to take off her coat one handed.
I take the two neatly wrapped packages, deciding which one was the chocolate and which one was the pocket adviser while she hangs her coat up.
"Should I leave that here, or what?" she asks, interrupting my musings on unwrapping the chocolate and taking a piece before rewrapping.
"Oh, um..." I say, staring at the portrait, thinking. "I suppose we'd better take it in. He'll probably suspect something if he comes in and it's right there."
She made a face.
"I sort of knew you would say that."
"Well," I say, "I'll go run and put these in the kitchen, then be right back to help you carry it in. Can't imagine how you got it to the door yourself."
"It was hard," she mutters as I scamper down the hallway and put her two presents by Captain's Psychology book.
I'm back in a minute, and we carefully sidestep our way down the corridor with the load between us. The main problem is the ceiling; it's only ten feet high and I'm afraid we're going to bump the portrait. But, it holds until the higher kitchen ceiling and we breathe easier, leaning it against the wall by the small table, and somewhat behind a George tree, so it won't be immediately obvious.
We walk into the living room to find that they've mostly given up on the decorating, and are now lounging about on the various pieces of furniture, talking about everything from fanfiction to food. Kiwi pulls up an ottoman and joins in, while I unobtrusively gather the scissors, tape, and scraps to clean up the room a little. While I'm coaxing the tape back into the jammed drawer, the doorbell rings again. This time, I attempt a spin as I slide down the hallway. It doesn't work out well, but thankfully, the doorknob is in just the position to keep my balance and my pride intact. I twist it and open the door, grinning even before it's fully open. It's Eva in all her Venerated Ancestral glory.
Her hair is long and luxurious, dyed with all the colors of the rainbow, but managing to look anything but hippy-ish, possibly due to her magnificent costume. The magnificently purple top of her dress is accented with the hunter green and lavish gold skirt, with black leather shoes of some rich kind poking out from underneath. A cluster of gold and jewels at her neck complete the outfit, and she smiles. I cannot resist the urge to curtsy, despite my casual jeans, and she chuckles, sweeping past me as only one of such splendor can. (Imagine, being able to sweep by? Alas, it is only a dream!)
"ElvishKiwi's Venerated Ancestor, I presume," I say, with a demure offer of my hand, as an escort to the room.
"And Billi, you must be, of course," she says, taking my hand.
We begin our walk to the kitchen, far less hurried than the rest of the trips down the hallway in that day. If only she knew what I had been doing moments before! Eep! From somewhere in the folds of her skirt, she produces an elegant package, wrapped in gold.
"Where should I put my present?"
"Here," I almost say 'milady', but realize at the last moment that I'm NOT in one of my stories, so I compromise, "Lady Eva, next to the others."
She sets it down carefully, gracefully, leaving me to ponder why, exactly, she placed it in that spot, and no other. She seems so deliberate in all her actions, I figure there must be an answer. While she is waiting for me to proceed, however, is not the time. I take her to the living room, where she instantly seats herself on the only remaining chair and dives into the conversation. Some of the girls look slightly stunned at the vivid contrast between her and themselves, but they don't comment. Kiwi just grins, and leans deeper into her conversation.
The doorbell rings, and, still in a sober mood from the last guest, I don't slide down the hallway. I open the door and see Clare grinning nervously and holding a colorful package.
"Hello! You're the last one, I believe," I say, ushering her in.
"I hope I'm not too late?" she asks, taking off her coat.
"Nope; Rod isn't due here for another twenty minutes. Do you want to see Samuel?" I ask, pausing before I take her down the hallway to the kitchen.
Her eyes light up and she giggles.
"Oh yes, definitely," she says, following me down a different hallway, into a small room that was radiating heat.
Knocking quickly, I push the door open without waiting for an answer.
"Cadmus went out for the evening," I explain, pulling her through his workshop, around pieces of broken chalk and shedding paintbrushes. "I hope he doesn't mind."
"Yeah," she said, looking curiously around her.
"He's right over here. He was making a mess so I had to lock him up. He's not happy about it," I explain, pushing a stack of old notebooks off the top of a cage and gesturing her over.
We have a good laugh at Samuel's expense, then join the others in the living room, after putting her present with the others. Within a few minutes, the pizza arrives and we all get nervous, expecting Roderic to arrive at any moment. A few more topics are brought up for discussion, but they end quickly with all of us looking toward the hallway to the door. After an endless silence, there is a timid knock on the door. Grinning broadly, I motion them to hide behind things and bolt for the door.
I recognize his silhouette through the glass even before I reach the door, sliding and skidding the whole way. I take a breath and compose myself before opening the door. He really looks pitiful, eyes rimmed with red and his whole posture slumped like a drowned puppy.
"Hey Rod," I say softly, taking his coat and hanging it up.
"Hello," he sighs. "Thank you for inviting me over. I hate being alone after..."
"Not a problem," I say quickly, taking his arm. "I hope it will cheer you up."
When we reach the hallway, everyone springs out from behind chairs, counters, and potted plants, shouting "Surprise!"
Roderic looks taken aback, and actually takes a step backward.
"What is going on?" he asks, perplexed.
I pat his arm with a broad smile.
"It's a surprise birthday party for you, Rod! Don't tell me you forgot it was your birthday today... you're thirty! The big three-oh!"
"Please do not remind me," he groans. "And I did forget, with everything else going on. Who are these beautiful ladies?"
The ladies collectively blush, except Lady Eva who just smiles complacently.
"Oh, them. These are your fan club!" I say delightedly.
Roderic pales.
"Not really. Well, not completely honestly," I amend. "These are reviewers. I told you about them, remember?"
"Oh, yes," he says vaguely, straightening. "Good evening, ladies. I am Prince Roderic, as I'm sure you know."
This last statement was said pointedly, so no one could mistake his meaning. Anya introduced herself first.
"My name is Anya, milord."
"And I'm Faylinn."
"I'm Captain, sire."
"My name is Ellsie."
"I'm Darie."
"And I'm Kiwi, your highness."
"I'm Clare."
"I am Lady Eva, descended from the Maori nobility and delighted to make your acquaintance," Lady Eva says regally, offering her hand.
Roderic kisses it without question, even though she is the only one to make any move toward him. I see a sparkle in his eye as he replies.
"I am honored to meet you all. Thank you for coming."
"Well, we have pizza here on the island," I say, opening the pizza boxes and pulling a stack of paper plates from a cabinet.
Roderic opens a different cabinet a brings down some plastic cups, setting them next to the punch that Faylinn is putting onto the island as well.
"And we have brownies and ice cream for afterwards," Darie says, taking a large piece of pepperoni pizza and a glass of punch.
"Brownies?" Roderic says, eyes widening. He almost drops his piece of supreme back into the box but recollects himself just in time.
The girls laugh appreciatively, serving themselves some pizza and punch and sitting down at the table. He sits down in the only available spot, between Lady Eva and Ellsie. The former engages him quite seriously in a conversation about her long and eventful life, interrupted only when Ellsie politely offers to get Roderic some more pizza. He starts to say he'll get it himself, but the look on Lady Eva's face silences him.
He replies with a meek thank you and Ellsie, grinning, gives him two more pieces of pizza, a bowl of ice cream, and three brownies, to fortify him. I refill his punch cup while he's not looking, which isn't hard, as he's thoroughly enthralled in Lady Eva's stories. The rest of the girls and I make small talk, raving over the brownies and ice cream, but eventually we end up listening to Lady Eva's stories too. She concludes her tale with a firm proclamation about the comfort of God's spirit, and he thanks her warmly, looking a good deal more cheerful than he did when he arrived.
"It's time for presents!" I declare. "Which one do you want to start with?"
He glances at the stack and does a double take, obviously seeing the huge package half-hidden behind the tree.
"What is that?" he asks incredulously.
"Mine!" Kiwi proclaims happily, dragging it out from behind the tree.
"I think I shall have to open it first," Roderic says with a boyish smile. "I cannot imagine what is in it."
He neatly slides his fingers under the tape in back, causing the majority of us to groan impatiently.
"Roderic! We're not saving the paper! Open it!" I admonish, bouncing on the balls of my feet.
"Be patient, young one," he says in an almost joking tone, carefully peeling the paper down from the top.
His eyes meet Katharine's painted ones and he jumps, dropping the paper. He quickly pulls the rest of the paper off, and we all "Ahh!" at the fine craftsmanship of the portrait. It shows Katharine standing by a window, the afternoon sun highlighting her olive skin and dark hair. The skilled painter was able to see through the masked expression of serenity to the real emotion – amusement – hiding in her fathomless eyes. They are entrancing.
"Thank you, Kiwi," Roderic says, coughing past a catch in his throat. "It is a good rendition of her."
"You're welcome," she says with an understanding smile, handing him another package. "This one and this one are from me, too."
"That is a lot!" he protests, opening the first one carefully.
"Rubbish," she refutes, watching his expression as a box of chocolates was revealed.
"Cadbury?" he says, looking at me.
"Like the Cadbury Eggs at easter," I explain.
"Only better!" Kiwi is quick to add, "because this is New Zealand Cadbury chocolate. It's better."
"And you're sharing," I inform him as he eyes the box with interest.
"Of course," he says agreeably, setting the chocolates on the table and opening the next package.
Kiwi barely stifles a giggle. A small unobtrusive brown plastic object tumbles onto his hand. HE looks perplexed.
"I am sorry, but what is this?" he asks politely.
"It's a solar powered, pocket sized, electronic advisor, with advice for any situation!" Kiwi exclaims. "And it's very easy to use. Look, you just press this button here to turn it on, and it listens to everything around you. If you want advice, just press this button."
She presses the button and a friendly, quiet voice says calmly;
"Say thank you, Roderic."
Roderic smiles broadly and puts it next to the chocolates.
"That is very thoughtful. Thank you," he says.
"You're quite welcome," Kiwi says, satisfied, and sits back in her chair.
Roderic picks up Clare's package and unwraps it just as carefully as the others, placing the paper in a neatly folded stack. This present reveals a midnight blue book with From the Trees embossed in silver on the front cover, wrapped in a length of red velvet ribbon.
"A Fidoglio work! Thank you!" Roderic says, gripping Clare's hand briefly. "It is the only one I do not have."
"I'm glad; I'd hate to give you a repeat," Clare says in relief. "Billi said that was the one to buy."
"Billi knows my library better than I do," Roderic says with a dry chuckle, carefully putting the book next to the other presents.
Someone rings the doorbell and, startled, I answer it.
"PH!" I say in surprise. "You're a little late."
"Yeah, I know," she says with shifty eyes, whipping off her jacket and bouncing into the kitchen. "I forgot to tell you I was coming and then I didn't know what time it was, soo – hi Roddy! How's the Emo Corner?"
"PH!" I hiss, jabbing her with my elbow. "Roderic, ignore that."
Roderic, perplexed, doesn't say anything.
"Here, I got you a present," she says, handing him a hastily wrapped object and plopping into an empty seat.
"Thank you," he says, opening it just as carefully as the others despite the fact that he wouldn't want to reuse the crumpled silver paper anyway.
An expensive looking, long, stainless steel knife rolls into his hands and he smiles appreciatively, thanking PH again. I put my head in my hands, and I know PH is grinning wickedly. Thankfully, Roderic doesn't know what she's insinuating and just opens Captain's Psychology book.
"How fascinating!" he exclaims, flipping through it. "All these personality types have names, and they sound so much better than the ones we made up."
"I hoped you'd like it," Captain said happily.
The gold package is the only one remaining, and he opens it especially carefully, exclaiming over the packaging. When the shining paper is folded and stacked, a hardcover book remains.
"Don't Waste Your Life, by John Piper. I have not heard of it," Roderic says.
Lady Eva smiles knowingly.
"It's a book on applied theology. Trust me, it's a wonderful read."
"I do trust you," he said, placing the book on top of the others. "Now I have so much to read! If only I had the time for it." He shakes his head, then gathers his thoughts and stands. "I want to thank you all for coming tonight and making me feel happier, despite the recent tragedy. It is wonderful to know that I have friends who care about me, even if I hardly know about them. Your support is dearly felt, and my deepest expressions of gratitude would not be enough to show you how much this means to me."
"Oh, it's nothing," Clare says, not the only one feeling somewhat mortified that the fun was taken so seriously.
Faylinn looks on the edge of tears. Seemingly unable to help herself, she stands up and hugs him tightly. Roderic stiffens a little, then relaxes and hugs her back gently.
"Thank you," he says with a weak smile which she returns nervously.
"It was our pleasure," Darie says seriously. The others murmur in agreement, except Lady Eva, who comments on her own.
"It certainly was," she says firmly. "Now, is there a cake?"
"Oh! A cake!" I yelp, slapping my forehead. "I knew I forgot something!"
After a few minutes of discussion, we all decide to troop out to the nearest grocery store and buy a cake, which we do with not a few stares and whispers trailing us. We chuckle at the stunned people, buy the perfect cake and candles, and have great fun trying to light all thirty candles without getting burned. The party, needless to say, is a success. The only one who doesn't enjoy himself is Samuel, and he doesn't count anyway.
Final Word Count: 4338
I decided to put it in as a separate story when I realized it was a lot longer than the actual chapter. Heh.
Review? I'll give you a box of chocolate!
Thank you, Clar the Pirate, for pointing out my typo!