Chapter 7: Big Day

A/N: Oop, this took a little bit longer than expected. I was playing some games with good friends of mine and ended up completely forgetting about this as a result. Hehe... sorry.

Hopefully the quality of the chapter makes up for it.

When I woke up, I grinned and practically somersaulted out of bed.

The kid's birthday was today!

I dove over to the elevator, kicked off the wall on the way down, then landed on my feet in the center of the main hub and ran into the kid's room.

"Come on, kiddo," I beckoned, "Rise and shine."

She stirred with a groan.

"What?" She grumbled.

"Well, you're not gonna sleep your birthday away, are ya?" I chuckled.

Her eyes snapped open.

"Oh," She said, "What are we gonna do today, anyway?"

"Anything you want," I replied.

"Anything?" She asked.

"Anything," I stated.

She got out of bed and stretched with a yawn.

She then proceeded to meander out into the main hub and toward the kitchen.

"What are ya doin'?" I asked light-heartedly.

"Going to make breakfast...?" She replied with confusion.

"Well, that's no way to start a birthday. My parents would always take me out for a meal at a nice restaurant on my birthday," I muttered.

She seemed mildly confused.

"You know restaurants on this planet? Other than that weird mafia place we went to ages ago?" She asked.

"We could explore," I answered, "But it's up to you. This is your day, after all."

She put her hand to her chin in thought, then smiled sheepishly and shook her head.

"Could we go for dinner later, instead of for breakfast now?" She asked, "I'm still kinda tired."

I smirked and gave her a double thumbs up.

Her smile widened.

"You're the best," She said.

"Nope, that's you," I replied as she walked into the kitchen.

So, we got ready for the big day, then sat in the main hub.

"Well, where do we begin?" I asked.

She seemed puzzled.

"I don't even know," She said, "There's so much that we could do-wait, I know, let's go visit Alpine Skyline again!"

Ah, yes, the place that I used to hate because of its altitude.

It'd been a little while since we were last there, it made sense why she wanted to go back.

"Sure thing," I replied.

And so down we went.

When we landed at the goat village, she stepped forward, looked around, then took a deep, relaxed breath.

"I missed this place," She said.

"What exactly are we gonna do here?" I asked.

"I just wanna run around and have fun, maybe chat with some people and see if anything's changed," She responded.

"Alright," I muttered.

So, she took off. I followed behind.

We did nothing but run around the goat village for a few minutes. I suppose the kid was just looking to run around without any sort of goal or pressure for once.

However, we got stopped quickly...

"Hey, you two, you're the ones that stopped those flowers, right?"

I turned around to see a few nomads standing there.

The kid nodded.

"We thought so. It'd be hard to mistake people like you!" One said.

I decided to take that as a compliment.

"What's up?" I asked.

"Our leader, she wants to talk to you. I don't think you two have met her before," Another explained, "She was away when those plants bloomed. Said she felt a disturbance elsewhere that needed to be investigated... and then the planet got dumped in lava, and..."

"I see," I muttered, then looked at the kid, "We can spare some time for this, right, kid?"

She nodded.

"Okay, follow us."

The nomads led us not too far away to some stairs carved into the cliff face, which led into a decently sized chamber. It wasn't too decorated or anything, and there was just basic furniture dotted about: some chairs, a table, it was quite a humble abode for a leader.

And in the center of the room stood a tall nomad clad in black and white robes, clearly the leader they wanted to talk about.

"Hm," She muttered, "I was beginning to think I'd never get the chance to meet you."

She then turned around and threw her arms up in a welcoming gesture.

"Welcome, friends. My name is Zena, and I've watched over these lands for a very long time," She greeted warmly.

It also revealed the biggest difference between her and the nomads: her face was visible. Long, black hair, brown eyes, and an aura of wisdom and knowledge.

I nodded in greeting.

"Nice to meet you," I greeted.

"Come, have a seat," She invited, and so we did, the three of us sitting down at the small table.

"What did you want to talk about?" I asked.

"A few things," Zena answered, "I heard you two saved my village while I was away."

I scratched my head.

"We just wanted to help," The kid said, "We couldn't let those flowers just destroy the place!"

"People often do want to help," Zena replied, "And, I heard you defeated the villain that ruined the planet not very long ago."

Moustache Girl was no villain, but I couldn't blame her for thinking that way. She didn't know her.

"We had a little help from our friends," I said, "Why?"

"Oh, just making sure I heard everything correctly," The leader replied, "But I've heard of what you two have done. I've watched over this place and the spiritual realms surrounding it for a thousand years, and I've never heard of anyone with capabilities like that. You two are very special."

I chuckled.

"Not the first time we've heard that," I replied.

"How surprising," She replied jokingly, "However, you defended my home while I could not, the one place I cherish more than anything else. And for that, you must be rewarded."

Zena then waved over a nomad and whispered into their ear. They nodded and ran off.

A reward...?

I'd have said that we didn't need a reward, but I knew she wouldn't have any of it.

"Um, can I ask something?" The kid said.

"Of course," Zena replied.

"What's it been like, watching over Alpine Skyline for a thousand years? Does it get boring?" She asked.

Zena laughed.

"Oh, no, no," She denied, "It's a peaceful lifestyle... well, usually... but it's not boring. We hold festivals and rituals to honour the ancients, we host events and markets, and everyone is so friendly... there's no place I'd rather spend my days. In fact, we're holding a festival tonight, if you'd like to join."

The kid nodded, her eyes widening at that last part.

"We have to come back here tonight!" She shouted at me excitedly.

"We will, trust me," I replied with a chuckle. Zena was chuckling as well.

After the kid calmed down, Zena sighed relaxedly.

"Well, seeing as you asked a question about me, I have a question to ask you as well," She said, "What exactly brought you back here, today? I thought you two were looking for those Time Pieces? And there aren't any left around here, I'd be able to sense them if they were."

At this point it wasn't even surprising that she knew about them.

"We found 'em all," I answered, "We're here because..."

I looked at the kid, who nodded.

"Well, it's her birthday today, and she wanted to come here," I continued.

"Oh!" Zena exclaimed, "Well, happy birthday to you... ah... I don't think I've gotten your names yet?"

"I'm Markus," I responded, then looked at the kid, who was looking down and scratching her head. "And she... honestly, I don't even know, myself."

"Ah, she's shy," Zena guessed, "No matter, I'll simply call you Hat Girl. If that's alright with you, that is."

The kid nodded.

"That's basically what most people call me anyway," She replied, "Another thing, if you've been here for a thousand years, do you know this place's history?"

"'Know it'?" She replied with a chuckle, "Ah, my sweet little girl, I was part of it. I journeyed here along with the First Goat to create this place, and while he ascended to the realm of the ancients, I stayed behind to watch over what we created, and created the Twilight Bell to be able to allow beings such as myself to pass into the realm for meditation... or to catch up with old friends."

"Wow," We both said.

"That's amazing!" I exclaimed.

"Perhaps," She said, "But enough about me. What about you two? What's your story, or stories?"

The kid turned away.

"That's another sensitive topic for her," I said uncomfortably.

"Oh, I apologize," She said, "I was just curious, that's all."

The kid smiled sheepisly and waved it off.

"I'll share mine, though," I said, "I come from another universe. Long story short, I was brought here by a strange entity that happens to be my ally (I think), and I lost all my memories along the way. Name, origin, everything. I then met the kid shortly after arriving here, and although it... uh... wasn't a very hospitable first impression for either of us, over time we've become a dream team."

"Hm," She replied, "A strange entity, you say? Did he happen to be called The Traveller?"

I raised an eyebrow.

"You know him?" I asked.

"I've met him a few times, yes, a few centuries ago," She replied, then shook her head and frowned, "Nothing but trouble, that one is. It's a shame his gift was wasted on him."

Exactly what the Badge Seller said...

"Well... uh... he's been our greatest help yet," I said, "He's even saved our lives."

She raised an eyebrow.

"If I didn't know better, I'd think you and I were talking about two separate people," She said, then shrugged, "But it's been a while, perhaps he's changed over the years."

"That's what it seems like," I said.

Just then, the nomad from earlier returned with a box and set it down on the table.

"Ah, wonderful," Zena said, "Stand up, you two."

We did, and she opened the box, although I couldn't see it's contents.

"These were a gift to me from the ancients," She said, "They're my most valuable possessions, but I couldn't be happier to see them passed on to you."

She then walked up to me, and wrapped a necklace around my neck with a large smile.

When she was done, I looked down and examined it.

It was beautiful.

It looked like it was crafted from constellations; being adorned with stars. It was inscribed with runes, and it was wrapped in petals of the glowing white flowers native to this place. It also felt warm, a feeling of warmth propagated throughout my body as if I were wearing a comfortable blanket.

I looked over and saw her leaning down and putting the other necklace on the kid.

When she was done, she stood back up and walked back over to the box, closing it.

"Also, when you wear those, I will be able to detect if you're in danger and can help you from afar in any way I can," She said, "It's the least I could do."

"It's so beautiful..." The kid said, enamored by the gift, "Thank you."

"No, no," Zena replied, "Thank you. I would have nothing left if it weren't for you two."

"We'll be sure to cherish these forever," I promised.

She smiled.

"Well, I'm sure you two have a lot of things planned, and I've probably taken up too much of your time already, so..." She muttered.

I turned to the kid, who looked at me and nodded.

"Yeah, we'll probably get going now," I said, and we walked over to the door.

"It was nice meeting you!" The kid exclaimed, us both waving goodbye.

Zena smiled and waved back, and we left, returning to the ship afterward.

When we got back, I took a deep breath and smiled.

"Looks like we've got yet another awesome friend, don't we, kid?" I asked.

She beamed and nodded.

"She's so nice!" She shouted, "And pretty! I love her!"

I chuckled.

"I'm sure she likes you as well," I said, "No reasonable person could ever say no to that face of yours."

She giggled.

"We should go show these to our friends!" She beamed.

She then suddenly grabbed my hand and started tugging me away, shouting "let's go!", while I stumbled and nearly fell on my face.

This was going to be a very busy day...

... but as long as it made her happy on her big day, it'd be worth every second.

A/N: Well, a new character! I hope you guys all liked Zena as much as I did. Her name comes from the word Zenith, which is the point directly above the observer or a specific location on the celestial sphere. I thought it would be fitting. And cheers if you'd guessed that.

Next chapter won't include much or any of her as she did kinda steal the spotlight a bit from Hat Kid.

And as you've most likely guessed by now, there's gonna be another chapter or two for Hat Kid's birthday. Let's be honest here, a single chapter wouldn't have done it justice, now would it have? But I'm gonna have to think about what exactly to do for the next chapter, so... might be a little while again.

But hey, at least I'm giving a heads up this time about a possible delay, eh?

Anyway, see you guys next chapter.