"Happy birthday, Edea!"

Edea shrieked in surprise at the shouts from the others, and the only reason her fist did not collide with the nearest face is because Ringabel had been anticipating it; he was the only one within arm's distance for that reason. He caught her hand with a grunt, then gave her a slightly pained smile.

"Excellent right hook as always," he said, and when she pulled her hand away, slightly chastised, he shook his own out.

"You startled me," she told the other two people gathered in the room. "What is this about? My birthday isn't until August," she pointed out.

"Yes, we know," Agnes said. Now that it was safe, she and Tiz were approaching the two blondes, and Agnes threw her arms around the smaller woman with a wide smile. Tiz hung back, but there was an equally wide smile on his face.

"August 21st," Ringabel supplied, his teeth gleaming. "I remember it well, no worries. I have every intention of celebrating your birthday with you, however…"

However, on their journey, months repeated. They had gone as far as June before entering a new world, finding that October 11th had returned. Again and again returning to that same point, it seemed unlike they would ever actually reach August.

Edea made a face.

"It hardly seems fair that we can't celebrate your birthday as we do Tiz's," Agnes said. Tiz's birthday was in spring, for all he had taken months mention it, and neither she nor Ringabel knew or celebrated their birthdays. They would have to live vicariously through their friends. "So we thought, why not hold a birthday party for you at any time? We can take some time for a celebration."

Tiz nodded. "Next time they decide to hold a party for me - " he shot a glare at Ringabel - "We'll have it together, but we wanted you to have a birthday of your own, as well."

"That's… thanks guys. I didn't think you would notice." She had noticed; had wondered if her aging counted if she wasn't technically growing older, and how on earth she could calculate her age in an attempt to catch up with Alternis so that she could actually be the older of the two.

"Of course we would notice," Agnes' hands clasped hers tightly. "You are our dear friend, after all."

"Now come, no more talking. We have presents and cake," Ringabel wrapped an arm around her shoulder, and she decided to let him keep it there for at least a few minutes, especially as he was now steering her toward the small table, which was set with a delicious looking assortment of cakes, pastries, and boxes wrapped in brown paper.

As the guest of honor, they said, she would sit right in the center of the table. Edea flushed at the attention, flapping her hand even as delight mounted in her. It wasn't just that they had remembered; it was the care they had gone through to bring her birthday to her, even if she could not actually go to it.

Ringabel and Tiz ducked out, only to return moments later with a three layer cake. One side of it looked lopsided, and even at a distance she could see lumps in the icing, which looked as though it had been made in several, slightly different colored batches. Still, she'd never seen anything so wonderful looking. Her hands clasped over her mouth as they set it on a cleared spot on the table.

Agnes lit the candles for her, using several matches instead of risking fire magic. 19, plus one more for good measure. The icing took on a shiny sheen under the flame.

"I believe you need to make a wish," Ringabel said, one hand at his hip. "It's customary!"

"Go on, Edea," Agnes encouraged her. Tiz nodded.

"Well, all right." Edea could hardly disagree with them, not when wish-making was the only thing standing between her and what she hoped was delicious cake (who was she kidding, it was cake! Of course it was delicious). Closing her eyes tightly, she thought for a brief moment before deciding on her wish.

She had wished for things before, as a child. Her father's attention, her mother's health… things that had not been granted. Then, she had also wished for Alternis to spend more time with her, for her to pass her exams with Master, to find that dress she really wanted in stores - those items had been achieved, after she had actually pursued and worked for them. After all, wishes weren't like prayers supposedly granted by the Crystals just because. She didn't know who listened to them, but if they were hers, she had to own up to them. She kept that in mind as she focused, took a deep breath, and blew out all the candles in one go.

Her friends clapped approvingly.

"Now, do you want to eat the cake now, or do you want presents?" Ringabel asked, though he was already reaching for a knife and the plates they had set aside earlier.

"What do you think?" Edea asked him. "You aren't seriously asking me that, are you?" She held her hands out with a frown.

Cake first, then presents, then sitting around chatting with her friends and relaxing. That sounded like a good birthday, she decided, far better than her last which had been spent in the dojo with Master and a solidary birthday with Mother.

Looking around at the bright faces of her friends as cake was passed out and present were shifted around to make room for them all to sit at the small table, she thought back to her wish.

That for her next birthday, it was spent with the four of them all together, with her family as well.

That was a wish she would definitely work for.