Chapter 6) Happy Birthday
A/N: Alright, time for an actually unambiguously upbeat chapter of this with no angst whatsoever. So let's see what Camilla's up to.
Make no mistake, I adore my job. Yes it can be hard, stressful at times and it absolutely takes a lot out of me some days to have to see so many animals in so much pain. But at the end of it all, I can still say that there is no other career I could ever imagine myself having, especially considering what my last… 'job' wound up turning out to be.
Eda laughed her head off when I told her that story. Literally, she laughed so hard her head fell off… while we were in a café.
That was a very awkward conversation I had to have with the owner that day.
But yes, I love my job and everything that it involves.
Except for one thing.
"Mrs Noceda? Ms Carmen told me to give you these."
The stack of papers Dianne places on my desk is tall enough that it looks like it could fall over, and I feel like I could fall over myself just from looking at it.
"Carmen said so, did she?" I can feel my eye beginning to twitch ever so slightly as I imagine the smirk my boss no doubt had when she told Dianne to deliver this pile of boredom to me.
"Uh, if there's anything I can help with…?"
I sigh. "No, you have more than enough to deal with already. Leave these with me and carry on with your write-up."
Dianne looks uncertain. "Are you sure, Mrs Noceda? I mean, I still have time before the submission date."
"And that is time you should be using to finish your coursework, young lady," I reply with a bit more sternness. "You'll have plenty of opportunity to drown in paperwork once you pass your course and get certified."
Dianne looks a bit flustered at that, but then she nods and turns to go back to her own desk.
"And Dianne? You can call me Camilla, remember?"
She's a hard-working young woman, Dianne. One more year and a few more assignments and she'll be fully-qualified, and it'll be well-deserved on her part.
I turn my attention back towards the stack of papers. Resigning myself to the next several hours of monotony, I reach for the topmost form, an approval form for a pet passport, and get to work…
Until a small, neatly-wrapped box is placed on my desk, prompting me to look up again.
"It's not much, but… Happy Birthday Mrs… I mean, Camilla."
Neither Carmen nor Andrew nor anyone else at the clinic remembered today, so I wasn't expecting anything at all. But of course Dianne would remember. She has my whole schedule memorised down to the hour, after all.
I can't help but smile at the gesture. "Thank-you Dianne."
I open it up, and inside is a coffee mug with picture of a googly-eyed snake on it, with a caption that says, "Caffeine makes me viper-active".
It would be highly unprofessional of me to burst out laughing while at work.
But then again, I'm not always professional.
…
…
…
I want to crawl into bed and sleep away the entire weekend.
Turns out that stack of paperwork was just the first pile. Two more followed, meaning I spent almost the entire shift trapped behind my desk filling out request forms and prescriptions and incident logs and every other type of paperwork that a veterinary clinic could possibly have to handle. Then, when there was only an hour left of my shift, animal control showed up with a Sandhill Crane that got shot by a hunter who mistook it for a pheasant. So we had to scramble all hands on deck in order to deal with that. Then, when I was finally on my way home, my car broke down, meaning I had to call for a tow truck. Only none were available, so I had to get a passerby to help me push my car off the road so I could leave it parked there overnight to be collected in the morning.
And to cap it all off, it started to rain while I was walking the rest of the way back.
But I'm home now. Finally. The front door is right in front of me, and the thought of relaxing in my pyjamas while I warm up with a nice cup of cocoa in my new mug makes me feel a bit better about the fact that I am drenched and freezing and utterly exhausted.
"I'm home," I call out wearily as I close the front door behind me.
Takeout sounds like a good idea, because I very much do not feel like cooking tonight. I'll ask the girls what they would like…
… hold on.
What's that smell?
And what's that noise I can hear coming from the kitchen?
"Girls?"
Something pokes my face, and I turn to see Stringbean hovering over my shoulder. She hisses something at me, but I can't understand her. She is, however, gently tugging at my hair in the direction of the living room.
I'm curious, but also very tired, so after I shed my jacket and slip off my shoes, I let her lead me to the couch, which I immediately collapse onto. Stringbean settles on my shoulder and nuzzles against my cheek as soon as I am sat down, and I close my eyes and sigh as I let her snuggle up to me.
Warmth radiates from her. I feel it spread along my whole body, and I feel my damp clothes dry off in moments.
"You are the best kitty-snake I have ever met," I murmur, and Stringbean purrs in reply.
An idea pops into my head then. Reaching for my bag, I retrieve the box from within and take out my new mug, holding up for us both to see.
"Dianne got me a present," I say. "What do you think?"
I watch as Stringbean floats from my shoulder and hovers beside the mug, staring at the googly-eyed snake on the side and flicking her tongue in and out.
Then she shifts herself, and I am looking at two googly-eyes snakes.
I snort, then I start laughing out loud, hunching forward with one hand on my stomach as I shake with laughter with tears in my eyes.
Stringbean returns to normal and settles back on my shoulder once I finally manage to calm down. Oh, did I need that laugh. All the stress from today just melted away, and now I feel like I can finally, truly relax.
… OK, there is the slight issue that I don't have a car for the foreseeable future, but that's a problem for the Camilla of tomorrow to deal with. The Camilla of today does not care. Much.
The sound of footsteps coax me to open my eyes, and I am greeted with the sight of two rather messy and dishevelled teenagers entering the living room. Luz has sauce stains on her t-shirt, and Vee has flour in her hair, and both of them are grinning nervously as they carry in several plates of food and set them on the table.
"Did you two cook?"
The girls both turn around to face me, and Stringbean flies from my shoulder and over to Luz, transforming into a staff and landing in Luz's hands. With a twirl, she draws a circle in the air above her head, a purple trail left in her wake that flashes, and a wave of magic light washes over the room.
When the light fades, several banners and balloons have appeared around the room, with one banner hung above the window reading "¡Feliz cumpleaños, mama!"
"Happy Birthday!" Luz and Vee both cheer at the same time.
I may be tired, but I still manage to rise from my seat and pull both of my wonderful daughters into a hug, all the while trying to hide the fact that I am tearing up.
"I love you girls," I manage to say as they hug me back.
…
…
…
The yaniqueques they made are delicious, and I feel a certain amount of pride as I eat mine at the fact that they got the recipe right from, I assume, the notebook I keep in the kitchen. The cake they baked as well is just as tasty, and the lopsided decorations on top just make it feel even more special.
Once we've finished eating, Luz and Vee immediately start taking the plates out before I can even start to move.
"We've got this Mom, you just relax and let us take care of everything tonight."
I'm not about to argue against that, so instead I head upstairs to change out of my uniform and into my pyjamas before settling back on the couch, smiling the whole while.
Whatever did I do to deserve daughters like them?
Soon enough, the girls are back in the living room with me, the dishes all washed up and their own stained clothes switched for their own pyjamas.
Vee is also holding a brightly-giftwrapped present adorned with a purple ribbon.
"We got you this as well," she says as she holds it out for me to take. "We hope you like it."
I take it from her hands and turn it over in mine, opening the gift tag on the front to read the little message inside.
'Happy Birthday! We love you so much! From Luz and Vee! xxx'
Carefully, I pry open the wrappings to find a bundled-up scarf and winter hat. Both are patterned purple and black, and a very familiar UFO design is stitched into the hat. Turning the scarf over reveals that, sure enough, the words 'COSMIC FRONTIER' are adorned on it, complete with little stars in the letters just like the original series.
Seriously, what did I do to deserve you two?
I have both of them on the couch with me in an instant, all three of us in a big cuddle bundle with Stringbean landing on top of my head while I plant kisses on both of theirs.
"I love it," I say. "And I love you two. So much."
I will never be able to say that enough to them.
Once we separate, I waste no time in donning my new hat and scarf, and Luz and Vee both take pictures of me with it on. We take more pictures as well, pictures of all three of us, of Stringbean and my new mug with her transforming again (which has Luz laughing even harder than I did earlier, and Vee giggling quite a bit as well), of the decorations they put up for me…
"Well then," I announce once we finish out photo shoot. "I think this calls for a movie night!"
"Way ahead of ya, Mama!" Luz replies, running over to the TV and turning both it and the DVD player on. As she returns to sit beside me and Vee with the remotes in hand, the main menu for the first 'Cosmic Frontier' movie is already loaded up, and I can spot the cases for the rest of the series stacked up beside the DVD player at the ready.
While the prospect of marathoning all six originals in one night sound fun, I do still have work tomorrow, and the girls have school.
It would be more responsible of me to insist that we only watch one and save the rest for another time.
But then again, the second one is the best one…
And the third one is a personal favourite of mine…
…
If asked, I would say that Eda has had a bad influence on me. But deep down, I know that I'm still a nerdy kid at heart.
So why not let it out a bit more?
…
…
…
'"You have not yet attained true thought, Spark. Your emotions still cloud your reason. I sense that something else is calling to you. You will not find answers here. You must search for them elsewhere."'
"Why doesn't he want his emotions?" Vee asks, confused.
"He does," I explain. "He just doesn't realise it yet."
…
…
…
'"Command, do you have them?" Captain Avery asks.'
'"Confirm, Captain. But what we got back didn't live long… fortunately."'
"Luz? Never learn teleportation magic," Vee whispers.
Luz shrugs. "Eh, that particular glyph combo doesn't work anymore anyway."
…
…
…
'"Oh I've done far worse than kill you, Avery… I've hurt you. And I wish to go on hurting you. I shall leave you as you left me. As you left us all. Trapped forever in the heart of a dead world… buried alive… Buried alive!"'
Luz is stifling giggles at the over-the-top acting and tacky effects on screen, while Vee is staring with rapt attention.
I can quote this whole movie by heart, but I'm resisting the urge to echo my favourite lines for now. Instead, I find myself more interested in watching their reactions to it all.
If Vee's interest is any indication, Hunter and Gus may soon have a new member of their club.
…
…
…
'"I have been… and ever shall be… your friend…"'
Vee sniffles. "He accepted his emotions… right at the end…"
I sniffle too. "He was the most noble of them all." I give a salute to the screen, and Vee copies me.
"But…" Luz muses, scratching her head. "He's on the front cover of all the other movies…"
…
…
…
'"Captain, why did you leave me behind? Take me home…"'
"He's alive!" Vee cheers. "They can go back and get him!"
"Never leave a crewmate behind!" I add, reciting Rule Two of the Astral Oath.
"Time for a rescue mission!" Luz comments, seemingly getting just as into things as Vee and I are by now.
Hunter and Gus are gonna have two new members I suppose.
…
…
…
By the time the credits roll on movie number three, both Vee and Luz are nodding off, and I'm not far behind them. So we decide to call it a night, but not before agreeing to a second round tomorrow evening to finish of the rest of the series.
Hugs and kisses all around as we wish each other goodnight, and then we're all off to our rooms for some much-needed sleep.
Just as I'm settling in, I realise I still have my new hat and scarf on.
I take great care folding them up and placing them on my bedside table, before turning out the light and letting my head fall back against my pillow.
I'm out for the count before long, drifting off with a smile on my face.
…
…
…
"Sorry I'm a little late, I had to call a taxi."
"No problem Camilla," Carmen replies without looking up from her computer as I walk past. "The paperwork is already on your desk for you."
Of course it is.
"Good morning Mrs Noceda!" Dianne greets me cheerfully as I set down my bag.
I'll get her to stop calling me that one of these days.
"Is that a new scarf?"
I nod and hum as I remove said scarf and hat, tucking them away safely in my bag.
"A present from my girls," I reply.
Dianne smiles. "They sound like good kids."
I smile back. "They are. They really are."
Hello everyone! Not Scot here, with seasons' greetings and well-wishes to you all, along with a new instalment in my little anthology!
Not exactly Christmas-themed I know, but I had this one on the go back in early October and only managed to finish it now. At the very least, this one is angst-free and very cheerful, with not an ounce of trauma to be found!
Like it? Hate it? Either way, feel free to leave a review if you want, and if you're not busy, maybe also head on over to 'Hexside School's Roll of Dishonour', where you may find an additional bonus chapter that actually is Yuletide-related.
I'll be focussing my attention on getting the last part of Volume 2 of 'RWBY Re:Mixed' finished before the year is done, so any future instalments of this will be arriving in the new year. I have plans ready for at least three more of these, and I reckon I could have a few more than that planned eventually as well, so this anthology is far from over.
Not to mention the... other thing I've been working on for a while now in the background on-and-off. I won't say anything yet, but I hope to have the first chunk of it ready in time for the anniversary of the finale in April. I'm excited to share it with you all when I do!
Right now though, I need to get to bed. I've only just managed to get my sleep cycle back to normal (well, as normal as is possible for me at least), so for now I shall take my leave.
Until next time,
Not Scot.
P.S: Started watching 'YuYu Hakusho' recently to fill the void while I wait for 'Bleach TYBW' to resume, and Kurama is my favourite of the four already. Dark Tournament here I come!