[action]

[commandertoolbelt]

[ So today is a certain daughter of Hecate's birthday, and a certain boyfriend of hers has been working on how they should celebrate that. The most obvious thing? A cake, which he has been collaborating with some of the nymphs to make a reality. Sometime after lunch is when the big reveal happens, and they bring it up to Natalie's table with bright grins.

It's... a relatively plain cake, compared to the one she'd had made for Leo's birthday. There are colors swirled in icing, blues and purples with runes dancing over the surface of it in glowing green - what they mean, or how they're glowing, Leo isn't entirely certain, but it looks awesome. His particular contributions was a little fog machine meant to emulate the Mist, the little clouds hugging the layers of the cake but not hiding it entirely. Oh, and the pair of lit torches in lieu of candles, sized down to fit.

And there's another surprise he's put into this, but hopefully that won't be revealed until he's ready. ]

Happy birthday, Nat!

Comments

[clearasil]

[ Natalie doesn't remember outright telling Leo her favorite flavor of cake so she looks over at him as a nymph hands her the knife. ]

You got me lemon cake?

[commandertoolbelt]

Well, part of it's lemon. Most of it. [ And no, he didn't know when he was planning this, but Natalie's been in camp much longer than he has. He asked around. ] I think they said part of it's chocolate, part of it's marble.

[clearasil]

Oh, so it's layered and complex just like me, that's very symbolic.

[ Natalie snorts, cutting a big slice for herself, measuring out and cutting a few more rows for other interested parties. ] The is the best.

[commandertoolbelt]

Exactly. [ He laughs, grabbing a slice of the marble. ] I thought you'd like it.

[clearasil]

Do you wanna eat these where we can actually sit together? [ As she already forks a piece for herself, chewing contentedly. ]

[commandertoolbelt]

Duh. [ C'mon, Nat, it's your birthday, and your boyfriend wants to spend it making sure you're happy. Get with it. ] Got somewhere specific in mind, or...?

[clearasil]

[ Wow geez then. If the boyfriend insists. ] I was thinking by the ocean. Pretty sure the cake won't fly away with the breeze.

[commandertoolbelt]

[ With a shrug, he starts meandering in that general direction. ] I think we'd have to worry more about getting sand in the icing.

[clearasil]

I'll risk it. [ She affectionately bumps her shoulder against his as she follows. The breeze is stronger than it had been this morning, but it shouldn't be bad. Plus, the pet around her neck manages to keep her hair down and away for her face for the most part. ]

[commandertoolbelt]

[ Once they get there, he settles down happily enough in the sand. ] So. Good birthday?

[clearasil]

[ Natalie sits, knees bent, digging her heels into the sand. She kisses his cheek. ]

Really good. This is better than a party.

[commandertoolbelt]

That's what I thought. [ Proud of himself for that one. ] You've never been much of a party person.

[clearasil]

You know me so well.

[ It's almost a scary thought, opening yourself enough to let someone in. She feels so comfortable with him, though, so it can't possibly be all that bad.

She forks a piece of cake and chews, closing her eyes and lifting her face to the sun. ]

[commandertoolbelt]

I'd hope so. You are my girlfriend, or something like that.

[ Yep, he's pretty sure that's how it works. Nat probably knows him better than most people, too - the only exceptions being Dany or Piper. ]

[clearasil]

How long have we even been dating?

[ Wolfgang crawls down her arm to get to the cake and Natalie switches hands, letting him wind around her arm. She bursts out laughing. ]

[commandertoolbelt]

Since my birthday, so... [ He pauses to count. ] Six months?

[ He laughs at the polecat. ] Maybe we should have gotten him a slice, too.

[clearasil]

I need to do research on the care and keeping of polecats but - little guy, I don't think that's safe for you.

[ She smiles to herself as she stretches her legs out, balancing the plate on her thighs while she tries to cradle her pet again. ]

Six months, huh.

[commandertoolbelt]

I think it's mostly okay as long as it's not chocolate and he only gets a little. [ But what does he know? He's never had a pet.

Leo looks out over the beach, watching the waves with a small smile. ] Doesn't feel like it's been that long.

[clearasil]

I know. Thanks for putting up with me.

[ Walking Hallmark card, this one. ]

[commandertoolbelt]

[ He snorts, looking back at her with a grin. ] C'mon, Nat, you're not the one who can go up in flames at any given time. If anything, I should be thanking you, but that would be totally cheesy.

[clearasil]

[ It's possible she has it in her to go up in flames but there are several anchors that keep her from completely self destructing. Her smile turns crooked and fond and less shy. She merely shakes her head. ]

[commandertoolbelt]

Hey, it hasn't happened in months! At least I'm getting better at it. [ Though Valentine's Day was a close call. Whatever, as long as he doesn't burn Natalie, he'll be happy enough. ]

[clearasil]

When was the last time it happened? [ As far as she knows, it was forever ago. And the last time she actually saw him do it because of her was probably the infamous dance. ]

[commandertoolbelt]

[ His brow furrows as he thinks about it. If they want to get technical, Leo did set something on fire in February - his pillow - but that was done deliberately so he wouldn't set everything on fire. At least if he does it of his own will, he can (mostly) control it.

But when was the last time he'd lost it? ] I don't really remember. Maybe on that last quest? Or right after the Red Room got in camp. [ ...And took Dany's dragons and he made that oath and only realized later what that meant. But it's Natalie's birthday, and Leo doesn't want to bring that up again. He settles for a shrug. ] I was telling Dany the other day that I'm probably overdue for it, so.

[clearasil]

Someone needs to get you fireproof clothes. Just in case - or at least fireproof bed sheets?

[ She tries to joke; that's another thing they very much have in common. Carefully, she rests Wolfgang on her shoulder again so she can finish her cake. ]