A Birthday for Gertrude

Gertrude opens the egg carton and regards the... rocks?

"Um. Thanks, Wren. I can tell you put a lot of work into this," Gertrude says to the adventurer. Her tone is one of gentle ambivalence.

"Ha, haw, heh.. huh." The gift goes over about as well as Wren had predicted, but they go on, "That one’s from Australia—Christchurch, New Zealand, technically—and that’s from Asia. Well… Furano, Japan, to be precise. The Europe rock is from Lesbos, Greece, and these two? Antarctica and the Arctic Ocean. Long story on how I got that one!

"Aw, but I don’t wanna bore ya. A rock from each of the seven continents and the five oceans. They’re, uh… labeled." Wren lifts a rock and there’s a sticker with "SA" printed on it. "Salvadore, Brazil for the South America rock," they mumble. "Yup."

Gertrude's mood brightens again when she sees the Moon Prince's sketch. "Oh, wow, M.P. This is beautiful. You are a wonderful artist! The palace looks amazing. Maybe you'll be able to take me to see the real thing one day?"

Wren mumbles to themself, "I coulda got her all the rocks in the world, but no rock on Earth outshines a moon rock."

The pilot says that, then stares blankly at Ptisilith with its sunbright glow. "Well, after eating my words, I got no room for cake. Ha."

Wren fires their grappler gun at a tree to swing away from the party and escape. The grappler gun slowly reels a broken branch into the open window. Wren decides to just use the door and the stairs to exit, butt-waving to whoever they pass on the way out.

Gertrude follows Wren's gaze to the Ptisilith lying inert on the floor. "Um, is it okay? It's not... dead or anything, is it?"

While waiting for the other guests to approach her with presents, somebody hands her a slice of Robin's cake. She lifts the bottom of her mask slightly to take a bite. It's sweet and fluffy and tastes somewhat of... anchovies...

"Mmm," Gertrude says as she politely puts the cake down and slowly steps away from it.

Mel grins and wags her tail as Gertrude takes the gift.

"My friend Merv and I got this for you! Hope you like it!" she says. Then she remembers the confetti she made and throws a handful of shredded rainbow paper into the air, shouting "Happy Birthday!"

She wolfs down her piece of the birthday cake and goes back for another, entranced by the tangy, savory taste it has.

Gertrude opens the gift from the strangely familiar werewolf. She holds the necklace up to the light, watching it sparkle. "Thank you. And tell Merv thank you, too. I really like it."

Her cheeks flush behind her mask. This is the first piece of jewelry she's ever owned. She slips the necklace over her head and touches the pendant as it settles in over her chest. It feels nice.

"Gertrude, my dear! Happy birthday! The happiest of birthdays to you, darling!" Monday cries cheerily as they flutter across the piano room. With a flourish, they produce their gift, an ornate gilded scroll sealed with wax and sprinkled with glittering fairy dust. "I have prepared this special gift for you. It is for your eyes, and your eyes only, so do not open it here! But I think--nay, I know you will like it."

Monday presses the scroll into Gertrude's hand and gently "boops" the nose of her mask with a long, purple finger. "Enjoy the rest of your party, dearie. We will speak soon."

They turn to leave, but they pause as they pass by the Moon Prince. The fairy lowers their voice and whispers to the Prince. "I know you took something from my gift shop. Around here, when you take something from a shop without paying for it, it is called theft. You are new to Earth and the concept of money, so I will forgive your crime this one time. But you will owe me a favor as payment for the glitter you took. A favor I shall collect at a later date."

Monday smiles, adjusts their jacket, and flutters away.

Alex sidles up to Gertrude, one hand tucked under his head so it doesn’t pop off in the excitement. She carefully sets down a small, midnight-blue box adorned with hand-painted silver stars. Despite some paint splotches still clinging to his leather jacket, she offers a crooked grin.

"Hey, kid," he says quietly, running a thumb over the smooth varnish. "I, uh, know we don't know each other so well - but I hope you like this. It’s a keepsake box. For your… well, your keepsakes, I guess." She lifts the lid, revealing a plush velvet lining and a faint, ghostly shimmer along the inside edges.

"Took me more tries than I’ll admit to get the stars right," Alex continues, "but…I hear you're the kind of person who deserves something a little special, you know? Seems you’ve got dreams big enough to fill a whole sky."

With that, he steps back, trying to hide the fact she’s actually quite nervous.

Yola glides over with measured, shrubby grace, branches rustling softly with each step. In her hands, she holds a framed arrangement of pressed autumn blooms and tattered petals, meticulously preserved under glass. There’s a slightly imperfect but endearing arc of colorful leaves and flower fragments across the top, and at the bottom, in careful script, is a quote from Heartsword:

"When all seems lost, true friends help you find a way."

Yola offers the frame to Gertrude with a warm smile.

"Here you are, dearie," she says, voice low, gentle. "Not quite as pristine as I’d hoped, but… there’s beauty in the wrinkles, I think. Reminds me of us older folks."

A wry twinkle brightens her eyes. "I know birthdays aren’t your cup of tea, but I hope this helps you feel a bit more… grounded in the people who care about you."

Gertrude gratefully accepts the gifts from both Alex and Yola. "These are both beautiful gifts. I really do like them!" she tells them. "Thank you."She looks around at all of her friends, old and new. Despite her initial misgivings, this is actually turning out to be a happy birthday, indeed. She can't remember the last time she actually had a birthday that she enjoyed.

"Thanks, everyone. I appreciate all the work you put into this party. So, let's have some more fun! After all, I don't have a birthday every day."

Parish and Sal share a smile, happy that their plan to brighten Gertrude's day worked out. As everybody celebrates long into the night, Gertrude's heart feels full. But she can't help but glance down at the scroll Monday gave her, wondering what it could portend...

And that is the story of Gertrude's first birthday at Yazeba's Bed & Breakfast!