A Birthday for Gertrude

With her present finished, Mel decides to help with party decorations so she rushes excitedly back to the Piano room. She surveys the decorations trying to decide how she could best help. This party needs confetti she realizes and grabs an extra large roll of shiny rainbow party streamer. With an impressive and only slightly exaggerated effort, Mel flexes her biceps and forearms as she twists and shreds the roll with her talons. Then she rapidly grabs several more rolls and shreds those as well, striking a different pose each time. It mostly ends up getting everywhere but Mel says out loud to herself, "Meh. I have enough to throw a handful when we spring the surprise." She grins in wolfish excitement at the thought.

The Ptisilith hovers down the hall of the B&B, Wren grappling onto it and swinging away. Suddenly it wonders to itself:

if that dashing adventurer had given it this beautiful sun so easily, might not they have given one to this Gertrude person already? If so, it could never show their facets around here again. And it was already hoping to spend its next holiday here. Maybe if it added something to the sun, the gift would be considered different enough... Or maybe it should just find a new gift so there would be no chance. Where could it find crafting supplies to make a new one this close to the party?!

The stone glows in purples and oranges that pulse discordantly and dash frantically across its smooth surface.

After finally reuniting his head with her body, ignoring the old shrub in the corner, Alex stomps back to his corner of the Library, muttering a stream of curses under her breath. He carefully cleans up the spilled paint, determined not to let the setback ruin his progress. She picks up the keepsake box again, staring at the unfinished stars and velvet lining.

"Alright, Dullaghan, time to get your act together," he mutters, steadying his hands as she dips the brush in paint.Alex accidentally smudges the intricate design while reaching for his silver paint, groaning in frustration. She kicks over a wooden chair in a fit of melodramatic rage (then regretfully rights at, looking around sheepishly).

Yola finishes arranging the petals and sets a heavy tome atop them so that they flatten them. She stands to stretch her branches.Yola notices the Ptisilith hovering down the hall in a swirl of worried colors, and sees its colors as a ominous portent. "Oh, dear," she exclaims in hushed horror. "That big floating rock must be some sort of… arcane doomsday device set to activate if we fail Gertrude’s birthday party"

She bustles over to the Ptisilith, gently patting its rocky side. "There, there," she coos. "We’ll have your doomsday ritual sorted in time; no need to annihilate us all!" She calls out to whoever’s nearby, "We must hurry with this celebration or face certain destruction! Foes afire—I mean, oh dear, I’ve been listening to Yazeba far too much."

Monday manifests in the library, smiling to themself as they see Alex fuming in the corner. The fairy flutters up behind the dullghan and holds the folded parchment, now with a glob of purple wax on it, just above the fires of her head. Alex’s enchanted head flame causes the wax to melt, sealing the parchment and infusing it with the bit of extra magic Monday has been looking for.

"It’s just a birthday gift, Alex Dullaghan," Monday chides. "There’s no need to blow your top. Remember, always, that cooler heads prevail." The fairy flashes an ingratiating grin before disappearing again.

Gertrude finally comes upon Amelie again, apart from all the chaos that seems to be happening throughout the B&B. She corners the robot and puts her hands on her hips. "Okay, Amelie. I’m running out of time. We are friends, and friends tell each other the truth. So, please, tell me, where is everybody gathering? For, uh, for whatever they might be planning."

Amelie already felt guilty about taking advantage of the yes-no question asked before. "Friends do tell the truth," Amelie acknowledges. "So I was conflicted. I was led to believe that keeping this event a secret would be joyful to you, but I cannot risk a strain on our friendship through a breach of trust.

"It is a surprise party in honor of your birthday. Or more accurately, a party now that I have revealed the secret prematurely."

The maid-bot does not quite feel as if their burden has been lifted. There is one more step.

APOLOGIZE TO HER

"I am sorry I kept your party a secret. I hope you can enjoy it, despite that you will be unsurprised when others shout ‘surprise.’"

Amelie confirms Gertrude's worst fears. "Thank you, Amelie. You're a good friend," she says, then she begins to run. Maybe it's not too late. She can find everybody before they finish their party preparations and explain to them there's been a misunderstanding.

But wait... Amelie didn't actually tell her where the party is being held! Too late to go back now. She just has to take a guess. Gertrude races through the halls of the B&B and throws open the door to--

--the garden! Yola Oleander was there earlier picking flowers. That has to be where the party is happening!

"Stop!" Gertrude shouts. But she stops short. There's nobody out here except some of the Rabbits in the Garden, Who Wear Little Outfits. The rabbits wiggle their noses at her curiously.

"Aw, dang it," Gertrude mutters. Her mistake has likely given the others time to finalize their party preparations...

Amelie seems satisfied, despite Gertrude’s odd response.

PLAUSIBLE EXPLANATIONS:
73.1% - HASTILY SEEKING APPROPRIATE ENTRY POINT FROM WHICH TO WANDER IN AND APPEAR SURPRISED

25.4% - RESTROOM EMERGENCY

0.71% - DISLIKES SURPRISES

0.56% - DISLIKES PARTIES

0.23% - OTHER

Amelie dutifully seeks a means to efficiently complete the remaining party preparations by setting the table, making sure there are enough chairs, and making the place of honor especially honorable…

Alex sits cross-legged on the library floor, the midnight-blue box resting on his lap and a nervous tremor in her hands. Spatters of paint still cling to his jacket sleeves, and a faint singe mark on the carpet serves as a testament to her earlier frustrations. With a slow exhale, he mutters, "Alright, Dullaghan, let's make this count."She sets to work, meticulously touching up the silver stars and ensuring to properly adhere the plush velvet lining. A small brand of his flame flickers in the back of her neck, casting a gentle glow over the final brushstrokes. Each movement feels smoother than before—like he’s finally got past the chaos of earlier. When she’s finished, Alex covers the box with a nice coat of varnish - then holds it close to his head to speed up the drying process.

Exhausted but triumphant, Alex holds the completed keepsake box aloft and lets out a satisfied sigh.

"Finished," she says, tucking it under her arm. "And I only lost my head...uh...how many times? Now let's par-tay!"

Yola stares at the heavy tome pressing her freshly arranged petals.

She shakes her branches with a resigned sigh.

"If I can just keep on these flowers, I’ll have a lovely gift ready in plenty of time," she tells herself.

She carefully lifts the book, checking whether the petals have flattened enough to be set.Yola carefully lifts the heavy tome from her pressed flowers, to find a mash-mash of torn and wrinkled petals. She sighs heavily, running a gnarled branch-hand through her leaves.

Before she can regain her composure, she spots Rag-and-Bones scuttling through a hallway. In her frustration, she can’t help making a flippant remark:

"Sure you’re not off to end the world again, dearie?" she calls after him with a dry chuckle. Then, with an impish glint in her eyes, she continues under her breath, "You know, this old shrub might have overheard more than she lets on, Mr. End-of-Days."

Yola immediately claps a leafy hand over her mouth, realizing she’s just blurted out that she’s aware of Rag-and-Bones’ plan—knowledge no one expected her to have. She forces a wobbly smile, turning back to her ruined petals.

"Oh, pay me no mind, dear," she says, half to herself, half to the skeleton, "I’m just a helpless old bush… ."

But as she looks at the misshapen petals, she realizes there's a curious beauty to them. "You know? These will work out just fine as they are. There's something special about memorializing all types of petals." She spends the next hour completing Gertrude's gift and then slowly ambles her way to the Piano Room.

The Ptisilith can't seem to get control of its emotions and think up a solution to this gift problem. And now the party will be starting at any moment! No, this cannot be. I must... I must... it thinks to itself as it slowly hovers into the Piano room before falling inertly to the floor. It remains on the floor with a carboard sun and Junior Pilot golden medal pinned to it and doesn't respond to anyone during the party. The best solution for this problem is to go away for a bit and come back later, once everything is over. Yes.

Gertrude makes it back inside in time to see Yola's foliage disappearing through a doorway. Aha! She rushes after the plant lady, opening the door to the piano room and--

"SURPRISE!"

The Bed & Breakfast's other residents are all here, along with a gaggle of guests. The piano room is fully decorated and Robin's cake sits proudly on the central table. Gertrude blanches behind her mask. She's too late.

"Oh, a surprise party for me? You shouldn't have. You really shouldn't have..."

Amelie is able to read the expression. Their response is, "Perhaps not, Gertrude, but we did. And I had prepared this gift in advance in anticipation that a birthday celebration was inevitable.

"Would you like to open it?"

They offer Gertrude their gift.

Gertrude opens Amelie’s gift and regard the framed photo. Her mask hides her smile. "Oh. This is actually very thoughtful, Amelie. Thank you!" She gives the maid a hug.

Maybe this party will manage to be tolerable after all...

"Ooh! Ooh! We’re skipping straight to gift-giving? YES!"

They hold out their gift for Gert!Wren seems a bit nervous. Or eager. Or something…