birthday [★] by the sea

[Keona.]

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keona sibéal ní faoláin.
the typhoon.
the blind dealer.
information.

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[div style="width: 360px; font-family: palatino; color: #2a4971; text-align: left; padding-top: 15px; padding-left: 10px; letter-spacing: 2px;"]Idir brí is idir muir, Tá mé i dtiúin

Little paws pressed into the sand.  Just where the waves kissed the sand.  Letting the water gently pass of her fur.  Listening to the rhythm of the ocean as the sun crept above the horizon. 

January thirtieth.  Three years of life.

Truthfully, the day might have been forgotten.  Passed by.  The tiny wildcat cared little for glorification.  Idle attention.  So, it was the anniversary of the day she was born...  Why was that... Important to anyone?  It was hardly an accomplishment worthy of distraction.  She hadn't even been born on the island... Born on a pirate ship rocking in the ocean...

She encouraged a wave to go backwards a little further, before letting it wash over her paws once more, a soft hum of thought building in her throat as she interrupted the ocean's rhythm.  Her father was sentimental.  Dotted on her.  Birthdays were just the thing he would spend the day smiling about...

She could manage...  For him.  When the day grew inevitably noisy.

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© MADI

[michael t.]

YOU NEVER GAVE UP ON ME; WHY DON'T YOU?
I'LL NEVER KNOW WHAT YOU SEE; WHY WON'T YOU?

When Michael had initially heard about Keona's birthday from Kian, he had been a bit hesitant to try and get her anything. Not because he didn't like his fellow dealer – in fact, he respected her and enjoyed her company quite a bit – but mainly because he didn't know what to get her. Keo had never really seemed like the type to be too interested in material goods, something that was in stark contrast to the bobcat's own nature. However, with a little bit of extra thought, Michael thought that he was able to figure out a gift that bridged the gap between his own specialities and Keona's tastes. Of course, that was with a little help from Kian, since the thief on his own didn't know anything like Keona's favorite flower.

Thankfully, it didn't take too long for Michael to actually get the gift prepared. While it was a bit of a pain adjusting a bracelet to actually fit to the size of Keona's small legs, the bobcat had experience with altering jewelry, so it was relatively painless. He then brought the gift – a very subtle and plain silver bracelet with a charm bearing the initial K – towards where Keona sat on the shore. His gift was wrapped up in a simple and small box, mainly for the benefit of not letting it fall into the sand, considering it wasn't as if Keo could peek at what it was. Once Michael was near where his fellow dealer was sat, he placed the little box down next to her, muttering softly, "Hey, Keona... I'm sure you don't wanna make a huge deal out of your birthday, but I did get you something. Seemed like the proper thing to do. I know you can't... you know, see it, but... I think you'll appreciate it anyways. And the smell... er, I know that sounds weird now, but... it'll make sense once you open it, I promise." Working with tiny ilima flowers in order to make sure the bracelet smelled like them was a bit of a hassle, but it wasn't so bad. He was at least lucky enough that The Typhoon lived so near to the ocean, so they weren't too terribly hard to find.

— Reggan

[bubblegum]

DEAR FRIEND as you know,  your flowers are withering
your mother's gone insane, your leaves have drifted away.
    but the clouds are clearing up
        and i've come reveling, burning incandescently,
                                              like a bastard on the burning sea.

YOU'RE JUST LIKE YOUR FATHER,
BURIED DEEP UNDER THE WATER.

Three years in a row, the former captain's birthday had been missed. This year, she'd tried some semblance of a small celebration, when she'd been forced to stay in Tanglewood to heal. But, it hadn't really felt like much of a celebration in the end. Not that she had ever disliked their ally or being in their company, she had appreciated their help, but things were different. She hadn't been home since they'd ripped her leg, thrown her in the bunker to die, watched her fellow leaders be executed in front of her, and finally when it'd came to her turn, he'd fled and thrown her back underground with no means of escape until her family could find a way to her. She was beaten in every sense of the word, and there was only so much more she could push. She couldn't truly celebrate, not in good faith, until she'd known her home was safe once more. And finally, they'd done it, they'd won. Maybe then could be a celebration, a cheer for their victories, joy in that the female's hunt for the snake, two years in the making, had finally come to a close. But it didn't turn out that way, still.

Had she known it was Keona's birthday, perhaps she would have gotten something for the other. They'd known each other since they were both incredibly young, being almost the same age and being around the same times. They'd grown up together, in a way. But, the tigress hadn't known - not until the day of, that it was her birthday, and even so, she had none of the memories of them growing up together anymore. All she had was the sight of a small, blind feline, trying her best. Presenting herself how she needed, being strong, with them, for all of them. She wasn't sure what she liked, she'd hardly even gotten the chance to have a proper conversation with her. Not to mention...anything Goldie truly held to her name, they were all stored in rooms she did not have the capacity to even attempt to enter yet. She had nothing to offer, in the end, except for a small visit.

The tigress would approach after Michael quietly, looking over the gift he'd gotten her curiously. Her ears perked forward, she'd offer a nod to them both, not that Keona would necessarily see the gesture. "Ah, happy birthday, miss Keona." The female would offer in a friendly, but cautious tone. She wasn't sure what the other made of her since everything, but she'd hoped they could be on good terms, since she'd seemed to be a good person.