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[mistsplitter]

white heron.
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[mistsplitter]

Thank you, Ayato. Please accept this present I have prepared for you too.

[ He shouldn't have! But this is one of those rare moments where she does want to be spoiled by her brother. It is her birthday, after all! A once-a-year occasion that is best spent with family and loved ones. Ayaka doesn't think she could ever celebrate a day like this without seeing him or talking to him.

She takes the bag and the box and places both on her lap. It's got some weight to it! And before taking a peek inside, she offers Ayato the box of mochi she's prepared for him! He'll have to slide the inner box out, instead of pulling the lid off, or something. Inside are two pieces of Snow on the Hearth, delicately crafted by his sister! Ayato will also find a small envelope, about the size of his palm. Inside is a short letter of appreciation.

It reads:
To my dearest Ayato,

Another year has passed! It is with your support and your guidance that I am who I am today. Thank you for being an amazing brother, Ayato.

I also understand that there are still many opportunities to mature and improve. I promise to become someone who can truly support you and share the weight you carry, not just with matters in the Yashiro Commission, but also as your sister. My birthday wish this year is to achieve that.

I hope you will accept this present, even though it is my birthday. It is a symbol of my promise to you, my dear brother, and to mother and father.

Ayaka

As for her own presents from her brother? She peeks into the bag first and sees the seeds and the note that comes with it. ]

Oh! I've seen these in the botanical garden! [ Flowers!!! ^_^ ] I didn't know they were edible... I'll have to look for recipes where I could add these.

[acquirement]

{ ayaka really is a lot more considerate by the year. a warm smile forms on his lips as he reads the letter, proud and full of admiration for how she's already grown before he eyes. }

Of course. Given the weather situation here, we should be able to build something in the garden to help them grow. I've already asked Cloud and Thoma to help.

And... thank you, Ayaka. I'll enjoy these later today.

AND BECAUSE I FORGOT GASDGSD

[mistsplitter]

Oh! And there is one more thing... I asked Thoma to teach me how to sew, and I made this!

[ This next present is not in a box. She picks it up, revealing a grey and red scarf, before moving around Ayato to place it around his neck. ]

I asked Thoma to keep this secret from you, hehe. I hope he succeeded.

[ Ayato wears a lot of blue already, so Ayaka opted for a little bit of red, since it's Thoma's colour.

Now that she's done giving him his presents, she sits back down to check the box!! Somehow, he wasn't expecting Ayato of all people to give her jewellery. It's a very pleasant surprise, and she can't decide which to try first. ]

These are so beautiful, Ayato! [ And both would look quite good with her outfit on right now, too. ] Would you excuse me a moment? I'd like to try them on.

sDGSDKGK I DID TOO....

[acquirement]

{ considering how surprised he is when she pulls out the scarf and moves to wrap it around his neck, she can likely guess thoma did his part. it's warm, just like his sister's heart. }

Thank you. You've done a wonderful job. I see you took it to heart when I said he would be good to learn from. { that was about being a wife-- }

But of course, please go ahead.

{ he can patiently wait while she decides which she wants to wear today. in the meantime he's just going to cozy into the scarf she's given him. }

[mistsplitter]

I still have much to learn! He said he learned some things from mother, too.

[ So she's learning from Kayo in a way, Ayato!! :D That's amazing af.

In any case, she excuses herself and heads back to her room to play dress up. She's already ready for the day, but with minimal to no accessories, save for a simple choker. She tries on each set, but settles with the sakura jewellery for today.

It doesn't take her long to try the sets on, so she's back by Ayato's side in five minutes or so. ]

What do you think?

[acquirement]

Oh? Did he now? Then you're truly in good hands.

{ not that he thought otherwise, but ayaka, of course, would be happier about that. she had clung to their mother, after all.

but he'll wait quietly as she tries the earrings on, looking at her for a long moment before a warm smile spreads over his face. }

Beautiful. I suppose the earrings are as well.

[mistsplitter]

[ She nods a couple of times at that. She is in good hands, thank you! Thoma is a great teacher, and she's excited to learn more from him. One of these days, she'll make Ayato yet another thing to use to show her progress! ]

Hehe... [ You're too kind, Ayato. Her cheeks redden a little from that. ] Thank you for your present, Ayato. I'll treasure them all.

[ She'll take good care of them!! And she hopes she can bring those back to Inazuma when they eventually return. ]

Where are we going today?

[acquirement]

{ he would treasure any gift she made for him. to the point he may even consider a display cabinet for them if there end up being enough. for now though, he'll keep wearing the scarf. they'll need it for one of the places he's taking her to anyway. }

First, we should go for breakfast. Sadly the bakery is more of a place to do take out, but I did find a quaint café for us to try.

{ he'll start moving to the door once they're both ready, fully prepared to get going. as for the rest... well they can take it one step at a time. }

If we don't finish them all today I'll take another day off when you're free so we can try more of them then.

[mistsplitter]

Do you think we might not be able to?

[ She's already excited for what they'll be doing today, but now she can't help but be even more so! There must be so much Ayato has planned, and she's so eager to do them all. ]

Let us do our best. And there needn't be an occasion for us to do anything together.

[acquirement]

I may have gone a little overboard, actually.

{ he'll clear his throat. }

After all, it's been a long time since I've been able to take time off to actually cherish your birthday with you.

[mistsplitter]

[ Oh! Ayato truly is sweet. This is why he is the best big brother ever. (Not that she has any other brothers... unless you count Thoma, I guess.) ]

Then... I hereby declare that I will be celebrating my birthday the entire month.

[ Now they have all the time in the world for everything Ayato wants to do!! ]

[acquirement]

{ thoma is her brother-in-law wait-

but as he opens the door for her to leave first, a small soft laugh slips out at her declaration. definitely endeared by it. }

My dearest sister, we may need to sell the house if we celebrated it the entire month.

{ with both of them out he'll lock up behind them, and hold out his arm for ayaka to hold onto if she'd like. }

Our first stop is still rather close, but we'll have to travel to other places after.

[mistsplitter]

[ She's laughing as she steps out. ]

We would not! We need not spend too much! Though it does mean that you will have to come home right away after work, because you have a celebration to attend.

[ And because she has declared it is her birthday the entire month, Ayato must comply. :D Just as planned.

Rather than hook her arm around Ayato's, she does pull on his arm to bring it down. They're going to hold hands whether he likes it or not. >:c ]

Please lead the way then, Ayato.

[acquirement]

{ honestly he just held out his arm so she could choose what she wanted, his hand gives hers a gentle squeeze at the contact. }

Does that mean you'd like to have cake every day?

{ but with her hand in his, he'll lead them down the path and out the gate into sunwaning. it will get a bit warmer as they walk as he leads her to the summer half of the district, leading her to a small yet cozy cafe that serves breakfast like theirs from home but a selection of fontainian style breakfasts as well.

hopefully she doesn't linger on the pricing on the menu too long, as it's definitely a High End kind of cafe. once they're inside he gives their surname as a reservation, and the waiter leads them to a table by the window. }

Please feel free to order whatever you'd like. We'll have a bit of a walk after this to get to our next destination, and you'll need the energy.

[mistsplitter]

[ Ayaka actually gives that a bit of thought. In the end, ]

Mm... maybe not. That would be unhealthy.

[ When they get into the cafe and take their seats though, Ayaka looks around first to take in the ambiance before checking the menu. It's a rather fancy place, isn't it? So different from the ones she's been to before...

Has Ayato taken Thoma on a date here, she wonders? ]

Then... we'll have to eat something a bit filling, won't we? [ There are so many things to choose from! Ayaka doesn't blink too much at the prices, but she does remember to control herself from ordering just about everything she's never had before. So... ] What about this... "croque madame"?

[ Huh. Did she say that right? In any case, she wants that. ]

And maybe a salad, too.

[acquirement]

{ unhealthy like the ungodly amount of boba tea he drinks, you mean? }

We will. Though I will admit I haven't tried most of the menu before, that does sound quite delicious. I think I will try the "Apfelradln". { he's likely butchering the name too, it's fine. }

I may start with the "Farmer's breakfast" and then take the Apfelradln with us while we walk.

[mistsplitter]

I'll have to see the menu again later. I'd like to choose something to take with me, as well.

[ But she's fine with her choices for now! It might be too filling that she has no appetite for later, but dessert is always nice! If they have gelato, she can eat that as they head to the other place. ]

Would you like to share a pot of tea to drink? You can be the one to choose, if so.

[acquirement]

Of course, you can have anything you'd like.

{ she is truly being treated like the princess she is today. }

And Ayaka, it's your birthday. Please choose the tea you'd like the most, I'm more than happy to have the same.

[mistsplitter]

But it is my choice to let you choose.

[ Her brother is so stubborn... She would puff her cheeks if they were at home, but since they are in public, she does not. ]

Let's have some Earl Grey tea, then. You must chose next time.

[acquirement]

{ he is incredibly stubborn, and she should know that better than anyone else, really. }

Earl Grey sounds wonderful. { with them sorted for their choices, he'll make the order by calling a staff member over, going through their list one by one to double check he got everything. ayaka can probably also notice he doesn't respond to the 'you must choose next time' as well, avoiding saying anything about it. }

Would you like me to tell you about the next activity on the list?

[mistsplitter]

[ SO STUBBORN!!! flicks his nose ]

Yes, please! I had been meaning to ask, but I wasn't sure if it would be a surprise or not.

[ See how much she trusts you won't pull anything crazy today, Ayato? Ayaka is fully expecting no haunted house-related shenanigans today that she's leaving it all up to you. ]

[acquirement]

{ please, her birthday is full of cute cozy things. }

I thought we could begin with a visit to an aquarium of sorts. They have a large selection of sea creatures that were saved before the darkness spread. There may be some we can see that we haven't seen before. I thought it would be quite peaceful.

[mistsplitter]

Oh, that sounds exciting!

[ Ayaka and Cloud had gone to an aquarium in Nippon before. It was a fun date! And they tried not to eat sushi at the restaurant, but they ate sushi anyway despite all the fishies they saw... ]

Will there be a show, as well? I went to one with Cloud before, and there was a cute "sealion" who did tricks for us.

[acquirement]

Oh, I believe so? There were certain times listed for each activity they have on offer. I thought in this case after we've just eaten it won't be too difficult for digestion.

{ honestly since fish is such a big staple in inazuma, it'd be hard to give up... }

[mistsplitter]

I'm so glad!

[ There must be other activities scheduled, then. Ayaka can't even begin to guess what else there could be, but she is looking forward to them all! ]

I am assuming there are creatures that are native to this world in the aquarium, as well. Have you ever gone there before?