Lewis
The night was almost complete. 

It was immediately after dinner, and Uriel had almost finished preparing their shared dorm room with decorations. For the past couple of weeks, they'd been observing Margo's schedule (surprisingly stable, considering how... Unstable she was), and they'd planned out the perfect time to finally set up her decorations: after dinner.

Uriel inflated another balloon, and took a step back to admire the room in all of its glory. They'd done extensive research on how one would normally decorate a friend's room, unsure of their own past experience in the subject. They settled on streamers, a cheesy banner on the door, and a couple of balloon floating lifelessly around the popcorn ceiling.

Uriel sucked in a deep breath, arms wrapped protectively around their present. It was almost time for Margo to come home, and their heart was hammering in their chest in a way they'd never experienced. Would she react well to the surprise? Only time would tell, and Time told Uriel to stare laser-focused on the unmoving door handle.
Richard
◇ Admittedly, Uri had had a lot of time to decorate the room and prepare their gift.

□ Margo had been rather busy in town since it had became socially recommendable to head down. A peaceful morning in one of the parks, a spa treatment, a massage... A hair trim. She'd been treating herself for most of her special day, so much so that she'd barely even gave the Cradle – nor her friends – much thought, at least until she finally hopped on the bus with a charcuterie board tightly packaged and held in her shelf-bent arms like a load of wood.

▪︎ Admittedly, she'd also missed quite a few texts, so she fired off a few on the way back, and one more to Vi after she finally got back to her room. She turned the knob with just a bit of awkward pawing.

◆ "Looks like someone's been busy." Margo passively commented, swinging herself in and shutting the door with her hip. "Looks nice, man... I got a charcuterie board while I was out."
Lewis
A couple of slow blinks. Margo takes a couple of steps into the room, looking around for a good amount of seconds before they pull a streamer and spray confetti over the room. 

"Oh, um... Surprise!" They say, *Very, very late* To the mark. 

Oh well. 

They're holding a wrapped gift in their hands, nervously fidgeting with the corners of the mystery object as they watch Margo's reaction to the 'surprise'.

"A charcuterie board?" Uriel wonders, curious voice tinted with optimistic excitement. "How refined. A nice birthday treat, I must admit." 

Charcuterie... It'd been a long time since they'd let themselves indulge in such a thing. Coming from France, Uriel felt an odd sense of pride at Margo's choice of meal, a small laugh bubbling from their chest.
Richard
◆ "You should've seen the supper I just treated myself to before I picked this up, then." Margo spoke with a faint hint of amusement and a touch of pride. "It wasn't that much, since I wanted to save my appetite for this board, but... I got myself a can of actual great caviar; like, directly from the sturgeon's gut. Fuck it was good... Apparently the producer's local too."

□ As she spoke Margo came around the couch and set the board down, a splendid array of cheeses, nuts, berries, fruits both dried fresh and pickled, and even some extravagant options, such as artisanal honey, rugbrød, and caviar in its own little vegetal nest. Next came a hand under the couch, which produced with it a bottle of Beefeater, and after she set it down on the table as well she took a seat on the armrest of the couch and looked up at their sleepy roommate.

▪︎ She figured she couldn't leave them hanging too long.

◆ "So, see you got me something." She commented after a moment of picking the words out. "Thanks, man. I... Kinda wasn't expecting to get any gifts over here. Well, gifts aside from the check my mom sent me... That's nice of her. Also feel free to pick away at the board, I mostly bought it for us; and for Vi too, I'll admit." A nervous chuckle came along with the words. "She's coming over later – I believe I told you? - and I figure she might like some snacks."
Lewis
Uriel stares in awe at the platter of food laid out on the table, more preoccupied with viewing the meal as a work of art than as sustenance. 

"Of course people here would get you gifts." Uriel insists, looking at Margo with a look of surprise. "You're *Margo*." 

It's said as a matter of fact, as clearly as stating that the earth was round or the sky was blue. Margo was *Margo,* A friend, of course she'd get a gift for her birthday. 

"I... Don't have a lot of money, so I did my best to compensate." Uriel sheepishly admits, handing the gift over towards Margo's awaiting hands. 

It's a small booklet, emblazoned with a cursive *For Margo* On the cover and bound with a couple of rough parchment pages. On each page is a pressed magnolia flower, all slightly different in subtle ways. Some a pale pink, others a cream white, some tinier and some barely confined within the pages of the little booklet. 

Their eyes dart between the book and Margo's face, nervously awaiting her reaction. "Oh, ah, Violetta is coming over?" The silent space gets to Uriel, and they instinctively latch on to the last topic mentioned. 

"How wonderful," They tack on, gloved hands nervously picking at their poncho. "I'm sure she'll be great company."
Richard
◆ "What, am I an institution?" She laughed. "But, yeah, gotcha... Now let's see what you got me."

□ A toothpick pinched betwixt the fingers of her left hand, she reached out with her right and took the booklet from Uri's timid hands. Looking it over, she noticed the embroidered touch of her name on the front, and as she opened it her eyebrows raised a touch. Silence permeated the room as she flipped through it, seeing the magnolia flowers change in tone or shape slightly with each pressed sheet, and though she didn't show much aside from the eyebrow raise she could be seen looking through it back-to-back before looking up at Uri with an expression split between amazement and surprise.

▪︎ Where did she even begin...?

◆ "Fuck, man, this is... Pretty heartfelt. Magnolia flowers because of my Intranet handle and nightly magnolia tea habit, huh?" She spoke, words doubling over each other as she gently closed the booklet and set it on the board, next to a small pile of pistachios. With that, she'd wordlessly stand up and pull Uri into a rare hug, surprisingly gentle for such a strong, bull headed girl. "I love it, Uri, thanks. I... Might not show it that well, but it means a lot to me. Anyways, yeah, I invited Vi over the other day, she should be here around 7:30... Planning on having a few drinks with her and just being young for once, you know?"

● "Also, shit, don't just admire the board, dig in! I bought it for the three of us, after all."
Lewis
They're a fair bit taller than Margo, but they tuck their head into her shoulder at the hug irregardless, arms wrapping around her waist before pulling away. 

"You show your emotions in your own way, Margo. Don't apologize for it." They smile. "And... I understood the sentiment well enough, too." 

The gift worked— a weight of nervousness and anxiety lifts off their shoulders, and they visibly relax. Their second birthday gift to a friend, an official success. 

Uriel takes a small scoop of soft cheese on a cracker, nibbling at the edges. A small noise of approval, and their eyes light up. 

"This is— delicious! I didn't know you could acquire such things in Sweden, of all places. I'm sure Violetta will appreciate it." 

At the mention of Vi though, Uriel gets a... Peculiar look, their usual distant expression replaced by something *Smug* And *Knowing.* 

"Ah, Violetta will be here at 7:30. I assume you'll want to be... *Left alone*, then." The corner of their mouth twitches into a smile, and they hide a chuckle behind their hand. Is that a wink, too?
Richard
◆ "Guess so."

□ Letting go, she sat back down, fixing herself a little bite – a fancy cracker, some firm cheese, and a softer cured meat – and popping it into her mouth. Chewing, she watched as Uri nabbed their own bite, and a touch of pride welled up inside as they made their approval known. She knew firsthand how great charcuterie boards could be, given all the haughty parties she'd been dragged to by her father as a kid with the family, but she'd never actually had the chance to *Pick* Her own offerings.

▪︎ Needless to say, she'd been just a touch nervous that neither Uri nor Vi would have liked what she picked.

◆ "You'd be surprised." She casually spoke, plucking a slice of lemon from the mixed citrus pile – a self-indulgent pick – and biting into it. Good thing, as the whiplash of her generally modest roommate making those sorts of comments hit her. Her face flushed red; "Yeah, you know it." She sheepishly laughed, muttering it from behind a lemon peel held to her lips by the leftover flesh she was sucking the last drops of juice from. "Also, not gonna lie, seeing you wink nearly made me fucking choke. *Almost,* Not quite. But, yeah, maybe go pester Owen? I'm sure he'd like your company, man."
Lewis
"Really? My brashness had that effect on you?" Uriel thinks to themselves, a fond smile on their face. 

"Ah, well— I can't overdo it, or people will start to catch on. I'll keep it as a secret weapon in case of emergencies." 

Another laugh. Being around Margo was decidedly *Easy*, like being around a sister would be. The pressure Uriel felt around other people, the wires in the air ready to be triggered at the slightest social misstep seemed to dissolve when around their roommate. She understood them, and it made something warm creep up in their chest. 

"I'll most likely go to Owen's place once you want me to leave. His room is the only other place I feel comfortable sleeping in, and... " Another smug look. "I'll make an educated guess and say she's staying the night." 

It took a couple of seconds for the parallel between them staying at Owen's place and Violetta staying over here to register within Uriel's brain, but when it did— Margo sees a mental Control Alt F4 reboot their brain as Uriel splutters to their own defense, oddly reminiscent of a startled cat. 

"Not that I'll be staying at his place like Violetta stays here. Just a sleepover. You've seen those in books too, *Non*? Friends do that." They reiterate their findings about friendship to Margo, clearly pointing out the sources as to why their two sleepovers were *Not* The same type of sleepover.
Richard
◆ "Everyone's got their secret weapons, I guess." Margo shrugged, an amused undercurrent to her voice. "And man, yours is fucking *Potent.* Something about going from... Mormon to Whoremon causes Biblical levels of whiplash."

□ Laughing, she leaned back into the couch, able to read the ease and comfort with which Uri approached their every convo simply by the subtle changes of their placid expression. It was nice, honestly, to have someone so close to the role Holly and Benjamin had played in her life growing up; that close, easy-going, natural conversations, without any troubles. Picking an olive and some gorgonzola from the board, she scraped the bite off and nodded as Uri spoke, registering the reboot that happened mid-sentence as they spoke about staying at Owen's dorm.

▪︎ A stifled laugh followed.

◆ "What, you think I'm trying to go all the way? I can barely lay in the same damn bed as her without feeling like a whore." Margo chuckled, admitting an insecurity with barely any hesitation. "We're probably just going to watch season two of The Owl House, and then whatever she wants to watch. Nothing too terrible, but... Hey, it's the intimacy, the cuddles and conversations that count." She continued, bouncing her leg lightly. "Tell Owen I said hey when you go, huh? I'm sure it'll just be a sleepover; I don't doubt it, knowing the way you and him try your damn hardest to eschew labels and shit."
Lewis
"Whoremon...? Thinking you and Vi will—?" 

The reaction is immediate, even for Uriel. Their face goes bright red, and they lob the nearest pillow weakly at Margo's face, eyes closed shut with embarrassment. 

"I—I didn't mean it like *That,*!" They squeak, looking at Margo, then the door, then Margo again. 

"And— *Whore?* Me? You—" Another squeeze of their eyes, and Uriel steps over to exit the room. 

"I would hate to be here when Violetta arrives, so I'll go bother Owen now, but... Thank you for the food, Margo, and I hope the rest of your night goes well." *And I'm happy you liked my gift.* It's said surprisingly earnestly as they hover in the door frame, despite the deep scarlet color of their neck barely poking out from their violet poncho. 

One last happy birthday in French, and they exit the room, ready to imprint themselves on a *Different* Redhead.
Richard
◆ "Well, fuck, man!" Instincts took over, and Margo dodged the pillow the best she could. Sadly, though, her best was still questionable at best, and a sizable patch smacked her in the head. "What else am I supposed to say? You caught me off-guard, I think it's fair to fire back, no?"

□ Laughing, she watched as Uri shrank in their sweater, at ends jovial and bashful. Part of her felt bad, but this entire interaction had been surprisingly zippy and lively, less library hum and more wild night out in the 'burbs, and it was enough of its constituent parts to alleviate any guilt she felt. Leaning back, she nodded as Uri gathered their things and made their way to the door, clarifying that they'd be at Owen's, thus giving her and Vi all the space they could ever want.

▪︎ She cleared her throat.

◆ "No worries, man, and once again, thanks for the gift. Fuckin' cool of you." She called out, head turned just enough to face Uri from the couch. "And merci, Uri. See ya."