Gundham knew that Sonia's birthday was today, and he had spent no small amount of time fussing over what kind of gifts that she would like. He had to get her something. After all, she was one of the few people at school that treated him with kindness, although there were certain other motivations at play. Like his feelings for her. He'd been working at a vet's part time after school, all so he could save to get her something, since his family didn't have much money.
As the school bell rang, and the others cleared out of the classroom, he called out to stop her. "Ah my Dark Queen! If I may but request a moment of your time." The Dark Lord cleared his throat, suddenly feeling jittery and awkward. He'd never gifted someone something before.
"It is your day of birth, is it not? Friday the 13th... Kehehe how befitting for one such as you." He pulled out a decently sized golden hamster plush from his jacket, that looked similar to Cham-P. "I.. have something for you. A replica of Invading Black Dragon Cham-P. He will watch over you and protect you from the unseen calamity that threatens us all."
He lingered for a moment longer, his cheeks tinged red. He had one last thing to give her after all, but he was trying to work up the courage. "One final piece for you.." He pulled out a small wrapped box. Inside was a beautiful silver necklace with a diamond encrusted crescent moon and star pendent.
"Beware, this is actually a cursed artifact! Any other that would touch it would meet an untimely demise! However, your special abilities will protect you. I believe you would enjoy an occult piece such as this." He couldn't seem to make eye contact. "If you do not wish to accept it, I understand. My evil eye will be able to keep the curse at bay for some time! Whatever the case, I do hope you enjoy this special day. Fuhahaha!" Despite the grandiose words, he was feeling very flustered, certain she wouldn't want jewelry from him. Such trinkets were usually exchanged by significant others... and despite his insistence that it was an occult object, it really was just a normal necklace.
Sonia's Birthday Asks 2023 - No Longer Accepting (unless you have spoken with me already about a delay!)
It was one of her more unusual birthdays. To be fair, it was perhaps the first one spent overseas. On her actual day of birth, Sonia Nevermind's plans included breakfast in the cafeteria, attending class, and finishing the very last of her packing before taking a night flight home on the jet. Her assistant, the beacon of kindness that she was, had at least arranged with the security and flight staff for the Princess of Novoselic to be served a piece of her favorite chocolate cake in the air, a secret that would be kept from her parents before landing. With a few days until the annual masquerade ball and plenty of ceremonies and appearances before then, the last thing anyone needed was for the Queen of Novoselic to throw a fit that her daughter's gown did not fit her.
That, and a few horror movies streamed from the comfort of her seat or the queen-sized bed in the back of the plane. Even if she wasn't having a real, normal birthday party, she could still celebrate in her own way.
Her schedule did not, at any point, involve Gundham calling out to her as she got up to leave the classroom. That was something she hadn't planned for, from the genuine surprised look that she hoped masked the panic in her eyes. Despite the fact she adored his company and preferred it over all others (something she kept a secret, if only to not make their friendship awkward), she hardly knew what to say most of the time. Or at least, not until she went over it in her mind to ensure it didn't sound naive or silly: she was well aware that plenty of Hope's Peak students considered her to be uninformed, sheltered, or just stupid to the ways of the world, due to her upbringing and tendency to mix up common phrases. It was why she wanted to take care with her words yet be genuine towards him. It wasn't hard to be open-minded and friendly to Gundham Tanaka: he so often spoke of grand occult rituals, powerful gods, and of course, the variety of feathered, scaled, and furry friends in his care, who often showed up to class (to Sonia's delight. She never minded a bear sitting at its own miniscule desk, it was very well-behaved).Ā
"Y-yes it is!" She half-affirmed, half-squeaked through her smile. Friday the 13th, whether it was due to pure superstition or one of her favorite film franchises, was meant to be dark and foreboding. Sonia was, at present, neither of these things, as she tried not to look too long at his multi-colored eyes or his carefully bandaged hands that had just disappeared into his jacket. Surely he'd notice, she thought, and he only meant to wish her a happy birthday. Thankfully, she was pleasantly distracted from inappropriate thoughts with a soft plush placed in her hands, made to resemble Cham-P's orange, fuzzy image, complete with chubby cheeks and loving, beady eyes.Ā
"Oh! It truly is Cham-P, how delightful!" Sonia exclaimed, bringing the small toy up to her face, just as she would the real hamster, and brushed her cheek against its fur. "I feel very much protected already before my journey. He shall keep me safe and in good company during my travels." And after the travels in particular, when she had to set herself on a shelf to be the princess everyone required and expected her to be. It was more challenging every time she went home, now that she'd had a taste of what a normal life was like. What real friends were like. And then...well, what Gundham was like. He was in a place in her heart all his own, one that beat a little faster as he produced a second, smaller gift.Ā
She might have been sheltered in the ways of navigating a grocery store or using a washing machine (to the point her clothes were now always sent out for cleaning), but Sonia was not so naive to misunderstand what sort of gift could possibly lay within a velvet box. Her breath hitched in her throat as, shifting the weight of the plush to one arm, she opened it with her free hand. It was delicate, beautiful, and according to Gundham, a cursed artifact destined to protect her. He couldn't look her in the eyes for some reason, but if he'd had, he would've seen the soft smile that spread over her lips. Different from the bright and cheerful expression she showed everyone, this one, warm and wistful and wanting, was one she reserved for him. Only for him, though often only when she was alone and couldn't be caught dreaming. But there, in the empty classroom, she couldn't stop herself as she turned over the small pendant in her hand.
"It is perfect, I love it," She breathed, tracing over the tiny crescent moon. With a pink flush spreading over her cheeks, she raised her own, shy gaze to Gundham again. Swallowing, she had one chance to reenact the sort of scene she'd always watched in dramas but never had the opportunity to happen in real life. At least, not with anyone she wanted. "It is just...it is just that my hands are rather occupied by the protective powers of Cham-P, and I would very much like to wear this today, right now. Could you please assist me with putting it on?"
Setting the necklace back in the box and placing the box into his hand, she took a deep breath and moved her hair to one side, letting it fall over a single shoulder to expose the back of her neck. "Thank you, Tanaka-san. I will treasure it dearly. It will be a great comfort while I am at home. I wish I could have invited you to the seasonal festivities, but, my family...well, they insisted that this was an important royal event and I needed to give my duties my full attention."
In short: so Princess Sonia of Novoselic wouldn't eschew her royal ball duties for the solitary goal of asking Gundham Tanaka to dance with her. She certainly spoke of him enough at home and the staff, much to Sonia's dismay, couldn't keep her crush a secret. Within the castle walls, at least.
