Itâs been a hot minute since Iâve added anything to Loru, but Iâve FINALLY finished her birthday fic! Yay! My bird girl is 18 now! The only warning for this I guess is Implied Violence, 2900 words. Borrowed Theo and Kore from @girl-in-the-tower and Scarlet from @rikanoctrix since I want to try and add more OCs into Yoru canon going forward.
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âNeee Fugu-chanâ Floyd grumbled, having kicked his way unceremoniously into Yoruâs room
âFloyd itâs too early for you to be this loud, what do you want?â She mumbled, not bothering to pull herself up from her mattress where she way laying face down
âI wanted to be the first person to wish you a h----aaappy birthdayâ he said, stifling a yawn
âYouâre too late for the birthday thing, sounds like you came for a napâ
âThat tooâ he said casually, throwing his uniform jacket toward her desk chair. It missed and landed in a pile on the floor. He jumped over Yoru and bounced slightly when he hit the mattress. She shoved one of her pillows at him, opening her eyes the tiniest amount.
âIts only 9 though, who already said happy birthday?â he whined, clutching the pillow to his chest to look at her. She blinked slowly at him before responding.Â
âOrtho at exactly midnight, Idia at like 6 this morning when we realized the time, and my dad when I got home. If you wanna nap do it quietly, I just got to bedâ she turned away from him and buried her head in her pillow again.Â
âHave any big birthday plans?â he asked, looking over the edge of his pillow. She rolled back to glare at him
âDinner later with my dad and some staff. Thatâs it. No you canât come. Itâs not a party. Good nightâ she said bluntly, shoving her face back into her pillow.
âNight Fugu-chan!â Floyd murmured, curling up on the other side of the bed.
It was already dark when she woke up, she could smell dinner being cooked from downstairs and hoped that Crowley had at least asked some of the cafeteria ghosts to cook instead of trying to cook it himself. Heâd tried to bake her birthday cake 2 years ago and almost set the house on fire, he hadnât attempted cooking since. Yoru showered, threw some clothes on and made her way downstairs to the dining room.Â
âSURPRISE!â She was almost blown backwards by the noise and took a step back. The room was full of staff and the few friends sheâd managed to collect while haunting the grounds of NRC. Floyd grinned at her from behind Jade and Azul, Ortho was floating near the front of the table with a huge smile on his face with Idias tablet floating nearby, and the staff were all gathered around the room wherever theyâd fit. Sheâd never had a birthday where so many people came for dinner, and was taken a aback
âNeeee Fugu-Chan!â Floyd called âYou said I wasnât invited but I bet you never knew there was going to be a party for you!â He smirked at her, Jade chuckling softly beside him.Â
âUhhhh...what...is going on?â she asked, looking around the room at everyone, still shocked to see so many people. Crowley swooped down on her from across the room, draping his arm across her shoulders.Â
âOh my sweet daughter, I thought for your 18th birthday we should have a spectacular party for you with all of your friends and family!â he gestured around the room with his other arm. âEveryone is here to celebrate with you, so make sure to not run away!â He steered her deeper into the room, sitting her down at the head of the table laden with food. She awkwardly glanced around the room, was she supposed to say anything? Were there customs for this sort of thing? She sat in silence, fidgeting a little in her chair, hoping that someone else would say something to break the tension that had settled over the room.Â
âYoru-san! What sort of gifts did you ask for!?â Ortho chirped enthusiastically, flying a little off his seat. For Idias birthday the three of them had hidden away and played a few board games, what she wouldnât give to be repeating that experience right now.
âUmmm⊠nothing. I usually just get whatever I need throughout the year myself⊠I donât really know what I would ask forâ... She trailed off looking around the room once more, were they going to expect her to open presents? Was there even presents to open? Generally the teachers gave her new notebooks or reference books, but theyâd always just leave them for her on the table without ever having wrapped them. Yoru wasnât sure what else to say, and was worried sheâd be further interrogated about gifts; she started filling her plate, hoping that the food would at least act as a buffer for the pressure that was slowly spreading through the room. As she was piling her plate to tottering she noticed an unfamiliar face in the corner near professor Yule, she paused and stared at the girl wondering if theyâd met before and sheâd just forgotten. The girl smiled shyly at her and waved, Yoru was certain theyâd never actually met before, there weren't any other girls at NRC, and there wasnât any reason for a random girl from the village to be hereâŠ
âYoru, this is my daughter Koreâ Theo said to her with a slight nod âSheâs come to stay at NRC with me, though sheâll be living in Ramshackle dorm with Yuu for the time being. Iâm sure youâll get alongâ He smiled at her, knowing that it was unlikely. Yoru was, afterall, prickly and not very open to new friends and Kore herself could be difficult. Yoru grimaced and gave the girl a quick nod before turning back to the table, hoping that there werenât any more surprises planned for the evening. Theo let out a sigh of relief âhonestly I thought that was going to go way worseâ he chuckled a little looking at Kore. She had her face set and was looking towards Yoruâs back, fists tightened into balls, daring Yoru to say something about her lack of magic.Â
The night carried on, conversation flowing more easily once everyone started eating. Azul was trying to worm the recipes out of Crowley so he could co-opt them for the lounge, while Crowley was giving every excuse he could to not have to admit that it was the ghosts that had cooked and not him. As dinner wound down, Yoru started getting anxious again as she wasnât certain what was supposed to come next. Why did Crowley think it was a good idea to have her entertain a room full of people? Luckily everyone was entertaining themselves for the most part, so sheâd been able to have a muttered conversation with Idias tablet, making escape plans for as soon as she was able to sneak away.Â
âYoru-san! Me and Ni-san made you this, he said that it would help you out a lot!â Ortho cheered suddenly from the table. âN-Not so loud, Orthoâ The tablet groaned âSorry Ni-san! Look Yoru! Itâs a tablet like the one Ni-san has! He set it to easy mode cause he knows you suck!â Ortho beamed at her âWow Idia, real nice.â She said sarcastically âYou know what I meant! You suck with computers! I made this one idiot proof, just for you hehehehe, thereâs no way you can mess this one up!â Ortho thrust the tablet at her, where it floated near her head âOh this is weirdâ she said, looking sideways at it as it beeped quietly at her, even if it was set to be user friendly, she knew sheâd have to get Idias help setting it up later. Â
âYoru! My girl! Youâre 18 now! Congratulations!â Vargas boasted, throwing an arm around her shoulder. She suspected him and Theo may have had a few too many drinks, he was being more affectionate than normal, and Theo was actually smiling. She didnât blame him, having to deal with Crowley out of a professional setting could be draining. âYou canât turn 18 without a proper gift though! I brought you something!â He beamed at her, pulling the largest container of protein powder sheâd ever seen from out behind his back. She couldnât help but laugh a little, of course he would think protein powder was a good gift- not that he was wrong. Protein powder would be really useful for her to get back into shape, sheâd ended up losing a lot of weight over the winter and needed to gain it back... It had been a while since the two of them had done any training, she made a mental note to ask him to get back to sparring once her wings had fully grown back in and her mobility was back to 100%.Â
âVargas, isnât that a little⊠hmmmmâ Crewel had started, before sighing and shaking his head a little âNevermind, Yoru, I think this book of antidotes to rare poisons will come in handyâ He said, glaring at her. She knew that look too well, there would be hell to pay if she poisoned herself and needed his help recovering again. Sheâd hoped that maybe her New Years accident wouldnât have made it to Crewelâs ears, but Crowley was always a loudmouth so she suspected everyone in the room knew that sheâd almost died a mere 4 weeks before. âThanks Crewelâ she muttered, rifling through the pages.Â
âA book of antidotes, Crewel? How disappointingâ Theo scoffed, cutting Crewel off before he could respond to Yoru. Theyâd had a long standing rivalry and no way heâd let Crewel get another word in. âhere Yoru, this may be of some help. I found it on one of my expeditions.â He handed her a small compass with the needle spinning wildly âItâll point you to what you need most at any given timeâ He smiled at her, chuckling a little at the needle spinning dizzyingly fast. Yoru grinned, Theo always had the neatest stuff, she was glad to be given an artifact of her own, even if this one seemed to be broken. If it wasnât, it should be pointing towards the Ignihyde dorm, since at that moment she wanted nothing more than to be hiding away in Idias room in silence. She slid the compass in her pocket and glanced to the side toward Kore who was there holding out a cabbage. âI didnât know what to get you since weâve never met, but I think everyone has a use for cabbage so here!â she thrust it at yoru who grabbed it with both hands, a grin growing across her face. Cabbage. As a gift. âThis is great, I love cabbageâ She smiled, thinking it was probably all downhill from here, food was really hard to top as a gift, good job girl she had never met. As she turned to put the cabbage down, Azul cleared his throat gently from the table.Â
âAhhh Yoru-san! While weâre on gifts, weâre pleased to say weâve brought one for you as well!â He smiled at her and Floyd handed her a box. All three of the Octavinelle boys were smiling at her as she opened it, it was quite unnerving to be watched so closely by them. Inside was what she realized was her Mostro Lounge uniform. Azuls smile widened âIâm glad Professor Crewel was able to lend a hand to assist in the tailoring of it, it should fit perfectly for you to start work with us in the Lounge tomorrowâ. Yoru rolled her eyes at him. âOh yay, canât wait. What if it doesnât fit?â she asked. Crewel scoffed at her. âI tailored it, of course it will fit, there is no question.â She sighed, knowing he was right. Heâd been able to alter her high school uniform for her perfectly before she realized that Walpurga Nacht Academy had a strict âno alterations of any kindâ policy.Â
âHere Yoru-chan! You can use this to take orders in the Lounge!â Scarlet interrupted, beaming at her. Sheâd been the nurse at NRC longer than Yoru had been alive and was excited to be here celebrating her 18th birthday with everyone. She handed Yoru a shocking pink notebook with cartoon unicorns all over it, complete with a neon-holographic sticker sheet of cute and cuddly creatures. âYou can use it to take notes too! I know how much you write down, so I knew a notebook would be handy!â Her smile was shining so brightly Yoru had a hard time looking at her, she felt guilty knowing sheâd only ever use this particular notebook if every other object that could be written on disappeared from existence. She took the notebook and placed it on top of the box containing her Mostro Lounge uniform, ready to be carried upstairs back to her bedroom. She felt her chance to escape the party was approaching, the pile of gifts needing to be carted away a blessing in disguiseÂ
âHmmmm my favourite demon-chan has so many gifts!â Sam exclaimed, looking around at all of them, âPerhaps she doesnât need another...â he teased, smiling widely at her. âHmmm, but if she didnât need any other gifts, then what would I do with this vial of Dragon blood?â Yorus eyes widened. Sheâd asked Sam if he could try and find her some more than six months ago but heâd never gotten back to her. âSam! You found some! This is amazing!!!â She was ecstatic, holding the vial in her hands, an entire new world of potion making opportunities opening up to her. Crewel and Crowley gave each other a short glance, it wasnât a good idea for her to have something so dangerous, especially if she was going to continue experimenting on herself. âHmmm Sam, perhaps that isnât a good gift for a young woman?â Crowley tried to protest, the glare Yoru shot him quieted him down immediately. âThank you Sam, this will be really usefulâ.
âAhhh Sam, again with the dangerous giftsâ Trein sighed handing Yoru a small book bound in a strange leather. âHere Yoru, you had asked me before about Harpies but I wasnât able to tell you much. Iâve found a history of them, as brief as it is, hopefully this will answer some your questionsâ He gave her a small smile, she accepted the book with a small nod. She had been beginning to wonder more about her mother and the Strophrades Isle, but there was nothing in the library on the topic, which she had found strange. Sheâd meant to ask Crowley the best way to get there and information on her mother, but had forgotten . Even if she had, she assumed heâd talk her ear off, having been starved for conversation with his daughter for the last month. She had vowed to never speak with him again after heâd given Azul permission to drug her, and so far had been able to keep the promise to herself.Â
She placed the book on top of the others and grabbed the pile of gifts to carry up to her room, the cabbage and protein powder balanced precariously on top. âI uhhh.. Donât know how birthday parties are supposed to end so thanks everyoneâŠâ she muttered, walking out of the room to start climbing the stairs to her room. âJust a minute, Nugget!â Crowley called after her âYou never got my gift!â he called up the stairs behind her, she ignored him.Â
âHow embarrassing, headmaster, your own Nugget ignoring youâ Jade said quietly, staring at Crowleys back. âJade, if I ever hear you call me Nugget I swear I will rip your tongue outâ Yoru yelled down the stairs. âFufufu, than I shall make sure you never hear meâ he grinned. âNeee Fugu-chan! What if I call you Nugget-Chan?â Floyd yelled after her, Azul, Jade, Ortho, and Idias tablet laughing quietly. âThe same goes for you Floyd! I will eat your tongue for dinner!â She threatened. Everyone remaining in the room grinned, trying to think of ways to work the word Nugget into their everyday vocabulary.Â
âOh!â Crowley cried out suddenly âWe forgot the cake!â He rushed into the kitchen, returning moments later with a two-tiered white cake with a large 18 drawn on the top in green icing. âYoru! Come back and get some cake!â Crowley's face fell when there was no response, he knew sheâd likely left out the window already, the promise of cake not enough to bring her back. âWell, it would be a waste to not eat itâŠâ he mused to himself before looking at the room at large âOkay! Who wants cake!â He smiled at everyone raising their hands.Â
***
âHey, whereâs the cake?â Idia asked when Yoru pushed her way into his room.
âCake?â She questioned, holding the tablet heâd made for her out to him. âI need help setting this upâ He sighed and grabbed the tablet from her hand, easily tapping through the screens to set it up for her.
âYou come and ask me for favours and donât even bring any cake, what kind of friend are you!?â he complained.
âWe didnât even have cake, what are you talking about?â She sat down on his bed, watching him tinkering with the tablet.Â
âCrowley said there was cake, and you didnât bring any with you!â
âOh. I must have left before then. Ortho is still there, get him to bring some back and we can eat it hereâ
âOooh! Good idea!â He whispered to Ortho from his tablet, a childish grin creeping across his face at the promise of cake.








