#srparty

The obligatory drinks had been passed out, the apple cider bubbling in the plastic champagne glasses enticingly. Sora stared through the glass, lost in thought as Maru trotted up to join him. He huffed once, brown eyes wide in worry and Sora rubbed his head absentmindedly. Kairi sidled up beside him, looking at him sympathetically. "Hey. You okay?"

"...yeah. Just a little sad, I guess. All the fun made this a little harder."

"You sure you want to do this? We can save it for later."

He shook his head once, finally glancing up to meet her eye, "Nah. It's gotta be now. Waiting'll just make it worse."

The girl nodded once in understand, then clicked the stereo off, effectively silencing the music, and Kairi called out over the room. "Hello, everyone? Can I have your attention? Sora would like to make an announcement."

Kairi burst through the door, the late afternoon sunlight nearly blinding after the dark lights of the inside of the house. Mary stood outside in wait. She did not even bat an eyelash at the commotion barreling through the door. She just watched coolly with one raised brow as the girl swung around to stand beside her, and the birthday boy came soon after. "You! Just wait 'til I get my hands on..." His anger slowly quelled as he blinked at the newest addition to the yard completely. Jaw went slack, eyes went wide, and guard went down. "Is that...?"

A giant trampoline took up about a quarter of the grassy area, brand new and set up in wait. The boy looked to his childhood friend, and then his caretaker with the first semblance of hope, like a child waiting to be told to go out for Chirstmas day. The woman nodded with a small amused smile. "Rented for the day, set up for your entertainment. All her idea, of course."

And then the boy's face finally broke out into a smile. "Kairi... Mary-" He threw himself forward, wrapping one arm around each of the women and pulling them into a group-friendly embrace. "You're the best! Thank you thank you thank you thank you!"

Kairi squeaked, and giggled before instantly hugging him back. Mary sighed a little in resignation, before placing a hand on his head. Physical affection and intimacy was not her forte or her preference, but she always made an exception for the kind-hearted, but often overzealous boy. It was hard to stay mad at him when he was this happy. But she did not seem displeased with the action, quite the contrary if her growing smile was an indicator. Besides, it was a special occasion. "Alright then, you've made your gratitude quite clear. Now off you go. I didn't set it all up just to have you stare at it."

Sora caught a glance at Riku, still bobbing in time with the music. "There you are, you made it! C'mon, there's plenty of room!" He wheedled, until the music suddenly went quiet, halting his rhythm. He glanced at Kairi questioningly, but saw her fiddling with the remote on the stereo, and chalked it up to change in pace, and turned his attention back to Riku. "Er, well there will be," He chuckled. "This is kinda-" He froze, the new song making him stiffen in panic.  "...Embarrassing." His fears were confirmed when his own voice came up on the system, and his face flushed as he rounded on his dear, dear best friend with the fury of an army to call out across the room. "KAIRI! YOU PROMISED YOU'D BURN THAT!"

"I DID!" She called back, all smiles and innocence. "ONTO A CD!"

"YOU-!" And he released Namine to point oh-so-threateningly toward the sweet looking girl. "GIMMIE THE REMOTE!"

"NO!"

The temporary club room had been cleared out of it's normal furniture to make room for the crazy hoopla the pair had been planning, leaving the center open. The lights had been shut off and the windows closed, being like only by the laser lights and UV lamps rented for the day. The room had hardwood floors, leaving the perfect dance space for the teens.

Kairi hummed along with the music blasting out of her stereo as she fiddled with the wiring of the other machine in the opposite corner. She unwound the microphone and settled it into it's place holder by the monitor before switching it on. As the blue screen loaded, she pulled out the pink notebook, along with the CD holder case and set it on the tiny table right next to the monitor. She clapped off the dust from her hands, and settled them on her hips.

The food was lined up on three tables covered in blue table cloths shoved up against the wall. Fruits and veggies, chips and salsa, and trail mix lined the edges with the paper plates and napkins. There was the occasional plate of brownies, tarts, and cupcakes near the middle, along with the liters of soda and punch with the paper cups.