Paley sat in Maths class, writing notes for the upcoming test in three weeks. Near the end of the lesson, the teacher handed out question sheets for them to do until lunch. After finishing it, Paley turned to Dillie, who had three questions left to do.
"Hey, Dillie." He tapped her shoulder.
"Yeah?"
"Would you like to help us arrange a birthday party for my big brother?" He asked.
"Of course! Is it Teerom?"
"Yeah, he's turning seventeen tomorrow."
"Wow, he's nearly an adult."
"Yeah, he is."
"What do you want me to do?" She continued doing the maths questions as she spoke to him.
"Well, we actually need a place to hold the party. Would it be alright if it was yours?"
"That'd be great! My parents would be so happy to have people over. Let's ask them today after school."
"Sure thing,"
Paley requested his apprentices to go out and buy some party supplies whenever they could. They all agreed to go right after school. He was going to pay each of the ex-servants fifty silver coins since they were relatively poor, and he felt bad for making them do his bidding.
After school, he asked Dillie's parents about the party, and they accepted enthusiastically, inviting their friends too. Then, Paley went back to the orphanage and spent the rest of the afternoon as usual until he employed Bacha's help. She made some Sleep Potions which he mixed in with Teerom's soup for dinner.
As they ate dinner, Teerom found that it was a quieter dinner and noticed the orphans giving him clandestine glances. Adimia, like a dumbass, was outright staring at Teerom, waiting for the Sleep Potion to take effect.
"Guys? What's wrong?" Teerom asked. He had no idea it was his birthday tomorrow. The others would always remind him and take him by surprise on the day.
"What do you mean?" Jurie tried to act natural.
"You guys are acting weird. Especially you, Adimia, you're freaking me out." Teerom said, making Adimia awkwardly stop staring at him, "Are you hiding something from me or something?"
"Why would we be hiding anything from you?" Paley took control of the situation after noticing the panicked looks on everyone's faces.
"I don't know... I'm sorry." Teerom apologized guiltily.
"Don't be, man. I think everyone's a bit quiet because we all had a bunch of exams today, so we're a bit tired." Paley lied, "Aren't you, guys?"
"Yes! I'm so exhausted!" Amasha said energetically.
"Oh, okay." Teerom, relieved, continued drinking the soup that had Sleep Potion mixed in.
"Speaking of tired, aren't you getting tired?" Paley asked.
"Yeah, I'm feeling a bit groggy." Teerom yawned and smacked his lips, "Why do you ask-" His head suddenly dropped onto the soup and he dozed off.
"Alright, let's go." They all got ready and made their way toward the city in a hurry. They had about two hours until Teerom would wake up to buy gifts and a cake for him. Paley split off from the orphans to pick up Dillie and her parents.
He knocked on their door and waited until Shun opened it in a hurry. She was in the middle of getting dressed, having only put her skirt and shirt on.
"Sorry, Paley. Dillie's still in the shower. Come in." She rushed back in. He followed her inside, taking his shoes off and sitting down in the living room. Hiruyo was also there and waited with him.
"Women, right? They just can't get dressed quickly." He said despite not wearing any pants.
"Sorry, but you do realize you aren't wearing pants, right?" Paley pointed out, making him jump up in a panic.
"Oh, shit, you're right!" He rushed upstairs.
"Hiru, did you forget your pants!?" Shun laughed obnoxiously upstairs.
"Shut up! It was on purpose!" Hiruyo replied, flustered. Paley listened to the chaos upstairs, laughing.
"Mom! Is Paley here?" Dillie seemed to jump out of the shower from the sound Paley heard.
"...No..." Shun replied deceptively.
"Then, why'd you make me hurry!? Where are my clothes?"
"Downstairs, in the living room." Hiruyo stomped as he slipped on a pair of pants.
She walked down the stairs and into the living room, taking her towel off before Paley could greet her. As she reached for her clothes on the windowsill, she spotted Paley in the corner of her eye. In slow motion, she turned her head, and her expression became one of pure embarrassment and shock.
She screamed and ran out of the room. "MOM!!" She yelled furiously.
"What?" Shun asked obliviously.
"Paley's here!" Dillie teared up with the thought of him having seen her naked. She poked her head into the room to find that he was fast asleep.
"Shiyuu," She flicked her fingers and made her clothes fly into her hand. Quickly, she put them on and rushed toward Paley to double-check if he was asleep.
"Are you asleep?" She whispered, staring closely at his face.
'Kinda defeats the whole point of checking if you ask.' Paley thought to himself as he tried his best not to move his eyes under his eyelids. Dillie sighed in relief and sat down in front of him, watching him not with a cautious yet affectionate gaze.
She looked at the stairs and listened to Hiruyo and Shun scrambling to get changed upstairs. 'Great, now I'm stuck having to act like I'm sleeping until her parents come down and wake me-' As Paley finished that thought, he felt Dillie's soft lips against his cheek. 'Is she-?'
"Okay! We're ready. Let's go!" Shun and Hiruyo hurried down the stairs. Dillie panicked but managed to pull away from Paley just before they came in.
"Is he sleeping?" Shun asked quietly, and Dillie nodded.
"What're you doing?" Hiruyo asked suspiciously, "...Anyways, wake him up quickly."
Dillie turned to Paley nervously and shook him gently. Paley pretended to wake up and stretch, making sure not to overdo it.
"Are you ready?"
"Mhm," Dillie nodded, incapable of looking him in the eye.
Paley flew them to the shopping district, where they met up with Madella and the orphans at the supermarket.
"Alright, is everyone here?" Jurie asked.
"Yes," They all replied.
"Okay, so I'll go with mother to buy a cake. Mr. and Mrs. Li will go with you guys to buy gifts." She pointed to Adimia, Reben, Rauba, and Amasha, "And Paley and Dillie will go together to buy gifts too."
"Why don't we go with everyone else?" Paley asked.
"I-It's better because... we'll be faster that way!" Jurie was proud of her lie. She planned with the others beforehand that Paley and Dillie would go off by themselves. Shun and Hiruyo seemed to catch on because they were all for it.
"I agree!" Shun raised her hand like a kid.
"Alright then," Jurie took a watch out of her pocket and looked at it, "Let's meet up here at 8:24." She split off with Madella to go to a bakery in the supermarket. The others went deeper into the supermarket, exploring it to look for a good gift.
"Shall we go, then?" Paley turned and began walking. Dillie followed him awkwardly, trying to find some way to talk to him. They walked around, looking into every store until they passed by Neidu's (the WindMaker) store.
"That's the guy who teaches me piano," Paley said, watching him from outside. He was playing by himself for the first time in years, and he played a beautiful ballad.
"Wow, it sounds so good," Dillie said.
"Want to go in?" Paley asked, and she nodded. They entered the store as Neidu finished playing the song. He looked up from the sheet music in front of him.
"Ah, Paley! I wasn't expecting you." He said. Paley usually came over during the weekends at whatever time he wished. "And who is this young lady?" He bowed his head at Dillie. Paley turned to her to introduce herself.
"My name is Dillie." She bowed her head too.
"Haha, I already knew. Paley talks a lot about you."
"Really?" Dillie became excited.
"No, not really." Neidu teased.
"Oh," She pouted, disappointed.
"Would you mind if I show her the piece we made, Mr. Neidu?" Paley asked.
"Of course." Neidu moved out of the way for Paley to sit down on the stool.
"Don't make fun of me if I fail horrendously." He didn't play an incredibly difficult piece, but it was a good piece nonetheless. He made a few mistakes, wincing at them as he played, but it still pleased Dillie's ears.
After he finished playing the calming and slightly jolly piece he created, named "Soothe of the Fireflies", Dillie and Neidu clapped for him.
"That was amazing!" Dillie complimented.
"Show her My Love Eternal," Paley said to Neidu, who blushed from shyness.
"Oh, yes. Please play that one." Dillie begged.
"Okay." Neidu proceeded to play his most famous and tragic song, finding that Dillie cried her eyes out toward the end of it.
"It's so sad..." She sobbed after he finished.
"I must've gotten better. Paley didn't cry when I played it first to him." Neidu laughed.
"Well, thank you Mr. Neidu, We should get going now. We have gifts to buy." Paley got up, "Speaking of which. Would you like to come to my brother's birthday party?"
"I mustn't. I'm far too old for parties." Neidu refused politely.
"Come on, we insist." Dillie grabbed Paley's arm.
"Okay, fine. I'll be sure to come."
"I'll pick you up and your piano," Paley said.
"You want me to play some songs for you?"
"Mhm," Paley smiled, "See you later, Mr. Neidu." He left with Dillie to go buy gifts for Teerom.
Teerom woke up in bed that night. Everyone was asleep, and Jurie was hugging him tightly in her slumber. 'What happened?' He asked himself but brushed it off and turned to Jurie, wrapping his arm around her waist.
The next day, everyone tried not to let him realize that it was his birthday before they left for school. He was slightly worried that they were hiding something from him but decided not to bring it up.
Madella went to the school during lunchtime, telling Teerom that she was going out shopping, and invited Yilba to his birthday party too. Finally, at night, everything was ready. Teerom sat by the fireplace gloomily, carving a statue of Aneros from a block of wood. Madella and the orphans hadn't come home yet, so he was anxious about their safety.
"They're probably doing something fun at school, and they don't want to tell me because I'm too old to be there." He sighed and tried to take a nap. Something suddenly scratched at the door loudly, bringing him to his feet cautiously.
"Hello?" He called out, and the scratching stopped. Slowly. he walked over to the door, his breath quickening, and opened it. A small black cat sat there looking up at him with its yellow eyes.
"Hello, little guy." He tried to pet the cat, but it cautiously stepped back, meowing. Then, it walked off, leaving him gloomier than before. He shut the door, walked back to the fireplace, and continued with his carving. The cat scratched at the door again, this time louder.
"What?" Teerom frustratedly opened the door, seeing the now equally frustrated cat. It meowed angrily and began walking off again. "Oh, you want me to follow you." Teerom realized and put his shoes on before he followed the black cat.
It led him into the city lit by hazy house lights and the twinkling moon slightly hiding behind the clouds. He showed his pass to the half-asleep guards and walked into the city. The cat suddenly jumped onto a rooftop and began running to the west of Gouon.
"Hey!" Teerom chased it, though not on the ground. It expected him to run after it on the streets so it could lead him to the front of Dillie's house, but he climbed onto a balcony and then onto the rooftops. "You asked me to follow you!" Teerom chased after it, frightening it.
The black cat meowed in a panic and ran as fast as it could toward Dillie's house, barely evading Teerom's attempts at catching it. They reached the end of the rooftops at the roundabout where Dillie lived, but Teerom didn't notice and was outplayed by the cat, falling face-first into a garden.
"Ow..." He checked his face for injuries, but he luckily landed on a thick shrub. The cat meowed from above, getting him to follow it again. It stopped in front of Dillie's house and began glowing a faint white. Teerom was shocked as the cat grew and transformed into Shun.
She grinned, and everyone popped out of the windows and bushes, wearing birthday hats.
"Happy birthday, Teerom!" They all cheered. Teerom teared up almost immediately as he realized this is what they were hiding the whole time.
"Guys..." He tried desperately to wipe away his tears. Madella and the orphans were the ones outside. Yilba, Hiruyo, Dillie, Yadalee and her husband - Chijak - the headmistress, and Saina (the woman who Paley helped carry flowers for Yadalee's marriage) were there too. Yadalee's husband was a tall, handsome fellow, a proper gentleman.
"Thank you, haha..." Teerom laughed as he cried helplessly.
"Come on, you crybaby." Jurie pulled him into the house where Paley's apprentices were waiting.
"For the birthday boy," Libon strapped a birthday hat on Teerom.
They bought him into the living room, where they had set up a bunch of chairs and a cake on the low table. It was a white cake with chocolate decorations, catering to Teerom's sweet tooth. He sat down in front of the cake with everyone gathered around him. Seventeen candles rested atop the cake, waiting to be blown out.
"I love you all so much," Teerom blew them out and bought the orphans in for a group hug. Everyone else clapped, happy for him.
"Sorry, I'm late!" Saina's husband burst into the house. He wasn't out drinking but at work as a repairman. Paley noticed that he had slimmed down a lot since the last time he saw him. He used to be a fat, drunk, and dirty abusive scumbag, but now he looked healthy and kind.
"You've lost a lot of weight," Paley said as he walked by. He gasped as he recognized Paley's face.
"It was you!" He stepped away, frightened slightly.
"You know Twiglet?" Saina asked her husband.
"Yeah, he does." Paley laughed lightly.
The rest of the night was full of laughter and new happy memories. Yadalee and the headmistress told everyone how they helped Dillie investigate the Flying Menace (as she called Paley back then).
Saina told them that Paley helped her for free in exchange for directions to the town hall. In fact, most of the stories were centered around Paley; from Teerom telling them of how Paley helped him overcome his fear of heights, to Libon becoming his apprentice.
As fun as it all was, Paley grew tired near midnight and left the house while everyone continued chatting and playing. Dillie saw him leave and followed him outside. She was greeted by a fresh, quiet summer breeze.
"Hey, where are you going?" She asked.
"I was going to fly around for a while. Wanna join me?" He had a genuine smile on his face.
She paused in surprise at the expression on his face before replying. "Of course," She ran over to him, and they lifted off into the cloudy sky above. They flew around in silence, watching over the bustling city of Gouon at night.
"Wanna go higher?" Paley asked, and she nodded. They flew up above the clouds and into the beautiful, star-filled sky. It was an enchanting sight, captivating them both.
"This world is beautiful..." Paley whispered with a tone of fragility.
"It is." She rested her head on his shoulder, watching the stars with him.
"P-Paley? I have to tell you something..." She said, resolved.
"What is it?" He asked.
"I..." She began, her heart pounding so hard it could've broken through her ribs. Her face was turning red just at the thought of it.
"I... Ahem, I- I..." No matter how hard she tried, the words just wouldn't come out of her mouth. She was afraid. She was afraid of what they would do to their friendship.
"I'm cold... Can we go back?" She gritted her teeth, frustrated.
"Okay," Paley nodded and bought them back down to the house, where they went back in to join the others again.
"Hello, Paley!" Aleisar greeted, he and the dwarves had arrived during the time he was in the air with Dillie.
"Hello," Paley replied.