After thinking about it for a moment, Ava shook her head. Although she wasn't an expert on birthdays, she had a feeling that giving someone a safe wasn't considered a good gift.
Deciding to figure it out later, Ava stashed away the two bolts of cloth so that they weren't too noticeable and started heading towards the Foxes Respite, choosing the main paths for once so that her newly bought items wouldn't get tainted with the smell of the slums. Although Ava herself didn't mind it, she figured it probably wasn't very polite to give off a gift that smelled of taint, although she didn't think it would be spared for very long, no matter what happened.
Soon enough, Ava found herself in front of the Foxes Respite, not having run into any trouble. Stepping inside, Ava looked around for a moment and confirmed everyone was still working. Greeting Sasha as she passed the kitchen, Ava quickly made her way back to her room and dropped off the bolts of cloth, as well as the snacks, before grabbing a change of clothes and quickly washing up.
Stopping by Lily's room, Ava placed her dirty clothes in a pile to be cleaned later and then looked around for a moment before finding what she was looking for. In the corner of the room, Lily had a small stash of cutouts and snippets she had collected from the town's various events. One of which featured a lady in a purple bonnet giving out bread.
Ava had once asked why Lily kept all these things, and after being stumped for a moment, she said, "Well, I nice to be able to see what someone else wore in a fancy event when I'm trying to figure out how to dress for the day. After all, I can't step out in the nude and take a couple of peeks before deciding, right?"
Of course, Ava had teased her a little the day of, as Lily had very few articles of clothing that even remotely resembled the clothing in the pictures, but in the end, it had given her an idea.
Taking the picture with her, AVa slipped back into her room and placed it next to the two bolts of cloth before going to her desk and taking out a small sewing kit she had bought a while back. Although she hadn't enjoyed her apprenticeship under Master Ruffio, she had still picked up a skill or two nonetheless. Although she couldn't do anything as fancy as sewing a dress, it shouldn't be too hard to make a bonnet, right?
With this thought in mind, Ava flipped an hourglass she had bought from a scrapyard and got to work.
After flipping the hourglass twice more, Ava lightly stretched and put down the half-finished project and lightly hid it in a drawer alongside the picture before picking up the basket of goodies that she had brought back earlier and exiting her room with it. Wandering over to the kitchen, Ava once again waved at Sasha and found a seat before placing the box in front of her and sitting with a somewhat dull expression on her face.
Not too long later, a small smile appeared on her face, but she quickly hid it. A moment later, Lily came over screaming, "Avaaaa~ I missed you."
Slowly turning around, Ava's lip twitched, and she reached out her arms to catch the human cannonball catapulting toward her. Lightly bumping her back into the table, Ava couldn't help but sigh and pat Lily twice on the head before lifting her up and placing her on the seat next to her.
Somewhat surprised, Lily looked at Ava and let out a small nod of approval. "You're getting so strong, Ava. That's good. That way, no one can bully you in the future, even if I'm not around."
Rolling her eyes, Ava nodded before waving at Ahri and Haley, who were approaching from the distance, and saying, "Whatever you say, Lily."
Pouting, Lily turned her face away as if she was ignoring Ava before quickly breaking out in a burst of small, cheery laughter and shaking her head, and hugging Ava again.
A second later, Ahri and Haley arrived and gave the duo a thoughtful look before finding seats on the opposite side of the table.
Lightly coughing, Ava pushed Lily's head away with a single hand before pointing at the box with her other hand and saying, "Vaylah packed up some snacks for me to bring back. Feel free to give them a try."
Her eyes shining, Haley examined the box up and down and, after rubbing the somewhat soft velvety top of the box for a moment, took off the cap and placed it gently to the side, revealing the first layer of snacks. Grabbing one, she passed it to Ahri before grabbing another for herself.
On the other side, Ava was still pushing Lily away with one hand and grabbed a snack with her other hand, and examined it for a moment before popping it in her mouth in chewing. This particular snack was one that Vaylah rather liked, that Ava thought was alright. Of course, this never stopped Ava from reaching for seconds, thirds, and fourths on a normal day. Alright was plenty of good in her book.
It was a soft, slightly dried grape that was coated with a small layer of chocolate, with a thin jam filling that sat in between the grape and the chocolate.
The grape wasn't so dry that it was a raisin, but it was dry enough that it didn't leak juices when bitten into. All in all, it was a slightly tart and bitter snack that left behind a rather pleasant aftertaste.
On the side, Lily widened her eyes as she watched Ava chew, and after a moment, relented in her quest to hug the human plush in front of her and sat up straight and pried into the box curiously before grabbing one for herself.
Placing the snack in her mouth, Lily instinctively sucked on it for a second instead o chewing it, and the soft chocolate layer instantly broke, revealing the tender jam inside. A moment later, she had swallowed the chocolate and jam with a satisfied expression and was left only with the grape, which she rolled around on her tongue before chewing twice and swallowing.