many happy returns (sienna)

[EPKE ROBERTUS OPPEDYK]

7 January 2029

Blue moons were always rubbish, even with the advent of aware wolf. It was taking Rob longer than he usually took to recover from the final full moon of the year, as his bones ached and his head throbbed. Sienna, the saintly and gorgeous woman that she was, was exceedingly patient and always by his side, suggesting potions and potential tweaks that they could add to their concoctions to battle such negative side effects. Though Rob was endlessly grateful for her, he did wonder how Lyra had fared during this particular moon. He knew she wasn't taking aware wolf - they had a register of who picked up their potions and she was conspicuously missing. He also knew that transformations were harder apart from him. The wolf inside him yearned for her proximity, but the wolf only had control one night a month. Or so he liked to tell himself.

A week after the blue moon was Sienna's birthday. Rob, as luck would have it, was an absolutely rubbish baker, despite his prowess at potions. Understanding magical ingredients did not, in fact, translate directly into making delicious birthday cakes. Rob surveyed his rather sad looking chocolate cake. He'd done everything according to the recipe he'd found online - he'd even added extra Belgian chocolate because he knew how much Sienna loved it - but still it looked rather misshapen and there was a massive crack in the centre. With a sigh, Rob waved his wand over the cake. Purple sparkles erupted from his wand with more fervour than he intended, but they did make the cake look marginally better.

Stepping back to admire his handiwork, Rob felt a surge of pride. It probably didn't taste great, and it didn't really look great. But he'd put in a lot of effort, and he knew that Sienna would appreciate that at the very least. An idea started to form at the back of his mind, a potion that you could preempt shit tasting food with... definitely would require some wild mint and perhaps syrup of hellebore to induce a peaceful state in the drinker... Rob shook his head, and filed the idea away for later conversation with Sienna. He was more excited than he had been in months. The pair had been so busy that they'd hardly had time to see one another. Rob had been travelling extensively to try to collect some new ingredients to try in their potions, and Sienna was understandably busy bullying Rhys into letting her spend time with his child. Rob didn't quite see the same appeal as Sienna did, but was glad that she didn't let their friendship ebb.

Rob dressed in a comfortable pair of jeans and a jumper, then apparated with the cake to Sienna's flat with a decisive crack. He raised a fist and knocked on the door, his heart thumping in his chest and his post-moon anxiety slipping away with each successive minute.

Sienna Aurélie Linslee

[Sienna Aurélie Linslee]

7 January 2029

Sienna liked making a big deal out of her birthday. It might’ve been one of the effects of being an only child – her dad liked to spoil her and plan the whole day to revolve around her (even more so than in the other 364 days of the year). Going off to school hadn’t changed that. Actually, adding magic into the mix had seemingly made things worse, because suddenly Sienna had a whole range of tools at her disposal when it came to baking, party-planning, and gifts. She took birthdays incredibly seriously, and that was the most true for her own. From midnight to midnight, she expected to be the princess of the day.

Adulthood had sort of thrown a wrench into her plans, because the real world was very adept at showing you that you weren’t the center of attention – and actually the universe didn’t seem to care about you much at all. So Sienna had learned to compromise. Most years, she spent her birthday at work – sifting through new deliveries of ingredients, slogging through a particularly dull or longwinded brewing process, and waiting for the clock to chime so she could go out with friends for a couple hours (if she was lucky – because some potions required nightly visits to stir the cauldron or add certain ingredients).

At least this year, she could sleep in. She spent the morning in bed until her cat came to beg for food, then she simply brought the magazines with her to the couch and picked up where she’d left off. There’d be a party later with all her friends, but Terry had absolutely refused to share details and she seemed to have left the apartment to avoid accidentally revealing something to Sienna. That was a smart move – Si wasn’t good at avoiding the temptation of spoiling the surprise. A knock at the door startled Si before she could finish reading what the secret was to getting Skele-Gro stains out of fabric, so she brought the magazine with her to sneak a peek while she opened the door.

She’d been expecting a traveling broom salesman or Terry having forgotten her keys, but Si brightened at the sight of Rob. “You’re early!” Si accused, but the wide smile completely undercut the tone she’d been going for. So did the fact that a moment later she threw her arms around his neck to give him a kiss on the cheek. They’d been together for months but it still gave her a little thrill every time she could casually touch or kiss him without the slight guilt in the back of her mind wondering if she was being a bad friend. Surely it was bad form to take a guilty pleasure in ogling your partner and best friend? But that was part of what made this new openness in their relationship so exciting, and Si pulled him inside while she looked over the cake in his hands with interest. “Is it…supposed to be a cauldron?” she asked innocently, eyes darting between Rob and the cake.

EPKE ROBERTUS OPPEDYK

[EPKE ROBERTUS OPPEDYK]

Though the blue moon had been understandably rough (especially considering it had fallen on New Years Eve), Rob was excited for the prospect of spending the day with Sienna. It was her birthday, and she had always loved birthdays. Even in school, she'd made Gus and Rob shower her with unending attention. Neither boy had ever had any complaints, though at the end of the day, Gus was the one always getting the kisses and Rob had to only look on longingly. But no longer. He knocked on her door, brimming with energy as he waited for Sienna to open it.

When she did, Rob was greeted with a swift kiss to the cheek and a comment about his timeliness. Rolling his eyes, Rob gently caught her chin and indulged himself with by kissing her deeply on the lips. After so many years of pining, the fact that he could do this whenever he liked made Rob's heart soar. They broke apart and Rob beamed at Sienna. "Happy birthday," he wished her, revealing the misshapen cake with a flourish. "I couldn't stay away. Just don't tell Terry I got here before the appointed time," he added with a stern look on his face. "She'll have my balls on a platter. We don't want that," he added after a moment with a shudder for effect.

"Ha ha ha." Rob's voice was flat, but he couldn't help the smile that spread across his face as he entered Sienna's flat. "Very funny. I know it's ugly, and it probably tastes like shit. But, on the bright side, there are purple sparkles on it," he reasoned, pointing out said purple sparkles. "I found this little charm that does it - you be nice to me or you'll find purple sparkles on everything you own," he cautioned before reconsidering. Si would actually probably like that. "We can just set it on fire and get a bit drunk instead. For today, and all days, I am but a humble servant to your desires," Rob finished, a wicked glint in his eye.

Sienna Aurélie Linslee