A Celebration for Nell

[mylandmyrules]

Nell had tried something a little different for dinner tonight. She'd made a large, and hopefully tasty, vegetable stir fry and had stir-fried some beef in a different pan so those wanting meat could have some. She also had homemade sourdough bread, salad, and a vegetable broth based soup to start the meal.

The apartment was spic and span, the cats were happily curled up on their cat trees, for however long that would last, and she thought she was prepared as she could be for her first ever birthday celebration. Now to wait somewhat anxiously for her guests.



[For those who know who they are.]

Comments

[unusual_sith]

"May the Force grant you a good year," Lana said, smiling as she set the tree down. "This one's from Umbara; it grows without sun, and it's potted in its own soil for now so you can figure out what it needs."

[mylandmyrules]

"It's incredible! And it doesn't need sunlight? No chlorophyll then." She looked it over. "I'll enjoy getting to know more about this one!"

[unusual_sith]

"It's called a Zabrak Spine. Give it enough room and it'll grow bigger than you," Lana said. "Umbara has virtually no sun, so it's used to darkness. I'd hazard a guess it might be used to protein in the soil; it usually grows along with Death's Embrace, which is a carnivorous plant."

She grinned. "I almost brought you one of those, but I wasn't sure how you would feed it. Hopefully you don't get so many annoying customers."

[mylandmyrules]

"Zabrak Spine," Nell repeated, nodding. "I can find a way to add protein in the soil."

She smiled at Lana. "Prob'ly for the best. Fandom's a small place, so people might be missed more easily."

[unusual_sith]

"True." Lana grinned and nodded at the tree. "So you get this one instead. I hope you enjoy it. Happy birthday."

[mylandmyrules]

Nell's smile grew. "Thank you. I'm sure I will. 'Specially since this one won't try to eat my cats."

[unusual_sith]

"That was also a consideration, yes," Lana agreed. "Maybe next time I should get you a nexu kitten."

[mylandmyrules]

"What's a nexu kitten?" Nell asked a little warily.

[unusual_sith]

"Nexu are cats," Lana explained. "Some people keep them as pets, and they're apparently quite loyal. And the kittens are adorable."

Sounded great, right? "But they grow to several meters, and between their rows of teeth, huge claws, ridge of spines, and whip-like tails, they're known for being rather deadly."

[mylandmyrules]

"Might not be the best thing to have here," Nell said, "though if I was living in Soulwood they might work out okay. As long as they didn't hunt all my other animals."

[unusual_sith]

"They probably could do with a bit more room than Fandom," Lana agreed. "And the kittens you have are already adorable."

[mylandmyrules]

"THey are," Nell said. "I'm very glad that I decided to get them when I came back. They're great company."

[unusual_sith]

"Have they shown much personality beyond chaos yet?" Lana asked.

[mylandmyrules]

"Cygnus, the black and white one is definitely more daring and a bit more demanding of attention," Nell said. "Rigel likes to hold back, watch from a distance a little, before pouncing."

[unusual_sith]

"Where do their names come from?" Lana asked.

[mylandmyrules]

"Cygnus is a swan constellation, which I love because of the story about it being a sparrow bridge in the heavens," Nell said. "And Rigel is a very bright star nearby."

[unusual_sith]

"A bridge for sparrows?" Lana asked, curious.

[mylandmyrules]

"A bridge made of sparrows for the two lovers to cross so they could be together for one day of the year," Nell said. "The goddess separated them into the sky because they weren't allowed to be together, but one day a year the sparrows make a bridge - which is part of Cygnus - so they can see each other."

[unusual_sith]

"That sounds romantic, if improbable," Lana said. "Why weren't the lovers allowed to be together?"

[mylandmyrules]

"One was a fairy and the other was mortal," Nell said. "And of course it's improbable, but it's a sweet story."

[unusual_sith]

"Oh, I'm not disputing that!" Lana protested. "Sorry if it sounded like I was. So fairies and mortals weren't supposed to be together?"

[mylandmyrules]

"Not according to the legend. It's an old Chinese folktale," Nell said. "I just always liked it."

[unusual_sith]

"Is it written down anywhere?" Lana asked. "I'm curious now."

[mylandmyrules]

"Oh sure," Nell said. "It's in a book of folktales and you can find it on the internet."

[unusual_sith]

"I'll look it up, then," Lana said. "It's always interesting learning other people's legends."