#//ignore when im posting this. pabby u are da world

[anruraiocht]

Patty...was not fully aware of what exactly their relationship was. She saw Miranda as a friend, as someone she truly got along with-- but even she could see the way her fellow Princess glances in annoyance. Perhaps it was childish of her to believe that stubbornness could form a solid foundation for their friendship, but to be frank...Patty didn't care.

Something was so deeply wrong with Miranda-- at this point giving her a friend to lean on was the least she could do.

"Miranda!" Patty catches her in the hall as her last class ends, grabbing onto her arm before she can slink away. "I have a surprise for ya in my dorm, okay? So c'mon--" There's little chance to escape as Patty pulls her off to the dorms, too focused on getting there to ramble as she usually does.

She practically pushes Miranda into the dorm room, leaving her faced with a small cake for two and what seems to be a scarf not unlike the one Patty wears with the only difference being the colour. Instead of Patty's bright blue, the scarf on the bed is a dark green.

"I hope ya like it-- do ya know how much of a pain it was to find that exact shade?" She's practically beaming with pride, walking over to pick up the plate and offer a bite to Miranda. "Happy birthday, Miranda! I wasn't sure what kinda cake you'd like...so I hope just vanilla's okay!"

Birthdays have long since ceased to be happy days for the lone princess of Ulster. What once stood for happy days she spent with her family now stands as a marker of how much time had passed since tragedy had marred her heart. Conomor had done what he could to carve out time to visit on her birthdays, but both of them knew he was merely placing a bandage over a hemorrhaging wound.

A knight with his hands tied made for a poor replacement for a king and queen showering their affections on their beloved only daughter, after all.

Even after her kingdom had been returned to her, any well wishes she received carried an undercurrent of pressure regarding the passage of time. No one would dare to say it to her face, but she knew what those terse smiles really meant.

Yes, yes, Your Highness, it's great that you've survived another year. But really, shouldn't you have found a fiancé by now? Ulster's continued stability relies on your union with a strong partner! Have you considered Duke—

Suffice to say, Miranda does not have particularly positive feelings towards her birthday. Her plan was to get all of those half-hearted well wishes out of the way before continuing on with her day as usual.

What she receives is not a bland political congratulations, but a blonde girl crashing into her and all but abducting her.

Patty may be uncharacteristically silent, but Miranda screeches the whole way; "unhand me" and "what in the world do you think you're doing" and "how dare you treat a princess this way" are among the phrases piercing the ears of the students they pass by on the way to the dorms. She struggles like an unruly cat, but for her scrappy appearance, Patty is much stronger than she looks. The grip that pulls Miranda's hand is firm, even as she hisses and spits.

When Patty releases Miranda is the moment she stops struggling. It's not the absence of Patty's hand that makes her stop, however. It's the humble, but heartfelt scene laid out before her eyes. A scarf and cake aren't exactly grand gifts; certainly not like any of the gifts she has received in the past as awkward condolences for a life of strife. It's not the cold jewelry befitting a princess, but a warm scarf and a homemade cake.

Miranda's brow furrows as she accepts the plate, "I am not so ungrateful as to turn down a gift given to me in earnest! Just what kind of unruly person do you envision me to be?"

Meager as it may be, she can count on one hand the number of gifts she has received that are even half as sincere as this.

"...Thank you," she says quietly. "I do like vanilla."