"Is that really necessary?" Nick questions me curiously. "I just don't get it. Like, why?"

"Because." I tell him as I lean close to my bathroom mirror, applying my mascara. He does not seem satisfied with my answer, quietly judging me from within my earring. "Does a girl need a reason to wear makeup?"

"Well, usually? I thought you guys did it to look pretty." 

"Exactly." I tell him, finishing one eye and moving on to the next.

"But you're already pretty." He tells me, as if it's a fact of life. I smirk and glance at him briefly as I work. "Thanks, but I can always look prettier."

"So it's about feeling pretty?" He asks, coming to the correct conclusion all on his own.

"You got it. I think you are starting to finally understand women." I wink at him. I quickly finish up and step back to look at myself in the mirror. I am wearing a new outfit I am really liking, and my hair and makeup are just perfect today. I rarely put this much effort into my look, save for weddings or formal events. While I like it, I do want his opinion as well. "How do I look?"

"Hmm..." He pretends to think. "Pretty solid, I think."

"Ugh!" I breathe out, rolling my eyes at him. "Come on. Flatter me a little! Today is a special day." I not-so-subtly remind him, though, it seems he has forgotten.

"I guess? I mean, we haven't gone out together in a while. That's pretty special." He replies, missing my hint. I have to admit, it makes me a little sad that he has not acknowledged it yet. Last year, the day came and went before we had gotten close. I would not have expected him to do anything for it. But now, a year later, I am honestly quite hurt that one of my best friends forgot my birthday! He seems to notice the disappointment on my face and quickly changes his answer. "You look good, Jeannine! I mean, don't you always?"

"I... Thanks, Nick. Whatever, let's get moving." I finally give up, walking back out to my bedroom. I move to my shelves, taking a moment to appreciate the 'new' MG, and place the earring down at the pickup spot. I hear Nick helping Ori aboard, before receiving the green light to put it back on my ear. I grab my purse from from bed and then head out with the both of them. 

Today, the three of us are headed to the park. Unfortunately, it is not for anything fun like a picnic. The other day, I got a text from Sara telling me she found a bunch of kids messing with some Remnants. She does not know where they got them, but she suspects there is a settlement somewhere nearby. We are to meet her there to investigate as a group. It will serve as a good opportunity for her and Ori to learn about the procedure Nick and I developed for this sort of thing.

"Hey, Ori. How have you been?" I ask as we ride the elevator down to the ground floor. A part of me is hopeful that she will wish me a happy birthday, in spite of Nick.

"Very well. Thank you, Jeannie." She tells me. "And you?"

"Good... Just thinking about things." I sigh, without any elaboration.

As much as I want to focus on the task at hand, I am becoming more and more bothered by the fact that both her and Nick have forgotten my birthday. To make things worse, Sara did not so much as call! Last year she waited until midnight so she could be the first one to tell me. What happened this year? I know that everyone is busy, but still. Even Mom called me this morning, despite us only recently beginning to mend our relationship.

I push those depressing thoughts out of my head and leave my building, beginning my way to the park. It is a short walk, and I do not talk much. Instead, I listen to them chatting away while I walk there. They engage in small talk, nothing too exciting. I do, however, learn that Louis is doing well. That makes me happy. And hearing that several couples in the city have begun having kids makes me blush.

Soon enough, we get there, and I locate Sara. She is wearing casual clothes, and yet looks effortlessly cool. Typical Sara, I figure. She spots me and waves me over. 

"Hi hi! Looking good, Jeannie! Love your hair." She says, stepping closer and leaning over. She gets close to my earring to look inside. "Hi to you too, little guy! And...other little person I have not met yet... Is that your girlfriend, Nick?"

"Tell her absolutely not!" Nick says, before I hear him getting smacked by Ori. The impact is so loud that it comes through on my earpiece clearly.

"He says no. Her name is Orina, another close friend of mine." I tell Sara, who suddenly looks a lot less irritated.

"Cool! We have to get to know each other properly. Maybe sometime soon?" Sara asks.

"Tell her that would be lovely. I will try to free my schedule for her." Ori tells me.

"She says it would be lovely." I repeat. "Anyway, now that we are all together, shall we find this Remnant settlement?"

"Yeah, about that..." Sara says, looking guilty all of a sudden. "Take this and follow Nick's lead. He knows where it is." She says, handing me a sealed envelope with my name on it. "I'll see you all later!" The woman then runs off, heading who knows where.

I stare at the envelope, turning it over to check for writing on the other side. I have no clue what could be inside. It feels like an ordinary envelope? I am about to tear it open, when Nick speaks up to stop me.

"Might be best if you leave that sealed. We're going to need it soon." He says, ominously.

"He is right." Ori backs him up. "In due time."

Confused by their behavior, I comply, slipping it into my purse. "Okay...? You are all acting very strange. Should I be worried?"

"Not one bit." Nick tells me. "Now, follow my lead. We're on a schedule here!"

Nick proceeds to direct me for the next ten minutes. It is like those games we used to play as kids. One person would close their eyes, and another would tell them where to move until they reached the goal. In this case, my eyes are wide open, but I have no clue what or where the goal is. Seeing as this is Nick, I figure he has a good reason to keep me in the dark. And I suspect both Ori and Sara have a part to play, too. So, I do as he instructs. 

"Okay, turn...left here." He tells me. "Follow the street down to the end, and turn—no, keep straight after that."

"Um, are you sure you know where we are going?" I ask him, wondering why he suddenly sounds so unsure. Moreover, I am wondering how he knows where he is going at all. I have never taken him this way before. 

"Sorry. GPS apps are still a little weird. They weren't really built with situations like this in mind."

"Situations like this?" I echo.

"Well, yeah. To us, the distance you cross in a single step is kilometers, which you know. We don't have access to satellites in space, and our radio towers are no bigger than your toothpicks. Our navigation systems aren't calibrated for travel at 'Brob speeds'." He explains this oddly well. Science was never his strong suit, or so I thought.

His explanation answers one of my questions, how in the world he is navigating the big world, but it leaves me with several more. I have no clue how he got his hands on a Lilli-scale, GPS device to begin with. Last I checked, his phone only functioned within the confines of my home. So Icarus is in on this too? What in the world could this be about?

"Gotcha. Okay, where to next?" I ask him, reaching the end of the next street.

"We're almost there. Keep going straight." Ori answers this time, her tone uncharacteristically cheerful. She is riled up, which I am never upset to see, only surprised.

I continue walking until we reach a street that I have been to before. Suddenly, the map of this part of town begins to solidify in my mind as I connect the pieces. I have just learned a new route. Walking further, I recognize the area. One of my favorite stores, a toys and novelties shop, is just around the corner. Could that be where we are going? Ooh, are they planning to get me a gift? So they did remember! I try to conceal by smile as I unravel the mystery of their 'surprise'. I have several questions regarding how they expect to manage the actual shopping aspect, but I do not want to ask any questions. I begin walking without directions, heading to the store.

"Stop, you're going the wrong way." Nick informs me. "I said cross over to the right, please."

"Oh." My smile turns to a look of confusion. "Are we not going to turn this corner?"

"No. Why would we?" Nick asks, dumbfounded. "We're close, but that won't get us there."

Hearing that, my excitement is shattered. For a moment, I had hope that this would not be about rescuing Remnants. Ah, what am I even saying? I need to stop making this about myself. I need to get my head in the game.

"Sorry, guys. I am just a little distracted today." I shake my head.

Following the route Nick is describing, I cross over and continue down yet another familiar street. I see a sign that reads 'Lilliputian History Museum'. The last time I was here, this place was still under construction. I am surprised it is up and running already! I make a mental note to check it out sometime, assuming I can afford it. If memory serves, the tickets for admission are extremely pricey. Probably because security is so tight, and they want to keep the sizists out. I recall something about Lillis from the capitol working here, but that sounds like a stretch. This city is not known for its progressiveness.

"You have reached your destination!" Nick says, in a playful voice.

I stop in my tracks, confused, since we are in the middle of a random, pedestrian street. "Are you sure? This is-"

"Surprise!" Both of them yell in unison. I nearly jumped; it is so loud. 

"It's the museum, you dummy!" Ori laughs. "Go on, walk inside!"

I stare at the entrance to the building. I am starting to get excited again, but I keep calm in case I might have somehow misunderstood the situation a second time. Moreover, I am incredibly confused. So much so, that I simply do as they say without a single question. I walk through the automatic doors and find myself in a narrow area with a full-height turnstile before me. To my left is a woman sitting behind a glass window. 

"Okay. What now?" I whisper to them, trying not to look crazy as the woman eyes me carefully.

"Go to that lady and tell her you are here for the four-o-clock tour." Nick instructs me.

"But, I don't-" My face lights up, as I suddenly piece together the puzzle. A wave of excitement washes over me, as I know now why they have been so secretive, and why this took three people to pull off. "You guys did not. There is just no way..."

"May I help you, young lady?" The woman beckons me over, clearly trying to figure out if she needs to call security on me. I do not blame her. I walked in, confused and talking to myself.

"Yes. I was just in a call." I turn my head and point to my earpiece. It does the job, putting her at ease. I walk over and greet her with a friendly smile. "I am here for the tour."

"Welcome! You are right on time. Please present your ticket of admission." She gestures for me to slip it in the gap under the glass. I hesitate, but remember the envelope in my purse. Before either of them can remind me, I pull it out and tear it open. I find a note inside and a single, premium ticket for one adult. I keep the note in one hand, planning to read it later, and hand the ticket to the woman. She scans it on a reader, which then updates the screen beside her. She then tears the end off, handing it back to me. "Hello, Ms. Jeannine. Keep this in case anyone asks for it." She then hands me a clear bag full of various items and gestures for me to go through the turnstile. "And this is the premium package that comes with your ticket. On behalf of the Lilliputian History Museum, we thank you for your generous support. Please enjoy our exhibits and have a wonderful day!"

"It is my pleasure. You, too!" I tell her, taking the bag and heading through to the museum itself.

The place is surprisingly busy. I see a lot of smartly dressed men and women around, whom I suspect are not from here. They could be diplomats, businessmen, or VIPs. I am not sure. They seem to also be waiting for the tour. Beyond them, I see others roaming around, checking out artwork and historical artifacts. I move away from all of them, finding a corner where I will be out of earshot.

"You guys! How in the world did you pull this off? When did you- How did you-" I find myself unable to finish a sentence. My excited voice calms a little as a more serious question comes to mind. "A premium ticket?! How did you pay for that?"

"It was all Sara's idea. She remembered you mentioning how you would love to visit this place when it was done. She and I worked together to make it happen. We planned this not too long ago, actually." Nick explains, hardly able to contain his excitement, either.

"As for the price of the ticket, Sara chipped in. The rest was covered by my company." Ori chimes in, answering the biggest question of all. "Remember how you said you liked my designs? Well, I was able to sell one of them to a clothing company in the capitol who do business with Lillis. Naturally, I did not disclose my place of residence, nor my identity. They paid a hefty sum for it!"

"Oh my..." I shake my head in disbelief. I do not remember the exact price, nor do I want to check, but it is steep. Something that I could not afford even if I had a fulltime job. The fact that they went so far for me is honestly difficult to believe. I can hardly process this! "Wait, the note..."

I pull the note out and read a short, handwritten message from Sara. It reads:

"Happy Birthday, Bestie! I hope you like our gift. Sorry I couldn't be there, we aren't made of money, and I can't fit in that earring. Love you!!!!! xoxo -Sara"

"You guys..." I say, softly, clutching the note to my chest. "This is too much. I never would have asked for you to get me anything, let alone go this far." I am unable to contain my smile, feeling genuinely touched. "Now I get why you were all acting so weird!"

"Oh my gosh, Jeannine! You wouldn't believe how hard that was! I was in physical pain from it!" Nick exclaims. "Okay, for the record, you look gorgeous! Is it too late to flatter you? I really like your hair, and your makeup is honestly really pretty. Did you seriously think I would forget your birthday? Me, of all people? I was counting down the days!"

"You were?" I feel my cheeks becoming red. It seems I truly fell for his act. "Wow. You got me..."

"If he had forgotten, I would have personally gave him hell." Ori chuckles, only half-joking. "I cannot believe you believed both of us forgot. Have you no faith in us, Jeannie?"

"I do not know what I was thinking. It made me sad at first, but I should have known better. I have the best friends in the world!" I stroke my earring with a finger. It is the best I can do while in public. If we were at home, I would have taken it off and hugged them so hard. "I really appreciate this. Thank you."

"Anytime! Well, not 'any' time. I am sadly 'broke' when it comes to non-MG currency." Nick chuckles.

"Since I know you are wondering, let me assure you that there were no Remnants being toyed with in the park. That story was purely a fabrication." Ori tells me, though, I am fairly certain of that by this point.

"That is a relief. I suppose I can focus on enjoying my wonderful birthday gift now without a care." I think aloud, as I see the tour guide arrive to take the group away. "We should get going. Are you both ready?" I ask them, which is also my way of letting them know that I will have to stop talking for a while.

"Ready as I'll ever be." Nick says.

"I hope we can spend some time at the art exhibits. Those are my favorites." Ori adds.

"Oh, wait! I almost forgot..." I say, opening the bag to look inside. I find a device and wired earpiece for listening to the tour guide, a bunch of commemorative items, a lanyard that says 'Premium', a booklet with supplemental information, and a 'Thank You' note signed by the currator himself. I put the lanyard around my neck and put the earpiece in my other ear so that I can listen to everyone at once. "Okay, even I have to admit this is pretty cool."

"I believe their gift shop is even better. We should check it out once we are done." Ori suggests.

"Definitely." Nick agrees. "But first, get to the tour already!"

I walk over to rejoin the group, right on time as we are guided into the first area. I listen to my little friends chatting about what they see around them, often asking me to get closer, which I am more than happy to do. Despite being in the very first area of ten, I am already blown away. This place is magnificent, and I am so grateful for the opportunity.

This might just be the best birthday ever.