Nightingale's Lullaby: Main Chapter

Callum blinked, looking between the crowned delcatty and his partner for a moment before twisting to peer into the base. It was rare that Kestrel managed to surprise him with a quest, though it was becoming more common since she took over dealing with the were/vamps, and he still wasn't entirely sure how to deal with it. At least Terrorfang was out doing something, he really should pay more attention to them but it was easier to leave it to someone they would actually listen to and as long as they weren't causing trouble... Delta squad was also out, narrowing his options for the current task, should they do the party here or?

Inside Halcyon rolled over in her resting spot, giving him a quizzical glance as she slowly rose to her paws. "Something wrong?"

"No just," Callum shifted his focus back to the newcomer as the mergoon joined them outside along with Talon who offered a curious chitter in greeting and Kiwi who immediately settled on the furfrou's back.

"We were looking for someone to give Natasha here a tour of the capital while me and Callum take care of a few errands." Kestrel took over, introducing the tabby cat fusion as more of the team peered out the base windows to see what was going on. Gavin noped out as soon as the request was offered, followed shortly by Arden buzzing at him though whatever was said was muffled through the walls.

Halcyon yawned, glaring at doorway for a moment as the voices faded before shaking her slick fur out and offering the queenly delcatty a brief bow. "Welcome to Coldour, I'd be happy to show you around. Kiwi, Tazu?"

The flapplin sprang into the air for a moment before settling back on zir squad leader's back while Tazu slipped out of the base to join the rest of beta squad, "Sure, we starting with the greenhouse?"

---

Kestrel secured the bag of supplies to big Talon as they left the last shop before springing into the air and studying the moon's position. They still had time but there was also a lot left to do and she wanted this party to be truly grand for the displaced royalty.

"Are birthdays really that big of a deal?" Callum soon joined her in the air, briefly checking that Talon was following as they made their way home again, "You never really mentioned them before..."

The lucario was silent for a long while, her practiced movements offering no real clue on her current thoughts or mood, that by the time she finally spoke he'd nearly forgotten the question. "It's not really the birthday that matters, it's just another day...another year..." She twirled slowly, the motion smooth and fluid as her under-feathers caught the moonlight and something unreadable flickered in her eyes. "It's about the people...family, friends, memories..."

Callum turned away at the undertone of sadness, focusing on the ground passing by far below as Talon shifted to fly closer to him. The silence soon returned, heavier this time and he sighed quietly before finally breaking it, "When was yours?" He knew there was something wrong here, something wrong with this subject but he wasn't entirely sure what. She barely talked about her old life, barely acknowledged it at all beyond her occasionally weird phrasing and that suddenly didn't seem like a good thing.

This time she didn't respond, though he wasn't sure if that was avoidance or just timing as she dropped down to land in front of the base again. It looked a lot different now, party decorations covering the outside and the den as the trio ducked in to add their fresh supplies to the dwindling pile. Gavin's group and the meowths were still hard at work prepping the inside along with several other volunteers from the guild. So many guild volunteers had shown up that they'd had to turn several away to keep from overloading the base, maybe they should have used another location but Kestrel was set on keeping this event close to home and with some coordination everyone that wanted to should still be able to attend.

The former human ducked into the kitchen as a ruckus started between Gavin and one of the visitors, leaving Callum to deal with it and the remaining decorations while she went to check on the food. The winged furfrou watched her a moment before turning to break up the fight, sending Gavin outside to help Arden for the time being while he refocused on the task at paw.

---

The birthday bash kicked off at dawn, the rising sun casting colorful shapes across the various decorations and the team's front garden that had been turned into additional party space outside of the base. Halcyon and the beta squad had returned only shortly before and helped Queen Natasha into her custom made party outfit, Gavin sheepishly hiding from the acknowledgement of his sewing skills again, and then the real festivities began.

The early morning was spent chattering with guests, Kestrel almost glued to the delcatty's side as Nightsong's leader introduced the newcomer to the other teams and divisions that had turned up including the guildmaster at one point, and then as the afternoon worn on it devolved into party games and dancing across the makeshift dancefloor.

Callum hung around the fringes, usually with Talon following along, and did his best to keep things running smoothly and let Kestrel relax for once. By noon he'd brought out the cake fitted with the appropriate number of candles and joined them briefly at the head table as Natasha blew them out in a single breath and Kestrel cut it into servings, but then he slipped away again to deal with the clean-up.

'Mons came and went all day, some adding gifts to the growing pile by the fireplace and others merely chatting with the foreign royalty before returning to their work. Queen Natasha even attracted an audience the were/vamps near sunset, the usually troublesome creatures proving civil as they exchanged pleasantries before disappearing into the night. Once most of the guests had retired for the night and the festivities began winding down the remaining partygoers gathered around the now lit fireplace, Revna taking her usual pseudo-napping position on one side to keep guard as the tabby-cat pokémon started opening gifts and showing them off.

Kestrel plopped down between the queenly fusion and Callum, a drink in her paw as she leaned against her partner and watched the crackling flames across the den. Her voice was low when she finally spoke, barely more than a whisper in the cool evening air, "Next month, that's when my birthday is..."

Callum perked up at the admission, filing the info away for later even if it was non-specific, but said nothing. Right now he didn't want to disturb this perfect moment, this was all that mattered and anything else could wait until morning light.