^Vir^

^When I tell Justin about Ibis' failure with the cake, he laughs. His laugh is so adorable, I really think I could listen to it forever. "/I agree,/" he says. "/Does Ibis like to cook often? As you probably caught, V is the master chef of the house. I'm not that great at cooking either, but I figured it was something fun that we could do together, and it would end in a tasty reward. Probably./"^

^"Probably," I agree, also laughing. "Ibis is the most consistent cook in our house, though Amethyst can usually manage something if she has to. Yes, I gathered that V was the chef here... let's hope we can manage something worthwhile between us for a change."^

^We shape the cookies - I can't resist making some more or less heart-shaped ones. They go so well with my thoughts right now. Justin puts the trays into the oven and seizes the bowl, handing the spoon to me. He starts eating the leftover chunks of cookie; for a moment I'm surprised, but at least there's no egg in the batter, so I laugh and start licking the spoon. Cookie dough is a lot better than I had expected - there's a certain quality to it that I haven't tasted elsewhere.^

^"/Well,/" Justin says, "/I think we nailed it on this. Here's to hoping the cookies bake correctly!/^

^"Yes, we can hope," I reply. "They looked good. As long as the timer is on for the right amount of time..." I check the recipe one last time. "Yeah, looks like it's all fine. It was so much fun." It was fun, the sort of fun that I never have when I'm not with Justin. Who knew that cooking could be so miraculously amazing? Or possibly it's Justin that's miraculously amazing; I suspect that's it, but to be honest, I don't really care. It's enough to be here with him. "What do you want to do next?" I should let him decide, he's the host, but I can't help adding slyly, "I think over the phone you mentioned watching a movie? Or would it take too long? What movies do you like?"^

I know, they're adorable together <333 I'm having so much fun with it. And yes, I named Vireo and Ibis after the birds :) Birds and flowers make such good AE names~

~Crescent~

~There's a new AE now. As if six weren't enough, now Moon Wolf has brought in a 7th AE! I was prepared to just ignore the new AE, who's name is Rigel, but...she's actually not too bad. She's quiet, unlike Astra and Aries and Lyra, and she mostly writes in her notebook.~

~One day, I was playing piano in the music room, when I spotted Rigel, with her notebook, walking in. I acknowledged her with a small nod and continued playing my song.~

~"+Hey, Crescent+," she said. "+Nice music you're playing.+"~

~"Thanks," I replied, slightly embarrassed. "Um...how's it going? Did Moon Wolf finish your room yet?"~

~"+Almost+," she responded. "+And it's been...well, a little overwhelming, if I'm being honest. Astra's already talking about getting me a pet, and Moon Wolf's been talking about shipping me already...not that I mind, but...it all is quite...a lot.+"~

~I nodded, understanding. "It can be. It was like that when I first came there, and I was only the third AE! But I'm sure that over time, it'll get smoother."~

~"+I hope you're right+," Rigel replied. She fell silent, glancing down at her notebook. After a long pause, she said, "+Well, I'll leave you to your music, I guess.+"~

~"Alright," I said. And I continued playing my piano, thinking about everything.~ 

#Malia#

#I run into the cafe, thinking I'm late! I'm late! I see a girl who looks around 15 or so, one of the only people in the cafe. "Hi!" I call. "Are you Chai?" She smiles and says "Yep!" I"Nice to meet you!" I say. "Sorry I'm late... I got distracted reading." I smile sheepishly. "What do you like to do?" I ask.#

Oh, before I go, could you please post Chai's form, please? Just so I can to know her a bit better. Tysm! 

HERE I AM! :D i'm so sorry it took me like - what? two weeks?? D: - to write this! i've been so busy with school, but still :/

|Arum|

|We set off, with Kaspar leading the way through the snow-covered garden to the woods, and I trudging along behind him. The snow-laden trees on the other side of the garden look so serene, swaying in a gentle breeze.|

|"Do you have a favorite season?" Kaspar asks, breaking the silence. "By the way, um, snowshoeing can be a little tricky if you haven't done it before, so let me know if you need help."|

|"Oh, thanks!" I say. "I think I'm getting a hang of it - though, uh, if I suddenly pitch forward into the snow, assume otherwise," I add, smirking. "Favorite season, hm. I love winter, of course - the scenery is gorgeous, and the ski mountains are open. There's so much to do in summer, too, though - camping, kayaking, hiking...." I shrug. "I like them all, really. What about you?"

/Chai\

/Malia runs into the cafe as I am drinking my decaf (or at least, that's what I told Peri >:]) latte. She apologizes for being late and says hello, and asks if I'm Chai. "Yep! Nice to meet you!!" I smile up at her. "/I like to eat candy, bake, read comics, and watch TV and movies!! I also like to read! How about you?\

Yes here is Chai's form

Name: Chai

Pronouns: she/her

Age: 15 

Personality: loud, outgoing, loves sugar, creative, kind, and extremely loyal. 

Likes: cartoons, comics, superheroes, candy, caffeine, dancing, running, singing

Dislikes: mean people (though idk anyone who does like mean people lol), vegetables 

And that's all I have time for rn, let me know if you need more info tho! 

Hi! I don't want to stress you or anything, but are you still interested in continuing Justin and Vir's date? If not, it's entirely all right with me - I just want to know :) Again, no pressure.

it's alright :) school is certainly very time-consuming. i hope it gets less stressful soon :)

\Kaspar\

\Arum says she's doing all right with the snowshoes - and she says it with a smirk which makes her look like ten times more attractive. I can't get over how cute she is.\

\I do agree with her that all the seasons are nice, but I am a Fall Fan (as Ariella decided) and I don't care who knows it.\

\"Okay, so I agree with almost everything you said, and I like all the seasons too - but autumn is obviously the most superior season," I say, swinging around and snowshoing backwards so I can face her. Oops. Is it technically grammatical to say "most superior"? Whatever. "I mean, there are corn mazes! Apple picking! And HALLOWEEN," I add dramatically, making my voice sound spooky.\

\At that moment we round a bend in the path and come to The Waterfall. It's completely frozen, a silent rush of ice with swirls and curves molded into it. The snow and trees around it seem as if they've gathered to pay homage. The forest is really quiet; all I can hear is the sound of my breathing. And Arum's, of course. The sun is shining, and the entire world is sparkling under its clear strong light.\

\Maybe I do like winter best after all.\

/Justin/

/Vir replies, ^"Yes, we can hope. They looked good. As long as the timer is on for the right amount of time...Yeah, looks like it's all fine. It was so much fun."  I nod in agreement. It had been fun. I wasn't much of a chef myself, and I hadn't braved the kitchen in many months, ever since V arrived, except to fetch the occational snack. With Vir here, I felt I could do the impossible- which included making cookies!/

/"What do you want to do next?" Vir asked, then adding a bit slyly, "I think over the phone you mentioned watching a movie? Or would it take too long? What movies do you like?"^ "Oh, doing a movie next would be good- we could pick one out and get it started while the cookies are baking, then let them cool while we watch it. I personally enjoy... " I hesitated. I did love musicals, but would that be weird? I decide to go ahead. "Musicals, mostly, though I do like comedy. We could watch whatever, though. We have a large collection of movies- but have you watched Wonka? It's really good. I think my favorite musical is Wonka, or The Sound Of Music. What about you? What do you like to watch?" I put the bowl in the sink as a do so, glancing at Vir as she replied./