The mild warmth of the day lingered on into the evening hours, cut only now and then by cooler breezes coming in off the coastal waters but creating a pleasant ambiance as the sky became splashed with amber and red with the setting sun. Like many of the more popular eateries in the Old Temple district, Nicole's Bistro and Pizzeria stayed busy through and past the dinner rush and was still boasted a steady patronage when Alain and Fionna arrived.

With a smiling hostess leading their way, the pair were allowed to continue the light conversation they'd been engaged in, and the woman did nothing to disturb them until they reached the impressive set of double doors that were to lead into the private dining room that had been presumably set aside for them.

"I do hope you enjoy all of the amenities offered," the young woman offered with practiced ease. "It was very hard to set up on such short notice, but..."

With a flourish of arms she opened both doors, stepping aside mid-explanation to usher them both into the poorly lit room. On a normal night, the dining room was a beautiful intimate setting, with large windows and doors offering the view/access out into the large garden area.

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Tonight, the dim lights suddenly flared to life at the sight of one Fionna Helston al-Mat, the garden doors flung wide open to accommodate the large number of people gathered with in and the sudden booming declaration of:



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The faces were all familiar to varying degrees, good friends, colleagues, and family!

High overhead, a large banner had been erected, proudly reading: Best Wishes, Fio, And Warmest Thanks! all in bold letters and decorated in a multitude of colors by any number of children who'd been thrilled to play with fingerpaints for a few hours.

The room itself was decorated with little more than hanging garlands of white tulips strung together, but outside the garden opened up into another beautiful dining area (always beautiful on it's own) bedecked with more summer blooms of varying shades, interspersed with even more tulips. Long tables had been laid out in the private dining area, where copious amounts of delicious food were being served buffet style and an open bar had been set up with it's own exclusive bartender.

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To the right of the garden was a decorative pond, it's tranquil cascade of flowing water trickling down serenely towards a flat beige rock to a stone fountain depicting a mermaid amongst frolicking dolphins.

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More well-wishers seemed to filtered in from the garden as the initial shock wore off and the outgoing Governor was enveloped deeper into the festivities.

(OOC: For those of you who wanna RP the surprise and the social stuff and all the personal touches the co-conspirators/guests want to add, this is the thread to do it on! Thanks so much!)

From the garden came the sounds of ballad called Shenandoah. It wasn't quite a string quartet in the garden, but there was music in the air. The tune changed to one called Pacific Slope. Quick fingers rumbled on a bodhr?n. A younger redhead winked at the elder one, who was playing the fiddle. Two more instruments, a piano and a tinwhistle, could be heard joining in along with a voice asking the question, "Ya remember how ta play that thing, Rhiannon?"

"As well as you remember how to ride a horse!" was the answer along with quick scale run up and down on the tinwhistle.

Mother and daughters were off and running with Toss the Feathers.

When that song was done, a member of the in house band took over the percussion to allow Nicole to return to her duties of running the restaurant and give special attention to the party goers and their requests.

"Jaaaaaaaaaaaaasperrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!"

The singsong voice came filtering from the stairs, which were over the kitchen in the ?ieanu house, which was open to the livingroom. The fae looked up and checked each of the swings absently as he layered the noodles on the vegetarian lasagna. Seeing they were fine, he picked up an eggplant slice and smiled.

"Maaaaaaadddiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeee." he answered and listened to her footsteps skip down the stairs.

"You got a text message from Steveroo!" She was holding his phone and trying to peer at it, her head was cocked and her hair was messily cascading over her face. "He and Fio are going to have a baby!!!!!"

Jasper's brows shot way up with that, they didn't mention that at dinner last night, and isn't that something you tell people in person? She held out the phone and he saw what she meant, "Hey Jas, Fio and I had fun last night...baby or two."

"Uh... huh." Something had to be up... "Maybe it's trunicating it, unlock it?"

"What's your password?" Rekah hopped from foot to foot as she watched him

"0414." He answered as he sprinkled some of the parmesean, romano and asiago along the start of dinner. "It's our birthday's combined." He always explained his passcode even though she would always forget and ask for it again.

She unlocked the phone and thrust it out to him so he could read the text. "Hey Jas, Fio and I had fun last night, I'm sure you have your hands full of a baby or two, but I'm trying to put together a surprise for Fio for all the hard work she has put into her position. If you're still interested in doing something for it, let me know, k? Also, man to man, you got moves, man. As Fio's boy? (and don't tell her I said that...) No kissing Reks while we're there, I accidently walked in on you guys and the idea of MY Reks doing... well, I still wanna believe storks brought you the twins. For my sanity!"

Jasper laughed with that and barely finished reading it as Rekah's curiosity got the best of her and her head poked between to read.

"So, we need to make something for Fio... hmmm." He started thinking about what they could do. "We should get her something from here, that's unique."

"Royal bubbles!!!!"

Jasper furrowed his brows at that as he grinned. "Royal.. bubbles?"

"YES!" She was bouncing now and dropped his foot as she jumped around, not even caring that it could potentially be damaged. "Bubblebubblebubblebubblebubble!!!!!"

"First... get washed up for dinner." Jasper said sternly, he'd think about what they could do. "All I have to do is melt the cheese and crisp the eggplant and it will be ready."

She pouted a bit, but went to comply, all the while saying 'bubbles!' and bouncing every time she did.

It was after dinner and after they had bathed and put the babies to sleep that Jasper had finally figured out what they could do and together they set on making her a home made card with (at Rekah's insistence) a ton of glitter, macaroni, crayons and a lot of love. Then he went to dig up a flower that grew special in ?ieanu. The petals were white with streaks of purple, blue and the edges were tinged in silver. When the moon was full, the plant burst into a bunch of blooms that smelled amazing and lasted until a few days before the next full moon. It was one of Jasper's favorites.

He was putting it in a pot for her when Rekah came bouncing around again. "And Royal Bubbles!!!!!" Without waiting for an answer, she started blowing a ton of bubbles all around him.

"What constitutes a 'royal' bubble, Maddiebear?"

"Cause I blew it!" Duh.

Jasper snickered and looked at the bubbles that had landed all around on the table and thought a moment. There was something just so Rekah about bubbles and sugar.

"C'mon." He turned then and grabbed her by the hand to drag her to the kitchen, making her squeak with the sudden movement. They spent the rest of the night flavoring and spinning sugar to make edible bubbles to add to their gift. Now, they just had to take it to Steve.

There was mingling and chatting, hugs and drinking, more talk and more wine before they all settled in to eat. Once they were all seated and digging into the feast provided by Nicole's, Fionna rose, and held up a mug in a toast to them all.

"I have to say, you really did surprise me. I had no idea this was in the works," a rueful glance down at her garb confirmed it with a quirky twist of a smile, "obviously."

"But it that doesn't matter. This was very, very sweet and unexpected, and I just want to say thank you. You have all made my time in office memorable, but more than that, you have made my life richer."

"To all of you." It may have been an untraditional toast with beer instead of wine, but it was heartfelt.

A rare night off. And she couldn't think of a better way to spend it. Not only was the food wonderful, but the lighthearted warmth of the atmosphere was enough to renew even the most hardened cynic's faith in humanity. Fionna Helston's surprise gathering was well-earned and well-warranted. Isuelt stood mingling with a few of the GAC members; absent were her weapons and signature leathers. Instead, she was sporting a more comfortable, (some would argue) a more contemporary garb. The glass of wine in her hand was another departure for her. And she didn't mind it a bit. In fact, the easy stance and voluminous amusement were a welcomed change in the face of recent events. The Scathachian was soaking up every minute of it.

As she saw Fionna making her way through the crowd, shaking hands, hugging and grinning from ear to ear, Isuelt raised her glass to her with an even smile on her lips. And for Steve? The mastermind behind the event? He got the same smile, and a wink of approval for good measure.