Hours earlier, Shiloh had sent a message for all her employees and associates in Antikythera to gather in a rare staff meeting. There was an emphasis that this was an occasion of the utmost importance, and they needed to be discreet in their actions and behavior. Top-secret, in layman's terms. When they were all assembled, she then laid down the reason for their oddly clandestine gathering. "It's been a while, and I realized I've never celebrated Niall's birthday since he came into existence. Some of you might not know, but Niall is my personal familiar. Back when Angela had her…" Shiloh counted on her fingers for a moment. "–Fourth child with her current husband, the sudden flux of magic in the world caused all of the Conclave members to manifest magical entities related to themselves. Some of them had things like a cross between a cat and a peacock with all the colored plumage–I got Niall. Technically speaking Niall isn't actually a 'ferret' as he can eat anything a person can, which leads into what we're going to be doing to give the little guy the best birthday he's ever had." To make a long meeting short, the deity planned for a week's worth of activities to make the little mustelid happy. A schedule was drawn where people drew straws to choose what day they would participate and what activities they would help with. There was a menu specifically designed to cater to the ferret's tastes, which was a list of things he said he wanted to eat sometime in the past.

The first day would be a visit to Cymbel's house in Ataiyo, Shiloh's 'family home' where she and her boys would spend time with their father when they weren't busy. It was also a good excuse to introduce the angel to her husband as everyone else had already met him. They had twelve hours to get things ready before Niall woke up from his ferret sleep-coma, lest they risk the element of surprise being lost altogether. Fortunately, it didn't take much to make him happy–just being surprised with gifts was enough to make him dance in joy. "Artiya'il, I'll be dropping you and the twins off at Cymbel's house if you don't mind. He'll be working on the food for lunch and dinner along with Cyril and Belen, so you'll just need to keep an eye out in case Niall wakes up unexpectedly. Though that probably won't likely happen, as ferrets are pretty deep sleepers once they burn off their energy."

The house was more of a small family estate in the old traditional Ataiyan style, tucked just on the edge of the city before Menomori. It would be easy to miss it if you didn't know it was there, and there were patches of seasonal wildflowers outside that Cymbel would cut to bring to his workplace at the Amakusa flower shop in the capital. The leaking roof and old wood had been replaced and the house was fully restored. The outer doors opened easily, revealing the courtyard and a large thriving peach tree. Its canopy reached high, creating a wide spot of shade under the ripening fruit. It had been on the verge of death when the fey had bought the property, but now it was healthier than ever. By the width of its trunk one could guess it was at least fifty years old or more. The rooms of the house were build around the courtyard, making it a sort of common area. For today's lunch it would be a picnic spread on a large cloth with plenty of space for the ferret to run around. 

A birthday. 

For a 'ferret'. 

Well. That was a new one, even for Artiya'il. In all her millennia, Arti had seen a variety of weird and wonderful events, but this? This had taken even the apathetic Angel of Grief by surprise. But if that was what her Goddess required of her, then she would do as she was asked - especially if it meant that Shiloh was going to enjoy herself for five minutes! 
The Archangel had attended the secret meeting, listening intently to what was required of them all. She nodded as her Goddess explained that she would need her Champion to keep an eye on Niall, she could manage that. "I am sure I can find a way to distract him Lady Shiloh, should he wake up before you are ready for him," the Angel said with a nod of her head. By her Father's name she wondered what Uriel would make of this, well, she could imagine, and she had no intention of letting her ridiculous sister know. 

The house was lovely, by all accounts, not that she really had much in the way of an opinion on such things - property had never been a thing to Artiya'il, she had lived in the Golden City, but since Angels did not sleep they did not really 'go' anywhere that was their own. Following her Goddess, she kept an eye on the twins - Belen did not worry her, but she had already worked out that Cyrus would wander away if not properly supervised. 

With all the tumult and disaster the world had suffered in the past few years, he was glad to hear Shiloh's plan for surprising Niall. She always worked so hard, too hard–even when she knew she would receive no acknowledgement. Despite claiming to be cold and jaded, the fey knew she cared the most out of everyone. She had a way of saying the opposite of what she truly meant and felt causing many misunderstandings. Everyone adored the little familiar and he was one of the few things in the world that made his wife genuinely smile. And if familiars were said to be a part of their masters, then it was proof that there was kindness beneath that face of stone. Hearing the outer doors open, he wiped his hands on a towel and hurried to see who it was. "Cyril, make sure to keep the stove burning while the rice cooks. Most of the tinderbox is full of small pieces of dry kindling so they won't last long." His son gave a nod, and he was off. A winged woman was in the courtyard and he gave his best smile. "Hello, welcome! Are you Lady Artiya'il? Please make yourself at home. Would you like some tea?" 

Shiloh had told him they would be having a visitor today and gave him a brief description of the latest addition to the Machinarium. Although she was still adamant that she had no need for a champion, it was comforting to know there would be someone over there to make sure she would rest. "Preparations for the meal are still underway, though don't mind us. Feel free to take a look around while you wait." Taking an empty wicker basket the silver-haired man went over to the peach tree and pulled off five large fruits blushing in tones of pink. They were perfectly ripe; not too firm but not so soft that they would give under pressure. These would make an excellent component for the fruit platter at the end of the meal. Right now many fruits were in season, from powdery dark grapes to crisp, sweet apples. Though the main dish for today's picnic was yet to finish. "We'll be having roasted duck and miso-glazed salmon," Cymbel continued while removing the leaves and stems from the peaches. "For the appetizer there will be sliced seaweed rolls filled with rice and raw vegetables. There will be a side of stewed meat with cooked wild greens to round things out, then after the last course a platter of fresh fruit will help cleanse the palate." 

He wasn't sure what else to say; he hadn't had the chance to ask his wife about the angel in detail. Feeling a bit embarrassed he hoped he wasn't being a bother by talking so much. First meetings were always somewhat awkward to start. It was clear that the twins took after their parents: the eldest resembling his mother and the youngest sharing his father's eyes and hair. Belen was watching the stew while Cyril poked his head out from the kitchen to see who his father was talking with. His older brother joined him, then whispered in his ear pulling him back inside.

As someone called her name, the Archangel turned to face them, bowing slightly and nodding her head. "Please, Artiya'il or Arti will suffice," she replied, following after the man. "Tea would be acceptable, thank you." Given that Angel's had no need to eat or drink, it wasn't often that Artiya'il bothered, she knew that some of her siblings would eat or drunk in order to fit in with those around them, but Arti had never really seen that need. This time, however, she felt it was polite to join in, the drink had been offered so why not enjoy it? 

She listened as Cymbel spoke, one eyebrow raising slightly as he explained what they would be eating. "You have a decent palate it would seem, the dishes sound quite delicious," she added, her storm coloured eyes following the man as he worked. Again, since she had no need to eat, Artiya'il never tended to bother, she could appreciate the complexity of the dishes however, and understood that Cymbel must have a refined palate to even contemplate putting such dishes together in the first place. He seemed to truly care about today, though since he was married to Shiloh she supposed she should not have been surprised by this fact. 

Nothing went unnoticed where Arti was concerned, the Angel raising her head a little, her eyebrow flicking upwards once more as she spotted the twins, nodding her head to them. "You have a lovely home, I am honoured to be able to join in your festivities today. Is there anything I can do to help? Shiloh has left me here primarily to ensure Niall sleeps, but I feel a little like out of place furniture sitting here while you and your children work around me." There was a flicker of a smile on the Archangel's face as she looked at the man. "I am not used to being sat doing nothing, I would much rather work if there is something I can do." 

He presented the angel with a refreshing chrysanthemum tea, a light golden yellow that could cleanse the palate. Green tea sometimes had a bit of a bitter taste despite being the popular choice in Ataiyo. When Artiya'il asked if there was anything she could help with, it took him a while to think of something. He could understand the odd feeling of not having something to do. "Well…ah! I believe there is something I would like to ask your opinion on. It might not seem like much, but the littlest of details count–especially for such a celebration." The silver-haired man went back in and returned with a few rolls of dyed patterned paper. These were specialties and hard to come by, quite expensive in such large amounts. The three rolls had different colors and patterns, but all brightly colored. One was red with pink cherry blossoms, another a vibrant green with bamboo leaves and white clouds, and the last roll was a periwinkle blue with striped pinwheels mixed in with umbrellas. "Niall loves gifts even if they aren't wrapped, but I wanted to make it a pleasant surprise for him. He especially loves playing with scrap paper, rolling them into balls and listening to the crinkling sound. Although they'll be torn apart shortly after they are used, which pattern do you think would suit him best? I have a wide selection of colored ribbons that can go with anything."

With the meal's dishes and decorations more or less handled, Cymbel wanted Artiya'il to feel as if she were a part of their family. That way she could be counted once the presents and food were brought out. Once she made her selection, Shiloh would come through the front door alerting everyone that the moment of arrival was nigh. Walter would be bringing in the ferret on foot to give the preparations a few more minutes to place the finishing touches. Everyone had kept mum about the festivities so it would be a complete surprise for the deity's happy little familiar. As far as Niall knew, he was spending a few days outside of the Machinarium at his owner's real house. The thought of seeing a new environment was enough to work him up into a frenzy, and his boundless energy was back after recharging from a comfortable ferret nap.

Artiya'il lifted the tea to her face, revelling in the heat from the cup and enjoying the smell that wafted upwards. With her sight failing, Artiya'il took pleasure in the small things in life, such as the colour of the tea Cymbel had handed to her. She sipped it and cocked her head to one side slightly, yes, that was rather pleasant wasn't it? Fingertips clutching the cup, she smiled slightly, nodding in thanks, before she put it back onto the table. She nodded. "I will help as best I can, though I've never actually been to a party, so I'm not sure how much help I will be," the Archangel snorted. What Cymbel brought back to the table, Artiya'il had to admit, were truly beautiful. She reached out, her hand drifting over each of them, not quite touching, hovering a mere centimetre above them as she took in the colours and patterns. "If I lost my sight tomorrow, I would be happy to know I had seen these…" she uttered softly, looking up at Cymbel and smiling slightly. "Apologies, a moment of melancholy for my ever failing eyesight. I'm drawn to the cherry blossoms, though that's a personal bias - of all the flora on Earth, it was the Sakura I loved the most - though for Niall I would say the blue. I think the pinwheels and umbrellas are the most fun for him to look at," she added, gently tapping a fingertip upon the paper. 

The Archangel felt a little out of place, but her connection, and subsequent affection, for Shiloh, made the woman feel a little less awkward. Cymbel seemed nice enough, and she had yet to really interact with the boys, but she had no fear that she would come to think of them affectionately before long as well. "Is there anything else I can do?" She asked. "I can probably make tea… or set up decorations on the roof. Anything up high is probably a forte for me…" 

Both of her recommendations were good in Cymbel's eyes, and he was happy he could find a way to have Artiya'il be a part of things. "They both are wonderful, I'm sure he'll be happy to see them wrapped around his birthday surprises. And I'll let him know you were the one who picked them. He'll be absolutely delighted." Thinking a bit more, he realized that there was one other thing which the angel could assist with. "Hm…actually yes, there was something that I forgot. There are a few colored banners and garlands which were going to be hung about the peach tree in the courtyard. Niall might be arriving soon and I don't mean to impose, but do you mind if you could hang these loosely around the lower branches?" These were the finishing touches for the house before the initial celebration would begin. The fey brought out the decorations and laid them out from their box before taking the sakura-patterned and pinwheel-patterned paper to wrap the little ferret's gifts. When Arti was about done helping Cymbel, a small portal opened and Shiloh came out with an armful of fireworks. "He's almost here! Everybody, places! Walter's walking down the path with him in hand. He's wearing a blindfold, but he won't be patient for long." 

The goddess instructed everyone in the house to hide out of sight and wait until Walter came through the front doors into the courtyard. Meanwhile, she hurried off to place the fireworks so they would go off at just the right moment. Silence fell over the house as the footsteps of the tracker approached. There was a creak of the front doors and the excited dooking sounds of a ferret in anticipation. "Alright, we're here Niall. Go ahead and take the blindfold off." A moment of quiet came as the familiar pawed off the blindfold covering his eyes. In the next second, whistling shrieks pierced the air as the trailing sparks of fireworks shot into the sky to explode into bursts of color! Niall gasped as those in hiding jumped out shouting in unison: "SURPRISE!!!" The little ferret leaped out of Walter's hands and dashed about the courtyard, dancing in glee. "Happy birthday Niall!" The twins shouted, popping streamers that sent colorful confetti everywhere. Cymbel came out of the kitchen with two wrapped gifts, setting them down before the furry creature. With eyes wide, Niall couldn't believe it!

"Are these for me?!!" The ferret was positively squirming with joy. With a smile, Cymbel replied. "Yes, they are! Lady Artiya'il helped choose the wrapping paper for your gifts." Niall stood up onto his back legs and made that endearing chuckling sound ferrets made out of pure happiness. "Thank you!!" Tearing into the paper, inside was a soft plush toy that squeaked when bitten or squeezed and a colorful ball with bells inside. He fought with the paper for a few moments before giving the toys their turn, chuckling all the while. Before he could wear himself out, lunch was served and a picnic blanket was laid out for everyone to gather round beneath the decorated peach tree. Shiloh joined everyone for the meal, having ensured the fireworks didn't cause any fires with stray sparks. It was the first time everyone in Antikythera was gathered together outside of an emergency, and it was a welcome change of pace.