Rumor Has Us: An Animal Crossing Series

01

Confetti blasted Fauna in right in her deer nose. She sneezed.

"Happy birthday! Is that still what the kids say these days?" Phoebe dusted the excess confetti bits from her feathered fingers. She tapped the bottom of her beak with one feather-tip. "Honestly, it's been so long since I ventured out of my house."

"That's fine," Fauna said, as nicely as she could manage. She tried to sound cheerful and not crestfallen as she looked around her living room at the host of empty chairs. She had invited the entire village to celebrate her birthday--that was the tradition here in Vanilla. Everyone came to everyone's birthday party. But not today, not hers. Had they forgotten? Had she written the wrong time on the invitation? Was she secretly hated by everyone?

Phoebe was here, though. Which was awkward. She and Phoebe didn't even like each other very much.

"Chin up, sparky!" Phoebe chirped. She put her gift--a matching blouse and hat--on Fauna's blue tablecloth. "I know what will cheer you up. How about a game?"

"A huh? A game?" Fauna's ears perked up; she couldn't help it. "What game? A board game, or maybe Mario Party-- oh," she said, when she saw Phoebe produce a deck of standard playing cards and begin shuffling.

Phoebe's eyes sparkled. "I hear you play have a mean poker face."

Fauna laughed nervously. "I don't really, uh... play cards anymore."

A knock at the door interrupted the question already forming on Phoebe's face. Thankfully, Fauna thought. Fauna hurried past her and pulled the door open to see Apollo with a feathered fist poised to knock again. He carried a covered basket under the other arm.

"This the wrong address or something?" he asked, blinking down at Fauna.

Fauna's shoulders sagged. "Not a good day for a birthday, I guess."

"Nobody showed?"

She shook her head. "Not even Marshal."

"Marshal?" Phoebe made a face. "What's special about that squirrelly little squirrel?"

"We--we went on a date last week," Fauna said.

"Oh, sweetie. Who hasn't gone on a date with that boy?" Phoebe muttered.

Apollo chuckled in just the right way to suggest he was laughing at something only he found funny. "Guess you aren't as interesting as whatever's going down at the airport today, girlie. Huge crowd. All of Vanilla's down there." He squinted at Phoebe. "Well, the people who matter."

Phoebe jutted her chin up. "Not you, though?"

"Please, you two," Fauna said, a note of irritability in her voice as she dropped some of the nicety-nice pretense. "I'm happy you both came, but I'd better take down these decorations if nobody's coming--"

"Oh, no you don't!" Phoebe whipped the cards aside, scattering them on the table and beyond. She stepped on one as she marched over to Fauna and took hold of her elbow. "We won't be having anyone be a sad-sack on their birthday. That's not how we do things in Vanilla!" She took a step towards the front door, paused for a moment, then reached back and grabbed the hat she had brought and pushed it down onto Fauna's head.

"Ow! This is-- this is really comfortable, actually."

"Good, I hoped I'd left enough room for your horn-nubbins."

"My...?" Fauna reached up and scratched at her lack of antlers.

As she pulled Fauna through the front door, Phoebe turned a sharp look on Apollo. "Are you on this birthday train, or not?"

"Heck no."

"Fine by me!" Phoebe let the door smack him on the shoulder and pulled an apologizing Fauna after her.

Apollo scowled until they were out of sight. Then, he chuckled and shook his head, setting his basket of fish tarts--a birthday gift--on Fauna's table. Then, he stepped back outside and closed Fauna's door behind him. "Crazy kids."