[ic contact]
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[There's a present for Maya sitting outside her door! It's wrapped in blue paper....also it says "From Erika" on it so the sender is kind of obvious.
It contains a pair of fuzzy slippers shaped like platypi.]
It contains a pair of fuzzy slippers shaped like platypi.]
[Gundam knocks on the door of Maya and Kaede's shared room, holding a package for Kaede. She'd given him obligation chocolate in the previous month and thus he was obligated by will of causality to oblige her with an offering in return.]
It hadn't actually occurred to Gundam to make sure Kaede was actually in her room though before coming to bother her.]
It hadn't actually occurred to Gundam to make sure Kaede was actually in her room though before coming to bother her.]
[ Generally, unless there's a pressing conversation to be had, he's been respecting Maya's wishes. She doesn't like the mental connection because she wants privacy. Or just self-conscious of her thoughts like literally every mortal on the planet, what the hell guys. It's such a miniscule worry in the scheme of things. So much so that, when you're attached to something that unconsciously records everything it experiences by necessity, some things slip past. Like said sense of privacy.
She gets mentally poked, like a tap on one shoulder. ]
Need me to cut his hands off?
[ This is with all the casual tone of someone asking if they need a ride from the airport, or if they want anything picked up from Burger King. ]
She gets mentally poked, like a tap on one shoulder. ]
Need me to cut his hands off?
[ This is with all the casual tone of someone asking if they need a ride from the airport, or if they want anything picked up from Burger King. ]
[ well, it's both ways, really, she doesn't like being privy to his thoughts either. but right now she's radiating panic and desperation, so like, it's hard for him not to pick up on it. she's not keeping it to herself, that's for sure. ]
[ I--- What? ]
[ honestly, she doesn't even know which 'he' will's referring to, so her mind immediately goes to mccree, because mccree is the currently the first person on her mind. also, she's kind of dense, he knows this. ]
[ No! Just because he's stone doesn't mean he can be broken up! What if they're detached when he turns back!? ]
[ maya... logic... ]
[ I--- What? ]
[ honestly, she doesn't even know which 'he' will's referring to, so her mind immediately goes to mccree, because mccree is the currently the first person on her mind. also, she's kind of dense, he knows this. ]
[ No! Just because he's stone doesn't mean he can be broken up! What if they're detached when he turns back!? ]
[ maya... logic... ]
[ Surely, somewhere, Lion is pacing in circles in trauma-from-drowning-based panic, but they can keep putting holes in a rug offscreen. They got a memo this time, brat should be grateful. All that really matters is the underwater thing isn't proper when your SO just died, plus everyone down there is hype for your new diety and it's about as awkward as being dragged along to someone's family reunion because you're a friend and know absolutely nobody. Yeah, no thanks, he'll stay on the surface. Unfortunately for everyone involved, Maya's been around long enough - both as a friend and as a master - to know the easiest bribery method to make him go somewhere.
It's along the tune of 'hey dude, there's a library down here full of stuff that isn't on the moon base', and every book nerd in the universe responds with the :eyes: emoji. Without question.
Seriously, he came all the way down here for such a let-down. The 'Not Angry Just Disappointed' vibe is tangible. ]
Jellyfish aren't books, Maya.
It's along the tune of 'hey dude, there's a library down here full of stuff that isn't on the moon base', and every book nerd in the universe responds with the :eyes: emoji. Without question.
Seriously, he came all the way down here for such a let-down. The 'Not Angry Just Disappointed' vibe is tangible. ]
Jellyfish aren't books, Maya.
[ maya would like to get lion down here too, just to help them get over their fear, but she won't force them, so, baby steps!! she waves enthusiastically when she sees will approach. everything according to keikakku. ]
[ but no, this is seriously cool, especially for a nerd like him, so there's no way she's going to let him miss out on this. ]
Yeah, they're even cooler than books! Check it out! They show you stuff, you just have to look at them.
[ wills of little faith!! ]
[ but no, this is seriously cool, especially for a nerd like him, so there's no way she's going to let him miss out on this. ]
Yeah, they're even cooler than books! Check it out! They show you stuff, you just have to look at them.
[ wills of little faith!! ]
Edited 2019-07-26 00:11 (UTC)
Okay, Maya.
[Guess what time it is? Time for Maya to learn about pizza. Real pizza. Not bullshit Jamerican pizza, actual pizza that some absolute walnut chucked a whole ball of mozzarella on top of. Mista's got a hand on her shoulder, gaze serious with a glimmer of shonen inspiration.]
[He is only shonen about pizza.]
Are you ready to get your taste buds handed to you?
[Guess what time it is? Time for Maya to learn about pizza. Real pizza. Not bullshit Jamerican pizza, actual pizza that some absolute walnut chucked a whole ball of mozzarella on top of. Mista's got a hand on her shoulder, gaze serious with a glimmer of shonen inspiration.]
[He is only shonen about pizza.]
Are you ready to get your taste buds handed to you?
[ jaws theme plays in the bg ]
I dunno..... Is it really that good?
[ she has her doubts as regards to mista's claim, but it let it never be said that maya fey isn't adventurous and open to new food experiences. she's willing to give him a chance, at least. ]
[ she can appreciate the shounen food spirit ]
I dunno..... Is it really that good?
[ she has her doubts as regards to mista's claim, but it let it never be said that maya fey isn't adventurous and open to new food experiences. she's willing to give him a chance, at least. ]
[ she can appreciate the shounen food spirit ]
8/??, in the middle of the aftermath of the shinji-wright thread
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dialetheism
2019-08-23 02:23 pm (UTC)(link)
[ It was a good day. They were all having a good day. And then the day very rapidly stopped being anything resembling good. ]
Maya-san?
Apologies for asking an odd question but
Is Will being... strange on your end?
[ Hi Maya, how ya doin', sure do hope that this random, incredibly ominous text out of nowhere doesn't worry you or anything. Whoops. ]
Maya-san?
Apologies for asking an odd question but
Is Will being... strange on your end?
[ Hi Maya, how ya doin', sure do hope that this random, incredibly ominous text out of nowhere doesn't worry you or anything. Whoops. ]
[ honestly...... lion can't really top mentally popping in to be like 'hey should i maim the person you're talking to they're being kind of rude' ]
[ and where will is concerned it's not really that odd of an question ]
um
well
to be honest yeah? i'm kind of worried about him but i just don't want to bust in
is he being weird with you???
[ and where will is concerned it's not really that odd of an question ]
um
well
to be honest yeah? i'm kind of worried about him but i just don't want to bust in
is he being weird with you???
[There's a flurry of activity after everything goes down. There's a panic as they try to figure out what to do with Blake's body, with Farnese's lack of body; there's no way to get everyone back to base and they know it, which is terrifying for about ten seconds until suddenly Farnese has reconstituted out of nothing and Blake's upright, too, and everything is a hundred times worse than it was five seconds ago. They have to get Stylosa and Minato somewhere they can at least get some first aid. Mista should probably get some first aid himself, but, well—]
[The broken arm can wait a second. (He's going to get yelled at for this.) He lost Maya somewhere in the shuffle, except that of course he didn't. He knows exactly where she is, what parts of her are hurting . . . there are little fragments of emotion, but he's not even sure where those are coming from.]
[He has to find her. This is too confusing. So he tracks her down in Shadowdale and — almost collapses with exhaustion on seeing her, because thank God. There she is. Okay. Cool. Good. Great. God, he's so tired.]
Hey.
[blease hug]
[The broken arm can wait a second. (He's going to get yelled at for this.) He lost Maya somewhere in the shuffle, except that of course he didn't. He knows exactly where she is, what parts of her are hurting . . . there are little fragments of emotion, but he's not even sure where those are coming from.]
[He has to find her. This is too confusing. So he tracks her down in Shadowdale and — almost collapses with exhaustion on seeing her, because thank God. There she is. Okay. Cool. Good. Great. God, he's so tired.]
Hey.
[blease hug]
[ it's been a lot. physically, emotionally. she's just finished taking minato to safety -- on top of farnese, and blake, and after all that, she's catching her breath. she's felt mista in the periphery -- she has that kind of connection with will, already, so it was just in the background as she focused solely on her work. and not thinking about what happened, or how sore she is, or the state he's in, or.... anything. ]
[ all the bits of feelings he picks up from her are muted, shoved to the side. unimportant. she can't risk being negative. there's enough going wrong. so it all melds into a steely determination. ]
[ of course, when she sees mista, it's overtaken by relief. ]
Mista!
[ she's definitely hugging him, but moving carefully with her glass leg. ]
[ all the bits of feelings he picks up from her are muted, shoved to the side. unimportant. she can't risk being negative. there's enough going wrong. so it all melds into a steely determination. ]
[ of course, when she sees mista, it's overtaken by relief. ]
Mista!
[ she's definitely hugging him, but moving carefully with her glass leg. ]
[Having presumably apologized in person at some prior point for having done a torture (I wanna thread that out more first), Michael just tries to message her like a normal person.]
Hey, you're friends with Eleanor too, right?
Hey, you're friends with Eleanor too, right?
[There's just been so much happening. Too much happening, and not enough Sayori to deal with it. She hovered around the clinic after they took Maya to Mia, but there was so much else to do and nothing more she could do for Maya until Maya woke up.
Once she did, of course, Sayori heard about her meeting. The encounter with the man-shaped nightmare that's been destroying their worlds, if Maya's suspicions are correct.
And she doesn't know how to feel about that, or how else to help with such a cosmic terror aside from hug Maya as much as she can. Which she did, thoroughly.
And she'll do again when she runs across Maya in the forest by the new Yggdrasil sapling. Though she starts just by approaching slowly (with heavy footfalls, not wanting to startle her,) and tugging gently on Maya's sleeve.]
Once she did, of course, Sayori heard about her meeting. The encounter with the man-shaped nightmare that's been destroying their worlds, if Maya's suspicions are correct.
And she doesn't know how to feel about that, or how else to help with such a cosmic terror aside from hug Maya as much as she can. Which she did, thoroughly.
And she'll do again when she runs across Maya in the forest by the new Yggdrasil sapling. Though she starts just by approaching slowly (with heavy footfalls, not wanting to startle her,) and tugging gently on Maya's sleeve.]
[ it's a good move, because maya is prone to zoning out recently -- as much as she tries not to think about it, her mind keeps wandering back to it, replaying the encounter in her head over and over again. ]
[ she tries to get her mind off of it by doing things -- bringing things to plant, tending to yggdrasil junior, but it's hard to stay focused. ]
[ when she notices sayori (it takes her a bit), she smiles, though it's pretty subdued. ]
Hey..... How are you feeling?
[ starting off with a classic maya move ]
[ she tries to get her mind off of it by doing things -- bringing things to plant, tending to yggdrasil junior, but it's hard to stay focused. ]
[ when she notices sayori (it takes her a bit), she smiles, though it's pretty subdued. ]
Hey..... How are you feeling?
[ starting off with a classic maya move ]
[Oct 25, action] because there's never too many sister threads
doubledsofjustice
2019-10-30 11:52 pm (UTC)(link)
[According to the calendar, Mia Fey has somehow lived to be 31. Or perhaps it's 28? Mia's not entirely sure if dead people age as the flow of linear time continues, but here she is once again on another birthday without a history of celebrating it.
But that's fine. She has a reason to, this time.]
Maya? You're in here, right?
[Mia asks as she enters their newly-shared dorm, a purchased cake balanced on the fingertips of one hand, precariously hidden behind her back. Gods only know what Maya's planning, if she's planning, after all, and Mia's not really sure what she'll come home to.
But Maya's been... lost, almost, since Wonderland, and deserves the extra effort. Someone ought to come through for her. And the one thing Mia wants to do on her birthday, this time, is share it with her sister for the first time in too many years.]
Hey sis, I've got a surprise for you.
But that's fine. She has a reason to, this time.]
Maya? You're in here, right?
[Mia asks as she enters their newly-shared dorm, a purchased cake balanced on the fingertips of one hand, precariously hidden behind her back. Gods only know what Maya's planning, if she's planning, after all, and Mia's not really sure what she'll come home to.
But Maya's been... lost, almost, since Wonderland, and deserves the extra effort. Someone ought to come through for her. And the one thing Mia wants to do on her birthday, this time, is share it with her sister for the first time in too many years.]
Hey sis, I've got a surprise for you.
[ if it wasn't for... everything that happened, maya would already have a huge cake and present prepped for mia. she would have planned it days ahead. ]
[ unfortunately, her mind's been a little preoccupied lately. that's just a little bit of an understatement. still, she managed to remember just in time and isn't empty handed, but it's not quite the intense celebration it normally would be. ]
A surprise? For meeee?
[ her exaggerated shock is a good cover for nick junior to sneakily procure her gift while maya greets mia. ]
[ unfortunately, her mind's been a little preoccupied lately. that's just a little bit of an understatement. still, she managed to remember just in time and isn't empty handed, but it's not quite the intense celebration it normally would be. ]
A surprise? For meeee?
[ her exaggerated shock is a good cover for nick junior to sneakily procure her gift while maya greets mia. ]
[Sans wasn't at the mission briefing. He hasn't been around all day, actually. But here's a text for Maya:]
don't teleport into the restricted section
bad idea
don't teleport into the restricted section
bad idea
[It's not exactly magic, not how this figure and Maya have accidentally connected and intertwined themselves right into each others' paths. They've spoken once before and although it wasn't exactly a cordial sort of conference, the man now sits at the opposing side of the same long table from their meeting prior, a countenance of warmth to his features that wasn't there before.
Tied around his neck, a white piece of cloth, and before him, a luxurious looking sterling silver plate cover, as if Maya has just invited herself over for dinner without the proper credentialing that should've been in place prior to coming to this high rise office complex located in sunny... god knows where. His face, although it looks still more or less the same as it has before, is speckled with dark lines running across his cheeks, small cracks apparent that if Maya looks she can see what has to be these dark, rock like formations. In each of them is a chromatic sort of speckling, and- as if he notices that he's being a bad host and takes stock of the fact that she's looking at him, brings a hand up to his face to push skin back in place, covering himself.
What's it like, having dinner with the man who's known as The Hunger?
He snaps his fingers, and a plate of the most delicious looking hamburger to ever have been created in any universe appears before her. There are fries too, of course, in whatever style she fancies most: steak, curly, shoestring- you name it.]
Maya.
[He smiles cordially at her.
How has he come to know her name?]
Tied around his neck, a white piece of cloth, and before him, a luxurious looking sterling silver plate cover, as if Maya has just invited herself over for dinner without the proper credentialing that should've been in place prior to coming to this high rise office complex located in sunny... god knows where. His face, although it looks still more or less the same as it has before, is speckled with dark lines running across his cheeks, small cracks apparent that if Maya looks she can see what has to be these dark, rock like formations. In each of them is a chromatic sort of speckling, and- as if he notices that he's being a bad host and takes stock of the fact that she's looking at him, brings a hand up to his face to push skin back in place, covering himself.
What's it like, having dinner with the man who's known as The Hunger?
He snaps his fingers, and a plate of the most delicious looking hamburger to ever have been created in any universe appears before her. There are fries too, of course, in whatever style she fancies most: steak, curly, shoestring- you name it.]
Maya.
[He smiles cordially at her.
How has he come to know her name?]
Edited 2019-12-13 13:54 (UTC)
[ maya wasn't sure if she would ever see him again -- especially not after what happened in thay, but here they are, once again.... wherever it is. it takes her a minute to process what's happening as she (very rudely) stares blankly at him, and his face. ]
[ whatever brought her here, it isn't magic. she doesn't know what it is. or where they are. or, anything. is this really a man before her? is the hunger possessing him like she feared it would possess her? there's so much she doesn't understand. her heart is racing. ]
[ after her meeting with what she could only assume is the hunger, she'd thought long and hard about what she'd do if she ever saw it (him? it?) again. and yet, now, in the face of all of this, she's completely blanking. ]
[ then he fixes his face, and she collects herself and finds her words again. ]
Hello.
[ her eyes flicker around the room -- outside, at him, at the burger, and then she sits down. that burger is extremely tantalizing, and there's something deeply ironic about the hunger feeding her. but she doesn't touch it yet. ]
[ (of course it knows her name and what her favorite food is. lucretia was right, she is right in the line of fire. ) ]
[ (oh well) ]
[ she manages to keep her voice light, though her entire body feels heavy. ]
I guess you didn't need me to tell you my name after all, huh? Do you have a name, or should I just call you Mr. Hungry Guy? [ hunguy for short. ]
[ whatever brought her here, it isn't magic. she doesn't know what it is. or where they are. or, anything. is this really a man before her? is the hunger possessing him like she feared it would possess her? there's so much she doesn't understand. her heart is racing. ]
[ after her meeting with what she could only assume is the hunger, she'd thought long and hard about what she'd do if she ever saw it (him? it?) again. and yet, now, in the face of all of this, she's completely blanking. ]
[ then he fixes his face, and she collects herself and finds her words again. ]
Hello.
[ her eyes flicker around the room -- outside, at him, at the burger, and then she sits down. that burger is extremely tantalizing, and there's something deeply ironic about the hunger feeding her. but she doesn't touch it yet. ]
[ (of course it knows her name and what her favorite food is. lucretia was right, she is right in the line of fire. ) ]
[ (oh well) ]
[ she manages to keep her voice light, though her entire body feels heavy. ]
I guess you didn't need me to tell you my name after all, huh? Do you have a name, or should I just call you Mr. Hungry Guy? [ hunguy for short. ]
[ On the morning of the 25th, there's a pile of doorstoppers outside the Fey room. Three presents wrapped in cheerfully tacky paper - one purple, for Maya, one yellow, for Mia, and one in Wright Blue for Nick.
Maya's is immediately cute. A stuffed plushie kraken in a similar purple to her Kurain coat is carefully squashed into the majority of the box, cradelling a thick, dense novel and a metric buttload of candy from various places - some cactus-flavoured things from Vista Virs, peppermints from New Aspen, taffy from Lyrabar, and a handful of things ordered from Neverwinter. And at the very bottom - a small, handmade first aid kit, full of emergency supplies for when healing isn't an option.
There's also a note, in Lion's painfully neat handwriting.
"No matter what happens, I wanted to thank you for everything you've done. I don't think any of us could have gotten this far without your invaluable aid and your cheerful smile lighting up the darkness- myself and Will, especially. But please don't forget to be kind to yourself as well, alright? We care about you too.
The mystery novel is... mostly a guess, I'll admit. But if it's not the style of book that you prefer, I made sure it was thick enough to threaten either Will or Nick-san with in a pinch.
Happy Candlenights, Maya,
- Ushiromiya Lion." ]
Maya's is immediately cute. A stuffed plushie kraken in a similar purple to her Kurain coat is carefully squashed into the majority of the box, cradelling a thick, dense novel and a metric buttload of candy from various places - some cactus-flavoured things from Vista Virs, peppermints from New Aspen, taffy from Lyrabar, and a handful of things ordered from Neverwinter. And at the very bottom - a small, handmade first aid kit, full of emergency supplies for when healing isn't an option.
There's also a note, in Lion's painfully neat handwriting.
"No matter what happens, I wanted to thank you for everything you've done. I don't think any of us could have gotten this far without your invaluable aid and your cheerful smile lighting up the darkness- myself and Will, especially. But please don't forget to be kind to yourself as well, alright? We care about you too.
The mystery novel is... mostly a guess, I'll admit. But if it's not the style of book that you prefer, I made sure it was thick enough to threaten either Will or Nick-san with in a pinch.
Happy Candlenights, Maya,
- Ushiromiya Lion." ]
Edited 2019-12-21 01:17 (UTC)
[Several days before Christmas/Candlenights/what have you, two wrapped packages are left for Maya! In this case, Michael wasn't entirely sure what to do. He certainly wanted to get her something - they're obviously friends! They've said so! It's just that most of their interactions have been...sort of intense. Not exactly casual conversation about hobbies and whatnot.
Getting her a candle or something generic didn't feel right, either. So in the end, there's two wrapped packages delivered to her door a few days before Christmas. The attached note reads:]
I wasn't really sure what to get you, so I went for something fun and something useful. Without magic, I feel like we all need more useful things. You're going to have to be your own phoenix now, you know - but I'm sure you can.
Enjoy whatever holiday you're into.
- Michael.
[When Maya unwraps them, she will find a gift box of cookies from New New Aspen and a knife. It's a good knife; Michael knows how to choose those, at least.]
Getting her a candle or something generic didn't feel right, either. So in the end, there's two wrapped packages delivered to her door a few days before Christmas. The attached note reads:]
I wasn't really sure what to get you, so I went for something fun and something useful. Without magic, I feel like we all need more useful things. You're going to have to be your own phoenix now, you know - but I'm sure you can.
Enjoy whatever holiday you're into.
- Michael.
[When Maya unwraps them, she will find a gift box of cookies from New New Aspen and a knife. It's a good knife; Michael knows how to choose those, at least.]
[On Maya's bed, she will find a purple not-super-well-made-but-he-tried knitted dog using that pattern he found on Maru. Underneath is basically a short paper on how souls work in Undertale--the colors associated with them, the differences between human and monster souls, that sort of thing. Since Maya is a spirit medium and all. The paper is neatly typed.
There's no tag, but the dog does have a green stick on bow attached.]
There's no tag, but the dog does have a green stick on bow attached.]
[ Repeat it like a mantra forever. Thou must not drop off presents and run away like a coward. Thou must not drop off presents and run away like a coward. Everyone else is just doing dropoffs at ridiculous hours like they're spooky ghosts, but if this is the first year he's doing gifts like a person he's doing it properly.
But Maya is an exception to this rule. She has plenty of other people she should be spending her time with, mostly including people her age, who aren't dead, who care about her deeply and deserve her care in return. And he's not the only one of this opinion. After Mia unlocks the door (and the usual absent-minded bow and spoken gratitude) there's a moment spent hovering, waiting for a ping that doesn't happen.
Right. No Contract. That's fine. She'd have ran out in excitement if she were here anyway. ] Where should we hide 'em?
But Maya is an exception to this rule. She has plenty of other people she should be spending her time with, mostly including people her age, who aren't dead, who care about her deeply and deserve her care in return. And he's not the only one of this opinion. After Mia unlocks the door (and the usual absent-minded bow and spoken gratitude) there's a moment spent hovering, waiting for a ping that doesn't happen.
Right. No Contract. That's fine. She'd have ran out in excitement if she were here anyway. ] Where should we hide 'em?
[While Mia has less fear of looking like a coward, she does share Will's wish for Maya to spend her time with all those bright and shiny people-- as well as to come home to a surprise. Something nice, something unexpected, something done just for her. A little extra effort.
It'd been easy to do little 'extra effort' things when they were younger, but it wasn't just death that had separated Maya from her sister. Now Mia intends to make up for it at least a little bit, which includes still relishing the fact her sister can be surprised and genuinely joyous. It's hard, what with everything that's happened.]
Hm... Not too-too obvious, but not the back of the closet, either.
[With their luck lately if they hide it too well, Maya won't see it til spring, and the lack of surprise ruins the whole cool-big-sibling thing they've got going on here.]
Maybe on her pillow, is that too obvious?
[Mia asks, idly straightening the bed that honestly doesn't need to be too straightened up, anyway. She hasn't done this too much either. It's so much easier to be smart and wise with things you actually have experience in.]
It'd been easy to do little 'extra effort' things when they were younger, but it wasn't just death that had separated Maya from her sister. Now Mia intends to make up for it at least a little bit, which includes still relishing the fact her sister can be surprised and genuinely joyous. It's hard, what with everything that's happened.]
Hm... Not too-too obvious, but not the back of the closet, either.
[With their luck lately if they hide it too well, Maya won't see it til spring, and the lack of surprise ruins the whole cool-big-sibling thing they've got going on here.]
Maybe on her pillow, is that too obvious?
[Mia asks, idly straightening the bed that honestly doesn't need to be too straightened up, anyway. She hasn't done this too much either. It's so much easier to be smart and wise with things you actually have experience in.]
[Shinjiro decided to take a different tack with Maya than the others he got gifts for--largely because he wasn't sure of what she would like in terms of things, but he is pretty sure he cannot possibly go wrong with food--and ends up making a couple of cute, holiday-themed bento boxes
Of course, he's too much of an awkward turtle to actually deliver these in person, but he also doesn't want to let them spoil overnight, sooooo .... they're packed carefully into an icebox and ding-dong-ditched at her door in the morning. The note, reading only happy candlenights, is unsigned. But really, how many Japanese people who can cook does Maya know?]
Of course, he's too much of an awkward turtle to actually deliver these in person, but he also doesn't want to let them spoil overnight, sooooo .... they're packed carefully into an icebox and ding-dong-ditched at her door in the morning. The note, reading only happy candlenights, is unsigned. But really, how many Japanese people who can cook does Maya know?]
[A messily-wrapped box, with Maya's name written directly on the colorful paper. There's a handmade card on top, decorated with stickers and doodles of wintry images like snow, gingerbread men, etc. It's not properly signed, but the signature isn't necessary. On one side of the interior:]
Tall green trees in lights twinkling bright,
Sparkling strands of tinsel and snow pure white,
The smell of hot cocoa and apple cider too,
A very merry Candlenights, from Sayori to you!
[And then on the other side:]
Maybe one of the gifts seems kind of random, but trees are sort of our thing now, you know? Plus, you're a druid! So I hope when you wear it, you think of me and all our adventures together. As for the pin, I was reading a lot about flowers for Mista's garden and I learned that there's like a whole language of flowers! The long purple flower is heather and it means "protection." The cluster of pink ones is phlox and it means "our souls are united." The white one is dogwood and it means "love undiminished by adversity." Mista and I have pins that match the heather and phlox, but the dogwood is just for you!
I was gonna write more in here, but I don't think I need to. Just read it and know that I'm really lucky I met you, okay?
[What is "it," exactly? Well, also tucked into the envelope with the card is a sturdy piece of stationery, white and dotted with delicate blue polka dots. On that stationery is—what else?—but a poem.
Inside the box is a set of hand-carved, hand-painted hair sticks which resemble the Steel Samurai spear and a necklace bearing a tree. There are slight imperfections in the sticks that indicate Sayori made and painted them herself, but she has been careful to smooth them out well enough that there's no danger of splinters. There's also a New New Aspen ornament in the shape of a magatama and painted the color of Sayori's hair. It's not as polished as the hair sticks; perhaps it was a much earlier attempt at carving? And finally, there's a pin depicting a string of heather halfway encircling a cluster of phlox, while a delicate white dogwood blossom is centered inside]
Sparkling strands of tinsel and snow pure white,
The smell of hot cocoa and apple cider too,
A very merry Candlenights, from Sayori to you!
[And then on the other side:]
Maybe one of the gifts seems kind of random, but trees are sort of our thing now, you know? Plus, you're a druid! So I hope when you wear it, you think of me and all our adventures together. As for the pin, I was reading a lot about flowers for Mista's garden and I learned that there's like a whole language of flowers! The long purple flower is heather and it means "protection." The cluster of pink ones is phlox and it means "our souls are united." The white one is dogwood and it means "love undiminished by adversity." Mista and I have pins that match the heather and phlox, but the dogwood is just for you!
I was gonna write more in here, but I don't think I need to. Just read it and know that I'm really lucky I met you, okay?
[What is "it," exactly? Well, also tucked into the envelope with the card is a sturdy piece of stationery, white and dotted with delicate blue polka dots. On that stationery is—what else?—but a poem.
Inside the box is a set of hand-carved, hand-painted hair sticks which resemble the Steel Samurai spear and a necklace bearing a tree. There are slight imperfections in the sticks that indicate Sayori made and painted them herself, but she has been careful to smooth them out well enough that there's no danger of splinters. There's also a New New Aspen ornament in the shape of a magatama and painted the color of Sayori's hair. It's not as polished as the hair sticks; perhaps it was a much earlier attempt at carving? And finally, there's a pin depicting a string of heather halfway encircling a cluster of phlox, while a delicate white dogwood blossom is centered inside]
Edited (formatting...) 2020-01-03 05:01 (UTC)
[ Maya will find a dozen cookies in her choice of flavor (chocolate chip, oatmeal with cherry and dark chocolate, peanut butter, plain ol' sugar, cinnamon spice, or lemon) and a bracelet with a hand-carved wooden wolf charm on it (and there's room for more charms if Maya ever wants to put them on!). Also, there's a short note--
For the best sometimes-wolf in any universe.
-- Mira ]
For the best sometimes-wolf in any universe.
-- Mira ]
[Happy Candlenights! Maya receives: cozy pajama top & bottoms. Custom Steel Samurai plushes of all the main characters. A huge cozy purple sweater that she is basically drowning in, but in a comfy way. A World's Best Sister mug, to match with Mia's. A polished circular stone (similar in color, if not in function, to the mirror crystal in Vista Virs) on a silver chain long enough to function as a necklace, if she wants. A silver circular pendant with a purple triangle threaded within it, each corner touching the circumference of the circle; one corner holds a tiny silver magatama, one a pen crossed over an arrow, and the third a teardrop shape that resembles, at least abstractly, one of the Sex Pistols. Sayori also has one, and so does Mista.]
[Not on the Day of Candlenight's itself, but later that evening, there's a big bundle at Mia and Maya's room, slipped there while everyone was enjoying their holiday festivities, and wrapped very sloppily but with a handful of envelopes attached to it. There's a note tied to the bow.]
Sorry, this took a lot longer to wrap up than I thought! I hope you don't mind!
[If Maya and Mia dig into the present, they'll realize it's a shared gift. And not only is it a shared gift, it's a big one. While there is an envelope with a letter for each of them, it's secondary to the main gift.
In what could have only been painstakingly hand-drawn by Phoenix himself, is a recreation of the first time the three of them reunited on the moonbase in the hospital - Maya clinging tightly to Phoenix as he's sandwiched between her and Mia. There's no color to the picture itself - but the picture is done on a posterboard that looks like it was traced on and re-done a few times to get it just right - there's the loving hint of eraser marks and various residue of the sketch layer. And the posterboard is large enough to be put up in the room itself - not quite as all-encompassing as a certain lawyer's favorite painting, certainly. But perhaps that's for the best.]
[If Maya opens up her letter, she'll get a much smaller sketch - a recreation, mostly of memory, of The Steel Samurai. It's not entirely perfect, but it's pretty close, for Phoenix not having any direct reference to draw on. As well as a small letter.]
Maya,
I don't think I'll ever really feel like I'm worthy of the kind of praise you give me.
No matter how many tribulations we've been through, we always come out on top.
And when I feel like I'm at my wits end, I always remember that you've never once given up.
Not on me, or on anyone else.
I'm sure you've done, and are doing, the same here.
And I might not be able to ever catch up to how long you've spent here, having to be so strong for everyone else's sake.
But I can tell you that if you're ever feeling overwhelmed, and it happens to the best of us, you can always rely on me.
I'll always be in your corner. I know you know that, but it bears repeating.
My life would be a whole lot different - and a whole lot less interesting! - without you, Maya.
So just remember to rely on me.
- Nick
Sorry, this took a lot longer to wrap up than I thought! I hope you don't mind!
[If Maya and Mia dig into the present, they'll realize it's a shared gift. And not only is it a shared gift, it's a big one. While there is an envelope with a letter for each of them, it's secondary to the main gift.
In what could have only been painstakingly hand-drawn by Phoenix himself, is a recreation of the first time the three of them reunited on the moonbase in the hospital - Maya clinging tightly to Phoenix as he's sandwiched between her and Mia. There's no color to the picture itself - but the picture is done on a posterboard that looks like it was traced on and re-done a few times to get it just right - there's the loving hint of eraser marks and various residue of the sketch layer. And the posterboard is large enough to be put up in the room itself - not quite as all-encompassing as a certain lawyer's favorite painting, certainly. But perhaps that's for the best.]
[If Maya opens up her letter, she'll get a much smaller sketch - a recreation, mostly of memory, of The Steel Samurai. It's not entirely perfect, but it's pretty close, for Phoenix not having any direct reference to draw on. As well as a small letter.]
Maya,
I don't think I'll ever really feel like I'm worthy of the kind of praise you give me.
No matter how many tribulations we've been through, we always come out on top.
And when I feel like I'm at my wits end, I always remember that you've never once given up.
Not on me, or on anyone else.
I'm sure you've done, and are doing, the same here.
And I might not be able to ever catch up to how long you've spent here, having to be so strong for everyone else's sake.
But I can tell you that if you're ever feeling overwhelmed, and it happens to the best of us, you can always rely on me.
I'll always be in your corner. I know you know that, but it bears repeating.
My life would be a whole lot different - and a whole lot less interesting! - without you, Maya.
So just remember to rely on me.
- Nick
[It's a few days after Candlenights that Maya wakes up to a gift at the end of her bed, with a handmade card on top of it. He's used to Christmas being a couple's holiday so he hadn't bothered getting anyone gifts, but he can't just not reciprocate when someone's given him something??
The card is full of doodles from him, of her being equally as cool and of her and her sister (with a note pointing to Mia calling her the coolest lady ever). His message is short, but sweet, telling her that he thinks she's pretty cool too, and he's glad that he got to meet her. He's not the best at the whole heartfelt anything, sorry about that.
In the box is a bag of handmade treats (which don't...look great, but they're edible and taste decent), plus a small collection of toys. A high powered watergun (and a challenge to a watergun duel) and a few soft but weird looking stuffed animals (what kind of animals they are is hard to tell but...they're some kind of animals). There's also a few books about...well. Not samurai, but what certainly sound like the Faerun equivalent from the summaries. They're fiction stories, with a healthy mix of swordsmen action and magic both, and there's an origami katana bookmark slipped into the front of the topmost book.]
The card is full of doodles from him, of her being equally as cool and of her and her sister (with a note pointing to Mia calling her the coolest lady ever). His message is short, but sweet, telling her that he thinks she's pretty cool too, and he's glad that he got to meet her. He's not the best at the whole heartfelt anything, sorry about that.
In the box is a bag of handmade treats (which don't...look great, but they're edible and taste decent), plus a small collection of toys. A high powered watergun (and a challenge to a watergun duel) and a few soft but weird looking stuffed animals (what kind of animals they are is hard to tell but...they're some kind of animals). There's also a few books about...well. Not samurai, but what certainly sound like the Faerun equivalent from the summaries. They're fiction stories, with a healthy mix of swordsmen action and magic both, and there's an origami katana bookmark slipped into the front of the topmost book.]
[Maya, Sayori, and Mira will each find themselves with a straggler present. Appearing on their doorstep (or perhaps inside, after catching a roommate for permission) will be a small box of chick-shaped sweet buns with some kind of sweet filling, strongly resembling sweets from earth. There is no sender, no real indication where it's from other than the New New Aspen-located bakery of them. All that's apparent is that this box is for Maya, her name written in a quick scrawl on a tag on the box.]
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