It's Christmas time...

[greatseal]

Who: Minako Arisato, Shinjiro Aragaki, and anyone who wants to run across them
Where: Libra district, then around Virgo and Scorpio districts
Summary: Despite the weird weather, Minako attempts to take Shinjiro out on a Christmas Eve date.
Warnings: Embarrassing lovey-dovey stuff. We'll see if Shinji's dignity survives.


Around 10 in the morning, Dec. 24th, a short text message appears on Shinjiro's COMP. Hopefully, it's not that unexpected.

Hey Senpai, merry Christmas Eve! ヾ(＾∇＾)*・°☆.。.:*・°☆

Don't make any plans for this evening, okay?

Of course, he's actually free to make plans, as long as they involve her. This is the first Christmas they've gotten to spend together. She wants to monopolize his time, at least for a little while.

In the late afternoon, as the sun is just beginning to set, the two of them set out into the city, trying to avoid the worst of the Jack mess. It isn't the best conditions for a date but Minako isn't about to let a little fight between demons get in the way of enjoying the holiday. Minako's chosen a coat that is easy enough to unbutton in the warmer sections of the city, but still protect from the snow.

The goal is to view the Christmas decorations around the city, see some interesting venues, go somewhere nice for dinner and basically spend time together. That is... as long as nothing, or no one, gets in their way.

Comments

[themortalhalf]

And, at the very least, she is still very much an Arisato. Stronger than most, but just as mortal as any of them.

"No reason to make this an exception." He smirks faintly, looking around at the shop windows and the numerous, bright decorations. "Sure that would ruin Christmas."

[greatseal]

"Neither of us is allowed to get sick." How she's going to hold him to that.... is a mystery, but it's still true.

And then, her face turns into a smile. "And I have the way to make sure of it." She reaches into her bag and pulls out the flat, gift-wrapped box she'd been concealing inside it, pressing it into his hands. "I was going to give this to you later, but you should open it now."

[themortalhalf]

He has a pretty good guess, as he feels the weight of the package in his hands, at just what's inside the box. He stares at her briefly, his face trying to come up with an expression more emotionless than the subtle ones that normally call his face home, and opens the package, stopping to lean against the back of one of the unoccupied benches.

[greatseal]

The problem is, the more he tries to look expressionless, the more obvious his emotions become. And right now, he's pretty obvious.

What's inside is what he's already guessed: a nice red plaid hooded jacket. She grins at him.

"See, now we match!" Which they do - beneath her coat, and now his, is the exact same plaid jacket in a smaller size.

[themortalhalf]

Well, no good deed goes unpunished, as they say.

He stares at the duplicate coat. "...Guess we do.."

And he does appreciate the gift, in his own way, and the sentiment that's behind the gift when weeded out of whatever amusement she might be getting out of this this; but his thrifty upbringing and his staunch ideas of what true practicality entails still balks at the idea of a second coat when his works just fine: he's never owned a better coat in his life and it is goddamn flawless, aside from the fact it won't last forever. Though it's... also kind of a novel thing that he isn't sure what to do with, because owning more than what you strictly need has never been a luxury he's ever really had much or ever afforded himself, even when he had the chance—and he certainly has such liberty here. He'd rather use his paycheck on decent food.

"Thanks." And he means it. But his coat that she's holding hostage (and has a feeling he won't see returned to his possession for what remains of the day) is still the best there is.

He guesses the only thing to do is put it on. So he does.

[greatseal]

"I thought you could use something for spring... or to wear under your coat, if it gets much colder." See, it is practical. She's never been a girl who shops just for the sake of shopping. Frequent moves make a person just as thrifty as lack of funds. She couldn't accumulate a huge wardrobe when she never knew when she'd have to pack up and leave.

But being unable to splurge on yourself also tends to make gifts to others more important... which, is most of the motivation behind this now. That, and she wants to see him in something other than grey turtlenecks and a maroon overcoat.

[themortalhalf]

He zips up the jacket. It blocks off the rest of the remaining cold the warmth hasn't driven off.

He could use it, really, in the practical sense of things. He may only need one, but it's not like it's functionally necessary for him to keep living off of a mere handful of clothes and a single coat with as many pockets as he has fingers anymore, and he knows it. And he could wear it under his coat. It had looked like it was reversible when he had initially put it on, all black on the opposite side. Solid, unambitious colors agree with him.

It's may not be something he'd have ever bought for himself, but it's still a gift from someone else, which makes it important.

He'll live.

"I'll wear it."

And he means it. Though how much of its lifespan will be spent hanging in the closet is still up for debate.

He smiles a little bit. "Guess you might as well open yours, then." He gestures to his coat she's wearing. "It's in the right inside pocket." It's a small, square box. Wrapped. It's not hard to find if she digs for it. He doesn't think the fall did anything to it—he would have felt it if he did. Though if it had gotten damaged, the items inside aren't that fragile.

[greatseal]

"It looks good!" And she means it, too. Although he still looks good even in his usual attire.

It's not the most romantic spot for a present exchange, but she had started it, so she reaches into the pocket and pulls out the carefully wrapped box. She could make few guesses about what could be inside something this size and shape, but it's quicker to just open it and see.

[themortalhalf]

No, it's not the most romantic of places. They're not at the restaurant (which isn't all quiet and candle-lit, anyway), not in some place romanticized by the citizens of Hinoto-ri, and not back at the apartments. Just in the middle of a busy shopping distinct, where everyone is paying more attention to the stores and Christmas decorations than anything else. And that's fine.

Though it does make him glad he decided to wait on one of the gift ideas he had been mulling over. He wouldn't have wanted to just hand it over here. In the end, that idea had seemed silly to him— wrapping it up only for her to find something like that. It wasn't so much of a gift so much as a statement. He will wait—and think, like he always does.

The two gifts inside are more simple. (He had been unsure about what to get her, really, wondering if he had missed some quiet hint in the months proceeding somehow). Half of it is what custom and tradition would call acceptable—though custom back home dictated worth and sentiment by the amount of yen spent, and that was something Shinjiro had never put much belief in. He doesn't think Minako does, either.

The first is a simple silver keychain with a key on it and her name engraved in the metal. He doubts she'll have to guess at which door the key unlocks. Felt pretty damn strange putting it in a box to be wrapped up along with the other gift. But it functioned as a quiet goodbye to the privacy he's probably never really had to begin with. She can have it. He's tired of people jumping off balconies. And he trusts her. Always has, really—he just knows what trouble she can get her nose into.

The second is a charm bracelet with two charms attached to it, though there is plenty of room for more. It's silver like the keychain is. It's not expensive, but doesn't give off the cheap store-chain vibe either. The first charm is the gemini astrological sign. Those things are so damn popular here—probably too popular, as far as he's concerned. But it fit for reasons beyond her birthdate and the fact she now had a twin brother to watch over. The second is a cat. There are reasons for that too. ...But he also thought it was cute—and still does.

(But there's no admitting that.)

[greatseal]

If the gift were the key, she'd be just as happy. But as it is, her eyes go wide for a moment. Then she smiles, running her fingers over the bracelet charms.

"Senpai..." No, even if they are in public, this deserves a different kind of address. "Shinji, thank you. I'll treasure them."

She slips the key into her bag, but the bracelet goes on her wrist - the right wrist, because as should be clear as she fiddles with the clasp, she's already wearing the watch he'd given her before on her left.

[themortalhalf]

It's always strange, hearing her say his name without senpai attatched. It never fails to make him turn his head sharply, like maybe he's heard wrong, or maybe Aki's not too far away and he's somehow mistaken. He likes hearing it though, even if he'll never voice the thought out loud.

He smiles and folds up the wet coat he's been holding, putting it inside the box his jacket had come in. He can find a towel to line it with later, and it will look less strange this way, carrying a gift box around.

"If we're still here next year, we can find another one."

One for each year.

There's a big "if" in that, if they'll both be around long enough to add another charm to it, though he wishes there wasn't. He wouldn't ever choose to go home, not willingly, there are far too many people here that he'd miss; but if this place could bring him here unwillingly, he's sure it could be sent back the same way. And even barring that, there are plenty of other things that could make that possibility difficult.

[greatseal]

The small-but-big word is enough to turn her smile around. She latches on to his arm again, the new charms jingling as she moves.

"Don't say 'if.' We can make plans as far ahead as we want."

Maybe it's childish, and unrealistic, but wondering about what the future might hold isn't going to alter the chances of it happening. Better to set a goal and shoot for it. To promise impossible things and do your best to fulfill them. It's easier to forgive than to regret.

[themortalhalf]

Unrealistic? Not completely. Even a small probability does not equal impossibility. He's just not sure he can see all that far, though he'd like to. ...And it surprises him sometimes that he does.

"I know. The bracelet's mostly empty for a reason."

It would have been easy to complete it, leave no room for extra charms and call it done. And he almost did, but realized he didn't want that. Two charms are all he needed: one for this year, and one for the December he missed, with room enough for what few Decembers this world might end up giving him, though maybe he shouldn't even bother waiting for them.

He knows he can't view the future as optimistically as she can—plan for it as if everything good they imagine will definitely happen—but that doesn't change the fact he'd like to see the better future come to pass. He's wanted a lot of things. He doesn't want to leave, and he'd like her to stay. But the other side of reality has to be accounted for, too, so his mind accounts for it. Not in the best way, maybe, but it's been keeping tally of likelihoods for a long time. That's not going to change. And the truth is very few things have turned out even close to the way he planned it.

But he'll leave the bracelet open. It's as close as he can get to planning something far ahead, just because he wants to.

[greatseal]

She relents just as quickly as she was fired up, and starts to smile again. "Make sure you remember it, then."

But she doesn't let go of his arm. The length of her borrowed coat's sleeves swallow up the bracelet and her hand. It probably looks silly to onlookers, but that doesn't mean she's going to give it back.