Quote:
Originally Posted by
Cassirin 
"Mo. He's my little brother... the third Branxton child. He's twelve," Vivi shrugged a bit, but her posture was indicative that she was all about him opening the present. She'd spent ages working out this charm, and she was rather proud of herself. As much as she'd tried to imagine his reaction, the real thing would be much more satisfying.
His discomfort about not having a plan made Vivi feel absolute remorse for her own assurance, and she reached over to give his arm a squeeze. Loads of people didn't know what they wanted to do, and the fact that Vivi DID know didn't mean that she didn't understand. Sort of. People found their passions all the time, didn't they? It would help when he had time to go looking for it. "I think a gap year sounds brilliant, actually. Go off and see places without anyone telling you where to be or what to do? Where would you go? I think Italy would be nice. And Romania to see the dragons." Aurors got to travel, too, right? "I was thinking of taking uni classes once I got settled in training. We should take something completely ridiculous together when you get back from your year."
She bit back a grin as he finally turned his attention to the gift. And the grin faded as he stumbled out an excuse for not having got her anything in return. "D-don't be stupid. You don't give gifts just to get gifts." She tried to find that eager spark to see him open his gift, but it had deserted her. It was true she didn't require a gift in return, but the fact that the idea of giving and receiving gifts from her was so foreign a concept opened up her eyes to a stark truth.
They weren't really friends. This person, this boy that she'd been mentally cataloging as her closest Hogwarts friend didn't think of her that way at all. He didn't think of her. At all. Her chin wobbled just once, and then Vivi reached over and snatched the picture and the flowers tucked beneath from the top of Vickers' gift. The photo she dropped into her bag, and the flower... the flower she dropped on the floor.
"Thanks, then. I'll figure out something to do with it," she offered with a slightly-too-big smile. Vivi pushed to her feet and headed for the middle of the room. "I'm going to set up the dummies." More like... this dummy needed a moment.
"So you have a brother...." he murmured with a pensive smile. See that was another thing he really admired-- maybe envied?-- about Vivi and her family.... she had
siblings. A twin and a little brother. Vickers wanted that. Heck he'd have been happy with a cousin about his age.
At the mention of Italy his eye brightened up
"Thats a good idea...visit the birth country... although I havent been back there since...." and he trailed off. He hasnt been back there since his mother died there.
"... a long time ago now--anyway I might be visiting Romania too, but likely during my coursework..." yep lets segue away from that which would likely get him all embarrassingly flustered. As archaic as it sounds, boys dont cry.... not in front of girls anyway.
Oh hey ridiculous?
"Whatchu have in mind?" he smirked
"Right now I'm not even thinking very far..... I mean from here." it would still be very far from NY, which is his intention
"I'm thinking of just getting a part time job around London and just.... live alone for a while." Yep move out of the nest, spread his wings, all that good stuff.
"You tell me when you're free and what you want to do because its sounding like you're gonna have a killer schedule, what with Auror Training and Uni classes."
He has managed to loosen the wrappings from its folds--no he wasnt tearing it out no matter how excited he was, a habit ingrained by Grandma-- when he heard her stammer.
"I-its not that.... its more like, one good turn deserves anoth--" and then she snatched the photo, mumbled something and walked off.
Merlin what did he say???....
He stared at the half open package and the now blank spot where her picture was. Did he say something wrong? About having a copy of her photo? But it was the truth. But perhaps what was more truthful about not wanting to get that photo back was that he meant it for
her, a token of his affections from months past. And seeing it returned to him, even as a form of a gift, kinda crushed his spirits.
Clearly they were in completely different wavelengths about gifts and photographs....
He spotted the flower that fell to the floor and stooped to pick it up. He stared at it for a while, turning it around at the stem between his fingers. He looked up at Vivi and watched her silently. He heard what she said.... but why is it he feels the need to apologize?
He took the flower in his hand.... he was keeping that. It came with the gift anyway.
Sighing inwardly and wanting to give himself a roundhouse kick to the head for being awkward?... dense?.... he worked on loosening the entire package to reveal a wooden box.
A curious looking box, which to him didnt look like it had any sort of crack or seam that it appears to be some kind of decorative block of wood. A trick box perhaps? He ran his fingers along the sides and the corners trying to find a way to open it. He shook the box a little and held it close to his good ear. He didnt hear anything, which probably meant it was soft, or padded or... maybe it was
just a block of wood and that was the message-- that he was a blockhead.
He looked up at the blond from across the Arena and called out
"Thank you Vivi... its lovely." even if he hasnt really figured out a way to open it. Or should he keep trying to open it here? Attention goes back to the wooden conundrum. Hmm wait... is that tiny gap for the hinge?