a_sin_for_him | IC Contact

[Lust is in the kitchen, puzzling over a new soup recipe. Thanks to Scar, she's aware it's her birthday, but she's not certain how she feels about that. It's just like any other day, and she's never given it much thought in the first place. She'd briefly contemplated just picking a day, since birthdays were a ridiculously common human tradition, but she'd never bothered.

She supposes she just needs more time to sort through whatever feelings she has on the subject. In the meantime, she's realizing she needs to look up half the ingredients on this recipe and wondering if perhaps it's a bit beyond her culinary skills.]

[When he does find her, he hangs back a moment, shifting his weight from foot to foot. You'd think after experiencing four whole Christmases, giving a gift to someone would be less awkward.]

[But everyone is giving presents on Christmas, and birthdays aren't really something they've ever paid attention to. And Lust hasn't been through a Christmas yet. It's different. But after his long moment of waffling, he clears his throat to make his presence known.]

Hey, Lust. I...heard it was your birthday today.

[Lust turns, taken a bit by surprise. How in the world...?]

Oh. Yes, apparently it is.

[For whatever that's worth. She hadn't known what to say to Scar about it, and she doesn't know what to say to Envy. So she doesn't say anything more on it.]

Do you think potatoes are an acceptable substitute for leeks? Leeks are some sort of root vegetable, aren't they?

[He nods.]

Yeah, seems like Henry's 'Gear isn't the only one that sends things to the wrong person. Found out from Scar yesterday.

[THE LEEKS, THOUGH. THAT'S EASY TO TALK ABOUT. Much easier than handing her the bag.]

They grow in the ground, don't they? I don't see why that's not almost the same thing.

[Lust snorts a bit at that revelation.]

No wonder he seemed terser than normal when we talked. I thought it was just the subject matter.

And they do! Just like potatoes. There's the bulb part that sprouts roots and the green part that grows above ground, they're both rich in potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron... chemically speaking, they're practically the same thing.

[Much, much easier topic of conversation.]

He tried to insist that I forget it ever happened. He ought to have known better.

And hey, chemicals don't lie. Using one for the other ought to be just fine.

[This is going to be the worst soup.]

Don't make him feel badly about it, he was being nice. When he reached me, he told me about my birthday and how old I am and what sort of traditions were associated with them where we come from.

[Terse as he'd been, he had been kind. And he'd reached out on his own, even after dealing with Envy.

Lust nods and pulls out a bag of potatoes.]

It's all going in broth anyway, it's not as though anyone can really taste what everything is in a soup.

I only teased him a little.

And if the ingredients all taste good, how bad could it possibly be?

[If France could hear them, he would cry tears of blood. Envy shifts from foot to foot again as she takes out the potatoes. It would be even more awkward to bring up the gift after the subject was completely changed, and he doesn't want to stand here just...holding a bag.]

Yeah...about those traditions. I got you this.

[He doesn't hand her the bag so much as...holds it out from himself. HERE. A THING. FOR YOU. He adds, hurriedly.]

Henry got me something when it was mine, so I thought I should for you.

A little's not bad.

[Lust's eyes flicked to Envy as he continued, and she turned to him entirely when he thrust out the bag toward her. She looks from it to him, taken aback by the gesture.]

Oh. Thank you.

[She takes the bag almost hesitantly. She's been given gifts, but in a far different context. She had liked to think of them as independent bonuses - it wasn't as though she'd ever been paid for her work. She isn't sure how to react to this, what to say. So she simply says the first thing that comes to mind.]

When is your birthday?

[He blinks, surprised at the question.]

It was on the fifth this month. At least that's what's entered on my 'Gear, so that's what I told Henry when he asked.

It's not like I remember if that's not really it.

[If she opens the gift, she'll find a book about the chemistry of a wide variety of Pokemon moves.]

Oh, I didn't know.

[But why would she? Envy hadn't mentioned it directly. She glances down at the gift in her hands and back to him, confronted with another social instance she doesn't know how to navigate.]

Do I open it in front of you, or wait until later?

[He shrugs; it doesn't bother him.]

I didn't tell anyone.

[He still looks awkward, but he's doing a bit better job covering for the mild case of anxiety over her actually opening the thing and hopefully liking what's in it. One-on-one present giving is so much more difficult than Christmas.]

You can open it now.

Why not?

[She's genuinely curious. Envy's been here for years now, living as a human.]

[She opens the gift, a small pleased smile twitching at her lips when she sees what it is. It's...thoughtful. He put thought into it. She holds the book and feels that odd sense of discomfort again, that nervousness that always came with emotion.]

Thank you.

[He shrugs again.]

I didn't think much of it. I've never celebrated it before, so I didn't see much point in making a big thing out of it now.

Except a few years ago, when [and here he seems to second-guess what he wants to actually say, stumbling noticeably over the next word] fa--someone found out the date from my 'Gear and sang a song on the network for it. And then I forgot about it again until this time.

But it's nice. Having your birth celebrated.

[Especially for people like them. And he'd wanted Lust to get to feel that too.]

[He can tell that she likes the gift, and for a moment his grin is practically a beam, before he goes back to his normal, look-how-casual-I-am smirk. He did the thing, he did it right.]

Seemed like something you'd be interested in.

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