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[vecna]

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day 78, evening. surprise it's me again

[striketwice]

[ At some point when Henry wanders back into his room, he'll find a small package wrapped in plain brown paper sitting in the middle of his no-doubt immaculately made bed. There's no tag, no team colors, but there is, perhaps, a tiny lightning bolt scribbled onto one corner of the wrapping, should he care to look for it.

(But really, who else would be able to get in and out of Henry's room without being noticed?)

Anyway, peeling back the wrapping paper will reveal a tin of drawing pencils. Maybe this will make up for the dice. ]

still yelling abt this

[vecna]

[Who else, indeed.

Henry, of course, notices the little lightning bolt etched somewhere on the paper. He turns the present over in his hands once, twice, trying to... understand why it's here. The wrapping isn't bright pink, and Alec already gave him a “gift” earlier — what is this for?

(Is it unrelated to the game?)

Once unwrapped, the little tin of drawing pencils stares up at him from below. And Henry, not for the first time, just feels utterly upended by the gesture. This is too relevant to be random; all signs point to it being purposeful.

A minute or two. Then—]

What is this for?

[help him understand]

:)

[striketwice]

what is what for?

[ sorry he's like this ]

[vecna]

[why is he like this]

The pencils.

[striketwice]

they're for drawing, i'm pretty sure

[ ALEC

but a short bit after that: ]

if this place is gonna tell me it's christmas, i think i'm entitled to give at least one real present.

[vecna]

[It takes a moment for another reply to go through. Henry is trying to parse this, still — that in all this inanity, the forced holiday cheer of this faux Christmas-in-prison, Alec would think to give him a present. A real gift, one with actual thought behind it.

Henry doesn’t care for holiday traditions, he doesn’t place meaning behind the idea of Christmas trees or stockings or exchanging presents; but somehow, one has weight behind it. The kind that needles in deeply.

Finally, though honestly barely knowing how to reply:]

Thank you for thinking of me.

[striketwice]

don't mention it. hope you like them.

[ Unseen is the way Alec smiles at his phone, the expression small and private. He's not sure if or when anyone has ever given Henry any kind of consideration. It feels like making up for lost time, in a way, to do it for him now. ]

[vecna]

Of course I do.

[He was going to keep the dice because Alec gave them to him. Of course drawing pencils have extra meaning not only because he'd use them, but because of where they came from.]

I need to get you something now.

[The pickle does not count.]

[striketwice]

don't worry about it. i'm fine without.

[vecna]

[But I want to, he almost types. And what a strange concept that is, wanting to return the favor, find a gift for someone-]

Come on. I know this wasn't transactional, but I still feel like I owe you. Is there anything I can do, at least? A favor.

[And non-Echidna related, for once.]

[striketwice]

[ Alec would argue that if there was anything he personally needed, he'd have asked for it from the box instead of a pack of pencils, so it's just as well that Henry doesn't push the gift idea. ]

a favor huh?
can't think of anything right now, so how about we just call it an IOU

[vecna]

Okay. An IOU.

[That works just as well.]

[striketwice]

now that we've got that settled, you get anything else good from this stupid game? i got a dartboard.

[vecna]

I’ve never played darts before.

Ori gave me an adult coloring book. And I do mean adult.

Sprezzatura gave me a mini waffle maker. I assume you know how to use one, right?

[striketwice]

yeah i know how to use a waffle maker, but you're gonna have to back up. ori gave you a WHAT

[vecna]

An adult coloring book. Even I have to admit it was a little funny when I told her what her gift was. Do you want to see it?

Oh, and Minato gave me a tiara.

[striketwice]

was she mortified? i bet she was mortified

[ A TIARA THO ]

where are you at?

[vecna]

I think she dropped her phone. So yes.

I’m in my room.

[He never left, having texted Alec almost immediately after finding the gift on his bed.]

[striketwice]

[ He'll do Henry the courtesy of knocking on the door instead of portaling in for no reason. Knock knock. ]

[vecna]

[How courteous of him. Henry opens the door soon after, raising his brows at Alec.]

That curious about the book? Or [god forbid] the tiara?

[But he steps back to let him in, all the same.]

[striketwice]

[ Steps inside. ]

Definitely the tiara.

[vecna]

[Of course.

Henry turns around and makes his way to his desk. The door shuts on its own.]

Just here to have a laugh, then.

[He sees how it is. Anyway, he unearths the tiara from the box and turns to show it to Alec. It is sparkling and delicate and very not something Henry would ever wear.]

Well?

[striketwice]

[ He quirks a brow. He can only imagine the look on Henry's face when he opened this particular gift. ]

What, not gonna put it on?

[ HE'S KIDDING. ]

[vecna]

[HE BETTER BE.]

Unless you’re already cashing in your IOU, then no. I’m not putting it on just so you can laugh at me.

[striketwice]

Come on, I'm not going to waste a favor on seeing you in a tiara, funny as that would be.

It was a joke.