tushanshu | 007 ✞ [VIDEO]

[Somebody's in better spirits than she has been since...well...almost since she first arrived in Keelai. Spending time around her newly-hatched Turtle baby had that effect on a young girl.]

[She was even smiling.]

[Yet there was a faint hesitation behind the smile, and Midii side-eyed something just off screen several times before speaking.]

Not that I'm not grateful for the gifts...but...um...how do I say this?

I've never carried anything made of magic before. I'm...not sure I would be the best person to have it. I'm not even sure how to use it.

[Unspoken sentiment: she's slightly afraid of it.]

((ooc: In addition, the following individuals will have received a small package from Midii around Christmastime: Kyle, Eponine, Monet, Bean, Jack, Frank, Jor-El, and Damian. The girls will receive a lovely wooden jewelry box with a secure key lock, and the boys will receive a small wooden chest...with the exception of Damian, whose chest will be locked not by a simple key, but with an intricate puzzle he'll have to solve in order to get inside. Obviously custom-made))

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[ It is Damian, and he's not a fan of the network. Still. ]

[ He nods, slightly. ]

Flight will probably a welcome diversion. Yet, also dangerous. And power... it usually has to come from somewhere. So you are probably correct, in not rushing into experimenting with it. I suppose giving it to somebody less wise about it will not be the best choice, however.

[ Pause, and then another nod, the strained face twisting into a bit of a smile. ]

Yes. It is thoughtful. And nicely executed.

[Exactly her line of thinking. Maybe not so much the last part--she had been more concerned with just getting rid of it than considerate of whom she might be giving it too--but the parts about it making sense to not immediately rush out and jump off a building or something.]

Do you have any ideas?

[He always seemed to know about things she didn't. He could see Jack. He could see Baby Tooth. It wasn't a stretch to assume he knew people that could Fly]

Did you solve the puzzle yet? [The one that would allow him to open the chest]

Keep it safe and leave it alone? That way you can usually minimize the danger. There are people here who are acquainted with magic, you could ask them if any particular containment is necessary.

[ Small shrug. He doesn't think the item is harmful, but that is a valid precaution, so he'll suggest it. And then his face brightens, too. ]

I did, yes.

[ The joy is slightly guilty, for the relief of managing to solve one task, against all the frustration of the recent weeks. And for how quickly he did it, even - she possibly spent time, setting up the puzzle. ]

It was disingenuous.

[She nodded, making a mental note to find somebody who would know about this. If not one of the Foreigners--as far as she knew, the majority of them had no powers of their own to speak of, either--then she could try bringing it to a local kedan shop. The people here were shapeshifters, after all. Maybe they knew something.]

[But then, his next line drew her full attention. And not in a good way.]

...disingenuous? [All traces of joy vanished in an instant. She wasn't sure if she was more hurt or offended.] Why would you say something like that? I worked really hard on that gift.

[She didn't care if he'd solved it right away. It was the dismissal that upset her.]

As in subtle under the cover of simple, misleading into a sense of ease, but actually presenting a good challenge.

[ As in, a compliment. ]

[She stared back, brows slightly furrowed, as her mind set to work translating Damian speech.]

Thank you...?

[It came out more like a question than a genuine expression of gratitude.]

Why didn't you just say that? I thought you were implying I wasn't serious about it.

[ Beat. ]

Have you known me to imply criticism, instead of explaining just what I do not approve of? At length?

[Without pause:]

You hadn't explained anything yet. I didn't know what you approved or disapproved of.

For future reference - if I disapprove of something, you would not have to wonder - you would know precisely what, and why. And probably how to improve it.

[ It's not said in a didactic way. More an explanation, and half an apology - he is very fast with the criticisms, less so with the praise. ]

For future reference...you're not as straight-forward as I think you think you are.

[Likewise. She even offered a faint smirk, to show that there were no longer any hard feelings. If he was going to give himself free reign to criticize, then the least she could do was extend the same offer.]

[ Guuuurl, watch it with the compliments! ]

[ Damian answers with a small, different smirk of his own. ]

Or you have not yet witnessed such a situation.

[ In which is contained: I've not disapproved of you. ]

[What a coincidence, because she's not disapproving of that statement, either.]

I look forward to it. [Probably]

[ Oddly enough, that sentiment amuses him. ]

You ought not to. But if you wish to, I could not possibly stop you.

007 ✞ [VIDEO]

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