what's poppin'

to be lit up from within

vein by vein

While not overwhelming, there certainly was a lot to look at, and more than once Melita hovered, studying portions she found intriguing, before moving on, worried they weren’t good enough. The dog outline wasn’t quite Goose’s shape or the equine’s wings weren’t exactly outstretched enough, and then she found herself getting frustrated with the sudden perfectionist outlook; which had never been her calling. Huffing a breath at both herself and the impending situation, she made her way down another row, before she heard Aithne calling her over.

And thankfully, the summonings had been just right. Zipping her way over, Melita dropped to a crouch to inspect, finger glossing over the silver pegasus on each side. “Ooh, this looks good. Way better than what I found,” at least, for the current purpose. Considering she could also paint over the beasts so they matched Iskra’s parents images and outlines, she grinned, rising back up. “Perfect, actually. Nicely done.” Snagging at the box, she raised it towards the vendor, glancing over her shoulder towards the Ancient again. “Want to help me put the confetti in? Then I need to pick up the actual gift.”

to be the sun

MELITA

Given that Aithne does not have a dog in this fight (lol get it, because Goose), she is particularly unbothered by the options presented in this section of the market. She hops and skips and prances along, looking this way and that, ooing and ahing over the various chests available whilst simultaneously annoying the merchants by not making any purchases. And when she finally finds the chest that she thinks has promise, she flags Melita down and beams at the resultant praise.

Then it's time to assemble the gift, and Aithne practically squeals with delight. "Oooo, yes!" she exclaims, and quickly leads the way to a nearby bench, where they can presumably add glitter and confetti to the chest with minimal distractions or interruptions. "Which one first?"

Aithne Murphy

to be lit up from within

vein by vein

Grabbing hold of all the necessities and materials, minus the actual gift, the two impulsive ladies could frolic and skip and scramble over to a bench nearby. Placing the chest down, Melita snagged at all the other things from the latest purchases – the endless amounts of glitter, the roses (though, she furrowed her brows at one petal already missing and glanced Fangorn’s way – the gourd didn’t even bother looking sheepish). Tapping her finger on her chin, given over to the momentary whim of the instant, she nodded. “Glitter first, but not all of it. Just a bottom layer and then I’ll save the rest for when I put the present inside.”

Handing over some of the packets, and keeping several for later, she opened the portions up, beginning to disperse the adornments of tiny colors and shapes with capricious efforts, watching as they stuck to all angles within the box.

to be the sun

MELITA

The two woman make it to the bench with the various purchases in tow, and then begin to assemble the box. Aithne accepts some of the glitter packets that Melita purchased and begins to sprinkle them generously into the bottom of the chest (and if an anatomically-correct heart or two make it into the mix, then so be it). It's only when the glitter has become a thick layer upon the floor of the box that Aithne looks up, tilting her head to one side as she awaits further instruction.

"Petals next?" she inquires, but manages to stop herself from reaching for the makeshift confetti. This is not, after all, her gift to craft, and she will follow Melita's lead. "Who's it for?" she asks next, curious and nosy all in the same breath.

Aithne Murphy

to be lit up from within

vein by vein

Content with the way the glitter conspired at the bottom of the box, like a promise of chaos, she grinned, handing over some of the roses to Aithne. Picking one petal at a time, she tossed the hues inside, blending them neatly amongst the rest of the melee, cackling with glee as her imagination spilled over into pending bestowals. “So far so good,” she whistled, purposefully perching some of the flowers along the sides, so they were stuck there like drapery.

For some reason, in all the rush and pursuits, she hadn’t figured the Ancient would pry into the circumstances of the present, nor who it was for. Her eyes widened significantly, and she could feel herself starting to gape like a fish, glancing downward so everything felt like it was hidden. Panic sputtered in her mind like wires crossing in all directions, uncertain how to answer what likely felt like a very simple question. But they’d yet to attach any labels, nor had any discussions over their circumstances, and for reasons she’d only skimmed and perused, Melita kept him tucked away and secret; like if things were announced, the shrouded portions were no longer theirs and she’d have to share. Stupid and inane, probably, acting like she was a teenager with her first crush, given the talk she’d had with Kaisel, and how frequently they seemed indifferent to everyone else around them when flickering around in public.

Granting a smile, and a long sigh, she hoped Aithne ignored the rising flush in her cheeks and merely went about tossing petals into the box. “Oh, uh, his name is Iskra.”

to be the sun

MELITA

The chest is positively coated in glitter, which brings a fanged grin to Aithne's face as she snags at the flower petals and begins to arrange them just so. It's a task that requires little thought, though, and the girl turns to conversation to fill the empty space. Unfortunately for Melita, Aithne is not one to let things go, and her nature is not one to turn a blind eye when there is a juicy morsel of gossip to be gained. So at the rising flush in Mel's cheeks, the Ancient's grin turns a touch wicked.

The name does not immediately jar the girl's memory (despite the fact that she has unknowingly met the man - they just failed to exchange names, apparently), but her fingers still on the flower petals as she glances up to bounce her brows suggestively at Melita. "Iskra, hmmmm?" she says, an invitation to please say more clear in her tone. "And what has Iskra done to earn such a wonderful gift?"

Aithne Murphy

to be lit up from within

vein by vein

Melita liked it when she was the wicked one, not the individual beginning to stew, and she didn’t hide her pout when she spotted the amused punctures beginning to unfurl across Aithne’s face. Perhaps she should’ve just done all of this on her own and called it good; no one but herself would’ve been asking such questions. And she certainly wouldn’t have had to mull over answers.

Placing more of the rose arrangements within the box and studiously not looking back at the Ancient, her brows furrowed, as if she was granting the exercise great concentration. “Oh, lots!” she gave by almost nothing. “He’s my best friend,” and much more than that, but that was for her to unpack and gauge and scrutinize, and she didn’t want to flounder and squirm right there in front of Aithne, incapable of attaching another label until they had actually talked over things, rather than…well, no she’d liked that too.

Dusting her hands off like they’d accomplished something incredibly difficult, she glanced down at the box and all its distinctions. “Well, that looks great! Thanks for all your help!” And if it looked like she was escaping, then so be it, as she hoisted the crate up. “Let me know if you ever need something!”

[FIN]

to be the sun

MELITA