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[ He sends her the address- but after a moment: ]

There are dogs. If that is alright.

Dogs are perfectly fine. Thank you for the warning!

Okay. I will see you soon.

[ Should he...add something? He doesn't exactly text often. After a moment: ]

:-)

[ He is not actually smiling. ]

[oh no how charming!! look at him being all hip with the lingo.

it...
looks like a Red emoji.... :(

ANYWAY, let "shortly" be 20 or 30 minutes until she's knocking, applecheeked with her hair kind of windswept from the trip, clad in the fancy, fur-trimmed cloak Darin made for her. she's hugging the gift box in her arms when he appears, and she smiles.]

Haa, hello! Merry Christmas, Fortunato! Again, that is. I'm sorry I didn't bring this with me when we visited the church...

[ For someone who's been home all day, Fortunato certainly looks put together; he's as well-dressed as he usually is, as if he had school. He looks behind him as he opens the door- thankfully, the dogs are both asleep. ]

Shh- [ He doesn't want to wake them up. He looks back at her, speaking quietly. The cloak is new, isn't it. ]

Hello. And- it is fine. I did not bring your gift, either.

[ He steps back to let her in. The house isn't particularly messy- he has a habit of cleaning up after others, in an attempt to keep things peaceful. But it's clearly quite lived-in, and there's plenty of signs of Fortunato's housemates around; carving, schoolbooks, food dishes for the pets. ]

Oh-- [she brings a gloved hand to her mouth at his shushing, smiling apologetically behind it. once inside with door closed, she sets to getting de-winterized quietly, tucking her scarf and gloves in the sleeve of her undercoat and hanging that up with the cloak.

quietly:] It feels very cozy in here. Do you like it?

[ Fortunato supposes he's happy Lucina has the confidence to get situated so quickly- he doesn't have to show her around. He wouldn't react the same way.

He glances around again, making sure no one is around. He likes the housemates he knows- Magnus and Sabrina- and he supposes Magnus would say something if there was anything he should know about the other two. But he's never one to cause a fuss, and the one downside of moving here has been trying to figure out if his new housemates have any buttons he shouldn't press. ]

I do. [ Despite everything, that's true. He's lived in far worse places. He moves toward his room, nodding to her. ] Um- my gift for you is in my room. You can come, if- if that is alright.

Of course! Oh--[she covers her mouth again, forgetting to keep her voice low, and nods back at him.

quieter again:] Please, lead the way.

[ Fortunato's room is nearby all the other bedrooms, but once it's opened, Lucina would be forgiven for assuming it was barely occupied. It's not just because Fortunato only moved into this house recently; he's also incredibly neat, and doesn't mind a somewhat spartan lifestyle, it seems. He's not the type to have much lying around, and everything he does need is, in fact, all folded up and shut neatly in his closet or drawers.

Including her present, of course. Fortunato opens up his closet and pulls out a small gift bag. ]

Here.

[ Inside is one thing that's probably obvious- another box of pastries, from a different shop this time, in case she wants more variety. Luckily, it's far smaller than the one he got when she was in the hospital.

The other thing inside, in a small box, is a silver bracelet with a few small blue stones on it. It's not particularly fancy- he isn't rich, and he's also frugal- but it's certainly nice, and he thought it'd fit her. ]

...I hope you enjoy it.

[ He certainly thinks she deserves something particularly nice, for how much she's done for him. He'd be a bit ashamed if he couldn't find something she liked by now. ]

[his room is so...bare, isn't it? she wonders for a beat as to whether or not he's fully moved at all. maybe he's not yet gone to find interesting posters or knick-knacks? it's leaving plenty of opportunity for her to do so on his behalf, isn't it?

she sets the gift she brought down on the bed so she can accept the one he offers her. she can already smell the sweets inside with just one tug of tissue paper, which makes her laugh.]

You already know my favorites! I'm going to have to exercise twice as much to compensate for this. [but does she sound annoyed? far from it. she loves these pastries.] I'll have very good breakfasts for days because of this, thank you, I--oh? [she spies the little box in there.]

Oh...! Fortunato, this is lovely! [her cheeks go a shade pink once she's lifted the bracelet out of the box to admire the stones.] It's almost the same colors as my brand -- look -- [she brings it close to the left side of her face, closing her right eye so her brand is easier to focus on.]

[ Fortunato opens his mouth to apologize when she brings up the exercise- after a moment he thinks she must not care too much, but he's still not going to make the mistake of buying her food again. Just in case.

Luckily he's stopped before he can speak by her excitement over the bracelet. That's good. He assumed it'd be the kind of thing she'd like, but he's never too optimistic.

For a second, though, he pauses- like there's something about her brand he doesn't quite recall. From...the Shimmer, maybe? But he can't bring that up now. ]

I am happy you enjoy it. [ He really is. He sounds relieved. ] It...seemed like it would fit you.

[she puts it back in the gift bag atop the box of pastries, making a soft, pleased sound.] You've got a good eye for things, it seems. I wouldn't have guessed it!

[but she won't chew on that for long, because the gift she brought still remains unopened. she gestures at it.]

You ought to open up yours now! Go on!

I am not sure that is the right term, for me...

[ Fortunato's voice peters off as he says that. He does have eyes in this world- he's seeing out of them. Might be better not to get Lucina to ask questions.

Either way, he picks up the gift she got him and, secretly hoping it's nothing too extravagant (he'd feel quite guilty), begins to open it. ]

[she misses the remark. honestly, after all this time, you'd think she'd pry more about his now-and-then bad eyes? but even when it's on her mind, other things tend to take priority.

same as now: she's biting her lip, waiting for him to expose the garish scarf she found for him. so many different patterns and layers -- it's like a quilt got put through a paper shredder and stitched back together the wrong way. it looks as delightful now as it did when she bought it.]

[ This is...definitely a gift from Lucina, isn't it. Fortunato has to take most of it out of the bag to figure out it even is a scarf; for a moment, he's wondering if it's some sort of decoration. He suspects he'll never know what he's going to get from her.

But the gift is a scarf. It's also probably a scarf that Lucina quite likes, and despite everything, he can't help but appreciate it for that. Though he's clearly not the type to smile, there's a sense of happiness, or at the very least sentimentality, in his voice. ]

Thank you. It- it looks very warm. [ Not a lie. ] I'll use it, Lucina.

[she almost sparkles with delight, beaming.]

Great! I knew it'd be a good choice! You did say you hadn't procured a lot of warmer clothing yet -- if you need help finding more, I'd be happy to help!

I- I did buy some. For my job, and for when I moved.

[ And that's not a lie. He admittedly didn't buy too much, because he already dressed a bit formally- pants and long sleeves, in other words- and because he's not a big spender.

But she probably wants to spend time with him and help. He can at least discern that. And, despite her fashion sense, he can't let her down... ]

But we can. If you also need to buy something.

[she chuckles a little, ending with a light sigh. this boy can't accept anything just for himself, can he?

well, fine. she'll compromise, since he clearly is, too.]

It's a promise, then. We'll make a day of it soon!

[ Well, if it's what Lucina wants, he'll do it. Though he's not worried about angering or bothering Lucina much anymore- he knows her well enough- he'd still rather have her happy than anything. Displeasing anyone is not what he wants.

He folds up the scarf rather formally and sets it down on his bed (which is made like you could bounce a coin off of it, of course). ]

...Has everything else been alright?

[ Everyone's been busy, and he's aware she must have lots of people to see. She seems so social... ]

Ah, well--I'm all healed up, as you can see! [she straightens up, hands on her hips.] And thank goodness for that; I'd not be able to stand it much longer, taking it too easy. So no worries there.

What about you?

That's good. You...seem well. [ He's genuinely relieved. He didn't like to see her hurt, for one, but he also knew how restless she tended to be. Frankly, he was a bit worried about her healing properly with how willing she was to go hunt for danger.

As for himself...he looks around his room a bit. ] I moved here. One of the people who lives here is...a friend. He said it would be fine. [ Magnus was delighted by the idea, actually, so he's playing it down. ]

Nothing else has happened. [ He shrugs a little bit. That's a good thing, but he has the tone of someone who knows it won't last. ]

[typically, she'd be a little sad to hear nothing else. but it's a relief. it means he's not lost any friends he'd grown close to.

Lucina, having already put her gifts back into the bag, gets the jewelry back out for lack of things for her hands to do. something for her eyes to settle on.]

Good. I'm glad-- about having a friend to stay with. It's more comforting that way. [she looks up thoughtfully:] I wonder if it's anyone I know? Or perhaps I ought to meet him.

[ Fortunato keeps an eye on her taking out the jewelry- she really likes it, then. Though he doesn't show it, it makes him quite glad. What he'd wanted in a gift was something that would really show his appreciation, and the extent to which she enjoys it seems to be partially achieving that goal- although he doesn't think items can completely do that. ]

His name is Magnus. Magnus Burnsides. [ He pauses for a moment, trying to figure out a way to say that Magnus is, well, Magnus without seeming insulting. ] He is a wrestler, and does carpentry. He is, um- he is hard to miss, once you have met him.

[ As in: he is very big and very loud. ]

[she purses her lips while she thinks on it. aside from Darin, she doesn't know any craftsmen. wrestling? maybe it's been on the TV in passing during nights with Owain and the pooches.

then:] Oh! Yes! With hair like this, right? [she pantomimes the sideburns with her index fingers on the sides of her face.]

[ That could have gotten a smile, if only Fortunato was comfortable doing so. ] That is him.

[ Now that he thinks of it- Magnus would love to meet Lucina. They are similarly passionate, aren't they. ]

I think...you would like him. Protecting others- [ Like she's wanted to protect him ] I believe he wants to do that, also.

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