excaliburden | ic inbox.

[ After this, a pin marking the Wanderer's current location gets dropped unceremoniously into Altria's inbox. ]

Come hungry.

[ No other explanation, but if she was paying attention to the network, she should know what the context is.

Continues here. ]

Edited (added link to log post) 2023-11-14 23:37 (UTC)

Are you going to that gala?

[thanks to Altria's help, Lyney has managed to find residence in her apartment building! the home he has chosen for himself is. . . pretty boring and sterile, but that's okay. if he truly is meant to be here for longer than just a few days, he'll spruce it up in no time]

[but for now, he has taken to exploring his surroundings and familiarizing himself with the facilities the city has to offer. which includes-- GASP-- the laundromat!]

[. . . anyway, washing machines and dryers are a relatively new invention in Fontaine, and only the upper crust have access to them. Lyney is not the upper crust, so he has never seen one in action]

[cue him watching as his emotional support top hat tumbles around the dryer, bouncing to and fro off of the machine's walls]

[he's transfixed]

Edited 2023-12-15 01:42 (UTC)

Merry Christmas and a happy Noel to you! I'm here to announce who you'll be a secret Santa to... Your giftee is: fearne calloway ♡!

Congratulations! Here's a few notes to help you pick or make the perfect present for them.

LIKES: animals, poisonous flowers, souvenirs of sorts? lots of things, really.. maybe music boxes? i do kind of also want to get my hands on a dulcimer. ribbons and frilly things.
DISLIKES: right now?? ice. pastries that are too dry. when candies have like three layers of the crinkly bits that are really hard to open before you can finally eat what's inside
HOBBIES: arts and crafts and playing music? i don't know what else counts

Remember we'll be having a Christmas party on the 25th, so if you want to give it to them then or just drop it off by the tree for them to find, well, you can do just that! We'll have a lot of traditional Christmas foods, plus smores, and I'm sure it'll be a wonderful little time for us to gather, sing carols, and be merry this cold winter season!

If you've got any questions, comments, concerns, or desires for clarifications... You got one chance to ask them, because I've got a bunch of people to contact and I don't have a bunch of time to entertain conversation! :)

Hey! Altria! Altria!!

[ Where are you at, roomie?? Someone is barging through the door, some kind of furry... mass hanging from her arms. ]

[ guess who got a present?

you!

reply there or not it doesn't matter, this is just to let you know your char got something from don!!! ]

[ When Tsuruno and Altria return to their shared apartment on the evening of December 25, the two of them will find a pair of beautifully wrapped gift boxes sitting in front of their door. Each box has been addressed to one of them, but the sender's name isn't written anywhere.

If Altria opens the box addressed to her, she'll find another box that is filled with an assortment of handmade sweets and cookies neatly arranged. If it weren't for the lack of branding anywhere on the box, it could be mistaken as professional.

There's also a small assortment of accessories packaged within: a cute crafted hairpin, a dainty necklace, some elegant but not overly flashy clip-on earrings, and a handmade bracelet that might be reminiscent of a certain someone. There's also a cute hair ribbon curled up nicely within the package. None of the items look particularly delicate or expensive: clearly, some thought was put into how the receiver perceives such jewelry.

Other than the gifts themselves, there's nothing indicating who the sender might be. ]

Edited (i'm really good at this) 2023-12-24 02:44 (UTC)

[ there is a text message waiting for altria that informs her where her package is at the local postal office. the text message from kaveh urges altria to come quickly. when altria gets there, there is a large paper-wrapped gift blooming profusely from its seams sitting on the counter with long-stemmed paper flowers in dizzying greens and reds and oranges splayed along the painted watercolours of a rising, winter-morning dawn pale with still-visible pinpricks of mourning stars.

when unwrapped, there is an elaborate gingerbread house within, freshly baked and made judging from the warmth that still emanates from it. green icing trails ivy up the brown-brick walls. candy-spun plants decorate the entranceway; amezaiku flowers line the doors in pink and golden cheer. the entire affair is set on a large, holiday biscuit that doubles as a foundation for the house proper. the door of the house can be opened. within are candied chairs and shelves, an entire room decorated with gingerbread care, right down to the amusingly small gingerbread house that sits on the gingerbread table beneath the larger and far more expansive gingerbread roof. a gingerbread house within a gingerbread home.

the note: ]

To Altria,

Thank you for Mister Biscuit. I know, I know, I'd called him Mister Golem before, but it felt a little like calling a human 'Mister Human', and once sober I couldn't quite bear it, so he's become Mister Biscuit in my heart. Truly, your magic is something wonderful. I thought it would only be fitting to gift you something gingerbread in return. While it is not as exceptional as what you have done for me, please accept it as a token of our friendship, and as a thank you for the cheer you brought to the gala.

Altria, you are a remarkable young lady. I wish you happiness.

Ah, but please don't think some nonsense such as 'I can't possibly eat this gift!', and dig in! I'd be glad if you can invite a friend to eat it with you; I've tried many permutations of gingerbread, and I think I got the sugar to ginger ratio just right. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it. I have not forgotten my promise to you for paneer, either. The new year will bring new opportunities, as well as new meals to share.

May your coming year be as sweet as watermelon, and as fruitful as pomegranates.

With kind regards,

Kaveh

[ Whenever Altria returns home, she'll find a note on the table, accompanied by a plate of fried rice shaped very carefully like a head with pigtails and a pile of neatly folded navy-blue towels. Unfolded, they'll reveal to have been monogrammed with a bright red A.

The note reads as follows: ]

Hi, Altria! Merry Christmas! I know you were just using whatever towels I had, but you're an official roommate, so these towels are also officially yours and only yours!

Don't worry, they're even fluffier than the ones you were using before.

[ There is a bit of chaos in the background when the message starts, presumably because Usagi's tinkering with the message system, but only for a good two to three seconds. She's gotten a little better at handling the device. And then, perhaps, the sound of a party popper in the background as well: ]

Merry Christmas, Altria! I hope your day went well! It's a shame we can't make snowmen, but I think we can celebrate the holidays just as well without it. Happy holidays, and I hope you have a wonderful New Year!

[ Cue in a successful end of her voice message!

There is also an accompanying card and a box of chocolates waiting for Altria outside her door! Or wherever mail is kept. ]

Edited (more gifts because why not) 2023-12-30 23:54 (UTC)

[ Around lunch time, Altria will hear a knock on the door, preceding what sounds like someone talking to another person. It'll be fairly obvious that it's the Wanderer behind that door, and when she opens it, his discussion partner (who has been making strange chirping noises) will also be revealed: an adorable round blue bird that's sitting on his signature hat. ]

—told you to stop causing a fuss! Is this your way of getting revenge on me because I locked you up this entire time?? Maybe if you weren't so—

[ Oh. Hi Altria. He coughs and shoves the items in his hands at her. Just ignore the faint redness on his cheeks. You didn't just catch him arguing with a bird. Said bird chirps happily at Altria in greeting. ]

Here. Take it.

[ There are in fact several items in his hands.

A vase containing an arrangement of beautiful paper flowers.

Yet another beautifully wrapped gift box containing several cute accessories.

A container of sweets! This time, he's whipped up custard taiyaki, dango, and some wagashi.

]

[ Slam cut to Midnight holding out a tiny bit of sweet rum in a shot glass for her to drink. Just a little! She is a baby, and shouldn't be drinking anything, much less to excess. ]

It's important to know what ingredients you're working with when you're mixing, and how they taste. You don't have to swallow if you don't like it; the sink is right over there.

[ They are only using rum today, and he's trying to make sure that she doesn't leave the venue tipsy, so she will have a non-alcoholic version of today's drink... But still, if she wants to make it for him, it's only fair that she knows how the real thing tastes, and how it should taste. ]

checking in on status of future cookie golem snacks :)

You know...

[ She's just moving over to the bed, finishing brushing out her hair for the night. ]

It's been really lively around here, huh?

[ It's taken a long time to complete this sword. Longer than he wanted. He had expected the first few attempts to fail from rustiness, but what he hadn't expected was a failure due to his own emotions. A sword was a reflection of the sword smith's heart, and this was especially true with the Isshin Art of smithing. The art demanded harmony between the blade and mind from the moment the forging process began. And his mind... Especially in regards to the intended recipient of the sword... It had been cloudy.

Altria was someone who occupied his every thought as of late. In record speed, she'd somehow wormed her way through his defenses and firmly established a place in his... heart. The metaphorical one that most definitely existed, despite his lack of a literal one, because if he didn't have it, then how could Altria have so quickly stolen it from him?

That was the problem. He'd accidentally given away the heart he didn't know he had (no, he knew, he just didn't want to acknowledge it) to someone who would be forced to give it back in pieces in short time. And he didn't want to acknowledge that. That was why his heart had been so cloudy.

But to complete the sword, he was forced to acknowledge these feelings and come to terms with what it meant. There was no way to avoid the end. Perhaps he could try to prolong it, by prolonging this simulation—but that wasn't his style. No, it would end, whether he wanted it to or not. And...it would hurt. Deeply. Maddeningly. His love for her is like his love for Tatarasuna. For Niwa, and the nameless child that had been his family. He had hurt so much then, that he stopped trusting humanity and became bitter and spiteful. What would a loss like that do to him now? He's afraid to find out—hence why he's tried to ignore the growing ache in his chest for so long.

But he can't run anymore. Not if he wants to complete this sword, and that is something he must do. Not only for Altria, who he's certain would appreciate the gift and understand it's meaning. No, this was a promise to Niwa and the people of Tatarasuna. The clans of the Raiden Gokaden. He had to see this through, if he hoped to complete even a fraction of the atonement he set out to do.

He loved her deeply, and wanted to be with her for what little time they had. And whatever happened to him after... He swore to himself that this time, he would do what he could to contain the destruction just to himself. He could not afford even more sins to bear on top of the loss.

The sword forging took on a different meaning once he acknowledged his feelings and his fear of the consequences. This wasn't just a mere gift anymore, no—this would be, in essence, the purest form of a confession he could possibly make. A confession of all of his thoughts and feelings for Altria.

It was almost laughable how quickly the sword came together after. He had never created a more beautiful, more dazzling sword in his life. ...Niwa would have been proud, if he could see the result.

Now, he was at the park, sword in sheath and tucked neatly into his belt for transport. He stood at the entrance of the park, where they first met. A forced calm settled over him—somehow nostalgic at this point.

He held his phone, the screen open to the window of messages between him and Altria. He takes a deep breath, and then types. ]

Meet me at the entrance of the park.

[ He sends that short message, and then quickly tacks on a second message. ]

I have something to give you.

text, un: Hat Guy, forward dated to 16th

text, un: Hat Guy

dec 14, i guess!!

TXT | un: theonewhogifts

doggo moth time