Cinnabar had stared at Cerussite like he’d grown a second head right before her eyes.
He’d come up, in his shy and awkward way, and into her hands he had pressed a small package, childishly wrapped, with a note. She hadn’t understood at first what it was and had taken it because he seemed intent on giving it to her. The bow and tag had been a clue, but that was where her brain simply stopped working and there was nothing but blankness and surprise.
He’d… he’d given her a gift?
Never mind that she had never celebrated Christmas, her family’s faith resting in Judaism. She’d long ago accepted that much of the rest of society celebrated it, though acceptance and celebration of all cultures was becoming more prominent.
No. Cerussite, small, timid lieutenant, barely into his service with the Negaverse, had thought of her, gone out, purchased, wrapped and presented his terrifying, half-monster general with a gift, as though it were what one did for their general, scary or not.
Her mind simply refused to accept what she held in her hand and for a long moment, she had no words for him. It undoubtedly made him uncomfortable as the silence stretched and she stared at him with unblinking, black-red eyes. Finally she cleared her throat, falling back on a set of manners she had left behind her so long ago they felt rusty now.
“Um… Thank you.” She said softly, before dropping her eyes finally to the package. Her fingers felt too large and clumsy as she began to open it, the thickened digits that came with her merged form lacking the degree of delicacy required to make it a neat affair. Cin blinked at the pin that was uncovered and dumped into her palm. A dragon, or maybe a chimera?, arched and snarled, little gold wings outstretched.
“Its lovely, Cerussite.” Some animation came back into her features as her brain began to work again, gears slowly picking up pace as they turned. “I… can’t remember the last time someone gave me a gift, Christmas or otherwise. This was very thoughtful of you.”
It left her in something of a dilemma, because she had nothing to give him in return. It would take thought, finding something, but it was suddenly very important to do so. It was only right… a gift given needed to be returned in kind. It emphasized the bond between them and for the first time, Cinnabar started to realize he was not just a body in a uniform, there to reflect well on her skills as a general. He was a person with a mind and a personality, and he looked to her for guidance. She had brought him into this life… he was her responsibility. She had never felt the weight of it as keenly as she did just then.
Her eyes lifted and she studied him again in a new light, serious and pensive.
“Thank you for this.”
kuropeco
