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 Posted: Sun Dec 11, 2016 4:13 pm
Sylvia stood back and observed her work. Laid out on Misha’s bed was a beautiful darkly saturated blue throw with intricate gold and white designs, blue tassels on two sides with some shiny gold thread mixed in. It was an impressively soft fabric, but seemed like it would insulate well. It pooled around a black wire basket, short but wide, that sat on top of it holding three candles of varying heights – the tallest one was a pillar of purple and white swirls and smelled of jasmine, the middle was a lightly blonde marble that smelled softly of vanilla and something a bit deeper, and the shortest was a wine red that wafted floral and berry notes. A small bamboo box beside it held three bath bombs of similar scents and various colors. Lastly, a note was perched in front of all of these things, hiding the smallest gift of all – a bracelet of large, flat metal links with silver and gold designs of stars, a moon on the largest.
The note was simple, a painted picture of a pale deer in a snowy setting, with delicate, loopy text inside:
Misha,
A few gifts for the season, and to officially welcome you into our newly shared bathroom~
I hope that this blanket keeps you warm on nights you need comfort. I hope the candles and bath bombs help ease tensions when you need to relax. The bracelet just made me think of you for some reason (hopefully it’s to your taste).
It was signed with a heart and Sylvia’s name.
She took a breath and nodded at the setup. It was perhaps a bit much, but she couldn’t help herself. After getting to know Misha a bit and seeing what she’d brought into the adjoining room, she’d had a few ideas and decided to run with them. She had already known she wanted to get bath bombs to welcome Misha as her new roommate – that was easy after their conversation at the Halloween party. The candles sort of came with the territory, since she loved candles herself and they were in the same store. The blanket was the main gift, the gift she’d had to search for a bit when she’d gotten Misha’s name for the gift swap. Blankets were a comfort to her, and given that Misha had a few scarves and such around, she hoped that a blanket wouldn’t seem too strange a gift. It had taken some time to find a blanket that she felt suited Misha’s style, too; hopefully she wasn’t entirely off the mark. The bracelet hidden under the card was basically a perk, a pretty bauble she’d found while poking around a few stores in her search for other gifts as well.
Satisfied, she made her way back to her own room to wait for Misha to return. She was a bit anxious, really. She could only hope that the gifts were okay, that she’d picked up enough on Misha’s style to have found appropriate pieces – and that her roommate wouldn’t mind her sneaking into her room to arrange everything. They had an understanding about entering each other’s rooms if needed, but still… She hadn’t really felt like wrapping the bundle of gifts in a million different pieces; the pretty display was a backup to wasting tons of paper. Would that take away too much from the gifting process? Anticipation and surprise were always exciting elements… Well, hopefully the surprise of it all waiting for Misha on her bed would be enough.[ 588 words ]
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Posted: Tue Dec 13, 2016 7:27 pm
Luckily for Sylvia's patience, she did not have long to wait before the cheerful sounds of Misha returning reached her ears. The dark-haired Aphrodite Chosen whistled as she approached, a rather passable version of Walkin' In A Winter Wonderland. The lilting melody stopped the moment Misha stepped within her room, however. "Oh!" Her face lit with a glowing, huge smile and she all but clapped her hands together at the sight which greeted her. The deliberately, carefully planned arrangement worked to perfection. Impact high, artistic merit higher. Bouncing further into her room, Misha dropped onto her bed and promptly reached out a hand to touch the blanket. The softness nearly made her swoon. Quickly, she picked up the card, read it, and grinned. Then she slipped on the bracelet before standing once more and draping the blanket over her shoulders. Beaming, she headed for their jack-and-jill bathroom. "Sylvia?" she called. "Oh, little Christmas Elf?" She hoped Sylvia was in her room. She had to thank her immediately!
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Posted: Sun Dec 18, 2016 2:03 am
Sylvia perked up when she heard the whistling. She couldn’t be positive that it was Misha, just a growing suspicion, until Misha’s whistle got closer to and eventually passed her door. A smile flickered briefly over her features, but she tried to continue concentrating on the article she was reading. Still, her foot jittered and tapped against the leg of her chair; she was so antsy, she couldn’t help it. She loved giving presents. She was almost a little upset with herself that she’d laid everything out and robbed herself of Misha’s initial reactions. She shook her head – no, that was the best way to do it. And Misha was still a fresh enough friend that she could have gotten the gift all wrong, in which case she was giving Misha space to compose herself and the right energy to pretend she liked everything the next time she saw Sylvia. Ugh, she hoped that wasn’t it. She continued reading, but retained next to nothing of the two paragraphs her eyes drifted over while she waited to find out…
It was only a few minutes before her name was called, almost sing-song, from the adjoining bathroom. A smile grew as the title followed. Misha couldn’t be too upset with the way her voice sounded. Hopefully that meant she liked at least some of her gifts? Sylvia was usually so confident with her gift-buying, but everything here was so new. Honestly, she couldn’t have gone that wrong with the bath bombs, she was fairly certain she remembered Misha’s favorite scents, so those should be fine. It was the other stuff she worried about. She liked candles, but maybe Misha didn’t. Blankets were great, but maybe it was the wrong color or something. The bracelet was a mere trinket, but even that could be of the wrong style entirely.
Sylvia pushed her chair back and took a huffy breath. Then she stood and opened the bathroom door to peek inside. She hugged the doorjamb and smiled across at Misha in a shy fashion. “Were they all okay?” Even if Misha was beaming, she wanted verbal confirmation before she made any assumptions.[ 358; 946 total ]
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Posted: Thu Dec 22, 2016 9:33 pm
Her smile stretching ear to ear, Misha performed a little twirl for her roommate to show off how she wore the blanket. The color worked very well indeed with the woman's coloring. Whether Sylvia had meant that or not, Misha appreciated the detail. Then she faced Sylvia again and held up her wrist to display the bracelet. "You spoiled me," she accused with a laugh. "It's all so pretty and wonderful. Thank you so much! Did anyone ever tell you you're an excellent gift-giver?"
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Posted: Thu Dec 22, 2016 11:48 pm
Sylvia responded in kind, beaming at her roommate’s twirl. It looked even better wrapped around someone who seemed to appreciate it, and the colors worked so well for Misha! Sylvia was rather proud, actually. She separated herself from the doorjamb and bounced once with a clap of her hands, crooning at the bracelet – it, too, seemed to work.
“You are very welcome!” She was delighted that Misha seemed to genuinely like her gifts. Boosted by the compliment, she let her pride show a bit and offered a shrug, “I maaay have been told something like that once or twice in my life.” She giggled and closed the distance between them to feel the blanket again and nod. “I think I did alright for having only known you a little while.” She let out a tiny gasp as she remembered the other, smaller gifts as well and asked, “Did I remember your scents, by the way? I was pretty confident, but I hope I didn’t mix them up…”[ 167; 1,113 total ]
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Posted: Tue Dec 27, 2016 7:23 pm
"Not at all." Deciding that Sylvia's approach signaled an a-okay, Misha left one hand holding the blanket around her but threw the other arm around her roommate for a grateful hug. "You did fantastic. I love it all and now you're going to be doomed to all of those pretty smells through our rooms." When she released Sylvia, though, her grey eyes sparkled. "I have something for you, too." WC: 320/800
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Posted: Wed Dec 28, 2016 11:47 pm
Sylvia accepted the hug happily, wrapping her arms around Misha’s waist and giving a gentle squeeze. She was delighted that she’d done well. She chuckled, but gave a playful sigh, “Oh, if I must endure such smells, so be it.”
Sylvia nearly gawked at Misha when she said that she was reciprocating the gift. “W—you didn’t get my name as well, did you?” She had known it to happen before, but she would be a little surprised. Still, she’d be surprised as well if that weren’t the case and Misha already felt friendly enough to get a gift for her. It was unexpected, at least, though of course she would appreciate it either way. [ 115; 1,228 total ]
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Posted: Sat Dec 31, 2016 12:06 pm
"Oh, no," Misha answered Sylvia's question lightly, politely ignoring the slight shock in the other woman's expression. "I had Rob for the Secret Santa thing." She smiled prettily. "I've already taken care of him. Thank heavens, I got it right, too. I called on some experts back home. Who knew Philly had such a big punk scene?" She motioned for Sylvia to follow her back to her room with a crooked finger. As she led the way, she let the blanket fall from her shoulders and folded it neatly. Then she laid it across the foot of her bed. The rich color contrasted nicely with her white knot-work coverlet. She sent another smile over her shoulder at her roommate. "I got you something because, well, you're my roomie and a complete sweetheart and I wanted to. You don't mind, right?" WC: 460/800
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Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2017 1:27 am
Sylvia gave a light snort of breath at the punk Philly comment. She wasn’t sure if she would have guessed or not – every city seemed to have its hidden treasures. She was sure there were tons of cultures alive, well, and thriving in most big cities that she’d have no idea or guess about. Still, it was nice that Misha had known who to talk to. “Well done,” she complimented in earnest, “I’m glad you found something fitting.” She had gotten lucky. She wasn’t sure she would know what to do with a mark like Rob. But then, she didn’t know him very well…
Sylvia followed Misha into her room at the beckoning finger. A soft smile brightened her cheeks when the darker woman folded her new blanket and left it at the foot of her bed – something about how close and accessible that kept it pleased the gifter immensely. The smile only grew at Misha’s comments, and Sylvia shook her head lightly. “Oh no, I don’t mind.” After all, she had embellished Misha’s gift a bit to cover not just the Xenia gift, but a sort of welcoming/housewarming gift as well. She appreciated the thought quite a bit, actually. It was a sort of pleasant reinforcement to the decision they’d made and her so-far assessment of Misha’s character; she was a sweetheart as well.[ 225; 1,453 total ]
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Posted: Tue Jan 03, 2017 10:02 pm
"Excellent." Misha had not thought Sylvia would mind but you never could be sure when you were still getting to know someone. There had also been the issue of what and how much; she felt confident in her choice but only Sylvia could say for certain. She motioned to the bed and the desk chair. "Take a seat wherever you like," she offered. "I really want to get my armchair from back home. Spread out the choices, you know?" Turning, she began going through a small mountain of wrapped boxes and gift bags spewing ribbon and tissue paper. "And I'm sorry that it's a little messy," she added. Sylvia looked around; it really was far from messy. The room was clean but cluttered. Which made sense since Misha appeared to be putting final touches on her decorating scheme. Luckily, the brunette's taste dovetailed nicely with the decor already prominent in the Aphrodite dorm. Soft fabrics and jewel tones and sparkly things. "Aha! Here." Misha's cry of triumph heralded the appearance of a small, artfully wrapped present. She brought it over to Sylvia with a grin. "Merry Christmas, hon." WC: 648
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Posted: Sat Jan 07, 2017 7:54 pm
Sylvia nodded, perching herself on the edge of Misha’s bed, not wanting to intrude too much on what seemed a generally personal space. She would have chosen the desk chair, but since coming to the Prytaneum she had used her desk for work, and thus she felt the desk chair might make her feel stiff somehow. “I know what you mean. I’m not sure if I’ll bring big furniture in, but I may resort to bean bag chairs…” A playfully little smile grew over her lips. Bean bags were not very practical, not super adult, but they could do the trick. She realized a bit that not getting real furniture was another form of not entirely committing to the Prytaneum, but she wasn’t going to worry about that for now.
She almost snorted at Misha’s apology, waving a hand. “Even if it were messy in here, I wouldn’t mind.” It wasn’t bad, though it was clear that Misha was still arranging and figuring out how she wanted the room set up. Even so, as long as mess didn’t creep into the bathroom, Sylvia wasn’t going to care or judge.
Sylvia accepted the present with a delighted smile. “Why, thank you, dear~” She took care in dismantling the gift, not wanting to dismiss the lovely wrapping with a race to see what was inside. It took her a bit, but when she finally cleared the tissue paper she revealed a beautifully jeweled headband. Her eyes sparkled a bit as she looked it over and pulled it out of the box, biting her bottom lip and grinning. “Oh, Misha, it’s lovely!” She brushed her hair back with one hand and shook it out before slipping it over her head. She couldn’t see it yet, but it felt smooth. She watched Misha for a reaction before rising from the bed and turning back for the bathroom. By way of explanation and in lieu of excusing herself properly, she called back, “I have to go look!”
She was surprised and pleased that it didn’t overwhelm her. She was always a little wary of jeweled things; if overdone they could become gaudy, and even pieces that seemed balanced could overwhelm the wrong person. The blue stones were gorgeous, and the say the light played on them when she shifted was fabulous against her hair. She grinned and pulled the band off, watching it in her hands for a moment before turning back to Misha’s room. “This is wonderful, thank you!” She admired the curves and flow of the piece for a moment before crossing back to Misha and giving her a heartfelt hug.[ 438; 1,891 total ]
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Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2017 7:25 pm
Sylvia did not have to go far to offer her thanks again; Misha stood just on the other side of the doorway, an enormous smile on her face. "I'm so glad you like it," she answered. She hugged her roommate back tightly. "And I'm even happier that it looks so good on you. A girl sometimes needs a bit of sparkle, you know?" She laughed softly and stepped back. Then she reached up with a gentle hand to tuck a wave of Sylvia's hair behind her ear. "Gorgeous women need gorgeous things. I'm pretty sure that's something Aphrodite would get behind." She grinned, bright as a handful of fairy lights. WC: 758
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Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2017 4:34 pm
Sylvia nodded against Misha’s shoulder at the mention of sparkle. She had to agree – such embellishments were important sometimes. Sylvia wasn’t big on bedazzling or sequins, but a hint of sparkle was nice – and this was a perfect hint.
And dear goodness Sylvia could understand why so many people had already taken to Misha so well. Damned if she wasn’t charmed when the other woman tucked back some of her hair. She offered a playful wink and a slight nod, “I agree.” Somewhat emphasizing the need for a tuck, Sylvia reached up and replaced the headband on her head with a bright smile. “Thank you for keeping me fabulous.”[ 109; 2,000 total ]
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Posted: Sun Jan 22, 2017 4:18 pm
Misha waved her hand and made a slightly ridiculous noise of dismissal. "You're being silly," she grinned. "I'm just... What's the phrase? Oh, yeah. Gilding the lily. You're already pretty fabulous. I'm just accessorizing that." She laced her hands behind her back, though, and it was easy to see the pride in her posture at Sylvia's reaction. It wasn't that she had been nervous, per se, about her choice in gifts. After all, what girl did not like pretty, sparkly things? But she had not learned enough about her roommate to judge how much sparkle was acceptable. WC: 800+
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Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2017 3:55 pm
Sylvia’s face erupted into brightness and she laughed at Misha’s compliment. “Well, thank you for that.” She appreciated a compliment as much as anyone. Misha was adorable in her pride and, as far as Sylvia was concerned, equally gorgeous in general (if not more so – with the added bonus of exotic features).
“Well,” Sylvia replaced the band in her hair, shifting her head to admire it once more, then sighed and put her hands on her hips, “now that I am properly gilded, I could show it off and get myself some food. I’m a bit peckish.” She smiled over at Misha, “Would you like to join me? Or would you rather take advantage of the bathroom being free for a while?” The glint in her eyes was almost as good as a wink. It wasn’t late in the day, which was usually when she preferred baths, but there couldn’t be a wrong time to enjoy a good soak. Then again, she couldn’t blame Misha if she wanted to save the bath bombs and candles for a rainy day (though the few gifts from Sylvia might just be a drop in the bucket of Misha’s reserve).[ 196; 2,196 total ] ShortGreen FINALLY, A MONTH LATER -sobs-
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