Picking Out The Perfect Gift

Solo or RP Format
Counts as 5 RP growth Points
Solo word minimum is 750, RP post minimum is 7

It's that time of the year again! Time to give presents to loved ones in the typical ceremonies of the people of Tendaji. But the question is - what is the perfect gift?

[ We're looking for two things in this world event. 1) Who is your character getting a gift for and why? 2) What exactly would be the perfect gift? You can spend the whole prompt reflecting on these decisions, asking a friend for advice on the gift to give, or going out and purchasing the gift. ]

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Hesperia could remember being a young bloom, and feeling even then that her sister was like a storm. A chaotic ball of energy, a whirlwind that was as inspiring as she was confusing, as supportive as she was invalidating. Wangui was… perfect. At least that was how Hesperia felt as they grew up. She had her quirks, certainly, but she was just so… good. She was dedicated, playful, and charming, and trained and practiced with a certain single-minded focus that could be a bit disconcerting, at times. When it came to protecting their sisterhood, she was THERE, always ready to give her all, and it was exhausting trying to keep up with her. Hesperia was proud of her.

And now… she was a blade. A proper blade, with a weapon of her own and with responsibilities and respect and… it was amazing! Fantastic. … Hesperia was super happy for her! Really.

She groaned as she let her head fall, dully, against her pillow, smothering herself with the fluffy down and her own curls of hair. She’d lagged behind in her training by a painful amount. While she was dutiful in her training, she felt she wasn’t grasping that… amazon spirit that the others had and, like Wangui, she’d struggled long and hard over just what weapon to use.

It was difficult, then, for her not to be slightly… envious of her sister’s success.

Rolling herself out of her bed, Hesperia dragged her thick hair behind her shoulders, contemplating. It was cool again, the mountain air sharp as she dragged in a deep breath. She knew she needed to look for a gift for Wangui, but … what her sister needed was up for debate. She loved her spear, and picking a new one just felt tactless considering how endeared her sister was to her current one.

So. Nothing serious. But then, candy and other treats seemed a shallow choice. They were delicious, yes, and Hesperia knew that Wangui would enjoy them, but considering the stage of her life that Wangui had just entered, the gift seemed childish, especially coming from Hesperia. Condescending, even. Wine was only slightly better to Hesperia, who felt that it would be laughable for a sister who wasn’t even a blade yet to give a mature gift to her more accomplished sibling.

Shaking her head, Hesperia sighed as she stepped onto the series of stalls that made up their settlement’s market. They were manned by faces she knew, sisters she’d grown up with. Vandrea and Alkidike alike - selling meats and cooked goods, crops and fruits, but also weapons and other accessories. Idly, Hesperia traced her fingers over a few precious looking gems, only to sheepishly shake her head and retreat when the Sister thought she could make a sale to her.

Wangui probably would tell her she didn’t need to get a gift. She’d probably say she knew Hesperia loved her, that some material good wasn’t needed to make that point come across, but … Hesperia was PROUD of her, and just wanted to show it. If she was more of a… crafty person, she’d have tried to make her something, but she wasn’t artistic or practical by any sense of the word.

What did you get for someone who, you felt, had anything she needed? …Something that, at least, showed that you cared… right? With a new frame of mind, Hesperia turned away from the bits and bobs that she’d been looking at and, instead, stepped towards a sister that she knew crafted more medicinal things, salves and creams and tinctures.

Some smelled disgusting, gleaming with a thin film of oil or grease at the top, and others had a smell that was tingly in her nostrils, or almost sweet. With her potential idea in mind, Hesperia began to select items with a single minded purpose, leaving with an armful of small parcels in her arms. She stopped at one weaver’s shop to get a basket and, smiling, returned home, where she ignored one of her mothers looking in at her with a curious, but fond look.

When she finished, Hesperia leaned back, feeling a self conscious tug of discontent. The basket looked childish, just as she’d feared her earlier ideas would be, but she grudgingly reminded herself that she KNEW her sister, and Wangui would like it. It wasn’t anything spectacular - not a gleaming new spear or beautiful silk garment, but it was a collection of things - medicines for blistered fingers, a grease to use to maintain her spear head, wood polish for the handle of her weapon, bandages and lotions for skin burns - just… self care items.

Hopefully, her sister would like it.