There was nothing quite like being jarred out of one's sleep from what seemed to be a random pinging sound coming from his desk. Kenneth groaned and rolled over onto his side to blearily stare at the alarm clock before realizing that the clock alarm did not make that sort of sound so it had to be coming from something else on his desk. The only other thing that was electronic was the odd pen and tablet combination he got when he was brought into the organization known simply as the Negaverse. Ken had no forsaken clue really why his tablet would have been going off at such an ungodly time of the evening. But ever the dutiful member he was going to have to figure it out. With that thought in mind did Ken throw the covers off his form before shivering once in response to the sudden drop in temperature before slipping into a comfy pair of slippers before padding over to the desk and making himself at home in the chair that was situated there. Extending the device to see the screen did Kenneth cover a yawn before his eyes widened. Oh, this was not something that he should have been looking at as tired as he was but ever the punctual one did Ken open the message that was blinking at him like an incessant little bug. He could almost hear the words in his mind that repeated with each flash of the message as "open me. open me. open me." Giving into the need to know what the message within contained he hit accept and began to read the words that appeared on the translucent screen before leaning his chair back on the back legs with a sigh. Perhaps he should have waited until he had woken up the next morning. But what was done was done.
The message that had been sent was from the General that had hosted the very lavish spread of Thanksgiving Day foods and Kenneth had recalled during that period of time that he had put his name down for what essentially was secret Santa but without the secret. His brow furrowed as he read through the message indicating what the cost amount should be before he glimpsed the name of who it was that he had been paired with. The sudden shock of recognition hit Kenneth and he quickly closed the screen down. How on earth would he ever find something that would be suitable for a General King and that was musically based for just around twenty-five dollars? Nothing would work for the first interest that Jet had put down as a like, but was there perhaps something information wise that he could find for his exchange partner: Instruction booklets or the like on how to play a new instrument?
Rubbing the sleep from his eyes the young man moved over to what he liked to think as his personal work and computer desk and booted up his personal laptop that sat there before logging onto the internet. There would be no real instruments that he would be able to afford but perhaps there could be other solutions that might work. Perhaps a one-time music lesson of Jet's choosing for trying a different instrument other than the piano. He could fund the lesson fee and who knew, maybe the General King would stick with the lessons and learn the new instrument of choice.
There was also, in the back of Ken's mind, the idea of giving a gift that created musical tones: perhaps something like a wind chimes or something of that nature. Pushing his chair back away from the desk Kenneth sighed before he rose and began to pace around his bedroom. It really was a good thing that there was nothing really on his agenda in the coming days. He paced one length of the entirety of the room before moving to sit on his bed. The first idea of paying for a music lesson for an instrument of Jet's choosing was turning out to be the one solution that Kenneth could see working quite well. There was still the idea of how much a lesson would cost and that was the next piece of research that he had to track down.
Around what seemed to be ninety minutes later and Kenneth had all the answers that he needed for his gift idea to work. There would not be a full hour lesson for General King Jet but rather only a thirty minute lesson in which he, Ken, would supply not only the funding for, but also, as a tacked on bonus (probably against Aqua's set price limit), that he would pay for the one time use of the rental fee of whatever instrument Jet chose to try out. There were various places of musical instruction that Kenneth could chose from, but he thought that perhaps he would leave that up to Jet to decide as well. Most of the sites that he had visited had suggested that a thirty minute music lesson could run between twenty-five to thirty-one dollars and that was acceptable to Ken. The rental cost of the instrument would be the unknown factor but for the possibility of enjoyment, he was willing to risk spending more.
Logging off his computer did Kenneth take out a piece of paper before writing down what it was he had decided to do for his exchange partner. The paper upon which he scribbled the solution was the typical lined paper one found in a notebook for schooling. Ken sighed and finished his rough outline before opening a drawer on the left side of his desk where all the good quality paper was kept. Carefully drawing out a single sheet did Ken take the time to position it upon the specially placed plexiglass surface before digging out a well-used calligraphy set. Uncapping just one pen Kenneth meticulously began using the pen that he favoured the most when it came to making his poems look professional before writing in a simple, yet elegant script his following message:
Capping the pen Kenneth glanced down at the paper before he began to watch the ink dry into the words that were honestly, simple and direct to the point. What more could he do?
Finding a simple green ribbon, Ken waited until the ink was fully dried before rolling the paper into a scroll and tying it closed with the ribbon he had chosen. Now all that was left was to find a time and place to make their exchange happen. However for that, Ken needed to work up the courage to actually send a message to one of his General Kings inquiring what could make a good place and time to meet.
Looking once more at his clock though did Kenneth decide that enough had been done for one day. He'd leave the scroll on his desk even as he moved to crawl back into his bed. There was nothing more to be said on the matter: he had made his choice of gift and now he could only hope that Jet would appreciate the gesture he was willing to make. Figuring that second guessing his gift idea would only lead to nothing but indecision did Kenneth lay down and put his head firmly on the pillows. He stared across the room at the rolled up scroll before turning onto his other side in order to simply ignore the elephant in the room of what he had thought was a good idea at one o'clock in the morning. Whatever came of the result of his gift Kenneth would not let his overactive brain talk him out of what he had chosen to do. Either Jet would appreciate the gift or he would not. It did not matter though. He had met his assignment head on and he felt that he should be proud of that feat alone. Allowing his eyes to slide closed did Kenneth finally let his brain stop its incessant worrying in order to get the most out of the slumber that descended over him like a warm, comforting, blanket of serenity.
The message that had been sent was from the General that had hosted the very lavish spread of Thanksgiving Day foods and Kenneth had recalled during that period of time that he had put his name down for what essentially was secret Santa but without the secret. His brow furrowed as he read through the message indicating what the cost amount should be before he glimpsed the name of who it was that he had been paired with. The sudden shock of recognition hit Kenneth and he quickly closed the screen down. How on earth would he ever find something that would be suitable for a General King and that was musically based for just around twenty-five dollars? Nothing would work for the first interest that Jet had put down as a like, but was there perhaps something information wise that he could find for his exchange partner: Instruction booklets or the like on how to play a new instrument?
Rubbing the sleep from his eyes the young man moved over to what he liked to think as his personal work and computer desk and booted up his personal laptop that sat there before logging onto the internet. There would be no real instruments that he would be able to afford but perhaps there could be other solutions that might work. Perhaps a one-time music lesson of Jet's choosing for trying a different instrument other than the piano. He could fund the lesson fee and who knew, maybe the General King would stick with the lessons and learn the new instrument of choice.
There was also, in the back of Ken's mind, the idea of giving a gift that created musical tones: perhaps something like a wind chimes or something of that nature. Pushing his chair back away from the desk Kenneth sighed before he rose and began to pace around his bedroom. It really was a good thing that there was nothing really on his agenda in the coming days. He paced one length of the entirety of the room before moving to sit on his bed. The first idea of paying for a music lesson for an instrument of Jet's choosing was turning out to be the one solution that Kenneth could see working quite well. There was still the idea of how much a lesson would cost and that was the next piece of research that he had to track down.
Around what seemed to be ninety minutes later and Kenneth had all the answers that he needed for his gift idea to work. There would not be a full hour lesson for General King Jet but rather only a thirty minute lesson in which he, Ken, would supply not only the funding for, but also, as a tacked on bonus (probably against Aqua's set price limit), that he would pay for the one time use of the rental fee of whatever instrument Jet chose to try out. There were various places of musical instruction that Kenneth could chose from, but he thought that perhaps he would leave that up to Jet to decide as well. Most of the sites that he had visited had suggested that a thirty minute music lesson could run between twenty-five to thirty-one dollars and that was acceptable to Ken. The rental cost of the instrument would be the unknown factor but for the possibility of enjoyment, he was willing to risk spending more.
Logging off his computer did Kenneth take out a piece of paper before writing down what it was he had decided to do for his exchange partner. The paper upon which he scribbled the solution was the typical lined paper one found in a notebook for schooling. Ken sighed and finished his rough outline before opening a drawer on the left side of his desk where all the good quality paper was kept. Carefully drawing out a single sheet did Ken take the time to position it upon the specially placed plexiglass surface before digging out a well-used calligraphy set. Uncapping just one pen Kenneth meticulously began using the pen that he favoured the most when it came to making his poems look professional before writing in a simple, yet elegant script his following message:
Quote:
To General King Jet,
I, Lieutenant Sodalite, do hereby declare the intent to fully fund one thirty minute music lesson on an instrument of your personal choice. I also have decided that I will fund the rental cost of whatever instrument is chosen for that one lesson. This last decision is one that I made on my own.
Please accept this gift of generosity that I bequeath to you this holiday season. You can redeem this lesson at any time of your choosing. Just reach out to me with the information of where you would like to have your lesson and I will make myself available to cover the costs associated with what I have transcribed above.
Merry Christmas,
Lieutenant Sodalite
PS: I think General Aquamarine would be displeased if he learned that I went over the proposed price range for a gift. I do not know if this will sit with him well or not.
I, Lieutenant Sodalite, do hereby declare the intent to fully fund one thirty minute music lesson on an instrument of your personal choice. I also have decided that I will fund the rental cost of whatever instrument is chosen for that one lesson. This last decision is one that I made on my own.
Please accept this gift of generosity that I bequeath to you this holiday season. You can redeem this lesson at any time of your choosing. Just reach out to me with the information of where you would like to have your lesson and I will make myself available to cover the costs associated with what I have transcribed above.
Merry Christmas,
Lieutenant Sodalite
PS: I think General Aquamarine would be displeased if he learned that I went over the proposed price range for a gift. I do not know if this will sit with him well or not.
Capping the pen Kenneth glanced down at the paper before he began to watch the ink dry into the words that were honestly, simple and direct to the point. What more could he do?
Finding a simple green ribbon, Ken waited until the ink was fully dried before rolling the paper into a scroll and tying it closed with the ribbon he had chosen. Now all that was left was to find a time and place to make their exchange happen. However for that, Ken needed to work up the courage to actually send a message to one of his General Kings inquiring what could make a good place and time to meet.
Looking once more at his clock though did Kenneth decide that enough had been done for one day. He'd leave the scroll on his desk even as he moved to crawl back into his bed. There was nothing more to be said on the matter: he had made his choice of gift and now he could only hope that Jet would appreciate the gesture he was willing to make. Figuring that second guessing his gift idea would only lead to nothing but indecision did Kenneth lay down and put his head firmly on the pillows. He stared across the room at the rolled up scroll before turning onto his other side in order to simply ignore the elephant in the room of what he had thought was a good idea at one o'clock in the morning. Whatever came of the result of his gift Kenneth would not let his overactive brain talk him out of what he had chosen to do. Either Jet would appreciate the gift or he would not. It did not matter though. He had met his assignment head on and he felt that he should be proud of that feat alone. Allowing his eyes to slide closed did Kenneth finally let his brain stop its incessant worrying in order to get the most out of the slumber that descended over him like a warm, comforting, blanket of serenity.
