His words do not inspire confidence, but at the same time, she can't fault him for wanting the gift to be something personal. This is the first person that she's heard him talk about with any sort of interest, so it must be pretty important.
"Here..." She reaches into a pocket, withdrawing a few hemp bracelets with colorful shells on them. She pulls one apart from the others and offers it out to him. "If you find something you want to get, barter with this. It'll give you an edge. They love stuff from the village, so don't let them haggle you down."
He looks perplexed at the bracelet, which almost makes him kinda cute, if she didn't know any better. It's a shame his attitude ruins that most of the time.
"Yeah? I make them. Find the shells on the beach, make the cord myself. I use them to barter sometimes, so it doesn't hurt to keep a few on hand."
Oh, right, this place has no currency. Never really needing to buy anything, he hasn't had much cause to remember that.
He runs his thumb over the shell, thinking. Then asks, "What kind of things do you barter them for?" He really doesn't have anything, but the more he thinks about it, the more he thinks throwing a shell bracelet in with whatever he finds might have some worth to Mom.
She shrugs, taking note of the way he seems to be thinking about something. She half wonders if she should fish out more of them.
"Whatever I happen to need. Food, knick-knacks... It's kinda hit or miss since they don't have any practical use. They're just pretty. But sometimes people like things that don't have any practicality. Not everything we do here has to be for survival."
"No point in living just to survive," He mutters in agreement, a little distracted by his own thoughts.
If he wants to give Mom something good, it's going to be something she lacks. Like the family she's missing. If he can draw back to that, he might actually get somewhere. And since the picture on the fridge is one taken at a beach, well, maybe...
Ugh. He's going to have to say it outright isn't he? For a moment, he makes a face. Then, through his teeth, he asks, "What do you need right now?"
The question surprises her a little. Is he actually asking to barter for the bracelet? She half expected him to just walk away without even a thank you, but here he is trying to make a trade... And she shakes her head.
"First one is on the house. You don't need to give me anything." She pauses, giving him a curious look. "...Unless you're asking for another one?"
...He is asking for a second one. He looks away like he's embarrassed, and there's something almost endearing about that. She tilts her head at him a little, as if she's trying to determine something.
Then she reaches back into that pocket and withdraws the stash of bracelets. Another one gets shaken out of the group. She holds it out to him, tucking the rest away again. Her mouth twitches up into a smile.
"...Second one's on the house, too. But no more freebies."
He colors. He can feel it. He ducks his already turned head, letting his hair become a veil and scratching at the back of it to make it more of one. But he knows. It's too late.
"Right. Sure. Whatever."
He snatches up the bracelet quick and looks about for some, or any excuse he can use to take off. Now.
He flushes in a way that she hasn't seen before and it takes an awful lot of willpower not to tease him for it. But he looks like he's about to bolt at the first chance he gets, and she's not about to let him run off when she's actually enjoying herself.
So she graces him with a subject change, her attention drifting back to the wares around them--and pointedly off of him. "Tell me about her. What kind of things does she like?"
This may actually be the worst thing. Not only is he embarrassed as hell, but talking about her like this, when she's not here, it feels too much like talking about her being gone.
"She's..." He keeps looking for a way out. "She's a Mom, you know?" He says, like an alien would know. "She likes things about her family, that remind her of all that and of home. Like stupid jokes, or growing her fruits, or cooking new foods. She likes people and being around them. Doing what she can for them. She likes sappy movies... cute animals... and sunflowers..."
This is getting hard to talk about. He trails off and doesn't bother to try picking it back up.
"I don't... really know what a Mom is," she points out with a small amount of hesitance. It's not entirely the truth. She remembers bits and pieces of a mom that isn't hers. One that never existed. But she's not sure if that's what human moms are supposed to be like, or just how she was made to think of them.
"I don't know about any of that other stuff, but sunflowers... we could do that, I think. Come on--" And she'll take him by the elbow to lead through the marketplace, so long as he doesn't yank it away from her.
He makes a face. Yeah, that was a stupid explanation. But it was one of the most apt.
He makes even more of a face, teeth grit like it's some unpleasant thing as she grips his elbow, and he almost does yank away. But he wants to find these sunflowers now too. Sunflowers from the moon that's... oddly fitting.
The moment she stops, then he's going to yank away. "What exactly do you have in mind?" He asks, then looks.
She doesn't stop until she's sniffed out the kind of thing she's looking for. There's a particular stall that she passed by earlier, not too far away. When she finds it again, she comes to a halt, letting him yank his arm away as her pleases.
"Something like these, maybe?" she responds, gesturing to the wares on display here. There's small pieces of crystal jewelry lined up in rows, each piece carefully crafted to resemble plants and flowers of some kind. And among all those pieces is a small necklace charm fashioned like a sunflower.
He frowns first, then his brows lift. "That's..." He reaches for that sunflower necklace. His pale fingers curl around and lift it up, letting it catch the light.
"That's actually not bad." He looks up, but doesn't speak to her. Instead he calls, "Yo! Rabbit!" Not the most charming greeting but-- "This for that?" He holds up a shell bracelet and points to the sunflower. The rabbit doesn't look entirely happy with the tone, tapping a foot and considering.
She watches the exchange with a small shake of her head. He's really not one for haggling, is he? The rabbit looks distinctly unimpressed, and she watches its little nose twitch, first at the boy and the bracelet, and then at her. She lifts a brow back at it. Is it looking to her to sweeten the deal?
She gives a bit of a shrug. "I don't have anything else on me, but I'll bring some cherries up next time we visit. That's the best I can do." That's an outright lie, but this particular rabbit doesn't know she has more bracelets in her pockets.
It seems to think about that for a moment, then nods, its ears flopping along with the movement. It holds out its hand for the shell bracelet.
He stares the rabbit down, like in lieu of manners, he can win the creature over in a stare off. If he waits long enough the rabbit will cave.
Only for her to cut in. He lifts a brow at her but manages to hide it before the rabbit looks back, and, to his surprise, accepts the deal.
He drops the shell to the rabbit's little paw, then snatches up the sunflower before it can change it's mind. It gets tucked into a pocket, a means to keep it safe, and he starts walking.
He glances back when he's sure she's followed and caught up. Then he asks, "Why did you do that? Go through all that trouble?"
She follows after the boy, making a quick getaway before the rabbit can rope them into anymore bargain for his wares. When they're a decent ways away, he speaks up, and--
Why did she go through all that trouble? She scrunches her mouth up to one side and shrugs. "It's not like I have anything better to do right now. And you seemed like you could use some help." A little bit of boredom, a little bit of sympathy.
She snorts at that. "Last I checked, you weren't some performing monkey. I can entertain myself." Just because she chooses that entertainment to be with him doesn't mean she can't direct it elsewhere if she's unwanted.
"By the way... I hope she likes the gift. Try not to just throw it at her. Wrap it up in something; it makes the surprise better."
It's pretty much the exact opposite of that one guy's reaction, way before. It's just flippant enough that it comes across genuine. He's going to let it go, just walk away and get back to what they're here for, when she goes on, and he turns part way back.
His mouth opens but nothing comes out for a minute. Then, "Right. Sure. I'll... do that or whatever. See ya around."
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2018-07-23 11:42 pm (UTC)"Here..." She reaches into a pocket, withdrawing a few hemp bracelets with colorful shells on them. She pulls one apart from the others and offers it out to him. "If you find something you want to get, barter with this. It'll give you an edge. They love stuff from the village, so don't let them haggle you down."
no subject
Date: 2018-07-24 12:22 am (UTC)But he does reach out to take it, letting lay sad and limp in his own hand. He really doesn't have anything better. Or rather, anything at all.
He wonders if she'd like a shell bracelet...
no subject
Date: 2018-07-24 12:32 am (UTC)"Yeah? I make them. Find the shells on the beach, make the cord myself. I use them to barter sometimes, so it doesn't hurt to keep a few on hand."
no subject
Date: 2018-07-24 08:25 am (UTC)He runs his thumb over the shell, thinking. Then asks, "What kind of things do you barter them for?" He really doesn't have anything, but the more he thinks about it, the more he thinks throwing a shell bracelet in with whatever he finds might have some worth to Mom.
no subject
Date: 2018-07-24 08:47 pm (UTC)"Whatever I happen to need. Food, knick-knacks... It's kinda hit or miss since they don't have any practical use. They're just pretty. But sometimes people like things that don't have any practicality. Not everything we do here has to be for survival."
no subject
Date: 2018-07-24 09:31 pm (UTC)If he wants to give Mom something good, it's going to be something she lacks. Like the family she's missing. If he can draw back to that, he might actually get somewhere. And since the picture on the fridge is one taken at a beach, well, maybe...
Ugh. He's going to have to say it outright isn't he? For a moment, he makes a face. Then, through his teeth, he asks, "What do you need right now?"
no subject
Date: 2018-07-24 11:31 pm (UTC)"First one is on the house. You don't need to give me anything." She pauses, giving him a curious look. "...Unless you're asking for another one?"
no subject
Date: 2018-07-24 11:43 pm (UTC)"Well it... would help to still have something to barter with here on top of the shell..."
The answer is yes.
no subject
Date: 2018-07-25 12:05 am (UTC)Then she reaches back into that pocket and withdraws the stash of bracelets. Another one gets shaken out of the group. She holds it out to him, tucking the rest away again. Her mouth twitches up into a smile.
"...Second one's on the house, too. But no more freebies."
no subject
Date: 2018-07-25 12:34 am (UTC)"Right. Sure. Whatever."
He snatches up the bracelet quick and looks about for some, or any excuse he can use to take off. Now.
no subject
Date: 2018-07-25 08:20 pm (UTC)So she graces him with a subject change, her attention drifting back to the wares around them--and pointedly off of him. "Tell me about her. What kind of things does she like?"
no subject
Date: 2018-07-25 09:21 pm (UTC)"She's..." He keeps looking for a way out. "She's a Mom, you know?" He says, like an alien would know. "She likes things about her family, that remind her of all that and of home. Like stupid jokes, or growing her fruits, or cooking new foods. She likes people and being around them. Doing what she can for them. She likes sappy movies... cute animals... and sunflowers..."
This is getting hard to talk about. He trails off and doesn't bother to try picking it back up.
no subject
Date: 2018-08-08 05:42 pm (UTC)"I don't know about any of that other stuff, but sunflowers... we could do that, I think. Come on--" And she'll take him by the elbow to lead through the marketplace, so long as he doesn't yank it away from her.
no subject
Date: 2018-08-08 06:17 pm (UTC)He makes even more of a face, teeth grit like it's some unpleasant thing as she grips his elbow, and he almost does yank away. But he wants to find these sunflowers now too. Sunflowers from the moon that's... oddly fitting.
The moment she stops, then he's going to yank away. "What exactly do you have in mind?" He asks, then looks.
no subject
Date: 2018-08-08 06:59 pm (UTC)"Something like these, maybe?" she responds, gesturing to the wares on display here. There's small pieces of crystal jewelry lined up in rows, each piece carefully crafted to resemble plants and flowers of some kind. And among all those pieces is a small necklace charm fashioned like a sunflower.
no subject
Date: 2018-08-08 08:05 pm (UTC)"That's actually not bad." He looks up, but doesn't speak to her. Instead he calls, "Yo! Rabbit!" Not the most charming greeting but-- "This for that?" He holds up a shell bracelet and points to the sunflower. The rabbit doesn't look entirely happy with the tone, tapping a foot and considering.
no subject
Date: 2018-08-09 06:18 pm (UTC)She gives a bit of a shrug. "I don't have anything else on me, but I'll bring some cherries up next time we visit. That's the best I can do." That's an outright lie, but this particular rabbit doesn't know she has more bracelets in her pockets.
It seems to think about that for a moment, then nods, its ears flopping along with the movement. It holds out its hand for the shell bracelet.
no subject
Date: 2018-08-09 06:33 pm (UTC)Only for her to cut in. He lifts a brow at her but manages to hide it before the rabbit looks back, and, to his surprise, accepts the deal.
He drops the shell to the rabbit's little paw, then snatches up the sunflower before it can change it's mind. It gets tucked into a pocket, a means to keep it safe, and he starts walking.
He glances back when he's sure she's followed and caught up. Then he asks, "Why did you do that? Go through all that trouble?"
no subject
Date: 2018-08-11 10:04 pm (UTC)Why did she go through all that trouble? She scrunches her mouth up to one side and shrugs. "It's not like I have anything better to do right now. And you seemed like you could use some help." A little bit of boredom, a little bit of sympathy.
no subject
Date: 2018-08-12 01:38 pm (UTC)"And has that boredom been sated or am I supposed to entertain you now?"
no subject
Date: 2018-08-12 02:32 pm (UTC)"By the way... I hope she likes the gift. Try not to just throw it at her. Wrap it up in something; it makes the surprise better."
no subject
Date: 2018-08-12 02:47 pm (UTC)His mouth opens but nothing comes out for a minute. Then, "Right. Sure. I'll... do that or whatever. See ya around."
He starts off, the barest wave behind him.