So long as Kana walked the earth, this poor man would never get a moment of peace. Little dragon bounds up to him as excited as ever, but now a bit more care slowed his normal sprint. A basket filled to the brim with various gifts and parcels balances precariously in his arms, too big for even a normal-sized person to carry correctly.
"Look, look, I got you stuff! I wasn't sure what to get you and couldn't decide, so I just got everything I could think of. Happy Birthday!!"
Little dragon drops the basket between them and, without waiting for a reply, starts to pull things out and thrust them forward into Andrei's unsuspecting hands. (This seemed to be a recurring thing between the two of them...)
"So, okay, first, flowers, right? 'Cause everyone gets flowers on their birthday, that's just what birthdays are." Indeed, the center of the basket held a bouquet of brightly-colored blooms, all having something or other to do with friendship and well-wishes.
"And, I got you a nice brush for your horsey, 'cause, not gonna lie, a lot of the ones the monastery provides are gross." The brush marks the beginning of the pile.
Next, he lifts up a small box that houses a set of simple green-colored ribbons, more for everyday use than elegance, but still fashionable. "Then, then, I got you this little ribbon set, and I'm not really sure if you're the type to tie your hair back, but if you ever want to, these are really durable!"
"And these little guys are tiny carvings made out of different monsters' teeth! They're like little charms, but they're also cool little decorations, and they're supposed to inspire hard work and tenacity 'n stuff." Kana drops three little figurines into Andrei's palm, each depicting a different deity that may or may not look a little draconic. Perhaps Kana was biased in this gift.
At the bottom of the basket lays a folded green blanket, carefully crocheted by a local merchant, in a deep emerald color. The stitching made the blanket heavy, but it breathed well; there would be no overheating with this piece. "Last thing, I got you a nice blanket, 'cause I think everyone deserves a really nice blanket, and this one felt very... you. You're green!"
Throwing his hands out, little dragon looks very pleased with himself. "You don't seem like the type of person to buy lots of things for yourself, so I'm happy to give you lots of stuff. I hope you enjoy it, and I hope your birthday is super-duper good!"
(Underneath the cable blanket, at the very bottom of the basket, sits a small envelope: a card, handmade and written by Kana, stating in short how very grateful he is to know Andrei and call him a friend. It is, of course, completed with a doodle of the two of them—both wearing very big, very happy smiles.)
There aren’t many people who can yell Andrei’s name in public without repercussion, and thankfully for all parties involved, Kana happens to be one of them.
The sight of the huge basket in his arms itself doesn’t particularly surprise Andrei — after all, it seems like there’s no end to the strength and enthusiasm the younger boy could muster for the world around him. It’s only when Kana speaks that Andrei’s eyes widen in surprise. This is meant to be a gift for him?
There’s little time for him to dwell on that thought before things begin piling up in his hands. While Andrei feels each object could have sufficed as a birthday present in and of itself, Kana apparently disagreed, for he finds himself with more things than he really expected to own today.
Flowers are the most orthodox of the presents in the basket. The brush is a gift that would see use quickly — it’s true that he’d often found the brushes available within Garreg Mach’s stables to be lacking, compared to that of Yngvi’s. Ironic, considering his treatment of his current steed is otherwise better than any he’d ever owned at home.
Ribbons and small decorations form the next part of his gifts, though in the moment he has little time for more than a quick look at each before more things are added to the stack in his arms. The ribbons will likely join the hair clips that he’d acquired from the monastery, within the depths of some drawer, though the emptiness of his room does lead him to consider putting the figurines in some visible spot. Hard work and tenacity are certainly values he can appreciate, after all.
The final object, too, catches his eyes as Kana points it out. Andrei instinctively looks down at himself — while he’d taken the effort, even within the depths of the Abyss, to ensure the neatness of his clothing, here he is without the green coat he had been fond of back at home. It would’ve taken thoughtful observance to figure out his preference for color here in Fódlan, and it is touching to see that the younger boy had managed to take note.
He looks up at Kana after the boy’s declaration, and there is a rare softening of his gaze, an upward turn of his lips. “Thank you... for the consideration you’ve taken in preparing these,” he says, “I am honored to receive your gifts.”
And it is true. More than the overflowing basket, the thought that Kana had gone through the effort of choosing these particular things to give to him... He is aware he’d hardly done anything to deserve this, but he is grateful, nonetheless.
(Another faint, but true, smile comes when he is fully alone, the drawn visage of the two of them beaming up at him from the card. It’s silly, childish.
...He keeps it anyway, somewhere visible. Like a reminder... or a goal.)
