pale digits tapped idly at the spine of the small sketchbook in hand as though there was some lack of certainty in the artist — but whether the uchiha was aware of as much, sai felt indebted. he’d taken his time to come to the moment presented ; the other’s birthday in conjunction with a friendship, unless it were more now…? carefully, and dutifully over time, adding in pages to the book with character studies of the other ; adding him into the rightful place he had amongst delicately drawn expressions of hatake kakashi, uzumaki naruto and haruno sakura. depictions of a once whole team, and one, now reunited — perhaps even a family? … sai had, for now, kept himself and yamato-taichou out of this book — for a handful of reasons, namely? they had not been within the original line-up of the team, and he felt unsure of adding either of them by no means to ‘speak’ ill of their potential value. and according to the book he’d read? a gift is supposed to have some kind of meaning to the person it was intended for.
❛ i — i read that it is a customary practice to offer a gift when expressing one’s gratitude to someone, and i did learn --- i hope correctly so --- that it is your birthday. ❜ he pauses to extend the small leatherbound sketchbook to the other with a smile less practiced and less mechanical than the ones he was known for, a quiet nervousness underlying the emotion at the forefront, ❛ so, happy birthday --- and, thank you… ❜ he didn’t really think anything of his own lack of explanation for the latter, at least not unless the other were to inquire.