"Mele Kalikimaka. It actually means Merry Christmas. Which---- is not something you're familiar with." Arthur looks as though he is realizing this belatedly. "Old surface tradition. Kind of capitalized, nowadays. But the original sentiment is nice. Do you. . . want to see the lights? They put up a huge tree in the middle of town, and everything."
❝ i’m familiar with christmas. not enough to fully understand it, but enough to know it’s important to many people of the surface. ❞ and by the way he’s speaking to her now she can tell that he’s one of those people that it must be important to. these are the kinds of surface traditions she’s fascinated by and wants to know more about ( especially if it’s important to him too. ) what she knows of christmas is actually largely in part to conversations had with diana. she’s been trying to learn things about he surface from multiple sources and perspectives.
still she smiles, secretly glad to share in something like this with him. ❝ i would love to see the lights, ah, but before we go – ❞ she pulls out a small box and opens it before him, showing off a necklace of polished stones adorned in atlantean gold. ❝ these are for you. it’s common for atlantean warriors to wear these, but regardless of what you finally decide about the throne i felt that… they suited you. ❞ diana had told her that gifts should have great meaning, and while there were an assortment of things she could have given him befitting a king, something of a warrior fit him much better.
taking the necklace out of its box she motions for him to bend do a bit to her level so she can put it on him. once she has the stones laid neatly on him she leans back a bit so she can inspect him with a smile. ❝ mele kalikimaka, arthur. ❞
