endless path, infinite cosmos

chapter 40

Vahn and Lili made their way towards the 'Hearth's Embrace' and stopped at a small stall that sold trinkets and gifts. Since he didn't know what to buy as a gift for a young girl, he decided to ask Lili since she was around the same age as Tina.

"Eh? You want me to help you pick a gift for another girl...?" She began to pout while giving him a look of dissatisfaction.

Vahn nodded while picking up and examining some animal shaped charms. "Yeah, I've never bought a gift for anyone before, so I'm not really sure what to get."

Never bought a gift before? The words repeated themselves in Lili's mind over and over. ('I have to get him to buy me something as well. I can't let the first gift he ever purchases go to some random Inn employee!') She began forming a plan in her head...

"Vahn-sa...Vahn. How about in exchange for me helping you pick a gift, you buy me one as well? It doesn't have to be something expensive, but I would like something to remember our meeting and the first day of training by. Ah! I know, I can buy you a gift and we can exchange presents!" She began getting fired up at the thought of exchanging gifts. As far as she knew, if he had never given a gift, wasn't it almost as likely he had never received any!?

"Sure, Lili. I don't really see a reason not to reward you for your help. Though, you don't really need to get me anything." From manga, Vahn remembered that girls liked gifts and sweets, and he could see from her aura that she was happy at the idea of receiving a present.

Lili began dragging Vahn around the stalls until she came upon an area that sold ornamental brooches and accessories for women. After asking Vahn more than a fair amount of questions about Tina, she finally selected a small green brooch shaped like a fish.

Vahn inspected the small brooch and noticed it was a similar aquamarine color as his eyes, and thought it was a bit strange to purchase it. Seeing his hesitation, Lili insisted that it would be well-received so he eventually gave in. As a precaution, he also purchased some salted caramel wrapped in a decorative container. After having the two items packaged, Lili ended up dragging him to another section of the store.

When they were browsing around earlier, Lili had found an object that caught her eye and thought it would be the ideal exchange item. Within the display case were a pair of lockets shaped to represent hearts. The larger of the two was silver in color, while the slightly smaller locket was a vibrant bronze similar to brass. Though other items could be stored inside them, what drew Lili's attention was how the smaller bronze locket could be seated inside the silver locket, turning the two individual parts into a singular whole.

Vahn noticed the item on display and thought it was kind of cool how two different pieces of jewelry were made to be able to fit together. Without thinking too much about it, he ended up asking the shopkeep to ring up the item, but Lili interrupted...

"I want to pay for the silver locket myself. You can buy the bronze locket, and then we'll exchange them." Lili seemed adamant at the idea, and Vahn recalled that she had gotten excited at the idea of purchasing gifts for each other. He decided to give in to her whimsy, even though he noticed that the silver locket was the more expensive of the two. Vahn figured there always time to make up for the difference later.

After they had finished the purchase, Lili had the two of them stop a few meters away from the stall. She had Vahn kneel down so she could more easily reach around his neck. With a blush on her face, she connected the locket around his neck before staring into Vahn's face with an anticipatory look. Realizing what she wanted, he took the small bronze locket and placed it around her small, fragile, neck in return. (A/N: Flashbacks anyone?)

//[Liliruca Arde] Affection +3//

---

Once the exchange was completed, the two walked towards the direction of the Inn. Lili became very quiet for the duration of the trip and kept fiddling with the locket. She would mumble to herself while releasing a dream-like expression on her face.