[Citanul]

[Orion]                          [Itzal]

"Come on Orion, it's alright! It'll be fun!" Itzal grabbed his best friend's forearm and pulled him into the store, grabbing a cart along the way. "This isn't the first time we went Christmas Shopping, you know." They'd done this plenty of times before, with or without money.

"But the last time we went we were twelve, and trying to find your brother something nice. This is shopping for nine kids and two girlfriends!" Of course he had gone along with it anyway. Orion wanted his kids to have good memories of the holidays, and Saya had promised to come around for a few days at least to spend some time with them. The gifts weren't an important part, but with the little ones developing their own personalities and likes, he wanted them each to feel special.

[Citanul]

"Oh, so what? We can manage it! The twins are just going to get clothes and a few toys, and your little pack doesn't want for anything, we can get them each special presents, and then some things to play with together. Reed and Cadence are getting a gift card for a nice dinner someplace, and we'll get Ripley something nice too. I thought about buying her a new guitar." He didn't want her to feel left out. She hadn't mentioned going to any family for the holidays, so he had invited her to stay with them. No one should be alone at a time when family was important - and the band was family.

Orion nodded slowly as he rounded the corner to the toys section, a little boggled by how much there was. Had there always been ten aisles of toys? Well, damn. He started off on the first one, still a little unsure about any of this. "I guess you have a point. The kids are the easy part, I just don't know what to get Saya."

"Well, we're on equal ground there. I have no idea what to get Kasari, but I do know what I want to get Milo and Alana." The kids certainly were easy enough to shop for, at least.

[Citanul]

"Alright. I know what I'm getting my kids. What do you think yours want, Orion?" Itzal asked as he curiously looked at the baby toys. Nat and Shan were a little young for these kinds of things just yet. They were still in the 'eat everything or throw it' phase of their lives.

"I have no clue." Orion sighed, rubbing his forehead briefly before turning down the next aisle. "They're all so different, I don't even know what they'd like." They already had plenty of toys to play with, of a huge assortment, and he'd really never seen any of them favor one over the other. They all played well together, even with Alana and Milo. He had never expected them to play so well, especially with his experiences with his own siblings. It was a pleasant surprise to say the least.

"Mmm." Itzal pondered for a few minutes. The kids did all play well together, and were fairly happy with whatever toys they laid their hands on. "Well. It's not too early to teach them music. Why don't we find the children's instruments, and get one of each? And whatever they like best, we'll teach them."

Shaking his head slightly Orion chuckled at his friend, clasping him on the shoulder. "Anyone ever tell you you're the smart one in this relationship? That sounds perfect." And if two of them liked the same thing, they could certainly get more. Enough gifts that everyone could open a few, and they could share.

Itzal just gave his signature cocky grin to Orion while ruffling his hair. "Yep, but you could keep reminding me."

[Citanul]

Pushing his hands away from his hair Orion gave an exasperated sigh as he moved down the next aisle - perfect. There were the instruments, and plenty of other make-believe things. He and Itzal looked them over for a few moments, picking more than was necessary off of the shelves, but at least the kids would be happy. Perhaps their neighbors not so much, but who could complain living next to the two rockers? A bass, a guitar, a keyboard, and even a miniature set of drums made their way into the cart along with the appropriate accessories.

"Alright. There's your kids taken care of." Itzal nodded and turned down the next aisle to pick up a few little toys to stuff stockings with. He had missed this, to be honest. Of course he and Reed made sure to meet for the holidays, but the wonder in a child's eyes... He had always loved that. "And the stockings, minus some candy that we already have at home." Sighing in relief he turned to Orion.

"Now. On to what to get our partners. Do you have any idea what you want to get Saya?"

[Citanul]

"I do, but you're going to think it's silly." Orion had been thinking about it a lot, to be honest. Saya didn't exactly live a 'normal' life, but she had been given nice things before to take down her marks. Perfumes and jewelry and dresses, things she didn't want now. He knew that much for sure. She seemed more confident in combat boots and fatigues than in a slinky dress. Not that he wouldn't mind seeing her in one, of course.

"No I won't. Come on, you know some of my gifts have been truly terrible." Itzal reminded him as he walked slowly towards the other side of the store, ignoring the people ogling his large cart of toys and instruments.

"But I like socks?" The laughed together for a moment before Orion finally spoke up. "The kids found some of my old handhelds, and they were enthralled. When I got back home Saya was playing too, but I don't think she saw me watching. ....I think that's something she would like. She could carry it with her, and it wouldn't be too obvious, or connected back to us."

[Citanul]

Though he pondered over it for a minute, Itzal certainly didn't laugh at the suggestion. It may seem juvenile to any other woman, but for Saya? Perhaps she would find it soothing. To have something to occupy her hands and her mind while she was gone. It could bring her closer to Orion and the kids, playing the same games. "No. It's not silly. I think it's a good idea, Orion."

"Really?" He hadn't expected Itzal to think so. He was always one for flashy gifts, wooing his partners with something extravagant. This was far from that.

"Really." Itzal repeated with a nod. "She'll think it's sweet. It's not some generic gift, roses or chocolates. I'm sure she's gotten a lot of that in her life. This is something personal, and she can carry it with her. She'll love it."

[Citanul]

"Well. That leaves one question then. What are you getting Kasari?" Orion asked curiously, figuring that Itzal had some sort of plan. He always did. Kasari was certainly special in his life, but he couldn't help but show off with a gift that would have any other fangirl passing out on his arms.

"That one I've been thinking about since the concert, to be honest." Their first Christmas together had to be something special, and he wanted to show her that. Their new family was going to work, even if it was going to take some time to get used to.

"And?" Orion prodded as they continued to walk, presumably towards wherever Itzal was going to find his gift.

"And I know she likes pearls but I want it to be something special. Not just a generic necklace I could pick up anywhere." Pearls seemed so old-fashioned, but somehow it seemed to fit. None of his other partners had ever gotten a gift quite like this, he was sure of that.

[Citanul]

"I think I have an idea. Let's get this stuff to the car." Orion nodded, confident he could lead Itzal in the right direction. The total of their purchase was rather boggling, but both knew that it was something they could afford. There was the hope that the kids wouldn't be too spoiled by all of this, but he had high hopes they wouldn't be. The kids were young enough that they wouldn't see this as an every-day occurrence, it was something quite special.

Taking everything out to the car Itzal let Orion drive this time, watching where they were going rather curiously. "Since when did you know where to buy jewlery?" He asked, watching his friend with a sly smile. "You plan on getting Saya something nice?"

Orion just shook his head, though there was a faint blush on his cheeks. "Maybe at one point, but I don't think that's what she would want. Besides, we're going to meet a friend there."

[Citanul]

As they pulled into the little outlet Itzal knew he was in trouble. It was a custom jewlery shop, unlike the the cookie-cutter pieces that were in the stores at the mall. He wouldn't be worried about the cost of it - but hopefully he wouldn't get Kasari hooked on something this special for every occasion. "How do you even know about this place?"

"How do you?" Orion quipped back as he stepped out, shooting a cheeky grin at Itzal's frown. "What? C'mon. I know the owner. She's a good friend of mine."

"A better friend than me?" Itzal asked with a chuckle, hesitantly opening up the door for the both of them.

[Citanul]

"Welcome, welcome! I can only assume you gentlemen have gifts in mind for your special someone, what will it be?" The golden Kuchi Nagi behind the counter smiled broadly, coming out from behind it to shake hands with them both. "Orion! What a surprise, how are things going?"

"Uhm, great, Aurel. We're here for Itzal, he wants something nice for his girl." Orion smiled, nudging Itzal forward.

Itzal cleared his throat, glaring a little at Orion. "Yeah. It's my first Christmas with my girlfriend, and I wanted to get her something really special. I know that she likes pearls, but I didn't want to get her just some... Generic necklace. I wanted something a little more special than that."

[Citanul]

"Hmm. Not unusual, pearls have always been popular with women in particular. Why does she like pearls?" Aurel started to lead them towards some of the back cases. Special pearls, sure, he had those. Not nearly as many as he had diamonds and precious stones though. Hopefully Itzal would like something that he had available.

"Her mother wore them. She still has her pearls, but she doesn't wear them. They're more like a family heirloom than a piece of jewlery now." Itzal walked over to the case that Aurel was showing him, smiling slightly at the usually colored pearls. "What are these? They're so different."

Giving a soft grin he opened up the case to let Itzal have a better look, bringing out a string to examine. "They're freshwater pearls. Beautiful, aren't they? And not all uniform like the cultured ones. Some think they're fairly ugly, but I like them." There was a sharp contrast between all of them, varying shades of silver to black.

[Citanul]

"....I think she'll like it." Itzal nodded, smiling still as he looked to the two other strings, trying to decide between them. Eventually he settled for the second one - it had the widest variety of colors, and even one nearly-black pearl. Perhaps it was a little too different for Kas, but he hoped she would like it. "I'll take these ones."

"Good choice Sir." Aurel smiled and gently took the string to the front counter where he put them into a lovely shadow box and wrapped it up carefully for Itzal. "When she takes the pearls from this box to wear, the others can go in it. It will keep them looking wonderful, and you can bring them here. I can clean them and re-string them if she's interested."

"Thank you, I'll suggest that." Itzal nodded, paying the man and taking the gift with him. "Well, Orion. I think we've done a good job for today."

Orion laughed, letting Itzal drive this time, taking the special gift and putting it away carefully. "I think you're right there. We should be done, aside from the groceries for dinner." Gifts for the kids were done, girlfriends were done, and Ripley's guitar was already beneath the tree.

"Yeah. This year is going to be great, Orion."