[ic] [hector] Birthday

[lacroix_styles]

For the better part of the week Lacroix had been carrying own his own plans amid the usual background buzz of tasks around Castle Styles, as some things just couldn't be done under the watchful eye of his mentor. Thankfully that had been made easier by the fact that Hector had been hiding away in his room even more so than usual, sneaking around

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[hector_styles]

“I’m afraid it will take more than this to kill me,” Hector mused idly as he unwrapped that package, careful not to jostle the box too much in the process -- after all, Lacroix had said not to shake it. He didn’t want Lacroix to worry about him dying; he had escaped death these many years, and while he knew he certainly was not incapable of dying, he was experienced enough to have a greater chance of preventing it from happening.

Hector was equally careful about opening the box; if whatever was inside really was fragile, he didn’t want to risk ruining it. And when he did see the clock that was inside, he stared down at it a moment, marveling; he really hadn’t been expecting something like this. The outside of the clock was an intricate ring of raven bones, braided densely together to form a strong outer circle, some bleached white and others dyed black. Four raven skulls adorned the clock at 12, 3, 6, and 9 o’clock, and where numbers usually were on normal clocks, faceted gemstones took their places: opaque black jet and pale gray smoky quartz. The hour hand was white and the minute hand was black; clearly Zander had tried very hard to match the clock with the decor in the living room.

“Quite exquisite,” he said finally, gently removing the clock from the box. “Wherever did you find it?” He assumed Lacroix must have ordered it online; Hector never thought twice about fetching Lacroix’s packages, assuming they were clothes or video games or supplies for the pets, or something else equally mundane. He’d never thought Lacroix would order anything like this.

While it looked solid enough, Hector didn’t want to take any chances; he took a moment to focus on the clock, holding it in his hands to increase its durability with magic. It was a subtle spell, nothing that could be seen with the naked eye; yes, he had planned on not using any more magic, but he felt like he had to now; he didn’t want to accidentally break such a thoughtful gift.

[lacroix_styles]

"You're not supposed to tell people where you get their gift from," Lacroix laughed softly; watching Hector study the clock made him feel so much better now that he knew the gift had been well received. But telling exactly where it had come from wasn't fair, maybe in the case of a sweater or something that might end up returned, but he seriously doubted there was a return policy on a handmade clock like that. "But I didn't really find it, I couldn't find anything that was right for you; I had to do a little creative planning."
So it was a good thing that Hector liked the gift, he did not want to have to tell Zander that he changed his mind; messing with the undead like that seemed downright dangerous.

He would have attempted to make something along those lines himself, but frankly Lacroix knew it just would not have turned out well; he was creative but that didn't mean he was strictly good at exercising that, and Zander had done a very good job on the clock so he was more than certain seeking the vampire out had been the best idea.

Yes, the clock did creep him out a little, but so long as Hector liked it that was all that mattered; one more creepy addition to the decor was well worth the effort when it came to Hector's birthday.
He was just personally glad that birthday was only once a year because Hector was not really easy to shop for; once the holiday season came around Lacroix was bound to be scrambling to think of something else again.

Now he just had to figure out a way to keep Zander from nipping at him, yeah, that might have proved to be difficult, but still a small price for the sake of making certain Hector enjoyed that birthday.

[hector_styles]

Hector hadn’t been inquiring where Lacroix found the clock so that he could take it back; on the contrary, he was curious about what other pieces this artist might make. Zander didn’t exactly flaunt clock-making skills, so Hector didn’t consider that the vampire might be capable of something like this. He was far too used to seeing Zander’s grotesque taxidermy instead of refined projects like this.

“With some rearranging, I do think I’ll find an appropriate spot for it in the sitting room,” Hector replied, carefully replacing that clock back in the box for now; even though he had strengthened it, he still treated it gingerly because it was a gift, and he didn’t want anything to happen to it.

Hector wasn’t really good at voicing gratitude, but he made the attempt anyway because the time Lacroix had spent planning all of this was worth the effort. “I do appreciate your thoughtfulness, Lacroix.” He just... wasn’t used to presents, and he hoped he wasn’t appearing ungrateful, because he really was appreciative. It was just difficult for him to express positive emotion.

[lacroix_styles]

"I'm glad you enjoyed everything, I know I make your life hell sometimes with the complaining about wanting to go out and the grumbling about how unfair life is, but that's just...frustration; you really are my best friend and I really wanted you to enjoy your birthday." Unlike Hector, Lacroix had very little trouble in expressing positive emotions, that spark was still very much alive in him. And that smile was still set firmly on his lips; because he knew that with Hector the uncertain effort meant as much as the exuberant effort from most people.

But since it wasn't easy for Hector, he wasn't going to drag it out and make it awkward for him to attempt to show those fractured emotions. "I better start cleaning things up, I still haven't packed yet, of course; waiting until the last minute. And no arguments, it's your birthday, you're not allowed to do any cleaning."
Playful chiding, since Lacroix couldn't keep Hector from doing whatever he wanted; but did want Hector to just relax and let him worry about getting everything back in order.

[hector_styles]

It was probably a good thing that Lacroix shifted the subject a little. Even though Hector would have continued to try really awkwardly, talking with emotion wasn’t altogether comfortable for him. Despite that, he did feel very loyal and protective toward Lacroix. Hector’s relationship with his own mentor had waned over the years as Hector turned to self-study rather than needing to rely on Ghede. After being alone for years, Lacroix was the one person he saw most often, and he couldn’t help but feel closest to him. Even though they’d only known each other a few months, he already felt like family.

“Once you’re finished cleaning, do return a while to converse,” Hector suggested, agreeably not getting up to help clean. He didn’t have anything in particular he needed to talk about, but he wanted to give Lacroix at least a little more social time before encouraging him to go pack for the trip. It was the least he could do to continue to show his gratitude. In the meantime, he pulled that box closer again so that he could inspect the clock once more; it really was a thoughtful present from an equally thoughtful young man.