Happy Solstice, My Dear

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It had been very hard to wake up this afternoon, but Shion convinced himself it was worth it. So after a warm bath and a good lunch with lots of energy-giving tea, the crystomorph bundled up, placed Don Reacher on his shoulder and bravely stepped into the cold, carefully cradling a box to his chest.

Inside, padded with a fluffy towel, were three clear crystal suncatchers with dangling charms of different shapes and sizes, perfectly formed to throw rainbows everywhere when placed in front of a window. It had taken a lot of concentration, and a lot of shooing Reacher away from the unfinished products, but again, it was worth it. Shion could imagine the smile on his dear Hat-ib's face already.

Grinning himself, he knocked on the door of her office to announce himself, and stepped inside. "Sweetheart?"

[Darastrix]

Hat-ib looked up from her work with a smile. She'd been spending the day taking stock of what herbs she was running low on and making a shopping list.

"Shion, what a pleasant surprise! How are you today?" the healer asked, rising to greet him.

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"Just dandy, now that I'm with you," Shion said cheerfully, and shamelessly bussed Hat-ib on the cheek. "Happy Solstice, my dear," he added, holding out the package. "I do hope you like it."

Don Reacher chirped, nodding.

[Darastrix]

Hat-ib flushed with pleasure and accepted the package. "Oh, Shion...you know you didn't have to give me anything."

Despite her protest, she placed the box on the table and began to open it. When the Water saw the crystal nestled in the towel, her eyes widened and she gasped in delight. "Oh, these are beautiful!"

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Shion beamed, allowing himself a moment of smugness. "I'm glad you like them. Come sunny days, those will spill rainbows anywhere there's sunlight," he explained, taking one of the suncatchers and holding it up. "It will give your patients something pretty to look at, too."

[Darastrix]

Smiling, Hat-ib hugged Shion tightly, careful not to make him drop the suncatcher he held. "Thank you," she said, rising up on her toes to kiss his cheek lightly. "Will you help me hang them up?"

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"Certainly," the crystomorph agreed, feeling a pleasant tingle where Hat-ib's lips had touched his skin. "Would you happen to have any nails or hooks we could hang these from? We might need a small stool, too, depending on where we hang these." He frowned, thinking. "Maybe I should go back to my shop and get those tools."

[Darastrix]

"There's no need," Hat-ib said, moving to open a drawer. "I have a few extra hooks here from when I had some potted plants hung."

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"Excellent!" Shion beamed. "Then I suppose all we need is a stepstool, just in case." Then he paused and looked at Reacher thoughtfully. "Or we could convince you to sit on my head and do the hanging, if there are no stepstools to be found."

The raccoon snorted, as if to say "Well hey, if it comes to that, I better get a darn nice reward."

[Darastrix]

Hat-ib giggled softly and nudged a stool out from under the table with her foot. "I have one; I'm a bit smaller than most people here in Autus, so I need it fairly often."

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"Perfect! Let's get hanging," Shion said enthusiastically. "Where would you like the first one? Reacher, you might as well get down for the time being."

Chirping, the raccoon climbed down his friend's body to the floor, and went for the nearest chair to observe the proceedings.

[Darastrix]

Hat-ib tilted her head to the side for a moment, pursing her lips in thought. "Here, in front of the main window," she said, pointing out the spot. "I get a lot of sunlight through here most days."

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"That sounds perfect. Would you put the stool over there, please?" Shion requested, stepping in front of the window and adjusting his spectacles to examine the ceiling. It would not do to put the suncatcher too close to the window, because it would get in the way, but too far from the window would have the same effect. Maybe a foot and a half would do?

The crystomorph carefully measured a spot on the floor, then raised his hand to the corresponding place on the ceiling. "How does this look?" It looked okay to him, but it was Hat-ib's call. She might want the gift a little closer or a little farther.

[Darastrix]

Hat-ib moved the stool to the indicated spot and stepped back while Shion considered the suncatcher's placement. She blinked a bit when he asked about the position, then flushed faintly as she realised she'd been watching him rather than paying attention to what he was doing.

"I think that will be just lovely," she said, smiling.

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(OOC: Awwww, she's so cute!)

Shion nodded affirmation, and held out a hand. "Then if you would please pass me a hook and the stool, I'll get right to work," he promised, "and you can think where you would like the other suncatchers. I bet one would look nice in your room."