sweetdevil | 58th ♫ | i heard it – that day's "snow show song"

...no.

[Comes a low, drawling monotone from an imposing figure draped in a tattered trench coat, cutting an outline in the crowd that- he'd hoped- would be one that people would prefer to give a wide berth. And it had worked...mostly.

Winter festivities in the heart of town were well underway by this point, but such events held no real importance or meaning to Kai. It wasn't something he celebrated; it was just another day. The busy streets and louder-than-usual crowds meant that he tried to limit his excursions out of the forest to twice for the whole month, if he could manage it. In, out.

His brow twitches as the elderly woman selling her wares continues to address him, despite him not talking to her at all. He'd been trying to purchase a new handsaw as he'd snapped the blade of the last cutting firewood- why the carpenter had a stand in the open-air market next to her was a mystery in itself- and he was pretty sure she was thinking he was talking to her, or at her stand, or something. It's obvious she's hard of hearing...

"Oh, not to worry. I have just the thing for you, dearie," she replies cheerfully, disappearing for a moment behind her stall before she pulls out a small bouquet and offers it over to him.]

...Ma'am. I said I don't-

[She shakes the bouquet gently at him, and it takes everything within Kai not to actually snarl aloud. He manages to work it back, keeping his teeth grit behind his lips where his sharp canines firmly hide as he realizes that he's going to lose his place in line at the other stand if he continues to argue with her.

"She will love them, I promise you! Happy Holidays!" she calls to Kai, now gripping the bunch of flowers in one hand, ignoring the throbbing headache he's begun to accrue as he steps up for his turn with the carpenter.

Please. Just a saw. That's all he needs and then he can leave.]

[ It's colder than Red expects when she heads out for the market, but she's all wrapped up in her cloak and she's certain she'll be fine. Besides – if all goes to plan, she'll spend most of the day dangling from her wolf's arm and that's enough to keep her nice and warm. Not that Kai is aware of any of this of course, but it's always better to ask forgiveness than for permission, especially when it comes to her wolf.

So she lets him traipse out to the market by himself and pretends she's going to sit around the house and wait for him to return – that's what she usually does, anyway, so there's no reason for him to assume she'd do anything otherwise. Once she's given him long enough to get a good head start, though, Red bundles herself up in her winter clothes and sets out as well. She doesn't have an excuse prepared just yet, but she's sure she can swing this into enough of a coincidence that he might just give up and go along with it.

She's humming merrily to herself as she makes her way through the market, keeping an eye out for him. It's a busy day, but Red could spot her wolf at a hundred paces or more. ]

Oh, what a surprise!

[ Her sing-song voice somehow manages to cut through the crowd's noise like butter and before he can make a break for it, here's Red making a beeline right for him. ]

I thought you might have set out for home already but you're still here!

[If Kai weren't already frazzled by his encounter with the old lady selling flowers, he might have jumped clear out of his skin when he heard Red calling out to him. Of course he hears her long before he sees her, because once you've heard her long enough you don't really forget the sound of that voice. His teeth grit, so preoccupied now by her sudden appearance that he totally forgets what he's even holding as she bounces up to him with all of the barely contained triumph of a cat that just caught a canary.]

Wh- Red, what are you doing here?

[ The perfectly innocent smile Red gives him is as transparently fake as it gets, not helped by the gleeful little giggle that soon follows. She looks for all the world like the cat that's gotten the cream. ]

There were some things I needed from the market so I thought, rather than make you walk all the way back, I'd just come here and get them myself!

[ Before he can protest, she's moved herself rather smoothly over to his side, getting up into his personal space in a very obnoxiously Red way. ]

You don't mind, right? ♥ I got lonely waiting for you all by myself!

[Ugh.

Kai's ears are hidden seeing as how he's in town, so his usual ticks aren't visible for Red to pick up on, like the way his ears would have flicked back as she asks if he minds her sticking around. Doesn't she realize that going to the town like this is the only time he really can get to HIMSELF?

And she says she's lonely...he sighs, casting his gaze towards the sky.]

You're already here, and nothing I do or say is going to make you go anywhere else.

[Which means "fine". He'll act like it's the most inconveniencing thing in the world, though.]

[ Kai might be the wolf, but Red looks for all the world like her tail should be wagging as she huddles up against him, pleased as punch to have gotten her way. As usual. ]

Aww, so you did miss me! I would've come along with you in the first place if you'd asked, you know?

[ And, demonstrably, even if he didn't. ]

What were you shopping for, anyway? I didn't think you were the type to come all this way just for flowers.

Supplies.

[Comes his curt reply. They're about to hit the coldest part of the winter, so surely she should-]

What?

[Flowers? What is she-

...

It takes a moment for Kai to remember that he is, indeed, holding a bouquet of flowers for no discernable reason, which he accidentally ends up brandishing towards her as he jumps to explain.]

It's not-! I didn't want these! Some old lady thought I was trying to buy them-!

[ Red's response to this is... interesting. You'd think she'd light up like the cat that got the cream but she's surprisingly gentle – and surprisingly subdued – when she reaches out to take the flowers from him. Knowing Kai like she does, she really doesn't doubt that he didn't really buy these for her, but... ]

... I can really have them?

[Kai is annoyed, but like...he also doesn't plan on keeping the flowers anyway, and he didn't want to carry them either. So he looks down at Red with his nose wrinkled before looking slightly away from her with a huff, adjusting his grip on his other bags as he pushes the flowers at her more deliberately.]

Knock yourself out.

[ Oh, even if he turns his nose up like that, this is still Kai giving her flowers. They're hardly perfect or even anything fancy but something about the fact that it's Kai handing them over, even if he didn't even mean to buy them... it's enough to make her a little twitterpated.

It shows, too, in the little smile on her face as she takes the flowers. She looks for all the world like any other lovestruck maiden and less... well, Red then usual. ]

They're so pretty... are they your Christmas gift for me? ♥

[ i said LESS red, don't expect a christmas miracle ]

[He had a sneaking suspicion that Red would react exactly the way she's reacting now, which is why it's so annoying to him. He can't even really show his displeasure in this form either beyond the way he's scowling, and that's just how he looks normally anyway.

Ugh. Why is she like this. Why does he keep enabling this behavior?

(He knows why, he'd just sooner die than admit to it)

He sneers, the smile he flashes her less kind and more backhanded.]

You'd like that, wouldn't you?

Oh, I'd love it! [ yep, back to regular red hours ] You were cute enough when you were giving me the flowers, but it's even cuter to imagine you taking the time to pick them out for me.

[ Even if both of them know that hell would sooner freeze over. ]

Oh, but... even if the flowers are beautiful there is something I'd like even more for a Christmas gift...

[ Her smile turns coy. ]

Can you guess what it is?

[WELL......he thinks he can take a pretty educated guess...]

You want me to eat you.

Well, yes, obviously. [ Said as if he's just pointed out that the sky is blue. ] But since it's Christmas... I think the thing I'd want from you most is a kiss.

[Ah...

Kai's nose wrinkles, and for a moment it looks like he might say something rude. Or at the very least do whatever he can to dash those hopes of hers, because a kiss from him? A wolf? Why would she ever...

...]

I'm not exactly the romantic type.

[ A breezy giggle. ]

Of course you're not. But it doesn't matter to me at all – you don't need to be the romantic sort for me to love you as much as I do.

[...that gets a wry sort of almost-smile from him, one that's as sarcastic as he can muster.]

Or does that just mean your standards are low?

[ With blithe cheer: ]

Oh, not at all! I'd go as far as to say I don't have any. Why would I need standards when you're the only one I'll ever love?

[Well at least she's confident in herself...

Kai blusters a sigh before suddenly starting to walk, not looking at Red as he goes. He expects her to follow without commenting, obviously, though he's not even sure where he plans to go next. He's a bit off schedule now...what was it else that he needed...]

Perhaps I should word it differently. You have odd taste.

[Self depreciating? Perhaps. But there's no one Kai hates more often than himself soooo-]

58th ♫ | i heard it – that day's "snow show song"

We're wildcarding this bitch

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