#anywhere

“Oh, yeah, I’m on top of presents for this Yule.” (A clear lie)

"Well, you don't have to get me anything." Symon... is not a Gwydion.

A scoff. “As if.”

"You know me, I'm cheap. I make things."

“That’s thoughtful, not cheap. Like, if you had a bucket of money, would you not carve stuff for gifts?”

"I... I mean, a whole LOT of money?"

"Oh, if I had lots of money I'd get you a computer!"

"Like, one of the cool ones with the neon? And... um... RAM?"

"And.. uh... solid-state... the solid things are important, right?"

He huffs a breath of amusement. “The laptop I use now is pretty ancient. It works fine for school - the programs that the faculty use to provide their info are even more dusty than the laptop. A real gaming computer would be ace though… See, when we dissected a donor corpse, we all had to gather around and watch together. If someone had the proper 3D modeling capability, they could create an accurate rendering, down to the tumors.”

"That'd be cool. Like Iron Man's holograms?"

“I’m not completely behind.” He admits. “I know what I’m getting a few people. Those were easy - Cairraen told me what she wants, and she gave me advice on gifts for mom and dad as well. I’ve got some small bits and pieces for Lilly, and dross for the Chief - I figured she could keep it, or feed it to the bale.”

A nose-wrinkle.

"And some things matter more than money. Maybe you should make gifts? I could help."

“I’m not that handy. Not unless you like taxidermy. I WAS thinking of doing something for Sylvi, but that’s more a gift for me, her reaction.”

"They are... different, but you've made some really cool ones. I... try not to think that hard about how they're dead. And, like, I eat animals, and you're respectful, so..."

“That’s a thought - I should get Dirk something he can eat.” Nodding as he makes a mental note. “Maybe something he hasn’t had before. He’s no epicure, but new flavors might be intriguing.”

“I don’t suppose you’d want to go shopping for me?” He says, a bit hopeful. “Or I’ll ask Sylvi - or at least with me. I know what to buy for my storebought gifts, but that doesn’t mean I like the experience.”

"Sylvi's the shopper, but you know I'm happy to got with."

“You think you two might want to go with me? Been a while since we’ve hung out.” A touch of guilt in his tone. “Which is somewhat my fault. The course load is heavier than I expected…“

"Things just are never what you expect them to be, are they?"