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"I want to get something for your ladies as well, especially Amerlee."
He smiled. "Topaz earrings. Your birthstone, and they match your eyes. It's subtle enough to not draw too much attention, but she will definitely treasure them."
"Can you help?" I asked.
He nodded. "Always. As for Shalsa and Irila?"
"I have no idea," I told him. "They have everything they could need, so what could I even get?"
"Something they would want," he told me. "Something to remind them of you."
"Jamik, I honestly don't know. I mean, purple boots for Irila would be perfect, but I'm not sure such a thing even exists. And Shalsa?" I paused. "Can you manage a bracelet with a stone for each of us? You, Amerlee, Shalsa, Irila, and myself? Like, one of those things mothers get with their children's stones?"
"And that," he told me, "is perfect. I'll put Wraythe and Eladehl's presents in your suite while they're at the Darkest Night, so they'll come home to find them. What do you want me to do with Anver's?"
I smiled. "Give it to Amerlee? I'll have her handle that for me."
He nodded. "Ok. Anyone else you want to get a gift for?"
I nodded. "Saval needs a pen. A real one that won't leak everywhere. If you can get the five-headed snake on it?" I scrunched up my face and looked at him. "Am I spending too much?"
"I promise you're fine," he swore. "Next week, Amerlee and I will sneak out and find her the perfect pen. The kind she'll use for a few decades to come, but the engraving will take time, so it's good you're doing it early. I think you should give it to her before you leave, and tell her not to open it until midnight."
"Good idea." And I tilted my head back toward the counter. "They're waiting for us."
When we walked back, Amerlee was eyeing Jamik suspiciously. "What were you doing by the jewelry counter, my love?"
He grinned. "I wastryingto get Nari to pick something she likes. Instead, I have just agreed that the two of us will go shopping for pens."
"Pens?" Amerlee sounded incredulous.
"For Saval," he explained. "Time's going to go faster than we all expect. Nari will be spending a lot of time with Talin getting the last few fittings for her new dresses and suits. Then studying, because mid-year exams are after that, and then she's off to the baron's for the week."
"And missing the Darkest Night with my family," I grumbled.
Amerlee's brow creased slightly. "Then we'll have to plan for something after you get back. A celebration, even if it's not the darkest night."
"That sounds perfect," I decided, and Jamik was nodding like it was a brilliant idea.
Amerlee just passed him a brown wrapped package, then slid another to Wraythe. "Well, then I'll plan something. For now, make yourselves useful. Seems those are too heavy for ladies such as ourselves to carry." Flashing me a smile, she offered her arm.
I took it, letting her lead me from the store, and our guardians followed proudly behind.
* * *
That evening, Shalsa, Talin, and Eladehl snuck out for a few last-minute things. I knew they were shopping. They knew I knew. Still, this was the first year I'd been allowed to buy gifts for my friends and family. As students, we were told that the Darkest Night was a time to spend with those we loved, nothing more. Temptations had been things like food and staying up late, not presents and sensuality.
But when they were gone, Wraythe moved to the couch beside me, pulling me into his arms. "So," he said, turning me sideways on the couch, "is this everything you wanted in a winter holiday?"
I nodded. "Yeah, and did you know that Compassion celebrates forgiveness as a way to welcome the start of a new year? Evidently, I'll be celebrating that this year with Talin's family."
"Darkest Night is better," he teased.
"Yeah, it is." And I snuggled into his chest. "You know, when I was a kid, we were all given presents on the Darkest Night, and told that whoever could stay up latest would get the first plate of dinner. It was always my father, but I'm pretty sure he cheated."
He chuckled. "Yeah, we didn't get presents. Just a plate of cookies, which was about all my parents could afford, I think." He sighed. "And for the Fresh Start, we always had to go outside and play in the snow so we could 'freeze our hearts.' Then we'd all huddle up in front of the fireplace to thaw them out again as the clock struck midnight on the first day of the new year."
I shook my head. "We didn't. I remember that we were supposed to think of others on the first day of the year, but that's it."
