highfiving | (no subject)

Nope.

Are you going to try hugging me again?

[ if what he did before could even be called a hug. ]

A repeat performance? Come on, you should know me better than that.

I can't think of anything else!

[ but she also doesn't want to give up, especially since it's supposed to be something warm. life is hard. ]

Maybe you should give me another hint.

And what happened to you working hard to uncover the truth? You know it won't be so easy out in the field.

[he's being deliberately mean.]

Hey, I'm still the one putting the pieces together! I just need some help, since you're making things really hard for me.

[ and she's falling for it. ]

Come on, you've only asked, what, eight questions? And we're not even halfway to Xian Du, yet.

All right, fine. I'll figure it out for myself!

[ and she fishes her notepad out. if this is supposed to be practice, then maybe treating it like a real job will help.

so, she takes note of all of her questions, and the answers he's given her, and then looks to him. ]

... I think I've got my next question. Ready?

Ooh, the notebook. Now you're really getting serious. [grins.] Do I count that as your ninth one?

[in other words, yes he's ready.]

Try not to be too surprised if all of this ends up in the paper.

[ she grins right back. ]

Anyway, am I going to see it coming when whatever you're going to do finally happens? Like, is it something that'll be obvious?

It could be, but I'd try to make it not obvious of course.

You're not going to try to pull a prank on me, are you?

Define prank.

You know, a practical joke? Something that'll make me mad.

In that case, no. In fact, I think you'd enjoy it a lot.

Are you going to give me something?

[ a present? ]

Something like that.

What's that supposed to mean?

[ aside from him being difficult. ]

Depends on what you define as a gift.

Six more questions.

I bet I won't even need six more questions to figure this out!

[ but she's going to think this over carefully anyway. then: ]

How would you define a gift?

Traditional notions would dictate that a gift would be something given with good intentions. I tend to live by a more "loose" code, so I'd say it's an act of giving someone something. Doesn't matter the reason, the method, or the intent.

Five questions.

I'm guessing that whatever you're going to do will fit under your idea of giving a gift, then.

[ what he said was vague enough that just about anything could fit under that definition, though, so... ]

And since it's something you could give me before we get to Xian Du, that means you would have to have it with you right now... Or— wait! It is something real, right?

[ as in, he's not messing with her and talking about something intangible, like the gift of friendship or good company. ]

[ooooh that would have been a good idea but nah.]

It is.

[they're now on the last third of the journey, and the cold has lessened a bit. at least the winds aren't as harsh as they were before, especially now that they're more down the slope of the mountain.]

[ and now she's down to four questions.

she thinks she might have a decent idea of what he could give her, so she tucks her notepad away and stuffs her hands into her pockets again. they're getting closer to xian du, but that doesn't mean that she's ready to expose any part of herself to the cold for longer than she has to. ]

Was I right when I said it was something you have with you?

You were right about that, too.

[except he didn't answer quite immediately, actually tilting his head slightly as if to contemplate for a moment.]