The moment Malikhi stepped past the suit of armour that protected the Pecari common room entrance and entered what was his home while at Sonora, the tension he felt throughout his body lifted a little. With everyone still at the feast, the room was empty. Empty also meant quiet and peaceful which were two things that Malikhi desperately wanted and, he felt, needed. In Cascade Hall, Malikhi had felt suffocated. It had been too noisy and there had been too much assaulting his senses. The muted brown and gold decor of Pecari was welcome, as was the warm crackling fire. Malikhi definitely didn't feel like himself but he could, at the very least, appreciate the warmth that Pecari offered.
He turned to Evelyn and, in a move that was reminiscent of the boy that he'd been before Christmas, he ran a hand through his hair, pushing the flopping mop back from his face. He tried a small smile but it felt awkward, forced and out of place. Still, he tried. He was trying desperately not to make Evelyn feel uncomfortable and he felt rather like he'd ruined her first day back at the magical school. He scratched the back of his head, needing to somehow try and make it up to her. That's when he remembered what he had stashed in your room.
"Oh..." he breathed softly, his eyes widening slightly. "I-I... have a present for you. For Christmas. You know."
He tried not to cringe at the awkward tone that his voice held and the discomfort between them was evident. Abruptly, he turned on his heel and headed for his dormitory, in order to retrieve Evelyn's Christmas gift. It was perhaps odd to focus on such a thing, given the loss his life had experienced but Malikhi needed to feel normal. The only time he had surfaced from his room during the entire Christmas holiday had been when his mother had suggested making Evelyn a Christmas present. For the hours it had taken, he could pretend and feel normal and Evelyn deserved a present for that alone - for simply existing.
He pulled Evelyn's gift from where he'd hidden it under his bed. It was silver case, almost as big as his own suitcase and he worried for a moment that he'd gone too far. Each side of the box was decorated with intricate blue and orange interlocking swirls which all glittered in the light. Inside, were three tiered compartments on each side that were neatly filled with lipsticks of many different colours and shades. His mother had helped create them, infusing each with a small amount of beautification potion so that when Evelyn applied them, she'd feel confident and prettier. Not that Malikhi didn't think she was pretty. On the contrary, he thought she was very pretty. Very, very pretty.
He shook his head, refocusing his thoughts. In the bottom of the box, safely stored in tissue paper, were two pairs of earrings. He and his Mum and spent time while the lipsticks were drying, looking for one perfect pair. Malikhi had then gotten stuck choosing between two so his mother had bought them both - anyone who could bring a smile to her broken-hearted boy's face in such a tragic time deserved them. The first was a pair of barn owls, with dark gems for eyes. The second was a pair of snitches that, when Evelyn wore them, the wings were enchanted to flutter. He desperately hoped she liked them.
He closed the box after checking that the contents was safe and intact and picked it up by the handle on the lid before making his way back to the common room. Nerves fluttered in his stomach and he felt the awkwardness in the air but he tried to push both aside as he offered the girl the box.
"T-this is for you. I... really hope you like it."
20Malikhi HillI feel safe here (tag Evelyn)1423Malikhi Hill15
"It's beautiful," Evelyn breathed, her eyes widening at the sight of the silver case. She was fairly confident that her present was inside the case, but she was satisfied just to hold this by itself. She'd never owned something so beautiful, and she was mesmerized by the way it caught the light.
Before she could make Malikhi think she was completely insane (hopefully), she forced her hands to work and placed the box on the floor, kneeling to open it. She hated that her first thought among opening it was that it was all entirely too much. Given everything Malikhi had apparently gone through, she didn't think it was appropriate to turn the gift down, so she let her joy at the beauty of such a present turn her expression instead. It was a genuine smile that found its way onto her face when she looked up at her friend.
"They're beautiful," she said, laughing softly at the fact that that's all she could seem to say. "Thank you so much, Kai. I'm going to wear a different one every single day." When she realized that the impressive rainbow of lipsticks weren't the only present, she again forced her hands to move, to unwrap, and to hold the most perfect earrings she'd ever seen.
"Thank you," she said again, pushing herself to her feet and hugging Malikhi again. "If you really want, I might even share with you," she laughed against his chest. "I think you'd look good in coral blue. No way I'm sharing the barn owls though."
22Evelyn StonesI feel something for sure.1422Evelyn Stones05