[it's not like manticore gave them a monthly allowance or taught them about inflation. He's had to secure the bag more than once by doing odd jobs and has only recently started taking his pursuit of work seriously. He followed up on the locations Max told him about.]
Couple hours is fine. I can send a car down for you? What do you feel like for dinner?
[Alec has his own gift wrapped too but it's nothing extravagant. Just some white tissue paper in a box wrapped in blue paper. It's not like he has a wealth of experience with Christmas or holidays that didn't involve drills or hits. He's doing his best to piece something together. Better late than never.]
[ max isn't particularly crafty, but she'd managed to find something for alec that would be useful if nothing else. when she spots the car drive up and alec stepping out, she nods to him, a small smile on her face. things haven't been easy between them, especially here, but she's still grateful to have him. ]
Don't mention it. We could've taken the train from the down together but eating that awkward silence felt like overkill.
[To say things have been strained between them would be an understatement. It wasn't anyone's fault, more like the city being the machine it was. It didn't allow a whole lot of comfort for either of them, but it's not like they were used to having security, to begin with.
Alec leads her back into his place, still in the provided housing. It isn't much, no real flair of him anywhere besides a chart he was working on of the city - some hand-drawn topography, military-style on the walls with nothing incriminating (or obvious) about it.
The box for Max is sitting on his bed, and it's with some disappointment that Alec realizes he probably should've waited for the food to get there before prepping for the gifts. The delivery still hadn't come yet, Max got here before the food did.]
[ city or not, she knows she hasn't been the kindest to him, especially over the past couple of months. that's been weighing on her as much as anything else that's been bothering her, and she hasn't reached out because she's not sure how to go about starting that conversation. 'sorry i've been avoiding you up until the city compelled me to try to hook up with you, thanks for telling me no' doesn't feel like it cuts it.
max gives the place a quick glance before setting his down on the coffee table, crossing her arms as she turns to face him when he brings up that the food hasn't arrived yet. there's a slight, tight smile as she nods back to him. ]
Gotta look forward to something around here or everything'll break you down.
[It's a little optimistic for Alec, but he's had to accept worse situations before. He tosses his keys on the table, but keeps his device handy just in case the restaurant has to contact him. Max might be feeling like she cut him a raw deal or she alienated him, but Alec hasn't considered that at all. In a place where no one can be guaranteed to be themselves one hundred percent of the time, some things are understandable. A little radio silence here and there was to be expected even if she wasn't the easiest person to get along with here or at home.
Alec picks up his neatly wrapped box and holds it out to her, eager to get the hardest part out of the way first. It's not like either of them really did many gift exchanges, and Max would have a wealth more of experience than Alec but still not much.]
Here. It's not much.
[It's not, but he did his best. Inside the box is a leather jacket with a hood that Alec asked the tailor to sew in himself, the only customization to the piece he paid for. He knew what privacy meant to them and with how cold it had been lately the purchase felt like a partial necessity even though he knew she'd managed to bring along some of her clothes to the city. It's a small memory from home, and just about all he could manage on the fly.]
[ it's pretty optimistic for both of them, but max nods in agreement anyway, knowing he's correct. the city seems determined to break them down as much as possible, however long that ends up taking. they have to be just as determined to not let it.
max's smile softens a little as alec hands her his gift, and she takes the wrapped package she's been carrying and hands it to him in exchange. as it turns out, they've got similar ideas - his jacket doesn't have a hood, but it is lined with fleece, since the temperatures have been dropping lately. they're designed to handle the cold, but it's not exactly comfortable. ]
[If Max coined stubbornness, Alec took it to bold new places. One thing he knew how to do was play the game and things weren't great all the time, but he could go through the motions. He was at Manticore way too long not to know when and where to play his odds.
Alec's a lot more touched that she bothered than he's going to admit, but he takes the box and pulls off the ribbon.]
I'd say you shouldn't have but you and I both know I'm materialistic. Okay, 3, 2, 1...
[When Alec flips the lid to his box off he snorts because even through the sheer tissue paper he can make out what it is. He pulls the leather jacket out of the box, and tosses what remains of the wrapping on his bed behind him.]
[ she's touched that he'd thought to get her something, too, and equally as touched when she sees what it is (and a little amused that they'd ended up having the same thought for each other). max laughs and lets the wrapping fall to the floor as she picks her own jacket out of the box, holding it up to herself. ]
[It's more of a compliment to himself, and he knows she knows that but the smile on his face betrays the light ribbing. Alec wastes no time trying it on, the fabric is crisp, smells new, and it's nice. They don't always have the opportunity to have nice things.] How do I look?
[ though yes, she knows it was mostly complimentary towards himself. she smiles as she pulls on her own jacket, zipping it up and pulling the hood over her head before she models it. ]
You look good. How's mine?
[ he'd picked a good fit, and the interior feels soft and warm. it'll be useful throughout the winter. ]
It's a fit, I was a little worried about my guess on the bust to waist ratios.
[Is it a light rib, yes, because genuine compliments directed at Max were hard to come by. The gift was enough, and going into winter they'd be covered in case it got bad.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Couple hours is fine. I can send a car down for you?
What do you feel like for dinner?
no subject
send a car? what kind of work have you been doing?
yeah, a couple hours is good. and i'm fine with whatever. italian, maybe.
action?
Okay, I'll find a place and get it ordered.
[Italian sounds good. Some pasta and breadsticks to match, maybe some antipasto.]
See you soon.
yes!
[ she doesn't buy that for a second, especially since he used the phrase 'straight and narrow'. but whatever. ]
i'll be downstairs.
[ and she is, once the car pulls up to pick her up, bundled in a few more layers than usual and carrying a wrapped package. ]
action --->
[Alec has his own gift wrapped too but it's nothing extravagant. Just some white tissue paper in a box wrapped in blue paper. It's not like he has a wealth of experience with Christmas or holidays that didn't involve drills or hits. He's doing his best to piece something together. Better late than never.]
no subject
Hey. Thanks for the ride.
no subject
[To say things have been strained between them would be an understatement. It wasn't anyone's fault, more like the city being the machine it was. It didn't allow a whole lot of comfort for either of them, but it's not like they were used to having security, to begin with.
Alec leads her back into his place, still in the provided housing. It isn't much, no real flair of him anywhere besides a chart he was working on of the city - some hand-drawn topography, military-style on the walls with nothing incriminating (or obvious) about it.
The box for Max is sitting on his bed, and it's with some disappointment that Alec realizes he probably should've waited for the food to get there before prepping for the gifts. The delivery still hadn't come yet, Max got here before the food did.]
Well, at least the food'll be fresh.
no subject
max gives the place a quick glance before setting his down on the coffee table, crossing her arms as she turns to face him when he brings up that the food hasn't arrived yet. there's a slight, tight smile as she nods back to him. ]
Silver linings, huh?
no subject
[It's a little optimistic for Alec, but he's had to accept worse situations before. He tosses his keys on the table, but keeps his device handy just in case the restaurant has to contact him. Max might be feeling like she cut him a raw deal or she alienated him, but Alec hasn't considered that at all. In a place where no one can be guaranteed to be themselves one hundred percent of the time, some things are understandable. A little radio silence here and there was to be expected even if she wasn't the easiest person to get along with here or at home.
Alec picks up his neatly wrapped box and holds it out to her, eager to get the hardest part out of the way first. It's not like either of them really did many gift exchanges, and Max would have a wealth more of experience than Alec but still not much.]
Here. It's not much.
[It's not, but he did his best. Inside the box is a leather jacket with a hood that Alec asked the tailor to sew in himself, the only customization to the piece he paid for. He knew what privacy meant to them and with how cold it had been lately the purchase felt like a partial necessity even though he knew she'd managed to bring along some of her clothes to the city. It's a small memory from home, and just about all he could manage on the fly.]
no subject
max's smile softens a little as alec hands her his gift, and she takes the wrapped package she's been carrying and hands it to him in exchange. as it turns out, they've got similar ideas - his jacket doesn't have a hood, but it is lined with fleece, since the temperatures have been dropping lately. they're designed to handle the cold, but it's not exactly comfortable. ]
Neither is mine. Open on three?
no subject
Alec's a lot more touched that she bothered than he's going to admit, but he takes the box and pulls off the ribbon.]
I'd say you shouldn't have but you and I both know I'm materialistic. Okay, 3, 2, 1...
[When Alec flips the lid to his box off he snorts because even through the sheer tissue paper he can make out what it is. He pulls the leather jacket out of the box, and tosses what remains of the wrapping on his bed behind him.]
It's great. Thanks.
no subject
So is this. Thank you, Alec.
no subject
[It's more of a compliment to himself, and he knows she knows that but the smile on his face betrays the light ribbing. Alec wastes no time trying it on, the fabric is crisp, smells new, and it's nice. They don't always have the opportunity to have nice things.] How do I look?
no subject
[ though yes, she knows it was mostly complimentary towards himself. she smiles as she pulls on her own jacket, zipping it up and pulling the hood over her head before she models it. ]
You look good. How's mine?
[ he'd picked a good fit, and the interior feels soft and warm. it'll be useful throughout the winter. ]
no subject
[Is it a light rib, yes, because genuine compliments directed at Max were hard to come by. The gift was enough, and going into winter they'd be covered in case it got bad.]