The way his brother asked the question, the question itself, told Hypnos that it was not a present. At least it was not purchased as a present. No one buying a gift queried if it was wanted like that. It would have been offered, not as an afterthought, but as a main event. Which likely meant whatever was in the bag was something Thanatos wanted for himself. And yet it was offered without hesitation.
Hypnos would have done the same for his twin. So there was no question that he was not taking whatever was in the bag. There was also no question that he was going to look in the bag. To refuse might hurt Than's feelings, and that just was not going to happen. So his hand reached out and took the dangling bag, and then his feet turned toward the door before they could be interrupted by another unwanted salesperson. He knew Thanatos would follow.
“What's in here?” He asked, even though he was already opening the drawstring on the bag and looking inside. Hyp's nose wrinkled in a look of mild disgust. “Is this one of those eye things?”
It wasn't that Hypnos was a luddite, in fact he very much appreciated soothing music and thought the invention of the white noise machines were brilliant. His objection to things like iPods, and music players in general these days, had to do with the way the sound was delivered. Those ear bud things were horrible, horrible things. They were uncomfortable, and when one tried to sleep in them, they always fell out. Which rendered them pointless.
He handed the bag back with a bright smile, as though he'd been the one to purchase the electronic device. “Here, it is a present for you brother. Now. Where do you think we would find a directory?”
Hypnos did not walk, he strolled. And as he strolled with his lazy, rolling gait, it seemed like people around him slowed down just a little bit. It was as though there were a sudden tiredness that made it harder for them to move their feet at the speedy, rushing pace they'd held just moments before. They spoke less, and softer. In general, things were simply less hectic. That's the way Hypnos preferred it, and he thought Than would appreciate it as well. Besides, people spent too much time rushing and not enough time napping.