“Hey!” Taisia called out when she saw Adrian a few steps ahead of her in Atlantis Village. He didn’t seem to hear her the first time so she called out again. “HEY!” She yelled jogging up to him to catch up to. Taisia was carrying a couple of shopping bags clearly from Christmas shopping. Pretty much all of them were for Ivan.
“What’s that?” She asked looking at the Dark Magenta box he was carrying. “And don’t give me the bullshit of I can’t tell you because I know you wouldn’t get anything that color for me!” she teased.
Adrian had been casually walking along, half swinging one of his bags back and forth when he heard a familiar voice coming up behind him. He turned around and put on one of his trademark lazy smiles when he saw Taisia eyeing his purchase.
“Now what makes you think that?” He asked. Adrian shook the box in front of her but didn’t let her get close enough to snatch it no matter how much faster she was than him. “This could be something very shiny. Like… a shiny silver stake just in a different colored box. How about that?”
Glaring at him playfully she rolled her eyes. “Yeah right, Ivashkov.” Taisia figured something that color was for Lissa, Alex, or Jill. They were all royal and shit and liked that kind of stuff, well at least it was more them than it was her.
“So, Lissa, Alex, or Jill?” She asked. “Or is it someone new from Atlantis, are you seeing someone and we don’t know about it?”
“None of the above,” Adrian said with an air of faux smugness but then scoffed and waved her off at the mention of his personal life. While there might have been a little flirtation and on the edge of something at one time, it had simmered back down to friendship with no additional serious prospects on the horizon to speak of. Serious prospects, anyway. Atlantis locals had their charms.
“This so happens to be for a very important individual in my life,” he declared and opened up the box to reveal a small but not tiny little dollhouse inside the box. It was mostly Brown with little trims of green and yellow along the edges. “It’s going inside Hopper’s aquarium.” He grinned. “Now he gets his own room.”
Taisia noticed the lack of reaction on his personal life and thought about bugging him more but decided to let it go.
When she looked in she actually couldn’t help but giggle a little bit. “You got him a dollhouse?” She looked back up at him. “It’s very, roomy.” She teased just a little bit.
“Are you going to get him plants too? Like a Tomato plant? That might go well, or maybe berries, given his love of pie.” She suggested.
Adrian contemplated the name of the house for a moment and then shook his head. “Let’s call it a lodge. A special lodge for a demony little dragon.” Or a Callistana…. thing according to what Jill said Sydney had called it. Sometimes Adrian wondered if Hopper missed his other, more responsible parent, so he decided to become the cool, let me spoil you with things parent.
“That’s a good idea,” he said with a nod. “He has a little fake plant in aquarium right now, but he’d probably like something else to munch on.” He covered the box back up again and nodded at her bags. “So what about you? Out Christmas shopping? My gift is in there somewhere, yeah?”
“A Special Lodge for a Demony Little Dragon?” Taisia frowned a little bit. “That’s a really long name, don’t you think it should be something a little, I don’t know, easier, and shorty to say?” She was kind of teasing, well, maybe.
“Nope, this,” she said holding the bags up. “Is all for Ivan, well, at least most of it. Kids are a lot easier to shop for.” Taisia shrugged. “I have no idea what I’m going to get Dad.” She didn’t add that sometimes she felt a little out of sync with her Dad.
“Yeah, I guess the name needs work. I’ll get back to you on that. Or just Demony Dragon Lodge for short.” He gave a nod and then shrugged. It was a miracle that Adrian referred to Hopper by his real name on any given day, so it was likely that the new house would change names on a daily basis.
Looking at the number of bags she had, Adrian laughed. “Well, if no one else gets him any other presents but you, I think he’ll still have a great Christmas.” He grinned at her. “What? You can’t just get him a John Wayne DVD box set and call it a day?” He quipped but then noticed the slightest change in her mood. Adrian didn’t go peeking into her aura, but he was very tempted. “I know he’ll like whatever you decide to get him.”
“I guess DDL works,” she let her words draw out as if she wasn’t completely sure it would work.
Laughing she shrugged. “I know Mom, Dad and Alex are probably getting way too many too.” That was just how it was right? Taisia figured as his big sister it was her right to spoil him. “I don’t think so, I’m pretty sure I did that, or similar things, way too much at home, I gotta step up my game here.” Taisia really felt like she needed to.
As much as Adrian didn’t want to dive into the mind of Dimitri Belikov and figure out what he might like as a gift, he did want to help out Taisia. He’d never been the best at gift giving himself, especially when it came to his own father, but he could at least try to be creative with this.
“Is there something you guys had fun doing together at home? Something only the two of you did and enjoyed?” He shrugged. “It could be a reminder of that even if he doesn’t remember it. Or one of those experience days where you find time to do it together with him.” He had no idea what Belikov liked to do other than brood and pretend to be a cowboy, but there was bound to be an idea or two out there.
Taisia thought about it for a moment, she could think of a few things that might work but she perked up at the experience idea. “Adrian!” She jumped up and down before hugging him awkwardly given all the things they had in their arms.
“You are the best! Good thinking, I have to go, go plan, book!” She paused kissing his cheek before dashing off not even giving him a chance to really react.