You Deserve Nice Things

Dark ears flicked forward as the sound of heavy paws on the path ahead caught Ikigai's attention. Alastor turned the corner and the woman's marbled gaze lifted in a smile. His words were met with a shake of her head, but her mouth was full of his gift, so she simply rose and followed him upwards towards the home that he shared with Manea. Alastor was always so loving and caring when it came to her. Had someone told her about the other side of his personality, she would have had a difficult time believing them.

Once they were within the den, Iki seated herself somewhat near the doorway, not wanting to intrude while Alastor got cleaned up, which she assumed he'd be doing. Taking the wrapped gift in paw, Ikigai took a deep breath, filling her lung with air before exhaling slowly. As Alastor moved past her, the woman reached out and stopped him with one delicate paw. "I actually came to see you," she admitted in her soft, clear tones. And she proceeded to tell him why.

The fae's lids dropped and she looked at the wrapped package in her paw as she spoke. "You mean a lot to me, Alastor. Both you and Manea. You've been more of a father to me than my own and have shown me more love and affection in such a short time than Hattori has shown me in my entire life." The woman extended her paw, offering Alastor the wrapped gift. "This is for you. A token of my appreciation and love." Once he took the package, she placed her paw back down and waited for him to open it.

Within the package were several different sized combs, all made of glistening, gleaming ironwood. She had crafted each comb herself and had done so with the utmost care. Each was delicately inlaid with scrollwork at certain points, but the special thing about them was that Iki had made them wider than her own combs. Alastor's would be able to be grasped comfortably between his mighty jaws so that he could run the teeth of the comb through the long fur that they both shared. Alongside that was a small crock that was sealed with wax. Within was a special mixture that Iki had made that would detangle the giant's fur and make it soft. It was scented with woodsmoke and sea salt; a very manly fragrance. Once he looked at each piece, Iki waited to see what he thought of the gift.

"Speech"