To the one I Love | Valentine's day gift

~ ☼ Stepping out of the den that had become her home since she had become a discens, Onyx gently shifted the box she was carrying in her wings as she took a step further into the camp. Holidays, they were something that she had found herself loving so far, the New Years celebration in particular had been cool! Even better, they happened every year, on the same day, which meant that she'd get to celebrate again when they all came around, even if it was a long, long time to wait. That said, she couldn't believe that she had managed to miss one of these, she hadn't even known it had existed until the day it happened. Valentine's day, she didn't really know what a valentine was, even the immune she asked didn't really know why it was called that, but he had still been really helpful!

It was a holiday about love, and, more importantly, giving chocolate or sweets to the one you loved. She did have a sizable stash of sweets stored up, one that she had kept hidden as best she could, knowing that there were those who would take it if they could, they were for her, and only her. Except...maybe she could give some of it away. She really didn't like the thought of giving away her stuff, but....there was one groupmate she could share with. So, she had pulled some things from her stash, and stuffed them into a nice box, chocolates of varying types, candies, mostly things that she had more than one of, and maybe a thing or two that she didn't like herself, like that licorice stuff. The purple bow wrapped around the box was a personal touch of hers too, it had been really frustrating, eventually she had even gotten it stuck into a knot she couldn't untie herself, and had left it looking a little weird, but that just gave it character!

Eyes squinted as she did her best to try and make out the form of the recipient of her gift, the one she loved more than anyone else in the whole world. "Mom! Mooom!" It...it stung a bit, she wouldn't lie, to call out for her mom, knowing that one of them wasn't here, that she only had one box right now instead of two. It was exactly why her mama needed this candy too, they had both been sad, and candy always made everyone happier, just...maybe not a whole lot happier, but it was still something!

Valentine's Day. Rhinestone really hadn't been thinking much of the holiday this year, considering she didn't really have anyone to celebrate it with. Her remaining children were around, of course, and she made sure to shower them with love and affection, but in terms of a romantic partner? Vaas was gone, and she felt far too mixed up and busy to get involved with anybody else at this point. Especially considering she barely had a hold on her own gender at this point. Everyone these days was referring to her with she and her, and she found that she liked that, but... what did that mean? Was she trans? She had never really considered it before, but then again, she had never been in a female body, either. Even when she had been in her birth body, she hadn't thought of herself as particularly masculine. Instead, she had just felt sort of... neutral. It was all a big confusing mess, and didn't exactly put her in an overly romantic mood.

However, she hadn't even considered the fact that one of her children could get her a gift. She would've never expected it, considering she expected it to be the other way around. After all, mothers gave their children gifts, and she never wanted to be a burden on Onyxpaw. Deep down, though, the legate knew that she wasn't being a burden - especially when one took into consideration how gleeful Onyx seemed. Plus, the amount of effort the other had put into it - even with the tangled knot of a bow on top of it - would succeed in making Rhinestone's heart melt.

Rhine had been within her den beneath the meeting rock when her daughter's call reached her, large ears twitching as she looked up. She immediately smiled at the sound of the other's voice, glad to hear no traces of panic or fear in the new discens' tone. After stashing away her notes for the next meeting, Rhinestone got to her paws and headed out of her den, her tail swaying happily behind her as she padded up to Onyxpaw. It was hard not to notice the brightly colored gift the hybrid had brought with her, and the tasmanian tiger tilted her head to one side before speaking, "Hey there, little Onyx..." Even if the other was a discens now, Onyxpaw would still be her little angel. Leaning over, Rhine touched her nose lightly to her daughter's head before she questioned, a soft hum leaving her, "I see you've got a gift there... is it for me?" The legate was fairly sure that it was, but she didn't want to make assumptions. Maybe Onyx was just looking from approval from her before giving the gift to someone else.

~ ☼ Seeing that smile already spread across her mama's face as she finally spotted her was already lifting her spirits, raising her excitement further. She wondered if she already knew what was going on, well it was kind of obvious, it wasn't like she was trying to hide the present or anything, she had learned her lesson after last time. As soon as Rhinestone leaned over to touch her nose to the discens head, she was quick to lift her head half way, pressing back into the contact, letting a soft purr build in her throat. She always did love moments like this, these little bits of affection, and she'd be lying if she said she didn't try and fish for them where she could. Oh, but things were about to get so much better than even this in just moment, she couldn't wait to see the smile she got!

At the legate's question, Onyx stretched out her wings to her front, presenting the gift held in her claws. "Happy sort-of-late Valentine's day mama!" she called out, eyes intently locked onto her mother's face, ready to commit this moment to memory, so she'd never forget the smile she was about to get. "Everyone I asked said it was a day to give presents n' stuff to the one you loved, so, I, um...I got one for you, cause I love you the most!" The grin that stretched across the hybrids face was practically radiant, her tails thumping across the sand behind her in excitement as she did her best to keep the rest of herself still, for fear that any jostling might damage the candy inside the box, or worse, that she might drop it on accident

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A REAL ONE, YEAH, SHE'S A STUNNER

Ah, so it did indeed seem as though her daughter had decided to give her a gift. Rhine couldn't help the way that her grin grew in response, her own tail thumping lightly against the ground behind her. She had never exactly been someone that was greedy for gifts, but she was always glad to get them, especially from those that she cared about. It was because of this that her voice came out in a warm rumble, almost similar to a purr, from the back of her throat, "Happy late Valentine's Day to you too, my beloved little Onyx. You're absolutely right about this present business... I suppose I'll have to think of something for you, right? I guess I've been so caught up in my duties that I forgot." That was part of the truth, anyways. Honestly, she had mostly been trying to push Valentine's Day from her mind, the holiday mostly being a harsh reminder of what she had lost.

Taking the small package that was pushed in her direction, the legate reached down to tear at the messy wrapping, her eyes lighting up when she saw what she had been given. A soft laugh left her, amused that she hadn't already figured it out beforehand. After all, Onyxpaw had always loved her little stashes, and it made sense that candy would be the most amazing gift to her. Still, it wasn't as if Rhinestone didn't have a sweet tooth, so she was quite grateful for her Valentine's gift. She leaned over to show this, touching her nose lightly to her daughter's as she spoke, "Candy, huh? Guess I should've figured... I love it." She then said, green eyes glittering with a bit of mischief as she asked, "Since I don't have a proper gift for you prepared, how about you help me polish off this candy? I have a feeling you wouldn't exactly be opposed to that..." She didn't want Nyx to eat so much that she got sick, but splitting the candy between them probably wouldn't be that bad.

RHINESTONESTAR – PALM GLADES – PENNED BY STILLY – BIO