Event Private An Open Book is the Best Kind of Book

Current Form: Humanoid
Smokey had made themself comfy at a window seat inside of a café picked out for their meeting with their Secret Santa partner. It was cooler than comfortable here, but anything was better than the frosty outside that threatened to kill them if their element was not turned off. And the window seat let them truly appreciate the winter without discomfort. Better yet, it was well away from the door, so anyone entering didn't hit them with a blast of painfully cold air.

Smokey had an easy time picking out their partner's gift. What they settled on was Grimms' Fairy Tales. It was what came up first when they looked up the subject. When they went to purchase it, they found themself getting lost in its stories. They had to force themself to shut to book and keep it in their bag to keep themself from getting enamored once more.

Smokey returned their partner's small smile with their usual wide and energetic one. They were a bit self-conscious about having to interact with a kid, but they did well before, and this one wasn't that young. Children here were either easier or about the same as children back home. There was hopefully nothing to worry about.

"My... pets?" Smokey had to look down to see what Joseph was talking about. Those creatures became such a regular part of their life that now they stopped noticing them, for the most part. "Oh. They're not my pets. They just follow me around for... some reason.

"Anyways, presents! I think you'll like yours too."

Smokey watched their critters slither and scurry and phase around. Chasing them away something practically a part of them didn't feel nice. There was a good chance that as Smokey's powers grew, so would they. Better to get used to them than reject them.

But Smokey's attention returned to their Secret Santa partner when he sat his gift on the table. Smokey was always an expressive person, which could be either good or bad. Right now, it was good, because they admired the box like it was their actual present. "Aww, this is so cool! Almost makes me not want to mess it up. Give me a second."

They just had to pull out their phone and take a quick picture of the box. It added to their anticipation of what could possibly be inside of it.

"Okay, now I'm ready." Smokey gently opened the box and peered inside, forgetting their close their mouth after several seconds of staring at their gift. "This is freaky! What the heck? It's all furry and has teeth. What's even inside of this?" Their words may have come off as mean, but when said with such happiness, it was hard to see it as anything else but a compliment. It wasn't even directed to Joseph. They were speaking to themself as they looked inside of the book to read it.