#//anyways IIII FUCKING LOVE MARK HELL YEAH MARKKKK WOOOOOOOOOOO

[enarmor]

Her feet wandered in his direction before she really realized it. Pausing outside his door, bag of gifts against her side, list of names in her hand. She takes a breath, fishes in the bag for a box wrapped in green, and knocks, twice. 

“Hello, Sain,” she murmurs, holding the box out towards him. “I brought you a gift, for the winter festival. I thought you’d like it.” There’s a shy sparkle in her eyes, an undercurrent of confidence that she chose something nice. 

Inside the box are an assortment of fruit-filled chocolates, in different shapes to denote their flavors. Snowflakes filled with strawberry jam, swirls of citrus, and raspberry stars line the inside of the small box, tempting fingers and tastebuds alike. 

“I thought about getting you flowers, in a flowerpot, but I couldn’t find any I thought you’d like...” and roses grow on bushes anyway. 

“I hope you enjoy them!”

Mark is a welcome sight. In truth, he had been on the hunt for her today. The gift he keeps tucked behind his back is one he had to pour a great deal of time and thought (not to mention money!) into in order to be truly satisfied with. It isn't that she's hard to shop for, but rather that being so easy to shop for makes things difficult for him. He's got to stand out, and all.

"My favorite tactician! I take it you've also been busy with festival preparations? You've never been one to sit still." Not right now, either, for almost as soon as he opens his mouth, he's accepting a present. Not that he'd ever complain about one. Especially from her.

He scopes out the shyness in her eyes and tries to project a reassuring glow with his. Forcing their gazes to meet, he tells her it's okay now--that she can focus on him and her worries will melt into chocolate.

"Why, Mark, I'm charmed! How did you know that it is normally I who gives a lady sweet treats, that a humble dream of mine is to have my love given back to me...?" He winks, denoting that he is (mostly) kidding, if still grateful. The box's lid slides off, and he pops one of the gifts into his mouth to sample. His cheeks flush with endearment, savoring the way the richness of the chocolate hitches a ride on the sweet punch of the fruit.

"Oh, they're sublime! Like fluffy clouds rolling over a setting sun! My darling, surely you've tried some for yourself?"

In case she hasn't, he eagerly pushes one under her nose.

Once it is accepted, he dusts his fingers off and reaches back behind him. His gift had been set aside on a miscellaneous storage crate while they spoke: a bit of quick thinking on his part.

"Now, don't think I've come empty-handed either. I imagine you've already received plenty of weapons and games for master strategists, so I had to go elsewhere for my gift."

Sain produces an ornate, black box. A single band of green ribbon is all that ties it together. Loosen that, and the contents will be revealed. Mark receives an opulent dress, like something out of a fairytale the way it is decorated in fineries. Its primary color is green, though the aforementioned embellishments shine a morning gold. The shoulders around the nape stick out--almost imitating armor--but the entire thing cascades into the ground while held at its full length. It was a tailor's grand vision of radiance, which perfectly captures this image the knight has of his tactician.

"Leader though you may be, you're also a lady. And a beautiful lady at that. So why not let your beauty shine in this? I think the green will really bring out the red in your eyes!"

Because truly, what colors marry together better than emerald and ruby?

"Oh, and I hope you don't mind that I learned your size by snooping around your camp. A knight always ought to be prepared!"