Prompt: A Gift for Two

Summary: When the slime girl Hannah is at a loss for something to buy for her psychic girlfriend, she hunts everywhere for the best present. Her searching takes her to a boutique headed by a slime woman, who can speak from experience. Commissioned by AltrixWrites for the month of Dec 2022

[Story Listing]

---

This would be Hanna and Rebecca's first Solstice. It had been an interesting couple of months since the bashful slime girl had summoned all of her courage to confess her love to Rebecca, but things went better than expected! They were a bonafide couple, about to spend the Solstice together!

It wasn't all sunshines and lollipops though. Hannah was in a bit of a bind over what she wanted to get for Rebecca. She didn't get to do a whole lot of ruminating about it either; Rebecca boasted some remarkable psychic powers, and the last thing Hannah wanted to do was to mentally blab about whatever gift she got and spoil the surprise. Ironically, this meant Hannah spent more time away from Rebecca, which kind of defeated the whole purpose of being a lovey-dovey couple this time of year. She'd have to think of something fast...

Hannah's eye was drawn towards a clothing store: Bisou Boutique. There were certainly some nice things in here. Hannah worried that she might not be able to afford what she wanted to get, but it wouldn't hurt to do some window shopping. She let herself in, some chimes on the door signalling her entrance.

"O-oh! Hello there! Caught me in the middle of something! Let me just... finish this..." A young woman was in the middle of setting up some festive garlands; curiously, she seemed a little stretched out for the job, her torso and arms doubling in length to reach above the windows. Hannah tilted her head, noting the inky purple patterns that adorned the woman's skin... she must've been a slime person, just like her.

"I-I don't mean to interrupt," Hannah stirred. "I was just going to look around for a bit and-"

"O-oh shoot-" The purple slime woman groaned to herself as the garland slipped down and towards the floor in gangly piles. She shrugged, her body pulling itself back into its proper proportions; she was only a foot taller than Hannah. "I'll leave that for a little later, hello, I'm Celes! I'm the owner of this little shop here. Are you shopping for anything in particular? 'Tis the season!~"

The purple slime woman beamed, putting on her best customer-service smile. Hannah glanced around, seeing as there wasn't anyone else in the store right now, she figured Celes was determined to help her. And... she did need some help.

"...W-well, actually, yes I do..." Hannah admitted, prodding her gloved fingers together. "I was looking for a present for my, um, girlfriend."

"Oh! Aw, how romantic!~" Celes swooned. "We have a couple Solstice sweaters, they're perfect for making those brisk winter mornings a little cozier! There's even some funny, ugly sweaters here, as a conversational piece too!~"

"Ah, um..." Hannah looked them over. There were some traditional sweaters, and some very, um, flashy ones. Hannah shook her head, her pink hair globules bouncing with the gesture.

"No, that's not... hm..." Hannah tilted her head. "I don't think I could afford one of those anyway. I'm still a high school student..."

"Oh? Hm..." Celes tilted her head thoughtfully. Her boots clomped as she looked around. Her eyes fell on a mannequin in the window, dressed up with a thick, poofy outdoor winter get up. Her indigo eyes lit up as she hurried over.

"I think I have just the idea." Celes nodded, motioning Hannah to come closer. Hannah was even more hesitant about picking up a whole winter wardrobe; Celes turned, her arms outstretching to reach the mannequin.

"By the way, how's winter treating you? Are you bundling up enough?" Celes asked aloud. "Winter can be a dreadful season for us slimes, so you need to ensure you're wearing enough layers..."

"I-I am, ma'am." Hannah nodded. "And I don't go outside for too long..."

"That's a good girl," Celes nodded with a smile. "Truthfully, I get a little nippy myself, ever since I was..."

Celes paused, trailing off. Hannah's head perked up, wondering what Celes was going to say. Her smile seemed to falter in that moment; the purple slime woman shook her head.

"Ah, nevermind that. Long story short is, I love carolling too much to let a little cold dissuade me. My partner suggested I wear a scarf..."

She unfurled a narrow wool scarf, the ends frilled. It was a pretty shade of light lavender. Hannah took it in her hands, admiring the material. The price tag wasn't too out there either.

"Awww, it's nice..." Hannah smiled. "...But I dunno if she's a scarf person. Never seen her wear one."

"Have you two been going out together for long?" Celes tilted her head. "Hah, I love this season. All the, young and old, couples come out to celebrate~"

Hannah paused, then clutched the scarf. She forced an anxious laugh. "W-well, um... she's psychic, so I... haven't been hanging with her as much. Don't wanna ruin the surprise for her Solstice present..."

"Oh? Oh my, you should definitely settle on a present soon!" Celes insisted. "Hm, that is, I... actually, I know a thing you can do. You see that scarf in your hands?"

"...Uh huh?" Hannah nodded. Celes was, curiously, reaching for the same mannequin, bringing it over to stand next to Hannah.

"I'm sure you've heard all about the spirit of the solstice season... it's to be together with the ones you love." Celes took the end of the scarf, wrapping it around the neck of both Hannah and the mannequin, bringing them closer. Their shoulders pressed together, Hannah blinking as she was squished under Celes' embrace.

The purple slime woman backed away, clapping her hands together. "Voila! A cozy arrangement so you and the one closest to you! Bundled up snug and warm, walking through the snow-covered streets, taking in the decorations, and the sweets, and the company of the people around you..." Celes clasped her hands together, swooning. "Ohhh, it's so romantic... my partner and I used to do the same thing, mmhm~"

"...Wow..." Hannah tugged at the fabric, visualizing herself next to Rebecca. Celes had such a whimsical way of describing it, and... she had a point. She shouldn't be spending all this time fussing over the perfect gift.

"...I hear the lights are really pretty at night." Hannah smiled warmly, pulling at the scarf gently. "Maybe... I can invite her out on the town. And that can be our... gift. With a warm scarf too..."

"It's really the best part of the season, wandering through main street with a hot cider in hand..." Celes nodded. "It's the time of year to experiment, and make new traditions you can look back on..."

Hannah was, if nothing else, a hopeless romantic, and she was getting a little flushed at the idea of Rebecca walking at her side like this (and the shop itself was pretty warm, and the scarf even warmer, so that compounded on things a bit). Spending time together... that had to be the most perfect present of all.

"...U-um, I'll take the scarf." Hannah nodded. "But, um, you can... put the mannequin back now."

"Oh! Yes! I'm glad you decided!~" Celes nodded, moving forward to hurriedly unwrap Hannah from the scarf.

A quick exchange of paper bills later, and Hannah was exiting the store with a dainty paper bag in her hand. Finally, the search for the perfect Solstice present was over; it was time to begin the festivities... with Rebecca by her side.

Giggling excitedly, Hannah rushed off, her gelatinous features bouncing all the while. Seemed she had a particular spring to her step now.