Sad was not quite the right word for it, but troubled was more on target. The truth of the matter was that Neji generally lived in varying levels of irritation and the stall before him was vexing on a moderate scale. He had to get a gift for Hinata for her birthday- he'd put it off for far too long, and the date was approaching very, very quickly.
It happened every year. He'd come to learn that he just wasn't good at giving gifts. The only heartening thing about giving his cousin a gift was that she'd appreciate most anything. But he was running out of nice, functional and polite gifts to get her. The last two years running had been a fine tea set, then a beautiful comb, and there were only so many of those a person could use in a lifetime.
A small set of dishes? Jewelry? Would she care for or have use for either of those things? Should he get her one of them anyway and offer an apology for not knowing what else to get her? He really was terrible at this. Of the precious people he had, Tenten was probably the only one that received gifts she actually liked- mostly because she was often mollified by any piece of weaponry he found on a mission she might not have in her collection yet, and shinobi were very creative when it came to weapons modification.
And next year he's have to add Temari to the short list of people he hunted down gifts for every year. He'd really have to learn more about her personal interests before that happened.
But first, there was Hinata's birthday to contend with, and Neji's deep contemplation was interrupted by the sudden arrival of his teammate. He turned, expression barely shifting in the transition from contemplative to puzzled- both were frowns that only differed in the tightness of his brows. But as he took in his teammate, he shrugged and turned back to the stand of finely crafted wares. He was getting desperate, and the merchant impatient.
"I suppose I could use a second opinion. What do you think Hinata-sama might appreciate for her birthday?"
YEP FINE JUST. OVEREXCITED here's a rushed tag
It happened every year. He'd come to learn that he just wasn't good at giving gifts. The only heartening thing about giving his cousin a gift was that she'd appreciate most anything. But he was running out of nice, functional and polite gifts to get her. The last two years running had been a fine tea set, then a beautiful comb, and there were only so many of those a person could use in a lifetime.
A small set of dishes? Jewelry? Would she care for or have use for either of those things? Should he get her one of them anyway and offer an apology for not knowing what else to get her? He really was terrible at this. Of the precious people he had, Tenten was probably the only one that received gifts she actually liked- mostly because she was often mollified by any piece of weaponry he found on a mission she might not have in her collection yet, and shinobi were very creative when it came to weapons modification.
And next year he's have to add Temari to the short list of people he hunted down gifts for every year. He'd really have to learn more about her personal interests before that happened.
But first, there was Hinata's birthday to contend with, and Neji's deep contemplation was interrupted by the sudden arrival of his teammate. He turned, expression barely shifting in the transition from contemplative to puzzled- both were frowns that only differed in the tightness of his brows. But as he took in his teammate, he shrugged and turned back to the stand of finely crafted wares. He was getting desperate, and the merchant impatient.
"I suppose I could use a second opinion. What do you think Hinata-sama might appreciate for her birthday?"