#lerouxmp

@lerouxmp

Apollo had been rather busy the last few weeks from all the rehearsals, performances, council member duties, and other tasks that he had forced himself into. He did well in all things that struck his muse, and his busy nature seemed to help pull him out of his funk. Yet he mirrored his sister in that inescapable need to reunite with nature, just not at such a desperate level as her. So as the performances and need to practice dwindled away, he had escaped to his little sanctuary to a gazebo that he made for his oracle.

Despite the cold winds and small snow showers that had started covering the island, his field of delphinium flowers before the gazebo stood strong, enchanted safely by the young flower child who helped create them in the first place. The contrast of the snow and the beautiful flowers set the scene, relaxing the god as he leisurely sat facing his field that overlooked the island. Sighing out, the musical god stirred his lyre into his hands, resting his head against the marble as his fingers plucked the strings into a delicate song.

Wherever you go, the flowing universe We met and secretly filled the gap in the galaxy Wherever you go on this planet My heartbeat is hot because of you and more because of you forever When I passed by moonlight, stars in your eyes, never knew the shine would light up my whole life

He had heard the break of a branch just moments before his finished his song. Yet, he could not break the lovely melody, one he had overheard from some drama ost playing in some drama. It had felt too real, a bit too relatable. And, it gave the god a chance to air his heart, something that had been far to heavy lately. Tilting his head back, the god looked at the demigod before him, scanning him for a few moments.

In keeping with his family’s New Year Tradition (and considering Esther to be new “found family”), as foretold, Leto sent a special gift basket to Esther’s apartment.  In it, an arrangement of Godiva hot chocolate cannisters, chocolate biscuits, and a “cocoa bar” including toppings of vanilla sugar, crushed peppermint, cinnamon, and peppermint sugar as well as a mug with its handle shaped like a piano keyboard…and several pairs of fun socks, including one of very soft fleece specifically for comfy lounging around her home.

And a card!  Which read, very simply:

Cheers to new traditions!

Happy New Year!

Your Friend,

Leto

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When Esther heard the knock at her door, she was confused, even more so when she opened the door to the gift basket. She had quite the last month with receiving gifts, and to receive another, she was quite surprised. However, as she looked at the card while bringing it in, it made so much sense. She immediately remembered their conversation when they first met, though she had never taken it seriously or expected anything. 

Esther went through each item that he gave her. Each item reflected things she had briefly mentioned about herself that he seemed to soak up and channel into his gift giving spread, and his efforts made her happy. Not because of the gifts, but she could tell he genuinely listened to her and cared about her likes. That was better than all the gifts combined, but it was just the proof of his attention. Esther was grateful, appreciative of him. 

A card.

“Happy Holidays!Here’s to many more celebrations together!–Leto”

The smaller box would have been the easier to open, just a simple untying of the ribbon to lift the lid, revealing the starry night tissue paper inside.  Within that tissue paper, however, sat a neatly folded piano shawl of beautiful ivory silk and embroidered with delicate peony and forget-me-not blossoms and sprigs with hand-woven fringe.

The larger box, however, contained something not quite as easy to move around but hopefully something she could transport all she liked as it was contained within a travel case:  A beautiful, one of a kind 21-string guzheng of aged Paulownia wood, hand painted with scenes and flora of paradise.

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Esther had been rather shocked when she noticed the large and small presents. Esther had thought she had received enough so far with her birthday. Anything more was going to an extreme. But, she was always grateful of those who thought of her and wanted to treat her. When she saw Leto’s name on the card, she hadn’t been surprised as he already has shown a knack for indulging his friends. 

What did surprise her was the gifts she uncovered. The piano shawl looked absolutely stunning, and she already mentally noted that she would wear it to work. While Esther was not vain, she did try to dress rather prettily for her performances, and this shawl would contrast beautiful with some of her clothes in her closet. The guzheng was even more shocking, stunning and well-crafted. Esther knew the quality of notes that would come from such an exquisite instrument, and she wanted nothing more to perform. 

Within Angela’s mailbox sat an envelope of midnight blue with golden swirls of stars addressed to both Angela and Siwoo.  Inside, a card hand-painted in watercolor bearing the familiar visage of a red and black dragon wearing a Santa hat.  Inside the card, of course, a message that read:

Happy Holidays to two of the most fantastical adventurers in all the realms!

–Leto and Fred

But that message wasn’t all the card contained, oh no; there was a paper in there, yes.  A paper containing details of an all-expense paid trip for mother and son to Shanghai Disneyland complete with a 6-night stay at the Toy Story Hotel in a Family Suite (so they could take their time to enjoy the park) and credit card with a 75,000 yuan limit.  The paper contained details on how to contact the company to choose and confirm the dates for their trip.  Hope they have a lovely time!

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Angela had just checked the mail, bringing the letters in for her son. When she saw what she expected to be a Christmas card from one of their new friends, she knew she could not dare open it until she could open it with Siwoo. Even days later, he still mentioned Fred from time to time, so she knew he would be thrilled to hear what Leto had to say. 

As Siwoo sat in the living room reading one of his new books Angela had given him, he suddenly became attentive when she showed off the letter to him. The pair sat together on the couch, and opening the card, she slowly read the message to Siwoo. “Aw. How sweet of them!” She exclaimed to her son, but she had not any expectations of what they piece of paper held. 

“I wonder if it is a picture of Fred.” She mentioned, but as she opened the slip of paper, she froze. Her eyes read through the words what felt like six times, even further validated by the card. Siwoo finally spoke, tugging on his mother’s shirt. “So? A picture?” But all Angela could do was shake her head. Her silence came out of shock. While this was not her first present, she had never received something of this magnitude. She knew she had been kind to Leto, just like everyone else. Angela could not imagine how he could be so caring to give her this.