[Veronica]

[plntfood]

It's a little early, he knows this, but there's something a little awkward about trying to celebrate an anniversary so close to Valentine's Day. Mathias can be romantic when he wants to, but he isn't one for traditional gestures and so, rather than wait for the anniversary of their first date to approach, he's prepared something now. There's a part

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[neptune_sleuth]

Whatever Mathias has in mind, Veronica can't figure it out. Her birthday's months away, Christmas is past and their anniversary, though fast-approaching, is perilously close to Valentine's Day, a day that has, in previous years, gone on to live in infamy. Whatever it is, he's kept it secret, and if that makes her a little nervous, then the look on his face when she opens the door dispels that, at least for a moment. It can't be bad. It could be, actually, it always could be, but this, she's pretty sure, is a good surprise.

But then, they've had their share of problems, but at the end of the day, the fact is, they're still here, and that gives her more hope than she wants to admit or knows what to do with. It shouldn't be strange to think this could be good, too.

"Okay," she says, laughing when the door is open and she's reaching to take him by the hand, "I'm here, I'm ready. Now tell me what this is about."

[plntfood]

Shaking his head, Mathias smiles as Veronica's hand slides into his own and he says, "Not yet." He has to admit, trying to keep this a secret has been more fun than he thought it might. Thus far, he's played it up enough that he knows she can't possibly think it's something bad and that's really all that matters.

"It's still supposed to be a surprise, you know," he continues, turning back down the path that leads to his hut. "And if I tell you, that would ruin the surprise, would it not?"

He's never been very good at surprises, never liked them much, but if this is the way they happen from now on, he thinks he could get used to it.

[neptune_sleuth]

"No, it would be giving me the surprise," Veronica says hopefully. It can't be far off, though, and a few more moments of waiting aren't going to kill her. Going back to his place is so much more comfortable now that she knows Stacy won't be there, and despite her protests that he didn't have to make her go, Veronica doesn't regret his decision. "Just tell me one thing: is it a pony?"

[plntfood]

"I fear I'm just going to be the latest in a long line of people who have disappointed you," Mathias says with a sigh, almost bordering on teasing for a moment. "It is not a pony."

Now that she's mentioned it, though, it probably can't hurt to see what the box might give him in terms of ponies on clothes. Maybe it isn't quite what she wants, but he'd still like to see her face if he manages to find something.

"Besides, a pony would not fit inside my hut," he adds as they near the path that leads to his door.