Saga had very limited resources at his disposal for Ritsu's gift in addition to only one, maybe two days to figure out what it would be. The first idea that popped into his head was quickly discarded. First of all, he'd have to return to the cliffs to retrieve what he wanted to get and would probably be spotted by his mother. Second of all, even though Ritsu seemed harmless enough, he still couldn't be trusted with that. If Ritsu had that, then no siren would be truly safe against him. Lastly, Ritsu would never need that so long as he didn't decide to traverse the oceans.
Saga's second option was to go shopping, but of course he couldn't just waltz into town and trade with the humans. This was mainly for two reasons. The first was that he himself had nothing to offer other than maybe fish he could catch. The larger of the two issues and what worried Saga more was the fact that the sight of him would certainly cause alarm throughout the streets. He'd sooner receive a dagger to the chest than a trade offer from a merchant and that simply was not a risk he was willing to take, especially not for something as silly as this.
That left Saga with only one resource to get potential gifts from: the ocean. However, he couldn't just stand around and wait for something nice to wash up on the shore. That was relying far too much on luck and he simply didn't have the time. Although he certainly couldn't breathe underwater and his wings made swimming a little complicated, he could hold his breath for a very long time; a siren feature that he didn't doubt was meant to help him drag up the unconscious bodies of drowned sailors, but instead he using it to dive for a gift for a human.
This is ridiculous, Saga thought as he broke the surface of the water, looking at the small collection of ocean treasures in his hands that he had to choose from. He dropped a few of them back into the waves to either sink or float off elsewhere for someone else to find. His own gift, the compass Ritsu had gotten for him, was safely on land, buried in the sand underneath a stone so it couldn't be washed away or stolen by some birds who decided they wanted the shiny object. The stone acted as a marker so that Saga would not forget where it was buried.
Saga thought of the cliffs once more, a little annoyed that he couldn't search in those waters instead. If he did, his mother would certainly spot and attempt to interrogate him. He wouldn't be able to get any searching done with her around. Going to the cliffs would only serve to waste his time and grate his nerves.
There's probably a bunch of human stuff on those sunken ships, they're probably worth something too, Saga thought, a little frustrated that he couldn't easily reach them and frustrated with himself for caring in the first place. Ritsu would probably like anything he gave him anyway, Saga was worrying over it for no reason, but if this was his only chance to participate in this tradition then he wanted to at least do it right.
Ugh, since when was Saga so curious about humans and their traditions anyway? He supposed there had always been a natural fascination, as most people had with the unknown, but wasn't Ritsu supposed to be the fascinated one? This was backwards.
I'll be over it eventually, Saga told himself as he swam to the shore, possible gifts in hand. The idea of humans and their ways would lose their charm, whether that be through the natural course of time and the demystification of them through knowledge or through Saga being granted his song. Then there'd really be no turning back for him, no peaceful afternoons with a human, no shared lunches, no gift exchanges, and no more of this silly game he was for some reason willingly playing.
But for now he sat on the sand and contemplated what, out of all his options, to give Ritsu.
Ritsu could hardly enjoy the usual festivities his family participated in. This year in particular it felt stiff, like a pretense of sorts, though for what he could not quite put his finger on. Perhaps it was his growing anxiety about his arranged marriage that made it difficult for him to enjoy himself, or the strain that seemed to continue to worsen on his relationship with his mother, or maybe it was the fact that in the end he really didn't want to be here. No, instead he very much longed to be back on that private beach.
However, he tried not to let any of that show, doing his very best to be pleasant and present, not wanting to risk receiving a lecture for his poor attitude that would only serve to sour his mood even further.
Ritsu was glad that this was a familiar situation to him. At the very least, he knew what part to play here. He knew what to say, when to say it, whom to say it to, when to be humble and when to be thankful. Still, that didn't make the night any less exhausting. If anything, it made the whole thing feel even faker. He gave a grateful smile and thanked the Kohinata family over and over again for the presents they bestowed upon him, but they made him feel worse. They felt more like a gesture for his parents than for him, a way to say 'see, we are worthy to have our daughter marry your son'. They felt like bribery. A part of him considered rejecting the gifts, rejecting the engagement, rejecting the crown, rejecting all of it, but instead he did what he always did: he smiled.
He was relieved when the night came to an end, most of the dinner and the gift exchanging passing by in a bit of a blur. He was sure either his mother or An noticed how distracted he was, but he couldn't help but to be filled with thoughts consisting of I wonder what Saga is doing right now, I wonder if he really got me a gift, I wonder what sort of gift he got me, I wonder what he would like to eat, and other similar notions. However, it seemed Ritsu had participated enough in the lively conversation to not be confronted about his rather spacey disposition.
I'll try to go back to the beach tomorrow and bring him something to eat, Ritsu decided, now curling up in bed under multiple blankets to hide from the bite of Winter. He'd have to catch An in the morning to ask if she'd help keep his excursion a secret again. I don't know how much longer I'll get away with this, but I want to keep trying anyway. Ritsu knew he'd get caught eventually. Lady Luck would one day decide to stop smiling upon him and instead would rip the rug out right from underneath him and send him crashing to the floor. She'd laugh at his foolishness before abandoning him completely to find a new human to favor. However, until that day came Ritsu would keep going back to that beach. If he were going to deal with the consequences of his disobedience one day then he may as well deal with them without regrets. He'd never forgive himself if he decided to count his blessings and stop visiting now. There were still things about Saga he wanted to learn and even more than that Ritsu genuinely liked Saga. Maybe a little too much. Ritsu blushed at the thought, pulling the covers up over his head as if there was anyone there to hide from.
Ritsu tried not to think too deeply about his feelings for the siren, feeling entirely too embarrassed and flustered when he did, but he knew this was more than just a passing curiosity.
I really do like him, but I can't really tell if he likes me or not. He's so...back-and-forth, Ritsu thought, feeling the slightest twinge of annoyance at the mixed signals he had been continuously receiving. Saga's attitude towards him was so difficult to read, now more than ever. In the beginning he was entirely displeased by Ritsu's presence and hadn't gone through the trouble of trying to hide it, but now Ritsu really couldn't tell at all.
As long as I can see him again, that's all I care about, Ritsu drifted off into sleep with that as his final thought for the night.
"Good afternoon, Saga!" Ritsu called out with a wave and a smile.
Saga perked up when noticing Ritsu was carrying a basket, presumably filled with their lunch. "Hey."
"I hope you're hungry, I brought a lot of food to make up for not bringing any on your birthday." Ritsu said, his smile turning a little sheepish.
"Did you have a nice...celebration with your family?" Saga asked, hesitating on the word 'Christmas' just in case he remembered it wrong.
"Yeah, I did." Ritsu said dismissively, not in the mood to dive into what he felt had been a superficial holiday. "I only wish it would snow."
Saga frowned. "I hate the snow."
"I would imagine it would make flying a little difficult." Ritsu said. "Does the cold bother you?" He asked. Ritsu couldn't imagine that the chill of Winter was something that bothered the siren, since Ritsu only ever saw him in a black tunic.
"Sometimes. Usually only when it's very cold." Saga said with a shrug. Sirens had to be able to dive into cold waters throughout all seasons to retrieve their prizes after all. "But it's hard to ignore the snow."
"Where do you go when it gets too cold? I always see you here." Ritsu said. There was nothing to safely shelter Saga on this beach, at least as far as Ritsu could tell.
Saga frowned. "You don't need to worry about that."
"Oh-right-I'm sorry-I didn't mean to pry-" Ritsu had forgotten himself and asked too personal of a question, stupid, of course he wouldn't tell you where he lives!
"It's fine. I have something for you." Saga said, changing the subject quickly. "Sit. Eat while I go get it." He added.
Ritsu was easily distracted from his shame by the prospect of Saga giving him a gift. He nodded and sat down with the basket, but didn't open it, far too curious about his gift to even think about the food. He waited patiently as Saga walked not far off to a large stone on the beach.
Saga turned the stone over and out of the way, digging up some sand. There, alongside the compass, were two shells that Saga had also buried for safekeeping. He grabbed the shells, recovered the compass with sand, put the stone back and took the shells to the ocean waves. He washed away any sand stuck on the shells before going back to Ritsu. He felt weirdly nervous as he held them out.
He had two limpet shells in his hands, the one side having multiple raised ridges and the colors consisting of white and shades of brown. When he turned them over it revealed a much smoother, almost pearlescent side that swirled with beautiful greens.
"They look like your eyes." Saga said lamely. I sound so stupid, Saga thought as Ritsu tentatively reached out to take both the shells.
"Thank you." Ritsu beamed as he held them in his hands, absolutely touched by the gesture. He could feel his cheeks heating despite the cold as his heart began to thud wildly against his chest. "I love them."
Saga just nodded and sat down, opening the basket Ritsu had beside him. He was eager to start eating so they didn't have to talk anymore.
Ritsu admired the shells with a soft smile as Saga dug into his meal, not looking at Ritsu as he couldn't stand seeing his reaction.
They're just shells, why does he look so happy? Saga should be pleased that the gift went over well, but he just felt weird. He didn't know if he liked this weird feeling or not.
Ritsu carefully set the shells in the basket to bring back home with him before he started to eat as well.
"Do sirens celebrate the New Year?" Ritsu asked, wondering if Saga would be participating in any festivities for the upcoming holiday. Obviously, different festivities than the human ones, but Ritsu would be interested to hear about them if any existed.
Saga raised an eyebrow at the question. "Uh, not really celebrate, but we acknowledge it, if that makes sense."
Ritsu nodded. "So you won't be doing anything this week for New Year, then." He assumed.
"This week? New Year isn't till the Spring." Saga said, still not understanding why Ritsu was bringing up the New Year now.
"Oh. I guess we keep track of the calendar in different ways." Ritsu said. "For us the New Year is January first." He explained.
"That doesn't make any sense." Saga complained. The Spring meant new life, new beginnings, another chance as a new cycle began, so it only made sense for Spring to mark the new year. Winter was no time for a new year. "Whoever decided that is stupid."
Ritsu just smiled complacently and shrugged.
"Does your family always come here for the New Year and...Christmas?" Saga watched Ritsu's reaction and concluded that Christmas was in fact the correct name since Ritsu showed no signs of confusion or amusement at his question.
"We do." Ritsu said.
"Why?" Saga asked. "What's here that's so great? What keeps you coming back?"
"We have friends that live here." Ritsu explained. "We visit them twice a year and they visit us twice a year."
"What do you do when you're not here at the beach?" Saga asked. "What's there to do in town?"
"Ah, I mostly spend time with my friend Anchan. I've known her for as long as I can remember. We grew up together." Ritsu said with a smile. He couldn't even begin to imagine Saga and An interacting. There was no way the two of them would ever meet, but it was a little amusing to think about. "There's also a wonderful library in town I like to visit a lot. Do you like to read, Saga?" The library he spoke of was actually in the Kohinata castle, but Saga didn't need to know that.
"Books don't really survive long by the water." Saga said.
"Ah, that's a shame. Maybe I could bring a book with lunch next time and we could read together? A short one, so we could finish it and I could bring it back with me." Ritsu said.
"When are you leaving again?" Saga asked instead of accepting or refusing the offer to read together.
"Oh-well-we're leaving the day after New Year's so…" Ritsu started to count on his fingers. "In exactly a week?"
"How many more times will I see you till then?" Saga asked.
"Well, I doubt I'll be able to come back during my family's last three days here." Ritsu said. New Years Eve and New Years Day would be spent with his family and the very last day would revolve around them getting ready to leave for home. "And I shouldn't risk coming back tomorrow…" Ritsu thought out loud, trying to work out when he could come back. "Probably two more times." He finally answered.
"Bring a book we can finish over those two days." Saga said.
Ritsu paused, taking a moment to process his words before he lit up. "Yes! Okay! I will!" He said with a wide smile.
"When will you be back?"
"Ah, probably the day after tomorrow."
"No, I meant after your family leaves. When will your family be back?"
"Oh." Ritsu tried not to frown. "The Summer. We always visit in the Summer and Winter."
"Never in between then?"
"No. That's when our friends visit us." Ritsu said.
Saga showed no outward reaction other than a nod.
"Are there gift exchanges for the New Year too?" Saga asked.
Ritsu smiled a little in amusement, but shook his head. "Not between friends, no." he said.
"Are we friends?"
Ritsu lost his smile at the question. He felt as though he were suddenly thrown on to a thinly frozen over lake that could shatter underneath him with one misstep and then he'd find himself endlessly drowning in piercing, unforgiving, biting waters.
"A-Are we?" Ritsu managed to get the words out of his pinched throat.
"I asked you. Are we friends by a human standard?" Saga asked.
"I-I'd like to think so." Ritsu said.
Saga frowned at the noncommittal answer. "What does that mean?"
"It means that I consider you my friend...but I'm not really sure where I stand with you." Ritsu admitted.
Saga went quiet for a moment, contemplating Ritsu's words.
"I don't think sirens really have friends." Saga said. "We have...each other. But I don't think I would call any other siren I know my friend."
So there are other sirens, Ritsu thought to himself, glad to have that confirmed. But where were they? Were they back where Saga considered home? Did those sirens live by cliffs and rocks like his books said? Did they destroy ships? Did Saga destroy ships with them? Did they ever come to this beach with Saga? Did they know about Ritsu? And if they did know about Ritsu, was that a good or a bad thing? If Ritsu had met one of those sirens instead of Saga, would his fate have been much worse? Just how much about Saga was different from other sirens?
"So...are we friends?" Ritsu asked again, glancing at Saga nervously and hugging his knees.
No, we're not, Saga thought, I'm just a curiosity for you and you're an oddity to me. We're nothing but displays for each other's amusement. We're not friends. We'll never be friends. We couldn't even be friends if I wanted to be. You're more likely to become my meal one day than be my friend.
Saga thought about the compass buried in the sand and the two seashells sitting in Ritsu's basket.
"Maybe."
"Maybe?" Ritsu echoed, finding the answer a little strange, yet at the same entirely predictable. Of course the stubborn, stoic siren wouldn't admit to being friends.
Saga shrugged. If Ritsu was looking for a different or a better response, well that was too bad.
Now it was Ritsu's turn to frown at Saga's noncommittal answer. "Okay," he paused to stand, picking up the basket, "you let me know when you figure it out then."
Saga's eyes widened as he watched the human, mouth slightly agape. Was Ritsu getting ready to leave? He hadn't even been here that long!
"Are you leaving already?" Saga asked.
Ritsu nodded. "It's too cold for me to stay long." He said, but Saga had a feeling that was just an excuse.
"But you will be back the day after tomorrow, right?" Saga asked, a hint of desperation leaking into his voice.
Ritsu shrugged and Saga started to suspect he was being messed with. Then, Ritsu turned and began to walk away. "Maybe." Ritsu called out behind him, finally answering Saga's question, though it was a less than satisfactory response.
Saga watched him walk away and decided that he was definitely being messed with.