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Mochi has a list of ideas. All crossed out.
BooksPots and pans (Do not do this if you value your life!!!)Fish??New notebook (boring)New bolo tie???a firm handshake
Doodling was a much needed distraction from the droning Devildom history class but, instead of drawing, she scribbled gift ideas in the margins of her notebook.
Solomon just just had to drop the bomb that his birthday was on December 9th, less than a month away. Her gift ideas were all terrible. What do you get a magician who’s old as hell, and has probably already seen and done everything?
What does he like anyway? Being annoying? Torturing others with food?
Thinking about this all day had sucked up the last of her brain power, and left her scraping out the worst ideas.
Maybe she shouldn't get him anything. It's not like she really liked him. Solomon was way too much of a nuisance to be likeable. Getting him a gift would make him happy. For some reason, that alone was enough to make Mochi spend her precious time thinking up the perfect present.
“Are you alright? Class ended a while ago,” Solomon said.
Mochi looked up. “Huh.”
So he was right. While she was tapping her pen on the page, class ended, leaving her with the only other human in this world. She needed to put the gift on hold if it’s making her that distracted.
Before she could pack her bags, Solomon leaned over to look at her notes. “Hmmm, what’s this?”
Mochi slapped her notebook closed. “Don’t you have somewhere to be?”
He better not have seen her terrible ideas that should not see the light of day.
“Shouldn’t you be in Devil Alchemy?” he asked.
"How did you know that?"
"We're in the same class?"
Right.
Solomon dutifully waited for her to pack her bags, and passed her a box containing that week's specialty pastry from Madame Screams he promised to get her. Perhaps as a peace treaty for being annoying.
The small brightly coloured loaf—typical to Devildom cuisine, but too familiar to the shades of poisonous frogs found on Earth to be comfortable—was sweet, and fluffy on the inside. The flavours weren’t exactly like the conchas from home, though it was the closest you could get without making the recipe yourself.
Although she’s adjusted to Devildom food, Mochi would still get homesick from time to time.
That was one thing good about him. While Solomon can be bothersome, he understands what it’s like to be human. There were some things she could only talk to him about.
Mochi takes a bite of the loaf as they step out of the classroom.
Solomon smiled, sly as always. “By the way, a new tie would be lovely.”
No!
Now she can’t get him that. Why does he have to be like this? Scratch that. Solomon is getting nothing for his birthday.
The unofficial baking club consisted of Mochi, and Simeon. Solomon was, under no circumstances, allowed to show up. So, it was the perfect time to ask about gift ideas.
“You know Solomon pretty well right?” Mochi asked. “What kind of stuff does he like? Or want?”
Simeon slid a cake pan into the oven. Mochi doesn’t know if the bright orange and yellow, star shaped spices Simeon found are an accurate substitute for what’s used in the Celestial Realm, but it smells delicious. “Of course! We live with him after all,” he said.“Is this about his birthday?”
Mochi opens her mouth. Was it that obvious? Judging by Simeon’s knowing smile, it was.
"His birthday is coming around, so it's a natural assumption. Plus you've been mumbling his name."
If she was, then maybe this was bothering her more than she would like to admit. She hadn’t thought of a single good idea.
"I'm sure he'd be happy with anything you get him," Simeon said.
“I just want it to be special. ”
A gift that was cool and exciting, like nothing he’s ever gotten before. Or something so meaningful Solomon would break out into tears. Most of all, Mochi wanted to get him something that would make him smile. Although he was nearly always smiling, Solomon would look distant at times when he thought no one was looking.
"Solomon is lucky. He must be very important to you."
Mochi nearly choked on the spoonful of icing she was eating. "He's not! As the only other human, I want to show him solidarity. That's all."
The problem was that Solomon has been around for a long time. He’s probably already been given every type of gift possible. What do you get someone who’s already had thousands of birthdays?
"Hmm…Are there birthday customs specific to the human world you could do? Perhaps you could use your shared heritage to your advantage. That way, it’s unlikely anyone from here would get him something similar."
The Devildom is so different from home, in culture and in environment. There isn’t a sun! If he feels homesick like she does at times, maybe she could bring some ‘home’ to him. But that would mean Mochi needed to ask Solomon what he misses.
It’s not a complete idea, but it’s better than what she had before.
"Thanks Simeon!" Mochi throws down her apron. Solomon should be around here somewhere. If she wanted to get the gift ready soon, she needed to find him fast.
“Um…the cake?” But Mochi’s already out the door. Simeon smiles softly. “Good luck!”
"You want to know what I miss about home?" Solomon asked.
“Yeah, I miss the food.” Mochi held up the sandwich—unusual to human standards with neon purple bread, and dark green cheeses—“Devildom cuisine is great and all, but I wanna eat something familiar. So, I’m wondering what you miss.”
Hopefully it didn’t sound like she was fishing for information. Directly asking Solomon what he wants would be too obvious, not to mention embarrassing. Asking the question over lunch was natural! Probably.
Solomon’s soup bubbles as he pours in an ungodly amount of black pepper along with a literal handful of salt. Forget Beel, Solomon’s the one with the black hole of a stomach.
“That’s hard to say. There are plenty of things that I miss.”
“How about narrowing it down? What do you miss about home in winter?”
He stirred the soup that has now gained a paste-like consistency and took a bite. “That’s difficult to answer. I’ve seen so much, it’s hard to choose one..”
“That’s a very old-man-like comment to make.”
“I’ll ignore that,” Solomon said. “...I suppose I miss the seasons. We didn’t have snow where I lived as a child, so when I saw snow for the first time it felt magical. Whenever I see the first snowfall of the season, I’m reminded of that memory. I miss that feeling.”
There it was! Snow.
Mochi could find a way to make it snow in Devildom. It would be amazing to see the Devildom scenery dusted in white. It won’t just be for Solomon, since she wanted to see it too. It’s not like she was doing all this work just to make Solomon happy.
All that she needed a way to get snow to the Devildom.
Here was the plan: 1) lure Solomon out into the woods by the cabin, 2) summon snow, and 3) have fun and prove she got Solomon the best present.
His birthday was in two days, so that means he shouldn’t suspect a thing.
Everything was packed. The cursed snowglobe she asked Diavolo to conjure was stuffed in her bag. Inside were eight angry looking red cows that must be Diavolos interpretation of reindeers were. When shaken, it should conjure snow within a couple metres. The more she shook, the more snow will fall. Other than that she had hot cocoa, hats, gloves—everything you need for a short winter wonderland adventure.
Mochi had this plan locked down, but still felt nervous. What if he didn’t like it and she makes a fool out of herself? Her palms felt sweaty, and she wiped it away on her coat.
"Don’t tell me you’re luring me out here for a confession?"
“Sush. Just keep walking.” Mochi cleared her throat. She was supposed to be nice to Solomon today, but it’s difficult when he constantly tries to tease her. “I mean, please walk.”
This should be far enough in the woods so they won't bother anyone. Complete with a small cabin nearby to take a break.
"Prepare to be amazed."
Mochi turned around so Solomon couldn’t see and shakes the snowglobe. Nothing happened.
Solomon tries to look over her shoulder. “Is that the surprise?”
Mochi runs forward. “Don’t look, just give me a second.” Mochi shakes it harder. Clouds start to form.
She looks up, waiting for white flakes and sees them. They land on her face, tickling her skin when they melt.
“Yes!” She pumped her fist in the air, sending the snowglobe flying out of her grasp and shattered on the forest floor. The broken glass and escaped fake snow lay in the dirt.
Solomon didn’t seem to notice, because he was too busy looking at the sky.
“Amazing!” Solomon said. “I never thought I would see snow in the Devildom.”
…This should be okay. Shattering wasn’t the same as shaking.
The plastic devilish reindeer stared up at her from the floor. Mochi picks up what’s left of the snowglobe, careful of the glass, and shones it in her pocket. “…Surprise!”
The snow was beautiful though. It caught the light like gems.
Solomon reached out to catch them in his hand. The snow dusted his clothes like powdered sugar, and disappeared into his white hair. “Was it the snowglobe? I thought I felt something cursed nearby.”
“Yeah, I asked Diavolo for once since he could make a beach. He could make some snow.”
The moment doesn’t last long, because soon the wind picks up and what was a gentle dusting, becomes a blizzard. It cuts through her thin coat, not designed to handle this temperature, like tissue paper. The snowflakes feel like needles on her face.
Solomon doesn’t look the least bothered, grinning with his hands out, while Mochi shivered in her coat.
Shattering did count as shaking, and what looked like an entire earth's worth of snow pours from the sky.
“L-look, a cabin! I think we should go inside.” Mochi grabs Solomon’s hand and pulls him along.
Mochi slammed the cabin door shut as soon as they got inside. Thankfully, she had the foresight to ask Diavolo if she could use one of his cabins, but she didn't think they'd need it as shelter from a blizzard.
Solomon lit a fire in the fireplace.
This day has been a disaster. Mochi sighed, and all she wanted to do was roll back into bed. Mochi stood by the fireplace, it’s warmth a great relief against her stinging fingers. She stayed silent for a couple of minutes, contemplating her life choices.
Solomon poked around the cabin, popping into some of the rooms making a few comments here and there.
“Now that we have a moment, could you explain to me why we’re here?”
There’s no avoiding embarrassment now.
“Uh… This was a birthday gift?”
“So your gift was to trap me with you in this cabin? It sure is unique.”
“It wasn’t supposed to be this much. I didn’t mean to make a blizzard.”
Solomon laughed.
“What’s so funny?”
“You look so sad! Over a bit of snow.”
“Shut up! I just wanted to do something nice.”
Solomon kept laughing. Mochi sighed. “I knew it. I should have just gotten you a tie. This was a terrible idea.”
“It’s too soon to call it terrible, isn’t it? The day has just begun. There is too much snow around not to have fun with it.”
“You mean you want to go out there ?”
“It won’t snow forever. Most of the magic was used already. If you’re worried about the cold—”
She was. Mochi brought hats, scarfs and gloves, but it wouldn’t be enough for how cold it was out there.
“—I can help with that,” he said. “My name is Solomon. Hear my command, grant us the warmth of summer. ”
There was a gentle warmth on her skin. Like the sun on a summer day. The warmth from Solomon’s spell might counteract the cold air, but it was hard to tell inside.
“I guess this might work.”
Mochi reluctantly leaves the warmth of the fireplace and peers out the window. She barely felt the difference in temperature by the window vs the fireplace, even when she pressed her fingertips on the cold glass.
Solomon was right. As quickly as the snow fell, it fizzled out. Only a few flakes fell from the sky, with a mass of snow on the ground.
She wades outside.
It was funny how different the landscape looked with just some snow. The deep greens and blue vegetation were all buried in white. For a moment, it felt like she stepped into a hallmark movie.
Something cold hits the back of her head. Snow splattered the back of her head, and she whipped around furiously.
Solomon was packing the snow together using his gloves.
“It wasn’t me.”
“Seriously?” she said. Mochi gathered some snow herself. She packed it together, crushing it until it formed a ball and chucked it at Solomon.
It landed in a sad pile by his feet.
“You’ll have to do better than that.”
Mochi frowns, and throws a snowball that hits Solomon right in the face.
She cheers. “Not so witty now are you?”
The snow slides off Solomon’s face slowly.
Mochi screams, and dives behind a snowbank, narrowly avoiding another snow ball. If it’s a fight he wants, then it’s a fight he gets.
“Prepare yourself. Solomon!”
Solomon created a makeshift seat in the snow, and watched as Mochi placed the final touches on her snowman. It’s joined by the mass of snow creatures Solomon conjured. He did so to show off, but wasn’t sure she was impressed. Mochi placed the final two sticks on it’s head, mimicking demon horns.
Two empty cups of hot cocoa sat at a makeshift table.
Mochi dropped down on the snow beside Solomon to admire their army.
“It’s sad that this’ll all melt away,” she said.
The magic would only last a day. Parts of the snow were already melting away in the warmth. Tomorrow, there will be no proof that this day happened.
“Even if they’ll be gone, it’s still worth it, right?” Solomon said. They may not have the snow, but they’ll still have the memories.
“Yeah.”
They look at the landscape in silence, sore muscles proof of an active day.
Days like this were rare for someone like Solomon. He who has lived countless lifetimes, time begins to blend together, weeks, years, centuries become no different. So a gift like this, memories so precious he’ll cherish them for eternity, are like precious gems.
The snow really was beautiful. Even the nip of the cold felt refreshing.
Mochi clears her throat. She was beautiful when she smiled wholeheartedly like this. “Happy Birthday, Solomon.”
Solomon smiles and brings her in for a hug. She squeaks but hugs him back.
“So you liked your gift?” she asked.
“I love it.”
“Even if I trapped you here by accident?”
“Of course.”
Solomon will cherish these memories, made with his most important person, like the fleeting snow.