Day 377, Sunday, December 16th

[It's not a bad thing that Ash is out of the house more recently, even without mentioning where he's going, much less bringing Max out with him. As well as it seemed to go, somehow, Ash wasn't dragging him out to bars anymore. Granted the time of year made it obvious, and as for Max, he had things to go, places to do, too. Or more precisely, he wanted to have those things; but even once he'd settled on home-made again (setting aside the odd feeling he was a single-digit aged child riding on being cutely incompetent as an excuse not to have a proper, adult gift prepared) he was struck by not having any idea what to make, nor at which home. They also wouldn't be at either of those houses on the day in question.

Socializing him with the latest media was not only now pointless but also already done; he'd caught up well enough, as expected of, well, Ash. And he would be moving directly into higher academia, forgoing the socialization aspect.

He had no expensive hobbies, not that money was an object for either of them.

But mentally outlining the nature of his pathetic incapacity to find or make anything very special didn't solve it.]