EX Mission: Santa Frost is Coming to Town

It was finally over. They won the battle along with everyone receiving their rewards. Nihility looked upon the stronger Tyrian with pride. She once again ran her hand through his mane, admiring the new touch-up he gained when coming out of the Fusion process.

Spoiler:

"It's a pity that we couldn't upgrade your abilities by combining some from Jeff, but still, you are stronger than before."

Nihility nodded in approval and tapped her gauntlet to send her steed back into the device. After thanking Modo, she left the cathedral and headed to grab a cocktail.

~~~~~~~~


Nihility took her drink and once again took her place next to the window. She was creating bubbles in her drink through blowing into the straw when Rory suggested a Secret Santa ritual. Shrugging her shoulders, Nihility followed the others and picked up her piece of the ripped napkin.

The name she got from the bowl was of Bastion.

"Hmm... so I just need to get the person a present... seems simple enough."

Nihility crumpled the napkin in her fist and walked out.

~~~~~~~~


"Oh! This looks just about right." Nihility shook the glass object and twirled it around admiringly. "I hope he likes it though. It might not bring him the protection that the real things do, but maybe it will act as a positive reminder."

"Thank-you Allison. I knew you would have some pretty interesting items on you."

Nihility thanked the trader she had helped in an earlier mission for letting her buy the gift for Bastion.

Spoiler:

~~~~~~~~


Back at the dorms, Nihility dropped into a peaceful sleep.


Purple ooze seeped out from the Vanguard Gauntlet and pooled up onto the ground.

"Kehkehkee... and now it's time for my present."

Shoggoth slipped into the bed and hugged the sleeping girl. Covering both of them under the sheet, the demon activated her maga transference ability to soak in all that tasty energy from her Vanguard Partner.

Chaldea - Barracks

Bastion sat down on his bed and sighed. What a day this had been. He rubbed his arms and shivered slightly. Even with the warm atmosphere and warm drinks of the Devil's Cocktail, he still felt a small, lingering chill just thinking about the tundra they'd been fighting in not long ago.

He glanced down at his gauntlet, frowning. After a moment, he called out Archangel, who took several moments before appearing and inclining his head.

"Archangel, I want to know about your behavior from earlier," Bastion said. "Why did you react with such hostility towards Vayu and especially Cleo?"

Not that he was particularly fond of Cleo, but even that was a bit much for him.

"I don't think much of your associates, Master," Archangel replied stiffly.

"I deduced that much for myself," Bastion replied, frowning. "I asked why?"

Archangel turned his head away. "They're not suitable for you. Heathens, all. And a cambion, of all things..."

"Cambion?"

Archangel pursed his lips and declined to respond.

"Very well," Bastion sighed, holding up his gauntlet. Archangel returned to it without another word as Bastion stood up and shook his head. Best not to let Archangel know that he had to go Christmas shopping for one of the heathens he so disapproved of.

But... what did he mean by cambion?

--------------------------------------------------

Next Night

Chaldea - Barracks

Bastion entered the bar the next evening with his present under his arm. Most of the group was already present, with a pile of presents set up one of the tables. Bastion set his down, then went to join the others.

Most of the bar had been decorated to some extent with garlands or little clusters of holly. Someone - Komori, Bastion expected - had even brought in a tree and set it up in the corner. Rory looked as excited as Bastion had ever seen her as she put away her broom and came to sit down by the tree.

"Merry Christmas," Nena chirped, setting a glass down in front of Bastion.

Bastion blinked. Free drinks?

"Komori's tab," Nena explained with a smile, despite Komori's strained sigh.

A noise of pots and pans came from the back, and Bastion craned his neck around to look.

"Vayu's finishing up in the kitchen," Nena answered as she walked away. "Hope you came hungry!"

Chaldea – Devil’s Cocktail
- Vayu -

The swing door to the kitchen opened a little while later and Vayu entered. He was skillfully balancing a tray that was laden with all kinds of pots and plates.

“You made it!” His face was glowing, and his eyes looked almost as excited as Rory’s. An unusual sight from him. Clearly, he was in his element.

Carefully he shifted the tray down and started to set the serving plates and pots onto the table. Right in the middle he set down a big pot of stew that smelled deliciously of herbs and vegetables. All around it, he placed different plates with side dishes ranging from steamed to fried and a big sauciere full of dark, rich gravy.

“Let me just get the roast and then we can start,” he said and rushed back into the kitchen. A few moments later, Vayu came back, carrying a plate with a beautiful steaming roast on it. “Just don’t ask, what’s in it.”

“Is everyone here?”

When everybody was seated, he walked up to Komori and handed him a carving knife and fork. “As our teacher and mentor, why don’t you do the honors?” he asked.

Samael - End of Mission

Samael eyed Zeyphr for a few moments looking at the man with a strange and puzzling gauge.  His eyes shifted to his face, as he noticed Cherry had a concerned look on her face as well, as feeling of realization hit him, his face turning as head as Rudolf's bright red noise.

"I'm fine, just a bit on my mind.  Getting them a gift might be difficult!"  Samael stated with a forced smile, as his eyes seemed to convey a relatively lost feeling before he felt a tugging at his pant legs with an overly excited Goki who was looking up at him.

"Come on!  I want to make a gift for Ose!"  Goki excitably whispered in Samael's ears, as Ose slowly turned his stern gaze towards the towards the two of them.  Both of their eyes widened and jumped like they they had been caught in the middle of a prank, as Goki quickly shoved Samael out of view as he very 'normally' whistled away.

------

That night (Samael's room)

"So! So!  What do you think?!" Goki yelled, as he held up a crudely made cape that was full of holes that was somewhat fixed by spotty makeshift stitches. He gleefully jumped up and down like it was the best thing in the world, but Samael could only shake his head in response.

"It's a good start, but Ose might be interested in something more practical.  He doesn't have any guard on his chest.... So how about a vest made out of some bicorn hide, after all you did best one."  Samael stated with a smile, as he pulled out a thick black leather with him.

Goki let out a shout of glee like some child in a candy shop who just got told they could buy as much candy as they could carry.  He pulled the leather out of Samael's hand as he trotted over to the sewing machine, as Samael quickly grabbed Goki by his 'Ose' cape and held him up in the air.

"How about we work on this one together?"  Samael stated, gesturing towards the holes in the cloth cape he made, as Goki simply nodded in response a big wide smile still plastered across his face.

--- The morning --

The noise manipulation spell roared, as a loud beeping sound resonated throughout the room as Goki jolted awake, a few pins and needles lightly stuck in his face like a oni pincushion, the vest he made strapped around the top of his head like some poorly fashioned hat.

"Good morning...."  Samael stated, sleepily as he rubbed his eyes struggling to stay awake.  He wasn't exactly sure what to make Vayu, getting him food just seemed like an easy option...  So, he decided to do something personal... from him.

It was a thin white bracelet that was a similar color to the arm bands that Vayu wore, one for each arm.  However, instead of beads across the bracelet their were various cloth symbols in the shape of a blue snowman, a brown merchant vessel, and a nun holding a cross in her hands.  The second bracelet had a demon figurines on it, one was a winged reptile with colored wings, a white feathered owl, Another snowman with a red hat, and finally a grey-white agate jewel that resembled catequil's figure.

"SO COOL!"  Goki yelled shoving his face into Samael's, as Samael's face turned red again.  He quickly shoved Goki off the chair he was on and into the ground as a loud slam could be heard with a demon yelping afterwords.

"Sorry.... It's not done yet though, I still got to make some finishing touches to make the bracelets look better before we meet this night."  Samael retorted, as he quickly helped Goki back up onto his feet.

--- That Night ---

"I'm here, I'm here."  Samael quickly called out coming in late with two gifts and Goki in tow, sitting down at a seat of the table.  There didn't appear to be any signs of fatigue on Samael's face, if anything he looked like he just woke up from a long nap.  His voice however sounded the exact opposite, it sounded exhausted and rushed like he got no sleep.

"I'll have a drink...."

"And me two!"

Goki and Samael stated in unison, as the both raised a finger.  Goki's mouth began to water when he saw the roast, as he began to stand up before being pulled back down onto the seat by Samael.

As Nihility opened her eyes, she felt groggy and dizzy. She threw away the covers and slid her legs to the right. She definitely felt like waking up on the wrong side of the bed. The feeling of heaviness was quite apparent. Trudging her feet to the dresser, she managed to fill the glass with some water and sipped away at it. The cool texture going through her body helped with recovering some of her strength.

The young lady couldn't remember exactly what time she went to bed, but looking out the window, it seemed like it was already mid-afternoon. Apparently she might have overslept. Thankfully she didn't have any missions to take care off, but wasting away an entire day, didn't really sit well with her. Done with her water, she placed the empty glass on the dresser, next to the gift she had picked for Bastion.

Spoiler:

"I guess, I should wrap it in some fancy paper and attach a letter with it."


Nihility yawned as she rummaged through the drawers in search for something to wrap the present in. Not really finding anything appropriate, she ended up wrapping it in an unused pillow-case and felt content about it.

"Right, now to write that note to go with it."


Finding a piece of paper lying around turned to be much quicker than the search for the wrapping material.

"Umm... So, I think I should keep it short and simple." Nihility started to chew on the end of the pen while in thought. "Yeah, I will go with something to the extent of what I said to Allison."


Dipping her pen in the purple ink, Nihility jolted down the message and spoke it as she went about wording it.

"Dear Bastion,

In our last mission, I noticed that you have a literal guardian angel hovering around you. I hear that Angels are a symbol of protection, so I got you something similar. I know that it won't have the same supernatural effect as your Angel bestows upon you, but just maybe, whenever you look upon or remember having this object, it will act as a positive reminder that you are being watched over and being protected by these Heavenly creatures.

I wish you all the best in your life and may you be forever blessed.

Your Secret Santa,

NX"

Finally done and pleased with herself, Nihility carefully folded and tucked it into the pillowcase, making sure that it wouldn't slip out easily.

~~~~~~~~~~


By the time Nihility arrived at the Devil's Cocktail, it was bustling with activity. Noticing the pile of gifts, she quietly passed it and placed her offering on the table, making sure that the note with Bastion's name was clearly visible so that they would know who it was for.

Moving on to take her seat at the table with everyone, Nihility eyed all the delicious looking entrée spread about the dining table and that lovely roast that was just asking to be sliced and diced into. Suddenly the young lady felt famished and just dove into filling her plate randomly as everything looks so appetizing.

"Hey, whoever is cutting into that roast, I call dibs on the leg piece... please." She called out loudly with wide excited eyes and smacking her lips.

- Cleo -

The Devil's Cocktail

Cleo smiled at the name on his napkin before stuffing it into his pocket.

Rory.

He glanced in her direction for a moment, taking note of the joyous look on her face. Considering her usual demeanor was far more reserved, he couldn't afford to let the girl down. A few late night discussions with Nena had given him some idea of what Rory had been through, and she deserved good things in her life.

Finishing his drink, he slid the empty mug across the bar to Nena. She raised a questioning brow, but didn't actually ask if he wanted another. Cleo shook his head, which led to the other brow raising. "It's not like you to cut out so early. Are you getting a head-start on your shopping?"

"Something like that." Cleo responded with a grin. "I'm off to see an old friend."

"A lady friend, I assume?" She asked, knowingly.

Cleo put a hand over his heart, looking pained. "Do you assume I have no male friends?"

"Am I wrong to make that assumption?"

"Touche." Cleo chuckled as he dropped a couple coins on the bar. "This isn't that kind of friend though."

-------------------------------------------

The Widow's Walk

Cleo didn't flinch at the eerie jingle over his head when he entered the shop. He'd been here so many times that the bell didn't send a chill running down his spine anymore. Around him rows of shirts and dresses hung in midair, suspended by nearly invisible threads that held them firmly in place for display.

"Well, well. I've been expecting you for a couple days now." A woman in a jet black kimono stepped from behind the counter. Her sleeves hung almost to the floor, completely covering her arms, which Cleo knew to be her only major demonic feature, aside from her sharply pointed ears. A cascade of short, silver hair tickled Cleo's neck as she embraced him.

"Natalia." He smiled, returning the embrace. "How have you been?"

"Unsurprisingly bored. We haven't gotten a lot of business with the weather being like it is."

"Hopefully, that should be resolved in a day or two." Cleo responded, letting her go.

"Yes, I'd heard you had something to do with that." She took a step back, letting her arms fall back to her sides. "You know, it wouldn't kill you to come in a little earlier in the day from time to time..."

"Not if it means she has to see me." Cleo cut her off, his tone calm but firm. He hesitated for a moment before asking. "How is she?"

"Well taken care of, like all of my girls." Natalia leaned against the counter. "You'd know this if you asked her yourself."

"You know why I can't do that." Cleo sighed, feeling resigned now.

"I know why you won't do it. That's not a lack of capability." She frowned for a moment, studying his face. "She's your mother, Cleo. You humans don't get as many years as we demons do. It kills me to see you squander the little time you have."

Obviously, he wasn't going to respond to that. So, Cleo did the only thing he could, change the subject. "I actually had an alternative reason for being here tonight, and maybe you'll get to do some business today, after all." His eyes wandered around the room. "I'm looking for a kimono for a friend."

"Oh?" She smiled now. "Buying a gift for a lady friend?"

Cleo chuckled in response. "Not quite the way you're thinking of it, no. This friend is a teenager that works at the bar we frequent."

"Isn't that a bit young for you?" Natalia deadpanned.

"Natalia..."

"I know, I know." Her smile returned as she pushed away from the counter and made her way through the hanging garments. "I don't have anything standard in stock for a young lady that age, but there is something special I've had in the back for a couple weeks." Natalia paused for a moment, giving Cleo a discerning look. "It's one of mine."

"I can afford it." Cleo replied with a smirk. He could. That would definitely put a dent in his paycheck though.

As if carried along by a ghost, the kimono moved through the air towards them. White and soft pink flowers adorned the intricate green leaves that made up the pattern of the silk. In a swift motion, Natalia clipped the thread holding it up. Untrained eyes wouldn't have even noticed the sharp edge of her arm appear briefly from beneath her sleeve.

"Shall I wrap it for you?"

"Please." Cleo watched her move behind the counter and fold the garment into a large piece of parchment, which she tied off with silken thread, produced seemingly from thin air.

"It's waterproof and resistant to both stains and fire." Natalia slid the package towards him. "But you already knew all of that."

"I did." Cleo smiled as he retrieved the package.

"She must be some young lady."

"She's a lot like most of your girls." Cleo responded, thinking of his mother and the other women that worked in the shop. All of them had been down on their luck when Natalia had hired them, something that Cleo was all too aware of.

"I see..." She moved around the counter, pulling a pure, white ribbon from behind it in the process. Before Cleo could respond, she slipped it inside the edge of the parchment.

"Also one of mine, but this one's on the house. I'll contact the Vanguard about your bill."

"You're too kind." Cleo smiled, wrapping his free arm around her.

"So are you." Natalia responded, giving him a squeeze. "Even if you're going about showing it all wrong."

Cleo gave her a look in response, but she waved it off, clearly not caring about his opinion on the matter.

"I'll be back in a couple weeks."

"And I'll keep hoping that you decide to show up before we close next time."

With only a smile in response, Cleo turned and made his way out the door.

-------------------------------------------

The Devil's Cocktail (next day)

Cleo gently laid the package on the table by the bar. He hadn't noticed the eccentric Widow's Walk stamp (a veiled spider strutting on two legs) on the parchment the night before, but it hardly mattered if anyone knew where it came from. Besides, if there were questions, it could only mean drumming up more business for Natalia.

As the others gathered around the feast, he moved up to the bar and waved Nena over. "Could you pull down the bottle of Sati's Kiss I left here. I think after the last day or two, we could all use a little fire in our lives. So, I'll offer them all a shot after the meal."

Zephyr Arc -Devil's Cocktail

Seeing as Samael dodged the question and ran off, Zephyr sighed. "Let them be, we'll try talking to them again when they're less jumpy." Cherry whispered from his shoulder. Nodding in agreement, he instead walked over to the bowl and picked out a name as well. "Aeris? welp. Not a clue what that woman might like. Ideas?" He grumbled as he sauntered out.

He made his way through the still white-covered streets to his room and the barracks, finally taking off the thick clothing he'd put on to keep the chill away and putting on something more comfortable. Cherry lifted off his shoulder and disappeared somewhere to get a change of clothes herself as well. Since they had no idea between the two of them what Aeris might like, they decided to sleep on it, and quickly got ready for bed. It had, after all, gotten quite late when they'd finally wrapped up the day's excitement. He most definitely preferred it to the fiasco of their last mission.

As Zephyr grabbed his sheets and prepared to snuggle up, Cherry finally finished changing and floated over to his bedside. "Zephyr." She called. He knew that tone. Sighing inwardly, he sat up and met her eyes. "What's up, Cherry?" he asked, looking like he'd much rather be sleeping.

She held his gaze for a moment before landing on the bed and sitting down cross-legged. "Nothing. Just wanted to say you've been a lot better lately. Other than being brooding and anti-social after that last mission, you haven't even had many episodes. Heck, you haven't had a single one since that nightmare you described the night before we left that day." She started, listing all the positives she'd seen of him since his tenure as a Vanguard began. Zephyr knew, though. Whenever she started with the good, she'd absolutely give him a reprimand at to finish up.

"But you really have to learn to get along better with your fellow Vanguards!" As he expected, he thought as she continued. "Master told you you'd need to learn to get along with them or you wouldn't be able to work properly and that might get everyone killed! You should really stop being so antisocial and actually make friends with someone already, honestly!"

She kept up her tirade for a good half hour before finally cooling off with a pout. He poked her cheek with a finger. "Yea, mom. I'll work on that. One step at a time. Let's start with that Christmas gift, yea?" He joked as he agreed. She immediately bit the finger. "Fine!" She replied as he recoiled. "Ouch. Let's calm down and get some sleep, alright?" He pleaded. She glared at him for a moment before nodding and floating off to her mini-bed and going to sleep. He counted his blessings she let him off early this time and followed suit.

----------

-Black Market outside Chaldea city

The two had gotten up early the next morning. After some brainstorming between the two of them, they decided that since she seemed to be a fan of alcohol, didn't seem like she'd like flowers, and there likely wasn't any kind of practical equipment they could really get her, they'd settle for some extra-premium drink instead. Zephyr walked through the market until he found his usual dealer.

"Sander. I need you to get me something." He said to the man immediately upon walking up to him. Pleasantries were unnecessary.

"Ah, Zephyr Arc! Always nice to meet a repeat customer with money to burn. The little lady on your shoulder's looking well too!" It seemed the trader thought otherwise. "What'll it be this time? Last time it was some crazy specific and ridiculously rare artifact that I'm actually still surprised existed. It was even more surprising when you actually pulled out the cash for it. Well, what'll it be this time? Rare potion? A holy sword maybe?" The man asked enthusiastically. Zephyr didn't give him much of a reaction, which had been disappointing at first, but he was already used to getting no reaction from the man anyway.

"I need you to get me the best whiskey you can find." He replied, nonchalantly. Money hadn't been a problem for him since he'd been born. It remained no problem even after he lost his parents. They'd carried a number of goods with the caravan before the attack, but most of their assets had still been left back home, as they couldn't realistically carry everything with them. When Zephyr was found alive, the master had made sure he got all of it back in his name. The old man now managed his family business for him as Zephyr wished to instead become a Vanguard. The master still insisted on sending him an allowance monthly, which was more money than most people could spend.

"Eh, well sure. That won't be hard. I was kinda expectin' something difficult to find knowin' your track record, but an easy job always welcome. Come back in the evening with the cash to pick it up." Sander replied, looking just a bit disappointed.

Zephyr then turned unceremoniously and walked off. Cherry gave him a nice punch in the cheek. "What did I say about not being antisocial!?"

----------

-The Devil's Cocktail

Having picked up his order, put it in a box so it wasn't obvious it was a bottle and having Cherry wrap it up, Zephyr ended up arriving at the Devil's Cocktail last of all. He added his gift to the pile and then made his way to the table to sit down. Vayu soon appeared from the kitchen with an aromatic roast and it seemed Komori was sponsoring drinks again. Samael, who, it turned out, was even later than he was, burst through the door sounding like he hadn't had a wink all night, and sat down next to him after doing away with his own gifts.

"You sound horrible. What did you do to your throat?" He asked in amazement, considering he at least looked fine. With the lecture he'd received the other night, he was trying to make small talk before Komori got the feasting under way.

Chaldea - Devil's Cocktail

Bastion raised an eyebrow as Vayu set the roast down. He wavered between wanting to ask despite Vayu's warning and wanting to remain in blissful ignorance, and after a few moments, decided on the latter.

As Komori was handed the carving knife and fork, he grinned and looked around at all of them.

"Merry Christmas to all," he said cheerily. "Good food, and good meat... let's dig in and eat!"

"Here here!" they replied as he set about carving the roast and serving out plates.

They all dived into the food, all delicious and cooked to perfection, which they made sure to tell Vayu. Bastion, seated beside him, smiled as Vayu seemed to soak it all in. He certainly deserved it.

A warm chatter rose above the din of clattering silverware and plates. Rory, snuggled between Komori and Nena, was the picture of childlike joy. Even Ose seemed pleasantly amiable as he exchanged sly banter with Komori. Mongo, who'd been a bit forlorn for the last couple days, cheered up a bit at all the good food (and the pretty ladies all around). Even Aeris showed up toward the end, slightly distant but willing to nod her head in Vayu's direction in acknowledgement. Bastion himself felt peaceful and content for the first time since they'd returned to Chaldea, and the horrible memory of that day seemed distant, far beyond the four walls that contained their celebration.

Once everyone's plates had been cleared, Cleo raised the bottle of Sati's Kiss, which was greeted by a mixture of cheers and groans. Bastion sighed and took his glass along with everyone else, offering a half-hearted smile and a muttered "cheers" as they raised their glasses in toast and downed them. Fortunately for everyone's burning mouths and throats, Vayu hastily brought out his dessert - an apple crumble with vanilla ice cream, which proved both delicious and soothing.

"And now for presents!" Rory said, sliding out of the booth and heading over to the stack. She pulled out a present and brought it over to Zephyr, smiling.

"Umm..." She blushed and looked down at her feet. "You have really pretty hair, so..."

When he opened it, he found a supply of hair care products and combs. Bastion hid his face in his glass, but Komori didn't bother to stifle his bellow of laughter. He slid out and grabbed his present, only to turn around and find Nena standing behind him with hers. Silently, they smiled and swapped their gifts.

"Oh." Nena held up a glittering tip jar, turning it over in her hands.

"It has a gemini spell on it," Komori explained, grinning. "Any tip put in will be doubled. But just so you know, it only works once per customer. No putting money in and out to keep doubling it."

Nena glared at him for a moment, as though that hadn't been exactly what she'd been thinking, before breaking into a laugh and gesturing to his.

Komori unwrapped the cylindrical package, then held up the beautiful sword sheathe. Brow furrowed, he stared at all the marking carved into it before he realized they were names - the names of all the students he'd taught.

"You wouldn't believe what it took to hunt down every name to add on there," Nena said, setting her tip jar down on the counter. The next moment, she felt arms wrap around her from behind, a tickly, whiskered kiss planted on her cheek.

"I believe it," Komori said, his deep voice reverberating through her back. "Thank you."

Nena blushed and said nothing as he turned away and headed back to the others as Mongo clambered up onto the table and handed Samael a bag.

"Sewing supplies!" he offered, grinning. "Threads and needles and other things. If you want to make me a new outfit to show your gratitude, feel free!"

The next moment, he was wrenched up from the table by his ear.

"Paws off the table," Nena growled before dropping him unceremoniously off the side.

Mongo let out a whine as he rolled across the floor, landing in a heap next to a pair of black boots. He blinked, stared up the length of shapely, pale legs, and stared up into Aeris' face.

"Uh..."

Something heavy dropped onto his lap, and he blinked at the sight of his telescope.

"Merry Christmas," Aeris replied before pushing him away with her foot.

Mongo barely noticed, too wrapped up in gleefully hugging his telescope. Bastion decided not to comment on the fact that Aeris' "gift" was just returning something she took from him and go get his own gift instead.

"Here," he said, handing the package to Cleo. "Nothing special, but I think you'll find it useful."

Cleo unwrapped it to find a whetstone and polish for his swords. Ose must have been thinking along a similar wavelength, as he handed Goki a holster of sorts.

"For your club," he said. "A skilled warrior never draws his weapon till the right moment."

Chaldea – Devil’s Cocktail
- Vayu -

Vayu took the praise of his food humbly, mostly glad everyone enjoyed it. The atmosphere in the room became very warm and homey. Everyone looked like they were having a good time and even Bastion looked relaxed. The only one he wasn’t sure about was Samael who sounded a bit rough, but in between everything he didn’t find the time to ask him.

After dessert, Vayu leaned back in his chair, exhaling deeply. This evening felt like a success, at least so far.

Rory started things off with the presents and one by one the others followed.

Vayu also stood up and grabbed two wrapped boxes. He brought them over to Nihility and cleared his throat.

“This is for you,” he said and gave her one box. “And this one is for Shoggoth. They are infused with maga. I've also included the recipes, so if you want to learn how to make them, come to me anytime.” He handed her the other one. Nihility’s box was full of small little purple pralines. The other one was filled with a similar confectionery that slightly glowed due to the maga infusion.

“I hope you both enjoy them,” he added with a smile.

- Cleo -

With the feast cleared and dessert behind them, Cleo grinned at the excitement on Rory's face when she announced that it was time for gifts. As the others moved to fetch theirs, Cleo remained seated, savoring the moment. Without a good family life to look back on, this kind of scene felt foreign to him, but not in a bad way.

He rose to his feet, just as Bastion stepped up to him with a package, which he gratefully accepted. The contents might have been "nothing special", as Bastion had stated, but they were definitely things he needed. "Thank you. I'll put them to good use." Offering the young man a smile, Cleo sat the package in his seat and turned towards the rapidly shrinking pile of presents.

Amidst the others, Rory's head swiveled back and forth, clearly seeking out the person who had drawn her name. With each passing moment that no one stepped up, the light behind her eyes seemed to dim a little more. That just wouldn't do.

In an elegant motion, Cleo knelt beside her, holding the parchment wrapped package in both hands. "For the young lady."

He couldn't help but smile even more widely at the look of wonder on her face when she reached for the package. She hadn't even opened it yet, but the fact that someone had actually gotten her something seemed almost too much for her.

"Merry Christmas, Rory."


[OOC: This is the general style, but the base would be the same green as the leaves instead of black, and the wrap would be pink.]

Spoiler:

Nihility was nervously chewing on the bone while observing the exchanges. She was under the impression that these were supposed to be all secret and hush-hush. So when Vayu finally approached, her eyes widened up in surprise.

"Aah, ah! Is that really for me?" Her voice slightly quivered as she questioned the guy who had already given her so much.

Nihility plucked the Apple-Crumble dipped bone from her mouth and went for the gift bag. Swooping two of the Praline candies she popped them into her mouth.

"Mmmmh. These are so sweet, you are so sweet, everyone here is so sweet." she squealed in delight as she stuffed another of the sweet into her mouth. "Thank you so much for everything. I've never been to such events before, so really this is all amazing."

The excited lady stood up grabbing the two gift boxes, gave a hug to Vayu and whirled out into the streets in a joyous state. Totally forgetting about the gift she had to present to Bastion... well, there was still the note inside, so, he would eventually get it.

Samael

Goki let out a squeal of joy that was suddenly muffled into a serious stoic look, as he bowed to Ose and took the holster and put it on his side, perfectly sliding his frostbitten club into it like some samurai who cut his prey in half.

"Thank you Ose! Those demons won't see what's coming now!" Goki stated with another bow, as he lunged under the table Samael was sitting at and began rummaging under it to find the gift had had made for Ose.

Samael slowly turned his head wearily looking at Zeyphr who for showing more concern?  This wasn't like him at all, he wasn't sure if he had passed out and this was some happy dream, or nightmare.  Well, whatever.

"I'm fine, thanks.  I was up all night teaching this little oni here how to..." Samael stated tilting his thumb towards Goki who suddenly starting swing his arms around frantically at Samael in a fury of slaps until his hands were now covering Samael's mouth.

"SHHH"  Goki shushed in a loud whisper, as he held out a big garnished gift box towards Ose, who was probably staring at them now like a bunch of loons.  Though, at least Goki was excited about his gift that was a plus.

"Helping him make his gift for Ose... he's a handful of a demon, so I can't say more till Ose opens it."  Samael stated putting a finger in front of his mouth with a slight chuckle and smile.  Though, at the same time Mongo jumped up with some sewing supplies interrupting their conversation.

"Heh, sure.  you need a wardrobe update anyways, will probably help you with the ladies."  Samael stated rolling his eyes, as he turned to Zeyphr, "Same goes for you, helps if you have a extra pair of light armor for the missions."

Though, their conversation was interrupted as he caught Vayu out of the corner of his eye.  He gingerly held out a gift to Vayu with a rather embarrassed smile, waiting for the other vanguard to take it.

"Hopefully you'll like it, I was trying to get you something besides ale or cooking supplies since I feel like I should know more about you."  Samael stated with a nod, as he turned to Zeyphr for a second eyeing the vanguard.

"Did you get a gift yet, Zeyphr?"

Chaldea – Devil’s Cocktail
- Vayu -

Vayu watched Nihility’s reaction with a light chuckle. She was sort of adorable. The hug surprised him, but even more her hasty exit from the party. His brows narrowed. Didn’t she have a gift to deliver as well?

Then Samael caught his attention and held out a gift. The other Vanguard looked surprisingly embarrassed, spiking Vayu’s curiosity. He took it and carefully unwrapped it.

Vayu stared at Samael’s present for a few seconds. Unintentionally it had hit some emotional notes.

“Big brother!” Naomi, his youngest sister, ran up to him. The setting sun illuminated her long blonde hair that was flying behind her. “I have your present!” She stopped in front of him, holding her little hands up so he could see what she was holding. It was a bracelet made from flowers. “I made it myself,” she said proudly. “Do you like it?”

He swallowed, regaining control over his face.

“Thank you, Samael” he said to Samael, the remnants of emotion in his voice. He smiled at Samael and closed his hand tightly around the bracelet. “I love it and I’ll take good care of it.”

He had finally regained his composure. “Help me put it on, yeah?” he asked the other young man and held out his wrist

Suddenly his gauntlet glowed, and Jack Frost appeared. Vayu’s expression instantly darkened.

“Jack Frost. What are you doing here?” he asked sternly. “Why do you keep coming out on your own?”

The demon ignored him, taken in by the warm and lively atmosphere. Its eyes widened and a smile spread across his face. “This. Is. Amazing!” Jack Frost moved, trying to get to the remnants of the feast. “It feels like Christmas!”

Vayu snatched him by the collar and held him up. “I’m tired of this shit.”

“But you called me,” Jack Frost defended himself, still trying to reach for the dinner table, even though his feet weren’t even touching the ground. Vayu looked confused. “No, I didn’t call you.” Jack Frost shrugged. “Well something called me. Now, can I have some of that awesome food? Did you make that?” Vayu sighed and gave up. He set Jack Frost down. “Behave.” He warned him. Jack Frost absentmindedly nodded and hurried over to the dinner table.

“Sorry about that,” he said to Samael and Zephyr and scratched his head. “Not sure what I’ve gotten myself into with that demon.”

Zephyr Arc - The Devil's Cocktail

His question hung in the air for a while as Rory announced it was time for gifts and quickly grabbed a wrapped box scurried over to him, and Ose approached Goki to give the little Oni a gift as well. Giving the bashful child a smile as he accepted the box, Zephyr carefully unwrapped it, taking care not to damage the wrapping.

Inside, he found a plethora of hair care products. He could hear Komori burst out laughing almost immediately, as Cherry stifled a laugh on his shoulder as well. Zephyr just smiled a little wider and patted the kid's head. "Thanks, this'll come in real handy with the kind of work I have to do!" He told her energetically as he thanked her, and she went off to wait for her own gift to arrive. Cherry shook her head. The man was terrible in any social situation but was surprisingly good with kids.

Samael turned to him as Rory left and began answering him, but Goki reappeared from under the table he'd been under and covered up his mouth. Then, the little Oni took a well-garnished gift box to Ose. Samael finished explaining that he'd been up helping finish the gift for Ose when Mongo came up to him with a gift of sewing supplies. "Aha, yea, I get that a lot." He replied to the comment on clothing, glancing at Cherry for a moment.

"Oh, right! I nearly forgot." He got up and grabbed his gift off the table, then handed an expensive-looking gift box to Aeris. "Wasn't sure what you liked, so I just grabbed this." He said nonchalantly as he did.

Chaldea - Devil's Cocktail

Rory gasped at the sight of the kimono, her eyes watering up. "It's..."

She brought it up to hide her face, then collided into Cleo in an embarrassed hug before rushing off with it.

Aeris sniffed and stood up to leave, the overly cheery air about the place being stifling to her. This sort of saccharine affair wasn't her thing by a wide margin, and she wasn't convinced even a quarter of these people actually wanted her here.

As she turned, however, she was stopped by Zephyr approaching her with a gift box. She blinked, then opened the box and pulled out the bottle of quality whiskey.

"Thanks," she said, smirking. "I'm going to go off and enjoy this now."

She sauntered out into the night, looking more cheerful than when she'd arrived.

Ose watched her go, then turned his attention to the little oni in front of him, holding out a gift. He raised his eyebrows, but took the decorated box from Goki and carefully opened it.

"Oh." He pulled out the bicorn hide vest, turning it over in his hands. It was both striking and very practical. He'd not been expecting a gift, much less one this impressive.

"Thank you," he said, nodding to Goki and trying it on. "I'll put it to good use."

Bastion looked around at all the gift giving, feeling a bit left out. It seemed like everyone else had gotten their gifts except him. Did someone forget him?

"Bastion." Nena held up something and waved him over. "I think this is yours."

Bastion approached her, brows furrowed. "Is that... a pillowcase?"

Nena smiled and shrugged.

Nihility. It had to be. No one else would do something so bizarre. When he looked at the card, however, it was surprisingly touching.

Spoiler:

Bastion's expression softened as he read the words, then pulled the object out of the pillowcase.

Spoiler:

He cradled the glass globe, smiling to himself. It would certainly look beautiful beside his bed, watching over him as he slept, just like the angel in his gauntlet. A moment later, he was glad to have returned it to the pillowcase, as a Jack Frost scurried past his feet, startling him.

"He's so cute," Rory commented, beaming as she came back into the room with her new kimono on and displayed it for Cleo. "I hope you let him out more often, Vayu. I wonder what happened to Santa Frost, though... or Van Frost?"

No one really knew, and the matter of Van Frost dropped from people's minds as they continued to eat, talk, and show off their presents. But outside the window, Van Frost sat perched on the snowy window sill, smiling as he watched them all through the glass. Perhaps he had made a mess of things, but in the end, they all had come together with food, presents, and cheer. And isn't that what mattered in the end?

Hopping from the window, Van Frost ventured off into the snowy song, a bounce in his step. His days of Santa Frost were at an end, but he still had one last message to give.

"Hee ho ho ho! Merry Christmas!"