[ToxicShadow]

An older couple walked by Blayze as Adair was coming to meet him. The red head did a double take and smile, before running over to them. "Excuse me?" They both stopped and turned to look at him. "Um, could one of you please take a picture a picture of us in front of the tree?" When he asked, he gestured toward the blond, which came to stand just a little ways off from them.

Both sets of eyes shifted from Blayze to Adair and back again, and each smiled. The woman a little more so than her husband. "Of course, dear," she agreed.

"Oh, thank you very much!" Blayze quickly pulled out his mobile phone from the little bag that he'd carried with him. After all, his outfit didn't have any pockets. He unlocked it, it being a fairly new model, and navigated to the camera application. When he handed it over, he explained, "All you need to do is aim and press that button." The woman nodded. Even though she wasn't too familiar with the phone, it sounded easy enough.

Christmas Tree - 15

[ToxicShadow]

Blayze turned away from the couple and told Adair, "Come on. She's going to take our picture." The blonde nodded, because what else was there for him to do? The two began to walk back toward the very base of the tree.

Once a little space was put between them and the older couple, Adair quietly asked his question, "Why did you ask them to take our picture?" He obviously didn't want the couple to hear, since it would have been rude to them.

"It's better than one of us trying to take the picture ourselves," Blayze quietly replied. "And, this way more than just our faces will be in the picture. We'll probably even see the tree and the presents behind us."

Christmas Tree - 16

[ToxicShadow]

They reached the tree and both turned around. Blayze was immediately wearing a smile, while Adair's expression was neutral at best. There was a few inches between them, which Blayze was certain Adair appreciated. For him, the less they looked like a couple, the better.

"Oh, come on, smile!" The woman couldn't help but to say as she lifted up the phone to take the picture. "And get closer together!" Ah, yes, that was the problem with asking someone else to take the picture. They had their own opinions on how things should be done.

"It's all right, Ma'am," Blayze replied, trying to assure her that they were fine as they were. "Can you please just take it?"

The lady frowned. "But he's got such a lovely girlfriend! He has more than enough reason to smile!"

Christmas Tree - 17

[ToxicShadow]

Hearing her words made Adair cringe. Great. They were being mistaken for a couple, just like that! How could she mistake the other man for a woman? That didn't make any sense! He glanced over at Blayze and looked him up and down, as if to find proof that she was wrong. But, then, those thoughts stopped short. Seeing him like this, when he thought about it, if he hadn't known Blayze was a man, he would have mistaken him for a woman, too. An attractive woman, at that.

"Come on, dear, you're making them uncomfortable," the woman's husband interjected for their sake. She looked at him and seemed to understand. "All right, let's try this one more time!" She said, looking back at the two.

She lifted the phone up to snap the picture and, in the moments before, Adair quickly closed the space between him and Blayze. He didn't wrap his arm around him or anything, but their arms were touching as they stood close together, and he even managed a small smile. 'Tell hell with it,' he figured. What harm would there be in doing it?

Christmas Tree - 18

[crow]

Cantus didn't know whether to be glad for the fact that Sendou drew attention away from himself or to feel more awkward that his companion was being stared at. He himself was, if a little odd, at least easily explained. Disgruntled-looking young men were not an uncommon sight after the war, and they had existed for less savory reasons even before then. Cantus was someone that could conceivably be thought to belong to society. Sendou was not. Cantus found himself tensing despite himself. Logically there was nothing this crowd could do, but he remembered full well the circumstances under which he had met Sendou. If some bright spark figured out what the spirit was...

Fortunately, the moment passed. There were murmurs, and mothers ushered their children closer, away from the strangers who had entered the shop, but otherwise no one did anything like try to stop them. Cantus breathed a sigh of relief, and rubbed tiredly at his eyes.

For his own part, Sendou didn't seem to even notice the scrutiny. At least, if he registered it, he showed no outward sign. Nudging him with an elbow, Cantus said, "You can... control what you look like, can't you? Couldn't you tone it down a bit?"

Bakery 16

[crow]

The spirit blinked at him, uncomprehending. "I'm afraid I don't understand," he said. "But yes, you are correct, I may take whatever shape I wish." He drew himself a little taller as he said so, a hint of haughtiness in his voice.

Cantus motioned to his robes, and his hair. "I mean... This isn't exactly inconspicuous."

"Do you mean for us to hide?" said Sendou, looking around at the shop. "This is not the place to do it, if that was your goal."

Cantus shook his head. "No, but sooner or later someone is going to see you and put two and two together, and then you'll just get attacked again. So if you can help it, I'd try a little harder to blend in." They were speaking in hushed tones, but all the same, a few of the shop's other customers turned to stare. Even glaring at them didn't deter them all. The line moved, but only slowly; several were too busy trying to sneak glances to notice that a space had opened up in front of them.

Sendou looked perfectly complacent, however. "I am not concerned," he said. "You will protect me, as you did before."

Bakery 17

[crow]

"I think you're putting too much faith in my abilities," muttered Cantus. If the circumstances were different, he might have been flattered. His brother had always been the better fighter, the better strategist, and even when Cantus had been apart from him in the army, his squadron had mostly seen him as a hapless younger brother. To be relied upon was something of a novelty for him. But he wasn't looking to repeat their haphazard flight from Sendou's last mob of pursuers, so in light of that, he felt more as if the river spirit was just looking for trouble. "Look, I'm not saying you should renounce your river or integrate or find a nice girl and settle down. Just change your look a bit. Shorten the hair, or something."

"You wish me to do this immediately?" said Sendou.

"No, just..." Cantus was beginning to regret bringing it up, but he didn't have a chance to finish his statement. The family in front of him finished their order and moved away, and suddenly he was staring at one of the two ladies working the counter.

"Hello! What can we get for you today?" said one, beaming at him. Cantus's mind went briefly blank for a moment, before he caught himself and recovered, clearing his throat.

Bakery 18

[crow]

"Coffee," he said. "Black, no sugar, no cream."

"Alrighty then. And your friend?" She leaned over to get a better look at Sendou, who glanced over as if noticing her for the first time.

Cantus was about to open his mouth and say that Sendou wouldn't be having anything, but the spirit spoke up first. "Green tea, if you please, and... one of those." He indicated one of the confections in the display case. Cantus didn't have a chance to see which one he chose, but the woman was already nodding. "Just a moment please! We'll have your order at the side, over there." She motioned to where the other customers were waiting, and the two of them shuffled dutifully in that direction.

"Tea," said Cantus. "And sweets? I didn't know you ate."

"I drink, when the mood strikes me. I am fond of tea, though I've yet to find a satisfactory cup in your era." The food arrived shortly, and then all words were at an end, especially once Cantus laid eyes on what Sendou had bought to eat with his tea. Most of the concoctions in the window had looked wholesome enough, as far as sweets went. There was a homemade quality to them that made him want to trust in them, even as it brought back recollections of home in years gone by.

Bakery 19

[crow]

What Sendou had ordered was nothing like that.

It was... a cake, theoretically. It might have been a cake once upon a time, anyway, before it was slathered in heaps of green icing and pink sprinkles and gods knew what else. It... reminded him vaguely of Sendou's robes. "No," he said. "Sendou, tell me you didn't order that because it---"

"Do you not like it? But I thought the colors were so beautiful," said Sendou. Cantus had to resist the urge to smack his hand into his forehead. "You know what, nevermind. Let's just find somewhere to sit." He really needed a drink. Even the placebo of coffee would do. He would have to watch Sendou eat the... monstrosity, but even then it would be worth it. Probably.

Of course, they had to find seats first. Cantus noted with dismay, if not surprise, that there was nowhere for them to sit. It had been crowded when they had walked in, after all. "Well, there's still space by the fire. It's warm enough there, and we can... Sendou?" When Cantus looked behind him, however, the spirit was nowhere to be found.

Bakery 20

[crow]

Alarmed, he scanned the crowd. He had only taken his eyes off Sendou for a moment. He couldn't have strayed far, and he ought to be easy to spot, the way he looked...

Cantus did spot him, conversing quietly with a couple at a small table in a corner of the shop. At a glance, it seemed harmless enough, but Cantus knew Sendou; Sendou didn't talk to people unless he absolutely had to, with few exceptions. Upon closer inspection, the man and woman both had a slightly dazed expression. Cantus's frown deepened into the beginnings of a scowl, and he began pushing his way through the crowd, mindless of the disgruntled reactions of the other customers. "Sendou," he said, low and sharp, just as the pair rose from their seats. "I'm sorry; he's with me. If he said anything strange to you---"

"We'll be leaving now. Won't we, honey?" The man looked to his... girlfriend? Wife? The woman looked to be in her late twenties, and the man not much older, so it was hard to say. At any rate, his partner nodded. The glassy look in their eyes was even more pronounced up close. Before Cantus could say anything more, however, they pushed past him and toward the door.

Bakery 21

[crow]

Cantus watched them leave, then wheeled on Sendou, furious. "What are you doing?" he hissed. "What did you do to them?"

"We merely spoke. I made a suggestion. It was their choice to follow it," said Sendou placidly. "They were leaving anyway." He was already taking a seat, settling his robes around himself in great fluttering drifts of cloth.

"Suggestion my ass. You're telling me they left their half-eaten order like this because they wanted to?" The woman had barely touched her cake, and neither of their drinks were more than half empty.

Sendou gave a small, graceful shrug. "Perhaps they did not care for the taste." He did note the abandoned dishes with distaste, but a sweep of one sleeve and even these were gone, as if they had never been there in the first place. The table's surface was spotless. Cantus sighed, his brows furrowed in frustration. He didn't even want to ask where they had gone.

Inclining his head, Sendou indicated the seat opposite his own. "Do you not wish to sit?" he said.

Bakery 22

[crow]

Cantus regarded him for a moment, but in the end he resigned himself to what had happened, and took his seat. Taking a sip of the coffee, he savored the scalding sensation on his tongue. It took the edge off the taste--- which wasn't bad, for bakery coffee--- and gave him something else to think about. "You can't just keep doing this," he heard himself say. It ought to have been a firm reproof, but it only came out sounding tired.

"If it is any comfort to you, I do not generally trifle with humans," Sendou replied. But that was because he didn't interact with them, Cantus wanted to say--- and didn't. He was too weary.

Their seat was situated near a window, and Cantus found himself looking out at the scene outside. It was fogged over with warmth, but he could still make out moving shapes and colors in the milling crowd. Idly, he found himself tracing shapes in the condensation with a finger. He had half drawn, or perhaps half written something before he caught himself, but whatever it was slipped away from him as he came to.

Bakery 23

[zapdragon555]

It felt a little bit like rebelling from a hovering parent, if Yin was honest. It felt weird to even remotely think of Shikyu as a family member, but it felt a little less gross than the word ‘friend’ anyhow. Yin wore a vulpine smile on his face as he darted into the bakery, the warmth and smell of pastries washing over him in waves. “Ahh…” he murmured, closing his eyes and breathing in, opening them when he heard the bell tinkle behind him when Six entered.

Six sniffed the air, conscious of the fact that he’d just shut Shikyu out. He felt a bit bad, but he couldn’t deny that he felt a small buzzing high from running off without telling him. It might be a bit more exciting if they were doing something other than buying cake, though.

Yin immediately ran up to the counter and bent down to look at the little pastries lined up, his mouth watering. “Oh man—they have lemon cake. I need it. Hold on…” he mumbled, digging into the pockets of his coat, likely searching for some spare cash. Six pulled out a few keystones—he was still getting used to the odd currency—and laid them on the counter, making Yin frown and pout. It didn’t last long, once a slice of lemon cake and one of chocolate cake were placed on the counter. Yin snatched his up and trotted over to a booth, sitting down and pressing up close to the window to spy on people walking around outside while he ate.

Six followed at a more mellow pace, sitting down beside Yin and licking some frosting off his thumb where it touched the edge of the cake. “Less grumpy now?” Six chirped with a small grin, tail gently flicking Yin’s side. The boy leered good-naturedly at him, then took a large bite of lemon cake, humming in contentment. Eating was way better than admitting that, yes, he was rather placated, at least for now.

Yin breathed out through his nose as he took another swallow, and blinked at his shrinking cake. He wanted to savor this just a little bit longer. The cake, and… admittedly, also the moment. Yin sagged against Six’s side, warmth creeping into his chilly body where their sides brushed, his eyes lidded and staring out the window. Six quietly watched him out the corner of his eye as he ate, reaching one arm around Yin’s shoulders to hug him closer as he nibbled on his cake. “Think we should grab a piece for the frog?” Yin asked after a moment, licking frosting off the fork. “I’m sure he’d appreciate it. Maybe he’d even forgive us for totally ditching him.”

[The Bakery - 7]

[Flame]

"No, I'm fine," was the grouchy reply that Allorah got to her question from her considerably less-than-amused assistant. She paused anyway, still bent over and ready to lend a hand if need be - after all, she wouldn't put it past Pip to say that he was fine, then suddenly keel over. He wasn't exactly the kind to ask for help, especially when it came to his mistress - his entire existence revolved around being there to assist her, after all, not the other way around, regardless of the fact that she had come to see him as more of a companion than just a tool. Luckily, it seemed that Pip had been true to his word, and in just a few moments, he had regained his feet and steadiness once again, and Allorah straightened up, glancing about her self to ensure that the Phyrette hadn't wandered out of her sight while she had been concerned with Pip. The ferret-like creature had obediently remained close at hand, although it had bored of the situation rather quickly after determining that Pip was no worse for the wear. It was now attempting to climb one of the trimmed lightposts, more likely than not trying to get a better view of the snowy street.

"Alright, come on, guys. There's still a lot left to see, and it's not getting any earlier." That being said, Allorah took up her original pace again, her two companions quickly falling in with her. The Phyrette had given up its sport of trying to climb inanimate objects, but instead turned its attention to the scientist. The mild scrabbling of tiny claws caused her to look down at it, and its imploring eyes stared back up at her until she gave in to its demands, reaching down to pick it up by its midriff. Balancing it carefully on her shoulder, she let the Phyrette perch there, where it chattered happily in her ear, clearly happy to have a better view than it did down at ground level. Passing people gave the small group rather odd looks - after all, how often did a person walk by with a creature that wasn't a parrot on their shoulder? - but they paid them no mind, instead, continuing on their way towards Allorah's next destination.

[The Christmas Tree - 15]

[Flame]

It took only a few minutes for the next attraction on Allorah's list to come into sight. The fact that they were drawing closer was evidenced by the fact that the crowd was slowly growing thicker by the second, and by the time they had reached the block where they were headed, she almost had to push her way through the crowd to make any headway. She was glad that she was carrying the Phyrette at this point, because she was relatively certain that if there was anywhere to lose the little creature, this was probably a prime spot. It would have easily woven its way through the forest of legs and feet, whereas she (and consequently Pip) would have been stuck much farther back. A small part of her still worried that the Phyrette might decide to take up crowd-surfing, especially when they came within sight of the massive Christmas tree which now took up almost the entire city block. As such, she kept a close eye on it, watching for any indication that it might take off, and hoped that Pip was keeping up with them.

Allorah couldn’t help but grin to herself when she heard what sounded like an awed squeak come from her shoulder as they walked into the light of the tree, the glow of a million lights beaming down upon them in a golden haze. She herself couldn’t help but be taken aback as well, just a bit. She’d never seen a tree of this magnitude before in her life – well, at least not a fir – despite all of her studies and travels. She wondered briefly how the people who had set it up could possibly have hauled it into the town; after all, she could only imagine that even when bundled up, getting it through the streets (not to mention erected and decorated) would have been quite the undertaking. That, and they must have had cranes or helicopters with which to decorate the thing – just looking at the pinnacle of the tree made her feel a little dizzy. Last year’s tree had nothing on this one, but even so, she recalled being equally floored by the tree that occupied this space last year. That just went to show how much of a newbie she was to all of these holiday festivities.

[The Christmas Tree – 16]