[Isalynne]

The tree was mountainous, stretching up so high that it made Trixie dizzy to look at it. How on earth did they manage to haul it here and decorate it so well? How did they even grow a tree of that size, for that matter? The nearby forests were certainly lush and plentiful, but she wasn’t aware that it was to this extent! Perhaps they’d come from further afield for this special occasion.

Callisto was mesmerised. The twinkling of the lights and the glimmer of tinsel had him enraptured, staring at the decorations with joy written all over his face. In fact, he looked like any of the children who were milling around and squealing with happiness – the wonder had made his face soft and round and youthful.

“You like it?” He blinked in confusion when he heard Trixie speak to him, but smiled nonetheless, nodding enthusiastically.

“I love it. It’s beautiful. Must’ve taken so much work…”

(12: Christmas Tree)

[Isalynne]

“I wouldn’t be able to go up there and put that star on top,” Trixie said, pointing to the golden figure atop the tree. “It’s… such a long way up, I think I’d be sick.”

“Aww, it’s not so bad! You wouldn’t fall.” The way Callisto spoke made her trust every word he said, even though her fear of heights was quite impressive. There was something very soothing about him. Was it natural to trust someone so quickly? Probably not, but she found herself hard pressed to care. “Lemme get a look at these presents.”

“Okay, b-but don’t tamper with them!”

“I’d never!” His cheeky smirk would suggest otherwise, but she didn’t say anything. Instead, she followed along when he went to stoop in front of the piles of boxes, standing by his side. No one would give them funny looks, right? They weren’t stealing…

(13: Christmas Tree)

[Isalynne]

Callisto hummed as he picked up a few of the boxes, turning them over in his hands. What could they be? Were they going to be handed out to the children who visited, or were they donations for the needy? They were wrapped immaculately – someone had taken a lot of time with them – and it almost sounded like a shame that they’d be opened and that paper ruined.

“Let’s play a game!” He suggested out of nowhere, and Trixie made a soft sound of surprise, before crouching down next to him.

“What kind of game?”

“Let’s guess what’s inside of these, and who it’s for!”

“How will we know if we’re right?”

“We don’t. That’s the fun part!”

Trixie raised a brow, baffled by the concept, but he looked so excited by it that she couldn’t deny him.

(14: Christmas Tree)

[Isalynne]

"Okay, this one," Callisto announced, holding up a rectangular box wrapped in red and gold with a green bow perched on top. "What do you think?"

"It looks quite fancy.. so I'd say something for a grown up," Trixie suggested, and he narrowed his eyes, lifting it up to peer at the bottom as if that might give him some hints. As he rattled it slightly, not aggressively enough to spoil anything but hard enough to make a few passersby look, she winced and moved to rest her palm on his arm to stop him. "Don't, people are staring."

"So what? Hey, it could be something really stuffy like.. champagne flutes or something!"

"That's exactly why you shouldn't be doing that! I don't wanna smash some poor soul's gifts!"

"Aww, fine." The box was placed down among the others, and a more circular gift was selected instead. The rattling sound from within made them exchange a curious look.

(15: Christmas Tree)

[Nyxia]

As Sakari stood warming her hands, Luka smiled to himself. It was nice to see his little sister doing something so "normal" as this, enjoying the holidays for reasons other than granting wishes. He was even enjoying the small distraction it provided as well, though unlike his little sister he still heard the whispers of peoples wishes in the back of his mind. "Alright, the petting zoo it is then." He almost laughed when she beamed at him, looking more like a child than ever before. "That means however a stop at the bakery, after all we haven't eaten yet." He chuckled as he came to stand beside her at the fire. Sakari was the size of a child, though her white hair always stuck out. Bright mismatched green and red eyes looked up at him, something she never seemed interested in changing about herself.

"Where's Annika?" She glanced about the fireside, seeking out the sight of their sister. Luka had told her that Annika would be coming too, which had really excited Sakari. While the older siblings were content to work nonstop during the season, it seemed the younger ones were spending more time enjoying the holiday. Annika was only four years older than Sakari, but she was much more mature. Now however as they stood their, Sakari was worried. It was possible that she'd become distracted by a wish, but it was out of character for Annika to not let them know she'd be late.

[Bonfire - 2]

[Isalynne]

The thing was round, wrapped a little more haphazardly than the others, and was cool to the touch. It didn't have a bow or string attached. Careful not to vex Trixie any further, Callisto gave it a more cautious shake, and heard wrappers shuffling around inside it.

"This is candy!" He looked exceptionally excited at the concept, and hugged the tin close to his chest, sticking out his tongue at the girl staring at him disapprovingly. "Aww, I want to keep it!"

"No! Enough, you can't just steal presents," Trixie protested, but with a grin nonetheless. "We can get some candy, there's bound to be someone selling some around here.."

"I know, but look. A whole tin!"

"No, Cal, come on!"

With an exaggerated sigh and a teasing eye roll, he pushed himself to his feet, shaking his head at her in disapproval. All she could do was laugh back. He was silly; she liked that.

(16: Christmas Tree)

[Isalynne]

Callisto offered his arm as they began their walk to their next stop, and Trixie froze for a second, her mind whirring. Was this okay? Was this normal? No one had ever done that for her before, especially not a boy. Did boys usually offer things like that to girls? Was Cal a special case? Her brain throbbed with the speed of her thoughts, and before she could talk herself out of it, she held onto him.

"Have you ever been here before?" He asked after a moment, and she shook her head.

"No, this is my first time. I spend a lot of time at home alone for Christmas, actually.. I don't really celebrate so much."

"Are you serious?" Cal's eyes widened, looking appalled at the suggestion that she would not have other people around her during the holidays. That wasn't right. Everyone should have fun and be jolly, with lots of friends or family to share gifts and food with. "Do you get many presents?"

"Not really, but that's okay. It's not a big deal to me."

(17: Christmas Tree)

[Nyxia]

Luka thought for a moment, keeping his own face fairly puzzled as he pretended to think over her question. While Sakari looked as though she were only ten, in truth she was closer to twenty years old. Things had not gone well when she'd been awakened in this world, and she'd been born instead of awakened. "She might be running a little late, Sakari." He finally said with a slight shrug, taking a long look around the fire himself. "She had to help Kirvena and Svölnir decorate the house after all." While most of the time Sakari's mind was child like, reminding Luka of when she'd been a little girl in their home world; sometimes she could show her age and wisdom as well. He hoped he was fooling her some, and that the parts of her mind that retained her adult self didn't catch on.

His answer seemed to satisfy her, as Sakari turned back to look into the fire for a few minutes. Then her eyes came back to him, and Luka saw the Sakari he'd known before they'd woken in this world. "I worry sometimes, Luka." She gave a heavy sigh, and a slight shake of her head. "You, Kukiko, Annika, even Kirvena; you all work so hard during this season, and I'm not what I once was." She turned to stare into the darkness that lay beyond the fire, away from him. "I feel like I'm not doing enough to help you all." The truth weighed heavily on her, when the mature parts of her mind surfaced. It was something none of the siblings liked to see, especially Luka. They all did their best to keep her from dwelling on it, which was part of this outing. However here it showed through, how difficult this was on her. A shake of her head, however, and the young carefree Sakari was back. She turned to Luka, blinking a couple of times, before reaching out and taking his hand. "Will their be Reindoes like at home? Oh I hope so!" She tugged on Luka, pulling him away from the fire and towards the christmas tree which they could see.

[Bonfire - 3]
[Moving to the Christmas Tree]

[Isalynne]

"I'm going to get you a gift," Callisto said in a matter-of-fact tone, and Trixie made a surprised noise of protest, shaking her head.

"No, I don't want you to spend money!"

"You're getting a gift! I mean, I hate thinking of you having nothing at all."

"I won't have nothing, it'll be fine--"

"Too late, I've made up my mind."

Trixie knew there was no point in arguing the case any further, so she frowned and dropped it. How could she convince him that it wasn't necessary? They'd only known each other for a short period of time, and she had no desire to take money off him or anything of that sort. His company was nice enough. While she was thinking, they grew closer to a sweet looking building, that looked like it was flocked with people already. What was it? The image of a pastry above the door suggested that they'd reached a bakery, as well as the rich smell of sweetness wafting from within.

(18 - Bakery)

[Isalynne]

"Food!" The almost desperately pleased tone of Callisto's voice had to make Trixie laugh - he definitely had a sweet tooth if he was this excited. Still holding on to his arm, she had to jog to keep up with his long strides as he approached the door, not bothered by the crowds flittering around the place. The only thing on his mind was the number of yummy treats he was going to find within.



"Hey, Cal," A deep voice resounded from somewhere nearby, and the pair turned their heads rapidly in its direction, surprised. Trixie was bewildered to see an almost ridiculously tall man with short brown hair and a beanie smiling in their direction. "What are you doing, dragging girls around?"

"Victor, I didn't think you'd be here!" Cal had gone up a few octaves, for sure, and his cheeks had darkened - Trixie doubted that it was because of the cold. Were they.. did he..? "What's up?"

"Just came to hang out a little, enjoy the festivities," Victor explained, before turning his focus to Trixie. "Hey, honey. I'm Victor, nice to meet you."

(19: Bakery)

[Isalynne]

"You can't just call people you've just met by names like that!" Callisto protested.

"It's okay.. hi, I'm Trixie," Trixie held out her hand, and was rather shocked at the size of the one that took it. His fingers were twice the length of hers! Was he half giant or something? No, that was rude to say... still, he was absolutely huge, though not ridiculously buff. A firm enough grip to tell that he worked out, though. "You know each other?"

"We go to school together." Victor said, before nodding his head towards the bakery's doorway. "Shall we get some food? I'm starving."

"Me too!" Cal was more than happy to accept that suggestion, and bounded inside first, allowing his friends to step in behind him. The interior was just as sweet and welcoming as the exterior - there were mouthwatering smells coming from every angle, and the warmth compared to the chill of the air outside was a welcome relief.

(20: Bakery)

[Nyxia]

As they began walking, Luka had to wonder if Annika had indeed made it. The pair had cooked up this half cocked surprise, to bring Sakari out to something special for their gift to her. However the longer they went without seeing their sister, the more Luka worried something really might have delayed her. His fears were put aside however as they neared the tree, and Luka found himself marveling at it. While this was the first time they had even taken part in the festivities of the holiday, he had to admit it was rather nice to see this. As he kept Sakari back some from the children standing around the tree, Luka took it in himself. "It's so pretty, Luka." Sakari nearly squealed with delight at the sight of the tree, and Luka choked back a laugh. "Do you think ours will look that pretty?" She stood looking at him with the seriousness only a young child could have. Luka normally would have admitted he had his doubts about it, but looking at Sakari he didn't have the heart to say so. Instead he nodded before looking back up at it, his eyes searching over the man different ornaments that hung and sparkled back at him like multicolored stars.

[Christmas Tree - 4]

[Nyxia]

After a few more minutes the children wandered off, or were towed away towards the sweet and sugary smells by parents. It was then that he allowed Sakari to wander up to it, much to her delight. With her earlier episode, Luka was a bit worried. They were becoming more frequent as the season pressed on, something that Kukiko and their allies of the Dream were unaware of. Still he watched as she marveled at the wrapped boxes, and tiny bell ornaments that hung at eye level with her. She was so absorbed in the tree and everything on it, as he was with keeping an eye on her. He never heard the footsteps that came up behind him, nor did he notice the floral scent. "She seems so happy just with that tree." The voice from behind him, stared Luka.

Annika

The petite blonde woman behind him smiled softly back at him, before looking beyond him to Sakari. "I mean its strange to see her like that still." She motioned towards the tree, which Sakari was staring at with an awestruck gaze. "Oh, I brought a present from you as well." She handed him a small box wrapped in green and gold paper. Laughing softly as Luka stared at the box in his hand, like it might jump up and do something. "It doesn't bite, Luka. I swear." Annika shook her head as she held up her own, which had silver, red, with a light purple bow on the top. Without saying anything to him, Annika made her way towards the tree and Sakari. "How's my favorite sister, tonight?" She smiled as Sakari spun around to face her, with a surprised but happy expression.

[Christmas Tree - 5]

[Sarah]

"Nothing to worry about M'lord," Sarai assured him. "They are really only here for show. Although only others of my kind can see them," she added with a wink.

Sevastion chuckled but said nothing. He did not feel as if he'd given himself away. If she had to use wraiths to figure out if a being was a demon then she was less powerful than he thought. Normally demons were able to tell each other apart on instinct.

(8 | Bonfire)

[Nyxia]

Sakari's eyes lit up at the sight of Annika, and her smile brightened further. "You came, you really did come!" Sakari dashed across the snow dusted ground towards her slightly taller sister, arms opening as she neared Annika. Wrapping her arms around Annika's neck, Sakari didn't even notice the box in her hand. "Luka and I thought you might have been tied up in something. But your here!" She was so excited, that after a moment she pulled back and took Annika's hand. "Did you see the tree? It's beautiful." She was in the process of dragging Annika around the tree to show her several of the ornaments which Sakari found to be the best. Luka had followed them noting how Annika looked over the tree, as though she were enjoying the tour of it.

"I've been here for a while, waiting for you two." Once they'd finally stopped for a bit, Sakari gave her a perplexed look. "Luka and I wanted to surprise you." Gently Annika turned Sakari to face her, and Luka looked away sheepishly. "Plus we both brought you something." Holding out the silver and red box for Sakari, who admired it for a few breaths before gently taking it from Annika's hands. "Go ahead and open it, Sakari." She watched as Sakari held up the box, looking it over with wide eyes.

[Christmas Tree - 6]