[Flame]

“Come on, Valk! We’re gonna be late!”

Serenity bounced along the street, for all looking like a child save for the fact that she clearly looked like a woman in her early to mid-20s. She was currently bundled up in fluffy winter boots, warm leggings, and a fur-lined winter coat which made her look like a puffy blue marshmallow as she made her way down the pavement. A pair of fuzzy earmuffs adorned her head as well, blue to match her jacket. She’d certainly picked up on the clothing trend down here faster than anyone might have anticipated, but she was a firm believer in the idea that if you were going to do something, you might as well get it right the first time around.

Her enthusiasm drew the attention of passersby as she frolicked by them, but no one really seemed to mind. After all, it was the holiday season, and no one could begrudge another their happiness, even if they were Wren’s age. In her defense, this was her very first Christmas ever, and she intended to enjoy it to its fullest.

[Flame]

Plodding along a short distance behind the young woman was a man, who had a considerably more reserved air to him which felt almost tangible. The structure of his face suggested that he was a blood relation to the woman he was following, and indeed he was. He was her older brother (if only by a small margin), but he saw it as his personal duty to oversee her safety and wellbeing. It had been his only goal in life for as long as he could remember, since they were both mere children. Much had changed since that time in his life, but the one thing that never wavered was his protectiveness for Wren. Even she herself had no idea just how much he’d sacrificed for her, and she never would, if he had his way.  All he wanted was for her to be happy, and today was one of those rare opportunities that he got to indulge her a little.

[Flame]

“Slow down, Wren. What are you in such a big hurry for anyways? It’s not like the stores will be closing for at least six more hours, and the season is still young so there will be plenty of presents to choose from.” As a normally taciturn guy, it was probably more than he had spoken in the past few months to anyone else he knew. However, he had to admit that Wren’s excitement was at least a little bit contagious – he blamed his sudden talkativeness on that. “Plus, the last thing we need is for you to go and hurt yourself in the process.” It wasn’t his fault if he still saw her as a defenseless child; it was how she’d always been in his eyes, and likely would always be. Nevertheless, he picked his pace up slightly to try and keep up with the bouncing figure ahead of him.

[Flame]

On the other hand, Serenity’s excitement was understandable as well. She’d only recently truly discovered the world outside of her ‘home’, the place where Loki kept her imprisoned, mostly to ensure Valkyrie’s cooperation. But she didn’t know that, and to her, this was merely a very special treat that she needed to take full advantage of before the Christmas season was gone. After all, she didn’t want to miss a single moment of the rare freedom she now enjoyed, especially when she got to spend it with her brother. It seemed that these days, she saw less and less of him; his job always seemed to take him away from home and from her at the most inconvenient of times, and for unbearably long periods of time. She wished that she at least knew where it was that he went, but she’d been told more than once (by both him and Loki) that that was confidential information, and that it would only serve to endanger her brother if anyone else knew about it.

[Flame]

For just this once though, Loki had allowed the siblings to go out on an adventure together (albeit with an express and binding promise from Valk that he wouldn’t try any funny business). Wren had begged for an opportunity like this for years, and now, not only did she get to spend time with her brother, she also got to see a bit more of the mortal world which she was so fascinated with. She’d heard vaguely about ‘holidays’ in the past, but she’d never really come to grasp the concept (something she was still struggling with now). However, she’d learned enough from her books to know that this particular celebration – the one called Christmas – was about family, friends, joy, and most importantly, presents. That was the thing that had piqued her interest the most. Apparently there was a tradition of gift-giving during this season, and knowing that, she fully intended to follow through with the tradition.

[Flame]

“I know, but we have to find the perfect gifts! Plus, I’ve never done this before, so goodness only knows how long this process might take.” Wren giggled lightly. “I’ve heard that women in this world love ‘shopping’, and that’s how we’re going to go about getting presents in the first place. I don’t know about you, but I want to live how the other half lives, if only just for a day. It’s all rather exciting, wouldn’t you agree?” She had to dodge to one side on short notice, coming very close to bowling an unassuming passerby over as she avoided running into a lamppost. Nevertheless, she grinned at both the bundled (and now somewhat startled) pedestrian and the streetlight, as it took was bedecked with a wreath and large red bow to go with the season’s tidings. “Sorry!” Without missing a beat, she continued skipping down the street, peering into store windows as she passed them by. “So, Valk. Any ideas as to where we should start?”

[Flame]

Valk couldn’t imagine a single person less qualified to answer Wren’s question than himself, and as such, he floundered for a moment as he wracked his brains for a reply. Sure, he’d spent a lot more time here in this world than she ever had, or perhaps than she even knew, but none of it had ever been for his own pleasure. His knowledge of ‘fun’ customs such as Christmas was just as sparse as hers, but he didn’t want to let her down either. “Ummmm,” he said, struggling to find something smart to reply with, “I don’t know, who are you shopping for?” Yeah, that was a good place to start. He really didn’t have any idea who she was shopping for, so this was as much a surprise to him as it was for anyone else.

[Flame]

Wren paused for a moment as she peered through the window of a candy store they happened to be passing by. Regardless of whether it was the mortal or immortal realm, candy was one common thing that both worlds shared an appreciation for. Bon bons of all shapes, colors, sizes, and flavors were displayed in jars and on stands in the window, and the inside of the store was an explosion of colors that spoke of innumerable types of candy she’d probably never even seen or knew existed before. “Let’s start here!” Wren announced cheerfully to her brother, grabbing him by the hand and giving him no choice but to follow her as she bounced into the candy shop. If he ever had children (a thought which had never before crossed his mind), he had the feeling that this was a lot like what it would be like.

[Flame]

The chimes on the door jingled merrily as Wren pushed it open ahead of herself, the smell of a hundred different flavors surging to meet her from within the warmth of the shop. The saccharine scent was almost overwhelming, and Wren was sure that if it wasn’t for her sweet tooth, it probably would have been somewhat sickening almost. But it wasn’t, and instead, she took a deep breath of the air inside the store as soon as she stepped inside, her imagination exploding with all of the nameless flavors she’d never come across before but that she was now planning on tasting.

“Oh Valk, have you ever seen this many different types of candy?” She might as well have been a kid in a candy shop for all of her excitement, and it drew the attention of a few nearby shoppers considering the fact that she was much older than her current excitement suggested. Starting near the door, she proceeded to work her way systematically through the shop, making her way along the side wall first.

[Flame]

Valk had no choice but to follow his sister into the store, but as soon as the door opened, he was almost floored by the sheer magnitude of the smells which assaulted him. He felt almost as if he had just walked into liquid syrup, and for a moment, he was convinced that he was going to asphyxiate in the thick, sugary air. It took him a few moments, but he finally regulated his breathing enough to walk into the store without gagging. Nevertheless, as soon as he was inside, he found that he couldn’t begrudge his sister’s apparent overexcitement. He had to agree, the candy selection was really quite astonishing, even considering his greater experience with the mortal world in general. He’d never been allowed to explore before, and he certainly had never considered himself a ‘sweets’ kind of guy, but he thought that anyone who walked into this store would most certainly be converted immediately.

[Flame]

As Wren wove her way from display to display, Valk picked up a small red shopping basket from next to the entrance, following in her footsteps while doing his best not to disturb any other shoppers. After all, he was considerably bulkier than his slight sister was, and he had to make an effort not to bump into anyone or knock over any displays. However, his attention was very quickly snatched away by the colorful shelves of various candies, and to his own surprise, he found his basket quickly filling with bags of sweets, and not all just Wren’s additions either. After all, he’d never tried licorice before, and those ‘flaming hot’ candies sounded like a direct challenge. Wren was certainly making good progress as well, and by the time they’d finally made a thorough round (and then some) of the store, the basket was brimming past the rim with more different types of candies than they could try in a year. Another challenge to take on. With his sister babbling happily about who was going to get what candy as they made their way towards the checkout counter, Valk found himself smiling for the first time in a long time.