encounter ∞ ; ? days

[polarisation]

The city was alight with Christmas cheer. Decorations, lights, trees, carolers, the whole shebang. People were clogging up the streets, in an effort to escape the chill and return home to their families before the sun finished setting

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[lostandfinder]

It had been a long week, one Chivy was ready to be through with. Honestly speaking, he was ready to be through with the whole season. Snow had its own kind of magic when he was younger, but that was when he'd had a warm home to go back to after a few hours of playtime. It was a very different story when he had to walk in it, especially since he was looking at possibly sleeping outdoors tonight

[polarisation]

It looked like the owners didn't mind freeloaders, for which Sefton was thankful. Perhaps it was their holiday spirit, keeping them from turning away anyone who had nothing better to do on Christmas Eve than warm themselves in the tiny shop while the rest of the world celebrated its beloved holiday.

The bell above the door rung, surprising him away from his descent into sleep. He blinked blearily a few times, turning his eyes toward whoever had come into the shop. Seeing the figure slowly unwrap itself from the mass of cloth they probably called 'winter wear' (and what Sefton would definitely call 'overkill'), he stiffened.

Sefton absently wondered if he would be able to leave without being noticed, then vetoed the idea. Chivy would certainly recognize him, even if he kept his head down, and he was still standing by the entrance while leaving no room to keep out of his line of sight. Talk about a rock and a hard place.

[lostandfinder]

Chivy almost collapsed into the first available seat, but he decided to at least make it look like he hadn't chosen to enter simply for the free heat. He almost couldn't believe his eyes when he spotted Sefton, but his shock quickly faded into something more pleasant. After all, even if they were having a rough patch, it was still the same prickly Sefton he'd known for almost a year and the closest friend Chivy had.

He dropped his gloves into his bag and headed for where Sefton was sitting, his smile upgraded to a grin and his earlier frustrations completely set aside. "Merry Christmas."

[polarisation]

Sefton hid the frown as Chivy approached by glancing out toward the window. "Hey," he replied neutrally. Figuring that Chivy would probably be sitting next to or across from him, he straightened in his seat and stopped slouching as much-he wouldn't want to accidentally knock into him after all.

[lostandfinder]

Chivy slid into the spot across from Sefton. The awkwardness was still there, and he wouldn't want to pressure Sefton by sitting next to him with an easier option at hand anyway. "How are you?" he asked, half expecting some kind of brush-off for his trouble.