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.

Buying a present for Lynna every year when he didn't even have a way of making sure she was still there to receive them wasn't his best plan ever, but it felt like stopping would be admitting that she wasn't around anymore. This year's present had been a felt bluebird, and the shipping cost for it to arrive on time had been more than he'd expected. It wasn't that he didn't have enough baubles on hand to trade for money, but that he hadn't found anyone willing to buy what he had so far today and he had a feeling that wasn't going to change before nightfall. Most everyone was looking forward to going home and unwrapping gifts, not buying more of them.

Chivy was bundled as warmly as he could be - between a scarf, a toboggan hat, a pair of gloves, and a variety of layers - but it seemed like the cold was more a mental than a physical thing by this point. He did take a moment to stop and look at the lights. Cold or not, there was something about Christmas that could make it all worth it, even if it was only for a few moments. Looking at the cheerily decorated houses let him remember Christmases past and have some hope for Christmases future, even if he wasn't so sure about the Christmas present. He still hadn't made any progress in finding his father, he had no idea how Lynna was, and Sefton was acting more prickly than usual. None of that was helped by standing, awestruck, in the middle of the street, though, so he forced himself onward.

Finding a store that looked open (some kind of sandwich place, judging from the sign on the door), he hurried inside. With any luck, the owners wouldn't mind someone sitting and warming up, and if they did... he could always try bartering one of his shinies for a meal. He stopped just inside the door to pull off some of his layers and tuck them into his bag, smiling at the bell that had heralded his entrance and letting the cozy feel of the small shack and its warmth soothe away his unhappy thoughts - for the moment, anyway.