babylon wood } { we will show you we're the best team
[MERRY CHRISTMAS superkappa! Set in babylonwood. virginvampire is used with permission and love.]
To be honest, it happened because they were bored.
Well, they were bored and there was turkey.
For the record, this was probably Alec’s idea. For one, they didn’t even know if it was anywhere close to Christmas, but he estimated after the Princess threw her winter gala, that that was probably the fairy version. There was a long ramble about how Christmas was just the Catholics reappropriating the pagan festivals that accompanied the winter solstice, and Jessica cut him off about halfway through and saying that she got the point. She didn’t need a history lesson, and she didn’t need to be convinced. She was all for Christmas.
It was just a matter of how.
“So what do we need?”
“What? Have you never had a Christmas before?”
He shrugged as he shifted his seat on the table to face her more. “Well, not a conventional one. I know that there’s food and presents, and … oddly chosen evergreen vegetation for decorations, but I don’t know what the actual requirements are.” That was the problem with being raised by the military. They didn’t really like their kids having whimsy, even if some got it anyway.
(They were the ones that usually went insane-for the record.)
He drummed his fingers against the table quietly for a moment. “Do we really need a tree?”
“You cannot have Christmas without a tree.” Jessica’s tone was so indignant that this was even a question, that Alec simply had to take her word for it. “And a big meal. Presents and lights and stuff our optional, but those you can’t do without.”
Okay. That he could work with. “There are turkeys.”
“You think you can cook a turkey out here in the woods?”
“Sure,” he grinned. “We’ll do it rotisserie style. It won’t be hard at all.”
“Alright-what about the tree?”
The tree was trickier. His fingers started drumming again, before tipping his head to the side. “There might be some smaller evergreen trees as we get further into the woods. Before we get to the big ones.”
The look she was giving him is a skeptical one at best. “Are you sure you really want to do this?”
“Sure!” he said with a grin. “I mean, it’s not like we have anything better to do. Monster attacks are at an all-time low and this is a healthy way to keep ourselves entertained without anyone getting hurt.”
“Alright,” she sighed, getting up on her feet. “You take care of the turkey, I’ll handle the tree.”
“I don’t get to come tree hunting?” That might have been a pout on his face, but it wasn’t that dramatic. Yet.
She gave him a look. “You don’t have any appreciation for it-you don’t get to find it.”
“Fine,” he sighed. “Just be careful.”
“I’ll be fine,” she replied as she headed for the door. “You’re the one who manages to always find trouble.”
“I’m hunting a turkey,” he replied as he got up to leave behind her. “How much trouble could I get into?”
***
Turned out-a lot. You can get into a lot of trouble hunting a turkey.
When he returned to camp, dead turkey in hand, he looked dirty and very put-upon. There was a very long story involving an angry looking wolf who was also hunting the same turkey, and a tumble into a very well hidden swamp. It was an ordeal, to say the least. But in the end, he returned to the cabin triumphant, dead bird in hand, even if he didn’t look very happy about it.
The scent of pine is what assaults him the minute he walks in the door. Standing in the corner of the small cabin is a pine tree-not a big one, and not a very well supported one, but a pine tree nonetheless. There wasn’t much in the way of ornaments-they’re at a compound in the middle of the woods-but there were a few things, mostly berries from the smell of them. Alec wasn’t sure what it was about it, but it seemed to add a little brightness to the room, regardless.
“Huh,” he commented, and Jessica turned around, looked at him for a solid minute, then laughed. His face soured again. “What?”
“Thought I told ya not to get into trouble,” she replied, moving closer to take the bird from him, and starting to pull off the feathers. He had showed her how to drain blood for her to drink herself a long time ago-a turkey was relatively easy to do that way.
“There was a wolf,” he said, making a bit of a face. “Not my fault.”
“Uh-huh.” Feathers fluttered to the floor, before she tipped her head back towards the tree. “Whadaya think?”
He looked it over for a moment, before nodding. “I like it. I’m starting to get the whole tree thing.” It almost made the place seem a bit more like a home. “ … But I think I’m going to go take a really cold bath in the stream.”
She made another face at him, because yeah-this one was going to be all timing, but he didn’t want to smell like a swamp for dinner. “Don’t get yourself eaten by a shark,” she sighed as she continued to pluck the feathers, and Alec just flashed her a look.
“I’m ninety-nine percent sure that sharks don’t swim upstream in fresh water.”
“Says the guy who almost got himself eaten by a wolf.”
Alec gave her a bit of a bemused look. “I’m pretty sure he wasn’t going to eat me.” She gave him a look, and he just shrugged. “Just saying.” He smirked back at her, before heading out towards the stream starting to strip out of his layers as he went.
He really hoped she wasn’t going to be right about the shark.
982 words
To be honest, it happened because they were bored.
Well, they were bored and there was turkey.
For the record, this was probably Alec’s idea. For one, they didn’t even know if it was anywhere close to Christmas, but he estimated after the Princess threw her winter gala, that that was probably the fairy version. There was a long ramble about how Christmas was just the Catholics reappropriating the pagan festivals that accompanied the winter solstice, and Jessica cut him off about halfway through and saying that she got the point. She didn’t need a history lesson, and she didn’t need to be convinced. She was all for Christmas.
It was just a matter of how.
“So what do we need?”
“What? Have you never had a Christmas before?”
He shrugged as he shifted his seat on the table to face her more. “Well, not a conventional one. I know that there’s food and presents, and … oddly chosen evergreen vegetation for decorations, but I don’t know what the actual requirements are.” That was the problem with being raised by the military. They didn’t really like their kids having whimsy, even if some got it anyway.
(They were the ones that usually went insane-for the record.)
He drummed his fingers against the table quietly for a moment. “Do we really need a tree?”
“You cannot have Christmas without a tree.” Jessica’s tone was so indignant that this was even a question, that Alec simply had to take her word for it. “And a big meal. Presents and lights and stuff our optional, but those you can’t do without.”
Okay. That he could work with. “There are turkeys.”
“You think you can cook a turkey out here in the woods?”
“Sure,” he grinned. “We’ll do it rotisserie style. It won’t be hard at all.”
“Alright-what about the tree?”
The tree was trickier. His fingers started drumming again, before tipping his head to the side. “There might be some smaller evergreen trees as we get further into the woods. Before we get to the big ones.”
The look she was giving him is a skeptical one at best. “Are you sure you really want to do this?”
“Sure!” he said with a grin. “I mean, it’s not like we have anything better to do. Monster attacks are at an all-time low and this is a healthy way to keep ourselves entertained without anyone getting hurt.”
“Alright,” she sighed, getting up on her feet. “You take care of the turkey, I’ll handle the tree.”
“I don’t get to come tree hunting?” That might have been a pout on his face, but it wasn’t that dramatic. Yet.
She gave him a look. “You don’t have any appreciation for it-you don’t get to find it.”
“Fine,” he sighed. “Just be careful.”
“I’ll be fine,” she replied as she headed for the door. “You’re the one who manages to always find trouble.”
“I’m hunting a turkey,” he replied as he got up to leave behind her. “How much trouble could I get into?”
***
Turned out-a lot. You can get into a lot of trouble hunting a turkey.
When he returned to camp, dead turkey in hand, he looked dirty and very put-upon. There was a very long story involving an angry looking wolf who was also hunting the same turkey, and a tumble into a very well hidden swamp. It was an ordeal, to say the least. But in the end, he returned to the cabin triumphant, dead bird in hand, even if he didn’t look very happy about it.
The scent of pine is what assaults him the minute he walks in the door. Standing in the corner of the small cabin is a pine tree-not a big one, and not a very well supported one, but a pine tree nonetheless. There wasn’t much in the way of ornaments-they’re at a compound in the middle of the woods-but there were a few things, mostly berries from the smell of them. Alec wasn’t sure what it was about it, but it seemed to add a little brightness to the room, regardless.
“Huh,” he commented, and Jessica turned around, looked at him for a solid minute, then laughed. His face soured again. “What?”
“Thought I told ya not to get into trouble,” she replied, moving closer to take the bird from him, and starting to pull off the feathers. He had showed her how to drain blood for her to drink herself a long time ago-a turkey was relatively easy to do that way.
“There was a wolf,” he said, making a bit of a face. “Not my fault.”
“Uh-huh.” Feathers fluttered to the floor, before she tipped her head back towards the tree. “Whadaya think?”
He looked it over for a moment, before nodding. “I like it. I’m starting to get the whole tree thing.” It almost made the place seem a bit more like a home. “ … But I think I’m going to go take a really cold bath in the stream.”
She made another face at him, because yeah-this one was going to be all timing, but he didn’t want to smell like a swamp for dinner. “Don’t get yourself eaten by a shark,” she sighed as she continued to pluck the feathers, and Alec just flashed her a look.
“I’m ninety-nine percent sure that sharks don’t swim upstream in fresh water.”
“Says the guy who almost got himself eaten by a wolf.”
Alec gave her a bit of a bemused look. “I’m pretty sure he wasn’t going to eat me.” She gave him a look, and he just shrugged. “Just saying.” He smirked back at her, before heading out towards the stream starting to strip out of his layers as he went.
He really hoped she wasn’t going to be right about the shark.
982 words