Christmas ZOMG.
((Hokay! Christmas! Here are presents. Pretend this is backdated and everyone got their gifts in time for Christmas? Pretty please? :D I will go back through my flist later and reply to other peoples postings.))
The only gift Skarrow really wants at Christmas is attention (lots of it), so Courtney gives him plenty of that in the form of drafting him to help wrap gifts. Some people may find extra objects inside their packages, that Courtney didn't intend to send. Things like feathers, acorns, interesting pebbles, maybe an alligator tooth...
Ramon and Hippolyta: An ominously large basket is delivered to the Mayfair flat. Inside is an array of clumsily wrapped gifts, including toys for Bhima and the new puppy (You can tell which ones are specifically for Bhima, because they require opposable thumbs. He and the puppy can fight over the ones that don't.), amaretto muffins for everyone, and four freshly caught rabbits, cleaned but unskinned, and bagged in plastic, for the Verdugos. A note attached to the latter reads: I would have sent a deer, but I thought that might be a little overwhelming. Plus, having been one not too long ago, it'd feel a little weird hunting them. There is a package labeled for Ramon and Hips jointly; it contains a large blanket, soft but a fairly plain blue color, except for some weird symbols stitched onto the corners. The note attached to this reads: This has a sound-dampening spell on it. Pretty much anyone whose bare skin is touching it will be affected, so that external noises around them will be audible, but much softer and easier to ignore. I thought it might come in handy if you guys needed some sleep or, you know, quiet time. Sorry for the cat hair. My cat got to it before I could send it to you. He says he was testing it.
An additional package in the bottom is addressed to Hippolyta, as a late birthday present. I wrote 'moonstone snowflakes' on that xmas stocking meme thing, and then I remembered you were supposed to avoid snow this winter. So I sent warm stones instead. The gift is a small glass bottle of rough, semiprecious gemstones purchased from the Goblin Market: scapolite, fire opal, and sunstone, a rainbow of reds and golds.
N. Tonks: Tonks gets a box of multicolored sparklers, a bouquet of different-flavored candycanes tied with purple ribbon, and a Grinch plushie. Maybe we should shop together next year. Your world has the best candy stores. Merry Christmas!
Toph: I have no idea if you even celebrate any holiday this time of year, the note reads, but I saw this at the market and I thought you might like it. I'm not sure what sort of stone it is. Said note is attached to a fist-sized chunk of stone with one smooth, polished edge, the other sides are rough and craggy and studded with small, cubical crystals. The color is fairly unremarkable; sort of a coppery brown, but the rock seems to be faintly warm to the touch.
Butterworm and Butterbug: Both of them get Santa hats stuffed with various kinds of food. Courtney knows Butterworm will just turn his nose up at his, but it's the thought that counts. Besides, that just means extra snacks for Butterbug, who deserves them more anyway.
Derek and Jun get a box wrapped in silvery snowflake paper. Inside is a bundle of baby clothes in gender-neutral colors: green, yellow, violet, light brown. The note says, I asked my mom about the baby thing, and she said 'you can never have too many onesies'. So...here's some onesies.
Dr Schreber: Doc Schreber and Sarah obviously need Christmas ornaments. Courtney and Skarrow are happy to oblige. They spend several hours gluing, stitching, and painting, eventually coming up with some cute seasonal figures in twigs, nuts, and pine needles, and one rather humorous likeness of Orwell in felt, with real feathers sewn on the wings. Courtney also buys a few Christmas CDs for both Schreber and Sarah. You can never have too much Christmas music. Well, actually, you can, but when you can voluntarily turn it off, it's usually all right.
Eiko: Eiko=Really hard to shop for. After a few tries, Courtney opts for something more personal and homemade and pulls together copies of all the papers Eiko helped her with over the past year. She places these in a scrapbook, with notes from her teachers regarding her progress, copies of her report cards, and commentary from her uncle, plus a few photos. They would have sent me to military school by now without your help, the accompanying card notes, and I'm not just talking about the tutoring. Thank you. Merry Christmas!
Isis: Courtney gets Isis' present during a trip to the Goblin Market. It's neatly wrapped in a padded cigar box; a set of seven glass vials containing preserved roots. They are labeled carefully by hand, their magical properties listed in detail. These are only available in the winter where I come from. They may be analogous to plants in your own world; I don't know. Anyway, I thought it was a neat display set, whether you can use them or not.
Leela: Courtney sends Leela some paperwhites and an Amaryllis. Tom gets an assortment of wizarding candy, and a set of fuzzy posters to color (the subjects, of course, being snakes).
Lina Inverse: What Courtney really wanted to give Lina was a pizza, but she wasn't sure how to make that work. Instead, she opts for a hamper of cheese, crackers, summer sausage, etc. from one of the innumerable food places that pops up in malls and in catalogs around the holidays. She also sends her a set of jeweled barettes and a matching bracelet; gold with blue stones, to set off the color of her hair.
Fisher: Fisher is one spoiled kitty this Christmas. Downstairs with the family, he gets a stocking of kitty treats, jingly bells, and real fur toy mice, but the real swag is upstairs in Courtney's closet. He has a carpet-covered cat perch with plenty of places to rest and hide, imported catnip, a half-dozen different cat (and/or Kneazle) toys from the Potterverse, a magical comb designed to work snarls out of his fur and repel fleas and ticks, a promise of smoked (not canned) salmon for New Years' Day breakfast, a box of six live feeder crickets, and one very confused feeder mouse.
She also has the Bast pendant she bought from Tetu in the Nexus. She doesn't want to give it to him with the toys, though. It wouldn't do to get that confused. Once he's tired from chasing live critters and satiated from eating them, she'll present it.
Ms. Crisp: Courtney has a wary, grudging respect for Ms. Crisp these days, and it seems like a good idea to give her something for Christmas. On the other hand, giving teachers presents is a delicate business; one doesn't want to seem to be kissing up. Plus she doesn't want to give her anything obviously Nexus-related. In the end, she gets Skarrow to help her design a simple felt pattern and stitch together a palm-sized, soft White Stag figure. It can be placed on a Christmas tree, or kept on a dresser somewhere. Skarrow puts a few sprigs of evergreen inside before they sew it up, so that it smells fresh, and sweet, not unlike the Stag himself.
Thorn: Books are always a safe bet for Thorn, and Courtney gives him quite a few of them. He already knows more about poetry than she does, so she goes for novels instead, giving him some of her favorites: The Last Unicorn, Seaward, The Neverending Story, The Black Cauldron, A Wrinkle in Time. There are a couple CDs, as well, and a note that says she has another present for him, but it has to be delivered in person, and can he come visit?
Toshiro: Courtney's pretty sure Toshiro doesn't celebrate Christmas, but she's also pretty sure he won't be offended by the basket of beef log, fresh cherries, and spiced cider she sends him for the occasion.
Lan: Courtney sends Lan a hyacinth, a jar of raspberry honey, and a length of hand-dyed silk in greens and rosy pinks.
Snape and Nadezhda: In addition to a dozen amaretto muffins and a holly wreath, Courtney sends Dez and Snape a cheap playset of plastic pirate figurines and a small pressure-gun that shoots foam pellets.
Dr. Crane gets a miniature Book Repair Kit, with the hope that he will not have to use it, and a small, white five-petaled flower in a green pot, labelled 'Black Hellebore, aka Christmas Rose, awfully useful in incense, protection and banishing spells and talismans. Also kind of pretty.'
Djehuty, Ruthven, Djehutymes: Like Hips and Ramon, Djehuty and family recieve a rather dauntingly large basket. Inside is an assortment of gifts. There are cherries, bananas, and pears for the bats, a few crickets for the tarantula, a jingle-ball for the kitten, and a box of 'people crackers for dogs' for Meryt. Djehuty himself gets a nice stationary set, a dip-pen with gold ink, and a promise to burn incense for him later in the week, when she and her uncle get to the Bed and Breakfast in Vermont where they are taking their holiday vacation. This is signed by Aloysius, as well. Evidently he is interested in the proceedings. Ruthven and Djehutymes both get boxed sets of blood-flavored lollipops from Honeyduke's (A, AB, B, O positive, O negative...). Ruthven also gets a box of handkerchiefs, with a note attached: Sorry if this is kind of a lame present. My uncle was shopping with me, and he said 'a gentleman can always use a good quality handkerchief', and he made me put the giant Pez dispenser back. Maybe it's just as well.
In addition to his blood-flavored lollipops, Djehutymes gets a copy of 'A Christmas Story' on DVD, a decoder pin to go with it, and a white chocolate bat from Honeyduke's. The bat is hanging from a twig in a small, clear box, and moves occasionally in an alarmingly naturalistic way. It's solid chocolate, Courtney's note reads, the magic will animate it for a week or so, and then it'll just go still and be like any other piece of candy..
Melinda: Courtney missed Melinda's birthday, and is not happy about it. So she gets two presents. The first is a small, bright, lethal-looking Black Widow bodice dagger, with sheath. It's enchanted to be invisible and unfeelable under clothing. Only you'll know where it is, even if someone pats you down for it. It's also got a stay-sharp spell and a retrieval spell, in case you drop it or leave it stuck in...um, something. Here's hoping you'll never have to use it.
The second is a much jollier present. It comes in a gold wooden box that reads: Honeyduke's Deluxe!!!. The box rattles and rumbles a little when the ribbon around it is untied. Inside, surrounded by layers of glittery blue packing material, is a foot-long milk chocolate dragon (a Chinese Fireball to be specific), which rolls vivid, red-sprinkle eyes at its new owner and lolls its tongue out in a grin. The card inside is from the candy store, printed by machine: Stroke the top of my head and I will give you a candy surprise!
Beneath this, Courtney's handwriting explains further: It'll stay animated for about a week. While it's animated, if you pat it on the head, it'll shoot hot-cinnamon flavored candy floss instead of fire. You can catch it on a spoon or in your hand. I think there's a limit, but I'm not sure how much. Once it stops moving, you can eat it like normal chocolate candy. Merry Christmas!
Everyone else on Courtney's list gets cleverly made gingerbread doves in sugar-candy cages (from Honeyduke's, naturally). All of these have holly tied to them, and many of them also have feathers, flowers, or other gifts from Skarrow. And later on in the week, formal offerings will be made not only to Djehuty, as promised, but also to Hermes and to Artemis.
Once all the wrapping is done, Courtney and Skarrow share dinner and curl up together to watch the stars come out. She leaves a present behind her with his name on it. Inside is a wooden flute, ornately carved, with birds and flowers on it, and a promise to return to see him the next day, before she and Aloysius leave for Vermont.
And at midnight on Christmas Eve, Courtney slips quietly into the woods with a wreath of white flowers, and lays it over the rock near the stream where she last saw the Stag's footprint. She loops one of her strands of white hair around a bloom and stands for a moment, listening. She hears no sounds and sees nothing, but fancies she feels something watching her, maybe, for just a moment.
The only gift Skarrow really wants at Christmas is attention (lots of it), so Courtney gives him plenty of that in the form of drafting him to help wrap gifts. Some people may find extra objects inside their packages, that Courtney didn't intend to send. Things like feathers, acorns, interesting pebbles, maybe an alligator tooth...
Ramon and Hippolyta: An ominously large basket is delivered to the Mayfair flat. Inside is an array of clumsily wrapped gifts, including toys for Bhima and the new puppy (You can tell which ones are specifically for Bhima, because they require opposable thumbs. He and the puppy can fight over the ones that don't.), amaretto muffins for everyone, and four freshly caught rabbits, cleaned but unskinned, and bagged in plastic, for the Verdugos. A note attached to the latter reads: I would have sent a deer, but I thought that might be a little overwhelming. Plus, having been one not too long ago, it'd feel a little weird hunting them. There is a package labeled for Ramon and Hips jointly; it contains a large blanket, soft but a fairly plain blue color, except for some weird symbols stitched onto the corners. The note attached to this reads: This has a sound-dampening spell on it. Pretty much anyone whose bare skin is touching it will be affected, so that external noises around them will be audible, but much softer and easier to ignore. I thought it might come in handy if you guys needed some sleep or, you know, quiet time. Sorry for the cat hair. My cat got to it before I could send it to you. He says he was testing it.
An additional package in the bottom is addressed to Hippolyta, as a late birthday present. I wrote 'moonstone snowflakes' on that xmas stocking meme thing, and then I remembered you were supposed to avoid snow this winter. So I sent warm stones instead. The gift is a small glass bottle of rough, semiprecious gemstones purchased from the Goblin Market: scapolite, fire opal, and sunstone, a rainbow of reds and golds.
N. Tonks: Tonks gets a box of multicolored sparklers, a bouquet of different-flavored candycanes tied with purple ribbon, and a Grinch plushie. Maybe we should shop together next year. Your world has the best candy stores. Merry Christmas!
Toph: I have no idea if you even celebrate any holiday this time of year, the note reads, but I saw this at the market and I thought you might like it. I'm not sure what sort of stone it is. Said note is attached to a fist-sized chunk of stone with one smooth, polished edge, the other sides are rough and craggy and studded with small, cubical crystals. The color is fairly unremarkable; sort of a coppery brown, but the rock seems to be faintly warm to the touch.
Butterworm and Butterbug: Both of them get Santa hats stuffed with various kinds of food. Courtney knows Butterworm will just turn his nose up at his, but it's the thought that counts. Besides, that just means extra snacks for Butterbug, who deserves them more anyway.
Derek and Jun get a box wrapped in silvery snowflake paper. Inside is a bundle of baby clothes in gender-neutral colors: green, yellow, violet, light brown. The note says, I asked my mom about the baby thing, and she said 'you can never have too many onesies'. So...here's some onesies.
Dr Schreber: Doc Schreber and Sarah obviously need Christmas ornaments. Courtney and Skarrow are happy to oblige. They spend several hours gluing, stitching, and painting, eventually coming up with some cute seasonal figures in twigs, nuts, and pine needles, and one rather humorous likeness of Orwell in felt, with real feathers sewn on the wings. Courtney also buys a few Christmas CDs for both Schreber and Sarah. You can never have too much Christmas music. Well, actually, you can, but when you can voluntarily turn it off, it's usually all right.
Eiko: Eiko=Really hard to shop for. After a few tries, Courtney opts for something more personal and homemade and pulls together copies of all the papers Eiko helped her with over the past year. She places these in a scrapbook, with notes from her teachers regarding her progress, copies of her report cards, and commentary from her uncle, plus a few photos. They would have sent me to military school by now without your help, the accompanying card notes, and I'm not just talking about the tutoring. Thank you. Merry Christmas!
Isis: Courtney gets Isis' present during a trip to the Goblin Market. It's neatly wrapped in a padded cigar box; a set of seven glass vials containing preserved roots. They are labeled carefully by hand, their magical properties listed in detail. These are only available in the winter where I come from. They may be analogous to plants in your own world; I don't know. Anyway, I thought it was a neat display set, whether you can use them or not.
Leela: Courtney sends Leela some paperwhites and an Amaryllis. Tom gets an assortment of wizarding candy, and a set of fuzzy posters to color (the subjects, of course, being snakes).
Lina Inverse: What Courtney really wanted to give Lina was a pizza, but she wasn't sure how to make that work. Instead, she opts for a hamper of cheese, crackers, summer sausage, etc. from one of the innumerable food places that pops up in malls and in catalogs around the holidays. She also sends her a set of jeweled barettes and a matching bracelet; gold with blue stones, to set off the color of her hair.
Fisher: Fisher is one spoiled kitty this Christmas. Downstairs with the family, he gets a stocking of kitty treats, jingly bells, and real fur toy mice, but the real swag is upstairs in Courtney's closet. He has a carpet-covered cat perch with plenty of places to rest and hide, imported catnip, a half-dozen different cat (and/or Kneazle) toys from the Potterverse, a magical comb designed to work snarls out of his fur and repel fleas and ticks, a promise of smoked (not canned) salmon for New Years' Day breakfast, a box of six live feeder crickets, and one very confused feeder mouse.
She also has the Bast pendant she bought from Tetu in the Nexus. She doesn't want to give it to him with the toys, though. It wouldn't do to get that confused. Once he's tired from chasing live critters and satiated from eating them, she'll present it.
Ms. Crisp: Courtney has a wary, grudging respect for Ms. Crisp these days, and it seems like a good idea to give her something for Christmas. On the other hand, giving teachers presents is a delicate business; one doesn't want to seem to be kissing up. Plus she doesn't want to give her anything obviously Nexus-related. In the end, she gets Skarrow to help her design a simple felt pattern and stitch together a palm-sized, soft White Stag figure. It can be placed on a Christmas tree, or kept on a dresser somewhere. Skarrow puts a few sprigs of evergreen inside before they sew it up, so that it smells fresh, and sweet, not unlike the Stag himself.
Thorn: Books are always a safe bet for Thorn, and Courtney gives him quite a few of them. He already knows more about poetry than she does, so she goes for novels instead, giving him some of her favorites: The Last Unicorn, Seaward, The Neverending Story, The Black Cauldron, A Wrinkle in Time. There are a couple CDs, as well, and a note that says she has another present for him, but it has to be delivered in person, and can he come visit?
Toshiro: Courtney's pretty sure Toshiro doesn't celebrate Christmas, but she's also pretty sure he won't be offended by the basket of beef log, fresh cherries, and spiced cider she sends him for the occasion.
Lan: Courtney sends Lan a hyacinth, a jar of raspberry honey, and a length of hand-dyed silk in greens and rosy pinks.
Snape and Nadezhda: In addition to a dozen amaretto muffins and a holly wreath, Courtney sends Dez and Snape a cheap playset of plastic pirate figurines and a small pressure-gun that shoots foam pellets.
Dr. Crane gets a miniature Book Repair Kit, with the hope that he will not have to use it, and a small, white five-petaled flower in a green pot, labelled 'Black Hellebore, aka Christmas Rose, awfully useful in incense, protection and banishing spells and talismans. Also kind of pretty.'
Djehuty, Ruthven, Djehutymes: Like Hips and Ramon, Djehuty and family recieve a rather dauntingly large basket. Inside is an assortment of gifts. There are cherries, bananas, and pears for the bats, a few crickets for the tarantula, a jingle-ball for the kitten, and a box of 'people crackers for dogs' for Meryt. Djehuty himself gets a nice stationary set, a dip-pen with gold ink, and a promise to burn incense for him later in the week, when she and her uncle get to the Bed and Breakfast in Vermont where they are taking their holiday vacation. This is signed by Aloysius, as well. Evidently he is interested in the proceedings. Ruthven and Djehutymes both get boxed sets of blood-flavored lollipops from Honeyduke's (A, AB, B, O positive, O negative...). Ruthven also gets a box of handkerchiefs, with a note attached: Sorry if this is kind of a lame present. My uncle was shopping with me, and he said 'a gentleman can always use a good quality handkerchief', and he made me put the giant Pez dispenser back. Maybe it's just as well.
In addition to his blood-flavored lollipops, Djehutymes gets a copy of 'A Christmas Story' on DVD, a decoder pin to go with it, and a white chocolate bat from Honeyduke's. The bat is hanging from a twig in a small, clear box, and moves occasionally in an alarmingly naturalistic way. It's solid chocolate, Courtney's note reads, the magic will animate it for a week or so, and then it'll just go still and be like any other piece of candy..
Melinda: Courtney missed Melinda's birthday, and is not happy about it. So she gets two presents. The first is a small, bright, lethal-looking Black Widow bodice dagger, with sheath. It's enchanted to be invisible and unfeelable under clothing. Only you'll know where it is, even if someone pats you down for it. It's also got a stay-sharp spell and a retrieval spell, in case you drop it or leave it stuck in...um, something. Here's hoping you'll never have to use it.
The second is a much jollier present. It comes in a gold wooden box that reads: Honeyduke's Deluxe!!!. The box rattles and rumbles a little when the ribbon around it is untied. Inside, surrounded by layers of glittery blue packing material, is a foot-long milk chocolate dragon (a Chinese Fireball to be specific), which rolls vivid, red-sprinkle eyes at its new owner and lolls its tongue out in a grin. The card inside is from the candy store, printed by machine: Stroke the top of my head and I will give you a candy surprise!
Beneath this, Courtney's handwriting explains further: It'll stay animated for about a week. While it's animated, if you pat it on the head, it'll shoot hot-cinnamon flavored candy floss instead of fire. You can catch it on a spoon or in your hand. I think there's a limit, but I'm not sure how much. Once it stops moving, you can eat it like normal chocolate candy. Merry Christmas!
Everyone else on Courtney's list gets cleverly made gingerbread doves in sugar-candy cages (from Honeyduke's, naturally). All of these have holly tied to them, and many of them also have feathers, flowers, or other gifts from Skarrow. And later on in the week, formal offerings will be made not only to Djehuty, as promised, but also to Hermes and to Artemis.
Once all the wrapping is done, Courtney and Skarrow share dinner and curl up together to watch the stars come out. She leaves a present behind her with his name on it. Inside is a wooden flute, ornately carved, with birds and flowers on it, and a promise to return to see him the next day, before she and Aloysius leave for Vermont.
And at midnight on Christmas Eve, Courtney slips quietly into the woods with a wreath of white flowers, and lays it over the rock near the stream where she last saw the Stag's footprint. She loops one of her strands of white hair around a bloom and stands for a moment, listening. She hears no sounds and sees nothing, but fancies she feels something watching her, maybe, for just a moment.