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[ Alex's gift was... tricky. Their first impulse was impossible - magic doesn't work anymore, so that's all out. But they had enough time to work on something else. So on the morning of the 25th, there is a odd package sitting outside his door. It's clearly labelled, with "FOR ALEX, FROM LION" neatly printed on the side, in an attempt to avoid any potential deathtrap problems.

The majority of the box is taken up by a thoroughly overstuffed first-aid kit, full of any possible thing one could need on a road trip to ~~hell~~ adventure. A field suture kit, way too many bandages, sterilising alcohol - if it exists, it's probably in here. Carefully resting ontop is a small, stuffed raven doll, and a sturdy leather notebook.

The majority of the book is blank, waiting to be written in. But the inside cover is covered in a two-page painting - a rough thing, messy but full of heart, picturing Clear. She's sitting in a dusty old record store on some long-forgotten afternoon, smiling.

Next to the book is a note, in painfully neat handwriting.

"To help you remember, on those bad days, that not everything has to end in darkness.

Keep going, Alex. Happy endings are worth fighting for.
-Ushiromiya Lion." ]

Edited 2019-12-21 03:17 (UTC)

[ What Alex has spent the last 48 hours in a panicked rush, trying to find and/or make presents for those he's come to care for.

...And he is far from finished, by the time gifts start showing up on his doorstep. It's between rushes to the Fantasy Costco and beyond that he comes across the first wave, and among that is Lion's. Probably the first one that's been laid down here, knowing Lion. The stuffed raven he holds close, the notebook even closer. Isn't it silly, how a simple painting can send him almost to his knees? When he has a real photograph, right here? Funny, right?

It's more toward the afternoon when Alex finds Lion, with a box of his own. He'd searched around the Quad, the dorms, almost went to New Aspen itself. But, of course where he hits gold is the library. Stupid of him to think otherwise. ]

Finally! [ He readjusts the box in his arms. It's...nondescript, actually. Clearly like, wrapped. ] You are a hard dude to track down.

[ It was only meant to be a short stop to deliver Leon's present. Nothing more, nothing less - and they couldn't very well leave him out after everything he's done for them, could they? It wouldn't be fair. More importantly, it'd be against the spirit of the season.

So when Alex turns up, what he finds is an uncommonly frazzled looking Lion. It's clear that they didn't expect anyone to be awake, or... to be looking for them. Everyone else has more important people to spend the day with, after all, and they're planning on just running back to their room and sleeping after this, so why bother?

Which, anyone who's been surprised by someone they know at the grocery store at 3am could tell you is exactly what would happen. ]

Um.

[ Eloquent. ]

Happy... Candlenights to you too? [ Ugh, that was bad. They wince and break into a less alarmed smile. ] I'm sorry, I didn't realise you were looking for me. Otherwise I would've made it harder.

[ Oh that's ni- wait. ]

[ That's a feeling Alex knows well. The avoidance, the surprise, the......lack of sleep. Game recognizes game, as they say. Still, he frowns down at Lion, eyebrows raised. ]

You asshole. You're not gonna run, are you?

[ On one hand, they could relent and see what he wants. On the other, it's Candlenights. ]

Mm, that depends. How good of a climber are you?

[ Lion. Lion don't climb the bookshelves. ]

Pretty fuckin' good when I need to be. I did avoid the otherworldly force of Death for several months. Sometimes that involved climbing.

[ That's only partly a lie. ]

You really wanna do that to Leon, though? ...The other...Leon...?

[ Oof, critical hit. Both from the appeal to their stuffy, rule-abiding nature and also making them go through the five stages of face-journey-grief at the name fuckery. ]

...It would be cruel to stress him out on Candlenights, wouldn't it? Especially if it's just a prank. [ Party pooper. Ssssiiigh. ] Better not, then.

[ And Alex has received the best gift of all: realising that Lion was fucking with him. ]

Really, I am sorry, though. I didn't mean to send you in circles. What happened?

[ ... as if people only come looking for them when something goes wr- actually yeah that. that's accurate. ]

[ Lion is much more of a piece of shit than they'd like people to believe, huh? Somehow, that's inspiring. It means Alex, who is also a piece of shit, can further connect with them on this point.

That, of course, means trolling. A lot of trolling. ]

Wha- happened, what do you- I got your gift, that's what happened. [ But not now. This is Candlenights. ...And everything's been pretty dour lately, hasn't it? ] I wanted to...you know, give you something back. Usually people exchange things, right?

[ Someday, they'll bond over being menaces to society. Someday. For now, Lion just blinks in confusion- as if remembering oh, right, it is. For once, people will go looking for them for reasons other then stitching their friends back together. A novel thought.

Hm. They can worry about the dissonance of that later. For now- ] Ah, you...

[ -they can ponder a different sort of dissonance. See, Candlenights is... strange. They've latched onto the concept as a life raft of sorts - you kinda have to after spending all of November in New New Aspen like they have, because the town is infectious and very stubborn - but only so far as giving gifts to others. Getting them back is strange and unfamiliar territory.

Which, in laymans terms, means Alex gets boggled at in confusion. ]

They do? [ .... Lion. ] I mean- um. I didn't expect you to... need to.

[ Right. Mutual holiday. Culture clashes are weird. ]

[ And Alex, who is...well-meaning but rather sheltered in terms of other countries' cultures, doesn't quite understand where the confusion comes in. ]

I mean...it's sort of part of the deal, right? [ A sort of uncertain smile. ] Besides, I wanted to. ...It was a little stressful, but...I like getting things for friends.

[ There's an explanation lining up on the tip of their tongue already- but no, can't, they know how that'd go. He'd point out they got him a gift - and sure, Candlenights is Different, but...

... but it's nice, knowing people care in a tangible way. They cannot deny him or themself that comfort at a time like this. So after another lingering moment or two of well-meaning confusion, they cave with a startled chuckle. ]

It works somewhat differently back home. And I'm not... particularly used to it, I suppose - it didn't come up at all last year.

[ There. All neatly tied up in a verbal bow that technically explains nothing but can be elaborated on later if or when (probably when) he gets curious. It's officially a problem for Future Lion.

Please ignore that - without the additional context - that probably sounds like "so nobody got me anything for Christmas and that's okay". ]

... But now is as good a time to learn as any. Especially for a friend.

[ A-at least they're just teasing him again? ]

[ It is very tragically unfortunate that Alex now believes Lion hasn’t gotten Christmas presents and if this isn’t cleared up by the time he sees Will that man is getting a talking to. ]

Didn’t even have it last year...? Jeez, guess they kept you busy.

[ But if he starts thinking too hard about that it’ll lead down a depressing rabbit hole, so instead he just readjusts the box and- ]

Lemme be the first to say Merry, uh... Happy Candlenights? [ Take the box, it’s wrapped and like...medium-sized. ]

It's more that I kept myself busy.

[ Rip future Will, he died for their sins. They're quick to take the box, if nothing else then because that can't be fun to hold with his hands, but... uh. ]

Well, then. A Merry-Happy Candlenights to you too, Alex.

[ Wait, they already said that, didn't they? Oops.

After an awkward moment or two of conflicted staring at the box, it... might become readily apparent that they're not sure whether to open it now or sprint off to somewhere else. It's politer to open gifts in front of the giver, isn't it? But what if that's another thing that's changed between worlds?

... Nope, not getting hung up on it today. They'll worry about that later. The box carefully gets set down on the nearest table, to free up their hands for-

delicately. undoing each little strip of tape, one by one. Lion. ]

Edited 2020-01-01 10:14 (UTC)

[ Ohhh what an absolute jerk Alex lets his shoulders slump a little, just a little, and rolls his eyes. ]

What- dude, what are you doing, are you saving the paper? It's not endangered, Garfield's got a whole three aisles of it.

[ ...Ohhh, is Alex going to...need more of that? Put that on his shopping list for tonight... ]

Wh- No! No, I'm not.

[ -well, he doesn't need to know that the thought maybe crossed their mind, does he? Especially when the teasing makes them fuck it up, tearing the paper around a tape bit. ]

Oh, damn. [ Lion, he's standing two feet away, mumbling does nothing. ] I was- um, just being polite.

[ ... maybe they should work a little faster, then. Even if they're still refusing to tear the paper. ]

[ Don't laugh, don't laugh- no, he can't help it, he laughs a little, shaking his head. ]

Yeah, sure, I totally buy that. [ He Does Not. ] Ohh my god, you open presents like my mom!

[ It takes all the dignity they can muster to not immediately start sulking. They've been through worse. This is fine. ]

You don't have to buy it if it's true.

[ It Is Not. ]

And I do not! [ A pause, considering. And- yep, there's the pout. ] It just- it makes more sense this way, that's all.

Edited (i was a heathen and put the italic on the wrong side of the punctuation) 2020-01-05 00:05 (UTC)

[ Alex smirks. This is a hilarious pause to the sentiment. Hohoho... ]

You absolutely do. [ This is....fun?? Oh no. ] How's it make more sense? Dude, you're supposed to just rip it open!

[ Why does this feel so ominous all of a sudden-- ]

Do not. [ They sound so prissy. ] And I don't know what you're supposed to do when- er, where, you're from, but ripping the paper just causes a mess.

[ So they're definitely opening it like someone's grandparents, yeah. Whoops. ]

That's the point. It's fun! You don't sound like my mom, you sound like...like my mom's mom.

[ Yes, very astute, Alex. ]

This just takes forever.

That's called a grandmother, Alex. [ Wow, harsh. ] And it's not fun for me.

[ There's the slightest twitch at the needling, but they're too stubbornly focused on the present to react. ]

... But it... doesn't take that long, does it?

[ Like. They have most of it off already, but now there's that undercurrent of uncertainty to it. ]

[ He makes a face, he knows it's called a grandmother, Lion, bleh. ]

Long enough. It's longer without knowing what's inside the box, that's the important part. When I was a kid [ oh there that explains it ] I'd just tear through everything.

[ They pause at that, because- well. There's a lot that could be said. "It teaches you patience", maybe. Or "cool, still not my thing". Or "Alex, you're still a kid, what the hell".

Instead, they fiddle with one corner of the paper, trying their best to sound amused. ]

Ah, I doubt I would have been allowed to do that. [ Well, that's weird. ] ... My sister certainly kept trying, though.

[ That's ni- wait. ]

[ A curious little frown finds its way to Alex's face as he leans against one of the library tables. ]

Sister? ...You've never mentioned anything about a sister. [ There's a little something there, though, allowed... ]

[ Ah. They hadn't quite meant to say that - mouth running a few steps ahead as the rest of them tried to find a topic that wasn't bickering about paper or prying into why they have odd, stuffy habits - but they know better then to pretend it didn't happen. ]

In case you haven't noticed by now, I'm rather fond of my privacy.

[ There's no heat to the reproach, as their forced levity settles comfortably into the usual tone of dry sarcasm. ]

And really, when would mentioning her have done anyone any good? We've all... lost, those close to us, and I'm already far luckier then most. [ Another piece of tape is carefully unstuck. They don't look up. ] Complaining further would be cruel.

[ Unlike so many, they didn't arrive alone. It's something they're forever grateful for, selfishly so, because they don't know where they'd be otherwise. ]

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forward dated to the 25th

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now seems like a good time to slap that big ol' umineko spoiler tag on

TWO MONTHS LATER.