1st December - Present/Gift
Toy trains steamed and chugged their way around a room filled with chattering children, pointing and staring at the elaborate pathways, lined with toys of every size and description. Wooden soldiers, arms outstretched and carefully regimented directed harassed parents into the obsequious care of the shop assistants, barely hiding their greed behind the company mandated smiles as they offered to find the perfect present for their grinning, grabbing children. Women dressed like fairies demonstrated their toys to the awe of their youngest shoppers, rewarding their allegiance with gingerbread and sweets. The scene almost breathed carefully orchestrated capitalist ideals of warmth, comfort, joy and love. It was enough to make one feel violently sick.
Condensation blurred the nauseating view as Road leaned closer to scrutinise the toy animals in the window with the air of a jeweller examining a diamond ring for flaws. Her eyes moved from one to the next in a brooding examination as if morally judging everyone for the sins of its maker. Occasionally she pointed one out to Tyki, who drew it through the window and passed it over to her for closer observation, deft fingers finding flaws in every nuance of expression, or material or craftsmanship.
"None of these are good enough." Road declared and crossed her arms in frustration, turning away from the window and back to her companion. Tyki leaned on the wall, cigarette glowing in the growing dusk, dropping ash into the piling snow banks, boredom inherent in every delicate flick of his fingers.
"I really don't think you should be getting a gift for an Exorcist, Road. What would the Earl say if he knew?"
Road stuck out her tongue with a grimace. "I don't care what the Earl says. Allen is different... he's special. He screams the best." She sighed at the memory. "You like him too, you can't deny it."
"Yes, but I don't think it really calls for a gift. Giving gifts is usually a sign of love, for the family, or for friends or lovers."
"I know that. Don't patronise me." She scowled and clawed a handful of snow from the windowsill viciously. "But I miss him. I want him to miss me. It's been so long he's probably forgotten all about me... How much I hurt him." Her tone expressed exactly no remorse, the lips of her mouth curling up in a smug smile. "Giving him a present means he'll be thinking about me."
Tyki crushed the spent cigarette into the snow with a hiss, twisting it delicately to avoid begriming his gloves. "Considering his vow to kill our family, I'm not entirely sure I would want him thinking of you." After a cursory inspection of his reflection in the window he began to move off down the street, past the other rejected purveyors of presents.
"You could kill one of his friends. Then he'd be thinking about you." He offered, after a few moments of disgruntled silence and dark glares from the girl behind him. He paused to tip his hat at a woman who'd overheard him, smiling in an unsettlingly polite manner until she looked away, mumbling an apology for staring.
"Yes. Give him the head of one of his friends, scarred with your mark." He got more enthused about his subject, tapping his gloved finger against his chin as if in deep thought. "In fact, just give him some more scars. They're close, personal, and with your talent each one is a work of art."
Road smiled in delight as she fell into step next to him, preening at his compliment. She slipped her hand into his and leaned against him in silent encouragement.
Smiling, he raised her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss against her palm. "Perhaps some on his hands, to match the Time-witch?" She giggled indulgently as he began to trace crosses on her palms.
"Perhaps one right here..." she reached up and took his face in her hands, pressing her thumb lightly, then viciously into his cheekbone. "Like a little kiss." Suddenly she moved back and danced away, whirling in front of him as the snow began to fall.
"On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me... a severed hand just for me."
He grabbed her hand as she danced through the portal, joining her morbid approximation. "On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me... two razed towns and a severed hand just for me..."
Allen dreamed of the smell of warm wax and Christmas spices, smiling in his sleep at the imagined celebration. Lavi was the first to see him, breaking into his room and jumping on his bed until he woke up. Lenalee stood in the doorway, politely covering her giggles with one hand as Lavi pummelled and bullied him out of bed and into the cold corridors to run down to the giant tree in the foyer. Lenalee pushed him towards his present, a giant box that took up most of the space. Eagerly he pulled away the ribbon, the paper falling away to reveal a coffin-shaped box. He jumped back in shock, falling into Lenalee. She smiled prettily as she fell forward, shirt falling open to reveal a sucking wound that spattered scalding blood onto his face and into his mouth as he screamed and screamed amongst the falling bodies of his companions.
Road leaned forward, knees crushing into his elbows as she rested her head on his chest. Her lips covered his, muffling his cries. One hand twined through his hair, the other traced her name on his shoulders with ever-harder lines. Above them, her candles quivered and shook with every thrashing, terrified kick, sending drops of wax to burn his cheeks and eyes like kisses, like snowflakes.
A/N: Welcome to my new project! I've had this one in mind since August, it's quite a relief to finally start it. Hope you enjoy it and if you have any requests or ideas for themes feel free to drop me a line. One day down, 24 left to go... feeling festive yet?