I don't know what's come over me. There isn't much Kenrietta around, and I wanted to change that!
Also, for those who wonder who "Melody" is: Ribbonetta and I have been talking lately about the unnamed Goth girl who was featured in season nine's intro. It would be really cool if Trey&Matt ever brought her back and Karen would have another role model to look up to. :D
Disclaimer: I don't own South Park! It rightfully belongs to Trey&Matt.
Cheesier Than Hallmark
Henrietta clicked her nails against the tabletop of the booth and blew a couple of smoke rings in the air, much to the waitress' dismay. The woman didn't like it one bit, but she went forward to fill the child's empty mug. Her mind raced, wondering why this little princess of darkness was alone on a quiet Sunday evening without any of her friends around. Perhaps they finally ditched that crappy personality of hers once and for all. Honestly? There was only a couple days left until Christmas... what a miserable sight.
The waitress was almost finished pouring when she saw a nicely wrapped orange box that sat at the Goth girl's right. It was long, flat and rectangular and tied with yellow ribbons. She took another glance at Henrietta who was distracted at the moment, and once more at the probably-Christmas-present.
"For a girl who dresses in all black, you sure like your gifts to be bright and cheery, don't'cha?"
Henrietta put down her favorite pen and shut her poetry book. Her eyes glared daggers into the waitress' backside as she took a long sip of her black coffee.
"You could say that," she muttered under her breath. She finished her cigarette and tapped her phone to check the time and text messages.
Pete was celebrating his Christmas with relatives in Wyoming and would be gone for a week. Firkle was forced to see his grandparents in Boulder. Michael, on the other hand, was with a girl named Melody, who he'd been seeing since mid-October. She was a new addition to their non-conformist group before the start of the school year and had great taste in Gothic apparel, Henrietta had to admit. She was secretly glad that Karen had another female to look up to.
She was just about to text a certain someone when that certain someone showed his face at the entrance of the Village Inn, along with Karen joined at the hip. The boy in the orange parka took in the limited count of costumers and smells of the restaurant, eyes curiously wandering the booths. He spotted Henrietta and lit up immediately.
"There she is!"
The siblings offered a wave before hightailing towards the booth in excitement. They surrounded the Goth and there was no chance of her escaping the warmth of their innocence.
"Hey, Henrietta," Kenny greeted in delight. "Merry Christmas Eve… uh, Eve!"
"Same to you… I guess," said Henrietta. She glanced at Karen and squished the little girl into a side hug. "Merry Christmas Eve Eve, Karen. What something to eat?"
Karen's voice quivered in eagerness. "Really?!"
Henrietta nodded. "Sure."
"Thank you, Henrietta!"
The older girl patted her knuckles, in a way of a mother cat grooming her kitten with much needed affection. Kenny grabbed a menu from the passing waitress (while not forgetting to order two ice-waters) and slid it over to his baby sister. Karen opened it quickly and browsed the options, humming to herself. She noticed Henrietta's present right away, beaming.
"Thanks for coming," Henrietta told Kenny.
"Sure thing!" said Kenny cheerfully. "What made you change your mind about the meeting place?"
They originally intended to meet at Stark's Pond, but Kenny mentioned earlier in the evening that he was bringing Karen along. Their parents were probably getting into another yelling match about wasting Christmas savings on alcohol or weed; so for Karen's sake, Henrietta thought it would be best for a quiet place to give Kenny his Christmas gift.
"Oh," gasped Henrietta in surprise, "well, you know. I figured that Karen would prefer a much warmer setting than sitting on a bench and staring out at a black pond in the cold…" She paused and thought for a second before studying him again with a serious expression. "Plus, it's totally conformist to catch pneumonia around this time of year, and that would be uncool of her to do so."
Underneath that orange hood, Kenny's smile was ten times larger. His sparkling eyes drooped as he casually lay the side of his head in the palm of his hand, staring at her knowingly. He loved it whenever she got all mushy and genuine with him, especially when she was motherly towards Karen. She was like a bar of dark chocolate. Bitter within the first bite, but later proven to be just as sweet.
"Careful Henrietta," he teased, "your gooey caramel center is showing."
Flustered beyond belief, a flushing Henrietta shoved the gift in Kenny's face.
"Here," she said. "Open it."
"For me?" he asked. "Awww, you wrapped the box in my favorite color and everything! Thank you."
The Goth distracted herself for a moment when another waitress came and took Karen's order, sneaking glances over at Kenny who was in the middle of unwrapping his Christmas gift. His expression changed from surprised to giddy once he opened the box and pulled out a pair of handmade scarves—one lavender, the other coal black. Karen couldn't contain her smile as she watched her older brother stare at the lovely scarves in awe.
"Wow," he murmured, stroking their soft textures with a bare hand. "Did you… make these?"
Henrietta gave a curt nod. "Yeah, it's kind of a hobby that I've picked up. I've made a couple for my friends last year. I figured that you could pass one or the other along to a certain guardian angel. I saw him a few weeks ago with his other superhero friends and he took one look at me before ramming face first into a street pole." Incredibly annoyed that she was letting all her feelings slip at once, she avoided his happy gaze. "N-Not that I was worried about Mysterion, or anything…"
She cleared her throat. "Do you… like them?"
"I love them," Kenny blurted out. "I can't wait to wear them! I… I… thank you, Henri!"
In a burst of emotions he immediately dropped the gift into his lap and threw his arms around Henrietta's neck, pulling her into an embrace. Without thinking of the consequences, he smooched her on the lips, leaving Karen little time to shield her eyes from the little moment. Henrietta's mouth hung wide open in shock as Kenny pulled away with a large grin. Purple lipstick smeared over his mouth.
"I know you're not all that interested in public displays of affection, but this was an emergency!"