It's finally here! Enjoy everyone!
"Christ...mas?" Carita asked, tilting her head at the name.
Kelly nodded happily.
"Yep! It's where we celebrate the birth of the son of our God, and we also celebrate family and the joy that we've had throughout the year."
Carita nodded. "That sounds like Rakznar, only we used to take a small drop of blood from everyone and pour it into a vial. This showed that we all lived happily as one and were proud to shed our own blood for others."
Kelly blinked, confused.
"So do you have a big shelf for all these vials?" she questioned, wondering where all the vials went after this ceremony.
Carita shook her head. "No, the royal family divided it equally and drank its contents. This showed that we are loyal to our people and will keep their blood and lives safe for the year to come" she replied, smiling.
Kelly twitched.
"You drink other people's blood?"
"Yes, why? Don't humans?"
"Er, no. Well anyway, back to Christmas..."
"Yes?"
"We have to dress you up!"
"Dress...me..up?, I'm not sure I understand. Is this like the 'Halloween' you told me about?"
"Well yes, but you change into much happier and brighter clothing! Oh my lord, Blue would really look good on you, it'll stand out well against your skin, and even match those scales!"
"Is that a compliment?"
"Yes! Your skin's beautiful! And your hair...oh my we can plait it or braid it...so much to do!"
"I...need to return to my duties. I'm due for a meditation session with Samara in a few minutes. Thank you for your time" Carita bowed and quickly left, hearing Kelly shout behind her "Don't be a stranger!"
"Thank you for the meditation session Samara, it was very relaxing" Carita smiled as the two women finished meditation. Samara nodded respectfully. "It was my pleasure Carita." She paused, looking at Carita with a suspicious glance.
Carita blinked. "Is something wrong Samara?" she asked.
"No, I was just wondering. The outfit that you're wearing for the Christmas party...It's not something I thought you'd wear..."
Carita stared.
"...What outfit?"
Samara raised a brow.
"The outfit there, on your bed"
Carita turned and saw it.
"..."
Carita didn't walk. She didn't run.
Carita, the sole survivor of a prehistoric race called Spirits...
Freaking legged it.
Bursting into the mess hall she saw Kelly and Kasumi at the table giggling.
"Cari!" Kelly exclaimed, waving her over madly.
Carita walked silently over, her face blank.
"So did you like it?" Kelly asked, grinning like a madman, Kasumi smirking.
"We handpicked it from a store last week on the Citadel, we saw it and thought of you" Kasumi added.
Carita blinked.
"You want me to wear...this?" she asked slowly, holding up the outfit.
A short blue minidress (somehow the same colour as the scales on her right cheek) with a fluffy fur trimming round the top and bottom sat in her left hand. A pair of two inch high strapped heels held onto her right hand.
Kasumi and Kelly nodded eagerly.
"What do you think?" Kelly asked.
Carita sighed.
"It's rather short...and as for the shoes, my feet aren't much like your human feet..." she mumbled, casting a sheepish look towards the two.
Kelly grinned. "Oh come on Cari, you've gotta go with the flow girl! Now...let's get you changed!" she shouted, pulling Carita towards Kasumi's room with Kasumi following, grinning.
Aoife Shepard stared.
She bit her lip, stifling a giggle.
Thane Krios blinked.
He stared at her, raising a brow.
"Siha, what is the relevance of me wearing this?"
"Oh come on, you look adorable in it"
"I see, then Siha I think it is unfair for me to be wearing this when you're not wearing any form of Christmas headwear"
"Well I don't have anything else, ooh hang on a second, I think I do"
Aoife rummaged around in a drawer, still biting her lip.
God knows how she managed to convince him to wear it, but she'll be damned if she can't get a picture of him wearing it by the end of the night.
Bringing up a camera quickly she spun round and took a picture.
"Cheese Thane!"
"Cheese? Siha what-oof!"
Thane covered his eyes with his hands, the flash of a camera seeming too bright for drell eyes.
Aoife winced, running up and taking his hands away to inspect his eyes.
Oh how she adored those eyes, they were like an inky pool of mystery that she could get lost in for hours.
Well, until he asked if there was something wrong anyway.
"Are you alright?" she asked gently, peering worriedly into his jet black eyes.
Thane blinked once or twice, before nodding.
"I think you may want to warn me next time Siha, before you take a picture"
"Well I'm sorry but I had to grab a picture of you looking adorable, it's to go in my photo album of 'Cute Pictures of Thane caught off-guard' "
"Cute...pictures of me Siha?"
"Er, did I say that aloud?"
"You did"
Aoife was saved by EDI before she could utter a response.
"Yeoman Chambers accompanied by Carita would like to gain access to your quarters commander"
"Ah good, EDI let them in"
Kelly ran into her quarters, dragging poor Carita (Protesting) along.
"Hey Commander! The party starts in a few minutes!" Kelly cried, waving a Santa hat around before setting it atop her head.
Aoife grinned. "Hey Kelly, hey Cari-"her eyes widened at the sight.
Carita fidgeted with her hair, once a nice wave going down to her shoulder blades now a huge bunch of curls lying across her shoulder, all placed perfectly. Her antennae (Still going over the back of her head and down to her shoulders) had some strange blue material wrapped in a criss-cross fashion at the ends. A beautiful ice blue eye shadow complemented her eyes and a small amount of blush had given her colour in her cheeks. Kelly had been dead on amazing with the dress size; the small dress fit perfectly, and stopped a centimetre above her knees. Carita didn't have any toes at all; it was just a big piece of flesh in the shape of a foot. So to hide her toeless feet, Kelly had given her some blue flats to wear.
All in all, she looked...
Different.
Aoife blinked. "Wow Cari, looking good!" she grinned, Carita giving a small smile back.
"Thank you Commander Shepard, although...I do wonder why you humans insist on having your dresses so short...they're very revealing" she mumbled, trying to pull the dress down but Kelly grabbed her hands.
"Oh no missy! You've pulled it down far enough!"
Carita laughed, before looking over at Thane.
Kelly followed suit and they both stared.
Kelly snorted, Carita bit her lip.
Thane raised a brow.
"Is something funny?" he asked curiously, before the floodgates opened and Kelly burst out laughing, Carita's shoulders shaking with silent laughter as she held a hand in front of her mouth.
'Reindeer Antlers' his Siha had called them, though why she insisted on him wearing them really baffled the drell assassin.
Aoife grinned, looking over at Thane with a cheeky grin.
"See? They're a great hit!" she exclaimed, grinning like Grunt after a good fight.
The corners of Thane's mouth turned up at the sides as he slowly took them off his head, walking over and placing them gently on his Siha's head.
"I think Siha, that it looks better on you" he commented, stepping back to admire her.
Aoife blushed, still smiling.
"Oh all right, but that doesn't mean you're not wearing anything later" she winked, Thane chuckling.
"Well it'd be great to see you two flirt and all commander but Cari and I have a party to go to!" Kelly cried cheerfully, pulling the poor Spirit towards the door.
Carita took one long look at Aoife, eyes pleading for help.
Aoife grabbed Carita's other arm and grinned.
"Sorry Kelly, I promised I'd show Carita the Citadel. Thane, Carita and I also have a Christmas dinner arranged with Anderson"
Carita and Thane looked surprised, although Carita and Thane both got on well with Anderson, they didn't imagine they'd be having dinner with him.
Kelly looked defeated.
"Oh..." Then suddenly the ever cheerful Yeoman brightened up.
"Never mind Commander, I'll go ask Ken and Gabby!" she cheeped, walking smoothly out of Aoife's quarters.
Turning back to Aoife, Carita raised a brow.
"Dinner with Anderson, Commander Shepard?" she questioned, tilting her head.
Aoife shrugged.
"Might as well, I did say I'd visit him during our stop in the Citadel. You two up for it?"
Carita smiled and Thane nodded.
"It sounds wonderful Siha"
"It certainly sounds better than going to one of Kelly's 'clubs' as she calls them" Carita frowned. "Aren't clubs heavy objects of wood which can be used to inflict damage upon the target?" she questioned, still not having learned the full reaches of the galaxy.
Thane chuckled as Aoife grinned and replied. "We'll explain it to you on the way there Cari, let's just head off before you get any more party requests"
Carita had been to the Citadel many times, but this time was slightly special.
The Citadel had been festive enough to install snow machines dotted around the entire citadel, so wherever you walked you'd always get a small flake of snow on your nose.
Aoife grinned as she watched Carita walk on slightly ahead, trying to catch and examine each snowflake, the snow seeming to disappear into her white hair. Luckily she'd changed out of the dress and changed into a cosy blue sweater and jeans. She'd kept the shoes, makeup and bands on her antennae though, saying she didn't mind them, to Kelly's delight.
She suddenly felt a very familiar hand link with hers, Thane walking beside her.
"Have you ever seen snow before?" she asked, squeezing his hand gently in a comforting gesture.
"I have" he replied. "Although it was during an assignment, so I didn't really have enough time to stop and admire the view" he smiled, staring at the falling snow.
"Oh" she murmured, sticking her tongue out to catch a flake.
Thane raised a brow, the smirk still lingering on his features.
She grinned in reply. "What? We always used to do this as kids!" she chuckled.
Thane shook his head and chuckled. "I see Siha, is this another 'human thing' as Joker calls them?" Aoife grinned and nodded, looking at Carita who had stopped outside of the restaurant they were meeting Anderson at.
Carita looked up and smiled, a small pile of snow in her pale hands.
"This 'snow' is interesting Commander Shepard, is it supposed to be cold?" she asked , letting it drop to the floor.
Aoife nodded, squeezing Thane's hand one last time before walking up to the restaurant door.
"Yep, if it was warm it'd turn to water"
Carita nodded in understanding.
"Ah, this goes back to the Water turns to Ice at freezing point lesson Mordin gave me. I see now" she murmured as the trio entered the building.
Dinner had been eventful. The once usually white and pristine restaurant had been brightened, neon lights draped across walls and counters. The lights, now a deep orange gave the room a warm and cosy feeling.
Anderson had been surprised but not annoyed at the unexpected dinner invitation.
And spending the evening with Udina discussing politics was definitely not his idea of a perfect Christmas, he thought, chewing into his beef as Thane and Carita sat across from him, Shepard to his right.
Carita stared out of the window at a small human family going by, her meal forgotten.
The small girl walking along with the parents stopped and stared right back at her.
Carita smiled and gave a small wave. The little girl giggled and returned it, pressing her nose against the cold glass. Carita chuckled and put her hand up to the glass, pretending to tap the girl's nose. The girl blinked, taking in the strange hand before pressing her own hand to the glass, seeing how small it compared to the Spirit's.
Carita smiled, but looked surprised when the little girl beckoned her outside.
Excusing herself from the meal Carita stepped swiftly outside, meeting the excited little girl in the doorway.
"You look so pretty!" the girl cried happily, looking like a younger version of Kelly.
Carita chuckled "Thank you, and I must say you look wonderful also" she smiled as the girl giggled.
The girl hastily dug out a small box from her pocket and pressed it into Carita's hand.
"Here you go! I was going to give this to my friend, but I wont see her till after Christmas, so here!" she smiled widely, grinning at Carita's surprised expression.
The Spirit smiled warmly, her other hand rummaging round in her jeans pocket before drawing out a small snow globe she'd bought in a shop. Carita hadn't bought it for anyone, she just admired it.
Smiling, she took the girls little cold hand in her own and placed the snow globe gently on top.
The girl gazed surprised at it, shaking the object and watching the miniature snow particles fall back down to the bottom of the glass.
"And a Happy Christmas to you" Carita chuckled, patting the little girl's brown curls on her head.
The girl giggled madly and hugged Carita tightly around the waist before running off to join her parents further down the bustling street, new-found present in hand.
Carita stared after her for a moment, before opening the box and peering inside.
A small pale blue crystal with a silver chain through it sat in the box, staring intently up at her.
Curious, the spirit gently wrapped a pale hand round the necklace and brought it up out of the box, seeming oblivious to everyone walking by around her.
The crystal caught the light, shining a multi-coloured glow onto Carita's hair as she twirled it around on the cold, calm chain.
Smiling, she fastened it around her neck and gazed up at the falling snow, looking back to make sure Shepard and Thane hadn't come out of the dinner yet.
When she was sure she stuck out her tongue, feeling a flake melt onto the muscle. Grinning, she retreated back into the safety of the restaurant, now knowing what true Christmas felt like.
Woo! Thank you all for the wait, I'm sorry for getting it out really late .
I'd just finished it, re-read it, then just found it was horribly short and wouldn't do for a oneshot, so I redid it lolz!
I hope you enjoyed it! :D