Loud shouting muffled by a red oak door decked with tinsel and wreaths rang throughout the corridor. Outside the door elves bustled about chattering happily about Christmas and different odds and ends.
Not that it wasn't interesting to see Bernard the head elf and his second in command, Lily fight, it was but it was happening now on a nearly daily occurance. The door slammed open and a tan skinned elf that looked as if she had honey woven into her skin with the darkest chocolate curls running all the way down her back stalked out in a fast manner nearly bumping into a small elf.
"Bernard! No, the decorators cannot complete all THREE halls in ONE day! What are you? An insane workaholic that doesn't realize that even though Christmas is only roughly two weeks away that normal elves can't and won't work so fast that their heads are spinning!" She growled out whirling to face the doorway where another elf a male, stood with short pin curls that hung down to his ears partially covered with a red beret for the day.
"As you have said before Christmas is twelve days away! Now is crunch time! Not laze about all day and do whatever you feel like!" He retorted, Bernards' cheeks flushed from yelling.
"You are sooooo" she cut off, grabbing a nearby wrapping bow and throwing it at him. Bernard deftly caught the flying paper object.
"So what? So in control you can't stand it? So good looking you glare at yourself in the mirror everyday?" Bernard toyed with the little bow before taking the safety pin that had been expertly pushed through and not clipped shut.
"Oh that's low. Besides, you know I'm glaring at you for invading my personal space." She blew some curls out of her forehead.
"Why I even grace you with my presence I will never know." Bernard tossed the bow back. "That green will clash with the wrapping paper on rack six. And that wrapping paper is a favorite with the kids." He said calmly at her incredulous glance.
"What do you have stuck up your-"
"Ah, ah, ah, no swearing now." Bernard chimed in, interrupting a now red faced Lily.
"Five dollars that she lunges next." A preteen elf whispered to Curtis. The transaction went unnoticed by the bickering pair.
True to the bet Lily lunged. Running headlong into Bernard she however made a small detour, crashing into his side. Bernard sprawled onto the floor.
"If you wanted me so badly you could have put your name on the list. The bottom mind you." Bernard stated. The flustered elf quickly got up from her compromising position.
"So swearing isn't allowed but perverted illusions are? Gosh Bernard listen to yourself sometime." With that Lily stalked out of the room.
As Curtis helped Bernard up he looked at him imploringly.
"What?" He asked while blowing one of his shining curls off of his forehead.
"As you said, its twelve days till Christmas and you are now nineteen hundred years old and Lily had her seventeen hundereth birthday yesterday. When are you going to admit that you have a bit of work to do in twelve days and tell Santa about it?" Curtis intoned. Bernards' eyes widened and he slid down the door to sit.
"I thought I had one more year." He muttered. Curtis shook his head.
Santa or Scott Calvin as he was formerly known as sauntered up.
"What's happening Bernard?" He asked, his eyes caring. Bernard looked at Curtis for help. Curtis sighed.
"Fine," he admonished " Bernard has to get married by Christmas eve like you had to. But lucky or shall we say, unluckily for him, he knows who he has to get to agree to marry him." Curtis explained.
"What? Jeez Bernard, and your still pretty young. Generally speaking of course." Santa declared. "Well, who is it?" Bernard moaned from his position on the floor, the sinking realization of exactly what he was about to have to do dancing circles on his mind.
"Lily. Freaking Second-In-Command- Lily." Bernard supplied. Santa raised his eyebrows.
"Well does she know?" he implored. Curtis looked at Santa.
"She is about to remember right about…. Now." Curtis said, and as if on cue a loud yell resounded through the windows.
"Bernard!" Lilys' voice trilled from wherever it was she had stalked off to. But it wasn't angry as everybody had thought, it was more scared than anything. Bernard shot up from the floor his face a mask of worry.
"Go, Bernard." Scott said.
Without further prompting Bernard sprinted out of the building.