From Tela:

Breaking in the holidays with the Oh Porings forum Christmas collaboration once again! This years participants include Tela, TenshiNoAkuma, Ellie0223, Minane, Critic from Hell, Ruthlyn, AlchemyGeek, and Klein."

This year we all chose from a list of Christmas themes and wrote something about that theme. Enjoy damnit! If you don't, I deem you scrooge of FFnet D:

Love Tellie :)

Author's Note: I have no idea what I'm doing here haha.

Cards

By TenshiNoAkuma

Carlos is a bard of Comodo. Illessa admires his hands, because they know how to make a guitar hum the sweetest music. However, as wonderful as Carlos' hands were when it came to music, they were terrible at sleight of hand. Illessa laughs (always politely behind a hand) at the bard's woeful attempts, as she has 'quick fingers' herself. At least he can do the flourishes that come naturally to him.

So Illessa isn't surprised when Carlos approaches her with a pack of cards, fanned out in a hand, the weave of colour on the back of the cards hiding their numbers and suits.

"Pick one," he says with a smile, offering her the card fan, but not showing her the numbers.

She laughs lightly, gently pushing back his hand. She hopes he isn't insulted by her laugh. "That kind of card trick hardly ever works," she says, crossing her arms around her waist, "unless it's your audience is a bunch of naïve tourists. Too many trick decks around here."

Carlos' smile just widens, and with a small flourish, he brings his other hand up and closes the card fan with exaggerated care. "Ah, but this isn't a trick deck. See for yourself," and he offers Illessa the deck, cards face down.

She takes it, curious now. The first thing she means to check is whether the cards are slightly trapezoidal, rather than rectangular, but when she fans out the cards, an unusual one catches her eye. It is a seven of hearts, and the number and suit pulses with a faint light. Plucking it out from the fan, Illessa meant to bring it closer for inspection, but right before her eyes, the ink on the card transforms into something foreign.

"What is this?" She can't help but stare at it.

"Neat isn't it?" Carlos' expression is more cheerful than ever. Illessa would even venture to say the bard is excited. She doesn't think he realises he is gesturing as he speaks. "The mages from up north made it for me. They called it, ah, a Christmas card."

"Christmas?" It isn't a term that was used in Comodo, and doesn't sound like anything from Morroc either.

He flaps a hand at her. "Yeah, some foreign celebration of the birth of some kid. But apparently it's the time of year where everyone gives each other gifts. I like the sound of that, don't you?"

Illessa frowns down at the card in her hand. It depicts a plump old man in red, in some kind of open air carriage lead by reindeer. They are all in the sky, flying over a house and the moon. She flips it open, and it says, "Merry Christmas". None of it makes sense to her at all. She can't see what this 'Christmas card' has to do with giving gifts, or the birth of a child.

But what she really doesn't understand is, "Why give only once a year when you can give whenever you want?"

Carlos smiles broadly, as if he knew she would say that, and gives her a swift kiss on the cheek.

Cookies

By TenshiNoAkuma

Lutie is the town of Christmas, but the visiting Buck and Miara think of it as the town of cold and snow. That doesn't mean they can't enjoy themselves by cramming everything they think looks fun into their days and nights there. It was after an intense afternoon of ice skating (otherwise known as stepping-on-the-ice-and-hoping-you-move-forward-rather-than-fall-down) and snowball fights with the residents that Buck and Miara finally decided to call it a day and flop into the home they were staying in.

There is a warm fire waiting for them indoors, lit by the landlord, but more importantly, there is a plate of cookies sitting on the table.

It doesn't take very long for Miara to snatch up the plate and bring it back to the large rug before the fireplace. She reaches out to take a few of the cookies, stuffing them into her mouth, but Buck is more reserved, leaning forward in his seat on the rug to have a look at them first.

They are small pieces of shortbread, in shapes of Christmas trees and bells.

Before long, the plate is emptied of all its cookies except one. Buck glances up at Miara. It's habit, now, for him to smile and push the plate towards her, offering her the last one. Because if he doesn't, he knows she will fight him for it (and win). At least this way the problem is solved in a more mature and dignified manner.

He isn't surprised when Miara takes the last cookie. But he is surprised when Miara breaks the cookie in half, turning away as she pops her half into her mouth and chews noisily as if it's nothing unusual. Buck stares, wondering what has come over his twin sister at this display of rare generosity, before he takes his half of the cookie and decides he knows the answer.

"It's Christmas."