A World of Remnant Christmas!

xXx

oOoOoOoOo Joshua Bridger oOoOoOoOo

Looking around the interior of Andrew's home, Joshua still couldn't help but be surprised at all of the decorations the rather odd doctor had put up. Not that the decorations themselves were strange in any way, he just never figured Andrew to be the…festive type. Always so calm and goal-oriented.

So it really threw him for a loop that the man would put so much effort into a holiday as lively as Christmas. He'd already started questioning everything he saw upon viewing the multi-colored lights that had been thoroughly arrayed on the outside of the house, easily enough that Joshua would've believed Andrew must've been using a personal generator to power them. That wasn't even taking into account the snowmen out in front. Or the big sleigh holding a fake Santa, complete with the matching reindeer tied to the front in two perfect rows. Or that he'd apparently gotten several extra Christmas trees outside with their own lights and decorations.

The first thought on his mind was 'Just what the hell is his electrical bill gonna be like after today?'

But no matter how…celebratory the outside was, the interior was the point where his mind essentially stopped working for a moment and he was certain he'd somehow been caught into a very vivid hallucination.

Wreath's, little Santa's hanging from the ceiling, artificial reindeer, even more lights, new curtains with Christmas decorations patterned on, animals associated with Christmas essentially crafted out of Christmas lights, he even had little elves spread out everywhere in the house.

He was honestly a little worried about what the Christmas tree would be like. Would it be big enough that the roof had to be reworked to fit it and a wall torn down and reassembled to get it in and keep it? Given enough lights to blind everyone in the room? Have enough decorations on it to practically cover up all the pine needles and branches? And what would the gifts be like?

"Ah, you've made it!"

The greeting was just enough to knock him out of his stupor and bring him back down to reality, though he still had to take a look around himself and give his arm a harsh pinch to make sure everything was real.

'Pain, check. Guess this is all real after all.'

Of course, he immediately started questioning that again when he saw Andrew.

…In an elf costume! "Who are you and where the hell is the real Andrew?"

The man, the imposter, seemed genuinely taken aback at being discovered. His face quickly shifting to a mask of confusion at the accusation before settling into outrage. "I'm not a fake, it's really me."

Joshua pointed a finger at him, shouting "Prove it!" There was no way this was really happening. No way that this guy was the real deal. Joshua would just kick him out the moment he showed enough to prove that.

The fake seemed to take it in stride, rolling his eyes. "You fantasize about punching Ryou in the mouth and knocking out all of his teeth."

"So does everyone who's known him for five minutes."

Andrew's doppelganger almost mouthed back a reply, but paused before the retort could form and nodded his head in resignation to the point. "Fair enough. How about this one? You live at the Winters Refuge."

"Any stalker could know that," Joshua countered stubbornly. If this was all the guy could point out then-

"Back at the party in Atlas you spent five seconds staring at Winter's ass when you first saw her in the dress she was wearing."

…

"Okay," he admitted, the panic cooling down as the reality settled back in from…Andrew bringing him back down from his bout of panic. "Fine, only the real Andrew could know that one."

But now, with the suspicion suddenly cleared from the air, Joshua's face shifted from suspicion to mounting incredulity at….well, everything. "But seriously," he questioned, throwing his arms out to encompass the veritable shops worth of Christmas themed decorations around him. "What's up with all this?"

Looking around at the interior of his own home, Andrew seemed genuinely at a loss for what Joshua was trying to imply. Looking back at him with an expression of mild confusion, he shrugged and responded "What? I like Christmas."

"But this much?"

"Yes," Andrew replied simply. "This much."

That was the point where Joshua just stood in place, stuttering in incomprehension. Really, he knew Andrew had some quirks, but this was just way ahead of anything he could've expected. Anything he should've been allowed to expect. And Andrew's complete lack of an overt response to his shock was only making it worse. Especially when he was wearing that outfit.

Gradually his self-control returned to the fore, allowing him to speak in full sentences once again. By that time Andrew had already headed off. Apparently working on something in the kitchen, if the scents from that direction was any indication. Heading over to check what was going on, he stopped dead at the doorway and released a sigh that sounded more than a little pitiful. "Gingerbread houses? Really?"

Andrew just ignored him, continuing to decorate his most recent creation of six with almost obsessive attention. Squeezing icing all around the rims even as he added gumdrops and candy canes of varying colors. "Do I really need to repeat what I said before?"

On the verge of another sputtering fit, Joshua barely managed to calm himself back down before he could embarrass himself again. Settling his nerves, he tried to speak his thoughts more clearly this time. "Can you really blame me for being surprised? Come on, you've never even talked about Christmas before. I think my surprise is a little justified."

Taking a moment to look Andrew up and down, his face briefly regained its look of disbelief before he shook it off. "And what the hell is with the elf outfit?"

Andrew just shrugged at him, finishing up his most recent gingerbread house. "It would certainly suit Ryou even worse. He can barely pull off his current outfit at all, he's just not fat enough for it."

Joshua almost said something snappy before Andrew's choice of words actually sunk in, causing him to once again stand in place in complete shock. "Wait a minute. What exactly are you trying to tell me he wears?"

oOoOoOoOo Winter Schnee oOoOoOoOo

'I…really don't have any response for this.'

Little did the Huntress in training know that her thought processes were going along an eerily similar line as to Joshua's just a moment before. She had only recently received an invitation from Andrew to attend a Christmas celebration at his home in Silberlicht with the others, even saying she could bring Weiss along. It had taken some application of potential blackmail material on her father, but she'd managed it. It was made easier due to him not already arranging anything for Weiss beforehand, making it all the easier to bring her along.

Her little sister, of course, seemed to be held back by none of her surprise at the scene of Andrews rather extravagantly decorated house. She seemed downright spellbound if anything.

"It's so pretty!"

Whereas Winter was stunned at the sight, Weiss was obviously delighted, darting around the front yard and its countless decorations. Playing in the snow, checking all the lights, trying to get into the sleigh and even looking under the decorated trees outside to see if they had any presents.

She barely suppressed a laugh at her antics, so happy to see Weiss being so…well, happy. Acting her age and without a care for all the responsibilities she would inherit, away from all the pressure and expectations. A moment where she could just act like the little girl their father seemed so intent to stamp out.

But they couldn't stay outside forever. "Weiss, that's enough. We need to go inside to meet the others."

Only letting out a brief whine of complaint, her little sister joined her in walking up to the entrance of the house. Pressing a finger to the doorbell, she waited for someone within to come greet them and let them in. Only proper after all.

It wasn't long before someone came to allow them in, opening the door to reveal none other than Joshua. But…..

"Joshua," she lightly spoke, quirking her head slightly at his oddly blank expression and total lack of response to seeing her. She honestly expected some kind of attempt at humor or a bit of his usual sarcasm, not a completely blank stare while mumbling incoherently. Even Weiss was a little put off by it, judging from the brief glimpse Winter got of her expression. "Joshua, are you alright?"

He seemed to come back to Remnant at the question, his eyes refocusing and landing on her and Weiss with what seemed to be genuine surprise. "Winter, Weiss, when did the two of you get here?"

She felt her right eyebrow twitch slightly in irritation, but she shoved that aside. "We've arrived just now. I rang the doorbell and you came by to open it looking like you've stared into something insanity inducing and started mumbling."

Blinking at her halfway through the explanation, Joshua seemed to be having trouble remembering the events she'd just described. Had whatever spooked him been so bad to mess with his short term memory that severely?

She actually pulled back a little when his eyes flashed slightly at some regained memory and he immediately stood at his full height in realization, shouting "I remember! Andrew, elf costume, gingerbread houses, Ryou and-and….and…."

And just like that the vigor seemed to slowly disappear before her very eyes, gradually being replaced with the odd combination of silence and shock that he'd been in before. 'Oh no you don't!'

"Joshua!" she shouted, grabbing him by the shoulders and shaking him to pull him back from what looked like the brink of complete mental collapse. "Joshua," she repeated, trying to get his attention away from whatever left him stunned and keep him focused, grasping for something to keep him from backsliding. "Weren't you just about to let us in?" she asked, using the first thing that came to mind. "It's getting cold out here and we'd very much like to come in."

That seemed to do it, breaking him out of what would've become another trance and getting his eyes to have a bit of life again. "Oh. Yeah, come on in. There's a fire going and Andrew has already got some snacks ready. Now we've just gotta wait for Ryou to come….back…"

Seeing him begin to backslide yet again, Winter didn't bother to stop it this time. Instead choosing to grab Weiss and get into the house before Joshua went blank once again. Closing the door as she entered, Winter quickly brought Joshua to the living room of Andrew's home seated him on the couch, her little sister observing the proceedings with obvious concern. 'What in the world happened to him?'

oOoOoOoOo Weiss Schnee oOoOoOoOo

Weiss wasn't entirely sure what was wrong with Joshua, but it must've been very bad. She'd never seen him like this before, not once. He always seemed so calm and even, seeing him so out of sorts was actually kind of scary to her.

Was he sick? No, that didn't seem right. He was just fine when he called Winter on her Scroll earlier, not any sign of a sickness at all. So what could be wrong?

Quietly walking up to her older sister, she tugged slightly on her sleeve to get her attention. "Is he gonna be okay?"

Winter was about to speak before the answer came from the doorway behind them.

"Don't worry, he'll be alright. Just a little shocked from what I told him about Ryou."

Turning to the familiar voice in sync with her sister, Weiss spied Andrew by the entrance to the living room wearing….a….

Winter sighed, "Is that an elf costume?"

Andrew's face gained a rather pensive look. "Now don't you start on me too."

Her sister drew a breath to speak back, then simply released the accumulated air in yet another sigh. 'She's been doing that a lot since we've met these people.'

"I'm sorry," Winter acquiesced. "I just never, even in the wildest corners of my imagination, could've imagined someone so serious deciding to wear an elf costume like that.

The blond man shrugged in response. "Normally I wouldn't. But this is Christmas, so doesn't that mean a bit of a pass on that kind of thing? Everyone dresses up."

After a second of silence, Andrew looked her and Winter over with a slightly critical gaze. "Well, at least those who want to."

Hearing Winter huff slightly beside her in response, Weiss toned out the conversation between the two as something else got her attention. Some scent that had actually beet tickling her nose since she and her sister had entered the house. Something sweet and hot coming from the…

"Is there something in the kitchen?" she suddenly asked, interrupting what Andrew was about to say in response to whatever Winter had just said to him.

"Yes," he answered, not even skipping a beat to her little verbal intrusion. "I was just baking some gingerbread houses. Want to try some?"

She had already rushed past him to see them by the time he'd finished asking.

oOoOoOoOo Joshua Bridger oOoOoOoOo

Slowly, ever so slowly, Joshua could feel himself come back to reality. The truly bizarre paralysis of his mind, filled to the edge with a singular image he just couldn't quite process fast enough to truly grasp, began to wear away as hi psyche reoriented itself. His vision became clear again, his hearing returning, followed by his other senses until he was back to normal.

Should he say something to make sure his voice was working?

He decided to test it out by saying the first thing that came to mind.

"Ryou is dressed up in a Santa Claus outfit."

….And of course it was that particular thing that came to mind. The very image that had turned his mind upside down in the first place.

Fortunately, the effects of it weren't quite as glaring right now. Sure, it still made his vision blur a little and push him to the edge of blacking out again, but at least he was still holding onto his sanity right now. If barely. Maybe he'd just had enough time to shrug it off?

Checking the watch on his right wrist, he noticed that it'd been only….an hour and a half? Whoa, that must've been a serious brain buster. He'd never been quite put out by something like that before.

But, at least it looked like the effect of it was starting to lessen. He'd just said it out loud without his brain going haywire, so that was a good sign.

Getting up from the nice couch he had been seated in, Joshua was somewhat surprised to hear some extra voices in the house besides Andrew's own. Some very familiar voices, in fact. Had Winter and Weiss already arrived?

He flinched slightly as some of the memories came back. Yeah, he did vaguely remember them coming here. He remembered letting them both in at the front door before everything went hazy.

'I hope I didn't embarrass myself too much.'

Shaking that particular worry from his mind, Joshua started walking and headed to the source of the voices. They sounded pretty happy, one voice in particular. The youngest sounding one, so it was probably Weiss. And did he hear some crunching?

He quickly realized it was coming from the kitchen along with a few new scents, and that was really all he needed to fill in the blanks. Entering within, he saw exactly what he'd envisioned.

Winter and Andrew sitting at a table in the middle of a conversation, each with a cup of coffee, with Winter trying to hold a serious talk with his blonde friend in spite of his…spirited attire.

Weiss, whom was seated at the same table, was currently busy munching of what looked to be a piece of one of Andrew's gingerbread houses. Quite happily, in fact. Looks like Andrew was, among other things, also a rather good baker. Would the shocks and wonders never cease?

It was that moment when Winter spotted him at the corner of her vision, turning to him with the slightest glimmer of a smile. "Joshua, you're up. So nice to see you won't be spending the night on the couch after all."

He had the decency to blush at that, giving Weiss a quick "hello, Weiss" as she gave him a wave in greeting. "I can't help it, he really dropped a bomb on me there."

Rolling her eyes in bemusement, Winter released a quick chuckle. "Yes, we heard about Ryou's choice of costume. But really, is it actually that surprising?"

Joshua heard rather than felt his jaw hit the floor at that statement. "Are you kidding me? You can't honestly say something like that's actually in character for him. It's ridiculous."

She nodded. "Exactly. Which I imagine is exactly why he does it. Do you really think he'd resist the chance to get a reaction out of someone like the one you gave? If anything he'd be downright eager."

The Player opened his mouth to launch back a retort, but nothing came out as her words really sank in. Now that he thought about it, that…..actually made some kind of twisted sense. Ryou loved to get those kinds of reactions out of people in any way he could. There really was a good chance that he'd done it just because he knew the mere knowledge of it would throw people for a loop.

'Son of a bitch.'

"Um, where is Ryou?"

The question came from young Weiss, an adorably questioning look on her face even with a slight smattering of gingerbread crumbs around her mouth. The picture did nothing to diminish her question, though. Surely he would've gotten here by now?

"He'll be here soon," Andre reassured, completely unconcerned with the tardiness of their…sometimes friend. "It's part of a little ritual he does every year. He should be nearly finished by now and will be coming back very soon."

Winter's eyes narrowed slightly. "But what is he actually doing that would take so much time? We all know how fast he is."

Andrew shrugged. "He likes to take his time with it," he answered.

This time Joshua asked. "But what's he actually doing?"

Rather than answer immediately in response to their questioning looks, Andrew just rose his cup up to take a sip of coffee. Putting it back down, he looked each of them in the eye and said, "Do you really want to know?"

The three of them nodded almost in unison, prompting a sigh from the man dressed in the elf costume. "Well…"

oOoOoOoOo Johnny oOoOoOoOo

"Hurry!" Mike shouted out, arms seeming to flap in the air in panic as he urged them to haste. "Move it, he's coming! We gotta get ready!"

Their hideaway was abuzz with activity as if it were a beehive. People running from place to place, setting up cover, grabbing weapons, boarding up the windows and other entrances. All because of the veritable hurricane that was surely coming their way.

It had all happened so fast. Another hideaway filled with their guys across town had been hit first, everyone unconscious and either smacked into the walls or cratered into the ground. The few conscious ones launched into tirades about how they were given a collective ass-kicking by some red and white blur.

Then another place was hit. Then another! And another! Seriously, what the hell was going on? Why was this even happening!? They were just a few gangs of drug dealers and extortionists that were barely even on the damn radar, who the hell would come after them? Yeah, they got into some nasty stuff, but wasn't this just a bit disproportionate?

Either way, by that point everyone left had gotten together here to put up one last stand. All or nothing, do or die.

'I just hope this isn't gonna be a die.'

Rushing to the pile of weapons, Johnny was lucky enough to grab a decent shotgun before all the good weapons were taken. They had guns, but most of them were more than a little beaten up. And it didn't help that trying to fight this thing up close sounded like suicide.

Rushing to take cover behind a crate, he readied his shotgun and pointed it to the only unbarred door at the front of the building.

It didn't take too long for the noise in the warehouse to die down, everyone lying in wait. The calm before the storm, right before all hell broke loose. He was pretty sure more than a few of the guys were pissing themselves in terror right now.

'I'm suddenly real happy I already took a piss a while ago.'

Then, suddenly, there was a sound in the silence. Coming from outside. It was here!

Everyone went still as stone, waiting for all hell to break loose. Waiting for whatever was outside to come on in so they could greet it with a hail of bullets.

Tension high in the room, the sound outside just continued unabated. It actually sounded oddly familiar, like something he'd heard before. He could tell from the expression coming up on some of the other faces that they felt the same. But what was it?

Then a voice called out, some guy in the back. "Are those…..Christmas bells?"

Johnny thought he heard a smack as somebody hit the guy upside the head for speaking out like that. Why the hell should they care about what that damned sound was?

But then they heard someone talk outside.

"Ho ho ho, ya naughty sons o' bitches! Have you all earned your happy helping of holiday coal this year?"

Everyone just…..froze at that. Was it some kind of joke? Was this a big prank? 'Cause it was really starting to look like it. Johnny actually heard someone mutter out a "what the fuck?" somewhere in the room, and this time there wasn't any smack to demand silence.

Then there was a crashing sound and the front of the warehouse collapsed inward, dust and bits of debris flying back in a blinding cloud that hid whatever was responsible. Like the first wave of a hurricane it actually blew some guys back.

Then something moved and everything went to hell in a hand basket. Faster than thought it dashed right it, blowing dust away as it passed and sent James flying into a wall with a loud crack!

There were shouts, guns firing, bullets hitting as everyone fired in a panic. And still that thing seemed to move, seeming to dodge around the bullets as it punted everybody one by one.

"Keep firing!" Mike shouted, panic clear in his voice as he kept trying to follow the root of the chaos and shoot it with his pistol. "Kill this fucker! FUCKING KILL HIM NOW!"

"WHAT DO YOU THINK WE'RE TRYING TO D-"

The angry rebuttal was immediately silenced as the speaker was sent flying across the room, yet another casualty of the chaos. How many did that leave them with?

Looking around, Johnny was horrified to realize that their previous number of over thirty guys had been reduced to seven. In less than a minute!

It barely even took several seconds before the rest were downed and unconscious with the others, leaving Johnny shaking in a corner with his gun out.

'This can't really be happening. This can't be happening!'

He didn't even notice he was shaking now, his gun barely keeping a straight firing arc in his hands. His weapon swerved with him as he turned tide to side, trying to find the bastard who did this. "WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU!"

In lieu of a more verbal response, he heard something….from above.

Slowly, as if paralyzed from terror, he turned his head up to see the very source of all the chaos and trouble tonight. The monster that had reduced their whole gang to a gathering of glorified punching bags.

"…..Santa Claus?"

The man in red and white was clutching the wall with one hand, braced against the rest of the wall with his feet as if he were some demented spider, clutching a massive sack in his free hand. With a dancing glimmer of glee in his eyes, he smiled down upon him. "Ho. Ho. Ho."

Then the next thing Johnny knew was the feeling of getting his body smashed into the wall, hit hard by the huge sack in Santa's hand that just had to be full of rocks.

Right before he blacked out, Johnny's last thought was 'I thought Santa was supposed to be fat and jolly, not tall, dark and psycho.'

oOoOoOoOo Andrew Hamilton oOoOoOoOo

The room was eerily quiet, seemingly silent as an abandoned crypt. Rather understandable, considering what they'd just heard.

It was actually rather funny how they each had a different reaction to his explanation. Joshua had been reduced to a stuttering mess, unable to even get out a single full word before trying to move onto another one. A state made even more humorous by him doing the same with various physical gestures, as if he couldn't find the best one to display his raw shock.

Weiss' reaction was probably the most expected. The piece of the gingerbread house that she'd been snacking on had fallen to the table, completely forgotten, as her expression frozen in wide-eyed amazement as she seemed to stare off into space.

Winters reaction was….probably the one that most stood out. She didn't react with quite the same extreme as the others, seeming to physically freeze in place right as she was about to take a sip of her coffee. She was certainly surprised, but not anywhere near to the same visible effect as the others.

'Well, that's not as fun.'

Not that he'd specifically told them about Ryou's holiday pastime just to see their shocked reactions, but it had certainly been a rather fortunate perk all things considered.

The moment was brought back down somewhat by Winter calmly taking the intended sip of her coffee before putting her cup back down on the table. "Somehow," she began slowly, as if using her words to test the air. "Somehow I can't really say it's too surprising."

It seemed to have been the clarity in the statement, as much as the wording itself, that brought Joshua out of his stupor. Turning to her with an expression of incredulity, he was interrupted before speaking by a raised hand from Winter.

"Yes, I know it seems bizarre," she admitted. "But, in all honesty, doesn't it seem like something he'd do specifically to get reactions like…" she gestured her upheld hand towards Joshua and Weiss, seeming to struggle to find a proper word before settling on "these? I mean, we've had this conversation barely five minutes ago."

Joshua and Weiss actually seemed to recover some of their composure at that explanation. She actually did present a rather good point. This was more or less a repeat of the whole conversation from before. Honestly, Andrew wouldn't be surprised if the two of them felt a little embarrassed for not finding it out on their own. Kudos to Winter for finding it out for herself.

Joshua and Weiss both regained their former state of mind from before his revelation rather easily at that, returning to what they were focused on before it had even come up at all. Joshua chatting with Winter and Andrew himself occasionally adding something, Weiss happily continuing to eat her snack, even picking up the few crumbs that had been left on the table from her dropping it.

It was almost like nothing had even happened at all.

So of course it was only a matter of time until it was interrupted by the sound of Christmas bells outside and a great, bellowing laugh of "Hohohohoho!"

Joshua let out a great groan of displeasure at the sound, and more importantly at whom he was sure it heralded. "Please tell me that isn't who I think it is."

oOoOoOoOo Joshua Bridger oOoOoOoOo

Joshua honestly wasn't sure how to react to the sight of Ryou in a Santa Claus outfit. On the one hand, he was actually being surprisingly well behaved right now considering…how he usually acted. He hadn't been anywhere near as much of an ass as he usually was, and seemed to be genuinely trying to make this a merry occasion.

On the other hand…well, this was still RYOU. The thought of him actually trying to fit the jolly attitude of the man the suit was associated with was actually pretty difficult, even if Winter had given a rather good explanation for why he might do it. Even if he could now get the image in his head without going into a mental blackout, there was still that little static sounding voice in the back of his head that said "DOES NOT COMPUTE" in some subtle whisper.

He'd apparently caught on to Joshua's rather conflicted opinion, because he turned to him with with an almost apologetic look while the others were gone and said "I guess I just can't be a jackass all the time, can I?"

And now that voice was going haywire as Ryou was seated on the couch in the living room with Weiss sitting happily in his lap. It was the image ingrained in the mind of anyone who'd ever seen a mall Santa before, though it was somewhat different due to Weiss not actually saying what she'd wanted for Christmas this year. She was just too busy smiling and laughing.

The sight was so infectious that Joshua couldn't help but smile a little himself. 'Well, at least that's ONE thing happening right now that actually fits.'

Ryou let out another great laugh coming from deep within his non-existent gut and asked the question that everyone heard during Christmas at one point or another. "Hohohohohoho! And what would you like for Christmas this year little girl?"

Looking up at Ryou with a rather adorably confused expression on her face, Weiss seemed to hesitate in answering him for a moment. "But you're not Santa."

Ryou just let out another laugh at that, seemingly more bemused than anything. "Oh, don't worry about that. For all we know Santa might be listening in right now. Gotta tell him quick."

Her eyes opened in wonder, darting around as if to find whatever means Santa could've been using to listen in. "Do you really think he's listening?"

"I know it. Come on, what's your Christmas wish?"

Winter didn't see it, she was too intent on her discussion with Andrew and had her back turned to Weiss at the moment besides, but for a moment Weiss' eyes darted between her sister and Joshua himself. Followed by immediately blushing when she realized Joshua had seen her do so.

"…..It's a secret." She answered simply, refusing to divulge anything further as she turned her face away to try and avoid seeing him in the eye.

The mischievous glimmer in Ryou's eye meant he'd probably gotten it too. 'Ooh boy, he's never gonna let me live this down.'

"Well," the Santa knock-off said in a low tone, voice coming out with the edge Joshua had gotten so used to. "Don't you worry, I'm sure it'll come true one day."

The time manipulator bit back a sigh. Yeah, Ryou wasn't ever gonna let him live this down.

"So!" he exclaimed, carefully pushing Weiss off before patting a knee. "Come on over, little boy. What do you want for Christmas this year?"

'Ah, now THERE'S the jackass we all know and love.'

"Ooh," Joshua squeaked out in mock excitement, his hands coming together as if he were making a joking prayer. "Is it my turn already? Okay!"

Relishing the mildly shocked look on Ryou's face as he literally pranced over to him, Joshua took a seat on his left knee like a child ready to make his Christmas wish.

The looks on everyone else's faces were also quite rewarding, but not nearly so much as Ryou's look of recognition at his own joke being turned on him. He looked downright flabbergasted that Joshua would've taken it this far. And that was just fine.

Because now he was really gonna lay it on thick.

"Santa, Santa!" He chirped, doing his best to nail the excited child tone of voice that never failed to get on people's nerves. "I wanna Malibu Barbie Beach House for Christmas this year! Can I have it, can I have it? PLEASE?"

At that point everyone else in the room had gone silent. Winter standing in place as she stared at him in horror with her lower jaw hanging, Weiss slowly backing away from him as if her were carrying a contagious disease, Andrew was-

"I'm not selfish enough for that, I just want peace on earth. That means I get more than him, right?"

-sitting on Ryou's other knee, having said all that with the same flat expression and even tone that had become so much of a trademark for him by now. Sitting on Ryou's knee like a child, while dressed in an elf costume, and asking for a present from Santa.

If the room was dead silent before, then it was silent as a void after that. What in the hell was going on?

Hell, even Andrew seemed to be a little embarrassed with what had just happened. He almost looked like he was starting to get the beginning of some kind of blush. He never blushed. Not unless it was for something up to life and credibility destroying levels of embarrassing.

It was a while before someone worked up the nerve to respond. Turns out Ryou was that lucky guy. "What the hell is up with you, dude?"

The maybe blush on Andrew's face seemed to get a little redder. "It's all because of the two of you. I used to be nice and sane and normal before either of you came into my life."

And the whole room just erupted into laughter.

oOoOoOoOo Ryou Sawamura oOoOoOoOo

'Guess even I can't be a jerk on Christmas.'

A very strange idea to some, but it was true. This was supposed to be a happy holiday, the time where you were supposed to celebrate, not make people want to punch your lights out.

Of course he'd just make up for it come tomorrow, but that wouldn't come until past midnight. Maybe even a little later.

But right now it was time to be jolly. Time to be friendly. Time to not get on everyone's nerves until their faces twisted from the urge to try and fail to knock his teeth out.

And, now that the dinner Andrew had prepared was finally done cooking, it was also time to sit at the damn table and have something to eat. Looking out at the veritable feast that had been prepared, Ryou couldn't resist letting out a brief whistle in appreciation. "Damn, talk about one hell of a spread. You really went all out this year."

Andrew smirked. "Of course. We have guests after all."

'Then maybe we should have them more often if you cook for 'em like THIS.'

Seriously, there was a huge serving or finely braised lamb shanks, green beans, roasted potatoes, corn, a big salad, and Andrew was still bringing some other stuff out onto the table. It was like something you'd see on a show about gourmet meals with a never ending tide of new dishes.

Hell, even Winter seemed impressed in spite of her attempts to keep it hidden. And she'd apparently grown up on fine dining. Same with Weiss, though she generally did less to hide it.

"Need some help?" Joshua offered, seeing Andrew have some trouble with the other dishes he was bringing in. Looked like a plate of braised vegetable and another plate with some mashed potatoes. Ryou was actually starting to wonder if they'd even be able to eat it all in just tonight.

"I'm fine," Andrew responded, carefully balancing what he was bringing in. "I've gotten good enough at balancing the-"

He tripped, or nearly did, as a result of…the laces of his right shoe coming undone. Seriously? For a moment it looked like they were gonna be two dishes short, but Ryou managed to rush out and get the two plates balanced as he caught them in his own hands before the food upon them could be disturbed. "Mind saying that again?"

He actually got some laughs out of the others at that, though Andrew just seemed a little embarrassed. "Maybe I shouldn't have kept the elf shoes on."

But, besides that brief scare, everything had went smoothly. The food was all ready, the dishes were set, and they all got to enjoy their meal for the night. Ryou in particular was enjoying the well braised lamb shank, the eternal meat lover he was.

Winter and Weiss made a show of eating with all the etiquette and manners you'd associate from some kind of noble, Joshua tried to keep the conversation up between everyone else, Andrew occasionally adding his own two cents into the mix.

It was a warm atmosphere, one that Ryou honestly felt a little strange for being involved in. He usually didn't have a part in something this relaxing, but this was a special occasion after all.

All in all, it was a fun and happy Christmas meal with everyone going in excited and coming out full and satisfied. There was still plenty of leftovers, but that was hardly a problem. And then it came time for the part of Christmas that everybody always looked forward to.

Handing out presents!

oOoOoOoOo Joshua Bridger oOoOoOoOo

Joshua looked over the gifts under the tree, wondering what the others had gotten for the celebration. Spotting the gifts he'd brought to Andrew's house in particular, he hoped everyone would find their presents satisfactory.

It had been a short while after dinner and everyone short of Andrew, still busy packing the rest of the food away for later, was together in the living room containing the huge Christmas tree.

Weiss looked downright eager to get started, bursting with a childish excitement. Winter was somewhat reserved, approaching the coming moment with her usual quiet demeanor. Ryou on the other hand seemed a little bored, just laying down on his own section of the couch as he let the time roll by.

"Sorry for the wait," Andrew said from the entryway, finally done with his work in the kitchen. He'd finally changed out of his elf costume and back into the usual white lab coat that had become so associated to him in their minds.

Joshua shrugged his shoulders at the apology, though Ryou muttered out a barely discernable "'bout time" in response to his arrival. Joshua briefly rolled his eyes at that, but otherwise let it slide. "So, shall we get started?"

With no other reason to hold it off, the gift opening began. The rule had been that everybody would get everyone else a single gift, a tactic to make sure that everyone got something from someone else and nobody would feel left out.

Ryou, somewhat surprisingly, hadn't just opted to get joke gifts for everybody and leave it at that. He'd gotten Weiss a series of CD's with various classical songs and music, saying he'd heard it playing in a music shop one day and the songs reminded him of her. He'd bought Winter an autobiography written by a famous Huntsman of Atlas, citing she could probably find some useful information in it that could help in her line of work. His gift for Andrew was a series of novels, all signed by their writer inside the cover. And Joshua…

"Really?" he asked, looking at the rather ironic choice of gift. "You got a time manipulator a watch?"

Not that it was a bad gift in any way. It was made from some golden-alloyed metal that gleamed as if the sun was shining down on it, encrusted with a number of small gems around the rim and with the clock-hands looking as if they were made from silver. It looked like something you'd see on a snobby rich guy.

The grin on Ryou's face showed that his sense of humor had not, in fact, been forgotten for the holiday.

The next batch opened was from Andrew. Ryou got a pair of new boots that had bene enhanced with Wind Dust to help remove air resistance during his running, which the tall joker seemed quite happy to receive. Weiss received a music box that let out a beautiful and solemn tune when wound up, one that she caused her to whisper "beautiful" out for just a moment. Winter had received a hairpin of what seemed like ivory, seeming to glow in the light and was so pale that it seemed to perfectly match her hair. Joshua received a new leather coat, similarly enhanced with Wind Dust in addition to Fire Dust to keep him warm out in the cold.

Winter and Weiss had gotten gifts for everybody together, handing them out in turn. Andrew and Ryou had received the same gift, a corporate card that allowed for a substantial discount on all Dust related purchases from any shops associated with or operated by the Schnee Dust Company. The looks on their faces showed that they were both quite happy for the gain. And Joshua….well….

He finally got his weapon.

"Oh whoa," he breathlessly let out, marveling at the new armaments as he flexed his hands in them. A pair of metallic gauntlets, made from the strongest steel alloys that shined like freshly polished silver in the light. Completely covering the front half of his forearms along with the palm and back of each hand, segmented pieces going further along his fingers over a black sheath like glove. He could see the compartments behind the wrist that would hold the Dust cartridges, and the blades tucked in at the sides that would slide forward for melee or spread out into their bow or crossbow form.

In short, it was fucking fantastic! He honestly couldn't wait to test it out.

"Enjoying it?" Winter playfully asked, a slight smile pulling up the corners of her lips.

"I'm loving it," he confirmed, still a little breathless. Even Ryou had actually let out a short whistle of appreciation at the sight of them. "I'm…honestly not sure how I can pay you back for this."

She raised a hand before he even finished speaking. "Don't worry about it. It's a gift, and now was simply the best time to give it to you. Enjoy it."

'Oh, I WILL.'

Honestly, he was actually a little worried his gifts for them could be a bit underwhelming. Everyone else had really brought their A-game to the table. He couldn't help the trepidation as they started to unwrap them.

He'd gotten Ryou a personal music player with earphones. The most expensive and advanced version he could find, with massive storage capacity and earphones with sound so clear that you may as well have been hearing it straight from the source. Andrew had been a bit more difficult, but he'd decided on an expensive silver watch with small embedded gems around the rim. The irony of it being similar to Ryou's choice of gift for Joshua hadn't been lost on everyone.

But it was the gift for Weiss and Winter that he'd thought he'd really gotten right. A pair of matching silver bracelets, sapphires embedded on them, each holding a chain that held half of a picture. Weiss' held the half with Winter, Winter's held the half with Weiss.

They both loved them, quite happy with his choice of present. Though he could've done without Ryou making a mock kissy face towards him when they weren't looking.

Everything died down after that, slowing and unwinding until the day was at it end. Winter had booked some rooms for herself and Weiss in a hotel, while Ryou was apparently just going to crash at Andrew's for the night. To the blonde's utter lack of surprise.

But, before they left, there was one last thing to do.

"Hey," Ryou muttered, slightly shoving Joshua aside, "make some room will ya?"

"It's not my fault you're so damn tall," he countered, nudging him slightly as he got back into place. "Andrew, maybe you could move the camera back a bit? I don't think Ryou will fit too well."

The doctor sighed, more than a little annoyed at the back and forth by now. "Fine, just give me a moment. It means I'll have to adjust the settings again."

Winter shook her head, one arm around Weiss' shoulder. "Honestly, can't you two be in the same room for five minutes without starting something?"

She was answered by a simultaneous "No" from each of them, briefly causing the two to show some disturbance over the moment of complete sync. Weiss, of course, just found it funny.

After a bit more preparation on their part and Andrew trying to find the best position, they were finally ready. Ryou, due to being the tallest person in the room, was behind them all, Andrew positioned slightly to his right. Winter and Joshua were in front of Ryou, with Winter in particular placing her hands on Weiss' shoulders as she was up in front with a smile on her face.

Andrew cleared his throat. "Alright everyone, Merry Christmas on three. One. Two. Three!"

"Merry Christmas!" they chorused, just as the flash went off and the picture was taken. Every face with an earnest smile, the cheer of the season coming out in every expression. A memento to remember the end of the year where so much had happened. The year where they all met, the year they all got together, and the year they all came together on this night to enjoy.

And with it, they would forever have that remembrance of those times gone by.

'Yeah,' Joshua thought, seeing and sensing the people around him. 'It's been a good year.'

xXx

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

For anyone who stumbled upon this first, it's a separate chapter for World of Remnant: Online, a fic I've been writing. I guess you could say it's canon, but I admit I pretty much decided to put this out on a whim. But I decided to give it elements that essentially make it a canon chapter.

Sorry if it might seem a little rushed or sparse in some places, I was kinda pushed for time when the idea finally started forming, but I final got it done just in time. If you have any mistakes or typo's you might like to point out, please do so in a reviews.

Merry Christmas, please review and have a great night!