DISCLAIMER: All characters & settings belong to CAPCOM.
"Wake up AJ! It's Christmas!"
I heard Datz call out from outside the office, apparently I fell asleep on my desk again, and I got the nagging feeling that there's gonna be another red stripe on my forehead once I take a look at the mirror. I walked towards the door and opened it to let him in.
"Merry Christmas AJ! I got ya something, here"
Datz then held out a green box with a red and gold ribbon...was this supposed to be a present? I pulled on the ribbon and before the knot was undone, a loud popping sound came from the box and confetti scattered all over the place, causing me to drop the box in surprise. It took me a moment to realize that I'd fallen for another one of Datz's pranks...way to remind me that I was still half-asleep.
Datz's hysterical laughing was enough to get me awake, but I have to admit, that laugh is infectious, and I found myself laughing along at my own stupidity.
"Hey AJ, what are you planning to do today? If I remember right you're meeting with that girlfriend of yours, right?"
Oh right...I haven't told anyone yet. Athena was supposed to come over to Khura'in for a little vacation but a few days ago, she called over to tell me she wasn't going to make it. Problem is, she wouldn't tell me and even Mr. Wright doesn't know why, all I know is that she hasn't been to the office since that time, nor was I able to reach her on the phone.
To be honest, I was really getting worried. I wanted to call Prosecutor Blackquill about it but I'm afraid he might send Taka halfway across the world to claw my head off before we could even finish talking. Datz though, seemed affected when I told him about it.
"Why don't you just go out and see the Kingdom for today? Beats doing paperwork all day, if you ask me."
To a certain point, he was right, but I don't think seeing how the Kingdom celebrate Christmas would help ease my worries for Athena...I'd still feel helpless because I don't even know where she is right now. Whatever the case, I trust that she'd take care of herself. I told Datz I'd just go out when I felt like it and he went on his way, probably to pull pranks on other people, I'd bet.
I decided to just spend the morning sorting things out at the office, then go out and walk around the Kingdom after lunch. Christmas isn't celebrated as a religious event in Khura'in compared to other countries, but it is still celebrated in a way.
The festive atmosphere around the Kingdom reminded me of the ones in the States, Christmas lights lined up the bazaar and the trees along the plaza were well-decorated. Although the feeling of celebrating Christmas in a foreign place is really gonna take some time to get used to, I'm liking what I'm seeing so far, to be really honest...but...
I just wish I knew where she was, I wish she was here with me, like how it was supposed to happen.
Seeing the young couples walking around here in Khura'in reminded me a lot of the times we were going out, suddenly having dates that just happen out of nowhere. We were barely into our relationship when the whole thing in Khura'in happened...and of course, that's how we ended up where we are now.
Athena wasn't a big fan of the idea at first, refusing to even talk to me at times, but eventually, she warmed up to what I wanted to do here, even offering some of the biggest encouragement whenever I felt at a complete loss. Hard to think that up until a year ago, she was my junior co-worker, she's matured a lot since then...we both have, at least Mr. Wright says so.
Still, the whole long distance relationship thing was slowly taking its toll on the both of us, right from the moment I decided to stay. There were more than a few times that I was spacing off work just thinking about her, then the same was true for her, as there were times where she'd go through the day in the agency without saying a single word. It wasn't something we're used to, and it definitely wasn't something we were getting used to easily.
I sat down in the plaza, simply admiring the handiwork that was put into decorating the trees, as well as the wreaths and golden bells that hung from above. It amazes me how they managed to replicate the feel of the Christmas season in the West when there's this significant difference in culture.
Maybe Christmas is felt all over the world in some way?
Looking at my phone for probably the first time today, I saw that several people had left me Christmas greetings. Mr. Wright, Trucy, Maya, Ema, even Klavier to name a few people who sent me various greetings and well wishes. Of course, all of them felt bland when I realized that there was one person whose name I haven't seen. Hers.
"Hey there, Mr. Justice."
I looked up to see that it was Ahlbi. He had just finished attending to a group of American tourists who were now on their way back to their hotel. He sat down beside me and for some reason, I just felt like telling him about my recent worries, and what he told me afterwards made me realize that I've forgotten something very simple.
"I'm sure Ms. Cykes doesn't want you worrying about her. Whatever she's doing right now, I think she's really going out of her way to make you not worry, it just so happened that you care about her so much that you couldn't help it."
And how right he was, I don't know anyone else who is as sensitive to how others feel than Athena herself, but even though she doesn't want me to worry about her, I just love her so much to not even think of her. I know she knows this, but maybe...maybe this time she just wants me to trust her.
After spending a bit more time with Ahlbi around the Kingdom, I decided to head back to the office in the evening, hoping to clear my head around things and probably return the greetings that people have sent me throughout the day later on. While I was doing just that, though, my phone suddenly started to ring, it was Nahyuta. I picked it up and before I could say anything, Nahyuta had already made his message clear and promptly dropped the call.
"We need to talk, Apollo, meet me at the plaza at 11."
What gives though? I don't think I've done anything this time, it's Christmas day for crying out loud. Still beats sorting paperwork on the shelves and cabinets, I guess. I finished up stuff and waited until around 10:30 before I headed to the plaza. I guess it's also a chance to see how the plaza looks like at night.
The night was pretty cold, but the plaza was beautifully lit, it almost made it look like an entirely different place from earlier. Still, I stopped admiring the place when I noticed that there was absolutely no one else in the plaza. Could be that people have gone home given that it was already so late in the night, but not a single soul was in the plaza with me.
My gut feeling was pointing towards suspicious but given that this was Nahyuta, I didn't think I had anything to worry about...then a voice comes from behind me.
"You look like you're a bit lost."
Recognition hit me as soon as I heard the voice and when I turned around, I couldn't believe my eyes. It was Athena. Her hair might be down but I couldn't be mistaken. I started to take a few steps towards her and when she smiled, I just quickly closed that gap and pulled her into a hug.
"I missed you so much, you don't know how much you made me worried, Athena."
"I wanted to surprise you, so I couldn't really give away that I was getting ready to fly here."
I still couldn't believe it, Athena's really here, and while I couldn't really find it in myself to let go of the embrace anytime soon, I don't think she could either. Everything suddenly made sense, the sudden disappearance, Nahyuta's weird call, the plaza turning into a ghost town...everyone was in on this plan. Never saw this coming, not by a long shot.
"Merry Christmas, Apollo. I hope I wasn't too late for our promise."
"You're just in time, Tiger. Merry Christmas."
A/N: Just a little Christmas short featuring this lovely couple. Merry Christmas everyone!