A/N: written as a part the LWA secret santa project for croixetchariot on tumblr! Merry Christmas my friend!
Chariot burst out of the doors of the Department of Cheer and skipped down the cobblestone street. Christmas day was fast approaching, and operations at the north pole were at full swing. To her, it was the most exciting time of the year.
Around her, other elves scurried about to and from their stations, many with stacks of boxes and packages in their arms. Some decorated, fixing thistles and bows on lamps and stringing lights across the wooden cottage buildings that lined the road. She noticed others from her department caroling or performing acrobatics in the street. All in all the mood was festive, and Chariot couldn't help but break out into a few lines of "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas".
Every elf at the north pole has their own role to complement their personal traits. Ever since Chariot was little, the elves knew she would she would be perfect for the team that maintained Christmas cheer with her bright spirit and boundless energy - not to mention the shock of Christmas-red hair! This job was exactly what Chariot had set out to do today.
"Hm…. where should I start today," she wondered aloud. "I spent a lot of time with Lotte and Sucy yesterday, so maybe…"
Lotte and Sucy were on the Board of the Naughty and Nice, who monitored the status of children around the world. With lots of peacemaking help from Chariot, they had just gotten over a fight over the final evaluation of one particular child.
Without much conscious thought, Chariot found herself at the doors of the toy factory. She often just followed her inner whims. They haven't led her astray yet, so with confidence in her steps, she entered the factory.
A cacophony of noise greeted her ears, machines whirring, rattling, beeping, and elves shouting back and forth. Chariot walked through the aisles of conveyor belts searching for a particular group of people.
Although every in elf in the Cheer Department was allowed to spread cheer to anyone they see in need, they were also assigned a small group to focus on. After all, it's infeasible to spread one's efforts out so far, and this also makes sure that no elf is forgotten.
Lotte and Sucy were part of her assigned group, and after a few moments of wandering, Chariot found another part of her group.
"Heya it's me!" Chariot said, sticking her head between Akko and Amanda's shoulders. The two were seated in front of a conveyor belt, and across from them, Hannah and Barbara.
"Oh hi Chariot," Barbara said quickly. She was working hard, in fact, they all were.
"Chariot I'm glad so you're here." Amanda, covered in sweat, was frantically assembling the toy parts as they passed her. "Tell Akko that she needs to hurry the darn up cus our progress is just reindeer droppings right now!"
"ME!?" Akko shouted back. "If anything it's your fault we're behind!"
"Aww, why so glum chums?" Chariot asked.
"Okay so yesterday," Akko began. "Amanda decides she needs an extra long break for some reason, but then all of sudden we were told we needed to cover for another group who got injured!"
"How was I supposed to know that was gonna happen!? My bad, okay?"
"Then don't blame it on me!"
"Sorry I'm just stressed!" Amanda slammed her palms on the table. "AAAGHH!"
"Nnnghhh, I don't do well under pressure!" Barbara whined as well.
"Relax guys, I think we're doing just fine," Hannah said. "It's not like we actually give away all of the toys we make every year."
"You never know though!" Akko pointed a long, bright-yellow mechanical frog leg at her. "Think about who this might go to!"
"You think some kid really asked for a mechanical frog?"
"You do have a point," Chariot laughed. "But don't worry guys, I can't stay the whole day but I'll help you out for a while!"
"Thank the stars you've saved us!"
Taking a seat next to Akko, Chariot began helping them build the toys. Naturally, since it wasn't her area of expertise, she was slower than the rest, but one additional worker was better than none, and soon they were catching up to their quota.
"C'mon, let's sing a song!" Chariot said as they worked. "That's the best way to up your Christmas cheer!"
"Sure sounds great! What song?" Akko asked.
"Let's take turns and pick our favorites!"
So together they cycled through a few rounds of "Jingle Bells", "It's the Most Wonderful Time", "Winter Wonderland", and "Silver Bells". Other elves around them joined in as well, adding their own choices to the mix. Before they knew it, their section of the factory was a vibrant chorus of voices. Even the machines seemed to thrum to the rhythm of their song, and with smiles on their faces they assembled toy after toy with renewed energy.
"Alright Chariot, I think we're just about caught up," Amanda said eventually, raising her voice above the others still singing. "We don't wanna keep ya, so thanks for all your help!"
"No problem! That felt like no time at all!"
With that, Chariot got up and made her way out of the toy factory.
It was well into the day now, and flecks of snow had begun to drift down. By the end of the day, the whole town would be covered in a fresh blanket of white. Chariot let her instincts guide her once again. She weaved through the town, humming all the way, until she found herself inside the building of the Logistics Division.
Logistics had one of the only buildings at the North Pole not designed to look like a cozy wooden cottage. Rather, it was a like true office building. The inside was full of cubicles and meeting rooms, and needlessly dark in lighting in her opinion.
From then on, she knew exactly where she wanted to go. One of her best friends had her job here. In no time, she arrived at the cubicle of Croix Meridies.
"Knock knock!" Chariot said, poking her head past the entrance. "How you doing, Croix?"
Croix's face, harsh and set in deep concentration, immediately softened when she looked up and saw the girl.
"Chariot!" she stood up to greet her. "What are you doing here?"
"Just checking up on you." Chariot entered the room and threw her arms around Croix for a brief hug. "Is something wrong? You had quite the face there!"
Croix turned back to her desk and peered down at the many papers strewn about. On a wall to the side, a computer screen flickered through map after map, each with countless intersecting lines of various colors.
"It's nothing… nothing you should worry about, at least."
Well that just means there is something. In fact, Chariot had a hunch that there was something up. This was where her gut had been pointing her all along.
"Tell me. If it's worrying you, I'd want to know."
Croix sighed and relented. "Well… it's just, I don't know if you realize it since you don't work here, but… being the ones who plan Santa's route and all, we can see the decline in the houses we stop by."
Croix stepped over to the wall monitor. She traced a finger over the current map on the screen. "This year is especially low. People just... don't believe like they used to."
At Croix's words, the light of the screen seemed to grow harsher, and the darkness of the room that pressed against it ever sharper.
Chariot knew of this decline, but was it really as bad as she said? If so then she could understand why Croix would feel so down.
But what could they do about it? Now was simply not the best time to dwell upon it. With operations in full swing, they can only concentrate on what's in front of them. If they really wanted wanted to make any effective change, then in the meantime, it was imperative that Croix get some Christmas cheer back into her as quickly as possible. This was a serious case!
"Hey, I know it's sad," Chariot said, placing a hand on her friend's shoulder. "But you can't focus on that, right now. Just do what you can do."
"Easier said than done."
"I know, I'm sorry… You want to sing a song?"
Croix turned back to Chariot with an incredulous look. "What good will that do?"
"It's the best way to up your Christmas cheer!"
"That's not going to solve the problem."
"Nah, but it'll get your mind off of it." Chariot gently punched her a couple times in the arm. "Well?"
"Uh… I don't really like singing."
"What! Every elf likes singing!"
But seeing that Croix wasn't going to budge, Chariot placed a finger to her chin and looked around in thought. After a moment, she snatched one of Croix's hands and gently pulled her towards the exit.
"H-Hey, what are you doing?"
"I think you've been stuck in this dark little hole for too long!"
"I can't just leave work!"
"Sure you can! I'll sign a form later saying you were with me, so c'mon!"
Santa's sleigh was kept in a garage right next to the reindeer stables, and Croix, protesting all the way, was pulled along through the building until they found the bright red sleigh docked in one of the testing rooms. Crouched near an open hatch of the sleigh was a short elf with dark green hair tied in a pink ribbon, working away at the machinery.
"Chariot, you're not seriously thinking what I think you're thinking… are you?"
"Constanze! Great timing!" Chariot shouted as they approached, drawing the girl's attention. "May we borrow the sleigh for a bit? Please?"
Constanze crossed her arms and gave a quizzical look, clearly asking why.
"It's for a good cause." Chariot elbowed Croix lightly. "I'm trying to get some Christmas cheer back into this glum bum."
"Oi…"
Constanze tilted her head. She raised a hand and made a waved her fingers about.
What about the reindeer?
"Oh yeah, I figured I'd ask you first so I don't have to bring them out for nothing."
Constanze looked back towards the open hatch of the sleigh, inspected her worked briefly, then turned back and nodded. Gesturing at her the machinery, she put up three fingers.
Three more minutes.
"Oh thanks so much Constanze!" Chariot pulled the girl into a quick hug. Constanze groaned in response, but after working with her for a while Chariot knew she really enjoyed it. Then, she pushed Croix up onto the sleigh and dashed off to get the reindeer. "Be back real soon!"
Croix fidgeted nervously on her seat inside the sleigh. This was her first time being on it. In fact, she had hardly heard of any elf actually getting to ride the sleigh, save Constanze for regular test flights. Did Chariot do this often?
"So Constanze…" Croix said in an attempt to engage in conversation. "What are you working on?"
Constanze handed her a large sheet of paper, on which were printed complex schematics.
"Uh… right, yeah."
Thankfully she didn't have to wait long. Soon, tall hangar doors in the far end of the room slid open, and in walked Chariot and another girl, leading by the reigns eight reindeer.
"Honestly, Chariot, you're lucky I was just about to take them out for exercise anyway," the other girl said.
"Sorry, Diana, I'll make it up to you!"
Diana gave a silent greeting to Constanze.
Diana's family had always been the caretaker of the reindeer for generations, and Diana herself had recently assumed head of the family enterprise, the youngest to ever reach such a position.
While Diana fitted the reindeer to the sleigh, Chariot jumped aboard. "You ready to have some fun?"
"I'm kind of nervous actually," Croix said. "Have you done this before?"
"Yeah a few times." Chariot laughed. "I do a little bit of everything to be honest. Don't worry, it'll be fun."
Constanze then climbed up and stood at the forefront of the sleigh, and soon after Diana signaled that her preparations were done as well.
"Don't exert them too much!" Diana said. "They need to save their energy for the big day!"
"We won't! Alright, Constanze, hit it!"
Constanze slammed a button at her side, and immediately they felt a low thrum vibrating from the lower engines. Then came a feeling of weightlessness, as if they were suddenly on a descending elevator except they were rising, slowly up and up and up. In front of them the reindeer eagerly kicked and pranced in place.
After they reached a certain altitude, the reindeer took over. They lurched forward, accelerating through the open hangar doors and out into the open air.
A gust of cold wind hit her, biting through her clothes. They lurched to the side as they spiraled upward, climbing even higher in altitude. Croix grasped the handrails and gritted her teeth.
"WHOOO!" Chariot shouted next to her.
It was a dizzying, gut-dropping feeling until they finally shot off straight ahead, and then her vision cleared, and the blur of color spinning around her that was the town appeared before her eyes.
Roofs and chimney tops partially covered in snow raced underneath them. In the far distance, white hills stretched out as far as the eye could see, and a hazy sun floated low above the horizon.
"Wow…" Croix sighed.
"Isn't it lovely up here?"
"Yeah I've… never been so high up before." Croix cautiously leaned over the side of the sleigh. Below, others elves scurried through the web of streets. Were she to unfocused her eyes, the town would just become a kaleidoscope of festive colors.
Croix took a deep breath, drawing in the fresh winter air. Up here, where it seemed like the entire world was underneath her, all her troubles seemed as small as the carriages and pedestrians on the ground. All her worries weighing her down were gone, and she was as light as a snowflake, whizzing around among the clouds.
"Look, they're done putting up the tree!" Chariot pointed.
Croix scooched over to Chariot's side and looked at where she pointed. Indeed standing in the middle of the town square, towering above all the buildings, was a fir tree layered with multitudes of lights and ornaments.
Right then, the star flickered on, and a boisterous cry rose up from the ground. Music through loudspeakers rang and confetti burst everywhere. The people outside danced and paraded to the tune of "Rocking Around the Christmas Tree".
Chariot laughed, basking in the joy of the festivities. She was practically leaning out of the sleigh.
Croix grabbed at her clothes and pulled her back in "Hey, be careful there."
"Haha, sorry. Hey, we should join them! I think Marjolaine's setting up for a concert later too."
"Um… I'm not really a dancing person," Croix said, but then she saw the pout on Chariot's face. "I-I mean, I'd rather stay up here with you… for a little while."
Croix's cheeks burned, but Chariot beamed at her comment. She grabbed Croix by the arm, and snuggled into her.
"Okay then. A little longer."
By the time they touched down, took the reindeer back to the stables, and left the sleigh's garage, most of the festivities had already died down. Everyone still had a lot of work to do after all, but thankfully there would be more celebration in the evening.
Chariot and Croix walked through the streets, kicking piles of snow out of their way here and there. It was really starting to come down now.
"You still feeling any better now?" Chariot asked.
"I feel a lot better. Thank you."
"Good!" Chariot bumped her shoulder with Croix's. "So… how about a song?"
"Actually I should… really get back to work now-"
"Nooo!" Chariot wrapped herself around Croix again.
"Chariot, I can't just blow off the entire day."
"But you'd just go back to being a glummy dummy again. I'm not leaving until I get enough cheer in you to last all the way to Christmas day!"
Right as she said so, another idea struck her. "I know something else we can do!"
"H-Hey wait!" Croix shouted, as Chariot grabbed her hand and pulled her along. "Chariot slow down!
Before she knew it, they were at the theater. Showings weren't often, but admission was always free, and luckily today was one of those special days. Chariot guided them in and picked an unoccupied row in the middle of the theater.
"What better way to get some Christmas cheer in you than seeing a pageant!" Chariot whispered. "Besides singing a song of course."
"Oh shush you, it's about to start."
The curtains parted, and immediately Chariot recognized the opening scene of It's a Wonderful Life. She had already seen it many times, but it never got old. They watched the actors bring the film to life, until the world was nothing but that window of a square stage in front of them. The only thing that existed was George Bailey, his family, friends, and Bedford Falls.
"Each man's life touches so many other lives. When he isn't around, he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he?"
"I wanna live again!"
So entrenched was she in the performance that only until the round applause from others around them did she realized it was over. She blinked hard, and let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.
Chariot looked over at Croix, who seemed equally stunned. But underneath that downturned face was hidden the barest traces of a smile, and Chariot felt her heart soar.
"That was so good, wasn't it!"
Croix shook her head. "It's so weird… how such an emotional thing - that can make you cry - can also make you feel so good afterwards."
"Because it's just like the film says." Chariot smiled and placed both her hands over Croix's on the armrest. "Even when bad things happen to you, life is still wonderful."
They were outside again. The snow had stopped falling but had left them a thick layer to walk through. The late afternoon sun was behind them, as was the town slowly receding away while they strayed further to the white fields beyond its borders. Chariot bounced a few paces ahead of Croix, humming the tune of "Winter Wonderland" to herself.
"You got any other plans for me today?" Croix asked.
Chariot laughed in response. "I dunno."
Croix turned to look back at the town. "What are we doing all the way out here anyway?"
"I dunno~"
"... And when are you letting me get back to my work?"
"Maybe if you sing a song with me?"
"Chariot, you should know by now tha—OOF"
A snowball struck her right in the back of her head, sending her sprawling to the ground.
"OI OI!" Croix shouted as she got up, picking up some snow in her hands with her. "I'm gonna get you back for—OI!"
Croix just narrowly dodged another strike right as she was turning back around. Chariot laughed and prepared to make another snowball.
"You gotta be faster than that, Croix!"
"Hey didn't you see me dodge that just now? I'm plenty fast!"
"Then prove it!"
"You asked for it!"
Croix launched her first snowball, and Chariot squealed as it just barely sailed over her head as she ducked. She retaliated with her own and took off running to avoid the next one.
They threw snowball after snowball back and forth, laughing and shouting and running all the while. They weren't even bothering to avoid each other eventually, nor pack their snow well. They simply tossed drifts of snow at each other until their cloaks and hair were bespeckled with white powder.
"That's it, I'm coming at ya!" Croix charged Chariot directly. She threw her body at the girl and sent them both toppling to the ground.
Too tired to pick themselves up, they stayed huddled on the ground, laughing away and trying to catch their breaths.
"That was fun!" Chariot panted. "Who knew you had it in you!"
"Yeah, you really got me riled up. I'll be feeling this for days, ugh."
That got another peal of laughter from both of them.
Eventually Chariot sat up again. "Hey, let's make a snowman!"
And so they did. In fact, they made an entire snow family - two snow parents and three snow kids and a little snow… dog? bird? A snow pet.
"Frosty the snowman!" Chariot sang as they worked on the first snow grandparent together. "Come on, Croix! -was a jolly happy soul!"
"You never stop, do you?" Croix said with a smile, and starting humming along.
It was evening now, and the two have left their snow family behind as they journeyed even further. Finally they stopped at the top of a small hill, where single tree sat bearing the tides of winter alone.
Chariot took her coat off and placed it on the ground. Then she laid down herself, reclining on her back.
"You'll catch a cold that way."
"Not if you're here with me."
Croix shook her head and opened her coat as well. Laying down next to Chariot, she covered the two of them with her coat like a blanket. Chariot grabbed Croix's arm and snuggled closer.
"Now… why are we laying on the dirt here?"
"I want to watch the stars."
So Croix gazed up. The sky was clear, the wind was still, and at this distance from the town no star was shy of displaying its light. She found every constellation and every planet.
"I'm dreaming of a white Christmas…" Chariot sang softly. "Just like the ones I used to know."
Then, the darkness began to shimmer, and a ghostly veil of colors slowly materialized before them - the Auroras - as if responding to their call.
"Where the treetops glisten, and children listen—"
"To hear sleigh bells in the snow."
Chariot gasped and turned to look at Croix, happiness painted on her face. Croix smiled back at her.
"I'm dreaming of a white Christmas with every Christmas card I write."
"May your dreams be merry and white…"
Just then, they saw faint fireworks burst out above their town. The evening celebrations had begun, but Croix thought that there was nowhere else she'd rather be than here right now.
They finished the song together.
"And may all your Christmases be white."
In that moment, Croix realized she was truly happy.