Also known as "The obligatory Christmas oneshot"

Summary: Christmastime is a time of joy and fellowship. If Brynn can just get those closest to her to see eye-to-eye, they might be able to remember that.

Now, this was a pretty interesting piece to work on. It actually started out as a much shorter story consisting only of a slightly expanded version of the first scene, but then I decided that I wanted a longer and somewhat more meaningful oneshot. As a result, I think the first scene is a bit disjointed from the rest of the story. At the same time, though, it was a really fun bit to write, so hopefully you guys will still like it ^_^ It was also interesting to work on because I got to involve a few new characters (as you probably guessed by the title, lol), but I'll get back to that in a little bit. For now, enjoy the story!


Of Mothers and Mistletoe

Brynn frowned thoughtfully as she unlocked the door to the lower dungeons. They weren't being used at the moment – crime had been mercifully light lately – but Corin, a young cavalry Uni squired under her steed Rallon, had insisted that she needed to check on something down here. He had refused to explain further or accompany her, declaring that she'd know what he was talking about when she saw it.

Hanso really needed to instruct that kid in the art of subtlety when it came to pranking. Brynn knew that the two had been getting along very well ever since Hanso had dragged the Uni into one of his crazy schemes a couple months before, and there was no doubt in her mind that whatever was going on had their names written all over it.

And so it was with a careful hand that she nudged the door to the dungeon hall open and peeked within. A quick look around was all it took to understand just what Corin had wanted her to see, and her frown was swiftly replaced with a slightly puzzled expression as she stepped inside and let the door shut behind her.

All the way down the hall, the bars of the empty cells were hung with wreaths, stockings, and various other pieces of Christmas and winter decorum. Brynn started off down the walkway, looking up at the cheery trappings that seemed so out of place in the otherwise silent and gloomy room, and wondering at the reasoning behind this out-of-place sentiment.

"Surprise!"

Brynn had to hold back a shout as she whirled around. Hanso, who must have been hidden back in a shadowed corner of the cell behind her, now leapt up to the bars with a goofy grin.

The Ixi shook a small wrapped box in his hand. "I've got your present here. Wanna open it a little early?"

Brynn didn't respond for a moment, a bit stunned by the turn of events. Finally she gave him a wry smile and guessed, "Did you set this all up because you liked that idea from the Advent Calendar thing we did last year?"

Hanso's grin turned sheepish. "Uhh… Maybe?" It brightened again an instant later. "But Corin and I made it better! Did you get a good look at the decorations? We thought it'd be a good way to get you into the holiday spirit."

Brynn raised an eyebrow and leaned an arm up against the bars that separated the two of them. "Oh? And what makes you think I'm not in the spirit now?" she asked.

Hanso shrugged and tucked the gift under his arm, pressing his forehead up against the bars with a sly look. "Not much, really. Mostly just the fact that you've been ignoring the decoration on my cell."

At that, Brynn glanced up to find a sprig of mistletoe tied neatly over where they both stood. She smirked and backed away, shaking her head playfully.

"Nope; the rules are that people are supposed to get caught under the mistletoe unexpectedly. You just cheated by setting it up for yourself."

Hanso gaped after her and whined, "Aww, come on, since when are there rules?!" When she continued moving away, he stuck his free arm through the bars and waved it around pitifully as if doing so would convince her to come back. In reply, she just waved back with a small giggle and turned for the door out of the dungeon.

"No, wait Brynn, seriously wait!" Hanso cried with a sudden earnest. Brynn paused to look back at him, surprised by the change in demeanor.

Hanso offered up another sheepish smile. "Uhh, this cell door is kind of locked. Can you please get me out of here?"

0 * 0 * 0

Brynn ended up inviting Hanso back to her house for a little while. The Ixi did have her gift with him, after all, and they figured that it would be fun to work on final preparations for the Day of Giving together. Much to his obvious disappointment, though, she still wouldn't give him the kiss that he'd thought he had won with the mistletoe trick.

"Technically, it was still unexpected for you," Hanso tried to reason as the two of them walked up the path to Brynn's house.

"You're acting like I've never kissed you before," she replied with another smirk. Giving him a playful nudge in the shoulder, she added, "Just be patient; I'm sure you'll get another chance soon enough."

Hanso grinned and put an arm around her. "I'll just have to make sure of that, then."

Brynn chuckled and took out her key. As she unlocked the door and pushed it open, she turned her attention inside.

"Mom! Dad! I'm back from work."

Hanso's face blanched suddenly and he took a step back. "Your parents are here?" he muttered nervously.

Brynn turned back to him with a raised eyebrow. "Of course they are. I told you they'd be coming down for Christmas, and that's tomorrow."

Hanso grimaced and rubbed his arm. "But your mother hates me!" he replied in a low voice.

Brynn's expression softened in understanding, and she laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. "She doesn't hate you; she just needs some time to really get to know you. Don't you think this would be a good chance to let that happen?"

Hanso cast a nervous glance within the house. Nobody had shown up at the doorway, but Brynn could tell by the muffled sounds drifting in from a room farther back that her family was still present. Finally, the Ixi nodded with reassurance and let her lead him inside.

0 * 0 * 0

Brynn bit her lip, her ears pinned back as she caught the caustic tone in her mother's voice from the next room over.

"I'm going to owe Hanso so much for this," she muttered sullenly, her eyes fixed on the fire of her kitchen stovetop. She was preparing hot cocoa with her father… and severely regretting leaving her mother alone with the poor Ixi.

"Relax, you're doing the right thing," Brynn's father reassured her from over by the cabinet. The spotted Kougra walked over with a few mugs in hand, and she turned to him and let out a sigh.

"I don't get why she has to be so hard on him," she commented. "I mean, I know he used to be a thief and can still be kind of a troublemaker, but he's done so much to make up for that! And you still like him well enough, right?"

The older Kougra smiled warmly and squeezed her shoulder. "Of course I do. Hanso's a nice young man, and I trust your judgment of him."

Brynn huffed. "It would be so much easier if Mother could see it that way, too."

Her father shrugged. "Well, I've heard that mother-in-laws are supposed to be harsh. Maybe she's just practicing."

Brynn merely shrugged as well at first, but then the full meaning of his words hit her and her face went crimson. "Father!"

The older Kougra laughed heartily and ruffled his daughter's hair. "I'll tell you what, Brynn," he said. "I'll keep your mother occupied if you get Hanso to help you serve the cocoa. It should be ready by now."

Brynn nodded in agreement, and with that, he left the kitchen and called out, "Why don't you give the poor kid a break, Lara?"

Not a minute later, Hanso scrambled into the room.

"Okay, Corin and I were totally off the mark," he announced. "It's your mom who's in serious need of some Christmas spirit."

Brynn gave him an apologetic smile. "It wasn't too bad, was it?"

Hanso sighed. "Not really, I guess," he replied, grabbing a ladle and using it to scoop some of the hot chocolate from the pot on the stove into a mug. "She mostly just asked about artifact missions and stuff, but from the way she talked it was like she thinks you do all the work while I just mess around. It was like talking to another Jazan!"

Brynn let out a hollow laugh as she started to place the filled mugs onto a tray. "Well, King Jazan has been learning to like you more, so that might be a good sign." She thought for a moment. "Maybe you should try helping with some of the decorations I couldn't get to in the past few weeks? She'll be happier if she can see you being useful."

Hanso's expression immediately brightened. "I like that idea! She'll lay off me for sure once she sees what an awesome decorator I am."

Brynn rolled her eyes, but a smile tugged at her lips. "Whatever you say. Now come on, let's get these out to the living room."

The two of them headed towards the room, hot chocolate in tow, only to nearly run into Brynn's father, who scrambled back from the doorway with an overly innocent look on his face as her mother turned from where she was fixing up the Christmas tree.

The slim green Kougra glanced toward the doorway and then gave her husband a pointed look. "Very funny, Damien," she said.

The spotted Kougra raised his hands in defense. "I'm only trying to spread love and cheer, and if you force me to take special measures to do that, then so be it."

Brynn blinked in confusion, and then followed her father's gaze and looked up as Hanso did the same. Tied in the doorway above them was another sprig of mistletoe, which she was quite certain hadn't been there a few minutes before.

"I'm not about to miss out on this chance again," Hanso said, turning to give her a swift kiss on the cheek. She laughed and returned the gesture, whispering a quick Merry Christmas as she pulled away. She then stepped into the room and returned her attention to her parents, setting the tray of warm cocoa on the table, while Hanso broke off to join her mother at the tree.

Brynn's mother stepped back and gave him a slightly perplexed look. Brynn opened her mouth to speak, but the older Kougra cut her off by leaning in to whisper, "Why does he feel the need to come and help us out on Christmas Eve? Doesn't he have his own family to spend time with?"

Brynn's expression fell as she shook her head. "I think he has a family somewhere, but I can't even get him to talk about it," she replied. "I don't think they've seen each other in a long time… He's probably afraid to go looking for them again by this point."

Her mother turned to give Hanso a suspicious look, but her gaze softened after a moment and she sighed. "Hanso?"

The Ixi whirled around with a slightly fearful expression. "Did I do something wrong?" he asked.

Brynn's mother couldn't help but smile a little at that. "Actually, I was wondering whether you'd like to come back tomorrow and spend the Day of Giving with us. If that's all right with my daughter, of course."

Brynn grinned and nodded, and Hanso's face lit up. From the corner of her eye, Brynn could see her father's expression brightening as well – he was as happy as she that the tension might finally be starting to ease.

And so it was that with warm treats and smiling faces, a little family and its special friend came together to herald the coming of a new day – a day filled with life, love and joy.


Hey again! I hope that, among other things, you all enjoyed the little glimpse of my version of Brynn's family and Hanso's... Uhh... familial relations. I'll be going more into what's going on with him in a later oneshot, but for now, it's time for you guys to decide what you want to see next. You see, I'm considering making a sort of "bonus chapter" which will give me a chance to explain a bit more about my headcanon on Neopian heritage and on Brynn's family in particular. In addition, this "bonus chapter" would also include a very short ficlet about "the Advent Calendar thing" that I had originally written for a guild newspaper issue last winter. I have no idea whether anyone would really be interested in reading any of that, though... So? Yay/neigh? (Oh, and also, bonus points for anyone who can guess where I got the idea for Brynn's mother's name!)

Regardless of what you decide, or if you don't say anything at all, I hope you all have a Merry Christmas :) As well as a Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, happy winter (or summer if you're in the southern hemisphere), or what have you!