The Christmas tree was slightly slanted to the left, leaning unsteadily over the couch, and offering the promising opportunity of death by sparkly ornaments to any unlucky sitters. It was an accident waiting to happen.

It looked nice though (and it better have done; it took her and her mother 3 hours so assemble and decorate), lighting up the living room in a warm, festive glow.

Christmas was something Rumi liked to take time to enjoy. She went all out, wrapping presents to the best of her ability (which, if she was being honest with herself, wasn't a lot). But putting up the tree was and always had been her favourite part of Christmas. Untangling the lights was a hassle, frustrating as hell to put it lightly, but it all seemed worth it, especially as they had recently bought the colour changing kind that she couldn't help but smile at.

She hadn't created hand-made ornaments since she was 10, but they still hung at the front of the tree, alongside Bossun's. Needless to say, his were slightly...better. It wasn't as though Rumi had no artistic ability, but she could admit when she had been beaten. But hey, not everyone could be a crafting prodigy.

Her dove, misshapen as it may be, was still pretty nice.

Akane walked back in from the kitchen bearing two mugs of something warm and steaming, and handed one to her, smiling softly at their hazardous creation. "It looks nice, don't you think?"

"Sure, if whoever's sitting there," Rumi pointed to the couch, "doesn't mind being stabbed." She cocked her head and stared at the fairy lights, "Or possibly electrocuted."

"Where's Yƫsuke?"

"I sent him out to buy cream-puffs."

"Again?" She chuckled, "This is the third time this week; he's not your slave, you know?"

The slave-driver in question snorted into her tea. "That's what you think."