Mako's Message: This is an odd sort of message for an odd sort of chapter. I had to cover a few scenes, and i wasn't really sure how to go about it. Lemme know if you think it doesn't work. Just gotta keep the ball rolling now. Might even surpass PC just this once...

This has been an unusual Christmas, to say the least.

It started out normally; a nice breakfast, exchanging gifts, that sort of thing. Then Dad asked me if I had any plans for the day, and I said that I did have some plans for the afternoon, but I'd be back in time for Christmas Dinner.

That's when he waved me off and said, "Don't worry about it. If you wanted to spend the night with Riley I'm not going to stop you. Especially since I'm going out with Cayla tonight."

When he mentioned Riley, I started drifting off into thinking about her, and how great it was that we'd repaired our relationship almost to the point where it was back to how it was before homecoming. Then he mentioned Cayla and my train of thought suddenly shifted rails, "A Christmas date, huh? Things are getting serious then?"

He laughed at that, saying that maybe they were, maybe they weren't, but either way I didn't have to worry about having a step-mom anytime soon. I'm honestly surprised he's ended up with another young woman in a year. I mean, the relationship with Tamara was pretty obviously a rebound for both of them since they met in grief counseling, but Cayla might be something else. But she's one year closer to my age than his, so it's kind of weird. And she's actually really hot and my Dad is closer to fifty than forty so I have no idea how that happened.

But, Riley is...was into me, and she's ridiculously hot, so maybe it's a genetic thing that I finally came into.

So, with Dad having released me of any family obligations for the holiday, I headed off to meet Riley.

Which was really nice. We went ice skating, where I discovered that she has horrible balance. Still, it was fun. We talked, we joked, we had hot chocolate, and afterwords we went for a walk around the city to look at decorations.

But eventually I had to leave, Justice Forever hadn't even considered taking Chris' promise of a crime free Christmas at all seriously so I was part of an early evening patrol.

Riley wanted me to come by her party after I was done having dinner with my Dad, and since that wasn't happening I told her I'd be sure to be there.

So, then I met up with White Mage, The Gentlman, and Doctor Gravity for patrol.

I gotta admit I miss patroling with just Mindy. Not for any perverted reasons, just because I feel we work better together than we do on a team. With all the time we've spent together, out of costume just hanging out or in costume training, we know each other like the back of our hands. We don't have to worry about what the other is doing. Being in a group throws all that off.

But in times like these, having a few extra sets of eyes watching your back is worth the risk of stepping each others toes.

I just hope we can put Chris in a cell before too much longer.

Or in a casket. I'm not picky.

Of course, being split up from Mindy and being in a bigger patrol group would be more fun if we weren't...as on edge as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. Heh. Always wanted a reason to say that.

Another reason I don't like it is because when we're grouped together like that we can't cover as much ground. And with as few of us as there are, that's a big problem.

Of course, that just makes Chris' Christmas Truce so freaking bizarre. None of us could believe he was serious. It had to be a cover up, or a distraction, or something.

Which was why we were all set and ready for a fight when we ran into a group of Cunts. But then...nothing. Well, not "nothing". After a brief staredown, one of them said "Merry Christmas" and started to cross the street to go around us, while the other's sort of said it too and a couple even waved.

And we just stood there, watching, trying to figure out when the other shoe was going to drop.

That's when White Mage said, "So, we're just going to let them walk away?"

Then Doctor Gravity said, "Yeah, we should get these guys while we have the chance."

Then The Gentlman said, "Excuse me, but I believe that attacking someone who has done nothing but wish us a happy holiday would make us, as you would say, 'the douchebags' here."

And as much as I hated to admit it, The Gentleman had a point. How are we supposed to call ourselves heroes is we go around attacking people who aren't doing anything wrong? I mean, yeah, they did do stuff, and they probably would do stuff later, but they weren't doing stuff NOW. Even if we went over and told them to submit to arrest, and they did, what would be the point? There's no evidence of them committing a crime so the police probably wouldn't even process them. Especially with how that place practically has a revolving door for these guys.

After that, we decided that if they weren't going to attack US of all people when they meet us out on the street after they've been on a bloody warpath of revenge for the last month we decided to head in early.

Of course, that might have been the whole goal, to make us look the other way for a night. But then, that's why I've been checking my phone every two minutes for any sign that we got suckered.

But Riley was happy to see me early. And Marty and Todd were pleased about it too. Of course, Marty was too busy telling the ladies about his costumed escapades to say much more than "Hey! Great to see you made it!" It's stupid of him, really, considering. But I think the girls assume he's bullshitting them, but the stories are interesting enough that they still listen.

And right now I'm watching Todd getting pulled into a bedroom by Riley's tipsy roommate Kirsten.

So like I said, today has been weird.

Still good to see Todd finally getting laid though.

"Hey you!" Riley pounces on me from behind, almost making me drop my phone and spilling my drink. "What're you doing over here by yourself?"

"Oh, just thinking about stuff."

"Mindy?" she says with a teasing sing-song voice.

"No, actually."

"Oh really?" and she grabs my phone, "Then who've you been texting all night!" but then she sees that the last texts I got from Mindy were this morning, "Merry Christmas", and last night, "Maybe Kiara isn't a /total/ bitch-whore."

Then she turns her eyes from the phone to me and says, "Ya know, I've been thinking about how you said you're not 'into' little girls, and how Mindy was the exception.

Uh... "And?"

"I've decided I don't believe you."

Whoa, wait, what? Why? I thought we were cool. I thought she'd gotten over the whol-

"I think," she says, leaning in real close to me, "You're going to have to prove it to me," and she nips my ear.

I changed my mind. This is a fucking awesome Christmas.