" 'From the bottom of my heeeeeeeeeart!'"

Spirit Albarn then whipped the mic cord. "Thank you!"

Snow was falling throughout the Death Room, an interesting tactic Lord Death had taken to make the room a little more wintery. Christmas lights lined the guillotines leading from the Death Weapon Meister Academy into the room, except the last, which had mistletoe hanging from it. Tables were laid out with numerous hotplates, various drinks, and a copious amount of desserts: cheesecakes, gingerbread demon cookies, skull-shaped cupcakes, blood red candy canes.

But no one was partaking of any treats, or looking at the decorations. Seated at couches or armchairs brought into the Death Room, or standing around the snack tables, Death Scythes and their weapons, along with shinigami and their weapons, stared silent in surprise at having heard surprisingly well-done singing by Spirit Albarn. Soul Evans, seated on the couch placed in the room, was dumbfounded. The silence was broken when, standing behind Soul, Patty Thompson, dressed in a sleeveless top with a reindeer antler headband, began clapping wildly. "Woot! Bravo! Awesome!"

Spirit blushed as he replaced the microphone. He then adjusted his light-up tie-with Christmas lights along it-as he spoke: "Who's next up for karaoke?"

"Let's give it a break, Spirit," Lord Death interrupted, as he slid to the microphone. He had on a Santa cap over his cloak's top. "Kind of hard to top you on that one."

"True 'nuff," Spirit said, as he sauntered over to the snack table for some apple cider.

"Okay, everyone!" Death said into the microphone. "Mingle a bit more before our next act!" He then set the needle back onto the record behind him and swayed a bit to the music, before following Spirit to the snacks.

Soul just felt confused. It was rare, after enough Kishin battles, to have a break for something as relaxing, and, honestly and without any snark, entertaining as a get-together with classmates. He admitted that he felt a little easier since Maka punched out the Kishin and he made peace with that freakish demon inside of him. But this? This just seemed too calm.

Soul looked to the two people seated next to him-Liz Thompson and Marie Mjolnir-for confirmation. "Is this what usually happens here?"

Marie, wearing a blue sweater with a dreidel on it, smiled. "More or less. The Death Scythe Holiday Party tends to let everyone relax a bit."

"Yep!" Patty shouted, wrapping her arms around Liz for a behind-the-back hug. "Food, drink, and gossip!" She then whispered, loud enough for Soul to hear, "Like that ugly sweater Soul has on."

Soul frowned. He tugged on the green sweater, featuring a red pattern of Santa silhouettes dancing with each other. "Maka picked this out."

Liz, eschewing any holiday attire except to wear a red blouse, kept her eyes on Soul while whispering, loudly, to Patty: "He does that so not to hurt her feelings."

Soul was now clenching his teeth. "Stop that."

Standing next to Patty, Death the Kid sighed. "My apologies for my partners, Death Scythe."

Soul frowned, as he picked up another cookie from his plate. "Enough with that, Kid." His sharp teeth bit off the head of the gingerbread demon. "I'm still the same old Soul, witch's soul or not," he said with his mouth full. He chewed and swallowed. "I just didn't think becoming Death Scythe meant getting some ticket to a private holiday party."

"For you and your meister," Soul said. "Where is she? Weapons' practice?"

Soul shook his head. "Same place she is every December 24: late, trying to get last-minute gifts." He smirked. "Perfectionist."

Kid smiled. "I cannot criticize her for that. It's one reason I had to turn over gift-wrapping responsibilities to professionals, if I ever wanted to have everything ready in time."

Kid then looked to Marie, especially her sweater. "I see you were not lying about having Shelley learn about Hannukah."

Marie perked up with a large smile. "It's fascinating! I feel like I'm learning so much!"

A grunt emerged from the armchair next to her, which was also brought in for the holiday party. Stein, still in his lab coat from class, was slouched in his seat. "I feel like I'm being condescended," he intoned, rubbing his fingers along the rubber band on his left wrist.

Marie frowned. "But don't you want our child to learn about her heritage?"

"I'm agnostic." He thumbed at Death, who was approaching the punch bowl to slake his thirst. "Barring the ones I can see, granted."

Marie sat up a bit. "Well, I think it is important that a child learn her heritage." She turned to Kid. "So I'm also teaching her about some pagan traditions, some Christian traditions-a little bit of what my family has had with time."

Kid smiled and shrugged. "Any knowledge has to be helpful." He looked to Stein. "I'm sure Shelley will appreciate it."

Stein crossed his arms. "Sorry. The holiday season just tends to make me grumpy."

"Hey, turn that frown upside."

Stein did a double-take, as Patty had emerged beside his seat.

"Snickerdoodles!" she offered a plate. "Eat them and enjoy the Christmas season!"

An empty Solo cup then smacked into the back of Patty's head.

"Hey!" she shouted, looking at the culprits. "I don't tell you how to have your made-up bullshit holiday! Don't tell me how to celebrate my made-up bullshit holiday!"

"Put the Death back in Deathmas!" Justin Law started, waving his fist while holding up his miniature plastic Christmas tree-rather, Deathmas tree, decorated in black tinsel, purple lights, and a skull topper.

"Yeah!" Tezca Tlipoca added, shoveling another slice of pizza in his mouth. "Free pizza! Free Deathmas!"

Liz grimaced. She looked up at Kid. "You encourage this, you know that, right? Why is that freak from Central America even back here?! He couldn't be bother to show up earlier, now he's just grabbing cookies to run off again?"

"Easy, girl," Patty said, holding up a hand. "Maybe you need some egg n-"

Kid interrupted. "I told them to stop! What else am I supposed to do?!"

Patty frowned. She then looked behind and noticed something odd on the snack table. "Where is the egg nog, anyway?"

Liz was still arguing with Kid. "I don't know. Justin and that furry guy keep up with this 'tis the season' nonsense. And I really don't think it's shinigami that make Christmas. That's not the first syllable in the name."

Kid rolled his eyes and smirked. "I suppose I could introduce them to the man who put his name in that season."

Soul, Marie, Stein, and Patty looked askance at Kid.

Kid shrugged. "What? How else could someone survive three days and re-emerge if not for some help from Death himself?"

Stein blinked. "Even I find that sacrilegious."

"Yeah," Liz added. "I haven't been to mass in years. Now I want to go."

"Ditto," Soul said, raising a hand.

Kid sighed. "No one takes a joke anymore."

But then Kid was interrupted as he felt himself ripped up from behind the couch and hanged by his armpits in the air by Justin.

"The only holy infant we need is right here!" Justin cried.

"Put me down, you lunatic!" Kid screamed, kicking his feet in the air.

"A miracle he is!" Tezca said, getting down on one knee. "He is the Simba we hold up over the Pridelands!"

"Mulan was better!" someone shouted.

"Don't encourage them, Patty," Liz warned.

Soul just buried his face in his hands. "These people are crazy."

Marie groaned. "At least the benefit of having a babysitter this evening is being able to drink again." She held up her cup. "Soul? Can you refill my eggnog?"

Soul then slapped his forehead. "Oh, I forgot-we ran out. I told Azusa to go get it."

The record skipped. Silence hung. Lord Death looked at his peers, all of them but Justin and Soul with aghast faces. Spirit dropped his red Solo cup, prompting Soul to look around, confused, and merely groan, "Uh…" Even Tezca's mask looked shocked.

The only other sound were the soft beats coming through Justin's earphones. The Death Scythe, still holding Kid in the air, looked at everyone, confused. Kid was motionless in his hands. "Why is everything frozen?" Justin shouted over his earphone. "What happened to make everyone-?"

Then Justin's eyes widened and he screamed at Lord Death, "You sent Azusa to get the eggnog, didn't you?!"

"It was Soul!" everyone shouted, pointing at the newest Death Scythe.

"Wh-What?" Soul asked, starting to smile nervously. "What's the problem with that?"

"Oh, holy night!"

Soul covered his hands over his ears. "What was that? It sounded like a wolf got its tail caught in a trap!"

Liz pointed to the hallway. "You aren't too far off!"

Entering the room, wearing a sequin cat sweater, was Azusa Yumi, clutching a carton-an open carton-of egg nog. She then swung the carton around, spilling a large amount along the floor, as she sang into an imaginary microphone.

"The pipes, the pipes, are caaaaaaaaaal-ling!"

Soul blinked as he watched Azusa saunter into the room, trip a bit coming up the stairs to the pedestal, and winking at Lord Death as she slurred her words. "Hey, boss! How's-How is-How're those s-sleigh bells jinglin' for ya?!"

Soul frowned. "Holy crap. She couldn't even get the lyrics right to 'Holy Night.'"

Soul was then off of the couch and hanging over the floor, as Spirit had him by the collar. "Who told you to tell her to get egg nog?! We don't want a repeat of last year!"

Soul growled as he formed a blade along his arm. "Best let go, Spirit, if you want to keep that hand for the New Year!"

Marie was now standing. "Spirit!"

The redheaded scythe clenched his teeth and lowered Soul to the floor. "I'll go tend to the caroler," he said, marching towards Azusa.

"Phew," Soul sighed. "Thanks, Marie-"

*CRASH*

Soul was now on the floor, a mallet-sized dent in his head. "Ow," he groaned, as Marie, her arm transformed, started stamping his butt with each syllable:

"What! Were! You! Thinking?!"

"Nothing!" Soul shouted. "And jeez, great work making me miss books to the head, Marie!"

Stein allowed himself a small smile. "Now this party is getting entertaining." He looked behind him. "Hey, Azusa! Sing the Rudolph song!"

"Good one!" Azusa said, swinging the carton again and began to sing, off-key. "Rudy the Flying Reindeer! Used to laugh and call them names! Ha! Ha! Ha!"

Liz put her head in her hands. "We're laughing at public intoxication. This is bad."

Patty shook her head, as she hid behind the couch. "I'm not laughing. This is just sad."

"How was I supposed to know?!" Soul said, desperately, as everyone avoided eye contact with him. "How much did she even drink?!"

Soul then felt fingers tug at his shirt again, as Patty was in front of him, shaking him violently. "Just a sip messes her up!" Patty shouted. "It's inhuman!"

"One sip does that to her?!" Soul shouted-or, rather, tried to, through each shake by Patty, before she wrapped her arms around him and shook fearfully at the drunken Death Scythe Azusa.

"How much alcohol is even in eggnog?!" Soul added.

"It's actually not the alcohol content that makes Azusa act like this," Marie lectured, her arms still crossed as she looked coldly at Soul. "You see, some Death Scythes react poorly to certain chemicals, or rather, their witches' souls do. For Azusa, her witch's soul responds badly to the nutmeg in the eggnog."

"Oooooh," Liz interrupted. "Yeah, nutmeg is a hell of a drug." She then laughed. "Actually, back in the day, we used to buy some, sniff it, and-"

Now everyone was looking coldly at Liz.

Liz felt a hand grab onto her head and pin it to look at Patty, who was back behind the couch and started shaking her head vigorously back and forth. Liz looked out of the corner of her eye at the offended partygoers and laughed nervously. "Not really party-conversation material, huh?"

Then a piercing sound echoed through the chamber, as everyone covered their ears, even Justin, against the reverb of the karaoke machine. Azusa was at the microphone.

"Okay, everyone just shut up!" Azusa lectured. "I'm gonna do my holiday tradition, or airing my grievances!"

Tezca tsked. "What kind of made-up holiday is that?"

"Quiet, you!" Kid said, pointing his finger at Tezca. "And put me down already, Justin!"

Justin grimaced. "Sorry, sir, can't read your lips at this time! Looking at the trainwreck at the karaoke stand."

"Justin!" Kid repeated.

"Shhhh!" Azusa said into the microphone, pointing at Justin. "I'm just happy, first off, that of all the good things to happen this year, we finally replaced that loser Death Scythe with a new one! That guy, Justin over there! Yeah, you! You big, dummy loser-head!"

Justin frowned. Soul couldn't help laughing.

"But the replacement Death Scythe is just as big a nerd as him!" Soul and Justin frowned at that remark, while Azusa cackled-and Tezca joined in.

"But they still aren't as bad as the furry over there!"

"Furry!" Tezca said with a boisterous laugh. "Wh-Who is she talking about?" Then he realized to whom she was referring-and he froze. "Wait, what?"

"His head-like, when was the last time, he, you know, had that thing on his head washed? Answer: never!" Azusa shook with laughter, almost falling forward until Spirit, who had followed her to the karaoke mic, caught her. "Hey, hands off!" Azusa shoved Spirit back. "Y-You don't get to, do, like, those things!" Azusa then pointed two fingers at her eyes then at Spirit's. "I got Thousand-Mile Eyes, creep! Watch it!"

Azusa then faced the audience again and pointed at Stein and Marie. "And you two! You don't hang any more! The only time I get to go to your house-and, by the way, your interior design is immaculate now, you know, since you stopped the whole 'death house from Saw' look and went with something, you know, homey. Like, homey in a good way, not, like, what Spirit looks like when he's shit-faced."

"I'm right here!" Spirit shouted.

"Watching!" Azusa cried, pointing her fingers at her eyes again as she turned to face Spirit. She then turned back to point an accusatory finger at Marie. "But we only hang now when you need an excuse to get a babysitter for your baby! What, can't Crona do it?!"

"Marie?" Soul asked, frowning. "Can you knock me out again?"

"Only after I do it to myself," Marie said, aiming the hammer to her head.

"No," Stein said, clutching her wrist.

"Come on, Azusa," Spirit said, taking her shoulders. "You just need to work out whatever is in your system."

"Spirit?" Azusa said, dazed. "You mean, just let out whatever I feel?"

Spirit nervously smiled. "Um, yeah, sure?"

Azusa smiled, happily. "That's good to know. I'll just let it out."

Spirit shut his eyes. "Good. Just keep it brief and-"

Spirit then felt something wet collide with his chest.

"Ah, not again!" Spirit heard Lord Death cry. "Kid! Get the sawdust! The stuff the janitor uses!"

Soul had his head in his hands. "This is the second-worst holiday party I have ever been to."

Liz patted him on the back. "Welcome to the world of being a Death Scythe, Soul. It's hell here."

Patty was leaning down next to Soul, to avoid staring at the nutmeg-colored vomit all over the horrified Spirit. "Say, if Zu-zu over there is allergic to nutmeg, what do you think your witch's soul is allergic to?" She then smiled. "Maybe apples?"

Soul looked up. "Why apples?"

Patty shrugged. "Seems appropriate." She then held up a Solo cup. "Apple cider?"

"My clothes are ruined!" Spirit cried.

"I feel awful," Azusa said, her head resting against the one non-vomit covered part of Spirit's shoulder.

Soul stared forward. "No, I think I'll abstain this time."

"More for me then!" Patty proceeded to chug. "Um...cidery!"