((Woohoo! I finally found my notebook where I had written down the third
chapter. Dunno when the rest of the story will be coming, but I do plan on
finishing it. Oh, and I upped the rating to PG-13, even though it's
probably unnecessary. Just in case, since I know this site can be finicky.
Oh yeah, and if everyone gets the FF9 reference, it's cuz I named Eiko
"Rikku"... don't ask.))
Not long after, the group finally got themselves seated around the tree. Yuna flopped down cross-legged beside it. She looked around, counting. "Okay! All here! NOW we can exchange presents!" Yuna picked up a small gift bag. "This one's for Tidus!"
"Gimme!" Tidus squealed like a 6-year old at his birthday party. Tidus grabbed the present, and read the tag. "From Wakka." He ripped through the tissue paper, grinning madly. When he reached the contents, however, he made a strange face. Wakka clamped his hand on Tidus' shoulder, leaning towards him. "Merry Christmas, bruddha..." he whispered.
Tidus froze. "Yuna.... Help me..." he whimpered.
"Here's one for Rikku!" Yuna said happily, handing a box to her Al Bhed cousin. Rikku smiled. "Oh, it's from Kimahri." She yanked off the paper to reveal an 8-inch, smiling plastic fashion doll with grossly accentuated features. "A doll?" she asked. "You got me a DOLL?"
Kimahri shrugged. "Kimahri bad at picking out presents."
"It's true, he is," Lulu agreed, remembering the push-up bra she'd received from the Ronso last year.
"How about a few more, and then we eat?" suggested Auron, who was sobering up and could now speak in full sentences.
"Yes! Yes! Let's do that!" Tidus squeaked, still being clutched by Wakka.
Rikku was busy poking at her doll's inflated breast, her eyes tearing up.
Lulu heaved a heavy sigh and rested her head down on Seymour's shoulder. Seymour patted her head sympathetically.
Tidus handed a small box to Yuna. "This is for you, from me," he smiled, looking deep into her eyes.
"Oh, Tidus..." Yuna whispered, unwrapping the gift to reveal a small jewelry case. Yuna's eyes lit up. "You got me a-" She lifted up the top. Her face fell. "What the hell is this?" she asked, holding up a round piece of thin blue film.
"It's a colored contact!" Tidus said. "Yanno... so you won't look like such a mutant!" He smiled happily.
Yuna broke into tears. So now Yuna and Rikku were crying. Tidus soon started to cry too, seeing Yuna cry. He wailed even louder as Wakka tried to comfort him. Auron got out a fresh can of root beer and started chugging it, bubbles dripping down his chin.
"Food?" Kimahri suggested.
The sobbing trio nodded in between sniffles. Kimahri put one arm around Yuna and the other around Rikku, leading them into the dining room. Wakka of course, led Tidus, who was still crying for multiple reasons. Lulu and Seymour were left to try and escort the now-sloshed Sir Auron into where the food was.
Once seated around the table, everyone seemed to be cheered up. Yuna wiped her eyes with her sleeve and smiled a little. "Okay, Rikku and I made a bunch of dishes earlier today. We'll go get them now!" Giggling, her and her cousin exited the room. They came back in with plates of food. There were glazed carrots, dried fruit, mashed potatoes, and even a main course of roasted turkey.
"Wow, it all looks... good!" Lulu said, raising an eyebrow in surprise.
"I even have an oglop I found on the Conde Petite Mountain Path!" Rikku happily proclaimed, holding up a dish. Everyone froze in place. "What?" Rikku asked.
Yuna leaned in towards her cousin and whispered something in her ear that sounded a lot like, "wrong game". Rikku paled and ran into the kitchen. The garbage disposal turned on, and a minute later Rikku returned, smiling as normal. "Okay! All good!" she said. Everyone let out the breath they'd been holding.
On that note, they all started to eat. Yuna started slurping her soup rather loudly. Seymour turned his gaze towards her, annoyed. Tidus noticed this.
"SEYMOUR!" he proclaimed loudly, trying to sound as manly as he could.
Seymour turned his head to Tidus.
"Yeah, you!" Tidus continued. "I saw you looking at her!"
"What?" Seymour asked.
"I saw the way you looked at her! You want her! You're jealous of me! You're in love with my woman!"
"Lady Yuna?" Seymour scoffed. "Believe me, I don't want her. I've never wanted her."
"He needs a real woman," Lulu smirked, resting her chin on her hands and staring at the maester from her seat across from him.
"LIES! LIES!" Tidus screeched. He raised a spoonful of mashed potatoes and...
"You wouldn't dare," Seymour glared at the teenager.
WHAP. A glob of chunky taters hit Seymour smack in the forehead, right between his veins.
Seymour grabbed his napkin and dabbed his face. "Oh, real mature, mister. Do you feel all masculine now-"
WHAP. Another spoonful of potatoey-goodness hit Seymour on the cheek.
"Oh, that's IT!" Seymour roared, scooping up a handful of peas and throwing it at the boy. The globular, verdant mass of vegetables splattered all over Tidus' shocked face.
"You... hit me!" he squeaked.
Seymour smugly sat back and smirked.
Tidus grabbed some more potatoes and threw them at Seymour. But Seymour ducked, and they hit Rikku in the face. Yuna started laughing. Rikku turned and grabbed some baby carrots and threw them at Yuna. Yuna started to cry. Kimahri seemed upset at Yuna crying, so he grabbed the bowl of cranberry sauce and poured it over Rikku's head.
The pissed-off, sticky Al Bhed then started chucking clumps of stuffing and throwing them in every direction. Whoever wasn't hit before was now, and this erupted into a barrage of flying food. Mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, baby carrots, stuffing, creamed corn, peas, dinner rolls, and everything else on the table were flying through the air.
"Stop wasting food! Stop wasting food!" whined Tidus, banging his fists on the table, even though he started it.
Everyone turned towards Tidus. The flying food stopped.
"That's better," snorted Tidus.
The rest of the group looked at each other, then directed all of their food-throwing to Tidus. When there was no more food left, everyone laughed, making a truce.
"Let's all go take a shower," Yuna suggested. "After, we can all go sit by the fireplace."
Everyone shrugged, then dispersed.
Not long after, the group finally got themselves seated around the tree. Yuna flopped down cross-legged beside it. She looked around, counting. "Okay! All here! NOW we can exchange presents!" Yuna picked up a small gift bag. "This one's for Tidus!"
"Gimme!" Tidus squealed like a 6-year old at his birthday party. Tidus grabbed the present, and read the tag. "From Wakka." He ripped through the tissue paper, grinning madly. When he reached the contents, however, he made a strange face. Wakka clamped his hand on Tidus' shoulder, leaning towards him. "Merry Christmas, bruddha..." he whispered.
Tidus froze. "Yuna.... Help me..." he whimpered.
"Here's one for Rikku!" Yuna said happily, handing a box to her Al Bhed cousin. Rikku smiled. "Oh, it's from Kimahri." She yanked off the paper to reveal an 8-inch, smiling plastic fashion doll with grossly accentuated features. "A doll?" she asked. "You got me a DOLL?"
Kimahri shrugged. "Kimahri bad at picking out presents."
"It's true, he is," Lulu agreed, remembering the push-up bra she'd received from the Ronso last year.
"How about a few more, and then we eat?" suggested Auron, who was sobering up and could now speak in full sentences.
"Yes! Yes! Let's do that!" Tidus squeaked, still being clutched by Wakka.
Rikku was busy poking at her doll's inflated breast, her eyes tearing up.
Lulu heaved a heavy sigh and rested her head down on Seymour's shoulder. Seymour patted her head sympathetically.
Tidus handed a small box to Yuna. "This is for you, from me," he smiled, looking deep into her eyes.
"Oh, Tidus..." Yuna whispered, unwrapping the gift to reveal a small jewelry case. Yuna's eyes lit up. "You got me a-" She lifted up the top. Her face fell. "What the hell is this?" she asked, holding up a round piece of thin blue film.
"It's a colored contact!" Tidus said. "Yanno... so you won't look like such a mutant!" He smiled happily.
Yuna broke into tears. So now Yuna and Rikku were crying. Tidus soon started to cry too, seeing Yuna cry. He wailed even louder as Wakka tried to comfort him. Auron got out a fresh can of root beer and started chugging it, bubbles dripping down his chin.
"Food?" Kimahri suggested.
The sobbing trio nodded in between sniffles. Kimahri put one arm around Yuna and the other around Rikku, leading them into the dining room. Wakka of course, led Tidus, who was still crying for multiple reasons. Lulu and Seymour were left to try and escort the now-sloshed Sir Auron into where the food was.
Once seated around the table, everyone seemed to be cheered up. Yuna wiped her eyes with her sleeve and smiled a little. "Okay, Rikku and I made a bunch of dishes earlier today. We'll go get them now!" Giggling, her and her cousin exited the room. They came back in with plates of food. There were glazed carrots, dried fruit, mashed potatoes, and even a main course of roasted turkey.
"Wow, it all looks... good!" Lulu said, raising an eyebrow in surprise.
"I even have an oglop I found on the Conde Petite Mountain Path!" Rikku happily proclaimed, holding up a dish. Everyone froze in place. "What?" Rikku asked.
Yuna leaned in towards her cousin and whispered something in her ear that sounded a lot like, "wrong game". Rikku paled and ran into the kitchen. The garbage disposal turned on, and a minute later Rikku returned, smiling as normal. "Okay! All good!" she said. Everyone let out the breath they'd been holding.
On that note, they all started to eat. Yuna started slurping her soup rather loudly. Seymour turned his gaze towards her, annoyed. Tidus noticed this.
"SEYMOUR!" he proclaimed loudly, trying to sound as manly as he could.
Seymour turned his head to Tidus.
"Yeah, you!" Tidus continued. "I saw you looking at her!"
"What?" Seymour asked.
"I saw the way you looked at her! You want her! You're jealous of me! You're in love with my woman!"
"Lady Yuna?" Seymour scoffed. "Believe me, I don't want her. I've never wanted her."
"He needs a real woman," Lulu smirked, resting her chin on her hands and staring at the maester from her seat across from him.
"LIES! LIES!" Tidus screeched. He raised a spoonful of mashed potatoes and...
"You wouldn't dare," Seymour glared at the teenager.
WHAP. A glob of chunky taters hit Seymour smack in the forehead, right between his veins.
Seymour grabbed his napkin and dabbed his face. "Oh, real mature, mister. Do you feel all masculine now-"
WHAP. Another spoonful of potatoey-goodness hit Seymour on the cheek.
"Oh, that's IT!" Seymour roared, scooping up a handful of peas and throwing it at the boy. The globular, verdant mass of vegetables splattered all over Tidus' shocked face.
"You... hit me!" he squeaked.
Seymour smugly sat back and smirked.
Tidus grabbed some more potatoes and threw them at Seymour. But Seymour ducked, and they hit Rikku in the face. Yuna started laughing. Rikku turned and grabbed some baby carrots and threw them at Yuna. Yuna started to cry. Kimahri seemed upset at Yuna crying, so he grabbed the bowl of cranberry sauce and poured it over Rikku's head.
The pissed-off, sticky Al Bhed then started chucking clumps of stuffing and throwing them in every direction. Whoever wasn't hit before was now, and this erupted into a barrage of flying food. Mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, baby carrots, stuffing, creamed corn, peas, dinner rolls, and everything else on the table were flying through the air.
"Stop wasting food! Stop wasting food!" whined Tidus, banging his fists on the table, even though he started it.
Everyone turned towards Tidus. The flying food stopped.
"That's better," snorted Tidus.
The rest of the group looked at each other, then directed all of their food-throwing to Tidus. When there was no more food left, everyone laughed, making a truce.
"Let's all go take a shower," Yuna suggested. "After, we can all go sit by the fireplace."
Everyone shrugged, then dispersed.