Day 1: Buying the Tree
Bell could feel his feet start to freeze. See, the boots that he owned were not the best. They were actually rather old and not at all waterproof. The worst part was that they let the snow in, and then the snow melted and got into his socks. And then his socks froze, and his feet got all numb. Ok, so it was a slight exaggeration, but it might happen. Which was why he was standing in front of a row of Christmas trees in a snowy field.
With his arms crossed, he nodded at a Douglas Fir standing in front of him.
"How about we get that one?" he asked.
"Too small," came the immediate reply.
Ais walked out from behind another tree. With how the little snowflakes sat on the ends of her hair and how her white toque was pulled low on her head, Bell's heart melted just a little bit. They had been dating for three years but had only just moved in together. It was going to be their first Christmas in their apartment in downtown Orario. Technically speaking, they wouldn't be spending Christmas there; they were going to Riveria's for a lot of it, but Ais insisted on getting a tree anyway.
"Ais…this tree is eight feet tall. It's the perfect height for our apartment."
Even when she turned to walk deeper into the field, Bell could imagine how her cheeks would be puffed.
"Too small," she said again.
The boy sighed and trudged behind her. Bell had wanted to keep it simple. He knew of a friendly lot where they sold perfectly reasonable trees. There was no three feet of snow to stand in, and they didn't have to worry about bringing the car out. But Ais had insisted that they go out and cut down their own tree. Bell loved her, no doubt about that, but sometimes he questioned her methods. It was never the easy way with Ais Wallenstein.
He pointed to another tree, a nine-footer, and called Ais over.
"How about this one?" he asked.
She did not reply right away. Instead, Ais walked around the tree, hand on her chin. Her eyes darted all over the evergreen. She reached out with her arms every once in a while, poking into the tree's branches. Just when Bell thought she'd be satisfied, she stepped back and shook her head.
"Too many holes," said Ais sagely.
She turned and trudged off into the snow, her boots making an audible crunching sound as she walked. Bell followed, his steps much more subdued. He was sure none of his friends and their partners had to deal with this…
"Oh, look, it's Bell!"
And he stood corrected. Bell turned away to see Haruhime and Mikoto walking forward. It was the two's second Christmas living together. Haruhime seemed to be jumping for joy, her white parka with the faux fox fur trimming bobbing in her wake. Mikoto seemed just a tad frustrated, her purple peacoat pulled in tight, with her ear mufflers tucked under her scarf (which was last year's gift from her girlfriend).
The girls gave him a quick hug before looking around.
"Where is Ais?" asked Haruhime.
Bell sighed. "Looking for the right tree."
Haruhime giggled. "I see. So, you and Mikoto both have the same problem then?"
Bell tilted his head. "What problem would that be?"
"Blonde girlfriends with an affinity for good Christmas trees," replied Haruhime.
It was not just the cold that made Mikoto and Bell blush. While they fumbled for a response, Haruhime nudged Mikoto with her elbow.
"This one wanted to get a bonsai tree of all things!"
Mikoto rallied, her mouth dropping open. "A bonsai tree is a most elegant piece of nature! It would make for a wonderful far-eastern, western, Christmas fusion!"
Mikoto made to ramble more, but Haruhime pulled her in for a long kiss. It went on for so long that Bell felt a need to leave. He had already looked away when it started, but now it was starting to get just a little awkward. Just as Bell was about to leave, Haruhime finally pulled away.
"Yamato Mikoto, I love you dearly, but if you put up a bonsai tree for Christmas in our apartment, I WILL change the locks on the door," she said.
Mikoto, with a sizeable goofy smile on her face, just nodded. Haruhime bid goodbye as she dragged the Mikoto off into the field. Bell watched them start arguing over the tree when he felt someone tap his shoulder.
He looked to find Ais standing there with a giddy grin on her face.
"I found the perfect tree," she replied.
She was quiet enough that most people would think she was subdued, but Bell could read her tells now. The way her hands were clasped together, and the shine in her eyes, all said that she was unbelievably excited. Bell was so busy falling in love with her again that she could almost drag him off his feet. Thankfully, he recovered, and the two of them disappeared into the maze of pine trees.
Eventually, Ais brought him in front of a really massive one. The tree was easily twelve feet high, with dark green boughs. She looked at him and pointed.
"This is the tree!"
Bell sighed. "Ais, there's no way this will fit in…." Bell trailed off at her puppy dog face. "Yeah, alright then." He took his backpack off his shoulders and brought out the saw and axe.
Ais took them happily and got to work cutting the tree down. Now, most men would feel emasculated by having their girlfriends cut down the tree. Bell would call those men idiots. To him, nothing was more erotic than a woman at work. It was his kink. Besides, when examining the base of the tree, she had to bend down to do it. Which meant Bell got to stare to his heart's content. Was a win-win scenario for everyone, really.
Ais made short work of cutting the tree down, and then the two of them dragged it off to the bar to get it ready for the car. They grabbed some of the complimentary hot chocolate before leaving to go home. Later that same day, Bell would have to take a couple feet off the bottom so they could stand the damn thing up, and Ais would stop speaking to him for three days, but hey, they had a tree at least.
The End
Hestia looked down at her handiwork. The first square of her quilt was done. There is a green Christmas tree with a rabbit at its base and a princess with a sword at its topper. She put the quilt down.
"Well, hello there," she said. "I know what you must be thinking, a bit of a weird turn of events, no?"
Hestia shrugged. "Well, it's the holiday season, meaning spreading as much cheer as we can. And what better way to start than with the greatest symbol of the holidays?"
"No need to worry about anything really terrible happening," said Hestia, placing the first square of the quilt down.
Around it was plans for twenty-four more spots.
Then she looked out and smiled. "Just relax by the fire, forget your troubles, and try to enjoy yourself, ok?"
