Day 3: A Christmas Carol, Prologue

Finn sat in his office. Outside, the rest of Loki Familia were hard at work decorating the manor and getting into the holiday spirit. The prum shook his head at their foolishness and envied their leisurely lifestyle. He was much too busy to celebrate something as silly as Christmas or any of those other Winter holidays. He was the Braver, and he would be the hero of his people one day. Which meant that there was no time for frivolousness.

There was a knock at the door, and before Finn could respond, Loki busted in. The smell of alcohol hung on her breath as she sauntered over.

"Oi! Come on, Finn! Your Familia is waiting for you! They need to see their Captain celebrating the holidays!" said the Goddess. She pushed aside a stack of papers and sat on his desk. "No one likes a busy body!"

Finn sighed, struggling to smile at his Goddess's antics.

"I'm sure they'll be fine without me, Loki. Besides, someone must go over the numbers again. And I'm not going to let the Guild just ignore our most recent accomplishments! We have work to do!" said Finn, turning back to his papers.

Everyone had to know who he was, or else who'd be the saviour of his people?

Loki poked him in the end. "Be careful you, or else you'll get the kind of visitors you don't want!"

She left without explaining. Finn didn't pay attention, though. He had more pressing matters to attend to. He had recently stopped in with some of Orario's travelling merchants and paid them just a bit of sum of valis to make sure they spread his name and tales far and wide. Maybe not the most trustworthy folk, but he felt that it was better to pursue every option no matter the cost.

There was another knock, and Riveria and Gareth came through the door this time.

"Oi! You little bastard prum! Put the pen down and come have some fun with the rest of us!" said the giant dwarf.

Riveria snorted. "While I think Gareth's being a little loud about it, I have to agree." A mug of mulled cider was in her hand, a rare occurrence for her. "It is Christmas Eve, after all. Come be with the rest of us."

Once again distracted from his work, Finn let out a slightly more frustrated sigh.

"And I'll tell you two what I told Loki. There's too much to do. What do you all think being the saviour of my people means? That I get to laze around and do nothing?" replied Finn.

At his snappy retort, Riveria pulled a face. She opened her mouth to comment, but Gareth pulled her back.

"Let it go, lass," he said. He looked over at Finn. "You get a pass because it's us, Finn, but watch your tone with the rest of those young'uns." Gareth looked over at the imposing tapestry of Fianna hanging on the wall, then back at Finn, stuck in its shadow. "Just take it easy. We know you have a lot on your shoulders, but that doesn't mean you have to do all the work all the time."

Gareth left without another word. Riveria gave Finn the kind of look she reserved for Bete, and then she left. Finn ignored them. They would never get it. Riveria was royalty, and dwarves had no need for a hero. Finn was doing what he did because he had to. His life had only one goal, and no distractions were allowed.

An hour later, there was another knock at the door. Finn's hands curled into fists. He grit his teeth together, got up and went to answer the door. Standing there were Raul and Aki.

"Hey, Captain," said Raul, nervous. "We were just wondering if you wanted anything for dinner?"

Finn felt ready to explode. Didn't these people get that he had important work to do? That was when a thought flicked at his head.

"Actually, Raul, I need you to run into town," said Finn, turning back to his desk. He grabbed a slip of paper and handed it to the High Novice. "This is a bill of sale that Dian Cecht Familia needs to process. I want you to head out tonight, ok?"

Before Raul could respond, Aki's mouth dropped.

"It's Christmas Eve, Captain! You can't actually expect Raul to run out in the middle of the cold for this?" she said, gesturing to the paper. "I mean, it can wait just a little bit, right?"

Finn shook his head. "No, it cannot. And I'd ask you not to disrespect your Captain, got it?"

Apparently, there was a bit more bite to his tone because Aki jumped, and Raul did too. The pair left, with Raul confirming that he'd be back soon from the cold.

Finn ignored them. It was just a little bit of cold after all. They were second-class adventurers; if they couldn't handle that, then they needed to get it together and stop being so weak.

Just as Finn sat back down, continuing to work, there was another knock. The distraction made the little pallum snap the pen he was holding. He stomped over to the door and threw it open to find Tione standing there, bashfully.

"I heard you would be working through the evening, and well, Riveria and Gareth said I shouldn't," began Tione. "But I thought you might get hungry, so I made you some dinner…."

The amazon slowly held out a plate. Finn registered that it was all his favourite foods in some part of his mind. The interruption couldn't stand, though, and this was the last straw. He slapped the plate from Tione's hand.

"When will you all get it through your heads? I don't want to celebrate or want food!" He pointed to his desk. "I need to get this work done! Now go celebrate Christmas on your own! Bah humbug!"

He slammed the door in her face and locked it too. His feet rattled the floor as he went back to his desk. In the back of his mind, Loki's words echoed. He stared down at the paper in front of him, and slowly, his lack of energy caught up to him. Sitting in his chair, he felt himself drift off to sleep.

It was with a start that he jolted awake. He looked around, his level six senses tingling. He grabbed his spear, leaning on the wall behind him.

"Who's there?" he asked. "If that's you, Loki, then you better stop!"

All the noise was for naught, though, as everything cut out. It was in total silence that Finn waited. His thumb throbbed with pain. He looked to the windows, searching for hidden enemies. That was when a knock came at the door.

Finn said nothing, just pointing his spear. The Braver felt a chill up his spine that was soon validated when a blue arm seemed to push itself through. And with it came a whole body. It was a man with wrinkles on his face and long hair. Finn recognized him because it was Noir, his old teacher who died in the Great Feud.

"Well, well, well," said the ghost of Noir, "Just what do we have here?"

Finn took a step back. "No, you're not real! You can't be real!"

Noir smiled, walking through the chairs in the office.

"Oh, but I am. And I come with a warning, Finn Deimne," he said. "Listen good and listen well; unless you choose to change your ways and celebrate with everyone that loves you, terrible things will happen." He held up three fingers. "The spirits of Christmas will come to visit you. They will show you the past, present, and future, and it is only upon you to change and make them leave." Noir winked. "But you're a smart one; I'm sure you'll figure it out."

Noir's ghost faded away with a wink and a smirk.

Finn felt his frustration grow. He threw his spear down and spoke to the nothingness.

"I refuse! You all want me to celebrate Christmas! Well, I refuse! You can all take it and shove it up your stockings! So, BA HUMBUG!"

End of the Prologue

Hestia looked down at her most recent patch of the quilt. She shook her head at the picture. It was an angry little prum, standing all alone. Friends waited just outside his reach, but he ignored them in their entirety.

"Poor soul, he just doesn't get it does he?" said Hestia, placing the square of fabric down. "Nothing to be done, though. The rest is up to him." She looks up and gives a sad smile. "I promise, though, this is the worst that it'll get. But you'll only hear about it every couple of days." She smiles. "Because tomorrow is a promise for a happier time and the tidings from a certain golden-haired fox!"