Day 11: Raul's Holiday

The holiday season was always a bit different for Raul. Sure, he liked Christmas. And he tried not to make too much of a fuss. He saw how stressed most people were at this time of year. So, the High Novice did everything in his power to make sure that Christmas went as smoothly as possible. And even after all that, he still found time to celebrate his own holiday. It was nothing special, really. Since he didn't have any family in the city, Raul didn't have many traditions to adhere to. There was a bit of fasting and praying, but the only one he really stuck to was the lighting of the candles. In his room, which he shared with no one, Raul kept a little seven candle holder. It was his menorah, passed down in his family for generations. And with it, Raul would celebrate Hanukkah.

No one knew that Raul did this. Not even Aki knew about his particular celebration. It wasn't that he didn't trust them; he just didn't want to bore them with his little holiday. There was none of the pageantry and fanfare that came from Christmas. There was very little in the way of grand feasts or massive trees. But it had a dreidel, and Raul would make sure to at least spin it once.

He had fond memories of Hanukkah. His family were not devout followers, but they celebrated in their own way. They would eat all the foods and sing all the songs. His father would play dreidel with the kids while Raul's mother finished getting the presents ready. Then, they would all gather around the menorah and enjoy themselves.

As Raul sat in his little room in the Twilight Manor, spinning his little dreidel, he let himself get caught up in the memories. And because of that, he missed the knock at his door.

"Raul! I'm letting myself in!" called Aki, strolling through. "I was wondering where you were and if you wanted to help me with some shopping. I have to go get food for the Christmas feast later, and…."

The cat-girl trailed off as she saw just what was going on. Raul panicked, knocking over his dreidel. He tried to move to stand in front of the menorah, but Aki beat him to it. He watched her tail swish from side to side as she looked around the room. Raul closed his eyes, praying that this was just a dream. When he reopened them and found Aki standing there and waiting, he realized that this was reality. His eyes dropped to the ground in shame.

He waited for a response, some kind of teasing or prodding from Aki. Instead, though, he was met with silence. When he looked back up, he found her standing quietly.

"I'm sorry," she said. "Am I interrupting something?"

There was a deep layer of sincerity in her voice, and it made Raul's heart stutter. Especially since she was wearing her beautiful little Christmas outfit. Recently, it seemed that every day Raul fell just a little bit deeper in love with the woman known as Anakitty Autumn. When he didn't respond for a solid minute, Aki looked away. That was when Raul remembered to speak.

"No! It's just a small celebration from home. It's a holiday...called Hanukkah…." Raul trailed off, unsure of where to go from there.

"Oh, I didn't know that about you," replied Aki. "Is there anything I can do? Or anyway that I can help you celebrate? Or is it one of those holidays where I should leave you alone for a while?"

Raul shook his head. "No, no, no! Really, it's not a big deal! I'm mostly just lighting the candles, and I might be making some of the traditional food later, that's all! No need to get worried or anything!"

Aki frowned. "Raul, you don't need to be worried. This is important to you, right? So that means that it's important to me. If you want to celebrate, you shouldn't feel like you have to coop yourself up in your room."

Raul sighed and scratched the back of his head.

"Really, it's ok, Aki," said Raul, his voice more subdued. "I don't want to impose my holiday on anyone. And more importantly, I don't want people to feel like I'm trying to steal away from their Christmas. I'll be ok."

Raul then said that they should get the shopping done. The two of them left, but the gears in Aki's head were already turning. The next day, she went to the library to find out what she could about Hanukkah. She learned about the menorah, the traditional food, and just what in the world a dreidel was. Then, it was time to talk to Finn. She went to the Captain and badgered him into submission. Usually, Finn would just wave it off and move on. But Aki was not taking any excuses this time around. She wanted Raul to feel as comfortable as everyone else.

So, it was only a couple days of gruelling manual labour later that her plan came to fruition. The cat-girl had already left the manor, dragging Raul with her. It was up to everyone else in Loki Familia to finish preparations.

"So, what did Finn want us to find?" asked Raul.

Aki struggled for an answer. "Oh, you know, just some more holiday ham. And to find some more traditional elvish Christmas food is all…."

Raul seemed to buy it, and Aki sighed in relief. As they walked past the shops in Orario, they heard someone whistle.

"Well, would you look at that, lovebirds?"

Raul and Aki looked for the voice's source and found it pointing above their heads. The two second-class adventurers looked up to see a sprig of mistletoe hanging above their heads. They both turned a deep scarlet shade of red. Aki felt her heart pounding. She tried to reason that this was still just dopey old Raul. The same Raul who was…stunningly handsome, kind beyond compare, a natural leader…no! Bad Aki! Bad thoughts! Now was not the time to get confused!

Except for the moment when she felt something warm press against her cheek. She blinked as Raul pulled away, the boy looking sheepish.

"Sorry, I just thought that I'd take the chance," he said.

Any more words were interrupted when Aki grabbed his face and brought it crashing into hers. As soon as their lips touched, her whole body felt electrified. Her ears perked up, and her tail seemed to curl inward. She pulled away, a satisfied purr rumbling in her throat. Raul stood there with a cute, dumb look on his face. She giggled.

"Come on, you," said Aki. "I think it's about time we got you home. Wouldn't want to miss the celebration, right?"

Raul stuttered out a response. It was probably something about how they still had shopping to do. Aki ignored it, though. Instead, the two of them went back to the Twilight Manor. Aki opened the doors to the great hall and met a large crowd.

"Surprise! Happy Hanukkah, Raul!" shouted Loki Familia.

The High Novice still stood there, slowly registering the events that had happened in the last day. Finally, his brain caught up, and he started tearing up.

"You guys really put all this together for me?" he said between tears.

Finn smiled. "Well, it was really all Aki's idea."

Said Anakitty was moving from foot to foot nervously. Raul smiled at her before dragging her off into the festivities. The Familia had gotten Raul a new menorah for him to have in the manor hall for the season. His old family one would still be used, but privately for him. This new one was a reminder of his new family. After that, everyone broke off for the festivities.

"Oi! Meatheads! I bet my dreidel's gonna kick your dreidel's butt!" shouted Bete.

"Fat chance, wolfy!" retorted Tione.

"Ummm…are they doing it right?" asked Alicia.

"No, but they have the right spirit," replied Aki.

Elsewhere, Ais stared at the veritable mountain of potato snacks. Apparently, these ones were special and were called Latkes. A whole new world of flavour for her to try! Happily, she started munching away, lost in her little potato world. Riveria stood by, shaking her head.

And lost in wonder at all, this was Raul. He was still amazed at what everyone had done for him. As he looked around at his Familia and felt an overwhelming sense of love, someone tapped him on the shoulder.

It was his Captain Finn. The prum handed him a drink and offered him cheers. Before the Braver directed Raul to a seat, the two sipped from their cups.

"You know, I wasn't quite sure what to make of this Hanukkah business, but now that I see it, I like it," he said. "Makes you feel all warm and fuzzy. Like you're witnessing a miracle."

"Well, that's the point," responded Raul.

"Oh? Is that a story I hear coming?" asked Finn. Before Raul could respond, he shouted out, "Hey everyone! I think Raul is going to tell the history of Hanukkah!"

Loki Familia gathered around, Aki claiming Raul's lap for her own, and the young adventurer scrambled to put his thoughts in order. Finally, he coughed into his hand.

"Well, it starts with a group called the Maccabees…."

The End

Hestia looked at the menorah patch she had just made for the quilt. It went right next to the one with the collection of presents. She looks up.

"I bet you're wondering what happened to me yesterday, huh?" She smiles. "Well, I was in that one, so it'd be weird to hear from me twice! But now we're back on track!"

Hestia looked at her quilt, hands on her hips. It was almost half filled.

"You know what," she says. "This is going to be the best holiday yet! Or should I say holidays? Well, whatever you celebrate, I hope you all enjoy it!"