On the Twelfth day of Christmas Moko gave to me…..
Twelve family members,
Eleven juicy secrets,
Ten NG's,
Nine stern glares,
Eight Love Me jobs,
Seven acting lessons,
Six Kyoko demons,
FIVE GENTLEMANLY SMILES,
Four wax dolls,
Three broken phones,
Two Love Me members,
And a Stalker in a sakura tree.
Twelve Showbiz Days of Christmas
It was December 23rd and the office was silent, sure there was the small murmur from the few workers who lingered, but it was still quieter than a normal day. It was surprising. President Takarada's plans were never this - silent… She was quite convinced the man didn't know what quotidian and quiet meant. Yet given the lazy atmosphere in the office it seemed she was proven wrong. Maybe she should be worried, but she decided it was better to relish the peace while it was still there.
Tonight was the first evening in about three weeks that she was able to relax. Every day this month had been full of shooting for her dramas, then going to complete the Love Me Christmas List the President had assigned her, and lastly trying to find some time to complete some 'dates' at her part time job. Mostly, it was the Love Me work that had kept her the busy.
She had decided that she should never let the description 'fool' flit through her mind for the President- weirdo, yes. Fool, no. That man did not miss a thing that happened in LME. He knew every quirk, secret or desire each employee had, and rather intimate details of their personal lives. Really, she thought she should be a lot more anxious than she was. Just what did he know about her? …… NO. No, she would not let herself think about that. Shudder.
President Takarada in all his crazy schemer glory had decided all LME employees, idols and students must celebrate a true Christmas, whether they really wanted to or not. He had to be planning this months ahead. He had given her and Kyoko a list presorted into the ones that would joyfully celebrate Christmas and those that would not. This entailed livening up the buildings in Christmas decorations for the Christmas spirited, and stalking and talking notes on the Scrooges. In those cases, She and Kyoko had been told the intended vict- employee's gift, it was up to them to figure out the best way to surprise the person and have them react in the true Christmas manner. She had arranged for two actors to see family they would otherwise miss to busy schedules, and she had arranged for really old friends to meet up with a few employees that had no families. Even she had been touched by their gratitude.
Tomorrow the President had arranged for an evening party for those who had no one to celebrate with, or were to far from home. The idea was that no one should spend Christmas alone, but to enjoy a being in the company of others. President Takarada thought it vital enough that he used his connections to ensure that all LME employees and idols would have December 23rd and 24th off. She had even heard that some other companies were giving their employees the time because of this. At the moment she was finishing the preparations for the party tomorrow night; double checking decorations and seating arrangements for the orchestra. She had to finish wrapping gifts yet, but luckily she didn't have to worry about the food because Kyoko was handling that. They would be attending the party too, but they would help the servers in the meantime.
This Christmas party wasn't the same as last year's Thank You celebration, but Kyoko would spend a lot of the time at the party playing with Maria. Maria was determined that her nee-san not be left alone, and that she celebrate with Maria. She hoped they would still find time to talk though. Moko herself had nothing planned for the evening. She couldn't help but think about the chaos at her family's house that evening with all her siblings, in-laws and parents celebrating together. She really didn't want to celebrate with them. The noise would drive her insane. Still, she wouldn't mind seeing them, if only she could do it without the hassle of the chaos her being there would create. Oh well, time to get back to work.
Moko started wrapping gifts never noticing the two eyes that spied upon her through the open door.
DECEMBER 24TH 9:33 PM
The party was going wonderfully with everyone gathered in little clusters of two to four people laughing and chatting about their lives. Moko was sitting on the fountain resting with her eyes closed. She had talked to Kyoko and a few other people, between serving the other guests, but now she felt like indulging in the tranquility of the night.
The day had been chaotic finishing the last minute preparations and calming Kyoko down when she became worried she might not finish the cooking in time. At some point her mother had called, and she had had to come up with an excuse not to celebrate with the family that evening. It had taken an hour to reassure her mother that she would be fine, and no, was not celebrating Christmas alone. She's almost given in at one point when she was tired of her mother attempting to guilt trip her, but she had used her self control to not give in. Really, her evening had been more fun than she expected.
She opened her eyes at a jingle near her side. There was no one around but when she looked down she saw a large green card addressed to her. Reluctantly she opened it, scanning the area to see if anyone was around, before reading it.
You didn't really think I had forgotten about you?
Or did you?
Didn't I say I wanted everybody to experience Christmas…
Your present is at the front entrance.
Make sure to tell your family you love them.
Merry Christmas.
Love Santa Claus.
YOU BETTER BE GOOD. YOU BETTER NOT CRY. I'M TELLING YOU WHY.
'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a person was stirring, not even a louse.
The socks were all hung in the kitchen for display,
In hopes that Kaa-san soon would put them away.
The families were wrested all snug in their beds,
While visions of yummy meat danced in their heads.
And Baby with pacifier, and I with vest,
Had just settled our minds for a good night's rest.
When out at the door there arose such a chatter,
I sprang from the couch to see what was the matter.
Over to the window I tiptoed like mad,
Drew open the curtains, and slyly peered.
The moon shone upon the white snow,
Giving light to the forms below,
When, what to my wide eyes should appear,
But a grand green sleigh with nine regal reindeer.
With a tall young driver, so loud and irate,
I knew in a second it must be Kanae.
Much quicker than normal, her reindeer they came,
And she threatened and yelled and called them by name:
"Stop Dasher! Stop Dancer!
Stop, Prancer and Vixen!
Halt,Comet! Halt, Cupid!
Halt, Donner and Blitzen!
To that house!
To those steps!
Stop right this moment! I Said Stop!
Stop already!"
Like the children upon seeing a feast,
Coming dashing through obstacles to eat,
So up the sidewalk the reindeer dashed,
With the sleigh carrying bags, and Kanae all a blazed.
And then, in a swoop, I saw them halt
Acting like they'd done nothing to fault.
As I pulled back my gaze and let the curtains fall,
Sneaking through the door Kanae entered in a crawl.
She was dressed all in velvet, from the boots to the brim,
And her clothes were all pink with some white trim,
A sack overfilled she had slung on her back,
And she looked like a robber ready for attack.
Her eyes- how they fidgeted! Her eyebrows, furrowed!
Her cheeks blushing embarrassed, her cold nose red!
Her mouth tight in a grim line,
And her hair wild without confine.
The key held tight between her teeth,
While the bells on her boots jingled underneath.
Her annoyed expression and burdened form,
While unwelcoming was still quite warm.
She was suspicious and alert, like a jewel thief,
And I giggled when I saw her, in spite of myself.
Her frown grew and she put a finger to her lips
So smiling I stood silent lest she tear me to strips.
She made not a peep, but went straight to her work,
And filled all the socks full of candy and food, putting some meat in the fridge she turned with a jerk.
She lifted her gaze and smiled at me,
She tiptoed to the door, then left in a flee.
She leapt into the sleigh, and loudly whispered out a call,
And the reindeer came together at her yell.
But before she was gone, I heard her exclaim,
"Merry Christmas! Don't tell them it was me or I'll know who to blame!"
Hahaha! This might just be my favorite chapter! I couldn't help but set this to 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. It was still so difficult, I'm horrible at rhyming, so sorry if the rhymes don't go well. This whole chapter was for the second part, the poem, but I created the first part to act as a prologue. In case you were wondering the President gave Moko a sleigh and reindeer with a bunch of candy and treats f so she could give them to her family. He wanted her to come full style of course!
The point of view of the poem was one of Moko's sister-in-law who had been up putting one of the baby to sleep when she heard Moko.
Well this concludes my Twelve Days of Showbiz Christmas….or does it?
Review to find out!
Happy Holidays!
False Sourires