A.N. This chapter will still move the story along a bit, but it is more of a break for the characters to celebrate Christmas :D I hope you enjoy!
Have a Merry Christmas/Hanukkah!
"Watch out!" Harkat called from behind a mass of greenery and sharp branches. He took several steps forward and pushed the tree halfway into the tent, almost taking out a chair and knocking me over.
Needles flew everywhere and I sputtered, shaking what felt like never ending amounts out of my clothing. "I think we need to go back and get a smaller tree." I stepped back well out of the way and watched Harkat stubbornly maneuver the still tipped over tree into the middle of the main living space, sighing mournfully as more needles fell into my sleeping area. "Why did we wait until the middle of the night before Christmas to do this anyway?" I looked at the clock. Four more hours and it would be officially Christmas. The nightmares had abated little, so staying up the entire night was nothing new.
"Because this was the first day Mr. Tiny left for awhile," Harkat said, even though he had told me the same thing multiple times. "You know he would never allow this if he was here. Did you get gifts?"
"Yeah," I said. "Even before we planned this."
Harkat peered over the tree, and paused in his struggling to stand the thing upright. "Between dying, murdering people and running for our lives…when did you have time to shop?"
"I just picked up stuff here and there," I said sagely. "Here let me." I waited until Harkat was far back and waved my hand. The tree jumped slightly and then rolled sideways. I gritted my teeth and tried again and got the same result. I had gone so long trying not to use magic that controlling it had become very hard. I closed my eyes and concentrated hard, gently raising my hand in a broad sweeping motion. When I opened my eyes I was pleased to see that the tree was standing upright and in a corner of the room not right over my bed.
"Ok now for the rest of the stuff," Harkat said excitedly and went outside, reappearing a minute later with a small mountain of boxes in various sizes and shapes. He sorted through them, taking out several and taking them back to his room. "Those you can't see," he said grinning. Harkat had split up from me to go shopping while I had picked up the decorations. Each time I pictured Mr. Tiny's frustrated face I had laughed and thrown something else into the shopping cart, so I had gone a bit overboard. For the gifts I had picked up dazzlingly bright wrapping paper of varying designs and some shiny ribbon.
"Holy lights," Harkat said and dumped out a medium sized box filled with hanging lights of different colors and sizes. "What are we going to do with all of these?"
I shrugged. "I figured whatever we can't put out here we can use on Mr. Tiny's giant bed."
Harkat smirked and ripped open a box of red lights, carefully unrolling them until the entire length was spread out across the couch and chairs. "Four hours," he said pretending to check a watch. "How much damage can we inflict?"
"A lot," I swore and grabbed one end of the lights. The aim was not to set up a perfectly decorated room. It was to express a couple of bored teenagers with too much free time and an urge to annoy someone who really shouldn't be messed with. Plus it had been a long time since I had celebrated a proper Christmas and even having it with Mr. Tiny seemed fine as long as he didn't set fire to the Christmas tree. After much wrangling with the couch I had the red lights wrapped around all four legs and running up the back with cleverly placed pieces of tape to hold the lights in back up. The lights all worked without having plugs to put the ends in somehow, which eliminated that problem. All the electronics here never needed charged. I ended the red lights by wrapping them around the arms of the couch, and stood up to see Harkat running amok in the kitchen with white and green lights of his own. He had cleverly wrapped the two strings around each other and was standing precariously on a kitchen chair to put them on top of the kitchen cupboards, wrap them through the fridge door and back across the floor to do up the kitchen table.
I ripped open another box, leaving Harkat to do the rest of the lights as he obviously was having way too much fun and grinned down at what was inside. Strings of bells were inside; not very many but just enough to provide entertainment. I tied one to the fridge door and one to the freezer so nobody could open it without making a racket. Then I put one each on the back of the kitchen chairs. We had promised to leave Mr. Tiny's room for the extras, and since there were bells left I snuck into his room and carefully put one bell on top of each post on his bed. I threw a Santa hat to Harkat and put one on myself then began to haphazardly throw ornaments on the Christmas tree, along with shorter strings of lights that flashed in patterns of colors. Under the tree I put a simple throw to put the gifts.
Harkat and I set aside any sort of rules after that and went completely nuts. Stuffed toys that you could press and make sing a song were scattered across every available surface and snow globes were set up on the highest shelves, their insides never ceasing to swirl because of the magic in the room. Tinsel we hung up on the ceiling, wrapping it around the supports on the ceiling. That took several tries because Harkat had to stand on my shoulders and he constantly fell off when we took a break to look around the room and started to laugh. The extra lights we took outside and ran with around the tent, higher and higher until we ran out. Nutcrackers of all sizes were posed in every doorway. Finally after pausing two hours later we set our sights on Mr. Tiny's room. Even though I had already put the bells on his bed we both paused in the doorway, uncertain if we should really dare to disturb the pristine and extremely off-limits area.
"What the hell," Harkat said after a bit. "We already got the rest of the tent."
"Besides it would be rude to leave his room out of it. And it would look a bit odd seeing as we did your room already," I said matter of factly.
"I agree completely," Harkat said and bounced into the room with an armful of decorations.
We lined up Nutcrackers on his dresser from largest to smallest and placed a nut in each of them. Tinsel and lights was wrapped around all the posts and run under the bed back and forth so many times it would take magic to unwind it without creating a tangled disaster. Like in the other rooms we put things on the ceiling, but instead of tinsel we made giant loops of thick ribbon and tied mistletoe to each loop. Then with great patience we grabbed bag after bag of stick on bows and coated the entire floor with them, only leaving a tiny path to the bed. When we finished and stepped back to admire our work it was with some surprise I saw we only had half an hour to Christmas. Harkat and I went back to the living room and sat down on the couch, staring around at what we had done.
"Christmas exploded," I said and burst out laughing.
Harkat snorted and waved as he got up from the couch. "I am going to wrap. See you in a bit."
I went back to my corner of the room and carefully dug out the gifts, setting them aside in separate piles for both Mr. Tiny and Harkat. It was hard picking out things, but I was satisfied with what I had chosen. For Harkat I had gotten a fancy set of daggers in a cool looking case and a giant box of chocolate pretzels. Mr. Tiny had been much harder but eventually I had settled on a carved wooden watch case with a velvet interior and locking capability. I wrapped only Mr. Tiny's gift in the horrible neon wrapping paper, choosing on tamer Santa paper for Harkat; but all the gifts got the bright ribbon. Then I stuck on name tags (just in case) and shook my head ruefully. I really needed wrapping lessons.
When I turned around Harkat was putting his gifts under the tree. I joined him and set mine under the tree too and then we both went back to the couch and watched the clock count down to midnight. We settled back into the couch, and the Santa hat fell over my eyes. I dozed off, only semi aware of the world and barely acknowledged Harkats drowsy "Merry Christmas," before I fell asleep completely.
The Santa hat flew off my head and I blinked sleepily at the yellow and green smudge standing in front of me. I rubbed my eyes until they focused and stared silently at Mr. Tiny who held both mine and Harkats hat in his hands. The clock behind him read eight and I was amazed I had managed to sleep that long without waking up screaming.
"I do not want to know what possessed you to…decorate," Mr. Tiny said. "But perhaps you could have gone without the tastelessly vivid tinsel?" He set the hats back on our heads. "Merry Christmas boys."
I yawned and straightened my hat before wobbling after Mr. Tiny to get a bowl of cereal. Now looking at the room I wondered why we had gone completely nuts. It looked like a Christmas store had blown up and the debris had been moved to the tent without sense or direction. Before I could even get a bowl out of the cupboard Harkat grabbed my arm and spun me around, marching me back to the tree and setting me down.
"No food before gifts!" Harkat said and went back to get Mr. Tiny.
I stared at the tree and a glimmer of excitement went through me. All of Harkats gifts were there, and mine too but there were also two more that hadn't been under the tree before. I looked up in time to see Mr. Tiny sit on the couch and wait with a patient expression on his face.
"Open this first," Harkat said right away and thrust a perfectly square package into my hands.
I slowly turned over the package and shook it in front of my ear. "Food?" I guessed and was met with a shaking head. "Ok then." I ripped off the paper and was left with a white box. I took the lid off and pulled away the tissue paper, gaping at the contents. Folded inside was a black leather jacket. I took it out and unzipped it, mouth falling open again at what was inside. Tucked inside the jacket, close to the bottom so I could flip them out if I wanted were two curved knives. I put on the jacket right away and zipped it up. "Thanks!" I said. The material was tough and would no doubt hold up to whatever I put it through; which would be quite a lot no doubt. I could feel the knives against my torso, but the way they were positioned meant they wouldn't cut into my skin.
I handed Harkat and Mr. Tiny 'their gifts from me and Harkat tore into the first gift. His face lit up and he shook the box before carefully taking the lid off and grabbing a handful of pretzels with a reverent expression on his face. He bit into one. "Delicious," he announced.
Mr. Tiny looked from me to the hideous wrapping paper and back. I shrugged innocently and he snorted before delicately pulling off the ribbon and wrapping paper. He turned the watch case over and over in his hands, much like he did with the actual watch before opening it and inspecting the inside. When he said nothing, and kept that blank expression I hated so much on his face I began to regret giving it to him. But a minute later he pulled his watch out of thin air and placed it into the case; snapping it closed and tucking it back into a pocket. "Thank you Shadow," he said and sounded like he meant it. "I did not expect anything."
I grinned widely. "Your welcome," I said and handed Harkat his other gift.
Harkat ripped it open and stared at the daggers for a long time before his mouth slowly fell open. "T-thanks," he said and took each dagger out one by one to study it separately. "They are almost too perfect for battle!" He exclaimed. When he reached the last dagger he frowned, more then a little confused. To him it appeared the weapon only had a handle and no blade.
"Press the button on the bottom," I suggested.
Harkat did so and his eyes lit up when the blade popped out. It was the smallest weapon, no more then three inches long but in a pinch it would certainly cause pain. Harkat tucked that weapon right into his pants. "I'll have to work on hiding the rest," he said. He went back to the tree and grabbed a package which he put into Mr. Tiny's hands. "Here," he said nervously. "Be careful it's fragile."
Mr. Tiny opened it with the same care he had given my gift to him and removed a set of crystal vials of varying sizes. All of them had blank labels; the largest was the size of my hand, and the smallest my thumb. He twitched a hand and the vials floated up in the air, coming to rest on a shelf on the tent wall, in order from largest to smallest. "Those will come in handy," he said in delight. "Thank you Harkat." He rubbed his hands together and two more packages flew into his hands. "Now for my gifts to you." His eyes were gleaming. The gifts were wrapped in two colors; one was silver and shone when you tilted it into the light and the other was dark blue. Mr. Tiny handed the blue one to me and the silver to Harkat.
Harkat opened his gift easily and took out the contents with an expression matching the one he had given the last dagger. It was a set of robes, matching the style and color he wore as a Little Person, but they were slightly tougher and to me, glowed red.
"Those robes will protect you," Mr. Tiny explained after realizing Harkats bewilderment. "There are protection spells woven into the very fabric. No weapon will be able to cut through that cloth."
"Wow," Harkat said and took off the necklace that provided his disguise. It was a bit of a shock to see him return to his normal form, but a relief too. He ran into the bathroom and changed. When he came back it looked like he had a red aura around him. "They are so light! Thanks!"
I stared down at my gift. It was tall and square, not too heavy and it didn't make a sound when I shook it. I tore the paper off and took the lid off the box, peering inside curiously. What I saw made my eyes widen and I took out the present with delight. It was set of hand claws. They were like gloves, but made completely of metal. I would be able to slide them on, and the curved claw pieces would settle over my nails, extending and protecting them. The underside was carved out, so if I had grown claws the metal would shield them on top. The metal glove protected my hand down to just past my wrist, with interlocking pieces of metal. I pulled them on eagerly and focused on the claws, testing them for any magic. Sure enough the entire thing glowed red just like Harkats robes.
"Those are terrifying," Harkat said.
Mr. Tiny laughed. "If you want the metal to take on the appearance of a fingerless leather glove just think about it. They will only respond to you." His eyes bored into the claws on my hands and I stared down at them.
I thought and thought, but nothing happened. Frustrated I shook my hands and imagined them just as Mr. Tiny had said and the metal tightened on my hand. I looked down and saw that they had changed.
"Practice changing them back and forth until you can do it instantly," Mr. Tiny said, looking pleased that I had managed to use the spell so quickly. "They will also cut through any material on earth so be careful."
"Thank you!" I said and switched the gloves back into claws; removing one so I could stroke the metal, memorizing the grooves in the curved weapon. I never wanted to take either the jacket or the claws off, ever. "I can't wait to try them out!"
Mr. Tiny smirked. "Not on the furniture."
"Wait," Harkat said and held out a corner of his robes. "Try cutting through them."
I frowned uncertainly but stood up and lashed out. The claws whipped through the air, connecting with Harkats robes and slicing down them. The claws let out a screeching sound and with a flash of red light we were both knocked backward several feet. I rolled over and over, coming to rest on top of my bedding, hitting my elbow on the secret stash of trinkets I had built up. I sat up and shook my head. "Let's not do that again," I said.
Harkat stared at his robes. There was not a mark on them. "Yeah," he agreed.
Mr. Tiny stood up and I saw him discreetly check on the watch case. "We are moving on from Las Vegas. Our destination is snowy, so dress warmly."
"Where are we going?" I asked excitedly.
"Somewhere less populated. I tire of people." was all Mr. Tiny said and disappeared back into his room. He out a loud curse and I heard the crunching of many bows meeting an untimely demise.
I burst out laughing so hard tears ran down my face. The necklace warmed around my neck and Harkat joined me in laughter until we rolled on the floor, listening to the obliteration of every single Christmas decoration in Mr. Tiny's room. When silence fell Mr. Tiny stuck his head out of his room and gave us a stern glare before retreating. That only set us off more until the tent lurched, effectively silencing our amusement. The wild movement sent us staggering across the room, me to my corner and Harkat to the couch. We held on tightly until the nauseating ride ceased. Together Harkat and I went to the tent door and pulled aside the cloth. Snow stretched out before us, ending in a huge lake that stretched out for a good ways, and then turned into forest.
I took no heed of the lack of shoes or coat I had on and stepped out onto the crunchy snow. Right away I lifted my feet up and bolted back inside, sprawling half in the doorway. Every single snow flake was calling to me. I could lift the entire blanket of snow up and bend it to my will if I wanted to. After I got myself reasonably under control I went back outside, reaching down to touch the snow with my fingertips, careful to make sure Mr. Tiny was not coming outside. The snow wound its way up my arm, curling around my neck and down my legs. Harkat watched with wide eyes and then he shook his head in disbelief. I let the snow whisk away in the sharp breeze that had come up and stared at the half frozen lake. This was my place, where water ruled and the sky was clear.
"Snow? Really?" Harkat said.
"And ice," I said. I had a few more moments to enjoy the freedom to use magic so I swept my hand through the air, drawing something in my breath that hung in a cloud. A tiny ice feather fell into my palm, shining with the sun. "This is going to be fun," I breathed as the necklace burned on my chest.
R&R please?
