"There, that should just about do it!"
Kiran stood back with a satisfied grin as he admired his handiwork. What was once his drab personal quarters was now transformed into a miniature winter wonderland. Everything from festive ornaments, candles, colored quilts, wreaths, and even a small tree he had asked one of the Heroes to help bring into his quarters. Kiran had even gone through the trouble of wrapping up empty boxes and placing them under the tree as if they were presents, just like how he remembered at home.
As that thought crossed his mind, the summoner's grin fell slightly as he sat himself down on his bed. He…missed home. He didn't usually think too much about home, though that was mostly because he was busy with other things such as running the Order and trying to stay alive. However, with the festive season now upon Askr, it had become gradually more difficult for Kiran to keep his mind from straying back to memories of his previous life.
Sighing, Kiran allowed his back to softly collide with his mattress as he gazed up at the stone ceiling above him. He wondered if he would ever be able to return home, to be able to enjoy the holiday season the way he remembers it. Sure, he did his best to introduce some of his customs from home to Askr's Winter Festival – customs which were, for the most part, warmly received by everyone – but he knew it wasn't the same. Nothing could replace what he remembered.
Despite these thoughts, Kiran shook his head. Even though a part of him did long to return home, he also couldn't deny the part of him that has grown attached to Askr and the Order of Heroes. Alfonse, Sharena, Anna, and everyone else in the Order he had grown fond of…he knew when the day comes for him to go home, it would not be an easy ordeal.
"Gah, what am I thinking?" Kiran muttered to himself as he sat upright. "It's the Winter Festival! I shouldn't be throwing myself a pity party when there's an ACTUAL party about to start." Standing up from his bed, Kiran walked to his closet to grab his favorite hooded cloak, murmuring to himself all the while. "Speaking of, I should really start thinking about what gifts to give everyone. I mean, what would princes and princesses even want for gifts?"
As these thoughts raced through his mind, all thoughts of melancholy abandoned, Kiran slipped on his boots and made his way to his door. As he stood before the entrance to his room, his body shivered in anticipation of the winter cold that he would soon be subjected to. Readying himself, Kiran reached his gloved hand toward the door's handle-
*Knock Knock*
Kiran paused, a look of surprise crossing his face. He wasn't expecting to meet with anyone at the moment, unless he was forgetting something again. Curious, Kiran grasped the door's handle and opened it to reveal…
