If they wanted a White Christmas, they sure as heck got one. A sprinkle of snow danced in the tender breeze, but with almost a half meter already stacked on the ground, it wasn’t too welcome a sight in the sub zero temperatures. The gladiatorial drop point wasn’t far from the wooden cabin however, and while the weather outside was frightful, the fire was so delightful. The bright light it cast illuminated the entire building, and it’s warmth greeted all who entered with the assurance that they wouldn’t need a jacket to keep warm. In fairness, heaters were blasting from all sides of the cabin, but that was beside the point. Magic was in the air, and with it was the tantalizing aroma of freshly baked cookies. There were almost a hundred spread out on the table beside the door, with what looked to be at least a dozen different flavors, with cups and coolers at the far end for milk.
Mistletoe hung in the center of the room, but a few feet from that rested a round table, four chairs placed around it with a standard deck of cards in the center. It was made of a fine oak, matching the hardwood floors, but a simple white tablecloth covered it. At the opposite end of the room a jukebox played Christmas carols as jingle bells rang in the wind outside, but the crown jewel of the cabin was the tree. It was a miracle that it even fit inside, reaching ten feet up to the very top of the cabin, with each of the hundred branches having some sort of ornament, spanning from pop culture references to icicles to Santas, and even a few gladiators. Lights illuminated the plant like a rainbow, countless numbers of them twirling along the branches with a brightness that could almost match the fireplace.
There was no denying it, the spirit was in the air.
Gathering of the Santas
Spoiler for Unwraps:
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Spoiler for Table:
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Spoiler for Abra:
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Abra's fingers danced around the edges of the box, brushing against the grain of the wood. He brought the small hand-sized box close and took a deep breath in, sighing as the naturally sweet scent filled his nose. The magician slid the box open and pulled out the small, tightly wrapped package and he softly picked at the tape to peel off the wrapping paper. He carefully folded the paper and tucked it into his pocket. He revealed the deck of cards and picked up a single card, his finger tracing the large spade that was etched onto the silver surface. The entire deck was a metallic silver and he sorted through them in amusement. He pulled another deck from his breast pocket and placed it next to his gift. Abra placed one hand over the silver deck and another over the other deck. He closed his eyes to concentrate and black mist began flowing out of the plain deck of cards he had. Soon the mist collected into a sizeable ball which then floated over to the silver deck and sank in, imbuing the deck with the potent magic Abra was the master of. Soon the transfer was complete and Abra put the now completely normal playing cards into the rosewood box with one hand while with the other he snapped his fingers and the silver deck promptly swirled together and formed a top hat that he held lightly between two fingers. The man tucked the hat onto his head then smiled to the two others that sat at the table with him. "So how does it look?"
George laughed at Abra. The man seemed silly wearing the card-hat and it was truly a clever little creation. Now there were two top hat wearing fellows at the table and George turned his attention for a brief moment towards Bridget and asked: "Madam, would you like to join in the haberdashery? I'm sure we could find you a suitable hat."
Afterwards he turned back to Abra and told him: "You look marvelous my good man."
Spoiler for Bridget:
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As she took her seat at the table, Bridget gave a friendly smile accompanied with her usual playful wink and friendly 'hey' to the two already sat. She wouldn't pretend she knew who either of them were, but judging by the fact that the gentleman on the left seemed to posess her given present, she could safely guess that this one was named George. Before her, she eyed her gift, a wooden box tied in a matching red bow to her given one. The box also had a label; Middleton - Very Rare - Irish Whiskey. Oh, wow. The brewers only sold a few of these a year, for something like two hundred euros. This was a very expensive gift, and now Bridget felt terrible that she'd given some shitey cheap tat to anyone here...
When it came to be her turn to open her gift, Bridget carefully drew her fingernail along the gap in the box from hinge to hinge, cutting the ribbon keeping it shut and pulling it away once it was free. She slowly opened the lid, and could only gasp in awe of the beauty inside. The longer she looked at it, however, the further her heart sunk. This would have set whoever bought it back a fortune. What if it was George? They'd even left a friendly note inside, made it to look like the label outside and all; Hope ye not forgetting yer heritage, lass. Alright, that was a little racist, she wasn't from that Ireland, but how was he to know?
"Aw, thank you," she said in a kind tone, eyes fixed to George, now she had convinced herself it was he whom had been so thoughtful. And now Bridget could now only watch him open his present. Her face remained calm, joyful and appreciative of her gift, as she truly was, but her eyes showed nothing more than panic. If he could tell it's value, if he felt cheated, she'd probably have to do something to make it up to him. And the only something she could think of involved drinking a lot of whiskey...
Abra watched the fox woman open her gift. He had noticed her entry but hadn't gotten to talk to her at all. Nor did he get to talk to the man who was also sitting at the table with them. However now wasn't the time to regret have nots as he watched her open her gift. It was alcohol, very expensive alcohol and Abra let out a brief laugh. "Whoever you secret Santa was has very good taste."
When Bridget gasped at what laid inside his gift he couldn't help but chuckle. He knew it cost him a slight fortune, however it was worth it. If she was willing to share it with the table, he was sure they would have a good time. Looking across at her, she seemed to frown a little bit after reading the label but it was short lived as her eyes fixed on George. Does she know it was him? There was no point in being aloof however.
"Yes, it was I. I guess the price tag gave it away didn't it?"
Spoiler for George:
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George stared at the light blue package, seasoned with a beautiful red bow. The little note: "Bah Humbug : P" threw him off a tad for there was no one surrounding him that he could think could possibly have sent such a teasing message. Once The Gentleman tried to remove the bow the conventional way, he found it to be simply stuck to the outside of the box. A smile crossed his mustached face as he gently removed the bow.
With slight precision he unwrapped the gift without tearing the paper. A plain box could be seen and after opening a gorgeous silver glint is seen. Reaching in he grabbed hold of the piece of jewellery and it is revealed to be a pocket watch. Etched on the inside was the words "George Prince". After giving his mustache a quick stroke, he adjusted the time on the watch to be the current time and placing it neatly in his top pocket.
He liked it. For one thing it suited him and even though it was rather basic, he could always find a way to make it last he was sure.
Spoiler for Tree:
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Spoiler for Ethernu:
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Ethernu opened the package. Inside was a white shirt with a Delta symbol and a note. Ethernu quickly read the note and smiled. He could tell it was going to be a fantastic Christmas. Ethernu was aware people were around him but he didn't care. He just kept smiling until finally, he whispered: "Thanks Dante..."
Derrick noticed the shirt and almost thought he heard a whisper. Apparently the shirt or the Greek symbol on it meant a lot to Ethernu because he was smiling the entire time.
“Did you say something?”
The weapons master looked up at him and gave a harmless shrug. It was obvious Dozer saw something and besides that, there wasn’t anything to hide. He spoke merrily and warmly as he looked back.
“I was just thinking of a friend is all.”
“Yeah-”
Derrick trailed off smiling at the thought before adding something else onto his last statement.
“Well congratulations Ethernu.”
Spoiler for Dozer:
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Derrick looked around at the other occupants around the tree and at his gift. It appeared that after everything that ha happened, everyone had somehow managed to get settled down in time for gifts. That was in of itself, a Christmas miracle.
He picked up his gift with mild curiosity. Of all things, he got a six sided die. And apart from the weight and golden hue around the thing, it looked to be a normal dice. It wasn’t a bad gift for some random exchange but it wasn’t something he expected. After examining it for a few seconds, a thought came to him.
Perhaps it’s heavier than usual because it does something when I throw it.
He debated the possible risk of doing so for the next few seconds, but in the end he decided to try his luck. He shook the dice for a few seconds in his and threw it onto the floor. It ultimately landed on a three. But as soon as it touched the floor, everything disappeared.
Dozer instantly saw the cabin, the gladiators, and the north pole all get replaced by the middle of some body of water. The waves went back and forth as he floated on top of the water with the sun baking on top. He could not find land in sight, so he looked for any vessel or land mass he could get to.
He looked and looked for what felt like forever. The waves themselves were fairly calm and easy to tread but it would be only a matter of time before he tired and he knew it. He felt the current of the warm water as it soaked through his clothes and the now baking solar heat. With each passing minute, the situation got worse. He strained his eyes harder as time went by to find land all in vain.
He waited for hours until finally he saw a plane. He tried desperately to get it’s attention, but all he was able to do was observe as something was dropped. Though it was difficult to see, there was only one thing a plane ever dropped in the middle of nowhere. The plane had been a bomber and from the looks of the object, it appeared to be a bomb.
Derrick’s pulse picked up as he tried to hold his breath and dive underwater. But there was nothing he could do. As soon as the bomb detonated, he saw the burst of light. The searing heat however, was too quick for him to feel. He was disintegrated within a matter of milliseconds.
But instead of dying, Dozer felt a falling sensation. He saw the cabin return to him as he fell onto the floor breaking the chair he sat on into splinters with a loud crack. He felt a dull pain and his now soaking wet clothes as he started to get up. He looked around at the others before gently placing the dice back where he found it. To his relief, it did not trigger another trip. For all intents and purposes he intended to leave that dice where it was and never use it again. Little did he no that the dice would henceforth always find its way back to him.
“Lets not try rolling that again.” He said managing a weak smile.
Spoiler for Vamprina:
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Vamprina took her gift carefully, testing its weight. Her ears were pricked, but it didn’t sound like there was anything alive in the box. It was wrapped in golden wrapping paper, and tied with a purple ribbon. Still slightly suspicious, the assassin traced a thin slash all around the box with her claw and peeled the paper off. Opening the box, she pulled out her gift, staring at it with mild surprise.
It was a porcelain doll. The doll wore a lacey white dress that went to its knees, snow white socks, and black ballet shoes. Its hair was a breathtakingly beautiful blonde, almost gold, that fell straight to the center of her back. Its bangs were swept to the side, keeping the doll’s bright hazel eyes exposed to the world. She has an innocent smile on her face, and positioned in a kneeling way, with bloodstained hands cupped together, as though offering something. Vamprina stared at the offering, her ears flattening. Holding the doll with one claw, she used the other to pull at the dress’s neckline. What she saw confirmed her suspicions.
The doll was offering its heart.
Vamprina continued to stare, not really sure what to think. This wasn’t a gift she’d expected. Though nice, it almost seemed to have an underlying meaning…and that bothered her. Being a killer for most of her life had caused her to close doors on people around her. Why? She was dangerous. Being dangerous meant she was likely going around with a target on her back…a target that spared no difference between innocent or guilty. The doll seemed to say she should open up, and not be so cold. Ridiculous. She’d only completely opened up to Volt and Slinx. No way was she going to do that for anyone else. The thought made her wonder about her husband and children back home. How were they doing?
Shaking her head, she seated herself in the Christmas tree’s shadow, the doll in her lap. Vamprina remained there, staring at the gift. Her eyes narrowed. Aside from the brown eyes, the doll reminded her of Sasha…the angelic gladiator that had initially been a threat to her life. She didn’t know where Sasha had gone, but at least she’d cured that angel. No bad blood there.
Vamprina looked into the doll’s eyes, and then down at the heart, silently marveling at its realistic appearance. She resisted the urge to lick at the blood. It was paint, obviously. However, the doll also had a queer scent to it. It smelled like roses and chocolate. It was…nauseating. If she decided to take this back home with her, she’d make sure to wash it to see if that smell came off.
It was about that time that she looked up to the the reactions of the other two gladiators. Almost immediately, Dozer was the first to respond and his reactions were quite mixed about the gift. He struggled to find something to say, but he was caught off guard by the gift more so than he was willing to admit.
“I-um-congratulations Vamprina?”
He scratched the back of his head and looked back the Ethernu looking for support.
Ethernu glanced at Vamprina's present, he didn't say anything. He just nodded, like he understood what was going on. In his mind, he debated weather or not to say anything. Finally he made up his mind and decided to choose two words to say.
"How Nice..."
It was clear that Dozer was having trouble expressing his thoughts on the subject and quite frankly, he hoped she would understand. They were friends once after all.
“Quite an unorthodox gift isn’t it? Well I certainly do hope you enjoy it.”
Spoiler for Tree:
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Spoiler for Emily:
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Ripping off the paper with a soft crunching sound, Emily's eyes widened into an almost comical expression of disbelief. Emily did not get out of the Hut often, and as such did not have much time to expand her small collection of books. But the books she did have were treasured beyond belief, and Emily had very few cookbooks, her skill being mainly from natural talent and the ability to explore different options. She squeed excitedly and hugged it to her chest, smiling ferociously. Now content, she lay back a little more, clearly more relaxed.
Having nothing better to do, she opened the book. Its title, "How to Master Exotic Dishes", certainly piqued her curiosity, and she did not really take interest in different authors. But the durian fruit on the cover was a bit out of place. She ignored the strange cover picture and begun analysing each section carefully to create modifications on the original that she felt would be more pleasing. Emily snatched a cookie and begun chomping, then closed the book. She would finish it later.
The snake woman sat and waited for people to open their presents and leave. Orochi were patient, after all.
Spoiler for Altaer:
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Altaer burst through the doors. He had gone for a walk out in the snow, enjoying the alone time. And then he had switched his consciousness to his Chaos body to check on his gift and make sure all was in order. Time flies when you’re switching bodies. He brushed the snow and ice off of himself and hurried over to the den area.
“I’m so sorry if I missed anyone else’s gift openings…I, uh, had to do some stuff with my gift at the last minute to make sure it worked right.”
He took his seat on the hearth of the fireplace, and eyed the stack of gifts for the one that bore his name. He had enjoyed spending time alone outside, perhaps needed it. One could only socialize so much, after all.
Now, though, he found himself handling a rather large, empty gray box. He plopped it down in front of him, and opened the flaps. Whoever had gifted it to him had apparently not been all that fond of wrapping paper.
Inside, however, was a different surprise. He looked up at the others sitting around him. “Well, folks, looks like I’ve got to work for this gift. I’ll be right back.”
With that said, he jumped headfirst into the box, falling into the featureless room inside. The rotation of perspective was a bit challenging, but he still managed to land on his feet, albeit shakily. In the center of the room on a pedestal was a single gun – but oh what a gun! It would have been a sci-fi author’s dream, laden with curves and angles and a textured matte-gray finish. Beside it was a large ammo box and several spare clips. He slipped these inside of his jacket, and kept the gun in his right hand. Vaulting off the pedestal, he caught the rim of the box in his left hand and hauled himself back into the cabin.
He stood there a moment to regain his bearings, then waved the gun. “Seems like somebody knows me pretty well. I’m definitely going to be putting this beauty to good use.”
Sitting back down, he picked up the box and closed the flaps, chuckling. “Hell, I’ll be putting THIS to good use too!”
Spoiler for Dante:
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Dee-Dee was smiling as his gift was handed to him.
He instantly recognized what the gift was.
He knew what was coming.
As Dee-Dee moved to unsheathe his knife, he was still smiling, though now somewhat anxious.
What if it was a bad knife? Was there such thing as such a thing?
What if his senses had deluded him, and this was not in fact a knife?
Dee-Dee shuddered at the thought.
Dee-Dee was now frowning.
Oh no, oh buddy, oh Dante, you're scaring the children.
Even Altaer was eyeing him now.
Shaking his head shakedly, he disciplined his expression back into a nervous, shuddery smile and picked away at the contents of his gift.
It was indeed a knife.
And it was indeed beautiful.
"Thank you, knife-giver," he smiled graciously.
Spoiler for Wilder:
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Usually, when he was with Liz, Percy would just stick to being himself. He didn't have to worry about donning his mask and his secret identity because she knew who he was. Unfortunately for him, he was going to be surrounded by people just as, if not more, dangerous than he was.
So yes, Wilder would show up in Percy's place, and he managed to put together a costume for Liz just before they left. Unfortunately, since it was a bit of a rush job, it didn't hold the exact functions that Wilder's did. For instance, it looked just a cool and protected against attacks, however it wasn't exactly comfortable to wear just yet. There was a certain lining on the inside that Wilder just didn't have the time to finish, so Liz, who had begun calling herself Diamond, was forced to wear a second layer under her suit, which did help against cold, but wasn't so pleasant.
Instead of the purple of Wilder's costume, Diamond had wanted hers in red, and instead of having a mask like his, she opted for just having a regular cloth face mask that she pulled up over her mouth and nose. Was it as cool as Wilder's? No. Was it just as effective? Yea, definitely. Wilder didn't argue, as he had no reason to, and simply went with what she'd wanted. After all, he had asked her to tag along with him, so he didn't have the right to be picky.
As soon as they'd left Liz's apartment building, they'd noticed there was a car outside waiting for them. A slick black Lexus with dark tinted windows. A man in a black suit, with shades and fedora to match, stood at the front, holding a simple sign that read 'WILDER & GUEST'. When the man saw them, he simply nodded, pushed up his glasses, and got into the front seat. Wilder and Diamond exchanged glances but thought nothing of it as they hopped into the backseat together and the car took off. It was a fairly nice drive. The seats were warm, there were a few drinks but no real snacks, and the glass between them and the driver was shut closed. The driver himself didn't seem very interested in the people he was driving for, and his eyes stayed glued to the road. It wasn't much, but it was some privacy and Wilder was thankful for that. In the car, both Wilder and Diamond opted for taking off their masks to relax a bit.
Diamond sighed. "So, what do you expect will be happening, hm?" She asked. Wilder shrugged and place his hands behind his head.
"Dunno. What am I supposed to think, y'know? I've never met any of these people before in person, I've got no way of knowing anything about any of them. Except for the guy we got the present for." Wilder replied. Diamond picked up the box in response and set it back into her lap.
"That's fair. Well, no matter, you asked me to come along for a reason, right? Let's just try to have as much fun as we possibly can." Diamond said to him. She then slumped over and rested her head on his shoulder. Wilder didn't mind, but he didn't think much of it either. They'd been living together for months now, so it was only natural that they'd eventually get that comfortable. Still, one might think that it'd been going somewhere.
Barely ten minutes later, they were at the airport. Before Wilder and Diamond had the time to ask questions, the Lexus spun into the airfield and raced down the track where a black jet was waiting for them. Staring out the window, Wilder couldn't see anyone else around the jet. As far as he was concerned, Wilder was the only gladiator to live in the region, so it'd make sense for him to have a jet to himself. Still, it astonished him.
The Lexus quickly halted to a stop and the driver looked back to nod at them. Wilder nodded back and tapped Diamond on the shoulder. The two of them had already put their masks back on, and together they hopped out of the car and made their way to the jet. Standing by the door was another man in a suit, almost identical to the other, aside from their skin tone and general size. As Wilder and Diamond approached him, the man nodded and tapped on the side of the jet. Immediately the stairs descended and settled softly into the snow. The man motioned to the stairs and Wilder and Diamond complied, stepping up into the jet without missing a step. They'd expected the man to enter with them, but as soon as they turned around, the door was closing and they were alone. No more than a minute later, a voice came up over the intercom.
"Pleasure working for you today, Mr. Wilder. The flight's a little long so sit back, relax, and let us pilots do all the work." It was a males voice, not too deep but husky and low. Wilder nodded, and turned to check out the interior of the jet. The floors and the walls were a pale tan color that reminded Wilder of French Vanilla ice cream. There were five regular sized windows on each side with a cover pulled down over each one, and by the front two windows were small round tables with two chairs facing each other around them.
Behind the tables and the chairs with them were four rows of seats, two seats in each row with the first row facing the second, then the third facing the fourth with the second and third connected at the backs. Even further back, behind them, were a few small cots with pillows and blankets on them. Wilder walked up the wide aisle to inspect each spot, finding that in between each set of seats were two small TV's pointed back at the chairs and in a compartment next to the well were bottles of champagne and glasses. Wilder wasn't a big fan of champagne, so he got happy when he found a similar compartment full of regular old soda and energy drinks.
He plopped down in one of the seats and cracked open a fresh can of cola, taking his mask off and setting it on another seat to drink. Diamond set herself down in a seat across the aisle and turned one of the TV's on, flipping through channels until she found one she liked. They sat like that for quite a while, Diamond watching TV and occasionally sipping from a can of soda she had picked up, and Wilder lying back in a chair, which reclined all the way back, and just chilling platonically. Strictly platonically.
After ten or so minutes of them not interacting with each other at all, Wilder got fed up. He set his chair straight-up like it was meant to be, tossed his empty can into the trash, and wandered over to where Diamond was sitting and hung around standing behind her. She had plugged headphones into the screen, and the earbuds were hanging from her ears. On the screen, Wilder saw the newest episode for some TV show that Diamond had gotten into about a month or so earlier. Wilder had no idea what it was called, nor what it was about. Mainly because he didn't watch TV, but also because it was a drama. He hated dramas. But Diamond loved them, apparently. She was so engrossed, she didn't realize that Wilder was behind her until he tapped on her shoulder. She nearly jumped but contained her composure and paused the show, pulling out her earbuds and turning around to face him.
"Oh, Per- ehm, Wilder. I-I didn't see you move." Diamond said. Wilder rolled his eyes and shrugged.
"I tend to do that sometimes. How's your show coming along?" He asked. Diamond ran her hand through her hair, pushing stray bits that were in her face behind her ear.
"Oh, it's good so far. There's this whole arc about the main character seeing his dad in a subway station when his dad is supposed to be dead. People are telling him he hallucinated it but his girlfriend was there with him and she saw him too," Diamond shrugged, readjusting herself in her seat. "It's weird but it's good. So much drama, I love it."
Wilder walked around the side of her seat and plopped down in the one next to her, crossing one leg over the other and holding his hand out. "Gimme one of the earbuds, I wanna watch it."
Diamond raised an eyebrow. "I thought you hated dramas."
"Oh, I do, don't get me wrong they're horrible, but you're making this one sound interesting." Wilder replied. Diamond gave him a look and reluctantly handed him one of the earbuds.
"Fine, but you're not allowed to make fun of it or whatever you do." Diamond said. It was Wilder's turn to make a face but he agreed. Diamond turned the screen so that he could see and leaned into him, using him as support, and they watched the show. Wilder didn't make fun of the show at first, no, he just made dumb jokes about the characters, asked a lot of questions, mocked the characters, and then made fun of them. Diamond was too busy laughing at the dumb things he said to pay attention to the show, so they had to restart the one episode at least four times. Before they knew it, hours had passed and they hadn't even gotten halfway through the episode. Eventually, they both realized how tired they were. They shut off the TV and relocated to the beds at the back of the plane. Diamond plopped down on one and Wilder collapsed on one across the aisle. Soon after, they were completely out.
Hours later even after that, Wilder was awoken by a furious shaking on his shoulder. He sat up quickly, despite the fact that he usually woke up slower than a sloth, and looked around. He was still on the plane, the only difference now being he could clearly tell that they had stopped moving. It was significantly darker now too. While there were lights on in the plane, from outside the windows Wilder could see the darkness of the sky and could sort of feel it creeping into the plane. He shivered and shook away his tiredness. Diamond was perched over him, her hand still on his shoulder, looking down at him. Wilder raised an eyebrow.
"Guessing we've landed, yea?" Wilder asked. Diamond nodded and pulled her mask up over her face. She reached forward with her other hand, giving Wilder his mask.
"The pilot wants to talk to us. Figured you'd want to put your mask on first." Diamond said as Wilder took the mask. He smiled.
"Yea, good thinking," He snapped the mask into place and sighed with relief. He then stood up, stretching and popping out all of his loose and tired joints. "Any idea where we are?"
Diamond shook her head. "Not a clue. It's too dark to see outside, or from where we are anyway. All I could really make out was lots of snow. We could honestly be just about anywhere." she replied.
Wilder grunted in aggravation. "Well maybe the pilot plans on filling us in. Let's go talk to him." Diamond nodded in agreement. Wilder continued to stretch out his arms and crack his knuckles as they walked up to the front of the plane. Next to the stairs, where they originally got on, on the right side instead of the left, was a single door with a small circular window in the top middle. Above the door was the speaker the pilot had spoken to them out of earlier that day, and through the window Wilder could see two figures sitting down in front of the plane controls. Wilder glanced at Diamond and rapped his knuckle against the window a couple of times and took a step back. One of the figures perked up and stood, making his way back to the door and beginning to open it. Diamond stepped back and stood alongside Wilder as the door swung slowly open.
The man was barely taller than Diamond. It was strange to think that he had been flying their plane the entire time. Wilder towered over him easily and Wilder was only a little above average height. That said, he did seem wise, in a way. He wore a standard pilots uniform, fit with the iconic hat, and had brown, graying hair sticking out from beneath it and a thick mustache of the same color. His eyes were hidden by the brim of the hat, and he had obvious smile creases around his eyes and mouth. In fact, even then, he was beaming, smiling from ear to ear.
"Ah, Mr. Wilder and Miss Diamond, right? Pleasure to meet you face to face after this whole thing. Call me Guinness." He said. He extended a hand and Wilder eagerly shook it.
"Pleasure's all mine, Guinness. Diamond said you wanted to talk to us, is that right?" Wilder replied. Guinness pushed the brim of his hat up and nodded.
"Sure is. Just needed to inform you that this is where you'll be dropped off. We'll be back when the event ends, but as soon as you step off the plane, we're gone," He glanced between the two of them. "Just needed to make sure you know, so that you don't forget anything important."
Diamond stepped away to stare out of the window again, yet all she could see was snow and darkness. She turned back to Guinness.
"That's nice and all, but where exactly is here?" She asked him. Guinness stood for a moment before chuckling and turning back into the cockpit. He said a couple of things that they couldn't hear to the other person in the room and then turned and walked towards the door. The door began to fall open slowly, and as it did, small lights began to light up in the snow. Red, Green, Yellow, White, all in random order and in two neat lines leading further into the darkness. At the end of the trail, the lights flared on and a single cabin could be seen. It was huge, by most standards, and reminded Wilder of a gingerbread house.
Guinness began to laugh out in full. "You're in the North Pole, Diamond. Perfect place for a Christmas themed event, don't you think?" Wilder turned to stare at him, shock, appalled, and mostly amazed.
"The North Pole? How long are we meant to be here?" Wilder asked. Guinness shrugged.
"A couple hours, at most. Don't worry about, anything you need'll be in that cabin over there," Guinness pointed at the cabin, to make extra sure they were paying attention. "I suggest you grab your present and head on over there. The event is about to start."
Diamond turned to look at Wilder then ran back to grab the gift. Wilder took a step out onto the stairs and then turned around to face Guinness.
"Well. Thanks for the flight, Guinness. See you when we're done, yea?" Wilder said. Guinness smiled from ear to ear, holding a hand out to eagerly shake Wilder's hand.
"Of course. You and your lady friend have fun now." Guinness replied. He then stepped back out of the way to let Diamond out of the plane and he retreated into the cockpit. As soon as Wilder and Diamond stepped into the snow, the jet behind them whirred back into life. Wilder and Diamond quickly took a couple dozen or so steps forward in order to get out of the plane's reach, and when they turned back to watch, the plane was already rolling away, and soon after it lifted up into the air and disappeared into the darkness of the sky. Wilder watched it go, and when he turned back to face the cabin, he saw that Diamond had already begun to make her way down the path. He swore and complained about how much he hated the cold and trudged along after her, struggling to stay standing most of the time. When he finally caught up with her, she was halfway to the cabin, clutching the present in her hand with her mask pulled tightly over her mouth and nose.
Wilder swore once more as he slowed down his pace to keep up with her. "Would it kill you to wait for a second?" He asked sarcastically. He was starting to wish he had a mask like hers. Diamond rolled her eyes, refusing to look up at him.
"The faster we get out of the cold, the better, right? Suck it up and walk a bit more, maybe we won't have to suffer that way." She replied. Wilder scoffed but reluctantly obliged, keeping quiet as they made their way up to the door of the cabin. As they got closer, their noses were met with the sweet smell of cookies and their ears with festive Christmas music. Wilder raised an eyebrow, but due to the fact that it was pitch dark out and he had a mask on, Diamond didn't see it. The windows were covered in frost, so they could barely see inside. But from what they could make out, there were four tables, a long one on the right side and three round ones scattered about the room. In the back left corner of the cabin was a large Christmas tree, and next to that was a blazing fireplace. There were already people milling about, sitting at tables or standing around talking. Wilder feared he and Diamond would be the last ones there, and no one ever wanted to be the last one to an event. It felt stupid.
Gathering up their courage, Wilder put a hand on the door and wasn't surprised to find that it was already open. He exchanged a cautious glance with Diamond and quickly pushed the door open. Inside, the smell of fresh cookies and the blaring Christmas music overloaded their senses to the point where Wilder had gotten dizzy for a moment. There was a nice assortment of strange people inside, and he could already see the one person he was 'familiar' with. Dante, the man who he had to buy a gift for. He was chilling over by the fireplace, and Wilder couldn't blame him. Sitting next to a hot fire after the frozen hell they had just walked through seemed like the best choice.
Wilder and Diamond stepped fully into the cabin, shaking the snow from their boots, and shut the door behind them. Over by the tree, Wilder could see the small stack of presents hanging about underneath the tree, like it was meant to be. He pointed over to them, and tapped Diamond over the shoulder. She nodded and together they walked over to the tree, setting the present down gently and then relocating to the fireplace. They sat a bit away, close enough to feel the heat yet far enough so that others couldn't hear them.
As soon as they sat down, Wilder sighed with relief. Already the heat from the fireplace was beginning to defrost his frozen core. It felt nice. He took notice that Diamond had gotten up for a moment, but soon after she sat down next to him again, this time with a small plate of cookies and a glass of milk. She offered him the milk but Wilder shook his head, pushing his mask up a bit so that he could actually eat. Diamond did the same, pulling her mask down to her chin.
"Oh, thanks, but, I'm lactose intolerant." He told her. He eagerly grabbed a chocolate chip cookie from the plate and bit into it. The chocolate melted perfectly. Diamond raised an eyebrow.
"Really? How come I never knew this?" She asked, picking up a cookie herself and dipping it into the milk before sticking it into her mouth. Wilder shrugged.
"Never really came up in conversation before, did it?" Wilder replied, finishing off his first cookie and wiping the crumbs from his hands. "And besides, it was bound to come up sooner or later if it didn't come up today. Have you ever seen me eat a bowl of cereal?"
Diamond tapped her chin, thinking for a moment before she brought her glass of milk up to her lips and drank from it. "Come to think of it, I never have. You always seem to just drink orange juice back at home." She finally said. Wilder nodded.
"Of course. Orange juice is amazing," He took another cookie and began to eat it, swallowing before continuing. "Kinda sucks not being able to eat ice cream though. I used to hate that when I was a kid." Diamond nodded.
"I couldn't imagine that. I love ice cream too much." She replied. Wilder scoffed and opened his mouth to reply, but he noticed people began to walk over and take presents from underneath the tree. He nudged Diamond, who looked up and nodded.
"Do you want me to find yours?" She asked. Wilder thought for a moment and shrugged.
"I'd rather you didn't. Makes me seem like less of a man, y'know? Just wait here a moment, I'll be back." He replied. Diamond nodded as Wilder got up and shoved his hands into his pockets. He began to walk over to the tree, and Dante got up around the same time, staying next to him as they got to the tree. He saw Dante bend down and pick up the present Wilder had gotten for him, making him smile and then remembering that his mask was still halfway up on his face. He quickly pulled it back over his mouth before kneeling down to look for a gift with his name on it.
He found it pretty quickly. It was small, about the size of a few decks of cards stacked together. Wilder assumed that's what it'd be initially, so he wasn't surprised. It was wrapped in green foil with a simple red ribbon on top. It was rather light too, lighter than a few decks of cards, so he began to rethink of what it could be. After a moment, he simply shrugged and stood up, carrying the present back to Diamond with him. Where was the fun in guessing what it was? It'd be better to just open it and see. He sat back down next to her, and she immediately snuggled up to him, reaching for the gift.
"Oh it's small, what do you think it is? I'll tell you what I think it is. Cards, cards, cards, they probably don't know much about you, huh?" Diamond immediately asked him, not even giving him time to try and respond. After a second, Wilder was able to quiet her down.
"I don't know what it is, I was planning on opening it, y'know? And also, you're right there, they don't know me that well, but if it's the same for them as it was for me, they probably got a bio page on me. Makes sense, doesn't it?" Wilder retorted. Diamond tapped her chin a bit before shrugging.
"I guess so. So come on, open it already." She said. Wilder chuckled and set the box down in his lap. He then reached over to Diamond and picked up the plate of cookies, holding it level to his face.
"I mean, I would, but I've got a different present in front of me already." He said, turning to her. Diamond raised an eyebrow.
"What do you mean by that?" She asked him. Wilder shrugged and readjusted himself in his seat.
"Well, what do you think I mean?" He leaned toward her, raising his empty hand and holding onto her face gently. "Something sweet...precious...and extremely special to me."
A line of red blush ran across Diamond's face, and for a moment she was lost for words. Wilder smiled behind his mask and continued.
"I mean, sure, this is nice and all. Whatever in this box is probably a great gift that'll entertain me for a full hour, maybe less. But this? Well, it makes me feel warm inside." Wilder said. Diamond's mask was still down to her chin, and Wilder reached up with his wrist to push his up away from his mouth. He leaned forward slowly, tantalizingly slowly, and tilted his head to the side. Diamond seemed confused, unsure of whether or not to comply or to push him away. Instead, she was stuck in the middle, paralyzed with uncertainty.
Their lips were mere inches away, and at the last second, Wilder ducked down and picked up a cookie with his mouth. A low chuckle began in the back of his throat as he put the plate down and held the cookie, pulling away and chewing for a moment then swallowing.
"After all, fresh chocolate chip cookies are probably the best present I've ever been given." He commented, staring into Diamond's face. Instantly, there was a flash of different emotions. Anger, Surprise, Wilder thought he even saw a bit of Sadness there for a second, but then the Anger came back. She instantly struck out against him, but instead of actually hitting him, she just smacked the cookie out of his mouth, then kicked the plate away. Wilder burst out laughing, holding his arm up to his mouth so that he didn't make too much noise. Diamond pulled her mask up over her mouth and turned away, crossing her arms over her chest. Wilder scooted in closer, the present still sitting securely in his lap.
"God, I forgot how much of an asshole you are sometimes." Diamond said without turning to face him. Wilder's laughter began to drop to a chuckle and then he was finally able to talk again.
"Oh come on, it's just a joke, Diamond, don't take it to heart," He put a hand on her shoulder which she quickly slapped away. "I'll let you open the present if you just turn around."
"Not gonna work, Wilder." Diamond responded. Wilder, still smiling, placed a hand on her shoulder again and she didn't slap it this time. It took a bit of work, and a coupe of promises for a better suit and a Christmas present, but Diamond eventually came around and turned back to him.
"You'd better hope this isn't something I could attack you with." She said. Wilder merely shrugged and handed her the present. She handled it gingerly and then began to peel the wrapping paper away instead of just ripping it off. Wilder would've done with same thing. He hated tearing it all up for no reason, it seemed like a waste.
Once all the paper was off, Diamond opened up the box and took out the gift. It was a Rubix cube, but with gemstones instead of regular colors on the side. Reds were Rubies, Blues were Sapphires, Greens were Emeralds, Yellows were Topaz, Whites were Quartz and Oranges were Opals. Like they were supposed to be, the puzzle was already randomized. And luckily, Wilder LOVED puzzles. Diamond pulled it from the box and turned it around in her hands a couple of times before handing it off to Wilder. She set the box and the paper to the side and watched as Wilder began to turn to sides like a kid would. At one point, he even pulled his mask up over his forehead so that he could see better and he had only succeeded in getting six rubies on one side. After that he gave up for the time being and stuck it in his coat pocket.
"Seems like you love your gift quiet a bit, huh Wilder?" Diamond asked. Wilder grinned and pulled his mask back over his face.
"What can I say? I love puzzles. Unfortunately I'm horrible at them. Hell, it'll take months for me to finish this one alone," He looked around the room, inspecting all the people with their gifts, then he turned back to Diamond and shrugged. "Plus, this is a special one. It looks expensive, and I'd feel bad if I didn't put it to use."
Diamond smiled and then quickly yawned after that. She snuggled up to Wilder and placed her head on his shoulder. The both of them were generally tired, as they'd been there for quiet some time now. There was no real way of telling though, as there was no clock in the cabin, and neither of them had used their phones the entire time they'd been there.
"Wish I could get something like that. I'm just as bad at puzzles as you are, but the difference is I don't like them. They make me agitated." Diamond whispered. Wilder could hear the exhaustion in her voice. He grunted and shoved a hand into his other coat pocket.
"Well, my mom used to say wishes on Christmas would always come true, so...," He pulled his hand out of his pocket to reveal a small, slender black box that snuggled into the palm of his hand. He brought it forward and held it out to Diamond. She sat up a little and took it from him, glancing at him for a moment before opening it. Inside was a simple necklace. A golden chain laced with silver and a big, brilliant Ruby that shined fervently.
Diamond stifled a gasp and pulled it out of the box, holding it gently.
"Oh...oh Perc- erhm, Wilder. This is...this is so nice...," She unclasped it and Wilder helped her put it on, clasping it behind her neck and letting her fall fall back over it. Diamond reached down over her chest and picked it up, inspecting it and smiling. "I can't believe you...how long have you had this?" She asked. Wilder shrugged.
"I picked it up the day before we went and visited Harry. Thought I might repay you a bit, y'know? Never hurts to be generous." He responded. He kicked his legs out and held his hands behind his head. Suddenly, Wilder tilted over and almost fell. He turned and saw that Diamond had thrown her arms around him tightly in a hug. Wilder smiled and half-assedly hugged her back up until she pulled away from the hug and planted a kiss on his cheek. Wilder pulled away for a second, surprised, and then laughed it off.
"What happened to you being mad at me a couple minutes ago, hm?" He asked sarcastically. Diamond rolled her eyes and pulled away from him.
"Well, you already fulfilled one of your promises to me. A Christmas present, and I think that's enough to get you out of the doghouse for now." She replied. Wilder chuckled and began to stand up, noticing that a few people had already left the cabin.
"Nice to know. It looks like the event is ending. Think Guinness is here yet?" He asked, extending a hand to help Diamond up. She took it and stood, stretching a bit.
"I'd hope so. I think I'd like to get back to a bed now." Diamond said. Wilder stretched his arms out and began to crack his knuckles, a yawn slipping through his teeth.
"I think I can agree with you on that one," He held his hand out and turned to Diamond. "Shall we?"
She smiled coyly and took his hand in hers. "Of course. Lead the way, Wilder." She replied.
Wilder grinned and began on his way out of the cabin, Diamond in tow. Once outside, the cold began whipping at them again, but they hardly felt it this time. Out where they'd first landed, they could see the same jet sitting in the exact same spot. The stairs were already down, and Guinness was standing in the doorway, waving to them. Once they got to the jet, Diamond got on first and Wilder got on after her, the stairs pulling up and shutting slowly behind him. Guinness nodded to them and then went back to the cockpit, the door shutting behind him. Diamond immediately laid down on one of the beds and Wilder sat on the seat in front of her. As soon as the jet took off, he could hear her snoring behind him. He smiled and kicked one leg out over the other, placing his hands behind his back, and sat, staring out of the window. Not long after that, Wilder himself fell asleep, his head facing toward the window and his mask slid slightly up onto his forehead. He was smiling in his sleep. He clearly had a swell time, and no one fell asleep in a fireplace! Tragedy averted.
Time continued to tick by and soon the sun dipped behind the horizon. Laughter and sounds of merriment filled the cabin, but when the whirling of helicopter blades entered the ambience, signaling departure, the Gladiators knew they'd experienced a day they wouldn't soon forget.