Christmas Among Friends

Darcy pulled up to the house in question, panting and sighing as she began the long, arduous process of un-hitching herself from the little red wagon. As it rocked gently back and forth, the wheels protested loudly.The Skitty's face was buried in her scarf, as it always was whenever she was in Grima. It was cold. Had it been this cold last time she was in Grima?

"Well, it is December, 'n all," The kitten mumbled to herself, bracing herself against the wind chill as she pulled her gift off of the wagon. It was... Huge. Many times her own size, and maybe even larger than Rui. Bringing it here had been an adventure all on it's own, but the giant, stuffed bear seemed like the type of thing that the Skiddo would appreciate.

Darcy sighed, dragging the large present to the door. It was wrapped in festive paper, but given it's size and... peculiar shape, she wasn't quite sure the paper was keeping anything a surprise. Still, it was the thought that counted.

"Whatcha got there?" Darcy heard a voice behind her, turning to see a small Pichu staring up at her. A red scarf was around his neck, and he had on a curious, almost confused look.  

"A gift!" She said, grinning down at the other Pokemon. "You a friend 'a Rui's?"

"Erm... Yeah." The Pichu said, looking up at Darcy's gift, before glancing back down at his own, small box. "I... assume you are too, huh?"

"Eeyup!" The Skitty said, beaming down at the smaller pokemon. He shifted awkwardly, adjusting his scarf as he looked up at the Skitty. "M'name's Darcy, what's yours?" She asked, her tone as enthusiastic as ever, despite the cold.

"Josie." He said, before smiling up at the Skitty. He gave her a courteous nod, before walking up to the door and knocking. "Merry Christmas, Darcy," He said, a small smile still on her face as Darcy's grin widened.

"Merry Christmas to you too!" She yelled out, too loud for her own good. But what was the harm in being enthusiastic, after all? It was Christmas!

A Mareep opened the door to the run-down house that the Higashi's occupied. Spotting the Pichu and Skitty, Rika grinned and turned back, calling out. "Hey Rui, your friends are here!" She looked to the duo at the door and stood aside, "Merry Christmas! Come on in!"

Rui trotted over to the pair, a decorative laurel wreath around his neck. Tiny pink flowers were woven through the laurel leaves. "Merry Christmas!" he smiled, "I'm glad you could make it!" The inside of the house was warmer than the outdoors, thanks to the small fire they had lit in order to cook. Handmade decorations, crafted from plants and paper adorned the surfaces. Instead of a large tree, there was a small chesto tree in the corner. It wasn't sturdy enough to hold heavy decorations, but was robust enough that the few hand-made snowflakes that were tied to its branches were holding well. A few gifts had been placed beneath it, wrapped in simple paper.

Yua waved to the two as they were welcomed into the house, wishing them a happy holidays with a warm smile, just as the others had done. "Feel free to take a seat! "How are you both?" she asked.

Evelyn, for her part, well... she didn't really have anyone to spend Christmas with, as pathetic as that was. She'd sent a pair of cordial cards to her parents. She felt quite out of place when Rui invited her over for the holidays, but it wasn't as if she had any other plans for the day. It would be better to knock instead of just standing on the sidewalk like a creep, at least. The Salandit swallowed hard, scraping together her courage. Why was she so nervous? It was just Rui. Just Rui and his family, they weren't exactly the most intimidating people in the world.

Rui's house was pretty run-down, but frankly Evelyn was just impressed that they actually had a house. They were luckier than her and her shitty tent, in that regard. The damn thing had a steadily-growing hole in it, making it more and more useless in keeping out the cold at night. So winter wasn't exactly something she was looking forward to. She'd loved the holidays as a kid, sure, but she had... other things to worry about, now.

But she'd try not to worry for a little while, for Rui. If he had wanted to see her, well, who was she to complain? She made her way up to the house, triple-checking that she'd gotten the address right. Looks like someone had beaten her to the punch- oh god, of course he'd invited the guild member, here they go again.

It'd be fine. It'd be fine! She just had to keep from doing anything stupid for maybe five hours, that would be a first from her.

She waved her tail in greeting, offering her best smile. "Oh, hey Darcy." She chimed, glancing at the one she recognized. The Pichu wasn't ringing a bell, but hey, everyone liked Rui. He'd have befriended half the town if he was a little more confident. Unfortunately, she couldn't help but feel like she didn't have enough gifts, even though her arms were pretty full between the three boxes in her arms.

"Sorry to interrupt! Mind if I come in?"

"Merry Christmas, Rika," Josie offered as he stepped into the small, cozy house. It wasn't much, but to the Pichu, it was about as close as he could get to a second home. When he was smaller, he'd spent a rather sizeable amount of time. After school, he'd often tag along here with Rui. Practicing the language was part of it, but a large part of it was simply the desire to spend time with Rui. He knew this house like his own, even after all his time. The same rug in the center of the living room, the same worn couch. He wore a small, nostalgic smile on his face as he stood in the center of the room, grinning up at Rui.

"Merry Christmas, buddy!" He said, holding the box steady in his arm as he walked over to the Skiddo, gently nudging his leg as he peered up at the goat pokemon. "How you been? Hope you guys have been managing alright." He flashed a smile at each of them, before looking down at his gift. His smile faltered, for just a second. That girl's gift had been really large, and his was... Well. It very obviously wasn't. And he only had one to boot...

~

Darcy grinned up at the Mareep who opened the door. She could only assume this was Rui's sibling, and she offered a cordial bow, dipping her head low to the ground in greeting, before snapping her head back to attention as Rui entered the scene. "Thanks, Ree-ka! Merry Christmas!" Darcy cheered, over-enunciating the Mareep's name in her excitement. She turned to the Pichu, stepping aside in order to let him in. Besides, she had to find a way to drag in her gift. She turned to face the oversized stuffed bear. Could it even fit through the doorway? She turned around again, resisting the urge to focus on her tail rather than the problem at hand.

It could fit. Maybe. It was gonna be a tight fit, but... Maybe it'd work?

The wrapping paper she'd purchased back in Grassveil made a rough, crinkling sound as she dragged the bear by a rope she'd attached. Alki had helped her with the wrapping and rope-tying, and while she hadn't done an... Well. She'd tried. She'd done a better job than Darcy could, anyways.

"Nnn..." Darcy struggled in her attempt to pull the stuffed bear in, as its head brushed against the frame of the doorway. She didn't want to tug too hard. What if she broke it?

Oh, hey Darcy,

The Skitty's ears perked up as she heard a voice call her name. Her head swiveled around before she noticed a familiar Salandit on the sidewalk, some distance away. "Howdy!" Darcy cried out, grinning from ear to ear. Her tail swished gently back and forth. She let her gift rest by the doorframe, as she motioned Evelyn towards the house. "Aw, you ain't interruptin' nothing! Come on in!" She said pleasantly, before resuming her work.

Finally, she managed to pull the stuffed bear in, it's ears scraping the ceiling of the house. She had on a lopsided grin, before she bowed her head to each Pokemon present. Rika (Again), then Rui, then their mum, then Evelyn, and finally, Josie. "Merry Christmas y'all!" She cried out pleasantly, before bounding over to Rui, gently headbutting him. "Hope y'all been doin' good!"