[open for whatever] Don't shoot me Santa

[akapeanut]

[George picks a single plain silver wrapping paper and a basic to/from tag for her presents, leaving them by everyone's doors late on Christmas Eve.]

Her list is rather short:

Santana: An Etta James CD
Mark: Hitchcock DVDs
Ammy: Beggin' Strips
Buckingham: A manicure set
Souji: A building model kit
Minato: A classical music CD

Comments

[video]

[jivitadana]

[Minato sent his message on Christmas Day. He didn't mean to be late with it.]

Thank you.

[video forever]

[akapeanut]

Merry Christmas.

[jivitadana]

I have something for you too, if you wouldn't mind.

[akapeanut]

Oh. No, sure, uh. Come over?

[She's mildly embarrassed by that wording.]

[jivitadana]

[Minato nodded.]

Thanks. See you soon.

[It didn't take too long for Minato to arrive as promised.]

[akapeanut]

[She answers the door promptly and smiles, awkward as ever.]

Hi. Um, glad you liked the CD.

[jivitadana]

[Minato nodded. He is happy with any music.

As for his part, Minato held onto a small vase with some colorful flowers for her.]

Mn, these are for you.

[akapeanut]

[She takes it, cheeks coloring a little.]

Oh, thank you. They're really pretty.

[Hopefully she won't kill them too quickly. She is not terribly optimistic about that, sadly.]

Have you gotten any other presents?

[jivitadana]

[Minato can hope that she could keep them alive for a while, at least.

He shook his head.]

I don't mind though. What about you?

[akapeanut]

Nothing but these.

[She fidgets with them a little before putting them down on a nearby surface because that is how she will kill them, by cherishing them too much.]

Is Christmas a big deal in Japan?

[jivitadana]

[Minato thought back to home and how he spent Christmas. With an exception or two, it was rather uneventful.]

It can be. Lots of places get decorated. Sometimes there's gift exchange.

[But not all the time. The holiday season was more commercialized in some respects.]

[akapeanut]

Sounds more laid back. I think I'd prefer that.

It's not so bad here, though. We didn't even have a monster or anything this year.

[jivitadana]

Mn, it could've been worse.

What's Christmas like in America?

[akapeanut]

A big deal. We do the trees and decorations and dinners and stockings and Santa and for like a month you can't go to a mall without wanting to scream into your earmuffs...

[Basically, too many people.]

I liked some of the Christmas specials, though.

[jivitadana]

[Yeah, that is a lot of people. It could get hectic at shopping centers and mall this time of year.]

Like Christmas-themed movies? Are those really popular?

[akapeanut]

Yeah, pretty popular. Did Japan have any?

[jivitadana]

Mn... None that I can remember. [That didn't mean there weren't any though.]

I think New Year's is a little more important.

[akapeanut]

Really? What do you do then?

[jivitadana]

Usually we go to a temple.

[akapeanut]

...For like, religious stuff?

[jivitadana]

[Minato nodded. Something like that.]

People go to wish for good things for the new year.

[akapeanut]

Sounds better than resolutions. Less annoying, anyway.

[jivitadana]

Why are those annoying?

[airshipswank]

[ Buckingham leaves a gift in return. It comes in a golden box with a handwritten note that wishes Miss Lass a festive season and hopes that this small token will prove useful in her calling. It is, of course, signed by none other than George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham himself. ]

[action]

[akapeanut]

[George stares at this for a while, wondering what the note is getting at. Eventually she fiddles with it, finds out it's a murder ring, and throws it at a wall.]