Private ✪ Stokbon ❰ Wintersday ❱ A Sweet Surprise

[Toko]

"Kirius? Uun..." The lepus stared at the piece of parchment that she’d received as the drawn picture of her Secret Santa staring back, though the face wasn’t one that she even remotely remembered. However that wasn’t unexpected, especially when she remembered the amount of people that had been present for the sign ups. A couple of seeds were offered to the pigeon that had carried the message all the way to Honeyhome, happily gobbled up by the bird, before Toko watched it flutter away and towards its home once more. "Maiika, shouldn’t be too hard to prepare something nice for them."

​

She’d been surprised by the little device included in her Secret Santa mail, a GPS stone by the sounds of it that was meant to help the hare locate her Secret Santa for the faithful day of gift exchanging. The last preparations had been completed early that morning, before Toko had disappeared the gifts into her UI inventory and caught a wagon ride over to the capital. Stokbon was a place she visited on occasion, though even after months of playing TerraSphere the lepus couldn’t say she properly knew her way around Falderen’s capital. After all she preferred the quiet and coziness of Honeyhome, so used to the people that inhabited the calm and welcoming village.

"Eetoh... I think they’re this way?"

A few steps had the beastfolk walking around in a loose circle, careful not to bump into anyone as she did so, with her eyes focused on the curious item she’d been given. Eventually she managed to pinpoint the direction it wished her to go in, up a nearby path that branched off the main road, before the traveler began following it—the drawn picture of Kirius held in her other hand for reference.

@Kirius

 

[Shadow]

Kirius has been stalked by a mysterious person for the past many days. He did not know how they had managed to track him down every time. No matter where he relocated himself, they would follow. However, Kirius used that to his advantage and lured them to Stokbon.

In the city where the tall and sharp gothic structures lorded over the narrow streets, and the smushed housing cut the various quadrants into their labyrinth as the dark of night protects those who lived in the shadow. Kirius was at home.

Though... it was a rather unfortunate situation, considering how the Royal Goose Courier that was supposed to deliver the matched target to Kirius had not shown up even though it was late into December. Such a long timespan had made the youth forget that he had signed up for the Mystery Santa. Without knowledge of how the matched people were supposed to find one another, all Kirius knew was that he was being stalked.

While standing at the top of an ornate clocktower, the cloaked youth looked down at his stalker, confronting her head-on as his cape fluttered dramatically in the snow-clad winds.

Do you know that you are at the mercy of darkness as you embark on its footstep? Why have you followed me here? Are you seeking blood in recompense of your fallen cultist comrades?

@Toko

 

[Toko]

She was starting to get irritated as time went by. Whenever the lepus felt she was almost at the right place her target would shift and move places, causing the hare to shift her direction once more as she tried to get her bearings on the unfamiliar city. "Haaa?!" Before Toko had realized it night had fallen, the drawn picture on her left hand long since crumpled up into a makeshift stress ball of sorts as the stone changed directions yet again.

An audible "Tch!" resounded as the hare pivoted, quickly heading down a path to her left as she tried to catch up with her target once more. This wild goose chase had almost caused the adventurer to forget why she was tracking this person down in the first place, the crumpled drawing and locating stone her only reminders.

"Do you know that you are at the mercy of darkness as you embark on its footstep?"
"Eh?"

She’d just exited the latest path, leading to an open space with a tall clock tower to the side, when a voice from above caught Toko’s attention. Confusion crossed her face at first, the lepus tilting her head sideways before her eyes narrowed in an attempt to get a better view. "Dare—aaah, mitsketa!" Something about his face looked vaguely familiar to the hare who, upon looking at the stone in her hand once more, finally managed to put two and two together as she shouted back in surprise.

"Why have you followed me here?"
"Eh? Because we matched—"
"Are you seeking blood in recompense of your fallen cultist comrades?"
"Blood over cultists… nanda? What are you talking about?!"

@Kirius

 

[Shadow]

Hmmmph... so you refuse to answer after all. I'm in a contentable mood and would rather not to spill blood this festive night, even if it's the blood of mine enemy. Seek not death on this cold and snow-filled night. Find a warm lodging and begone from my sight!

Kirius thrust his hand forward signaling the lepus to stop her pursuit.

Just then, a fluttering pair of graceful wings filled his view as a goose landed on his forearm with a small satchel hanging around its neck. Its twig-like orange legs quivered. Kirius was in a daze when the goose honked at him, demanding a tip be put into the same satchel on its chest.

After Kirius retrieved the matched packet and tipped the goose, it flapped its wings once more and disappeared into a flurry of snow.

Upon opening the packet, reading the instruction, and staring back down at the confused and seemingly irritated lepus, Kirius realized that he had completely forgotten to buy a present for his match.

SHIT! I completely forgot!!! The raven-haired youth maintained his stoic expression as he thought to himself.

Without a second to spare, Kirius threw his sword, aiming directly for Toko's GPS stone and immediately shattered it (check succeeded) before he broke into a run across the rooftops, hoping to get rid of her so he could get to a boutique store to get a present and use his GPS stone to find her while not in his shadow gear. All so he wouldn't appear like an inconsiderate jerk.

@Toko. To catch up with Kirius, you must make an expertise check (Fitness - DC 90). What happens next is up to you!

 

[Toko]

"Seek not death on this cold and snow-filled night. Find a warm lodging and begone from my sight!"

Is this person being serious right now…? A confused frown adorned the hare’s face as she looked up towards the cloaked figure, half tempted to grab a clump of snow and compact it into a ball… though that idea was abandoned as a hooonk filled the night air. A goose appeared then, the creature landing on the man’s forearm to make its delivery and receive its tipping, before it had soon fluttered off back into the night as quickly as it had appeared.

"Hontoh? Is that the League’s Secret Santa pack—Nantekotta?!" The hair along the back of her neck had stood on end as the attack came, unable to properly parry it as the tip of the metal sword shattered the stone in her hands. "OI! What’s the meaning of this—oh no you don’t!"

The moment Kirius darted away Toko was quick to follow, the hare running along the road as she kept an eye on the cloaked figure jumping through the rooftops. She finally found a pile of stacked crates, using them as steps before the lepus joined the man above, before beginning to gain ground as Toko closed the distance between them. He was almost within reach then, but before the rabbit could extend a hand out to grasp the fluttering cloak her boot stepped on an iced over edge—causing the hare to slip and eat a mouthful of snow as she slid down a few feet on the roof.

"Nigeruna, kono kuso gaki!"

A shouted growl echoed behind the man after the brawler spat out the unwanted icee that nature offered, getting back onto her feet before resuming her pursuit of the player.

@Kirius

 

[Shadow]

Kirius was already heading toward the point of no return, and as the system would have it, he managed to lose his pursuer. After hopping over a series of roofs, the black-clad youth finally arrived at an open plaza teeming with life and festivity. From the tall vantage point, he leapt down onto the street, his long fall braced by shadow.

There, he slammed her door open into the closest boutique around. The wind followed him and made his clothes flutter wildly as snow blasted the entrance. The bombastic entrance startled the fancily-dressed ladies inside the store. When he turned to look, instead of the threatening-looking Shadow Lord, they saw a plainly-dressed young man who, frankly, didn't stand out from the crowd at all.

Spoiler: Reference

Coming up to the counter, Kirius spotted a fully wrapped present on display with a sign that said: [ Mystery Present. 50 gold. ], which was an instant purchase for old boy. Little did he realize that as he paid for the item, a tag attached to the ribbon dropped down on the side that said: Impress your paramour with this package full of allure.

With his present procured, Kirius thanked the shopkeeper and headed toward the door. There, he buttoned up his jacket as he braced himself for the blast of cold air the moment he opens the door into the snowy plaza. He let his feet take him toward the massive frozen fountain, where he patiently waited to see if Toko could manage to find him without her GPS stone, all the while watching the throngs of festive people and the countless couples passing by.

@Toko

 

[Toko]

He’d been gone from her sight for just a split moment, but that had been more than enough for the man to dip and disappear out of the rooftops by the time Toko had renewed her chase. "Tch!" She’d finally come to a stop atop the rooftops as she realized the other player was nowhere to be found, his scent too unknown to the hare to accurately pinpoint among the breeze.

"Aah, moooh...!" A hand rose to brush the long strands of white hair as the lepus let out a series of frustrated sounds, ears twitching as they caught the various sounds of the bustling city before she finally made her way down from the roof of this particular building. "How am I supposed to even find him now?"

Not only had he shattered the GPS stone that the League had provided her for this specific purpose, but to make things worse Toko had also lost the crumpled piece of parchment with the drawn face of the man too. Her eyes occasionally roved towards the glass windows of the shops as she walked down a path, and even though it was night time there was still a large amount of people about Stokbon—landers and players alike. The road eventually led the hare to the plaza, her hands now shoved deep into the pockets of her winter coat to shield them from the snowy breeze that fluttered about the open space.

The massive fountain at the center of the plaza stood out the most, a beacon that seemed to draw the lost brawler closer as she moved around the gathered people—careful to avoid splitting any couples by accident as she walked. With a huff the lepus sat down on the edge of the fountain, her eyes slowly moving from one person to the next in a vain attempt to find her Secret Santa… unaware that the man was currently standing on the side opposite to her own.

@Kirius

 

[Shadow]

Kirius watched as his white-haired match walked to and from, looking for the other him, you know, the guy in the dark suit. It was a bit amusing, so he let her run around a bit until he got bored and decided to call out.

"Oh hey, Toko-san, was it? Sorry I'm late, work ran a bit over time you see. I hope you didn't wait around in the cold for too long." the raven-haired youth said as he held the present closer to his chest.

Before she could say anything, he decided to be assertive and pushed forward, completely ignoring the fact that his shadow alter had been seen,

"Alright, so it seems that we're each other's mystery santa. So this is my present, but before we do any unboxing, let's find a warm tavern. Preferably something with a nice big hearth and a less rowdy crowd. Aha."

@Toko

 

[Toko]

"Oh hey, Toko-san, was it?"

The voice calling out her name quickly got the lepus’ attention, her eyes looking over the figure as the man approached. It took a few seconds for the fighter to connect the dots, having been on the lookout for the edgy kid in the dark cloak from before, but as the hare’s face lit up in recognition the man was quick to shove a present into her hands.

"Right…" The frown on her face was soon altered lightly with curiosity as she peered down to the boxed gift in her hands, wondering just where exactly this Kirius fellow had managed to get this from in such an exceedingly short amount of time. "Know any warm and cozy taverns around here that aren’t filled to the brim, then?"

Given the season most of the places that Toko had spied seemed full to capacity with patrons looking to escape the cold and have a good time. Had they been in Honeyhome the hare felt confident she would’ve been able to find such a place, but out here in the unfamiliar streets of Stokbon was a different story.

@Kirius

 

[Shadow]

Kirius thought about it for a good while before an idea popped into his head. There was a place that would be vacant even if everything else was filled to the brim with holiday patrons and overly-touchy couples.

"Yeah. There is one..." he said.

"Come on. This way," Kirius gestured for Toko to follow him with his head.

Should she choose to follow him, the relaxed swordsman would take her toward the port. As they got closer to the water, the festive crowd began to thin, until it was practically vacant. After a few extra minutes of walking, the two would arrive in front of a massive iron door that was made to look as unapproachable as possible.

The raven-haired youth sent his foot to the lower half of the door, producing a surprisingly pleasant gong that reverberated through the wall and alerted whom ever was inside.

Seconds later, the rectangular peep hole slid open and a scraggly voice hissed from within, "Wwhat the ffuck do you want? Wwe're cclosed."

"I've got a wintersday present for you, granny," Kirius replied with a neutral voice.

"Wwait," the woman hissed before closing the hatch. The sound of gears and levers could be heard grinding against one another before the heavy door creaked open.

Behind it was a frail old faerin woman in plain clothes. She was hunched over and needed to use a cane to walk around.

"In. Nnow," she rushed the two before darting her head from side to side, making sure they weren't followed.

After the old woman shut the door, Kirius handed a tiny pouch to her.

"Kkirius, my boy. Alwways the crow with the gift. Hegheg. Come ssit and have a wwarm meal with your ffloozy," she tapped her shaky foot in a tiny dance as she rubbed the pouch against her wrinkled face.

Afterward, she immediately put out a bowl of warm stew for the two before disappearing into the backroom, giggling like a schoolgirl.

Kirius casually sat down and gestured to Toko to have a seat as well.

"Whoa, she brought out the good stuff this time! It's usually frog or something. I guess, she's really close to her yearly quota!" he exclaimed.

@Toko

 

[Toko]

It took a moment, but eventually the man’s face lit up as an ideal place seemed to pop into his head at last. ""Come on. This way."" The lepus nodded before following Kirius as he led them through the city, slowly moving further away from its center and buzzling streets to the quieter outskirts of the port.

"... are you sure this is the right place?"

The doubt on her voice was almost palpable as the hare stared at the massive iron door that loomed over them, one eyebrow arched high in doubt before she watched the swordsman punt the bottom of it with his boot. Long ears twitched as the fighter could hear the rushed footsteps of someone inside, before a rectangular peep hole slid open and a scraggly voice hissed at them.

Kirius’ mention of a wintersday present caused the figure on the other side to change their tune, the hatch closed just as quickly as it’d been opened before they could hear the sounds of gears, levers and other things on the other side as granny cracked open the heavy door. ""In. Nnow."" She didn’t make the frail faerin wait once the older woman called out to them, quickly slipping into the space within after Kirius, before watching with curious eyes as the old woman looked outside before quickly shutting the door once more.

"Thanks for having us," A polite nod was offered towards the faerin as she turned back to them, the older woman current busy rubbing the tiny pouch that Kirius handed over against her wrinkled face while guiding them towards a table. "Come ssit and have a wwarm meal with your ffloozy."

There was a confused look to the hare’s face upon hearing the unknown word, her brows furrowing lightly as she tried to figure out if it was perhaps some faerin dialect of sorts, before the old woman was back with two bowls of stew. As Kirius sat down she soon joined him, hands resting against the sides of the bowl as she enjoyed the warmth that radiated from it. "She sounds really happy, huh You’ve known her for long?" Toko hadn't missed the giggling that continued to echo from the backroom, the very same place she’d watched the older faerin disappear to, before Kirius’ happy exclamations towards the food caused a smile to spread on the lepus’ face.

"This smells really good," She could smells a few spices as Toko lifted the bowl closer to her face, a happy hum escaping the hare once she took a few sips of the broth and found it to her liking. Nothing like a hearty and warm bowl of stew when everything was covered with snow outside. "Tonikaku, what’s a floozy?"

@Kirius

 

[Shadow]

“Don’t know. She calls every girl I talk to a floozy, maybe it's a lander slang for ally or something,” Kirius shrugged as he took a spoonful of stew into his mouth.

“This place is basically my safe house. It has really good access to the rest of the cities, but once you’re inside it’s completely secured too. She let me use it as long as I deliver weird stuff to her sometimes. Like the hearts of various creatures and whatnot. Don’t know what she does with them. Don’t care. We have a mutual understanding of one another’s circumstances, which makes it a good relationship,” he explained.

Between the time Kirius finished elaborating on the place they were in and him taking another spoon of stew, the Lepus would have heard cackling in the backroom and, if she had heard it before, she would have been able to pick the grotesque sound of flesh being gnashed between teeth apart from the fire burning in the furnace.

Kirius acted as if nothing had happened as he placed the present he had gotten for the lepus on the table and slid it over to her.

“Here, for you,” he said, nudging her into opening it.

@Toko

 

[Toko]

"Naruhodo ne!" Kirius explanation was taken at face value, the hare nodding in response. "It’s probably city slang then, never heard the landers in Honeyhome use it."

So he’d chosen this place as his base of sorts here in Stokbon? Another quiet glance was given at the interior, her eyes lingering on the massive iron door more than anywhere else, before a short nod followed. This place certainly looked safe, and was quite cozy inside despite its outward appearance too—no different from the homey little inn in the village that Toko had come to call home within the game.

"The hearts of creatures, huh? Well it’s good that you’ve figured out an exchange that works for the both of you."

It wasn’t uncommon for people to request different parts or materials out of the various creatures and beasts that roamed through Arcia, plenty of those requests usually landed in the Guild’s boards too. A part of the fighter was curious as to what the old faerin was up to with such parts—that is until a certain peculiar gnashing caught the attention of her ears. Shiranu ga hotoke...

"“Here, for you.”"
"Ah, hontoni arigato!"

Between their talking and the food Toko had forgotten the reason she’d even been looking for Kirius in the first place, the hare setting down the now half eaten bowl to the side before giving a polite bow of her head towards the man when the present was nudged in her direction. A hand moved through the air then as she accessed her UI, before a pair of items eventually materialized into her hands.

"I didn’t know what you’d like, and the slips didn’t really offer any hints either, so I hope these are to your liking." The first was a small box wrapped in a holiday themed furoshiki, about 8 x 6 x 3 in size, with a piece of pine and holly berries carefully tucked in for extra decoration. Besides it was what looked to be a bottle, wrapped with the same furoshiki pattern and pine + holly berries combo. Both were carefully placed on the table before Toko slid them closer to Kirius. "Merry Christmas~"

Finally her hands reached for the present, pulling it a bit closer before the lepus started undoing the ribbon atop it—oblivious to the tag that dangled to the side and just out of view of the fighter.

@Kirius

 

[Shadow]

"Thanks, these seem very festive! I'll decorate my house with them," he smiled warmly. Even the shadow can't stay broody during an activity as festive as trading presents.

When @Toko unwrapped her presents, she would have found a marry me gift basket, which was a wicker basket with a wedding gown and a tall champagne bottle with a glowing magical wedding band around the neck of the bottle. At the front of the basket was an opened card that said 'Will you marry me?' in a fancy hand-written font.

Kirius did not bat an eye at the revelation of the mystery present despite being every bit as surprised as she was. He immediately made an attempt to recover from his blunder.

"You could use this to propose to someone you care about in the future. It would behoove one to think ahead, y'know? There are some things that are in short supply when you desperately need them. This is one of those things."

A chortle could be heard from behind Kirius as a younger version of the woman from earlier appeared from the backroom. Her clothes were skimp and in disarray, though her gesture conveyed a lack of care about attires.

"Kaka, proposing to a stranger, are we? If I knew you were so desperate for a date, I would have offered you one, boy," she said.

"I'm good, thanks," he replied.

"Aha. Little bastard. Anyways, if you're done playing lovers, get the hell out of my house since it seemed like that's the only reason why you're here," she growled.

"About to," Kirius retorted. "Don't mind her, she bounces up and down the age bracket when she eats specific things, though all good things wear off eventually, not like the presents here though."

"In any case, I hope you enjoy your presents and have a merry wintersday," he smiled.

 

[Toko]

"Thanks, these seem very festive! I'll decorate my house with them."
"They’re definitely very useful."

When Kirius unwrapped the first furoshiki and checked the contents of the box within he’d find a fresh assortment of Honeyhome treats, courtesy from Esther’s bakery. First and foremost were the best sellers, the famous almond honey cakes from the peaceful village. A fresh batch of brown butter honey cookies were also present, and to wrap it up were two generous slices of honey vanilla pound cake. The bottle itself contained honey apple cider, also brewed in the village.

"Your sketch looked a bit young… so I figured a non-alcoholic option of their cider would be a good choice." A sheepish smile was offered to Kirius along with her explanation, before Toko’s eyes landed on the marry me gift basket that greeted her eyes once the gift wrapping was out of the way. ". . . hah?"

Her eyes bore into the opened card with the ornate Will you marry me? question, before one eyebrow rose high as the fighter shifted her gaze to the sword wielder. "You could use this to propose to someone you care about in the future." The man didn’t seem to miss a beat, though the unamused expression on the hare remained after Kirius attempted defense.

"Right."

A sigh left her lips just as Toko’s ears caught the chortle from behind, a younger looking version of the old granny reappearing as she joined the pair. It was easy to make a few guesses and conjectures about the faerin so far, though the lepus knew better than to stick her nose where it didn’t belong—finishing her stew as she listened to the banter between the two. "Thank you for the delicious food and your generous hospitality, obasan." It was clear they were beginning to overwelcome their stay, and after placing the wedding gift basket away in her UI’s inventory the hare gave a polite bow to the faerin along with her thanks.

"In any case, I hope you enjoy your presents and have a merry wintersday."
"Can’t say it was something that I expected, but all things given it’s been an interesting Wintersday to say the least."

A light scoff left the lepus, though the faint smile on her lips showed that Toko didn’t seem bothered by the turn of events. She’d witnessed the Secret Santa information being delivered to the man quite late before their own wild goose chase, and if Toko was to take a guess she assumed the man had picked the first decently sized gift from one of the many shops found in Stokbon.

"Merry Wintersday, Kirius."

@Kirius

 

[Shadow]

The pair sat at the table, their plates piled high with still-steaming food. The flame within the fireplace danced and crackled at the corner of their eyes, providing a warm and cozy atmosphere in the room.

As Kirius explored the many gifts he had been given, the sound of the cold wind howling outside could be heard through the thick stone walls. It was a harsh, unforgiving sound that seemed to cut through the stillness of the room.

"Hoh... That's a lot of sweets," Kirius commented as he palmed the honey apple cider, within which he saw his reflection looking back at him. A young face, indeed, one that doesn't quite convey the kind of job he does. He shook his head to snap himself out of the straying thoughts.

When the faerin granny-turned-babe-material heard the lepus referring to her as Obasan, some sort of instinct immediately kicked in and got her turning toward the dark-haired boy, "Obasan? What does that mean?"

"It means beautiful woman of great experience in our tongue," Kirius replied without skipping a boat.

The faerin turned utterly red as her body began to morph and wriggle like an upright worm. "Ohoho, what a kind and correct young lady. Do you really think she means it?" she asked Kirius.

"But of course!" he exclaimed, his eyes expressing 100% conviction over his words.

"Well then," he put both of his arms over his head and gave each a nice stretch before he stood up and tugged his coat closer to his chest. "With the present-giving all wrapped up, I suppose it's time we part ways now. It's cold out there, so you could ask the Obasan for a thicker coat if you'd like."

The white-haired woman was palming both of her red cheeks, "Oh Shado- I mean -boy. For that compliment, I'll give her all the coats she wants."

Before the woman could finish speaking, he had already disappeared.

"Arrrg! He always disappears before I can finish speaking. Such a vexing heartbreaker!" she expressed her disgruntle with a voice laced with annoyance and a foot stomp.

Afterwards, she turned toward Toko with a furry coat, "Here, in case you need it for extra padding."

@Toko