► 010.

[culver]

[before the jump, someone tore apart the gardens looking for just the perfect tree, and once he found it, dragged it back to the room he shared with one special angel. after sweeping up all the dirt and giving him a good scolding, nill has finally decorated said tree (some kind of small sapling that is definitely not coniferous in nature but nobody's perfect).

what looks like tin foil has replaced tinsel, some bullets tied together with string replaced garland, and there are other such shiny things stuck up in there instead of real ornaments. a piece of paper cut into a star shape and colored with a yellow highlighter (boy, does it shine) adorns the top. there are also a few white feathers strewn about because she had some left over.

nill lets the picture sit on the tree for a few moments before turning the camera towards her. her wings flick behind her as she types.]

Heine said that it has been over a year since we got here which means that it is about Christmastime. I do not have any presents to put under it but he brought us a tree.

Comments

action forever

[chaineddog]

[Except there is a present. Or at least there will be. After the jump and the questionably, heart attack inducing experience of finding a bra and a matching set of panties in his locker, Heine had also found a photo from home. He didn't remember taking it (and frankly it looked like Badou had been struggling to grab him into the frame anyway) but everyone was there. Badou, Bishop, Nill, Naoto and himself. He had never been sentimental, and even though it was nice to see their faces, he certainly wasn't going to keep it. She would though.

So that's why he had found some plain, brown meat packing paper and some ribbon before trying to get into some kind of semi decent shape to present to her. He had been hoping to slip it under the tree at some point, he didn't know why he bothered it was obvious who would have given it to her, but he never had the chance to and instead it had been kept under a pile of shirts in his drawer that was very slowly filling up.

He's thinking about said present as he places the first paper cut out of one of their friends onto the tree.]

Does this look okay?

[culver]

[Nill sets the communicator back on the bedside table where it generally stays and watches Heine move forward. The only interest he had taken in the tree besides procuring it had been to watch her decorate, and she thinks that maybe now he's going to help out. Nothing would delight her more, to be honest. She's always looking for ways to make him smile, and if putting up a Christmas tree can do that, then she is all for it.

When he steps away and she smiles, nodding. Yup, looks just like Badou, smokes and all. She'd made Heine promise not to put anything on-fire on the tree, but the red marker had worked just as well for the cigarette. Nill steps forward, going on tip-toe to get a better look at the paper cutout.]

text

[foundafamily]

[Firo almost laughs at the decorations before realizing that someone putting effort into joy shouldn't be mocked. Even if he's pretty sure he has the funky little communication device set so they wouldn't hear it.]

You're pretty creative, aren't you? It looks good.

permatext.

[culver]

[she probably would not have been offended]

Thank you. I spent a lot of time finding the decorations.

[foundafamily]

I'm surprised you found anything. Nothing on this boat really oozes cheer, I'd say.

[Not that bullets as decorations are exactly "cheery".]

[culver]

[do you know how hard she had to puppy dog eye heine to get those bullets as garland]

No not really but I think it still looks nice.

[foundafamily]

It does.

Can I ask why you wanted to put one up?

[He hasn't even thought about Christmas, much less decorating.]

[culver]

Because it could almost be Christmas and it seemed nice.

video;

[faderbroderson]

When I was first brought here, it was... June, for me. It has been almost exactly two years since then, as our waking hours go.

[So not exactly Christmas, as it turns out. But Godric seems amused by the upkeep of tradition, even under these circumstances.]

permavid & text.

[culver]

[her brow furrows as she thinks about that. her wings twitch with agitation]

Time is strange here.

video.

[tofindthesun]

[HE'S TRYING NOT TO LOOK CONCERNED AND WORRIED but who are we kidding he couldn't hide his feelings worth a nickle.]

..Will it be returned to where it was taken from, after?

video

[inafadingcrown]

[Well this is one post that makes...absolutely zero sense to her.]

I gather this 'Christmastime' is in some way related to your tree and its adornments?

[foundafamily]

This just isn't the sort of place where I'd think to be festive. Are you doing anything else to celebrate?

[culver]

Sometimes something festive can help. And I am not sure. Maybe a service in the gardens.

permatext.

[culver]

[oh no now she's upset with herself]

I do not see why not.

permatext.

[culver]

Yes. Christmas is when we celebrate the birth of Jesus. Decorating the tree is one way that is celebrated.

text;

[redhotsummers]

Uh, nill, sweetie, there are gonna be some people not happy about a tree being killed.

[culver]

It is not dead.

[redhotsummers]

It will be.

It's going to die.

[culver]

Even if I water it?

video

[wolfdreamer]

Is it growing?

[The tree, obviously. It is a bit large for a pot, and a bit too large for it to be newly planted, but perhaps there is some magic that allows it.]

video;

[doggedly]

[He clicks the video on so she can see his discerning stare. It's critical, but not negatively--just critical in the way that someone who knows a great deal about Christmas and Christmas trees might examine a submission of Christmas.

After a beat, he offers:]

E.

permavideo for now.

[tofindthesun]

[nO NILL DON'T BE UPSET he tries to look more reassuring 8(]

They do not grow very quickly, so each one is very important. [a.. pause.] Is it.. an important matter? This christmastime. I have not heard of it before.

[culver]

It celebrates the birth of Jesus. There are presents and church services and singing.

[not that she can sing but you know]

[culver]

I do not think it has stopped.

[she doesn't know much about trees 8(]

[culver]

[NERVOUS NILL IS NERVOUS]

What?

[tofindthesun]

[oh. presents and singing. those sound nice..]

Is he a hero of sorts, for his day of birth to be celebrated so?

[culver]

[KEEPS THINGS SIMPLE FOR EVERYONE'S SAKE]

Bishop says he died for our sins.

[inafadingcrown]

[If anything, that makes even less sense.]

You celebrate the birth of a child by decorating a tree?

[foundafamily]

Maybe you're right. So long as the ship doesn't crash anything.

Do you need help getting things together?

[He's not too big on the holiday, but it's not like he has anything better to do.]

[redhotsummers]

That might help?

But if you dont get it back in the ground, it's done for.

[doggedly]

[He grins, finally. No need to be nervous!]

E is for 'Exceeds Expectations'. It's really quite good, y'know! What are the, er, silvery things on strings just there?

[wolfdreamer]

Does it have dirt to grow in?

[But he feels bad! So he adds:]

It is very pretty, and well decorated. Did you decorate it alone?