∞ 100: Silent night [action]

[chikaidestroyer]

[Backdated to the late evening of December 24.He is not surprised to find it snowing when he returns to Luceti and climbs out of the tunnels. The snow had proven to be irritating while he was outside of the barrier, and he is looking forward to getting inside before heavier snow begins falling

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[mydearapple]

[After yet another boring day, Caesar's gone to sleep for the evening. Truthfully, he's been sleeping a little earlier than usual these days, for lack of anything better to do around here. As usual, he leaves his door cracked just a bit for Kogoro-although he'd certainly prefer that the dog didn't sleep in his room, he leaves it open just enough so he can wander in and out as he pleases.

Unsurprisingly, Caesar manages to fall asleep long before he'll learn if Kogoro has taken advantage of this or not. It's just as well, since not long after Caesar falls asleep, Kogoro ends up joining him in his room, climbing up onto his bed and falling asleep near his feet. Or on his legs. Details.

Caesar doesn't notice, of course, but that's totally fine. Sleep is better uninterrupted anyway.]

[chikaidestroyer]

[After finally getting inside and settling down for the night, Albert is all for spending as much time as he can resting. That last mission was much longer and different from his first, and while he could usually deal with long jobs or campaigns, one this physically taxing left him exhausted in so many ways.

He hadn't realized just how tired he was until he heard rattling at his door at some ungodly hour of the morning. In response, he simply turns his head and shuts his eyes, dozing almost immediately.

Outside the door, Kogoro snuffles curiously at the recent scent that had tracked into the house. He had woke upon to get a drink of water and been distracted by the scent that went from the front door all the way to the back of the house. He tilts his head and puts his paw under the door again before scampering back to Caesar's room.

To grab hold of his pajama sleeve and tug at it.]

[mydearapple]

[Caesar doesn't notice it at first, but the more the dog tugs on his sleeve, the harder it is for him to stay sleeping. Eventually, Caesar opens his eyes to discover Kogoro's face a little too close to his own, and he frowns, shoving his face back into his pillows. He mumbles a muffled response to his dog.]

Get off, will you?

[chikaidestroyer]

[Caesar's reaction doesn't seem to deter Kogoro, who stands there next to Caesar's bed for a moment before deciding upon his next course of action: jumping up onto the bed to wake up the teenager. Little paws clumsily navigate the bumps and ridges of Caesar's blanketed body until Kogoro situates himself the way he wants.

Then he puts his paws on the boy's shoulder and tries to shake him awake. If that doesn't work, he will resort to licking Caesar's exposed cheek and neck.]

[corrinesbell]

[Among all the other soft lights buried under the snow, he'll find the lights on in the windows above the Welcome Center. There's even the shadow of a person moving around in there.

And it looks warm. And inviting. Care to come up?]

[chikaidestroyer]

[He happens to see the tea shop's lights on as he walks past, and he stops to look at them somewhat blankly. The village was rather quiet and still at this time of night, so seeing those lights on was ... somewhat surprising.

After a moment's deliberation, he heads for the tea shop, carefully climbing the steps up and fumbling with the partially frozen doorknob.]

[corrinesbell]

[Someone's at the door! Whoever it is will hear a faint 'hang on, I'm coming!' and not a second later, a ninja pulling open the door.]

Oh. Albert. [Her head tilts slightly to the left.] You look awful. Get in here, Raine'll kill me if you freeze somewhere that I'm responsible.

[chikaidestroyer]

...Happy holidays to you, too. [Albert shakes his head at Sheena's greeting, a dry frown on his face. But he does move inside the shop, his coat and hair covered in snowflakes.] You're here late.

[wise_maiden]

[In the air and around the house, as late as the evening is, there are lingering scents that hint of baking having taken place during some part of the evening.

In the kitchen, several familiar trays laden with dozens of Raine's christmas cookies lay resting on the island, some with varied shapes and flavors mostly varying from lemon to sugar. Raine herself is dozing lightly while she waits for them to cool, as she can be found sitting at the kitchen table with a book open about ancient "Christmas" traditions.]

[chikaidestroyer]

[The walk back to the house leads to Albert collecting more snow all over his person; the snowflakes seem to be getting even bigger, and he finds himself vaguely wanting some sort of visor or headgear to keep the snow from blowing into his eyes. Even with his gloves on, it's a finger-numbing walk.

His shoes crunch through the untouched snow in the front of the house, and he again pauses to look at the pale lights decorating the windowsills and gutters as he catches his breath. He stomps a little harder than necessary as he walks across the porch, trying to get snow off of his shoes; he quickly regrets this when he slightly twists his already-aching ankle, and he sighs to himself as he tries to open the door.]

[wise_maiden]

[There's some sort of sound out there, and Raine finds herself blinking to further awareness, forcing herself to attention as she tilts her head in the direction of the front door. Had it just been her imagination, or...?

No; another sound. Not loud but not too subtle, and she is quick enough to rise, making her way over to the foyer to investigate.]

[chikaidestroyer]

[What is with these hard-to-open doors? He can only guess that his difficulty is a combination of cold fingers and cold lock mechanisms, and he grunts as he finally gets the door open. The wind that accompanies the strengthening snowstorm blows the door open further, and Albert heads inside as quickly as he can so he can shut the door behind him.

It's already bad enough he's showing up this late and tracking in snow. He doesn't need to let all of the warm--and sugary-smelling?--air escape the house, too.

Albert takes a moment to lean against the door wearily, ignoring how the snow on his hair and shoulders slides all over the door and frame.]

[mindgooshed]

[ and barnaby is still awake, fully dressed and sitting on his windowsill with a glass of wine, staring out over the quiet, snowy landscape, watching the merry lights blink, feeling sullen. he sees albert walking from all the way down the block, and barnaby's green eyes follow him as he moves. it isn't until the guy is directly below his window that he slides it open, and calls down. ]

Do you need assistance?

[chikaidestroyer]

[Albert pauses in his walk when he hears the voice, and he looks upward. When he doesn't recognize the man at the window, he takes a moment to reorient himself.]

I believe all the snow is disorienting me. Which community building is this?

[mindgooshed]

[ he just leans back against the window frame, setting the tall glass on the sill. ]

Community Housing One.

[chikaidestroyer]

[He frowns at this information, turning to look back the way he had walked. Between the snow and the lights decorating the buildings and trees, and his own weariness, he can't say he's surprised this happened.]

Hn... My thanks. I'm on the wrong side of the village.

[falenandawn]

[Frey had been oddly restless, lately. Between the draft, the winter holiday and Silver's birthday, not to mention their young guest and the awkwardness that came with it....

Well, maybe he wanted a bit of a quiet walk to take the edge off, which is what he decided to do this evening. It was a lovely night with all the lights and snow, so he saw no reason not to. He pauses, though, when he spots Albert, and waves.] Good evening.

[chikaidestroyer]

[Albert was ready to walk past the other person on the street without incident, not even giving him a second glance until a hand is lifted in greeting. He blinks slowly, tiredly, as he realizes who he had almost passed by.]

Ah, Prince. Good evening.

[falenandawn]

[He approaches the other, frowning slightly as he notices the bruise.] You are injured?

What happened?

[chikaidestroyer]

[He waves an ungloved hand dismissively before slipping it back into his coat.]

A minor injury from the mission I was on. I just returned.