User blog:MockingJester/Christmas in greenland

Snow falls in the valley of the kingdom, an uncommon, but no unusual phenomena. From time to time, the cold winds of the snow mountains will spread all their way to the rest of the warm fauna. A scarce but recurring enough time for the creatures, human and otherwise, to prepare and to expect.

Two figures sit by the edge of a cave, watching the snow burrow in the entirety of the plains, the deep hollow carved out of hands, an unnatural one that has remained as such for a while.

Surprisingly, the two individuals appear to be wearing a crimson dyed set of attire, flanked by two spectral-looking torches. Dancing flames walking in the otherworldly green hue denying the frostbite of the climate.

One of them turns to the other "So, this Christmas? Man come through roof and give gifts?"

"Indeed he does". The responding individual speaks in a muffled voice, his form shrouded by the gentle tempest of the snow storm "I have yet to witness one who does this task of visiting everyone in a singular night, but it is apparently a common occurrence among the realms beyond".

"Ohh? Husband not get bearded man to come give gifts? But husband been good! Good to I! Good to biting things here! Good to walking lost people! Like I! Bearded man miss a lot!"

"He's got a lot on his plate during the twelve days. Don't hold it against him, he works hard to bring joy to the children. Besides, those he misses, he puts on a special list to come back the next year".

"Ehh!!" The former silhouette gasps in rash tone "But! But, next year not current year!"

"I'm afraid so".

"No! No! No fair! I go gather list of things for husband to get! To help Santa!"

"Ohh? You're going to play miss Santa Claus?"

"Yes! Hum, no! Kaiula means no! I just help spread gift giving to lizard man's land. Help Santa have less work".

"Oh really? How thoughtful of you. He'll be sure to put you on the nice list".

"Yes! Kaiula nice woman! I go fetch wishes from people! I return with things to take!"

"Very well then. You just leave it somewhere and I'll pass by later on. Still got a few patrols going around the place".

"Yes! Plan match done! "The former silhouette rises in a pumped up fashion, bellowing in enthusiasm "Santa time! Santa time! It's Santa time in lizard man place!!" -- On the first day of Christmas, Miss Claus has given twelve vials of nectar... -- A cave, hindered by snow stands warm from within. A lull from what seemed to be activities taken in earlier times is felt at the makeshift front door.

An elegantly shaped woman puffs from underneath the snow, following a trail of gentle violet particles running close to the fallen snowflakes, almost as if she swam under the earth "Oga! Running through rock and dirt as fun as always! Though heavy bag make it a bit hard". The mask she adorns on her face is riddled with the white cold flakes, promptly removed with vigorous shaking. Bells jingle in the air as they dance over her red and white hat, a joyous chorus announcing things to come.

She pulls herself out of the burrow of snow and dirt, her particular attire featuring a coat reaching all the way to her belly button, though her back was completely covered in the mantle. A second layer lays on her shoulder with a white puffy finish, much like the one on her hat. The bottom of her attire is naught but a skirt dangling at her knees with the rest of her legs seated in a leathery autumn set of boots.

Behind her is an oversized burlap sack she plops right out of the tiny hole she burrowed out of, with no indication of how she even managed to fit it, to begin with. Judging by the single butterfly quietly flapping at her shoulder, it was fair, for any native at least, to summon magic as the culprit of a feat like this.

Regardless, Kaiula begins to tiptoes within the cave, her goblin ears attuned to the number of snores inhabiting the cave. A cave, that, when fully sighted by her emerald eyes, looked more like a house fashioned inside a cave. Likely the work of a singular miner flanked by a Tyranno, famous for the services he brings to those far from what is considered civilization.

He is dubbed the 'Miner King', a title boasting not only his aptitude at carving a much more comfortable place out of harsh places but for the Tyranno that remains by his side to smash and puncture whatever material his trusty pickaxe cannot. The same woman who proudly counts the tale of their union, as it was one devoid of combat between the two. A rare, and therefore utterly celebrated feat from the Miner King.

"Ohh! Ohh!" Kaiula expresses, her excitement almost breaking the sleep of the cohort she just walks into. She quiets down in her voice "Miner man! Kaiula knows him! I go to him later! Plenty things to give him and chomping woman!"

Speaking of giving, her hand clenches to two fingers, motioning a semi-circle. A parchment appears in a bundle, unraveled before her eyes, inscribed in a jet black ink. A wish of some sort:

'''---Santa? Why would I mash up a wish for a fat man to come stumbling about---sure, whatever. Fat man, my little gang has come telling me that at this moment, you go around giving gifts to nice people and all. According to this...tsk, a Santa helper? Ok...according to her, the act of not kidnapping men to 'feed' on them is apparently a nice act.'''

'''Truth be told, that isn't really how gals like us would want to meet their rugged handsomes. Just ask those who did and went to start cutesy little families. It's a good thing they come once in a while, really motivates at finding a true husband to live with. Man, I miss those gals.'''

'''Anyway, most of the reason stems from this jackass who went and tried usurping me in front of my gals a year ago. A plentiful well of spirit energy he turned out to be...which turns out to be because of some guy with a skull for a helmet, graciously offering his ass for keeps. Went in like he owned the place, and apparently, went to try for a gangbang on a poor woman just about to muster her vows.'''

'''Unfortunately, whatever thing he had the sob gobble up has since long dried up. My gals and I can barely 'eat' his stick up before he faints like a little pansy for thirty minutes. You ever try 'nourishing' yourself on a guy who keeps falling flaccid on a line of hungry lasses? It's pretty damn annoying, considering his premium mana.'''

'''I was thinking since we've been such good women and all, I was wondering...you have something that can make his 'pecker' stand to attention for more than a few minutes. I heard they have something called an 'Alraune Nectar'. Apparently, a drop of this vial can make a man stand attention for an entire day. I just ask whether you can bring us about...twelve. One for each. Don't you worry about the quantity, we know how to ration such...commodities.'''

'''Hum...thanks? I guess?---'''

Kaiula looks away from the letter to see several raptors woman sleeping on what look to be makeshift beds. Burrows of holes hosting a singular raptor monster, one bearing elegant silk and weave, handmade for comfort. One for each, with their leader sleeping just a bit higher than the rest. The height, born not of a need for superiority. Her scars argue against the sense of self-grandeur, her bosom holding the title as a watcher of the pack, like any typical pack leader. First in and last out. The highest to see and feel any danger

Or in this case, the one with the request. Kaiula coos at each one of the raptor pack members, laying their very own vial of Alraune Nectar in their arms. All the way to the pack leader, she repeats the motion, with each of them cuddling said item.

And then, with the last one adorned with her vial, the tangerine goblin turns to the far end of the cave. A bed, surprisingly present amidst those who would rather sleep in a meticulously dug hole. Well maintained, almost as if it was freshly harvested from a pompous merchant.

"Ora! Place smells!" Indeed. Despite looking pristine from afar, the bed turned more and more 'used'. In fact, the stains on it are fresh, those stains indeed.

Alas, there is nothing for her to drop, at least according to her list. She turns back to the group of sleeping raptors, where, a sight that eluded her is now present: a stack of cookies, all different from the other. All of it, besides a glassful of cold milk, causing Kaiula to gaze at the snacks with sparkling eyes "Oga! Milk! Cookies! Husband right, I keep for later".

Taking a minute to savor one while shoving the rest in her large bag, the Shakalaka never the less empties the milk in one gulp before departing, another jingle in the bells of her hat as she does. She hops back to the hole,  a waving hand to the sleeping pack "Merry gifts giving from man in red!"

Somehow, while nothing else had woken the pack, Kaiula's stealthy exit had stirred the pack leader, causing her to wake up under her trashing tail "Intruders! We have intru--" she looks at her arms, holding a glass vial in the shape of a woman posing over a flower "--ders?"

The liquid swells with each movement, as her pack awakens with incredulous gasps "What the?!"

"What is this?"

"Why am I holding that?"

"Boss?"

The leader turns to her pack, proudly displaying the vial in her claw ~Ladies! It sounds like the fat man has passed to our doorstep! Bring me our new member!~

The pack scurries and pushes a timid-looking raptor forward as she drops off her own pillar. Her voice is sheepish "Y-yes, ma'am?"

"You're still so timid, are you? Come, come with me". The pack leader places a hand on her newest member, one found alone in a remote corner. She follows without much resistance all the way to the bed. A bed where a man sleeps, utterly devoid of energy, still panting.

"Come now, I like taking care of my own". The pack leader snaps her fingers, to where another goes to the wall, only to press a button, snapping floating crystals awake, akin to a night light. The sudden flash stirs him awake, immediately held down by other members.

Gently, she takes the vial from her new member and turns to the man, panicked from this sudden awakening "No! Wait! I need--

"Open his mouth". His jaw is opened wipe, allowing a small drop of the nectar to dive in his mouth. The effects are...immediate. His 'member' stands up for attention, prompting the entire pack to watch with amazement as their surprise turns to eager hunger.

"Now, now ladies" halts the leader "as eager as he looks, this is a time of giving. The fat man had gifted us with the means to satiate ourselves. But she didn't have a chance up to this time".

All of them nod with a stoic expression of acceptance, waiting on the newbie "Go on dear. Consider it...my gift for you. Make sure to savor him, as you get first dibs".

"R-really?" the timid raptor holds her tail, feeling the hotness of her body rushing to her head under these words.

~Of course, my youngling. Go on, have fun. He's earned it after all. Isn't that right, ladies' man?~

"It's been one year. Why torm--

"Ah ah ah! This is a time of giving. Surely you wouldn't want to be a greedy slimeball at this generous time, would you? After all, that little stunt you tried pulling has put you on the naughty list...whatever that is. Santa may be watching, would you not want to showcase a willingness to change? What better way to that path than feeding our lonely member right here

His protests, cut off by the newbie's kiss, her hips positioning for his 'tower', slowly lowering... -- On the second day of Christmas, Miss Claus has given,

Twelve vials of nectar,

Eleven crowns of kings ... -- Kaiula burrows out elsewhere, close to another cave. She sneakily converges to the confines of the hollow. This one is much more meticulous. It literally feels like someone displaced a house in a cavern.

"Ohh! Cave more made than previous cave" she comments under a whisper behind her mask, stealing visuals from her eyes at every opportunity while her hand repeats the same pattern to bring forth the wishlist:

'''---To the man who claims to be a jolly entity during the cold of winter. I've but one demand. My king...my husband. I have moved the very heavens hunting him as to make him my king. He works like one, acts like one and lives as a humble ruler of us two. He is my comfort, as I am his rock.'''

'''He is humble, however, underestimating the good he brings forth to others. The work he does. Foreigners passing by title him as but some peasant. I ask you to bring me eleven helmets. Each of them, crafted in the marriage of a miner and a king. This will bring a statement to those foolish enough to incur my wrath and to my king who will bear the marking of an honorable man every day of his work.'''

Do this...and I shall become a fervent believer---

Kaiula snoops around, going to the basement carved out of stone and titled in marble. Here, she spots a large bed coupled with two. A man, well built for his stature, dozing the night away, surrounded by ore samples, tools, equipment, everything a miner can be expected to use.

Next to him, literally in his arms, a woman. Her stature barely reaches his while her monstrous strength greatly outshines his. But it matters not in this small moment shared between husband and wife, blotted in each other's arms. The Tyranno's face, usually stern and stoic, now beholden to a sleeping woman, blushing and defenseless. A lull in the chaos of the day. Both of them, hidden up to their shoulders by a heavy sheet in the spirit of winter.

Kaiula opens her bag, presented with exactly what she wants via arcane means "Hmpf! Talking people say red man cannot have what he wants at the now! Kaiula proves them wrong!"

Eleven helmets stand in the bag. All of them shine in their respective metals, the latter being: Copper. Zinc. Iron. Bronze. Silver. Gold. Steel. Mithril. Platinum. Titanium. And, auramite.

Every single helmet, smithed in the sturdiest of their flesh as metal, to such a point that the copper helmet might as well be made of the auramite, enchanted by magic to bear nigh unbreakable proprieties.

Every single helmet, adorned on the top with the markings of a king's crown as three spires reach for the heavens, with the middle being the largest of them all.

"Here I go! Eleven crowns for miner man!" Kaiula sets them on a cupboard by the order of rarity and magnitude. She turns back and quietly makes her way back, only to be besieged by another tray. One filled with cookies and a glass of milk "Ora? More for Kaiula? Yay! Yay! Yay!!"

She escapes with the cookies, unable to witness the illuminating visage of the Tyranno's eyes opening to a set of freshly forged miner wears... -- On the third day of Christmas, Miss Claus has given,

Twelve vials of nectar,

Eleven crowns of kings,

A ten-kilo bag of herbs... -- A tempest of volcanic activities had ceased, almost too happy to indulge in a foreign sense of festivities. The ashen surface turns to a frosty landscape, its core lukewarm for the time being.

Among the rabble of the fuming rejects, a couple sleeps, sweaty and exhausted, far from the harm of magma. One Kaiula remembers. A man from long ago, seen to the errors of his ways with explosive punches. The woman on top, smoldering by her arms' length, the extremities having seen a fair use judging by the scars populating them.

The woman seems to be at rest, despite the liters of sweat pouring from her entire being. The salmon goblin rustles through her bag seeking the tiny paper she carries close to her. The writing is short, direct, unabated. Perfect for the makeshift helper:

'''---Hey fat man! Heard you were passin' by this pumped up place with things to throw at us! '''

'''Cool, ring me something to cool my head, something real good! '''

'''This guy that dropped by a while ago had a bone to pick with me, or whatever! But, he's the best sparring partner a gal could ask! '''

'''Which is which I tell you to bring me some calmin' thing or whatever! I want to be able to calmly express this stirring passion for our 'us' life without having it devolved into some competition! One night in a while in quiet voices! That's all I ask for!"---'''

Kaiula slowly approaches the resting duo, deeply embedded in a nest of stone, a bag in hand "Oof! Bag packed with calm herb! Perfect thing for punchy lady to talk clear!"

She nestles it next to them in the utmost quiet, greatly aided by the tumultuous eruptions of the simmered volcano. She turns, a bright but humble smile etched on her cheeks, once more presented with a pristine plate gleaming in a pure shade. Cookies waiting to be glomped. A milk glass yearning to quench an ongoing thirst. One the Shakalaka is all too happy to tend to, soon disappearing underground under the guise of a tiny butterfly. -- On the fourth day of Christmas, Miss Claus has given,

Twelve vials of nectar,

Eleven crowns of kings,

A ten-kilo bag of herbs,

Nine bottles of milk... -- "Ohh, change of place! House now!" she utters as her head pops out to a small house. One made of marble tiles and stone walls. Wood ramparts and metallic coatings on the outside. A tiny, cozy place for one to be...

...or two, seeing how she sits at a stool in front of a common sight in the kingdom: a couple binding a man with a denizen of the land. This one, the offspring of a reptile and a holstarus, gently cuddling the man beside her. One of her claw is adorned under a wrapping of silver, shining in the moonlight.

"Ohh! Remember her! Nice lady! Yes, yes! Man ask for things to offer her!" Kaiula quietly flusters as her eyes start lining up the words of her latter:

'''---So, Santa has decided that the act of saving my would-be wife was good enough to ask for a gift? Alright, I'm game! Obviously, if you saw the species my Josephine belongs to, you must know of her 'particularity'. A very...enticing part of her body that inevitably leads to intimacy the moment she offers herself to me by...presenting them. No matter what I do, the moment it happens, well... let's just say we had more than a day wasted [though she wouldn't qualify these times as such] with each other under the sheets...'''

'''Anyway, I've been thinking about how much of her 'bodily fluids' she offers me, no matter how she may be. I want to give that back to her, however silly that may sound. Would it be possible for you to gather nine bottles of milk? One that bears a distinct flavor? I can't really get my hands on any around here for obvious reasons. Hum...only if it's not much to ask, of course. I know how busy you can be at these times. Heck, I know how it feels. Hum...thanks?---'''

A bottle of natural. A bottle of vanilla. A bottle of chocolate. A bottle of strawberry. A bottle of caramel. A bottle of fudge. A bottle of cherry. A bottle of orange. And, a bottle of blackberry.

All of them, milk tuned to an exotic taste and flavor. All of them, now adorning the cryo reserves of the sleeping duo. All of them, massive jugs no doubt intended on bringing jubilee through the red silken path set from their bed.

Kaiula's nose twitch at the all-too-familiar smell of cinnamon and coolness dripping from the humbly gilded plate and glass "Ohh! Milk and cookies! I take!"

She leaves soon enough, the whimsical tuning of bells and jingles just enough to sprinkle doubt in the sleep pattern of the man, who beyond the sight of his significant other nursed on top of him, was prone to notice the clear crimson ribbon amidst a yellow and blue patterned pair of sheets. -- On the fifth day of Christmas, Miss Claus has given,

Twelve vials of nectar,

Eleven crowns of kings,

A ten-kilo bag of herbs,

Nine bottles of milk,

Eight gleaming coats... -- The mountainside, afflicted by snow, yet just a bit less than the other spots she explored, Kaiula burrows out of the gravel on the side, a list on her hand:

'''---Do I write here? Like this?'''

Yeah, on this paper this strange masked girl came to hand us.

'''Ohh...hum, alright. So hum...red man? The guy with the sleight in the air. I've been told our little nest had the privilege of asking for something during this snowfall. I and Silvara have talked about it and thought that maybe...if it isn't too much to ask--'''

'''Oh, come on, Glidia! You're being too timid about this! Hold on, let me.'''

Well, alright, sorry.

'''Hey beard guy! Word is, you want to give us something! Listen well! Bring us some coats. Not the run-of-the-mill coats you buy as those dollar shops. We want gleaming coats. Things that compliment what one would wear to adorn gold and silver. I mean it! It better be the top line, you hear me?!'''

'''Hum, yes. Something to draw the eyes of our beloved...and those standing around.'''

'''Yea! I forgot about these wanna-be tossers! Ever since we finally managed to pull our needle from the sea of flaccid mongrels in the guise of a twitchy nerd, these chauvinist jackasses haven't got the idea to lay the hell off! See, Glidia, this is why I insisted on a nice guy instead of a muscle head who only ever thinks with the head between his legs!'''

'''Ohh, I cannot blame you, my dear! He is just the most endearing husband a pair such as us can think of! I mean, there isn't many that would so carefully tend to our needs, be it mundane or intimate. It's a shame we can't display any sort of affection in public without the onlookers just 'offering' themselves.'''

'''Exactly! So damn annoying with their dick measuring contests, thinking this somehow compensates for the guttered minds! Which is why I say we get those coats. A mix between beautiful and sensual. Pure eye candy for any man to feast visually. Custom-made as well, I want it to feel like a second skin.'''

'''Oh, oh, oh, you're a cruel Alos, Silvara! Think of the poor souls, they'll be stuck watching us among the festivities in our earnest with such envy before a glass.'''

'''I know...that'll teach them right, nosy bastards! I can't wait to see their flustered gazes rub off in denial while this 'weak-ass' they keep whining about gets grabbing rights. Who the hell is going to stop him anyway? Those rejects?!---'''

Four coats for the silver one, dressed in divergent shades of blue and mithril gems. Four coats for the golden one, in unique crimson bathes and scarlet brands. Each of them etched in their respective glimmer of metal, gold, and silver to emphasize the wearer, molded to the same. A wonderful marriage of beauty and sensuality.

"Here! Beautiful coats for beautiful ladies!" Kaiula sets the coats by the bedroom, a singular one for three. No more than one bed is seen at all, featuring the sleepers. A glow of silver on the left, and shine of gold on the right, they merge with a man in the middle, settled at his sides in a balanced blend.

A fun surprise to be had for trinity at peace lulled to sleep by the dancing flames of their fireplace, the same presenting a plate of the so-familiar cookies and milk that awaited her at every instance. Following in the same path of the previous ones, these cookies take on the shape of the two monsters sleeping, being silver and gold. An Ian and an Alos.

She takes them with reluctant restraint on the desire to glomp them whole and shoves them in her myriad bag, to be made away, her presence dissipated under the guise of the night... -- On the sixth day of Christmas, Miss Claus has given,

Twelve vials of nectar,

Eleven crowns of kings,

A ten-kilo bag of herbs,

Nine bottles of milk,

Eight gleaming coats,

Seven sublime games... -- Kaiula's companion leads her up, up to the cliff. A cliff near a city, yet far from it. She stumbles out of her hole, leaving her tiny butterfly to idle around, its tiny stomach content with entertaining itself with a comparatively massive cookie.

His mistress strays away to the cliff where a sturdy home stands. Under the guise of the winter night, everything is asleep. Predators, prey, carnivores, and herbivores. A mighty beast is said to dwell within the bowels of this place, shackled by a powerful man. A man who happens to be the target of this visit.

As Kaiula walks through the rooms, she would come to see how cozy it would be like so many settlements in this land. Couches, tables, chairs, recliners, all sculpted in hand, affectionally crafted in consideration for someone with a stronger stature.

As if would unravel, there was a mighty beast claiming this place as her own. Kaiula's first sight of it was of a pickle-shaped tail. A hefty piece laying inert blossomed with tiny scars that had since long healed. As more of her sight adjust to the darkness, she gets a better glimpse of the creature so thoroughly feared throughout the land. A visage slumbered in sleep, blissfully unaware of her surrounding.

Seeing how she lays, it was no mistaking that the reason laid by her. Her powerful arms lay inert on the couch, surrounding what looks to be a man. The more Kaiula's sight filters through, the more obvious it becomes that the individual daring himself under the beast is he who had carried her back to this place. A caretaker.

His body rests on the couch itself, interjecting the Jho's urge to lay on its fabric. Or so it seems. While her arms lay on the top of the couch, her hands' coil around his neck, a reminiscence of a hug or a sleep holder. Wearing naught but a top and underwear, she peacefully snores the night away, a face given to utter satisfaction.

Her 'generous' portion squashes on her counterpart's chest, occasionally pushing content sighs out. His arms joined at the base of her back and the base of her hair-filled head, he very slowly caresses her to a continuous sleep, a guardian's eye keeping vigil.

One that just happens to spot the Shakalaka glancing at the scene before her. Being a man originally from the outside of the kingdom, seeing her in red hadn't succeeded at pulling a surprise out of him. Rather, he winks in a complying manner, as if he was expecting someone to come around. His whisper, a definitive confirmation "Ohh? A Santa helper rummaging about? Whatever could bring this one in this tiny cradle?"

"Man not asleep? I thought he be asleep" she whispers in half surprise.

He winks once more, well used to these kinds of statements "Hmm, surprisingly, having an 'attention-seeking' lass such as my strong Suzy over here is going to do wonders to bring out a man's deepest willpower. A long-term physical improvement as soon as you manage to waddle through the 'aridity' that one of her kind can leave you in".

"Ohh. So man with pickle monster. No wonder wish was of meat". She rummages through her bag, pulling out seven large plates, all in silver coated with a dome. The domes are ripe with a freezing aura, a cooling spell for whatever lays inside.

"Really? I didn't think mister Claus would actually consider my request..." The man looks to his snoring monster, somewhat stirred by his voice, yet still asleep "To say that she's well deserving of a variety of meals is a hefty understatement. She's much sweeter than people are willing to look. A small gift for my mate".

"Well, worry not! Seven distinct meat! Clean and prepared to fill tummies! Enough for pickle lady to feed to heart's content!"

"Well, that's agreeable" he looks back to Kaiula, avoiding the question of the mask that seems to be adorning her face "Honestly, I didn't think he'd actually pass around. That's just about another wrong I'm not ashamed to admit. Give the bearded man my thanks, alright?"

"Ohh, ok!"

"Good, good..." His eyelids lower "...now, you may want to depart".

"Leave? Walk away? Why--

A deep growl groans from the man. Or rather, his lass. Their whispers, while quiet enough, had eventually decided to dance through the Jho's ears, springing her irises awake and ears up. As one might expect, seeing another individual, in the dead of the night, during her sleep, nearby her mate isn't a sight she's all happy to witness.

Her head quickly rises from the man's shoulder, turned to the Santa helper, who, taken to the man's advice, slowly began to retreat with seven domes littering the living room "I...I see". It is theoretically possible for her to fend the increasingly unnerved Jho, as Kaiula had indeed gone against more over the years. All of this knowledge evaporated under the scowling stare of the pickle beast not at all happy to see an intruder so close.

Fending off a Jho in either hunger is one thing. This one was different, obviously by the arms that surround her. Arms of one that made her a caring mate, as evident by the litter of scars that once erupted in burning sensations. Meaning that the man holding her close had gone through the second way of taming a Jho: affection. Again, obviously, that implies that a Jho with a mate is twice as violent and raging against anything...or anyone in a threatening manner. Like, say, a goblin who had somehow managed to sneak under her radar "Lady not knowing of my...Helper out!"

With nimble feet and a flight of arcane, the Santa helper makes a flights response straight through the door, smashing the wooden frame as she goes. All while the man suppresses the urge to erupt in giggles over the fact that someone actually decided to sneak inside the domain of a Jho, the latter prone to return to her calm as he speaks of the domes' content.

A gift for her. One that sees her tail spiral in boundless happiness under a Christmas gift spoiled early. Happiness that sees her lock lips with him, as this glee turns quickly to a need to physically demonstrate this delight, accentuated with heavy pants. His arms narrow on her waist, his lingering thought of the guards that may or may not be bursting down the broken door the next day.

Kaiula's cautionary sprint had almost blinded her to the available tray of cookies and milk ready and able close to her burrowing hole, the pastry now reminiscent of an angry pickle monster thrashing about... -- On the twelfth day of Christmas, Miss Claus has given,

Twelve vials of nectar,

Eleven crowns of kings,

A ten-kilo bag of herbs,

Nine bottles of milk,

Eight gleaming coats,

Seven sublime games,

Six heavenly cakes,

Five peerless trees,

Four-morning stars,

Three bound emperesses,

Two foiled expeditions,

''And one Kinship stone... --'' From place to place, does the single helper goes, re-orientating her gifts to suit villages and towns, all still under the guise of the darkness. Cakes to tend to an entire town of Jhos, the sights of multi-colored stars as the augur of festivities, botches attritions of foreign invaders via breaking equipment and withering morals. And a cease-fire from the three dauntless emperesses of the skies.

All of it, the makeshift helper tends to with a revolting success...

...all to the last day before Christmas. Of course, it would oversee the enthusiastic goblin on an unorthodox quest. A much sought-after Kinship stone. A stone beyond rare, left in the hands of reclusive individuals, who in turn, keep them from others. Others with the knowledge to try to make a weapon out of it, a divergence to its purposes.

Kaiula burrows out of a hole over a cliff, filling her eyes with a venerable fortress of a camp. Walls of gold and stone surrounding the place in a square-like figure. A tower for each corner, one as four filled an equally divided number of crossbowmen for each pillar. Artillery siege hidden behind the walls, revered and augmented for the local fauna.

Looking beyond the immediate rampart meeting her eyes, Kaiula is presented with the sight of countless tents. Mercenary tents populating the proximities of the walls with even more dots rummaging about, a representation of the individuals stationed.

Peering off the corners to the center, a bigger, whiter tent stands about, littered in gold shades. The place itself is besieged by four ebony stone paths connecting the entrances, each of them featuring twin heavily armored knights mirroring each other via a shining ornated shield.

"Oof! Place big! Shiny britches here! Getting rock will be hard!" Her commentary is flanked by the amount of security present in the place. The fortress itself is surrounded by scorched climates, a nod back to the first Order hero she has fought, one who claimed to purify the land by scores of arcane flames.

"Hrrr...!" she pouts under the complex scenery of two distinct forces joined, searching her mind clean for a way to siege the place "Hrrr! Kaiula wishes Hubby was here! He'd think of way to breach in holiday fashion..."

"Say what about me?"

Kaiula jolts slightly, only now feeling the ripples of a spatial breach nearby. Looking back, her emerald eyes catch the closing breach of a gate. Her left corner is filled with a crimson dye adorning a holiday costume. Zae-Er's hidden gaze fixated on the place she was eyeing seconds ago "Huh...I don't blame you for seeking reinforcements. A combined arms ops...that's a first for them".

"Hubby~ Her arms coil around his snow-decked masks that serves as a ram skull, blurring the distinction between their outwears "Kaiula have easier time now. Hubby come to help, right?"

"Well, it's is the pagan holiday, is it not?" He turns back to her, a list on his mitted hands. Confusion swells her sheltered expression.

"Pagan?"

"Ohh, sorry, it's a different way of saying Christmas. Speaking of..." He looks at the list, most of the words scarred with a violet line across "I have to admit, that is a mighty fine trek you went to deliver things on behalf of a man you never saw before".

"Oga! Hubby knew? So hubby help with last gift?"

The man beside her wheezes in cough-filled laughter from the shivering air, falsifying offense at the mere question "How could I not offer to bring aid to one of Santa's little helpers? After such a humble request, no less..."

"Hehe, hubby right. Kaiula a good girl. Have to help" Her eyes return to the frozen parody of a camp as he does.

"Knowing the fanatics, that shimmering stone they 'helped' themselves to is likely at the very heart".

"Really? How it so obvious" Kaiula spawns another set of confused eyes.

"It is. But you know them. Always in the belief of their own superiority. Which is what we're going to use right now".

"Oga? Hubby has idea?"

"Yes". Zae-Er slowly walks behind the Shakalaka and gently places his hands on her shoulders "Use those eagle eyes you've been blessed with and spot me an isolated man in white, would you?"

"Ohh! Easy! Look!" Her gloved finger stretches out toward a particular man walking down the path.

"Good, good. Focus on him..."

Her eyes begin to shine gently. A low pitch, a dim light.

"There is nothing else but him. He is your sight. He is your eyes..."

Her eyes start zooming on the man of interest, subtly, quietly. The lull begins to manifest as the armored knight in white stops, not quite suddenly. He stops in place as if he had forgotten what he was to do.

"He is the spectator to this body, for it belongs to you. Reach out to it, it obeys your will..."

Kaiula's hand reaches out to the man of interest, her body imbued in an orchid tide before it rushes forward...

"Reach out..."

"Reach?!" Kaiula moves her arms, only to see it shimmering in the moonlight "Huh? Hubby?" She turns around, seeing more and more that this body isn't hers. A classic case of possession.

"Good, good. Worry not, I'm still here". A voice bounces in her borrowed head "Now, focus. We are going to bring the tiny stone back from the shiny men".

"Ohh, Kaiula see. Smart idea! Bring ornament from inside!" Her voice peers out as a deep male pitch with a string to his Adam's apple at every word. Slowly and clumsily, she starts walking in this these plates and pauldrons. Sweat pours down her nostrils, prompting her to huff and puff pure air "Oof, armor heavy. Heavier than what I wear first time I meet hubby..."

Waltzing into the main tent, Kaiual is immediately taken by the jewel at the very center, sealed inside a case of glass. Flanked by two more paladin guards, it hums in a tone. One that filters through her ears as a melancholic note "Aww...it sounds so sad".

[I don't doubt that...] The voice of Zae-Er passes in her mind [...kindship stones are rarities made with the goal of bringing people together, usually in a pair of two. A strong bond can pretty much repel psychological and physiological corruption, but here...they're looking to make a weapon out of it...]

"Really?" Kaiula's borrowed eyes look back at it. The stone drifts in midair, its movement somewhat jerky, akin to a lost child caged somewhere. A sight she can see amidst those present, be it scientists, guards of relegates "...that's really sad..."

[It is. Things like this were never meant to function as an arm fo destruction or a bargaining chip. I see what you see, and I can see it. They can't. But hey, don't worry. The guy you hold, he's going to bring Christmas back to it and those seeking it once more].

Indeed so, the badge flanking the man's left side is a commander's, an authority only yielding to a Hero. Seeing as the commander was here himself, the likely hood of a Hero being at the same place is close to null.

So, there she goes, strolling in another's body, walking in an unorthodox manner, mostly due to the armor to the showcase. Her steps are...trying to be as mundane as they can. Which is saying a lot for one unfamiliar with heavy armor.

This...wobbling certainly is quick at gathering attention from the surrounding, with one of the guards raising an eyebrow from underneath his helmet as commander possessed finally reaches the glass case "Sir?... You seem a bit dizzy".

Commander possessed freezes on the spot. Kaiula didn't hear much from her counterpart about this procedure. Being accosted, was then, a very unexpected thing for her.

"Hum...well, you see..." Quiet comes back to commander possessed, eyes strained under the much-sought guidance. One that once again, comes back to float in her mind.

[Very sorry, my fellow man. You see...] Kaiula, hidden in the possessed man's psyche, raises an eyebrow as she starts repeating the words given to her "Very sorry, my fellow man. You see..."

[This land is a very trying one...] "This land is a very trying one"

[...and the impurities that besiege it...] "...and the impurities that besiege it..."

[...are testing my very will to stand among you all.] "...are testing my very will to stand among you all."

[Unfortunately...] "Unfortunately..."

[...the more I stand in this backwater swamp of a kingdom...] "...the more I stand in this backwater swamp of a kingdom..."

[...the more unnerved I regrettably become...] "...the more unnerved I regrettably become..."

[...resulting in this less-than-acceptable mannerism.] "...resulting in this less-than-acceptable mannerism."

"Ohh, of course, sir" nods the paladin guard, his hand passing through the glass, pressing a button on the front "This place is a trial for all of us. We understand that the position you are blessed with comes with much strain in a world of savages like this. With that said..."

The glass case opens, giving freedom for the kinship stone to hover as it wishes "...I see you wish to consort this item".

The stone casually hovers toward commander possessed, feeling a sense of safety. It is no stretch for anyone knowing about the item to see it gravitate to someone with a sense of strong bond. Kaiula prompts her possessed to gently take hold of the piece with his two hands, mesmerized by the shine at its heart "Beautiful..."

Peering beyond the eyes of the commander, the helper can't help but admire the stone in her/his hands. She feels warmth from it like it knows of her binds. Its glimmer ceases, for but the briefest of seconds, an act veiled to anyone else. "Indeed. How these mumbling troglodytes managed to make such an item is still unknown. But, better in our hands than theirs" scoffs the paladin guard.

Hidden behind the possessed's gaze, Kaiula's psyche shapes to a frown. Being called backward isn't exactly her cup of juice, much less from a class she fought before.

The shining stone in her hands lulls these words from her mind, whispering in a manner opposite to the guard's hostility. Her/his fingers pass through the surface, feeling the polished corners with great tenderness.

Commander possessed turns around, precisely and briefly. Every step he takes is a methodical one, all under the guidance of a voice... [You're doing perfectly. Now, bring it home. Don't forget the man wrapping]

{What about camp? Shiny men still here} Her voice echoes in the possessed's psyche.

[Oh, don't you worry about them. Remember, it's the holidays. They deserve a second chance as well. After all, this is probably a misgiving]

{Ohh, second chance? But they naughty, no?}

[Yes. But, they'll have plenty of time to make up starting this very night. At least, that's what I see as comes screaming a horde of unmarried women just dying to choose and 'unwrap' their gifts among these shiny individuals].

{Eh?} Kaiula takes a moment to think about it, well ignorant of the questioning shouts of the nearby guards as her possessed waltz right out of the tent. One of them comes as close as to physically place a hand on the possessed commander. Ignored, his grip slips and commits him to a loud crash.

{Gifts? Here? But, I don't see gifts--} The eyes of the commander widen as she finally sees his meaning. Well, hear his meaning. A trampling, precisely. A subtle one, muffled by snow, yet so familiar to Kaiula "Kaiula see! Well, hear! Ohh, bad for them to have no order giver!"

[Exactly, this one just wants to give back what he borrowed. Come on here, I think these men will want a part of privacy soon enough].

"Hehe..." The goblin, as well as her unseeing puppet, both make a spin, still over the bewildered stares of his entourage only to then...fade. Fade as plumage of insectoid wings, forever gone to them. But, with this loss in sight of their commander, the shift to auditive sensation tunes up with vigils at the towers.

Monsters, dozens of them, looking to pry through their gate for their earnest Christmas gifts, the one thing monsters can and will see utterly for themselves...

On a distant plateau comes a singular figure, shrouded by the dark of the night, the eve of Christmas. A singular kinship stone adorns his hands, yet his visage is wearing another's expression.

He walks to an isolated village, watching the guards surround him with no urge to pull his blade out. Gilded in the moon, he lifts his hands, an offering to a temple he stole from.

As expected, the return of the venerated artifact is not enough. Far from it. The punishment is at the center of things. A punishment the keeper is all too willing to dish, not before sending Kaiula from his body with a merry wave from her hand. A merry holiday, the last exchange between the two as the light of the now free commander come back to his eyes. His holiday, an unmerry one... - Christmas is nigh. The highest of stars hangs brightly atop the world, bringing light into a land prepared for its presence. From continent to continent, people await the toll of midnight for their hands to rend the wrap of their gifts.

Elsewhere, however... "Come hubby! Come quick!" A voice resonates in a thick forest, leaving little for imposing predators to try to infiltrate.

Another voice speaks in discomfort "Hold on now! You're not letting me take proper footing!"

"Don't care! Kaiula show what for!" The sound of snow-trampling creeps closer, all to the breach of a small opening between trees by two shapes, both dressed in red.

Zae-Er's first act is to stabilize his footing. The run the Shakalaka had put him through gave way to an uneasy pace, drafting more breath form the man.

His second act? To gaze in awe at the surroundings. The trees, decorated in a thousand shards. The pond, illuminating in a blue and green fusion, seeing the aquatic life dance in glee.

Near the pond, plates. Plates of cookies of different shapes and flavor, littering the surrounding in their hundreds. Ornaments embellish them with a distinct space for one to sit.

All of it, under an impossibly clear sky, devoid of clouds, devoid of snow. All for the shaman to watch as his hand is slowly grappled by velvet gloves hiding hands "Closer, closer..."

As his eyes catch the details of the decorations, his feet catch a closer glimpse of where he is to be. Directly facing the pond of illumination, his reflection is joined by the 'helper' that is his companion. His shoulder is encumbered by her resting head, a small whisper atop of her now unmasked visage "Christmas? Is it what people call? Hmm, hmm, Merry Christmas, hubby..."

His stunned gaze turns to a warmer tone, letting his hand wrap around her waist to trek her closer, causing a fair amount of blush from the two "You've truly have been busy, have you? Well, Merry Christmas to you too..."

Slowly, their form slumbers in front of the pond, Kaiula opting to go for her spouse's hip, hands bargaining with one plate after the other for the two to consume. Time becomes meaningless in this place of two, given to the savor of every bite between talks of how and when.

Though those soon enough fall to deaf ears, the two embroiled in the other's embrace. Her head is nested on his shoulder in a sleep-like state. A finger spins around her leg while her expression grows uneasy.

The silence breaks as her pout become overwhelming. Her lips part in an unusual meek tone "Hubby...Kaiula never asked for gift, right?"

The shaman turns his head to her resting face, an incomprehensible look on his own "Not that I am aware".

"Good..." Her head lifts off his shoulder, directly mirroring his own. Her arms wrap around his neck, eyes laced in a new light: desire. Her breathing accelerates, parallel to his own confused respiration.

Face-to-face, desire, and confusion, the shaman cuts the silence away under a blind eye "Kaiula, are you well?" He speaks with a hand over her shoulder, well blind to the state his wife currently is in, one creeping to his side.

"Kaiula know what she wants" she speaks in an overriding feminity, further spurning the shaman's senses.

"Go ahead, I could decipher what to offer you" He takes a quick turn for his hand to replace the half-eaten biscuit, his return, intercepted by Kaiula's lips diving on his own. Impromptu as it is, the act shatters the shaman's sense of balance between this back and the woman on his lap. The fall on his back is muffled and unnoticeable.

Her lips are tender as always, her embrace, shaped by sincerity. The blush on her cheeks, empty of shame in their contrarian red. Once more, their minds are lost to the concept of time or awareness of the environment, only rescinded with the goblin's panting visage removed from her spouse.

Her hands remain poised on the shaman's frontal garb while her back straightens upward. Mysteriously, the legging adorning her legs are nowhere near to be found, dissipated into mist.

Forever unprepared for a sudden burst of affection, the shaman focuses his breathing on his nose to regain a semblance of control. His psyche, however, sees this effort slipping as the Shakalaka once more broadcasts her voice to the narrow surroundings "Kaiula is hungry~

"Hungry?" He turns to the left, seeing a set of unfinished plates filled with sweets, a treat normally irresistible to her. His gaze strays to the right, a mirror of sight offered to him "I think you missed a few trays, dear--

"No...~ her head slowly shakes away, off with the crimson hat she was adorned with. A full stack of hair falls to her sides and behind, an unnaturally groomed style. Her voice is overtaken by the timidity of a woman in anticipation "Kaiula...hungry~

"As I've said, perhaps you should think to reach out for--

The shaman never had to read between the line with Kaiula present under how overwhelmingly direct she always has been. Tapping into this art of subtle touch, the epiphany reaches his eyes as her blush widens "Ohh..."

~Very hungry. Hungry since bracelet on my hand~ Her hand reaches down to their connected waists, where her skirt lays. Underneath, a clip sound is emitted, unmistakable to his ears.

"Hold on, hold on! I do not think you understand what you are saying..." His eyes fall on that section, an input of moistness washing over his pants. Even less mistakable to interpret.

Her face beams a jovial smile, grateful for his concern. An argument for her desire "Hubby worried. So worried he avoids own hunger~

"I can't really afford this when you're still..." The shaman's mind is ripe with her utmost darkness of her 'unbloomed' state. All of it made manifest with the trio of last year trying to make use of this ignorance.

"Naive?" Her word prompts a jolt out of the man. Her knowledge of her inexperience at the matter common to a monster is a piece unusable to him, her lips wording an innate trust unto him "Then hubby teach Kaiula. Like he teach magic to make Kaiula dependable. Teach Kaiula to be woman. Hubby's woman~

His eyes stare back in worry. He isn't sure how to respond to her demand, conflicted. With the years at her side, his mind had come to be very protective of her at all fronts. To be the one to 'hurt' her in any way...let alone in this manner of all ways feels like a betrayal.

His glare turns to the side, seeking to find the magic words to put her out of this, trying to convince himself she wasn't ready to be robbed of her innocence. Her hands rest to the soft soil around his head, a soft manner of grabbing his attention back.

"Hubby too worried about Kaiula. Can see it in eyes. Putting hunger away. Same as Kaiula, yet blind to it..." Her bosom leans on his garb, the runes within displaced by an effervescence of violet particles. Runes of protection from the environment. A sort of isolation from the outside world. One now disabled, tingling with the soft skin of a monster bearing down his own.

Her visage is close to his, no hidden ioda visible behind her continued speech "Kaiula sate hubby. Give naivety in exchange. No fear the hurt while in hubby's arms~

Her head leans under his chin, trembling slightly as her lower section begins feeling the brush of an innate hardness, as well as his hands, moving to her waist.

There wasn't much more to say form the shaman's perspective. One can only do so much before having to cross a hurdle. At the crossroad to his, she holds on to his arms, waiting, bracing.

"If that is your wish..." The shamaness can feel a brush under her intimacy, pulling a jar out of her under shut eyes, held close by his arms "...then let me make a woman out of you".

~Yes...Kaiula's wish~ Her whisper turns to a whimper, the feeling of a rupture in her womanhood made a reality. A trickle of blood seeps from her leg as her hips lower to his ~Only true wish for Kaiula...~

His insertion whole, he stops, feeling her shivering body under the pain. He plants a kiss to soothe her loss. A long night for her to learn...

A letter is smeared on the edge of the bridge lays among handmade stars. The ink paints it red over an ebony texture, a list of wishes under days of holidays, with one hidden at its other side: -- On the thirteenth day of Christmas, Miss Claus has given,

Twelve vials of nectar,

Eleven crowns of kings,

A ten-kilo bag of herbs,

Nine bottles of milk,

Eight gleaming coats,

Seven sublime games,

Six heavenly cakes,

Five peerless trees,

Four-morning stars,

Three bound emperesses,

Two foiled expeditions,

One Kinship stone,

And one loved Shakalaka...