Welcome to Gaia! ::

The sweater was perfect. A soft, thick cable knit in bubblegum pink, just the right size. It had been getting colder on the island since the month began, and the trainee in question was prone to running around in a t-shirt at best, bare-chested and bleeding at worst. In fact...

She finished wrapping the giant box and stared at it with a deep sense of satisfaction. Mittens, a scarf, and a ridiculous unicorn winter hat had joined the sweater. These were quickly followed by several packs of socks and underwear, because the quartermaster never gives trainees enough of those. Plus there was the...Julie situation, which she's rather just pretend she never witnessed, but if he was going to be...having relations of any sort with the Moon assistant, then hygiene would be important. So Clarice added a toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, mouthwash, deodorant, body wash, shampoo, and conditioner into the rapidly growing package. She wasn't going to let Julie turn her trainee into a breeding ground for disease...

...

...she threw in a package of condoms too, just in case. The glow-in-the-dark kind, because Julie once went on about intimate raves, and Clarice didn't want to seem unhip or out of touch in comparison. As an afterthought she added a bag of apples, because he probably wasn't eating enough fruit. The bottle of iron supplements was an obvious necessity, and the package of cookies was just so that he'd have an immediate alternative to those special ones.

The box itself was a large, sparkling pink confection with a giant white bow on top. Goddamn, it was beautiful. Just looking at warmed her heart with...wait...oh god wait...what was this feeling? Could it be...


Clarice looked slightly nauseous at the thought. This couldn't happen. Her reputation...the doctor would...she was too young for this sort of s**t. She liked to think of herself as somewhat nice and giving, at least in comparison to their superiors, but this was a bit much. The blonde couldn't bring herself to not give him the package, so it was pretty fortunate that the holiday itself provided a convenient fallguy.




Sadly, robotic arms weren't really Clarice's thing, so she made Davey the next best thing: an excessively pimped-out golf cart. Supposedly to help with the fetch and carry missions the doctor so loved sending the poor guy on. She had briefly considered getting him a Rascal scooter, but in a moment of all-too brief insight, figured he'd probably get sullen over the scooter's public image, which involves overweight geriatrics. Golf carts are least kind of sporty.

As a gift, it's kind of...large. Especially for a trainee. Fortunately she could schmooze the Deus accounting department like Dr. H through a pool full of drunk co-eds: at once ruthless and thorough, and completely without shame. The time put into the cart's modifications did raise a few eyebrows, but the lab techs' attitudes toward the project went from raised eyebrows to fascination by the time the thrusters were put in. It became something of a pet project for a number of senior Life hunters. Some may have even had Davey's best interests on mind, but most just thought it would be really cool to rig a golf cart to turn into a boat. Because that was some ******** Bond s**t right there.

The final product was a thing of beauty. It's chrome glistened, it's rims spun, it's hood proudly displayed the Union Jack, and it's horn played La Cucaracha. The engine and control panel glowed with the brilliant blue of the runes used, and while it would be an inanimate lump anywhere else in the world, the golfcart was quite possibly the most badass vehicle to ever grace the island. Probably a bit too badass for some trainee who wasn't even part of their division.

Clarice wouldn't let them keep it. It was going to Davey, she already had the handicap spot in front of the dorms painted and everything, so they could just suck it up and make another one later. So it was perhaps, with a touch of spite, that the techs wrote up a 1200 page instruction manual for the cart, dense in terms that were technical, magical, and completely made-up. Here and there were little diagrams and illustrations of the horrible things that would happen to Davey should he hit the wrong button at the wrong time. At the sight of both cart and manual, Dr. H felt a warm swell of pride rise up from the depths of his black-hearted soul.




The decanter was carefully packaged in a wooden box, labeled Blanton's Gold. The note attached was surprising pleasant, considering who the sender was.

He had now spent so much time on the island that Gale had forgotten just what it was like to do something other than train, sleep, and fight.

And die as well, but that was an entirely different story altogether.

When he woke up one morning and found a passport and bank card set neatly on his desk, Gale had just looked at it blankly for several moments - mostly because a) he had no idea what he was supposed to be doing with them, and b) Julie had decided to wake them all up at five in the bloody morning to tell them about some gala or other.

Needless to say, Gale was not exactly at his prime.

It was nearing nine when he finally managed to drag himself up and out of bed to take a closer look at the materials left for him. There was a neatly printed little note explaining just how much was on the bank card and that he, along with the rest of the trainees, were allowed one free day to visit back in the human world to buy Christmas gifts.

Gale stared at it with an expression similar to one of a deer caught in headlights.

...Christmas gifts?

He did not know what on earth he was supposed to buy. And for who, even? He was not really close to anyone - well, Bix, really, and maybe Before, but even then Gale mostly kept to himself. The others had formed sort of...groups, bonding together through shared experiences or similar likes. And with the exception of the albino and Before, Gale was not entirely certain just who to get gifts for.

...or, more importantly, what to get them, even. They were all guys. What exactly was he supposed to be getting them? And what about...well, the others? Was he supposed to get them gifts as well? A part of him wanted to just forget the whole thing and get nobody anything.

Then he realized it was a stupid idea, and so, resigned to his fate, Gale Gentry went shopping.

It took him almost the entire day - after all, Gale was not used to American prices in the slightest, and the first store he went to had him looking at it with a completely bemused expression, trying to shift the price from dollars to Euros in his head - and when that failed, he simply meandered around for several hours with absolutely no luck.

Finally he thought he had managed to get something for everyone - or, at least, the people he would probably have gotten gifts for under normal circumstances (whatever those were).

The first one was at least obvious and relatively easy to both pick out and wrap. Gale had seen the box through the store window and had known it would be the perfect gift for his white haired friend - though whether or not Bix thought so was an entirely different matter.



The second present was much harder to pick out. Gale wandered i and out of several different stores for several hours, trying to find a good present for the person in question, but nothing had come to mind.

This is why guys do not buy good presents.

He hoped Before appreciated his present, considering all of the sniggering and giggles that had been directed his way as Gale had stood red faced at the counter to purchase it.

Jinhai hadn't stopped laughing for quite some time.



The third and fourth gifts were significantly harder, mostly because they were for girls and if there was anything Gale was not good at, it was deciding on a gift to give to a girl. The only females Gale had ever bought presents for were Leslie and his mother, but even then it had stopped once he had moved out of the house - which meant that Gale's lack of interaction with the opposite gender, combined with his general habit of keeping to himself, made it so he literally had no clue what to get.

That, and he could not even really know whether or not he was actually friends with these girls, or if they were simply acquaintances. Was it weird to send gifts to girls that you weren't romantically involved with?

Gale really hoped it wasn't. He was grateful to the both of them, for separate reasons, and he did not want them to think otherwise.

He finally settled on similar gifts for the both of them, to be dropped off quietly at both Ennea and Eva's dorms, Gale not waiting to see what their reactions would be.





He sincerely hoped he would not have to explain that he had had to follow girls around like a creepy stalker and then finally ask a salesperson what to get for girls that he was not "attached to" (as the gushing saleswoman had tried to wheedle out of him in spite of Gale's vehement and irritated denials that they were for girls he liked that way). Though his arguments had fallen on deaf ears, at least he'd managed to get something for the both of them.

The last gift Gale got was a tad easier than the girls' had been (thank the Queen). The older hunter was someone Gale looked up to, after all - and not only that, he was from his home country, a fact that made Gale feel less out of place and more like someone knew what he was talking about.

He decided to get the one-armed hunter something familiar.



And then it was time to return, back to the place that had started to become a home, regardless of whether or not Gale intended it to be. He debated on getting a gag gift for Caelius -

- he'd passed by a wig shop on his way out -

- but then thought better of it, not wanting to spend Christmas in the hospital wing. He felt bad for not getting the others gifts - but he could only spend so much time in this place without wanting to shoot himself. He would write them notes later, hopefully able to show his appreciation for them, instead wearily making his way back to his room to take a much needed nap.

The outside world.

For Otto, it didn't feel like it had been long. Being in a sort-of-coma kind of did that. Still, a personal day out in the real world was something Otto was glad to have.

The first thing he did? Hit up an arcade.

Sure, he'd been given money for Holiday spending, but being the selfish teenager he was, he decided to do something fun that he couldn't otherwise do. So for hours upon hours, Otto played shooting games, pinball games, racing games, and most of all dancing games. By the time he was tired, it had been at least 4 hours and spent almost 50 dollars. His slotted time away would be used up if he didn't get it together.

Now that he was fairly tired of running around the arcade, he made his way to the shopping district. Yes, even Otto celebrated Christmas. He'd never show it on that perma-scowl face of his, but he enjoyed the holiday. He walked slowly through the malls and sidewalks, enjoying the fresh air, but not so much the crowds. He purposely bumped people who got to close, and nearly got into a fight or two with anyone who so much as looked at him funny.

Store after store he browsed through, and not a penny spent. Eventually, he stopped at a bench. He stared at it long and hard, until he finally seemed to look like the bench had just insulted his mother, and kicked the ever loving crap out of it. “WHAT. THE. ********. DO. GIRLS. EVEN. WANT?!?!” He huffed, his foot sore and the bench still in one piece.

An old man passing by laughed and commented. "Been asking that my whole life, m'boy." And walked away.

The teen groaned and sat down, hunching his shoulders and crossing his arms. “I swear, I'ma ********' give'em both coal. Don't even care no more.” He grumbled, glaring at passer-bys and generally looking like a total grouch.

Shopping for Eva and Reine. That's what he was trying to do. Hours had ticked by with no ideas or anything. The blonde was at a loss. “Shoulda just asked them what they ********' wanted...”

Just then, he spotted a couple walking by. It appeared they'd just been shopping. The woman giggled and coo'd at her lover, hugging a large stuffed bear tightly to her chest. “Huh. So chics like s**t like that?” He murmured to himself. That just made his trip much easier!

The young man got up from the bench and booked it back to the mall and into a toy store.

Inside, children laughed, parents bought cartloads of popular toys, and Otto stood out like a sore thumb. A punk teen in the middle of a children's wonderland. He paid no mind to people's stares as he made a beeline for the stuffed animals, dragging a cart behind him.
He stared up at the wall of plushes, then simply started chucking random items inside the cart. Big plush, small plush, silly plush and cutesy plush. All kinds of plush. ALL OF THE PLUSH.

He dragged his cart of amazingness back to the cashier, children staring in wondrous awe at the pile of plushes. It took a while for the clerk to scan all of the items. The bill came to roughly $300. Otto grumbled about why stuffed toys cost so much and swiped his debit card through.

Otto left the store with oversized bags full of furry goodness, doing the math in his head of how much he had left.

The answer was not a whole lot. About a hundred left. If only just.

He wasn't buying anything for anyone else, so he decided that last bit would be for himself. After some careful pondering, he headed for a pawn shop to find something affordable to buy himself.
He left his bags of plushies at the counter as the clerk asked him to, and headed for the musical instruments. The island was so boring, he felt he needed something to amuse himself. He had only one thing in mind.

A drum set.

He'd had one back at home, but never thought to bring it, due to its size. However, since waking at the island facility, he grew to miss wailing on them day by day. He had to resort to wailing on things and.. people. A small set might fit inside his room, and would be easier to transport than his original one.

Finally, he set his sights on a starter set. It was worn, deco chipped, and probably the worst color of hot pink known to man kind. But it was cheap. For a drum set.
Still, it was $180. Cheap, but not affordable.
His little heart sank, though his face merely looked irritated. He stared at his wallet, and back at the set.

It was time to haggle.

Otto leaned on the counter like he owned the place, summoning up every ounce of his creativity and shmoozing powers for this feat.
An hour.
A whole hour of talking, chatting, and bargaining.

But not in vain. At $100, the drums were his. He managed to talk the man into giving him a very large suitcase for free due to the many holes and scrapes it had on it, and used that to pack the drums in. He had to get a little creative, as it didn't fit all of the components, and tied bits and parts to the outside of the luggage with rope.

By the time Otto arrived back at Duez Ex, he was tired. And it showed. He dragged his haul of plushies and drum kit filled luggage back to his room and slammed the door. He kicked away his clothes and things to make room on the floor.

Eva and Reine's gifts would not be wrapped. Otto simply divided the plushies evenly into two bags each and tied a note to each one.
Each bag had 30 stuffed animals of various sizes, and a hand written note on scrap paper.

The presents were left outside their doors, and Otto went back to his room to sleep the rest of the night and day away.





((1022 Word count))

They had just a short window of opportunity. The holiday shopping was to be done and Marcus had spent the night before struggling to think of gifts. Cass… He already had plans for. Hell, he had a lot of plans for. Gifts were just the tip of the iceberg for her. But people like Jeremy, Jude, Jordan, (so many dudes with J names), Leon, Gale- Marcus might know them, but he sure as all hell didn’t know what to get them. People liked to keep to themselves on the island, but he’d be damned if it didn’t make holiday shopping anything but easy.

First up on his list, Leon, boxer and just a general nice guy to be around. He punched that one guy apparently due to s**t in tirals and hey, not the best but ******** if that wasn’t amusing. He was a boxer and might like something related to that? He knew a prank gift but- In the end, Leon would get his gag gift first, then he actual gift. The gag gift was a box of ‘small’ (well as small as he could find) condoms with a note saying ‘I thought you might like ones your actual size). The real gift? Green hand wraps, a mouth guard, and also a bit on the joke side, a cup. ‘Don’t break em’ was the note for that one. As a final bit of good measure, a glove dryer and deodorizer. Marcus was willing to bet that s**t got nasty.

Jude- honestly Marcus wasn’t too sure what to get Jude. A small gag gift of cheap ‘pumps’ ‘For the height issues’, but the real gift, was just a bundle of world history books and a ‘How to handle Idiots’ help guide.

Gale was weird. Poor kid got a small medical kit with the note (so you don’t die after every sparring match), and he also got a small DVD player along with a few BBC documentaries on hauntings, some English scones and crackers, and one note that said, ‘One free ticket to a true New York style Pizza’. Marcus was hoping that if Gale wanted pizza, he’d go for New York, none of that Chicago bullshit.

Bix.. Bix got a note saying ‘You suck at secrets’ and a small box of rum chocolates and a copy of playboy. ‘Because I know how lonely you must be.’ In Marcus’s defense he thought it was funny.

Jordan was given a ‘get out of helping with a mission’ card. He, like Jude, got some books, (only these were on inventions and a few of combat and weaponry), he’s also gotten a pair of very fuzzy socks. Mostly since they were extra when he’d gotten Robert a pair of pants.

Jeremy- no idea. The poor guy got a card and some candy.
The card and candy went for a lot of people really, Marcus just..didn’t know what else to get them. Peppermint bark tins, candy canes, and his own guilty pleasure he had no idea people would like, chili chocolate.

He did however, get for all the trainees a pool table, the board games apples to apples, Risk, Stratego, and Monopoly. He also did the ‘main’ gift of getting about a dozen frozen New York style pizzas.

As for the leaders and assistants?

Clarice got a nice pair of light gray gloves with ‘touch pad’ sensitive finger tips. She also got a simple but nice light violet scarf.

Julie got a Tye-Dye your own t-shirt kit and a box of brownie mix. It just said ‘Have fun’.

And though he was dead, Marcus did pay a small visit to Ben’s grave, placing a sprig of holly near it.

Then- His death wishes.
Dr. H got an unsigned card saying ‘Please stop being a creeper over Cassandra’ and a book on medical ethics.

Caelius- yeah this one Marcus figured he was going to get s**t for in a way. It was a two part gift. The first was an actual gift he signed. It was A small CD player with speakers, minimalist, along with a CD of Tchaikovsky and a few packs of instant coffee. The gift he didn’t sign? A small package of maxi pads, a bottle of Midol, rose infused tea, fuzzy pink socks. ‘For that time of the month.’

Cass’s gifts were a little more secret, and he planned to give them to her in private. If anyone asked him, it wasn’t his body. No, it was just a few things he wanted to.. make the day special for her. Roses, ingredients for the meal, (Jordan had been kind enough to get him the cooking sherry), a few movies, a new blanket, a ghost buster tee shirt, some cute anti-ghost things, (like an anti-ghost spray. He didn’t know), perfume, a photo frame- and one gift that was definitely going to be just between them.

What a wonderful gift to give to a mother on Christmas! The knowledge of her only daughter’s untimely death. A mystery of which no New York cop would ever be able to solve. Her killer a John Doe, an unknown. The holidays would never be the same without Rita. It was heartbreaking, worthy of a good cry or two in the middle of the night. But for this reason the trainee would indulge in whatever festivities should come her way…She hoped that her mother would do the same.

It was the first item to be seen while in her groggy state; a mini-booklet holding a card, and on that card was her face and all things Minerva Di Paola related. Yes, it was a passport, and it didn’t take a rocket scientist to know what was implied by it being there. She could hardly hold back the excitement as it spread a smile across lips, and gathered her cheeks plump and tinged-pink just below her pinched gaze. She would have cradled it for days if she didn’t only have one to spend; two hands surveying the passports entirety up against the light, spinning it delicately with a sort of child-like wonderment. Was this real life? Would it pass as legit? Was she being punked?

The hatchling hoped not, because deductive reasoning said that today she was to see the world again.

The debit card was a bonus, slid into a pocket hastily as she stripped and redressed appropriately. In addition to the money, she reached for a sheet of paper (which had been written on profusely and neatly kept on her writing desk) and folded it four times before stuffing that too into her pants. Next stop was the restrooms to brush her teeth, to comb her hair, and to wash her face.. BUT THEN.

She was to find herself mingling amongst the other holiday shoppers along an unknown, unmarked avenue of shops and boutiques. A new, checkered scarf wrapped around her neck fresh off the shelves; its bag hoisting an assortment of jeans, shorts, tops, sweaters, undergarments, a heel or two, a lovely dress and accessories for any possible occasion; including the upcoming gala. The first stop had been a success, particularly for the woman who enjoyed a good bargain hunt. The price of all things fashionable? $200 even. That's with sales, tyvm.

But the slip of paper taken off her desk was soon lifted in front of hazel eyes and looked over critically; avoiding any and all attention which might be drawn onto her by sinking into a cutesy alleyway leading into an open courtyard. It was a list of names and gifts, some sporting layers of white-out underneath the final choices. Minnie didn’t know a lot of people. It sort of made shopping easier.



Would they like these things? Honestly, Minerva didn't know. But after stopping in almost every store up and down the avenue, picking up every last item, (including an assortment of candies and cookies for everyone at the facility) which totaled to about $50 alone; the trainee was beat. It was hard to say goodbye to the outside world for a second time; particularly having to swallow the fact that she couldn't contact her mom or be seen long enough for others to recognize her face.. but the outing was worth it. The freedom to do so without (from what she could see) watchful eyes making all the difference in the world. Making it easier to return to her room at nearly nine-o-clock in the evening to wrap all of the gifts and to set them out for the others to find on christmas morning.

It was definitely worth every penny.

Like most of the others, the first place Before went to buy things was where he was most familiar with. Namely the strings of boutiques his mother often forced him to accompany her to. He was glad that the attendants manning each boutique knew better than to comment on how he looked so much like the deceased Bates boy. Mostly out of a sense of propriety and decorum and less than the fact that his hair had grown longer than deemed fashionable and he wasn't decked head to toe in designer labels.

Still, he had the necessary funds to purchase all the items he required. All the gifts he got for his friends. Real friends who weren't only planning to mooch on him and his parent's money. Real friends who put up with his shenanigans and idiocy. The money he'd been given? Totes not enough to show his gratitude and appreciation. ;3;

His first instinct was to buy things for his Bros. Bix's taste in clothing unfortunately didn't seem to be in any of these stores, much to Before's disappointment. Then he decided he'll just need to take a cab and visit the strip mall! Gale, however, was luckier in that he found an optical shop that sold a very sharp-looking set of eye wear. Fit for a guy who shoots things! He didn't bother asking the price, just handed the debit card over together with instructions of wrapping it up as a gift. The card and the package was returned with a thank you, please come again that sounded more sincere than necessary.

Before's next stop took him a tad longer than the first.

This is... quite a refined venue you've chosen to spend your budget, silly Before... Vanna remarked at the hushed tones and the professional air the attendants used when they greeted and spoke to the trainee.

Before gave a mental shrug and said little else to his partner as he continued to give the woman showing him a selection of cashmere scarves details on just what he wanted. He was trying her patience, Before could tell but he needed that special something for a certain trainee. "Refined but still sorta badass." he finished. Eventually he found what he was looking for and again without bothering to ask for the price, handed his debit card over. The woman seemed to do a double-take at the particular design of the card.

Did he need to verify his id or something? O_O Luckily, the machine accepted the card without any further issue. Hurriedly, the trainee scooted right on out once he acquired his purchase. Hopefully he'll have the proverbial guts to actually give it to his intended recipient... He didn't have long to ponder on this too much when he spied the woman tuck a strand of her silky blond hair behind her ear.

Dude! He had to buy something for Jude! But what do you buy the guy who refuses to let you emo all over the place? :/ As copped out as his gift selection was, he figured he owed the death hunter trainee something for that ridiculous spar between them.

He was busy mulling over what else to buy when he passed a gourmet chocolatier store. And before Before knew it, he had stepped in and got himself a couple of choice goodies. Wouldn't you know it, he was at the liquor store. He had to be careful here, seeing as how most of the other trainees didn't realize he was actually of legal age to purchase and consume alcohol, he had his id card ready to prove that yes, he only looked and acted like he was twelve. He was, in fact, twenty one XP

"Are you certain you don't have the 7-year-old in stock?" Before needled, eying the racks of scotch and whiskies within the specifically tempered shop.

"Yes, I've checked twice at your request. And if you don't mind my opinion but the 23-year-old has a far more complex taste to it."

"Okay then, you're the expert." He shrugged and was out the door trying to balance his purchases in his arms. Teal eyes locked in on the bookshop with the quaint little cafe built in. He did remember Bix had books but something about the pretention of most of the titles made him rethink purchasing anything. That is, until he spotted some old titles in hardcover and immediately thought of Tori.

A fairly long cab ride filled with TMI on the driver's sanitary habits and sex life later, Before made a bee-line for the bookstore. And was promptly distracted by "PONIES!" he squealed at the display of colorful yet stylistically simple toys.

Silly Before, purchase Bix's present first. You may gawk over those pitiful excuse for nitemares later. Vanna reminded in annoyance.

Oh! Right! Kaaaaay~

Arriving at the bookstore, Before felt overwhelmed by all the graphic novels they had on display. Most of the titles he'd seen already in Bix's collection. As he thumbed through the Marvel and DC labels, he tilted his head at the word Vertigo. "Hey, bro!" he called out to the sales clerk lingering nearby. "This one any good?" he asked.

"Dude, that's like one of our hottest titles! You're in luck cuz there's only one complete set left."

Well, that certainly sold it for Before. Oh blind faith, when will you let go of poor Before?

"Any of them signed by the artist or writer?" It was a longshot.

"HA! You think we'd just have them on display if they were?"

Well, it was a longshot.

As he walked out of the shop, yet another thing for Gale caught his eye and well he couldn't resist! With a solemn promise that it was the last thing he would buy, he then went to splurge on the ponies~ PONIES FOR ALLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!! Returning back to Deus, he quickly set about delivering the presents. Hell, he even braved their leader's office doors. That is, he didn't necessarily knock. He just left them there and ran like his pants were on fire.

As one of the hatchlings, Eva found herself on a tighter budget than the older trainees, but she still had to buy gifts for eight people. So, she came to a simple decision: it would be better to sacrifice some of her time rather than having to get everyone a cheap gift. When Eva returned from her shopping trip with Reine, she had purchased a few items that were already ready to be delivered, but she had also bought bags upon bags of yarn balls.

Hey, they were having a sale, and yarn balls were really cheap. How could she say no? Along with knitting needles of varying sizes, the death trainee was ready to take on the daunting task of making everyone a gift. It wasn’t as if she didn’t have time either—there was still a while until Christmas, and it wasn’t as if she had a lot to do here. Knitting would be a good way to kill all those hours of boredom.

For a few weeks, her room was like kitten heaven. There were yarn balls everywhere. By the time she had actually finished everything, Eva was absolutely exhausted, having stayed up late a couple of nights to finish off some of the projects. The scarves (excluding the one she had meticulously hand sewn) were easy to make, but they had been pretty boring. It was a wonder that she was making scarves at all, considering that everyone had one as a part of their uniform, but oh well—it was the thought that count, right?

God, she was so tired...but it was time for deliveries.





















Once she was done with everything, the exhausted girl retreated to her dorm room to catch up on that much-needed rest.