"Deck the halls with boughs of hollyyyyyyy~" Ennéa sang at the top of her lungs. She wadded up a t-shirt and shoved it into the backpack sitting on her bed. Her packing method was haphazard, as usual, and the bag was already bulging near to capacity but she cheerfully attempted to shove her notebook in anyway. The cover started to bend and several of the pages wrinkled. Ennéa paused and tugged out a pair of shorts and carelessly tossed them aside, "Fa-la-la-la-laaaaaaa-" the notebook just barely fit in the newly made space, "la-la-la-LA!"

Ennéa zipped the bag closed and nodded in satisfaction; she then looked around her dorm room. She had hung several handmade colored paper chains around her window and her wardrobe dresser a couple days ago, but the festive decorations did little to brighten the small austere space. Not that it mattered though, she soon would be leaving.

The thought bubbled up in a thrill of Joy. She would be leaving! Good-bye, boring old dorm room! Ennéa giggled and twirled. "'Tis the season to be jollyyyyyyy~!" She sang.

Only, you're not being jolly, you're being an idiot. Baraz informed her sourly.

"Baraaaaz," Ennéa grinned and mentally prodded, practically nooggying, the ahriman, "Finally talking to me again, huh? Done sulking?"

Hey, cut that out! In her mind, Ennéa could hear Baraz's wings rustling as he 'moved' further away from her. She chuckled and flopped on the edge of her bed to begin lacing up her shoes.

And I wasn't sulking. Baraz said after a moment.

"Could have fooled me." She said. She tied the laces into a neat bow and then moved on to her other foot.

Baraz growled in frustration. Bickering with Ennéa was nothing new; they always squabbled or just plain drove each other crazy in that way two close companions tended to do. But somehow this fight seemed different. In the past, even when Ennéa rolled her eyes at him or willfully did the exact opposite of what he commanded her to do, Baraz knew that she wasn't just ignoring him. Well, okay, she was ignoring him but it wasn't the same kind of ignoring as this.

This... It was like he was arguing with wall that sang holiday carols. Maybe 'arguing' wasn't even the right word; Baraz was plenty upset but Ennéa's buoyant good mood refused to be deflated no matter how much he yelled at her. It was like everything he said just bounced off and nothing truly reached her.

It pissed him off, but more than that, it oddly hurt somehow; that Ennéa could so blithely ignore him like this.

You're really going to do this. He said miserably.

"Well, yeah." Ennéa paused in her shoelace tying. "Why wouldn't I be? I've been saying all along that I'm going to--"

Ennéa, Baraz impatiently cut in, stubbornly determined to somehow make her really *listen* to him anyway. This isn't like skipping a practice session or blowing off writing a mission report, I.... I mean, they would... we could-- you could get into serious trouble for this!

"Baraz..." Ennéa said in a gentle, almost patronizing voice like one would use to soothe a cranky child. "Things will work out somehow, you'll see. It'll be okay."

But that's just the thing!! It's not-- listen to yourself! It was all Baraz could do to keep from screeching at her. Do you even know what you're doing??! He flapped his wings in agitation. You're talking about desertion.

"Pfft." Ennéa said, utterly unconcerned. She finished tying her shoes and hopped off the bed. "This isn't the military. It'll be fine~"

Do you think Mister Fancy Hair -- what's his name...s**t. No, wait! Caelius would accept that??

Ennéa's smile faltered a little at the thought of being confronted by the senior hunter and Baraz held a hopeful breath.

But then Ennéa's thoughts turned towards walking through the old apartment door to see her mom and her brother both jumping up from the couch and running to welcome her home and that joyous thought made even fears of Caelius' wrath and Circle's blade seem piddling in comparison.

She shrugged carelessly. "I don't think Caelius cares enough to come after some hunter trainee. And even if he did come to get me, we'll figure something out, right Baraz?" Ennéa held up her wrist to look at the blue beard charm on her bracelet; Baraz's unsummoned form. The bead looked dull and lusterless. "Stop being such a worrywart. This isn't like you." She flicked the bead and the split-pupil glared up at her. Ennéa shrugged and then hefted her backpack. "It'll be fine and... we'll have a wonderful Christmas. The best Christmas ever!" Ennéa twirled in her excitement. "You'll see!"

And with that she strode out the door and down the dorm hallway.

---------

Ennéa peeked around the door frame with her hands clasped together and pointer fingers extended in a pretend gun pose. The corridor of Deus Ex was empty, just as the one before that, and the one before that. Still, it was necessary to take precautions. Holding her breath, Ennéa quickly dived into a somersault roll and then sprang up and plastered herself against the wall on the opposite side of the doorway.

She suppressed the urge to giggle; this was fun. It was like she was on a top secret spy mission. Or no, a ninja mission. She would slip out like a shadow and no one would be the wiser.

You look ridiculous, you know. Baraz was sulking, he knew that, and yet there was little else he could do. It was so frustrating being ignored and Ennéa's ridiculous finger gun somehow made him even more upset. Axes were far superior, after all. If anyone came by and saw you they would be instantly suspicious by the way you're acting.

"Shush, Baraz, you'll blow our cover!" Ennéa hissed at him. Baraz rolled his eye.

Ennéa quickly scurried down the corridor and then out across the courtyard, ducking her head down and sprinting across the open space. She paused against the outer wall to catch her breath before reaching out for the door handle to enter the next building.

Loud, raucous laughter and cheering caused Ennéa to freeze and she quickly looked about for the source of the sound.

...probably just the Christmas party. Baraz quietly said after a couple of tense moments. All this sneaking around was getting him tense and worked up too, damnit.

Ennéa released the breath she had been holding and nodded. Christmas party. Right. That would explain why there seemed to be hardly anyone around. She grinned. Well, that just made things easier.

She straightened up and pulled the door open and walked in. They were almost to the portal room.

Another loud round of cheers caused her to flinch but then she forced herself to relax. Ennéa looked dubiously down the corridor to the open set of doors festooned with Christmas lights and decorations. Must be a wild party. She thought she could hear Robert laughing.

You sure you don't want to say goodbye? Baraz asked as casually as he could. He was starting to form a desperate plan. Even if he couldn't make her see reason perhaps one of her friends could. Ennéa would listen to Jordan, he hoped.

"Uhh..." Ennéa took a couple steps towards the doors and then hesitated. She needed to leave now if she wanted to be home for Christmas...

You'll regret it if you don't say anything. Baraz nudged her; they were so close to the doors.

Ennéa spun on her heel and ran the opposite way.

Noo-- uh, what are you doing?? Baraz yelped.

Ennéa shifted the backpack on her shoulders and kept running. "I do regret it." She said, and then she laughed. The sound was high and almost desperate. "So that's why I need to leave, so I can apologize to him!"

And what about your friends?

"They're not my family!" Ennéa snapped. She careened into a corner and nearly tripped and fell but somehow she managed to keep her feet and kept running. "CHRISTMAS is all about spending time with your FAMILY."

Baraz couldn't think of anything else to say to her.

-----------

The portal spat them out in an alleyway near the mall in the city center, where most of the stores were for easy Christmas shopping. Ennéa blinked and stood dazed for a couple moments. She had been at Deus for only a couple months and yet the human world seemed almost too bright and colorful now. Hordes of last minute shoppers thronged the sidewalks and jostled about, leaving Ennéa suddenly and inexplicably feeling very lost and alone.

She wandered down the street, pushed along with all the other pedestrians past busy stores and panhandlers. She vaguely knew where she was but... she turned and scurried down another street that had looked familiar until she realized it didn't connect to the main road like she thought it did. She didn't recognize even half of the buildings here either. At this rate she would never find the metro station she was hoping to reach.

Unease was beginning to prickle along the back of Ennéa's neck and she chewed on her lip as she considered another intersection. Neither street looked right and so she just picked a one at random, jogging along until it dead-ended at a brick wall. "Ugggh!" She stomped her foot in frustration.

Ennéa didn't want to backtrack so she stubbornly climbed the low wall only to find a dark alley on the other side. She leaned against one of the buildings and closed her eyes, thunking the back of her head against the wall.

Was this her world anymore? According to Deus Ex, all hunters were officially classified as dead. Maybe she really was just a ghost, like those shades she used to see hovering about in graveyards and in the darkest street shadows; lost and haunting the last memories dear to them.

She jumped when she felt a brush of warm leathery skin. Baraz. You're not a ghost but this isn't your place any more. You know that. He said with almost uncharacteristic gentleness. Come on, are you satisfied now? Let's go back, okay? He pleaded.

Ennéa hunched and squatted down at Baraz's words and then suddenly there were tears. "I can't, I can't" She wailed. "Don't you see, Baraz? I- I- I left without saying anything to Tobias. Now they think I'm dead and my friends all hate me, he's going to spend Christmas all alone and racked with guilt and I'm going to be kicked out from Deus and--" Ennéa messily wiped her nose on the back of her jacket sleeve and then just as suddenly she was laughing again. "I don't even know where the nearest metro station is, damnit..." Her laughter was so loud she was beginning to draw curious looks from passerby. "How stupid is that?? I should know where it is."

Ennéa... What is wrong with you?? Baraz's single blue eye stared at her in concern. This... this isn't normal, even for you.

Ennéa pulled herself to her feet and swayed. "Nothing is normal anymore, Baraz!" She said breezily. "I mean, you're a monster who's sometimes an axe that lives in my head. That's not normal~" She wiped at her eyes and then walked to the mouth of the alley and grabbed the wrist of nearest person walking past. "Excuse me?" She asked plaintively. "Can you tell me where the nearest station is? I need to show my family that I'm still alive."

-------

Ennéa swung her feet to and fro and hummed Christmas carols tunelessly to herself as she sat on the train's hard plastic seat. "Next stop's ours, Baraz!" She said aloud, bouncing with excitement.

It was midday and further away from the city center there were fewer people on the train. A old lady a couple seats ahead of them turned and gave Ennéa a funny look but Ennéa was completely oblivious. Baraz groaned.

You can always talk to me without speaking, you know.

"Huh?"

Never mind. He sighed, unsure what to say next. Obviously, there was something wrong beyond Ennéa's usual hare-brained impulsiveness but he didn't know what to say or do -- not that there was anything that he could do, he thought bitterly.

So you're not going back ever? He finally asked.

Ennéa paused in her leg swinging. "Oh, I don't know." She said, dismissively. "Maybe, maybe not. Then again Mom might ground me for running away and then I won't be able to go back." She tittered.

And so you'll just forget everything. All the things you've seen? All the battles we've fought together?

Ennéa made a face. "Don't be so melodramatic, Baraz, geez. Like I could forget some of those fights even if I wanted to." The old lady stood up and shuffled several rows further away from Ennéa. "I'm not" She used air-quotes to punctuate the word, "'forgetting' anything."

Baraz stubbornly tried another tactic. Oh yeah? What about your friends, your Phoenix squad? What about me?

Ennéa huffed in frustration and got to her feet, agitatedly pacing the narrow train car aisle. "What about you?! What about me??" The few remaining passengers seated near Ennéa turned and stared at her. "I. Just. Want. To see my brother." She yelled. "I want to have Christmas together. Is that so hard???"

Ennéa...

"No!" She stomped her foot. "No! I'm going to do this, so shut up already!" And then she was laughing again. "You're such a jerk, Baraz." She rubbed her thumb along the glass bead of her bracelet and for a moment Baraz was terrified that she'd take it off and toss it away again like she had that one time during their first mission.

She didn't though. Ennéa merely stood there, rubbing the glass charm. Her shoulders shook. After a tense couple of moments Baraz licked his non-existent lips and spoke up again, Okay. Ennéa's shoulders hunched at his voice. Okay, it's okay. He soothed her.

The train ground to a halt and the tinny loudspeaker above their heads announced the station. The other passengers in the car quickly stepped off to get away from Ennéa. She ignored them.

Um, isn't this our stop? Baraz finally ventured.

Ennéa's head snapped up. "Ack! You're right!" And she quickly darted off before the train doors could close.

------------

Ennéa skipped down the road to the old apartment building. Here, at least, was fully familiar. The same old liquor store on the corner; the same old park with its copse of trees, currently leafless and dead this time of year. She remembered it all and her heart soared with the Joy of it.

Ennéa pranced up the stone steps and reached out her hand to tug on the door handle. Her nerves were all a buzz with anticipation. She did it! She'd soon see her family, she'd soon see Tobias, and soon there would be apologies and hugs and forgiveness and... and...

This was going to be the best Christmas ever...

It had to be.