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"Christmas?" He chimed. This would be his first christmas away from the mansion, and the horrors known as the 'psych ward' and the 'doctors' that treated the less than mentally stable children. Christmas was a joke there, an excuse to humiliate and berate the children, as though they were 'bad' for having improper brain chemistry. Another tired excuse to reform them, gifts were only given to those with marked improvement. Still, on the occation that A'Hallei had escaped from the clutches and traveled the rest of the mansion, it was always filled with lights and baubles and tinsel and all manner of pretty shiny things.

What the hell. A'Hallei nodded. Makenna wouldn't hurt him.

A'Hallei nodded, adding a smile in as well. Makenna would go to extra legnths to make it special for him? He was really too nice. A'Hallei leaned down and briefly touched noses with Makenna, a signal of affection.

"How...help?" A'Hallei asked, wondering how he could help make this christmas special. Makenna couldn't really remember, and A'Hallei was even more clueless than that lad. Still, if he needed to cut down a tree- he would. Steal decorations? He could do that too. He'd need to get a gift, that was for sure. What did Makenna like? He drew, A'Hallei knew that much, he cooked sometimes, but he had the feeling his friend wasn't too fond of that. They liked kissing too...

So many things to think about, and he was starting to get tired. Slowly, A'Hallei's eyelids slid ever more closed.

A'Hallei was out like a light when Makenna began to lightly play with the extended strands of his hair. Not even dreams came to disturn the haunted boy's sleep. He'd supposed he should be worried about Samsara, since the incident at the docks, he'd heard no sound, not the faintest whisper of his brother, and for a while, had worried that he had died sometime after the vampire had rescued him.

Samsara drifted from his mind and Makenna entered again, along with this whole christmas dealie. He'd need a present for Makenna, as well. He went to such troubles to ensure their survival out here in the treehouse, it was the least he could do. A'Hallei already had an idea, but it would require another trip to the forge to cause this idea to come to fruiton.

A'Hallei was up before dawn broke the next morning. Drowsily, he looked down at the obsidian haired angel before him, and mussed the black hair slightly. Careful to not wake the sleeping boy, A'Hallei slid from the cots, shivering in the early morning chill, and seriously considered diving back under the covers to the warmpth of his friend.

No. He had work to do. The storm had abated the night before and on overriding smell of dampness pervaded the air. A'Hallei shimmied into his armour with the silence he was so known for, the silence of a windless snowstorm. Grabbing a sheet of paper from Makenna's things and a pencil, he quickly wrote out a note in very peculiar handwriting. It read,

Obsidian,

I'm going to the black place of brimstone and the orange haired adult for supplies, and things. Darkness may reign again before my return, but don't try to stay awake to wait. Remember to eat something today, and relax, you've worked hard enough, and I am grateful. Don't worry, Christmas will be good this year.

Thank you.

It was unsigned, but he knew Makenna would know who it was from. Setting down the pencil, he let down the ladder and decended into the pre dawn abyss.
For someone who had such trouble speaking, he was a marvel with his hands, and his writing proved his intelligence.

It was nightfall before A'Hallei returned, a gift tucked securely under his arm. The snow was bitter and cold, the wind whipping him with icy lashes, lifting his long hair behind him. The strands lifted toward the sky like white fingers, grasping at the dark air above in futility.

Armor shielded him for the most part, but A'Hallei wished for nothing more than a blanket and Makenna, and maybe the prospect that his friend might like his gift. Hell, he'd spent all day on it, working like a madman.

The ghostly boy scaled the treehouse trunk, emerging into the warm interior. Setting down the package on the floor, he dropped to his hands and knees and gave himself a vicious shake like a dog, flinging snow this way and that around the enterance. He felt much better. Clutching his wrapped gift protectively, he waited for Makenna's return.

"Mmmm." A'Hallei purred in response, pulling Makenna's chilled body against his armor and sealing his lips with a pretty hot kiss. A'Hallei's taut muscles shifted under his plated protection, and he gently ran the sharpened points of his gauntlet down his friend's back. 'Mine.' was chanted in his head, 'Mine.'

What day exactly was this chrismas? He'd not the faintest of clues what day it was now, or when he was supposed to finally give Makenna his present. Releasing the dark haired boy he glanced to the bags he had brought along. Curiosity flickered in those neon green orbs as he spied it. How long had Makenna been out? He was supposed to stay in and relax! A'Hallei could feel the chill in his friend's skin and rubbed it gingerly. Concern showed in his eyes for his friend.

A'Hallei watched the air mattress with interest. He'd never seen a bed that flat. Wait, no, Makenna mentioned blowing it up, so that meant it was a bed baloon? How queer! The fleece did have an appealing look to it though, very soft.

A'Hallei knew something else that was soft, too.

But now wasn't the time to get into that. Makenna queried if he wanted his gift. Reaching out, A'Hallei pulled from the floor his own carefully wrapped package, though by now it was a little sodden from the snow, and had at least two tiny puncture holes in it from his claws, still, it looked pretty good. With a smile, he handed it to Makenna, with the intent of exchanging presents.

Within the confines of the box was a carefully made circlet of steel. Hammered as thin as a ribbon, the carefully wound strips formed celtic knots, and over where Makenna's ears would be, three strips flared back and out, much like the spines of an underwater creature. Of marvelous make, it was fully adjustable as well, his pride and joy.

The book was taken with a somewhat quizzical expression. He'd seen the contents of the book before, and hadn't seen Makenna draw anything recently. As far as could be told too, Makenna had been out and about all day as well. Flipping the book over to the back, the ghostly boy nodded at Makenna.

Nimble fingers lifted the back cover, revealing the sketches to curious eyes. For an extended moment A'Hallei just stared at them, a gentle smile ever stretching across his face. His ears wiggled slightly with delight, and those green eyes peered up at Makenna, seeking the reaction to the present A'Hallei had given him.