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 Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2016 1:02 pm
Humming Christmas carols happily to herself, Misha half-skipped down the hallway of the Dionysus dorm. She went just slow enough to check for name plates; this little Santa's Helper had a very particular mission. When she spotted the door marked "Rob," she slowed and her smile widened. "There you are," she murmured with satisfaction. She glanced down at the brightly be-ribboned bag in her hand and gave a little wriggle of excitement. She loved giving presents. There were few things more enjoyable and, to be honest, some of those things were illegal to do in public. Illegal or at least in dubious taste. Misha giggled before shifting the bag to one hand and using the other to smooth down one hip and give a quick tug to the bottom hem of her gloriously tacky sweater-dress. Thank goodness, she was short; it made the dress a little more modest. She still wore thick green tights, though, and little black ankle booties with a modest heel. Lifting her hand, she knocked and could not quite resist using the moment to tap out a somewhat mangled few bars of Jingle Bells. She really hoped Rob was home. She couldn't wait another day to give him his gift!
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Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2016 1:23 pm
The door opened, and a messily dreadlocked head poked out. "Hallo?" Rob half-grumbled, eyes narrowed, then he saw Misha and his face lit up with a grin. "Misha! Well well, aren't you just the little Christmas elf? Come in, come in, please pardon the mess…" He opened the door wider so she could enter the room. "I was workin' on a song." Kicking a couple items of clothing on the floor to the side, he went back to his bed and sat, picking up the Les Paul that was laying on the mattress and setting it in his lap again. He looked like he'd just woken up, plain white t-shirt rumpled and barefoot in his thoroughly shredded jeans. Absently he strummed a couple short chords on the guitar, the sound coming out of the small practice amp (volume turned way down out of courtesy to Ernst) sharp and crunchy. "What brings you here then, love? What can ol' Robbie do for you?"
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Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2016 1:40 pm
Grinning ear to ear as she followed him into the room, Misha promptly took a stance directly in front of him - feet planted shoulder-width and the bag held behind her in both hands and her head tipped to one side. "You can answer me a question, of course... Have you been a good boy all year, Rob, m'dear?"
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Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2016 5:08 pm
Rob chuckled. "Depends on what you mean by good. Saints and sinners, aren't we?" Letting fly with a quick riff, he gave Misha a lopsided cheeky grin. "In some ways I'm a very, very bad boy. In others, I'm bloody magnificent." He noodled on the guitar more slowly as he spoke. "But I reckon I've been a good boy this year. I mean, just look at the Alps thing, the swamp thing. In that regard, we've all been good." Stilling the strings with his hands, he made to peer behind her. "Whatchu got there?"
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Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2016 7:05 pm
"Oh,just a little something-something." Misha chuckled and rocked forward on the balls of her feet and then back onto her heels. He was fun to tease and he was taking it well so she could not quite resist. She gave him her best, most innocent smile. She gave a nod at his guitar. "Do you know any Christmas songs?"
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Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2016 9:10 pm
"Do I know any Christmas songs," Rob replied with an 'are you kidding' expression on his face. He immediately fingered out the opening riff to "I Believe in Father Christmas" before deciding that song was a bit dark and sarcastic for such a fetchingly-dressed Christmas elf as Misha. (Yes, he had noticed how well she filled out the sweater dress she was wearing, and he almost considered that his present.) Then he thought of the perfect song. Making a couple adjustments on his little practice amp, he experimentally strummed a couple of chords, then paused before strumming the opening chord and launching into the song. Merry Christmas, I don't want to fight tonight with…Merry Christmas, I don't want to fight tonight Merry Christmas, I don't want to fight tonight Merry Christmas, I don't want to fight tonight with you Where is Santa at his sleigh? Tell me why is it always this way? Where is Rudolph? Where is Blitzen, baby? Merry Christmas, merry merry merry Christmas All the children are tucked in their beds Sugar-plum fairies dancing in their heads Snowball fighting, it's so exciting baby I love you and you love me And that's the way it's got to be I loved you from the start 'Cause Christmas ain't the time for breaking each other's heart Where is Santa at his sleigh? Tell me why is it always this way? Where is Rudolph? Where is Blitzen, baby? Merry Christmas, merry merry merry Christmas All the children are tucked in their beds Sugar-plum fairies dancing in their heads Snowball fighting, it's so exciting baby Ay yeah yeah yeah I love you and you love me And that's the way it's got to be I knew it from the start 'Cause Christmas ain't the time for breaking each other's heart Merry Christmas, I don't want to fight tonight with Merry Christmas, I don't want to fight tonight with Merry Christmas, I don't want to fight tonight with you Rob let the ending chord fade, then looked up at Misha. "Was that Christmassy enough?" he grinned.
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Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2016 9:56 pm
Her hands were too full to applaud unfortunately so Misha did the best alternative that came to mind. Pursing her lips, she gave a low whistle of appreciation. Her grey eyes shone bright with amusement. "I would say that is plenty Christmassy," she replied with a giggle. "You're full of the holiday spirit... Or spirits?" She smirked. "Must be a Dionysus thing." Then she brought her hands around to her front again and her smile grew twenty times brighter. The brightly colored bag swung in her grip and the curlicues of ribbons sprouted from it in a joyous mess. "Merry Christmas, Rob, and... Happy Xenia Time!"
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Posted: Sun Dec 11, 2016 7:13 pm
Rob blinked in surprise. "You mean… you? Got something for me?" Setting the guitar down on the bed, he slowly stood, a smile growing across his face. He honestly hadn't expected the wish list he'd tossed into Hestia's flame to actually result in someone giving him a gift -- though he should have realized it, after getting the request for a gift for Asher. This Xenia thing was fantastic."Thank you so much, Misha." Tentatively he took the gift bag from the brightly smiling Aphrodite Chosen and eyed it. "Wow, you really went balls to the wall, didn't you?" he grinned. Putting the bag up to his ear, he gently shook it, looking for all the world like a little kid at Christmas. "Um, I can't open it yet, can I? Am I supposed to wait until the official Xenia Day or something? I don't know how this works…"
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Posted: Sun Dec 11, 2016 7:33 pm
Misha shrugged, laughed, and shook her head. "Well, since I'm the one doing the giving, I totally grant you permission to open it right now. I want to make sure you like it. The suspense will kill me if I have to wait for Christmas." She bit her lower lip and watched with amusement as Rob gave the bag a shake. Her arms wrapped around her torso. It was hard not to push the bag towards him and demand immediate gratification. "Sooooo... Open it already!" she demanded. He had to dig through layers of tissue paper and ribbon but, eventually, he found his prize. A little card accompanied it, easily dismissed for the moment in favor of the present itself. Misha had taken time, angsted, and stepped as far out of her comfort zone as possible. She had made a trip back to Philadelphia for the gift and it showed local craftsmanship in that DIY punk-scene way that proved ubiquitous. A black hoodie, the logo split by the zipper, a few random band pins fastened to the front. Misha watched him intently, hope in her grey eyes.
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Posted: Mon Dec 12, 2016 2:39 pm
Rob removed the zip-front sweatshirt from the bag and held it out in front of him. "A hoodie! Wait, what's this on the front…" He studied the design adorning the front of the hoodie, then burst out laughing. "Holy s**t, it's like a punk dinosaur, innit! I dunno what a Spraynard is, but they have good taste. An' there's pins on it!" Unzipping the zipper, he shrugged into it and zipped it up. "This'll go great under my jacket -- extra warmth for these bloody cold winter days here." He reached out and pulled Misha into his arms, giving her a tight, happy hug. "Thank you, Misha! I love it. What a great gift!"
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Posted: Mon Dec 12, 2016 5:49 pm
Delighted at his reaction and more than a little relieved (punk, after all, was completely out of her comfort zone), Misha hugged him back full-force. Her arms slipped around his waist and she shamelessly snuggled into the affection with a giggle. "I'm so glad!" she answered. "I hoped that my sources gave me the best ideas." She drew back a bit but kept her arms around his waist and grinned up at him. "I understand that Spraynard is a local punk band and that hoodie was actually printed up at a local shop, owned by a guy who does the punk scene himself."
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Posted: Mon Dec 12, 2016 6:59 pm
Rob almost considered the enthusiastic hug from Misha yet another Christmas present. She was warm and smelled really good and he couldn't help but bury his face in her hair as they hugged. Brian was a lucky guy to have the interest of such a hot, sweet, hot, affectionate, hot girl like Misha. "Be sure to thank your source for me. This is a fantastic gift." He kept his hands on her shoulders as she pulled back and returned her grin. "Really? That makes it even better. If there's one thing about the punk scene, it's very tight, you know? It's also very DIY, very make things happen yourself. It's great that now I have a connection to the punk scene in… Philadelphia, right? I hope I remembered right," and his grin went a bit sheepish.
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Posted: Sat Dec 17, 2016 8:28 am
"You certainly did. Good memory." Misha reached up to set her hands on his as they gripped her shoulders and gave them a squeeze. The happiness on his face made her even more pleased with her choice. She had striven to hit the right mix of practical and meaningful. A few favors, some consultation, and a trip home added up to the present and his reaction made her want to preen. She might have known very little about punk music but she liked to think she knew a bit about him and how to ask the right questions. She would have to thank Reject for the tips. "And I picked that up when doing my legwork," she giggled. "I couldn't believe how darn crafty the scene is or how connected everyone is. You know how it is. You see punks in movies and on TV and you think it's all Sid Vicious and Johnny Rotten but it's not. The guys who helped me were downright sweet."
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Posted: Wed Dec 21, 2016 2:29 pm
"Yeah, us punks can be right sweethearts if we're of a mind to be." Rob's happy grin stayed firmly in place as he gazed down at Misha. "Especially when someone comes in from outside respectin' the scene an' those in it." He looked down at the front of the sweatshirt again, glancing at the band buttons. He'd have to look these guys up online and further investigate the scene in Philly. "If you see the bloke who made this again, or the Spraynard lads, tell 'em Rob Anybody from London thinks they're alright," he said, his grin going wry. "They'll get it." He kissed the top of her head. "Thank you again. This is a fantastic gift." Releasing her, he gestured over at the mini-fridge. "Can I get you anything? A beer, some wine?"
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Posted: Fri Dec 23, 2016 7:25 pm
"I'll trust you to pick out a beer for me." Misha glanced around the room again with interest, absorbing his decor and the level of tidiness. Then she grinned again, this time a bit more to herself, and sauntered over to sit on his bed with a flounce. She crossed her booted feet at the ankles and set her hands flat on the mattress behind her, bracing herself on straightened arms. "Nothing too heavy, though."
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