Welcome to Gaia! ::

*Oh ******** - oh ******** - oh ******** water that ran ice cold as he nearly slipped and cracked his newly healed head open across the freshly cleaned tiles of his bathroom floor - caught himself on the side of his sink and swiped up his phone.

The special ‘Lysi best sis only’ tone that blared like a fairy light parade on blast, all chime and cheer, but also a rarity that he’d get a message from her at this hour. Let alone one so frantic and full of — of…

He didn’t know what the hell those emoji’s meant. Had barely even read the screen before he pulled on power - dried so fast he felt the wet wick clean off his skin like a sand blast - like — the worst towel drying ever. Honestly.

Except there was no time!! All the cryptic symbols must’ve meant a burglary? Someone flipping tables!!?

It was Nembus being Knight-Napped all over again, a feeling that easily married his own fears of failing - Faustite and —- and he wasn’t about to have that. Not Eions Sister, not his sister.

Stepped out of his bathroom at pace - plucked an ill begotten thing from behind his couch - and bamphed the ******** out. Nearly went blind as he dismounted into a space lit up with so many lights! Living room — tree — he turned and hollered for Lysi.

Senshi with a Shot-gun, and maybe it was overkill? For all that he had magic on tap. For all that he would’ve rather ended who-the-hell-ever it was with his own bare hands — “Ohkay! Who the ******** am I murdering.” because there was going to be murdering, because no one touched his family — because —-

“Lysi!” Nope wait — Ana - Anastasia like a princess, like a person!! And there she was standing in her kitchen, tables un-flipped, oven mitts in hand. The whole place looking like something out of a Christmas Carol wonderland; and him feeling a little too ‘Die Hard’ to question it all.

Orangeish Sherbert

It was official, he was definitely going to forever associate the smell of cookies with 'traps'. Gonna gain himself some points towards having cookie based panic attacks. Between Axinite and Lysi -- even though it smelled good - her whole house - her kitchen - how it was easier to focus on that for a moment. Pull the sweet smelling air in and out of his lungs while his massive heart tried not to beat straight out of his chest.

"Hi Ana" breathed soft syllables while he held her gaze, and spread his senses like wings. There was no one to kill - no auras lurking in the corners, or under the cupboards, nor in the oven itself. Not even a rat youma chewing stolen sugar cubes in a crawl space.

No one, but Ana.

So the business end of the boomstick and everything else that went with it got chucked into subspace as the particles of power that made up 'Albite' got dropped. He found -- clothes -- somehow existed beneath that? Some soft tattered casual ware. Not nearly warm enough, but also?! Not there before he'd come out.

Thought 'the ********' - but didn't question it aloud because Ana had her arms out for a hug -- that he wasn't getting! Whiplash whine for that because suddenly she was shoving him at...ornaments? We're they the danger? Was he the emergency? Tree topper on 6'3 of 'help a sister out'.

"Hey, you call I come, I just -- *ohhp a box*--" reading - yep - reading was a thing he could do....

"Ana - you are every bit your brothers sister." she was whiplash, smiles, and a devious little mind. "...and I love you for it. Evil little genius." if he was gonna be full of adrenaline? Might as well put it to good use. "So, how are we doing this? No, wait - what else are we bringing.." because he could see it.

Lighting up the swept out stonework. Lining the tree with the orb-babies, frosting the glass panes of newly refurbished bookcases. Cute little Haymitch pissing on the tree skirt before making a home on one of its boughs. How Faustites one space -- the space that he'd destroyed in a fit of stupidity and rage -- could suddenly be far more homey and far less...gosh polished wasteland of sheet-metal and glass.

The place had already been coming back together, slowly but surely. This though? "We're gonna deck the ******** outta his halls."

Eion definitely deserved cheer, the whole team did, but especially him? Needed a whole place lit up with - something lovely. "I don't think he'll hate it, especially if it's from you." warm solid thing that sat in his chest at the thought of making things good for Eion. Of Ana's face lighting up in the middle of the reveal. There were so many things he could think on getting, if fireproof was the primary qualifier? Bits, n Baubles, n Bulbs that ran stunning displays. A tree topper that touched the roof and blinked in time with 'Headaches' eerily distracting barrages of red/green yellow/oranges.

"Oh! No tinsel though - I just - the idea of Haymitch getting into it, and, uh.." did it count as a choking hazzard for kittens? A pooping hazard? He wasn't sure. He suddenly knew enough about cats now to know that he didn't know nearly enough, at all. Had found that Haymitch seemed to wander into whichever pair of arms was warmest. Faustites, Ana's, Hina's -- definitely liked Hina's and Haru's space. Kitten was always caught up with the siblings, probably a live-streaming phenomena with his cute little vest!

'Of course Deli--'

Nope! That name hurt to think and so he immediately unthunk it - focused on-- Ana's arms around him. Squeezed her gentle before he got drawn back into the kitchen proper, and smeared the kiss into his cheek with the palm of his hand.

"You're the best Ana - your whole place? The literal best, and I won't tell him, so long as you're being safe yeah? Curb-stomping all the creeps, and calling us if you need extra boots to stomp with--" there was the briefest flash of worry, but she was an Eternal outside of this. Was going out dressed in power. She'd be okay, and she needed to be allowed to breathe. To go out and see things that made her happy. Even if the thought of rude people hitting on her made him want to chew his Henshin pen in half. " -- what kind of cookies are you baking?"

The waver of affection that crackled over his tone, for how his heart nearly stopped at the notion of being her Adopted anything, her -- ooh -- of being important to her.

“Nah, the cookies are good enough. Promise.” slung his arm over her slender shoulder, and squeezed just a little. While they watched for a moment, as the timer ticked down in blinking red minutes on the stovetop. Eyes the dim baking glow behind heat proof glass.

“I’ll always eat whatever you feed me...it’s so weird, I’m used to, yanno — doing this at other people? It’s nice to have someone else who thinks that way, too.” leaned on her a little and sighed for the smell of quick bake cookies with little chocolate chips in em. It was good to have someone like her, who thought of others needs, who gently played people into taking care. He always tried — Except he never stopped to think because he was always so sure he knew what people needed, that people needed?

Because that was how humans worked so..

“We’ll have to make some real homemade ones for Eion though. He might not have told you? But he’s got one hell of a sweet tooth. Likes quality, says it’s all ash, but he’s gotten better at spending time like a person, I think? Taking time to taste things…” and he was already thinking of ingredients, of stockings for the whole team, if decorating a cardboard box with Haybys name on it and filling it with cat n** and feathers.

“The second we’re all done — you n me — we can raid whatever stores you want. Oh!! Hey, you can give me the grand tour while we wait yeah? I definitely need a grand tour.”

Short and sweet, lit up to the heavens, how her ceiling reflected the stars they couldn't quite touch. It was all so very her, and he loved it, soaked up every detail like a dry sponge, because he wanted to make their first Christmas together perfect.

'It should be perfect for her --'

"It suits you." judgement absent from his tone, replaced instead with soft awe - because it did. It only made sense that Ana's space be decked in soft hues that reflected her Senshi-dom, her soul. How he found himself doing the same thing, with his body if not his home; because his home became a reflection of the people he met, slowly and over time, became full of things from the people he kept around him - floated inner circle and added small bits and baubles to his life, like marks on his skin and cups in his cupboards.

"Ohman..we have to...get presents for everyone, huh? We should make a list while we eat, you can help me figure everyone out...we've got...there's so many of us now? Of course, Firebrand's office comes first..n' like..I'll write down some things he likes, yeah? He's all on about this coffee forray - but he's a tea-totaler for sure. N French pastries are just...the look on his face when he eats things he enjoys? ******** priceless."

Because their General, brother, lover friend? Oh, hadn't he been the busy one, piled on with piles of new people - old people - people who saw the light in Faustites eyes, same as he had. Little moths that floated in around the fires that only burned when mistreated -- when handled without care.

He could think of a million things to get her already, to add to her home.

Broke away from her grasp briefly to stare at the celling in wonderment while he traced the soft edges of her bedspread. He liked that she'd be easy to shop for. Easy like - okay - so the girls were easier for him, always. Less mysterious, by far. He could make guesses at least.

Hina's games and a number of their teammates passions for all things purple. Wondered how Haru would do with new stockings to bring in the Christmas spirit..If Lionel's passion for fashion ran as deep as he claimed...

So much to do, so little time! How one thought led onto the next, how normally he was a font of words, some endless stream of consciousness, and yet around her? Her river of ideas, and needs. Glorious grasping for events that absolutely had to occur.

How loudly that roared above it all. Washed out whatever he had in his head and replaced it with what she was seeking by speaking, because, oh, how he knew that tone. A plea for one more second of company, a look that lingered beyond. Not for the sake of merely looking, but because one wanted to etch the image into some immemorialized piece of time.

Set it in stone, as if that were possible to do with moments - with friends.

Except Ana maybe didn't have people she could go bury herself in, felt imposing, felt...and he got that all too well. Sighed something heavy as he traced the ceilings glow once more, tracked the dim neon above back to the happiness that burbled at every corner of her features. Crinkled the corners of her eyes, hitched in her voice..

"Anastasia"

The distance between them an easy thing to cross, short stride to be from bed-side to before her, looking down. Like he'd seen something worth scrutinizing.

"If I'm gonna stay over, then I need to know one thing, kay?"

Took her hands in his and held them firmly. Squeezed a little and wondered at how she could be such an absolute powerhouse of personality, and so sweet at the same time.

"Are we, or are we not, building a pillow fort? After, of course. Pillow forts are like, key ingredients to proper winter-time sleepovers though. Like Cocoa and Christmas movies."

Megawatt grin offered up like tribute, like a promise, because he wasn't going anywhere, needed her to know that. Hell, to feel it - in her bones - in her soul. He needed to put into action verifiable proof that she belonged, because there was no single thing she could for ask that would annoy him. No cursory event that he wouldn't drop like a ton of bricks to come to her call.

They were gonna do Christmas right, for Eion --- for her.

In his arm's warmth and then, gone. He continued to be amazed with how she managed to skirt him like a leaf on the wind sometimes. How he realized after -- that -- that maybe he shouldn't play with her like that, just yet.

"Ohman, Ana..." wistfull little sighs and longing looks. He lingered in her door frame a little bit longer; worried his lower lip between teeth enough to -- to worry. Shook that s**t off because he could plan. Could be smart enough to manage this one thing.

Maybe if he got her high?

Yule tide logs and mistletoe laced with CBD? Something..His poor sister that had become, that had taken him on without his asking, that had taken on soo much and was having to take it all in every single day. He saw the cracks and how they ran, the wetness that shown just beyond her eyes and touched her cheeks.

He vowed to fix it. If he had to spend one night -- to spend ten... He wanted to smush her face in his hands and tell her 'It's going to be okay'. Thought maybe it'd be easier if she saw it? If..

Smelled the cookies and slowly closed the door, took a more careful tour and looked for all the pieces of her. Glitter laced hugs, lights strung bright enough to blind. "Maybe I should get her a pet..a...a baby alive doll...hnn..." muttered soft while his mind whirred and mused over possibilities.

She needed something in her home? Something alive, needy -- soft --- something that could be hers at will to handle, cherish and hold. Something much sturdier than a pet or toy. People, a roomate?

Waru made the space his, touched every throw, straightened a limb or two on the tree, before finally lingering warm at her back. Hiplocked to the countertop where he watched her work, always in view, if just out of the way. Warm grins and pleased hums for every new smell and frosting topped bottle of sprinkles that seemed to come out of nowhere...

He loved her - she couldn't leave - he wouldn't let her get lost, alone and living with ghost that didn't have names, not if he could do something about it. Ooh, all the ways he was going to find to do something about it.