A winter in Yetinburg ch.7

	There's something cooking. It smells of cinnamon and molasses, the warm scent drifting even into my own isolated and cold room. It makes me open my eyes, and I stare at the door for a good long minute. My ears can pick up the sound of a mixer over-top the noise from some sort of music, the bits I can hear of the wordless song sounding familiar to me. My body is begging for something to eat, forcing me to sit up to check for any food that has been left in the room with me. Anything that had been here has been cleared
out, leaving the place I have made my room clean in the gloomy winter light. I have no choice but to step over to the door and crack it open, orange warmth from the room outside.
	The living room has been redecorated head to toe from when I last saw it. The wall has a wreath hung on a nail, with a metal bell hanging in the center and a bow on the top. Strings run from one corner of the roof to the other, cartoonish christmas characters lining it and repeating every ten or so. The couch and chair have warm red and green blankets covering them, images of santa and his elf children carrying presents in the stitching. The fireplace is burning well, having been cleaned out recently of all the built up ash. Two stockings hang on the wall near it. Walking further into the warm surroundings I can see the shortbread cookies and a mix of candy in a bowl sitting on the coffee table that has a small snowman cookie jar sitting on top. I almost don't recognize the place even if the only thing that changed was the decorations. The smell that is in the room is different too. There isn't any hint of alcohol in the air where once it stank of it. Curious, I roam towards the kitchen.
	The source of the cinnamon and molasses smell becomes obvious as I step inside, dozens of gingerbread cookies cut into different shapes with a cookie cutter, cooling on top of kitchen towels on top of the table. Icing sits in pastry bags ready to be squeezed onto the gingerbread men, snowmen, and yuki-onna. The sound of the wordless christmas songs coming from the television are broken by the whirring of the mixer. Looking towards the noise I spot Sebastian, wearing his usual attire of a thick sweater and jeans but with trimmed hair and beard. The mixer is beating a batch of something that he pours into a large, clear container with a handle
and spout before putting a lid in the top. He turns and notices me standing there, smile surprising me.
	"Ah, good morning Sonia! I made some eggnog. Don't worry, no alcohol." He greets me, voice sounding happy somehow as he puts the eggnog into the fridge. "Feel free to have some cookies, more icing to use on the gingerbread house."
	"What gingerbread house?" I ask, looking around before realizing I still haven't asked about the alcohol smell being missing. I look to the space under the stairs, the boxes of bottles missing. Replaced with the cleaning supplies and boxes marked 'tree ornaments'.
	"The one we're going to make. Do you want something to eat first?" He asks, watching me take a cookie and taste the still warm snack. It's soft and tingles on my senses due to my hunger, making me scarf it down fast. I have to hold myself back eating another.
	"Something to eat would be nice." I frown, sitting down at the table while I muse. He doesn't seem scared of me, even after what happened. It's confusing. So I decide to ask about it.
	"You're not afraid Sebastian... I'm still just as hungry, that 'hunger' isn't going away. Aren't you afraid that I'll attack you or something?" I ask, trying not to recall that night. It's all still a haze in my mind. He's put a pan on the stove and has begun to heat it up, taking a pair of pig livers out of the fridge. My mouth starts watering already as I smell the blood, but I hold myself back despite the difficulty.
	"Of course not. I can handle what happened, and I'm more worried about you. Just take it easy and relax." He smiles, seasoning the livers with some spices before setting the two juicy things into the pan.It's hard not to stare at them, making it harder to hold the conversation.
	"You... got rid of all the bottles. And you're not drinking." I comment, not sure what other topic to approach him with. Sebastian watches his cooking while he responds, still keeping the bizarre happy tone I haven't heard before.
	"I can't drink because of the stitches. But I don't think I'll need to anymore." He answers, piquing my curiosity with the second comment.
	"Why not?"
	"Don't worry about it, it's my problem. I don't want to trouble you more than I need to. By the way, the results came back from that test." He comments. "They attracted the attention of a professional physician. A tengu, luck would have it. She's making plans to come here, but we don't have a set date. It'll most likely be after the holidays."
	My ears perk up.
	"Really?"
	"Nobody else is trusting it due to... my problems, besides her. The DNA test will take longer, but they found something in your blood that the tengu seemed interested in. An enzyme linked to rapid cell regeneration, organ recovery, and nutrient handling." He smiles, flipping the livers over to make them sizzle. I have to swallow to keep the drool from leaking out of my mouth, eyes still locked on the food.
	"So, I might be able to help people with that?" I ask.
	"Maybe. That's why she's coming here, to check that out."
	I stay quiet, contemplating the news on my own while looking at the food. Sebastian finishes up cooking the two livers and sets it on a plate, bringing me a knife and fork to eat it with before setting the plate down in front of me. My tails shake back and forth a bit as I look up at him.
	"Thank you." I smile, Sebastian putting his hand on top of my head and rubbing it.
	"You're welcome."
	"H-hey, stop it."
	"I'm just trying to get the bedhead down." He states, taking his hand off my head. I pick up the knife and fork, ignoring the teasing comment as I cut into the first of the livers while trying to keep myself from just biting into them and using my hands. They are both gone before I realize it, having almost gone into autopilot while devouring the delicious meat. I catch myself about to lick the plate clean before stopping, pulling my extra long tongue back inside and shaking my head to clear it a bit.
	"You're doing a lot better now. You're actually eating and talking now." Sebastian points out, making me think about why for a moment.
	"I guess I was just done feeling sorry for myself. Mostly. Probably. All the decorations help." I admit, standing up to put the plate in the sink before getting a glass of water to chase the food down. "Why did you suddenly feel like decorating though? And you're acting happier too."
	Sebastian stops his gathering of more ingredients for something, turning and smiling at me. "I haven't noticed. Now, how about learning to make gingerbread? You can help if you want."
	"Just let me clean myself up first. Learning to make that stuff does sound like fun though." I muse, moving up the stairs. I head into the bathroom and am greeted by the silliest bedhead I've ever seen on myself, one side of my head of hair standing up in a big bump from laying on one side all that time. I stare for a minute before feeling my face heat up to blush, and I take my brush to try to get it down. It takes a while but I manage to do it, washing my face next before getting my hands scrubbed as clean as possible for making the gingerbread.
	I head right back down and see Sebastian has decorated all of the gingerbread cookies that were sitting on the table with the pastry bags full of icing. He made sure to make each of them have a different design, making me worry about how long it took to fix my bed head. I push the hair problems out of my mind once I'm in the kitchen, looking the cookies over.
	"You're really good at this."
	"I've had a lot of practice. Tava always liked home-made food. Something about it smelling better." Sebastian explains. "Not sure if you can smell the same things she did though."
	"Well, I can smell it all through the house this way. That's pretty nice."
	Sebastian smiles, before moving over to the counter where the measured out ingredients are sitting for making the gingerbread. I head over and watch him from the side as he shows me how to prepare the mixture, surprising me at how simple it was to do. Boil some in a pot, mix in some other things, add to flour in steps. He hands me the bowl to mix it, but I fetch an apron to put on so I don't get flour on my sweater. Sure enough, I've spilled some on myself while mixing. I frown and try to brush it off, Sebastian speaking up
when I do.
	"Don't worry about the spill, clean it up later." He instructs. I give him a brief apology before going back to the mixing, getting to the fourth cup of flour before Sebastian tries to hand me the electric mixer.
	"I don't need that, this isn't hard at all." I tell him, having no trouble with the thick mixture while using the mixing spoon. Taking it out I see that the metal is bent. I frown and put the bowl down, bending the metal back with a bit of effort. "There, good as new!"
	"That's one way to do it." Sebastian chuckles, taking the bowl and moving to the table that he cleared by putting the cooled cookies into containers. He's prepared a spot there with flour and a roller, a cookie sheet ready to have the gingerbread put on it to cook once they're in shape.
	"Alright, now just roll it out."
	"Like this?"
	"No, you're pressing too hard. You need to spread it wider too, not just length-wise."
	"Hey, I got this!"
	"It's still too thin, put it back together to roll it again."
	"Can't I just fold it over?"
	"You can if you want it to be flaky."
	"Fine, I'll put it back in a ball!"
	"Alright, try to make it about so thick."
	"It's kind of got claw marks in it now... can we still roll it?"
	"That's fine, they're not too deep."
	"Alright, is that good?"
	"Great, now we just need to cut out a wall."
	"How big?"
	"However big you want, just try to make it straight. We can make more gingerbread if we need to."
	"How about this?"
	"It's a bit off."
	"It's fine!"
	"If you say so. You can cut some more before rolling the rest out again."
	"They're not too small?"
	"It might be good to start small."
	"Alright, that's one piece!"
	"It's going to be a bit lopsided."
	"That's fine, stop worrying and let me do it!"
	"Alright, I'll stop bothering you then."
	I concentrate and get all six pieces cut, setting them all in the cookie sheet before letting Sebastian put them in the oven and set the timer for the gingerbread. I'm surprised that it's only fifteen minutes, but ignore it and fetch the broom to clean up the flour that got onto the floor. Once I've done that I wash and dry my hands, glancing at Sebastian when I see him walk towards the back door with his coat on. He heads out, and I move to the container the gingerbread cookies were moved into. I take a couple out to snack on them while Sebastian isn't there to watch me. Sebastian comes back in after a minute, just as I close the container and swallow the
last of the second cookie.
	"You can eat however many you like you know." Sebastian tells me, having a knowing smirk. I frown, but he speaks again before I can. "Get your snow clothes on, snow pants too. We're going to go pick out a christmas tree while the gingerbread is cooling."
	"Really? So that's why I didn't see one yet." I realize, but move out of the kitchen to comply with the request. I come back, bundled up but curious. "Why do I need to bundle up just to go to the store?"
	Sebastian chuckles a bit, smiling at me.
	"Store? No, I have something more fun planned."
	"More fun?"
	He doesn't answer as the timer sounds, Sebastian opening it up and using an oven mitt to take the gingerbread out. He puts them onto kitchen towels to cool, putting the cookie sheet on top of the stove to cool itself before heading for the back door.
	"Alright, lets go."
	I follow him with a curious look, the cold outside not bothering me so much as the sun is actually shining down on the white landscape. He picks up an axe and a saw, carrying them with us as we start to move through the deep snow towards the treeline behind his yard.
	"Wait are we going to chop down one of those?!" I ask, realizing what he must be planning.
	"Don't worry, I own this land. We can take whatever tree we want from it." Sebastian reassures me, both our breaths showing in the air as we force our way out to the forest. The snow is up to my waist until we reach the forest and it only goes to my knees, though I get nervous about all the snow on the tree branches around us.
	"How do you own forest behind your house?" I ask.
	"Comes cheap up here, when there isn't any animals to hunt on it. Good to have for firewood." He explains, taking me a bit further in. I can still smell the house due to the smoke coming out of the chimney so I'm not too worried about getting lost. He leads the way to where some smaller trees are growing, looking at their heights before pointing one out.
	"How about that one?" He asks. "It looks pretty good, not too big."
	I look at the tree in question, and it does indeed look good. Maybe not as good as one that has been on a lot, but I'm still nervous about what we're planning to do.
	"Don't real trees dry out though?" I ask, having only ever seen artificial ones at home.
	"We use a stand that can water it. That'll make it last. It's not long until christmas anyways." Sebastian answers, moving around the tree and knocking off the snow hanging on it's branches. He checks under them, looking for nests or anything else hiding in them.
	"I'm just not sure we should cut down a tree just for that." I frown.
	"Once it dries out I'll use the needles to start the fire and the rest of it as kindling. Nothing gone to waste." He reassures me, shaking the tree by it's trunk at chest height to clear the rest of the snow off of it before setting the saw to the ground, using the axe to start taking some of the branches off the base. "You'll take back these branches, alright? Don't want to waste them."
	"Alright, if you're sure. You didn't even wait till I answered though." I cross my arms.
	"You wanted a different one?" He asks, stopping his swings.
	"No, this one is fine... I'm just saying."
	"You can decide how we decorate it, how about that?" He asks, getting back to chopping the lower branches off. When they're removed, he gets under with the saw to start cutting the tree down as low as he can manage.
	"I'm not doing that all by myself." I frown, gathering the cut off branches as I push through the knee-deep snow. Hearing a crack come from the tree, I look toward it and let out a shrill cry when the thing falls on top of me, Sebastian laughing as I pull myself out from under the evergreen and scowl at him.
	"Hey, that wasn't funny!"
	"S-sorry, it's jus-ahahaha... You're alright, aren't you?" Sebastian asks, still chuckling at my misfortune. I huff and run for him, leaping to try and tackle him into the deep snow. He ducks under me, making me land face first in the cold pack and powder. Getting up I see him running, but he looks back with a grin on his face. I chase after him, leaving the tree and branches behind as he leads the way through the trees. I catch up by the time he's almost gotten back to the yard, trying to grab him this time before I get nailed from above by snow falling off a large branch. It knocks me down, making me growl a bit as I pop my head up out of the pile of snow I've been put in to look for where Sebastian is. He's standing at the edge of the woods, amused grin still on his face.
	"You won't catch me like that. I've had lots of practice at that sort of game!" He calls over as I get up out of the snow-pile, having to wiggle a bit and squeal when some of it gets down the back of my shirt. I shiver and ignore the cold, charging Sebastian anyways as I let out a yell, Sebastian dodging me while I chase him. He tosses a bit of snow up into my face, throwing a snowball at me as I'm getting the first snow attack out of my eyes.
	"Hey, hold on a minute!" I complain, picking up some snow to make a snowball as well. I toss the chunk of snow, it falling apart in the air on the way to Sebastian and only pelting him with little bits. I get hit harmlessly on the shoulder by one of his, and I pick up some snow to try to hit him back. I try to pack it better, but I get hit with three before I throw my good one once. I miss.
	"Want to give up now? I don't think you're going to win with such a poor arm!" He teases, leaning to avoid another snowball I toss at him. I huff and run at him again, surprising Sebastian as I tackle him into the waist deep snow. I come up first and shake the snow out of my hair, grin on my face as I look down at Sebastian before he sits up to get all the snow off of himself.
	"Lets take a break I guess." I smile, brushing the snow off his snow cap and shoulders before standing up, heading back to grab the branches that I was told to bring. Sebastian gets up and follows, and I lead the way back while Sebastian drags the small tree only a bit taller than he is behind him. I put the branches into a pile where I'm told to, leaving them there to help Sebastian with the door and to carry the tree inside.
	"Hey, we're getting needles on the floor." I frown, worrying that I'd need to sweep them up.
	"Don't worry, I'll get them. Just get the tree to the stand and I'll get it all set. We'll decorate later." Sebastian assures me, guiding the way into the living room with the trunk in his hands while I try to keep the top from breaking in mine. I help to prop it up while he tightens the stand, letting go after he's gone.
	"Alright, I'm going to play in the snow a bit more." I smile, getting a fun idea in my head. Fun for me at least. Sebastian waves to me as I move back out the back door, closing it behind me before I move down the stairs and into the snowy yard, moving to a place with undisturbed snow to move into the center and start to move the snow around.
	I pack it and pull in more from outside, building up some walls of packed snow to try and make a fort. It isn't pretty, but I make it pretty well for my first attempt. I don't worry about the looks since the circular fort facing the house is functional, and start to make snowballs to stack inside. Just as I'm wondering where Sebastian is on my hundredth or so snowball, my ears pick up the back door opening. I duck down, head poking over the top of the makeshift fort I made. Sebastian spots me and starts to move over, before bending over to pick up some snow. My ruse has been exposed!
	I pick up two snowballs, tossing them at Sebastian as quick as I can. One misses while the other hits his leg and falls apart, not stopping him from making a snowball and tossing it as me. I duck, the ball flying over my head before I come up and throw two more. My accuracy is poor, but I can throw more then Sebastian due to preparation. He gives up on the balls and moves into the shed for a moment, leaving me waiting for the counter-attack with two snowballs in hand.
	Sebastian comes out with an old snow shovel, moving towards me as he picks up snow and walks through the rest. I toss what balls I can, trying to stop him, but he reaches the fort and starts shoveling snow right on top of me.
	"Wait, stop! That's not fair!"
	"Too late for that!" He grins, moving out of the way as I jump out of the snow-fort at him. I land in the snow with nothing but my tails showing, shaking around as I get my bearings and pop my head up out of the white blanket with a frown. I turn and look at him, Sebastian dumping some more snow on top of my head before I jump up again, surprising him as I get good distance and almost get him. Sebastian drops the shovel and flees, while I keep jumping after him to avoid having to push through the snow like he is doing. I cut him off before he can get back in the house, grinning as I pounce on him again and tackle the larger person into the snow.
	Once down he surprises me instead and fights back, pushing me off throwing some more snow at me. I take a handful and toss it at him before stopping him from standing up with a pounce. He sees me coming and catches me, standing up anyways as I yelp. I'm lifted over his head for a moment before being tossed into the snow, it cushioning my fall with help from my thick snow gear.
	Huffing a bit, I sit up with a smile and jump at Sebastian again, landing just in front of him before tackling him from his waist instead. He tumbles into the snow another time, and stays down while he pants for breath. I almost get up but stop, smelling something very nice that I recognize soon after.
	"You smell alright when you're not a drunk." I state, body tensing up when I realize what slipped out. Thankfully it doesn't last as I feel him jam a fist full of snow down the back of my shirt to make me squeal and jump off him, trying to get it out by standing up and pulling my shirt out of my snow pants to get it to fall to the ground.
	"If you say so. I think that's enough playing, the gingerbread should be done cooling." Sebastian grins, not seeing it coming when I tackle his back and pin him in the snow. "Alright, I give up! You win!"
	I laugh and get off him, shaking the snow off of myself and out of my tail before moving towards the back door. "I'm going to take a bath to warm up! I'll be down by dinner!" I call to Sebastian, taking off my snow gear to hang it by the front door to dry before adding some wood to the fire. With that done, I head upstairs to take that bath, closing and locking the bathroom door before starting the tap.
	After I'm all warm, steamy, and clean from the bath I come downstairs in some dry clothes to smell dinner nearly finished, the sizzling of livers greeting my ears before stopping. I peek into the kitchen to see Sebastian putting the cut up liver into a bowl, it mixed with rice and vegetables in some sort of stir fry.
	"It smells good Sebastian, why the change?" I ask, seeing he made the same with regular pork for himself. I almost wish I could get some of it, but figure that the pig liver will fill me up more. It does seem to drive my hunger away just a bit.
	"It gets boring if I make the same thing all the time. Besides, we can watch a movie in the living room this way." He answers, putting a fork into both of the bowls before carrying them both towards me. I take mine when he passes by, surprised when I see him going through the movies that Catherine loaned us.
	"Movie? YOU want to watch a movie?" I ask, not believing it despite seeing him looking through the bag myself.
	"Yes, what's wrong with that?"
	"Nothing, it's just... you and those home movies seemed inseparable."
	"Decided to give them a break. How about we watch The Silver Chalice. Not a christmas film, but it's light-hearted enough. We could watch Nobility Among Savages for something more serious if you like." Sebastian suggests, holding the two dvd cases up for me to choose. I'm still a bit too surprised to pick as I sit down on the couch.
	"Uhm... Silver Chalice works. Sorry, I'm just surprised is all." I explain.
	He takes the DVD and puts it into the player, taking out the disc of christmas music to put back into it's own case. He sighs, getting a bit more solemn before looking back when the disc is loaded up.
	"I've... got to accept that they're gone. I can't live in the past forever." He answers, sounding a bit more like I recall him being before today. He sits down in his chair, and we watch the dvd while eating in silence.
	Once the film is over, Sebastian stands up with a smile and stretches. He looks at the tree and then at me, making me look back curiously.
	"Well then, how about we decorate that tree?" Sebastian asks.
	"Sure, that sounds fine." I smile a bit, standing up and stretching as well. I take the dishes to the sink while Sebastian gets the decorations out, and we both start figuring out what we want to do with the tree. After a short bit we get it all dressed up, tinsel reflecting the many colors of lights on the small pine that has filled the room with it's sappy scent to mix with the constant smell of the fireplace. I end up staring at it for a while, looking it from the bottom to the top, where a Yeti decoration is hugging the top.
	"Isn't it usually a star or an angel up there?" I ask.
	"It's just a thing here in Yetinburg." He answers. "It still has the spirit of helping others, so the angels don't mind it."
	I nod in understanding, before heading into the kitchen to see the table is all set up for me to make my gingerbread house. I had forgotten about it, but it seems Sebastian hasn't. He smiles and comes in to start washing the dishes by hand to get rid of the stack that has piled up, so I move to the table and sit down. Looking the pieces over I try to figure out how I should get the structure together. Seeming to sense this Sebastian speaks up.
	"Use the icing to fix it into place, just make a thick line with another at a right angle and stick the first two in. Add icing between the edges, and you can work easier from there." He instructs. "Just get the walls with points at either side."
	"Alright, don't blame me if I make a mess though! I might need practice, was never good at art class."
	With the instruction I pick up one of the pasty bags with icing, trying to squeeze the icing out. I get nothing and frown, squeezing harder without thinking about it. The bag pops from the pressure, making me yelp as the sugary white frosting gets all over my sweater, in my hair, and on my face. I wipe it away from my eyes but only end up spreading more on my cheeks. Sebastian looks back, getting an apologetic look from me as I look back at him. He just chuckles and looks back at the dishes.
	"Sorry, the icing  must have dried in the nozzle. Clean yourself up and I'll unclog the other bags for you."
	"I wish you hadn't forgotten about that, this sweater is comfy. And I just took a bath not too long ago." I huff, standing up to get the paper towels and start cleaning myself up, not getting the icing out of the fabric even as I get the towels wet from the sink and scrub. I ignore that and clean my face off next. When I try to figure out where it is in my hair, I feel Sebastian put a wet paper towel on my ear. I jump a bit, before he keeps me still with a hand on top of my head.
	"Don't worry, I'm good at getting things out of hair. Had a lot of practice." He tells me, moving around to the front as I hold still so he can remove the hand from the top of my head. It's hard staying still as he strokes and cleans, but after a few minutes of him silently preening me he steps away as if nothing had happened. I'm still a bit embarrassed about what he was doing. Though I'm not sure the reason why.
	"Th-thanks."
	"No problem." He smiles, staying by the table. "I unclogged the bags, how about I help you out?" I'm not sure what he means, but I pick up a bag and start to squeeze it gently. A bit too much comes out again, and Sebastian moves up beside me to put his hands on mine. My ears stand up, and he squeezes it gently as he guides the line. Once the single line of icing is done he lets go, leaving me standing there in a slight fluster before I shake my heat out of my face.
	"Alright, about this hard." I mutter, trying to imitate the slight change in pressure for the line at the right angle. It comes out alright, but with a bit too much icing again. I sigh, but get the two pieces I need to put them into the icing to stand them up. Putting icing between the walls, Sebastian leaves me to it while I get the hang of the task. I get the building together and frown, the thing being lopsided with the roof having space on one side as it leans to the other.
	"What do I go about this?" I ask, Sebastian looking away from the book he had pulled out when I wasn't looking. It looks like some sort of medical reference book, but he closes it with the bookmark inside. He inspects the house, touching the roof and rocking it back and forth.
	"Haven't seen that one before. Just put icing under it on one side, then you can decorate. Use all the icing you want." He answers, watching as I cautiously put the nozzle near the hole and squeeze. Despite trying, too much comes out and it and I leave a big mess on the side of the house. It closed the holes at the very least.
	"Alright, now to decorate...uhm... can I use all the icing?" I ask, Sebastian nodding once he looks up from his book again.
	"Of course, if you don't it'll just dry up. We can still snack on it, but it'll be better on the house." He answers. I nod and look at the gingerbread, getting to coating the whole thing with the icing. I empty all the pastry bags onto it, coating the walls with them before looking at the bowls of candy that were waiting for me. I take one of the small candy shelled chocolates, pausing as I look at the house. The icing keeping the walls together is dried, but I know if I put too much force into my fingers or slip the whole thing will fall apart.
	Taking a deep breath to calm myself down, I reach to the roof to start to press the candy into the layer of sugary icing. I grin when I manage to do so without stressing the fragile structure. Until I feel something brush past my tails, making me jump and jab my finger into it accidentally to put a hole right through the roof. I let out a whine and look back to see it was Sebastian passing by, the noise having caught his attention. He looks over and frowns when he sees what happened, moving over to look the house over.
	"Well, you can still decorate the rest of it if you're careful."
	"I was being careful but you surprised me!" I retort, taking another candy to gently press into the roof. He looks at my tails, realizing what I meant before speaking.
	"That shouldn't be enough to surprise you."
	"Well it did."
	"You don't need to pout, the piece is still good."
	"It just doesn't look good broken."
	"Don't worry about it." He smiles, patting my head. I nearly poke a hole through the roof again, stopping myself just before it happens. I frown at him as he leaves me to the work, getting a kettle out to start boiling some water. I don't worry about it and keep decorating, using all the candies in the bowl to coat the roof and some of the walls.
	By the time I'm finished the kettle is whistling, Sebastian coming back in to turn the burner off. I watch him take out a pair of mugs, curious why he took out two until he looks over at me and then the gingerbread house.
	"Looks good. Want some hot chocolate before bed?" He asks. I nod, watching him take out some mix and a pair of spoons. He prepares the cups before handing one to me. I can't help noticing the marshmallows floating at the top before stirring the drink a little more.
	"Come on, lets watch another of those movies. We have a lot to get through." Sebastian suggests, moving into the living room. I follow, sipping the hot chocolate before I move to a spot near the fire. But the television is blocked off by the tree. I frown and move around it, finding myself next to the coffee table before I can see it clearly. I sigh and look at the couch instead, moving over to sit on it. While Sebastian looks through the dvds, I realize how his chair is almost in the way and distracting my view of the television. I grab one of the pillows off the end of the couch and stand up, moving over beside the comfy chair to set the pillow down and sit on the ground. Sebastian notices and looks at me with a raised brow as I sip my hot chocolate.
	"I get a better view here." I explain before he can ask, having innocent enough intentions to make it believable.
	"If you say so. How's this one?" Sebastian asks, lifting up one of the cases.
	"Anything works, I might go to bed before it's over."
	He nods and opens the case up, loading the dvd into the player before sitting in his spot on the chair. I lean sideways against the chair as a yawn escapes me. I sip at the hot chocolate until it's all gone, my eyes growing heavier as the movie fails to keep my attention. Something about political drama around a dragon woman's campaign to outlaw something or other. I slip off into sleep without realizing it, feeling warm and content. I can almost feel someone carrying me to my cot just before everything in my head turns off.

	"A cellphone? Are you sure?" I ask, looking at the plastic device that Sebastian has handed to me. It's like a rounded walkie talkie, with a screen put onto it.
	"It's just a prepaid one. You wanted to go look at the town, right? If you get lost you can call me to get a ride." Sebastian explains. "I've already taken my nap, so I'll be awake for the rest of the day."
	I look back at the phone, holding it carefully in my hands. It's cheap and crude, but it does give me some more freedom. I have been sitting around home for a long time, and haven't even spoken with Catherine since before the incident.
	"I think I will. Yeah! I haven't really gotten a good look at the city, mostly just the alleyways." I smile, playing with the phone a bit before looking at Sebastian. "What's your number anyways?"
	He pauses to think for a moment, before answering me. "I'll go write it down. You can't save any numbers in that after all."
	I wait on the couch as he moves off, coming back with some paper. I take it and look at the numbers, seeing 'emergency only' written above the cellphone number. I don't question why and slip it into my pocket, standing up and giving Sebastian a quick hug without thinking about it before I rush to the trophy room to fetch the money I earned from Catherine, moving back out ater to get my snow clothes on. Sebastian is still standing there, a bit stunned before he comes to his senses and looks over.
	"Be careful out there. Call if anything goes wrong."
	"Alright, I'll call later. See you later Sebastian!" I smile at him, giving a wave as I move out the door. Closing it behind me, I zip up the pocket in my jacket the prepaid phone is in before heading down the stairs and to the sidewalk. I pause, looking up and down the street before realizing it'll be a long walk just to get out of the suburbs. I notice Catherine coming out of her house though, checking for mail before noticing me outside. She nearly drops the letters in her hands from surprise.
	"Sonia? You're alright?" She asks, speaking loud to get her voice to my ears. I nod, heading on over to greet her before she gives me a tight hug when I reach the top of her house's steps. It surprises me, but I manage to give her a small hug back before she pulls me inside and closes the door, shivering a bit due to having only been wearing a sweater and some casual pants to get the mail.
	"I've been worried about you two! There was the  ambulance that one night, and then I didn't see you for over a week! And I couldn't bring myself to ask Sebastian about it, I could see the bandages one time and thought the worst." Catherine frowns. I unzip my coat and take my snow hat off, preparing to stay a while with the middle aged kikimora.
	"I'm fine, really. I just had a bad... incident, and got depressed. Just starting to accept my problems." I try to reassure her, my tone only earning  me another tight hug from her. I let her have her fill, Catherine pulling back and clearing her throat as if trying to save dignity afterwards.
	"Sorry. Do you want to stay for a bit and chat?" Catherine asks, smiling at me with sincerity. "You can meet my daughter later, she's out at a friend's house right now but she'll be back by dinner."
	"Actually, I was going to head into town. But I don't know the fastest way there." I explain, warming up from the cozy home's heat. "I guess I should find a present for Sebastian. Didn't really know where to look for that either."
	Catherine brightens up, her droopy kikimora ears lifting about an inch from her head before she scurries off into the house. I try to follow her with my eyes, but she moves out of sight. A moment later she comes back with her purse, setting it down on a small table by the door so she can get her own snow gear on.
	"Alright, lets go into town! I'll give you a ride, show you the nicest places." She chatters excitedly. "I can introduce you to my friends if we bump into them, they're usually in the ethnic part of town where Sebastian buys those livers for you. You must really like them, he gets one or two a day." Catherine giggles with excitement. "They've already joked about you being a kumiho or something. I'm not sure what that is, but it sounds interesting."
	"Interesting... right. It's only if we bump into them, right?" I ask, apprehensive about that sort of attention.
	"Don't be shy now, they're dying to meet you! Well, maybe not that much. Just don't run away if we run into them." Catherine tries to reassure me while putting her purse strap over her shoulder. She makes sure she has her phone and keys inside before opening the door to move outside. I zip my jacket up again to follow her out to her car, surprised to find that the woman drives some sort of jeep. I move to the passenger's side and get in once it's unlocked, closing the door before putting my tails between me and the window so the seat belt works properly.
	"I expected you to drive some small little beetle car or something." I admit, looking at Catherine as she gets into the driver's side and buckles herself up before starting the beast. She smiles at me before paying attention to the road, putting the jeep into gear and starting to drive out onto the street.
	"You need a big vehicle here in the winter. The snow isn't a joke, and if there is a foot of snow overnight you still need to get through it to go about your day." Catherine explains, keeping at the speed limit as she takes her time getting to our destination. "There is ice too, lots of it. I take it you don't come from a snowy place?"
	"Not really. I jumped on trains and hitchhiked up here to get somewhere more remote. I grew up in Santers down in Quinsland." I explain, to Catherine's surprise.
	"No wonder you are clueless about it! I bet it never snows that far south." Catherine exclaims. "I didn't expect you to be from that far away."
	"We did get snow, sometimes. Nothing like up here, where everything is under a few feet of it."
	"Well, you'll get the hang of it eventually. You've already adapted well, you're not under three layers like most visitors would be." Catherine giggles. We've already gotten downtown due to taking a vehicle, the streets not too congested in such a cold place as they would be in my home town. I see a line of shops to either side with foreign decorations up for the holidays as everyone displays their culture with pride. I end up staring for a short while, until Catherine parks us in a small parking lot next to a zipangese grocery. I step out of the jeep and stretch my limbs as Catherine locks her vehicle, leading the way to the street and the line of shops.
	"I don't think I'll find a present here, it's all food."
	"Not all of it, and there are normal shops further down the other way you can look at. The mall will be far too packed and empty, you can get something more special here." Catherine assures me, "For now I'll show you around here. You don't have anything else to do today, right?"
	"Well, I suppose not." I admit, following close by as my three tails draw attention from those around us. I can't say it's welcome but I do try to ignore it. "There aren't many kitsune up here?"
	"No, not very many. I only know of you and one of my friends that shops around here, and she only has two tails. Really smart though, knows a lot about the city." Catherine answers, smiling as she stops to look at some mist valley style dresses with a pondering look. "I wonder if Charles would like those. Think I could pull it off?"
	I take a look at them and think, looking between her and them.
	"I'm sure you would look good in one. Are you going to buy it? They're a bit pricy." I frown, Catherine nodding to agree.
	"You're right, too expensive. At least for now." She pouts, continuing on the tour. I follow along, looking in the windows to see the diverse assortment of food and other foreign goods that would be hard to find in other places. Desert teas, body ornaments from the Pharaoh's lands, a whole store selling sake and other alcohol from other regions. We cross the street and head down the other way, Catherine stopping us to open the door to some sort of butcher's place. I realize it has to be where Sebastian gets the livers while walking in, the smell of fresh meat and blood hitting me like a sledgehammer and making my mouth water. I hold myself back and swallow, looking around at the ready to cook meats around me.
	Catherine moves up to the counter where a red Oni with a messy apron is resting with a magazine printed in zipangese. The big, red skinned woman stands up when she sees Catherine in front of her, soon noticing me inspecting the meat behind the cases with hungry eyes.
	"Hello there Catherine! Who's this you brought with you today? Want the usual beef steaks, or should I cut ya somethin different?" The oni grins. "We still have some nice turkeys left over, but they won't last long!" The oni chatters with delight, looking down at the kikimora.
	"No no, that's alright. I wanted to introduce you to Sonia here. You know, the girl that Sebastian has been feeding." Catherine explains, looking at me as I force my eyes away from an extra thick spicy sausage sitting in the case. I look back at the big, strong woman before heading on over, looking up at her at an angle that almost hurts my neck.
	"You're smaller than I expected! You really the one that ate all that pork?" She asks, looking me over with her keen eyes while I stare back, answering when it occurs that I should.
	"Y-yeah, but I was starving then. And I just really like pig livers." I comment, the oni laughing a bit as she pats my head with her thankfully clean hand. I hope that doesn't become a thing for people taller than me.
	"Glad I could feed ya then. I'll keep saving those livers for ya as long as you like, we've got a lot right now since people are after hams! If you want to buy any other part of the pig that'd be great!" The oni laughs.
	"No, I'm only here to look around and get a present for Sebastian." I admit, frowning a little in guilt. She just gives another hearty laugh, patting my head again to my grumbling dismay.
	"Don't worry about it, I'm just tryin to make sales. Go have some fun!" She smiles, hesitating to ask something else but seeming to decide not to. "Find something really nice for that man. He deserves it, even if he won't admit that he does."
	I give a slow nod, Catherine giggling at me before ushering me out of the butcher's shop. The oni waves as I leave, going back to her magazine as the cold air outside washes the scent of meat from my sense of smell and keeps me from getting any more cravings.
	Catherine shows me down the other side of the ethnic street of shops at a leisurely pace, stopping us at a Roma style deli to take us inside for some lunch. Almost as soon as we enter we're waved over to a table, Catherine changing directions to take us towards the group of three and there. I need to borrow a chair and sit at the end of the small table to fit.
	Catherine sits to my right, and to my left is a blue skinned woman wearing surprisingly little. I can't see any sign of a jacket, she's dressing like I used to in the summer with a t-shirt and shorts. She has long white hair and is likely taller than me if she were to stand up. It's a bit cold being near her.
	The one beside the blue woman has brown skin and white paws with fluffy, warm white fur all over. The cold doesn't seem to bother her either, she settles for a padded vest and some casual pants similar to what I'm wearing. I quickly realize that she's a yeti, her and the blue skinned woman seeming to be past thirty like Catherine is. I look at the last one at the table next.
	Sitting beside Catherine is a kitsune woman with black hair, staring at me with the only set of suspicious, un-trusting eyes at the table. She doesn't look much older than me but I know by the two tails she must have at least five times the life experience I do. She's wearing a thicker sweater and pants than I am, and I can tell she's taller than me. Everyone at the table seems to be. The kitsune's jacket is laid on the chair behind her, so I imitate before Catherine speaks up.
	"Expected to run into you all here. I bet you already know who this is." Catherine smiles, looking at me. "The yuki-onna there is Tsurara, the yeti beside her is Sammy, and the kitsune here is Utagi. I'll go get us lunch while you socialize."
	"Wait, don't just leave me he-" I try to stop her, Catherine standing up to go and wait in line at the counter. I sigh and look at the others, Tsurara speaking first.
	"You look a lot younger than I expected, it's so nice to actually meet you. Are you sure you're twenty-two?" The snow woman asks, smiling with interest. "You really do have some sharp teeth. I didn't believe it at first."
	"Her hair is really pretty too! You don't dye your tails that color, do you?" The yeti asks, smiling wider than the others as she sips her drink. I feel put on the place, the constant stare from the kitsune unnerving me.
	"N-no, it's been this color since I was a kid. Really." I answer, looking at the more friendly pair while waiting for my food.
	"It really is pretty. Maybe not as shiny and well kept as Utagi's, but you've been on the street for a while." Tsurara comments, this making the kitsune speak up finally.
	"I don't like her. She's got a strange smell to her, and those eyes freak me out. Yellow isn't natural." Utagi frowns, making me shrink down in my seat. "And having three tails at such young age should be impossible!"
	"Don't be jealous Utagi, it might just be genetics." Sammy turns to the kitsune, trying to calm her. "You got your second tail at seventy three, didn't you?"
	"That's not the same, genetics can only do so much! And I worked really hard to get this second tail." She retorts, ignoring me while arguing with the other two.
	Catherine comes back, making the kitsune stop arguing with a stern look to make her act her age before sitting down. She sets a plate with meat and cheese piled inside a fresh bun down, sauce dripping out of it as steam rises off the hot meal. I pick it up to take a bite, but Tsurara speaks just before I can clamp my jaws down.
	"So, how far have you gone with Sebastian? You two must have played around a bit by now." She teases, making me freeze up as my face burns up from the question. Before I can retort, Catherine speaks up after swallowing a bit of her own hot sandwich.
	"I told you to let them figure it out! Don't push them into something they're not ready for! We don't even know if they like each other like that, there is a seven year age difference between them after all." Catherine scolds the snow woman, Tsurara pouting and nodding. Catherine looks at me, sighing a bit. "Sorry, I didn't want to bring that topic up. But since it is, why not tell us how you are getting along with him anyways? If it's not romantic, it might get these cold lovers to stop gossiping."
	I take a bite of my meal, trying to avoid the topic. But all four sets of eyes are on me, waiting to hear. It seems to be an exciting topic for them, and I don't see myself avoiding it.
	"We get along more like family members than anything like that. I mean it'd be hard not to. But I haven't had... any thoughts like that." I lie, trying not to think of the odd moment where it had crossed my mind the day we put up the tree at home.
	"Oh, so there is something there." Utagi sees right through me, almost as if her sharp eyes were reading me like a book. I almost choke on my mouthful, managing to swallow it before chasing the food with some water.
	"Wh-why would there be something there? I mean, j-just the odd head pat doesn't count! And the time he got icing out of my hair... S-stop smiling like that, it really was icing!" I exclaim, face flushing red as I can tell they're reading into the statement wrong.
	"You seem to be awfully defensive for 'just icing'." Utagi teases, seeming to enjoy seeing me squirm mentally. I try to get out of the conversation by eating my food faster, Catherine giggling at me while covering her mouth.
	"My my, you've already gone that far?" She asks. I don't choke this time at least.
	"No! Nothing like that has happened! I mean, we are close but I don't think about him like that." I frown, Sammy laughing a bit at me.
	"Don't let them bother you, they're just teasing. But we do think it's going to happen, after you cracked that iceberg he's been in for years. Metaphorically speaking." Sammy tries to reassure me. "And it sounds like you have a lot to thank him for as well. Just let things flow naturally."
	I can't think of a way to respond to such honest, insightful words. I can only eat my food while looking down at my plate, mind reeling from the topic presented to it as I try to figure it out somehow. Catherine pats my shoulder, snapping me out of it a little.
	"Don't worry too much about it. Neither of you seem ready for anything like that after all." She tries to reassure me.
	"A-alright. I'll just not worry about it. I only have twenty dollars to get him a gift anyways. What sort of gift would he like?" I ask.
	"You'll know better than us, we've only ever heard about him second hand." Tsurara explains, looking at Catherine to ask her about something else. As I eat the last of my meal, and Catherine nibbles at her own between her own replies, they talk about many other happenings in the community around them. Something about Tsurara's daughter getting a crush on a boy, another about the liqueur store I saw before expanding it's inventory, to the gossip about a dragon woman that moved into a new mansion for the winter.
	After a while of chatting with her friends, who ignore me most of the time besides the odd question, Catherine stands up and smiles at the three. I stand up and get my jacket back on as well, the pair of us saying out partings to the group before heading out first. Getting to the street, Catherine turns and leads the way away from the ethnic area to a more normal series of shops with jewelry, clothes, toys, and whatever else small businesses can rent the places out for. I look at each window, trying to decide what Sebastian might want.
	"Sorry about those three, they can't help chatting away and gossiping. Me too I suppose." Catherine speaks, surprising me. I look ahead at her and pause in front of some shop for herbal medicines, the strong scent almost bothering my nose just by being near the door.
	"It's alright, it wasn't that bad. Does my relationship with Sebastian really look like that? I mean, he saved my life and I'm thankful for it. But that's a bit..." I trail off, not sure what I mean myself.
	"A little bit. They shouldn't have brought it up." Catherine explains, cutting herself short to keep from saying anything unnecessary. "Don't you worry about it too much."
	"If you say so. He's not a bad man, but I don't really see him that way." I reply, Catherine smiling at me without saying anything. I stare back, not sure why she's taking so long to do anything.
	"Well, lets find him that present. Any idea what he might need or like?" The kikimora asks, changing the subject to my mild glee. I take a long moment to think about it, looking around the shops to ponder what I can get with a  mere twenty. My eyes settle on one store in question, and the lights turn on in my head.
	"I think I know now."

	"Thanks for the ride Catherine!" I smile, giving a small wave as I carefully skip back towards Sebastian's house. She gets out of her jeep, watching me move away with the small bag, a pre-wrapped present hidden inside inside.
	"Feel free to come over new years if he doesn't have anything planned!" Catherine calls, closing the garage door after I call back an "Okay!"
	As I move up to the door I pause, able to smell the scent of some other people that had come by. An oni and some man. I stay curious about it as I open the door up, surprised when it wasn't locked. I glance back but don't see any other vehicles there, so I assume that they are already gone. There aren't any shoes at the entrance, confirming that. Closing the door and taking off my shoes, I call out into the house.
	"Sebastian! I'm back!"
	I take my jacket off as I hear him heading down the stairs, getting all my show gear off to hang on the hook. I step into the home and sniff some more, the scents not having went far off a path straight to the stairs and back. I see Sebastian appear out of the kitchen while I follow the path, and he can tell I'm suspicious already.
	"Was someone here?" I ask, Sebastian smiling and patting my head to make me grumble a bit. I can tell he's been busy too from the smell of sweat, but it could just be cutting more firewood. It all should already be cut though.
	"Yes, but I don't want to ruin the surprise. Follow me." Sebastian instructs, turning around and leading the way to the stairs. I follow him, curious what he means. He leads me up the stairs and to the door that used to have Eva's name on it, the little sign missing. He gestures for me to open it up, so I hesitantly reach forward and turn the knob.
	Opening the door inwards, I see that everything of Eva's has been removed. Right down to the small bed. The walls are the same, but everything else is new. A small desk by the window, waiting for someone to do work on it with a comfortable computer chair sitting in front of it. A double sized bed with basic blue sheets and blankets, thick enough to keep anyone warm in the cold weather. A television with a DVR is hooked up and put onto a stand, facing towards the bed with a new DVD and bluray player attached. A cinnamon air freshener is plugged into the wall, already masking lingering scents left over with it's warm fragrance. A dresser is sitting on a corner, waiting for clothing to be put inside of it. I look back at Sebastian, wondering what is going on before he speaks with his face showing mostly an awkward embarrassment.
	"I figured you'd want a more proper room to stay in. The door has a lock now, and the window too. I couldn't keep you in that cot forever. You can stay here in this guest room as long as you like, you'll need a residence to find a job. Think of it as your early christmas present."
	I look back at the room before at him, repeating it a few times. I start to tear up, but turn and hug Sebastian as tight as I can.
	"Thank you! This means a lot. You probably spent so much just for my sake again, and didn't even ask for anything! I must have been hard to move Eva's things out of here!" I thank him, blinking when I hear him groaning and grunting. I look up, seeing him having trouble breathing due to my strength. I've picked him up off the ground a bit as well. I blush and let go of him, laughing a little to clear the air.
	"Sorry, still working on controlling my own strength. Haven't gotten that level of control back yet." I apologize, Sebastian catching his breath before speaking.
	"Don't worry about it. I have the dvr hooked up downstairs too, so don't be afraid to watch things down there either." He sighs. I blink a few times, the comment coming off as almost a request. Before I can agree to it he sees the bag, raising a brow. "What do you have there?"
	"Your present. Uhm, but you can't open it until christmas day!" I quickly explain, turning to protect the bag with my body. He chuckles, patting my head a second time before heading for the stairs.
	"Put it under the tree, the room wasn't my only gift. But you can't open those until christmas day either." He teases. "Dinner will be ready soon, get your things upstairs while you wait. I'm going to start cooking it right now."
	I hum a bit, moving down the stairs and to the living room as he gets things together for the meal. I get my small present under the tree, noticing the few boxes that are sitting under it already. It looks silly with only four presents under it.
	"I can cook sometime you know, I'm feeling alright enough to do it now!" I call into the kitchen, moving to the trophy room to get my things moved. The cot is already packed up and gone, but my things are untouched.
	"You can help cook christmas dinner then! It's a lot less work with two people!" He calls back. I get a bit intimidated by the tall order, but after a moment of thinking I call back.
	"Alright, I'll do that then!" I call, picking up all my things at once and carrying them out. It's a bit hard, but I manage to get upstairs to dump it onto the new bed. It takes a few minutes, but I get everything sorted into their proper places before I hear Sebastian call for dinner. I run downstairs to get it, mouth already watering from the smell. The rest of the night is rather uneventful, but I'm happy to slip into a soft bed that night.

	I wake up to the bright sunlight shining in the window onto the foot of my bed, feeling well rested as my eyes open on their own. It's been a while since I've felt so well rested, and I'm tempted to stay in the warm blankets for longer when I realize how cold the room might be. It's certainly a tad colder than the trophy room, but it's much more cozy. I get up and step out of bed, slipping into my slippers as I stay in the t-shirt and pajama pants to move to the door. I grab and turn it, opening the door before it clicks that Sebastian hasn't woken me up and the door is unlocked. I take a moment to ponder why, looking at the handle a few seconds before deciding to forget about it. I take a quick trip to the bathroom to freshen up and get my hair in order before heading down the stairs, jumping when I hear the mixer. I nearly fall off the step I'm on, but catch myself with the railing. Stepping down, Sebastian making pancake mix, a pan preheating to cook some bacon to go with it.
	"Good morning Sebastian." I smile, stepping down into the kitchen. He's already dressed in jeans and a thick sweater, but I notice that the bandages are gone and stitches on his neck have evaporated away. The wounds are healed and almost gone.
	"Merry christmas you mean." He smiles back to correct me, putting the mixer down before putting the first of the small pancake batch into the second pan he was heating up. I pause for a moment, count the days in my head, and finally get what is going on.
	"It's christmas day? I... kind of lost track of the date. You're not pulling my tail, are you?" I ask, frowning at Sebastian. He chuckles and shakes his head no, putting the bacon in the other pan.
	"Of course not! Why else would I have gotten that turkey yesterday?" He asks.
	I take a moment to believe him, a light snowfall outside the windows despite the bright light setting the atmosphere to help me believe it.
	"So, I can open my presents?" I ask, Sebastian nodding.
	"Of course, but start with the one that Catherine brought over while you were asleep. And the stocking." He instructs, not that I'm about to complain. I scamper into the living room and snatch the stocking from the wall, taking it to the coffee table. I dig out the chocolates that look like chunks of coal due to their wrapping, the candy, and finally dig out the brand new deluxe fur comb out. I look at it in the packaging, not able to tell the price of it as any label was removed.
	With the stocking empty, I move to the tree and find the four presents with my name on them. I open up the one from Catherine first by tearing off the paper. I turn the box onto it's side to look at what she got me, seeing that it was a collection of cook books along with an egg timer and other assorted kitchen accessories.
	I smile and set it aside, opening the smallest of Sebastian's gifts next. It's a box set of a tv show I haven't watched yet, so I move along to the second. Inside the second box I find clothes, including a new apron on top. The rest is stuffed with new clothing in my size, mostly sweaters and warm pants. The last, largest one actually just has a log of wood inside of it. I stare at it for a moment, snickering at the little joke before cracking up into a bit of laughter.
	"Th-that's not funny Sebastian!" I call over to him in the kitchen, leaving the gifts there to stand up and move into the kitchen. "I really thought something was in that one!"
	"Then I gotcha." He grins with triumph, finishing with breakfast right on cue. I move on over and hesitate a moment, before moving in to give him a gentle hug.
	"Thanks for the other presents. I'm not sure mine is as nice." I thank him, Sebastian having his arms free this time. He pats my back, smiling anyways until I let go and move to my spot at the table to have breakfast.
	"I'm glad you like them. I was trying to think of something, but just ended up getting practical things. Well, besides the dvds." He explains, not able to wipe the smile off his face. I end up staring a bit, curious why he's so happy. I don't say anything as we eat until Sebastian speaks again.
	"What did you get me anyways?" He asks.
	"You need to open it to see!" I stand firm, not wanting to ruin his surprise. "It's not that pricy though, I only had twenty dollars. And Catherine had to lend me some due to taxes. They're pretty high here."
	"You need to watch those, yes. I think it's worth it." He chuckles, finishing up his breakfast before standing up. I shovel down what I have left and wash it down with my milk, getting up to follow him so I can watch him opening his present. He's already picked it up when I arrive, his large fingers unfolding the wrapping paper to take the small box out. Opening it, he finds the pocket-watch that I bought for him. He takes it out, looking it over before opening it up to find it already at the correct time.
	"You can put a picture in there, it's got a latch on the lid that snaps shut once it's inside. I just thought you might want something like that." I admit, starting to second guess the gift. He looks it over for a short time more, making me nervous until a gentle smile appears on his face. He moves over and raises a hand, and I frown when I expect him to pat my head again. But he puts it on the side of my face and kisses my forehead, making my eyes open up a bit as my face flushes a little even as he removes his hand.
	"I love it, thank you Sonia."
	"I-I'm glad. It doesn't n-need to be wound, it's just a cheap replica w-with a battery." I stammer out, looking up at him while flustered by the kiss. "U-uhm, what else do we have planned today?" I ask, trying to change the subject.
	"I didn't have much planned. What do you want to do?" He asks, putting the watch into his pants pocket as he puts the chain on his belt. He tries taking it out to check the time, snapping it open and closing it to practice.
	"I don't know!" I exclaim, surprising him. I frown and look down, ears drooping. "Sorry, how about we just play outside a bit?"
	"Again? You like chasing me through the snow that much?" Sebastian teases. I pout, but he moves for the closet by the door to start getting his snow gear on. He puts the pocket-watch on a free hook before pulling on the snow pants before making room for me. I get dressed next, and follow him out into the back yard again.
	We toss snow at each other, and have a more organized snowball fight after we both make a fort. It lasts a very long time, and I'm sure both of our arms are burning before we get to the end. I lose, again, due to the snow shovel being used. I chase him down for revenge afterwards, the chase lasting longer this time. I chase him around the yard and through the patch of woods behind the yard, coming back to the yard after a while. I'm running out of breath before I eventually tackle him and tumble into the snow another time. Panting for breath, I shake the snow from my head and pant while looking down at him. Sebastian is too tired to throw me off this time, panting for breath himself as I stare down at his face.
	I lean down as he watches me, confused what I'm doing as I move my mouth near his neck while my adrenaline is still pumping. I breath on it and take in his scent, finding it delicious despite the sweat he worked up fleeing me in the snow. My mouth opens and I brush his skin with my fangs, lost in my instinct before pulling back without hurting him. I look at him eye to eye, not even a foot from his face now that I've caught my breath and have him still pinned. He's watching me carefully, the odd actions coming from me making him nervous as my long hair falls to the side of his head. I can smell the tinge of fear. But I lean in again, this time planting a kiss on his lips. It only lasts for a second before I'm pushed off, fresh air pushing away the haze in my head as I look back at him, processing what I just did. It takes a minute for Sebastian to finally reply as I wait for his reaction, not having the courage to apologize.
	"I'm... sorry, I'm just not ready." He finally manages to get out. He stands up and heads inside while I sit there in the snow, trying to figure out why I did what I did even as the snow falls on top of me and starts making a small pile on my snow hat.