When she arrived in Heberia, Neeko had no idea of what was going on. There was snow. There were many people. There was a huge tower. People spoke a language she did not quite understand.

And then there was this small figure with a different sho’ma. She was red and green and white and brown, and she was different. So Neeko decided to follow her, to try and understand. She saw her speak to people. She saw her giving things to people. She saw her smile and say words that glimmered and- and she saw her face and she found it pretty. She jumped on her feet and the jingle of a tiny bell rang in her ears when she copied the figure’s hat. She felt warmth in her reddened cheeks and cold on her skin- Cold?

Neeko followed her until she entered the huge tower she saw earlier. She was about to open the door when she remembered people usually knocked before doing that; so, she knocked and didn’t wait for the answer.

Warmth welcomed her. The contrast with the snow was overwhelming, and she looked everywhere, eyes running over books and scrolls. When she finally noticed someone was looking at her, she blushed – for it was the red and white and green and brown figure. She knew she would find her inside, but somehow, she felt her face turn red like the figure’s cardigan.

And everything felt warm as Neeko mimicked her. Overwhelming scent of cinnamon. Overpowering ginger. Honey. Chocolate. Citrus. Neeko’s sho’ma was all weirded out, but it felt pleasant, it felt new ! It felt new ! And the figure gave her a warm smile, and Neeko gave her a warm smile, and she felt in the figure’s eyes how she was older than what she looked like. The figure held her hand towards Neeko, slowly, probably trying not to scare her. Neeko touched her fingers, pressed her palm in her palm. She shivered, but she knew it wasn’t the cold, and she blinked, for everything was a rush of sugar and warmth around her.

The figure said something, and let go of Neeko’s hand, before running up a flight of stairs, examining books and scrolls, searching for something, but for what? Neeko followed her, saw her turning pages, whispering “You’re a vastayan!”, and looking at Neeko with amazement. And when Neeko realized she could understand her, she heard the words that glimmered, and she heard the figure’s voice telling her so many things, her name was Mona, Mona! Fairy? Christmas? All of these were new, but her sho’ma was bright and Neeko wanted to know all of what Mona had to say.