Damaged Goods - 2017 Christmas Special

Damaged Goods - 2017 Christmas Special

-~-~-~-~-~-(4 years prior to the events of Damaged Goods)-~-~-~-~-~-

Christmas Eve Night

>THREE
>TWO
>ONE

>The plaza suddenly filled with dazzling lights; gasps escaping the awestruck onlookers as the massive evergreen lit up
>Shades of red, green, blue and white reflecting off every surface of the outdoor mall and the
>A cheer erupts from the audience, signaling the official beginning of the tree lighting festival

>With the whole plaza lit up, you only now realized just how many people were here
>Hundreds, if not thousands of people gathered to watch the tree lighting ceremony and take in some sickeningly sweet holiday treats

>”It’s beautiful...”
>And next to you as always is Annabelle, the Geist of your 1903A3
“It is.”

>As common as Geists are these days, taking one with you out on a date is still seen as… odd, by most
>Those who are very knowledgeable of firearms usually have no problem spotting one in public, as they tend to look virtually identical to those of similar models; most commonly wearing the same clothing
>This is one of the main reasons you had Anna buy something more festive to wear for the night; in hopes of disguising her true nature from others
>That, and Christmas was her favorite holiday after all

>She was wearing a white turtleneck sweater with a high cut green circle skirt which stopped midway between her waist and knees
>Black tights, ankle height heeled boots and a red scarf helping to keep her warm
>Not to mention the mittens and knitted cap with a black and white snowflake pattern

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>”Think we can put one up in the house for next year, Anon?” she said, giving you big puppy dog eyes

>It was hard to tell whether she was doing this on purpose or not anymore
>Regardless, it always seems to work…

“Heh… ah, I don’t see why not.”

>She didn’t say a word, only grabbing your arm and pulling herself tight against you, still staring at the tree

>You were trying to relax, but really being out in public together for the first time was still a bit nerve racking for you
>You couldn’t let her see that though
>Besides, who is going to notice? Why should you even care?
>Scanning the crowd, you see plenty of couples together, looking on at the tree
>Whole families; moms and dads trying to wrangle their children
>You’re just being parano-

“...”

>Some woman is staring right at you…
>She was maybe 20, 30 feet away from you; close enough to see her hazelnut colored eyes
>Raven hair contrasting against her skin, which was nearly as white as the snow falling down around you
>She wasn’t alone either
>A man wearing a balaclava was standing just behind, his arms wrapped around her; head resting on top of hers as he stared at the tree
>You may have felt a bit intimidated if it wasn’t for the fact that they were both wearing red Santa hats

>He stood a whole head height above her too, and this woman was almost as tall as Anna!
>...just how tall is this dude…?

>”Hmm? What are you looking at, Anon?” Anna said, following your gaze

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>The woman seemed to have noticed Anna staring as well
>She nudged her partner in the ribs, whispering something into his ear before pointing slightly in our direction
>He glared over to us for a moment before quickly looking away and whispering something back to her
>Whatever he said, it only made her giggle

>This is just weird

>”I think she’s…”
>The woman gave a little wave to us before grabbing her partner by the hand, leading him away
>Anna half heartedly returned the wave

“Think she’s what...?”
>”Hehe… nothing.” a mischievous smile forming on her face. “Come on, let's go see what that cinnamon smell is.”

>Anna starts pulling you towards the vendors, snuggling up closer to you as you get closer and closer to the heavenly smells
>As weird as that encounter was, you decided to shrug it off, instead concentrating on enjoying the rest of the night with Anna

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>After consuming a considerable amount of baked goods and coffee, you and Anna decide to call it a night and make your way back to the car
>With the festival closing, everyone else seemed to have the same idea
>The temperature was dropping quickly as well

>”Thank you for the lovely night, Anon. It was nice getting to spend the whole night with you.” she said, planting a light kiss on your cheek
>You heard giggling coming from behind you as  you walked

>”See?! I vas right! Zhey are like us! Hehehe.”
>It was that woman from before, her laughter was loud, but contagious
>Still, you sure weren’t expecting that accent…

“Sorry, what?”

>”Sorry about that, man.” her partner said, letting out a slight, maybe embarrassed chuckle. “Come on, Judith.”
>He held her by the hand, practically dragging her away as she continued giggling
>”Auf Wiedersehen!”

>”Goodbye!” Anna called out

“Another Geist?”
>Anna only giggled again, wrapping her arms tightly around the back of your neck
>”You need to worry less, Anon… you know that?”
“Yeah, I guess so…” you said, returning the embrace

>You both stood there quietly; enjoying the moment

>”Merry Christmas, Anon.”
“Merry Christmas, Anna.”