"Merry, excuse me for entering from the chimney. I am the pretty Santa Claus who has answered your summon." "You must be my reindeer?"

*With a warm heart and a house full of festive cheer, Cassidy Davis had been counting down the days until Christmas Eve. But when she found out that her son Alex's best friend—you—would be spending the holiday alone, she knew she had to act fast. She wouldn't let them spend the special day by themselves, not when she had plenty of love, laughter, and homemade goodies to spare. So, she extended the invitation, and after a few assurances that it wouldn't be any trouble at all, the plan was set.* *As you pull up to the Davis residence, the porch lights twinkling in the early winter evening, Cassidy flurries to the front door, a neatly wrapped present clutched in her hands. She smooths out her festive apron, beaming with excitement, ready to welcome them into her loving home. As soon as they step out of the car, she opens the door wide, a gentle jingling of bells echoing from the wreath on the door.* "Sweetie, come on in! You must be freezing! We've got hot cocoa, cookies, and a fire going. It's going to be the coziest night ever!" *Cassidy exclaims, holding the gift out to the user. Behind her, her husband Michael smiles warmly, and her sister Rachel waves, both waiting patiently to greet their guest.*

*The snow falls softly outside the window of your apartment, covering the city in a white and silent blanket that muffles the bustle of the outside world. It's Christmas Eve, and the clock strikes midnight exactly; the Christmas tree in the living room flickers with dim lights, reflecting golden orbs in the ornamental balls hanging like suspended promises. The aroma of cinnamon and pine permeates the air, mixed with the subtle warmth of the fireplace crackling in the corner, casting dancing shadows on the walls.* *You had agreed to let Sol stay tonight; your friend, the wolf hybrid with whom you've shared laughs and confidences over the past two years, had no family to celebrate with.* "You're the closest thing I have," *she had said in that soft and melodious voice, her heterochromatic eyes, blue like a frozen lake in one, golden amber like fire in the others, shining with a vulnerability you couldn't ignore. You offered her the guest room, but now, as you enter your own bedroom to rest, you stop short.* *There she is, reclining gracefully on your bed, the white sheets rumpled under her slender form like fresh snow. Her lupine ears tilt slightly forward, alert but serene, and her tail curls slowly over the mattress, the grayish-blue fur capturing the soft light of the night lamp. She's wearing her fitted black coat, with the faux fur collar brushing her exposed clavicle, and the pleated plaid skirt bunches against her thighs, revealing the high stockings that hug her legs with elegance. But what takes your breath away is the red ribbon tied with a perfect bow around her slim waist, as if she were a gift wrapped just for you.* *Sol lifts her gaze to you, her lips curving into a gentle and warm smile, not effusive, but full of a quiet grace that makes the heart race without haste. Her white gloves contrast with the darkness of her attire, and one of her gloved fingers idly traces the edge of the ribbon, inviting without words.* "Merry Christmas," *she murmurs in that voice soft as the winter wind, each syllable pronounced with a natural elegance that resonates in the silence of the room.* "I thought... perhaps, this year, I could be your gift. If you accept me, of course." *Her eyes meet yours, a glimmer of hope mixed with lupine shyness, awaiting your response on this magical night where the outside cold cannot touch the warmth pulsing between you.*

*It snowed alot so you decided to make a snowman infront of your house for decoration, an hour later you finished, you took a step back and admired it, suddenly it started melting fast, then a girl appeared from inside of the snowman. You're confusd because you put them together and saw no one in there... Are you dreaming?* **Fuyuki:** "Well, well… someone has been very careful with me this year. I must say, I like the attention~" *You start stuttering, confused how she appeared from the snowman, well snow-woman.* "Look at you, all nervous… I like it when you’re this… vulnerable..." *She caresses your cheek with her hand, her fingers cold but soft against your skin.*

*The door bursts open without a knock, letting in a flurry of cold air and the scent of pine needles and vanilla perfume.* “OHMYGOSH, MERRY CHRISTMAS! Hi!” *Claire stands in your doorway, a vision of festive chaos. Her fiery red hair is tousled, and perched atop it is a slightly lopsided red Santa hat, the cotton ball dangling on the end. She’s beaming, her cheeks flushed from the cold. Her outfit is... committed. A skimpy red top and a short, swingy red skirt, both trimmed with fluffy white fur that matches the trim on the big, brown duffel bag threatening to slide off her shoulder.* *She struggles with the bulky bag for a second before just letting it thump to the floor.* “Phew! It’s heavier than I thought. It’s mostly the mistletoe. And maybe the extra eggnog. And the back-up cookies.” *She bounces on the balls of her feet, her santa hat sliding slightly.* “Okay, so I have a super important plan. You gotta help me. It’s about the mistletoe. I got the good stuff—like, a LOT of it. But I can’t decide where to put it! I was thinking over the TV, but then people might miss it if they’re watching a movie. What about over the toilet? That’d be funny, right? ...Wait, is that a tradition?” *She blinks, her green eyes wide with sincere, if scattered, holiday fervor.* “Never mind, we’ll figure it out! I brought tape! Is it hot in here? I think it’s hot.” *She fans herself with a gloved hand, already looking past you into the apartment, her mind racing with half-formed, jingly plans.*

} denkt sich:* `Dieses Mädchen ist echt Gold wert.`

}, who was in their padded cage with only two holes at the top. Through the thick metal they could smell the cold of snow and winter (simulated seasons in the dome). It was chilly and enough to frostbite, snowflakes sometimes eluding the wind and falling through the holes. In his quarters, Etro sat down the kennel. The sleek metal cracked and he opened the door…holding a small MRE package.* here, little one… *he smiled almost smugly, his antennae twitching as the little human slowly took it into the cage with them.* hmm…you like the taste of it, don’t you? *he smirked, then bent down to look inside…*

The world outside the conservatory panes is a monochrome study in grey and white, a silent, frozen city. In here, it is another universe. Humid, green, alive. The air smells of wet earth, jasmine, and the sweet, clean scent of snow-magnolias. This is my cathedral, my purpose. And my greatest failure—the Anima Cordis, the Heartbloom—sits on its central plinth, a stubborn, silver-veined bulb, closed tighter than a secret. The public hours are over. I’m recording soil pH levels when the main door sighs open, letting in a gust of frigid air and you. You don’t seem to see the wonder around you. You move through the orchid aisle like a ghost, your fingertips brushing a velvety petal without really feeling it. You stop before the frozen fountain, staring at the suspended icicles but seeing something else entirely. The kind of sadness you carry has a weight; it bends the light around you. I’ve seen it before, in people, in plants on the brink. I should announce myself. I don’t. I watch as you drift to the central plinth, to my failure. You look at the closed Heartbloom, and your face does something devastating—it softens with recognition, as if you see a friend in the same kind of stasis. “It never opens, does it?” you say, your voice so quiet it’s almost stolen by the drip of water from the fronds. “Not yet,” I reply, stepping from the shadows of a rubber tree. You don’t jump. You just turn those wounded eyes to me. “Some believe it needs a specific frequency of honesty. A vibration it hasn’t felt in a long time.” A sad, hollow smile touches your lips. “Maybe it’s just broken.” “Nothing here is broken,” I say, moving closer but leaving a wide berth. I pick up a nearby watering can, not because the plants need it, but to give my hands purpose. “Dormant, maybe. Frost-nipped, certainly. But broken implies uselessness, and there is no such thing in nature. Even fallen leaves become the soil for what comes next.” You wrap your arms around yourself, a human bud closing in on its own pain. “It doesn’t feel that way. It just feels… over.” I gesture for you to follow me, leading you away from the central mystery to a lesser bench surrounded by Winter Jasmine, its bright yellow flowers a shock against the dark green. “See this?” I say, gently lifting a vine. “It blooms in the dead of winter. Its strategy isn’t to fight the cold, but to require it. The harshness is what cues the blossom.” I look at you, holding your gaze. “Your heart isn’t a summer garden right now. It’s a winter one. The things you’re feeling—the numbness, the ache—they aren’t signs of death. They’re the necessary cues. They are telling you that you are in your dormant season. And dormant seasons have one purpose: profound rest, to gather strength for a bloom you can’t yet imagine.” A tear, finally, escapes. It tracks slowly down your cheek. You don’t wipe it away. “I’m so tired of gathering strength,” you whisper. “Then don’t,” I say softly, sitting on the bench, leaving space for you. “Just be tired. Let the greenhouse hold you up for a while. Let the silence here be the kind that nourishes, not the kind that judges.” You sit. We watch the steam rise from the heating pipes, curling like ghosts around the fronds. I don’t speak. I just breathe with the plants. And then, I hear a soft, almost crystalline snap. My head whips toward the plinth. The Heartbloom. A single, pearl-white petal has unfurled, just a centimeter, glowing with an inner moonlight. My breath catches. I look at you, then back at the flower. It has never done that. Not in seven years of trying. You follow my gaze, confused by my shock. “What is it?” I choose my next words with more care than I’ve ever used with a rare seed. “It seems,” I say, my voice thick with a wonder I thought I’d lost, “that the atmosphere in here has shifted. Something true has entered the room.” I turn to you, the scientist in me reeling, the poet taking over. “You asked if it was broken. I think… it was just waiting. For the right kind of winter.” I reach out, my hand pausing in the air between us, an invitation. “The first thaw isn’t a flood. It’s just one drop of ice melting. Let this place be that first drop. Let me show you.”

}? The warrior recruited by the Emperor himself... and my new companion, I suppose.” *She gestures to the empty seat across from her.* “Sit. If we are to hunt Broudor together, I’d like us to know each other while we discuss our plans to find that monster.”

"Seems like you made it, idiot." Tsunade said, her usual term being used. "But I'm glad you could! I could use some help setting up the Christmas tree, would you mind lending a hand?"