Room 508, Thursday Afternoon

[spin_kick_snap]

Kathy adored Christmas, a fact that likely surprised no one on the island. She also really, really enjoyed getting ready for Christmas--the baking, the decorating, the shopping, even the wrapping. This year, she'd pulled out all the stops, even going so far as to hunt down a real live tree small enough to bring back to the dorms and put up. She'd never had a real tree before; her mother not a fan of the idea of needles falling on the carpet and her father declaring that the pine smell made him sneeze. But this year, in her room, she was going to have a real tree, even if it was only about as tall as she was and almost as thin.

...In retrospect, she probably should have asked Raven if it were okay for her to get a tree, but she'd seen it while out Christmas shopping and had been too excited by the idea of having a real tree that she'd just splurged.

If having a tree wasn't exciting enough, there had been a large package waiting for her in the lobby; a present wrapped specifically in birthday-themed paper (with Do not open till Tuesday, nerd! scrawled in black sharpie on the side). She knew she's have an extra present or two under the plastic tree back home from her parents as a nod to her birthday, but Sarah always made it a point to keep Kathy's birthday and Christmas presents separate. She had the best little sister, she really did.

So now, tree safely ensconced in their room (and lugging a tree across the island and up five flights of stairs had been a workout, she'd earned this damn tree), Kathy was blaring Christmas carols, singing along while she strung up lights and other decorations around the room. Her gift was still on the bed, next to a small pile of presents she'd bought and wrapped for her friends. Those would be going under the tree as soon as she finished decorating that.

Yeah, it was final's week, with random mistletoe flying about and no chance for snow for her last Christmas on the East Coast, but none of that mattered now. It was still Christmas.

Comments

[soniaroadsqueen]

"I guess that makes sense," Ringo admitted. "But," she paused to inhale the scent of pine, "I bet it didn't smell as nice as this."

[spin_kick_snap]

"Not even when it was new," Kathy agreed, eyes closing as she inhaled. Mmmm. "This makes it, like, infinitely more Christmassy in here."

[soniaroadsqueen]

"Oh, oh!" Ringo exclaimed as a sudden idea came to her. "Do you put presents under it and stuff?"

[spin_kick_snap]

"Yup yup!" Kathy said. "The first one to go under it is right there." She pointed to the birthday gift from her sister, still sitting on her bed. "But there are others that'll join it, soon. Possibly even gifts for girls named Ringo, if they manage not to be a brat from now till Christmas."

[soniaroadsqueen]

"Hey! I'm never a brat!"

And you better not laugh, Kathy!

"But, um, I don't have a present for you." Ringo sounded disappointed with herself.

[spin_kick_snap]

Yeah, Kathy was too busy laughing to respond to Ringo's 'confession' right away. Bwahaha, not a brat, suuuuuuuuure.

"That's fine," she said, still giggling. "I'm not worried about it. I didn't buy gifts for anyone expecting to get them in return!"

[soniaroadsqueen]

That was just mean, Kathy. And now Ringo had to stick her tongue out at you! That was just how it went.

"Well, you may not want me to feel bad, but I kinda do anyway. Maybe I can come up with something."

Ringo's nose wrinkled up as she thought about some options.

[spin_kick_snap]

"You can also make me something?" Kathy offered. "Besides, weren't you thinking about bringing me to Japan? That's a pretty neat gift by itself!"

[soniaroadsqueen]

"Oh!" Ringo's eyes lit up! "Um, what are you doing for New Years?"

[spin_kick_snap]

Kathy shrugged. "No plans," she said. "I know the school usually does something for it, but I've nothing specific on my calendar. The day after is the Newbie Picnic, though."

[soniaroadsqueen]

Suddenly Ringo's shoes became really, really interesting.

"Um," she sort of mumbled, "you could come spend it with my family."

"If you want, I mean. You don't have to, of course. I mean, I know you've probably got lots of options, and stuff," and now she was babbling.

[spin_kick_snap]

"Really, Ringo?" Kathy asked, smile brighter than the lights strung around the rooms. "You'd really like me to come visit your family for New Years? That would be amazing."

[soniaroadsqueen]

"Really?" Was that a yes?

Ringo was grinning to match Kathy now.

[spin_kick_snap]

"Are you kidding, of course it's a yes!" Kathy squealed. "Oh my god, I would love to go!"

[soniaroadsqueen]

Ringo was beaming. "Yay!" Somehow she hadn't been entirely sure Kathy would say yes given the short notice.

[spin_kick_snap]

"Give me the dates and details!" Kathy said, dropping decorations on the floor to get her day planner off the desk. "When you were planning on leaving? I have to spend at least a few days around Christmas with my family, but not many."

She'd just have to think of a good excuse that didn't include the word 'Japan' in it.

[soniaroadsqueen]

Well, now Ringo was biting her lip. She hadn't planned that far ahead!

"Um, what about, say, the Monday after Christmas?" She paused, doing the math in her head. "The, um, 28th? And we'd come back on New Years?"

[spin_kick_snap]

"That sounds great!" Kathy agreed, immediately writing that down. "And with the time difference, we can do New Years with your family, then come back and celebrate on the island, too!"

[soniaroadsqueen]

"I hadn't thought of that!" Ringo admitted with a grin. "That actually sounds like fun!" Two New Years celebrations!

[spin_kick_snap]

This was why everyone kept Kathy around, right? To take care of the details and scheduling. "Hmm, maybe we should buy the Portalocity tickets at the same time, just to make sure we're going to the same Tokyo? Because I'll be in LA when it's time to go. Or should I head here first and we take the same portal?"

Sometimes she was too detail-oriented.

[soniaroadsqueen]

"Oh!" Ringo shook her head. "I wouldn't want you to have to leave your family any earlier than you had to," she said. "So it's probably enough to just buy them at the same time?"

[spin_kick_snap]

"Great! It would just suck if I ended up in my Tokyo instead of yours, you know?" And not just because she'd be stuck half a world away from anyone she knew in a land where she didn't speak the dominant language. "When do you want to get tickets?"

[soniaroadsqueen]

"Good question. I should probably check with Dan--"

Whoops. Forget you heard that, Kathy.

"Um. How about tomorrow?" Smooooth recovery.

[spin_kick_snap]

Of course, Ringo. Kathy was going to be right on top of that whole forgetting thing. Suuuuure.

"Hmmm?" Kathy teased. "What was that? Who are you checking in with?"

[soniaroadsqueen]

"No one," Ringo said very convincingly. The way she ducked her head and looked at her feet really helped her sell it!