fandomtownies | 'Dite's Decadent Delights, Wednesday, Dec 22nd

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'Dite's Decadent Delights, Wednesday, Dec 22nd

This was the day before the "Kissing Contest", or as Aphrodite had begun to think about it, the great Kiss my Mistletoe event. That meant the store was slow, and she had plenty of time to decorate. And time to go all out with the decorations. This was not necessarily a good thing.

There was a tree, call it a Solstice Tree or Christmas tree, it wasn't too tall, but it had silver ornaments that glowed from within and red, green, and white lights that burned brightly in their ever blinking way.

To cap things off, 'Dite had decided to string a wire from just above the doorway to the top of the Christmas tree. On that wire was a small animatronic Santa with sleigh and reindeer that would travel from the door to the tree, do a loop, and return to the door, while a happy animatronic voice called, "Ho,ho,ho, Merrrrrrry Christmas!" to whoever had opened the door.

It really was quite ingenious. Truly.

She just forgot there was a cat in the store. A cat who was, in some ways, still a kitten.

'Dite was just coming down from her office when she heard the first squeak of an opening door. Her eager look was focused on the wire, and the little Santa and sleigh, as the team started their journey. The customer looked up at the first 'Ho-ho-ho' and was just beginning to smile.

"Ho,ho,ho, Merrrrrrry Christmas! Ho,ho,ho, Merrrrr --"

There was an orange blur that leapt from the counter toward the tree top.

"Herc, NO!"

"-- Christma--" CRASH! Tinkle, tinkle, tinkle.

"HO-ho-hoooooo."

"HERCULES!"

We shall draw the veil of charity over the rest of this scene and simply say the tree was once again blinking brightly for the next customer who came in, but the Santa Claus did not make his merry journey, and the cat that was still a kitten was banished to the office for the day.

'Dite, however, was consoling herself with chocolate mint kisses that she'd originally meant for the customers. Decadent Delights was open.

(OOC: Hope everyone is having a good holiday season. Post is open.)

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Rinoa had meant to stop by earlier, to see how 'Dite had fared in the aftermath of their trip into the labyrinth. And to ask about her mess of a love life, at the time, although that situation was in a somewhat painful upheaval of its own. So maybe not that, as much.

But she had no classes today and no play rehearsal, either -- and there was that small sting again -- which left her nothing to do but shop.

"You decorated," Rinoa said. "Everything's so festive, around town."

This holiday was doing a good job of cheering her up.

'Dite was ready to pour out a tale of woe and broken animatronics and terrible cat antics, but the look on Rinoa's face made all of it seem insignificant. It was festive, wasn't it?

"It is!" She held out her arms for a hug. "Rinoa! So good to see you! Happy Solstice!" Okay, a day late, but still the right season.

"Happy Solstice!" Rinoa replied, cheerfully, wrapping her arms around 'Dite with a welcoming squeeze. "Is that going on, too? I don't know any of these holidays. I'm just making it up as I go."

"Well, yesterday was officially Solstice. This is also the season of Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa, Winsol . . . anyone who celebrates a winter festival, this is usually when it happens. Ooh!" She held out a hand and zapped a small wrapped package into it. "Here! A belated Solstice, early Christmas, winterfest, whatever present!"

It even had a red bow.

"Oh! Thank you!" She took the present with a happy wriggle. She liked getting presents. "So many holidays! No wonder it seems like the whole world is celebrating."

Well, the whole island, anyway.

"And I got something for you, too," she added. She dug in her bag for a few moments before producing a package. It was only something small, but she'd spotted it and had been unable to resist.

When Rinoa opened her package she would find a special bottle of body lotion labeled as 'Summer Dream'. The scent would, somehow, remind her of sunshine and warm lazy days. There was also a label that said, 'Aphrodite's Special Non-Magical Creations'.

The goddess tore the wrapping from her own present with glee. "Oh, how neat! Thank you!" She liked Lush. She knew where they got their recipes, though both sides were sworn to secrecy. "And lavender! How wonderful!"

Rinoa had to tear at her own package, now, and pulled out the bottle excitedly. She popped the cap, and inhaled.

Sunlight. Sitting out on a boat, while Seifer rowed. A warm beach, with a good book and a cold drink.

"That's amazing," she said, eyes closed, still somewhat lost in the daydream. "You made this?"

"I diiiiid. What d'you think?" 'Dite grinned. "Think I got it right?"

"It's perfect," she said, opening her eyes with a laugh. "It's those days when it's ... hot, but not too hot, and you're not going to bother doing anything. Lazy and slow and ..."

Excuse her, she was going to sniff it again.

'Dite had to laugh. It was so good to see a smile on Rinoa's young face after that night of worry and fear in the Labyrinth.

"It's meant to be a body lotion, not an air freshener!"

But she didn't sound that upset. As long as the scent did what she'd meant it to, she was happy.

Rinoa laughed, too. It was infectious, and a lot better than her mood had been the past few days, anyway.

"Maybe I'll dab it under my nose," she joked. "That way I can smell it all day."

And then after about a week of that, she'd have zits under her nose.

"Aw, but then only that spot under your nose will be moisturized, and everything else will be all dry and icky. That would be sad." 'Dite faked a sad face before grinning widely. "Next time I'm going to make one called Junk Yard and see how you like that!"

"That one, I'd give right back," Rinoa giggled. "I'd fake some kind of allergic reaction. I can't imagine Junk Yard being a big seller, anyway."

"Well, who says I'm gonna sell this stuff?" 'Dite put her hands on her hips. "This is just for friends, and sometimes for naughty little sorceresses." *Wink*

Slipping back around the counter and onto her stool, 'Dite smiled. "Now, what can I do for you, Miss Rinoa? Looking for something special to celebrate the Christmas holiday?"

Naughty Sorceress sounded like it should be a costume, in here. Lingerie, some wings, maybe devil horns ...

Which sounded a little like her succubus Halloween costume. Maybe not that, then.

"I just came in to see you," Rinoa said. "I'm mostly done with shopping, and ... there's not really anything here I'd get for anyone?"

She flushed. "I'm single again," she explained.

"Ahhhh." 'Dite nodded. "You said you'd tell me more about the situation. That's something new, though." She tilted her head. "But, you know, single is not a bad thing. Single is good! Single gives you . . . time. To figure out what it is you really want, and need, and just how to go about getting it."

No, she wasn't really the eternal optimist, but every once in a while she sounded like it.

Edited 2010-12-23 01:00 (UTC)

"It's ... less complicated," Rinoa said, considering the matter objectively. "Christian went off, to Paris. So ... that's that."

At least there weren't two guys she was worried about hurting, any more. Just one guy she missed, and one guy who was doing his best to pretend he didn't care.

She told herself this was an improvement, but she didn't believe it.

"What if you can't have what you want?" she asked.

'Dite gave her young friend a half shrug and a soft smile. "Then you make do with what you need. Because that's the most important thing, after all." Reaching out, she put a gentle hand on Rinoa's shoulder. "Wanna talk about it, Sweet Pea? I'll listen to whatever you need to say."

Rinoa glanced around for a stool on her side of the counter. Not spotting one, she was going to, instead, lean forward and rest her arms on it.

"It's ... a long story," she admitted. "You're sure you wouldn't mind?"

Because she could use some advice, before she made a bigger mess of things.

"Girlfriend, long stories are my specialty." She gave Rinoa an exaggerated wink, then *zapped* her pair of comfy chairs into their normal spot. "How about some hot chocolate and girl talk? It's been a quiet day. Or maybe a mocha if you'd prefer?"

She settled herself onto one of the chairs and waited for Rinoa to join her.

"Oh, I'd love a mocha," Rinoa said, straightening up and heading right for the other comfy chair. Which was just as cozy as it looked, so she might need to settle in for a few seconds and sigh.

Okay, all good.

"So ... there's this guy," she said. "That's how it always starts, right? I met him at a party. He was standing off in a corner, looking bored, and I made him dance with me. Which was ... kind of mostly to get my ex's attention."

She and Seifer had ended on good terms. That didn't mean she wasn't going to show him that other guys appreciated what he was missing.

There were now mochas on a small coffee table between them. 'Dite took one and stuck her pinky finger in the whip cream. licking it off before answering.

"Good plan, dance with someone else to make a guy jealous. Did it work? Or is the guy you were dancing with now the ex?"

She was also wondering how Squall fit into things, because that wasn't just a light friendship she'd seen between them in the labyrinth.

Rinoa lifted her mocha and took a careful sip. Which led to her closing her eyes and savoring the taste on her lips. Oh, that was exquisite.

She cleared her throat. "The ex is out of the picture," she clarified. "And I wasn't really trying to get him back. The guy I was dancing with ... isn't technically an ex. More of a never-was. He's risked his life for me, more than once, but he won't go out with me. It's ... complicated."

With Squall, everything was.

"Ah." 'Dite was starting to put things together. "This guy you were dancing with wouldn't happen to be a . . . Knight. Would he?"

That was guy number one, and yeah, love and protectors could often get complicated, 'Dite knew.

'Dite wondered who guy number two was. Or, had been.

Rinoa offered her friend a wry smile.

"You're good at this," she said, taking another sip of her mocha. "You're right. He's my Knight. He doesn't like getting close to people. He says us going out would just make everything messy, and that it's easier this way."

Which was ... well. Frustrating, to say the least.

"Well, it can be difficult to be in a relationship with someone who's supposed to protect you. One moment of distraction and some assassin's getting paid for a job easily done." She tilted her head. "Then again, if the distraction's already there, then sometimes the best thing to do is just go for it. So, points for and against." She sipped her own mocha. "What about this other guy? The one you just broke up with? What happened there?"

"He went back to his own time," Rinoa said, leaning back in her chair with a sigh. "Squall and I ... it's been months, this stand-off of ours. I said I wasn't going to sit around and wait for him. I need to have my own life. And Christian ..."

A light smile played over her lips. "A singer, a poet, a romantic. Dashing, and charming. We were paired up in the play, and that's how it all started."

"Well, good for you for telling Squall you needed to have your life and you weren't waiting. And awwwww, for Christian leaving. He was with us when we went inside the island last summer, when everything went all wonky? He seemed a good kid, though I didn't get to talk to him." 'Dite shook her head. "It's a danger of Fandom; fall for someone from a different world and you might have to deal with them going home one day."

She wondered for a moment if Max ever planned to go back to his world, and what she would do if he did.

"So, tell me more about Squall. I didn't get to talk to him much, it got kind of crazy after we got them all out."

"We knew it wasn't going to be ... long-term," Rinoa said, lifting her shoulders. "It's still hard."

She hadn't expected to say good-bye so soon. Maybe it was better now, rather than later. Their mess would only get more tangled.

She turned her attention to the other boy in her story.

"He's a SeeD," she said. "Trained mercenary. He was raised in an orphanage, and his sister disappeared one day when he was little. They sent him to military school after that. He ... closed off."

She frowned, taking another careful sip of her mocha. "He doesn't let anyone in. He's convinced that everyone will leave, sooner or later, and it's better not to bother. I'm probably closer to him than anyone in the world, and that's taken months of hard work."

And getting a thick skin for some of the comments he made. He never meant to be rude, but some of the things he said were harsh.

Oh. Gee. Silent military protective type partnered with a talkative, sensitive, persistent type. No, 'Dite didn't know anyone like that. Not at all.

She almost laughed over her lack of not knowing anyone like that at all.

"Persistence has its rewards, I hear." She smiled as she stared into her mocha. "Does he talk to you? Tell you things? Or -- just do that stoic warrior routine?"

Edited 2010-12-23 21:53 (UTC)

It was such a fun paradigm, wasn't it?

"Persistence got me this far," Rinoa smiled. "He ... does, sometimes. He doesn't open up very much, or very often, but sometimes he lets his guard down. And sometimes ... I have to realize that he's not meaning to be mean. That he honestly just doesn't understand a lot of the time. Basic human connection is kind of like a foreign language to him."

"Isn't it always with warrior types?" 'Dite rolled her eyes. "I mean, I get that they need to be -- all serious and on guard all the time. But all the time? Come on!"

Her sip of mocha left a whip cream mustache and she wiped it away. "It's good that he opens up, even if it's just once in a while. If they keep it all inside, then it builds up and builds up, and blam! Next thing you know they go on a ten year rampage and become the Destroyer of Nations." She shrugged. "Or something like that."

"Kiss kiii~iiiiss," Karla said, ducking her head into 'Dite's shop. She'd gotten the goddess's message, of course, but would have been here today anyway. They were leaving for Louisiana tomorrow, and Karla couldn't go without giving 'Dite her Winsol gift.

[as I fleeeeeeeeee for Xmas shopping now.]

"Hey, Sweet Pea! Good to see you! Happy Winsol, Merry Christmas, Happy Solstice!" Even though Solstice was yesterday. Details.

"By the way, would you like a cat for Christmas?"

Karla laughed and returned the holiday greetings. "And no thanks," she added. "Warren deserves one room he can retreat to without having his wings turn into kitty playthings and that isn't going to happen if I take Hercules."

Besides, her frogs were just about her speed. Anything more care intensive than that would just cause panic.

"Darn." 'Dite snapped her fingers in feigned disappointment. "This keeps up I'm gonna give him to someone with a really big dog."

She wouldn't, but shhh!

"So, you have plans for the holiday?" Reaching behind the remains of the animatronic Santa and sleigh she pulled out a wrapped item that held a vague semblance of a basket.

"I know Cally has a huge dog," Karla teased. "But I don't think she'd the cat-eating type."

The dog, not Cally. Well, both, really.

"And yes! Sookie invited a bunch of us to Louisiana with her to celebrate. It's her first Christmas after her grandmother died, so I don't think she wanted to be alone," Karla added.

"Oh, so you're headed out with Raven. Excellent! Raven said she was going to check and see when your portal was leaving -- I was kind of hoping the two of you could work the Kissing Contest, but -- since it's last minute, if you don't want to you don't have to."

With a flourish she put the present on the counter in front of Karla. "Happy Solstice!"

"As long as our portal leaves after it's done, I'd love to help," Karla promised, giving 'Dite a grin and calling in her own gift to place next to 'Dite's. "Happy Winsol!" she said, before digging into the present 'Dite was offering.

When Karla finally got through all the wrapping paper, she'd find a basket filled with body lotions, bath salts, and sea shell candles. All of them had unique scents, including one that said 'Winter Morning Memories', and all of them were hand labelled with, 'Aphrodite's Special Non-Magical Creations'.

"Ooh! For me!" 'Dite clutched the present from Karla to her chest dramatically. "Oh, I am loved!"

Then she winked at Karla and tore the wrapping paper.

Inside 'Dite's gift was two bottles of honey-pear cordial, several assorted boxes of Kaeleeran chocolate (including one box of just chocolate-covered honey-pears; yes, Karla did have a bias) and five Kaeleearan romance novels, going ranging from the chaste and innocent to steamy enough to fog up the windows of the store if she read it here.

Hopefully suitable gifts for the goddess of love and romance, right?

Not that Karla was up to noticing 'Dite's reactions right yet. She was busy holding the bath salts up to her nose and smelling cocoa and warm cider and bonfires and ice-skating and sleigh rides and late mornings curled up in bed...

"Oh, 'Dite," she breathed.

"Ooh, honey pears and chocolate, and -- romances!" 'Dite flipped one open and read a paragraph . . .

And slammed it closed with a grin. "Oh, that's going under my pil- *ahem*."

Then she noticed Karla's reaction and smiled.

"I thought you'd enjoy that scent."

"It's wonderful," she said, closing her eyes and inhaling again. "It makes me think of all the good times back home in Glacia...and at Vail...and even here on the island."

"I'm glad." 'Dite's smile was almost shy, for her anyway. "I made that one just for you. Something . . . to remind you."

"I think tonight I'll see if I can't catch a bath, now that a lot of people have already left for the holidays," Karla said, smiling softly. "This means a lot to me, 'Dite, thank you."

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'Dite's Decadent Delights, Wednesday, Dec 22nd

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