The Junkyard, Monday

[moreofaponchoguy]

Cal had been hoping for some good distractions at work today. Keeping a pair of ponies in sweaters from chewing on anything wasn't quite what he'd had in mind, but between giving lots of pets and keeping BD-1 from trying to ride them, the day could look a lot worse.

[Open!]

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[afraid_of_marshmallows]

Stopping by Stark's to see Kamala had ended with her grabbing a pair of cocoas from the Starbucks to bring with her over to the junkyard. Hopefully Cal wouldn't mind an interruption from his girlfriend? Especially since she was bringing snacks?

[moreofaponchoguy]

Cal didn't mind at all, and perked up when he saw her, though it was BD who gave the happy sound as he wiggled on top of one of the ponies.

"You're not a cowboy, get down from there. Don't make me regret letting you access movies," Cal said, waving him down and glancing at Arden. "Is this place getting weird because it's cold, or do we just have horses now?"

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

So BD loved her more than Cal. Noted, noted.

"Things always happen in December," Arden assured him, handing his cocoa over with a kiss to his cheek. "They'll probably be gone by tomorrow. It's a lead up to a major holiday."

[moreofaponchoguy]

"Awww, I was hoping they'd stick around for a bit," Cal said, happily accepting the kiss. "But good to know for the future. How did you know my day needed liquid chocolate?" He took a sip and gave a content sigh. "It's almost the end of the year here too, right?"

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

"No, most of these things only last for a day - which is sad when it's cute ponies and raining candy, and great when it's aggressive mistletoe and mulled wine in the pipes." Then she laughed at him. "When doesn't your day need liquid chocolate? I'm pretty sure that's a sign of a pod person. And yep! The end of this month leads into the next year."

[moreofaponchoguy]

"Is that a big holiday?" Cal asked, nudging BD-1 down. "I know it is at home, so I imagine it is here too. And thank you for the drink, in case that wasn't clear." He leaned down to give her a warm kiss of gratitude.

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

"Oh yeah, probably the biggest of the year," Arden said, snuggling up against his chest. Protection from the, uh, cold. And stuff. "Christmas. Lots of decorations, music, gift-giving. It's gotten pretty secularized, so even people who don't belong to the religion celebrate it, but other folks don't. Like Steven, Marc, Watts, and Kams don't. But they have their own holidays around this time, too."

She stole another kiss. "You're welcome."

[moreofaponchoguy]

"That sounds kind of like Life Day," Cal said. "Decorations, lots of lights, giving presents. It's a Wookiee holiday, but anyone can celebrate it. It's about celebrating what we have, even when it's hard. Especially when it's hard." He shook his head a little and smiled. "I guess I have a lot to learn about the holidays people like and what gifts they want. That will probably be something we do, right?"

He wrapped his arms around her tighter and snickered. "It's a good thing I learned to like hugs, huh?"

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

"Professor Aphra calls it not-Life Day," Arden said with a nod. "And from the way you described it, yeah, it sounds pretty close. That's a thing people do sometimes. Like, in a group or as dates...go look at all the lights that people have up." You know, just like randomly throwing that out there.

And then she was looking up at him and laughing. "Like hugs and share blankets," she teased back. "Otherwise, I don't know if it would work out between us." She squeezed his hand. "You were really cute," she murmured.

[moreofaponchoguy]

"You had really amazing hair that even as a kid I knew not to touch," Cal said. "And a great amount of patience with me. I was annoying and very dumb. But now I'm older and smarter and the idea of a date to look at lights sounds nice. But a little cold," he added with a smirk. "We might need to bundle up and stay close."

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

"You were young and convinced you knew everything," Arden corrected. "Not dumb. Or even annoying. So there." She reached for his hand and squeezed. "Don't worry, babe, I'll keep you nice and toasty."

[moreofaponchoguy]

Was the hot cocoa extra hot or was Cal getting a fever? Who knew, really.

"You were young and very smart. And I'm sorry Callista wasn't the guardian you deserved," Cal said. "But we get to make our own families now, with our own traditions for holidays."

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

"Do you wanna make some?" Arden asked softly. "For Christmas? Or Life Day? Or ChristmasLife Day? Together, I mean?"

[moreofaponchoguy]

"I like that idea a lot. Christmas, Life Day, the New Year, whatever holiday ponies celebrate. We can just make everything our own." Cal practically beamed at the idea. "You, me, and our friends, the important people."