[Piper]

Piper bobbed through the maze, the ends of her braids wrapped in fluffy white scrunchies that looked rather like snowballs, and the matching snowflakes of last year's gift bouncing atop her head. She'd managed to find some time for herself last night - time she'd spent shopping for decorations and gifts, and then gone home to open the two parcels from Xanth. She'd grinned at the sight of the scrunchies and immediately tugged the bobbles out of her hair to refasten them with the new ones, batting her braids around in a brief moment of childlike excitement. As a kid, she'd always worn tinsel in her hair or flashing pins on her top or musical hats, especially closer to Christmas. This gift was a beautiful reminder of memories her mom had tried to kill.

But it was the doll that really made her melt and she'd tugged it from the box with tears in her eyes. She'd lost touch with all her old friends from Earth, and Elise... It was still hard to believe the girl had betrayed Elysia and by extension - since Piper herself was now Elysian - her lifelong best friend. Even then, Piper would have forgiven Elise, but the other girl had disappeared without a word or a trace. Piper had thrown herself into loving Wolf, and Dora had become her new best friend, only for them both to disapppear too. If Piper were paranoid, she'd start to think she was to blame somehow, that she was cursed - but she saw it all over Elysia. It was just a way of life here. People went missing all the time.

At least she knew where Wolf was and that he was safe, even if he didn't want her anymore. But Dora had simply vanished. This doll... Somehow, Piper knew the girl was safe and happy, but she knew too the Nymph wouldn't be coming back. And it meant the world for Xanth to give her this, knowing it was all she had left. So she'd taken it to her shop where it now had pride of place leaning against the till opposite the tug-o'-warring wizard and cowboy, the long black-blue hair spilling out behind her short grey wings. There was just enough stuffing for her to sit upright as posed, but still flop around in that cute way that only the really good dolls could.

Now she stood before the throne with tears in her eyes, clutching another present to her chest. This time, it wasn't for her - she'd come to leave one for Xanth as a thank you, and set it down on the throne. "Thank you so much."

Piper's Boutique ¤ Dafont ¤ Aethereality

[Evangeline]

Piper's Boutique x Dafont x Aethereality

the night before --

"Oh. Well." The Anyelos was seated on the floor, the wrapping paper already neatly folded beside her, with not a single tear. She had opened the slightly large ( yet still considered a bit small ) box very slowly, wondering what was inside. When she reached out and lifted the cover with her long fingers, her breath froze. Evangeline sat there, her left hand still holding the top of the box, the right hand slowly reaching out to touch the beautiful bronze shield.

She stroked the curves of the Griffin's body and wings, remembering the time with her mother, before her insanity. Arva would point out the many creatures living in the Dusky Mountains, Griffin and Gytrash and Hydra -- her mother would also occasionally fight with a creature, while Evangeline would watch in awe. She adored her mother, so strong, so beautiful ...

The Anyelos shook her head to drag herself out of her thoughts, angry. It is not wise to live in the past ... she reprimanded herself firmly, then picked up the shield, moving it from hand to hand to test its weight. "It is a good shield," she admitted. She would have to thank Xanth the next day.

present --

Evangeline was in the throne room again, her face expressionless. She walked to the gift pile, bent down to pick up a present, stood up again, then paused. The Anyelos whirled around, facing Xanth's throne, then bowed deeply. "Allow me to show my gratitude for your present." Then the angel quickly strode out of the maze, feeling rather ... satisfied.

[Dazadi]

Piper's Boutique : Mini Anden : Full Credit

Daz pouted at the ice throne, arms crossed over her chest and her hip jutting out in her favourite pose. The black brocade of her latest gift from Xanth was a luxurious feeling under her fingertips and she grinned drily, her bangs in her eyes. "You know, anyone would think you're trying to tell me something about my wardrobe." Daz had never cared what she wore or what state it was in. She tended to gravitate towards certain styles out of habit but since she became Archangel she'd relied heavily on palace staff to replace her wardrobe when necessary.

But Xanth, gods damn her, had excellent taste. That or she knew Daz better than herself, because the boots, and now the waistcoat, were stunningly perfect.

Sighing, Daz pushed a hand into her hair, pursing her lips. She hated feeling beholden to anyone, especially Xanth. It always felt like an anvil over her head, and Xanth already had Kade's resurrection sitting in her back pocket. But then, she didn't need to hold anything over Dazadi's head because Daz already worked for her. There was nothing else to live for anymore.

And maybe that was the point. Keep Dazadi snuggled in some semblance of normality, stave off the insanity that was bound to come sooner or later now she was all alone again... give her something to live for. There could be some nostalgia to it, too - Daz had served Xanth alone for years and was the only remaining Aide despite all who'd come before.

Or maybe Daz was just putting motives into a motiveless situation. Could be, Xanth was just filling those parcels with gifts and not even trying to aim them at anyone in particular. Daz hadn't even considered that before!

"No, I know it's you." Wasn't this the first sign of insanity, though? Talking to herself? "There's no way you'd set this whole thing up and then let a chance to show off your powers to slip thorugh your fingers." Even though Dazadi's words were derisive, her tone was soft and completely lacked the typical animosity. Daz didn't know if she was actually coming to like Purple Head or just going through a mellow - or was depressed a better word? - period. Not that it really mattered in the end.

"Anyway. Thanks, you know. I actually do... like the stuff, so. Yeah." Lifting a shoulder in a half-shrug, Daz tapped her forehead in a one-fingered salute and left.

[Piper]

Piper was starting to worry. She had no idea what to buy Dazadi for Christmas and it was less than two weeks away. It was so very important that she buy something, and even more so that what she gave the Aide was something the woman could appreciate. She really didn't expect anything in return. If Dazadi even celebrated Christmas, Piper wasn't at the top of any of her gift-giving lists (if the woman even thought about giving presents) but this wasn't about receiving. No, no, it was about shamelessly buttering the Skotadi up.

And... Well, Piper needed to look after someone. It was part of the reason she and Wolf had worked so well against all odds, and it was kind of appropriate somehow that she look after his mom now he'd left.

But what did you buy a person who could afford whatever she wanted or needed, and was so disinterested in the idea that she gave her maid service an allowance to do it for her? So Piper had set aside some of her free time to go Christmas shopping specifically for her housemate, and decided to pop by Xanth's Grotto while she was shopping.

"Thank you," Piper said now as she took a gift from beneath the glittering tree, and wondered if Xanth ever found the phrase repetitive. She must hear it a million times a day - and Piper was getting bored with it already!

Still, there wasn't much else she could say, so it would have to do.

Clutching her new gift to her chest, Piper left the grotto with a skip in her step.

Piper's Boutique ¤ Dafont ¤ Aethereality

[Jenna]

Piper's Boutique || Dafont || Beyond Tonight || Aethereality || Photo

As always, Jenna wasn’t sure what she was doing in Alexshire. She vaguely remembered wanting to do something, but by the time she got to the town she couldn’t remember what. Her eyebrows twitched in frustration as she tried to recall what she had come to do, but a bright sparkle caught her eye just as the memory came and ripped all thought from her. Swearing loudly, the Therian turned to face the object from which the glisten had come from. As she did, her mouth dropped in awe as she discovered a beautiful ice structure. What was that doing there in the middle of summer, perfectly intact even in the light of the sun? It was made of real ice, right? It sure looked it.

Curious, the shifter sneaked over to the ice castle and peered inside. The sign at the entrance didn’t catch her attention, so she remained oblivious to the structure’s purpose as she crept into the maze. As she walked, she was almost instantly greeted by a freezing ball of snow in her back. With a startled yelp, she instinctively started to morph into her dhole shape. Before she could finish, though, another snow ball struck her in her half-changed face. A moment later, she completed the transformation and agrily whirled around to face her first attacker.

”Welcome! Merry Christmas!” chuckled a moving snowman above the entrance. Breathing heavily for the effort it had taken to change shape, the ginger puppy blinked without comprehension at the figure, not at all seeing its purpose. Then, two more slushy projectiles smacked her hard on either side of her head, making her feel very dizzy. Yipping in protest, Jenna furiously glanced around the path. Finally, she discovered two tinsel-covered snowmen wielding snowballs while a third giggled a little further down the maze. Barking angrily, the Therian shifted back to her human form as quickly as she could, receiving several more snowballs to various parts of her body in the time it took to morph. Then, she scooped up as much snow as she could carry in one hand, shaped it into a crude ball and chucked it at the third snowman. Then, without waiting to see his reaction, Jenna bolted forward and began to find her way through the maze.

"There better be something worth my while at the end of this maze… After that ridiculous encounter, there has to be something!" she seethed, swinging clumsily around a corner. Her bad leg started to ache terribly in the unusual cold, and her running didn’t help. Jenna decided to ignore the pain; she was used to it, anyway.

After a few minutes of navigating, the shifter finally came across the centre of the maze. A magnificent throne sat there, looking fit for Xanth herself. A huge tree stood nearby, its branches hanging in an almost graceful matter. Many pretty and colourful ornaments decorated the fir, their shine distracting Jenna for a moment. It was only when the Therian spotted the vibrant presents at the base of the plant did it occur to her what all this was.

Xanth’s Grotto! Christmas! Jenna had only heard a few things about the holidays from random conversations she had eavesdropped into, but she knew that gift-giving and decorations had something to do with it. Eyeing the presents greedily, she wondered if anyone would notice if she were to snatch one. She probably wasn’t Xanth’s favourite subject, but the shifter couldn’t recall doing anything particularly bad lately. Of course, as she experienced quite often, her memory wasn’t that great. But what could Xanth put in a present to punish her? Jenna wasn’t even sure if these were laid out by the goddess, anyway. Deciding to take her chances, the shifter chose a package wrapped in steel blue paper and hurried out of the maze.

[Piper]

Piper's shopping trip for Daz the other day had been a complete and utter disaster. Oh, she'd found plenty of gorgeous items she'd thought absolutely perfect. Just... not for the Aide. In the end, she'd bought something for everyone but the Skotadi, as well as several new things for herself that she really didn't need,- including a new pair of Christmas stockings that was wearing right now. The thick burgundy knit, topped off with a wide gold satin ribbon that was tied in a pretty bow on the outside of either knee, wasn't all that appropriate for the summer climate of Alexshire but suited the Christmas season down to the ground. She'd completed the outfit with a burgundy short-sleeved frilly shirt with gold trim, a tiered ivory miniskirt - all the better to show off her new stockings - and gold satin ballet pumps.

If only Dazadi were into clothes or... anything, really. The only thing she seemed interested in were her weapons and those -

Piper stopped dead in the middle of the sidewalk, jostled by a rather rude passerby who seemed to think she'd made him spill his coffee deliberately. Piper ignored him, too busy scanning the street for sign of a weaponsmith. She couldn't believe she hadn't thought of it sooner, it was perfect! New weapons were pointless because Piper wouldn't have the first clue what was good and what wasn't - and Dazadi was the discernible type - but that ratty old sword sheathe could be repalced with something new, maybe something fancy. Excellent!

Piper smiled brightly, then realised she was only a few feet from Xanth's Grotto. Well... she hadn't intended to return because Xanth had already given her something special, but... since she was here...

Her smile twisting wryly at her own justificating, Piper shrugged. It was Christmas.

Which naturally deserved a faceful of snow, apparently. Spluttering as she staggered into the shelter of the maze, Piper scraped three snowballs out of her eyes and shook her head, grinning despite the chill. She knew it was probably weird that she could enjoy being pelted with what were actually quite compact snowballs but it just brought back so many happy childhood memories, she couldn't be annoyed. Besides, it made sense that nothing came for free, and if what Piper had received was any indication, the goddess was being exceptionally generous and did so every year. A few snowballs wasn't much of a price to pay when all was said and done.

Trailing a hand along the ice wall, Piper found the throne room and curtseyed, this time much less clumsily. "Thank you, Xanth." The gift Piper had left was gone and she wondered for a moment what the deity had thought of it.

Tucking a present under her arm, Piper curtseyed again and left, still trailing a hand across the icy wall for a taste of a white Christmas.

Piper's Boutique ¤ Dafont ¤ Aethereality

[Xanth]

On the ninth day of Christmas, Xanth gave with seasonal cheer:

10 Prize Points to Piper;
and $20 to Evangeline.

On the tenth day of Christmas, Xanth gave with seasonal cheer:

An ankle-length black travelling coat lined with dark grey faux fur to Dazadi.

On the twelfth day of Christmas, Xanth gave with seasonal cheer:

15 Karma Points to Piper.

On the thirteenth day of Christmas, Xanth gave with seasonal cheer:

$20 to Jenna.

On the fourteenth day of Christmas, Xanth gave with seasonal cheer:

A rose-pink leather collar studded with rhinestones to Piper.

Piper's Boutique ¤ Dafont ¤ Anime Rain ¤ Aethereality ¤ Keira Knightley

[Eivyonydd]

As Vyon and his two wards for the day approached the grotto they were pelted from above by snowballs. Giggling with laughter the two boys thought this was grand and balled up their own snowballs top fire back at the snowmen utop the entrance sign. Vyon ducked inside the entrance to stay out of the line of fire, watching the two boys enjoy themselves.

Of course the boys decided that Vyon deserved a snowball too and so he pelted as well. Despite the fact that snow brought up memories of hard times scaling the Alpines on another adventure, Vyon tried his best to enjoy the moment for the children. He shook off the feelings of depression and balled up his own snowball. Seeing that the boys charged toward him and knocked him over.

They all laughed as they picked each other up and entered into Xanth's Grotto to see what wonders it would hold for them today.

Vyon picture by me with help from Evie on the nose. Forest background modified from a Leet Software image. Brushes from SS-vector-foliage brush set. Code from Piper's Boutique with help to get it all working from Emma.

[Faroah]

Christmas was always a good time to be a dragon. Shoppers dropped loose change and were too harried to pick it up, loose ribbons wafted about having been yanked out of shopping bags unnoticed, pretty papers - often shiny like foil - appeared in shop windows. Those who celebrated the Earth traditions also seemed to feel more generous and it wasn't the first time Faroah had made off with a veritable treasure trove of chocolate coins wrapped in gold, or a necklace of tinsel, or a nest of lametta.

The very best place to 'shop', he'd found, was Xanth's Grotto. As with halloween celebrations past where the imps collected items as offerings to Xanth - half of which Xanth was quite happy for him to claim for his nest - the grotto was a never-ending chest of glittering parcels and Xanth didn't mind if he took one. Or half a dozen...

Unlike the humanoids, Faroah didn't need to walk through her maze or risk the animated snowmen. He poofed directly to the throne room, plopping onto the ice throne with a squawk of surprise at just how cold the ice beneath him was. Another squawk, and he shot into the air, snorting flame and melting a small hole in the otherwise flawless seat. The hole healed over before his eyes, annoying him enough to almost distract him from his purpose here, but as he pulled his head back for another shot at the throne, he caught a glimpse of fairy lights glinting off a mountain of tinsel and baubles.

"Oooooh, iji oah." Teleporting the few measly inches between the throne and the tree, he landed on a branch at the top. His landing shook the whole tree and set the branches to quivering beneath him, and his eyes widened in fascinated awe at the way the lights and their reflections bounced and bobbed like they were dancing. He wondered briefly if Xanth would be badly annoyed if he took the whole tree home with him, but decided against the idea given how big it was.

Crawling down through the tree branch by branch, he stopped at every other bauble to stare at his reflection in utter fascination, bobbing his head to and fro to see how cute and funny he looked. Finally reaching the bottom where a pile of presents awaited him, he paused on the last branch, his gaze skittering from present to present in search of the biggest, shiniest, prettiest he could find. Spotting it half hidden beneath several smaller parcels, he poofed to sit on top, scattering the smaller gifts until he could reach the one he wanted. Snuggling his face against the luxurious wrappings, he snickered in pleasure, and poofed it home.

¤ Piper's Boutique ¤ Dafont ¤ Wonderland Effect ¤ Meilin Wong ¤ Anime Rain ¤

[Zephyr]

Infuriated, enraged, livid; those were the only words capable of defining the 'varian's anger at Xanth for her previous 'gift.' It was no gift, though, more of a taunt. That's how Zephyr saw it, at least, as he walked through the ice maze several days later, the object clenched firmly in his hands. Ignoring the various snowmen and decorations, more than once Zephyr reached for his blade in an ill-conceived effort to destroy the things.

Soon he reached the throne room and he glared hard at the icy chair. The magnificent throne belonging to that so-called deity who enjoyed meddling in the lives of others. Clenching his fist tightly, Zephyr chucked the mangled piece of white plastic at the base of the giant seat. Scowling indignantly, Zephyr restrained himself from spitting at the throne, or defacing the maze, and staunchly grabbed an obnoxiously yellow gift box and left the quadrangle, still raging about what he perceived as a sick joke.

Piper's Boutique :: Dafont :: Image 1 :: Owl

[Xanth]

On the 15th day of Christmas, Xanth gave with seasonal cheer:

A toy each to Vyon's little friends;
$20 to Vyon.

On the 16th day of Christmas, Xanth gave with seasonal cheer:

A luxuriously soft, heart-shaped pillow perfect for napping on to her beloved Faroah;
A box of poison ivy to the infuriating Zephyr.

No, really, poison ivy. But if he bothered to read the gift tag, he'd find instructions to check his mail box back home, where he'd find a beautifully engraved silver box. Nestled inside is a huge silver collar with a button-sized emerald at the top and bottom. The collar is thick and tiered as if there are several pieces intended to extend from it. And nestled under it is a note that reads "Thank you. I do not like cleaning up spittle."

[d=purple]OOC:[/d] *ahem* Hey, Jarratt, if you have anything specific in mind for Vyon, don't forget to post your wishlist.

Russ, pm me if you have any questions. Like, what is this strange and wonderful gift?

Piper's Boutique ¤ Dafont ¤ Anime Rain ¤ Aethereality ¤ Keira Knightley

[Naava]

"You better not run off this time, little miss!" Naava said in a rather exasperated tone to her little cheefle, who looked at her with innocent curiosity. "Ugh, it's so hard to stay mad at her when she acts all cute like that!" Naava though, tugging gently at the leash to signal the rodent to follow her. She'd been incredibly busy doing nothing of importance the past few days, but now that she had a free moment she wanted to go back to see Xanth's Grotto and thank her for the lovely batch of cookies that she'd thouroghly enjoyed, and the pretty box that Flit had subsequently chewed to pieces. What did remain of the box, however, had become a lovely little bed for the cheefle to rest in when she wasn't scurrying around breaking things.

Passing a cute Zanaryan couple on a park bench as she walked past, Naava couldn't help but over hear a tidbit of their conversation as she attempted not to inhale. "Did you hear about the volcanoe that went off in Zanarya? They say the lava from it's still flowing, and I heard that the Ifrit's are diverting it into Reixos," the female said as she sipped what looked to be some sort of smoothie. "The gaul of those hot-heads! As if it's not enough for them to destroy Lady Kaia's prized Orchid!" the male said with dulled anger as he focussed on a small spot of grass behind the bench. Moments later a beautiful flower sprouted up and the stem etended so far as to be easily grabbed by the man, who then proceeded to give the blossom to his apparent girl friend. Suddenly envious of the girl, Naava found herself quickening her pace for the last bit of her walk to the Ice maze.

"Com'ere, girl." the anyelos said sweetly as she reached out to pick up Flit. Flit cooperated, at first, but moments later Naava may as well have been trying to hold a crocodile for all the trouble Flit was giving her. "Just sit still!" she said as she walked into the maze, not wanting to have to keep tabs on her pet as she navigated the many paths of the maze. Suddenly being struck by a snowball, Naava accidentally released Flit as she shrieked. "Cold!! Cold-cold-cold!!!" she yelped as she struggled with her clothing, attempting to get the snow that had fallen into it out. "Oh fine. have it your way," Naava yelled in a grumpy manner to her pet who now refused to be picked up. "Just don't get left behind!" she said, tugging at the leash as she quickened her pace through the labyrinth.

Finally reaching the throne room, Naava stopped to breath, Flit right behind her. "The gifts were amazing, Xanth, I thank you," the skotadi said with an awkward curtsy before leaning over to grab a glistening pink present and heading out of the maze.

~~~Credit

Layout from Piper's Boutique.
Texture from Aethereality.
Angelina font from Dafont.
Brushes from and Ca-pris and Aethereality.
Image from Photobucket.

[Piper]

Piper was surprised to find several packages scattered beneath the tree as if someone had been rooting around in search of something specific. It broke her heart to think anyone could be so greedy, that they couldn't just accept what they were given and be happy with it.

Of course, she couldn't know the culprit was Xanth's loyal friend, Faroah. Her assumptions didn't stop her from trying to tidy up the disarrayed presents, straightening them into a neat little pile and arranging them carefully beneath the tree. She really didn't have time to spend tidying up someone else's mess but she didn't want to leave them like that either.

Job done, she carefully extracted a package from the top without jostling the rest, her slender fingers playing absently with the wide purple satin ribbon tied in a flourishing bow atop the silver foil. Smiling at the throne, she thought of the traditional reds and greens of Christmases past and wondered when those traditions had been abandoned in favour of the modern whites and blacks and purples. Personally, she liked both styles, but thought it was a shame. She liked traditions.

"Thank you, Xanth."

Piper's Boutique ¤ Dafont ¤ Aethereality

[Dazadi]

Piper's Boutique : Mini Anden : Full Credit

"Okay, so now I know you have something against my wardrobe."

Daz stood before the ice throne with her hands on her hips and her bangs in her eyes, shaking her head in vague amusement. Everything she'd received from Xanth had been clothing of some kind and it was getting old. Although, admittedly, Daz quite liked everything she'd been given. The boots were stunningly perfect, the waistcoat beautiful. And even though she loved the cold of her homeland and rarely wore coats, the ankle-length black coat, styled on the travelling robes of Dazadi's younger days made her feel warm and fuzzy, even as she wondered when she'd ever bothered to wear it.

Except for today, of course. She'd figured, since Xanth so obviously wanted to revitalise her entire wardrobe, she may as well get to see Dazadi modelling it. And Daz was entirely convinced the goddess was watching the grotto's visitors, even if she was noticably absent herself.

Twirling on the spot, Daz struck a pose that let the long folds of the jacket whip around her legs with a dramatic flair, then scowled at the ice throne and crossed her arms over her chest. "Hell's bells, Xanth, no more clothes, please. My maids will think it's Christmas and expect a bonus!"

All joking aside, Daz really was going to go insane if she received one more item of clothing. "But thanks. At least you have good taste."

[Naava]

Naava hurried through Alexshire, attempting to get to the grotto and then back home again before Flit escaped her cage and ravaged the entire apartment she owned in the Cloud Palace. Oh yes, she would do it eventually, but Naava was hoping it would be much later, perhaps whenever she actually owned the place she lived and didn't have to worry about making sure she was able to get her damage deposit back whenever she eventually moved out. Oh yes, leaving the cheefle at home while naava ran a few errands had been a huge mistake. Especially with that human the Archangel was dating supposedly living in the palace now.

After all the awful things she'd heard about the man, even the simple thought of him being anywhere near her beloved pet frightened her. One rumor said he had murdered his entire family before coming to Elysia to escape the law enforcement of earth. Another said that he was a well known thief and was bound to break into any number of Anyeli homes without ever being caught. Still another said he'd been hired by the Skotadi faction to assassinate the beautiful Archangel and restart the dwindling war. Most of those Naava was able to warily push to the back of her mind as either exagerations or pure lies, but the last one scared her quite a bit after having seen a picture of him in a newspaper while she was grocery shopping. Supposedly the rather large brute had quite a taste for hunting for his own food, and according to the girl across the hall from Naava's apartment, he'd been accused more than once of killing his neighbor's pets, but he'd never been charged due to the subsequent dissappearance of the owners. Oh, if flit didn't get herself killed, Naava just might. Just the thought of being near that man sent shivers down her spine-or maybe those were from the snowball that had just hit her squarely in the chest.

Shrieking slightly at the cold, Naava shook her clothing rapidly to get the already-melting ice crystals off of her as quickly as possible. Navigating the maze much more quickly than she had previously due to not having to Chase or struggle with Flit, Naava reached the quadrangle very much how of breath. Giving a rather clumsy curtsy, but thankfully without falling over this time, Naava almost went to speak, but gave up on it as she realized it would take her several minutes to catch her breath and sh still needed to get home before that man-beast ate her little pet. Quickly snatching a glittering teal present, Naava ran to leave the maze wishing her wings were strong enough for her to be able to get in the air quickly without falling.

~~~Credit

Layout from Piper's Boutique.
Texture from Aethereality.
Angelina font from Dafont.
Brushes from and Ca-pris and Aethereality.
Image from Photobucket.

[Xanth]

On the 17th of December, Xanth gave with seasonal cheer:

An unbreakable, unwriggleable cheefle harness and a thick leather leash to Naava;
and 20 Prize Points to Piper.

On the 18th of December, Xanth gave with seasonal cheer:

A large black leather collar decorated with sharp silver studs to Dazadi;
and 20 Karma Points to Naava.

Piper's Boutique ¤ Dafont ¤ Anime Rain ¤ Aethereality ¤ Keira Knightley

[Piper]

Piper was already ten minutes late for work. One of Dazadi's maids had knocked Piper's monkey cage over and they'd spent an hour cleaning up the mess while trying to keep the tiny monkies themselves from being eaten by Comet and Fawn. It had actually been quite fun, mess and tardiness not withstanding. Piper hadn't spent nearly enough time playing with the finger monkies in the last few months and had forgotten how adorable they were with their tiny, tiny hands wrapped around her fingers. At least they hadn't forgotten her and hadn't become too unused to being handled, so she didn't have any scratches. Even the maid, once she'd managed to clean up most of the mess, had been able to enjoy some time with them while Piper finished up.

Of course then, the monkies decided they liked their new perch and didn't want to let go. They'd had to be enticed into their newly cleaned cage by nearly a half dozen treats each before they'd let go of the maid's fingers.

Still, it wasn't like the first hour at the boutique was busy anyway, so when Piper passed the grotto, she figured: Why not? She wasn't all that interested in presents anymore, having already received so much, but it was nice to visit the ice grotto anyway. It was the closest she could get to a traditional Earth Christmas since it was summer in Alexshire and that always put such a huge dent in her seasonal cheer.

Plucking a gift from the pile at random, Piper rushed out, "I'm so sorry, thank you!" Smiling at the throne, Piper wondered if Xanth was even listening. Not that it mattered - Piper would thank her regardless. "Merry Christmas!"

Piper's Boutique ¤ Dafont ¤ Aethereality

[Piper]

The snowmen were conspicuously absent when Piper returned to the grotto the following day during her lunch break. She'd reached the entrance before she noticed, but instead of the two snowmen bobbing up and down with their welcome sign, they were gone. Curious, she backed up a few steps to check the top of the maze to see if they were up there, only to realise the lot of them were out of sight.

Did snowmen need lunch breaks? She'd never considered them real, simply animated by some kind of divine power she couldn't understand, but had she been wrong all this time? Hmm...

Still musing on the subject, Piper shrugged and wandered into the ice maze, following her usual route - only to hit a dead end. "What the heck?" Figuring she'd taken a wrong turn somehow, she pivoted to return, and flinched as a cold, wet snowball smacked her dead centre in the face. She wiped the snow away and caught a glimpse of the tail end of a red and white scarf disappear around the corner. Shivering, she took a hesitant step forward, then screamed as every single one of the snowmen bounced around the corner and pelted her with several snowballs each. She bent over and covered her head with her hands, thankful the snowballs weren't packed too hard, and by the time she stood up again, the snowmen were gone.

Wiping the snow out of her eyes and dancing under the onslaught of cold as she pinched it out from the folds of her summer clothes, Piper considered, for a split second, going after them with vengeance in mind. The thought disappeared almost instantly and she shook her head, tossing her braid back over her shoulder.

She arrived in the throne room and plucked up a gift, still trying to get snow out of her top. "Don't take this the wrong way, Xanth, but those snowmen are getting kind of creepy." Grinning despite herself, Piper bobbed a curtsey. "Thank you for the gift."

Piper's Boutique ¤ Dafont ¤ Aethereality

[Dazadi]

Piper's Boutique : Mini Anden : Full Credit

Dazadi held the big black collar between her hands and stared down at it, her brow furrowed by a deep frown. "What the hell am I meant to do with this?" She didn't have a pet and she couldn't honestly see Xanth giving her a present intended for Piper's brats, especially since they were already sporting new gear. And she sure as hell wasn't putting this around her own neck! It wouldn't even fit.

"I think you've lost your marbles," she told the ice throne, still gawking at the collar. She'd thought she was seeing things when she drew it from its wrapping, and even wondered if it was actually something besides what it looked like. At one point, she'd held it to her waist but it wouldn't fit her as a belt either. Eventually, she'd shown it to Piper, half expecting it to be some kind of joke, but the Vampire had been just as perplexed.

So what the hell?

Despite having no intention of taking another gift from the goddess, figuring she'd already taken more than she probably deserved, Dazadi's stare switched from the strange, over-sized collar to the pile of presents. Pouting thoughtfully, she glanced back at the throne and shrugged. Xanth had given her something that was essentially useless. Maybe it was a joke, a hint that she wasn't happy with Dazadi's attitude (although, when had she ever been happy with that?) and that she was putting the Skotadi back on her leash. Or maybe she'd messed up - must be tough picking out presents for thousands of people, after all.

"Whatever." Tucking the end of the collar in the large pocket of the travelling coat she'd figured she'd never wear, Daz snatched a gift from the front and left.

[d=black]OOC:[/d] Godmod of Piper with permission.

[Eivyonydd]

It was Christmas Eve and two more Nymphlings were enjoying the extravagance of Xanth's Grotto. Vyon was just standing back thinking about his adoptive parents. Christmas actually didn't mean that much to Vyon, most of his life he had spent it on the streets with friends after the inevitable presents and tree ceremony with his parents. But Vyon knew it meant a lot to them, and for the first time in a while he wished he could actually travel through New York to actually see them.

They really didn't know if he was well or not, and it had even been a while since he had sent one of his letters. Obviously they wouldn't understand where he really was, but he could at least tell them he was fine. He didn't want them to feel like he ran away, at least not from them.

Watching the Nymphlings made him wonder what it would have been like to grow up here in Elysia, and who his actual parents were and why he ended up apdopted in New York. All this time he had been trying to find himself he had always looked to the present or even the future, never considering that somewhere in the past their might be some answers.

Of course the fact that he couldn't see his parents was a burden he particularly felt right now, and no amount of disinterested Christmas thoughts could compensate for the overwhelming cheer of Xanth's Grotto and the desire for Christmas to be about the things that really matter. Like family.

Vyon picture by me with help from Evie on the nose. Forest background modified from a Leet Software image. Brushes from SS-vector-foliage brush set. Code from Piper's Boutique with help to get it all working from Emma.