Secret Friend Gift Exchange

[perchancetodreammods]

Secret Friend Gift Exchange

Gift it Forward!

It is the day of the gift exchange, and everyone is invited via a notification to their Constellation to come to the Torn Oak.

Those who were present for the Outsider's dinner party at Thanksgiving will find recall the lavish art deco parlor and banquet hall that were beyond the tree's heavy door at the time, and those who have visited the Outsider on a normal day have seen their dusty pink marble Roman palace with gold and wrought iron accents. Today, it looks like neither of those things, instead taking the form of a charming rustic living room, decorated with well-loved suede furniture with plaid throw pillows and fleece blankets. Garlands of pine wrapped in warm white-gold fairy lights adorn the walls, and a fireplace crackles quietly as soft and moody piano music overlaps. Couches and chairs are positioned around a low table, intended for gifts.

The rules are simple. Place your gift on the table, wrapped and with a note inside. Then, take the gift addressed to you, and open it to find out who your secret friend is and what they got you! Then you can chat with your no-longer-secret friend or your gift recipient over tea, coffee, or cocoa. Form a new bond or deepen an existing one, and ring in the new year just a little bit friendlier!

DATE

12/28/2022

THEME

Secret Santa

QUICK NAV

Locations

Feather Info

The Outsider

Have other gifts to give?

If you have gifts you'd like to give unrelated to the secret friend exchange, you can do so at this party as well! This includes people who didn't sign up for the gift exchange, so please don't be a stranger! The more, the merrier!

As for the results of the Seasonal Split vote, the Outsider is pleased to report that Winter was the winner, and there will be a commencement ceremony for the wintery new features being permanently added to the Dreamscape at an event on January 4th. Details to come! Be sure not to miss this exciting update, and wish Snow Miser a warm (or cold) congratulations if you see him around! (And avoid Heat Miser. He's sure to be pretty sore about the loss. He's quite the hot-head, you know.)

Comments

For Lioriley

[killerwail]

A gift wrapped in blue and silver paper, topped with a red ribbon, waits on the table for Lioriley. The wrapping job is less than immaculate, but a lot of care clearly went into it anyway, evidenced by the addition of a bow and the cute, expressive font in which Lior's name is written on the tag.

Inside, there is a simple but flattering black dress, flecked with iridescent glitter, the underside of which was white, and a pair of white leggings to match. The note it is paired with is written in glittery blue gel pen.

"hey lioriley!
this is a special dress from my waking world. while i havent met you proper yet, ive seen you at events and stuff and always thought your style was hella cute and i thought this would be a cool addition to your wardrobe! it looks like a plain ol dress, but this badboy can do something really cool--- change colors! heres how it works:
-put your hand on a surface and focus on the color for a few seconds
-the underside of the dress, inside of the sleeves, and matching leggings will change color to match the surface
-flip the dress inside out when you wash it to reset the color to white!
and thats it! pretty cool, right? anyways i hope you like it. happy holidays!
love pearl"

[invigorates]

A color changing dress and leggings? Sign her ass up. Lioriley admired the gift for a few moments, showed it off to Astarion and Lucas, and then carefully folded it back into its box and hurried to find Pearl. Eventually spotting her - likely after asking around a moment, since she had not had the pleasure of meeting her prior to tonight - the Lunari trotted over with a bright smile and a wave.

"Hello. You must be Pearl. Thank you for the gift - it is wonderful."

For John Rambo

[saltandvigor]

For John, there's a little green box wrapped with twine. A pine sprig is tucked under the awkward and misshapen twine bow. There is no paper, just the color of the box itself, indicating that this person really desperately wanted the gift to look nice, despite being genuinely bad at this sort of thing.

Inside, there is an intricately-embossed folding knife bearing the name "Winchester," a reputable and coveted American arms dealer. Someone who knows their blades might recognize it as a 1912 Winchester lockback. There is also a short note.

"Hey John,
Nice to meet you. You said you like knives, so I picked one that was similar to my favorite one that I have.
Merry Christmas.
Booker"

[theydrewfirstblood]

The gift genuinely surprises John. He wasn't expecting anything, and he truly appreciates the wrapping--his own gift was given in similar fashion, and it was a laborious affair. The sprig of pine he tugs free first with a smile, and after careful inspection he plucks a couple of needles off and puts them in his mouth almost like a cigarette, chewing on them casually as the fresh bite of pine flares bright across his tongue.

When he opens the gift and finds the knife inside, he's...genuinely shaken in a really good way. Not just the beautiful gift, but the notion of meeting someone with taste so similar to his?

John asks around just a little, and finally finds someone that can point out the man called Booker. Crossing the room, gift in hand, still chewing on a couple of pine needles, he approaches him with a wave as he offers his hand.

"Hi--John Rambo. I got your gift, I...this has to be one of the nicest presents I've ever gotte4n. I had to say thank you."

For Radley

[peachiekeen]

A somewhat larger package covered in iridescent silver snowflakes, topped with an elaborate metallic blue bow, sits on the table with Radley's name on it, printed onto a pink heart-shaped tag that makes it a little too obvious who it's from before he opens it. A note sits on top of a folded, dense garment, a cinnamon perfume gracing the delicate stationery.

"Merry Christmas, Radley!
I hope you had a splendid holiday full of joy and light. I used the wish they gave us to get the jacket, but I made the patches myself! Maybe you can collect more on your Dreamscape journeys!! <3 Looking forward to seeing more of you in next year's great adventures!
Love,
Peach"

Underneath, the garment in question is a black leather biker jacket. It is covered in hand-embroidered patches--- an Eevee, a black cat, a silver and blue electric guitar, a rose, a spatula with font around it saying "Catch you on the flip side!" Peach clearly went out of her way to cram as many of Radley's likes into one gift as she could, but still kept it fun and classy.

Re: For Radley

[crystalmaster]

Radley is very touched by the gift and immediately puts it on, admiring it from all angles before going to find Peach.

"Hey, thanks a lot for this! It's perfect!" He smiles. "You're really talented to have made all of these!" He fingers some of the patches. It really impresses him that she put so much work into this.

for kaiba.

[yerpissingmeoff]

there's a small box with some pretty shoddily wrapped paper for kaiba. it's blue with some silver bows stuck on top of it -- you'll have to forgive her, ryuko hasn't ever actually wrapped a present before. there's a note by the gift box and it reads as follows:

hey, you dunno me an' i dunno you but here's a gift.
i heard that the best part'a wakin' up is this shit in yer cup,
so, uh. i hope you enjoy it. happy holidays, man.
-matoi ryuko

inside the box once opened is, indeed, a large tin of folger's brand coffee. there's a mug as well which is silver and speckled with blue on it. ryuko wasn't sure what to do for a dragon or strategy games but she did include a few various dragon stickers that he can do what he will with!

[blue_ice]

He picks up the box and opens it. It's already strange to receive any gift at all, though that was the whole point of this exchange. He absolutely needs caffeine in the mornings, it's true. So some time later, he greets her with a friendly nod.

"Thanks. I could definitely stand to be more awake in the mornings. Which is a weird thing to say about a dream, right?"

For cha boy Lucas

[invigorates]

Perfectly wrapped in black paper and topped with a white bow, Lucas's gift was set carefully near the front of the stack. His 'secret' friend being none other than his already very good friend Lioriley - making her search for a gift far easier than she anticipated.

Inside the box were two things - the first a silly but appropriately themed hawaiian shirt, and a blank leatherbound writing journal.

Lucas,
It would seem the fates were kind enough to pair me with you this Yule season, giving me, perhaps, an unfair advantage when considering your gift. I did take the chance however, to pair it with the journal I had intended to give you regardless, knowing how desperately you wished to continue your research while here.
I do hope both suit you well, though I suppose your shirt would have been more appropriate should Summer had stayed. Alas.

With love
Your friend Lioriley.

[woocas]

Finding his name seems easy enough, so Lucas shuffles off to the side of the table where he takes a peek inside the box. The shirt immediately gets a bright laugh and he's holding the hawaiian shirt up to his gaudy Christmas themed suit as if he might put it on. The journal saves everyone from that fashion horror, along with the note inside. Before he even reads the first word Lucas knows exactly who his secret gift buddy is.

"Gonna have to go find her," Lucas says with a happy sigh, eyes scanning Lioriley's flowing script.

For Barney

[lighten]

A small wooden box with a red bow on top and the name "Barney" sat upon the table, simple and yet somehow elegant with the etchings of woodland animals along the side and a logo upon the front.

Inside said box was an array of the fanciest cigars Barney could ever imagine, and a note:

Barney,
Hopefully these will satiate your desire for cigars that you seemingly so crave.
I had wished for the most expensive and well made brand your land produces, given I know nothing of such things myself.
A pleasant Yule to you.

Annette Hallowedhelm, Bishop of Farbridge.

[draculaslifecoach]

Barney wasn't expecting anything--he just came to see Ann's face when she found her own stuff.

Still, there it was, big red bow and everything.

Picking up the box, with a dubous frown he slid the ribbon off and opened the box...only to be immediately hit in his tobacco-starved receptors with the sweet, homey aroma of some of the best damn cigars he'd ever breathed in.

Pausing to read the note first, his frown melted into a rare, warm smile as he tugged one out and ran it under his nose--goddamn, these promised to be better than his favorite Cubans.

Glancing around, Barney hoped the giver wasn't far--he didn't recognize the name on the note--but as he set the box down and tugged one of the cigars out, he spotted a dark haired woman nearby, watching him...

On a hunch as he fished around for his lighter, he gestured to her with the unlit cigar in his hand.

"This you?" he asked. "Just wanna make sure I'm thankin' the right person."

for pearl.

[maragiidyne]

having been there when pearl was discovering water, she was thrilled to know that ocean scents are something the girl likes. ann has put together a small basket that's wrapped up in pink cellophane and tied with an obscene amount of white, pearl and pink ribbons and bows. there's a note hanging off of it from one of the many ribbons that reads the following:

hey pearl!
i hope you have a hella sweet holiday and get all the stuff you want!
oh and tons of sweets!
here's to the next time we hang out, enjoy!
-takamaki ann

within the bundle are a variety of things ranging from scented candles that are ocean themed and things like a snorkel and goggle set since she can be in the water now! there's a large conch shell that has a sticky note to it saying "put me to your ear" so she can hear the ocean sounds ( ann hopes ) and some treats in the form of candies and chocolates littering the bottom of the basket, acting like padding for the other things to sit on. being a fashionista/model, ann did her best to incorporate the clothing she thought pearl might like. ( the outfit in the center! )

[killerwail]

Pearl pours over the multitude of little gifts delightedly, admiring each item and even going so far as to try on the goggles. And of course, she's fascinated by the shell, holding it up to her ear and beaming giddily at the ocean-like sound it makes. And of course, the outfit is just her style.

"Ann!" Pearl grins broadly as she locates the younger, taller girl. She reaches for a hug. "Bring it in, bestie! You're AWESOME! You literally thought of everything!"

For Booker

[flippantwizard]

There were two things left for Booker. The first, which even instructed him to open first, was heavy and clearly a book even before the rainbow, glittering wrapping was removed. A copy of Howl's Moving Castle with a note atop that simply read:

Get it? Booker? Enjoy.

The second gift was a bottle of liquor, amber colored and smelling faintly of pork even before the top was taken off. There was no label - just another note in the same handwriting as the first.

In all seriousness, here's a bottle of Taako-made bacon infused bourbon. Bet you never had that shit before, huh? It's ballin'. Come find me and we can sit in fancy loungewear and smoke cigars and talk about cool-guy shit near a fire.

You're welcome
Taako.

[saltandvigor]

Oh good Lord. Get a load of that wrapping paper. If it hadn't been for the labels, Booker never would have guessed the little parcels were meant for him based on the look of them, which was only reinforced when he opened the first package.

Huh. Well, it didn't look like a bad book, by any means, and the pun, while unoriginal, was harmless and maybe even a little funny. If this person wanted to go out of their way to get him two gifts just to make a joke, more power to 'em.

The second item was both more and less surprising. Whiskey, his true love. Definitely more agreeable. But what an interesting smell. He scanned the card, not understanding a fair few of Taako's words but raising his brows at the idea of bacon-infused bourbon. Huh. He'd never considered that an option. It sounded like it was either going to be horrible or fantastic. He'd probably drink the whole thing either way. Not wanting to get caught up in the chaos of the party, Booker sat back for a while, using a coffee mug to pour himself some bourbon and crack open this book.

When things started to quiet down a bit, Booker found Taako with no trouble based on looks alone, nodding to him. "Are you Taako?"

For Annette

[borntolove]

There is a full-sized harp made out of seashells, with strings. If plucked, she will find that it is, in fact, tuned.

There's a blue bow tied around it and a card that reads;

Music is the language of the universe. Merry Christmas.

The Doctor

[lighten]

Huh. Annette wasn't sure what to expect when signing up for the gift exchange, but seeing the harp in all its glory left her rather impressed by the craftsmanship and genuine thought that seemed to be put into the piece.

She would find the doctor eventually, nodding politely as she approached.

"Thank you for the gift. It is... certainly unlike any other harp I have ever seen."

For the Doctor

[crystalmaster]

The Doctor's gift is wrapped in shiny blue paper with a lighter blue ribbon. Inside the box are figurines of blue Pokemon: Vaporeon, Glaceon, Piplup, and Popplio.

The attached note reads:

Hey, so I heard you like blue and knickknacks. I decided to put those together to give you these. They're Pokemon characters from home. My friend Scotch loves them and I kinda have fun with them too.

Merry Christmas!

Radley

Also included are some info sheets for each.

Re: For the Doctor

[borntolove]

The Doctor adores the little figures and wonders what they are and reads the info sheets that come with them.

"Oh, these are amazing! Blimey! I suppose the multiverse will have lots of surprises in store for me. Thank you, Radley. From both of my hearts."

For Peach

[blue_ice]

Kaiba's gift is wrapped simply with pastel blue ribbons. There's a plate of thumbprint shortbread cookies filled with jam...they're a little misshapen and some are burnt, looks like someone tried to do it himself. Next is a parasol, patterned like a mushroom in sunset colors.

Dear Peach,

You know the things I mentioned that I haven't really done before? Gift giving's one of them. Hopefully these are close enough to the mark. It might not seem like it...but I'm glad we met, and thanks for all the help.

-Kaiba

[peachiekeen]

Peach is utterly delighted by her gifts. The cookies are one of her favorite kinds, and she helps herself to one immediately. Despite the strange shape and uneven baking, they taste pretty good, and Peach is hardly one to turn up her nose at cookies just because of a little extra crunch. She hums at the taste, loving the jam. Nothing beats that homemade taste! Then, she picks up the parasol, resisting the urge to open it inside and admiring the colors. She is nothing short of over the moon.

Okay she absolutely has to find him now. She tracks him down quickly. "Kaiba!" She grins, planting a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you so much! These are such thoughtful gifts, and your cookies are delicious!"

Milo's Gifts

[pinandcove]

[ Just for fun, unrelated to secret Santa. ]

Lucas

[pinandcove]

Once the secret friend stuff was over (he didn't sign up for it because keeping the gift itself a surprise is already hard enough, much less the recipient), Milo sought out Lucas.

"Hey man!" He nudged the other man playfully with his arm, passing over a gaudy, glittery Christmas gift bag. "I got you some stuff. Just something little and something goofy. Hope ya like."

Inside the bag, there was a pair of very interesting shorts intended to give Lucas a laugh, and a handpainted ornament that he made himself, his skill in woodworking shining through.

The Outsider's gifts

[fromtheoutside]

[ For their boyfriends, and Kaiba because they vibe with him. ]

Once the party had settled down from the initial exchange and all the gifts had been picked up, there was a moment in time where the table had no eyes on it, no attention directed toward it. In that time, two carefully wrapped gifts with a beautiful night sky pattern on the paper, topped with gold ribbon, little jingle bells, and sprigs of mistletoe, appeared on the table.

Taako

[fromtheoutside]

The package for Taako contained a note, written on black paper in shimmering purple ink, as was the Outsider's calling card.

To my favorite culinary artist, cunning trickster, and stunning gem.
-Ghra'tia

Beneath the note, there was a cape, fitted just perfectly to Taako's height. The exterior fabric was a deep, rich, plum purple and bore an intricate golden moon embroidered on the back as well as a number of lovely golden flourishes, and inside was a pattern of a pink sunset sky full of clouds painted pink, orange, and purple by an unseen setting sun. By magic, they drifted across the fabric lazily, as if the cape was a window to an endless evening sky. The clasp at the front was gold, encrusted with iridescent purple gems, and a delicate gold chain hung down across the front with pearl beads and cut crystals dangling from each end.

For Jon Sims

[woocas]

What's the lyrics again? Something and something, brown paper packages tied up with strings...Yeah, that one. Lucas hums the tune to himself while putting the finishing touches on his little gift box -no, bowl- for one Jon Sims. It's not the world's best wrapping job; the paper bunches awkwardly at the bottom, throwing the balance of the bowl off to one side. It's contents are safe, though. Housed inside the sturdy maple wood dish are two short segments of smoked sausage and a pouch of oats and dried fruits. Beneath this is another wrapped present, a thick notebook with lined, blank pages. The aged leather gives off a distinct musty book smell and is accompanied by a plain glass pen and small inkwell.

Sitting atop the wrapped packages is a card addressed to Jon, with the messy scribblings of Lucas inside.

Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays, Jon!

Hope it's been a good one, dude. Let's meet up and hang out sometime soon...I wasn't too sure how to do breakfast food and I've never played D&D so I did my best! You should tell me about it though, Miles always said it was fun.

Anyways before I get ahead of myself, enjoy!!

- Lucas

[apocryphalarchivist]

At first glance, Jon had no idea what to make of the gift. The shape was so bizarre, at first glance, that he shifted it in his hands for a moment before even opening it.

Once he did, though, he was immediately delighted. Not only did the breakfast sound like the makings of a lovely morning, but the wood dish was something he'd undoubtedly get a lot of use out of. He'd been so charmed by it that it took him an extra minute to get to the notebook, but that didn't diminish the sheer excitement of flipping through it. Good paper grain, lovely leather binding, and a nice pen--- what more could he want, really?

Once he'd read the card, he carefully stowed it in the notebook for safe keeping, before tracking Lucas down, still looking just as delighted as he had when he'd opened the gift.

"Lucas! I'm glad I was able to find you before the crowd got too lively. I wanted to thank you for the gifts, while I had a moment - for saying that you didn't know how to do breakfast food and hadn't played D&D, these are perfect for both of those. You know--- if you'd be interested, perhaps I could get a few people together and host a game, at some point? Nothing terribly intense, just something fun to show the entire affair to those who haven't got a chance to play yet."

For Taako

[apocryphalarchivist]

A box, carefully wrapped (and, unseen, unwrapped and rewrapped a dozen times, to what he'd finally decide was perfect) in blue wrapping paper adorned with silver stars, topped off with a matching bow, was left with Taako's name written in delicate ink on the tag. There was a card tucked just beneath the edge of the bow, that read:

Happy holidays, Taako!

Gift-giving has never been my strong suit, but I hope this meets the mark. In a dream with infinite possibilities, indecision is a nightmare in and of itself, but these struck me as things you would enjoy.

-Jon

Within the box was a small cardboard wedge, dividing two sides of the package. On one side, an assortment of brightly-colored macarons were lined up neatly, still chilled to the touch from where they'd been kept safely in his fridge. A small slip of paper tucked beside them listed flavors, such as key lime, elderflower, french vanilla, and cherry.

On the other side was a piece of shimmering fabric that, once lifted, showed to be an infinity scarf, the fabric a smooth purple-to-pink ombre that shifted depending on how the light hit it. It was soft, and remained fairly cool to the touch, even while being held.

And, beneath it, just for the fun of it, was a completely normal twenty-dollar bill with a hot-pink bow lovingly tied around it.

[flippantwizard]

All in all, the gifts were solid. Well thought out and clearly crafted and wished for with Taako's wild aesthetic in mind. He even put the scarf on to pair it with the cape the Outsider had given him, and stuffed the cash into his pocket. But one thing was off.

The macarons.

Taako looked to a small table nearby where he had set up a large plate of macarons not minutes before, a sign with 'take one' and his signature in front of it. Not that it mattered if he had signed it - Taako had been making a point of going over to speak with anyone that had decided to eat one, babbling about his recipe and the flavors he had chosen.

And now this guy. This fucking guy, had the audacity to bake some for him? Who did he think he was? Was he mocking him??? Taako took the box of macarons and hurried over to wherever Jon was, a flurry of pink and purple and gold thanks to the Outsiders and Jon's gifts, as well as him matching his wizard hat to fit them both.

"Hey, nerdlord. Quick question - am I a joke to you?"

For Ryuko

[ebb_n_flow]

With blue wrapping paper and a striking red streak swirling around the wrapper, two presents, one small and one hilariously long, were placed aside with care. A crimson envelope had a card on it, the card depicting a nautilus with a santa hat perched onto the top of its' shell. The card read:

"Hey Ryuko!!

I'm not sure what sort of winter holiday you celebrate, but I hope you're having an awesome one. Surprise, I'm your Secret Friend! 8)

We haven't gotten to talk too much just yet, but that's completely okay, because now we have definitely got to. I haven't gotten to do any sort of combat related things in ages, and would love to spar sometime! I checked out what swords in human worlds look like, and they're pretty different from ours, so I got you one of each. If you don't use them, I bet they'd look pretty cool in a sort of crossed display.

Merry Squidmas!
Marina"

True to her word, Marina had bundled two swords - or, one sword, a sweeping elegant blade, and one strange, cepholopod approximation of a sword, looking as though it was made out of a windshield-wiper.

In the smaller box, she'd left Ryuko an assortment of chocolates, all classic winter favorites: peppermint bark, sugar cookie bars, milk chocolate in cute shapes, and everything along those lines. Each one was put into a small package of the same - no individual wrapping made for quick snacks, after all!

[yerpissingmeoff]

Ryuko wasn't expecting much in the way of receiving a gift but what she does receive is far beyond her expectations. The first blade she receives is really elegant and far more conventionally sword-like, even more so than her scissorblade. She gives it a good swing or two to get the feel for it and grins, setting it down to open the next one. This is definitely not something she's akin to using but it's pretty goddamn amazing nonetheless. Once more, she gives it a few good swings and chuckles at how it feels -- and looks.

Soon, she heads to find Marina and approaches, raising a hand in the air in greeting. "Yo," she buries her hands into her pockets anew and slows once near enough. "I ain't never seen that one kind'a sword before but it looks like it packs a mean wallop. Thanks fer the gifts, real thoughtful of ya."

for Ann

[draculaslifecoach]

A gift wrapped with metallic red paper and tied with a cotton candy pink bow is on the table, bearing a tag with Ann's name.

Beneath the paper is a gold ballotin that contains a wide assortment of high end chocolates, truffles, and other assorted sweets with a bit of a European flair: hazelnut butters instead of peanut, fruit purees, some true dark chocolates with a high cacao content.

Tucked in one side of the box, however, is another gift--safely ensconced in a soft silver drawstring bag. Inside of that is a knife fit for a girl of Ann's tastes.

Laying atop the whole thing is a card, inside of which is scratched a brief note in bold, masculine handwriting.

Sweets for the sweet--and a little something to keep you safe, always. Thought about black, I hear it goes with everything, but when I saw this it seemed more your style.

Happy holidays, sweetheart,
-Barney

sorry for lateness.

[maragiidyne]

Naturally, she's not really expecting much but the gift on her table is pretty cutely wrapped which makes it a real surprise when she reads the card. This adorable pink bow and stuff is from Grandpa Barney?! Amused, she grins as she opens up the box and glees at the treasure trove of sweets inside. Unable to help herself, she grasps one or two and pops them in her mouth as she lifts the silver bag.

She flicks her gaze back to the card and wonders what the item to keep her safe is? Grasping the drawstring, she tugs on it to pull apart the opening and reaches her hand inside. The pads of her fingers brush against cold metal and she arches a brow. Curling fingers around the item, she pulls it free from the bag and raises her brows at the adorable knife.

"Whoa," she gasps soft at the sight of it, turning it over in her hand. It's adorable! It even says "love" on it and she realizes this is what he thought of getting in black. She beams and buries the weapon into the pocket of her coat as she heads off to look for her best dude, Barney! Once she locates him, she bounces over to him giddily and squeaks in delight as she approaches him, a thrilled smile on her face!

"Eee, you got me such awesome gifts, oh my gooosh!" She's going to take a moment to make sure he's not going to completely hate the idea of a hug before throwing her arms around him to give him one!

For Marina

[theydrewfirstblood]

The package on the table bearing Marina's name is utilitarian, but beautiful: two small boxes stacked on top of each other, largest on the bottom, wrapped in white paper and tied with black ribbon, a sprig of pine branch tucked into the bow. A small note is carefully wedged between the boxes...

Someone important to me left me a gift like this. It'll bring you luck. The other one will help you make your own luck, if you ever need it.

Happy Holidays,
J. Rambo

P.S.: Comes with free lessons if you need them.

The smaller box on top contains a simple jade Buddha pendant on a sturdy but attractive cord. In the slightly larger box beneath it is a pair of decorative earrings that double as a strong, fully functional lockpicking set.

For Ann

[delinquent_track]

As he looked at the gift in his hand, Ryuji heaved the deepest of sighs as he scratched the back of his neck with his free hand. The object would have been hard to make out at a distance but it definitely wasn't much and it wasn't wrapped.

"Geeze... what was I thinking?!" Another sigh, then he rolled his head to one side and closed his eyes before curling his fingers tightly around the mystery item. ".. She's going to think it's as stupid as I do now." He fidgeted nervously and it was apparent that he was sorely debating not delivering his little memento at all. It's not like he was obligated to. As far as he knew Ann hadn't gotten anything for him either. Still, since it was only the two of them here- spending Christmas without their friends or family.. something was better than nothing. Shooting a second glance at the present he wasn't so sure of that.

Still, with his feet dragging he located Ann in order to fork it over. The blond wouldn't make eye contact with her as he thrust his balled hand towards her.

"Here... and before you say anything.... it sounded better in my head."

[Ann's gift!. Merry Christmas from one blond idiot]

[maragiidyne]

She honestly wasn't expecting much from, well, anyone to be fair. She had purchased some things for her friends but Ann didn't need anything in return. Actually, she was on her way to give him what she had bought him when they ran into each other. Within her hands is a box wrapped in black and yellow paper with a red bow as an accent. She smiles at his approach until she realizes that he's, well, not really giving her any eye contact or anything. A flush of heat rises to her cheeks and she clears her throat a bit awkwardly. Maybe things are weird cause of that cabin stay...?

When he thrusts his hand to her, though, she raises her brows and even takes a step back at his swinging hand until she notes he's got something within it for her. Cradling the gift in one arm, she reaches to take the item from his hand and lifts a small keychain with an absolutely adorable little mochi-like cat on it. It's so simple but it's very him to give her something like this! It brings the smile back to her face and she lets out an audible, "Awww!" Beaming, she gives him a sincere, delighted look. "Sakamoto-kun, this is sooo, so cute! Thanks so much!"

See? Fretted over nothing.

To Kaiba

[dethroned_prince]

Looking quizzically on the gifts on the table, Atem couldn't help thinking that he'd committed some grievous faux pas. This was not a holiday he was familiar with and yet judging from the spread it was something that was more or less common knowledge. Maybe he should have attended the prior party so any of this would be clear. He slid next to the gift table long enough to read some of the names on the tags. Sure enough, the names varied, these weren't all for one person...

.. It didn't escape his notice that Kaiba had a few parcels waiting for him. There wasn't time to go through the process of acquiring something with feathers so Atem was left with what was on his person. Surely, his rival wouldn't be expecting anything.... but after putting up with all the prince's initial suspicions, and various verbal quips it would be nice to show some appreciation.

The problem being that Kaiba had always been able to afford anything he wanted. Ultimately, Atem decided to remove one of his own golden arm bands which he then wrapped in a napkin and tied off with a colorful bit of ribbon before adding a card. Hey, handing out gold always seemed to be a big hit in his era (Especially from someone in a high standing).... hopefully Kaiba would appreciate the gesture and not just complain about how gold isn't his color.

The note inside was simple:

Kaiba,

Please accept this as an expression of my gratitude.
- Atem

It wasn't perfect, but it would suffice.

[blue_ice]

Kaiba arrived with a package for his rival from another timeline, thankfully...it wasn't the biggest, as he wasn't exactly a successful feather earner, but he had to gift something.

He'd settled on an art book focused on great beasts of various worlds, particularly of the flying variety. Shockingly, not all were dragons (though there were some). The powerful images of soaring high always reminded him of the pharaoh. And for intellectual curiosity, each piece was accompanied by a thorough description of the being's history and place in culture.

It was wrapped neatly in simple gray paper, the name of its recipient written in gold lettering. As he moved to place the book on the table, he spotted the very small package with his own name on it...

...and when he stepped away to open it, as was the tradition, the gold armband prompted even further questions. He approached Atem with the wrapped book in hand, looking just faintly red-faced.

"Mm. Thanks. I...really wasn't expecting such a personal gift."

For Leanne

[ariesknight]

Mu isn't a very sociable person. He came from a place called Sanctuary, a holy place in Greece, where he was one of the chosen ones to serve a war goddess and being trained as a soldier for a goddess in preparation for war. Putting that past behind him, he could afford to mingle and be part of the festivities. He gives a simple nod or a smile to those passing by.

He has confidence that his apprentice and disciple little Kiki, the little one he left behind will take over once he becomes of age and trains to be a warrior of Athena himself.

In the meanwhile, he really has no idea who he should give his gift too. Only one person came to mind.

On the table, he wrapped the gift in purple and silver paper, and tied with a shiny lavender ribbon. Inside it's a collection of warm clothes such as gloves, scarves, and a blanket made from high quality yarn and fleece. Next to a gift is a bouquet of hard-to-find spring flowers. On the note with a small art of Christmas sheep wearing a red ribbon, he just written the name, "For Leanne"

"I have no idea what to give, so I hope this gift finds you well. May the seasons and New Year tide you new blessings."~ Mu

As the piano music plays, he's going to help himself to the seasonal cocoa and food being served.

Re: For Leanne

[song_princess]

Leanne, despite wanting to be sociable, still was dealing with her fear. She was still learning about this thing called Christmas and she didn't expect to see her name on the table and she feels her cheeks flared up in a blush.

She looks around to try and find Mu, blushing even more at seeing him. She moves to stand near him and holding her wings close, she leans up to try and give him a light kiss on the cheek.

"Th-Thank you.... My lord Mu." And okay, gonna focus on making herself a cup of cocoa now.