entrancelogs | sleigh bells are ringing, it's that time of year

Entry tags:

sleigh bells are ringing, it's that time of year

Who: Anders (

circlejerked) and Minato Arisato (

jivitadana).
Where: First floor tea room.
When: Dec. 28th.
Rating: PG, probably.
Summary: A late Secret Santa gift exchange wherein Anders does his first Christmas proud and they try to wash the taste of Ewaymas out of their mouths.
The Story:

_{[After that roller coaster ride of sleep deprivation and fending off hordes of mindless Tranquil-esque pod people (a slight exaggeration, perhaps), Anders could honestly sleep for a year straight with his usual dreams of Wardens flying into battle on the backs of tigers. But there's no rest for the wicked or the weary--duty calls.

Somewhere out there is a Secret Santa recipient waiting for him to shower them in holiday cheer. It's Anders to the rescue.

After all, how can he hope to take part in Earth celebrations--or just as likely poke fun at them for being strange--if he dropped the ball on his first Christmas gift exchange? It's practically like Satinalia, and he's awesome at that. He's got this. And then maybe he'll consider looking into that year-long hibernation.

It's easy enough to find his giftee's name in the contact list and send them a text inviting them down to the first floor tea room to meet their Secret Santa. It's not stranger danger when someone's luring you with free gifts, right? Well, that might actually be the textbook definition of stranger danger, but who's counting?]}

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[That's right, there was still the Secret Santa exchange to do. Minato hadn't really ever done Secret Santa or even Christmas gifts in years, save for the past year at home. When a Secret Santa exchange was organized, he thought it'd be a nice way to get back into the swing of that kind of thing.

It was still a nice surprise too though to receive the text. The gift could've been left at his room or maybe even the coffee shop with his name on it, but meeting the person giving him the gift was going to be so much better.

Thus he did make his way downstairs to the first floor tea room, opening the door and stepping inside. He didn't exactly come empty-handed though, since he felt that if someone was giving him a gift, he should give something in return.]

_{[It's without quite Anders' usual amount of vim and vigor that he claims a seat at table to wait, legs stretched out in front of him in a relaxed pose. He's no spring chicken anymore; the long days and longer nights have taken their toll on his energy levels, though luckily the perks of being spirit healer meant he could magic a little color back into his cheeks after he woke up. (From a sleep free of annoyingly life-like dreams, thank the Maker.)

Better to distract oneself, he always says. It's partly why he wanted to do this. Getting out of his room and fulfilling the terms of Darcy's pet project is a convenient excuse to shove the white Wonderland to the back of his mind.

Ah, speaking of--here's a young fellow entering now. Is this who he's waiting on? Maybe they should've swapped descriptions before essentially agreeing to a blind date...]}

Are you Minato, by chance?

_{[He's the only one in here at the moment, but he lifts his hand in greeting and as a means to get the boy's attention all the same.]}

You made it. I'm sure I've seen you around before--I suppose it's time we officially met. I'm Anders. Pleasure.

It's nice to meet you too.

[The pleasure was all Minato's. After such vivid dreams and the lack of sleep, it was nice to be relatively back to normal. He could go outside and enjoy the snow and spend the rest of the holiday in just as relative peace. The Mansion couldn't be so cruel to throw yet another event at them after the last one they just had. It was the holidays. It should let up and give them all a break.]

Thanks for messaging me. This is for you too.

[He set down a small white box on the table for Anders. Inside was a round white cake from the diner and is not left over from Christmas since Minato had planned on making cakes and other baked goods all the way through the New Year and then onward, so they're definitely fresh. He thought food might be the way to go in this case, and he hoped it was okay.]

I couldn't leave my partner hanging, now could I? What's a little lack of sleep in the face of a holiday tradition?

_{[Good to know he has the right recipient. Minato looks young to his eye, but then it'd be a bit too easy if a blind gift exchange conveniently paired him with someone the exact same age, with the exact same interests, and the exact same predilection of shiny things. Luckily he'd gone with a gift that everyone could use so that he wouldn't have to worry--and fortunate that he had, because the onset of dreams had shoved thoughts of holiday gifts right out of his head.

He sits up in his chair at the other's approach, retracting his legs back under his seat so the boy can comfortably take a seat. At the sight of the box, though, puzzlement flits across Anders' expression--and maybe, just maybe a subdued flash of alarm. Oh Maker, not more white.

On the bright side, it's not a glowing white jar this time.]}

Hold on, I thought the point of this was that I'm supposed to give you something.

[Minato did take a seat and smiled a little. Darcy's idea of Secret Santa was a good idea, but the person giving the gift wasn't going to be getting anything from the person they were giving the gift to. And Minato felt like if someone was giving him a gift, he should give back to that person as well.]

I know, but you're giving me something. You should get something back too.

[It was fair, he thought. The point was to be given a gift, but he couldn't help but feel that maybe he was taking advantage of someone's kindness.

The greater gift out of all of this though was that he had the opportunity to meet someone new. Who knew that he would even have this chance too if he hadn't come to Wonderland at all.]

Someone did explain how this works, right? Someone out there already has my name and I'm expecting a nice paperweight or unfashionable sweater any day now.

_{[What Minato sees as just being polite Anders sees as a mathematical error that's netted him an extra free present. But the protest is pure lip service. Free presents? Who is he to say no to that? The light chuckle he gives is more appreciative than it is chiding.]}

Well, thanks for the thought. Just don't tell me there's something from the White Queen's creepy utopia in there. I don't think I can handle any more of that.

Right. I hope you get something you like.

[Although Minato supposed that a paperweight had its uses and the sweater too, if only to be worn in one's room then if that unfashionable. But the thought did make him smile too. He wondered then who it was that was supposed to give Anders his gift. It sounded like the exchange hadn't happened yet.

As for the box, Minato only went with a plain white vanilla cake since he wasn't sure what Anders would like, and that seemed the safest choice. He hoped Anders wasn't allergic to anything in it.]

No, it's just a cake. Promise. But that dream was creepy.

[Not to mention kind of foreboding and ominous and just generally unpleasant if that was what their future was going to be like.]

Mm. Someone to shoot lightning bolts at? I'd like that.

_{[That's Anders' default answer to everything, though. Pay this man no mind, Minato. In fact, it'd probably be best to ignore most things that come out of his mouth.

At the mention of cake, Anders' eyebrows lift in a look of interest, precipitating a smile.]}

You brought me cake? Well, in that case I think I should be the one thanking you. I could get behind this Secret Santa business if this is what it's all about. And on that note...

_{[Reaching into his robes, Anders plucks out a rectangular strip of paper about the size and shape of a check, holding it aloft with thumb and finger with a game show presenter's flair like it's the winning million dollar cash prize.]}

This is for you. It covers all the important bases, I think, and I don't hand these out to just anyone.

[Lightning bolts? That might be painful for someone who didn't have resistance to electricity. Minato thought that if he were the one being bolted at, let's say, he might not come out of that so bad. He smiled though, thinking about it, but it did give him a hint that Anders could do something about lightning at all. He'd have to ask about that!

He was happy enough that the cake had passed for now. There was the matter of its taste, but he thought that would pass too. Or he hoped. When he did see the piece of paper, he bowed his head a little in order to take it and read it. And after reading it, he smiled more.]

Thank you. I used to sing karaoke.

[Totally not a lie. Someone had to go and sing by themselves to raise their Courage stat. Which then is kind of sad, since he went alone. XD]

But the magic part. Lightning bolts and anything else?

[That was intriguing. But he really did like that second part of the gift too, as he was happy to have both options should whatever occasion pop up first.]

_{[Minato's onto something with the lightning bolts. A literal pain in the arse for the victim, but fun for the mage doing the throwing. Whoever said great power comes with great responsibility was not a Thedosian and definitely hasn't seen Anders do his best impression of Zeus making the mortals under his feet dance.

All kidding aside, though, a return gift is an unexpected politeness--he appreciates the gesture. Moving the box safely to the side (that'll make a fine treat later on), he rests his arm on the table and looks the boy up and down.]}

I knew that. We mages and our psychic powers of perception and all that. _{[In contrast to Minato's honesty, this is total bullshit, but he offers it up with a relatively straight face.]} But my sixth sense for baked goods is still a work in progress. I'm all right where jelly-filled doughnuts are concerned, but cakes still slip past sometimes.

_{[Anyone asking him to explain himself runs the 50/50 chance of getting utter nonsense. It's not a magical talent, per se, but bullshitting strangers is certainly a personal skill Anders takes some pride in.]}

[A mage, huh? That sounded very magical-based and all. Minato was wondering if he should take the mage's word for it them on the psychic powers (perhaps he would for now, until proven otherwise!), but even if he weren't, the gift and sentiment were still appreciated. It was nice to think that he'd been gifted with someone's assistance. It did in one way guarantee that he wouldn't be alone for that one task, whatever it may be.

Before Minato did put the certificate away in his wallet, he snapped a picture of it on his cell phone as proof, just in case he lost the paper itself, but he didn't think he would. But just in case.]

I kind of want to see the lightning bolts. But I don't know if that's a demonstration that should take place in a tearoom.

[Or if Anders wanted to demonstrate at all. Some people were very private and didn't like to share that kind of thing.]

As for honing that sixth sense, that means you just need to eat more baked goods.

_{[Ah, photographic evidence. Very smart. Whomever invented this wireless communication stuff really knew what they were doing when it comes to immortalizing IOUs and embarrassing moments.

Wanting to see his magic earns a smile, but the thought of doing it in the tea room and shattering fine china is what gets Anders chuckling. That'd be one way to leave an impression on a young lad, wouldn't it?]}

Are you redeeming your voucher already? Because really, no one likes assembling furniture.

_{[He points a finger at Minato with an agreeing nod. Good thinking.]}

You're wise for your age. Cake is an excellent gift, thank you.

[True, no one likes assembling furniture even if there are written instructions and pictures in the manual, but then when you're done assembling and you have ONE wooden peg left over, you wonder what happened. So no tearoom destroying (today), which is either fortunate or unfortunate since Wonderland repaired itself.]

Hm... If I show you a magic trick too, can I still keep my voucher?

[Lightning bolts are super awesome, but Minato wondered too if there was anything else up Anders's sleeve. That's a roomy sleeve, he's guessing. He knew that maybe he was being a little facetious about the gift since he was offering a trade of sorts. That sage nod though definitely earns Anders another smile.]

And no problem. If you want more, stop by the Diner.

[Because there will always be baked goods there, not that they're in direct competition with the coffee shop!]

_{[Inserting screw A into slot B is indeed one of the worst tortures the human mind can conjure, which is why Anders had thought an offer of one open, no-questions-asked favor quite generous. There's a lot you could do with a single favor. Play a two-person shooter game. Move a body. Graffiti the Queen of Hearts' throne room.

The possibilities are endless and much more interesting than one simple act of magic, in Anders' opinion. (But Anders being Anders, he'd still left it as an option. Listen, it's not his fault if people aren't terribly creative with their requests.

He pretends to give the offer some thought, deeply pensive hum and all.]}

What kind of magic are you talking about? Stage magic? Magic magic? Culinary magic?

Mage-type tricks with my soul.

[If they were speaking in terms of stage magic, sleight-of-hand, illusions, escapes, something along those lines, then "trick" might be a word for it. He hadn't quite meant it to be like a dog-and-pony show though since it wasn't like that at all. But he did throw in the word "mage" if to imply some kind of elemental magic too, as a hint.

Minato did like the favor part of the voucher, hence why didn't want to give up said voucher yet if just for a magic demonstration.]

If it's okay with you to trade like that.

_{[He squints. Soul powers? This just got spiritual all of a sudden.]}

To me that sounds like a convoluted way of saying magic magic.

_{[But this is Wonderland. It takes all kinds and Anders has been here long enough not to immediately leap to conclusions about what kinds of abilities the kid might be sporting under that mop of artfully-styled hair.

All right, all right. In the spirit of sharing, he's up for sharing techniques. It helps that he's a little curious about the cards other have up their own sleeves, too. His can't be the only roomy ones around.]}

Well, I can hardly refuse now that you've given me a surprise gift. I'm game. We'll call it a freebie. Were you thinking now, or should we set a time for the future? I've nowhere to be now that I've met my Secret Santa obligations, so your call.

[Minato did try to be more specific, but it still came out vague. But all the mysteries about it would be revealed soon, he thought. He didn't mind sharing either about it since maybe with his magic he could be helpful around the mansion and thus helpful to other people.

And awesome, he can keep his voucher. But he hadn't exactly planned on using it, not quite, because if Anders did him a favor, even with no questions asked, Minato would have to find a way to make it up to him to thank him for his help. It didn't take him too long though to respond to the question.]

There's nothing like the present.

[Pun intended, sort of? Thanks, Wonderland, for the powers of auto-translate since that probably might not have worked out so well in his native language.]

Thanks, by the way. If there's something I can do for you too, let me know.

Show and tell, it is! This gift exchange just got a whole lot more interesting.

_{[Anders gives a lopsided smile to show he only means to tease with the comment. To counterbalance how off-putting Wonderland interfering in their dreams had been, he'd made an agreement with himself to be as insufferably blase in the public eye as he could manage. A stiff upper lip, as it were.

If anyone made the mistake of thinking him a leader, he might be able to pass it off as leading by example, but really, he just has a knack for faking it until he makes it. Or just plain faking it.]}

By the sounds of it, I won't be disappointed by your repertoire--you had me at "mage-type" soul tricks. How do you normally get warmed up? Do you need some special preparation before we swap our trade secrets?

_{[Anders is ready to go any time, though the kid does have a point that they'd do well to find another venue before one or both of them start setting off fireworks. The poor tablecloths may never recover.]}

We can do this outside.

[Minato nodded once and they could make their way out of the tearoom and then eventually out of the mansion. It was best if they had the demonstration outside because wow, yes, all the fireworks would be hard to clean up after.

But warm up? Minato wondered if he really should do some kind of warm up before he did this. He didn't have a problem with it before, but then again, no one ever asked him if he needed to. He'd have to think about it.]

I just need this.

[He touched his hand to his hip holster where his Evoker was. He couldn't do much without it. No tricks to be shown if he didn't have his summoning device.]

Do you need to warm up?

Fine by me. And the cake is definitely coming with.

_{[Despite the novels being a cautionary tale in not eating strange food you happen to come across, Anders has a feeling that if he left Minato's gift sitting around on a table, it'd be gone the next time he looked. Free cake, come on. It'd be a shame to give it up before he has a chance to try it.

He rises to scoop the box under his arm and push his chair in, a cocksure smile in place.]}

Me? Nah. I was born ready. I do have a staff for more complex maneuvers if you want an encore afterward, but I can do without. _{[The gun thing gets a curious look. He's seen the likes of them around Wonderland, but he's only ever known them to be projectile weapons, aside from the ones that squirt water. (Those are fun.)]} You might be the first mage I've seen carrying one of those around.

[Aw, even if that cake vanished, Minato could make him another one. But no sense in giving it up now, though he hoped it wasn't then an inconvenience to be carrying it around.]

It sounds like you can do a lot. How cool-looking is the staff?

[He could do with and without the staff? Besides all the lightning? Anders must have an impressive repertoire, and Minato was looking forward to seeing whatever Anders decided to show him.]

Mn, it's called an Evoker. It's not a real gun.

[It just simulated one. But wow, thankfully it is not a real gun because that would be all sorts of horrible with the way Minato has to summon.]

_{[Ah, kid, you ask just the right questions to stroke Anders' ego. He smiles widely on their way out the door.]}

How cool is it, you ask? Oh, very cool. We mages don't skimp on our staves in Thedas.

_{[It's not always a point of pride, magic. To talk about it openly, let alone have it, is a reason for ridicule and alienation in his world; bragging and letting everyone with a ten mile radius know that he is, in fact, a mage has been a small act of rebellion in times past.

It's a pleasant change to be able to speak about his abilities and not always worry the other party's interest is rooted in how quickly they can slap a pair of manacles on him.]}

You read my mind--it looks like one of those things at first glance.

I'll have to see it one day. Did you make it yourself?

[It probably was a lot cooler than Anders was making it, even if Anders didn't hold back about it. Minato had had his share of video games that featured warriors and mages, but meeting a real mage was awesome. But where did staves come from? He thought they had to be crafted in a specific way, or maybe they were just made of magic?]

And I'll show you how I use it. Don't be alarmed.

[He also thought giving a warning would be a good idea.]

_{[Right, okay...]}

Oh no, that is unfortunately a talent I can't lay claim to. And anytime someone tells me not to be alarmed, I worry.

_{[The last part is said with a light laugh--if he's at all concerned by someone warning him to keep his cool at what he's about to see, he does a good job of hiding it.

The breath of cold air that greets them once they push open the front door is chilly but not unbearable, and Anders squints into the afternoon light, considering their options. When he trains, it's usually in a secluded clearing somewhere where he doesn't have to worry about rogue spells hitting anyone, but he has enough self-control not to burn down the garden if they do a demonstration closer to home.]}

Age before beauty. You can pick a spot you feel comfortable with.

[Perhaps Minato should have also specified that it didn't hurt, though it might have looked painful? It didn't harm him in any way that he could think of, save for using up his store of health and spirit, and he just needed time to recover them both if he depleted it too much.

Once given the option about the stage location, Minato didn't take too long to answer. He did train outside sometimes. Mostly at night though since he was used to fighting at night and plus, it was also sort of out of sight, out of mind for other people around who might not want to be an unsuspecting spectator.]

The hedge maze, please. It grows back before you know it.

[That thing could be destroyed and then an hour or so later, it was back to being lush and green. Kind of amazing, really, and then Minato felt less bad for the destruction of public property.]

Did you want me to go first? That way you don't have to worry for so long?

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