Post by TimePuppy on Dec 25, 2020 18:23:45 GMT
„Hey, I know you cheated! You made your controller play the game for you!”
“Psht, yeah right, loser. I don’t need to cheat to beat you. Now pony up.”
Cosmina disgruntledly pulled out ten bucks and gave them to her sister. She couldn’t believe Katie beat her at Redcode Blazetrigger XV17 Rumble Strikers. Anime games were supposed to be her domain. “Double or nothing?”
The doorbell rang before she got an answer. “Aunty Erin’s here!” Cosmina exclaimed, tossing her controller on the couch and skipping to the door, her casual dress fluttering behind her.
“Hi, Erin!” she yelled as she opened the door, startling the poor redhead. “Merry Christmas!”
“Hi, Cos.” Erin came inside. Decorations covered the entire hallway and spread further into every room. Christmas lights stretched from corner to corner and little santa charms were stuck to the ceiling. She could also see a tall Christmas tree proudly displayed in the middle of the living room with ornaments hanging all over. “Merry Christmas,” she said while hanging up her coat. “Hi, Katie.” She waved at her other niece. Kate wanted to say she didn’t like being called Katie anymore, but she bit her tongue.
“Hey.”
“Nice to see you two again. Um… Where’s your mom?”
“She’s in the kitchen with aunty Elyssa,” Cosmina answered.
“I’ll go say hi then.” Erin went to the kitchen, being washed over by a cacophony of delicious smells. Elyssa was helping Haruko stuff a turkey with perhaps a bit more excitement than necessary. Looking at the state of the kitchen, they put a lot of excitement everything else they made, too. Haruko and Elyssa looked up as she came in and greeted her with a smile. Haruko had to mimic a hug since her hands were all messy from the preparations.
“Hey, we’re making a feast for the party tonight,” Haruko told her.
“This bird put up more of a fight than that roc from the forest ruin, but we finally beat it,” Elyssa said. “What’s up, sis?”
“I brought some drinks for the party.” She displayed a bag filled with various juices and soft drinks, and some wine for the adults. “I hope I got something for everybody…”
“Nice, today’s party is gonna rock!”
„It's a shame Aria couldn't join us,“ Erin said. Haruko didn’t respond. She didn’t get along well with Aria, but she wasn’t going to bar her from coming over. Cos and Kate had the right to hang out with her and she with them.
„She's a busy woman,“ Elyssa said, „But don't worry, I made sure she knows we didn't forget her!“
“Ah, I didn't think to send her anything..."
"Hey, don't worry, I said we. Trust me, she knows it's from all of us."
"Oh... Thanks! Should I help you out here then?” Erin asked.
“No!” Haruko and Elyssa said in unison. They didn’t want their effort accidentally going up in flames.
“We’re almost done here anyway. Elyssa, you and Erin can go keep an eye on out Cosmina and Kate. Make sure they aren’t fighting again. They spent all morning pulling pranks on each other.”
“Heh, alrighty. I’ll make sure the little trolls stay in line,” Elyssa said and the two went to the living room. Katie was sitting on the couch, tapping along on her smartphone. Cosmina wasn’t there. She’d gone to her room to fetch something, Katie told them. Elyssa decided to sit in the armchair while Erin took the couch.
“Ouch!” Erin exclaimed. She reached under herself and pulled out Cosmina's controller. “Oh, were you two playing Blazetrigger? Can I play, too?” she asked while rubbing her butt.
“Yeah, sure,” Kate said. “I just crushed the gremlin, I’ll kick your ass, too."
Cosmina final came back, carrying a cute green outfit with her. “I designed this for the party tonight. Elfmina is coming back to town!” She showed it off proudly. “It’s almost as good as that elf costume you have, isn’t it?” She smirked devilishly.
Erin turned beet red. She never should’ve let her rummage around her closet! Or she should’ve hidden the costume under her bed! “W-well, it looks very nice, yes.” She smiled weakly. “I can’t wait to see you wear it.”
Thrown off her game by Cosmina’s comments, I was only a matter of time before Erin lost to Kate. “Another one bites the dust,” Kate said. While she was celebrating, Cosmina stole her controller and plonked herself on the couch.
“Move over; losers bracket now. If I win, I want a rematch!”
Elyssa noticed the storm that was brewing between the sisters and chimed in. “Oh, Kate, did I tell you about the steampowered tank I fought recently? It slightly exploded in the end, but I salvaged some trophies. Maybe you can use them for that car you want to make.”
Kate and Elyssa were sucked into a conversation about weird machines while Erin and Cosmina duked it out. Erin came out as the winner to Cosmina’s utter despair. Haruko soon joined them, carrying a bowl of cooled cookies. A fresh batch was stashed safely away from Cosmina’s sneaky hands until tonight. She sat between Kate and Cosmina, pulling them into a hug. She kissed their cheeks lovingly.
“Soooo, since we’re all gathered here, want to play cards until the guests arrive?”
Later that evening
Aria's face scrunched up at all the paperwork littering her table. This year was a mess of infractions, near infractions, and other business related issues. She'd hoped she could go home a bit earlier for Christmas, for her own health if nothing else.
The buzzer on her desk started ringing. She knew it had to be her personal assistant; he was one of the few people who didn't go home early for Christmas. Happy to get at least a short break, she let him in.
„Miss Aria, it seems you received an urgent package,“ he said, carrying a large package. She looked on as he put it on her desk. She wasn't sure what the urgent package could be about, but she trusted security made sure it was safe.
The assistant looked on with a smile as she unwrapped and opened the box. Inside was a decorated cake, with colorful frosting flowers. A large cookie sat atop it, shaped and colored like chibi Erin, Elyssa, and Haruko sitting on top of reindeer, wishing her a merry Christmas.
She smiled.
„Merry Christmas to you, too.“
“Psht, yeah right, loser. I don’t need to cheat to beat you. Now pony up.”
Cosmina disgruntledly pulled out ten bucks and gave them to her sister. She couldn’t believe Katie beat her at Redcode Blazetrigger XV17 Rumble Strikers. Anime games were supposed to be her domain. “Double or nothing?”
The doorbell rang before she got an answer. “Aunty Erin’s here!” Cosmina exclaimed, tossing her controller on the couch and skipping to the door, her casual dress fluttering behind her.
“Hi, Erin!” she yelled as she opened the door, startling the poor redhead. “Merry Christmas!”
“Hi, Cos.” Erin came inside. Decorations covered the entire hallway and spread further into every room. Christmas lights stretched from corner to corner and little santa charms were stuck to the ceiling. She could also see a tall Christmas tree proudly displayed in the middle of the living room with ornaments hanging all over. “Merry Christmas,” she said while hanging up her coat. “Hi, Katie.” She waved at her other niece. Kate wanted to say she didn’t like being called Katie anymore, but she bit her tongue.
“Hey.”
“Nice to see you two again. Um… Where’s your mom?”
“She’s in the kitchen with aunty Elyssa,” Cosmina answered.
“I’ll go say hi then.” Erin went to the kitchen, being washed over by a cacophony of delicious smells. Elyssa was helping Haruko stuff a turkey with perhaps a bit more excitement than necessary. Looking at the state of the kitchen, they put a lot of excitement everything else they made, too. Haruko and Elyssa looked up as she came in and greeted her with a smile. Haruko had to mimic a hug since her hands were all messy from the preparations.
“Hey, we’re making a feast for the party tonight,” Haruko told her.
“This bird put up more of a fight than that roc from the forest ruin, but we finally beat it,” Elyssa said. “What’s up, sis?”
“I brought some drinks for the party.” She displayed a bag filled with various juices and soft drinks, and some wine for the adults. “I hope I got something for everybody…”
“Nice, today’s party is gonna rock!”
„It's a shame Aria couldn't join us,“ Erin said. Haruko didn’t respond. She didn’t get along well with Aria, but she wasn’t going to bar her from coming over. Cos and Kate had the right to hang out with her and she with them.
„She's a busy woman,“ Elyssa said, „But don't worry, I made sure she knows we didn't forget her!“
“Ah, I didn't think to send her anything..."
"Hey, don't worry, I said we. Trust me, she knows it's from all of us."
"Oh... Thanks! Should I help you out here then?” Erin asked.
“No!” Haruko and Elyssa said in unison. They didn’t want their effort accidentally going up in flames.
“We’re almost done here anyway. Elyssa, you and Erin can go keep an eye on out Cosmina and Kate. Make sure they aren’t fighting again. They spent all morning pulling pranks on each other.”
“Heh, alrighty. I’ll make sure the little trolls stay in line,” Elyssa said and the two went to the living room. Katie was sitting on the couch, tapping along on her smartphone. Cosmina wasn’t there. She’d gone to her room to fetch something, Katie told them. Elyssa decided to sit in the armchair while Erin took the couch.
“Ouch!” Erin exclaimed. She reached under herself and pulled out Cosmina's controller. “Oh, were you two playing Blazetrigger? Can I play, too?” she asked while rubbing her butt.
“Yeah, sure,” Kate said. “I just crushed the gremlin, I’ll kick your ass, too."
Cosmina final came back, carrying a cute green outfit with her. “I designed this for the party tonight. Elfmina is coming back to town!” She showed it off proudly. “It’s almost as good as that elf costume you have, isn’t it?” She smirked devilishly.
Erin turned beet red. She never should’ve let her rummage around her closet! Or she should’ve hidden the costume under her bed! “W-well, it looks very nice, yes.” She smiled weakly. “I can’t wait to see you wear it.”
Thrown off her game by Cosmina’s comments, I was only a matter of time before Erin lost to Kate. “Another one bites the dust,” Kate said. While she was celebrating, Cosmina stole her controller and plonked herself on the couch.
“Move over; losers bracket now. If I win, I want a rematch!”
Elyssa noticed the storm that was brewing between the sisters and chimed in. “Oh, Kate, did I tell you about the steampowered tank I fought recently? It slightly exploded in the end, but I salvaged some trophies. Maybe you can use them for that car you want to make.”
Kate and Elyssa were sucked into a conversation about weird machines while Erin and Cosmina duked it out. Erin came out as the winner to Cosmina’s utter despair. Haruko soon joined them, carrying a bowl of cooled cookies. A fresh batch was stashed safely away from Cosmina’s sneaky hands until tonight. She sat between Kate and Cosmina, pulling them into a hug. She kissed their cheeks lovingly.
“Soooo, since we’re all gathered here, want to play cards until the guests arrive?”
Later that evening
Aria's face scrunched up at all the paperwork littering her table. This year was a mess of infractions, near infractions, and other business related issues. She'd hoped she could go home a bit earlier for Christmas, for her own health if nothing else.
The buzzer on her desk started ringing. She knew it had to be her personal assistant; he was one of the few people who didn't go home early for Christmas. Happy to get at least a short break, she let him in.
„Miss Aria, it seems you received an urgent package,“ he said, carrying a large package. She looked on as he put it on her desk. She wasn't sure what the urgent package could be about, but she trusted security made sure it was safe.
The assistant looked on with a smile as she unwrapped and opened the box. Inside was a decorated cake, with colorful frosting flowers. A large cookie sat atop it, shaped and colored like chibi Erin, Elyssa, and Haruko sitting on top of reindeer, wishing her a merry Christmas.
She smiled.
„Merry Christmas to you, too.“