A Favor Returned
Soren
fiddled with the broom as he absently swept the pristine kitchen
floor. Eli clattered down the loft stairs, making Soren jump at the
noise. Eli sighed. "You do realize you cleaned the kitchen this
morning. And yesterday. The house is immaculate, sweetie." Soren
didn't seem to notice Eli's remark."Did we clean the guest bathroom
Eli?" Eli
rolled his eyes. "Yes, Soren. Yes. We cleaned the whole damn house.
Twice. Please, sweetheart, relax." Soren
sighed, slipping into a chair. "I can't relax, Eli. Your parents
are here in less than an hour."Eli
couldn't conceal an exasperated groan. "Oh, Soren, sweetie. They
don't hate you. They like you. They LIKE you. Mom, Dad, and
Elly all thanked me for bringing you to Thanksgiving. Mom called
and asked to speak with you,
don't you remember. Hell, we went shopping two
weeks ago and they had fun with you. You had fun too, didn't you?" Soren
gave a tiny growl. "I KNOW they like me. I like them.
they're nice people. I'm just anxious. It's stupid. I'm just afraid
I'll disappoint them, or something. It's not exactly a rational
thing. I'm just trying to make their visit as nice as possible." Eli
abruptly picked Soren out of the chair. "Nope. You're not doing
this," said Eli as he steered Soren to their couch. He pointed an
imperious finger. "Lay down." Soren did so. Eli neatly placed
himself on Soren's lap. "You are staying right here until the
doorbell rings. You. Need. To. Relax. And you can either make me sit
on you or you can attempt to wind down. Got it?" Soren
sighed but was unable to resist a grin. "Will you cuddle with me,
then?" Eli
smiled, shifting his position so he was laying on top of Soren now.
"Of course, sweetie." Soren
growled as Eli lay on top of him, feeling his delicate hands run
across his shoulders. "I'm sorry, Eli. I'm just high strung right
now." "I
get that, love," whispered Eli. "But I'm telling you that you
have absolutely nothing to feel nervous about. They like you. They
have yet to find anything wrong with you. Hell, Elly wouldn't admit
it to your face, but she admires how much you know about science and
music and, well, anything. I promise you it will be all right. "I'm
sorry, Eli. You're right, and I know you're right. A few minutes
peace might be a good idea."Eli
kissed Soren. "Thanks, sweetie. I love you." "I
love you too, Eli," said Soren, his eyes closed. They lay there for
a while. Soren kept turning to check the clock, but Eli would pull
him back, kissing him or nuzzling him. It took a bit, but he was
finally starting to wind down. There was a knock on the door. Soren
jumped, knocking into Eli's cheek with his chin. "Oof,"
grunted Eli as he got up. He guided Soren to their front door,
shouting "coming," as they walked. Soren went to open the
deadbolt, but Eli put his hand on Soren's. "Soren. Listen. All they
want to do is spend time with us. With you, really. We've been living
together for months now and they've only met you twice. They still
don't know you as well as they want to." "Well,
let's not let keep them waiting, dear." said Soren, kissing Eli.
Soren opened the door, smiling widely with Eli's arm around his
shoulder. "Heya! Merry Christmas!" "Merry
Christmas," chorused a pile of parcels and bags standing at their
door. "Oh
geez," said Eli, looking at the pile of stuff his parents were
staggered under. "You could have asked us for help." Elly
dumped a portion of her pile of boxes into Soren's arms. "You know
Dad would rather die than take two trips. Wow... this is your house?"
"Mmhmm,"
said Eli. "It's a nice place. Just dump it by the tree. Do you want
a tour?" "Sure,"
said Lyra as she deposited her own burden under the small plastic
tree that Soren had bought. "This
is a really great place," said Logan, taking in the spacious
apartment. "You've been doing really well then." "Yeah,"
said Soren. "The last auction was brilliant. He was painting all
around the city." "In
the middle of winter," asked Elly, eyebrow raised. "Did the snow
mess with the paint at all?" "Dear
god, yes," smiled Eli. "There was this one painting, the scene at
the park was too perfect, but it was sleeting. Soren stood outside
for hours with an umbrella and an enormous pot of tea, just so I
could paint." "It
paid off," said Soren, rubbing Eli''s shoulders. "Someone paid
through the nose for that. Besides, it was fun to watch it take
shape.""Why
don't we show you where you guys are sleeping," said Eli, opening
the door to the guestroom. "We actually got a proper bed for the
place now." "Oh,
this is really nice," said Lyra as she placed her own bag inside
the door. "I'm
sleeping here," shouted Elly from a different room. Eli poked his
head out the door. Elly was sitting neatly on the edge of the bed
that he Soren shared. "Bullshit,"
said Eli. He pointed imperiously. "You're on the couch." ''Uh-uh,"
said Elly, flopping backward and spreading out her arms wide to take
up as much space as she could. "This is an awesome bed. You're such
a bad host Eli. Aren't you supposed to cater to your guests?" "I'll
handle this," said Soren, walking briskly to their bedroom. He
leaned down, speaking quietly to Elly alone. "You know, do you
really want to be sleeping in the same bed that your brother and I
have sex in? Elly
sat bolt upright, her barbed tail poker straight. "Eeep! When did
you last-" Soren
grinned wolfishly "Last night. Didn't think of that, did you? Now
why don't you take your stuff and I'll get you some blankets and
pillows."Elly
quickly got off the blue bedspread and walked back to the couch
without a word. Soren dug some blankets out of the linen closet. Eli
was walking his parents through the house. "...The stairs lead up
to the loft. You can snoop around, but I swear to god do NOT lift the
tarps." Lyra
laughed. "And it goes full circle, now doesn't it. I remember
yelling at you and Elly more often than I should have about looking
at my works in progress." She gave Logan a playful push. "You
too, for that matter. Well, we're kinda tired. It was a long drive."
Eli
nodded. "Fine by me. Do you need anything?" Logan
shook his head. "I think we're fine." "Great,"
said Eli. He hugged his parents. "Night Mom. Night Dad. Merry
Christmas." Waving goodnight to Elly, Eli shut the door to their
bedroom. "Did you tell her we wash the sheets every time like
normal people?" "Did
I need to," smiled Soren, kissing Eli. "They
were impressed with the place," said Eli as he took off his shirt.
"they were surprised at how clean it was." "I'll
be getting up early tomorrow," said Soren as he took off his jeans.
Eli
gave Soren an appraising look. "Dammit, how early? It's Christmas!
And what would you be doing anyway?" "When
do your parents normally get up," asked Soren as he ran water to
brush his teeth. "Mom
gets up around nineish," said Eli through his toothbrush. "Dad
sleeps in when he deems it 'appropriate.'" "Then
I'll be up around eight, eight thirty," said Soren as he rinsed his
brush off. "I want to cook us all breakfast." "I'm
sure it'll be delicious," said Eli. "Hey, congratulations." Soren
raised an eyebrow. "Wait, what?"Eli
kissed Soren, rubbing a hand across his bare chest. "You graduated
to boxer shorts, and Mom, Dad, and Elly are all in the house with
us." Soren
chuckled. "It feels different when it's our house."Eli
guided them to bed. "Or maybe it's because you're getting used to
them. Merry Christmas, Soren. I love you." "I
love you too, Eli." Soren rested his head on Eli's chest. He sighed
as Eli ran delicate paws through his lengthening blue hair. He
normally liked it cropped fairly short, but Eli said he looked cute
in longer hair, so he was growing it out a bit, just for fun. Snaking
his arms behind Eli's slender back, he snuggled himself deeper into
Eli's chest tuft and let contentment overlap him. Eli growled in
pleasure as his hands traced Soren's bare back. Soren sighed as he
felt himself drifting. "I love you so much, Eli."
Soren
hit his watch alarm on the first ring. Slowly, he extracted himself
from Eli's slender arms and got out of bed. Soren slipped out of the
blankets. He walked to his dresser and pulled on navy blue pajamas
and his bathrobe. Eli's groggy voice drifted from the pillows. "Merry
Christmas, sweetheart." "Sorry,
sweetie," frowned Soren. "I didn't want to wake you up." "It's
all right," said Eli, turning onto his side. "Do you mind if I
don't help with breakfast?" "It's
ok," said Soren, leaning over Eli to tuck more blankets around him.
"I'll tell you when your parents are up." Eli
growled as Soren pulled blankets up to his chin. "Thanks, darling.
I love you."Soren
kissed Eli. "I love you too, Eli. Merry Christmas." Soren gave
Eli's shoulders a light rub before turning to the door. He slipped
into the dark kitchen. Soren went snooping around the fridge for
something tasty to inspire him. Hrrmm... what to do with that kringle
dough? Blackberries? Yes, for sure. But then what? Omletes would
work. There was bacon, cheese, ham, cheese, mushrooms, cheese,
avocados, cheese... nice. He preheated the oven in anticipation of
the kringle. Soren
quietly gathered ingredients, placing them on the counter. Soren made
sure that the sliding door dividing the kitchen and the living room
was shut. He didn't want to wake the others. He chopped briskly.
Getting the omelets ready took many ingredients but little time. He
threw them back in the fridge, ready to be cooked when people were
actually awake. The
kringle on the other hand, what to do, what to do? He had crafted the
dough last night, but the filling? The blackberries would work, but
the raspberries were getting to that zone where they were close to
going bad. They were squishy, a little tart, but still not rotten.
They would make wonderful filling. Soren
went decided to fold the dough pretzel shape, mostly because he was a
show off and also because he had enough dough. Pasting the berries
together with sugar, vanilla, and a bit of cream, he folded it
between the dough, cutting slits for ventilation and aesthetics. Soren
decided to throw the kringle in the oven. It needed to cook for a
while anyway, and people would be up by then. But now for the glaze.
Soren poked around the kitchen. Where the hell was it? He didn't want
to use the electric one, that would be too loud. The fact that he was
unable to find something in his kitchen was bizarre in itself. Out of
habit, he checked the dishwasher, and lo and behold, there it was.
The dishes were clean too, but he'd have to empty that later. Too
noisy. Soren quickly mixed flour and powdered sugar for a glaze,
checking the clock as he quietly cranked the eggbeaters. It was a bit
past eight. Soren
checked the oven. The kringle was looking ok. Soren set an alarm on
his watch for ten minutes before the kringle was out. Soren took his
book off the kitchen table, sticking his nose inside as he wandered
to the living room and sat down on the couch. A short scream echoed
through the apartment. Soren leaped off the couch apologizing
profusely. "Oh damn. I forgot you were sleeping here." Elly
glared as she reached for her glasses. "You could have set an alarm
like a normal person."Soren
sat down on the other side of the L-shaped couch, "I'm really
sorry. That's what I get for zoning out in my book."Elly
rolled her eyes. "No, it's fine. Merry Christmas." She hugged
Soren, causing his tails to shoot out and bristle. Eli
poked his head out of their bedroom, bleary eyed. "Who got
attacked?" Elly
threw the blankets over the back of the couch. "Your boyfriend
decided to use my legs as a couch cushion." Soren
jumped as the guest bedroom door opened. Lyra walked out wearing
crimson pajamas that matched her pointed hair and tail tips. Soren
felt himself flushing with embarrassment. "I guess I woke you up
too?"Lyra
shook her head, smiling. "No. I was getting out of the shower when
I heard you guys." "Is
Dad up," asked Eli. Lyra
nodded. "He's getting dressed." Eli
shook his head. "What, is he going to open Christmas presents in a
suit?""No,"
said Logan, emerging from the guest room wearing dark gold pajamas.
"But these pajamas are nicer than the ones I slept in." Elly
rolled her eyes, getting up to hug her father. "Only you would have
formal pajamas, Dad. Merry Christmas."Lyra
finished hugging Eli, switching over to hug Elly. "Merry
Christmas." Soren
sat, slightly self-consciously, on the couch. "So, uh, what do you
guys want to do." Lyra
and Logan turned to face Soren. "Don't think we forgot about you,"
said Lyra, smiling. Soren
blushed furiously as both Lyra and Logan hugged him. "I-uh...
Thanks. Do you want to start gifts?" He clicked a button on his
iHome remote, starting his "mellow tones" playlist.Elly
perked a pointed ear as the music began, an exert from the Metroid
Prime soundtrack. "What? No Christmas carols? At least today of all
days you'd play carols." "No,"
said Soren firmly. "I really don't like carols. They bore me
musically and they're overplayed." Those weren't the real
reasons. Back at home, carols were played nonstop by his parents
every damn minute of the days starting the day after Thanksgiving,
and to be perfectly honest, home was the last place Soren wanted to
think about, today of all days.Elly
shrugged. She deftly tossed a box to Lyra. "Suit yourself. Merry
Christmas, Mom." Logan
sighed, walking to the plastic tree . "Honestly Elly, where are
your manners. You give gifts to the host first." He passed a large
box to Eli and what looked like a hastily wrapped crate to Soren. The
crate was absurdly heavy. "Thanks for hosting us." Eli
unwrapped the box, pulling our a bright gold jersey. "A hawkeyes
jersey? What are you playing at Dad?"
Logan
stood up from his place on the couch. "You spent eighteen years as
a hawkeye. Then you drove off to college. You took all these classes
and met friends and got filled with dangerous ideas. And then you
came home one day and told us that you..." Logan looked away,
putting a hand on his forehead. He clicked a filed a nail on his
horn. "You said that you were... a cyclone." Lyra gave a
dramatic gasp from her perch on Soren's aged armchair. Soren
started to withdraw for a moment. Faux-dramatics aside, this
conversation was eerily similar to a conversation with his own
parents. Soren tucked his knees under his muzzle, drawing his tails
around his ankles. He closed his eyes for a second, biting his lips.
Quietly, he slipped into the kitchen, he boiled water for coffee and
tea. Soren
frowned into the teapot. Dammit, don't think about them! Not today of
all days. Do you know what? Fuck them. They were probably up hours
ago for some five in the morning service or bullshit like that. Then
it would be putting on their nicest clothes to go Rebecca's for
boring-ass dinner. Gifts wouldn't even be opened until around seven
or eight in the evening. He really didn't want to be home anyway. Not
when Eli was in the other room.Soren
found five mugs, digging about for some tea bags as well. They didn't
have anything but oolong tea, but they had a wide variety of coffee.
Hazelnuts felt like a good choice. Soren didn't need to wait long for
the coffee. He liked this new coffee maker that Eli had bought. It
was fast. He barely had time to find cream and sugar for the coffee
before it was done. Hooking
the mugs onto a tail, Soren grabbed the tea and coffee pots and
returned to the living room. He sat back down next to Eli, placing
the tea and coffee on the table. "I didn't know what people
wanted," said Soren, unhooking the mugs from his tails. "But all
we have is oolong tea. It's strong stuff." Eli
was now wearing his gold hawkeye jersey and hat, clashing horribly
with his emerald green pajamas. He kissed Soren's cheek, wrapping his
arms around Soren's waist."You're the best, sweetie," said Eli as
he picked up a mug of coffee, spooning in copious amounts of sugar.
"We were waiting for you. You had a gift in your lap when you
left." Logan
leaned forward on Jeanne's great winged armchair. "I'm sure you'll
like it. Go on, open it up." Soren
hooked the sturdy paper with a claw, ripping open the packaging. A
larger wooden crate was inside. It was sturdy and smelled slightly of
dust. Soren gently lifted the lid off the crate, blowing away a cloud
of dust off the top. The crate was filled to bursting with magazines.
Gingerly, Soren flicked a finger down the covers. He pulled out an
issue at random. The cover depicted two dragons, one brilliant
silver, the other deepest crimson, waging war across a castle tower.
"Are these all Dragon?" "Yes,"
said Logan, grinning widely, "I have every issue. I was a
subscriber from day one." Soren
gaped. "You... well, of course you know Dragon went out of print.
And you're... giving all of these to me?" "Absolutely,"
said Logan, sitting back in the chair. "That dust isn't there
because I like the smell. I haven't touched them in years. You and
Eli have been actively gaming much more than I have in years. You'd
put them to much better use than I have lately. " "I...
uh. Oh my god. Thank you. THANK YOU," stammered Soren. "These are
so hard to find. There's so much history in this box! THANK YOU!"
Soren delicately placed the magazine back in its place, standing up
to offer Logan his hand. Logan
gave Soren a sharp-toothed grin. Taking Soren's hand, he pulled Soren
into a strong armed hug. "I knew you'd like them. They've got a
much better home here than in my basement." Eli
was fingering through the magazines. "Damn, Dad. I had no idea you
had all these. How come when I was home you never showed me these?""In
all honesty, I lost them," said Logan. "It was only recently I
found them. it was about a week before we went shopping together."
Soren
turned to fish through the pile of packages, looking for a small box.
"On the topic of games, I have something for you, Logan." Soren
produced a small package wrapped in gold paper. "It's not much, but
it's something I'd think you'd like." Logan
took the tiny package and carefully unwrapped it. "Oh, fudge,"
said Logan. Using a long, filed claw, Logan cut a corner off the
two-fist sized block of fudge. "Mmm... chocolate peanut butter?
How'd you know that was my favorite?"Soren
sat back down, letting Eli cuddle up to him. "It helps that I'm
living with your son. But also I saw you order that flavor of ice
cream when we went shopping. But there's more." Logan
inspected the smallest parcel, only about the size of his finger. He
unwrapped it deftly. "A flash drive?"Soren
nodded. "Well, it comes with some stuff on it. Over thanksgiving
you said you wanted to game more, but you couldn't find the people to
do it with. Have you heard of Roll20?" Logan
shook his head. "No. Never heard about it before." Soren
pulled up the homepage on his smartphone. "It's an online medium
for table top games. It has maps, miniatures, number generators,
character manipulators, all sorts of fun stuff. It even has built in
chat." Logan
nooded. "So... what's in the flash drive?""Oh,
right," said Soren, rolling his eyes and flicking his temple.
"Telling you what's on the thing is kind of important.
There's a notepad with a username and password for a gold account on
Roll20. I paid for a one year pass on a gold account at Roll20, but I
put it in your name. I also gave you digitial copies of every RPG
rulebook I own. I have Scion, Changeling, Vampire the Masquerade,
Advanced and third ed Dungeons and Dragons, Pathfinder, and I even
had a few Nekorb books too."Eli
repositioned himself in Soren's lap. "Soren also invited you to
join one of our virtual D&D games. It's a game we've kept up with
our college buddies. My username is WanderingMonster and Soren's is
BardicBanquet."Logan
gave Soren and Eli a bewildered grin."So, you two are inviting your
old man to play with you ?""Why
not," asked Eli. "you got me into gaming. I'm not ashamed of you
or anything. It'll be fun!"Logan
smile grew wider, showing off all his pointed teeth. "You're right.
What's my user name, by the way?"Soren
flushed a little. "You can change it if you like... but I couldn't
resist, well, with you being a lawyer and all." Logan
chuckled. "What? Tell me, c'mon." Soren
scratched the back of his head. "I named the account Order's
Wrath." Logan
and Eli roared with laughter. "That's so, so... cheesy," huffed
Eli, punching Soren's arm. Soren
chuckled half-heartedly. "It's a terrible joke, but I couldn't
resist. You can change it in your settings.""No,
no," said Logan, huffing a bit from his laughing fit. "I like it.
And I look forward to playing with you two. Are your friends ok with
letting me sit in?" "It's
fine," said Eli, waving away Logan's anxieties. "They're eager to
see how a veteran plays new games."Logan
gave the two half a grin. "Are you calling me old?" "No,"
said Soren. "You just have a lot of experience points." Logan
chuckled as Soren turned around and dug under the plastic tree again.
"And I have something for you too, Lyra." Soren straightened up,
holding another small box, wrapped in the same golden paper. "Thank
you," said Lyra, using a finger to undo the tape on the box. A
fruity scent filled the air as the paper fell the ground. Lyra
inhaled deeply through her nose. "Mmm... Raspberries?" Lyra broke
off of a piece of the fudge. "This is delicious. Eli, does Soren
cook like this all the time?" "All
the time," said Eli, kissing Soren on the cheek. "He spoils me,
really." "Sometimes
we get take out like normal people," said Soren, adjusting grip on
Eli. "There's more, Lyra."Lyra
placed the box of fudge on the coffee table, opening the other box.
It was packed full of index cards. Lyra took one out and read the
contents. "Are these all recipes?" "Yes,"
said Soren. "I copied down as many as I could. I included
everything from thanksgiving as well as Eli's favorites. Jeanne loved
sharing recipes. It's a tradition that I thought I'd continue with
you." "Wow,"
said Lyra, flipping through the box. "There must be hundreds... I'm
honored that you'd pass these on to me."Soren
smiled. "Jeanne always though that the idea of secret recipes was
stupid. What good is good food if only one person can make it?" "Thank
you, Soren," said Lyra. She got up and hugged Soren. "It means a
lot that you'd share these with me I'd offer to cook something
tonight if I didn't know you'd out cook me every time. And thanks for
the fudge." Soren
scratched the back of his head. "You're too kind. Your cooking is
just as good as mine.""Speaking
of cooking," said Logan as he began to rummage under the tree, "I
have something for you. Merry Christmas, dear." He handed Lyra a
small, rectangular box. Lyra
unwrapped the box, revealing a small kitchen knife. It's blade was
slightly curved and serrated, and was also full of holes. "I've
never seen a knife like this. What's it do?" Logan
blushed a little, looking down. "I uh... don't know. But I had
never seen something like it before, and I thought you'd know." "I
know," said Soren. "It's technically a cheese knife, but I have
something just like it. The blade is designed to cut through soft
foods without squishing it. The holes stop food from sticking to the
blade. When the kringle gets out of the oven I'll show you how I use
it if you'll let me."Lyra
flipped the blade over her fingers. "Sure. I'll take your
endorsement wholeheartedly." "I
guess it's my turn," said Elly. "Open em up." Logan
held up a dark hardcover book. "Dresden Files. I didn't know this
was a book first." "Mmhmm,"
said Elly. "I had to snoop around for ages to find a copy that
didn't have the TV show as the cover. Dig in. The books cover a lot
more stuff than the show. Have fun!" Lyra
unwrapped the box, undoing the ribbon with a her thumb. "Oh wow.
These are really pretty. Is that real leather?" She held up a pair
of fine gloves, stained wine red and lined with black felt."Mmhmm,"
said Elly. "You always walk around with that ratty old pair of
gloves. They're what, ten years old? Go on, try them on." Lyra
tugged on the gloves, wriggling her fingers as she felt the soft
fabric inside. "These are wonderful. Thank you." She returned
the gloves gently to the box. Getting out of her seat again, Lyra dug
around the tree and produced four parcels of varying size. She passed
them out to Logan, Elly, Eli, and Soren, sitting back down and
smiling as they opened their gifts with a chorus of rustles. Logan
held up a book with a crimson cover. "The Looking Glass Wars?" "Elly
helped me with that one," said Lyra. "She told me you'd never
read the series. It's a more intense interpretation of Alice and
Wonderland. A lot of fantasy action. I'm surprised you'd never
touched this series, to be honest.""Wonderful,"
said Logan without a trace of sarcasm. "No I have two series to
sink my teeth into." "I
read the whole series," said Elly, pointing to the Looking Glass
Wars. "This one is only the first book." She looked down at her
own unwrapped parcel. A paperback book lay in Elly's lap. "Walk Two
Moons... I've never heard of this one. What's it about, Mom?" Lyra
leaned back in Soren's old chair as she spoke. "It's about a girl
who goes on a road trip to find the place where her mother is buried
and understand her past. There's this lovely nonlinear thing going
on, so pay attention when you read. I had fun when I read it." "I
look forward to cracking this open," said Elly. She got up and
hugged her mother. "Thanks. I've been looking for a new book for
ages." Eli
began unwrapping his own gift, ripping away the green paper. "Oh
wow... I can do so much with these. Oh my god... this stuff must have
cost a fortune. You gave me about forty different colors here. And
these brushes... I don't think even the best of my collection is this
nice. Thank you, Mom. Where did you get these?" Eli held up one of
the bottles of paint to show. "I
have my sources," said Lyra with a wry smile. "The brush was a
gift from a friend. She made it by hand. She game me one too. This
one brush can play with textures and thickness all on its own. It's
super versatile." Eli
jumped off the couch and jogged up to the loft. "I got something
for you, Mom." There was a brief pause as the sounds of rummaging
echoed down the loft stairs. Eli clattered down the stairs, a tarp
covered canvas held gingerly in his hands. "I thought it was about
time to do an art swap with you." Eli
revealed the painting beneath the canvas. The painting showed four
canine figures formed of sharp, angular polygons. On the far right
was a tall but stocky figure, emphasized by sharp, acute angles with
distinct horns and barbed tail. It was colored a bright gold. Moving
further to the left was a shorter, crimson figure, with less sharp
angles that held a flowing motion to the nine tails that carpeted the
ground. Further left still was a figure shorter than the previous
even, retaining the sharpness of the profile on the far right. And on
the far left, placed off to the side to put focus on the other
figures but still be clearly within the family, was a bright green
profile. It was tall and lithe, with a figure and tails that shared
the motion and femininity of the red figure yet maintained the
angularity and height of the gold one. Lyra
gingerly took the canvas in her hands. "Oh... wow... I love this
style. Have you done work like this before?
"No,"
said Eli. "This is the first time I was happy with the results." Lyra
gently placed the canvas by her chair so that the everyone else could
see it. "Now you were talking about a swap?" "You've
already filled your end of the deal," said Eli. "It's called more
than twenty years of teaching me art, raising me, and generally
making me the person I am today." Lyra
laughed. "Well then, I'll gladly accept your work. I know exactly
where it will go. Thank you." Digging beneath the tree again, she
pulled out a large wrapped box. "This is for Soren." Soren
accepted the large box and sat back down. "Wow, This is enormous."
Soren unwrapped seven different hardcover books and an enormous
leather-bound binder. "Oh... this... these books, but this edition
is out of print... but of course you know this. You wrote them." Lyra
laughed. "That's the advantage of being the author. I kept a few
sets lying around. I remembered you saying how much you loved Chasing
the Sun. The collector's set didn't really catch on, and they stopped
being printed when you were what, eight?" "Lyra,"
muttered Soren. "I... I did have these books, once. But I lost
them. They're in a place where I can't get them again. I... Thank
you. You have no idea what it means to see these books again."
Slowly, Soren got up and hugged Lyra. After a brief moment he broke
apart, incredibly self consciously. Lyra
smiled. "I'm glad it means a lot to you. Look in the binder." Soren
slowly sat down, taking the thick leather binder in his hands. "Oh
my... is this all concept art? This... This is just like how I
imagined Soluh. All this is your work? It's amazing!" Lyra
laughed, a short yip of glee. "Actually some of it's Eli's. Eli got
swept up in the Crimson Veil as much as you did from what I can tell.
His stuff is in the back half." There was a rustling as Soren
flipped to the back. "How old was Eli when he did these sketches?"
"Stuff
like this was all he drew from ages eight to ten," said Lyra. "Moooom,"
groaned Eli, "Why didn't you tell me you were giving Soren old
work? You're embarrassing me. My old stuff is terrible." "No,
it's not," said Lyra. "Besides, I'm pretty sure that Soren would
want to see it. He told me himself Chasing the Sun shaped his
childhood. You helped me shape the series yourself. Soren would want
to see how we collaborated."Soren
was still flipping through the binder. "Eli,
when you were eight you drew better stuff than I did when I was
twenty. This is all
really good stuff. To be honest I like your take on Soluh better." Eli
kissed Soren's cheek as he continued to flip through the binder.
"You're a dirty liar. If you're trying to get laid tonight you'll
have to do better than that." Soren blushed deeply at this, burying
his nose deeply in the binder and forcing a laugh. His awkward
chuckles were drowned out by Elly's cackle of mirth and Lyra and
Logan's stifled guffaws. "Wow,
Eli," said Lyra through her stifled laughs. "You're worse than me
at taking compliments."
Eli gave "Mom, don't do
that again without asking me, or I will tell Soren about that
book." Lyra
leaned to the edge of the chair. "You wouldn't!" Eli
showed all his teeth in a devious grin. "I would. I'll tell him the
pseudonym you wrote it under." "That's
a low blow. I was younger than you when that got published," said
Lyra, color rising under her fur. "Oh,
now I'm curious," said Soren. "What's this skeleton in your
closet, Lyra?" Eli
began to speak, but Lyra cut him off, brandishing her new kitchen
utensil. "I swear to god if you tell him I will castrate my own
son with this knife!" "Not
on this couch, please," said Eli. "I'd hate to stain it. This is
for Elly." He threw his sister a red envelope. "I wasn't too sure
what to get you, but a friend dropped me a hint." Elly
sliced open the envelope with a filed claw. "Tickets? OH! I didn't
know Wicked was back in San Francisco!" "Well,
it's not, yet," said Eli. "A friend tipped me off that it's
moving there this spring. So this is a long term gift. If you lose
the tickets, call me. They're under my name and I can print them out
again. Last year you were moaning that Wicked was in Iowa while you
were at school, so I thought I'd treat you. I got you three tickets,
so bring some friends.""Thanks,
Eli. I've been wanting to see this for ages!" Elly hugged her
brother, her tickets clenched tightly in her hand. "Tell
me how it is," said Eli. "I haven't had the chance to see it yet,
though honestly it's not high on my list." Eli broke apart to dig
our three long, thin boxes under the tree. He passed them to his
father. "And I didn't forget about you Dad. Logan
unwrapped the boxes, producing a driver, an iron, and a putter. He
stood up, feeling the wieght of the golf clubs in his hands. "Oh
wow, where did you find these? You're really cruel to give these to
me now!" Eli
looked perplexed. "What?" "It's
snowing out! I'll have to wait at least three months before I can
really play with these! Now they'll just have to gather dust in my
office, taunting me, until it gets warm! I didn't know you golfed,
Eli. These are wonderful." Eli
gave his Dad a bemused smile. "I don't golf. Soren gave me help."
"I
don't golf either," said Soren. "I asked my boss about good brands.
Does Harold have good taste?""Yes,"
said Logan, walking over to find a thin, wide box wrapped with a
silver ribbon. "Very good taste indeed. I can't wait to try them myself. This is for Elly."Elly
took the box, unwrapping the paper and holding up, "...A dress? You
bought me a dress, Dad? But it's not pink, ruffled, or ugly..." she
held up the dress. It was strapless and charcoal gray. The fabric was
slightly reflective, and a single bold, gold stripe followed the
vertical contours of the dress, placed on the left side of the front
and waving slightly as it dramatically split the dress into
asymmetric pieces. "You had help didn't you. Was it Mom?" "No,"
said Logan, smiling as he shook his head. "But he is in this room."
Elly
looked from the dress to Eli, who shook his head without a word when
they made eye contact. Elly again looked down at the dress in her
hands, then slowly up to... "Soren?" Oh... you dirty liar. 'try
on the dress,' you said! 'It's for a friend,' you said!" Soren
chuckled. "It was for a friend," said Soren as he pulled his
phone out of his pajama pocket. "You and Sasha have the same body
type, although she is a lot taller than you." Flicking through his
texts, he found Sasha's text confirming she got the dress. It
contained a photo of her in a dress in the same style and cut, but
alabaster white with a royal blue stripe. "There. I did actually
buy her that dress, but I did also happen to tip off your Dad. You
looked good in it, but I thought it would be obvious if bought a
dress in the color that matched your fur, not to mention a little
awkward." "Try
it on," said Logan, gesturing to the bathroom door. Elly
wordlessly got up, the dress draped over her left arm, and slipped
into the bathroom. Shortly after, the door opened. The dress was snug
enough to emphasize her lithe, powerful form honed by hours on the
uneven bars. It was fairly high cut, but the back was open, ending in
a sharp angled V in the small of her back. The dress ended three
inches above her knees, tight but still loose enough to allow full
movement. The gold stripe followed the curves and contours of her
body in a way that it looked completely straight and vertical rather
than wavy."Wow,
Soren," said Elly, spinning in place a bit so the reflective gray
fabric could catch the light. "You have good taste. I bet you
disappoint a lot of ladies."Soren
raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? Do you not like the dress?""No.
It's great," said Elly, rotating her torso to feel how the dress
moved. "But seriously, how many girls have hit on you only to learn
you were into guys? I wish I had a boyfriend who had as good of
taste as you."
Eli
gave a bark of laughter as Soren blushed a small bit. "You have no
idea, sis. It happened at least once a week once upon a time." Soren
plucked at his arm, grinning just a bit. "It's this damn fur.
Apparently girls are into silver. And I got some really disappointed
faces when I told them girls I wasn't interested. I'm glad you like
the dress, but thank your Dad. I just thought it was a good idea."Elly
gave a quick hug to Soren and a longer one to her father. "Thanks
to both of you. I don't think I want to take it off." Soren
dug under the tree to find two boxes as Elly sat down. He passed them
to Eli, kissing him on the cheek. "Merry Christmas, Eli."
"Thanks
sweetie," said Eli, taking the stack of boxes in his hands. He
unwrapped the first box, opening up the shoebox in his lap. These
shoes... I thought I lost these last week... But they're different."
"They're
fixed," said Soren. "You wore these into the ground, so I thought
I'd take them to a cobbler and get them refurbished. But there's
more. Sorry I didn't tell you about taking them. I wanted to surprise
you." Eli
nodded, opening the second, larger box. "... more shoes? Are
these... dancing shoes?" He held up two pairs of jet black dancing
shoes, one pair slightly larger than the others. "Soren
took the newly repaired shoe and rolled it in his hands. "I kinda
sorta stole these," said Soren with a rueful smile. "I needed
something that fit well so I could get these refitted. These shoes
belonged to Jeanne and Gregory, and I needed Jeanne's shoes to be
widened a bit.""These
belonged to Jeanne... oh my god. Thank you Soren," whispered Eli.
He hugged his boyfriend, holding him tight in his arms. "It means
so much that you'd give something of hers to me." "I
had a lot of fun dancing in November," said Soren, closing his eyes
and relishing the embrace. "I'd love to keep dancing with you. I
thought I'd put those old shoes to work. They hadn't left their box
since Jeanne left them for me." Eli
broke apart, sitting down next to Soren and resting his head on his
shoulder. "I'd love to keep dancing with you, Soren. Especially if
you keep teaching me music. I'm so grateful you'd share an heirloom
like this with me. I have something for you, too." Eli jumped up
and walked to the tree, procuring a somewhat small box. "Merry
Christmas Soren." Soren
cut open the paper with his index finger. "Oh... are these what
I... this is an instrument case!" Soren flicked open the case
clasps, revealing a silver flute. "Eli.. is this sterling silver?
I... How much did this cost?" Eli
hugged Soren. "Not as much as you'd think. But try it out."Soren
automatically assembled the flute, blowing half a scale. The pitch
was immaculate. "Eli, it's perfect." Suddenly, he reached over
and kissed Eli, a hand on his cheek. Soren He couldn't help himself.
He was so overwhelmed by the extravagance of the gift. "I love you
sweetie. Thank you so much. I can't believe you'd spend so much on
me."Eli
smiled as he held Soren's shoulders. "You've done so much for me,
Soren. Living with you has been worth more than a flute.
Especially when you just gave me something that belonged to Jeanne. I
can't wait to hear you play." "Hey,
lover boy," shouted Elly. "Catch!" She deftly threw two boxes
at Soren, who bungled the catch but didn't drop them. "Merry
Christmas, Soren." Soren
unwrapped the larger box first. "Hrmm... Counting to Four: Basic
Steps for Wannabe Swingers." He opened the book, examining the two
disks inside. "Hrm... it includes instruction videos?""You
told me you were learning to dance over Thanksgiving, so I got you
something for the very beginners."Soren
gave Elly a wry smile. "Beginners? Smart ass." Suddenly he
reached over Eli and picked up the remote to his iHome. He pressed
the play button, starting Bella Belle by the Electric Swing
Circus. The
piano provided a snappy introduction, long enough for Soren and Eli
to synch into each others steps through brisk stomps. The opening
lyrics dampened the music, the two focusing on a two step, snapping
their fingers to the song. As the refrain picked up they switched to
Charelston, clapping their hands to the beat. Soren grabbed Eli's
hands, swinging them into a spin that picked up as the song
continued. They cooled down as the second verse began, keeping up
their brisk pace but using less intense dance elements. As they
transitioned into the scat solo, Soren backed off to let Eli do a dance solo. They synched up for the final verse, finishing their impromptu
routine with a spin, a stomp, and a bow. Eli also made a face at his
sister. "Beginner
my ass," said Soren, sitting back down looking just a little smug.
Elly
applauded, slowly. "There's a receipt in the cover. I got you
something else. I'm surprised you never picked up the series, to be
honest." Soren
ripped open the paper revealing a paperback book. "Oh, I've heard
good things about Discworld. I was meaning to read this for ages. How
many books are in the series now?" Elly
tapped her muzzle. "That's a good question. Dig in and find out."Soren
looked at the swing music book before tossing his gift to Elly. "Well
after that book I don't feel bad getting you this." Elly
raised an eyebrow as she unwrapped the package. "What's this?
Personal Power Applications and Cardiology? And what's this inside?"
a thin book slipped out from in between the pages of thick science
book. "Sheet music? For the bass? Wait... oh ha ha ha. Who's
calling who a smart ass? 'You
are the heartbeat of the band. If you get off rhythm, the whole
ensemble falls apart.'""There's
more," said Soren, holding up an envelope and a small green
package. He handed them to her. "This is your real gift, though the
cardiology book was a good read." Elly
sniffed the small package as she opened it. "Mint chocolate? Good
choice." A moment later, her eyes widened as she opened the
envelope. "More tickets? Five of them? To Book of Mormon? Oh thank
you! I missed it in both Iowa and California." She leapt to her
feat and hugged Soren. Soren
smiled and blushed a tiny bit. "I got a ticket for all of us. The
show is tomorrow at eight." "Soren,
you dirty liar," shouted Eli, pointing a finger at him. "You said
you had no interest in seeing that show. You told me to not waste
your time." Soren
scratched the back of his neck, smiling sheepishly. "Ehh... I kinda
wanted it to be a surprise. I wanted it to be a new show for all of
us. Sorry for the secrecy." "I
think it's sweet," said Eli, cuddling up to Soren kissing his
cheek."Hey,
lovebirds," shouted Elly from across the house. "I've got the
last gift for Eli." She passed him a two boxes. "Open the big one
first." Eli
obliged, opening the larger box. He held up a bright green button
down shit, along with a new pair dressy gray slacks. "Wow, these
have a really nice feel. I love the fabric on the shirt.""Soren
helped me out," said Elly. "he knew what you liked better than I
did. But open the other gift. Technically, it's for Soren, but I
thought you should give it to him." Eli
raised an eyebrow as he undid the small box. Suddenly his face fell
into a comical "o" as the paper fell off a box of condom."I
thought I'd give these to you so you could have some fun when we're
gone." Lyra
and Logan were stifling snickers, but Eli was speechless. "Did my
sister just..." Soren
picked up the box, examining the condoms. "There's one problem
Elly. These are way too small." He threw the box back to Elly, who
missed the catch as the box landed in her lap. Elly's eyes were wider
than saucers, her mouth closed tight. She shook her head slowly, but
Soren nodded just as slowly, smiling wolfishly. For the first time
since Soren met her, Elly was lost for words. Soren couldn't help
himself. He started to laugh. It began as a slow, awkward chuckle,
but it suddenly began to build momentum, becoming full throated bawdy
laughs that were shared by everyone in the room. "Do people want
breakfast now?" asked Soren, standing up."That
sounds good," said Eli, getting up with Soren. "I'll help you set
up." "Thanks
sweetie," said Soren. "Can you get the kringle out of the oven?"
Soren retrieved the egg mixture from the fridge, suddenly
contemplative. It was weird in a way. Christmas was such a big deal
in the Saul household. Selecting a "proper" gift was tantamount,
and homemade gifts were frowned upon. And they had exchanged joke
gifts!
Giving a joke gift was considered a mortal insult. The idea that he
was even giving out joke gifts was almost inconceivable to Soren.
What made the Vatras so relaxed about giving gifts? Or... really what
he should be asking himself was why his family was so anal.
Soren
passed omelets to all five places at the table. "Eat up. I hope you
like it." The
first few minutes were occupied by vigorous eating. Opening gifts had
made them inexplicably hungry, though the Vatras had their appetites whetted by fudge. As they moved on to the double berry kringle, Lyra
addressed Soren. "So Soren, could your parents not make it? Or did
you not feel like you could fit more guests than just us in your
place? We're kind of eager to meet your family." Soren
dropped the piece of kringle he was eating back on his plate. Eli
gripped his hand. "Lyra... let's just say there's a really good
reason I'm not welcome in Wisconsin right now." There was a long
and awkward pause and before he could stop himself Soren was talking.
Almost automatically he retold the story he told Eli those months
ago, recounting his path to atheism, Jeanne's tutoring and
protection, when he told his parents at the end of college. He spoke
without emotion or embellishments, providing an almost detached
telling of his turbulent life as a young adult. There was another
long, awkward pause as the Vatras took in the story he presented. Suddenly,
Lyra stood up and walked around Jeanne's old oak table. She hugged
Soren tightly, holding the embrace for the perfect amount of time.
"Well, you'll always be welcome with us, Soren." She let go of
Soren and walked back to her seat. To
his shame, Soren felt tears leaking past his eyes. "...Thank you.
Thank you, Lyra."There
was third, long, awkward silence. "The kringle's really tasty,
sweetie," said Eli, somewhat cautiously. He kissed Soren's cheek,
accidentally leaving crumbs. He brushed them off with a short laugh. "I
made this with Jeanne for years. It just tastes like Christmas to me.
I'm glad you all like it." "I
don't think we'll ever get sick of your cooking," said Elly. "You
really know how to spice up the holidays." There were murmurs of
agreement amongst the other Vatras. "Thank
you," said Soren, a smile returning to his face. "I'm glad you're
all here."