iselldrugstothecommunity: (My default state is mild paranoia.)
Howard Bassem ([personal profile] iselldrugstothecommunity) wrote in [community profile] trans_92011-12-30 06:57 am

And We're Gonna Pull Through [Bendytimed to After System Shock]

It's probably a solid two weeks before Christmas is due, assuming that their Thanksgiving dinner was on schedule which, given the nature of the ship, it presumably wasn't. But the robot attack was terrifying and disheartening and exhausting, and Howard wants a holiday, so according to him, it's Christmas. A nice, relaxing break from things trying to kill them.

Aside from this strand of Christmas lights doing its damnedest to strangle him, that is. Howard's managed to get it around his neck, and if it weren't for the fact that finding light strands is hard enough on Stacy, would be cutting it off with scissors.

He's still a bit beat-up, bandages around his head and his knees and one looping around his torso, under his shirt, but thanks to the healers and medical technology on Stacy he's not in much pain. His foot being in a brace is the worst of it.

He's managed to salvage an old plastic tree from a run-down building. A few packets of hot cocoa from the Warehouse sit on the table. Flossy Raptor is downstairs and dressed in a Santa hat and bizarrely, a feather boa in a shade of green too lime-ish to be Christmassy. A clunky-looking dog-sized gift for Zouichi is by the couch, wrapped in tin foil and newsprint, and another is on the table for Karis, although it's unwrapped. No one else quite makes Howard's list this year.

He pulls his way out of the tangle of lights. Christmas numero dos sans his family. Christmas numero uno on Stacy. He finds he's less okay with the former than he was last year, but more okay with the latter than he'd presumed.

Anyone who walks into the kitchen of the Susono Inn will be greeted by the rare and unusual sound of Howard humming. Go Tell It On the Mountain, actually. He even sings the section of the first verse that he vaguely remembers under his breath.

"Go tell it on the mountain, up over the hills and everywhere, go tell it on the mountain, tell them something, I don't care."

[identity profile] teethofneedles.livejournal.com 2011-12-30 10:16 pm (UTC)(link)
"I got a chance to beat in some heads. That always improves my mood," Karis replies. Then she looks puzzled, "...the Hell is Christmas? You mean the Feast of Winter Veil, right?"

[identity profile] teethofneedles.livejournal.com 2011-12-31 08:27 pm (UTC)(link)
"No such thing," Karis retorted testily, still eyeing the tree. "Too close to Winter's Veil."

She shrugged and turned back to him, "Just robots. This time."

[identity profile] teethofneedles.livejournal.com 2012-01-01 02:31 am (UTC)(link)
"Right, right. Fact of life..." Karis grumbled and poked at some of the decorations. How irritating. It was so damn similar, but so different at the same time. Weird.

"No. But I could always find a way to do it for you. Wouldn't be hard to try and arrange an accident or something. Merry Winter's Veil."

[identity profile] teethofneedles.livejournal.com 2012-01-02 06:58 pm (UTC)(link)
"Good. I like bridges," Karis replied. Hard to tell if she was joking, really. The undead blinks and turns to frown at Howard.

"A book? On what?"

Goodness knows she doesn't do that much reading these days.

[identity profile] teethofneedles.livejournal.com 2012-01-04 06:26 pm (UTC)(link)
Karis let out a snort of laughter and flipped the book open, scanning the first couple of pages. She'd never been a voracious reader. But she could appreciate the gift.

"Thanks, Howie."

And for a moment, she actually sounded touched. And then it was back to steel and cold disdain. "I usually just make jerky. But hey, might as well try something new..."