Fifty-First Spool of Thread - [Voice/Action]

[so_shik]

[Well today Shiki's sitting inside All Passions behind the til, her own special little elf sitting side-by-side with Mr. Mew. She's currently working on something with her hands, though it's not quite in view of the camera yet. However, anyone who's looking will notice that the little elf is shifting through what looks like an elf-sized wardrobe full of outfits. Said-elf might also be trying to dress Mr. Mew. That's not going too well. The shop itself has been decked out with little lights shaped like stars and Christmas music is playing in the background. Shiki continues to work as she addresses the village.]

So this is, what, my third Christmas here? I'm starting to run out of ideas for presents for you guys, but maybe I'll try my hand at baking. [She giggles a bit.] Just kidding, I'm totally prepared. I've been totally good this year. [Hear that, Elf? Shiki's been good. In fact, she stops working to tilt her journal toward a pile of fancy wrapped boxes, presents for her close friends and housemates.]

Pretty, right? Just remember, if you need a last-minute gift for that special someone, or, well, anyone really, stop by All Passions! I've got just the thing for you.

...but can you guys try to stop by before it gets too dark? I wanted to close up early today, maybe go ice skating or make a snowman if anybody wants to join me.

[And she's adding the finishing touches to her project before holding it in her hands. A crown. A mistletoe crown, in fact, to go along with her new holiday dress, the newest of her winter line.] What do you think? Too much? I kind of like it. I'm really getting so much better at designing things myself. [In fact, she's just going to put the crown on her head.

It's probably best not to ask her where she got the mistletoe from.]

Anyway, merry Christmas everybody. PS, if any of you received...um...any kind of questionable gift outside of your house? Blame the elf. [Shiki may or may not have gone around to strangers' homes and decorated the outside of their doors with ribbons, bows and lights, along with leaving behind a box of cookies that might be slightly burnt. Shiki's not the best baker.]

[ooc: If your character has close CR with Shiki, assume she made you a present. Like hand-made.]

Comments

[herotypical]

Be glad you never met him in is pre-soul days. There's baggage there, Shiki. That's as best as I can do to explain it.

[so_shik]

...like Angel baggage?

[herotypical]

Worse, really. Angel and I can't be together. But Spike and I -- it's more a case of shouldn't.

[so_shik]

Who says?

[herotypical]

I say. I'm...not good for him. He's --

We're not good for each other. Simple as that.

[so_shik]

All right, all right. I get it. [She'll focus on where she's going then and not on asking weird questions.] But at least now there's Jack.

[herotypical]

Ah, the peace of mind that comes with dating a guy who's never tried to kill you. Well, not earnestly anyway.

[ does she feel bad holding out on shiki? indeed. but it's hard to casually tell someone that she only slept with spike because she hated herself. she had looked to the vampire for punishment, and punishment he had doled out. come the end...

well. ]

There's a good life lesson for you. Don't date murderers.

[so_shik]

[Skating, skating...and then...]

I never told you that Neku tried to murder me once?

[herotypical]

[ hell.

she came to a slow, gradual stop. ]

No -- I...

No.

[so_shik]

I didn't think so. Not really something I like telling people, but he did, like, the second day I knew him.

[herotypical]

[ slow, meandering scallops. buffy moves at a graceful-if-gradual pace while she processes this information. ]

Why?

[so_shik]

It was part of a deal. He was told he could get out of the UG and return back to where he came from, basically...the price he had to pay was just killing me. That's all.

[herotypical]

...Obviously, this brief homicidal tendency didn't stick. Still -- what happened? Did he snap out of it? Did you snap him out of it?

[so_shik]

No, and no. He actually started choking me and was going to go through with it until Mr. H stepped in. Did you ever meet him when he was here? Cool older guy, ran that cafe? He saved me, basically. Called the whole thing off.

[herotypical]

[ ...once again, she came to a full stop. the horror of such a description -- despite all the other horrors she's seen, survived, and occasionally not survived -- shakes her to the core. ]

We met in passing. I...

Thank God he was there. That's all I can say.

[so_shik]

[Meanwhile Shiki's still making idle loops. Horrifying? Sure, it was behind horrifying, but a lot of things in the UG were.]

Yeah...totally. Neku, like, idolizes Mr. H. If it was anyone else I don't know if they would have listened.

[herotypical]

...When did you figure out you could forgive him?

[so_shik]

...probably when he started actually being a Partner. It took a few days, but he stuck with me. It doesn't hurt that I was his entry fee the second time around, too.

...besides, I think we're kind of even because of the time I became possessed and tried to kill him and Beat.

[herotypical]

Girl, you're giving me a run for my money. And that's saying something.

[so_shik]

[She just laughs, even if she looks a little uneasy.] Trust me, Buffy, there's a lot of stuff that happened in the Game that I haven't told anybody. It all just sounds so...fake, you know? Like someone else designed my afterlife.

[herotypical]

And no one likes having design rights swiped from them more than designers themselves. [ her quip is quippy, of course. but pointed and empathetic at the same time. little boiled her goat more than the denial of choice; agency; will. ]

[so_shik]

Exactly...I think you're, like, the only one besides my friends who can even start to get it. But it doesn't make it any better, I know.

[herotypical]

[ she slows, digging her pick into the ice. ]

It's a toughie. There's no denying it. It never fails to strike me, y'know, how different all us walking dead are. Here, I mean. In Luceti. From the ones who don't stay dead to the ones who don't have a life to go back to. To those who've been the hell; heaven; beyond.