#rivervale_lodge

"I'm worried you'll break an arm or something " Tove admits

"Oh, I've broken those before... they heal up..."

"Not incredibly reassuring" She says but chuckles

"I'll try not to cause any ER visits, deal?"

"If that means remembering your helmet too, deal" Tove says, then a look to Jaymes "Sorry, that's your line"

"Deall" Jaymes nods

Siiiigh. "Okay, helmet too."

Tove gestures to another gift "I normally carve you things, but I hope you don't mind ?"

"Mind? I don't mind!" She's a bit purple, but smiling. Gifts to open!

More gifts? Mutant and Masterminds! the Same Edition that Symon plays! And Dice in a little buckskin shamanic medicine bag (with TASSELS) , the dice look dark blue but there's a marbeling of lighter purple that pops! And an X Box with 3 video games

She has never ever in her life had this as a Christmas gift

She stops at the X-box, looking at the two of them - staring, even.

Jaymes says in no nonsense "I had doubts about the X Box thing, I don't want it interfering in more important stuff, that's all I say." No ultimatums, no 'if you don't do this you don't keep'. It's hers. Hers!

"....I only gave you one thing..."

"We picked the games from Genres we thought you'd like...uhm, the Skyrim one is actually old but everyone talks about it being good and having lots of cultures to pick from" Tove blushes

Jaymes says "It's not about keeping score, well, except on the sports game thing with the X Box"

"But it's... it's so much stuff..."

"It's threee things really, the thing that plays games so the games are part of that that's one. The Bike. Thats two. And some pen and paper RPG stuff so if you play with Symon which don't even know you'll use"

Jaymes shrugs as he says this

"Symon promised to run a game.... but.. they're expensive..."

"And which of you got the Santa gift?"

Tove and jaymes exchange looks, then Jaymes says "What Santa gift?"

he does look baffled

Tove says "i've never even had a Christmas before. Is there suppposed to be a Santa involved? I thought he was optional, like that poor jewish boy on the set of sticks"

"It... the Santa gift?" She retrieves it.

Jaymes whispers something to her

"Ooooohhh" Tove says "Well, now i'm embarrassed"

At what Jaymes whispered, not what Dagmar retrieves

Jaymes moves over and reaches for his claymore "So help me if this thing is a trap from a dark kin" then he puts it back, "Doesn't feel like Dark Glamour"

"No, I put out cookies last night... I mean... in case he's a chimera..."

"this issn't chimerical, at least, not all of it" He says "Feel the glamour? it's slight, ad the weight is real. "

"So... you didn't give it?" A look at the fireplace, tensioned somewhere between wanting to believe and,,, well... fear of foolishness.

"Tove?" Jaymes looks at her.

"Me? No." Tove shakes her head "I'd swear by Sif if you asked"

"I mean, the Kestrel is a flying ship..."

"Well, yes, in our world I guess this Santa COULD be real" Tove says "Maybe I need to study that lore more. I thught he was just odin with a face lift"

Jaymes shrugs "Open it, but..uhm..carefully. "

"No, he's Santa..."

Tove says "I stand corrected"

A hell-with-it shrug and she opens it!

It's a picture in a frame, in the Center is Samantha, leaning slightly against and a bit in front of Jaymes who has one hand around her. Across from him is Tove, also in her mortal form. Nearby is Torad Torin, and to thesides but still WiTH them are other trolls of the lodge! The Chief and Mountain and Siv! Olgar and Kerri and Sylvi! Gerd on Vali's shoulder in the corner. Why even Connor is there! Again, alll in mortal guise. but when she turns it , tilts it, it gains it's own 'seeming' and theyr'e all trolls (or pooka) and she now can see Symon shaking his head from a rafter where he wasn't there at all mortal side. It's..family!

"Oh, wow..." SHe tilts it back and forth. "Dad, lookit..."

Jaymes blinks "We've never taken this shot before, I would remember if we all dressed up for this"

"Well, I mean... Santa's magic..."

'He must be" tove says surprised, "There's a note"

"A note?"

Indeed, now that the wrapping is gone, she finds the back side has a lovely note on the back

And so she reads....

Three beats after the last word, there is a Woosh should... and the paper turns into a flurry of crisp snowflakes dancing all around before it vanishes.