EA-LEC: Christmas With Christmas Part 3

Fenrir and Misty had continued talking about their date. Soon, the tension between the two of them had eased up and they were having a much better conversation with each other. They were now talking about various things.

Spot, Wild Fox and Elizabeth watched the three from afar with happy faces. They couldn’t help but keep watching the two enjoy each other.


“This is like a dream come true!” Spot said with sparkling eyes. “Fenrir and Misty dating!”


“Heh. You must be a huge shipper, eh?” Elizabeth noted.


“Oh, I am! So is Remus and Erin and practically a lot of others!” Spot grinned.


Elizabeth chuckled. “Well, I admit that I am becoming a shipper myself. Those two look so cute together.”


The white-haired woman then looked to the side. She then saw Oswald talking with Remus, Erin, Christmas and Tulia and from what she could see, the artificial god was having a good time. She couldn’t help but smile.


“Oh, Spotty, there was something that I should had told you from the start.” Elizabeth said softly.


“Hm? What is it?” The Dalmatian asked in confusion.


Elizabeth slowly nodded her head. “Thank you…”


Spot’s eyes widened a bit. “Huh? What?”


“I am thanking you.” Elizabeth said with a small smile. “For being so accepting of my little buddy.”


“Who, Oswald?” Spot asked before shaking his head. “No, it is more than all right. After all, he is a great kid and is really friendly.”


“Well, I am just glad to hear you say that.” Elizabeth smiled.


Wild Fox on the other hand, raised a confused eyebrow. “Accepting? Accepting for what exactly?”


Spot’s eyes widened at this. “Oh, right! I didn’t tell you! Um, well…”


The Dalmatian then looked up at Elizabeth with a questioning look on his face. The latter quickly caught up.


“Hey, he is your friend, isn’t he?” Elizabeth asked, waving it off. “If you really trust him that much, then why don’t you tell him?”


“Um, okay.” Spot said before looking back at Wild Fox. “You know Oswald? Well… He is an artificial god.”


The bearded man’s eyes bugged out when he heard this. “Wait? Really?”


“That is correct.” Elizabeth agreed.


Wild Fox continued to look at Elizabeth in awe for a moment, processing what he had been told. However, he paused before looking down while putting his hand on his chin.


“Wow… That makes a lot of sense, now that I think about it…” Wild Fox said softly making Spot and Elizabeth look in confusion.


“Huh? What do you mean that makes a lot of sense?” Spot asked.


Wild Fox looked up. “Well, I wasn’t going to ask anything soon but I sense an unusual amount of spiritual energy coming from Oswald from the moment that we were so close with each other.”


Elizabeth’s eyes widened at this. “Wait up, darling, are you saying that you could sense spiritual energy?”


Wild Fox nodded his head. “That is right. I wield the powers of KI so I had gained that energy. Still, even someone with weak KI power could sense Oswald’s power… Just like they could sense a lack of spiritual energy coming from Ellen.”


While Elizabeth was still a bit surprised by Wild Fox’s abilities, she merely waved off the last statement. “Oh, darling, that is to be expected. She only got half a soul.”


“HALF a soul?” Wild Fox asked, surprised before pausing. “Well, that explains her emotionless personality.”


Elizabeth giggled a bit. Spot on the other hand, seemed concerned.


“Well, in any case, I don’t feel comfortable talking about it…” Spot said sadly. “I heard Oswald had gone through a lot because of being of his status as an artificial god.”


Elizabeth merely shook her head. “It is all right. He makes acts hesitant about it but he is more than willing to share about his powers if asked. It is not like he would have to use them.”


Spot turned his head in confusion. “Wait, why not?”


“Well, the thing is, we are ironically using the league as a way to live a peaceful life.” Elizabeth explained. “A life away from violence.”


Spot’s eyes bugged out when he heard this.


“Oh my…” Wild Fox frowned. “Was your homeworld really that bad?”


“Well, I don’t want to put a damper here but yes… Yes, it is.” Elizabeth said with a solemn nod. “That is why unlike most people, I am actually glad we are stuck here.”


“Well, I don’t know what you and your children had been through…” Wild Fox said before giving a small smile. “But at least he doesn’t have anything to worry about on Elarthe.”


“Indeed.” Elizabeth said, returning the smile.


Spot on the other hand, froze in his spot with his pupils shrinking and his mouth agape that what Elizabeth and Wild Fox had said. This had brought up in a lot of lines into his mind.


“The sword would be the most likely connection to those two’s sadness. So why don’t we get it back for them?”


“Since it’s unlikely he’d be able to leave Elarthe, we’ll just have to find him and ask that he return the blade for its value to Miss Priscilla. I’m sure he won’t mind giving it back once he understands the importance of that blade to her.”


“But I do intend to convince him otherwise. If the misplaced ownership of this sword is the cause of strife. Then we must do what we can to mend it so that no one needs to be sad.”


The words of Oswald had kept echoing throughout Spot’s mind. Oswald may still be going after Walter because of his promise to go find the Ignis Sword and mend the broken relationship between Fenrir and Priscilla.


However, that means he would go after Necross and his army and he may get himself involved in this war between the angels and the demons. This meant that he would be caught into the middle of a war all over again.


And it would be all his fault. If he opened his big mouth, Oswald would be unwittingly be chasing a dangerous man. All because of him, history was about to repeat himself.


Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning his head, he noticed Wild Fox and Elizabeth looking at him with concerned looks on their faces.


“Are you all right, Spot?” Wild Fox asked. “You zoned out on us.”


“Huh?” The Dalmatian said. “Um, sorry… I was just… Just…”


“Just what, Spot?” Wild Fox asked in concern.


“Speak up, pup…” Elizabeth offered, putting her hands on her hips.


Spot paused before looking back and forth between Wild Fox and Elizabeth. He stayed silent with sweat started to form on his furry face.


Suddenly, he bowed his head quickly, startling the two.


“I am sorry, Elizabeth!”


“S-Sorry? Sorry for what?” The dark-skinned woman said, looking genuinely confused.


“It’s Oswald! He is going to get caught up in another war all over again and it is all my fault!” Spot exclaimed while trying to fight back tears.


Elizabeth and Wild Fox’s eyes bugged out when they had heard this for similar and different reasons. Wild Fox looked back and forth between Spot and Elizabeth, realizing that one of them may cause a huge meltdown.


“Um, guys? I think we may need to a different part of the room.” Wild Fox suggested. “I don’t want anyone accidentally hearing about this.”


“G-Good idea…” Elizabeth said with her eyes still on Spot.


Wild Fox and Elizabeth had then instructed Spot to a secluded part of the party. After Spot had calmed down a bit, the Dalmatian had told everything that had happened. Including who Lupin truly was.


Elizabeth stared with a shocked face after taking all of the information she had been given in. “Wow… No wonder Fenrir and Priscilla had been under the weather for quite some time.”


“Yeah and now I had gotten Oswald roped up into this!” Spot said before covering his eyes. “Because of my big mouth, he is going after Necross and his army and when they find out what he wants, they would… They would…”


He couldn’t hold it in anymore. He had started to sob into his hands, feeling guilty about what he had done. Wild Fox gave a sympathetic look before placing a hand on his shoulder.


“I am sorry… I am so, so sorry… I didn’t mean for… For Oswald to get caught up in another war.” Spot said, between sobs. “You had gone through so much and for things to happen all over again...”


Wild Fox gave Spot a pleading look. “Please don’t be mad at him, Elizabeth. It was a simple mistake that anyone would make.”


Elizabeth stayed silent while staring at the sobbing Spot. After a few moments, she narrowed her eyes before stepping forward.


“It is all right, pup.”


Spot stopped sobbing for a moment before looking up with teary eyes with Wild Fox having a surprised look on his face.


“I know you long enough that you would never send my little buddy into danger on purpose.” Elizabeth reassured. “Don’t worry, I am not mad.”


“But… But… Oswald is going to get involved in another war.” Spot sobbed. “A-And…”


“No, he won’t.” Elizabeth said, narrowing her eyes. “Tell me. What exactly did you tell him about Walter?”


“Um, well…” Spot said before sniffing. “I told him what he normally wears and that he is a vampire. He said that he may be going into the Necropolis continent to try to find him.”


Elizabeth paused while crossing her arms. “Pup, I strongly doubt that even my little buddy would figure out how to find Walter.”


“So… So you are willing to forgive me, just like that?” Spot asked softly.


“Well, it depends. I don’t think there is anything to forgive because you didn’t do anything bad.” Elizabeth said.


“B-But…” Spot said softly.


“Spot, Elizabeth is right. You had done nothing wrong.” Wild Fox explained. “All you did was sent Oswald on a wild yet harmless goose chase.”


“Yeah, so wipe those tears. There is nothing to be sad about…” Elizabeth reassured.


Spot then slowly wiped his eyes a few times. “O-Okay…”


“Here, let me get you a drink for you.” Elizabeth said before turning towards Wild Fox. “Sweetie, do you mind?”


“Of course not.” Wild Fox said, shaking his head. “Leave him to me for now.”


Elizabeth nodded before walking off. Wild Fox watched her leave before turning his attention back to Spot.


“It is all right.” Wild Fox reassured. “Oswald is going to be just fine…”


“I… I just don’t want him to run into Necross.” Spot said softly.


“He won’t. Just like Elizabeth said, there is a very small chance that would happen.” Wild Fox said softly.


Spot stayed silent. Wild Fox couldn’t help but frown at his friend’s contrast in personality. He hated seeing his friends like this.


“Now I have even more determination to take down Necross…” Wild Fox said softly. “If Oswald DOES manages to find Necross and Walter, who knows what may happen…”


/-/-/-/-/-/


Fenrir’s good eye bugged out. “What!? That little psychopath actually did that!”


“Yes, he did!” Misty groaned while rolling her eyes. “It was so ridiculous! He was literally surrounded by explosions and still he tried to use a bomb!”


“Wow, this bunny sounded twisted but still.” Fenrir said, shaking his head.


“The ironic thing was Erin and I were the only ones who came out unscatched!” Misty said. “It did NOTHING to help his side in the slightest.”


“Why the hell does that Hiss creep kept that rabbit on for so long?” Fenrir asked in disbelief.


“There is a question that may NEVER be answered.” Misty sighed. She then absent-mindedly looked up at a nearby wall-clock. “Heh. It is that late already?”


Fenrir looked up at the clock as well. “Whoa… It is.”


Misty shook her head. “Sorry, I know that we are on a date but could I go check up on my sister for a moment?”


“Oh, of course not!” Fenrir said, shaking his head. “Just check up on Remus also, okay?”


“Okay.” Misty said before walking off.


Fenrir watched her leave. Things had started to ease up when they had started to talk about their little misadventures back at home due to their respective goals. It was absolutely fascinating the amount of stuff that Misty and Erin had been through, whether it was extremely dangerous or downright silly.


Letting out a small, calm sigh, he started to look around. However, it was then he had noticed something that made his good eye go wide.


Standing next to a wall, very close to him was Ellen with a drink in her hand. She merely stood with her trademark expression on her. It was almost as if she hasn’t noticed that Fenrir and Misty were right there.


“Ellen!?” Fenrir cried, getting the redhead’s attention. “How long have you been there?”


“Long enough to see that you got a keeper.” Ellen said with another sip of her drink. “That is the first time I seen someone used fighting as an ice breaker.”


“Um, well…” Fenrir said before looking to the side, looking embarrassed. “Well, we honestly didn’t know what else to say…”


Ellen merely shook her head. “At least you didn’t talk about the weather.”


“R-Right…” Fenrir said. He then gave a deep sigh. “Let me guess, Ellen. Seeing that you had heard the whole conversation, I assume you heard a particular part of Misty’s past right?”


“Yeah, what’s the matter?” Ellen challenged. “You scared of a girl who doesn’t need her parent?”


Fenrir winced at this. “N-no, it is not that. I…”


He then let out a deep sigh.


“It is the complete opposite… I am 100% jealous of the fact that Misty is staying so strong.” Fenrir said softly.


“I wouldn’t be.” Ellen said.


“Huh?” Fenrir asked, looking up in confusion.


“She’s strong. because of a lot of of things, but what you seeing when she talked about her mom was one kind of strength.” Ellen said. “If you jealous about one person’s trait, then you’re an idiot. Everyone’s strong in their own way… Or you are just a wimp who really needs his dad to hold his hand.”


Fenrir’s good eye blinked twice before chuckling weakly. “You really not afraid to speak your opinions, are you?”


“I guess.” Ellen said. “So mind updating me on this Silvermine place you two fondly remember? I don’t have anything better to do than listen to life stories and drink…”


Fenrir let out a deep sigh. “Okay, here is the deal. Silvermine is a city that is run by the namesake mob.  They are a notorious and ruthless bunch. For some reason or another, they held a fighting tournament and they forced a lot of people who could fight, not just Misty to fight in it.”


He then gave a growl, just thinking about how he would react if Remus got kidnapped just go he could enter.


“However, that is all I know about Silvermine. I had never actually went there and after hearing what happened, I believe that I am lucky. To learn more, you may want to talk to Misty and I am not sure if she wants to talk in full detail…” Fenrir said, concluding with a sigh.


“Sounds like an easy hell.” Ellen muttered. “We had enough chit-chat, so what’s on your mind, wolf?”


“Huh?” Fenrir asked before looking away. “I think you already knew this but I was thinking about the sunglasses.”


“I can take you next Tuesday if that is what you’re asking.” Ellen offered. “Oswald got a lesson in Necropolis so Shu won’t have much to keep him entertained.”


“Um, thanks. But here is the thing…” Fenrir said. “A part of me wants the sunglasses to be true but at the same time, a part of me actually wants them to be lying to my face if that makes any sense.”


“Yeah, if my dad talked like that, I wouldn’t want to be related to him either.” Ellen nodded.


Fenrir scratched the back of his head. “I was referring to having him help me through this slump but I can’t say I blame you for thinking that.”


Ellen then took one final gulp of her drink, finishing it.


“Hand them over, wolf.” She said, holding out her free hand.


“Huh?” Fenrir asked with his ears dropping.


“I’m not dense like your friend, wolf. Anyone could see how desperate you are to have your dad back.” Ellen said. “You might as well worship him with how much you talk about him. You are on a date with that poodle!”


“Now hold on! They are not here!” Fenrir insisted. “They are in my drawer back at home.”


“Not bad.” Ellen noted. “You are stronger than I gave you credit for.”


Fenrir merely rolled his good eye. “Father or liar, like I could trust him to keep them quiet the whole time.”


“Smarter than you look too.” Ellen noted. She then shrugged. “So I guess I oughta give you something in return. So what are you interested in knowing, wolf? You know, for keeping me company.”


Fenrir shrank back in surprise at Ellen’s request. He wasn’t expected her to give an offer like that. This girl was full of surprises.


“What?” Fenrir asked before regaining his composure. “Um, well, seeing that you ARE an older sibling, could you tell me what it is like to raise Oswald?”


“Can’t say much for Oswald, the kid came to me practically an adult in a kid’s body.” Ellen said while shaking her head. “Had a hell of a time though teaching Oswald what a kid was but videos and pictures can only give so much. You are aware that Remus is the first child that Oswald had ever met that’s her age. You’ll be surprised how different we were back then.”


“Yeah, well, it must be…” Fenrir started.


Suddenly, his good pupil shrank to the size of a pea upon realizing a large condratiction in Ellen’s statement.


“Wait, HER age?”


Ellen raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, why?”


“Yeah, why?” Fenrir asked in disbelief. “Isn’t Oswald a boy?”


“Oh, yeah. I forget sometimes.” Ellen said with a shrug. “You could consider Oswald a guy, all those spells alter what she perceived as usually. Protective measures and what not.”


Fenrir stared in complete shock. He didn’t knew what got him more. That Oswald was a girl or that Ellen casually admitted that she had forgotten. What was it the women he was friends with letting what should be very important facts slip their mind.


“Don’t worry. Oswald is 100% girl.” Ellen reassured. “Just don’t tell your brother, I don’t want any tween romance issues coming up.”


While his mind was still blown by the realization, Fenrir slowly recovered. “Um, okay. I won’t. But I don’t see that happening. Remus is the total opposite in me when it comes to approaching girls.”


Ellen just shrugged. “If you say, I just don’t like the idea of Oswald getting close to a boy yet. Just a personal thing is all. I was around her age when I started dating him.”


Fenrir raised an eyebrow. “Dating him?”


“Oh yeah… Must be something in the drink that makes you sentiminal.” Ellen said before looking at her empty glass. “Remember how I tried to smash your head in a table?”


Fenrir winced at this. “Well, for the most part I had been trying NOT to for everyone’s sake but otherwise, yes.”


“Well, you said something that made me think about the guy I used to be with.” Ellen explained. She then narrowed her eyes. “Guess I still kinda hate him for dying on me.”


Fenrir’s ears drooped. “Oh, I don’t suppose you want to talk about it, do you?”


Ellen then looked down at her glass, looking like she was becoming lost in her memories.


“You should have seen us together, wolf, trademark young couple. Together since we were seven, finally dating, planned on running away as fast as we could from this hellish war as soo as possible.” Ellen explained. “Grow old, die together. Whole shebang.”


Fenrir’s eye stared with shock as Ellen continued. He couldn’t believe that Ellen had used to think like that.


“Travel for the first 20 years, help everyone we could on the way, we were both the highest class healers in our home so it seemed so full-proof.” She explained. “Maybe adopt a kid alone the way, teach him the way we know… Damn, look at me rambling over some stupid plans that kids make.”


“Woah…” Fenrir said in awe. “You must had really liked him, don’t you?”


“LOVED him, wolf.” Ellen corrected. “At least I thought I did…”


Fenrir paused. “Why? How come you don’t feel the same way anymore?”


“Time passed and I decided it would be better if I stopped caring.” Ellen explained. “I have a family that needs me and living my life around a dead boy doesn’t help them any.”


“Fair enough…” Fenrir said before looking down. “So… Was he really that much like me?”


“Just take away your snout, fur and the ever present dad complex and you two could had been twins.” Ellen replied.


“Wow, I didn’t mean to force to relieve your memories when we first met.” Fenrir explained.


“It’s fine.” Ellen said, waving it off. “Sometimes, memories are nice.”


Fenrir merely stayed silent while continuing to stare at Ellen. He haven’t expected the redhead to be so open about her past among other things. The girl was truly full of surprises.


Despite still having quite a few issues, Ellen still seemed to be doing alright. Even after her run-in with the wolf, she personally tried to avoid because she didn’t wanted to get distracted by memories of the past. He wondered if he should continued the conversation or end it right there and then.


“FENRIR!”


The wolf jumped before turning his head towards the direction of the voice. He then saw Christmas, Tulia and Misty rushing over with worried looks on their faces.


“Huh? What’s wrong, girls?” Fenrir asked.


“We had lost the kids!” Tulia exclaimed.


Fenrir’s eye bugged out at this. “What!?”


“Yeah, they had gone off to go find a bottle and Christmas and I were talking to each other.” Tulia said. “When we were done, they were gone!”


“W-W-Where had you seen them last?” Fenrir asked.


“I-I don’t know…” Tulia said. “They didn’t tell me where they were going to search.”


Ellen on the other hand, shook her head. “Figured that you two would lose them eventually. Don’t worry, Oswald always come back. I don’t know about the other two.”


The others looked at Ellen in disbelief.


“How… The hell… Could you say that with a blank face!?” Misty snapped.


“We are at a Christmas party for a bunch of people who have far too much free time as they chose to make parties for a living.” Ellen said flatly. “I strongly doubt they are in real danger.”


“Y-Yeah, let’s calm down.” Fenrir said before looking at Tulia. “Why are they looking for a bottle, anyway?”


“Well, it is a long story but they are going to use so Oswald could put his ink into it and gave it to me.” Christmas explained.


Fenrir blinked his good eye twice. “Put his ink into it?”


“Yeah, I don’t get it either.” Misty said, shaking her head.


“What is going on?”


Everyone turned their heads to see Naza walking over.


“Oh, Naza! Perfect timing!” Tulia smiled. “Say, have you seen the children?”


The dark-haired paused. “I thought that they were with you the whole time.”


Tulia hanged her head. “Great…”


“Okay, everyone calm down.” Christmas said stepping forward. “Maybe they exited the room.”


“Y-Yeah, let’s go see if another who was near the door saw them.” Naza offered before looking towards the entrance. “Say, there is two of them. Shannon and…”


Suddenly, she noticed something that had made her go wide-eyed as he watched Shannon speak with one of his fellow workers.


“So that is why I need your advice.” Shannon explained. “To make that couch behave, I must to neuter and show it that I am in charge.”


Dolin blinked twice with a smoking cigarette in his hand.


“Um, Shannon, do you ever stop and wonder as to WHY people rarely respect you?” He said flatly.


The wizard immediately growled. “I swear, it was nothing but snark every thing!”


“Well, good grief!” Dolin said, rolling his eyes. “When you give people reasons to snark at you, you get snarked at! It is common nature!”


“Why you!” Shannon snapped before turning around and storming off. “Fine! I will just go find Leon and ask HIM! At least I would make sure HE won’t snark at me!


Dolin let out a laugh. “Like that would do you any good?”


Shannon stopped before turning around. “And what is THAT supposed to mean?”


“He is with the rugrats outside of this room.” Dolin smirked. “And they won’t come back until the party is ending.”


Shannon blinked twice. “Okay, you lost me. How come Leon and the brats aren’t coming back anytime soon?”


Dolin then fished into his pocket and pulled out an item. Shannon looked closer in interest at what Dolin was holding.


A key.


“Because I made sure of that.” Dolin smirked while throwing the key to himself.


“What do you mean?” Shannon asked, tilting his head. “What is that?”


“The key to the closet. It is big enough to hold those four and keep them there AND it is far away from the party so normally would hear their cries.” Dolin said.


Shannon blinked twice before looking back and forth between the key and the cigarette in Dolin’s hand.


“You locked the children and Leon in a closet just so you could smoke all night?” He asked in disbelief.


Dolin let out a hearty laugh. “Well, it is nice to know that you are not as dumb as you look.”


Normally, Shannon would at least growl at the insult but he was too busy rolling his eyes at Dolin’s scheme.


“Truth be told, I just had wanted lock the kids in but Leon caught on to me so I had no choice but to lock him in too!” Dolin said, shaking his head. “Oh well, at least I could say that I had left them with an adult.”


Shannon blinked twice. “Um, seeing that this is LEON we are talking about, I don’t think you did.”


Dolin let out another laugh. “Good point! Good point! Eh, doesn’t matter! All that matters is that Kiddie Time is over!”


”Dolin…”


Dolin’s smirk vanished as his eyes bugged out in pure horror. With fresh beads of sweat forming on his face, he slowly turned his head to see who was calling his name.


Much to his horror, Naza, Fenrir, Misty, Ellen, Christmas and Tulia were all crossing their arms and glaring at Dolin, not looking pleased in the slightest.


Dolin immediately yelped. “Um, how long have you been there?”


“Long enough to see that you are a douche.” Fenrir said before gritting his teeth. “A suicidal douche.”


“W-Wait, it is not what it seems!” Dolin insisted.


“Oh? Do tell. How does it NOT seemed like you locked three children AND someone who tried to stop you at CHRISTMAS time just so you cannot smoke?” Naza asked while clenching her fists.


“N-No, you don’t understand! They were looking for a bottle!” Dolin insisted. “I had instructed them in the closet!”


“Save it!” Misty snapped with her teeth going sharp. “We heard the whole thing! You had locked my sister and the others in there and intend to stay there for the rest of the night!”


“On top of that, smoking is bad for you.” Ellen said.


She then held out her hand. Suddenly, some kind of small ball of energy had started to form in her hand.


“Of course when I am through with you, lung cancer would be the worst of your troubles.” Ellen said, narrowing her eyes.


“How DARE you lock our younger siblings in a closet just for a smoke!?” Misty growled, cracking her knuckles.


“Perhaps if we tied those weird arms around your throat, then it would be impossible to smoke!” Fenrir said, readying his claws.


Dolin stepped back while looking back and forth between the three older siblings.


“Um, well? Hold on…” Dolin said before looking at Naza who had her head down. “Naza, please talk some sense into them. It is Christmas time.”


“You are right. It IS Christmas time…” Naza said softly.


She then glared up at Dolin with a hateful glare.


“And it is because of that, I will help Fenrir, Misty and Ellen on what they want right now!” Naza said, cracking her knuckles.


By this time, Dolin’s face was completely full of sweat as his eyes shifted from left to right at the four angry people.


“Um, Shannon, a little help?” Dolin asked. “You know, show them why you are the greatest wizard in the world?”


“I love to but I don’t get involved in battles I can’t win.” The wizard smirked before walking off. “You’re on your own.”


Dolin gulped before looking back. Much to his horror, Naza, Fenrir, Misty and Ellen had all pounced at them at once.


“AAAAAUUUUUGGGGGHHHHH!”


/-/-/-/-/-/


Erin pressed her ear against a door. Even if she was far away from the party, she could still make muffled sounds of cries of pain and yells of anger. Shaking her head, she turned her head towards Remus, Oswald and Leon. The latter red eye somewhat made the room a bit brighter.


“Okay, the good news is that at least one of our older siblings had figured out what that jerk had done to us.” Erin explained. She then sighed. “The bad news is they may be too... busy to come get us right now.”


Remus returned the sigh. “Well, at least they know where we are.”


“AND we got the bottle!” Oswald piped up, holding a large bottle.


Leon shifted his good eye from left to right. “See, kids? We are going to be all right! There is no reason to scream and cry! Someone is going to save us!”


Remus blinked twice. “Um, I never cried…”


“I-It’s alright to be strong. C-Can’t let everyone see your fear when you come out.” Leon said, fidgeting in place.


“Um, Mr. Leon, are you alright?” Oswald asked concerned. “Are you afraid of the dark or claustrophobic?”


“Um, maybe…” Leon said, looking down.


“Don’t worry, Leon. As soon as our siblings are done, they would come straight over.” Erin reassured.


“I-I guess…” The cyborg said before sighing. “I am sorry, kids. I didn’t knew that Dolin would lock us in here until it was too late.”


“It is all right.” Remus said before rolling his eyes. “Still, I can’t believe he did that for a smoke!”


“Yes, why is it he locked us in when he could do it outside?” Oswald asked


“Yeah, seriously…” Erin muttered. “But whatever, so what should we do until they remember that we are done here?”


Oswald blinked twice in confusion. “Remember? You mean they would forget about us?”


“Well, not FORGET persay but Ellen is anything like Misty, she would spend far too much time “teaching” Dolin a lesson.” Erin sighed.


“Ah, yes. Your sister.” Oswald said. “Could you tell me more about her, Miss Erin? You all seemed happy for her and Mr. Fenrir to go on a date?”


Leon blinked his good eye twice. “Um, MISS Erin?”


Remus merely waved it off. “He does that to everyone.”


“Well, Misty used to be a pit fighter, battling to support the both of us just like Fenrir.” Erin explained. “This is why we wanted them together. Also, I think you had already noticed this by how we had to stop her from nearly killing Palayo but she also has a short temper and doesn’t usually that social.”


“Really?” Oswald asked. “I mean I could understand the temper but Miss Misty seemed quite approachable.”


“Well, she’s not THAT distant, I mean she could make friends.” Erin said, shaking her head. “Still, she could be moody.”


“Oh, is THAT why Mr. Fenrir had been unsuccessfully in getting her to go on a date together?” Oswald asked confused.


“Um, yes and no.” Erin said, chuckling nervously. “Misty doesn’t like it when she had been hit on when Fenrir had done the very same to so many people.”


“Wait, didn’t Mr. Fenrir said a similar thing at Mr. Psycho Wally’s Funhouse?” Oswald asked in realization.


Erin’s eyes widened at this. “Wait, what!? Fenrir said that?”


“Yeah, he had said that he had admitted that he was too forward with him and Misty didn’t wanted a Prince Charming.” Remus explained.


“Wait, Fenrir actually said that?” Erin exclaimed. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner? This could had been our big chance at the time!”


“Um, I WANTED to…” Remus said before looking down. “But… At the time, Fenrir was still…”


Erin’s eyes widened before she looked to the side with a sad look on her face. “S-Sorry, that was an insensitive thing to say.”


“It’s fine.” Remus said, shaking his head. He then brightened up. “The point is that Misty must had realized that and gave Fenrir a chance!”


“Yeah, it just goes to show on how much Fenrir and Misty had changed since he gotten here!” Erin agreed. “In fact, I think it was MISTY who had asked Fenrir out and not the other way around.”


“Yeah, I think so too.” Remus agreed.


“Heh.” Leon said before looking down at Oswald. “Oswald, was it?”


“That is correct, Mr. Leon.” The artificial god nodded.


“Have you noticed any change in YOUR sister?” Leon asked.


“Change?” Oswald said before putting her hand on her chin in thought. “Now, that you mentioned it, she seemed more open with people.”


“Open?” Leon asked with disbelief strong in his tone.


“Well, she isn’t throwing tables at anyone anymore so…” Erin muttered.


“Wait, what!?” Leon exclaimed.


Before anyone could say anything else, they heard the sound of a key entering the room. Turning their heads, they saw the door opening to reveal Tulia and the others.


“Are you guys alright?” Tulia asked, concerned after opening the door.


“Remy!” Fenrir exclaimed.


“Sis!” Misty called out.


“Fenrir!”


“Misty!”


Remus and Erin had made their way out of the closet and towards their respective older siblings.


“Are you alright, Erin?” Misty asked, crouching down.


“That creep didn’t hurt you, did he?” Fenrir asked.


“No, he merely shoved us in here.” Remus said, shaking his head.


“Yeah, we are fine.” Erin nodded.


Suddenly, Leon had pounced himself at Tulia and tackled Tulia to the ground, startling everyone.


“Oh, Tulia! Thank you so much!” Leon said with his good eye going misty. “I was so terrified in there! I thought we were going to run out of air!”


Naza blinked twice. “Run out of air? Good grief, Leon, not even Dolin is that much of a jerk.”


“I-I know but…” Leon said. He then started to sob into Tulia’s chest.


“H-hey…” The cow said nervously before patting Leon’s head. “It is alright… You are all fine now…”


Oswald then stepped forward while holding the jar in her hands. “Oh, Miss Christmas, perfect timing! We found the jar while we were in here!”


The white tiger blinked twice. “THAT is your thoughts about escaping from a cramped and dark closet.”


“My little buddy is just being my little buddy.” Elizabeth giggled.


/-/-/-/-/-/


Despite what had happened in the closet, everyone had soon gone back to the party as always. Oswald had fulfilled her quest and had Christmas a full bottle of ink for her birthday present and soon things had went back to normal.


Soon, after several hours, it was time to go home. Naza, Christmas and Tulia had went down with the group, along with their ride, Shannon to see them goodbye.


“Well, guys, did you had a great time?” Tulia asked.


“Yeah, we had a blast!” Spot said with a grin.


“I say!” Erin grinned. “It was awesome!”


“Indeed, we thank you again for inviting us here!” Oswald said, bowing her head.


“Hey, hey! It is all right!” Naza grinned. “You are Tulia and Christmas’ guests, after all.”


Christmas nodded her head while holding a large bottle of ink. “Oswald, thanks again for your present. I really appreciate it.”


“It is alright. I am just glad that it is a suitable birthday present for you.” The artificial god smiled.


Christmas returned the smile before looking at Fenrir and Remus. “Remus, I am really glad that we get to speak with each other.”


“Yeah, same here.” The wolf cub nodded.


“Sorry about kinda blowing off talking to you, it is just that…” Fenrir started.


Christmas merely shook her head. “You had a date. I understand. Besides, I learned a bit about you.”


“Speaking of learning, I hope you had learned a lot from today, Oswald.” Tulia smiled.


“Oh, don’t worry, I have.” Oswald said, bowing her head again. “Thank you again for the lessons, Miss Tulia.”


“No problem. I just couldn’t resist talking to you after hearing about your dilemma.” Tulia grinned.


“Oh, um, no hard feelings about the… mess that was made in the room, right?” Wild Fox said sheepishly.


Naza merely waved it off. “Nah, besides I was just as much to blame in the end.”


Suddenly, they all heard the sounds of groans. Turning their heads, they saw a bandaged and bruised Dolin being taken away by two people.


Oswald merely sighed while shaking her head. “I still thought you overdid it.”


“Hey, we let him live, didn’t we?” Fenrir said while crossing his arms.


“Yeah, even then, I STILL felt that we were being too generous.” Ellen agreed.


“Same here.” Misty nodded while casting Dolin a death glare.


Wild Fox sighed before deciding to change the subject. “W-Well, in any case, how did your date went, guys?”


“Huh?” Misty asked before scratching the back of her head. “Um, well, things had gotten a bit slow at first but it turned out just fine.”


“Yeah, it was great.” Fenrir said.


“So does that mean you guys are going to go on a date again sometime?” Remus asked.


Fenrir and Misty had paused for a moment before looking at each other.


Then, Misty gave a small smile. “But sure, what the heck? Why not? We could do it any someday.”


Fenrir paused for a moment as he continued to stare into Misty’s eyes.


Suddenly, he slowly had a grin came across his face, startling everyone.


“Yes, that would be nice.”


“Oh my gosh!” Spot gasped.


“You smiled!” Remus exclaimed.


Fenrir’s good eye widened before looking to the side with a huge blush on his face.


“Hey, hey, don’t be embarrassed!” Elizabeth scolded. “You have a lovely smile!”


“Yes, it is great to finally see it after so long.” Wild Fox said with a smile.


Fenrir looked around for a moment. He had then smiled again.


“T-Thanks… I really had a lot of fun with you guys tonight and…” The wolf said before scratching the back of his head. “I… I’m sorry. I am completely drawing a blank on what to say here.”


Misty slowly shook her head with a smile. “No… It is all right. This speaks louder than words.”


“Yeah…” Remus grinned softly.


Naza then gave a chuckle. “You were right, Tulia. I could see why you wanted to invite these guys alone.”


“Yeah…” The cow smiled.


Christmas just watched the scene with a quiet smile. She couldn’t help but feel just as happy as the others by Fenrir’s smile. She was happy to be able to see Fenrir without a depressing look on his face.


“Perhaps this wasn’t such a bad birthday, after all.”


BANG!


Everyone jumped by the sudden noise before looking in the direction of it. They then saw Shannon with his arm in the air, looking like he had snapped his fingers and made a spell.


“Ahem. If you people are easily taken by a simple smile…” Shannon said before giving a confident grin. “Then, you would go heads over heels for me.”


Everyone blinked twice as they watched Shannon stand in his place, still grinning.


A few seconds later, he screamed as he tried in vain to block a barrage of snowballs being pelted at him.


/-/-/-/-/-/


After being violently rejected for ruining the mood, Shannon hesitantly teleported him and the rest of the group back to the Heroes’ Hideout. After that, everyone had went straight to their respective rooms to rest for the night.


Fenrir was one of the most tired from the night and ended up going to his bed immediately. In fact, he was so exhausted that he had slept all of the way through the morning. Remus and Spot ended up leaving the room without him, not wanting to disturb him. Soon, the wolf had finally decided to stir around and let out a big yawn.


“Whoa, what a night…” Fenrir said, sleepily. He then looked up at the clock. “Whoa, that late already? I must had tuckered myself out more than I thought.”


Letting out another yawn, he got up from his bed and made his way towards the drawer to get out his clothes for the day.


“Good morning, dark-eyes.” Fenrir said while going through his drawer.


However, an unusual sound had echoed throughout his ears that made his good eye go wide.


The sound of silence.


Fenrir quickly took the case that had the sunglasses and held it up to his hand before looking down at it in confusion. He slowly opened the case and took out the sunglasses out of it.


“Dark-eyes?” Fenrir asked, blinking his good eye twice. This was unusual for the sunglasses to stop talking to him for some reason. This was extremely strange because they had shown to be anything but quiet.


Fenrir continued to stare down at the sunglasses for a moment. Suddenly, his good eye had widened in realization.


A little while later, Ellen had made her way down the hallway on her way into the main floor.


“Hey, Ellen!”


The redhead stopped herself in her tracks before turning around. She then saw Fenrir rushing over, now fully-dressed.


Ellen raised an eyebrow. “What is it with the running, wolf, I said Tuesday, not today.”


“Yeah, about that.” Fenrir explained. “I think we might have to cancel that appointment.”


“Why is that? You had broke them yourself?” Ellen asked.


“Well, yes and no.” Fenrir said. He then pulled out his sunglasses and held them out to Ellen. “Notice anything different about them since the last time you seen them?”


Ellen quickly caught on. “They shut up for once? Did you made your old man mad or something?”


“Which was?” Ellen asked, crossing her arms.


Fenrir then took in a deep breath.


“Well, listening to what you and Misty last night about what you been through made me realize that I wasn't the only one who had to endure hardships.” Fenrir said with his ears dropping. “You two had both gone through a lot on your own and for the most part, you had still able to continue on. I realized now that I shouldn't have to resort of worrying about my father for my own problems.”


He then let out a large sigh.


“And I realized this last night... So when I went to go to my drawer to change…” Fenrir explained.


“Let me guess. Daddy wasn’t there anymore?” Ellen asked.


Fenrir slowly nodded.


Ellen shook her head. “I’m sorry, wolf.”


Fenrir stepped back in surprised and confusion. “Sorry? For what?”


“Thought this would be a bit more hard on you.” Ellen said before looking to the side.. “I know what it’s like losing someone more than once.”


“Ellen…” Fenrir said before shaking his head. “People only love once, Ellen. As much as I like it to be true, my father had passed and there is no bringing him back. Besides, I don't need him anymore. I feel that I should try to stand on my own two feet.”


“Yeah, once…” The young girl said before looking back at Fenrir. “So what did you want to talk about?”


Fenrir then smiled before holding out the sunglasses.


“Well, seeing that you wanted the sunglasses…” He said brightly. “I decided to let them keep them.”


Ellen actually seemed somewhat taken back by this. “Huh, uh, yeah, sure. I'll take em from you, guess I can sell these at Shu's for a good penny.”


She then slowly made her hand way towards the sunglasses and grabbed them.


“Th-thanks, Fenrir…” She said softly.


The wolf’s good eye widened when he heard this. Ellen had actually called Fenrir by his first name and did so with a quite timid look on her face. After a moment, Fenrir merely smiled, realizing that he had truly became Ellen’s friend.


“Trust me, Ellen. It is the least I could do for thanks. Merry Christmas...”