Friday, December 7th

Lydia's pace was quick as she walked through the cold and remnants of snow sludge on the ground. Though quick she had to be careful, wary of slippery bits of sidewalk and grass- It wouldn't do to trip and fall. She wasn't dressed up terribly fancy for today's events, but she did make a little effort. Since it was the Christmas season and her hair was already half of the traditional colors, she worn a red sweater (one of Erin's creation of course) with pearl buttons, a long burgundy skirt, her usual boots, went sans bag, and since her face had healed she wore her hair up with the aid of one of the hair slides she had received from Beth for her birthday. Over all of that was a simple jacket and scarf to aid in keeping warm.

Pale blues wandered as Lydia traversed through 'Little Britain'. Some hadn't bothered with decorations yet, and some had gone all out, with various trees and lights and figurines, either on their houses themselves or in their yards. The giant Santa Clause one had on their lawn however, proved to be more unsettling to the green haired elf than festive. Her pace picked up when Erin's manor was in sight, a festive wreath decorated in red and gold already on the door.

Upon her arrival Ivy had let her in, and since Erin's leg was in a cast still the job of unpacking and lifting heavy objects was left to herself and the sane englishwoman. The magicked Christmas tree from last year was pulled out of storage and set up at the end of the hallway, along with boxes of decorations and lights to go on it. Lydia was hesitant about getting involved in decorating the tree this year, given the fact that last year she had managed to hang herself in the tree. So this year? She'd let another have the task of setting up the tree. She and Ivy located more boxes of decorations and garlands that were to go up, and set them in the hall as well, to be taken to their proper destinations later; such as when or if the guys arrived. They'd be better equipped to carry boxes upstairs, since the green haired elf was trying to conserve strength by not abusing the use of her magic. While loitering in the hallway, Lydia had thought it odd that the ballroom's doors were closed, cloistering it away from the rest of the mansion, since last year it had been open, but never did think of it enough to ask Ivy.

Rather than dive into the actual task of decorating by themselves, Ivy lead Lydia into the kitchen to enjoy some rest and something warm to drink. There was tea, cider, and hot chocolate to choose from- the last of which the green haired elf chose for herself. After dunking a few little marshmallows into her chocolate, she took a seat at the kitchen table, sipping idly at her drink before sighing quietly. Seems it was just time to wait now.

Jake's eyes went wide, and he grimaced as he peered out from behind a corner of a building to return fire only to see that someone else had gotten hit in the crossfire. The fact that it was Carley only made it worse. Dusting the snow from his hands, before jamming them into his coat pockets as he walked away quietly trying to escape to Isis Manor unseen by Carley as she chased the children.

As he passed through the gates at the manor he began whistling a Christmas tune skirting around the side of the house bypassing the front door, for the side door to the kitchen. Taking off his hat as he opened the door, and stepped inside a bright smile for Lydia. Stepping quickly over to the counter where Ivy was busy doing something, he leaned around and gave her a quick peck on the cheek.

"Hows my best girl doing?" He smiled as he tried to look over Ivy's shoulder to see what treat she might be fixing.

Ivy grinned at Jake, then trying to look stern she slapped playfully at his hands. "I haven't got anything for you to eat over here so quit trying to butter me up Jake Duncan!"

Jake wrapped his arm about her waist, and looked at her with his best puppy dog eyes. "Nothing at all? Not even one Christmas cookie?"

Ivy rolled her eyes with mock disgust as she allowed herself to be cuddled up to by Jake. "Fine sit down, and behave and I will get you a cup of cocoa and a couple cookies. Though I should make you wait."

His eyes dancing with merriment Jake released Ivy, and turned towards the table looking at Lydia with a pleased "Ha I got cookies!" look. Before he moved off to far Jake playfully swatted Ivy's backside with his hat. "I don't know how you could even pretend like you weren't going to give me some. Everyone knows you like me best." Jake gave Ivy a wink as she waved a wooden spoon at him.

"Merry Christmas Lydia." Jake turned his attention to Lydia now as he sat at the table. "Guess we're waiting on Erin?" He said looking around.

When Lydia spotted Jake come in she offered him a smile, simply sipping at her cocoa as he and Ivy conversed and joked around. She watched them, an almost curious expression on her features. When was the last time she had seen Ivy act like that? So happy and carefree? It was surprising to her, honestly, and even more so that Jake was the one to elicit such a reaction in her. Lips pursed thoughtfully as she watched them, making sure to look away and not caught looking too closely. Ivy received a grateful smile from her as she set the cookies down, and before Jake could say 'cowboy', the elf had snatched up two cookies, already munching on them voraciously. Seems Ivy's cooking had magical powers of bringing her appetite back to life.

"Hey Jake." Lydia gave him a nod when he sat at the table with her. "That's nothing new." Replying in regards to waiting on Erin- her tone was teasing however. She did feel bad for Erin's current predicament, however, hearing Ivy speak of Erin's cast had given her a peculiar idea... "You know, we should tie a red ribbon around her cast, sorta like a candy cane? I mean, it is kinda in the shape of one with the way her foot sticks out..." She mused over the idea. "It could be part of the decorations." It was hard to tell if she was being serious about it or not.

A third cookie was taken up for hoarding before she heard the thunk, thunk, thunk of Erin elsewhere. An almost sly look was given to Jake then, as she slid the plate closer his way, unconcerned with guarding the cookies. Besides, maybe if it was close to him he'd get blamed for the lack of cookies when Erin came down?

The last few days ? well, the last few weeks, to be honest ? had been very difficult for Glenn. Between the second anniversary of his father's death, the explosion at the Stitch and its aftermath, and the upcoming first anniversary of his mother's death, he had plenty of grief to work through. The busy holiday season and fixing up his barn had preoccupied a great deal of his time, but even the sheer amount of work he had been doing recently couldn't brush away all the demons in his head. Which was why he was looking forward to visiting Erin's home to decorate for Christmas. He was only vaguely familiar with the holiday, his knowledge mostly gleaned from what he had picked up from bits and pieces of conversations from customers he'd sold things to, Carley, and Lydia. It seemed very similar to the way the winter solstice was celebrated in Blackbridge, though, and he was eagerly anticipating a happy occasion to occupy his time.

Unfortunately, Glenn had gotten so caught up in one of his recent projects, a simple wine rack that the customer was planning on giving his new-to-RhyDin friend as a combination Christmas/housewarming gift, that he had lost track of the time. It was with a start, then, and a half-sprint out the door, that Glenn started his voyage from the farms south of RhyDin to the city, throwing on his necklace and winter clothes as he went along. He walked briskly until he was inside the city, then hailed a carriage to take him to the West End and Isis Manor.

Glenn had only been to the Little Britain neighborhood a couple of times, and up until the recent events at the Stitch, he hadn't been in a few months. Still, he thought it quaint and charming, if a bit menacing at times. Black, wrought iron arches were spaced evenly along the sidewalk, spanning over the cobblestone streets. At night, these arches would light up with what Glenn assumed was either gas light or mage light, although not every lamp worked properly. The buildings looked weary and distressed, but for the most part were intact: the typical collection of tiny two and three-story apartment buildings, equally small stores, and restaurants jammed as close together as possible. A quick turn south and they were out of Little Britain, and heading for the manor. Within a minute or so, they'd arrived. He stepped out of the carriage, thanked the driver, and paid him, before the rumble of wheels and clicking of horses' hooves faded off into the distance.

Glenn quickly approached the house, walking through the gates, and knocked on the front door. He then jammed his work-gloved hands under his armpits. It was cold, and even the black knitted cap, cloak, and undersized scarf couldn't keep him as warm as he would've liked. Not to mention that the occasional gusts of wind seemed to cut right through the cheaply made brown work trousers he was wearing. A good cup of tea, and a spot by the fire (oh, he hoped there was a hearth inside!) would be great.