Winter Antics

Gentle snowflakes plop against a windowsill, their flaky bodies melting into the tiniest of water droplets. Others graced the window's existence in groups, much like the approaching bunch of yumenari. They were an odd bunch, but friends and proclaimed family, nothing less. Each of them were dressed from head to toe in warm, soft, comfy gear, protecting their ears and faces from bitter cold.

"Is everyone excited?" Said a voice from the very back of the group. "There's gonna be lots o' pretty decorations n' sweet pies and oH, don't forget all the presents everyone put together!!! .....We 'did' all remember to bring gifts, right?"

A cacophony of 'yes' sounded amongst the group, only one yume in the group sulking soon after.

"I... might've forgotten mine? I got really busy planning my outfit for this year and you simply 'cannot' rush creativity. That's like... just 'asking' for bad juju."

"... 'Bad Juju'??"

"Briar, love, Razor just means he'd mess up the present if he rushed it is all." Cyrus said, sighing with a shake of his head. "Although, I must agree this is cutting it close. Are you sure you'll be alright? The party is tonight..."

Razor stopped walking in the middle of the path, earning a few curious looks. He huffed a visible puff of air, placing his hands on his hips with a glare.

"Of course I'll have a present by tonight. Who do you take me for?" As if to prove a point, he pulled a portable sewing set out of his pants pocket, jiggling it gently. "Art block never lasts that long if you're desperate enough."

Cyrus stared at Razor hard but couldn't argue much with his shit-eating grin. Forget being just a nightmare, he swore Razor was born with a type of confidence that was simply unparalleled for unspoken reasons. The group continued walking shortly after the small exchange, a much more colorful yume joining the bunch. Alas, it was Terra who was sporting a... interesting outfit to say the least.

She was posing in one of her many idol poses, peace signs and all, wearing the loudest thing for the next 30 miles. She had fuzzy winter boots on where the faux fur was a faded rainbow, transparent leggings with floral white stitching, an oversized, puffy, black, winter coat that adorned several rainbow colored stars, the fuzziest ear muffs that Terra claimed were simply a human accessory that looked nice, and a long tipped Santa hat made especially for their head. Razor whistled out of admiration for the colorful outfit where as Briar's eyes darted around excitedly.

"HEeEy gUuUys!! Hope I didn't miss anything.~ Mostly because I mightve been in charge of the decorations for the ice rink and uh- I refuse to let you guys skate in darkness." Terra said enthusiastically with a sassy hand shake at the end.

"You didn't miss anything, thankfully. We were just talking about gifts and a show of creativity."

"Wait what- I was just saying it was mildly worrying to wait so lon-"

"AAHHBABDADA- bad juju, Cyrus... Bad juju. Keep it up and you'll summon Krampus."

Terra and Briar giggled at the two yume's bickering, still finding the dynamic between everyone amusing. Terra walked closer to the group rubbing tears out their eyes as Briar stepped to the front.

"Alright guys, let's head on in before we all freeze out here. Besides I'm pretty sure the others are waiting for us already."

While he was being serious, most of what Briar said came out as sugary nonsense. Perhaps it was a mild side effect from his naturally loving nature. Alas, it quieted the group down, them all proceeding to the meeting place. Oddly enough, they all agreed to meet at Shufen's. He wasn't the most... colorful person, but inviting nonetheless. His house was cozy and adorned with many, 'many' plants. Some he even gushed about having been winter season specific. Razor remembered making a fake gagging gesture at his proclaimed father gifting yet another boquette to Lapis.

He was honestly hopeless-

The group trotted along till they were met with a clearing in a wooded area. It wasn't an understatement to say Shufen's house looked remote. In fact, it was in the middle of the woods. Then again, given his nature, it wasn't off-putting in the slightest. Actually, the group was delighted to see the house, festive decorations lining the trees. There were many, nothing short of: colorful triangular banners, red and green fairylights, inflatable snowmen and reindeer, and even cute Christmas themed light shows. The main pathway to the front was lined with circular lawn lights, although Cyrus personally assumed that was already there before the holidays.

"Woah, Shufen really outdid himself this year." Terra bent down with a hand over his head to peer down at some of the decor. Then again, the gesture didn't actually aid his sight in any fashion.

"Yeah, I'm surprised. He isn't usually this...festive. Not openly anyway. Maybe Lapis talked him into it." Said Razor with a scrutinizing gaze. In simple terms, he called bullshit.

"Well, only one way to check, right guys?"

Cyrus strolled up to the door, ringing the doorbell. Not even a minute later, he heard several voices, yelling something hurriedly before a large and very loud thump was heard. He jumped, backing away from the door. Razor, Briar and Terra all exchanged looks with each other before approaching closer, having heard the crash without being as close by.

"What the hell was that??"

"I-I don't know?? Something fell in there but it sounded pretty bad- Gods, are they alrig-"

Cyrus jumped yet again once the door was yanked open. Much to everyone's surprise, Fennec was at the door, poorly concealing the w r e c k behind him as he leaned in the doorway. There was a customer service smile plastered on his face and a lightly tousled Christmas hat.

"Hiya friends. What took ya so long?"

The group stared at Fennec questioningly as he continued his aggressive smile in physical denial.

"Uh... we ran into a small detour but everything's pretty okay for the most part." Said Briar kindly, despite the awkward interaction.

He looked curiously behind Fennec's head when he heard a few pained groans in the background, only for Fennec to quickly tilt his head further in the doorway. Behind him, he frantically waved his hand to someone unseen, more shuffling ensuing.

"Well, I'll have you know the party has hardly started yet. Buuuuut, we've been decorating for hours now. They're going spectacular. However, the ice rink is way better so you should probably stop there first."

"That's nice but what about these gift boxes-"

Razor interjected only for Fennec to quickly close the door. He looked offended for a second before realizing the yume was most likely up to something.

"You know, for a detective I swear that guy is shady. He'd probably put coal in my stocking."

Cyrus ruffled his own hair to relieve some tension, not sure what antics were happening within Shufen's usually quiet home. Briar shared much of the same sentiment but appeared more tolerant of the odd behavior. Terra was mostly indifferent, already waddling off to the rink.

"Hurry up guys. I'm gonna light this ice puppy up with liGHTS- and it'd be bad if you guys blinded yourselves because you weren't prepared for its amazing sparkle."

"....How many lights did you get, Terra?" Briar said weakly, peering lightly over at one of the bright yume's bags.

"That's irrelevant. As is the bill for all of these-"