Happy Christmas! [Event/Pimwadee/Theo]

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"H-Happy Christmas! Wait, that doesn't sound right..." Ling looked at his reflection in the mirror, "Merry...? No, wait, maybe it was jolly..."

Ling was alone in his dorm abord the Endeavor, the skies grey as Fiore became caked in snow, transforming it into a winter wonderland below the clouds. It was his first winter outside of the first, and also his first experience with the holidays. He was aware that people celebrated "Christmas" and other holidays for a long time, and he knew because sometimes he'd climb the highest tree in the forest to see the distant town shimmer with beautiful, vibrant lights, and he could hear the distant caroling and laughter even though he were miles away. He had always been perfectly content living among the woodland creatures by himself, but part of him always wanted to step beyond the grassy border and see what all of the hubbubs was about. He had heard about the big fat man dressed in red who would come down your chimney and leave you with gifts, and then leave for the next home in his large, shiny sleigh led by eight flying reindeer. Only people on his 'Nice List' ever got presents though, and while Ling considered himself to be a nice man, he was always a little disappointed when he'd wake up and nothing would be there. Maybe the big fat man didn't know where to find him?

Well, this year would be different. The same festival Ling had grown enamored with over the years was taking place in Beanstalk Village, and although Ling was illiterate and couldn't navigate Fiore by himself easily, it was impossible to miss a village which could be marked by the humongous beanstalk that stretched so high that it disappeared into the clouds! Even Ling could find it, but then he was faced with new problems—while he was coming with Pimwadeee, a man named Theo was also supposed to attend!

The idea made Ling's heart sank, and he felt so terrible about the encounter that he felt like crawling into a pit and crying until he felt better. It wasn't like Theo was bad or anything—Ling had never even met them—but he had recalled hearing the name a few times while he was freeloading at Silver Wolf, a guild he had totally taken for granted and wasted their time! His gratitude knew no bounds, but how could he have ever made up for ditching them like that? And now a member was going to be there with them! It was like the world had it out for Ling, and he could hardly take it! He probably didn't even know who he was, which made sense, but the pressure almost made the boyish man crack.

"M-Merry Christmas? Jolly... Christmas. Ha-Happy... Christmas..." Ling muttered over and over under his breath, mindlessly meandering through the village with his white cloak covering his blushing face. A look of worry and suspense plagued his features, holding two large bouquets in his hand as he strode forward to the giant beanstalk they were supposed to meet at. He didn't have any money and was too nervous to do jobs in order to make some, so he put his heart where he knew it worked best—flowers. He made one for Pimwadee and one for Theo, and while he had spent days crafting them to be the very best, part of him still felt guilty that he hadn't gotten them something more "traditional". After all, people normally bought each other... stuff that costs money, right? Stuff that made their hearts skip a beat, the kind that made them feel like they were on clouds? He knew he couldn't afford anything right now. God, was he a bum, too?! Free-loading trash? He couldn't even read and he was so pathetically shy that he could hardly look someone in the eye! Idiot, idiot, idiot—


"Oof! Huh?" Ling groaned as he walked into something. When he looked up, it was the giant beanstalk that he was supposed to go to. Apparently, he had found his way there while depressing himself in his self-loathing! It was decorated beautifully like a Christmas tree, with ribbon and ornaments hanging around it, bright lights that you could see from across the village too. It was just... really pretty! Ling's face lit up when he saw it, his jaw-dropping as he admired the beautiful decorations of the lights he had gazed at from afar before now. Was this seriously happening? "Beautiful...!"

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If the wind in my sail on the sea stays behind me
One day I'll know, if I go there's just no telling how far I'll go
Pimwadee Chakri

So a year had passed since Pimwadee had moved to Fiore, it was strange really, that time moved so fast that it barely felt like any time had passed since then. Just what had she been doing since she arrived? There was of course the first few months, which had been mostly accommodating herself to the culture and getting used to living abroad. to start with she had plenty of savings to keep her going for some time, but not wanting to rely on that, she eventually had gotten herself embodied in the guild known as Silver Wolf. A place where she had met several lovely mages, such as Ling, Mercury, Yuvon, Theo, Leona and that Doctor Sunshine. She had worked with Silver Wolf for a while as a scholar, doing a bit of research, which had mostly consisted of reading.

Although there had been a few more dangerous tasks that came with it, such as the rescue of wildlife on Shadow Island and the seeking of an artifact in scary forest - both tasks she had done with Ling. Ling was, easily, the person she had grown closest to during her time at Silver Wolf, he was undoubtedly kind and adorably shy, she had even given him his name because apparently he didn't have one before. Choosing to offer him the cute name used in her country for a monkey, reflective of his light hair and his jittery nature, much like the macaque at her local temple sanctuary.

After working at Silver Wolf for a while, Pim seemed to have found her footing, not wanting to end her travels just yet, but wanting to do a task more fitting to her personal love of nature and her desire to protect it. She would bid a sad farewell to the guild, thankful to it for its time with her, but moving on to a new faction. Meliora Vitae, a guild with the purpose of protecting and preserving wildlife, a place she felt she could really contribute to the world around her. she had joined that place, meeting Dagda, the ginormous man who would run it as well as many others. Much to her surprise, she was pleasantly reunited with Ling, who had also chosen to join the new guild. There had been a brief few weeks after joining where she had done some work for the guild, there was one embarrassing social event where she ran into her guildmates and got a bit closer to her guild master. And then she had headed home for a few weeks, to be with her family, bringing them all hew souvenirs and telling them stories about her travels. They had clung to her every word and gushed over their gifts. Her parents, as she expected had suggested she leave it there and stay in Lhuk, but she opted against it. Wanting to keep her promise to Meliora Vitae, she returned to Fiore just in time for the Christmas Period once again.

At present she was wandering the festival, heading toward the main tree in the village alongside Theo. She was in her more wintery gear, the sort of clothes she had worn more frequently when she was in the Silver Wolf guild. A beige jumper dress, some thick brown leggings and tan uggs. Her long purple hair flowing down her back, still out brightly in the snowy background that was the festival. Pim didn't know Theo especially well, having only spent a short time in Silver Wolf with him. But he had certainly made an impression on her, he seemed like a genuinely nice and fun person, someone she would want to be friends with. Which was why she had invited him along to this day out, wanting to get to know him more and hopefully cement their friendship. "Ling should be somewhere... here... OH, there he is!" She called out, pointing toward the other side of the tree, moving around the large Christmas decoration toward her friend.

"Liiiing!" She called out to him in greeting, grabbing Theo's arm, she would keenly pull him along toward Ling, excited to introduce them. "I am so glad you are here, Ling this is Theo. Theo, this is my friend Ling! He used to be in Silver Wolf with me, but now we are in MV together!" Pim had recently discovered that shortening the guilds name to the first two Fiorian letters of its name made it much easier to pronounce sounded very much like 'Emvee' as she said it.

Letting go of Theo, she would turn on the spot, eying the sights around her happily. Pim was especially excitable today, Christmas wasn't really celebrated in her country, but she wished it was. It was so pretty and fun, with lots of yummy food and a genuine sense of joy. It was perhaps one o her favourite things that she had discovered about the culture of Fiorian people - that and their food. "This is so beautiful!" She cooed happily, before spotted a nearby table with presents. She stepped over to it, out of curiosity she would pick one of the presents, taking a look at the box before putting it down and returning to the boys. Smiling at them perkily as she remained unaware of the cloud that was forming above her head, not noticing it's presents until - "EEEK!" She squealed suddenly, as a heap of snow would fall out of the cloud and cover her completely.

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Ling was still trying to get used to the jumble and bumble of crowds, so every little thing seemed to frighten him. He was like an anxious puppy—eager to learn about this large, expansive new world but so nervous in doing it. It was hard enough asking for directions to get to this place, and leaving the S.S. Endeavor was daunting seeing as he just began to feel comfortable there. But every time he thought about the last festival he went to with Pimwadee, he felt encouraged to take that next step. He had a good time, and he wanted to continue to try new things and have fun. Though, he probably wouldn't have come here if Pimwadee wasn't coming with him...

"Huh? Oh, Pimwadee!" Ling flinched a little when he heard the bright and familiar voice call out his name. It was Pimwadee—his closest friend since leaving his home in the forest. He had met a bunch of people since coming out of the shadows, but it was Pimwadee that he felt the most comfortable being with. She was the one who gave him his name, after all, and he cherished it like it was the most important thing in the world. When he turned around, Ling saw someone else with her. That must be Theo! The way he could maneuver through such a noisy crowd... it was obvious that he was a pro at this sort of thing just by looking at the way he was stuffing his face! Maybe Ling could one day be as comfortable as he was.

The pair approached him, and Ling instinctively hid the bouquets behind his back when they did. He didn't know why he did that considering they were gifts for them, but he was far more concerned with introducing himself without his words breaking into a fragmented stutter. His eyes kept shifting from the pair down to his feet

"Happy Christmas and... and nice to meet you!" Ling blurted out, but as usual, no sooner had he convinced himself that he wouldn't mess it up did he end up doing exactly that. His cheeks flushed pink and his lips curled into a wavering frown. No matter what he did, he couldn't seem to shake that timidity of his, let alone look them in the eyes. Giving them their flowers was probably impossible. "I... uhm..."

Before Ling could complete his thought, something else had caught Pimwadee's attention, luring her over with that Christmas Magic that so often hooked people. She stepped over to a table covered in presents so pretty and unique in shape and size that they were practically begging to be touched, shaken, and inspected with the most curious of care. Pimwadee did all of this, and once she was satisfied, return to Ling and Theo with a pleasant smile on her face. Ling, however, was wide-eyed with shock as his trembling finger slowly rose to point at the cloud looming over her head.

"Pimwadee, there's something like... a cloud above your—Pimwadee?!" Ling flinched again once the dark-skinned girl he had grown so fond of was now swallowed in a mound of snow that had dropped from nothing other than the cloud itself. For a moment, Ling was recovering from the shock of it all, but once Theo had bravely leaped to her aid, so did Ling. Together, they dug through the mound of snow until Pimwadee's face was just in reach! "Are you okay?!"

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If the wind in my sail on the sea stays behind me
One day I'll know, if I go there's just no telling how far I'll go
Pimwadee Chakri

Pim would gasp and splutter after the snowy attack that had fallen upon her, taking her completely by surprise as some of it even went in her mouth - this was clean snow right? She pushed her way out of the snowy mound, grateful for their assistance in getting out of the mound, her face popping out of the white hill like a little purple flower. She blinked at them a couple times, snow falling from her lashes as she did so. She glanced up at the stormy cloud that was still dropping snow on her, before looking at the boys and breaking into a smile. So it was just a silly prank, she laughed, finally free enough from the snow to step out of the mound.

"I am okay thank you, it is good that I dressed for the cold weather today," She told them both in amusement, after several months of living in Silver Wolf, Pim had learned better than to head out into any snowy weather without thick thermal clothing. She brushed the snow from her clothes, before straightening up, "It doesn't want to stop though..." She observed of the cloud, wondering whether it would run on some sort of timer, she would prefer if it didn't snow on her this way all day, that would make enjoying the festival a little harder. "Maybe I can buy an umbrella," She commented out loud, glancing around the festival to see if there was anything like that.

Deciding that she would figure it out as she went along, she returned her attention to the guys, who she had been introducing to one anything. "Merry Christmas Ling! And a Happy new year!" She commented perkily, all the while bouncing side to side as a means to shake off the snow that continued to fall on her. "So what shall we do? I saw a lot of fun stuff coming in, Christmas is so much fun. We don't celebrate it in Lhuk, but I think we should." She babbled excitedly, beginning to stroll in a random direction, before spotting something that looked fun. "Oh kha-raoke! Shall we sing?" She suggested, already pulling them toward the stall in hopes that they would agree. Pim loved singing, like really really loved it. As she hopped over to the mini stage, she would ask the vendor for a group song. Which they happily obliged with, the words 'Do They Know It's  Christmas Time?' coming across the screen. Pim would grab spare microphones and eagerly thrust them in Ling and Theo's direction, before grabbing her own. Amethyst orbs now trained on the screen, Pim would continue to bounce along but this time in time with the music. And as she opened her mouth to sing...

The most atrocious sound came out...

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Ling released a relieving sigh when he realized that Pimwadee was alright, and not only that, she looked amused by it all as well. Now that Ling thought about it, something similar happened during their last outing together. He remembered a drink splashing all over her or something to that extent, but she brushed it off as nothing more than a prank, despite how inconvenient or uncomfortable it all was. Pimwadee was a good sport about this sort of thing, and it took a lot more to dim her spirits. She was hardy and her positivity was contagious. So much so, that Ling couldn't help but reflect her smile on his own when he saw it. She was perfectly fine—she always was.

In addition to that, Pimwadee was also the one leading the group. She had a keen eye for anything that seemed remotely festive and fun, and she didn't hesitate in aimlessly wandering the streets with Theo and Ling trailing by her side. They ambled through the streets, a chilly breeze brushing against their faces and carrying the sweet scent of cocoa and peppermint in the air. Ling could hear the sound of children's laughter surround him and colorful Christmas lights tint his vision like tiny snowflakes. His eyes were wide with awe as he witnessed all of it, his mouth hanging open just slightly from amazement. It was... every bit of magical as he hoped it'd be—and he didn't have to even do anything, either. He was grateful to have grown up in such a tranquil and loving place, but part of him always wanted to explore this sort of thing. He had always told himself that one day he'd muster up the courage to try, but never did he ever imagine that he'd be here with friends. It made him feel warm inside.

"Oh, uhm... kha...raoke?" Ling perked up when Pimwadee mentioned the word, but he didn't actually know what it was but no sooner had he pondered the idea did he feel himself be dragged along by Pimwadee in an eager tug. Ling seemed to blank out for a moment, because before he knew it, there was a microphone in his hands, music playing overhead, and a screen hovering over them with words. Now Ling seemed to really blank out! Not only could he not read, but he also wasn't familiar with much music, let alone Christmas tunes—so being able to sing his part seemed impossibly difficult.

Pimwadee started them off atrociously like a runner tripping over themselves at the beginning of a relay race but pretending everything was fine and limping the rest of the way. Theo, on the other hand, was the runner who did their part, but it was clear that with a little bit of coaching, they could've been in the Elympics. And then finally, there was Ling, who was so confused by the whole race that instead of waiting at the mark for the baton-passing, he decided to awkwardly run alongside the other two runners, barely keeping up and going against everything a relay race stood for. Not knowing the tune or lyrics, the blonde just echoed after Theo and what he could decipher from Pimwadee's singing like the same song playing over the other.

"Dooo theeey... Christmaaaas.... time!" Ling held the mic with both hands up to his mouth, quietly singing into it. It was a shame because he had a pretty to match his pretty face, but not the confidence or expertise to bring its full potential out. His face began to turn red as he slipped in and out of awkward self-consciousness. He was in between focusing on what Pimwadee and Theo were saying and realizing that there was probably a swarm of people who could hear and see him, which didn't seem to sit well for a man as bashful as Ling. Still, he was comforted that he was there with people he knew, and slowly began to muster up delight in awkwardly humming and echoing, as tragic as it was.

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If the wind in my sail on the sea stays behind me
One day I'll know, if I go there's just no telling how far I'll go
Pimwadee Chakri

The feelings that swelled inside of Pimwadee were nothing short of jovial and elated, she really was having the best time and why wouldn't she be? She was currently experience the joy of singing alongside her friends. This experience was so pleasant and enjoyable that it was sure to cement the bonds of friendship amongst them, bonds that would last a lifetime. It was more than she could have hoped for during her travels into Fiore, experiencing the world and its vast culture had been one thing. But to meet such nice people, and to make such lovely memories - she really couldn't be happier. And such feelings were poured into her singing with all her heart, it was just a shame that the loveliness of such emotions did not translate into her vocal cords.

"FEEEEED THE WOOOORLLD!"

Tone-deaf. Pitchy. Down-right off key. There wasn't a single lyric that Pim was able to sing pleasantly, but what she lacked in talent, she sure made up for in enthusiasm. It wasn't that Pim thought she was a good singer, albeit their may have been a lack of awareness when it came to how bad her singing really was. Not that it mattered to her, singing was fun even if she didn't sound as good as the celebrities did. And she enjoyed every bar, bellowing down the microphone as best as she could. Bobbing in time with the music as she did, a means of dancing to the music and to shake off the snow that was still falling on her head.

It didn't seem like the magic that was causing the snow cloud to rain on her was going to ease up anytime soon. But that was okay, as long as she kept moving the snow wouldn't settle, and she could only assume that the magic would run out eventually right? She understood the humour of the prank but it would be rather unpleasant to spend the rest of your life with snow pouring on your all the time. It would make normal activities like sleeping, eating and enjoying the beach rather difficult. But then again, she was lucky that Fiore was a place full of mages, so surely someone would know how to dispel it. Occasionally throughout the song she would turn to both Theo and Ling, shooting them a beaming grin as she belted out the Christmas Anthem. Hit the notes completely wrong but not caring at all, she was too busy enjoying the moment. The experience made greater by the fact that the others had joined in, even Ling who was known for being shy. Seeing him partake, even as quietly as he attempted to, filled her with pride.

Eventually the song came to an end, and the group earned an encouraging yet somewhat meek applause from those who has stopped to listen. Pim would hand her microphone back over to the organisers, before turning back to the boys. "That was so fun!"  She chirped merrily, "What should we do next?" She asked them, looking around the festival, once again she began to wander. Moving along the festival and taking in the sights. As they wandered, her arms would consciously rise up her arms, wrapping her shoulders to warm herself up a bit. It seemed that the constant stream of snow was starting to have a chilling affect on the Lhukian girl, even through the thickness of her clothes. She could feel herself shuddering, and considered that if she wanted to keep enjoying herself that she needed to find a way to warm up a bit.

"Feeling cold Miss?" The voice of a woman called out to her, quickly catching Pim's attention. As Pim looked at the girl, her Amethyst eyes grew wide in surprise. The girl herself was quite normal looking, but her jumper was a different matter entirely. It was navy blue, with that figure Fiorians referred to as 'Father Christmas' was stitched across the front, riding his red carraige after his reindeer. Around the image was a series of twinkling lights... not just sewn on ones either. They were ACTUALLY twinkling! It seemed that real lights had been sewn into the fabric, and was giving the jumper a sparkly effect. Pim couldn't help but think that it was incredibly pretty, and how she wouldn't mind one of her. It looked warm too, maybe she could get one big enough to fit over her current sweater. Remembering that the woman had asked her a question, Pim nodded, earned a smile from the woman. "Do you and your friends want to try crafting some ugly christmas sweaters?" She asked gesturing at the nearby table, which was full of all sorts of materials.

Her eyes lit up excitedly, and she hurried over to it before spinning on her heel and turning to Ling and Theo. "Shall we make ourselves one?" She asked keenly, setting herself down at the table. She began to peruse the fabric, she had made clothes before but she didn't really know how to work with wool. Still, she can't imagine it would be too difficult right? She looked around for a navy colour like the woman who had directed them to the table unfortunately there wasn't one left, so instead she would decide to settle on a dark purple. She quickly set about trying to figure out how to make one, tongue sticking out between her teeth and her brow furrowed in concentration. All the while she continued to shake side to side in her seat, chucking small moulds of snow from the top of her head. Maybe she should make a hat too?

Happily she worked, checking in on the guys every now and then before focusing back on her own jumper. It took longer than she expected, considering she was aiming to make it fit over her jumper dress, it needed to be baggy. After she managed to create the length of it, she attempted to stitch on her own Santa. Although as she looked at the fabric, it occurred to her that bright red and purple fabrics were a little too similar. It didn't really feel right. Perusing the table once more, she found a colour of fabric that was much more fitting, and preferably to herself. It wasn't long before something that 'sort of' looked like a gold version of santa was on the front, grabbing some copper wire with lights attached, she began to push through the mini-bulbs to create stars before sewing the wires down on the inside of the jumpr with a mesh covering.

Sitting back in her seat, she eyed her handiwork proudly, before scooting back and hurriedly throwing it over her head. Grabbing the hem, she yanked it down so that the others could see the front clearly, "What do you think?" She asked them perkily, excited to see what they would think of her design before leaning forward to see if they had chosen to make jumpers too. It was small, but she definitely felt an immediate difference with the second jumper over the top of her jumper dress. Two thick jumpers were of course, better than one. It didn't help her cold crown though, if only she could do something about the snow cloud.

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