Most Wonderful Time of the Year [Open to All]

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Secret Santa..


Even though she had marked the date with a big red circle, unease had been bubbling slowly for quite some time. For the better half of last week she was trying to pin down the cause. Her theories muddled up into one big puddle, and with it now being the day it is, all Angie could do was chalk it up to a big party of different problems.


It went without saying that the nights leading up to Christmas were often spent ruminating about the time she spent back home. The memories she had of the home she grew up in - the original one. Back then, she and her father often fell asleep huddled together in front of the fireplace. During those times, her father's cooking turned extra good (not that they weren't decent to begin with.) Soup boiled with animal bones was something she particularly enjoyed, and while she knew that the cold weather played a part in the tastefulness of it all, she still chose to believe it was something magical about that period of time.


Staying here in Japan with her uncle, Angie made it a point to still cook that same type of soup every year. While there are quality foodstuff laid out on the dinner table nowadays, she can't help but cherish that dish the most.


The first Christmas she spent away from home was a lonely one. It happened not too long after she had immigrated to Japan, and at that time she still hadn't had a good grasp on Japanese. Her uncle tried his best – after all, she /was/ the daughter he never had – and Angie had put on a smile, but dinner consisted of half-hanging broken sentences, utensils and a Christmas movie none of them were paying attention to. There was wine though, and she did drink her own fair share that night. Her uncle was someone that wasn't strict when it came to that, for he was a man that loved alcohol too. Back then, that was all that they could share laughs with.


Thinking back to it, she was glad how far the two of them had come. That night in particular wasn't a good one, it being Christmas and all, but she's really happy that they have a good relationship now. He had provided all she could ever ask for and more. She had arguable paid him back too, seeing how much of a positive influence she was for him. The house that once droned on with late-night tv shows and unwashed dishes had undergone a tremendous change. Even her uncle is much happier than before, something that made Angie herself really glad to see.


Stopping outside the doors to this Secret Santa, she shuffled her feet idly by the entrance. This would be the first time she ever experienced such an event, and the unknown had a tendency to frighten her. An unchanging world would be best, for there was always a risk of things turning awfully sour. The unpredictability of things, how there are no set of rules or guidelines that guarantees a happy life, these things scare her.


But even taking all of that into account, standing out here by the door isn't something that helps her adjust to this new school life. She pushed open the doors and entered the room. Her eyes instantly jumped to two familiar backs, that of Aniki and Mikoto. Seeing her close friends standing here helped her regain some amount of confidence, helped also by the fun fact that there was no doubt Aniki got dragged along. Walking towards where they stood, she lightly tapped them on the back.


“Hey..” she called out, her voice much softer than normal. Looking up to them, she was sure that the tone in her voice had already tipped them off on how out-of-place she felt. Seeing as how social events weren't ever something she was confident with, the fact that she had bumped into these two made everything just a little easier this time around. The familiarity she felt in this group of three made it all just a little better.


“Has it started yet?”