And one more Gift slips through the finish line at literally the very last minute! Congrats to [@Krayzikk] for this wonderful gift to BASL [sub](I feel happy)[/sub]. Kray gets two credits!

[h3]Ben's Gifts[/h3]

[b]By:[/b] [@Krayzikk]
[b]To:[/b] [@Plank Sinatra][@Kaithas] and me!

[b]Description by Author:[/b] [i]Ben musing and handing out Christmas gifts.[/i]

[hider]It had taken [i]forever[/i] for them all to fall asleep.

Lauren insisted on her usual mischief, Amy added mischief of her own, and Sangue got roped into their schemes. Again. He’d actually started to worry that they might, against all laws of physics, never run out of energy. But they had eventually gotten tired and slipped into their beds,finally giving him the chance to spring into action.

Christmas was a huge holiday out in Redwood, something left over from the days that good cheer was essential. It had been huge in the Lloyd household when he was little, too. He didn’t have his family around to celebrate it with, for one reason or another, but he had his team. And honestly, they were pretty much the same thing. They’d only been together a couple months but they were thick as thieves, and whether he’d tell them or not, they were indescribably important to him.

So their Christmas was important to him, too.

Their stockings were first. The usual fare, for the most part. Each one had a collection of candies, little toys, and for whatever reason (simply because it was traditional), a tangerine tucked away at the very bottom. The centerpiece of [i]those[/i] was a wrapped chocolate molded in the shape of their emblems, commissioned from a chocolatier in Vale earlier in the month. Simple, but fun.

Each one, along with the appropriate gift, was to be placed at the foot of their bed. [i]Very[/i] carefully, so they wouldn’t wake up. Sangue was first; she was always the most skittish, and he worried she’d be just as light a sleeper. As long as he got hers in place first, it didn’t matter if she woke up while he was handling the others.

So he crept, barefoot, towards the end of her bed. He didn’t even dare to breathe while he set down her stocking and gift. He had tracked down a soft turtleneck sweater and a scarf in the same color as her usual attire, and painstakingly stitched her emblem onto both. She didn’t seem to like the cold very much, not even when their dorm got a little cool, so he hoped it would help. He set her card down atop the wrapped package, letting its contents float through his mind.

[hider=Card]
[i]You are an important and valued part of this little family, Sangue, and you don’t ever need to worry about what we think. I’m thankful you’re here. Keep warm.

Merry Christmas.[/i]
[/hider]

Amy was next, now that the hardest part was over. She and Lauren had fallen asleep so deeply he doubted either could be woken if he [i]tried[/i]. Her gift had been easy to think of, though obtaining it hadn’t been easy. Or necessarily done on the level. After many months of trying to get one through requests, he had just finally broken into the school store room and stolen a female uniform of the appropriate size. Her card was set atop it, too.

[hider=Card]
[i]You, Sangue and I are the only ones left from Bastion and I’m happy you stayed. You’ve got friends here, a family, and I hope you know that. It’s okay to let your guard down a little.

Merry Christmas.[/i]
[/hider]

Lauren’s was last but not least. Certainly heaviest. After she finished Hautdesert she hadn’t needed her old ax, so he has taken the time to clean it up and build a display case for it. Something she could set on her wall, with an inscription to memorialize its service. He had tucked a gift card to her favorite burger joint in the box, too. Lauren wasn’t always that sentimental, so he hoped something more tangible would cover all his bases. He set her card down, as well, and grinned a little before sneaking off to his bed.

[hider=Card]
[i]You drive me absolutely fucking crazy sometimes, but I can’t imagine not having you around. You might not have wanted to be here, but I’m more than glad you are. I needed a partner in crime.

Merry Christmas, babe.[/i][/hider]
[/hider]