Back With Presents! ((Open!))

[Glacial Mass]

Sometime last week...

"That's it," Alex's sister Mary shrugged, her hands in her pockets. "Party's over. They're buying us tickets back to Paragon City and that's that."

Eric fell into a worn out couch in the little hotel they were staying in. "Awww! But we're having so much fun!"

Alex sat next to Eric and put an arm around his waist. "We could probably hitchhike back to Germany. You could scare the bejeezus out of them a second time, Mar." He grinned. He was so glad to have his sister back, and he was so impressed by her. Their dad kicked the shit out of him every day, or at least tried to, after his mutation manifested. His dad broke his toe on his subcutaneous ice armor. When Mary grew icicle horns she was smart enough to wear a hat to hide them until she got her powers figured out, then she froze their parents to the ground, whipped up a fierce storm in their living room, and bullied them into giving her a credit card. Mary was tough as nails, kicked serious butt, and he was proud to have her as a sister.

"Nope." Mary said, settling onto the couch and slinging an arm around Eric, too. She'd grown very fond of him, even if he annoyed her sometimes with his absurd excitability. "They aren't budging. You know how dad gets, Alex."

Alex nodded. He knew for sure. But really, he had expected this all to end some day soon. They'd lived as frugally as they could, staying in cheap hostels and never dining out, but plane tickets and train fare to all the places they'd traveled to were costly, and they had their tutor to pay for too. They'd toured a huge chunk of Western Europe: They saw London, Dublin, and Cardiff; they spent a month bumming around in Spain, taking trains and hitchhiking to Madrid, Seville, and Barcelona. They did pretty much the same thing in France. Alex didn't like Paris much, except for the Louvre, but he loved Marseilles. They spent a couple of weeks in Prague and had wound their way slowly south by train through Italy to Rome. They could catch a direct flight from there home to Paragon City. Eric was pouting adorably.

"But hey, it's not so bad, right babe? We'll get to see everybody again." Alex jostled Eric playfully. "And we can do some more heroing. We don't want to get too out of practice, do we?" He grinned happily, planted a kiss on his cheek. Eric perked right up. "Really? That sounds awesome!" He beamed and flew around the room excitedly, much to the amazement of the other hostelers.

Alex and Mary rolled their eyes at one another through their grins. Yeah. It was time to go home.

[Glacial Mass]

Earlier this week Alex and Eric moved into Scout's old warehouse residence. They've been periodically spotted around campus since, slowly settling back into the groove of things. They're also gradually distributing the following presents to their friends:

April Shade: A tin of Harrods Earl Gray tea.
Barjnal: Bootlaces patterned after the British flag and a bottle of hot sauce.
Bryan (Gravwarp): Am eight inch ceramic model of Hero One, draped in the English flag.
Crono: The obligatory mock up of Big Ben.
Erika: A zippo with the flag of the Czech Republic on it and a button that has word, "OI!" superimposed over the British flag.
Eshva: A black baseball cap with the word "Paris" and an Eiffel tower on it.
Frankie: A light-up toy magic wand modeled after Hermione's and an old tome entitled "The Magick of Stonehenge".
Jade Rooster: French power bars!
Jase (Broadway): A mock up of the Marseilles Opéra.
Jem (Playboy): A poster of The Old Guitarist by Pablo Picasso and a rather nice checkered Venetian mask with birdlike features.
Kali: A teeny Mona Lisa from the Louvre and a huge bag of slightly crushed prawn-flavored crisps.
Linebacker Bill: A mini keg of Brains Bitter, the Welsh national beer. Shhhhh.
Lycia: A bag of French french roast coffee.
Merin: A plushie Tower of London guard in full dress.
Mimi: A glass from the Hope and Anchor pub, a big venue for the original British punk music scene.
Mis: A small sword-shaped letter opener with the word "Toledo" on it. Which he clearly needs.
Oby: A t-shirt with the Welsh flag on it.
Sam (Blitzen): A Notre Dame gargoyle and a Manchester United soccer ball.
Renn: A small Venetian gondola, complete with gondolier.
Sam Stinebrenner: A ridiculous pair of haute couture sunglasses from Paris.
Stasis: A snow globe with the glass pyramid outside the Louvre inside.
Stone: A tiny Rosetta Stone from the British Museum.
Tamesis: A pair of Big Ben earrings.
Violin: A lovely (and soft!) wool scarf from Ireland.

[Meriwether Family]

"Packages for you, Meriwether," said one of the manor functionaries, dropping off two paper-wrapped bundles for him. They were addressed from Paragon City. One, in a tube, was obviously a poster of some kind. He pulled open the end, carefully easing out the contents. He spread it out on the table in front of him.

"Wow," he said, seeing the guitarist, there in blue, his limbs looking arthritically crippled, yet still somehow cradling his guitar. He checked the back, saw an imprint mark from Spain, but no other clue. He replaced it.

The other package he opened less carefully.

"Oh my god!" he said, looking at the delicate mask lying there in a sea of bubblewrap and popcorn. "Hot dog!" Almost afraid to touch it, he lifted it out. A note was lying there.

"Europe was great, but we're back now. Look us up, and stay out of trouble. Hugs, Alex and Eric."

"Hey," said someone nearby. "What's that?"

"Good news," Jem said, smiling, re-wrapping the mask. The note, he slipped in his breast pocket. "And presents from friends."

"Friends from Paragon City?" someone else said critically, observing the postmarks. "Hope they're mailing more junk out in two hours. We have that job to pull, remember, Playboy? It'd be a real bummer if your friends had to arrest you for a little B&E."

Jem grinned, and shrugged, the brown paper parcels filling his arms. "Know what I do in those situations? I don't worry. I'll meet you at the ferry in an hour."

He ran to his room, feeling lighter, feeling better than he had in months.

[Gravwarp]

Bryan opened the small box and rummaged through the paper wrapped inside. His fingers fell lightly upon the hard surface of his gift. He removed the statue from it's container and held it up to get a closer look at it.

"Alex. Eric. You guys didn't have to bring me anything." He said with a broad smile, making completely obvious that he greatly enjoyed the gift. "This is so totally awesome. I'm going to make a special place for it on my desk in the quad."

He gave them both a friendly hug and a thank you. "Welcome back to Paragon guys." He added with a smile.

[FrancisCross]

Francis sat on the bench near the far end of the quad with a grin that would put the Cheshire cat to shame. From the look of her striped stockings, top hat, and particularly dark make-up she was in a banner mood.

She pulled an odd looking wand from her ratty backpack, not that this would be unusual for the self fashioned school witch. But it was the light-up end with the plastic switch that had most passersby confused.

A few carefully chosen arcane words, a strange battery powered flicker, and Franky straighten her school uniform, now clothing her as though she'd been wearing it all day.

With a mischievous chuckle she held up the wand. "So much for ancient artifacts....I got Harry Potter!"

[April]

April takes the gift with glee, and the scene quickly erupts into a flurry of fingernails and paper flying all around. Even though it was in a bag, she still rips it open like some sort of wrapped gift.

"Ooh, it almost feels like a birthday gift! Then again... My birthday isn't far away at all, April's around the corner!"

She pulls out a tin of A tin of Earl Gray tea out of the shreds of paper left.

"Oooooh! Tea! I love tea, and Earl Gray is a great one for the mornings! A little bit of honey, one or two sugars, and it sure does hit the spot after a warm breakfast!"

As she pockets the tea tin in her windbreaker, she looks up with a smile on her face, a genuine smile. She hasn't smiled that broad in a while.

"Thanks so much! I appreciate the gift deeply, Eric! Alex!"

As she turns to walk away, her hand in her windbreaker's pocket, she smiles, and talks softly to herself.

"Thank you... for remembering who I am, that I exist as myself and not as the nethershade, even when I can't decide who I am anymore..."

[Kali Jade]

Kali stood blushing with the ever familiar smile that usually graces her spotted face. In her hand was a gift bag containing a small wrapped box and a bag of unfamiliar chips.

"Oh my gawd you guys !" she exclaimed as she first tore the wrapping paper off the box exposing a small framed print.

" this is soooooo awesome you 2! " she looks again at the print then looks up somewhat confused for a moment.
"Hey ... this is reallllly a nice picture , I mean it really it is ! When you had it made thanks for telling them not to add the spots on my face... "
Without waiting for an answer from the two confused boys in front of her she then tears open the bag of chips and grabs a few out munching as she talks...
"I totally always wanted a picture of me without them! And do i really smile this goofy? Please tell me i dont...
oh my gawd these are the BEST chips! Im telling you , I dont know what I did to deserve such cool gifts but thanks You 2! Did they have cokes where you were? was it still in a red can? "
She hugs both boys at once slightly squishing the chips in the process.
"Ok I gotta find Stasis shes never gonna believe you guys had a picture made of me!"

Giggling Kali runs off down the hallway calling out ...
Hey Stasis! Check this out!

[Mana Cannon]

Sees Kali running down the hall eating chips hollering for Stasis then sees Alex and Eric.

"Hello I dont think we have met. Im Raphael pleased to meet you."
Giving them an odd look he askes "What are these gifts for? Someones Birthday? Is it yet another holiday I dont know about?"

[Glacial Mass]

The kid with the icicle horns and the linebacker build was the first to speak up.

"Hey, Raphael." He stuck out his hand to shake Raph's, not seeming all that fazed to see an android walking the halls. His hand was cold to the touch and he had a really, really firm grip. "I'm Alex, this is Eric. We're just passing souvenirs out to our friends. We just got back from traveling all over Europe."

Eric beamed and bounced a little on his feet. He talked really fast, like he couldn't possibly contain all of the energy in his body. "It was so awesome! There were trains and museums and old buildings and all kinds of awesome things!"

Alex spoke up again. "It was good to meet you Raphael, but we've got more stuff to pass out." He laughed rumblingly. "Maybe we can go on patrol sometime!"

[Broadway]

Jason opened the gift, and flashed a brilliant smile to the two of them, "Guys, this is perfect." He turned the small replica around in his hands, admiring the work. "I'll make sure Mom puts it in the display case at home. Thanks"

[Mana Cannon]

Smiles and starts to walk back to class "I would be honored. Nice to meet you both"

[Blitzen]

Holy cow! This is awesome! *bounces soccer ball off knee* I love Cristiano Ronaldo! He’s one of the best! Go REDS! And this is from theeeee Notre Dame! You guys are the absolute BEST. And Glace, you have to see the team, we’re ONE game from the championship- the Flyers have been on FIRE! A ton of stuff has been going on since you’ve been gone. *grins* Let me know when you have 90 seconds, and I’ll catch you both up. Thanks again so much, and welcome back! The halls haven't been the same without y'all.

[Eshva]

Memories.. memories..

Eshva strode along the hallways of St Joseph school; her mind was wandering to the events of the prior night. She’d visited a place that she hadn’t been in months. Remembering its location brought back so many memories. Memories she’d lost but found again. Generally when she remembered good times she would smile. Not last night. Deep down she knew she missed them. She betrayed them. And really never made things up with Glace

When she heard they were back last night, guilt plagued her. Tossing and turning the last night didn’t bring her any sleep or peace of mind. She had reached under mattress not sure what she was looking for. Whatever it was that she ment to find, it was missing and it bugged her.

*twump!*

So lost in her thoughts she and crashed into someone, hard; blackness, and a familiar giggle entered her ears.

“Look! Eshy bumped right into you Alex!”

Both of them stiffen at the revealing of their names. Eshva opened her eyes to see the old best friends from when she started at the school. They hadn’t changed much except for the tans from the European sun. Eshva’s mind swore Eric was wearing that bright orange shirt and Glace was his blue ice self for a moment. Eric’s face was warm and friendly; on the opposite end Glace’s face was a bit more stern and uncertain. A chill crawled up her back. Is this how Mila felt? Eshva shyly waved at the two boys.

“Hi…”

“Hello..”

“HI!” Eric bounced and proceeds to tug on Glace’s arm “Give it to her!”

Eshva raised an eyebrow and shifted a foot. Glace chuckled at him and pulled a present from behind his back and presented it to Eshva. She blinked as she accepted the gift from the chilled feeling of Glace’s hands.

“Thank you guys”

Eshva grins as she began to unwrap the gift. Eric’s face was full of anticipation, betrayed by him with a massive smile. Much to her surprise she found her red orbs gazing upon a black hat with Paris and the Eiffel tower on it. A slight frown came upon her face which was clearly noticed by Eric.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” the child like pout began to form on his face and Glace took notice as he turned to see the reaction.

“Well… I can’t really wear hats..” Eshva let a little sigh out. She felt horrible. They got her a gift that she couldn’t use.. Think of something. Eshva popped the hat upon her head. It tilted a bit to the side as it sat more on top of one horn then the other. A smile formed as she thought of an idea. “But I can use it to keep in my dorm room on the book shelf! That way I don’t cut any holes in it. I don’t want to ruin such a nice hat”

She reached up and removed the hat from her head and smiled. Eric lit up as Glace still seemed to be frozen shifting he wait. She knew what that ment. He didn’t feel safe with her there. Eshva looked away from Glace. An awkward silence hovered about the three old friends. A soft whisper escaped her lips as her head drooped down

“I’m sorry..”

Eric looked confused and Glace raised an eyebrow as she continued on.

“ Why don’t we head to The Fox Trot Diner, ya know… the place we took Mila too. Maybe catch up on some things..”

Glace shifted nervously, he wanted out of there now but the place rang a bell along with some foul feelings that he figured he had frozen inside. Eric also remembered the place. The words seemed to cause a greater silence then she intended. An old habit surfaced as she felt her self hunch over and fidget with her two index fingers taping them lightly, nervously in a little circle. Eric smiled as he recognized the habit.

“Maybe.. but not there. Maybe some where else?”

Eshva’s red eyes looked up at the warmth that Eric offered and like when she first came to the school she finally felt like she might, just might get acceptance back from her old friends that helped her.

“Eric we’d better get uh.. going.”

Eric slightly pouted and took Glace’s hand and Glace rested one upon his shoulder.

“Maybe will go out for dinner someday soon. You still in the dorm with Mimi?”

Eshva nodded her head at Eric.

“Same place,” she smiled coming out of her hunch “I’d like to catch up. I’ve missed you both.”

They waved goodbye and Eshva hurried to her next class unsure of what to think. A smile still stuck to Eric’s face as he had kept something for this moment. He bright fully smiled up at Glace.

“She remembers…”