Christmas Eve Pt. 1

"How does it feel?"

"How does what feel?"

"To finally be able to enjoy your life."

"Good I guess?" Cress's eyes never left the hooded woman circling her around the marble temple floor. Her priestess robes were dusty and torn, and in her hand she held a charcoal staff that stained her hands black.

"It must be nice. Not only are you overcoming your fears, but you've found your first love!" The woman's eyes glowed in the darkness of her hood, scrutinizing Cress's every expression. "I remember my first love."

"What happened to them?" Cress asked, her voice barely a whisper. She already knew the answer.

"He was killed in front of me. A monster attacked us and he," Mia ran her thumb across her neck. "You know the rest."

"I'm sorry for what happened. Marcel deserved better… You all did."

"We did!" Mia laughed like Cress had just told her the funniest joke she'd ever heard. "We did. But we died. We sacrificed ourselves for you to escape. Who knew you were so ungrateful? If I'd known I would have killed you myself."

"Don't say that." Cress caught Mia's hand and squeezed it. The priestess's skin was like rough leather littered with charred, flaking skin. "I didn't mean for this to happen."

"Aw. Then all is forgiven! Crescent didn't mean to fall in love with our murder guys!"

"That's a relief," the blond haired rogue, Dian, said, stepping out of the shadows of the room. "I almost thought I died in vain."

"You worry too much," Marcel said, his head tucked under his arm dripping blood onto the polished floors. "You know I'm an excellent judge of character. Cress wouldn't turn her back on us!"

"Then it's decided. We all agree to forgive Cress, right?"

"As if." Dian's mirthless voice licked the back of Cress's ear. The smell of rancid meat turned her stomach and she stifled a gag with her hand. "Did you really think forgiveness would be that easy?"

"Stop trying to guilt me! I didn't ask for any of this."

"NEITHER DID WE!" A thick callused hand crushed Cress's wrist, yanking her away from Dian and throwing her at Marcel's feet and putting her eye level with the man's head. "YOU OWE US YOUR LIFE. MIA AND I WERE GOING TO START A FAMILY TOGETHER AND YOU STOLE THAT FROM US!"

"I didn't. I didn't. I didn't… It's not my fault!"

"CRESS!"

Tears streaked Cress's cheeks as her eyes fluttered open. Deep scratches covered her chest beneath her shirt and she gasped for air like she had forgotten how to breathe. Every part of her was drenched in cold sweat and she swallowed down the sour bile lingering in her throat. Another nightmare.

"Look at me, Cress." Illia's commanding voice anchored Cress's clouded thoughts. How many nights in a row had it been? The nightmares that had faded after returning to Earth had begun to replay nightly since the tree lighting ceremony leaving Cress an exhausted wreck. "Was it the same dream?"

"Yeah," Cress mumbled. "I'm sorry. It feels like you have to save me every night. I know it has to be frustrating."

Illia grasped Cress's hand with a reassuring squeeze. "Think nothing of it. Besides, it was Sir William who alerted me. He deserves all the credit."

A prideful chirp backed up Illia's praise and a moment later the parakeet was dancing happily on the tender cuts on Cress's chest.

"Thank you, William. I'm glad you're by my side," Cress said, ignoring the stinging pain. She rubbed the bird's head absently and looked Illia over. Her chocolate white tipped hair was tied up in a loose bun with loose strands that were the tell tale signs that Illia had recently taken off her winter hat. "Where did you go so early in the morning?"

Illia tilted her head. "The morning has long since ended, dearest Sling. And in regards to my excursion, I stopped at Histoire D'Amour to obtain the desserts for tonight's festivities."

"Oh! That's today!" Cress threw her covers off, scooping up William and setting him on Illia's shoulder. The two had become quite close and Cress had caught them having conversations on several occasions. Illia had assured her that she didn't understand a word the bird said but there was no doubt the two could communicate one way or another.

"Do not fret. I also took the liberty of purchasing the other refreshments. However, I was unable to procure the 'champagne' due to my lack of an identification card."

"You did more than enough. You should have woken me up sooner. I was the one who agreed to have the Christmas Eve party, so it's my responsibility to set it up."

Tossing her sweat-dampened t-shirt on the floor, Cress quickly fished a red and green wool sweater from her closet and pulled it over her head. After the tree ceremony the two had finally had a long needed discussion. Neither denied their feelings, but after putting everything in the open, neither could suggest an official relationship. The result was a relationship somewhere in-between. "A situationship" as Kirian called it. Nothing had changed, for the most part, though Illia's demeanor had become significantly more affectionate.

"She even started calling me her 'dearest Sling' after hearing Kir and Vi call their boyfriend's 'babe'. Who would have guessed I'd end up with someone who calls me her baby spider?"

Cress nipped her bottom lip, blushing. She was still trying to come up with a good nickname for Illia.

"What do you think?" Cress asked, stepping back from her closet. She twirled in place to show off her ugly Christmas sweater, complete with a tacky tree.

"I believe," Illia put her thumb to her chin, "that it would look quite fetching paired with pants."

Cress's face lit brighter than a tree light and she yanked her sweater down to cover herself, though it didn't hide her sweaty pink striped underwear. She'd forgotten she'd kicked her pajama pants off in the middle of the night and kicked her pajama pants off.

"Don't look!" she screamed, throwing herself into the closet and slamming the door. "Why didn't you say something sooner?"

"I was unaware until after you stepped from your bed. You brazenly changed your top in front of me so I made the incorrect assumption you no longer cared about such things."

"I…" She did care, though not because she was embarrassed of Illia seeing her. Now that the initial shock was gone, she felt more embarrassed at how disappointed she was Illia didn't react more. Anime really had rotted her brain, just like her mother had warned.

"Damn naturalists! If her people weren't always running around naked, maybe she'd make a move. She lets me lay on her when we watch movies and we hold hands sometimes, but she still doesn't see me that way at all! I know we're technically not together… Still, is it too much to ask for her to show a little interest?"

"I'm just messing around." Cress turned away before Illia could see her pouting. "We're both girls, so who cares? Let me throw on some pants and I'll go out for the drinks."