2019-12-23 - Christmas Gifts

The invite was to come over for a drink at Dante's, then to head down to the Firefly Club to be around other people before everyone heads off to do quiet family things over Christmas. He answers the door. He's wearing one of his flashier suits (of which he has several.) Tonight, it's a deep blue with a sheen that catches the light, and black trim. His pocket square is shimmery and gold. It's definitely more a New Year's Eve look than a 'few days before Christmas' look, but he pulls it off anyway. "Hello my dear."

Elias, on the other hand, is not the one in the suit this time. He's in his usual black jeans, boots laced up his calves, and a dark red button-down shirt with a black leather jacket over it. His dark eyes flicker over the sheen of that suit and he reaches out a hand to brush against one lapel when the door is opened. "Hello," he says with a broad smile that stretches across his lips, "Don't you look fantastic this evening. Not that you don't always." He leans against the entryway for a moment, and then pushes away to come inside.

"Mhmm, likewise." Dante's eyes sweep over Elias' outfit. He leans in for a soft welcoming little kiss. At close proximity, he smells like expensive cologne. Something festive, with notes of evergreen under the musk and a hint of sweetness. "Can I get you a drink? I've some things to make cocktails now. But I've also got wine."

He hasn't decorated for Christmas, but there is a new baby grand digital piano in the living room - compact yet classy. "Have things slowed down at the shop, or are books a last-minute thing?"

Elias returns that kiss with a smile against Dante's lips, catching lightly at his lapel to hold him there for another, brief kiss, before releasing him and following him into the apartment. He notes the piano and says, "Oh, I like that addition." He moves over toward it to take a closer look, drifting in that direction as he says, "Oh, things at the shop are doing well. I have a host of seasonal employees who are handling everything while I work on my current writing project." He turns then to glance back to Dante and says, "A glass of wine would be nice."

Dante stays in close gladly for the second kiss, then rocks back. "Certainly. White or red?" He strides towards the kitchen. "Ah, yes. I've been taking lessons down the road. I was practicing on a cheap electric but it was frustrating me. So I invested in something more substantial." He pours himself a glass of red, but waits for Elias' preference. "What are you working on?"

"Red," Elias says as he sits himself down at the piano and experimentally presses one of the keys. He has no idea how to play the piano. That doesn't stop him, however, from plinking out a few notes before he stops and looks over toward Dante. "The last book in my current series. I've been working on it through the summer and now into winter. I'm thinking I'll have it finished by spring. Then I can start on a new project." He asks "And what about you? What of your projects?"

"Ah, it's not projects so much as a collection of notes that may become either a fiction or a nonfiction book." Dante chuckles. "I've taken on some side work of reviewing manuscripts for my editor. But I'm really not making as much progress as I should be. Here you are." He crosses to Elias and hands him a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon. "By the way, with this poor weather, I've decided to cancel my Seattle trip. I am not a snow driver in general, let alone a snowstorm driver."

Elias rises to his feet to take the glass of wine when Dante brings it over, raising it to him and taking a sip from it as he nods, "I've received a few gentle nudges about making my own deadlines of late, which is why I've been letting the people I hired do their jobs at the shop without hovering around them the past couple of weeks. They survived Black Friday, so they'll make it through the rest of the holiday season, I imagine." He then nods and says, "I'm sorry that you had to cancel your plans. I hear Seattle is nice over the holidays. What will you be doing instead?"

"I haven't the faintest. Gray Harbor strikes me as a fairly family-oriented small town. Ah," Dante sets his glass down and disappears into his bedroom, emerging with a box wrapped in brown paper with red ribbon. "In case the weather doesn't allow for me to drop this off. Happy Christmas."

"It can be, I suppose," Elias says as he watches Dante disappear off into the bedroom, glancing after him curiously for a moment as he takes a sip from his wine. When he arrives with a box in hand, his smile is faintly surprised. "Oh! A gift." He sets the glass down to take the box into his hands. "Do I open it? Or do I wait until Christmas?" he asks, running his fingertips over the ribbon.

"Well, that's entirely up to you," Dante seems pleased by the reaction. "I know some people are sticklers for opening gifts on Christmas. So you may save it or tear the paper off as it suits you."

Elias seems to weigh this decision for a moment or two, tapping the box with his fingertips. "I am not usually a patient man," he admits. "I can be. And I certainly try to be. But.. in this particular case, I'm afraid that I'm going to give in to my natural instincts." And so with that, he gently loosens the ribbon, not tearing into it like some ravenous beast, but gently undoing it and setting the ribbon on the piano, and then undoing the paper around the box.

Inside is a robin's egg blue shoebox with the label 'John Fluevog' in gold. Inside are a pair of beautifully crafted motorcycle mid-calf boots with a slight heel and a silver buckle. "Now, if they don't fit, or you don't like them, they can be exchanged." says Dante. "But I've always loved this brand, and when I was shopping for myself...well, these looked like they'd suit you."

Elias opens up the box and when he takes off the lid and looks inside, he can't help but grin. He lifts one out and turns it over in his hand, looking it over, and then he looks up at Dante and says, "I love them." He then gets up and goes over to the couch, setting the box down and begins unlacing his boots, clearly aiming to find out if they fit presently, and without hesitation. When he gets his current boots off, he has red socks on beneath all the black. He puts one boot on, and then reaches into the pocket of his leather jacket and produces a smaller sized box, wrapped in silver with a snowflake tag on it that simply reads "Dante" on it. This he extends and says, "I may have gotten a small something for you, as well."

"I may have sneaked a peek at your size one evening. Hope that's not out of line," there's a wry note to Dante's words. He looks quite pleased. "Now, they're real leather, so as long as they generally fit, we could get them stretched if you find they're a touch snug." He seems a little anxious about whether they'll actually go on. "And if they do fit, I have weatherproofing spray so the salt and water won't destroy them." He takes fine shoe care very seriously. "Ah, what's this then?" He takes the box. "Well, I suppose I've got to open it seeing as you opened yours, ay?" So he does so.

"I think a little snooping in the interest of gift-giving is quite well within acceptable behaviour limits," Elias says with a little bit of a laugh when Dante admits to having poked about to find that information. He then begins putting on the second boot while Dante informs him of proper shoe care protocol and what can be done if they don't fit. They do, however, seem to be going on with little difficulty. He pauses to watch Dante unwrap the small box. Within is a small pewter medallion within a black velvet pouch. The medallion looks to be old, and a little worn around the edges, perhaps from being in a pocket and rubbed lightly with a thumb, the metal shiny and smooth in places. It is roughly octagonal in shape and inscribed with some symbols. "It's a bit of luck, and a bit of protection. For the Dreams," he explains and then pulls himself to his feet, striking a pose. The boots fit perfectly.

Dante looks quite relieved when the boots fit. "Wonderful. They look smashing. And the more you wear them, the better they'll look. You can also get them resoled, so they should last you a good long time." He turns his attention to the package, turning the medallion over curiously. He may not know magic or charms, but he can tell this isn't just some old trinket. "Thank you. Most reassuring. Should I..." he makes a motion, "Keep it in my pocket, or round my neck?"

"I always kept it in my pocket, but you can keep it wherever you like," Elias says with a little smile. "I've carried it with me for a long time and I've managed to come through everything safely thus far. I figure it can't hurt to pass it on to someone that I would like to come through everything this place has to offer safely as well." He looks down at his feet in the boots and says "They're fantastic, and we will have to weatherproof them. But I probably shouldn't dance in boots I haven't broken in yet.. so I will do that first before waring them to the club." He then settles back down to swap into his more well-worn boots at least for the club.

"Wise indeed. I've made that mistake once or twice - wearing new shoes on a long evening." Dante looks down at the medallion and rubs his thumb over it. "Are you...certain you want to give this to me, Elias? If you've carried it for so long?"

With his old boots back on, he chuckles and says, "So have I, which is why I'm not going to repeat that error, as much as I'd like to wear them tonight." He rises from the couch and he steps over to Dante, taking his other hand in his and slipping his fingers between Dante's. "I am certain. I want you to have it. I wouldn't have given it to you if I wasn't certain."

"Leave them here, then. And I'll weatherproof them and drop them round." Dante looks up as Elias approaches. He looks at their held hands and gives a squeeze. "All right, then. But..." he squeezes it, then sits it on the table. "I am notorious for knocking things out of my pants pocket, and my jacket pocket seems to not be the best spot. So I will leave this here tonight until I can string it on a chain. And hope that I'm not tempting fate by doing so."

"Alright," Elias says, agreeing to leave the boots there for the time being. He then chuckles as Dante tempts fate by leaving the little talisman behind. "Well, you will have me with you tonight, so I will try to act in its stead, at least for this evening." He then reclaims his glass of wine and takes another sip from it. "Did I tell you about the book that I found?" he asks, after a moment's thought.

"You told me about the book that you're writing, not about the book you found," says Dante as he too reclaims his glass of wine. He sits down next to Elias and sips from the glass. "I'm guessing you're not referring to some new gem of a novel by some unknown talent?"

"No, this was a book from the Veil. When you read it, you are transported into the story, and find yourself a character in the tale. Unfortunately, if you read for too long you can become trapped within the story itself and not be able to get out," Elias explains. "Should we head to the club? I can tell you about it on the way."

"Ah, interesting. And potentially terrifying, also. Some fairy tales are quite dark. At least in their original forms." Dante tips back the rest of his wine. "Yes, let's. Shall we take a cab so neither of us has to worry about driving?"

"That sounds like an excellent plan," Elias agrees, and then continues, "Well, this particular volume was a western, complete with a ranch that was under siege by bandits and the entire thing. I found myself as a deputy at one point, and then the bartender at another, and then finally I was pulled out of it." He gestures as they go, "Then the other day, a portal opened up in the shop, opening up into a library of sorts. So I and a couple of others were there, who had found similar books, and we met the Librarian who indicated that they were overdue books that had somehow gotten knocked loose from the library due to some strange accident. Apparently the library is full of such immersive volumes."

"That...hm. Have you ever been tempted to steal the things that happen to you for books?" Dante gives one of his toothy grins as he goes to the closet to pull out his camel colour wool coat. Then he pulls out his phone and loads up the app to call an Uber.

"Of course," Elias says with a laugh. "And I do, all the time. People write about their own experiences all the time, letting them inform their writing. Can I help it that my own are, strange and unusual?" He flashes an easy smile. "At any rate, we returned the volumes to the Library, where apparently one can go and read them and the Library keeps a timer so that they can pull people out before they become absorbed into the tales." He reaches into his pocket and withdraws his wallet, pulling out a library card to the "Whisper Memorial Library," and to Dante it's clear that it appears normal, but there's definitely something a little other to it. "The late fees are a bit steep, but since I don't plan on ever checking anything out, I don't suspect I'll have to pay them."

"Are you proposing a storybook adventure?" Dante asks with a grin as they make their way out of his flat towards the elevator, which takes them to the lobby and then out in front where their car awaits. "Just as long as I'm not the damsel in distress. I'm not pretty enough for that." He examines the card with a flash of interest. He might seem a bit straight-laced, but he does write horror, after all.

"I'm just saying, that if you'd like to go to the library and check out the books, in a place where danger is at least minorly mitigated, it might be some way to experience the weird without it being a traumatic experience," Elias says as they head into the elevator and then out toward the front of the building. He tucks the card away again after a moment as they wait for the car and laughs, "I think we could probably choose a tale where there are no damsels in distress. Though I wouldn't make a half bad damsel, I don't think."

"You have the legs for it. Or the waist? Princesses do tend to wear those very large skirts." Dante jostles Elias gently and leans in to press a kiss to his forehead. "It does seem like a good em, training wheels situation? Beginner dreamcraft, if you will?"