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“HOW DO YA MANAGE T’ MESS UP HOT CHOCOLATE??”
“What do you mean? It tastes perfectly fine Epel. It’s actually my best batch yet, I think!” Lilia smiled, holding a container filled with a dubious brown liquid (supposedly hot chocolate).
He, Epel, and Riddle had gotten together for a little party of sorts for the holidays, each bringing a little something of their own to share. Though the trio seemed unlikely, they meshed surprisingly well together, be it for their shared misfortune in the height department or for other reasons.
But now, this hot chocolate debacle brought forth the dire dissimilarities they possessed.
The three of them decided beforehand what they would bring: Riddle would bring pastries—courtesy of Trey, Epel, homemade apple cider, and Lilia hot chocolate. Hot chocolate was a simple feat, and Riddle and Epel knew Lilia’s cooking was… not the best in the school, so they thought it would be easy enough for him to bring something hard to mess up. They were wrong.
Besides the snacks, they also brought presents for each other. This would be the last time they saw each other before the break, so they decided to give each other their gifts a little early. Usually, the dorms would have small present giving events among themselves for any interested parties, but no such thing existed for interdorm relations, so it was often up for friend groups like that to organize among themselves. The small downtime between the end of their exams and the start of the break was perfect for these types of events, even though there was a bit of a time crunch.
“The hot chocolate can’t be that bad, Epel. Lilia may not have the best cooking abilities, but even he can do something as simple as mixing chocolate and hot milk together. You can do that, right, Lilia?” Riddle eyed Lilia slightly. The fairy had been around modern society long enough to know how to make hot chocolate-- even Malleus probably knew how to make it-- and as hot chocolate wasn’t cream, it definitely wouldn’t put him in any sort of stupor.
“Yep! Hot chocolate is easy to make, so don’t worry about it. You’ll love it!” Lilia grabbed some cups and gave them to Epel and Riddle, pouring himself a cup as well and drinking it quickly.
Riddle leaned over to Epel, whispering to him. “Even if you hate it, don’t say anything; just grin and bear it. It’ll make him happy.” Riddle raised his glass and drank, a sour expression contorting his face before quickly settling himself to his neutral stance.
‘There is salt in this… did he confuse salt and sugar???’ He thought.
Epel nodded to Riddle, noticing the redhead’s expression. He braced himself, picking up the cup and drinking it. He immediately tasted the salty liquid and spat it back into the cup, which still rested at his lips.
“So, how is it?? Tastes great, right?”
“Yeah, tastes amazing, we love it” Riddle and Epel chorused, not wanting Lilia to suspect that they hated it.
“H-hey!! Why not try some of our cider? The apples are from my family’s farm, and I made the cider myself. Vil and Rook both liked it when they drank it.” Epel spoke up, grabbing a case of glass bottles from under the table and taking out three, handing one to Riddle and Lilia then keeping the 3rd at his spot.
“I don’t see why not. we can have hot chocolate or cider with Trey’s pastries. I wasn’t sure what flavors you’d like, so I had him make a few-- I’m sure you’ll love them. Trey is one of the best when it comes to pastries.” Riddle smiled, gesturing over to a box filled with tarts, cakes, pie, and other such desserts. “Anything left over can be taken with you for home or to share. They all are of high quality: Trey had me taste them myself.”
The other two nodded, getting small plates for themselves and putting some of the sweets on them.
“Thank you, Riddle, I’m sure they will taste great, especially if Trey made them.” And with that, Lilia started to eat, devouring his share relatively quickly.
‘Slow down grandpa you’re gonna choke or somethin’ on those if y’ keep eatin’ them that fast’ Epel thought to himself, slightly horrified at just how fast this man could eat. For a 500+ year old fairy veteran, he could sure eat a lot. ‘I wonder how fried his taste buds are.’
“So,” Riddle took a sip of cider between his words, “What are your plans for the break? Personally, I’m… going to hang out with Trey and Che’nya more. And study for next semester, of course, but I want to be around them, even if my mother disapproves. I’ve come to learn that she can’t control me forever.” He opened the floor for the other two to speak.
“Good on you for taking control, Riddle. I’m going to be doing what I always do, so nothing new here! Just the normal acts of doing some pranks, helping Malleus, and preparing for Yule. It’s very important for the Valley of Thorns, and Silver and Sebek both look forward to it. Malleus as well, though he doesn’t show it as much. There is much to do and much to prepare, but every year I manage, and every year it turns out great!” Lilia grinned, proud of the fact that he could make the younger fae and human happy with his work every year.
“It’s going to be snowing when I get back home, so there’s a lot to do to prepare for the next growing season. I need to help out with pruning the trees and help make sure they stay nourished and healthy during the cold. Apple farming is a commitment, but I’m strong enough to do it! And the elders in the village will need help as well. Warmth means fire, fire means wood. We aren’t as advanced as other parts in Pyroxene, with how out of the way we are, but we manage! When you see me next after the break I will be way stronger! I promise you that!!” Epel got excited, and his determination to improve his physical stature was evident on his face, though if he realistically could do that or not had yet to be seen. But you go apple boy, go tell ‘em you can be strong!
The three of them kept up the conversation, talking about varying things. Their experiences in the semester, their goals for the next, their wants for the holiday(or Birthday, in Lilia’s case), and for Epel, his opinion of the school for his very first semester there. It was a very lively conversation, each person having their own personal inputs and listening intently to the others’ perspectives. If only times like this could be something that happened more often, but with their classes as well as their own personal schedules and duties, they were always short on time to chat.
“Anyways!” Lilia stood up, getting two boxes that he had placed to the side. “I think it's time for presents! Now, let's go from youngest to oldest, is this okay with everyone? We start with Epel, then to Riddle, and I’m last.”
“I’m fine with this.”
“Alright.”
Lilia picked up a rather large box, handing it to Epel. “There you go, open it up! I don’t know if you’re into games that much, but I felt it still fit your general vibes~”
Epel unwrapped the box, revealing cardboard, which he then opened to reveal a giant Appletun plush.
“L-Lilia!! What is this? I love it but... what is it?”
“It’s a Pokemon! Appletun! I thought you’d like it, so I got it for you! Now, Riddle, give him your present!”
“Yes, yes, I will, don’t rush me Lilia.” Riddle pulled out a small bag, putting it in front of Epel. “It’s not much, but it’s something.”
Epel opened the bag, revealing a DVD case and what looked to be some protein powder to mix into drinks. An exercise DVD lay within the case..
“I didn’t know exactly what you wanted, so the type of exercise was a guess on my part, but it should work to make you stronger.”
“Thank you! I’ll be sure to watch it over the break!! Thank you Riddle! Now, it’s your turn to get somethin’!” Epel handed a small box to Riddle. Riddle was a bit hard for him to pin down gift-wise, but after asking around a bit, Epel had managed to come up with something.
Riddle started to open the box, smiling softly. Inside, there was some stationary, and some rather cute stationary at that. Many pinks, reds, and whites, as if it were clearance Valentine’s Day stuff, but it was more than that. There was a more whimsical essence to it, if it was possible for stationary to be whimsical.
“Thank you, Epel. I’ll put these to good use” Before Riddle knew it, Lilia shoved another, this time decently large and heavy, box to him. He opened it, taking care not to damage whatever was inside in case it was fragile.
Inside the box was a rather large and rather old book, an intricate design on the cover and an old binding, a lock keeping it firmly shut. There was a key laying next to the book. Riddle took it and unlocked the binding and saw archaic writing that probably dated back to far beyond the school’s establishment.
“I know how much you love books, so I thought I’d give away a lil thing of mine! I’m sure you’ll enjoy it, it’s the type of thing you like, just be careful with it, that book is older than I am, or at least, a good chunk of it is.” Lilia winked mischievously. He knew Riddle would take good care of that book: after all, it was a history book/diary of sorts for the Valley of Thorns. He knew Riddle could decode it, and after that, the younger student would soak in all it had to give. Was it a one-of-a-kind book? Yes, but he trusted Riddle completely with it.
“Thank you, Lilia. Now, it’s your turn.” Riddle gently handed Lilia the gift. “It’s a bit fragile, be careful.” Lilia took it, only slightly heeding Riddle’s warning before tearing into it while making sure not to break whatever was inside.
And what was inside? Some collectable figures from the Rose Kingdom made of glass. There was a flamingo, a caterpillar, some flowers, a rabbit, a rose tree… an entire set! And with it was a storage case, to keep them all safe from breaking.
Lilia smiled. “Thank you, Riddle!”
Epel then piped up, holding out a small wooden box to Lilia. “My gift isn’t much, and it’s not exactly one that’ll last a while, but I think you’ll like it!! I made it myself!”
Lilia took the box, opening it to reveal a small apple carving in the shape of a bat. There were plenty of minor details to it, like the bone structure of the bat’s wings, and Lilia noticed all of them. He even noticed small mistakes, unintentional nicks here and there, and those made it all the better.
“Thank you, Epel, really. I’ll cherish it for as long as I can.” Lilia got up, walking towards Epel and hugging him, then looking towards Riddle. “You, you get over here too.” He pulled Riddle in, hugging them both now.
“Thank you for organizing this Lilia! It was a great change compared to the stuffy environment in Pomefiore! And now I have that... What did you call it? Appletun? That Appletun to help get through the next semester! I’ll get stronger over the break! Then Vil won’t be able to touch me!”
“Yes, thank you for this Lilia, really. It’s been so long since I’ve received gifts in a more intimate space like this. Heartslabyul has a small party at the end of the semester, but it’s never anything like this.”
“You’re welcome you two, really! And Epel, Vil isn’t that bad, he’s just… difficult, but if you survived the semester, you’ll be able to get by the rest of your time here just fine. And Riddle, don’t let your mother get to you over the break, please. Now, we won’t be seeing each other for a few weeks after this, so let's spend the last bit of time we have at NRC this year the best we can!” Lilia seemed proud: proud of Riddle and Epel. Despite their own struggles, be it internal or external, they ultimately are working to overcome them, and Lilia is happy to watch and help guide them. They may not be his kids like Malleus, Silver, and Sebek, but he will still help them all the same.
“Now, let’s clean up here, and then after that, I guess we’ll see each other after the break?” Riddle started cleaning up his area, grabbing a bag to put any trash in.
“Yes, after the break! See you all in January, then” Epel joined Riddle, wanting to make sure their area had been spotless.
“Well then, I hope you all have fun with whatever you celebrate during the holiday, if anything. Now, it’s getting late, let's head back to our dorms.” Lilia loaded the stuff in his spot into the bag, grabbing the things given to him and opening the door up for Epel and Riddle to leave. “Stay safe you all! And a good break~!”
And with that, Lilia left, leaving the once lively room now silent.