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It was on a sunny afternoon. Waltz was cleaning up the Marchen and getting it ready for the evening shift. He was wondering if the weather would stay nice the next morning and if he could squeeze in some time for the kids after the show.
He was pulled out of his thoughts by a very distinct ring of the doorbell, groaning knowing exactly who had entered the tavern without even turning around.
"Good morning Waltz!" Greeted him Karma very enthusiastically. Turning around to greet him back, Waltz held back a second groan at the face of the eccentric Prince. Something was up, for sure. There were too many sparkles, more than ever and his face was literally ecstatic.
"I heard of a most marvelous concept when I was doing supplies shopping with Luisa today." He announced while holding the door open for poor Luisa, his pack mule of the day.
Waltz sent her a sympathetic look and was greeted back with a small, tired smile from Luisa. They both knew the pain of being part of Karma’s pack mule club but couldn’t really hold it against him. Against all odds, they both got along pretty well with the Diva, so they didn’t mind it as much as the others.... And the cupcakes are pretty good.
"What was it, Karma? Do you need help out packing, Luisa?" He immediately went up to them and took some bags off her hands, knowing very well she wouldn’t ask or agree for help otherwise.
“Something about a grandiose event where you give out secret gifts on Christmas time!” Karma was in his own little world right at that moment. He was still aware of what was going on around him. The Prince wouldn’t ever be caught unaware even in the walls of the Marchen, but he didn’t pay much more attention to Waltz’ and Luisa’s actions.
“You mean like a Secret Santa Event?” Waltz tried to put words on Karma’s exaggerated gibberish. He himself never participated in a Secret Santa but had heard about it from the kids once. They had organized one at school last year with small gifts like pine cones and drawings.
“That’s exactly the name of it! I was sure you would know about it given that you are often around kids your height, Waltz.” The sparkly bastard commented while not letting go an opportunity to rub Waltz’s curse into his face again.
It was small banter the cursed witch was used to. So, he didn’t react much more than simply showing visible annoyance to slightly please his friend… or said friend wouldn't stop bugging him until he got a reaction out of him…
“So, I say we organize a Secret Santa at the Marchen!” If Karma was the one to suggest it, he of course, wasn’t the one to organize it and the organization was finally up to poor Waltz and Luisa. It didn’t really bother them that much though. It was a nice little event and would probably help the new boarders to get to know each other.
One evening, while Waltz was working on a doll for Annice, whose name he had pulled out from the Secret Santa Hat, Karma sat down on the table in front of him after a long training session with Jurien and Garlan.
“A vibrant red color would look way better on that doll, Waltz dear, and you could have chosen a nicer color for that dress. It looks quite dull.” He commented on the puppeteer's work without a care for his feelings on the matter.
Used to it, Waltz simply sighed and looked up from his work, not even bothering lifting up his head slightly. "It's not like it's meant for you, Karma."
What he didn't expect however, was Karma's crestfallen face right at that moment. If you never saw any trace of tiredness on the Prince's face even after Training sessions and patrols, he did look like he took a big hit only through that simple statement.
"What's wrong? You are creeping me out a bit here." Did it hurt him that much that Waltz didn't care about his opinion on the matter?
Regaining his composure and cursing slightly inwardly at his lack of self-control on his emotions, the Brugantia summoned his usual sparkles to add a bit of dramatic effect. "What do you mean by it's not meant for me?"
Waltz raised a surprised eyebrow at Karma's question. Had he missed out on something? As far as he knew, he was supposed to gift something to Annice not Karma and it was not like Karma would know anything about it anyway. "Well, I mean exactly what I said. The gift is not meant for you. It's meant for Annice."
Shock was again visible one the cursed prince's face which lost a few sparkles in the process. "You mean you admire Annice more than you admire me?"
Waltz furrowed his eyebrows not getting what Karma was getting at. "What's wrong with you? I do admire Annice for her kindness. She is a great person but it has nothing to do with the Secret Santa."
"It doesn't?" Confusion was written all over Karma’s handsome face.
Right at that moment, Luisa had come down for a glass of water and came up to them to at least politely greet them. It wasn't a rare sight to see those two individuals stay up late together after all. “Mister Cresswell, Mister Karma. How are you doing?"
Seeing Karma's face in the light of the candle, she also furrowed her eyebrows, fearing the worst with the tense atmosphere. "Is something wrong?"
Putting his hands down on the table with a clearly confused face, Karma looked right at Waltz' eyes as if he was trying to decipher something. "I thought everyone was supposed to give me a gift." he exclaimed, outraged.
Waltz only sighed. How did that misunderstanding happen? “You did draw a name out of the hat, didn’t you?" He explained slowly as if he was talking to a little child and Karma nodded not really understanding what was going on…
“Yes, I did but I don’t see what you mean. What did that have to do with the Secret Santa?”
“Karma, do you even know how a Secret Santa works?” Waltz was getting a little bit exasperated and feared an upcoming headache with the spoiled Prince's antics.
“Of course I do, it’s an event where everyone secretly prepares a gift for the most popular person, which is my own person obviously.”
And that’s when they actually realized that Karma didn’t know at all how a Secret Santa actually worked. They had assumed he already knew, because he had been the one to suggest the idea…
"Mister Karma, Secret Santa is about getting a gift for the person whose name you pulled out of the Secret Santa hat, not for the person you admire most." Luisa explained softly as to make sure the shattering truth wouldn't hurt him too much.
“So, I also have to get someone a gift?” Karma really looked shocked at that revelation. He hadn’t expected it at all. “I thought everyone was supposed to give me a gift?"
“You have to gift something to the person whose name you drew out of the hat.” Waltz repeated Luisa's explanation as simply as possible.
“I thought that was a prank! I’m not getting him a gift!” The prince stood up outraged as if it was completely revolting to gift something to said person.
Waltz looked up at Luisa who fished out of a pocket, the drawing results Delora had put together with a bit of magic to make sure everyone could participate. She did her best to skip on her own name to not spoil her own Secret Santa and looked up whose Secret Santa Karma was supposed to be…
Henry, one of the new boarders who had recently hit on him in his Miss Karma form…
Waltz groaned while Luisa put a hand on her forehead, also feeling an upcoming headache. No wonder, Karma thought it would be a prank…
In the end, Waltz got Karma to buy a cupcake and added it to the Secret Santa gifts in his name. The Prince hadn’t been enchanted at all and even less when Henry got cocky about it, earning himself a punch in the face from his Secret Santa.
“Annice had been quite pleased about my gift though. I’m still happy you taught me how to create dolls, Little Star.” Waltz finished up his nightly story to the Princess about life in the Marchen before her arrival. They had grown quite closer and the Princess was already part of the Marchen now getting along with most boarders.
“I only have one question…” Lucette stated with a deadpan look on her face, but didn’t even wait until he acknowledged her statement. “Why did you organize a Secret Santa in July?”