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A sigh; a grimace, as Canach side-stepped the band of merrymakers, all dressed up in red, white, and green, their somewhat questionable singing drowned out by the painfully loud chorus of bells. He'd been down these streets often enough to know they'd precede a–
Ah. There it was: a large, unwieldy dolyak, calmly trundling along, carrying on each flank a mountain of presents held together with netting that creaked with each step it took. And now that he'd spotted where the gift dolyak was, he was certain its companion wasn't far.
"Greetings," a mechanical voice called out, practically on cue, and he turned to see a small silver golem with gold accents wave at him. Wrapped up in fairy lights and garbed in a fuzzy red hat with a white trim, it bobbled over to him. "You looked weighed down in currency! Will you donate some to the poor of–?"
But Canach had already reached into his pockets to toss over a glimmering golden coin without a break in his stride. More to get the golem off his back than anything: he had places to be, after all.
"Canach, no! Sto– you leave those cookies alone!"
Too late– the gingerbread treat was already between his lips as he smartly dodged the smack aimed at his bicep, and the pale blue Sylvari across from him let out an offended squeak when he wrapped an arm around her to tug her close.
"Love, you've made a mountain of them. You should be able to spare one or five," he said airily as he gestured to the massive stack of trays sitting on the counter that were still waiting to be frosted.
She sputtered. "Fi–?! I'm selling these!"
Dipping his head down to whisper in her ear, "Well, then we're lucky I'm rich."
" You– !"
He couldn't help the grin. Her fluster was adorable, and he was ready to swoop in for a kiss when she pressed a finger against his lips.
Eyes half-lidded, the petite Sylvari was suddenly all sweetness as a blush bloomed across her cheeks, a beautiful contrast with the bright twinkling of her freckles.
Violet eyes narrowed. He knew this look. "What are you thinking, pet?"
"Just that..." That finger began to travel down to his chest, tracing absent shapes on it as she continued to peek up at him. "If you really want these cookies, you should drop by our stall tomorrow and buy some. We could use the support."
"We." He repeated flatly. "I thought the proceeds were going to charity?"
Her eyes widened as her lips pursed into a pout, her freckles now sparkling white: the very picture of innocence. "Oh, yes. That's what I meant." Another peek from under long lashes as she leaned closer, pressing her curves up against him. "So… will you come and visit? At least to say hi."
A non-commital grunt. "We'll see."
We'll see, indeed. The spark of mischief dancing about his entwined's thoughts didn't escape him, but the frost blue Sylvari had dodged all his attempts at prying more information out of her.
His dark green lips quirked into a wry smile. Though she wasn't as adept in escaping interrogation as he was, Akoni did have her own… effective methods, and she really was shameless when she put her mind to it.
It also helped that he was more than willing to go along with it, since he'd find out eventually anyway. But now, his curiosity was fully piqued.
Making his way through the crowds– he'd never really fully understood the draw of Wintersday, despite his entwined dragging him to her family's get togethers– and ducking past the occasional stray snowball, he finally located his goal as he spotted several stalls on the far side of the Crown Pavilion, tucked away in a small little corner. The furthest was decorated in black, white, and deep lilac: colours he was deeply familiar with, long before he and Akoni had even come together. The others flew other familiar colours that tugged at his memory, and he frowned thoughtfully.
Not just Artox Gyr, then, roped into this charity drive?
A quick glance around prompted a hum out of him. To his surprise, he recognized most of the people manning them to be from the various Orders that made up the Pact.
A closer check confirmed it. Priory, Vigil, and Whispers, all with their own booths, marked with their banners, each with a little nod towards their own specialties. A small arena between the Vigil and Whispers where people were duking it out with candy cane staves and snowballs while a modest crowd cheered on all around, with surreptitious hands occasionally exchanging coins. The Priory just across, more prim and proper, showcasing interesting little gizmos of a wide range: from simple ones that sang out tinkly merry tunes to oddly complex ones that spun about midair to puff out snowflakes.
He chuckled to himself: no doubt Naefai would be snatching up a handful to decorate Artox GYR's halls for this season, though she being Priory herself probably meant she already had them pre-ordered before they had hit the shelves.
May have had a hand in their development, even.
"You came!"
Akoni's delighted greeting drew his attention back, and this time he couldn't help the slight smile that curved his lips as he quickened his steps once he sighted her.
A slight figure of blue and white, his entwined waved at him enthusiastically as she leaned against a stall's front– GYR's indeed, the emblem of a horned owl evident on the banner now that he was closer. One of the rare times she dressed for the weather: though she sported her usual leather pants, she was now wearing a thick sweater of deep blue with silver snowflakes patterned across her chest and waist.
Quite the upgrade from the terribly gaudy things Naefai usually slapped her in, and he very much appreciated how it showed off her curves.
But then his smile faded as he saw who she was with.
He'd been so busy looking at Akoni that he'd only just noticed the Sylvari across from her, and who was now giving him a smile; a nod.
Grand Warmaster of the Vigil: Laranthir.
Green of bark as Canach was, though more vivid than his own dusky hue. The same spikes crowning his head and with eyes almost the same shade as his own, though in Akoni's own words, "They're very kind. Pretty and soft." Presumably it was his other features that lent to that, wooden brows arching off his face that often creaked in good humour whilst his own beard were similarly shaped, compared to Canach's own thorny self.
A scowl settled across his face at the memory. As much as he knew that she was unfailingly loyal to him, he couldn't help the inward snarl whenever she found others attractive, much less a fellow Secondborn.
At least, that was what he thought, when Akoni– his Petal, his heart, his entwined– suddenly leaned forwards to plant a light peck on his Brother's cheek.
Laranthir froze, lavender eyes widening, the smile stretching into one of flustered panic as his light green glow dimmed hurriedly.
Orange flared– bright, challenging– as a low growl fought to crawl out of Canach's throat as he stalked up to them, but he swallowed it down to grit out a terse, "Warmaster."
"Brother," Laranthir started, his tenor a pitch higher than normal as he took a step back. "We weren't– It's not what you–!"
"Canach!" Akoni, this time, and Canach shifted his attention to the slight woman as she gave him a hug, dark eyes bright, smiling as though she hadn't just kissed his sibling right in front of him. "You came!"
"Pet." His own arm snaked around her waist, and she let out a startled meep as he roughly pulled her tight against his side. "What, exactly, am I missing here?"
She blinked up at him– nothing but pure innocence. "What do you mean?"
A stony, meaningful glare was his only reply– not directed at her, but instead at the uncomfortably fidgeting Laranthir, still with that wide, panicked grin, and who seemed to be pinned on the spot, torn between freezing and fleeing.
Akoni puffed out a petulant cheek. "Canach," she called out again with a small pout, giving him a light tug on his arm, and he finally shifted his attention over to her.
Her cheeks were lightly flushed– not so much by the cold, he noted with dark satisfaction, but by the thrill at his closeness, evident enough that he could feel the tingle through their bond.
Giving Laranthir a last side-eye, Canach dipped his head for an actual taste of Akoni's lips– mine, Brother– only to be denied as a delicate finger came between them just as a familiar voice cackled out,
"No freebies, Cananana!"
This time, the growl was loud. "What?!" he snapped as he turned to the wickedly grinning gremlin behind the stall.
Mystic, from what he could tell, bundled up in layers of multicoloured scarves with just a couple mittens poking out. That, and a couple errant bands of bright pink hair that stuck out from under a ridiculously oversized beanie.
Surprisingly though, it was Laranthir who spoke up, as he gestured to the other two. Still a touch nervous, but it seemed he had recovered most of his composure. "Well… your Commander has decided to use herself as an incentive to buy more of GYR's goods."
"Buy five goodies and you roll the dice! Koni smoochies are one of the prizes! Ooooorr you can just buy a dice roll and see what you get!" Mystic sang out gleefully, a mitten slapping at a metallic box with a muffled clunk, causing the neighbouring displays of cookies and mugs to shake. "You can't belieeeeve how much interest we got!"
A flare of dark heat engulfed Canach’s chest, his glow bursting displeasure all along the crags of his bark a bare few seconds before the nudge at his side– Akoni, hurriedly gesturing to the stall.
"There's lots of other stuff you can win, it's not just that. Drinks, cookies, stockings, gift baskets. Um. Terrible sweaters. Just a bit of fun, you know?"
"It's not like you to put yourself on the spot like that, though," he grumbled, low and quiet, and she simply gave him that smile before reaching up on tip-toe to press a kiss on his jaw– so much sweeter than the one she gave the Warmaster, her glow an eager glimmer at their closeness– and he felt a little bit of the irritation fade.
Only a little, though, as he turned back to regard his sibling.
"And you decided to take advantage of this incentive?" Canach said flatly, fingers digging into Akoni's hip, and it wasn't until she let out a small noise of complaint did he loosen his grip, rubbing at the tender bark apologetically.
A pained smile from the older Secondborn. "Would you believe me if I said I simply came by to say hello, and then somehow got roped into all this? No offence, Commander."
"Heee." Mystic propped her elbows up on the table, her grin widening. "Was just one roll! Doesn't hurt. Doesn't hurt one bit, and look what you got! Whadda lucky man, ey?"
Said man shook his head hurriedly, the grimace on his face suggesting otherwise, especially since Canach was here. "Like I was saying before this… err… misunderstanding happened, I'll need to head back soon. It's almost time for my shift." He paused, only for sheer regret to flood his face the moment those words left his lips.
The strangeness of the entire situation and the way Laranthir took an instinctive, wary glance at him caused Canach to once again look towards Akoni for an explanation, though he could see Mystic snickering from the sidelines.
"Petal?"
She briefly stuck a small, purple-tinged tongue out at her Asura friend. "Someone decided some friendly competition between all of us would help boost sales. And, well, you know what the Orders are like. So we all came up with our own little thing." She gestured at the smattering of stalls across them, with sectioned off bits in-between that he'd been observing earlier. "The Priory has a sort of scavenger hunt with the snow piles, I think. The Vigil and Whispers have a fighting ring: you can participate if you want, or you can just bet on who wins." She nudged him then, grinning at him knowingly. "You should check it out."
"When it comes to arenas, I'd rather be the one running the odds, love," he murmured, though he did turn a keen eye to it. Perhaps he would drop by later. Especially if … "I assume you'll be a feature there, Brother ?"
The Warmaster looked resigned. "Unfortunately, no. My presence is required… elsewhere."
"It's for the children!" Mystic sang out.
"There's also a collaboration where a bunch of the Pact's upper ranks are letting people throw snowballs at them for donations," Akoni explained with an entirely too wicked grin.
Thorned brows arched up in genuine surprise for a brief moment. Canach had noticed the one stand quite a ways away from the rest– more of a stage, really– with a mass of uniformed folk crowded around, with the occasional cheer floating up every now and then, so that must be where it all was. A clever suggestion that he'd have been proud to think of himself, provided others serve as the draw.
…And if that was what Laranthir was referring to, then he would definitely be paying a visit.
"Make sure they have enough snowballs," Canach muttered by way of goodbye, and his lips curved– sharp and keen – when his sibling flinched before letting out a resigned sigh, giving the small group a nod before walking off.
Behind the remaining two Sylvari, Mystic snickered. "Shoulda seen the crowd when Gixx was there! He was grumbling and snapping at them, and they gave back as good as they got. He'll be digging snow outta his ears for days!" But then she leaned over the table top, a conspiratorial twinkle in her large brown eyes as she whispered loudly, "Aaaaall according to plan though. Now the Priory's leading in donations!"
Not for long.
Canach instantly glanced down to his entwined, having caught her sing-song thought flitting past.
Seeing his expression, Akoni let out a quiet huff, tugging him over to the corner of the GYR stand and shooing away Mystic, telling her to go mind the goods before turning back to him with that smile: small and sweet, a touch bashful as she reached out for his hand.
He curled his fingers around hers, though he still grumbled. "I dislike this game you're playing, pet."
A pout of those lovely lips. "I don't know what you mean."
His scowl deepened.
She leaned her elbows onto the table, moving his hand over to cup her cheek instead, a light exhale trickling damp heat across his bark. "Laranthir was the only one who got a kiss. All the times others got to spin, well…" Her mischief in his thoughts danced . "I am a mesmer."
He gave a stern tsk, eyes narrowing as her freckles began to sparkle. "Then you picked Laranthir for a reason. You've been brewing a plot in that pretty little head of yours since last night, love. Out with it."
Those dark eyes gleamed.
"Well," she purred as she nudged a couple of dice over to him. "You said you're rich… right?"
And there it was.
"You little minx," he murmured, just a tad bit impressed. "You and Mystic are in on this I assume?"
"It's for charity," she demurred. "And, of course, we can't just let the Orders win so easily, either."
Of course. His entwined was as competitive as he was.
"And what if I choose to not play this little game of yours?"
Another peek through long lashes. "Then I guess I'll have to open it up to more people like Laranthir."
Despite himself, a low growl escaped him and she grinned, clearly pleased with herself.
"You could have just said you wanted me to bankroll this venture of yours," he complained, and she pressed a placating, surreptitious kiss on the tips of his fingers. He was annoyed to realize that it worked: as cheeky as she was, seeing how red was beginning to creep up her ears as she took another quick glance around, Akoni wasn't really as confident as she made herself out to be, and his scowl softened.
Sensing the turn of his mood, she pounced. "You'll get to kiss me all you want though," and as he opened his mouth to point out that he could already do that, for free, she added coyly, "In front of everyone."
He stared at her for a second to process that his normally bashful entwined had just said that, before raising a thorned brow.
She stared back in turn, confused, before that delightful squeak finally came out for the first time today. "Canach! I didn't mean you– I–!! I didn't mean it like that!!"
He refused to let go of her hand, instead gently tugging her closer, his frown now turned into pure amusement. "I don't see what else you could be suggesting, and I must admit love, I've never pegged you to be so kin–"
"Canach!!"
The blinding flash of her cyan coupled with the utter dismay that shrilled her outburst was what finally broke him into outright laughter. Stares from all around– the Secondborn was known to be dry and cynical, after all– but he paid them no mind. Not when Akoni was this flustered, sputtering as she fumbled her words, the entirety of her cheeks a deep purple while her freckles seared them with a sheen of white, heat creeping up her neck to turn even the tips of her ears red. In fact, he could practically see steam drifting up from the cracks of her horns.
The last of his earlier irritation melted away at the sight. It also didn't hurt that she was right, conniving imp that she was: he did so enjoy showering her with affection the very moment he sensed an outsider's interest.
Partly because, yes, he was absolutely willing to admit he was an incredibly jealous bastard. But partly because he also loved her reactions and how much they stroked his ego.
… It also didn't hurt that she was entirely too irresistible when she was all bashful like this, and his eyes fell to the previously offered dice.
Well then. If she wanted to play this game with him, he was happy to oblige.
He picked them up to eye them critically. "How much is this going to cost me?"
"I uh– oh. Well. Um." A deep breath, visibly composing herself as she willed her glow to calm down; for the blush to go away. "Ten gold."
He choked, dropping the dice with a clatter. "Ten–?!" Numerous questions swarmed his mind, but the one that managed to crawl out through gritted teeth was, "And Laranthir was willing to pay you that much?!"
"Oh! No! No." Waves cascaded down her white vines as she shook her head vigorously. "He paid for the gamble, and it was only a bit of silver. But…" That smile was back again. Small, hopeful, crinkling the edges of her eyes as she looked up at him. "If you don't want to chance it with all the other prizes–"
"Ten gold though?!"
"Rich?" she reminded him helpfully.
A heavy exhale, followed by a loud thunk as a pouch was thrown onto the table. He leaned forwards. "Fine. Put me down for a hundred, for now. I'll have someone come by later with the rest."
Whatever composure she had managed to regain was gone as she gaped at him, stunned. "A– a hundred gold?"
"Kisses," he corrected. "I fully expect to get my money's worth, pet. And if not–"
Softness on his lips all of a sudden, startling him into silence. Sweet, as they moved against him, and he couldn't help but rumble satisfaction when slender arms came up to wrap around him. He tasted her then, with that faint bite of ginger that never failed to flare heat deep inside his chest, and he had to fight the urge to pull her closer; to deepen the kiss. Instead he settled with running his hand up the side of her neck, teasing as he traced the leaves that wrapped around the elegant curve of her neck, and hid a grin at the subsequent purr.
Eventually, she pulled away, but just barely, sparks of happiness weaving through his thoughts. Letting her lips continue to brush against his, she breathed out her promise.
"If not, I'll make it up to you back home."
All things considered, Laranthir thought, things could be worse. He grimaced as he wiped away at his face with a towel. Someone had thoughtfully left it by the stage tucked away from view, and he appreciated it. As unpleasant as it was to have a freezing cold ball of snow smash straight into his face, it was having the remnants melting away in the nooks and crannies that was the worst part, making his bark twitch and shiver. Thankfully, the towel helped immensely with wiping it off the wood of his beard and brows, though the curled vines on his temples were a touch more tricky as the slush seemed determined to soak into them.
There was also the steaming mug of hot cocoa that sat close by, presumably left by the same kind soul, so, really, things could be worse.
At least he hadn't attracted as much attention as his colleagues, though that was accompanied with the slightest bit of guilt, considering what the entire event was for. But, he supposed he could always make up for it with a direct donation of his own.
"Ah, Laranthir."
… Nevermind. He'd spoken too soon.
Laranthir didn't even bother with pleasantries, his tone apprehensive as he looked up to see a dark green Sylvari walking up to the table several feet away.
A snowball's throw away.
"...Canach."
Canach simply hummed as he carefully looked over the pile of offered snowballs, and the Warmaster gave an audible gulp.
"Canach, come now," he started nervously. "I thought we cleared up what happened back there–"
"I know, Brother," he said pleasantly. "You were just collateral damage: Akoni fully intended for me to see that… display between the both of you just to convince me to spend ridiculous amounts on this little scheme of hers." He hefted up a small basket, then, placing it onto the tabletop. "She sent this over as an apology for involving you in all this. Some baked things from her stall, and," he motioned at the otherwise unobtrusive mug by the side, "some packaged cocoa that's certainly better than whatever it is you have there."
"Ah. Thank… you?" But the unease that crackled his bark only continued to intensify as the younger Secondborn murmured something to the attending charr by the side of the snow piles, bright yellow gleaming as coins exchanged hands, sending her scampering along.
"Then, why are you–?"
But it seemed Canach was in no mood to let him finish his sentences today, cutting in with a curt, "That said, she is, as you so often insist on saying, my Commander, and I feel it would be remiss of me were I not to affirm that."
An exasperated sigh– it seemed all these years of being entwined had not softened the cynical mercenary-turned-entrepreneur, and Canach was as petty as ever.
Ah, no, but that was harsh of him. His sibling had changed, evident when one watched how he was with Akoni, but unfortunately in many other ways, he was still very much the same.
"We both know you've already made that abundantly clear," the Warmaster pointed out. "I'm surprised you're here at all. I'd have thought you'd still be with her."
It hadn't escaped anyone's notice that the couple had withdrawn into their own private world, despite being at her table. The sight of the usually cool and distant, if sometimes awkward, Commander being playfully affectionate with Canach of all people had raised several eyebrows– and had roused a few catcalls from some more familiar with the pair's relationship– and the younger Secondborn had simply soaked it all in with the smuggest look on his thorned features.
"Akoni's taking a break for now. She wants to look at all the other stalls before the day is over." There was the change, a fondness that crept out whenever he talked about the frost blue Sylvari. A softness that smoothed away the edges of his usually hardened features as orange bloomed quietly in the crags of his bark.
"But… you're not with her."
Violet eyes gleamed as Canach's smile turned sharp. He finally picked up a snowball. "I told her I'll catch up: I do have a few donations to make to the Vigil, after all."
Changed, but still very much the same.
Laranthir let out a slow exhale, resigning himself to his fate. But not before he gave a shrug, his own lips quirking up into a small smirk of his own.
"Well, do as you wish, I suppose. But, Akoni really does have quite the sweetest kisses, doesn't she–!"
Splat!!
Credits to Mint_eey(instagram @ mint_eey) Picture has also been glazed for protection.