Archive of Our Own

     Lukas has never been much of a holiday guy. He admires the unique celebrations held within different cultures, but there was always one thing about them he couldn’t ever really relate to. Because of this, all those towns he visited during the winter season that would dress up and decorate for the festivities typically left him spending the most of his time out in the biome he was studying. When night fell, the parties were still going, and Lukas was absent for the entirety of it. 

     The togetherness is endless. The sharing of gifts, hugs and smiles. Onto the next day… and the next… and the next–! All the way into the new year!

     He doesn’t dislike the friendly and welcoming communities, but he is well aware that this type of socialization just… isn’t for him. 

     Even back at the Citadel, during his first few years of life, the holidays revolved around friendship. Being with those you value as friends, or in the rarest and most secretive occasions, more than that. 

     That’s where he doesn’t fit in with it all. The whole having friends thing just doesn’t work for him. It never has, and for the longest time, he truly felt it never would. Even with all those shiny garlands and lit up trees, he still felt reluctant to join in on the festivities. From the Citadel, to every town and city after, the spirit of the holiday was extremely appealing with all the fun decorations and sharing of baked goodies, but… 

     It always ended up with him watching from the sidelines. 

     Those parties at the Citadel landed him in a desolate corner to stand alone and spectate quietly from. The towns and cities were spacious enough for him to find shortcuts to evade the festivities and focus on his work. 

     Despite these setbacks, he would still find beauty in the celebrations. 

     Watching from a hotel window, or from the darker alleyways vacant of all foot traffic, he’d still find himself longingly gazing out towards the colorful lightstrands on all the houses, shops and especially the trees. It’s so special when some places would have their own designated tree planted right in the middle of town just for these once-a-year occasions. Seeing trees of all different shapes and sizes bring together people in a way such as this brings him a feeling of deep appreciation towards humanity. 

     Unlike his past destinations, BeaconTown is a completely different story. 

     BeaconTown does not uphold the traditions it once did. Lukas can only imagine how it would look now if it were still that prospering, healthy and happy town it once was. He can imagine it would one-up every single previous town he’s ever been to in his travels! What with all the colors and creative freedom it used to have, he’s certain it would be thriving right about now.

     He woke up that solstice morning to a fresh blanket of snow on the ground. 

     He was completely astonished to see it! It felt like a dream to wake up to such a bright room, only to stand up as curiosity coaxed him out of bed early. Rising up and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, the pajama-clad author stood at the window of his room at the BeacInn, staring in disbelief at the snowy field outside his window. 

     “Snow!?” he blurts out in amazement. “But this isn’t a snow biome… How is this possible?” Lukas asks his questions aloud, even if there is no one here to answer. Dewey on the other hand– or paw– perks up from his cozy little bundle of blankets on the bed. He blinks sleepily, giving the air a few sniffs as Lukas passes by towards the door. “Buddy, you aren’t going to believe this, but there’s a fresh blanket of snow out on the ground! We’ve got to go investigate.” Lukas says as he hurries over to the foyer to get his boots on. 

     Dewey comes to a stand, arching his back in a magnificent stretch, then just one more as he walks and stretches towards the edge of the bed to awaken his stiff muscles. He hops down off the bed and awaits Lukas by the door, watching his human throw on his warmest of clothes; an orange turtleneck, a heavy brown peacoat and his magenta scarf. For extra warmth, he puts on black gloves and his white earmuffs. 

     “Alrighty, I’m all set. Let’s go.” 

     BeacInn’s cheerful little bell chimes as Lukas exits the door. The short brunette woman who usually sits behind the front desk was absent today, which was rather surprising. Despite the low traffic here in BeaconTown, that girl stayed dedicated to her job, even if it meant looking like she was about to die from boredom behind the front desk. She always somehow managed a smile despite it all. Lukas believes a book or two should do her some good to fight back against that boredom. 

     The door shuts behind him, and with Dewey by his side, Lukas is met with a breathtaking sight. Tonight is the winter solstice, the day that marks not only the start of winter, but the end of the year and the beginning of the next one. Lukas hadn’t anticipated any sort of effort in decorating from the BeaconTown residents. 

     But it seems the townsfolk had proved him wrong. 

     On this early December morning, Lukas is met with fluttering snowflakes frolicking down from the sky. He’s also overcome with a feeling of puzzlement when seeing the pine-themed decorations strewn about town. Pine garlands with little ornaments attached are everywhere! Wreaths hang on every door that he can see from his spot in front of the BeacInn. As he traverses down the steps, he hears a shout down the street to his left.

     Looking down the street, Lukas catches sight of Radar jumping up and down waving his arms erratically. The blond smirks with a light-hearted scoff. Of course it’s Radar of all people. 

     “Lukas! Hey, Lukas!” Radar, shouts. 

     “No need to shout, Radar, I could see you from a mile away,” Lukas assures as he approaches, each of his steps crunching the fresh snow beneath his bootsteps. Dewey trails behind him, making tiny paw-shaped prints of his own. 

     “What do you think of the decorations? Ohh I was so excited I could hardly sleep last night!” Radar clasps his mittened hands together, looking hopeful. 

     “I think it looks great, but uh… I think we’re not talking about the ravager in the room here.” Lukas stuffs his hands in his peacoat pockets and looks around. When Radar asks what he means, the blond can’t help but smile and elaborate. “Uh… The snow? This isn’t exactly a snow biome, Radar. Snow shouldn’t be possible here.” 

     “Oooh,” the taller boy stuffs the garland strand he’s holding into his inventory, a look of uncertainty draining the joy out of him. “Well it’s a bit complicated to explain… It all started about a decade or so ago.” Radar shifts his gaze away from Lukas, giving an awkward rub to the back of his neck. “Ever since the Admin arrived in BeaconTown.”

     Lukas turns frozen solid the moment the Admin’s name is spoken. 

     The Admin? He has something to do with the snow?

     The Admin is, as of recently, what Lukas spends the most of free time thinking about. Three days into his stay in BeaconTown, he’d travelled into the forest for the first time with Dewey. That night, a storm rolled in abruptly and, while stuck in the darkness, he’d ended up falling into one of the pitfall traps sent by the hunters here in town. The hunters have been tracking the Admin for ages, as far as Lukas is aware. He’s been told vague answers about the elusive woodsman hiding in the forest. 

     That he is the root of all evil in the world, and that he must be destroyed… 

      But Lukas isn’t very convinced. That night he’d fallen into the hunters’ pitfall, he was greeted by an allay, descending down into the hole like an angel sent from the high Aether to whisk him away. After he asked for its help, the friendly allay left him, and what returned shortly after has changed his current objective in life completely. There was an invisible force that grabbed hold of him, pulling him out of the sticky, muddy pitfall before it overflowed with water. 

     He’d only managed a glimpse of his savior before the shouts of the hunters turned both their attention towards the trees. In a flash… The creature who saved him was gone and Lukas himself was thrown to the side, landing in the slick dirt just in time for Dewey to arrive with the rescue party. 

     Since then… Lukas hasn’t been able to stop thinking about him. He returns to the forest in hopes of seeing him, but whoever the Admin is, he seems extremely reluctant to reveal himself more than he already has. Within the forest drenched in darkness and blue fog, he sees him out of the corner of his eye, watching him, sending chills down his spine. Whenever Lukas looks back— he’s gone, and Lukas is left wondering if it was truly the Admin, or if he was just imagining things. 

     While it does feel a bit creepy to be stalked like some type of prey animal, he’s been having serious doubts on the whole ‘Admin is evil’ thing. Afterall, why would the root of all evil waste his time rescuing someone like him? He’s no warrior or hero, he’s just this clumsy ecologist striving to write an encyclopedia about nature and wildlife…

     “It’s a tragic story; difficult to explain,” the intern says with a dejected look, “I don’t feel like putting a damper on the festivities trying to recount it all. It snows every solstice now, and it stays here until the temperature starts warming up again.” Radar leans in closer to Lukas and covers his mouth, voicing his next words in a hushed whisper. “Just between you and me, I actually think the snow is quite nice,” he leans back again, giving the blond a sheepish shrug and smile, “afterall, a little bit of snow increased the people’s optimism towards the festivities despite the rest of the town being in total ruin. It even gets Petra to come out of that office of hers a little more.” 

     Lukas squints, taking in this new information with a slow nod. “I see... I was wondering how you guys managed to find the spirit to celebrate the holidays, especially considering half the town is completely out of commission.” 

     Radar’s smile softens, albeit a bit saddened. “We may not be allowed to build anymore, but we still try to decorate. Petra isn’t as hard on us about it knowing that it’s only temporary. Afterall, this was Jesse’s favorite holiday out of the year. It would be a great shame to see BeaconTown void of all those things that made this time of year so special. Morale is already so low here in town, but y’know, a little decorating can really uplift some folks’ spirits! We’ve still got plenty of gift giving to go around– Oh!” 

     Lukas watches Radar rummage around through his inventory pocket. In the meantime, he reflects on the name Radar had mentioned. Jesse… That’s the deceased leader of the New Order of the Stone. It’s nice that the town still attempts to honor his legacy by celebrating the things he used to enjoy. 

     Radar brings him back to the present, holding out something he’s never received before. It causes Lukas to falter, his mouth opening in astonishment, but no words come out. It’s a small gift box. Its width is short but its length is long, with red packaging and a glittery white bow. Lukas’ mouth falls open but no words come out as he’s handed the delicate-looking box. It’s incredibly lightweight, making him a little suspicious towards its contents. 

     “Nell and I figured, since you’re brand new here, that we’d both pitch in and get you something nice! We were both thinking of something small that you could easily bring along with you on your travels,” Radar explains. He’s so giddy with excitement watching Lukas wordlessly untie the bow and open the box. What the author pulls out is a pure white feather in perfect condition. Not a single bend or tear in its vein or rachis. 

     While Lukas carefully examines the feather, Radar leans down with a tiny offering. “Oh Dewey!” The ocelot was sniffing around in the snow when the scholar called out to him. Dewey perks up with a twitch of his long tail, his wide eyes instantly locked onto the cod fillet being dangled temptingly from Radar’s fingers. He bounds his way through the snow with haste, reaching Radar within only a few short seconds. With a grateful purr rumbling in his chest, Dewey snatches his gift and drops it to the ground, wasting no time tearing into scaly flesh. “Geez! Hungry little guy, huh?” 

     “Radar…” Lukas says his name quietly, making the intern stand back upright. “I don’t know if I can accept this. I didn’t get you anything…” The scout frowns deeply with immense guilt weighing down his heart. The feather is gorgeous, with an almost pearlescent shine to its coloring. He instantly recognizes it as that of a white-tailed ptarmigan. He feels horrible knowing how expensive it must have been. 

     “Oh, what?” Radar responds with a small laugh and waves it off. “Don’t even worry about that, Lukas. You’ve done more than enough to make me want to get you a gift this year.” Lukas looks back at him with emotion, completely moved by this man’s generosity. “I mean, afterall, you’ve given me something irreplaceable.” Radar reaches into his inventory once more and retrieves the postcard Lukas gave to him a few weeks ago. This postcard alone has inspired him with so many hopeful ideas for the future. “Not only that, but you’ve been incredibly kind to Nell and Jack, and shoot, you’ve even put up with Petra! You’ve got a good heart, and you deserve to know that.” 

     The snow falls peacefully around them both as a stretch of silence comes between them. Lukas’ frown can only deepen hearing Radar’s words, his eyes growing warm and watery. “Radar I—” Lukas shakes his head as he tries to wrap his mind around it all. “Thank you.” 

     “No prob! I hope you have a great solstice, and a happy new year, Lukas!” Radar replies cheerfully. “Now if you don’t mind me, I’m going to get back to decorating. Nell should be back here soon with some more boxes of ornaments. Do you feel like helping out, or do you have plans out in the woods?” 

     Lukas places the feather back into its box and sticks the present into the safety of his inventory. Taking a glance down at Dewey, he smiles, seeing his ocelot eat and hearing that heavy purr rumble. “My work plans have certainly changed now that there’s snow on the ground. I was going to investigate some of the plant life in the forest, but with all this snow, I think I’m going to take my chances at finding some footprints to see what kinds of wildlife might be foraging in this sort of weather.”

     “Sounds like fun! If you see a squirrel, tell it I said hi. Those squirrels and I have a lot in common, you know.” Radar says that like it's factual, but the most it does is make Lukas’ brows furrow in confusion. 

     “Uhh… Why do you say that?” Lukas asks. 

     “We’re both great tree climbers! Duh!” Radar laughs, but Lukas isn’t very convinced. Radar is pretty squirrely though, he’ll admit. “Oh, but before you leave, you should totally swing by the farmers market outside of town. They’ve got tons of new seasonal goodies, you can’t miss it!” 

     The farmers market… That sounds like a great idea actually. 

     Lukas nods, offering Radar one last smile before he goes. “Will do, Radar. And uh, tell Nell I said thanks for the gift, and that I hope you both have a happy new year.” 

     Radar does a quick salute, “yes sir, will do!” he says before turning and scampering off towards the partially decorated library. Lukas’ smile lingers as he watches him go, then turns away, making his way towards the town’s gates. 

     The snow continues to fall as Lukas and Dewey exit town. He’s taking Radar up on his idea; heading to the farmer’s market, that is. He’s been here once, seeing that it only ever arrives one day out of the week, just to pack up and head out towards the next town before nightfall. The pop-up stands are a few chunks distance away out in the now snowy pastures past BeaconTown, edging the same dirt trail he travelled upon when coming here for the very first time. 

     The market consists of stands lining a designated pathway on both sides. From his current spot a few blocks away, he can identify a few familiar faces of some BeaconTown residents. It’s amazing to see them smiling out here outside of town. Upon making it to the entryway of the farmer’s market, Lukas comes to a stop, almost making Dewey, who was trailing right behind him, run into the author’s legs. With ears flattened, the ocelot veers out of the way quickly and sticks his nose up, eyeing his human companion through narrowed, annoyed eyes. 

     Lukas appears troubled despite the positive hustle and bustle around him. Everyone here in the market seems to be in a good mood, which is something rarely seen since he’s arrived in BeaconTown. This time the market has come fully decked out in holiday cheer, everyone appearing so kind and charitable in the ways they exchange free goods and pricey valuables at a generous discount. 

     His expression remains troubled, even as he reaches into his inventory. Lukas fetches the feather Radar gifted him, lifting it up to look upon its beautiful white strand. White-tailed ptarmigan are known to be masters of disguise against a snowy backdrop, and seeing its feather here in this snowy field amongst the flurries proves it to be true. 

     A gift… What have I done to deserve this? The author lowers his head with a sigh. 

     Lukas heard Radar loud and clear when the man explained his reasoning, but it is still incredibly hard to believe. He lowers the feather down and turns his longing gaze towards the forest in the far distance, past the snowy field. The evergreens accumulate piles of snow upon their long, sturdy branches. There’s something downright magical about their appearance. 

     He can only wonder what it must be like in the forest right now… 

     And what the Admin might be up to? 

     As he wanders through the market, he thinks of him…

     He saved my life… I wish there was something I could do to show him how much it means to me, but he’s so distant. Lukas comes to a stop once more, his fingers gently caressing his scarred chin as he delves deeper into his thoughts towards a sparking idea. I wonder… When was the last time Admin has ever received a gift? If any at all? 

     Our determined little author keeps that question in mind as he spends the rest of his early morning out in the farmer’s market pondering this idea.

     Nervousness grips him like a lead entangled around him, tightening and tugging him deeper into the snowy forest terrain. Lukas and Dewey make it up that fallen, snow covered tree without issue thanks to Lukas’ weather resistant boots and Dewey’s own steady paws. Passing that same mossy boulder once more, only this time it’s got a fine blanket of snow laid over top of it. Lukas had questioned Dewey whether or not he was planning on being the first to touch the top of the snow pile, only to discover the tiny tracks of small birds speckled throughout it. 

     The two of them looked at each other, Lukas giving Dewey a shrug and an “oh well.” 

     The forest is absolutely heavenly. Complete and total silence befalls the two travellers as they traverse the winter wonderland of snow packed trees and foliage. Every part of the forest is absolutely breathtaking. Lukas has been to snowy spruce biomes before, even stayed at one of the cozy villages in one during his time there, but not even that biome amounted to anything quite like this. This snow here is unlike any he’s ever encountered before. 

     He’s come to a stop so many times now, it’s begun to annoy Dewey, but he truly cannot stop himself from taking a moment to admire the perfection that is this fluffy abundance of snow. This time he’s stopped next to a shrub, taking his gloved fingers and running it through the piles of snowflakes laying over its highest branches. The snow is like a fine powder, and when taking out his spyglass for closer inspection, he can see the snowflakes’ every individual prism in their meticulous, icy designs. 

     “Incredible. How can nature possibly make every single snowflake so different?” There is truly nothing else in this world that makes him feel the way mother nature does. He’s brimming with excitement and the motivation to adventure even further to see what else he can find. 

     Although, that does return us to the nervous anticipation residing in the back of his mind as he only finds himself getting closer and closer to Admin’s forest. By the time he’s reached the dense fog layer, Lukas has lost all of that steady flowing thrill of adventure, only to become overwhelmed with the silent urge to turn back and refrain from embarrassing himself more than he already has. 

     The snow must be even more beautiful than he could ever imagine on the other side of the fog barrier. He knows it to be true, just by the blue-hued beauty of the Admin’s natural forest alone. Every walk through his forest feels like magic. 

     “Oookay. Here we go,” Lukas sighs, gripping onto his satchel tightly as he finally finds the courage to venture into the all encompassing mist. Dewey follows in close behind, always padding right behind Lukas’ feet to avoid getting stranded in the dense fog. 

     The forest accepts them both within its misty embrace. Like a welcoming hug home, Lukas can already feel the Admin’s influence. 

     Here, the Admin’s presence is all around him with the thick layer of fog and glistening foliage. The snow has gone from pure pearly white to a somber light blue with tiny sparkling ice fragments that glitter. Dewey looks around, sharing the same awestruck gleam in his eyes that Lukas has. Lukas exhales a relieved sigh, hot air puffing out of him, happy to finally be here to witness such ethereal beauty delivered by the Admin’s manipulation on nature itself. 

     The sheer stillness and silence of the Admin’s forest had once perturbed him, only for him now to find it as quite possibly the calmest place on the Overworld. The ambience here is something he’s written plenty of pages in his journal on; it’s straight out of a fairytale novel. 

     Lukas lifts his hand up to his mouth and calls out, his voice shattering the silence of the forest, echoing off the trees and calling to Admin’s name. What he’s learned from being watched and followed, is that the Admin must have some sort of radar, or an ability to sense when Lukas has entered his part of the woods. Knowing this, he’s hopeful that calling his name will let him know that he’s here for him, rather than the forest he resides in. 

     While he waits, Lukas turns his attention towards his inventory, sifting through his pocket until he’s plucked out a prettily wrapped gift box. The box is large but on the shallow side, with dark blue gift wrap and a sparkly yellow bow string wrapped all around it. The bow itself is of a floral design with a little name tag wrapped around its knot. Gift in hand, Lukas lifts his head with a smile hoping to see him.

     The clearing he and Dewey have walked themselves into remains completely void of any other living souls. Not even that eternally joyful little Allay of Admin’s has shown itself. 

     Lukas and Dewey both look at each other. 

     “Maybe we’ve got to travel deeper,” Lukas suggests with a shrug. “Who knows? The snow could be making it difficult for him to hear the rest of the forest.” It’s a good guess, but Dewey isn’t so certain. That bright blue bird of his never fails to catch wind of his or Lukas’ scents or sounds. Maybe the snow deflects the Admin-creature, but Dewey isn’t convinced when it comes to the allay. 

     “Same with Allay too…” Lukas mutters to himself as the two travel further. He keeps the gift held close to his chest, hiding it from the snow flurries falling all around. He could simply put the item back into his inventory for safe-keeping, but the idea of surprising Admin with it the moment he sees him sounds very appealing, especially if it manages to catch the deity off guard.

     “Maybe they’re not big fans of the snow,” he wonders aloud, with only his trusty ocelot beside him as his audience. Dewey gives the air a few searching sniffs, turning up with nothing but the incredibly crisp scent of the ice cold air. “Well that’s alright, we can keep going. They’ll both turn up eventually.” Lukas sounds so sure of himself, despite truthfully not knowing. 

     The two adventurers end up walking for hours. By the time Lukas is checking his watch for the eighth time, it’s already mid-afternoon. He’s called out to the Admin and his allay both countless times now, but there’s still no sign of his savior or that little sprite of his. 

     He doesn’t understand. With every single forest exploration he’s done now, the Admin has always turned up in some form, albeit mostly as a looming shadow, glaring at him from the fog, and always disappearing before Lukas has the chance to say hello. He believes that the Admin must have some knowledge of who or what he is by now, after spending as much time as he has watching him. So why does he continue to evade him? Does he still perceive him as that much of a threat? 

     Just how much has BeaconTown hurt this person? 

     Lukas wishes the deity would just give him the time of day to simply speak with him, instead of stalking him like some sort of predator hunting his prey, but never catching him. Only tormenting him with the idea of finally establishing communication, but never getting close enough to make anything of it. 

     After hours of walking aimlessly in hopes of the Admin turning up, Lukas finally comes to a stop. The cold has begun to… really get to him. 

     And his poor Dewey… 

     Lukas looks down at his ocelot, taking note of how exhausted he looks. His belly is soaked, and some strands of fur have frozen as time progressed… a terrible guilt bites at him like the icy air itself. He should have kept Dewey back at the BeacInn where it's warm and safe instead of dragging him all the way out here. 

     He turns around and looks back towards the way they came. Their shared footprints abscond into the darkness. The winter evening will arrive much sooner than later, and with the snow still coming down, he believes this is where they must unfortunately call it quits. 

     “I think this is it for us, Dew,” he mutters, terribly disappointed with the outcome of the day. Dewey slowly lifts his tired gaze up towards his shivering companion. “We’ve better head back before it's too late.” 

     Lukas steps forward, following his and Dewey’s print-trail until he feels his stomach sink. The footprints they left behind have already begun to fill back in with snow. He lifts his hand over his eyes and looks upward into the trees, seeing nothing but endless fog, dark branches and thick snowflakes falling throughout them. 

     His blood runs cold. 

     A quick and easy trip back to BeaconTown may no longer be possible. 

     While anxiety does flicker momentarily within his heart, he knows better than to begin panicking. He knows what the next best thing to do is, and he knows exactly how to do it. 

     “Change of plans, buddy.” Lukas walks his way over to the base of one of the tremendous spruces standing tall above them. “The snow covered up our way back home, so we’re going to make camp for the night.” 

      Snow crunches beneath his feet as he comes to a stop and leans down, sifting through the snow and immediately finding what he needs. He emits a relieved sigh and gives the forest a silent thanks. Large branches from the massive conifers are strewn all over the forest floor. He picks one up and shakes the snow off, then begins to tear the smaller branch strands carrying the pine needles off until he’s left with a bare branch. He places the middle of the branch upon his knee, and with enough pressure, the branch breaks into two with a crack!

     Next comes finding a spot on the ground shielded from snowfall. The base of another spruce will do, for its branches are wide and act as an umbrella for the both of them to rest under. Lukas gathers as many branches as he can find, laying them all against the massive roots of the tree. 

     Dewey pads over to the base of the spruce, circling the spot he’s chosen before settling. With his tail wrapped over his nose and his face tucked inward, he does his best to conserve what little warmth he has. Seeing his ocelot bundled up the way he is only stokes the fire of urgency in Lukas, making him work quicker.

     His mind is flooded with endless questions as he works against time to get this fire going. The cold is bringing his energy down faster and faster as the sky begins to dim and darkness threatens to set upon the vast forest. 

     Am I truly just a threat to him? A nuisance? 

     Lukas knows so little about him that he’s going solely based on experience alone, but even that too is so minimal. He’s never even seen the deity up close. The most interaction he’s had so far was getting lifted out of that hole with only a mere glimpse of his shadowy form, and being ominously stalked whenever he’s surveying the forest. He’s tried to invite the Admin over to him. He’s attempted to establish communication many times now, but the Admin always disappears...

     All of his knowledge about him comes from BeaconTown’s residents and just how little they are willing to share about him. The people in town act as if it's a crime to speak his name. Sometimes he feels like a detective interrogating a witness into giving up information about the evasive forest dweller. People seem terrified of him, as if he were a villain, but what type of villain saves people from death? 

     The town’s hatred towards the Admin is what brought him out here today, wielding a gift that he can only hope might express the lengths of his gratitude and put an end to this forced distance.

     Finally, the sticks are assembled, and with his trusty flint’n steel, the fire is lit. Warmth engulfs the area around him and all he can do is sigh in relief. He’d finished that up just before night had fully set. Lukas glances behind him to check on Dewey, seeing his ocelot all bundled up, wedged between the spruce and one of its massive, sprawling roots. 

     He smiles softly, only looking at Dewey for a few seconds before he too scoots back against the tree. The fire, while it is small and he knows he will soon have to get up and find more wood, he at the very least can take a moment to relax and alleviate the frostbite prickling at his nose and fingers. The fire lights up the small clearing of trees and foliage surrounding them. The forest floor mostly consists of ferns and dense bushes, giving them what feels like a wall of security from any watchful eyes that don’t belong to the forest deity himself. 

     Lukas rests his head back against the trunk of the tree, somberly gazing up into its dense branches. 

     He really came out here hoping the Admin would actually want to interact with him. Lukas closes his eyes and emits a deep sigh through his nose. “I should have known this wouldn’t work…”he mutters hopelessly. He worries that his insistence coming into these woods has only driven the Admin deeper, putting up distance between them both so there may never be the communication Lukas wants so badly. 

     Why would the Admin come to him? He’s loathed by the neighboring town. Hunted by the town’s most notable citizens like some kind of monster. 

     Feeling like a total chicken-brained idiot, Lukas frowns deeply. He turns his head to the side and looks at the gift he’d chosen for Admin with a pout of growing frustration. Not towards the present, but inwardly, towards himself for making such a clueless decision to come all the way out here. He should have known the Admin would want absolutely nothing to do with him.. 

     He just… wanted to bring him a little joy in his life. To thank him for saving him.

     Lukas closes his eyes and shakes his head, utterly disappointed in himself. Mission abandoned, the next best thing is to ensure he and Dewey both make it out of this forest safely. The human turns onto his side, back facing the gift. With outstretched arms, Lukas draws Dewey close. The ocelot is shivering still, with light tremors every few seconds. Without a second thought, he hurriedly unbuttons his peacoat and brings Dewey into it, bundling him up for extra warmth. 

     Dewey begins to purr, though his eyes stay glued shut as he attempts to settle back into rest. The purring and the warmth of having Dewey so close gradually brings Lukas to a state of relaxation. The fire continues to roar a warm, yet safe distance away. 

     Snow falls and falls all around them. As time passes, the forest is plunged into darkness. The sound and light of the fire fades as it slowly dies, its death encouraged by the chilly breeze that passes through the trees. 

     Snow crunches in the distance… The presence of heavy footsteps draws nearer with a slow and cautious approach. Snow is smushed beneath heavy leather boots, leaving behind tracks that instantly refill the moment he steps away, leaving behind no trace of his existence. With no fire to light their little clearing, Lukas and Dewey’s bodies lay shivering in the darkness. 

     Come to a stop right above them is a being who takes no effect by the blizzard swarming around him. The moderate cold that comes with a snowy day has plunged into temperatures below freezing as night falls. The deity’s body appears like a shadowy apparition in contrast to the snow that brings brightness back to his forest after the moon has risen. His glowing turquoise glare lays directly against the author’s slumbering form. Watching the human shiver in his sleep, he knows without fire to bring warmth and life back into him, he will fall victim to the elements in no time. 

     The angry grimace on his face never fades. He had anticipated this meddling human to turn back much sooner, but to traverse this far into his domain without any slightest bit of reason other than… What was it… To research the nature of this forest? 

     His glare shifts over to the box laid up against the spruce only a foot away from Lukas. His stubby nose scrunches up and his frown twists seeing that elegant gift wrap. Some sort of present?What’s he carrying it around these woods for? The Admin’s frown deepens and his glare lingers on Lukas’ unmoving form as he uses his power to float the gift box up and into his gloved hands. 

     The Admin keeps his gaze glued to the human for a few more seconds before addressing the present in his hands. The dark blue paper has taken a bit of water damage from the snow. He lifts a hand, his leather glove torn and tattered with time, grasping the little tag beside the bow and turning it over. 

     As if a switch was flipped, the snow and wind have come to an unnatural halt. Joining the ambience of snow falling from branches in the distance, is the heavy beat of the deity’s now pounding heart. The Admin remains frozen in place, unable to take his inhuman eyes off of his given name written onto the other side of the tag.

   |   To: The Admin  |

   |                              |

   |   From: Lukas      |

     Lukas… so that’s his name.

     He spends the next two minutes standing there staring down at the tag within his hand. He’s desperately trying to sift through the darkness of his mind in an attempt to make sense of it all. This human… This mortal… Came all the way out here to give him a gift?

     The authenticity of this gift is assumed deceptive. Why would Lukas want to give him a gift? 

     If this is another one of BeaconTown’s tricks, it's quite possibly the most asinine one so far.

     Something wedged beneath the bow catches his eye. He recognizes it as an envelope by the distinct length and width, as well as the telling fold over its white sheet. The Admin’s brows furrow and he emits a deep sigh, flicking his gaze back to Lukas as he pushes the envelope out and takes that too into his hand. Again, the envelope is addressed to him. His name is written in an elegant cursive format that he recognizes to be the diligent author’s own. He’s watched the way Lukas writes, with poise and purpose. 

     So far, he is confident that this human is responsible for the writing on the tag and envelope at the very least.

     Distrust keeps him pensive and unwilling to accept these gifts as anything truly honest. He will have to see for himself what type of game Lukas is attempting to play with him. 

     As for now, he tucks the gift and its paired envelope within his vast inventory, then turns his attention back to the human and his ocelot companion. Contemplating his next move, he remains hesitant, for while he knows what must be done, the very real chance that this could all be some elaborate scheme built up by the hunters back in town keeps him from committing to it. 

     He does, however, recall Lukas’ disdain for Beacon’s current leadership. It was only a few days prior when he’d watched Lukas from a distance and listened to him speak with the allay. He is not from BeaconTown, but instead some enthusiastic traveller dumb enough to keep coming back to his wretched prison. An outsider who has, as of this point, unknowingly involved himself in a decade long feud. 

     Admin remains unconvinced, glowering down at the sleeping blond as he dares approach closer. He leans in only a tad to get a better look at the shivering human. With what he can see, Lukas’ face is completely red and he’s wedged himself against the tree as close as he possibly can. He’d surely succumb to the blizzard if Admin were not to intervene. 

     A small, but silent growl emits from his clenched teeth as he defiantly turns away. 

     That annoying little light inside him pleads he save this human. Not only did he travel all the way out here just to see him, but he travelled all the way out here to deliver him a gift with his name on it. He’s curious, and even a bit touched by the sentiment. 

     Admin closes his eyes slowly and emits another tempered growl. He’s made up his mind, the most he can do now is hope he does not regret it. 

     He does one last scan of the entire forest, coming up cold when searching for any other intruders.

     The Admin then opens his eyes and snaps his gaze back at the slumbering human and his ocelot. With a flash of light, the clearing is left empty, leaving nothing but the light smoke trail wafting off the deceased fire. 

     Lukas rouses from his sleep to the familiar feeling of Dewey pawing at his nose. The blond huffs, scrunching his face up and attempting to turn away, only for the pawing to get more aggressive. The human groans and turns back around to face his ocelot. He peers up at Dewey through sleepy eyes, and the first thing he registers is the startled look on the jungle cat's face. Lukas immediately sits up, and when he does so, he places his hands back against something soft and warm,  like plush moss that's been bathed in hours of sunlight. 

     Lukas looks down. It is warm, plush moss–!

     He takes a look at his surroundings now, immediately recognizing the change in scenery. 

     A cave!?

     Lukas looks to his left, and from his spot where he sits on the moss, he can see the mouth of the cave a little less than a chunk away. It’s still dark out, and he can see the snow falling fiercely  outside of the cave. It’s a narrow start, but the more the cave progresses, it widens out into a nice dome-shaped room. The walls are rocky and untampered with, keeping him from wondering if the cave was man-made. Every inch of the cavern looks to have developed naturally. 

     A fire has been lit right in the middle of it, making the sheltered room incredibly warm and comfortable. No wonder he was sleeping so soundly. And this moss underneath him... Lukas looks down at it, finding it to be squishy, comforting and perfectly healthy.

     The sound of footsteps makes Lukas whip his head around to look back towards the entryway. A massive shadow has stepped into the cave and approaches slowly. Lukas is speechless. It feels like slow motion, watching none other than the Admin himself enter the illuminated part of the cave. Dewey instantly bristles into an ocelot twice his size and emits a furious growl as the deity steps into the light completely. Without taking his eyes off him, Lukas reaches back and plants his hand over Dewey’s face, silencing him.

     The Admin has returned with a heavy looking stack of firewood. He holds seven thick chunks of wood up with one arm, the other hand holds a heavy-duty iron axe. It’s at this very moment, during this prolonged moment of staring at one another, that Lukas addresses the fact that he has never seen this man up close, and with this level lighting to reveal all those juicy details he’s just been dying to see.

     Firstly, he is huge. At least seven feet tall, maybe with a few inches to spare. The most notable thing to the Admin’s attire is a heavy pelt of moss covering his shoulders and collarbones. The moss is dark and gloomy, yet shines with the presence of snowflakes speckled overtop of it. Underneath that is a dull, gray flannel button-up and tattered pants, darker than the rest of his attire. With the sleeves of his flannel rolled up, he looks like something straight out of one of those raunchy calendars filled with burly lumberjacks striking a pose. Except this guy is the real deal. With the leather suspenders holding all of his pudge in too. 

     The most eye-catching feature about the deity is his deep blue skin. His hair is a darker blue, short, thick and wavy, with some strands curling at the tips. The upper half of his face is overshadowed, even here in the warm light produced by the fire. He has some dark facial hair on his chin and along his jawline, and his cheeks are lightly dusted with freckles, or perhaps dirt smudges? Lukas cannot tell, for as of this moment, all he can focus on is those dark eyes, illuminated brightly by turquoise irises. 

     Lukas is absolutely enamored. His cheeks have warmed extensively since the moment he laid eyes upon the big blue forest god. Finally seeing for himself just who exactly it was that saved him that cold, rainy night. 

     The Admin’s glowing eyes only narrow in on the starstruck blond before he deposits the wood pile down onto the solid rock of the cave floor. 

     “I– I can’t believe it. It’s you! I—” Lukas fumbles for words. “I was searching for you all day. I lost track of time and–” The Admin tilts his head to the right, giving Lukas an ‘oh really?’ type of look. Lukas comes to a stand, sheepish in the way he grasps his own arm and offers the deity an awkward smile. “I guess I got kind of–” The Admin crosses his arms now, awaiting Lukas’ excuse, but the most that does is bring the blond’s attention to his thick blue arms. “Distracted,” he says. 

     The Admin raises his scarred brow, holding eye contact with Lukas for a few more tense seconds before moving away. He asserts himself by the fire, coming to kneel down beside it. Lukas watches the man use his otherworldly powers to teleport the logs into his hand before inserting them into the flames with meticulous precision. 

     Dewey has pressed himself against the wall, practically becoming a cave painting. He has yet to stop growling, making Lukas finally turn his attention back down to him. “Dewey, relax! This is the Admin. He saved me, remember? And he just saved you too.” The author kneels down and pets his frightened ocelot. “He’s our friend,” Lukas reassures Dewey, missing the way the Admin freezes momentarily before continuing to tend to the fire. Gradually, and with much more soothing pets, Dewey begins to calm somewhat down. He still stays puffed up, but at the very least he’s stopped his growling. 

     The sound of some joyous trills fills the cave, causing Lukas to look up and the Admin to glance over his shoulder. The allay has entered the cave more cheerful than ever before. It was seemingly aiding the Admin in gathering firewood, its contribution being a single stick carried in its tiny paw. Although seeing its new friends, the allay completely forgets about the fire and drops the item before it flies over to Lukas, swirling up and around his body in greeting. It spies Dewey next and comes down to greet him. Dewey’s eyes instantly go wide the moment the allay comes within mere inches to his face. 

     Admin is unamused the moment that stupid little stick collides with the top of his head and bounces off into the fire he’s creating. He simply stares at the twig and watches as it ignites, perhaps thinking to himself about the abundance of company he’s begrudgingly found himself with.

     “H-hey, Allay! Wow, it’s so good to see you again!” Lukas beams at the arrival of his happiest little friend. The allay’s presence is like a bright ray of positive happy sunshine. It seems intrigued by Dewey’s puffed up self.

     Dewey’s ears flatten and he sulks down to the floor in an attempt to avoid the allay’s pursuit. Brought into the frozen woods, introduced to this scary Admin-creature, and now forced to stay stuck in this cave with this annoying bird? Dewey lays down with a grumble, resting his head on his paw and turning away from the group. This allay remains a pest in his space, floating around him and getting real close. Dewey squints every time it comes closer, giving the allay a warning with a growl and agitated thump of his tail when it comes too close.

     “Geez… He can be such a grump when he’s tired,” Lukas mutters, turning his attention back to the Admin now standing on the opposite side of the cave, looking very displeased.

     Worry instantly overcomes him, wondering what he’d done to make the Admin look so upset. That brooding glare and stern frown runs a chill down his spine. Lukas shuffles awkwardly where he stands, uncertain what to say or do— until it dawns on him.

     “Oh my gosh! That’s right!” Lukas pats himself down before he looks into his inventory, only to draw to a devastating realization. The gift he’d brought Admin isn’t in there. The entire purpose of coming out today. “Damnit!” Lukas swears, “it must have been left behind.” He groans and rubs his forehead as frustration and disappointment both sodden his mood. “Admin, I’m sorry, I had something I wanted to–” 

     Before he finishes, he drags his hands down his face and looks back at the Admin. He’s shocked, his hands moving to hover beside the sides of his head. The deity is facing him, holding out the very gift he’d brought for him, thankfully still unopened. Relief befalls Lukas into deflating with a sigh. “Oh thank the stars, you had it the whole time. You didn’t peek, did you?” Lukas asks the question with a stern inflection. 

     The Admin’s only response is to furrow his mangled brows, emphasizing his grumpy frown. Lukas isn’t sure what to make of that reaction. The author stands there with his finger tapping his chin, speculating. Does he not speak? He wonders.  

     “What? Don’t give me that look, you have magic powers! Can’t blame a guy for asking.” Lukas approaches the Admin now, ignoring the way the massive blue man stiffens up, his illuminated eyes flaring and his frown deepening even further. The human reaches for the envelope only, pulling it from its space beneath the yellow ribbon. “Here,” he says, offering the envelope out to him. “Read this first, then you can open the box.” 

     The deity scowls down at the human and makes no move to retrieve the letter from his little gloved hands. Lukas returns the Admin’s bad temper with an unamused deadpan. He gives the envelope a tempting wave. “Do you seriously see me as a threat? You know you could probably kill me in a matter of seconds, but I trust you won’t do that, so take it,” he boldly demands.

     The Admin growls openly this time, baring only just a flash of his sharp canines before snatching the envelope from Lukas’ hand. That… instantly made his stomach flop. He’s so… The action shouldn’t have intrigued him, but it does. Lukas backs off, startled by the aggressive response, yet that pink blush remains. Geez! You’d think he’d be a little nicer to someone giving him a gift, Lukas thinks to himself, giving his hand an awkward rub. 

     He watches the Admin use his powers to levitate the gift box over to his right while he focuses on the envelope. Lukas is entranced by the struggle he seems to have opening the letter with such big fingers. Surely he’s opened a letter before? Or at least seen an envelope? By the way Lukas watches him finally result in tearing at the paper, he imagines that may very well not be the case. 

     The shredded papers fall to the cave floor just as the most convenient wind sweeps through the entrance and pushes all of the shreddings into the fire. Lukas’ nervousness suddenly increases tenfold. He looks from the fire and back up at the Admin now. Despite knowing this is what he came all the way out here for, seeing Admin holding open the decorated card sends the most sickening twist in his gut. Quite possibly the worst he has ever felt in his life.

     This… might have been a very bad and very embarrassing idea. 

     Nervous anticipation keeps him in a silent chokehold as he patiently waits for him to finish reading. 

     The look on the deity’s face remains extremely displeased, but as his glowing irises move along with the words on the card, his shadowy blue features gradually soften. The author perks up just a bit, hope in his heart brightening the way his eyes gleam back at the woodsman. When Admin looks back at him, there’s an entirely new sweetness to his softened gaze. His glowing irises have grown like a kicked puppy searching for reason.

     “I uh… I mean that,” the blond’s cheeks are warm as he grabs his arm and glances away. “All of it. Ever since you saved me, I’ve been stuck in this endless loop of wondering how I could ever repay you. I doubt you’d want money, and just telling you thank you didn’t seem like enough.” He then looks back up at the deity with a sincere smile. “So I hope this will make it up to you…” 

     Our puppy-eyed Admin isn’t sure what to make of these developments. For now, he sticks the heartfelt card right into the safety of his inventory where it will most definitely be pulled from and re-read over and over again. Maybe the other half of his overshadowed heart was right to persuade him into saving this human. He may turn out to be much more than he made himself out to be– not that he hasn’t already, what with his frustrating insistence in coming back to his forest without an ounce of fear in those oceanic eyes of his. 

     Admin emits a silent sigh as he confronts the box once again. To receive a gift feels… strangely familiar. He’s actually quite certain he used to receive gifts in his heroic past, but it’s been so long, dark and difficult. His huge blue hand grasps at and pulls the strand of ribbon just as he faintly recalls doing many times. One diligent pull and it all consecutively unwinds. Again, the Admin pops the ribbon into his inventory for memories sake. Next comes the wrapping paper. Pinching the slip on the side and pulling, the familiar sound of paper tearing brings forth a cloud of memories, causing goosebumps to surface over his blue skin. 

     It’s all so cloudy… The memory appears in his mind like an endless blur, but he can hear laughter and gentle music. Colorful light strands and a big festive tree that he thinks he helped decorate. Squinting, he can recall a rather tall fellow with black hair having to lift him up to help put the star on top. Then he’s sitting with them, and he can see the foggy manifestation of a gift in front of him with his previous name, just waiting to be opened… That name… What was it again? 

     He hadn’t realized he’d stopped opening the gift. He’d frozen completely during his recollection of the seemingly timeless memory. 

     “Admin?” Lukas’ soft voice graces him. The human has moved closer, looking up at him worriedly. “Is everything okay? 

     Admin nods only once. He draws in a deep breath and huffs, resting his eyes back on the gift, returning to tearing the box from its wrapped confines. The wrapping paper falls, only to pop out of existence before it touches the floor of the cave. 

     Finally, he lifts the lid from this simple, flat box design. 

     Lukas holds his breath in anticipation as he watches the deity slowly lift the wrapped cookies first. They’re gingerbread cookies shaped and decorated into cute little mobs, fresh from the market, wrapped in a very thin, see-through fabric and closed off with a tiny red bow. 

     “They’re gingerbread. I’m not exactly sure what types of cookies you’re into, if at all, but they were too cute to resist, look–” the human reaches into his inventory and presents a cat-shaped cookie, decorated with white frosting to make it look like it has spots and a face that’s too cute to even entertain the idea of eating. “I got one too, but the longer I look at it, the more guilty I feel about eating it, so I’ve just been saving it.” 

     Lukas holds the cookie up for Admin to get a better look at. Tempting fate, the deity looks from the ocelot cookie and down into the baggie he opened while Lukas spoke. He plucks the most appealing cookie out and presents it right beside the ocelot one. It’s shaped like a pig, with floppy ears and a little snout. Lukas boops the ocelot against the pig cookie once and grins.  

     Admin cannot resist the soft smile tugging at his lips. 

     “Aren’t they fun? Fresh from the market, Admin. I hope you like them,” the blond scout says and points back at the box. “There’s more waiting for you.” 

     Admin feels like he’s dreaming. Or perhaps, he has once again paused on one of his normal routes during a patrol, where his consciousness has ventured off to a new, unfamiliar territory. Playing into the idea that this new face in his life might truly be kind and honest with no harmful intentions, or as the card given to him had stated: “Hopeful to become good friends.”  

     While he is grateful, he has no plans on being swayed by the author. Lukas is not just a cute face to admire. He shows signs of strong intellectual courage, something Admin knows better than to underestimate. 

     The Admin huffs through his stubby blue nose when he realizes Lukas is staring. The smile he flashed had not gone unnoticed, in fact, those blue eyes of his seem to shine even brighter up at him. 

     Lukas is extremely pleased with this outcome. He made the Admin smile, even if it was teeny tiny, and for just a split second, he still made it happen.  

     Admin returns to sifting through the box, only to pause when the frilly tissues he pushes to the side reveal the contents of what’s inside. 

     He watches the Admin hold the items up. It’s a pair of dark leather brown gloves that look to be made specifically for gardening. “Since you live in the forest, I figured your hands would be getting dirty a lot, I know mine do, so I got these, and uh–” Lukas takes in the gloves the Admin currently wears, seeing just how badly damaged they look. He huffs out a little laugh, “from the looks of it, I didn’t do half bad.” Or so he thinks until he takes a moment to study the size difference between the gloves Admin wears, with the ones he’s holding. “Oh geez… Please don’t tell me they’re too small.” 

     They are, but that’s hardly an issue for him. The Admin pops his current gloves out of existence and replaces them with the new ones. With this unexpected gift on his hands, Admin relinquishes the box to his side, allowing his powers to hold onto it while he focuses on his new accessories. 

     He holds his hands up, taking in the professionally sewn, thick leather fabric. Whoever crafted these must be very passionate about their work. Clenching his fists, he gives the gloves a feel. He did end up re-sizing them with his powers to fit around his hands, but Lukas doesn’t need to know that. It’s also strange to wear gloves that are fully intact, unlike his previous fingerless pair. Regardless, he’s satisfied and finishes his inspection with a gracious thumbs up. 

     “Awesome!” Lukas beams at the perfect fit. “That’s a huge relief. I’ll admit, I was pretty worried, but I have no doubts the last item will fit you.” 

     The next and last item Admin pulls out is a long, light blue scarf. The deity pauses his action of withdrawing it from its box to take in the knitted pattern at the end. It’s lined with zigzagging lines, then next is simplistic pine trees with few details. Above that is snowflakes and then once again the zigzag lines. The material is made of cotton, making it incredibly soft and warm to the touch. 

     “Here,” Lukas says, closing the distance. Admin stiffens instantly, watching the little human step into his space unwelcomed. While he makes no move to push Lukas away, he does bare his teeth and emit a low warning growl. “Oh quit your growling,” the blond scolds, making the deity clamp his scarred lips shut. Lukas silences him further by taking the scarf from his hands. 

     Admin’s glowing irises shine brighter when he’s taken by surprise. Lukas tosses the scarf over his neck and grabs both ends, giving it a light tug. If he weren’t so stone-stiff and stubborn, he’d possibly dare to step just the slightest bit closer to his little gift giver. Lukas truly is a man of the unexpected. Admin straightens up, giving his head a defiant turn as Lukas continues to tie the scarf around his neck.

      Finally his little visitor backs off, and with that same infuriating smile that makes his frozen heart flutter. The Admin continues to hold his grimace, even as he looks down at the newly acquired garment around his neck. His shawl disrupts his ability to appreciate the scarf fully, so he uses his powers to relinquish himself of his pelt. Without the pelt or his armor, he feels strange, if not more vulnerable. 

      The scarf is incredibly warm against his icy skin. The material is still so new and soft, there’s absolutely no loose threads to make him itch or feel the need to adjust himself. It’s just… nice. As are the gloves on his hands, which he now lifts up to take in once more alongside the forest-themed scarf. With the sweet scent of gingerbread cookies still lingering in the air, the Admin is forced to face the gifts as what they are. 

     Gifts. Just gifts. There’s no tricks. No weapons. No intentions to attack. 

     Admin breathes in a hefty intake of air before sighing it all out through his nose. Lukas watches the tension seem to ease out of the taller man standing in front of him. While the agitation of Lukas’ closeness gradually faded from his freckled blue features, there still remains this overshadow of exhaustion weighing him down. But, on the bright side, he does appear to have relaxed quite a bit. 

     Lukas remains silent for some time, taking the chance to let him and Admin both adjust to this new feeling. Lukas takes the opportunity to look over the Admin’s new appearance, finding the scarf to have softened the Admin’s more eerie, dark appearance. Here, in this cave, surrounded by the warm light of the fire, Lukas can really see everything there is to this guy. He’s so big… And handsomely pudgy. This flannel button-up of his really… Uhh… Accentuates his chest, quite nicely, so Lukas thinks. 

     The human blushes dumbly, while the deity himself simply loses his thoughts trying to wrap his head around the fact that this human came here, to his forest, to give him a gift. Is Lukas truly this clueless of who he is? Of what he is, and what he is capable of? 

     “You look very handsome, Admin.” 

     ??? 

     The Admin looks back to Lukas incredulously. The human’s face has turned completely pink–! And that coy smile of his… The deity looks him up and down as if he were waiting for there to be some witty punchline, but nothing comes of it. Instead he watches Lukas seemingly shy away by turning his head and changing the topic to his slumbering ocelot and that annoying little bug resting next to him. 

     “I think Dewey might be trying his best to ignore your allay,” he observes. When Lukas turns back to face him, that redness in his cheeks still remains. Admin glances behind the author, looking at Dewey and the allay both, seeing how the ocelot has his back facing his owner and the fire, with the allay resting right behind him. Thank the stars it finally grew tired, the damned thing was trailing him all morning, chirping endlessly about its new human friend. 

     “So uhh… Yeah!” Lukas lifts his arms in a low-effort shrug. “I just… I don’t know,” he trails off, grabbing hold of his arm and staring towards the fire. “It’s the season of gift giving, and I felt that if anyone deserved a gift, it’s you.” The Admin’s eyes widened. “I mean, you saved my life, and all those townsfolk are so…” Lukas’ brows furrow into a scowl, glaring at the lapping flames. “I hate how they talk about you. It makes my damn blood boil. Seriously, the people back in BeaconTown are infuriating, but… I don’t know,” he sighs, his gentle smile returning. “You’re clearly different than most people, and I really like that about you.” 

     A cosmic flash of white engulfs him–! 

     Lukas is suddenly out in the middle of a vast, snowy field. Completely bewildered by the sudden change of scenery, his jaw drops as he stares out towards the distant shadowy treeline. “Wha–!? Huh!?” he gasps, warm clouds of air escaping him as he turns, taking in the snowy field from all angles. “Ah–!” Only until he turns around and finds himself nearly face-to-chest with the Admin! Lukas stumbles backwards and falls, landing on his rear into the fluffy blanket of snow. He grumbles with a low groan, rubbing his forehead to hide his embarrassment. “Warn a guy next time! Geez!” 

     When he looks up at the Admin, there’s no response, because of course there isn’t. Lukas plants his hands into the snow with another low grumble and hauls himself up, then pats the icy particles off on his knees. “So what’d you bring me out here for?” he asks, straightening up to once again survey his surroundings. “You’re not going to leave me out here to get hunted down by Strays are you?” 

     Pomf!

     Lukas is struck by a ball of snow, causing the blond to startle and do a complete one-eighty. Looking like a puffed up cat, Lukas glares back at the Admin who casually looks elsewhere. “What was that for!?” the human snaps. Pomf! Another strike from behind–! Lukas spins around and looks left and right, but there’s nothing but the stretch of snow and darkness! Pomf! Another snowball makes contact, blasting Lukas directly in the back of the head this time. This time he bristles and turns back on the Admin. “What! I give you presents and this is how you repay me? Hurtling snowballs at me?”

     The Admin lifts his hands in a shrug, shaking his head. 

     “Oh, you don’t know? Yeah well—” Lukas leans down and stuffs his hands into the snow, packing an icy snowball together with haste. When he stands up straight to focus his aim on Admin, he’s dumbfounded to see the deity is no longer standing there. “Wha–” 

     FOOM!

     A massive heap of snow comes crashing down on top of the unsuspecting author. The human lands face-first into the snow, laying motionless beneath the snow pile. Admin comes walking into view with a smug look on his face. He stops just beside the defeated blond, watching with great amusement as Lukas slowly lifts his head, willing the snow settled atop his head to fall off to the sides.

     “Okay… You win,” he mutters in winded exasperation. Something familiar comes into view, something that Lukas immediately recognizes as one of his journals. It’s opened, with words on its page reading: ‘That is for being stupid and risking your life to come find me tonight.’ Lukas’ blond brows lift, surprised to see such a forward form of communication from the Admin. 

     So he doesn’t talk after all…

     The glowing words are not written by hand, instead magically formatted to appear like a published book. Curious, Lukas glances up, looking towards the Admin. He’s just now realized the man had crouched down beside him, holding the book for him to read. 

     A faint light shines from the book and Lukas brings his attention back to it as the words erase themselves, only to re-appear with an entirely new sentence. This time he reads: ‘And this is for sharing your kindness with me.’ 

     The book disappears from the Admin’s hand, placed back into Lukas’ inventory. His newly gloved hand dips into the snow, grabbing hold of Lukas’ arm before gently easing him up and out of the pile. Lukas comes to a wobbly stand, grimacing at the cold coating his shoulders and lower back. The only thing that distracts him from trembling is the small sapling that is handed off to him by the Admin himself. Lukas pauses, his face scrunched up with cold and confusion. He looks up to the deity’s illuminated irises, searching his dark sclera for answers, only to continuously be met with stoic silence from the Admin. 

     “What’s this? For me?” Lukas questions, holding out his shaking hands to accept the strange offering. If he weren’t burdened by the freezing cold, he’d be able to share with Admin the true form of his excitement upon receiving a sapling from the forest deity himself. Viewing the sapling through nature’s powdery flurry, he instantly recognizes it to be a sitka spruce tree. The largest of its species. “Whoa! A sitka spruce,” the ecologist stares in awe, observing the way the tiny branches seem to have this elegant blue shimmer to their pine needles. “W-wow,” he says mid tremble, “it’s beautiful. Where should we plant it?”

     Admin tilts his head to the side with a puzzled look. He wasn’t expecting Lukas to want to plant the tree here in his woods; not when he could take the opportunity to bring it with him on his journey. 

     “What? Do you really expect me to just take this amazing specimen out of its natural habitat? No way,” Lukas shakes his head, “not when it would live its best life here in your forest.” The Admin remains still as Lukas turns away and begins walking out further into the meadow. Instead, he continues to silently watch the way the human moves confidently through the snow, despite having an abundance of the icy flakes stuck to his backside.

     “You know, I’ve never decorated a solstice tree before. I’ve been to tons of different towns celebrating the start of winter, where they’ll decorate the trees and share gifts amongst each other after a successful year. It’s something considered pretty magical,” Lukas stops and looks back at the Admin, “well, in a way. It’s nothing like your type of magic. It’s more like a feeling, I think.” 

     Lukas takes his time to survey the area before picking up his feet once more. Trudging through the snow becomes easy once he’s determined, especially now that he sees a great spot to plant this little spruce. The snow has lightened up just enough for him to get a better view of his surroundings, and from the looks of it, he’s placed himself practically right in the middle of this meadow. The treeline looks to be of the same distance away from all angles. 

     As he kneels down and begins shoveling snow to the side, he can hear the heavy steps of the Admin approaching him from behind. The snow crunches so much louder under his massive weight, Lukas has to wonder how he’s so good at evading his detection all of the other time he spends in these woods. 

     “You know, planting a tree or two out in the meadow is a great way to keep birds and other small critters protected from predators.” With his sapling resting in the snow off to the side, Lukas begins digging with his hands into the frozen earth. “The birds will have so much space to fly and snack on bugs come spring and summer, and rodents will eat any of the pinecones that fall to the ground.” Lukas huffs, panting softly as he comes to a stopping point and turns to look up at Admin. “And both can work together to disperse the seeds to help more trees grow.” 

      The Admin has no clue where this lecture came from, but it is interesting to hear Lukas’ thought process regardless. 

      With a narrow hole dug nearly half a block deep, Lukas carefully places the tiny sapling into its new home for hundreds of years to come. He uses his palms to push all the dirt back into the hole, surrounding the tree’s roots, but as snow endlessly falls, our devoted ecologist cannot help but begin to worry. 

      “I hope the snow doesn’t pile over top of it. I hate the idea of it dying so young.” Lukas glances back at the Admin, a clear depiction of worry on his face. “You think it will be okay out here? This wasn’t a bad idea, was it?” 

     The Admin looks from Lukas, down to the tiny sapling. The snow has been relentless tonight and will continue to be for the next week so long as the deity chooses not to interfere with his omnipotent powers. While Lukas is right to fear for the sapling’s safety in such freezing conditions, there is no world where he would ever see to it that the sapling perishes without his divine intervention. 

     The Admin approaches Lukas and the planted sapling with a determined look on his dark blue features. He uses his powers to lift the human up from his place on the ground. The sound of surprise that comes out of the man is amusing, but not enough to take his attention off his current task. 

     With Lukas placed down and now standing directly beside him, he ignores the bewildered look given to him by the author as he fixates all of his power embedded within him onto the sapling. He closes his eyes and allows the energy coursing through the forest’s roots to flow inward on their location, focusing all of that power onto the tiny sapling itself. The sapling’s shimmering branches glow brighter, charged by the raw energy flowing from the earth and into its roots. 

     Lukas is amazed, watching what was once a tiny sapling grow into a perfectly healthy spruce. Once it’s stopped its growth, the glowing essence of life dims and the tree is then returned to normal. The human’s mouth hangs open in awe, staring at the picture-perfect holiday tree. It’s gained the size that would have taken many years for it to achieve in a matter of seconds! Already snow is piling onto its branches. 

     “Wow! You just— wow!” Lukas gestures towards the tree, then at Admin who stands next to and stares back at him with a neutral expression. “You just did that! Like it was nothing!” The human completely turns his attention to the deity, stepping close enough to grab hold of the woodsman’s sleeve. The Admin tenses. “You’re amazing! Those powers of yours are seriously the most incredible things I’ve ever witnessed! Gosh, wow, the tree will have no trouble surviving this or any winter now!” 

     Admin had no idea how rewarding such a simple task would make him feel, just by this kind human’s overwhelmingly positive reaction alone. The deity smiles softly with a huff, his soft gaze resting on Lukas as the ecologist approaches the tree now to do what seems to be some more of his investigative work. 

     Lukas is rounding the tree as he speaks. “Check this out,” he reaches into his inventory and plucks out a bundle, pulling from the small bag what looks to be an orange glowing orb. “I have glowberries. I was saving them for the allay, but–” Lukas attaches one of the berries to the tree. It’s like a little ornament illuminating a warm glow. The more Lukas attach to the tree, the more Admin begins to see the vision Lukas has in his head. It looks like a holiday tree… 

     “Would you look at that,” Lukas stands back to appreciate his work, “it's practically glowing!” He glances over to the watchful deity with a fond smile. “It’ll make such an amazing impact on so many woodland creatures’ lives. Thank you, Admin.” 

     For someone who hasn’t smiled in so long, Admin finds it incredibly hard to stop. Lukas is adorable, since the moment he plopped down into the snow to shovel away the dirt, to this very moment, wearing his fuzzy earmuffs and with that pretty blond hair. That smile of his has proven to be contagious, even to someone who found himself incapable of producing a smile for well over a decade. 

     Lukas sighs out a breath of air, walking his way over back to Admin to then turn so he may admire the tree beside him. The snow flurries have gradually softened, making it much easier to see the sitka spruce in all of its pine-scented glory. Lukas draws in a breath and sighs again, turning his head to look up at Admin. 

     “I wish every day could be like this,” Lukas says, surprising the deity. The Admin’s expression strengthens with confusion, turning his head to peer down at the blond human. Lukas sees the puzzlement and huffs out a soft laugh. “What I mean is… Spending my time out here in the forest instead of being stuck back in BeaconTown. Having to go back and forth, you know? It gets tiring. I always feel so much better away from people, being with nature. But–” Lukas glances away, that pink blush returning to dust across his cheeks. The Admin’s eyes widened, unable to take his attention off it. 

     “You’re the first person I feel comfortable to be myself around. Even if it’s you trailing me in the woods all day, I don’t feel like you’re judging me or anything like that. It’s… nice. I just wish I could feel like this every day.” The silence between them extends well beyond Lukas’ comfort, making the man feel awkward and bothersome. 

     “That’s not weird, is it?” he must ask. When Admin hurriedly shakes his head, Lukas feels a wave of relief wash over him. “Okay, good.” Lukas looks towards the tree once more, continuing to talk freely. “I know it must sound strange, but,” he looks up, watching the snow descend from the dark sky, “I can’t help but feel like this is where I’m supposed to be. Not once did I ever feel scared of you the way the people in town warned me I should. Instead, I’ve just felt–” Admin holds his breath, watching the snow fall delicately atop Lukas’ uptilted features, “like all you needed was a friend, the same way I did.” 

     Lukas looks back at Admin now, uncertain of the emotion depicted on the deity’s overshadowed face. Is that fear– or something else? 

     There’s so many strange thoughts and feelings coursing through him. Lukas isn’t sure where all this is coming from, or what part of him is conjuring up the confidence to confess it. Looking back at Admin feels so deeply nostalgic in a way that both warms his heart and fills him with immense sadness. The person he sees when he looks at Admin makes unexpected tears well up in his eyes and his throat tightens with emotion. 

     Lukas doesn’t think, nor does he stop himself from moving in closer and wrapping his arms around the Admin’s pudgy waist. Even as the deity elevates his arms like he’d just been caught committing a crime, Lukas stays close, holding onto his warmth. He can feel the Admin’s heart pounding faster and faster right underneath where his cheek smooshes against his chest. The feeling of Admin’s arms dropping back down and wrapping around his own slender frame makes his heart warm to the point it could melt all the snow around them.  

     Lukas nuzzles his cheek against him, his nose just slightly brushing against that soft new scarf of his. It’s funny… Admin’s presence has always been cold; from the feeling of being watched stirring goosebumps across his skin, to the invisible field of icy energy exerting from his physical form. Right now though? He feels so wonderfully warm. Like sitting next to a fireplace, bundled up in a blanket with a cup of hot cocoa. Lukas draws in his scent, feeling deeply comforted by the woodsy aroma attached to him. 

     The two of them stay like this for some time, to the point snowflakes are piling atop their heads and shoulders… When Admin pulls away, he does so with the journal in hand, its open pages facing Lukas. A new question arrives. 

     ‘You truly wish to be my friend?’ 

     The answer lies within the smile that appears on Lukas’ gentle features. “Of course,” he says, “I would like that more than anything.” 

      Admin’s eyes soften with an unspoken sadness, a brief shine glossing over his affectionate gaze as he stares down at his friend. The words disappear again, only to reappear once more. 

     ‘I would like that… I would like that very much.’ 

     “Really?” Lukas’ voice is quiet, smooth as silk and full of hope. 

     Admin nods once and flicks his attention down towards the journal in hand. 

     ‘You can stay here in the forest… I can build you a home. A shelter to keep you dry when it rains, and warm when it snows. You can tend to your studies, and I will continue to protect you for as long as you wish to stay.’ 

     The deity then closes the book. Lukas doesn’t answer verbally. He doesn’t need to. The truly joyous smile on the little human’s face is all he could ever ask for. Admin huffs softly, smiling warmly back at his guest. He applies his hand gingerly to the author’s backside, finding solace in the natural warmth Lukas emits. The two continue to gaze at one another for a few seconds longer before turning their attention back to the evergreen. 

     The both of them have something new to look forward to this new year.