Drabble: Happy Creatormas

[hrhrionastar]

Last advent drabble--they only go up to Christmas Eve :)

Title: Happy Creatormas
Characters: Richard, Kahlan, Cara, Zedd
Rating: PG-13
Length: 1105
Spoilers: through Resurrection
Summary: Richard, Kahlan, Cara, and Zedd exchange Creatormas gifts. Fluffy :)

 

Happy Creatormas

“It’s not much,” Richard was saying softly.

“No, I love it,” Kahlan replied, cradling the whetstone in her cupped hands.

It was obvious to the most casual observer, Cara thought in irritation, that Kahlan meant, I love you, therefore I don’t care what you get me for Creatormas.

In fact, Kahlan went on to say, “Besides, you’ve already given me the greatest gift of all.”

Richard kissed her. Then Kahlan clung to his arm, slipping the whetstone into a pocket. “Oh Richard, I thought I might never see you again! When Denna—“

“Hush,” Richard said. “We’ll find her and get the Compass back. Don’t worry, Kahlan—especially not today.”

“Happy Creatormas, everyone!” the Wizard bellowed, stretching. He bounded up to Cara and grabbed her hair—

It was a sign of how soft traveling with them had made her that Cara asked, “What do you think you’re doing, Wizard?” before she threw him on the ground with her agiel to his throat.

She contented herself with leaping backward, tossing her hair, and glaring at him.

“No doubt the Mord’Sith don’t celebrate Creatormas, but some of us find it pleasant to exchange gifts for the anniversary of the birth of the first people,” the Wizard said condescendingly.

Cara rolled her eyes. “Wrong again, Wizard. Here.” And she pulled from her pack a glistening blueleaf fruit. “It’s too early for persimmons,” Cara said, not apologetically. Absolutely not. If she happened to have remembered the Wizard’s favorite fruit was persimmon, that had nothing to do with his Creatormas gift.

“I adore blueleaf fruit—they’re even rarer than persimmons,” said the Wizard, snatching the fruit from her hands and biting into it. “Where did you find this?” he asked, with his mouth full.

Cara smirked. “I have my ways.”

“Cara,” said Richard softly, “Happy Creatormas.” And he folded her gloved fingers over a shining gold bracelet.

Cara’s first thought was that this was much too pretty for Richard to give her instead of Kahlan—her second, that jewelry was completely impractical—her third, that the bracelet resembled nothing so much as part of a set of gleaming chains.

This filled her head with images she doubted Richard intended (more was the pity), and she couldn’t speak.

Richard, smiling at her, seemed to think her silence eloquent enough.

At his side, Kahlan smiled too, pressing a small glass jar of some pale liquid into Cara’s other hand. “Ointment for your leathers,” Kahlan explained. “To keep them supple.”

“We can share it,” Cara said, and answered Kahlan’s questioning look by rummaging in her pack. She held the leather dress up by its shoulders, against her own body (it was too long for her) so Kahlan could see it.

“Oh, Cara,” Kahlan gasped. “It’s beautiful. Did you get this for me?” Her fingers brushed the skirt of the dress.

“Try it on,” Cara suggested. “I gave the merchant your measurements, but he might have miscalculated.”

Kahlan gathered the dress in her arms and smiled at Cara. “I’m sure no merchant would dare deviate from your specifications.” Kahlan glanced at Richard, as though she were thinking about asking for his help getting dressed…then she sighed.

“Lace me?” Kahlan asked Cara, deliberately looking away from Richard.

The dress fit Kahlan perfectly. Cara allowed herself a few seconds of pure sartorial enjoyment, running her fingers over the leather, the way Kahlan’s hair matched it so well—not to mention, on a less pure note, the seductive flashes of leg afforded by the slit skirt…

“Thank you,” Kahlan whispered, turning and hugging Cara. Her hair smelled like soap and flowers (the kind that didn’t make Cara sneeze).

When they returned, Richard and Zedd had exchanged their gifts. “Oh, Zedd, I have some maple candy for you,” Kahlan exclaimed, into the stunned silence.

Zedd recovered first, giving Kahlan a jeweled hairbrush. “Not that you need further stylistic assistance,” he said, eyes crinkling at the corners. “Thank you, dear one.” He took the maple candy, smiling at Kahlan.

“You look beautiful,” Richard said sincerely. “As always.” He pulled Kahlan into his arms, and they kissed. “Happy Creatormas,” Richard whispered.

Cara watched, but was distracted when Zedd pressed a folded piece of cloth into her hands. “I tried to put it on before,” Zedd said wryly. “Has anyone ever told you you’re a little skittish?”

Cara glared at him, but she unfolded the cloth carefully. It was very pretty—little pink flowers on a pale green background. And all at once, Cara understood—it was a hair band.

Her father had once given her a hair band—it had also been pink, but it had little fish instead of flowers. Cara swallowed, trying to get rid of the sudden lump in her throat.

“Thank you,” she managed to get out. She didn’t put it in her hair, though—that way lay too many memories. Besides, she was getting used to this fighting with loose hair flying everywhere thing. It added variation to particularly dull baneling attacks, because she never knew when her hair would fly into her eyes and she’d have to fight blind.

Instead, she pulled off her gloves and tied the band around her wrist. The golden bracelet from Richard went around her other wrist. Now she was truly bound to them, she thought, with a wry smile.

Wordlessly, Zedd put a hand on Cara’s shoulder. “Happy Creatormas, Wizard,” she said quietly.

“And to you, Cara.”

With a little mental shake, Cara pulled her gloves back on over her presents and picked up one last gift. “Richard,” she said.

Richard and Kahlan pulled reluctantly apart, and Cara handed Richard the leather-bound book. He flipped it open, turning the soft, blank pages over.

“It’s a journeybook,” Cara explained. “I have the other. In case we ever get separated and you need—you get yourself in trouble…” Nothing, Cara thought, could be likelier. “Or, if you wanted to use it for your private thoughts,” fantasies of Kahlan? “Just use ink instead of blood, and no one else will be able to read it.”

“Cara,” Richard said. “Thank you.” And he hugged her, too.

It was quite pleasant, but when Richard pulled away, Cara said drily, “Everyone wants a hug today. All this sentimentality over one holiday.”

“Of course,” Kahlan said, grinning sunnily now. “Today’s Creatormas!”

Cara decided there might be something in that. “Happy Creatormas,” she said, for once not letting herself think of all they had to do—finding the Stone of Tears, helping all the innocent villagers and helpless farm animals Richard ran across on the way…

That could wait. Today was a holy day.