Holiday Special: Santa Claws? (Pt. 2)

Ber’s face paled with terror.

“Eighty-five accounts of property damage. One hundred and seventy-three accounts of apparel vandalism. Fifty-two accounts of assault involving the destruction of clothing, which leads to another forty-nine accounts of scarred dignity…”

Someone tapped a stack of paper from somewhere within the room.

“Ber. Nav.”

Frost’s voice came from behind a towering armchair. The black leather absorbed all light, and it seemed to dim the office where the duo stood. This office belonged to Frost and was located in Time Reverberation’s Headquarters on the Floor of the Head.

Rarely did Frost come here, since most of her work was delegated onto the Exalted and Time Reverberation. Unless it was a major incident or a request requiring her explicit approval, then Frost had no reason to be here.

“Present, Frost.”

“Yes…”

After acknowledging Frost, the chair swiveled. Because of its enormous size, their eyes were focused on the top of the chair, where they expected to meet Frost’s eyes. However, the illusion of Frost’s overbearing presence disappeared when a hand slammed the desk, bringing their eyes down.

“Mind explaining to me why there is an allocation of our Nex budget on operation ‘Santa Claws’?”

Whenever the Moons were deployed, even for an insignificant reason, it had to be labeled as a mission or, rarely, an operation.

Ber glanced at Nav, her eyes screaming: “Don’t say a word.”

Nav’s eyes closed and she nodded imperceptibly. Relief flooded Ber’s heart, and she let out a soft sigh.

Then–

“It was Ber’s idea.”

–She folded under zero pressure.

“N-Nav–!”

“Ber, do you have any idea how damaging this is to the Head? You’re lucky no one knows who the perpetrators are. Anyone who saw received a heavy dose of Serum A: Amnestic. What was the plan here?”

“Can I speak from my perspective on this matter–?”

Frost merely contracted the muscles in her hands, and a crater formed into the marble table.

“You will not. We have two types of offenses in the Nexus’ Code of Conduct. I believe you remember them well.”

“… Mens Rea and Actus Reus.”

“Intention, and the action.” Frost translated them. “Regardless of your intention, even as a Moon, there is no justification for what transpired last night. Moreover, to have fifty Aspiring Moons detached from their duty to travel into three hundred different houses dressed up in green…”

“With red noses.” Nav added, as though this was an important detail.

“On sleds on the colder regions…”

“Santa, from your world.”

“Santa doesn’t exist in my world.”

Ber’s mouth gaped into a giant ‘O’ shape.

“Haaaaaah. I’m guessing you used Operation Santa Claws as a way to distribute Quality VI Cloth? On the surface, it’s not a bad call. We should offer materials and gifts to our allies, but not at a frequency where they become over reliant on us, because suddenly taking it away will cause them to become hostile.”

Frost explained, her voice became incrementally damning. Frost’s presence was small, but Ber sensed her filling the entire seat. Dread choked her as she bit her tongue to stop herself from speaking, as if she would be struck down.

“There would not have been a difference if we sent it normally verses dropping it down their chimneys. How many chimneys were destroyed tonight?”

“Many.” Nav nodded along.

“How many were caused by Aspiring Moons becoming stuck along the chute?”

“80%.”

“How many children had to be given a small dose of Serum A to forget they ever saw a green monster crawling out of their chimneys?”

“Hora Therapeutics will provide therapy.”

“And why did you believe it was a good idea to plant the order of ‘shred any ugly apparel you come across’?”

“I believe this is for you to answer Ber.” Nav spoke incredulously.

She turned on her swivel chair to face Ber, as if she wasn’t part of the problem.

Trapped. Ber had no where to run, and nowhere to hide. Scrutiny sealed her fate. But if this was Frost, then, wasn’t there a chance that she’d be able to weasel her way out? Frost was lenient on her pseudo children. Why would it be different for Ber?

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With this mindset, she cleared her throat and began her case.

“Do you want my honest answer?”

“Please.”

“Let’s overlook the violations for a second. Ignore that they happened. Alright, they’re off over there. Pwoof. Done. I’m the Black Swan Frost. How do you think I feel when I see people incapable of bringing out their inner beauty? When you look at an Impuritas, what do you feel?”

“… Haaah.”

“Exactly! It’s the same logic. Hah.” Ber folded her arms triumphantly as Frost squeezed the bridge of her nose. “Christmas. Holidays. I gave them presents. I did a good thing. Sure, there were a few unaccounted minor mishaps.”

“Violations.” Nav corrected.

“I wouldn’t call it a violation as much as it is an oversight. Accidents happen, right Frost? We’re just Demi-Humans at the end of the day.”

“A top three Moon of the Nexus.” Nav added.

“As I was saying, could you really blame me for an incident that wasn’t in my control? Risk factors and the like. Hazards. Ecetera ecetera.”

“Ber.”

Frost slowly rose to her feet. Then, she walked around the table, gliding a hand along its surface. Every step was an eternity, contrasting the fluttering of Ber’s heart.

“You really do surprise me.”

Ber’s ears perked up, and her tail began to pat the ground.

“I knew you’d understand. Instability and all that. I always give you my one hundred percent. Don’t worry about the cleanup.”

“We won’t have to. It’s already been classified as a Corrupted incident by ImpulseWorks. Santa Claws.”

“You thought ahead. Hah. As expected of you, Frost.” Ber nodded to herself as Nav slowly rolled back.

A hand landed on Ber’s shoulder.

“I guess I’ll get going now.”

She tried to move, but Frost’s hand did not budge.

“H-Hey, Frost? Hah? You’re uh: Ack: Squeezing!”

“Understand? One hundred percent? No Ber. You surprise me to how shit of a liar you are.” Frost’s feathers had not rustled once throughout their meeting.

Slowly, Frost loomed into Ber’s face, drilling her eyes into her soul.

“Nav. You may leave.”

“… Ah. So this is fear. My condolences Ber.”

“W-Wait, hold on: ouch: ouch: that’s premium linen:!”

“You know what’s funny, it’s always Cer who gets the short end of the stick. The wire brush. A bad scrub. But you’re the biggest troublemaker right after her. Hey, Ber…”

The chair cracked beneath Ber as Frost’s presence pushed down on her like a hydraulic press. Anymore, and her chest would split open.

“Y-Yes Frost?”

“It’s your turn for a scrubbing. No one’s ever disciplined you before, huh? It’s always been fun and games. But you’re not a child anymore. Ber. This is a big fuck up.”

… Suffice to say, Ber was reminded of her blessed position as being one of the closest people to Frost. Because were it anyone else…

It was better to leave it at that.

* * *

“So… What did Frost do to you?”

“She cut an outfit per person I messed with *Sniffle*.”

“… That’s it…?”

“Hah…?”

“Ah, I mean… She’s ruthless.”

Perla and Ber travelled along the vibrant plains of the Chlam Empire. The pale castle hovered in the backdrop, just across a valley of silver flowers. Ber would randomly visit the Chlam Empire on a whim, thanks to the installation of the Hyperlink Relay Site. She never had a reason, but would always, at some point, ask Perla for her time.

At first Perla thought they were orders. Then, she wondered if she was being investigated. Later, she believed Ber wanted something from her. But nowadays, she believed Ber was…

… She didn’t know.

But it was not unpleasant.

In fact, the highlight of Perla’s week was whenever she heard a knocking at her window. Then, without fail, she’d be swept into the arms of Ber and they would soar across the skies of the Chlam Empire before landing in these meadows.

Ber was not always vocal. Neither was Perla. They both remembered how awkward it was at first. Gradually, that awkwardness thawed into comfort.

Perla brushed her hand along her hair, revealing a matching onyx hairclip.

“I got your present. You didn’t have to send a Moon to deliver it.”

“I thought it’d be ‘santa-like’ to have someone else deliver it.”

“Hmm. Would you like it if I asked one of my Crystal Paladins to give you a gift on my behalf?”

“… No.” Ber’s tail drooped as the duo found a place to sit. “I’ll hand it to you personally next time. Sorry.”

“Ah…”

“Surprised that a Moon can apologize?”

“Sorry, not used to it still…”

“… When are you going to get used to it?” Ber spoke softly, almost in a whimper.

She disliked that her position defined her to Perla. She had pride in being a Moon, never mind the fabled Claw of the Head. But Ber wasn’t here for business. However, it was never that simple. It didn’t change that she was a Moon, and it did not change that Perla was a Princess of an Empire.

Merely commuting together would cause people to draw immediate conclusions. Rumors spread fast in Elysia. One wrong move, and it would appear as if the Nexus was pressuring Perla, or that she was being over-reliant on them, which would cause her to appear weak.

This was why they preferred to meet alone, under the stars, the moon, and surrounded by the scent of flowers…

… and the warmth of another.

“Oh, Ber.” Perla hovered a hand over Ber’s cheek. She hesitated, not wanting to touch Ber, since she didn’t know if she was comfortable with it.

There was a slight bruise on her cheek.

“Did Frost hit you?”

“We fought, yeah. It’s normal for us to hit each other hard. Mountains tend to break. But she’s not the kind to take it too far. Ah, you mean this bruise? I got it from running into a wall. I was trying to get here as fast as possible. I didn’t want to head here too late.”

“You can always me up.”

“You have a lot on your shoulders, so I’d rather I didn’t disturb you… Is that gift ok?”

“The hairclip? It’s beautiful. We match, don’t we?” Perla tapped her hairclip.

Ber softly smiled and brought a hand to brush her own. The whole idea of Santa, Christmas, and giving gifts came from Frost. She fondly remembered the first gift Frost had ever given her.

It was this hairclip, long, long ago before Frost knew what the Derma Layer was. Back when their goal was to bring back to the Nexus.

… We’ve come so far. So much has changed. And so little as well…

“Um… Ber?”

“Ah?”

Ber didn’t realize it, but she was playing with Perla’s hairclip. She snapped her hand back, but before she could completely retract it, a sudden urge pushed her to recommit.

“Does it bother you?”

“Not at all. Just… Do friends do this?”

“I’m not sure. I never had many friends.” Ber admitted.

Perla giggled, burring her head in her knees as she peeked at Ber through her golden locks.

“Neither. We get so stuck on titles, positions… I had to constantly fight for my life. Never had the opportunity to make a friend.”

“Me too… Hey, Perla. Can I tell you a story?”

Ber collapsed onto a bed of flowers. Perla followed, and the two shared the scenery of the night sky.

“What kind?”

Ber felt Perla inch closer, causing her heart to beat in a painful, yet pleasant manner. She wished she knew what it was, and it frustrated her that Nav wasn’t willing to tell her what was wrong.

But if Nav refused, then perhaps it was something she needed to figure out herself.

“It’s a story about a girl who lived in a lake.”

“I’d love to hear it. When you’re done, I’d like for you to hear about the story of the girl who lived her life as a swordswoman… After that, could you tell me more about this Santa Claws person?”

“I was warned to not spread it.”

Perla wore a look of understanding.

“But only if you promise me that you won’t tell a soul.”

Perla rolled closer, her head resting just on the tip of Ber’s arm.

“Deal.”