“Eek!” Milo giggles, jerking to the side a little, afraid that Jia was about to tickle him senseless. But the sage was merciful today– and kind as well, as she has gifts for him!

Milo’s smile adopts a tone of sincerity as he faces Jia. “You got me gifts? You’re too sweet…” he murmurs, hugging the boxes to his chest. Fortunately, he had a gift for her too, and he can only hope it lives up to what she got for him…

Milo’s train of thought derails as soon as Jia boops his nose, the priest smiling a bit at her. What a kind woman– Milo was feeling so lonely before he saw her today… It was one of the rare times he dearly missed his little village in Rosanne, where everybody in the neighborhood knew and wished each other merry Christmas and happy holidays. But here, a whole continent away, nobody knew him. He was a stranger to mostly everyone, and the ones he was friends with were often not close enough to include him in their plans. But now…

Milo blinks, a soft blush overtaking what rosiness had already settled there from the cold. “You want to… Spend Christmas with me?” Milo tilts his head, as though the idea were foreign, his smile even faltering in his initial confusion. He considered Jia a great friend, but not so close as to involve him in her holiday plans. Did she really think so fondly of him? Or was it simply a custom of hers? Either way, the sentiment pokes Milo right in the heart and chases that loneliness away in an instant.

Slowly, his weak smile crawls up into something bigger, growing and growing until he’s nearly beaming at her. 

“No, I--I’m not, I’m totally free, all day!” Milo exclaims, the corners of his eyes glinting with the beginnings of tears as he throws his free arm around Jia in a tight hug. “I would– I would love to spend the holidays with you! Thank you, Jia!”

Hastily wiping his eyes, Milo takes Jia’s hand in his, a laugh bubbling up and over in his joy. “I have your gift too! It’s all wrapped up in my home. I have some for Elian, Nolan, and Alexis, too! Let’s go get them and play Santa. We can open all our gifts together…”

“You guys got me something?– wow, Kdin! Wyatt! You both are so great.” Milo’s curious quirk of the lip morphs into a smile, hugging the present to his chest. “Thanks so much! I’m a little poor at the moment, so I wasn’t able to get you both what I really wanted, but…” 

He trails off at the claim of the tickets, his smile disappearing for only a moment. “We– Wyatt, she isn’t–” Milo’s cheeks flush, before the student lets out an amused chuckle, shaking his head. “Ah, we’ll see what happens. Thanks, you two. Now, pardon me for being eager, but–” Milo opens the gift right there, blinking at the contraption–

“OH!! OOOOOOOHHH!!!!!!” Milo nearly drops the violin in his joy, a blinding grin taking up nearly the entire lower half of his face. “I’m gonna scream! Do you two know how long I’ve wanted an electric violin!? You monsters, this must’ve costed at least a grand! Who the heck told you you were allowed to spend this much money on me!?? Oh my gosh, I love this, I love it so much. It’s gonna distract me from all my responsibilities and I love it so much.” Milo closes the case and clutches the instrument to his chest, eyes sparkling like a child experiencing Christmas for the first time. 

Setting aside the gifts for a moment, Milo runs up to his friends and gives them both a big hug, squeezing them as hard as his little arms could manage. “I love you both! Thank you! Thank you! I– I have your gifts too– I’m gonna look like a total ass in comparison to what you got me, but… they’re gifts regardless, and I think you’ll both enjoy them. C’mon, they’re at my place!” And with that, Milo snatches up his new violin and tickets, stationing himself behind Kdin and Wyatt to try and usher them to home.

Unlike their last meeting, Milo’s chores in the library that day are sparse– even more so now that he’s completed them. So, even though he hadn’t been expecting visitors, to see one was not exactly something he was unhappy to see. 

Though, as soon as he caught a glimpse of that blonde hair and short stature, a cautious frown touched the man’s lips. That girl hadn’t had the best impression of him last time, and, after thinking it over– he did feel guilty over dismissing the poor thing so quickly last time. But did she feel similarly?

Hopefully she didn’t come to punch his lights out...

Looking down at her, her words inspire a sympathetic smile on the man’s face. Milo sets aside the books he held in his hands and lets them drop to his sides.

“Aw– it’s alright. I think you and I just got off on the wrong foot, that’s all. How about we start over?” The priest’s smile broadens a bit as he holds out a hand for the other to shake. “I’m Milo Antonius. What should I call you?”

Milo flits through a book curiously, drawing his pointer finger down a few of the pages. He was searching for a specific passage– quite fervently, at that. Not for any particular reason– The Count of Monte Cristo was just one of his favorite books to read in his own language… and after finding the book by chance while organizing, he wanted to reread one of his favorite parts again.

All of a sudden…

Pomf!

Milo looks behind him, fixing Jia with a surprised look. “My gods, Jia. You spooked me.” 

Spooked may be a bit of an exaggeration, though, because as soon as the sage runs her hands through his hair, Milo’s lips stretch into a relaxed smile. He was a sucker for people playing with his hair…

“Oh… yes please. That would feel so nice right now…” Milo chuckles, peeking around to see if there was a brush within arm’s reach. “Too bad I don’t have my own brush on hand. I usually keep that in my bag at home, though…”