SSSSecret Santa 2023

[Keep Looking]

Oh yay, great to have another person on board !

Signups are closing now and I'll assign people their giftees tonight, so you should recieve a message in a couple hours. Thanks to everyone who's participating!

[wavewright62]

I am in the first time zone to reach Christmas Day, and I am excited to share with y'all my lovely gift!
See?



“Kitty has overheard some of the crew discussing the old world tradition of carolling and has enlisted her buddies to help serenade their human friends. Onni and Lalli’s luontos were not best pleased about the whole affair.”

Thank you so much, my Santa, This is awesome and great!  The tail of the lynx, the cringe of the owl, the jingle bell and sqwaarrckk of the seagull (is there a carol featuring the chorus 'Mine, Mine'?), super fluffy, and of course, Kitty...

Spoiler: my guess as to gifter • show

I am notoriously bad at guessing, even though I know most of your work!
So without further ado, in the grand tradition of the day, I am guessing that gjuerne has drawn me this lovely image!

[LooNEY_DAC]

And here's what I got, for which I am clueless as to whom I should thank:

Work title - Meet the New Boss, Same As the Old Boss

Message for the looney one:  This story is set in the City of Hunger universe, inspired by bits of the art cache the Discord community has salvaged and archived.  I know you're fond of the odd space opera, so I hope you like this take on introducing these AU versions of the SSSS crew, from Emil's POV. 

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Chapter 1 - Assembly

Emil had a little time to spare before embarking on his next mission.  He walked the blustery streets of the city, looking for someplace that might be open to get a last meal before meeting up with his new crew.  Most of the district’s storefronts were dark and shuttered; a few had wind-blown signs for shops that had tried and failed to make a go of a business.  Fortunately, the diner was still open, a cheerful bright light spilling out onto the street.  Emil pushed through into the airlock foyer gratefully, waiting impatiently for the inner door to admit him.

His spirits fell somewhat as he gazed up at the menu board.  The prices were even higher than the last time he’d been on base, but he’d been craving a nice juicy hamburger for weeks.  Undecided, Emil looked over at the table next to him, occupied by a very broad man tucking into one of 10 or so burgers stacked precariously onto his tray.  Ten burgers?  He must be rich.  Transfixed, Emil  watched his astonishingly bushy gingery sideburns flare out in rhythm with the man’s chewing. 

“You gonna order, pal?  I wanna eat before they put the prices up again, y’know.” 

Emil broke out of his trance and threw an annoyed grimace over his shoulder at the rude person behind him.  He hurriedly placed an order at the console, watching glumly as the credits came off his card.  There was barely enough left to cover the automatic debits for rent on his single room while he was gone on mission, assuming they didn’t hike the rent in his absence.  Not a safe assumption.  Well, he’d have not much more than horrible meal ration blocks for the next while, so a little splurge was probably worth it.  Probably.

Order collected, Emil found a table facing away from the whiskery man and picked up his dinner, grinning with anticipation as meat juices mixed with sauce spilled onto his plate.  Definitely worth it. 

As he opened his mouth wide to take the first bite, Emil became aware he was being watched.  A young boy with large pale eyes was seated at the next table facing him.  The pale eyes seemed to enlarge to fill Emil’s view, until all Emil could see was the compelling glowing blue eyes.  The glow reflected off the boy’s arms.  Off the cyborg’s arms, Emil corrected himself as the spell was broken and he lowered the burger. 
There was no food in front of the cyborg, and Emil couldn’t help noticing that the organic part of him was thin.  Emil sighed.  He didn’t look like a machine, just a young guy like himself, only with gleaming metal arms exposed by his sleeveless uniform vest.  He also wasn’t actually looking at Emil anymore; the pale eyes were unfocussed and grey, no doubt getting a transmission on his readouts.  Emil bit into his burger, chewing thoughtfully.  He hadn’t dealt with the cyborgs much in his previous missions, they kept to themselves and their collective, and they blurred together in his memory.  This one looked quite different.  I bet nobody ever called *him* fat. 

Another cyborg, with similar hair and facial structure but taller and broader, strode over and stood at the thin one’s table.  Wordlessly the smaller cyborg got up and followed the larger one out of the diner.  Like all of the cyborgs, their uniforms displayed the logo of their employer, the gang commonly just called The Company, that controlled everything on this world.  Emil mused that the cyborgs probably had a separate feeding area in their collective, where they at least could get their minimum energy needs met.  He’d realised with a pang that he’d never thought about cyborgs needing food before.

A quick glance at the time on his comms unit told him he had to get moving.  He had to get to the vehicle bay to pack out for his new mission, and he had just enough time to get back to his storage cubicle to pick up his equipment.  His special equipment.  Whoever organised the meeting time for this mission had done Emil a large favour, setting it up for just before the evening security crew changeover.  The gang flunkies weren’t quite as diligent with enforcing the regulations at the end of their shift. Often they had ‘quarantined’ any alcohol they could find, keeping the better stuff to impress the bosses above them, and drinking the rest.  Emil reckoned he had a decent chance of getting his special equipment across without issues. 

He was wrong. 

The flunkies at the outbound checkpoint were awake, mostly sober, and bored.

Emil had tried showing his pass while walking through confidently, but one of the goons grabbed at the strap of his duffel and spun him around.  Emil tried convincing them that the canisters they were so carelessly jostling about were actually samples of hair products that he was taking to an outpost.  While one of the guards took one look at Emil's impeccable shining hair and bought the story, the other paused in his laughter just long enough to throw the empty duffel bag at Emil and told 'little blondie' to get lost.

The fact that Emil had obtained these canisters of high-potency accelerants as ‘leftovers’ of previous jobs himself did nothing to lighten his sour mood.  Glumly he trudged to the designated bay, inventing withering ripostes. 

He heard her voice before he’d gone more than a couple of meters past the bulkhead.  There was a long line of armored vehicles stretching down the unheated bay, blocking his view, but the guffaws bounced off the hard surfaces of the vehicle bay until it sounded like the vehicles were all laughing along.

“Two of ‘em!  Will y’look at that!  Y’know, I’ve never worked with a ‘borg like you before! How is it with you?”  Emil couldn’t hear the response to that, but he was sure half the base heard her next shout.  “You there! Time to load this tank.  Chop chop karate chop! Ha? Hai? Geddit, karate chop?”
 
An icicle chose that moment to dislodge itself from its fellows on the beam directly over the voice and plummet downward.  Emil gave a small cry and started to run toward the lit bay.  He reached the pool of light just in time to see a tall officer of the planetary security force catch the icicle mid-fall and swoop it in an arc through the air.  “Whoa! I got it, YEAH!,” she whooped, shaking the icicle in the general direction of the heavens, “better luck next time, HA!”  The heavens did not see fit to answer her challenge. 

A voice just out of Emil’s sight rumbled, “There’ll be plenty of next times where we’re going.”

As he drew closer, Emil saw the tall officer was faced by the two cyborgs he’d seen in the diner.  The larger one scowled up at the officer, bare metal arms crossed over his chest.  The thin one stood behind, one hand on the vehicle beside him, weight balanced on the balls of his feet as though ready to run.  His eyes flicked momentarily over to Emil before flicking back to stare warily at the officer.

"That, is the truth," she chuckled.  She turned to launch the icy javelin away down the bay, catching sight of Emil at the last second before releasing it.  In one fluid motion she completed the turn and slid the icicle across the concrete floor away from Emil instead.  It burst into shards upon impact with the next vehicle in the rank.

"Hey, looks like our kaboomer's finally here!  So nice of you to join us."  She strode over to Emil, gloved hand extended.  Up close, she towered over Emil, grinning broadly as she shook his hand heartily.  "Great!  I'm Captain Sigrun Eide, and you're our... hang on, where's your kit?"  She looked at the emptied duffel bag dangling from Emil's shoulder and his small personal bag.  "Those slush brains!  You have tell them you're going to sell their face back to their boss, or they'll take everything you've got.  You new here or something?"  She clouted him on the shoulder.

Emil rolled his eyes and pulled past her.  "No, I'm not new," he muttered.  "They took the extra stuff.  But you're still supposed to have the normal equipment.  Right?"  His menacing glower from under his heavy fringe lost some of its effect on its way up to her height, but she shrugged and stepped back anyway. 

"We've got whatever we've got over there next to the tank, but they're doing this mission on the cheap.  I'll have you check against the logs for what we're supposed to have, when the Reclamation Officer gets here."  She partially turned to address the cyborgs, "you wanna go see what's keeping 'em?"  The taller cyborg uncrossed his arms and walked smoothly to the driver's door of the tank.  He conferred quietly with the smaller one, who gave monosyllabic answers while not taking his eyes off the captain.

"No need.  I'm right here."  Emil swivelled at the sound of the rumble beside him.  He hadn't registered the figure that emerged from the shadow of the vehicle he'd been leaning against.  It was the man with the bushy sideburns he'd seen scoffing the pile of burgers.  He wasn't wearing any sort of uniform or identification badge; in fact, he was dressed rather shabbily in a creased shirt and crooked tie, with battered indoor shoes and a tattered lightweight trench coat.  Emil thought he did not look remotely ready for an expedition on the ice.

The captain seemed to share Emil's skepticism as she looked the man up and down.  "Ooookay.  So, have we got everything?  Is this all we're getting, Mister..."

"Mikkel Madsen.  And sadly, that's it."  He picked up one pack from the pile next to the tank and hefted it lightly in one hand.  "It may almost be adequate."

Sigrun grunted.  "Well, let's get this vehicle packed then."  She looked around to Emil and the cyborgs, "if you would be so kind." 

Emil moved to comply.  The larger cyborg nodded to the smaller one, motioning him to assist before picking up two of the packs lightly himself.  Emil almost fell over when he attempted to pick up one of the packs.  This must be one of the heavier ones.  Emil joined the smaller cyborg at the pile of assorted incendiary launchers instead.  Emil offered to load the cyborg with a pile to take aboard.  Sliding the shoulder straps onto the outstretched metal arms, he asked, "Hey, I didn't catch your name.  I'm Emil Västerström, I'm with the Pyro Division."  The cyborg gazed impassively at Emil but didn't reply.  "I, uh, well, we call it the Pyro Division, but it's really the," he faltered, "anyway, we'll be working together, huh?"  The cyborg tilted his head to one side and silently turned on his heel to take the devices to the tank.  Emil sighed.

Sigrun clouted him on the shoulder again.  "Don't worry about it.  That one is our reconnaissance 'borg, they're not the most social units around.  I don't even know if that one talks, maybe just downloads their report directly into the tank's nav system." 

He frowned.  Had she not heard him talking to the other cyborg?  Emil usually didn't look at mission files very closely beforehand, since the brief was almost invariably the same: long tedious drive out to someplace with valuable resources, guard duty, and either abject boredom in the frozen wasteland or teeth-chattering terror in the frozen wasteland.  Beside the credits in his account, the only worthwhile thing about going on missions was practicing the fine art of blowing things up.  But watching the cyborg swiftly but carefully place each frame in its appropriate slot, he regretted not paying more attention, at least enough to get the names.

Sigrun picked up one of the large packs and tossed it over easily to the larger cyborg.  Her eyes fell on the ‘Reclamation Officer’.  “The briefing folder didn’t have much to say about you, not even a picture.  I get that The Company wants one of theirs along to make sure they get their cut.”  Mikkel inclined his head to concede the point.  “But they could just program Shiny Arms over there for that.” 

“I am quite capable of ensuring a positive result.”

“Are you seriously telling me you’re going to bring in more than you consume to get it?”

“Yeah, no kidding,” Emil broke his reverie to scoff, “I saw him eat like, *10* hamburgers at the base station diner.”  Under the glares Sigrun and Mikkel fixed on him, Emil quailed. “I am,” he pointed feebly at the munitions locker, “going to check the explosives.  To, see, if they’re there.  The regular ones.  Ready for, for use.”

The captain rolled her eyes at the departing Emil’s back before fixing her stare back to Mikkel.  Gesturing at his shabby clothes, she grinned, “So tell me straight, why you?  No judgement okay, I can work with it, I just want to know what my risks are.”

Emil mulled over that question himself but did not stop to hear the answer.  He dragged one of the packs to the back of the vehicle and managed to hoist it onto the threshold.  Belying his small stature, the cyborg picked it off the threshold comparatively easily and carried it inside.  Finding the identifying tag, the cyborg stared at it briefly to scan the line item on the manifest, before taking it to the food preparation area.  Emil leaned in, peering at the sleeping bunks.  A snap of metal fingers brought Emil's attention back to the cyborg.  He pointed at the bunk with Emil's name on its label.  Emil nodded and stepped up inside the cab, laying his personal bag on the bunk.  "Thank you.  Um, what should I call you?  I mean, your designation is probably fine, but to be honest I'll find a name easier to remember."

The cyborg tipped his head but made no attempt to move away.  The larger cyborg stepped in through the cabin, giving a grunt as he passed.  "Lalli, come with me," the larger cyborg commanded.  Lalli blinked briefly at Emil before turning to comply.

Emil smiled then.  "Nice to meet you, Lalli."

[Jitter]

Hey look what I got from my secret Santa! A fascinating take on what could too easily happen after Adventure 2.



Here is a solstice adventure from our favorite team.

It has been a year since the team left Finland.  Emil was feeling very melancholy.  It was nearing the solstice and he missed Lalli.  He never got a chance to ask him to stay before Onni bundled him off and they left the inn like thieves in the night.  Everyone was upset.  No one knew why they just opted to leave.  It wasn't the money, they paid for everyone's lodging.  The team all thought they'd stay together and find a new adventure.  They tried to follow, but Onni was a better woodsman and the trail soon tapered off.  Leaving them alone.  Even Reynir could not find them with his magic.  He thought that Onni must have done some kind of blocking spell.  Though he promised that he would continue to look for them.

They had no choice but to go back to their previous lives.  Emil sighed.  He missed everyone. He missed Reynir with his annoying hair.  Reynir's magic proved helpful.   It was different from Onni's and Lalli's, but it seemed to complement the Finn's magic  nicely.  He seemed to know how to find anyone if he put his mind to it.  Emil thought he should write Reynir again and see if he has had any luck finding Lalli.  Maybe he then can go and see if Lalli would talk to him.  He wiped his eyes to prevent the now forming tears from flowing.

He missed Mikkel somewhat.  He hated the pranks, but the big Dane always knew what to do and how to do it.   Maybe it was all the various jobs he has done in his life.  He was surprised that he did not follow Sigrun back to Norway, and opted to go back to his farm.  Well the farm was nice.  There was plenty to eat, and people around all of the time.  You never got lonely or had a lack of something to do.  He wondered if Mikkel got any info from the various government officials about finding Onni and Lalli.

He really missed Sigrun.  She always made him feel like he was a productive member of the team. (Even when he wasn't. )  She knew how to get the best out of everyone and in so doing Emil became a better warrior and cleanser.  He also helped him feel that he was a good person, and he did not need to be rich to gain respect.  She said she was going to pester her uncle Trond to see if he could find Lalli and Onni.  There was nothing in the recent letter from her.  Emil thought about going to the Dalsnes and work.  She kept asking, and maybe it was a good time to try.

Since returning, he has done well in the cleanser corps.  He even got a promotion to team leader, and his unit is one of the most successful in the Swedish Army.  Emil thanked the gods that he and Sigrun had crossed paths, She helped him realize he could succeed without money. Now that the weather has started to get nasty, it is time to go back to his aunt and uncles.  It will be nice to see the kids.  He missed them, and he looked over at the yule gifts he bought for them.  He also looked at the gifts for the team, and thought that he'd have to get them to the post, so they stand some chance of getting to their locations by yule.

As he was packing his stuff a runner came into the barracks.  "Sgt Västerström!  The commander wants to see you!! "

Emil sighed and put his bags on the bed and followed the runner.  He knew better to ask what for, the runners were not the brightest.  They were strictly couriers and messengers.

As he entered the office he saluted and sputtered "Sgt Västerström, as ordered." There standing with the commander was Sigrun, Mikkel and Reynir.  They were dressed in the Dalsnes uniforms and looked very imposing.  He saw that Sigrun had gotten promoted.  He so much wanted to run over and give everyone a big hug.  But he would not embarrass himself.

Sir??

"Yes Västerström, it seems there has been a little bit of a kerfuffle in Finland.  The area around Saimaa has seen an increase of activity.  They have asked for the team that helped defeat Surma and what they called the kade."

"Sir?  The Finns are very well equipped to deal with their own issues.  They have the sentinels and their mages are quite capable."

"Magic? Hmmuph!  They have asked for you all and I see no reason to deny them.  You can question them if you feel so brazen.  You are hereby assigned to temporary duty.  Reporting to Col. Eide.  She will keep me apprised of your actions.  Do not embarrass or disappoint the Swedish army.  Dismissed!"

Emil saluted the commander and Sigrun and could barely contain his excitement!  He will be reunited with his friends.  He has no idea why they were going to Finland.  He hoped against hope that they found Lalli.

Once they got outside the building Emil started to ask what was going on when Mikkel said "Let get back to the house, we will tell you everything. "

They got in and settled in Reynir poured some tea and brought out some snacks.

"We found Onni and Lalli.  They are near Saimaa. "

"Great!  Are we going to get them?"  Emil was hopeful he would see Lalli soon and that Lalli was ok.

"Yes, but it is not as good as you think.  There are reports that troll activity in the lakes has increased and it is behaving like it is being controlled by some intelligence.  They also say that there is some intelligence controlling them, and another force/person is killing them off. "

"Another Kade?"

"The sentinels say no, they do not feel the presence of evil. They will help to find the individual when they have time, but their first priority is guarding the perimeter. They do feel despair and longing. They are worried it can morph though.   The second presence they feel anger and frustration. Though every time they try to focus to get coordinates, it disappears and the whole area is blocked. That is what has them worried.  Whatever it is is very powerful. "

Sigrun said, "That's our boy! Why is he going rogue?  Do you think he was taken over and the fat man missed it?

Emil asked,"Finland is quite adept at magic, why do they want us, and not do it themselves? "

Mikkel mulled it over a moment, "No I think the sentinel has it right.  I think Onni has other issues. They thought our ties to the two remaining Hotakainens may give us some leeway, and a better chance of finding them."

"So when do we leave?"

"First thing tomorrow.  Trond has made arrangements to get us there as quickly as possible. Apparently he feels the need to do the Finnish government a favor."

They arrived at the lakes area and found that a house and supplies were set up near the Hotakainens' original home.

"Damn..it's cold!  Let's build a fire and get some heat here."

Emil started on the stoves and Reynir and Mikkel started to put the supplies away.

"Hopefully there is some good game in the area. I really don't want to live on storage food."

"How are we going to approach them?"

"I think they will know we are here.  Hopefully they won't attack.  The cold will help us.  No matter how much they can control trolls, they can't stand the cold."

Reynir finally spoke up.  "I made a few runes for Onni and Lalli.  If Lalli is under control of his cousin, this one will block out his influence.  Hopefully Emil will be able to talk to him and we can get this other one to Onni."

"What does Onni's do?" Reynir blushed as bright a read as his hair.  Sigrun laughed.
"You wrote him a love rune..snert!  I think an immobilize one may be better!"

"No…not quite.  The last time I almost found Onni, I got the feeling he was so alone and depressed.  He blames himself for Tuuri's death, and in a weird way the destruction of his home. I made him one that shows him he is not to blame and that we care for him and want to protect him.  I also added that I do have feelings for him, and do not want to see him suffer.  So it is much much more"

"Now that's silly, he wasn't to blame..Maybe his grandmother…"

"SSSHHH!  There can be no blame.  It was an unfortunate set of events.  Though it was made as right as it could be." Emil was so adamant about that statement it quieted the rest of the team.

"I will search again for Onni tonight.  I get the feeling we need to find him before the solstice or it may be too late."

It being near the solstice, night fell early.  Emil was on watch when he heard a rustle.  He slowly moved away from the fire and hid in the shadows of the trees.

He caught his breath.  Creeping toward their cabin was Lalli.  He looked even more feral than before.  He was emaciated, and his clothing was tattered and patched.  Emil could not stop the tears from flowing looking at his beloved like this.  Lalli hissed and Emil came out from the trees.

"Why are you here! Leave! It is not safe here.  I cannot keep the grosslings at bay much longer."

"Lalli! It is me, Emil." Lalli..PLEASE!  Lalli looked at Emil preparing to run away then a look of recognition flashed in his eyes. "Please don't go.. stay.  We are here to help you and your cousin.  You cannot allow what is happening to happen any longer."

"Do you think I have a choice?! Lalli's voice cracked and he looked pleadingly at Emil.  I have to take care of Onni.  I am the only one left.  The darkness is taking over and I cannot hunt and kill the things he is calling much longer."

"You don't need to!.  We are here to help.  Reynir has some runes to help Onni and you too if you want.  Please Please don't go.  I love you.  I tried to tell you before you left without saying goodbye, but I will never leave you now. "

Emil had made enough noise that Sigrun and Mikkel managed to tackle Lalli and tie him up.

"Guys..Please let him go. "

"Not yet.  He needs to tell us where his cousin is".

"He moves around.  I don't know He won't let me stay with him either. "

Reynir spoke up "But you can find him?  I can help. He needs help.   He is on his way to becoming a kade. If we don't act before the solstice, he may be too far gone to bring back.  They will blast the entire area to prevent another kade. I am worried for him."

"He is not becoming a kade…." Lalli stopped and thought about that, and realized his cousin was on his way to darkness and may be.

Lalli stopped twitching and agreed to help them.  They went back to the cabin where Lalli availed himself of the sauna and some food.

"You look a mess..Emil was stroking Lalli's hair and trying to work some of the knots out.  You are so thin..You need to eat more..Lalli, I am sorry i did not make a better effort to find you.  Please don't leave me again.  I missed you."

Lalli looked at Emil and saw that Emil still loved him and now wanted to protect him.  He said "stupid.." and then folded into Emil's arms..

Reynir came over and handed Lalli a pouch tied with some rawhide.  Here take this please.  I gathered some herbs and made some runes, so you won't fall under Onni's control.  It will also help heal you. I am worried, he may forget himself.  I also made some for the team."

Lalli took the pouch, smelled it, and hummed a little.  Then he put it over head and tucked it in his shirt. He nodded at Reynir.

They gave Lalli a day to regain some strength, he had not eaten a good warm meal in a while and was very happy.  He even stole some of Mikkel's cookies.  (Though Mikkel brought them for Lalli.)

Reynir concentrated and was able to get a sense of where Onni was, though he did not look very happy.

"I think he has it guarded.  He really is not far, but we will need to clear some obstacles to get close"

" Good, I need a little troll beating exercise.."

"Let's try and be stealthy.  We don't need to advertise our location."

They set out once the sky brightened up.  It was going to be one of those crisp clear days.

"The gods are on our side today."

They crept as silently as they could.  There were a few grosslings and beasts.  Sigrun, Emil, Mikkel made short work of them.  Reynir had his fire rune on some arrows and helped.  They did not let Lalli do much as it was clear he did not have much energy left, and they will need him when they meet the cousin.

There at the entrance of a cave was Onni.  If Lalli looked bad.  Onni was worse.  His beard was matted and full of twigs.  His hair looked like he took a knife to it to keep it short.  His clothes were filthy and they could feel the despair emanating from him.

Lalli signaled to Emil and Reynir to go around the back and side and come at Onni opposite from him.

Lalli was surprised to see that Emil was quiet.  He used to be so noisy you would know he was coming from miles away.  He smiled and was very proud of his friend.

Lalli approached Onni and Onni looked up.  "Why are you here!  I told you it was not safe. LEAVE!"

"I know, but you need help.  We are here to help you.  You are changing.  You are a kade.."

"KADE! How dare you!  I am not.  I just need to be away, so I do not cause any more destruction. We?"

Just then Emil and Reynir jumped Onni.  Despite looking pretty pitiful, Onni was strong.  They were having a hard time of it.

Reynir held out his hand.  Embossed on his glove were runes.  One touch on Onni's head and Onni Was frozen in place.

"I am sorry Onni, but I missed you.  Please Please don't be mad.  I am worried about you.  It is not your fault.  You need to try please! Please try for me?  I care about you very much and want to be with you.  I will take care of you.  You wont be alone anymore.  Please Please!"

"What do you know about alone?"

"I know I remember when we talked and stayed together hunting the original kade.  I remember the stories Tuuri told me.  I remember us being close.  I want that back.  Please don't travel the dark.  I cannot follow, and you don't deserve that. I was very alone when you left.  A part was missing"

Onni looked at Reynir, rather than turning his gaze away, he looked right into Onni.  He peered down into his soul and heart.   "I see you, I see your pain.  It will take time to go away, but I will always be here for you.  I will never let you be alone again.  I made this for you.  It has herbs and runes to help.  If you feel the darkness take over.  Hold it and give it a squeeze.  It will remind you that you have friends and that you are cared for. "

Onni could barely move, but he felt the grip of darkness leaving a little.  He was surprised how much it took over.  He looked at his cousin who looked so thin, so small.  He realized that he did a great disservice to Lalli.  "Lalli, I'm sorry.  I should not have made you come with me." He looked at Emil, and realized there was a gun pointed at him.  Emil could fire and he would find his end.  He  looked at Reynir, he noticed the man's eyes so full of love and hope.  For him?  He nodded and Reynir put the charm over Onni's head.  Onni felt relief.  The pain and sorrow was still there, but it was dulled.  He could think. Reynir smiled at him.  Maybe this will help.

I can recharge the rune as much as you want.  Though I think as time goes on you may not need it.  Friends are the family you get to pick and we are your friends. You will not be alone.

Sigrun and Mikkel came running up; they were covered in ichor and dirt.  "Is Onni..?"

"I am ok.  I cannot move it appears they Reynir here has learned a bit of guile. He has cast an immobilize rune.  I am ok now.  I am sorry."

Sigrun winked and smiled at Reynir.  Apparently he was not as naive as she thought. "You look like shit you know and smell that way too."

"Yeah a nice bath and sauna would be grand."

"Yeah we finally killed off all of your grossling traps. You are an ass you know.  But we are really glad to see you almost human again."

They helped Onni up and they made their way back to the cabin.

Before going in.  Mikkel took out of his pocket what appeared to be a flare gun and launched one to the sky.

"What was that for?"

"I was told if we had Onni to fire a flare.  One of the sentinels will come by and check him."

The team worked to clean themselves and their clothing.  Mikkel happened to have packed new clothing for Onni and Lalli.  They looked and smelled much better after a long stint in the bath and sauna.

While they were cleaning up.  Reynir and Emil got some ping boughs and decorated the cabin.  He also pulled out some gifts for everyone.  "It is the solstice.  May next year be better. "

"You know..we are a great team.  We should stay together. It was dumb us all separating like that."

They all mumbled their acknowledgement. The sentinel and some soldiers arrived and pronounced Onni and the team were not kades; nor infected though they will need to quarantine. The soldiers and the sentinel were invited to partake of the feast.  Sigrun managed to shoot a deer that was not infected, and everyone proceeded to eat and enjoy themselves.  The soldiers had some spirits, and they were passed around.  The solstice mood was joyous.

Off to the side a bit was Emil and Lalli.  Lalli was curled up close to Emil, sleeping his breathing sounded like a purr.  Sigrun and Mikkel were seated close.  Sigrun snuggled closer to Mikkel and he wrapped his arm around her and pulled closer.  Onni and Reynir were sitting together.  Onni was squeezing Reynir's hand and the pouch around his neck.  He looked at everyone in the soft glow of the fireplace and stoves and thought..maybe.  I have hope..maybe..Reynir is here..He looked at Reynir and Reynir came up and kissed him on his cheek..Maybe..just maybe.


As for my guess:

Spoiler: show

I’m not by any means certain but I’m getting a Dmeck vibe. So I’m going to guess it’s hers.

As for Looney’s story, my guess t this point is

Spoiler: show

Wave

but I reserve the right to change my guess on either point when I see the rest of the entries.

Whoever it is, thank you Santa! It’s great, and very convincing on how one could slide into becoming a Kade.

[Róisín]

The gift I received was a beautiful illustration for one of my stories, depicting Mōntti the beastified bear lying in the swamp contemplating a frog. Such a sweet and sad picture. Thank you, thank you! I am not at all sure who made it, but if I had to guess: possibly Wavewright? (If anyone wants to read the story it is from, it is on Archive of Our Own, where I am Tanist).

I can’t share the picture because I can’t post pictures, but if somebody else, perhaps the artist, would care to do so I would be most grateful!

[wavewright62]

Róisín, perhaps you can try: 
-- going to the message as it came from Keep Santa
-- hit Quote
-- copy everything between the words [ quote ] and [ /quote ]
-- hit the <- back arrow on your browser and navigate back to this thread
-- and pasting it into a Reply to this thread?

That will capture the lovely intro too, but no matter, because it's a great part of the experience of receiving one of these gifts.  This method should capture the code to display the picture, since it has to be hosted somewhere. 

I would like to see your picture.  (I admit nothing at this time.)

[dmeck7755]

I had not had time to post yesterday, but i received this amazing story!!

The night is getting darker, and you are slipping in and out of the hazy edges of sleep when you hear a soft scratching at your window. Stumbling out of bed, you peer out your window and squint into the darkness. Was that... a tail? A flash of fur? Before you can search any further, you notice a silver envelope left on your windowsill. It seems to glow with a faint blue light, and even in the dark you can make out your own name written in slightly messy handwriting on the front. You crack your window open, letting in a gust of fresh night air, and take the curious envelope inside.

Spoiler: show

Spoiler: Open the letter • hide

Stupid Summer

Lalli wasn’t thrilled to learn Reynir would be visiting Toivosaari. Admittedly, he’d probably have useful information about sheep husbandry. And of course, no one could claim Reynir wouldn’t try to pull his own weight. He was always helpful. So, so helpful. Lalli sighed. But it would be good to hear how things were going in Iceland, and Reynir would go to Sigrun and Mikkel first, so maybe it wouldn’t be too bad.

It was still quite bad. The moment Reynir stepped off Onni’s boat he was waving and yelling like the idiot he was.
“Halló, svo gaman að sjá þig aftur! Það er langt síðan!” Probably a greeting. Stupid Icelandic.

“Hi” Lalli tried to wave his greeting.

But now Reynir was trying to hug Lalli and Emil! Lalli managed to squirm away with minimal contact, but uu-ugh! His stupid braid smelled of sheep (despite him having left Iceland weeks ago), and what was probably the close quarters at the ship.

Unfortunately, Reynir’s arrival was only the first in a series of misfortunes. The entire summer seemed to be particularly unlucky. Items broke. Food was bland, or overly salty. Bread dough wouldn’t rise properly. The vegetable garden had started strong but was now struggling. Some bugs got into the kale, and many of the onions rotted. The carrots were tiny and weird shaped. Stupid carrots.

Their cat went into heat, drawing all the tomcats on the island to serenade around the Hotakainen homestead. Despite their best efforts, she remained empty. This was a disappointment, as she was a fine animal, and they were expecting strong kittens from her.

On one particularly chilly morning, Emil decided to heat the house a little, but when he lit the wood in the oven, the house promptly filled with smoke. A bird had built its nest in the chimney.

Emil tripped on a root on the path to the sauna and hurt his ankle. Lalli banged his head on a branch while out trapping, and the birds he was holding escaped. More than once all traps were disturbed with no prey left. Reynir’s knitting developed weird tangles, and he had to undo almost as much as he gained. Onni was irritable. Even more irritable than usual. He was working on some new runos, but nothing sounded good. And when he tried to do some handcrafts to give his thoughts some time to settle, he ended up breaking his work and cutting his finger. The milk went sour quicker than usual, and the bread got burned very easily. Everything seemed to be a little off.

The worst incident had the makings of a true accident. The sauna was heating, when suddenly Emil jumped up.
“Something’s wrong!” He ran out to see sparks flying from the sauna chimney, and the roof shakes were already smoking. They managed to put the fire out, but Emil was puzzled.

“That was weird! The chimney is by far too tall for that to happen. Something’s not right.”

Lalli agreed. The entire summer had been stupid. At first, he had thought it was just because he was irritated to have Reynir around, but he wasn’t really. Reynir was stupid, but he’d grown used to him. And he had been useful on occasion. But something was wrong, and it wasn’t Reynir. Probably.

Lalli was moping at the shore behind the sauna at one of his usual moping spots, when a pinecone hit him on the head. Pok!

“Ouch! Cut it out!” But there was no one there. And, remarkably, no pines. Another cone hit his back, when he was looking for a culprit.

He said a short placating runo and sat down to observe. After a while, he saw something in the edge of his vision. Or rather, someone. He didn’t look directly but did shift his gaze a bit to make sure he knew the… person. The person was a bit under one meter (about three feet) tall, shaggy, and dark. It was hard to see their face clearly, but the piercing eyes were familiar. It was Koppo, their kotitonttu. Koppo was staring at him sullenly. They threw a third pinecone and were gone.

“Ok everyone. The tonttus are unhappy. I saw Koppo just now.”

“You saw Koppo? Did they say anything?” A stupid question. Emil should know by now that the tonttus didn’t speak to humans, except maybe in grave emergencies. The sauna hadn’t burned down so this wasn’t an actual emergency.

“Of course not. But they made sure I knew.”

“What could it be?” Onni was a bit alarmed.

“(ICELANDIC) You haven’t forgotten to leave the sauna clean for the tonttus, have you Reynir?”

“No, I did just as you instruvted. Besides Lalli and Emil usually go after me. Why do you ask?”

“Lalli saw one of our tonttus. They are unhappy with us.”

“What is a tonttu?”

Yeah, of course. The stupid Icelanders have their elves, but they don’t have proper tonttus for the homes and other buildings. Onni explained to him the basics of the tonttus, the keepers and guardians of the house and the sauna. They were helpful and mostly friendly, unless they got upset. If that happened, they may cause all sorts of harm and even be dangerous.

“(FINNISH) Emil, you have been careful to always put out the bread?”

“Yes, of course. I know it’s important!”

Yes, he did, now. He’d had his share of stumbling over his own feet (even more than he did just because of being Emil), stubbing his toes and stepping on pinecones, but now he was in good terms with the tonttus. Maybe they bonded over his stupid infatuation of fire? The tonttus liked fireplaces, just like Emil.

Onni was explaining the conversation to Reynir, who suddenly looked very awkward.

“(ICELANDIC) Ah, um, the… bread? The bread you guys often bring to the flat stone out in front of the houses?”

“Yes. That bread. The flat stone is our sacrificial stone, although usually just for the tonttus.”

“Ummm… the flat stone under the tree, where I like to sit knitting?”

“Yes, the same.”

“Well… there… may have been some misunderstanding. I never meant to! Honest!”

“You never meant to WHAT?!”

“I never meant to eat any offerings! I thought it was for me! I’m sorry! I never imagined hidden folk lives so very close to human buildings here.”

After a somewhat awkward conversation (and not only because Onni had to translate into stupid Icelandic and back), it was established that Reynir had eaten the offerings for the tonttus, not once but several times during the summer.
It was very, very stupid of him! But he had made a honest mistake. In Iceland the hidden folk live out in nature, in hills and huge boulders. Such weird creatures! It hadn’t occurred to Reynir that the tonttus live at and in the human homes. And because he was always trying to be friendly and polite, it hadn’t occurred to anyone to warn him against disturbing the offerings for the tonttus, because who in their right mind would do that?

After some back and forth it was decided that Reynir will bake extra fine cakes for the tonttus, and Lalli and Onni composed a runo to try and explain. They had not stopped offering, but a misunderstanding had left the tonttus thinking they did. When the cakes were hot out of the oven, Reynir placed them on the stone. The he and Emil withdrew into Lalli and Emil’s house, while Onni and Lalli sat outside singing, with their backs turned to the tree and the sacrificial stone.

When they had been singing for a couple of hours, a pinecone landed on Lalli again. He startled and looked up, to see Pokko on the roof of their house waving at him.

“I think they have decided to give us another chance” Lalli told Onni. The cakes were gone. And there were no more pinecones that summer.

Reynir spent the rest of his visit knitting mittens and scarves in children’s sizes. In August, when it was time to start the journey home before the Saimaa Channel closed again, he left them on the stone.

The winter was free of misfortunes. Late turnips and rutabagas, which are harvested late in the autumn, turned out fine. Ice fishing and trapping were good. Everyone had enough to eat. Sometimes when he was coming home late at night or early in the morning, Lalli would see movement from the corner of his eye. It was Pokko, wearing a beautifully knitted scarf.

I love this story.  My guess would be

Spoiler: show

LooneyDac!!
Initially, I thought it would be Jitter considering it is a story about tonttus.  But the initial greeting made me lean toward Looney

I was the recipient of a gift from him (hopefully that is the correct pronouns) last year.  Can be read here https://archiveofourown.org/works/45141913/chapters/113560228

Jitter you are correct, the story was mine.  I hope it was enjoyable

[Jitter]

Dmeck, I loke it very much! It’s touching to think how Onni’s pain and guilt could draw him towards the dark side, especially when he had already considered his life forfeit. And how poor Lalli would try to help with the trolls but be unequipped to address the deeper problems.

I also felt the resolution was a bit of compensation for lost opportunities at the end of Adventure 2, when everything was just spoofed back to normal again. So it wasn’t really that easy after all! And in the end Reynir was needed to draw Onni back.

Plus the amulet pouches with runes and herbs were a nice touch, especially when Lalli sniffed his, sang to it and then wore it. Such well flowing combination of the magics.

[Jitter]

Oh and maybe @Keep Looking can post Rőisín’s gift here for the rest of us to see?

[Keep Looking]

Yes, I will post Róisín's gift! I'm glad people are enjoying their gifts and guessing 

[angsttronaut]

I got this excellent story, although unfortunately I have no idea who might have written it:

Spoiler: show

The stacks of books in the rear cargo area of their vehicle had grown ever higher as they’d made their way to Odense, and now Tuuri was taking a little time to sort them while Sigrun and Emil were off to get even more. Near the bottom, she found something odd; it was something she would have sworn hadn’t been there before: an ancient book of parchments bound together.

Tuuri looked down at the ancient manuscript dubiously at first, but the more she examined it, the more she got the tantalizing feeling that she could read what it said with just a little more time and just a little closer study.

The beautifully illuminated but childishly executed drawing was of a battle between naked women and an array of beasts, trolls and giants. Some of the giants had been colored to look like plants, but there was no mistaking them for anything but giants. “Lalli!”

*

The old man who lived in the mountains was mad; everyone knew it. Such madness as his often came from having dabbled in the forbidden arts, though, and even madmen could still be dangerous if you offended them, so no one in the village, even to the mighty lord in his castle with its swallowtail battlements, would disrespect him to his face, or make mock of his madness.

Henry was the first to fall from the strange scourge. In the end, he had to be lashed to his bed as he raved about the voices screaming to him about death and glory, but he was spared the horrible transformation that took so many others.

A stranger rode into town the next day; this in itself was startling, as the gates had been sealed by order of the mighty lord. When the stranger asked after the old man who lived in the mountains, however, the villagers understood.

It took the stranger three days to go to the mountain and return, but return he did, and the old man was with him.

The old man circled the walls, inscribing the stones with many strange figures and designs, while the stranger put the villagers through a sieve, dividing neighbor from neighbor and friend from friend before speaking their doom. The larger part of the village already carried the scourge in their flesh, so all that could be done for them was to give them the release of death.

Even as the words were spoken, those who had been named as carriers of the scourge began to transform.

The stranger began to speak in words no one in the village had ever heard before, and before the scourge could send its new puppets against him, the earth had opened up to swallow every last unfortunate soul of them.

“It is too strong yet,” the old man told the stranger. “We must find a way to weaken it, or we will be overrun forever.”

“We must find a way for my gods and yours to cooperate in bringing this scourge to heel,” the stranger agreed.

This was all the surviving villagers heard of their discussion, but when the stranger left, he left behind a book, a tome for which the villagers had scrambled to find the materials. This tome was the fruit of the collaboration between the old man and the stranger, written in a script that even the most learned could not decipher.

The old man would not tell them anything about the book except that it should not be examined until the scourge returned, for fear that it would drive those who studied it mad. The morning after the stranger departed, the old man was dead, taking whatever he knew to his grave. When he died, the marks he had made on the city walls vanished as well. All that remained was the tome.

Many generations later, the Emperor sent men to find any works of mystery that they could find throughout the land, and so the tome went to him. After the Emperor’s death, it went to  one of his doctors, and from  there to the most brilliant man in the world, to see if he could unlock its secrets. He could not, so he placed it in a trunk with a number of other volumes, and there it stayed until the trunk was opened so that a bookseller could examine the volumes within to determine if any were worth anything. The bookseller was named Voynich.

*

Lalli took one glance at the page and shook his head. “You need to show this to Onni, and don’t look at it again until you do. The only thing I know about magical writings is that they’re dangerous to look at if you don’t know what you’re doing.”

“What about Reynir’s runes?” Tuuri asked sharply.

Lalli waved that away. “His gods are guiding him so that what he draws won’t hurt us, even if they don’t help us, either.”

“I don’t know, Lalli,” Tuuri objected. “I can’t shake this—this feeling that there’s something supremely important buried in this text, and that I can find it if I try hard enough.”

Lalli’s eyes glowed blue for an instant before he said, “Yes. The spirit of the book wants you to feel that.” He turned away. “I still think you should wait and have Onni look at it.”

“I don’t have time, and we both know it.”

Lalli frowned. That wasn’t how this conversation had gone before. Shouldn’t this dream of a memory follow the memory faithfully?

“Show Onni the book, Lalli,” Tuuri said, turning back into a bird. “This was my last chance to remind you, so I had to take it. Show him, and show Reynir!”

“Show me what?” Reynir asked, stepping into Lalli’s haven as Tuuri flew away…

[Róisín]

Thanks for putting that up! I think it is very fine!

[dmeck7755]

The art and story are great.  I am not sure all who participated in this, so I really cannot guess.

[wavewright62]

A couple of guesses:

Spoiler: dmeck gifter • show

LooNEY_DAC

Spoiler: angsttronaut gifter • show

Róisín (not too sure though)

Spoiler: Róisín gifter • show

angsttronaut (I realise this eliminates me, but so be it)

[Róisín]

No, I didn’t write angsttronaut’s gift. Though whoever did made a fine story. And yes, I know about the Voynich manuscript, though I have never worked out how to read it.