Acelegin; Okay Red, I'm going to my parent's place for the night. Hold down the fort for me, alright?
Red Daniel; Say hi to your nieces for me.
Acelegin; My nieces don't need to know that you exist...
Red Daniel; Fair enough.
Acelegin leaves. Red Daniel sits in silence for a few minutes.
Red Daniel; I'm bored...
Pounce; Meow!
Red Daniel; Oh, uh, hi there, cat.
Pounce; Meow!
Red Daniel; What? You hungry or something?
Pounce; Meow!
Red Daniel; And Ace gets mad at me for freeloading...
The doorbell rings
Red Daniel; Huh. Wonder who that is...
Red Daniel opens the door, but no one is there.
Red Daniel; Oh, yeah, real mature.
Red Daniel notices a small, brightly wrapped present lying on he ground.
Red Daniel; Who left this here?
Red Daniel picks up the present and checks he tag on it.
Red Daniel; For me? Oh, they shouldn't have!
Red Daniel squints at the tag some more.
Red Daniel; They left the "From" space blank. What are they, my secret admirer or something? Also, can't say I like the wrapping paper much. Too much green, not enough red.
Red Daniel sit down and tears off the wrapping paper, revealing a hardback novel inside.
Red Daniel; Hmm. "The War of Vices and Virtues" by Severin Albert. Who the fuck is Severin Albert?
Red Daniel pulls out his phone.
Red Daniel; OK Google, who the fuck is Severin Albert?
Phone; Showing results for "Reverend Albert".
Red Daniel; Well that's not helpful...
Red Daniel sighs and opens the book.
Red Daniel; Don't have anything better to do, I guess. Okay, chapter one, "The Birth of Chastity".
Pounce; Meow!
Pounce jumps into Red Daniel's lap and curls up.
Red Daniel; Oh, hey little guy. Care to join me?
Pounce; Meow!
Red Daniel; Okay, just try not to purr too much while your sitting there. Alright, then. "It was a clear day in June..."
Red Daniel continues reading for several chapters before dozing off. His slumber is suddenly interrupted shortly after midnight, and he jolts upright. Pounce is no longer in his lap, and the book lays off to his side. A tall, broad-shouldered figured, concealed beneath a cloak, crouches over him, its head almost touching the ceiling.
Red Daniel; Krampus! I knew you'd come for me someday!
The figures addresses Red Daniel, speaking in a low, scratchy growl.
Figure; Red Daniel! I am the Harbinger! The Prophet! The Divide! I stand before you tonight to tell you that a cruel fate is inevitable! The venomous serpent lies in plain sight, a crooked smile upon its face! You shall soon come to know true pain!
Red Daniel; Wait, what does any of that mean?
Without answering, the figure vanishes. The room grows quiet, and Pounce nervously crawls out from under the table.
Red Daniel; The fuck was that about?
Pounce; Meow!
Pounce jumps back into Red Daniel's lap, looking up at him. Red Daniel slowly scratches Pounce's ears, collecting his thoughts.
Red Daniel; True Pain, huh? Good thing I'm a Masochist...
Red Daniel leans his head back, breathing deeply.
Red Daniel; Still... What was that thing trying to warn me about? Was it even a warning, or... a threat?
Red Daniel remains seated for a while, before getting up.
Red Daniel; I need a drink...
The next day.
Acelegin; Yo! I'm back! How's the cat?
Red Daniel; Doin' fine. You enjoy your Christmas?
Acelegin; Been pretty good so far. You?
Red Daniel; Eh. Last night was pretty weird...
Acelegin; How so?
Red Daniel; OH, uh... Not sure if I wanna go into detail.
Acelegin; Alright, if it's you saying that, I don't think I wanna know the details.
Red Daniel; Right...
Acelegin; So where'd this book come from.
Red Daniel; What? Oh, right! That was a present for me, I guess.
Acelegin; Really? Who's it from? Someone from work?
Red Daniel; It was anonymous...
Acelegin; Ah, I see. What's it about?
Red Daniel; Pretty boring so far. There's this girl named Chastity living with her parents in an ambiguous time period. There's some subtly references to an upcoming conflict, but I haven't made it to the good shit yet.
Acelegin; Huh. So, any plans tonight?
Red Daniel; Dunno. Not on the schedule again til Wednesday, and I think I need a break from the book.
Acelegin; Well, tell ya what. My dad got me the Sega Genesis Classic Game Console. What do say we crack open a twelve pack or wo and fail horribly at some old school Sonic games.
Red Daniel grins.
Red Daniel; I'd like that.
Acelegin; Merry Christmas, Red.
Red Daniel; Merry Christmas, Ace.
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