A ghostly Christmas! (1x1 - AndreaJingling + NienieDreamer)

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He didn't answer on that, just stared at Noëlle. His eyes were still glassed over with emotion, thoughts, longing, a mix of things, really. He'd said what he had to say; you should believe in Krampus. Because before you knew it... Well, he wasn't exactly going to say that to her. Not if she didn't even believe in Krampus. His only concern seemed to be getting his sister back, and he was getting impatient.

"No, I don't,'' he snapped back. "I live in the middle of nowhere and I get snowed in every single year. So this year, on the near- about a year...'' He stammered, but moved on quickly, "I decided to come out and get my sister back.'' He laid the intention of his words on thickly. Get his sister back. That's all that mattered to him. "So, again, I ask, what is she doing here, with you?'' Blame laid in his voice as he glared at Charlotte himself.
 
Charlie just kinda, blinked, letting out a small breath as she mopped her face down again, wiping off what was left of the snowy weather outside, and then motioned towards the Fireplace..

"I've said what I know bud, really, she came down, that, somehow made THAT appear, and now I've bought like $250 worth of Christmas decorations and items for this holiday and.. Yeah that's, really all I know.."

She set the final bag down, and shut the fridge and freezer up for good after she got the final stuff into it, looking back towards the dude, and slowly sat down on the couch, still thinking about that ominous question from before..
So she asked about it..

"What was the.. Krampus bit about.. Kinda unnerving me to be quite honest with you that you brought THAT up. Is he coming here or.."
 
The young man raised an eyebrow towards the fireplace. "Right, so you're telling me my eleven year old sister somehow magically,'' he waved his hands at the words, "made a fireplace appear, then came through the chimney? And I'm supposed to... you want me to believe that?'' He shook his head. "I'm glad you like your fireplace so much that you made up some little story about it, but I asked you a question. Look, I'm not fooling around here. This is my sister, and somehow she ended up away from me and with you. She's missing, you know. I could call the cops on you.'' But he hesitated on that last part.

He looked at Noëlle again. It didn't seem like the boy was keen on leaving without her. "You know what's even more important than how she ended up with you? Whether or not she's gonna come back with me without any trouble.'' He pushed himself up from the surface he was leaning against. "Like I said, she's my sister. What have you got to do with her? And what does Christmas have to do with this?'' Still, he seemed taken aback at that and glanced at Noëlle again.

Upon the question, he was silent for a while, only to eventually say "You better hope he doesn't.'' But he didn't budge. "Now, I want to take my sister home.''
 
"No i'm deadass serious, here look."

She grabbed her phone, and opened a picture of her home's living room prior to everything happening, seemingly taken the day before, and tapping the area where the new fireplace sat, and after a good showcase, she put her phone back onto the counter where she found it..

"And she's, what?"
Charlie was growing more confused by the minute, slowly resting a hand on the side of her head, slowly sitting down on her couch with a small thud, mopping her face as she grabbed an icy cup of water, slowly taking a deep, quiet sip, before clearing her throat, and returning it to the coaster on the coffee table..

"Alright, then if that's the case, can I PLEASE have some more context? I know the game series surrounding the story I'm a part of is vague but this kind of, is difficult for me.. i'm not like the nutcases online that picked apart every detail.."

She said calmly, trying to shake off the nerves regarding that last sentence around Krampus.. Did.. Did he... hmm..
 
He still didn't seem impressed. "Right. Because photo editing is totally not a thing,'' he just remarked. "Look, I don't know what's going on here or what you're playing at, all I want is to take my sister home. Just stop making it difficult. I haven't seen her for almost a year, now she's here with you claiming to be an elf with a reindeer and Christmas stuff?!'' He said, waving his hand in frustration to the outside, where Noëlle was now, because she was bored, building a snowman.

"Missing,'' he repeated impatiently. "For little less than a year. You know what's ironic?'' He crossed his arms. "Actually happened right on Christmas Eve. I'd very much like to not make it to a year. Seriously, stop making this so difficult. I- ugh.'' He was going to say that he really would rather not call the cops, but that would be too much said. It wasn't out of compassion for her; if it wasn't for himself, he'd have called the cops already. But he'd really rather just not.

Glaring at Charlotte, he didn't speak and let a beat of silence fall. "What else do you need to know? She's my sister. I find her here, you claim she came through a non-existing chimney and she claims she's an elf. What about me, what context do I get? None. So what do I owe you? You know enough; she's my sister and I'm taking her home.''
 
Charlie tried to come up with something, hell she even got a picture of the house when she first BOUGHT it, printed out, and set on the table.. Still, her head was beginning to hurt, as she laid on the couch with a deep sigh of defeat and, a hint of icy frustration..

"I'm not trying to I PROMISE, it just, went like this I swear I am NOT crazy.. And yes that's how it WENT i SWEAR. Look at the other prefab houses of the same type around here they don't got em!"

Charlotte protested adamantly, flopping back onto her couch even further than she already was.. As she lay there, she paused, thinking of something.. Her past. She remembered that day.. Posters were everywhere.. That's it that was the ticket..
Sitting up, she slowly looked over to the dude again, pulling her laptop closer, and then opening a new tab..

"Ok, two things.. One: What's your name bud.. And two: are there public Missing Person posters I can see?.. I hate to say I've dealt with Missing Kids in the past.."

Charlie said with a sigh, scratching her neck as she got that tab opened..
 
"Sure,'' he agreed, "because along with photo editing, construction and remodeling is also not a thing in your world, apparently.'' He was starting to get frustrated now, shaking his head. "I'm really starting to get impatient now,'' he warned. Not that he would actually want to act on that, but she didn't need to know that he didn't want to call the cops.

Instead, this girl went to go on her laptop, and he grumbled in frustration, rubbing his face. What was it going to take to just get his sister back?! They looked nothing alike, so that couldn't prove it. Noëlle didn't remember him, or that night, so she couldn't vouch for him. But he really, really wanted her back. Badly.

"Justin,'' he just said, and nothing more. "And there won't be anything online about it.'' It was true, the names Justin and Noëlle would harbor nothing. Well, aside from Noëlle's name, which apparently meant Christmas in French. Joyeux Noël would be everywhere on the laptop on that search. Their names together didn't wield any results either. "I told you, I live in the middle of nowhere,'' he repeated. "Do I really need to call the cops? What's it going to take to get my sister back? Come on, she's my sister, you can't just keep her from me!''
 
She didn't even bother responding to that first remark, taking her time to search through as much as she could.. When results turned up nothing, she slowly leaned back, looking at him with a small breath as he suggested law enforcement get involved. She hated the cops, they sucked..

"Look, buddy, I know you're saying that you are but how the hell would I know that.. I'm taking caution here cause you showed up at my door, and started doing, THIS. Honestly, if they do come, they'd probably go for you instead for harassment. All I'm going to ask now, is for a last name I can research. If I know yours, then it'd be hers. That way, I can at least try and root out online stuff.. And, what region is the 'middle of nowhere' for you.. What region do you live in."

Charlie wasn't stupid. She was murdered by her own uncle after she was deceived by who she perceived as friends.. It was rough for her, and she gained a massive aura of caution after that night.. Tonight, wasn't going to be an exception..
 
The man didn't respond to that. Instead, he looked fuming. He was fuming. This was HIS sister they were talking about. How dare this girl just not tell him where she'd been for almost a year, and then do... do this? Treat him like he was some sort of criminal! Like he would kidnap his own sister; he just wanted her back. He'd been wanting her back for almost a year now. This wasn't going to change that, and it wasn't going to stop him. She was not going to stop him. He was getting his sister back, one way or the other. Fists clenched, he stood there for a moment, silently fuming.

"You know what...'' He sounded eerily calm when he spoke again. "...I'll be back,'' he settled on that ominous note. Forcing himself to stay calm, forcing himself to not make matters worse for himself and for Noëlle. He was getting her back, but getting into some kind of fight without any proof wouldn't help him and it certainly wouldn't gander sympathy from the cops, which he could really use some from. And he didn't have it. Claiming harassment when all he wanted was his sister back... It pained him to leave her here, with this... this person who was in his eyes unhealthy for her. Christmas, elves... what was she doing with his little sister?!
But, with that, he stormed out. He only stopped to crouch near Noëlle, who backed off. Gently grabbing her hands again. "Noëlle, I promise I'll be back. And it won't... I won't... be like before. Never again. Promise.''

With that, he left Noëlle behind, stunned. Noëlle, though, was not one to get bothered for long periods of time, and didn't really think about it. Instead, she went on over to the door. She did have one question though. "Why'd you let him in?'' She pouted at Charlotte. She was still bothered by that, but not a lot, not really. She was more just curious, if anything. Still, the feeling that this guy waked in her was... something she WAS disturbed by. Which was a whole new feeling for her.
 
Yeah Charlie, the MOMENT they left, went STRAIGHT for the alcohol, chugging down a light beer as she laid back on the couch with a massive, splitting headache growing fast.. God she hated stuff like that..


As Noëlle wandered in, she slowly lowered the bottle, and set it on the coffee table with a small thump.. As she looked over at the kid, she let out a small sigh, and shrugged..

"I, don't know really.. honestly, if i had to pin a reason it's cause I've seen missing children cases before and I just wanted to be sure about all this.. I am NOT repeating the mistakes i had with Cassidy.."

She muttered the last bit under her breath, but, still audible.. Turning back to her bottle, she finished it off, and as she took the empty bottle to the recycling, she let out a small breath as she looked at the assortment of Christmas decor.

"Well that was a bit of a, downer.. But, hey, at the very least we got this stuff now.."

She let out a small, kind of awkward chuckle as she scratched her neck.. Then, slowly she began unwrapping the tree..

"I guess uh to, shake the nerves off you wanna, start this?.."
 
Noëlle listened to the reason, but it only confused her more. Who... was Cassidy? Wait, actually, Cassidy had been mentioned before. She'd be on the Naughty List, according to Charlotte. Not just a poor missing kid then, right?

"Well,'' Noëlle began, "okay.'' She... really didn't get it. "I made a snowman!'' She continued, flipping a switch to her own, old self. "Oh... sorry if you wanted to do that, too, together. I just... I guess I got a little bored,'' she admitted.

Staring at the Christmas tree for a bit... why was this so familiar, yet strange...? But Noëlle shrugged it off. "Sure, okay! It'll be fun! Do you want to like, put up a Christmas movie or music on the background? Maybe if we'd have baked cookies first we could have made it, or maybe we can quickly whip up some hot chocolate, but it's your Christmas, so it's whatever you want!'' Still, a pang of that feeling which Noëlle was pointedly ignoring. Instead, she started to help unwrap the tree!
 
Charlie chuckled at her comment at the snowman, and her apology. Honestly, she didn't mind. And she said as much.

"heh, you're fine kid. We can always build another if you want. Actually I should apologize for even letting him in here.. Honestly people coming around and claiming that they're family are so annoying.. dealt with it myself. several court cases later and no one dares to impersonate a family member of mine.."

She said with a small laugh, finally unwrapping the tree, it's bristles tumbling to the floor, and the scent of pine filling the home..

"There we go, perfect. If I hold it here, could you go fill up the tree stand with water, and secure it into place?"
 
"Oh, yeah,'' Noëlle agreed with an eager nod, "that'll be fun! And then it'll have a friend, so it won't get lonely!''
She listened to the apology and shrugged. "It's alright. It's your house, after all. But I really don't have a brother,'' she insisted. "Or else I'd know about it... right? Anyways, court is boring,'' she mumbled. "Hope I don't have to go there.''

She held onto the Christmas tree until Charlotte asked otherwise. It was a little search in a strange house as to where to find stuff like the tap, but eventually Noëlle filled the tree stand, and secured it as best as she could.
"Well, I hope it stays upright... You know, magic would be a lot easier to do this with according to a lot of elves, but I prefer to do this kind of thing by hand. You know, decorating and such. It just makes it more fun! It's no fun and not really cheery if you just do everything instantly... It's way more fun if you can do it together, don't you think?''
 
"Heh, tell me about it.. I've been stuck in legal HELL for at least over a year now, hard to remember when it started.."
Charlie said with a hearty laugh, watching carefully as Noëlle got the tree watered and safely secured. Once she knew it was safe, she let go of the tree, letting it stand on it's own, before moving towards the box of fresh christmas tree lights.

"It should. That brand is always trusty from my experience. And, yeah to be honest I don't see the, enjoyment in doing things via magic. It's like.. Sure it gets done FAST but, it loses the charm.. I knew someone who, liked to do a lot by magic. He moderated it well but.. Still. My father always said to me when i was still alive: 'Something done by hand is something done from the heart.' "
 
"Still sounds boring,'' Noëlle said, scrunching up her face. She couldn't help but exhale in relief as the tree indeed did stand on its own. That was one crisis averted. Trusty or not, she didn't particularly trust herself with this sort of stuff. On the North Pole, the decorations were year round so no one needed to really put them up in the right time of year.

Noëlle was still considering things with that guy when Charlotte started to speak again. She could barely focus. But she had to. Her job wasn't to worry about whether she had a brother or not; her job was to worry about getting Charlotte the perfect Christmas! She should stop worrying about it, and yet, it wouldn't let her go. She tried hard to focus on just the tree, and on decorating it. Tried to distract herself by thinking of activities they could do after the tree decorating.
But ultimately... Noëlle's mind still wouldn't let it go.
 
"Trust me it very much is."
Charlie said with a small sigh, beginning to work on the tree as it stood steady. Before she even dared put anything on the tree, she looked for faults so that if there WERE any, she could just, take them back and get her money refunded.

Still, even with Noëlle's silence being rather, eerie, she still felt, a sense of joy she hadn't felt in years. Decorating the tree put a smile on her face, and letting Noëlle take care of the tree, she worked on the rest of her home..

After a good few hours, the interior, AND exterior were shimmering with plenty of christmas cheer, either bought, or conjured by the ghost.
Charlie couldn't help but smile, letting out a small, yet happy sigh as she looked over the tree in the living room..

"This is nice."

She said quietly.
 
Noëlle couldn't see any flaws; in her view, every tree was perfect. Even if it was a little faulty. At least, that's what the tree elves had taught her about trees when she'd helped out on the tree farm. The trees there grew with magic, so you'd think there wouldn't be any 'faulty' ones. Yet, Santa seemed to like his trees to be unique and have character. So, they did.

When she was done with the tree, Noëlle watched Charlotte go around the house as it got more and more cheery. It made her feel more comfortable and at home. It was, after all, just like home. Decorated, cheery, and everything like that.

So, she looked back up at Charlotte with a small smile of her own. "It really is.'' She quietly said. Her voice was soft, unlike her usual tone and her eyes seemed to sparkle a little less. She sighed of her own, but not a sigh like Charlotte's. Why couldn't she just focus?!
"What do you want to do next?'' Noëlle asked Charlotte.
 
"well, for one thing, catch my breath."

Charlie jested, taking a slow and careful seat on her couch, mopping her face with a deep, long sigh..

"That was, a lot of exercise at once, heh. I don't get why I get so exhausted.. I mean I've done way more than this before but.. Yeah strange thing.."

As Noëlle asked what they could do next, she paused, looking around at the decorations all set up and glimmering Not much else to decorate at that point.. Then, her eyes were drawn to the fridge. And then, back down to the tree with the present underneath..

"Hmm.. Well uh, I could open that present now, and then I can probably make us something to eat. We deserve something good after all that work."
 
Noëlle nodded and stood awkwardly. She didn't want to be rude and sit down already, but hovering like this was also super awkward, and well, she didn't know what to do. Her eyes glazed over again.
Until Charlotte mentioned the present. She snapped her head up. "Pft, no way! That's for Christmas Eve at the earliest. And it's not Christmas Eve yet, is it? I said I'd stay till Christmas,'' she said, putting her hands on her side, "and you can't open that present until Christmas. Plus, Santa is still set to come. I guess usually you can't open the presents because Santa still has to deliver them, but even if it's here now, I guess it's just tradition.''
Noëlle seemed pretty passionate about this point; they had to wait until Christmas, whenever that may be.
"Say,'' Noëlle then said, getting an idea from the other thing Charlotte had said, "do you have milk, a sauce pan, cocoa powder, sugar, and chocolate chips? And some vanilla if you want it, but I personally prefer the chocolate flavor. I also need a whisk. Oh, and it'd be nice if you had toppings, too. Like marshmallows, whipped cream, sprinkles, that sort of stuff.''
 
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"Heh, alright alright. Sorry, days have just kinda been a blur for me recently.. Kinda just got myself gifts earlier in the month, treated myself to a nice minute to myself.. New popcorn maker which i am very happy about."

She motioned to the kitchen, the popcorn maker sitting still just under the microwave. At the mention of the ingredients, she paused, thinking and pushing herself to stand, heading towards her kitchen

"DO I?"
Charlie questioned aloud, searching through the cupboards and cabinets for what Noëlle had listed out, setting each on the counter as she moved to the next item.. As she grabbed out what she could, she let out a small breath.

"Ok, I do have that stuff, I think they were added in when we were at the store so.. What're ya thinking with these?"
She questioned, leaning on the counter with a small breath, kicking off the heels at LAST..
 
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