Thinking about YUL-ATL (w/ NienieDreamer)

[wanderingcoder]

It was usually around these times that the snow would settle in, formally inviting the Northern Hemisphere to the joys of winter - or woes, depending on who you ask.

People readjusting themselves to walking in the snow, wearing heavy coats, scarves and toques, stomping their feet on their front door mat as they turn in for the night. A warm welcome after a hard day's work, to reunite with their close ones and complain about how cold it was that day. It was a wonderful, almost romantic idea of living at the start of the cold season.

"Ça feel l'automne icitte." Maxime muttered under her breath, staring under her nose. No condensation, as expected of above freezing weather. It really felt like autumn. It's not like she was expecting anything winter-like in Alpharetta. She was definitely not hoping for an inch of snow right about now, and she certainly did not miss home. In fact, she was happy to be away from home on this vacation.

She swore one of those delicate church words that made her feel at home. There was no one to convince, even herself. She missed Montreal. She didn't need to be on this trip. She could have done this remotely. So what if there was a training seminar she absolutely needed to attend this week? Whoever said that business trips are like vacations should be dragged out in the streets and be taken to the curb.

She wanted that inch of snow. Transit system, be damned.

That was all because she told her manager she didn't intend to take PTO for the holidays that year. Next time, she will take a week off. Or two. Her heels clacked on the ground as she made her way to her lodgings. It was only after entering the code and passing the gate that Maxime started to relax; the now too familiar sight of apartments lined up made her look forward to today's meal.

Maxime threw off her clothes as soon as she entered the two-bedroom apartment. Once she made herself comfortable, she took the white binder that the place's owner placed on the counter before she arrived and sat on the couch. She crossed her legs and brought the neckline of her shirt to her nose. Lavender. It brought her back to her laundry room.

She flipped through the binder and stopped once she saw the local Chinese place. After considering her options and settling on her favourite sweet and sour pork, Maxime made her order. Once done, she put the binder away and stretched her legs. All she needed to do was wait for the doorbell to ring. Or so she thought, as the apartment's phone rang twenty minutes later.

She forgot about the gate! She flung her coat back on, put her shoes on and hurried out the door with her keys and wallet.​

 

[NienieDreamer]

It was another -cold, of course- day on the North Pole. Snow here was in no short supply, as well as ice and everything. And reindeer! Noëlle had been in Santa's service for a while now. When she'd arrived, she'd really taken to the reindeer, and them to her, so, to her great joy, Santa had assigned her as reindeer elf!
Ever since that day, she took care of the reindeer with love and, well, care! She knew each of their personalities and preferences and adhered to them. It was one of the days that she was taking care of the reindeer, as always. She had just finished getting the water from under the ice from the manual pump and was letting it heat up a little before letting the reindeer drink it. Noëlle didn't want them to get a stomach-ache. In the meanwhile, she got all the portions of hay from the big bales and filled the nets, hanging them up in the stalls and giving each reindeer a grooming as they ate. After that, the water was ready to be put in the troughs.

Just when Noëlle was done with that, she saw Santa walk in. "Hello, Santa!'' She greeted with a wave.
"Good morning, Noëlle. How are they doing today?''
"Lazy,'' Noëlle said, scrunching up her nose. Which earned her Santa's famous laugh.
"Well, I think I have some great news for you. I know you'll like it.''
"Oh?'' Noëlle was getting ready to clean the stables now as Santa spoke, but she stopped when he waved for her to join him.
Santa lifted up a crate, which revealed a very small... "Reindeer!'' She gasped, leaning down and starting to pet it. It grunted happily.
"Yes,'' Santa chuckled, "and it's all yours.''
Noëlle stopped and looked at him.
"You heard me.''
"Oh!'' Noëlle looked back at the reindeer, feeling tears in her eyes. Then, she picked it up and hugged it tight. "Thank you, Santa!''
"Think of it as your own Christmas gift. A little early, but that doesn't matter. What will you name her?''
"Mmmm... Rainy!'' Noëlle decided.

Santa nodded in appreciation. "Now that you have Rainy, it's time for me to explain why you'll need her. See, I'm thinking of a new position for you-''
"I won't get to take care of the reindeer anymore?'' Noëlle exclaimed in alarm.
"Oh, no, you will! You will. All of the year, aside from the ending months. See, when it comes to Christmas season, I think I should send you out on some special assignments. What I'm thinking is, there are people that could really use some Christmas Spirit. Which is particularly strong in you, little elf. So, I figured I would send you out to help the people that need it most to get them an unforgettable Christmas.''
Noëlle considered this a moment. "But,'' she eventually asked, "who'll take care of the reindeer whilst I'm gone?''
"The other elves. Is that okay with you?''
She considered again. It seemed like a super fun assignment, and she did get Rainy from it... "Okay!'' She agreed.
"As for Rainy, you'll need her as a companion, but also to get around. Watch...''
Rainy jumped out of Noëlle's arms... and grew into a full sized reindeer right in front of her eyes! "Woah!'' Noëlle shouted.

Grabbing a sack and a paper from it, Santa handed it over to her. "Then, this is your first assignment. You are set to leave as soon as you are ready, as you will preferably arrive today.''
After reading the paper, Noëlle thanked Santa with a well received hug and then went to pack her own sack. Full of stuff for her and Rainy! She got a harness on her brand new pet reindeer and latched the sacks onto it.
Then, after a goodbye with all the other reindeer... off they went.
It was a long flight, but it was amazing with Rainy under her. And eventually, she arrived on the roof of the address this Maxime, her assignment, was staying on. So, she landed Rainy on the roof with a clatter and then went through either an existing or non-existing but appearing chimney and landed in the fireplace. She'd be waiting for Maxime when she came back.

"Hello!'' The very random child with a tiny reindeer next to her greeted, waving excitedly. "Are you Maxime Olivier? I may have gotten the wrong room...'' Noëlle admitted, looking around. She got the assignment out and looked at the picture. "Let's see... you LOOK like Maxime Olivier... but are you?'' Putting the paper back in the sack, she dragged them both out of the fireplace, which then vanished. "Anyways, I'm Noëlle. And if you are Maxime Olivier, then I'm here to give you the bestest Christmas ever!''

 

[wanderingcoder]

It took almost five minutes for Maxime to jog toward the gate for her food. After tipping some extra cash to the delivery person, she made her way back to her lodgings holding her well-deserved dinner. Thank you, company card. She could only hope to return while her food was still hot.

It was a few moments later that Maxime finally reached the door to her apartment. She readjusted the brown bag and pressed it close to her body so she could hold it with one arm, unlocked the door with a satisfying click, and entered.

An excited 'Hello!' sounded from behind as she turned the lock. Maxime's brow twitched. Her meal dropped to the floor. There it was. Was someone here? Was it the owner? She knew it would happen eventually with AirBnBs. She heard those stories about cameras or wiretaps. Was privacy not a thing anymore? She mustered her courage and spun to face the intruder. She stopped.

Standing in the living room was a small child, ten years at most, and behind her was a fireplace. Since when was there a fireplace in the living room? She remembered unlocking the door earlier; she was definitely at the right address. There was no mistake. Her boots, which she haphazardly threw earlier, were still there with her socks still in them.

Why was there a fireplace in the living room? She was tempted to open the door next to her and hide. She wanted to know whether almond milk could induce hallucinations, or if there was anything wrong in her afternoon snack that had kicked in right about now.

The child spoke again. She even knew her name. That was also odd, but if a fireplace was in her living room Maxime could jot it down to almond milk hallucinations. She never checked the date on the container when she bought it. The child had a picture of her - or someone her doppelganger - in her hands.

Just ride it out, Max. Ride it out. Christ, there's even a reindeer.

"No- I mean yes. That's me. It's the right room." It was hot in here. Maxime took off her coat and placed it on the hanger. She took off her sneakers and neatly put them by the door. The food. She moved the brown bag elsewhere, still wanting it in sight. She looked normal, right? She felt normal.

She turned back to the child. And her reindeer. The child dragged a large sack out the fireplace, the latter vanishing soon after. Poof. That was one less thing to focus on.

The child - Noëlle - introduced herself. The bestest Christmas ever?

"Thanks, I guess?" Maxime didn't know what to make of it. What? Why? Was it because she wished for a snowpocalypse? So many questions. An elf child stood in the living room with her reindeer. Go with the flow. It felt surreal. Christmas was happening right in her living room.

"All right, Noëlle." Maxime was tempted to pronounce it in her native French, but pronounced it like the child did. She took her food and made her way behind the kitchen counter. Noëlle was on the other side. The elf looked real enough now that she's seen her from many angles. She opened a drawer and pulled out a fork. She took the aluminum container out of its bag and opened the lid. She could already smell the sauce.

"I'm sure you're real, but do you mind?" She pointed at her food with the fork. Nonetheless, Maxime stabbed a piece of pork and brought it to her mouth. She chewed and swallowed. It could be a bit hotter, but what the hell. She paused.

"Do you want some? I could make you a plate."​

 

[NienieDreamer]

Noëlle stayed there, staring at Maxime as she stared back. And so, they stared at each other. "You dropped your bag,'' Noëlle helpfully said after a while. Her own bag stood right next to her, with the reindeer, which was the size of a very small dog. But it was definitely a reindeer; antlers and everything. It even had a red little collar with its name on it; Rainy. On the back would be the address to the North Pole, since Noëlle did not have a phone.

"Oh, good!'' Noëlle cheerfully answered, grabbing the sack again. The other was swung over her back. "It would be so incredibly awkward if I went down the wrong chimney, don't you think? I think so! I mean, this is my first assignment, so I guess I could be excused, maybe, but it would still be a tad embarrassing, I say. Anywho, it's very nice to meet you! I'm Noëlle! But, uh, you knew that already. Probably.'' The kid was dragging the sack everywhere around the room now, then stopped and looked around. "Where's your Christmas tree? You know, so that I can drop the presents off under it. I mean, you got presents, I know 'cause I'm here to deliver 'em, but... I don't see a Christmas tree to put them under?''

Then, Noëlle shrugged. "I'll just leave them right here, then. Doesn't matter. But I gotta say, the place doesn't look very cheery, don't you think? Could use a bit more decorating. Maybe that'd be something fun to do to prepare for Christmas!'' Noëlle suggested, indeed dropping the back right next to Maxime's boots. "And there's all sorts of more fun stuff we can do together, too! Like bake Christmas cookies, make Christmas cards for your family and friends back home, eat Christmas cookies, get hot cocoa, watch Christmas movies...'' She started to rattle off all sorts of Christmas activities, but then stopped and got just a little more serious. "I know you're not with your family and friends with Christmas, and it's not very white outside, but... I'm here to keep you company now! Even though it's not the same. And hey, with today's technology you can always, like, call them, right? I know it won't be the same, but we can make the best of it that's possible.''

She turned to follow Maxime in her sight. Was it something she said? Maybe it was a little too soon to get into all the touchy feely things. "Sorry,'' she mumbled, then understanding that Maxime was talking about the food and gave a shrug as an answer. And finally, she responded "Oh, no thank you, I don't eat meat. But by all means, go ahead!'' She found the nearest seat and flopped down, patiently waiting for Maxime to either finish her meal or start speaking again and eagerly staring at her.

 

[wanderingcoder]

Not only was Christmas happening right in front of her, but Christmas also meant presents under the tree. However, there was no Christmas tree for Noëlle to put presents under. For obvious reasons, Maxime did not take the time to decorate the place. She was renting, after all.

Also, presents? Really? There was only so much room in her suitcase.

Maxime didn't know what to think about the child as she filtered out most of Noëlle's incessant prattling. She felt as if someone somewhere decided to give her babysitting duty along with her duties at work. Was she aware that she was intruding? Maxime pondered as she bit a piece of pineapple. The kid took the reins of her whole evening.

Hell, the child even seemed to know her entire backstory. Must be Christmas magic. Figures. She didn't feel like talking about home right now, however.

Was this fate telling her to slack off? It wasn't like Maxime had any plans of working overtime. Maybe transcribe some of today's notes properly and prepare for tomorrow. Other than that, there was nothing, only improvised 'not thinking about shit' fun.

She paused her thoughts. The child might not have thought her plans through and was definitely intruding, but she looked like she meant well with her intentions. Looks like a good kid. Can't be rude to a kid. Also, Christmas elves are vegetarian, apparently.

The small reindeer also seemed well-trained.

"First," Maxime swallowed lukewarm pork. "I can't decorate. I'm renting this place and I don't want to pay the owner extra for cleaning fees. And cleaning fees are a bi-" Language. "They're a pain."

She turned to the cupboards and took a tall glass out. "Second," Maxime kept talking as she turned on the tap. "I assume you're here for the evening, I don't think I have the ingredients for cookies." She turned it off. "Do we have measuring cups here, even?" She muttered, side-eying the drawers to her left. She should check. She slid the top one open and looked. "Oh we do. Cool. Okay."

Trying to ignore the fact that she was considering baking with a Christmas elf, Maxime went back to her meal. She brought a forkful of pork and bell pepper to her mouth. "So," She hovered her hand flat in front of her mouth to not show the child the contents inside. She swallowed. "Let's say I'm not hallucinating right now. Are you really a Christmas elf? Like, working for Santa, Christmas elf? Tell me about yourself."​

 

[NienieDreamer]

Noëlle seemed disappointed with that. "Oh...'' She looked down for a while. No decorations... for Christmas?! The cookies were less of a problem, they could always get some more ingredients later. "I'm not,'' she said, perking up, "I'm here until Christmas! That's when I leave and have to go back to the North Pole. So we can always get some more ingredients!'' She cheerfully exclaimed.

Noëlle did not seem to see the problem with any of this; the breaking and entering, the fact that she was an elf, the fact that Maxime was an adult, or the fact that a tiny reindeer was there, too! And that reindeers were usually not tiny, but big. "It's okay, though, we can still do the other things! Maybe you can ask the owner if you can decorate, or something. I wonder why THEY didn't decorate...'' she mumbled.

She considered this for a while and tilted her head. "Well...'' she started, "I would rather know about YOU, and there really isn't a lot about me, but... okay!'' She shrugged and flopped down on the nearest seat she could find and lifted Rainy up, pulling the little creature close. "Like I said, I'm Noëlle, and I'm an elf!'' She felt a little awkward doing this... but whatever helped Maxime! "And I am totally real,'' she said, a little bitter but alright. "I'm the reindeer elf! I work in the stables and I take care of Santa's Reindeer.''

That seemed to get it out of her. "Did you know they're actually all girls? I mean, I don't get why, but they're often misrepresented as guys, but they're not! See, boy deer shed their antlers during the winter, and they don't have the right body mass to be strong enough to pull a sleigh. So, Santa's reindeer are all girls! Dasher is the fastest. Vixen often plays tricks. Prancer is always, well, prancing around and Cupid, well, she LOVES cuddles. And mince pie is her favorite treat, so maybe we should bake some of that and leave it out on Christmas Eve. The rest of the reindeer just love carrots and candy canes and apples and that sort of stuff but they love treats! Anyways, Donner and Blitzen are actually twins.'' She looked up at Maxime. "Did you know all that?''
Then, she continued on. "What else is there...? Well... Hmm... I dunno. You're on the Nice List, though! Otherwise I wouldn't be here.''
Okay, so she said more about the reindeer than herself, but really, what was there about her? She was an Elf... and that was all. A Christmas Elf. She really didn't know what to say about herself... but Noëlle hoped this was enough.

 

[wanderingcoder]

"Until Christmas? Don't you have any other people to 'bring the holiday cheers' to?" Well that was a wrench in her whole plans, now. Maxime held back a groan, not wanting to aggravate - or hurt - the child. "I am not here for fun and games, you know? I'm here for work." Training, preparation for training, transcribing said training's notes. She had stuff to do… right?

As she ate forkfuls of food, Maxime listened to Noëlle reintroducing herself - for the third time - and specifying what she did for a living other than being an elf. When Rainy was brought to her face, she felt like it was getting cuter by the minute. She stabbed another piece of pineapple and tried to tempt the reindeer with it, trying to see what it would do. She would totally let it take it. There are many forks to spare.

Lore was excitedly being dropped by the child. Maxime raised her eyebrows. "Oh, reindeer elves sound cool. Is it a hard job?" She was genuinely curious.

More food, more exposition. "Are they really all girls?" She never thought about that. "What about Rudolph? I thought Rudolph was part of it, like in the song." The first few notes of the song came to mind. And now it's stuck until tomorrow.

Maxime was not hungry anymore. Her meal was unfinished, yet it still had enough for another meal. She placed the plastic cover back on the aluminum container and pressed around it. She turned around, opened the refrigerator door and put away her meal for another day.

"Okay, good. Now about me." Maxime went back to Noëlle. "Again, I am here for work. I will be home by next Monday, which means I will be back by New Year to spend it with my family." That would make it at least one holiday where I'm not alone.

Maxime leaned forward on the counter. "Listen," She pulled her shoulders forward to give them a big stretch. "I'll keep you entertained tonight. Let's have some fun, bake cookies, watch Christmas Vacation, and hit the sack after." She straightened back up and rolled up her sleeves. "You good with that?"

Let's get baking, then. She was starting to get motivated anyway. Maxime tried to reach for her phone, and eventually found it in her coat pocket. She went back behind the counter. "What kind of Christmas cookies, though? Gingerbread? Shortbread?" She paused. "I feel like gingerbread."

Luckily for the two of them, Maxime ended up finding all the required ingredients. "We've got the spices, molasses, eggs, flour… We've got-" She brought up the rolling pin. "Whatever we call that thing." Language barrier. "Oh, and these are the cookie cutters. No gingerbread men, but trees will do."

Max put on a nearby apron and tied back her hair in a short ponytail. It was time to make some basic-ass gingerbread cookies.​

 

[NienieDreamer]

"Nope,'' Noëlle shrugged. "Just one a year. And this year, it's lucky you!'' She said, spreading her arms. "And even if you do have to work, which is a very sad thing if you ask me, there's still ways to make the best of it in between. Sometimes it's good to relax and kick back a little. Everyone needs rest now and then. It's impossible to get on without it. And Christmas is very important,'' Noëlle claimed, totally not biased due to being a Christmas elf or anything like that.

Rainy found the concept of a pineapple very interesting indeed. It had been a long journey, she'd flown for quite a while and she hadn't eaten yet. Thus, this was one hungry reindeer and despite its tiny size, it could work up quite the appetite. It was big some of the time, after all. So, Rainy was fully prepared to take said pineapple, but after sniffing it... decided against it, sneezing a little. She let out a grunt.
Noëlle frowned. "That's cooked, also it's been with meat. Rainy is a herbivore, you know.''

She quickly moved on to the next topic. "Well, you know, it fills the day and it's tiring, but it's all so worth it! They're really nice, and I love the reindeer. I wouldn't trade it for any job. I miss them,'' she sighed. "But they're taken care of.''

Nodding excitedly, Noëlle's confirmed that. "Yup, all girls! Antlers and all that,'' she repeated. But the excited mood was dampened a bit when Rudolf was brought up. Now she had to break it to Maxime... "Well... actually... Rudolf is kind more like a myth,'' she admitted carefully. "That's all we really know about that reindeer. Santa won't say anything, though some of the elves claim to see him or a red light sometimes. I haven't seen Rudolf myself, so I can't confirm or deny it. But since I am the reindeer elf, I'd love to confirm or deny it, though!''

After that, she watched Maxime put away the meal. And not say anything. She frowned. Did Noëlle somehow say something wrong? It wasn't the debunking of Rudolf, right? She knew that was a beloved reindeer for a lot of people, and it was difficult to tell someone that that reindeer wasn't, well, may not be, kinda, real...

But she perked up when Maxime spoke up again. She nodded along. "Well, I'll be gone by New Years, but I'm glad you'll be with family! At least that means you won't be alone, and I'd hate to leave you to yourself. That's one thing less to worry about. Though, maybe you could like, video call them or something with today's technology? I think that should be possible. Though, I'm sorry. I know it won't be the same.''

"Sure,'' Noëlle agreed cautiously to Maxime's plan, "but you know I'll be here after tomorrow still, right? Again, I'm here until Christmas. I'm not leaving just 'cause we're gonna bake cookies and watch a Christmas movie...'' she carefully let it sink in before speaking again; "My assignment is much more than that. I can't leave until either you get in the Christmas Spirit or until Christmas is over... regardless of if my assignment was a success or not, which I hope it will be!''

Instead, they moved on to the conversation about which cookies, which made Rainy perk up at all the named ones. She started to squirm in Noëlle's arms, so Noëlle let the tiny creature down and sighed. "Gingerbread it is, then. This is your Christmas, after all.''

"Rolling pin,'' Noëlle added, "that's a rolling pin.'' She stopped herself short of explaining what a rolling pin was; Maxime had said 'whatever that thing is called', not 'whatever that thing is'. She probably knew. "Trees are fine,'' Noëlle said, "gingerbread men kinda creep me out anyways.''

Noëlle didn't have to prepare in any way, so she leaned down to talk to Rainy. "Now, listen, you'll have some gingerbread cookies probably, if not I'll get you something from the sack. But you can't help, okay? We can't have like, hoof prints in the dough or eventual cookies. So just uh... go rest, okay?''
The reindeer hung its head low, but shuffled off to lay down in the corner with a huff. Noëlle awkwardly looked at it, then turned back to Maxime and shrugged. "Reindeers.''

 

[wanderingcoder]

At first she thought Noëlle was naive in the ways of the world, but Maxime found her positivity refreshing. The grown-up tried to remember what it felt like to see Christmas as a way to kick back, how it was when she was a child. When was the last time the holidays meant anything other than a tiring race to attend multiple events in multiple places.

She was also, apparently, one of the lucky seven billion people on the planet. "Really? Only once a year?" Maxime couldn't help but chortle. "I could've won the lottery with that luck."

Whether she liked it or not, Maxime was slowly wrapping her mind around the idea of being visited by what she once thought was a myth, a legend. The thought of Rudolph being a myth even among the elves was, however, hilarious. "Well I thought you were a myth too until now." She laughed. "Maybe you'll get visited by Rudolph one day."

Noëlle spoke up, offering multiple solutions to reach out to family during her business trip. Maxime shrugged. "I leave a text or two in our group chat every other day, so I'm fine. I was planning on calling on Christmas anyway." It wasn't like Maxime had a choice. Her parents would have called her either way, and since she didn't change her SIM card she wanted to make that call on her terms. Hooray for social media.

Maxime let Noëlle's next words sink in as she listened. That pretty much confirmed it. She was stuck with a Christmas elf until, well, Christmas.

"What is 'getting in the Christmas Spirit' to you, then?" She asked, trying to mask her frustration. Of course, she knew deep down what it meant. It meant all the things Noëlle prattled about when she first came in. "I can't really flick the switch on that, you know? But fine, I'll try."

Her mood unsoured as they went to the subject of baking. "A rolling pin, noted. Thanks." Maxime watched Noëlle put her reindeer down and couldn't help but laugh at their interaction. That was so cute to watch. Her eyes followed Rainy as it went to the corner. "Don't worry, reindeer. I'll give you some of mine."

She eventually found a good, easy recipe on her phone.

Maxime put out two bowls on the counter, both different in sizes. After rummaging through drawers and doors, she eventually found a mixer that would be useful with the wet ingredients. She slid the oven's bottom drawer open and, as expected, found two cookie trays. She placed them both on the stovetop. She turned back to the counter and separated the ingredients in two sides; there was one side for the dry ingredients, and the other was for the wet ingredients.

"I'll take care of the wet ingredients. I have half a cup of butter to soften, and molasses to mix." She said, plopping said butter in a heatable bowl. She would eventually soften it in the microwave. Once done, she would whisk it in the bigger bowl with molasses, an egg, and a teaspoon of vanilla extract for two minutes.

"When you're done with the dry ingredients, I'll need you to slowly put them in my bowl. I'll mix with a wooden spoon." She paused and smiled to herself. "Unless you'd like to do it? Either way, it's fine to me."​

 

[NienieDreamer]

Noëlle eagerly continued the conversation, trying to connect with Maxime. It was a bit hard to work the assignment if said assignment did not like her, so best stay on Maxime's good side. "Yeah, around Christmas time I get the assignments from Santa, then I fly here, try to carry it out and then I leave back to take care of the reindeer! That's how it works. Some people just need a little help celebrating Christmas. Or at least, being happy during it, because not everyone celebrates.''

"I hope so,'' Noëlle admitted, "it'd be nice to see if Rudolf is real or not, no matter the outcome. Maybe I should ask Krampus. He knows a LOT about reindeer. I learnt all I got from him, you know. He's got a lot of 'em, and he taught me everything he knows about them. I haven't asked him yet, maybe he'll answer instead of being all cryptic and mysterious like Santa is. Now and then, an elf claims to see Rudolf, but I don't think the other elves believe them. I really wonder,'' she sighed. "Also, I am real.'' She added, scrunching up her face.

Pursing her lips, Noëlle considered this. "Still,'' she insisted, "it can't be fun to be away from family during such a family oriented holiday. I'm sorry that you have to be. I just... want you to be able to enjoy it regardless, at least a little bit, or to find a way that you can stay in touch. I know with today's technology you can actually see them, but I also know it can't be the same as actually being with them.'' A text every other day... Hm.

"I know, I know,'' Noëlle offered, hopefully placating Maxime by raising her palms and using the same soothing tone she'd use on a worked up reindeer. Though, of course, the gestures and voice worked on reindeer, Maxime, was, in fact, NOT a reindeer. It may or may not work, depending on how ... reindeer like... she was? Or something like that? Noëlle was good with reindeer. People, however... "All I want,'' she tried to explain, "is for you to be able to enjoy Christmas despite the circumstances, even if just a little, but preferably a lot. And I'm here to try and help you with that.''

Rainy perked up a little at that, but Noëlle shook her head, much to her dismay. "It's alright, she can have all of mine. I don't need to eat.'' That, apparently, calmed her temper down enough to flop down, curl up and keep staring. Mm, cookie dough... "But anyways, her name is Rainy,'' she offered, thinking it was a little more personal to call someone -even a reindeer- by name rather than their species... Next thing you knew, Maxime would be calling Noëlle 'elf'!

Noëlle obviously had baked before; a lot. She expertly mixed together the ingredients, not even needing to check how much of them she was using. Not spilling an ounce, she went and carefully put it in the other bowl at exactly the right pace for Maxime to mix them in. "Do you bake a lot?'' She asked. "Like, with family or alone even, or around Christmas, maybe?'' Getting to know one another better was always good; the more Noëlle knew, the better she could hopefully help.

 

[wanderingcoder]

Maxime considered baking – or cooking in general – to be a great way to distract herself from her everyday life. She liked the activity a lot, and it helped her relax as she replicated the recipe. The woman watched as Noëlle made a show of how much of an expert she was at baking. Which was odd considering she just heard the child mention how she didn't need to eat.

"I actually like to bake." Maxime looked up from her endless stirring, mechanically mixing both dry and wet ingredients together with the wooden spoon. "It's just that I don't bother with the more complicated recipes. I tend to stick with cookies and muffins. Or banana bread." A lot of banana bread considering the amount of uneaten bananas in her freezer. She should make some once she's back home, she thought.

She took out enough plastic wrapper to contain the dough. "I don't cook with my family anymore since I have my own place, but we do receive each other for dinner sometimes." She paused. "I prefer my cooking, though. Theirs is too bland." Even though she said that, Maxime couldn't help but smile fondly at the thought of her parents' cooking. She wondered what they were eating tonight.

She plopped the dough onto the plastic wrapper, covered it, and placed it in the refrigerator. "So thirty minutes in this, and then we'll be able to put them in the oven." That's what the recipe said. Maxime washed her hands and took off her apron. She undid her ponytail and fixed her hair properly now that she was done with cooking.

Back to the main subject. "I sometimes cook some traditional recipes around Christmas time, but it's usually too much of a bother." She sipped water from her earlier glass, which she had forgotten before preparing the cookie dough. "I eat my fill during Christmas parties anyway." Sometimes too much, she thought, bitterly remembering all these times she went on the dreaded scale after the holidays.

"You seem to be very good at baking, Noëlle." She spoke up, referencing how the elf didn't even have to look at the recipe for the exact quantities. "For someone who doesn't need to eat, you sure are good at doing this. Are you sure you won't want to eat some?" She teased.

She finished her water and put the glass in the dishwasher. While she was at it, she took the opportunity to fill it with the bowls and utensils she used to prepare the dough. Once done, Maxime closed the dishwasher door. She turned to one of the cupboards and took out an electric kettle. "So I'm thinking decaf or cocoa. You in? Can you drink cocoa?"​

 

[NienieDreamer]

Noëlle would always help out and do a lot of baking on the North Pole, and besides, reindeer loved sweet treats. Of course she knew how to bake! And... just because she didn't need to eat, didn't mean she didn't love sweet treats, either!
"That's nice,'' Noëlle said earnestly. "You don't even have to get complicated, as long as it's tasty that's enough, right?

"Also nice,'' Noëlle kind of repeated. "Though, I'm sorry to hear about their bland food. Personally, I can't handle spiciness.'' Noëlle shrugged. "But anyways, maybe you or them could organize a Christmas dinner or something like that when you get home. Like, a sort of catching up thing, you could exchange your presents then and still have sort of a Christmas. Maybe on New Year's, even? Unless you don't wanna combine it.''

"It's fine,'' Noëlle answered in a more serious manner, "Rainy needs it more than I do. She just flew all the way from the North Pole! I'll be fine. I promise.''

"And,'' she nodded eagerly, "can I ever! I love cocoa. Do you love cocoa?''

 

[wanderingcoder]

"No need to be sorry about that," Maxime reassured the elf. "The food might be bland, but home is still home. They do it in case they want to add more when they're about to eat." That only worked for soy sauce, mostly. She didn't pay attention enough for the rest of her parents' cooking, although she's aware that they skimp on the seasoning from time and time.

Upon hearing the child's energy at her suggestion of cocoa, Maxime's face lit up. She looked like she was starting to enjoy humouring Noëlle; the elf was starting to grow on her, whether she wanted it or not. "Sure," The woman chuckled a bit. "Sure, I love cocoa. I love instant cocoa, and from time to time I make it on the stove with milk."

And sometimes, she admitted internally, she would even put an ounce – or two – of Irish cream or some other delicious, sweet alcohol in her mug. A boosted cocoa, as they say!

With that, Maxime poured water in the electric kettle and turned it on. It would take a few seconds, but she had enough time to fill two large mugs with scoops of powdered cocoa. She went through the pantry to see if they had anything else to put on top of their drink. She could only find cinnamon powder, and eventually got ahold of whipped cream once she got to the refrigerator.

A nice start. Now to another subject, she thought as she looked at the presents Noëlle brought when she first came in.

"So what are these presents?" She started, wondering what to do with them other than, well, opening them. She hoped they would fit in her baggages for her flight back home. "Are those for... now? Or should I wait until Christmas?" Personally, she either wanted to open them right now or have them shipped to her house. Maxime felt way too curious not to open the boxes.​

 

[NienieDreamer]

Noëlle nodded. "That's smart,'' she said. "That way, whoever they have over for dinner can just decide for themself and it'll never be too bland or too spicy! I guess you could just add more stuff yourself.''

"What? Instant? That's not right!'' Noëlle protested. "It's waaay better when you make it yourself, with chocolate and milk and then it's just sooo good. Do you have milk, chocolate chips, cocoa powder, a sauce pan, sugar and a whisk?'' She asked. "And, if you want, some vanilla extract. I prefer chocolate flavor, though, but it's whatever you need. Plus, we can put in whipped cream, marshmallows, sprinkles, or anything like that!''

Instead, she watched as Maxime made the hot chocolate herself. She shrugged. Oh, well. Next time, then. It was still good to know whether Maxime actually had the stuff for next time, or maybe they should go out and get it, or maybe Noëlle should pull something out of her own sack. Besides, she didn't want to be rude by not drinking the cocoa, even if she preferred home made by a long shot.

As she took the mug, a mischievous expression spread over her face. "I can't tell you that. That'd just ruin the surprise! Besides, you can't open them until Christmas,'' she answered, "that's how it works. Usually because Santa would need to deliver them and everything, but now I did, so ... I guess it's just tradition now.'' She glanced at the presents. "Besides, even if I wanted to, which I do not and I still wouldn't, I couldn't tell you what's inside. Only Santa knows, I guess,'' she shrugged.

 

[wanderingcoder]

"You know we could just throw it away and make it from scratch, right?" The look on Noëlle's face meant everything, and Maxime found it hilarious. She felt as if she had just told a British person that she reheated her tea in the microwave rather than pour more hot tea in the cup. Sometimes, instant felt just right; practical, to the point.

Nonetheless, she saw that Noëlle was quite polite as the child took the mug of freshly made instant cocoa. Maxime took out yet another bottle out of the fridge; thinking about boosting her drink with alcohol suddenly felt like an excellent idea. An ounce of Irish cream was more than enough. She deserved it, anyway—and she wasn't about to take some more as a child was present in the room. She took the can of whipped cream and sprayed some on top of her drink, sprinkled some cinnamon powder and there it was— One delicious instant hot cocoa. She took a sip and was quite satisfied about the result.

"So I get an early shipping but can't open them before time?" She huffed, yet there wasn't any malicious intent in her tone. "Santa's a tease. And so are you." Still, there was the issue of having to ship them over with her back in Canada but that was going to be a problem for later.

Maxime's shoulders relaxed as she kept sipping on her delicious hot cocoa.

"Anything you'd like to do to bring the cheers?" The woman smiled behind her mug. "We still got time before we finish the cookies."​

 

[NienieDreamer]

"No, no, that would be a shame! Besides, you went through... all that... to make it, so we can't exactly throw it away, can we? It'd be wasteful!'' Noëlle claimed, quickly taking a drink, nearly burning herself in the process and just putting the pug down for now as she recovered. "Good,'' she promised. In truth, she much preferred home made cocoa; this tasted, well, it tasted fake.

Noëlle didn't quite get what Maxime was putting in her own cocoa, and she didn't bother thinking about it, either. She thought about this for a while. So the presents had to be shipped home. That could be a problem. But if she wasn't going to be with her family for Christmas, Noëlle had assumed that she'd be able to open the presents on Christmas Eve here. Except if she wanted to open the presents with her family, which made perfect sense. She didn't say anything about it.

"No,'' Noëlle insisted, "that's not how it works. You open presents on Christmas Eve, even if they are delivered early by, say, family or something. That IS how it works.'' And then, she scoffed. "Well, maybe,'' she said, crossing her arms, "but you're just gonna have to deal with that until Christmas.''

Noëlle herself kept drinking the hot cocoa too, after it was cooled off a little.

"Hmm... I dunno. It's YOUR Christmas after all, not mine. It's not about what I wanna do, it's about what you wanna do, and whatever's possible to cheer you up even though you're here. So, really, I should be asking you that question! I have suggestions of course, but they're all just suggestions, and in the end, like I said, it's up to you.''