Sparks Beneath the Surface.

ＳＩＸＴＥＥＮ- A Frostpine Christmas.

I don't do mornings well, but I do do marshmallows, and that counts for something! Right? The Bureau smelled like stale coffee and potential chaos when we arrived: dust in the corners, a Ficus that thought it owned the front desk, and a holiday playlist somebody had queued up very intentionally because all the songs would flow into each other well. Ivy was already there; her very comfortable looking winter heeled boots clacked against the cold floors and her eyes were bright as holly. She even had a branch of holly tied into her hair. She had a sparkling green clipboard and carried it around like a talisman and the sort of determined smile that makes you either follow or hide, and I was still up in the air deciding which.

"Game face," she said, tapping a checklist with a pencil she treated like a wand.

Delilah drifted in like a private glacier, the fur collar on her winter jacket looked immaculate; Orion lugged a coil of lights like he was carrying tiny suns; Wren, sitting comfortably inside of a bright red wagon as his dad strolled him inside showing off all four of his pearly white teeth. For a toddler, he's very enthusiastic and so fucking cute! Then the rest of the team arrived in a staggered, glorious stream: Kiyo carrying a crat full of arts and crafts things like pens, ribbons, markers and paint; Zade, with about two full novels worth of recipes made a beeline for the kitchen; Clarke balancing a stack of tasteful wreaths and an air of mild panic; Benji with a battery of battery packs and an industrial extension cord; Misaki, Kiyo's little sister who Ivy begged her to bring along so that Wren could have some kind of a playmate (they're close-ish in age, she's like four) and Kami? Kami arrived last, carrying several stockings of assorted colors and a thermos of something that smelled suspiciously like very hard liquor. It's unfortunate she and I aren't speaking right now, because I would've loved to ask her for some.

Ivy handed out roles with the cadence of a commander and the cheer of a child, much to some of our dismay, "Listen guys, the sooner we get this done, the sooner we can go on vacation! Okay? So, here goes. Orion: twinkling lights. Delilah: frost and ice-skating rink. Danielle: wreaths and ribbon decorations, you're also going to be on safe flame duty once we spark up the fireplaces. Elian: ladder and high placements. Kiyo and Zade will be working in the kitchen for the sweet treats and banners. Clarke and Benji, you guys will be handling the heavier decorations and believe me, that counts for something because the tree is amongst them. Kami: stockings because I can already tell you're kinda hungover. Wren: our very own adorable and cute ornament handler, and Misaki, you're in charge of approving all the children's game stations to see if the kids will like them."

"Safe flame duty?" Delilah arched an eyebrow, "You do realize that phrase contains my nightmares and her hobbies."

"Oh don't worry, Lilah. Don't provoke the flame and you won't get burned." I wink.

Wren solemnly handed me a beautiful orange bauble ornament with the sweetest smile someone with only four teeth could muster. I accepted it with the kind of dignity reserved for civic titles and very small crowns. Delilah got to transforming the place into a bougie sparkling glacier. She breathed on glass and it accepted the cold like a polite guest. Clarke and Benji fussed over the fake gift proportions with the intensity of people who once failed an exam on symmetry and never forgave themselves. 

"No dude, the red one has to be at an angle so they look like the ones in the stores!" Clarke advised, adjusting until the wreath looked like it had attended finishing school.

"You are very particular!" Elian said, balancing on a ladder like an arboreal acrobat.

"I am a professional!" Clarke snapped, then softened, "But yes, fine."

Kiyo floated around the room as she hung garlands of delicate paper stars and hung them with the kind of precise calm that made everything else look theatrical as the first four batches of cookies were in the ovens baking. Kami wandered between stations with her thermos and a running commentary.