#vanishingreyes

Raisa didn’t particularly care about Christmas or any of the winter holidays. She’d never truly celebrated them herself from a belief standpoint. But it was helpful to blend in with humans if you acted like a yearly calendar had a larger impact. Plus, Christmas was fun. Trees, tinsel, presents… With her mother far enough away that they weren’t in contact much, Raisa didn’t really have much need for presents beyond some gifts for friends and coworkers. That didn’t mean Christmas shopping held no appeal.

“Come on!” Raisa called as she pulled Xóchitl across the street in a slight jog. “Presents won’t buy themselves, you know. What are you interested in first? Books? Clothes? Weird little bobbles no one knows what to call?”

“Clothes, I think.” Xóchitl let the other woman pull her along. “Or maybe trinkets? I, admittedly, am at a loss for what to buy some people on my list.” For some, it was all about toeing the line of where she fell as far as friends. Because she’d made it a point to not get friends, not have friendships develop, but against her better attempts, she’d wound up with some people she actually wanted to be around, which made her panic, but she wasn’t going to let that get in the way right now.

“How about yourself?” Xóchitl raised an eyebrow. “Got anything specific on your list, or will you just go with what feels right?”

“Ooo trinkets,” Raisa repeated with a smile. “Always a fun choice.” She glanced up at the stores around them, momentarily considering if Tinkerbells was a good idea. Taking humans into fae owned spaces always carried a risk, although when the store was designed to be shopped by humans every day, it was probably safer. Still, she hated looking at all the stupid little statues. How any fae could keep their head held high while passing off that kind of crock was beyond her.

Her eyes turned to The Party Thrifter. “I know secondhand is considered a bit gouache, but does vintage get a pass? It is a way to make clothes feel a little more personal.” Raisa shrugged. Maybe that was just her perspective because she’d managed to reclaim several pieces she’d given up and regretted over the years. “I have a coworker who exclusively wears clothing older than she is or at least things that look that way. “I figured a little jewelry would make for a safe gift.”

“I thought so,” Xóchitl’s smile nearly met her eyes, “I think it’s more intimate, and who among us doesn’t love having a few trinkets around their house?” She, for one, didn’t love it, though she did still have a few floating around her house. Not many, though, but she liked the idea of getting little things for other people that would make them happy, or make them think of her (mostly the former, though she wasn’t in the slightest bit ashamed to think about the latter).

Xóchitl gave Raisa an enthusiastic nod. “Vintage is totally in. It absolutely gets a pass!” The other woman was easy to talk to – and not just because she was totally easy to look at (though that didn’t hurt at all). “I think that sounds absolutely perfect. You can lead the way. Maybe you and I will find something for ourselves too.” 

“Thoughtful items from someone special,” Raisa agreed. Her house was getting a little cluttered in a few rooms from cast gifts and show specific things. Some of those people had moved on, some still lived in the community, and some were on stage with her still and occasionally commented on how much they reminded her of an actress they used to perform with. Funny, that.

Raisa smiled back at Xóchitl’s enthusiasm before taking the few steps necessary to push open the door. She held it open behind her for the other woman to walk in, and as she did so, she paused to take a deep breath. Perhaps old clothing could be musty, but she found it comforting. This too was something Raisa could appreciate. Every place had vintage clothing, but few places had it like Wicked’s Rest with its high population of fae and other near immortal beings. One never knew when they’d find a collection of 40s dresses some vampire had finally deemed fit to part with. It was always an adventure.

“Looking for anyone in particular or just if the vibe strikes?” Raisa asked as she ran her hand along a rack of furs near the door. Never a bad fashion statement, although she knew a few nature spirits with an ugly habit of making them rather hard to wear when they were genuine.

“My moms instilled that sort of idea in me,” Xóchitl continued, “I just think it’s a nice sort of thing to do, and as much as I love a good gift card, it feels more intimate?” She shrugged off any would-be awkwardness (not that she expected any of that, but it was best to get ahead of things and just not risk any would-bes that she didn’t want).

“Just if the vibe strikes, mostly, though I have a few people I’d like to show my appreciation to.” Xóchitl smiled. “How about yourself? Anyone in particular or just seeing how it goes?” The shop was nice. She hadn’t been in it, she didn’t think, and that was something she’d be changing. It was a beautiful store, and it was clear that a good amount of care had been put into it. “I’ll take any recommendations you have, FYI.”

“No, I completely agree,” Raisa said as she glanced toward the next rack. “A gift card says, ‘I didn’t want to disappoint you.’ A more personal gift says, ‘I specifically thought of you.’ If you don’t know someone well enough to try, the gift card can be all right, but it’s never going to be as thoughtful or as meaningful. It just can’t be.”

Raisa hummed to herself as she shifted aside a few velvet dresses to get at a particular shade of red toward the back. “I feel like there are a few people I should get gifts for at the theatre. Perhaps a few neighbors, although some of them are a bit prickly about gifts.” Fae always were. “I’m not entirely sure where my mother has moved to now, so I won’t worry about a gift unless I get a card or something from her first.” Raisa shrugged, then brightened to focus on recommendations.

“Okay,” Raisa said, narrowing in. “If you’re unsure about someone’s specific style or sizing, I feel like you can never go wrong with a warm scarf or hat this time of year. If you do know sizes, then you get to play a little more.”

“I knew you’d get me.” The two of them had fallen into exceptionally easy conversation which, while not surprising, was still very much welcome. Xóchitl grinned. “I feel like attempting a gift itself is still a nice option, even if you don’t know them too well.” Because she’d enjoyed gifts a great deal despite refusing to let any number of people close up until she’d moved back.

“That’s very nice to get gifts for your co-workers – right? I don’t think I can get gifts for everyone else at the hospital, but I think that I could easily manage a fair few for some of them, at least in my department.” She wasn’t sure who else, other than the obvious cases of Emilio, Jade, and Mateo – though she wasn’t certain if any of their gifts would be purchased here. Still, it never hurt to look. Maybe this town would grant her another good surprise. Xóchitl didn’t count on it, but there was always a possibility. Even just scientifically speaking.

Xóchitl nodded in agreement. “True, very true, scarves are good, and frankly necessary up here, but I like to think I’m pretty good at guessing sizes, so I suppose if I find something that looks right, it can’t hurt to buy it?”

“The hospital?” Raisa shook her head. “I can’t imagine trying to get that many, but the department could be nice. Do you have any work friends in particular? Might be good to focus in if it feels like an overwhelming number.” Even as she’d suggested scarfs, Raisa moved past a display of them. She wasn’t sure she trusted the scarves here not to strangle you when it got too cold outside. But then again, one always had to wonder about that risk, didn’t they?

She paused and picked up a dress whose fabric Raisa couldn’t even name, but it felt like heaven against her fingertips. “I know we’re supposed to be shopping for others, but…” The color would be good for the holidays. Surely Raisa could come up with a time to wear this deep blood-red richness. She considered that comparison to blood. Perhaps that was an issue at a place like this. But oh well. Fashion had sacrifices sometimes.

“I’ve got a few.” Though the term “work friends” was loose – it was helpful to be on good terms with people, and that was that. Xóchitl didn’t see the point of being friends with someone only based on the fact that you worked together or went to school together. But having people like her was important, if only so that she didn’t feel completely at a loss for things. At a loss that she didn’t even want to admit she felt, certainly not aloud, and not even to herself, most of the time. “I’ll get a few. Do you have work friends?”

Except that her focus was drawn away as the other woman commented something else. “I mean, I think you should treat yourself, if that makes you happy. Xóchitl did very much enjoy that – and Raisa seemed like the sort of person who would appreciate the extra flattery. Which was easy to work with. She even enjoyed working with it, and she wasn’t too ashamed to admit that. Not at all.

Raisa shrugged. “I’ve got a few people I work with regularly on stage. Jackie is in almost every production, as is Caroline. She and I have had a long history together at the theatre.” Being the only two immortals regularly on stage would do that, and even if Raisa had been initially inclined to dislike the vampire, their proximity had changed that quickly. “Are silk gloves considered an appropriate gift?” she asked, running her hands over a pair. “I do think she’ll like them.”