Let's get together for a wonderful Christmas! ... Or not.

She liked to think of herself as a sort of Santa Clause this year. Why? That even she didn't really know. Maybe it was because she always had gifts for people, or just because she was so happy during Christmas. It didn't really matter most of the time though, since everyone just semed happy that she wasn't all sad like she usually seemed to be. Now even though it was a couple days late, she thought she would invite a couple friends to spend the day with her, like a second Christmas. Though she wasn't going to tell them the other was coming, that would be bad and they wouldn't get their presents. She had gotten permission for the two of them to come over from Sophia and she happily wrote each of them a letter intiving them to come over that day.

Who she was inviting was a little bit odd though. And they weren't exactly the best of friends, but they could deal with one another for at least one day for her sake, hopefully. But what most people would say is strange is the fact that a Gryffindor was inviting a Slytherin to spend the day with her for Christmas. Not that she cared, he was her friend and that was that. She had never really cared about houses and the rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin. If she thought you were trustworthy, then she would trust you and there was nothing more to it. Another strange thing was that she was inviting "Spirit Girl" to spend the day with her too. She didn't understand why everyone was scared or her or whatever they were. Tris wasn't that bad, she was actually fun if they got to know her.

Now that the letters had been sent, all she had to do was wait for them to either get there or write to her saying they couldn't. She really hoped the would be able to come though. Mostly because she wanted to spend time with them and give them the presents she had gotten.

To say she was surprised at an invitation was both sad as well as stating the obvious. Trisha couldn't remember the last time she'd been invited somewhere by someone who wasn't her best friend, Raina. But she lived down the street, so that wasn't so very unusual. The last time she'd been out for anything was probably the Quidditch match with Bae before the school year started. After all, over break she wasn't the type to leave her family. She hadn't seen them for months, so why would she? But then she'd received Hit's letter and suddenly she actually did want to go out. She had someone who wanted to see her and someone asking her to go do something. A brief letter had been written in return, promising her arrival on time.

After a little bit of convincing and a last minute wrapping of a gift, Tris was stepping into the floo and calling out the residence in question. Tris brushed off the little bits of soot that had landed on her skirt and her shoulders upon landing, carefully holding her package under one arm.

“Hello?” She called out timidly, glancing about what she guessed was a living room. It was excessively often that she saw the homes of other people, but they were always clients of the family rather than a home she could take the time to admire, or one in which she knew the people around and inside of it.

She stepped out of the fireplace, marveling a little over how entertained her siblings had been when she left, checking to make sure that she wasn't getting dirt on the floor in doing so. Tris was many things, but clean was certainly one of the more obvious ones. She had dressed well, down to her hair being pulled up and her earrings matching. She could rarely if ever be called unprepared. Except maybe for this day; she had no idea what they would get up to.

We are a hurricane, drop our anchors in a storm..

The song by a muggle band she liked played in the background as the Gryffindor girl stood in the kitchen preparing any kind of food she could find in the fridge that she thought her friends would like. She assumed Tris would eat most things, so it didn't matter what she put out, but with Dex it might be different. He was a Pureblood and used to fancy things afterall, something that even though she was also a pureblood, Hit was not used to at all.

She began to wonder if they'd even like the food, or the music she had playing right now, but she wasn't going to change the music anyways so they'd have to deal if they didn't like it. Her favorite part of the song started playing and she began to dance to it as she picked up the tray with popcorn, hotdogs, burgers and an assortment of other things on it and she brought it out to the living room.

It was a bit amazing how she was dancing with such ease even though she was carrying something heavy with both hands. It was clear she'd done this before. Her favorite lyrics came up and she began to sing as she set the tray down on the table. "I am a wolf among the sheep, gnawing at the wool over my eyes.."

She looked up toward the fireplace, knowing that Tris would be coming via floo, and she froze when she saw the girl standing there. "Hi Tris!" she greeted her, composing herself quickly. "Um.. Did - Did you see that just now?" she asked her a bit embarrassed that she probably saw what she was doing.

Daemon hadn't quite expected to get any letters over break, and essentially had wasted his morning with his brother until an owl had tapped at the window and they'd both looked up in surprise. Frankly, he and his brother were both the sort to keep to themselves and mail wasn't exactly something they experienced often. Their parents, on the other hand, seemed to always be getting something or having someone over or going somewhere. So this is the life of a Pureblood? Dex often thought as they complained about their heading out. They'd basically asked for it, so he couldn't find it in him to feel sorry about any of their complaints.

Stranger still, that the letter was from him. His brother laughed far too hard at the fact that it was a Gryffindor, nonetheless a girl. Git. Just because the elder of the Zograf brothers had managed to get on better with the lifestyle they'd been given didn't mean that Dex wanted to sit and listen to him prattle on about it. Not hardly. Dex rolled his eyes at him, sent an answer, and headed off to his room to get his things together. Was he meant to bring her something? He probably should. They were kind of friends after all.

- - -

Tris had to stifle a laugh at the other girl's dancing about the living room. It rather reminded her of her sister and older brothers. It was amazing, sometimes, to see people outside of their normal habits in school. Hit looked up and Trisha tried to hide her grin, failing miserably. “It's alright! I'm used to it.” She laughed brightly, setting her gift down on the table. “Um, that's for you,” she added belatedly, gesturing towards it.

Flames flew up behind her, scaring her nearly to death as she turned to see who could possibly be falling into her day.

It was seriously like the world had it out for her. Of all of the people, it had to be him? Tris frowned. As if she didn't have to deal with him enough in school, there he was in Hitame's house and scaring the living daylights out of her.

“Hey, Hit, I-” Dex began before his gaze landed on Tris. “What? What are you doing here?”

Tris folded her arms over her chest. “I could very well ask you the same thing. But clearly it isn't my place, since this is Hit's house.” That would show him, wouldn't it? He could do with learning some manners. Even she, the social outcast of school, knew how to behave in someone else's house.

Dex, for one, was having trouble tearing his eyes away from Trisha. He had not expected her. At all. What was Hit thinking? The girl couldn't stand him – though he knew full well why that was – but yet they had somehow been shoved together. This was either going to be very dangerous, very entertaining, or shockingly helpful for the two of them. He just hoped Hit wasn't going to get caught in the crossfire.

"Shhh. Shushshush." Hitame quickly interrupted the two's conversation before anymore could be said. She knew that the two of them did not like each other that much, well Tris didn't like Dex more than he didn't like her anyways. Hitame's gaze switched from Tris to Dex momentarily before she looked at the gift the other girl had placed on the table.

She picked it up and opened it, revealing a simple necklace inside that Hitame picked up, out of the box. She dangled it in front of her for a moment before smiling at Tris. "Thank you! I love it!" she said happily, before replacing the necklace in the box and setting it down on the table once more. She quickly switched her attention back to the fact that the two who were with her now had issues with one another.

"Before we do anything, I want to clarify one thing." she said assertively. This was something she wasn't afraid to demand from anyone. "I know you two have.. issues with each other, but for today you two will get along, okay? This is Sophia's house and I won't let anything bad or unpleasant happen in here." she told the two of them seriously. She could handle their dislike for each other anywhere else but in Sophia's house she would have none of it.

"Both of you are here because I wanted to send the day with both of you. So try to get along?" she sighed. "Otherwise, I'll hit you both." she laughed softly. Not the best solution but that was her solution to most things as the two of them already knew.

"Now - " she suddenly changed the subject. "I have a stack of movies we can watch. There are both Christmas and non-Christmas movies in there so feel free to choose whichever one you guys like so we can watch it." she said happily. She knew this wasn't going to be an easy day, but she was determined to make it happen, one way or another.

Trisha stiffened and tore her eyes away from Daemon to look at Hitame. The silence drew on until Hit picked up the gift and Tris glowed at the reaction she received. She was just turning to send a gloating smirk in Dex's direction when Hit cut her off. Her arms crossed over her chest, a pout passing over briefly before she shrugged. She was used to having to act a certain way depending on the house she was in. It was part of the job description, if one looked at it critically. This was something she could do provided Daemon could do the same.

“Of course, Hit.” She nodded, pushing her hair out of her face when it fell across her eyes at the motion. “I can if he can.” Tris glanced over at Dex for his reaction.

- - -

Daemon's hand fell to the bag he'd slung over one shoulder before leaving. Trisha looked so pleased at somehow having beaten him that he almost regretting bringing anything. Maybe he would just leave it in Hitame's room before he left..

Tris was talking again, distracting him for a moment before he realized the question was also directed at him. He nodded blankly, turning back to look at the bunch of films she had indicated. How was he supposed to sit through a movie next to her? Maybe he could stick himself on the other side of Hit and just go with it. He could turn off the need to push her away for a few hours. By the time they got back to school, he'd be ignored by her all over again and things would be going back to normal. That was the plan, then, he decided.

“Um, Bates can decide.” He muttered, setting his bag next to the fireplace and ambling towards the couch to sit down.

Tris eyed him cautiously before picking up each movie in turn before selecting one – White Christmas. How.... fitting. He shrugged when she held it up to show him, apparently deciding that silence was better than arguing. He agreed for once and kept quiet as well. This would be interesting.