Out in an area just past Barton Woods and almost as far as Durham Reclamation facility, Ray sits in his cabin staring at a box he's holding. It's not a very pretty box nor a fancy one. In fact, it's a rather bland cardboard box that he has managed to decorate with a little ribbon. He did his best to make a nice bow, too. It contains a small present that he'd managed to get two days earlier, just one day before Christmas Eve so he felt he'd gotten his shopping done in a timely fashion. --For him, anyway.
Just across from him is a tree, which he looks up from the present to look up at it. It's a pretty boring tree. A sad one, really. At least he went out to get it and chopped it down himself. And went to all the trouble to buy a stand for it. He used some garland he found that had already been in the cabin. Sure, the tinsel was falling off of it, and it was really sad looking, but he had wrapped it around the tree with care and it was evenly spaced. He had no lights, though. And no ornaments. And no one to share it with.
He grimaced ruefully and put the package down and slid it under the tree. "Well, Sien. ..." he looked forward and didn't finish that thought aloud. He'd thought he hoped Sien was having a good Christmas. But he was sure he wasn't. He sucked in a slow breath, closed his eyes, and fought back the tears he felt nag at the corners of his eyes as he felt his heart buckle over. He stood up slowly and fought the urge to pass out. He considered going over to Cheryll's. The Reclamation Facility wasn't that far away. If her portal was still up... He shuddered at the idea.
Sien was supposed to be doing this alone. Or at least, that's what he seemed to have wanted. Still, he was planning to go out and sneak through at some point and try to make his way to Sien. He was sure he wasn't having a good time and he worried about him. He also wondered how time was passing there. If Sien even knew it was Christmas.
Well, it was Christmas. He wasn't sure what to do about it. There was no Sien and there was no... nobody. No Shinto, no Matt... no nobody. All his little friends in his little black book were gone, too. He'd stopped contacting them some time ago, and, well, with his promise to Sien, he wasn't planning on starting them up again. Still, the thought of Shinto had occurred to him. He had been a good friend and a solid mate. Even he would be great to spend time with right now. If he had been around.
Which he wasn't. Shin was as good as dead to him. He couldn't figure out why he bothered thinking about him. Well, no use dwelling on the past. He rose up and headed out, climbed into his truck and drove down the dusty dirt path. It wasn't even snowing. He didn't even have to fight the snow to drive down the dirt road. There was no white, pretty, fluffy white flakes floating down to break up the scene... He looked out across the grey landscape and let his auto pilot mind function take him home.
He went in and up the stairs to Matt's cabin outside of Barton Town. He looked in at the lonely house. It felt hollow and haunted with no Night and no Sien. ...No Matt and no Jack. His eyes glazed over and, though they had momentarily focused on the fridge, the idea of a beer popping into his mind, still on auto-pilot, after closing the door, he came across the couch, almost stumbled across it really, and found himself sitting in it, arm draped across the back in a very typical fashion. He'd forgotten to get to the fridge.
He found himself staring outward, forward where a tv ought to be, but Matt didn't have one. The silence of the room rang out to him. Just as he'd drifted into an almost vegetative state, ready to give up and just zone out... Really, he was almost in a "sleep-with-his-eyes-open" state. A small body came up from behind him. A small, gentle, and tentative body, came and touched him on the shoulder.
He straightened up, startled a bit, and turned and looked to see Jack. "...Jack!!" he said with some surprise. He hadn't really expected to see him. He'd just mentally decided he wasn't there! "What are you doing here?"
Jack frowned and looked surprised, too, and maybe just a little insulted. "...I'm here!" he said, nodding over to his room. "I've... been here. Ever since dad moved in with Jonny." He seemed a little disappointed about that and maybe even a little mad.
"Wha-- wha-- Oh.
Huh. Well..."
Jack smiled and placed his hand on Ray's shoulder and slid it slightly, rubbing it just a bit. "I was wondering if we might do Christmas. I got some decorations and... we could make some popcorn and maybe eat some candy??"
Ray laughed, smiled, and almost began to cry!! Jack... ever the optimist. Ever bringing his light, hearty, happy self into the picture. "Sh-sh-sure..!!" he said, laughing. Why hadn't he thought of it before? He felt so foolish and stupid sitting around waiting for Sien to show up, nearly crying because he didn't, when here, Jack, a young boy... with no father and no mother, no friends... and no boyfriend... wanted a Christmas. And here he was sitting here feeling sorry for himself.
Corey came upstairs and entered Ray's line of vision. "Sir, I've set up a tree with some materials I found in the house and decorated it with some led lights and other things resembling a typical Christmas tree. I hope it meets your approval." He gestured to a magnificent tree made with the accuracy and skill either only a computer or a very skilled craftsman could do.
It was gorgeous. "Oh, Corey, it's awesome!" Ray gushed. He hadn't really expected this. He hadn't even thought of Corey being active and he hadn't known where Jack was living, and he expected him, least of all, to come right out of his very own bedroom in the house Sien and he were sharing!!
Corey also had made a roast with vegetables and all the trimmings, including vegetarian platters for Little Jack. They made a few presents out of things in the house and made some decorations together and hung them up. While they had been working and eating, it had begun to snow without him even noticing. When he went to hang the decorations outside, he noticed all the snow everywhere!!
He and Jack went outside and played in it for awhile, making snowballs and snow angels, having snowball fights and trying to make forts either side of the yard for each of them. They laughed and had a great time and Ray found something to use as a sled and took Jack sledding. To which Corey declined to go, saying he wasn't sure what he would do and how much of his circuits he could repair if he "went splat." Ray conceded and the two went off alone.
Meanwhile, Corey kept the house heated and cleaned up the dishes and the messes from the crafts. When he saw them approaching again, he made Jack a peppermint hot cocoa and Ray a holiday coffee with mocha, cinnamon, caramel, and a few other warm, cozy holiday flavorings.
After all of that, they tried to play a few table-top games, but retired to Jack's room as he suggested and played some videogames, drank lots of soda and ate all kinds of candy and snacks til both of them were so wired and so tired at the same time. At Ray's "wise" older-years suggestion urged him to do, he suggested they both go to sleep, and Jack crawled into his bed, curled up and went to sleep quite shortly after that. Whereas Ray retired to the couch, stared at the ceiling for awhile, and eventually passed out or lost touch with his consciousness and must've... done something like sleep.
And that is the way Ray... and Jack... and Corey... spent their Christmas.
Raymond Jason Foxx Community Member 
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Stainless M1911 Sidearm, I