Secret Santa Day Three

[citycouncil]

Here we are on the third day of Chrismukkah! Time flies, holy cow.

Each day from now through Christmas, you'll find a post like this one waiting. Leave anonymous comments with your gift for your Secret Santee (make sure to put his or her name in the subject line so they can find it!). Remember, it's okay if you don't have something every day. We do, however, encourage you to leave a little note to let them know they haven't been forgotten. Christmas Day will be a free-for-all, where you can leave presents for anyone at all and, if you so desire, reveal your identity.

Let the gift-giving begin.

NOTES: Passwords for various uploading sites, galleries, the game anon account, etc., are available here. For those of you who'd like to play around with some Photoshop but don't have access, Pixlr is a fantastic online alternative that comes close. And remember, if you're posting pictures, they won't show up in an anonymous comment, so for those kinds of comments, it's better to use the citycouncil account.

Comments

Merr

[citysecrets]

So, this is most likely a mightily bizarre gift, and there's a chance it's going to give me away too early, but you mentioned loving Six Feet Under on your little form aaaaaaaaaaand that sparked me to write a random debut for Ruth Fisher in Darrow. Feel free to interact with her, or not, if you'd like.


---

In her nightgown, the sun creeping through the thin curtains of her bedroom, Ruth Fisher sat on the end of her bed, hands folded primly and her expression slack. She'd woken up at dawn, her legs sliding over the edge of her mattress, sticking her feet into a pair of practical slippers, but she'd gotten no further. She sat for a long time, until the room was flooded with light, streaking across her unmade bed, her meticulous kept bedroom, the clothes she'd picked out the night before and arranged neatly on a chair in the corner.

David was already in the kitchen when she finally emerged from her room, rushing around with his coffee and his papers and barely even a word of acknowledgement for her. He was out the door-- a meeting with suppliers, for which she she certain he wouldn't be late, but he was jangling with nerves anyway. They were alike, in that way, though he'd hate to admit it.

After a lonely cup of coffee and bowl of oatmeal, Ruth made her list for the day, trying to take comfort from Nate, who at least bothered to come and sit with her while he had his breakfast.

She had a busy day ahead of her, though it really didn't justify the plans she'd turned down-- a lunch date with an awkward acquaintance, who'd been trying desperately to pretend they were dear friends, ever since Nathaniel had died.

It was still early by the time she stood at the checkout at the market, impatiently watching a pimply-faced teenager bag her groceries at the slowest possible speed. "Do you want to dr--"

"No, I'm fine. I'll take them," she insisted, swallowing her irritation as she heard the shrillness of her own voice. "Thank you," she said curtly, taking the paper sack into her arms and hurrying toward the door.

They slid open with a familiar sigh, the warmth of the day pressing down on her, but as she stepped over the threshold...

The heel of her slip-ons caught on the pavement and she tripped, her bag scattering across the sidewalk, her knees banging painfully against the edge of the curb.

"Oh, good Heavens," she shouted, watching potatoes make their ungainly wobble across the ground. Hurrying to gather them up, her face pinched in a mask of pain at the sharp throb coming from her knees and the palms of her hands, she shoved her groceries into her bag, which was now split down the side.

When she climbed to her feet, gracelessly juggling the bag in her arms, she found that there wasn't a single familiar thing about the street she was currently standing on. Holding her groceries and her handbag tighter against her chest, she took a step, and another, shouldering her way through the crowd of apparent commuters on the street, some of them just seeming to notice her presence.

"Excuse me," she cried. She sounding angry-- furious, even to her own ears, but really, she was horrified. "Could someone please tell me where I am?"

Re: Merr

[merridia]

omg I just saw this at work SANTA WHAT THE HELL THIS IS SO WEIRD AND WONDERFUL