Archive of Our Own ^beta

Christmas.

Nobody liked having Christmas in a place like this, but at least it was a free day.

They’d managed to pull a tree into the cabin, trying to decorate it with various shiny bits they could find. It was pretty difficult, but they made it work, just like they made it work for the other two Christmases that they spent here. Shedletsky did have to prevent Taph from putting a Subspace Tripmine in the tree as an ornament, but most other people decorated it normally.

Gathering gifts was…hard here. Very, very hard. You just had to hope you had a good round and were allowed to choose what you got. It was accepted that most gifts were going to be desperate wood crafts or things that weren’t personalized.

Gift giving had gone well. Everyone was gathered around, appreciating what they’d been given. A few people had run off to go do other things, and Shed knew that a certain three members of the group had run off to the lake to attempt to pass things over to the killer’s side through the fact that the barrier allowed things to be passed, even if it didn’t allow people to be.

Shed got up from the couch, quickly avoiding Chance chucking a pair of wooden dice across the floor as Two Time analyzed if they’d successfully made up-to-snuff gambling tools. Veeronica was leaned against a wall, explaining something to Elliot, and Dusekkar was showing off a neat little wooden deer that he’d received from 007n7 to Builderman, flame crackling in excitement.

So in general, everything was going pretty well.

Shed stepped out onto the front porch as 007 stepped up to start to head inside, seeing the man stare at a small wooden bird with such fondness in his eyes.

“Looks like you got a good present there,” Shed laughed, leaning against the railing of the porch, “A bird, it looks like?”

“He gave a note that said he made it himself,” 007 was nearly on the verge of tears, a smile firmly on his face, “He carved it just for me…”

“Yea, looks like he used Firebrand to do it,” Shed pointed a hand-talon at a scorch mark on it with a chuckle, “Impressive he managed it.”

He looked away from 007 with a hum, looking out into the woods.

“Noob n’ Taph go off somewhere else?” he tilted his head.

“Taph told us she heard something–not anything dangerous!” 007 quickly explained, “Just that she wanted to confirm before she got your hopes up.”

…Got his hopes…?

“Well, I’m heading inside now,” 007 stepped into the door, “the cold’s not nice on these old joints.”

Shed gave a wave and a hum, then focusing back on the woods, closing his eyes and trying to really really just focus. 

…That calling…was that…?

No. It couldn’t be. Right..?

Just then, he heard two pairs of footsteps rapidly approaching. He opened his eyes to see Noob and Taph standing there, Noob looking like they were in awe of something and Taph’s hip and head wings flapping a mile a minute as they tried to steady their hands to sign.

“I-L-L-U!” they frantically spelled out, then shaking out their hands, clearly extremely excited.

Shed nearly immediately jumped the railing off the porch to run up to Taph, laughing in joy.

“I DID HEAR IT!” he yelled in excitement, “SHOW ME!”

Taph at once took off running into the woods, Noob calling out to be safe as they stayed behind as Shed followed after the Demolitionist.

The call got louder, ringing out in his head. Where was it, where where where?

Taph skittered to a stop in a clearing.

There, shining in the endless moonlight, gently lain on the snow, was the shard that Shed had missed so firmly whenever he swung the sword he currently had.

“Illumina,” he sounded nearly breathless as he slowly approached, wrapping hand-talons so firmly around the handle, “it’s you…”

“It’s me…” the sword faintly whispered back, the voice Shed missed hearing echoing in his head. The last time he held Illumina was that ill-fated duel with 1x1x1x1. The one where he couldn’t bring himself to use one shard of Telamon to kill another. When Illumina made a plea only he could hear for him to spare its sibling. A plea Shed was quite sure it regretted by now.

But that didn’t matter right now.

What mattered is that he had Illumina back in his talons. The sword he was most used to fighting with. The sword he trusted with his life.

Taph suddenly pressed against him, making the strange trilling noise that she was somehow capable of without any vocal chords. Shed blinked for a moment before glancing between Illumina and Taph, then ever so slowly holding out the handle of the sword to Taph.

“Hey, Crow,” he chirped, “you found it, so I think it’s only right you should get to hold it for a bit. You’ve never held any of the swords, right? Save for maybe Venomshank once or twice?”

Taph hesitated for a moment, and Shed could outright tell she was trying to figure out if she could get away with lying.

“...Ghost,” she signed after a moment. Shed sputtered.

“Ghostwalker let you hold it?!” Shed straightened up in surprise, hints of pride in his voice “it’s only ever let me and Builder hold it! Even Dusekkar got told off!”

At that statement, Taph’s feathers puffed up in pride as she gently took Illumina from Shed, trilling as she looked the blade over. She struck a pose, holding the sword out.

“Right,” he looked them over, “You’re way too extended, if someone struck you midside you’d fall clear over, get your legs closer together, and bend your holding arm closer to yourself.”

“Bend your knees a little,” Illumina whispered, and Taph made a huff of surprise, making Shed laugh.

“What, surprised it’s louder when you’re actually holding it?” he questioned, seeing her nod, “Yeah, they all sound like they’re right in your brain when you’re holding them. Ghosty just isn’t a good example of that, it’s quiet until it gets mad.”

Shed stepped back as Taph adjusted their stance. After a moment, he summoned his own plain sword that he’d been provided with here. The sword he held now was just an object, no amount of sentience to speak of. Taph fluttered a head-wing in confusion and surprise.

“What?” Shed laughed, “you think your old man is gonna pass up an opportunity for a little spar with his kid? I’ll go easy on you, promise. Just listen to Illu.”

Taph eagerly nodded, stance changing to much more determined as Shed purposefully blocked Illumina’s voice out. He wouldn’t want to cheat in the spar, after all.

So standing there in a clearing, getting ready for a friendly spar, Shed decided that this place may be horrible, but sometimes he could find the good in it.