HOME | DD

Description
Usa bit her thumb, her brow furrowed in thought.
Christmas was a week away, and she still had no idea what she could give to her Commander.
'Perhaps I'm thinking too hard about this?' She thought. 'Perhaps a break is in order.'
The mitra woman stood up, and walked to her window.
She frowned as she observed the dusty sand dunes outside.
"It's times like this when I miss the snow-capped mountains of my home." She muttered.
Then, it hit her.
Of course! Why hadn't she thought of it before?
With a wide grin, Usa sprinted to her desk to compose a letter, not bothering to even take a seat.
She knew exactly what to get the Commander for Christmas this year.
Him, and all the citizens of Balterossa would get a gift, the likes of which they've never seen before.

Caedmon walked down the streets of Balterossa with a set destination in mind.
He had ordered a present for his Sub-Commander, Usa, and was on his way to pick it up.
It was a lovely new set of armor that bared the insignia of the Silver Falcons as well as her family crest-something he had found after much digging.
He arrived at the blacksmith's shop soon, and couldn't hold the gasp of surprise at the sight of the newly forged armor.
It was gorgeous; the armor was polished to a silvery shine, and it had engravings of feathers decorating it.
"I take it you are satisfied with it?" The blacksmith asked, grinning at the sovani.
"Very much so." Caedmon answered while getting out his wallet.
"Before you go, I have to ask-who's it for?" The blacksmith said after he received his payment.
Caedmon debated whether or not he should tell the blacksmith, as there was enough gossip about he and his Sub-Commander as it was, but decided he really didn't care as long as it didn't cause either of them any trouble.
"It's for Usa. Her armor was ruined in battle, and she hasn't had the time to get herself a new set." The sovani answered.
The blacksmith winched at the memory of that fight-the one against the Conqueror-and nodded.
"Well that's mighty nice of you to do for her. Merry Christmas, Caedmon, and tell yer Sub-Commander to take it easy." The blacksmith commented.
Caedmon almost laughed.
Usa? Taking it easy?
Ha!
About as probable as snow in Balterossa.
"Merry Christmas to you as well." Caedmon said, bidding the blacksmith farewell as he left with the armor.
He'd have to put a obnoxiously big red bow on it at a later time, seeing as it would be silly to even attempt to wrap this set of armor; the shoulders of it were a bit too pointy, thanks to the feathered design.
Somehow, the sovani commander managed to get the set of armor to his quarters without running into Usa.
The sovani then returned to his office literally next door to finish up the stacks of paperwork that awaited him.

It was now the morning of Christmas Eve when Usa found herself pacing at the entrance to the desert city.
She stopped for a moment, spotting a familiar figure in the distance.
"IS IT YOU, ELORA?!" She yelled out.
The figure stopped, and shouted back, "WHO ELSE WOULD IT BE, USA?!"
The mitra woman grinned, and responded, "WELL HURRY UP, SLOW POKE! WE HAVE THINGS TO DO AND DISCUSS!"
The figure then began to run towards her, getting closer and closer until-
SMACK!
A short, black-haired mitra woman tackled Usa, sending them both sprawling on the sandy ground.
"Ugh, Elora, it's nice to see you too." Usa groaned out in pain.
The sudden glomp most certainly opened up at least one of her wounds, judging by the warm liquid that began to stain her shirt.
"Usa, why is your side we-OH MY GOD, USA!" Elora screeched when she saw the blood staining her friend's shirt.
"WHO DID THIS TO YOU?!" The dark haired mitra woman asked, scrambling off the injured woman.
"Apparently you." Usa muttered out as she slowly pushed herself up.
"Sub-Commander, what happened?" A Silver Falcon asked.
Elora raised an eyebrow at the 'Sub-Commander' bit, but said nothing.
"Nothing out of the ordinary, I assure you. Don't worry, I'll be fine." Usa brushed off as she began to summon up some restoratives.
"Are you sure, ma'am? The Commander said he didn't want you to strain yourself-"
"And he and I both know that is an impossible feat. No worries, I shall be fine. Now, carry on, and don't speak a word of this to the Commander. We don't need him worrying about such trivial things." Usa cut off as the restoratives did their jobs.
Soon enough, it was as if nothing had happened.
"But, ma'am, aren't the two of you..." He trailed off.
Usa's eyes narrowed dangerously as she glared down at the qsiti.
"We're what, dare I ask? Speak, soldier!" Usa prodded.
"W-well, uh, aren't the two of you...an...item?" He whispered the last part, and flinched, scared that the mitra woman would strike him.
Instead, Elora's laughter rang throughout the air.
"Oh my GOD, Usa! Really?! Who IS this guy, huh?! Is he hot?! Details, girlie! Details!" Elora shrieked, grabbing her taller friend by her arms and shaking her excitedly.
The qsiti took this time to hop away before the Sub-Commander could do anything to him.
She may be injured, but 'Sub-Commander' isn't just a fancy title, and he'd seen her fight before.
"Elora, shut up." Usa hissed, pulling herself out of her eccentric friend's grasp. "Come on, let's talk over some drinks."
So, the two women made their way to Cafe Moondust, where they found a table in a secluded corner and ordered some drinks.
"So, answer my questions, girl!" Elora demanded once she got her drink.
Usa sighed and took a large gulp of Roytian wine.
"Commander Caedmon and I are not an item, to begin with." Usa stated.
"Ohh, you're in denial, sweet cheeks." Elora purred, taking a sip of whatever fruity little concoction she ordered.
All Usa knew was that it was blue, cold, and most likely too sweet for her tastes.
"I am not. Besides, such relationships would be foolish. After all, he is a sovani, and I am a mitra, never mind the fact that I'm his subordinate." Usa shot back, the last bit said almost sadly.
"Oh, inter-species relationship?! Now I'm really interested!" Elora gushed, most likely already forming some hair-brained scheme to get the two together.
"Shh, keep your voice down!" Usa hissed angrily."People around here talk enough as it is, and we don't need anymore trouble. Don't forget that we're not home, and such relationships are highly frowned down upon here. That is, if we were even in a relationship."
Usa added the last bit after Elora began to open her mouth to say something.
"They still haven't legalized inter-species marriage yet? Oh my GOD, these people are slow!" Elora said, surprise coloring her face.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever, just shut up, and listen to me." Usa stopped her friend from going into another one of her rants. "I need to discuss with you the plans I mentioned in the letter, okay? You have it, right?"
Elora produced a crystal blue choker decorated with snowflakes from a pouch around her waist.
"It never leaves me." She answered in a 'no duh' tone of voice.
"Good. Now, here's what I want you to do..."

Hours after she had met Elora at Cafe Moondust, Usa could be found walking to Caedmon's office, her face contorted in a grimace as she dodged mistletoe Elora had hung up almost everywhere.
The Commander had suddenly called her up, which Usa found rather strange and troubling.
Did he perhaps hear about her wound opening up?
She pondered this as she approached the door to the cappuccino furred sovani's office and knocked twice.
"Enter." Came the muffled reply.
Usa then opened the door, stepped in, and closed it behind her.
"You called for me, sir?" Usa questioned, locking eyes with her Commander.
He nodded, and held up a bottle of wine.
"Would you like to help me finish this?" He asked as he uncorked the bottle.
Usa smiled, and nodded. "Wine sounds nice."
Especially so, since her side had begun hurting again.
Caedmon poured a glass for them both before setting the bottle down.
Usa walked forward, and took the glass on the right.
She brought it up to her nose, and took in the rich smell.
"Riesling? Sir, you know me too well." Usa commented before taking a sip of the white wine.
Caedmon gave her a small smile before taking a sip of his own.
"We do have similar tastes in wine." He agreed while cradling the wine glass in his upper right hand.
"But I take it this visit has to do with something else other than wine?" Usa questioned, eyebrow raised.
Caedmon chuckled and set his glass down.
"Ever the sharp one, I see." He commented. "Follow me, Usa. I have something to show you. I think you are going to like it very much."
Intrigued, the mitra woman gently placed her glass down as well and silently followed her commander.
He was leading her to his chambers next door, but why?
The sovani opened the door, revealing the contents of the room.
There, in the center of his chambers, was a suit of armor.
Usa gasped, and slowly stepped to the silvery armor, her dark blue eyes wide.
She looked on each of the arms, and noticed the Silver Falcons crest on the left, as well as her family's crest on the right.
A white ailcorn rearing with the moon embracing the sun in the background.
How did he know?
"Sir...is this?" Usa could barely form sentences.
"Merry Christmas, Usa. I hope you like my present." Caedmon said, smiling at his Sub-Commander's response.
"It's wonderful!" Usa gushed, fingers tracing the designs. "But-how did you know?"
"It took some digging, but I found it. You know how extensive my intelligence gathering network is." He responded with a nonchalant shrug.
Usa couldn't help but smile brightly at her commander, her eyes sparkling with happiness.
Despite the cost of the armor itself, as well as all the trouble it was to find the crest of a reclusive family that originated on the second continent, that look of pure joy and happiness on the mitra woman's face was priceless.
It was something he would remember until the day he died.
She marveled over the suit of armor a while longer before she noticed the time.
"Sir, if you would accompany me to your office's balcony, there's something I'd like you to see." Usa said, her eyes now twinkling with anticipation.
Now it was Caedmon's turn to look confused, but he complied, joining her on the balcony over looking Balterossa.
It was then that something strange began to happen.
Just as to sun was coming up, it began to snow.
The sovani looked up with wonder as the snow fell, wondering if it was just a dream or an illusion.
"Merry Christmas, Caedmon. I hope you like my present for you." Usa stated.
"Usa, how is this even possible?" The sovani asked, perplexed.
The mitra woman smiled.
"I have an old friend who is in possession of a winter type remnant, and it just so happens that she owed me a favor. So I asked her to come to Balterossa and make it snow." She explained while balancing on the balls of her feet.
Caedmon was amazed that she would do something like this, but them reminded himself that it was a very Usa thing to do.
Then, he laughed.
He truly laughed for the first time since he was a kitten.
"In all my years, I have never seen it snow in a desert, and I doubt I will ever see it again! Usa, you have given me, as well as all the people of Balterossa a gift in which none have ever seen the likes of in history, and I thank you for that." Caedmon exclaimed while pulling the mitra woman into a four-armed friendly embrace.
As he did, a gust of wind blew, bringing with it the sound of bells.
Simultaneously, they looked up and saw a bundle of mistletoe and silver bells hanging from the unlit lamp above their heads.
Usa flushed lightly and mentally cursed Elora before locking eyes with her commander.
Those brilliant emerald orbs held something she had never seen in them before, and she could hardly believe in what she saw.
Then, as tradition dictated, he captured her lips in a sweet kiss, stunning her.
His body was pressed flush against her own, his lower arms circled around her hips tightly.
His upper hands cradled her head gently, his fingers tangled in her dark brown locks.
She couldn't help herself; she let her hands reach up to toy with his ears as she deepened the kiss, feeling his sharp teeth against her lips.
Caedmon kissed her harder, his teeth now scraping her full lips in the process, making them bleed.
Usa didn't care though.
No, she wanted more, and kicked rational thinking to the side as their kiss progressed.
However, as soon as Caedmon tasted the coppery tang of her blood, he, though reluctantly, ended the kiss.
Both were panting lightly, Usa's face flushed and her eyes half-lidded.
"Sorry. Sovani lips are not well suited for kissing." Caedmon apologized, eying her lightly scraped lower lip.
Usa responded with a quick, but passionate kiss, surprising the sovani commander.
"Don't be. I enjoyed it."
Her voice was so husky and...sexy.
It nearly made him lose what little bit of self-control he had left.
With that, she released him, and began to leave.
"Merry Christmas, Commander Caedmon. I rather enjoyed this time with you." She purred before leaving him there.
He didn't worry about it too much though.
After all, she left her armor in his room.
She'd have to return to retrieve it soon.

Description
Usa bit her thumb, her brow furrowed in thought.
Christmas was a week away, and she still had no idea what she could give to her Commander.
'Perhaps I'm thinking too hard about this?' She thought. 'Perhaps a break is in order.'
The mitra woman stood up, and walked to her window.
She frowned as she observed the dusty sand dunes outside.
"It's times like this when I miss the snow-capped mountains of my home." She muttered.
Then, it hit her.
Of course! Why hadn't she thought of it before?
With a wide grin, Usa sprinted to her desk to compose a letter, not bothering to even take a seat.
She knew exactly what to get the Commander for Christmas this year.
Him, and all the citizens of Balterossa would get a gift, the likes of which they've never seen before.

Caedmon walked down the streets of Balterossa with a set destination in mind.
He had ordered a present for his Sub-Commander, Usa, and was on his way to pick it up.
It was a lovely new set of armor that bared the insignia of the Silver Falcons as well as her family crest-something he had found after much digging.
He arrived at the blacksmith's shop soon, and couldn't hold the gasp of surprise at the sight of the newly forged armor.
It was gorgeous; the armor was polished to a silvery shine, and it had engravings of feathers decorating it.
"I take it you are satisfied with it?" The blacksmith asked, grinning at the sovani.
"Very much so." Caedmon answered while getting out his wallet.
"Before you go, I have to ask-who's it for?" The blacksmith said after he received his payment.
Caedmon debated whether or not he should tell the blacksmith, as there was enough gossip about he and his Sub-Commander as it was, but decided he really didn't care as long as it didn't cause either of them any trouble.
"It's for Usa. Her armor was ruined in battle, and she hasn't had the time to get herself a new set." The sovani answered.
The blacksmith winched at the memory of that fight-the one against the Conqueror-and nodded.
"Well that's mighty nice of you to do for her. Merry Christmas, Caedmon, and tell yer Sub-Commander to take it easy." The blacksmith commented.
Caedmon almost laughed.
Usa? Taking it easy?
Ha!
About as probable as snow in Balterossa.
"Merry Christmas to you as well." Caedmon said, bidding the blacksmith farewell as he left with the armor.
He'd have to put a obnoxiously big red bow on it at a later time, seeing as it would be silly to even attempt to wrap this set of armor; the shoulders of it were a bit too pointy, thanks to the feathered design.
Somehow, the sovani commander managed to get the set of armor to his quarters without running into Usa.
The sovani then returned to his office literally next door to finish up the stacks of paperwork that awaited him.

It was now the morning of Christmas Eve when Usa found herself pacing at the entrance to the desert city.
She stopped for a moment, spotting a familiar figure in the distance.
"IS IT YOU, ELORA?!" She yelled out.
The figure stopped, and shouted back, "WHO ELSE WOULD IT BE, USA?!"
The mitra woman grinned, and responded, "WELL HURRY UP, SLOW POKE! WE HAVE THINGS TO DO AND DISCUSS!"
The figure then began to run towards her, getting closer and closer until-
SMACK!
A short, black-haired mitra woman tackled Usa, sending them both sprawling on the sandy ground.
"Ugh, Elora, it's nice to see you too." Usa groaned out in pain.
The sudden glomp most certainly opened up at least one of her wounds, judging by the warm liquid that began to stain her shirt.
"Usa, why is your side we-OH MY GOD, USA!" Elora screeched when she saw the blood staining her friend's shirt.
"WHO DID THIS TO YOU?!" The dark haired mitra woman asked, scrambling off the injured woman.
"Apparently you." Usa muttered out as she slowly pushed herself up.
"Sub-Commander, what happened?" A Silver Falcon asked.
Elora raised an eyebrow at the 'Sub-Commander' bit, but said nothing.
"Nothing out of the ordinary, I assure you. Don't worry, I'll be fine." Usa brushed off as she began to summon up some restoratives.
"Are you sure, ma'am? The Commander said he didn't want you to strain yourself-"
"And he and I both know that is an impossible feat. No worries, I shall be fine. Now, carry on, and don't speak a word of this to the Commander. We don't need him worrying about such trivial things." Usa cut off as the restoratives did their jobs.
Soon enough, it was as if nothing had happened.
"But, ma'am, aren't the two of you..." He trailed off.
Usa's eyes narrowed dangerously as she glared down at the qsiti.
"We're what, dare I ask? Speak, soldier!" Usa prodded.
"W-well, uh, aren't the two of you...an...item?" He whispered the last part, and flinched, scared that the mitra woman would strike him.
Instead, Elora's laughter rang throughout the air.
"Oh my GOD, Usa! Really?! Who IS this guy, huh?! Is he hot?! Details, girlie! Details!" Elora shrieked, grabbing her taller friend by her arms and shaking her excitedly.
The qsiti took this time to hop away before the Sub-Commander could do anything to him.
She may be injured, but 'Sub-Commander' isn't just a fancy title, and he'd seen her fight before.
"Elora, shut up." Usa hissed, pulling herself out of her eccentric friend's grasp. "Come on, let's talk over some drinks."
So, the two women made their way to Cafe Moondust, where they found a table in a secluded corner and ordered some drinks.
"So, answer my questions, girl!" Elora demanded once she got her drink.
Usa sighed and took a large gulp of Roytian wine.
"Commander Caedmon and I are not an item, to begin with." Usa stated.
"Ohh, you're in denial, sweet cheeks." Elora purred, taking a sip of whatever fruity little concoction she ordered.
All Usa knew was that it was blue, cold, and most likely too sweet for her tastes.
"I am not. Besides, such relationships would be foolish. After all, he is a sovani, and I am a mitra, never mind the fact that I'm his subordinate." Usa shot back, the last bit said almost sadly.
"Oh, inter-species relationship?! Now I'm really interested!" Elora gushed, most likely already forming some hair-brained scheme to get the two together.
"Shh, keep your voice down!" Usa hissed angrily."People around here talk enough as it is, and we don't need anymore trouble. Don't forget that we're not home, and such relationships are highly frowned down upon here. That is, if we were even in a relationship."
Usa added the last bit after Elora began to open her mouth to say something.
"They still haven't legalized inter-species marriage yet? Oh my GOD, these people are slow!" Elora said, surprise coloring her face.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever, just shut up, and listen to me." Usa stopped her friend from going into another one of her rants. "I need to discuss with you the plans I mentioned in the letter, okay? You have it, right?"
Elora produced a crystal blue choker decorated with snowflakes from a pouch around her waist.
"It never leaves me." She answered in a 'no duh' tone of voice.
"Good. Now, here's what I want you to do..."

Hours after she had met Elora at Cafe Moondust, Usa could be found walking to Caedmon's office, her face contorted in a grimace as she dodged mistletoe Elora had hung up almost everywhere.
The Commander had suddenly called her up, which Usa found rather strange and troubling.
Did he perhaps hear about her wound opening up?
She pondered this as she approached the door to the cappuccino furred sovani's office and knocked twice.
"Enter." Came the muffled reply.
Usa then opened the door, stepped in, and closed it behind her.
"You called for me, sir?" Usa questioned, locking eyes with her Commander.
He nodded, and held up a bottle of wine.
"Would you like to help me finish this?" He asked as he uncorked the bottle.
Usa smiled, and nodded. "Wine sounds nice."
Especially so, since her side had begun hurting again.
Caedmon poured a glass for them both before setting the bottle down.
Usa walked forward, and took the glass on the right.
She brought it up to her nose, and took in the rich smell.
"Riesling? Sir, you know me too well." Usa commented before taking a sip of the white wine.
Caedmon gave her a small smile before taking a sip of his own.
"We do have similar tastes in wine." He agreed while cradling the wine glass in his upper right hand.
"But I take it this visit has to do with something else other than wine?" Usa questioned, eyebrow raised.
Caedmon chuckled and set his glass down.
"Ever the sharp one, I see." He commented. "Follow me, Usa. I have something to show you. I think you are going to like it very much."
Intrigued, the mitra woman gently placed her glass down as well and silently followed her commander.
He was leading her to his chambers next door, but why?
The sovani opened the door, revealing the contents of the room.
There, in the center of his chambers, was a suit of armor.
Usa gasped, and slowly stepped to the silvery armor, her dark blue eyes wide.
She looked on each of the arms, and noticed the Silver Falcons crest on the left, as well as her family's crest on the right.
A white ailcorn rearing with the moon embracing the sun in the background.
How did he know?
"Sir...is this?" Usa could barely form sentences.
"Merry Christmas, Usa. I hope you like my present." Caedmon said, smiling at his Sub-Commander's response.
"It's wonderful!" Usa gushed, fingers tracing the designs. "But-how did you know?"
"It took some digging, but I found it. You know how extensive my intelligence gathering network is." He responded with a nonchalant shrug.
Usa couldn't help but smile brightly at her commander, her eyes sparkling with happiness.
Despite the cost of the armor itself, as well as all the trouble it was to find the crest of a reclusive family that originated on the second continent, that look of pure joy and happiness on the mitra woman's face was priceless.
It was something he would remember until the day he died.
She marveled over the suit of armor a while longer before she noticed the time.
"Sir, if you would accompany me to your office's balcony, there's something I'd like you to see." Usa said, her eyes now twinkling with anticipation.
Now it was Caedmon's turn to look confused, but he complied, joining her on the balcony over looking Balterossa.
It was then that something strange began to happen.
Just as to sun was coming up, it began to snow.
The sovani looked up with wonder as the snow fell, wondering if it was just a dream or an illusion.
"Merry Christmas, Caedmon. I hope you like my present for you." Usa stated.
"Usa, how is this even possible?" The sovani asked, perplexed.
The mitra woman smiled.
"I have an old friend who is in possession of a winter type remnant, and it just so happens that she owed me a favor. So I asked her to come to Balterossa and make it snow." She explained while balancing on the balls of her feet.
Caedmon was amazed that she would do something like this, but them reminded himself that it was a very Usa thing to do.
Then, he laughed.
He truly laughed for the first time since he was a kitten.
"In all my years, I have never seen it snow in a desert, and I doubt I will ever see it again! Usa, you have given me, as well as all the people of Balterossa a gift in which none have ever seen the likes of in history, and I thank you for that." Caedmon exclaimed while pulling the mitra woman into a four-armed friendly embrace.
As he did, a gust of wind blew, bringing with it the sound of bells.
Simultaneously, they looked up and saw a bundle of mistletoe and silver bells hanging from the unlit lamp above their heads.
Usa flushed lightly and mentally cursed Elora before locking eyes with her commander.
Those brilliant emerald orbs held something she had never seen in them before, and she could hardly believe in what she saw.
Then, as tradition dictated, he captured her lips in a sweet kiss, stunning her.
His body was pressed flush against her own, his lower arms circled around her hips tightly.
His upper hands cradled her head gently, his fingers tangled in her dark brown locks.
She couldn't help herself; she let her hands reach up to toy with his ears as she deepened the kiss, feeling his sharp teeth against her lips.
Caedmon kissed her harder, his teeth now scraping her full lips in the process, making them bleed.
Usa didn't care though.
No, she wanted more, and kicked rational thinking to the side as their kiss progressed.
However, as soon as Caedmon tasted the coppery tang of her blood, he, though reluctantly, ended the kiss.
Both were panting lightly, Usa's face flushed and her eyes half-lidded.
"Sorry. Sovani lips are not well suited for kissing." Caedmon apologized, eying her lightly scraped lower lip.
Usa responded with a quick, but passionate kiss, surprising the sovani commander.
"Don't be. I enjoyed it."
Her voice was so husky and...sexy.
It nearly made him lose what little bit of self-control he had left.
With that, she released him, and began to leave.
"Merry Christmas, Commander Caedmon. I rather enjoyed this time with you." She purred before leaving him there.
He didn't worry about it too much though.
After all, she left her armor in his room.
She'd have to return to retrieve it soon.