DoOC-a00-ch11-Christmas 24: Christmas Stopped Making Sense

  --- Zaria's Shrine ---

  Isabelle was staring wide eyed.

  Samantha was circling the target curiously. "Tama, Tama, Tama, Tama, Tama, ..."

  A huge towering pile of presents was all addressed to 'Tama'.

  "Zaria?" The redheaded student asked the albino fox floof.

  "Yes?" The albino replied as she packed another present.

  "Is this all for one person?" Isabelle asked curiously, whomever it was for, must be really loved by Zaria.

  "Of course not," Zaria looked up. "This one is for Tama, that pile over there is for the Tamas."

  Isabelle rubbed her temples for a moment. "Who or what is or are Tama and Tamas."

  "Are you familiar with the multiverse theory, alternates of you in other dimensions? I remember there are several anime, movies, tv shows, and other media about that concept."

  "Yes, I watched a few." Isabelle confirmed.

  "Presents!" Samantha announced as she found a smaller pile, with their names on it.

  "Now, normally gods that transcend their world, fuse with their alternates, or fight each other." Zaria picked up a crystal that glowed from the inside. "I think this one was for Tama." She pced it in an ornate box. "Now the Tamas, they decided to do something else. They meet up. I was born, made, created, fused, or whatever by them."

  "So you weren't actually born?" Isabelle had trouble imagining someone not being born.

  "That is a complex question." Zaria replied. "I have memories of whole long lives before I became me, but at the same time the me as I am now was created by my Goddesses for fun, and I took them as my Goddesses. Over time this retionship changed and shifted. Now I am their friend, helper, agent, chosen, saint, shrine maiden, pamperer, chew toy, pet, favourite toy, protector, enforcer, and so on. They are my friends, lovers, mofu mofu targets, objects of worship, bosses, mothers, and so on. You don't have to understand this." Zaria waved it off. "So every present here is for a different Tama."

  Isabelle pondered for a moment. "So you visit the Tamas on their worlds?"

  "Yes, and yes, this world has a Tama." Zaria confirmed.

  "Waahh!" Samantha cried out.

  The pair heard presents crashing to the ground.

  "I guess Sammy found her present and tried to pull it out." Zaria ignored the chaotic noises and yelps for help. "Go and save your girlfriend." She told Isabelle.

  "She is not my girlfriend." The red-head denied.

  "Mate then, well or soon."

  Isabelle decided against arguing, she had yet to win an argument with Zaria.

  "Kon?" Yuki, in her arctic fox form, asked her.

  "I have no idea what you just said, but if it was about leading me or helping me then yes, lead the way." Isabelle told the fox.

  Yuki walked off, Isabelle followed her.

  Meanwhile Zaria pulled out a pink colr, pink leash, and pink net garter set. "That is for that Tama? Who made that wish? Oh, I was so sure that Tama is single ..." Zaria smirked. As she read the golden threads of fate.

  --- Gaxy Garden ---

  A pink haired, pink eared, and pink tailed Tamamo no Mae felt a shiver go down her spine. Her nine fluffy tails all poofed out.

  "This is bad." The Tamamo no Mae looked at her tails. "What to do?"

  "Ask Zaria?" A passing Tama replied.

  "That bundle of chaos? Bad idea, she might get creative." She was Lawful Good, and Zaria was Chaotic Neutral. She still thought that Zaria should be True Chaos, but she had a few rules. However, she was a goddess, that meant running to Zaria for every little thing was below her.

  Whatever was coming, it did not feel like death danger or insanity danger. No it felt different somehow, like her body was in danger yet not?

  It was confusing.

  "Oh how cute." Another passing Tama, this one with green hair, walked by and gave her a knowing smile. "Have fun~"

  The pink Tama blinked confused after her far older and more powerful senior. "Have fun? What is going on?"

  --- Zaria' Shrine ---

  Yuki led Isabelle to a colpsed pile of presents. It was far smaller than the pile for the Tamas, but it was still enough to completely bury the curious wolf. The only indication where she was were the noises and the shuddering pile.

  Isabelle went to work, she started pcing presents out of the way.

  "Shouldn't she be strong enough to get out?" The schoolgirl wondered.

  "Kon kon."

  "I have no idea what you just said!" Isabelle gave the smug looking fox a small gre. "I know you can turn into a humanoid. You showed us before!"

  "Kon kon~" Yuki just snickered at the human girl.

  "Help, I can't move this rge one off me!" Samantha called out from the quivering mess.

  "I am on my way Sammy." Isabelle calmed her friend and pced the next present aside.

  --- Police Station ---

  Eireann Mc Glytch groaned with her face down on her desk. She had pulled the christmas shift. That meant usually at least one murder due to quarrel, a few suicides or overdoses due to loneliness, robberies, and house fires due to badly used decorations.

  She already had one case where a family set their tree on fire. The fire brigade had managed to put it out, but the presents, food, and living room furniture were a total loss.

  Luckily she only had a half shift, unluckily it was half ordered overtime and an evening shift. The chief had decided to make sure that someone with code Purple clearance had shift, because weird things tended to happen.

  Then there were her two cats and her small vampire. The cats were ... Dorea was a pervert and Yvonna was horny. Both were needy and very sexual, at least Cécile was calm and happy with cuddles and a little nibbling. Why was the most dangerous of them the calmest and sweetest one? She was great at cooking, a great cuddler, great drinker, and actually acted mature unlike Dorea. Yvonna was a tease and a schoolgirl.

  Her desk phone rang. It was the chief. She picked up. "Mc Glytch."

  "We have a 10-55 Coroner's case, with suspicions of a Code Purple." The voice of the Chief announced.

  Eireann frowned, most police coroners were in the know, and more suspicious corpses were usually routed to those with clearance. "Which coroner?"

  "District 3 Police Station." The chief announced.

  "On my way." Eireann rose and picked up her gun.

  It was time to get to work.

  --- District 3 - Police Coroner Office ---

  Zaria was out, probably busy, Yuki was the same. Eireann had been informed that they were having a christmas party with their Goddesses. Dorea and Yvonna were preparing a christmas party for her. Cécile was probably keeping them in check.

  She entered the coroner's office.

  "Hello, you must be Detective Mc Glytch." The coroner, a tall bck man, greeted her.

  "Hello, yes, I was sent over for a weird corpse?" Eireann greeted him.

  "Ah yes, I suspect there will be a few more of those soon." The coroner reminded her of the Otherside for some reason. He had that weird feeling around him.

  "So what is so weird about it?" She asked the coroner.

  "Please follow me." The man led her to a table, where someone was covered with a cloth.

  She winced when he uncovered the corpse. A brain in a bowl, a shattered skull, a dismembered corpse, and a Krampus tattoo on the chest.

  "The arms, and legs were ripped off, the skull was shattered with pure force, yet the victim was still alive when the brain was pulled out. Actually it is still alive even now." The coroner announced.

  Eireann cringed, being alive as just a brain? That sounded terrible. She inspected the tattoo, it was very lifelike, and it gave her that shiver and feeling.

  "Krampus" rolled off her tongue. It was a Name. A Power.

  "Yes, possibly, usually I just have those who cheat Death, but Death has a pn. But this one, it is different." The coroner gave a creepy ugh.

  Zaria had told her she was a power, others and her experiences had reinforced that. The coroner was clearly in the know, so she decided to risk it. "Krampus, come here and Expin." Eireann called into the empty room. "Eireann, Leader of the Wild Hunt is calling you."

  The lights went out.

  Eireann did her best to remember her mythology from her childhood, and movies. "Aren't you supposed to be a 6th of December myth?" she asked into the darkness.

  A gravelly voice ughed. "Bme commercialism, the 6th barely matters any more, and Saint Nichos is mostly forgotten and many equate him with Santa. So I adapted." Lights flickered, showing a horned tall figure, the body was covered in fur and the face was a gruesome visage with rge fangs. "And actually it was the 5th of December." He corrected the Detective. "Even you have forgotten the truth."

  "Sorry." Eireann gave him an honest apology. "Until a few months ago I didn't even know all this was real." She waved at him. "Actually, why the corpse?" She pointed at the tattooed torso.

  "Ahh them, They made a ritual for a summoning, a greater being, someone to punish the happy ones, they challenged Santa." The toothy grin promised violence. "Santa and Nichos didn't bother, and informed me of their deeds, they are all sinners destined for hell."

  Eireann slumped. "They called you, botched the ritual, probably tried to punish all those happy people."

  "Yes," Krampus agreed, "you have a good intuition dear Detective." He pulled a bag from his side. "As a fellow punisher, here you go, the list of victims, two haven't been found yet. But it should make your evening pass easier. Also here, have a piece of coal, in case of emergency and someone deserving of it, just throw it at the target, they will have a very bad day." Krampus cackled. "Don't worry it will shrink, and it won't dirty your hands, after all, we are colleagues in a way."

  Eireann accepted the gifts. "Thank you, for the coal and the information, you are right, this will make my evening much easier." She peered at the list, and winced, one was in a rich area, and she thought she had heard of a name on the list before. "Are you doing them in order?" She asked, it would make her py catch up with Krampus, but at least she wouldn't have to wait for each incident to be called in.

  "Yes, you are already two corpses behind." Krampus ughed evilly, and faded into the dark.

  The coroner peeked at her list. "Oh, I think I recognise the fourth entry, pretty sure the mutited corpse of a formerly pretty girl was suspected to be his fault."

  "Great, now I need ... Any idea where this address is?" She asked the coroner pointing at the next entry.

  "Yes, this is nearby."

  Eireann pulled out her phone and called a special number on her contact list. "Hello, this is Detective Eireann Mc Glytch, I have a Code Purple, 'Incorrect Summoning' in progress. A group tried to summon an Anti-Santa, got Krampus instead, and now they are dying one after the other. I need warrants to enter their homes and gather their parts."

  The coroner appreciated the nguage. "I should probably join." He added.

  "The coroner I am at, volunteered to join, we will need a car, driver, police officers at each scene, and transports for the body parts." Eireann continued.

  The coroner started packing his tools.

  Eireann listed the names, the addresses, and the order that they needed to visit the addresses.

  --- Mc Glytch Family Home ---

  "Mom, we are back!" Isabelle and Samantha stepped through a portal. "We need help, Zaria organised small presents for everyone, and I mean everyone."

  "She did what?" Hati's voice came from the kitchen.

  Everyone was meeting at the wolves den. That meant the wolves, the huskies, and the Mc Glytch mother and daughter duo. The next day they were going to meet at the herds pce, since Fionnua had drawn the short straw and had a shift.

  "So many presents!" Samantha cheered. "She left food for us too!"

  The reactions to that were mixed. Zaria was fey, and accepting anything from fey could lead to interesting results.

  "It is fine." Isabelle mented about being the only one who was not completely awed or afraid of Zaria while actually being the closest one to the chaotic floof. "She said it was just spare skewers and a steak tower." She frowned. "Who are the strongest ones here? When she said tower, she meant it!"

  The wolves whimpered.

  The huskies however. "Skewers?" "Steak tower?" "Zaria's cooking?" "Presents?"

  Isabelle wondered if the careful nature of the wolves or the huskies' friendly curiosity were actually the right way. Considering that Zaria let Liska nap in her tails, she suspected that the overpowered floof enjoyed the huskies and their fun loving and chaotic ways far more.

  "No Santa?" Liska asked.

  The doorbell rang.

  "Anyone missing?" Someone asked.

  "I don't think so, Jackie and Jack are out of the country, and a few others are sick."

  They opened the door.

  There was a Santa behind the door. "Don't expect me to ho ho ho." He announced. "But since Krampus is active, I thought I might as well do my job for those worthy."

  "Santa!" Liska and the other small kids cheered.

  "Oh, look, a pack of cute sweet puppies." Santa patted the little kids. "Now, let me fetch your presents and dishes, considering how much she made, you'd take ages to get everything." Santa walked into the portal to Zaria's shrine.

  Fionnua however: "Santa is real."

  "I think your mom broke?" Samantha whispered to Isabelle.

  "Don't worry, she just needs to adjust for a bit. Oh, Santa?" Isabelle decided to take it like she always did. "Will you stay for dinner?"

  "Sure, I am so sick of milk and cookies. And people wonder why I am fat. Sebastian? There you are, remember not to mistake salt for sugar next time. Lizzy, you need to check the expiry date on milk next time, if the milk crumbles out of the bottle, it is old." Santa told the fluffy kids.

  Isabelle honestly felt pity for Santa after hearing that.

  --- Shadow Cats Penthouse ---

  Eireann entered the penthouse.

  It was te at night, but to no surprise her cats and vampire were wide awake.

  "Eri!" Dorea shadow jumped her, pstering herself against her mate.

  Everyone was dressed up as a female Santa. Céline was dressed in a conservative version with a long skirt. Yvonna had a much shorter skirt and top, the skirt showed some of the bck skin, and the top showed a sliver of bck belly.

  To no surprise, Dorea's version would get her arrested for indecency.

  "I am back." Eireann announced.

  "Welcome back, wait, what by the eternal darkness has blessed you this time?" Céline was very surprised at the new aura around her bonded one. "This feels old."

  Eireann found herself by the two shadow cats who started sniffing and checking her. "You need a bath." "You smell of blood." "Corpses? Hospital?" "There is a darkness around you?" "What did you meet?"

  "Uhm? Calm down? I am fine?" Eireann tried to calm everyone. "I just met Krampus, some idiots tried to summon something to get those liked by Santa killed, and they summoned Anti-Santa, the Krampus. So they managed to get themselves killed. Krampus was very polite and even gave me a list to make my shift easier."

  Everyone rexed a bit.

  "He called me a colleague."

  That made everyone cringe.

  "Punish evil, so yes you two are colleagues." A male voice came from the balcony.

  Céline blurred away, the cats stepped before Eireann.

  "Santa?" Cécile had stopped wide-eyed before Santa.

  "Present delivery." Santa announced. "Zaria is busy, so I dropped by to do the deliveries, and add my own when relevant." He passed out presents to everyone. "Now excuse me, I got presents to deliver and cookies to eat."

  Later when they unpacked, There were some very interesting presents from both Zaria and Santa.

  Cécile received several original works in French from Zaria, and an ancient straw stuffed rag doll from Santa. "This, I think I remember this, my mother made this for me when I was a child." Everyone stared at the almost 550 years old doll in awe.

  Yvonna received a dress and matching lingerie from Zaria, and a matching moon silver neckce and earrings from Santa.

  Dorea received a book on yuri sex spells from Zaria, and a colr and leash set from Santa so Eri could put her on a leash.

  Eireann received a neckce of armour from Zaria, and a list of minor criminals and where to find evidence. It seemed that they specialised in stealing presents, from poor families that had no money for home security. They had annoyed Santa badly. Additionally she received a cooking grimoire, so even she could feed her family and herself.

  Eireann leaned back. "Is this what Christmas on the Otherside is?"

  "No, normally you don't meet legends." Yvonna corrected.

  "Why are there handcuffs and a spreader bar for me that suppress shadow teleportation?" Dorea compined.

  "To make sure you stay put and don't get arrested for indecency." Eireann shot back.

  "I found the manual, and a techniques book." Cécile announced.

  The three turned towards Dorea, their resident pervert.

  "No." Dorea shook her head. She was trying to decide if she wanted to get tied down or not, being powerless might be interesting, but rubbing and teasing Eri was so much fun.

  "Get her!" Eri decided, it was just a test, it was not revenge for Dorea groping her the moment she had stepped into the penthouse.

  --- Authors Notes: ---

  LazyFloof