Amoyan ChristMass (an Ai no Kusabi Christmas fanfiction)

Chapter 3: All I Want for Christmas

*******************************************************************

opening theme: Wham! – Last Christmas (I gave you my heart)

*******************************************************************

When Katze arrived at the Mink household, his Master was still staring out the large full-view window that offered one of the best views of the perfectly ordered, cold, metallic city of Tanagura and its little, seductive, neonlight sister city Midas. Unknown to Katze, Iason's android eyes were even capable of distinguishing the derelict, make-shift buildings of Ceres despite the distance and the lack of light sources in that area. For one reason or other his gaze almost automatically shifted towards that direction as soon as he started looking outside. Iason was actually standing so utterly motionless and quiet that one could have easily mistaken him for a perfectly sculpted marble statue of a Greek god wearing refined and fashionable white clothes. But Katze had more than enough experience with this element of stillness that his Master often displayed while in deep thought, not to mistake him for such a harmless sculpture. Trying to keep his breathing as silent as possible, Katze approached Iason as soundlessly as if he were the very animal he had been named after. After which he went to stand at a polite distance befitting a furniture, waiting for his Master to acknowledge his presence before speaking.

While waiting for his Master to end his musings and start the black market business talk, Katze took some time to admire the strategically put-up tasteful Jupiter Mass decorations that gave the penthouse a far more lively and warm impression than usual, as Iason was very much into a more modest, functionalistic style while using expensive, lavish materials that required very little external ornamentation. Moreover the presence of all that green added quite a bit of colour to a usually purely white interior. Next to the greenery most of the penthouse was decorated in gold, yet the divinely beautiful elite's hair was still the sparkliest gold in the place and Katze's attention was quickly drawn away from the decorations and back to the still figure of his Master. Almost as if sensing Katze's eyes returning to rest on his back, Iason spoke, quiet but loud enough for his former furniture's perceptive ears to pick up: "JupiterMass. A most peculiar time of year, isn't it? One would almost think the celebration of the very force that keeps this city alive serves as a reminder of how dead her children's personal lives actually are."

Katze wasn't sure whether or not he was supposed to respond to that comment, and not even whether or not he was supposed to have heard it in the first place. But then again Iason never really had the habit of speaking out loud when he was not addressing anyone specific. Katze decided to take the statement as a cue for a comment, seeing as how it hardly sounded like a merely informative statement.

"Perhaps a life requires more forces than just the rational, material kind that Jupiter Mass is a celebration of", the black market broker carefully spoke, keeping his voice even and calm yet slightly submissive, almost as if asking a question rather than making a statement.

"In that you might be correct, Katze", Iason responded, now turning away from the window and fixing his piercing arctic blue eyes unto Katze's feline amber ones. "However it strikes me as rather strange that such sentiments would bother me more than usual during a time of celebration."

"Doesn't sound that strange to me. In Ceres they actually have a celebration of sorts as well during this time of year, however it is a ... very different kind of celebration."

This was the first that Iason Mink had ever heard of such a celebration in Ceres, he was unaware of the fact that there even existed a concept like that in such a run-down, impoverished area.