A Halo Christmas [Halo Universe]

11

On the eleventh day of Christmas, my true love sent to me eleven pipers piping.

She was still impressed, but wouldn't voice it out loud. She wasn't sure on how the person, Annabelle's younger sister, would take it if she congratulated her on doing her solo on the flute in front of the crowd at the Christmas party. Chelsea was shy enough as it was and tended to dodge anyone that came her way. In a way, it was sweet, but in another way, everyone knew that it was bad. The child never opened up and said anything besides from the occasional greeting.

But T'ane was determined to voice his opinion to the young girl.

"It will only take a moment," he told her in his deep voice as he pulled her toward where the girl was standing with her family. "I just wish to tell her how well she played."

"T'ane." The Sangheili's mandibles twitched along the side of his face before it tilted to the side. She tried to get him to stop but he didn't. "T'ane," she said with a little more force, finally causing him to stop. "I don't think that she really wants you to do that."

"Why not?"

Elyse fought to find the right words, tapping her fingers together as she lead him to the dessert table. She was handing him a cupcake, one of the many foods that she knew that he had yet to try, and managed to find the words there. "Chelsea is really nervous about anyone talking to her; imagine what she might do with a Sangheili looming over her." T'ane snorted as he examined the cupcake in his hand and she licked off some of the icing. "Don't take it personally, T'ane. Not everyone is used to you guys yet."

His chest rumbled, a sign that she knew where he was upset. "Perhaps not. Maybe I was just thinking that it was because she was Annabelle's sister that she would just accept me. But I could be wrong."

"T'ane," she softly said, "Annabelle's family accept you -I know that they do- Chelsea is just a really nervous person."

"The oppposite of Annnabelle then," the Sangheili observed out loud as he took a bite out of his cupcake. His face twisted comically and he chucked the cupcake into the trashcan nearby. "Why do accept me then, Elyse?"

Because you're you. It almost came off her tongue but she managed to keep it in. "Because," she decided to response with instead.

One of the Sangheili's eyebrows lifted, and he surprised her when he leaned forward almost like it was a dare; his eyes glistened with excitement and his posture was loose like she would bolt. "Because why?" The words were sweet like honey and she had to suppress the chill that ran down her spine from him being so near. When she didn't answer -too busy staring at him with wide eyes and nibbling on her cupcake- he leaned in closer yet and nuzzled the side of her face. Her face lit up and she jerked herself straight. "Come on Elyse, I know you want to tell me."

Words caught in her throat. Had he really just done that? She was about to ask and maybe tell him the truth, when her name was suddenly announced by Nelson on the stage that had been set up. As heads swirled around to look at her, T'ane pulled away and Elyse felt a pout come across her lips. Her face flushed as she finished the rest of her cupcake as gracefully as she could and smoothed down her white dress. She was leaving as T'ane grasped her wrist, making her pause to look at him.

"What is happening?" There was a hint of fear in his voice, causing her to wonder for a brief second if this reminded him of his past.

"You'll see," she replied, pulling away. "Just stand and listen."

He gave her a strange look, mandibles widening a little in confusion. Smiling wide, Elyse turned back to the stage and swayed up as gracefully as she could to prepare herself to sit. After she had, she pulled out an instrument case and popped it open, pulling free a purple violin as ten others with similar string instruments followed after her. She began playing as the others got ready, allowing a smooth, high note to play into the air. Her eyes flickered up and met T'ane's eyes for a few seconds.

She played with the others for a few minutes, keeping her eyes closed as she swayed back and forth gently to the song that she had made herself. The others in behind her did the same, though it was her confidence that sang out so much strongly than them. Every second she stayed up there she could feel the eyes. Watching her every move, watching to see if she was too nervous to do a job like this. Watching to see if the Marine was too frightened to do finish this job. She saw this as a challenge -something she had done only to her family- and found it easy after she had drilled this into her mind so many times before. Every pair of eyes seemed so much different.

Until she opened hers when she was finished and the first pair of eyes she met was T'ane's. He was already moving through the crowd to meet her, her family piling in behind him. With a smile she walked down, brushing back her bangs as she tried to hide the smile that was threatening to break her face with its cheerfulness. She hopped down the last few steps, trying not to hear the people around her, and glanced up at the first person to greet her.

Strong arms wrapped around her shoulders, pulling her in close to him. His mandibles nudged her face. "This was what you were hiding from me earlier. I'm curious to see what I could do to make this bird sing later."

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