Winter.
The sunny day was filled with barely moving white snow.
The courtyard at the academy.
Beatrice walked along the road in search of at least some soul. Suddenly, a silhouette could be seen in the distance, rushing furiously in the direction of the girl. And in the other direction, similarly, someone was running. They approached, and in the first one one could see a Svyat with his weapon, on whose head a red cap could be seen. And if you looked closely, you could see that they were running towards each other, not towards Beatrice. Having almost reached the junction point, the silhouette fell into a snowdrift. Svyat laughingly put away his weapon and approached the scene of the incident. Chise was in the hole, half buried in the snow. The kid said with a grin.
— I told you that I have a better chance in the snow.
— Okay, I convinced you, but now I couldn't help. It seems to me that if I move, I'll go head over heels. — Chise said with displeasure.
Svyat gave his hand and began to pull the girl out of the snowdrift. Beatrice came up to them and presented it.
— If you haven't been given a job, it doesn't mean that you just have to do nothing and wallow in the snow.
Having completely pulled Chise out of the snow, the Svyat said.
— At least I was doing something in the room and in the kitchen, unlike you.
Beatrice is nervous.
— So I... I... was with a princess, do you know how difficult it is to comb unruly hair!?
Svyat and Beatrice looked at Chise. Brushing herself off, she said.
— I admit, I didn't do anything.
Beatrice sighed.
— Well, that's what's difficult to just take...
Suddenly, a snowball flew into the girl's head.
— Huh... Look, I got it. — Svyat said with a smile.
Beatrice took the snow and threw it back, but she got caught in the Snow and a snowball fight began.
At that time, Steve, Dorothy, and Ange were walking by with groceries, discussing plans.
— So we'll just sit quietly? — the mechanic asked.
— Yes, no fuss and festivities, just have a friendly evening. — Dorothy explained.
Ange looked at the girl. And she told me right away.
— Why are you looking at me like that? I'll personally make sure.
They walked a little further and saw children playing in the snow. Dorothy asked Svyat.
— Well, how long are you going to have fun here?
— Until the time comes. — the kid said, and at the same moment snow flew into his face from Beatrice standing in front of him.
Svyat got angry, made a big snowball and threw it towards the girl, but by coincidence and Glory's poor marksmanship, the projectile hit Ange directly.
Chise in a monotone voice.
— Your time has come...
Ange gave the bags to Dorothy, shook off the snow, collected the rest of the snowball and knocked out the boy with a precise throw.
— Do you want to play? There will be a game for you...
The girl joined the battle as Dorothy and Steve left. At the entrance to the doors, the mechanic asked.
— And why exactly don't you celebrate Christmas? It seems to be created to unite people.
Dorothy, with an imperceptible chagrin.
— There are reasons for this, well, about unification, I think we shouldn't get so close. The work of spies is dangerous and everyone close to them falls under it.
They reached the door. Dorothy handed the bags to Steve while she searched for her keys.
— So that's why it's just an ordinary day...
Opening the door, the spy and the mechanic saw a fully decorated room. The walls and furniture were all decorated with different paper garlands, various patterns were painted on the windows, and there was a Christmas tree in the corner.
There was no limit to their surprise. A Svyat, wet from the snow, came up to them. Dorothy asked with confusion.
— Did you do that?
The boy looked into the room and answered with a smile.
— Yeah, it was interesting, wasn't it?
Steve, putting down the bags.
— It's beautiful...
Dorothy, looking at the jewelry.
— Did you carve it yourself?
Svyat answered in the affirmative again.
Steve walked up to the tree.
— And where did you get the tree from?
The boy wanted to start telling an incredible story, but Dorothy interrupted him.
— Let's tell you later, we need to prepare now, okay?
Glory nodded and went to change his clothes.
When the boy returned, he saw how hard work was going on, Dorothy and Chise were cutting vegetables and fruits. Meanwhile, Ange, Beatrice, and Charlotte, along with the princess's entourage, were checking the food for shelf life, while Steve was busy with the meat.
Several hours have passed.
Lawrence joined our heroes after finishing his shift. The mechanic and the policeman, having finished the first batch of meat, went to the garage when Svyat looked into the room. There was a lot of preparation going on in it. The boy also did not stand aside, but took the groceries and began to cook something. He worked on the dish for about half an hour, so much so that he sometimes interfered with the others, but after enduring the restless cook, the girls were intrigued.
After finishing his creation, the boy presented it to the experts. There was a salad on the saucer. Dorothy looked at him and asked.
— Well, what kind of piggy is this?
Holy with perplexity.
— Why is it immediately grumpy? This is an "olivier" salad.
Beatrice is interested.
— And what does it include?
Holy with a smile.
— Chopped grouse with veal tongue, first-class truffles and caviar.
Dorothy, looking at the plate again.
— But...
— But it didn't happen, so I just boiled potatoes and eggs, chopped vegetables, mixed with meat and seasoned it all with mayonnaise. It's a delicious piece of shit by the way.
Beatrice took a spoon and decided to try it, but after tasting it, disgust appeared on her face.
Dorothy politely offered.
— Listen, maybe you'd better go to the garage, and we'll do it ourselves somehow.
Svyat, who did not hide his small sadness, left the room.
At this time, Ange and Charlotte were chatting on the roof. They discussed espionage, personal and everyday topics. Everything went on as usual, the light snow continued to fall and the atmosphere was very light. But suddenly Charlotte said.
— Maybe it's time to tell everything? Perhaps they themselves began to guess, and Svyat has known for a long time...
Ange's expression changed from a cheerful smile to a slight chagrin.
—The time?... What if everyone turns away or everything changes so much that it gets worse?
Charlotte's ardor decreased a little. While Ange continued.
— And about the Svyat... He may know, but he doesn't tell anyone, it's already a success with his language, but he still avoids you. And I think if we say it now, it won't get any better, because Glory thinks we trust him.
Charlotte smiled and turned to face the street.
— So be it...
Ange and Charlotte returned to the room, almost everything was ready there, it only remained to take their seats. They all sat down at a round table. The princess is next to Beatrice, who in turn is next to Dorothy, and then Chise, Lawrence, Steve, Svyat and Ange in a circle.
Everyone sat and ate together everything that was cooked. Even someone praised Svyat's dish, which he was not overly happy about. An hour passed, and it was getting close to midnight.
Svyat got up from the table, left the room, and returned with a huge sack. He sat down on the sofa and spoke.
— Ho, ho, ho... It's a serious infection. Well, what's the first time for a gift?
Everyone looked at the kid with laughter. And he continued to invite the guys. Beatrice dared to approach first.
— Ho, ho, ho... Bee-ato right, we're going to find something for you!
He took out a packed box and gave it to the girl. She opened it without hesitation. It had a strange mechanism that looked like a watch. The people at the table looked at him in disbelief. Steve asked.
— Where did you get this from?
— Where I dug it out, it's gone... — Glory replied to the mechanic.
Svyat was looking forward to Beatrice's reaction. She said the same thing.
— I like it, you can probably make so many things out of it.
The kid, delighted, called the others over. Everyone stood up except Ange and Charlotte and were whispering about something. Svyat approached the spy, took her by the hand and dragged her from the table, handing her a gift.
Charlotte turned to look out the window, and the snow had stopped. But suddenly, hearing a rustle behind her, she turned around. There was a small box in front of him. Looking around, Svyat was the closest, and he could have planted something. Opening the gift, the princess saw a gold chain with protrusions resembling small cat ears.
Sitting down at the table again, Steve offered a drink and agreed. Ange is obsessive.
— And again, Lawrence is being carried out in his arms...
The officer replied.
— You won't have to this time, and you sound like you don't get drunk on wine yourself.
Dorothy took it at her word.
— Well, isn't that a good idea? Here you go. — Dorothy rearranged Ange's glass.
She took the glass and stared at it for a long time. Svyat became alert.
— Listen, maybe it's better not to? After all, it's not just tea or juice.
Charlotte was also looking at him with disapproval. Ange waited for a pause and drank a glass. Holy sighing.
— Okay... Come on.
Another hour passed.
A lot was drunk. Lawrence looked unwell, and Ange seemed to be in a cloudy state. The girls chatted and told funny stories. And Ange started muttering.
— Princess, do you remember when I was in the castle?..
She almost fell asleep on the move. Svyat caught her and changed the subject.
— Can we go out for a breath?
Everyone went out to the courtyard of the academy. It was dark. Only lanterns and light from the windows illuminated the garden. Chise and Beatrice went somewhere, and then came back and told everyone to get ready. Suddenly, a trail of fireworks began to reach the sky. There was a flash, and then another, and then another. The team watched an amazing spectacle.
After a while, they broke up. In the science room, Steve sat on the couch, while Lawrence, holding a bottle, was dozing on the table. The Princess was in her chambers. Beatrice and Chise were asleep in their own room, but Dorothy was huddled next to them in the next bed. Ange's room, Svyat carried the sleeping girl in his arms. He laid her down and whispered after her.
— Well, you won't get another drop.
He decided to sit on an armchair, and saw a wrapped box with the inscription "Holy" on it. The kid took it out of the room, unpacked it and saw the same broken music box. Svyat inserted the key and opened the gift. She was playing "a page of my story." The kid listened to the song with a smile.
The next day, in the laundry room, the girls saw holiday boxes at their workplaces. At the shelter, the same gifts were waiting at the entrance of the children. In the office of the football club, the players had envelopes waiting in their lockers. A large package was waiting for the Duke of Normandy in his office, which he was more annoyed than surprised by. Even in the control room, gifts miraculously turned out to be in the meeting room.
The academy.
Ange and Dorothy's room. Svyat was fast asleep in an armchair. In his sleep, he felt the touch of lips on his cheek.