“Wait,” Mavrik said, “what’s Christmas?”

Gavner’s eyes widened, as he was a bit taken aback, but then he remembered that Christmas was not a widely spread holiday in Althanas. “Did I not tell you about Christmas before?” He asked.

“No, I’m afraid you did not,” Mavrik replied with a smile. “But I would most definitely like to find out!”

“Christmas,” Gavner said, “Is a very important tradition that was brought to me by a, er, important companion of mine.”

“Yes,” Mavrik said, nodding, “Go on.”

“Yes yes,” Gavner said, “It is all about love, joy, and making people happy.” Gavner continued. “On the day of Christmas, which is in the midst of the ascending and descending winter, friends will all come together for a celebration, and a time in which feasting, fellowship, and the exchanging of gifts takes place.”

“Now this is interesting,” Mavrik said, “We have never had anything like this before.”

“Indeed,” Gavenr said, “The exchanging of gifts is the most important part. Essentially, that is what Christmas is. It is the most quintessential aspect that gives Christmas its essence.”

“I see,” Said Mavrik, “But why?” He asked. “What purpose does converging and exchanging objects and giving things away have?”

“It is a time to show your friends that you love them,” Gavner said, “It is a day on which you can make them feel special and all warm and fuzzy on the inside.”

“But why this sudden change of heart?” Mavrik asked, “As I said, the clan has never hosted anything like this before.”

“I had the same view as you did when I first heard of Christmas. But trust me, my friend, you will warm up to it!” Gavner replied. “Now, who is up for some refreshments and fun?”

Gavner went to the bar tender and flashed his sharp, black teeth in a smile. “Hello, sir,” Gavner said in a friendly tone, “Two ales, a bottle of your finest port, and a glass of milk please.”

Gavner returned to his friend telling old war stories of Gavner and him to Koli and Drake. Gavner gave Mavrik the ale, Koli the bottle of port, and Drake the milk as he sat down and began to listen.

“Okay,” Said Mavrik, “This one time, Gavner was coming back from the training hall with his shirt off, and Gavner has always been a ladies man-“

“Oh, you are not telling them about that one event with Arrya, are you?” Gavner asked heavily with a big grin.

“Oh yeah,” Mavrik said, “You better believe that I am!”
Everybody was smiling and looking around as they swapped stories, simply enjoying each other’s company. Gavner bought them all another round of drinks, milk for Drake of course, and they all talked late into the night.

“So back in the Ascending Summer of 1802,” Mavrik was recounting, “Gavner was merely a cub, which is what we call extremely young vampires- he was just a baby at that time,” Mavrik poked.

Gavner smiled. This was going to be a long, fun night.