Trailblazing Cheers

Tis the time of the year, when the nights grow long and the air cools into a shiver. Though inside a train traversing the cosmos, that was never the case thanks to the heating. Yet, despite the ever-constant night outside the windows of this cozy space vehicle, the spirit of the holidays could always be felt. As such, when Welt mentioned of the season of giving, March and Stelle spent every waking effort they could preparing props and costumes to celebrate.

In truth, the holiday which their senior member mentioned had never been celebrated outside his world, so they had to assume that the calendar of Welt's world matched their own Trailblaze calendar. As a result, they stamped the 25th day of the 12th Month in accordance with the same day as Welt told them. And on that day, they came bursting into the Parlor car, full of cheer, well March did at least.

"Merry Christmas, I am Santa March here to bring holiday cheers," the pink-haired archer said with a wink and pose. "And this is my reindeer, Stelle the red-nosed reindeer."

Behind her, trailing behind with a sack full of who knows what was the aforementioned trailblazing raccoon now turned reindeer.

"Ho ho ho," the grey-haired girl said monotonously.

"Hey, that's my line!" March barked.

The rest of the crew approached the girls and eyed the pair amused. March was wearing a Santa-inspired outfit with a red crop top with fluff adoring the hem and collar, a red straight skirt that reached just below her thighs with a black belt around the waist. It even came complete with the hat with pom, peppermint-coloured socks and bells decorating the bow on the centre of her chest. 

"What a rather cute outfit March," the navigator, miss Himeko, said. 

"I see you have taken on the festive spirit March, are you going around bringing presents to everyone?" Welt asked, amused.

March then nodded and gestured to the sack Stelle had been dragging around to them.

"We worked hard to get these gifts, we went everywhere: auctions, workshops, and every big supermarket we could find!" 

Stelle then waddled next to March and sighed, she really was not enjoying her outfit, which was a reindeer onesie with stiff horns on top of the hood and a red styrofoam nose clip to give the iconic, red-nose reindeer look.

"Can I at least get something else to wear? It's hot in here," Stelle complained.

"But it's so cute, and there weren't any other reindeer costumes," March debated. "Now come on, let's give everyone their presents."

"Isn't this your job?" Stelle questioned.

Still, she complied, crouching down and opening the sack before rummaging through it and pulling out the first present which was contained in a green box, wrapped in a blue ribbon with a gold bow on the top.

"Here," Stelle said as she handed the present to March.

Delicately taking the gift off her assistant's hand, March then skipped to the first recipient: the guard of their cosmic travelling train and fellow trailblazer, Dan Heng.

"Here you go!" March chirped.

"Oh for me? Thank you." Dan Heng eyed the gift before looking up at March. "It better not be anything ridiculous."

March placed a hand on her chest as she gasped in a jokingly offended manner. "Why would we ever try to trick you?"

Dan Heng could come up with a few reasons, but decided not to delve onto such things and instead focus on opening the box, which he hoped was indeed was just a simple gift.

Pulling on the bow, the black-haired vidyadhara then lifted the lid of the box and pulled out a plain black notebook and gold fountain pen. 

"A notebook?" the boy asked, looking at March.

"Uh huh," she sang. "Whenever we go on expeditions you're always looking around to add things to the data bank, so I thought of giving you a notebook to help you note down everything you want."

Dan Heng smiled and let out a faint chuckle. "Thank you March, I will make use of this."

It was the best gift he could ask for, as someone who lived life in a minimalistic and practical sense, this small gift was worth more than any bombastic toy or item the two could get their hands on.

March gave the boy a final toothy grin before another present was handed to her. This time it was for Himeko, which Stelle picked out. 

When in her hands the navigator of the Express shook the present about, listening at the rattling inside as she questioned what was inside. Looking at Stelle's confident grin though, it meant it was either really well suited for her or something the young girl thought was suited for her.

The other crew shared the sentiment, knowing how unpredictable their youngest member was.

Tugging off the red bow on top of the present, Himeko let the piece of linen fall on the floor before opening her gift. Upon laying her golden orbs on the gift, a small amused glint sparked.

"My goodness." Himeko then pulled out a mug with the words 'Coffee Queen' painted on the front. "What a cute little mug."

March then turned to Stelle and asked her where she got it from and with a proud smile on her face, Stelle informed everyone she brought it from a Penacony shop and fought an old lady for it. Immediately everyone's faces morphed into horror at the prospect of fighting an elderly for a simple mug, but their grey-haired companion brought some relief when she mentioned it was just one of the Sweet Dreams Troupe members, acting like an old lady. Not any better, but definitely not as worse as the idea of Stelle swinging her bat on some old lady.

"Well," Himeko sighed out. "Thank you for your gift Stelle, maybe we can share a cup of coffee to commemorate this?"

Although she hid it behind a smile, Stelle jerked to a straight stiff and her stomach tightened while a bead of sweat dripped down her temple. While she could admit Himeko has some good moments when it comes to her coffee, it was far too rare an occurrence to risk. In other words, the likelihood of her being sent to the toilet for hours was about 99%.

"Uhm," Stelle squeaked. "Sure, maybe when I'm free."

Himeko grinned. "Look forward to it young lady."

She wasn't and the rest of the Crew could only pray in silence for their youngest's stomach.

The next to receive their gift was the man himself, Mr Welt Yang. March and Stelle worked hard to show their appreciation for sharing this wonderful holiday and made his gift extra special. Unlike the previous two boxes, Welt's was larger and rectangular, also instead of a box holding the gift, the man's gift was wrapped instead.

"Goodness this is quite big," he said while placing it on the nearby counter.

Welt first asked permission if he could uncover it then and there, to which the girls invited him to. Grasping and crunching the paper, the man slowly ripped the present open, revealing what was shrouded behind the snowman patterns and it was something.

Behind the paper was a model robot Welt could assemble himself. It wasn't large, but definitely intricate with many of the pieces being suspended in plastic frame which definitely required tweezers to handle.

"It's one of the latest models we found," Stelle mentioned. "You told us before how you liked robots and stuff so we hunted for this after we saw it in an ad."

A small smile then formed on his lips before he turned to the two gift-givers. "Thank you, you two, I will certainly enjoy assembling this."

Though he hid it well behind his relaxed demeanour, Welt truly marvelled at the figure and was very much elated on the inside. The others knew this too, but for his sake, they kept it to themselves and saved him from embarrassment.

"Good, now the last present goes to…" March then pulled out a small box and hopped over to the small-rabbit-like creature who always helped with the day-to-day running of the Express. "The conductor!"

"Oh, you got Pom-Pom one too?" Pom-pom asked, touched.

March nodded and placed the present in front of the small creature. "Of course we did conductor, why would we ever leave you out?"

Seeing his passengers care so much about him nearly drove the conductor to cry. Luckily he managed to hold it in enough to not come out a mess.

For their cute conductor, March took the liberty of choosing something she thought would benefit his work, a new spray can that could be adjusted to what sort of spray it did. Much like Dan Heng's gift, it was a simple and practical gift suitable for the conductor who always kept the train nice and tidy, dusting, sweeping and cleaning all day long on top of other duties, she thought a practical gift would be a good choice… after Stelle convinced her not to buy a fairy dress.

Although, while March chose a compatible gift in the end, it definitely didn't start that way. Stelle could vividly remember the initial pick her pink-haired friend chose as she watched the two exchange smiles.

While shopping for their gifts, March showed Stelle a fairy dress, completely pink with glitter glistening everywhere. On the back were two transparent wings and several bows were thrown in for extra cutesy, as March put it. That was enough to make the galactic baseballer cringe at how off she was, but March doubled down when she pulled out a wand and crown to match the attire.

Stelle had to really debate it with March to make her relent from choosing the fairy costume as a gift.

Eventually, she won and dragged the archer to a department store to buy the spray bottle instead.

"Ok that's everyone in the Express!" March chimed. "Now let's go my dear reindeer to our next destination."

"And where would that be?" Dan Heng asked.

March put her hands on her hips and answered in a knowing tone, "Herta Space Station of course."

Drifting in the outer space of a local planet was the creation of a well-known scientist, Number 83 of the Genius Society and emanator of Nous, Aeon of Erudition: Herta.

Her space station, named after herself, was the home and workplace of many scientists, including her fellow Genuis Society members, where research was a constant and doubled as a containment unit for a Stellaron, a planet-ending item or as its other name suggests: the Cancer of all Worlds which happen to be within Stelle at present.

Docking at the station, the doors of the Express opened to a busy station, full of researchers and guards moving from place to place, chatting away about latest discoveries in their research or praising someone else among other things.

Stepping out with a pep in her step, March greeted the entire station with a hearty Santa laugh, hands on hips and a huge grin on her face.

"Ho, ho, ho!" she sang, grabbing the attention of the people around her. "Santa March and Stelle the Red Nosed Reindeer have arrived!"

Lagging behind her, still dragging her feet with the sack over her shoulder was the reindeer in question. She slowly stepped out, careful not to slip from having no tactile grip on her soles thanks to her onesie.

Once she was down, Stelle shot a peace sign and a simple, 'Ho', left her lips.

March then turned to the Stelle and told her reindeers don't say 'Ho', to which her companion just shot her tongue out innocently and winked.

Leaving her with a pout, March straightened herself and brought back her confident and cheery Santa nature.

"Now then reindeer, let's head to our first good little girl." March then began to well, march forward, leaving her friend to slowly follow while trying not to slip.

Their first destination was the Master Control Zone where the lady in charge was often seen overseeing the daily operations of the station.

No, it wasn't the erudite Herta, she was too busy to do that. Instead, the courteous Miss Asta was the one who often ran the Space Station. 

Finding a gift for her was the hardest for Stelle to do, not because she was picky or anything, but because she was too rich. Anything the trailblazer thought of was immediately met with the question: "Can't she just buy this?"

Yes, for Lady Asta there was no price too large and as someone who earns their pocket money by doing odd jobs for just about anyone, dear Stelle couldn't justify anything she thought of initially. 

Her first choice was a car that was on display in Penacony, but then how would she transport such a thing to the station? Plus, did Asta even drive? Rejected.

Next was a brand new game that just released, but again, Asta was not a gamer and considering how she was the type to spend exuberant amounts of money, Stelle felt she'd be playing less and paying more. Rejected.

Finally she chose to give a Trailblazing Star Map, only to then be told she had a copy gifted by Himeko. So also rejected.

It wasn't easy and took some time until she found a suitable gift. 

Stelle wasn't exactly looking for it, she stumbled upon it in a thrift store. A ceramic white teapot with matching cups, decorated with blue star patterns. Simple, elegant and definitely didn't look cheap. Furthermore she capable of buying it without turning her wallet into a void, so she was sold.

It was truly the most appropriate gift Stelle could give that didn't cost her entire wallet.

When the two arrived at the Master Control Zone, they walked up to the platform in the middle where the pink-haired astronomer stood gazing up at screens showing graphs, live footage and other text that the trailblazers didn't understand.

"Miss Asta," March called out, snapping the woman out of her concentration. 

"Oh Miss March and Stelle, what brought you both to the station?" She then eyed their outfits. "And what's with the clothes?"

March explained their little holiday gift-giving activity, telling her how they're going around giving presents for free based off a legend that Welt told them from his homeland.

"Gift giving you say? Hmm, maybe I should promote that here too for a bit of camaraderie," Asta mused. "Maybe even a party with top chefs, music and activities, it'll be a good break and it isn't costly either."

The trailblazers knew she meant that. 

After all for Miss Asta, a party of that magnitude was probably a simple expense akin to buying a single piece of candy. Stelle even remembered how she was willing to part ways with 200 million credits as if they were nothing and terrified a scammer to not take the deal. Then there was the fact that she also placed an order for an entire Starnought fleet as guards for the space station. If that didn't scream too rich for your own good, then she didn't know what did.

Speaking of money, Stelle brought up the one barrier between Asta and her money:

Arlan.

The head of security of the station was a close confidant of Asta's, having met a while back when Asta and her mother volunteered to help feed poor children, one of which was Arlan. Ever since then, the two came to trust each other to the point Asta's dog Peppy goes to Arlan for walks. Because of their closeness, Asta even gave Arlan a rather important job, hiding her encryption key so that she doesn't spend her money on insane things.

"We-well, this is for the sake of the space station, I'm sure Arlan wouldn't mind," Asta said to convince herself more than Stelle.

"What won't I mind?" 

Turning around March and Stelle then came face to face with a short boy, dark-skinned and a scar across his face.

"Oh Arlan, hello," March greeted. "Perfect timing, we were just gonna go to you next."

Arlan then turned to the Santa and reindeer. "Oh hello Miss March and Stelle, how may I help you?"

March then rummaged through the sack and pulled out a sizeable bag. "For you and Peppy."

Arlan took the bag and peeked between the unstapled cracks. "Are those leashes? Thank you Miss March, this is perfect since I was just thinking on buying some."

The boy then ripped the bag open, sending staples flying everywhere. He then took out some of the leashes to admire them, running his fingers across the strong material. Looking back in, he then noticed more gifts and saw the toys that were stashed below.

"Toys too? You really went all out," the head of security mused, taking out a small plush toy and squeezing it, revealing the squeaker inside that whistled.

"To be honest, we thought of getting something for you, since these are more for Peppy," March admitted dejectedly. "But we didn't know what you'd like, so this what we got. I hope you're not too disappointed."

Arlan shook his head and looked at March with a reassuring smile. "Don't think like that Miss March, I love the present. I'm not one to buy things I will only use rarely, like Miss Asta, I prefer things I can use on the regular, like these toys and leashes for Peppy."

With their gifts given, the two decided to move on to the next person on their list but could hear the two in the background begin to discuss why Arlan was the one buying essentials for Peppy, even though he was Asta's dog, to which Arlan replied it was a small expense he could handle and also because she would go overboard.

"Those two sure are close huh?" March commented.

Stelle hummed in agreement, nodding her head as she and her companion skedaddled to their next destination, which wasn't too far from where they came from.

Just in the corner of the Master Control Zone, the door to the Space Station's owner's office was found. There the two last individuals whose gifts had yet to be given were most likely found.

However, unlike Asta and Arlan, giving gifts to two geniuses wasn't exactly an easy feat and it wasn't because they were rich (they were) but rather because any followers of Erudition was solely focus on their pursuit of knowledge and answers that any sort of emotional attachment would most likely just receive a scoff or silence.

Still, the two pressed forward, entering the room to Herta's office where the owner of the space station Herta was discussing some scientific research data with her fellow genius, Screwllum.

Neck deep in their discussion the two didn't even notice March and Stelle approach them and the two trailblazers didn't wish to disturb them either, so they waited. Once the two scientists grew silent, Stelle immediately burst out a greeting. 

This casualness, or callousness in March's eyes, was a testament to how relaxed Stelle was wherever she went. Be it emanator or aeon, the youngest member of the Express had no barriers to her speech and charisma whatsoever.

Which was why despite her interrupting the two's thinking, Herta and Screwllum still greeted her warmly.

"Greetings Ms Stelle and this must be Ms March, a pleasure to meet you," Screwllum said in his robotic voice.

"Oh are you here to test out more of my Simulated Universe?" Herta asked, but the moment she eyed the outfit, she knew there was more to it. "What's with the outfit?"

March was left speechless at how nonchalant the conversation was, she knew Stelle frequented the Space Station to test the aforementioned Simulated Universe, but she hadn't realised just how known the gray-haired batter had become to the two geniuses that a casual conversation had become normal.

Left with nothing to do but to give gifts, March silently let her partner take point and explain her gifts while she took the role of the reindeer and handed them to her to give.

"Man I just didn't know what to get you two for a while so I had to really rack my brain for this," Stelle admitted, scratching the back of her hooded head. "Luckily I was able to get there."

When the two scientists pulled out their gifts, March's face dropped when she saw what the gifts were.

"For Mr Screwllum I got this piece from a Sweet Dreams Troupe I fought and for Madame Herta I got her a giant piece of fragmentum from Belobog," Stelle announced proud.

Seeing how thoughtful the previous gifts were, March had thought that her trash-loving friend was being sensible with her choices, but after seeing the presents she prepared for two members of the Genius Society her initial thought was quickly erased.

"Question: Why did Ms Stelle decide to gift me a piece of the Sweet Dreams Troupe?" Screwllum asked.

"Well that one got infected by the Slumbernana meme, apparently it still has traces of it, just thought it would be best since I was already gonna give the fragmentum piece to Madame Herta."

Screwllum's eyes then glowed brightly for a few moments before looking back down at the piece. "So this has traces of Dr Primitive's research, fascinating."

Meanwhile Herta was eyeing the piece of fragmentum quizzically, humming to herself as she twisted her mechanical wrist about. 

"It's definitely something. Alright, it passes," Herta said, making Stelle fist bump.

Marched jaw dropped, she didn't think those gifts would actually work. They just looked like junk to her. In the end she chalked it down to how the two scientists got used to Stelle's antics.

After believing they had cleared out all of Herta Space Station, March was ready to return to the Express and depart to their next destination, but Stelle stopped her and requested she accompanied her somewhere else first.

Taking March to the lower levels of the space station, Stelle introduced her archer friend to the Seclusion Zone where she fought a revived clone of an emanator of Propagation and where the little creations of another Genius Society member lived.

"What's in here that you need to go to?" March asked, eyes darting from side to side in anxiousness. "Can't I just wait in the Express?"

"Don't worry we'll be quick," Stelle affirmed. "I just need to drop one small gift."

Entering a room on the second floor of the zone, Stelle was then greeted by several little critters bouncing up and down as they called out to her.

Seeing the bouncing cat-things stuffed inside several patterned shells, March's fear from before instantly poofed out and was replaced by the sweet feeling of elation as she knelt down and scooped a bunch of the critters in her arms.

"Look at all these little guys!" March beamed. "Are these all Cake Cats?"

"Yep, Ruan Mei left them here," Stelle answered with a slight chuckle. "You like them huh?" 

"Duh, they're so cute!" March then pulled them all and rubbed her cheeks against several of the creatures. "Are there more of these little guys?"

"I guess I can make some," Stelle answered. "But not today, you can play with the one in my room. I need to just leave Ruan Mei's gift here."

March had never met Madame Ruan Mei, another member of the Genius Society, but she had heard her name before. 

"So you're giving a gift to her too?" March asked and Stelle nodded in response. "What did you get?"

Stelle then pulled out a folded-up piece of paper from the front pocket of her costume. 

"This." She placed the paper on a nearby table and put something on top as a paperweight. "It's a recipe for a sweet cake I tasted in Penacony, Madame Ruan Mei loves sweets and so I got her this."

She then turned to the edible critters and told them to show Ruan Mei the next time she visited them and the little creatures bobbed up and down rapidly mimicking a nod.

Now they were finally done and said their goodbyes to the cake cats after March took a few snapshots.

Next on the map was Belobog, a frozen planet that the Astral Express passed through and helped deal with their Stellaron problem. Now it was slowly healing with the planet accessible to travel into once more.

Here, Stelle and March have gained many friends, some in high places and others in the depths of the cavernous underworld.

Departing once more into the snow filled wilderness, the two trudged through the same route they took when they arrived while braving the winds blowing against them. It had been surprisingly harsh weather this time around, they noticed the snow had gotten deeper, reaching up to their ankles while the zephyr blew and whistled an ominous tune. Luckily for trailblazers, harsh weather wasn't much of a challenge due to the blessing their Aeon gifts their followers.

"If any places needed some holiday cheers it's definitely Belobog right?" March asked enthusiastically. "It even has snow for us."

"Let's just hope we don't get roped into anything," Stelle mused, remembering each visit had some sort of trouble following it.

Continuing towards the city, the two dodged any potential encounters with fragmentum creatures and stood their ground when the gales would try to lift their sack of gifts into the dark clouds above. Eventually all the hiking paid off and they reached the warm embrace of the city.

Although the city was not any warmer than the outskirts of the frozen planet, it proved to be a favourable choice thanks to the countless radiators scattered across the city. Still it meant that most people wore heavy clothing to account with their constant snowfall and colder climate. Which was why it was so surprising seeing someone as light clothed as March walk through the city as if it was nothing.

Of course such glances and stares didn't bother her, but it did make March ask if it was best to change into her regular attire. However Stelle advised her not to unless she wished to look like a burglar and have the Silvermane Guards go after them again, much like their first visit.

Arriving at their first destination, the two walked up the steps leading to the entrance of what was essentially the office and home of the city's leader, Qlipoth Fort. Where the Supreme Guardian, Bronya Rand, was most likely swamped with paperwork.

Who, in comparison to the leaders of the Herta Space Station, was far easier to get a present for on account she had not stepped foot outside her planet, or office, ever.

Unfortunately for the two, getting an audience with the Supreme Guardian was no easy task, even for friends, mainly due to her large volume of work. So, while they waited they gave gifts to any of their friends who passed them by— mainly Pela, Lynx and Gepard who came to report to their boss.

For Pela, Stelle chose a collection of novels that would suit Pela's taste; Lynx's gift was a portable cooking set, complete with lighter and utensils, perfect for the girl who spent her time in the wilderness; finally, Gepard's was a book on the military strategies used by other armies across the galaxy and a triangle.

"Why'd you gift him a triangle?" March asked.

"Oh he said he wanted an instrument to play, I asked Serval and she said she wants him to play the triangle," Stelle said as she scrolled through text with the older Landau sibling before showing March.

The archer couldn't help but feel bad for the military captain, his sisters were musically acclaimed, being in a band together, while the only melody Gepard could muster was the sound of fragmentum monsters being crushed beneath his sister's old guitar case. It was a harsh reality that the male middle child accepted with grace, as he proudly still pursued an artistic background in the form of humming his sister's music and also producing renditions of criminals for wanted posters. 

After some time, the two were finally able to enter Bronya's office where they were greeted by the Supreme Guardian's lovely, tired smile.

If they were in any position to give advice to the Supreme Guardian they would most definitely advised her to become a Trailblazer, not so she could leave the planet, but because she could use the blessing to go days without rest. That said they also knew that for every day without rest, the number of days asleep would also increase as a way to recover so they held back.

"Hello March, Stelle," Bronya greeted, giving the girls a small wave.

"Good day Madame Guardian," March greeted with a bow.

Stelle followed suit and bowed her head in silence, letting her companion lead the conversation.

The three would've been far more casual if not for the other officials in the room. Heroes they may be, but in front of the leader, they were nothing more than visitors from beyond the stars.

"What can I do for you two today?" Bronya asked, breaking the ice.

March and Stelle stole a glance at each other, unsure whether to leave the woman to her work or press on with their task. Ultimately, they steeled themselves and proceeded to rummage through the bag while explaining what they came to do.

After pulling out several sized boxes, the people in the room watched on with gaped mouths. While it wasn't new for Bronya to get several gifts, even she was speechless at the amount the two were giving her, maybe because they were friends that she thought it was a bit much. Not that she wasn't happy though.

First to give a gift was March, for her choice she thought of gifting the Supreme Guardian some fine coffee she bought online. This was Himeko's favourite too, so she knew it was perfect for such a refined lady like Bronya. Furthermore from the stacks of paper behind Bronya, the Supreme Guardian definitely needed the coffee.

Bronya smiled as she received the bag already daydreaming about the wonderful taste that awaited her. Work had been taking its toll on her, disallowing her from enjoying her meals. And coffee, while available, wasn't the best in Jarilo VI so this was definitely a pleasant gift to receive.

"Yeah that's pretty good, but I got something real cool," Stelle announced, presenting a long box to Bronya. "I got a good friend from the Loufu to make it. I even got Captain Gepard's permission to give it."

Hearing she needed a soldier's approval made Bronya raise a brow, whatever the item was clearly meant to have some danger if not examined. Problem was, Stelle could've brought anything so nobody could guess what it was.

"If the captain gave his approval, then I see no reason for further inspection." Bronya took the present and immediately felt the weight. "My, it is definitely no coffee."

Placing the box on the floor, Bronya ripped the packaging and her eyes widened when she opened the lid and looked upon what was kept within the wooden box. Lying in a jade pillow was a majestic rifle, blue in colour with a black gradient, an amber jade rested on the side of the body near the stock and in white, the text '19C' was written on the opposite end by the safety. Its shape was similar to the rifle Bronya already had which made it familiar to hold.

Bronya was speechless, though it looked no different from her current weapon she could tell it was a far stronger rifle. 

"This must've been expensive, I couldn't possibly accept it," the Supreme Guardian said to the trailblazer.

Stelle waved her hands in front of her frantically as she explained to Bronya that she got it for free after doing the creator a favour. Plus it defeated the point of her gifting something if it was to be returned. So Bronya had no choice but to accept the gift.

"One last gift!" March chirped presenting a tiny, wrapped present. "This one we're really proud of."

Bronya took the present and unwrapped the paper from the back. Taking the gift out, the Supreme Guardian let out a small amused gasp at what was in her hands.

"A photo frame?" She then turned the frame and instantly her eyes widened at what was inside.

Behind the tempered glass was a picture of her as a child with her deceased mother, former Supreme Guardian, Madame Cocolia. In fact it was the same picture that was on her desk.

Only thing was, when she looked at the photo, she was immediately transported into the scene depicted in the photo. A young her played with her mother's medals with curious eyes while she sat on her lap for a photoshoot.

Cocolia held the little Bronya with an amused and loving smile, on arm resting on her legs, while the other lightly rubbed her back.

"Do you like my medals Bronya?" Cocolia asked.

Little Bronya nodded her head, tugging at the red ribbon. "Mommy's medals are shiny."

Cocolia giggled at her daughter's observation before shifting her position to face her. "One day, you'll also have these medals."

"Really?!" Bronya asked with sparkling eyes.

"Of course, you're my daughter after all." Cocolia then leaned forward planting a soft kiss on Bronya's cheek.

The photo on her desk may have captured a distant memory, but in this card, it did more than that. Her warmth, her love and her voice were all here. That was something a photograph could never capture and it was the one thing Bronya had wished silently for days and nights after her mother's death, to hear her loving voice once again.

Soon the memory faded, and Bronya's vision blurred for a few moments as tears coated her eyes before eventually falling down her cheeks.

In a gentle voice, March explained how they asked a Memokeeper on board the Express if they could make them a light cone for Bronya. The Memokeeper agreed since it could very well produce a good memory to be recorded for their garden.

"Stelle actually went out of her way to also strengthen it so it's as clear as possible," March said while Stelle puffed her chest out in pride.

Bronya hugged the frame and let her tears stream down her face for a few moments, relishing the memories that were shown to her.

Only once her heart settled did Bronya wipe her tears away and look at her friends with a bright smile.

"Thank you so much, March, Stelle, this is the best gift anyone could ask for."

Concluding their time at Qlipoth Fort, March and Stelle left the building feeling very good about themselves. But the day was young, and there were still more presents to be given. 

Their next stop was Serval's workshop, which wasn't too far from the Fort, inside the sounds of gears cranking and smell of rust wafting in the air was a familiar sensation, mix that with the warmth of the nearby radiator made the two girls feel like they entered a cottage in the middle of an snow clad mountain.

Inside, tinkering with a broken clock, were the owner of the workshop and her assistant.

"Clara, Serval!" March called out, ripping the two out of their work.

"Oh, it's big sister Stelle and March," the little girl greeted.

"Greetings you two, glad to have you for a visit," Serval added.

The oldest of the Landau siblings was known for two things: her knowledge and machinery and music. A member of the most popular rock band on the planet and once close friend of the previous Supreme Guardian, Serval now runs her workshop, helping with repairs in the overworld. Be it a military weapon or a home appliance she would be more than happy to get her hands on it and tinker away.

Meanwhile, the young girl from the Underworld, Clara, regularly joined Serval in her workshop to learn more about machinery. As someone who works on the automatons in her own home, the Robot Settlement, Serval gave Clara the opportunity to learn more about machines so that she could apply it to her own robot friends and family.

Now the two were regularly seen together as a mechanic and her assistant, working tirelessly to help as many people as they could and for such hard workers, of course they were going to get gifts!

"Presents?" Serval asked, before noticing the sack Stelle was slinging over her shoulder. "Oh right, Stelle told me about this. Did you get my brother his triangle?"

Stelle nodded then flashed a thumbs up.

"Yeah, now it's your turn." March then pulled out two boxes of varying sizes before placing them on the large counter at the centre of the room.

A deep rectangular box was given to Serval and inside it were several guitar picks, mechanical knick-knacks and engineering books.

"Woah, look at all this." Serval's eyes sparkled as she placed the box on the counter and began to rummage through the present. "You really know a girl's taste huh?"

"Aww, it was nothing," Stelle responded sheepishly. "I just sort of mixed and matched what I thought you'd like."

"Well you hit bullseye, thanks."

Next was Clara's, the present was in a shallow rectangular box (when compared to Serval's) and when shook, the girl heard several pieces of metal clatter inside. She moved the present around, looking for latches and folds to open from. When she finally did, the young girl gently ripped the tape and unfolded the wrapping paper with a hitched breath, she had received gifts from her robot guardian Svarog before, but never wrapped and decorated.

Once she had finished, her eyes widened when she saw what was inside: another black box?

"It's upside down," March said.

"Oh, right." Clara flipped the box over and a light gasp escaped her lips.

Inside the box, seen through a clear plastic lid, were several tools and parts like screws, hinges and bolts.

"It's a toolbox," she said, voice laced with excitement. "There's so many screw heads and wrenches."

"Since you do maintenance on the automatons in the underworld, we figured you'd need this to make your work easier," March confessed, remembering when Clara was the one who did a checkup on Svarog after they beat him in a fight. "Do you like it?"

Clara turned to the two with a huge smile and nodded fervently. "I do, thank you so much big sisters."

Her sweet soft voice was like being struck with an arrow of fluffy marshmallows for the two trailblazers. They couldn't help but swoon at her gentleness, making them wrap their hands around the girl and nuzzle her snow-coloured locks.

"Of course, let your big sisters spoil you," March cried out.

"I'll beat up anyone you want," Stelle added, cutting the atmosphere in one fell swoop.

"Hey! Don't say that to a child!" March scolded.

"Oh whoops, forget I said that."

The two Belobogians then shared a laugh at the ridiculousness of their starbound visitors before they all said their goodbyes and the two left for their next destination, the Underworld.

Despite its name, the Underworld was never as deadly as it seemed, if anything it was very inviting. Home to many other Belobogians, once sealed away by Cocolia under the impression that the harsh conditions in the Overworld would wipe them out, as such the Underworld became somewhat of a last ditch attempt at survival. However, with that grim future now turned into but a nightmare, the Underworld was once again opened to reach the surface, allowing individuals like Clara to traverse between the two levels.

Nevertheless, years of being left to themselves, the Underworld had no access to many of the riches that the Overworld had, including security, so the creation of the group named Wildfire acted as their main source of law enforcers and its leader was a doctor named Natasha.

Knocking on the front door of her hospital, the trailblazers waited for the good doctor to open up before entering, on assumption she had patients inside, which was common where they were.

Soon the doors opened and the two were greeted by the warm smile and gentle voice of Natasha. 

"Yes who is it?"

Looking out through a crack the doctor spotted the two and she immediately beamed before happily inviting the two in. Inside the hospital was quiet, usually meaning that either they were all asleep and resting in the beds or things were peaceful down in the Underworld. Which was probably why Natasha was more than happy to sit with them over a cup of tea. 

After some catching up, Natasha asked why the sudden visit to which March explained the purpose of their visit, and showcased the giant sack they had on hand.

"A day of gift giving? The kids will definitely enjoy this sort of activity," Natasha mused.

"Which is why we wanted to show it to you!" March beamed. "But we can't give gifts to everyone, we won't be able to fit it in the Express, so we're only giving them to friends at the moment."

"How thoughtful, so why did you come here? Hook and the other children should be at the boxing club." 

Stelle then pulled out a stack of books wrapped in a ribbon and placed them in front Natasha.

"Because we're here to give you your gift first," March answered in a straightforward, yet excited tone.

Natasha wasn't expecting to be receiving anything, but she couldn't help but smile at the sight in front of her.

"Oh wow, thank you ladies." Sliding the books over to herself, Natasha unravelled the ribbon and picked up one of the books. "Are these… medical books?"

"Uh huh," March said with a nod. "We got some recommendations from some doctor friends of ours, but we don't know if they're useful here in Belobog."

Natasha flipped through the pages and scanned through some of the writing. It was a very detailed inscription of medical practises, from what tools are to be used and their alternatives, to breakdowns of procedures complete with pictures, their effects and what to look out for during the after care.

With a smile on her face, the doctor closed the book and looked at the two anxious girls. "This is fine, it's very detailed and these procedures can be done with my tools."

The trailblazer let out a huge sigh of relief. Although they knew that Natasha was a good doctor, the books they got were from more advanced planets and with the state Jarilo-VI was in, having a lack of agriculture and more archaic tools, they were unsure whether such medical books would serve any purpose.

Picking up another book, Natasha was about to start reading again, but her doors blasted open with a bang and a little blonde girl came sprinting in with a crimson-haired boy in tow.

"Wi-I mean Miss Natasha I came for cocoa."

Spotting that March and Stelle were in the hospital, the little girl's eyes immediately widened and twinkled before she leapt onto March's lap.

"Honorary member and big sister March are here," the little girl cheered while failing her legs.

"Hook, we were just about to go and look for you," March replied.

Following suit with an anxious look and rubbing the back of his head, Luka apologised to Natasha for their rather booming entrance to a hospital before turning to Stelle.

"What's this about coach?" he asked.

After yet another round of explanation, Hook and the red-haired boy, Luka, were given their gifts. For Hook it was a plush toy they got from Penacony, courtesy of March, while Luka was gifted a new pair of boxing gloves from Stelle.

"Woah thanks, Honorary member!"

"Yeah coach thanks!"

"You're welcome you two, we're glad you like them," March said.

While the three were talking to themselves, Stelle inquired about the whereabouts of Wildfire's lieutenant and violent butterfly, Seele (No Last Name).

"I believe Seele should be down in the mines right now, but you better hurry she most likely will be going to the overworld to guard Bronya next," Natasha said.

Thanking the good doctor, Stelle then grabbed March by the collar along with the sack and raced out of the hospital to head to the mines.

The mines of Belobog were barely ever quiet, from the sounds of carts moving, to the clinking of the workers' pickaxe, this large repository of geomarrow was the heart of Belobog. The ores which glowed bright amber was the primary heat source used in the planet and while the active danger that caused such a problem was taken care of by the Express, the healing process would still take years hence the continued reliance on these hot rocks.

As such, due to the demand, the Underworld delved deeply to find geomarrow, creating a vast network of twisting and spiralling paths, dead ends and dark corridors. Just one trip would take hours from one end to the other even if one knew their way through the maze.

But the trailblazers didn't have this problem thanks to their space anchors. This nifty trailblazing technology was what allowed the crew members of the Express to blitz through a planet without spending hours walking, in fact, more often than not it had been their choice to walk rather than teleport. In this instance though, it was best to use the anchors to scour the entire mine quickly.

And quickly they did as one space anchor teleport later they appeared at the small campsite at the bottom of the mine shaft where lo and behold Seele was posted, watching everyone like a hawk.

"Seele!" March called, waving at the girl with a scythe in hand.

Turning her gaze, Seele greeted the two with the enthusiasm of a cat, "Oh hey you two, what brought you to Belobog?"

"We're here to give our gifts, you're the last on our list."

"Presents? What for?" 

Although they were now good friends who fought side-by-side, it was no secret the Seele's dry personality was her being her. Still, March and Stelle did their best to look past it, explaining to her why they were there and retort to try and lighten the mood.

"It's to show our love for you, to show how much we cherish our friendship. Hence, this gift," Stelle dramatically announced, even kneeling down on one knee while presenting the gift.

Seele though, didn't seem all that amused, raising a brow with her and asking, "You know this isn't something someone usually does unless they want something, so the theatrics? We can skip it."

Stelle and March could feel her words sting their hearts but understood this was just how Seele was raised. Being an Underworld resident definitely had its troubles and as someone who was more used to the rougher side of life, they couldn't blame her for being pessimistic over their gift-giving act.

"Lighten up Seele, we gave presents to everyone," Stelle followed, rising to her feet. "Plus you know us, we would never ask you for help this way."

"Yeah we're usually very straightforward," March added.

Seele relaxed with a deep sigh. "I suppose you're right. Sorry for being jumpy like that."

"We're used to it," Stelle replied.

"Well that's good."

March wasn't so sure whether that was indeed a good thing or bad thing but she didn't say to not get Seele's scary eyes on her again.

As for her gift, Stelle chose to gift Seele a cookbook, she remembered during one of her leisurely visits to the icy world that Seele recently began to cook as a hobby. A bit of a surprising thing for the rough-around-the-edges Wildfire lieutenant, but hey, Stelle rummages through trash cans on her days off, she had no right to judge. But just to keep in with her usual ongoings, Stelle also gifted her some new armour to use whenever she needed to do some dispute resolution, as she put it.

Saying their goodbyes to her, the trailblazers then returned to the Express before departing once more to their next destination, the Xianzhou Luofu.

Flying across the cosmos, the Xianzhou Alliance was a force to be reckon with. With their constant war with the denizens of Abundance, there's no telling when and where someone could ever step foot in these majestic ships once more. Luckily for the Astral Express, the ships don't move faster than it so regular stops for one reason or another was always within capacity.

For this round of Trailblazing cheers, the two gift-givers tried their best to accommodate everyone and spent the entire day running around, handing wrapped presents to each and everyone of their friends. 

Most were very much grateful for the unprompted show of generosity, others were a bit confused, such as the automaton judge of the Ten Lords Commission, Xueyi. The monotone puppet was gifted a lubricant on account if Stelle doing some digging and found that the automaton body that Xueyi was using was rusting and that she had to take regular check-ups just to keep it in good shape, which wasn't ideal for someone with her work. Hence the choice of buying special oil from Penacony.

While Xueyi was grateful for the gift, she had thought that Stelle and March was actually selling it to her and was ready to pay a rather hefty price for it. Leading to a hilarious back and forth between the three.

"I cannot possibly not return such kindness, allow me to pay," Xueyi said authoritatively.

"No, really Madame Xueyi there's no need to pay, it's a gift," March argued.

"I understand that Miss March, but I know the Express is low on funds so it's best I give you what you are owed."

"Huh? What made you think the Express is broke? We have more than enough to get us by."

Xueyi then turned to Stelle while explaining, "But I see Miss Stelle often needing to rummage through trash cans and work multiple jobs just to earn a bit of money."

Suddenly it clicked. March turned to Stelle with a knowing look and the gray-haired girl could only drag her golden orbs away with beads of sweat dripping down her face. 

With a beet red face and stuttering, March had to explain to the judge that Stelle wasn't broke at all. Rather, her odd jobs, and trash can diving was the result of her wanting to spend money on games and an unusual hobby respectfully. It was no secret, Stelle was an addict to video game gacha and would spend exorbitant amounts of credits to gamble on some pixels, in fact it wasn't even because of any particular benefit other than she wanted them. As such, she worked double—no, ten times harder than anyone in the Nameless to fuel her addiction. 

Why hasn't anyone stopped her? Well, one, she was too deep into it and two, she only ever needed to spend ungodly amounts on certain characters, most of the time she only got a single copy of a character but if she really wanted it, she'd swipe faster than a warp jump. By that point it'd be too late, hence her need to constantly have a full wallet.

"What about the trash rummaging?" Xueyi questioned, still not understanding why the trailblazer would do such a thing if she were earning plenty.

"That's just a hobby," Stelle admitted without an ounce of embarrassment. "Trash is love, trash is life."

The other two women looked at her with a mix of question and concern, ultimately deciding not pursue it further and Xueyi gratefully accepted the gift without pay, though she did promise to also gift the two something in their next visit.

Their next few gifts were for a very special companion, one that recently returned to Luofu temporarily before departing for a rather important meeting. So there was no time to waste.

Rushing to the Sky Fairing Commission, where they heard she was currently at, March and Stelle looked around for the brown-haired Foxian with whom they had recently been reunited.

They found her sitting at a desk, filtering through some paperwork while quietly humming a sweet tune to herself. At first they thought of leaving for a bit so as to not disturb the girl, but just when they were about to turn and head back out, the Foxian Amicassador spotted them and called out to them.

"Benefactors!" she chirped. "What a pleasant surprise."

With her attention now on the them, the two made their way to the woman and swiftly apologised for disturbing her work. 

"Oh it's no bother, I was only here to get some files, I am more than happy to have a chat," the foxian girl said with a wide smile.

Sighing in relief, March then brought the few presents they had prepared for her. "Miss Tingyun, Merry Christmas!"

Taking the box in her hands, Tingyun inspected the gift, giving it a little shake against her ears before elegantly untying the bow, unwrapping the paper and finally opening the wooden lid of the box. 

Inside was a golden fan, which shone ever brightly in the woman's eyes. 

"Goodness me, what a pleasant gift," she breathed in awe. "And you said this was for Christmas was it?"

"Yeah it's a holiday from Mr Yang's world," March explained. "According to him, it was a season of buying and giving gifts."

Tingyun's ears perked and her eyes twinkled with curiosity. "Is that so? And do all gifts have to be so expensive like this fan?"

March shook her head and explained that for the most part there was no range of price on the gift, and that it was more of a celebration rather than just the gift giving part. 

"I see, still this must've been quite expensive Benefactors." Tingyun then unravelled the fan, gasping at the golden sheen of the leaf which reflected her own expression back at her. "Truly a beautiful gift, thank you Benefactors."

The two grinned before moving on to gift her the rest of their gifts, one was a traditional Xianzhou dress, much like the one Tingyun was currently wearing. Black in colour with yellow clouds and pink flowers, the dress was something to marvel at. Finally her last gift was a wooden, handcrafted comb with a lotus flower imprinted on the shaft.

Tingyun wore a gentle smile as she slowly stroked the comb with a finger. It hadn't been that long since she had returned home and once more she was to depart to another Xianzhou ship. To have some new belongings to take into the next chapter of her life, it truly was a sign of change.

Looking up at the two, she thanked them one last time before expressing her own desire to gift them something as well. Levying March's explanation as a reason to pursue her own gift-giving. Inviting them to tell her what it was they wished for as gifts.

After creating a wishlist, the girls said their goodbyes and the two Nameless went on to finish their round of gift giving. Many unfortunately were too busy to receive their gifts in person and so March and Stelle settled on giving the gifts to trusted personnel who would give the gifts for them.

Once they returned to the Express, the two looked over the other names they had on their list. While the ones before were most definitely easier to find on account they were anchored in their home planets, the next few names weren't so easy.

"Miss Topaz and Aventurine definitely need their gifts mailed. As for Rappa, we can't even contact her." March scrolled through a few more names on her phone, before groaning in defeat. "How do we give their presents now?!"

Stelle sharing her friend's plight, crossed her arms and began swaying side to side as she wracked her brain for solutions.

"Hmm, oh!"

March then perked up. "What is it?"

"Why not just invite the ones we can't reach to Penacony and give them their present there?"

March's jaw dropped and her shoulders slumped. "Are you serious? That could take ages. Besides we don't know how far they are from Penacony."

"Yeah but what else can we do?" Stelle argued.

March grumbled, she knew her friend wasn't wrong, but she didn't want to call people just to give gifts.

Relenting to her friend's less than ideal plan, March asked, "Why not just ask them if they're close to Penacony first?"

"I can do that." Stelle then pulled out her phone and somehow managed to type something despite her hands being in a reindeer costume. "Oh Boothill, Silver Wolf, Miss Robin and Acheron said they can swing by."

"Really? Wait, I thought Miss Acheron was long gone from Penacony," March questioned, remembering how the wandering swordswoman had long since left the world of dreams, disappearing without a trace.

"Acheron did say that her blade could cut through the chains of fate, maybe this what she meant," Stelle said, smiling a little at the thought of seeing the Self-Annihilator once more. 

"Hey, don't get all philosophical on me, my brain won't handle it." March then shook her head and pumped her fists in the air. "Well no matter! That just means we can give her her present! Let's go!"

Stelle followed suit, but her cheer was far quieter.

"Yeah, ho ho ho."

"That's my line!"

Penacony, it seemed only yesterday they were wrapped in a web of death, dreams and reality. What was once a vacation had suddenly become a fight to separate the curtains of falsehoods spun by a leader of the world. Their meetings were as fleeting as can be with many returning to their lives in reality.

Nevertheless, if there was one last stop to go, this would be it. The Planet of Festivities truly lived up to its name, being a world of endless indulgence. So unsurprisingly it was their first stop to buy the gifts they had given out to everyone. Now they had returned to finally finish their list.

"So who's up first?" March asked as she and Stelle strolled through the busy streets.

"Uhh." Stelle scrolled through her texts and checked the first person who said they would come. "Boothill."

The Galaxy Ranger Boothill was someone who was never usually in one place, but after getting to know the Express Crew, after breaking into the train, Boothill had become someone who regularly interacted with them.

However, meeting him wasn't easy, on account he was a wanted criminal. As someone who has a vendetta against an IPC executive, Boothill has made a name for himself as a regular IPC exterminator and troublemaker, albeit probably not to the same extent as the Stellaron Hunters. Nevertheless, this Galaxy Ranger was the first on their list and their meeting point was the nightmare of Penacony's highest echelon: Dreamflux Reef.

It was here that the two found the sailor-mouthed ranger drinking by himself at most popular restaurant in the reef. 

"Boothill," March called out.

The ranger turned, bottle still in his mouth. Once he spotted the two he quickly took a swig and wiped his mouth before showing a toothy grin. "Well there you are pardners I was wonderin' when you'd forkin' show up. Huh? What with those darn outfits you wearin'?"

The two were getting tired of having to explain themselves so decided it would be just best to get it over with. Pulling out two boxes, both were red but were tied with different coloured ribbons, one red and the other green with streaks of red.

March handed the box with the black ribbon to Boothill. "Here's your present."

"Huh? What you buy me? Bullets?" Opening the present the man's eyes opened wide at the sight. "Son of a nice lady! This is… this is… that new spangled bullet cigars! How the fork did you get this?!"

The two grinned, explaining how they got it at an auction for shareholders. 

"Fork me you two, you really using your shareholder positions for this?! Well, I'm grateful, and you's got another for me?" He eyed the other present.

"Oh this is for Rappa," March said. "We texted her but there was no signal."

"Must be off grid then," Boothill replied. "I can take it for ya."

"Would you?" March asked, her eyes beaming with joy. "We were a bit hesitant to ask, but we didn't know how else to contact her."

"It's no problem, plus it'll be a good way to say thanks you two. Leave 'er to me."

They handed the gift to Boothill and said their goodbyes to find the next person on their list.

The next person to meet was someone they really shouldn't be meeting at all, mainly because associating with them would be more problematic than Boothill. At least with Galaxy Rangers, they aren't all criminals so public opinion could sway their perception, but with the next person there is no doubt they are a criminal.

Arriving at the alley the first time they came into Dreamflux Reef, the two were met by a small girl wearing mostly leather, chewing gum and scrolling through her phone.

"Hey Silver Wolf," Stelle called out.

Peeking up from her phone the girl pushed off the wall she was leaning on and complained, "There you are, I was wondering where you were."

Silver Wolf then peered behind her where a random person was looking at her with an intense gaze while sweating.

"Sorry, we'll make this quick," Stelle said.

Stacking four boxes together, Silver Wolf couldn't help but raise a brow and ask why in the world did they need to meet in Penacony for a gift exchange, to which Stelle rightfully point out that the Stellaron Hunters didn't exactly have an address they were aware of.

"Fair point." Silver Wolf then brought up a screen in front of her and a few seconds later a few cycranes appeared.

Knowing fully well this didn't belong to Silver Wolf brought all manner of questions to the two friends' heads, but rather than ask they decided to keep to themselves on account of not wanting to deal with any Stellaron Hunter activity during their gift-giving expedition. That said, they were definitely sure the shorter girl hacked and stole the crycrane.

Once the crane was loaded with the gifts, Silver Wolf was ready to depart, but curiosity got the better of her and asked, "So what's in them?"

"They're meant to be a surprise you know?" Stelle responded.

"Then just leave my loot box out of it then," Silver Wolf answered.

"It's not a loot box."

"Whatever, just tell me."

With a sigh, Stelle proceeded to show off each of the gifts they got for the criminal group. The first was for Kafka, which was a new lipstick along with some clothes since the trailblazer based her gifts off a conversation she had with her good friend Firefly. Furthermore from what Stelle could tell Kafka never seemed to get tired of getting with trends, so she bought her some designers. It took a hit to her wallet, but it was worth it in her opinion.

Next gift was Firefly's, which was a lot simpler than Kafka's and also cheaper. For the Glamothian soldier, Stelle bought her a recipe book for her favourite dessert, Oat Cake Rolls, which Stelle didn't realise had so many variations. They once spoke about making food for each other, and Firefly slipped that she had begun experimenting on what to make her Oat Cake Rolls with, so after seeing the book on a shelf, there was no way Stelle wouldn't get it. 

"She definitely would like that," Silver Wolf chimed. "But I think she would like one of those plushies with your face on it more."

"I added that too," Stelle answered. "We got some new ones being sold and I was given a few as a sneak peek. I made sure to slip in."

Without prodding on that point any further, mainly because she knew how close her fellow hunter and Stelle became, Silver Wolf moved on to the last person in the Stellaron Hunters.

"And Blade? What'd you get him?"

"I was planning on getting maybe poison…" Stelle began earning her a shocked look from March. "But then I thought it would be better to send over a whetstone instead."

Silver Wolf hummed, thinking that the poison was a better choice for the immortal man, but she didn't blame the gray-haired batter for choosing a whetstone, poison would've been weird as a gift honestly.

Throughout all this, March listened while sweating a waterfall, she knew her companion was no criminal, or at least not that she was aware of, but considering her closeness to the Stellaron Hunters… it would be an understatement to say March was terrified Stelle was in some IPC watchlist.

Which was why the archer was so glad that Silver Wolf concluded their shady-looking transaction.

"Right, well I'm good on my end, nothing left right?" Silver Wolf asked, double checking.

"Yep all good here," Stelle replied with a firm nod.

"Cool, I'll be going then, oh I convinced miss Samuel to join us for a game sesh tomorrow, so get that new PC running."

Stelle gave the girl a thumbs-up before the hunter walked followed by the cycrane, they were most likely going to wherever they could secretly convert the given items to reality. The question now was, how the hell was she gonna get in reality after the conversion?

Again, it was best not to ask.

"Well that's the two wanted people done, why don't we go to where miss Robin is next, she said she'll meet us at Dream's Edge right?"

Stelle nodded and the two took their space anchor over at the wonderful and peaceful Dream's Edge, where the sun at the horizon stilled, forever trapping Penacony in a time of waking and slumber.

There gazing out at the horizon, her angelic form unperturbed by the gust which swayed her white dress and light purple hair, was the galactic superstar, miss Robin. 

Approaching her slowly, the two couldn't help but bask in her beauty and elegance, as well as the air melancholy which ever so lightly drifted from her person. It had not been that long since the conflict between Robin and her brother, Sunday, sprung forth from a matter of differing beliefs. The weight of the conflict was still present in Penacony and ever more within Robin herself.

Stealing a gaze at one another, Stelle and March prodded the other to call out to the superstar, resulting in quiet bickering to unfold. Eventually, their voices managed to reach the person in front of them and upon hearing the commotion behind her, Robin turned her head and was met with the sight of the heroes of her world comically conversing like overexaggerated cartoon characters.

"Hello you two," she greets with a soft voice.

Immediately the two star-farers freeze, they turn their heads towards her before straightening themselves and greeting her with as little embarrassment as they could.

"He-hello miss Robin," March spoke with a slightly forced smile. "Th-thank you for meeting us here in your busy schedule."

"It is no bother, please no need to concern yourselves with such things," Robin comforted, showing the two a bright and warm smile.

Truly a grin made for stardom, not only did she handle the situation with the grace of an angel, she even managed to relax the two despite admitting that she was busy. 

"Oh… o-ok well." March then grabbed the present they had prepared out of the bag. "We don't want to keep you for long, but here: a present for you."

Gently cradling the box out of March's hand, Robin smiled at the small rectangular container. "How wonderful, thank you. May I open it?"

The trailblazers nodded and watched as Robin unwrapped her present before gasping in delight. Inside the container, was a silver necklace with a dove pendant. 

"How beautiful," Robin whispered, taking the necklace into her gloved palm and raising it to her eyes. "Such a pretty necklace, where did you get it?"

"It was recommended to us by someone when we were out doing shopping, do you like it?" March asked, eagerly.

"Yes, I do, I absolutely adore this gift. Thank you, trailblazers."

March and Stelle would then rub the back of their heads bashfully, while March told the songstress how it was really more the effort of their companion than them. To which Robin replied by requesting they send her gratitude to that person as well.

Their time with the celebrity would end there as she was required to return to her busy life and the two needed to also move on to the final person on their list.

"Did you tell Miss Acheron, to stay in one place? We don't want her to wander off," March commented, remembering how their final friend had a habit of getting lost as she went from one place to the next.

"I told her to meet us at the Radiant Feldspar, so she should be there theoretically," Stelle answered, albeit unsure.

Heading up to the floating ship, gifted to the Express for their efforts in saving Penacony, the two were greeted by the animated billboards that spend their most of their time promoting products and Stelle's face.

"Why is it only your face?" March asked, brow raised.

"Cause I'm the captain," Stelle answered, hand on hips and chest puffed out.

"Uh, we all own this ship."

"Details."

Moving through from one end to the other, the two met up with their wandering companion, Acheron. Her purple hair cascaded down her back as she watched over the city below, eyes empty as the Aeon she had been forced to follow.

"Acheron!"

Upon the chime of their voices, a flicker of life lit up in her purple irises, making her turn on her heel to greet her friends with a monotone smile.

"Hello, we meet again," her emotionless answer betrayed that twinge of excitement, but was true to her being. "I have come as you asked."

"Yeah thanks for this, how was the trip here?" Stelle asked, curious to whether her friends succumbed to her flaw.

"It was peaceful, though getting up here was somewhat difficult as I did not know the path and getting up here was also a slight problem as I needed permission," she explained.

March gave Stelle a disapproving gaze, believing her friend would at least have the courtesy to give directions and permission. Only to then find out Stelle did do everything Acheron mentioned, giving her a long series of texts that told the wanderer where to go as well as permissions.

When Stelle brought it up, Acheron looked at them with a faraway gaze, the gears of her dissipating mind turning and whizzing, only for a slight ding within to suddenly make her remember.

"Oh right, I forgot you did that, sorry," she admitted. 

If the two had not known of Acheron's unfortunate condition as a forced emanator of Nihility, they would've thought she was an airhead.

"It's okay, so long as you got here it's all good," Stelle replied, trying to move along from a growing awkward atmosphere.

Without wasting time, Stelle then pulled out several gifts for Acheron. One was a giant fish plushie with white hair tied in two, for some odd reason, another was a cookbook for peace dishes, and finally there was a compass.

"You sure are giving me a lot," Acheron noted.

"Well we had our reasons." Stelle then began to explain the gifts one by one as she explained her choices. "The fish was March's idea, said you need a companion when travelling; the book was because I knew you can only taste peaches so I thought this was the best bet; and the compass is so that you don't get lost, I asked Himeko to make it and you can input whatever location you wanna go to and it will guide you."

Acheron gave an affirming hum before giving a small smile. "I see, thank you for this, really."

Reflecting her smile with their own, the trailblazers had completed their gift-giving mission and returned to the Astral Express.

When they arrived at the Express the two were unsurprisingly tired, crashing into Stelle's newly furnished room like a couple of sacks.

Stelle didn't hesitate burying her face onto her pillow while March fell onto her couch next to the Sparkle doll.

"What a tough job being Santa is," March said as she stretched her limbs.

"I know and I didn't even get paid for my services," Stelle jokingly complained.

Stelle then heard some rusting before her bed bounced shortly after. Lifting her head, the grey-haired girl looked over her shoulder to see March sitting on the foot of her bed with a slight blush.

"Hmm? What's up?" Stelle asked, shifting her position to sit beside March.

Without saying a word, March stretched her arm out in one quickfire motion in front of Stelle. Startled by the suddenness, Stelle jerked, her body pulling her back a little in response, but once she had relaxed she eyed the gift that was in March's hands.

"A gift? For me?" Stelle asked and got a shy nod in return.

Taking the gift, Stelle placed it on her lap and looked down at the black box with golden ribbon. She then raised it up to her ear and shook it, listening to the contents inside. She could hear a few rumbling, but couldn't discern what it was except it was small. There was something else, something bigger but not heavy seeing as she could lift and shake it without much problem.

Curious, she placed it back down onto her lap before untying the ribbon and lifting the lid. As the gift came into view, the girl's eyes widened before pulling out a baseball glove and a tube of baseballs.

"Wow," Stelle gasped, a wide grin plastered on her face.

"Do you like it?" March asked, leaning forward to look at the other girl's expression.

"I love it!" Stelle exclaimed, putting on the glove. "Now I'm really the Galactic Baseballer."

March sighed in relief when her friend began to play with the glove like a child, she wasn't sure whether the Galactic Baseballer thing was just a bit or something Stelle genuinely wanted to become. It was by pure luck on her end that Stelle truly enjoyed her gift.

After a bit of playing, Stelle then reached beneath her pillow and pulled out a present, messily wrapped in light blue paper with a pink flower pattern and tied with a pink bow.

She handed it over to March and watched as the girl looked at the gift in confusion.

"Is this my gift?" March asked, turning to her.

Stelle nodded and urged her to open it, to which March quickly tore the paper in half, popping the content through the hole where she then gasped in surprise.

"Is this a plushie of me?!" she questioned, pulling the toy and tossing the wrapping paper to the side before lifting the plush up like a child. "Oh my god it is."

"I knew you wanted to have your own plushie in the Radiant Feldspar, and while I can't get that, I did manage to go to a build your own plushie shop and make this."

March sang thank yous as she plopped to her feet and spun like a ballerina with the plushie in her arms. "I love it!"

Stelle chuckled at her giddy reaction but felt warm at how much appreciation March was showing the toy, hugging it and rubbing her face on it like it was some sort of fluffy puppy.

"Hey let's go take a picture with the others, bring your gifts," March, spinning back around, camera on hand. "Come on they should all be downstairs!"

While the pink-haired santa rushed off to her door, Stelle let out a soft chuckle alongside a small shake of her head. She then grabbed her presents and followed suit, to take their first Christmas photo among the sea of stars, before their journey continued.