Finnegan pulled his coat closer to himself, breathing out puffs of hot air that clouded up in front of him. It was early evening, so the lights in the park were slowly shining brighter as the sun set. He smiled and waved at other excitable, busy citizens as he strolled down the path, closer to the big, beautiful tree at the center. The folks that'd been involved with the official tree lighting had done a fantastic job, truly. Forty years, and the magic never faded. Manta Carlos was made up of magic, but the little things, the community touches, were what really made the difference for him. It warmed up the winter, which otherwise caused a little moodiness in a summer-flowering man like him. The cold stuck to his bones, and the vines within. He wore extra heat charms with his clothes, which he'd begrudgingly admitted to be worth the expenses.
Today, he'd rode his bike down to the city's park to meet with his Secret Santa partner. He'd done this pretty regularly, over his time living here. It was always a fun experience, and let him meet new people, or spend quality time with those he already liked. There'd been a few prickly interactions, but with his temperament, it wasn't often something that escalated. He'd been matched with a college student by the name of Peregrine Desmarais, who was new-- even if Finn hadn't been one of the top ranking individuals in the scouting division of Academy staff, he was the doting, outgoing type, and kept an eye on the coming and going people so he could properly welcome and help them.
Finn hadn't met this student personally before, so he wanted to make a positive impression and make him feel happy on the island. Cradled in one arm, the Scout Captain had two neatly wrapped boxes, each with big ribbon bows, and polka dot wrapping paper. In his free hand, he texted Peregrine that he'd arrived in the park, and to simply seek out the shock of ginger hair, freckles, and santa hat (he thought it was amusing!)— couldn't miss him. He sat down on a bench to wait, admiring gaze drifting from the grand tree to the ice skaters, then the snowball fights occurring in the background. It was a picturesque winter day.
