A request.

[Casandra Lightheart]

Cassie had a favor she needed done and she knew just who to go to. She walked out of her room and across the hall to the Employees room and knocked.

She had a sealed letter in her hand ready just in case they agreed.

[Guest]

Jorge answered the door as he was standing right by it at the time. "Lady Casandra. What can we do for you ma'am?" He stepped back and opened the door wider for her to enter.

[Casandra Lightheart]

She smiled as she entered.

"Hello Jorge, I have a huge favor to ask of you men, if I remember right you know of the portals from here to Claremount right?"

[Guest]

He nodded as he closed the door. "Yes Ma'am. Did you need something?" He offered her a chair. Some of the other men in the room were turning their attention to their guest. She had them curious.

[Casandra Lightheart]

She sat down in the offered chair.

"I need someone to go to Claremount for me and pick up three horses, two for drawing a carriage and one of my staltions. I need them back here by Christmas and I can not leave to do it myself"

[Guest]

Jorge nodded. "I know of why the two for the carriage, could I ask why the stallion? If it's not private. Just curious is all." He looked to the men and they started checking the charts to see who could go to Claremount.

[Casandra Lightheart]

"A gift as well."

She smiled as she looked at the men.

"For the same person as the other two."

[Guest]

Jorge nodded. "Ahh, very well then." It was Joseph who chimed in. "It looks like Isah, Shamus and I can go get them tonight. Will that be ok? Because Bo and Derek are on guard duty tonight again, at The Fires of Hades. And Jorge, Keven and Andrew are supposed to go get Empyrean, Rapture, and Agrarian from Venis' stables tonight as well." They hoped that it would work for her.

[Casandra Lightheart]

She smiled at Joseph.

"Thank you that will be fine."

She handed him the sealed letter.

"Hand this to my stable master it has instructions on the horses to bring becareful with the stallion he is almost as spirited as Rider."

[Guest]

Jorge too the note and passed it to Joseph. Joseph, hearing what she said, took the note and looked at Isah. "You get the stallion dude. I'm not getting thrown by a horse." He laughed and so did some of the others. "No problem Lady Casandra. We will leave shortly." Jorge walked over and opened the door for her. "We will put them in the stables with the others." He hoped that was acceptable to her.

[Casandra Lightheart]

"Thank you all so much, I really apriciate this."

She smiled at them and gave them each a kiss on the cheek.

"Now I probably know the answer but I'll ask anyway, will you let me pay you for delivering them for me?"

[Guest]

Jorge smiled. "Ummmm, you sew right?" He knew the answer, but he had to ask. Especially given she had done the same.

[Casandra Lightheart]

"Yes, I do sew."

She laughed.

"I am suprised you remebered."

[Guest]

Isah went into the bedroom and came back out with a pile of red, green, white, and blue. "Could you mend these for us? Santa's elves got into a bit of a scrape last year. It's just re-closing seems and things simple like that. Maybe a patch or two." He walked over to Casie and offered her the small pile of clean clothes. Yes, they had laundered them before they asked for them to be mended.

[Casandra Lightheart]

She smiled and took the clothing from them.

"I will have it done by morning."

She was glad they were letting her do someting to repay them.

"Care to tell me about the scrape Santa's elves got into?"

[Guest]

Shamus turned bright red. "Umm. Perhaps over a glass of wine later?" He didn't want to keep her and it was a long story. Especially given he was the head elf in the scurry.

[Casandra Lightheart]

"That good?"

She laughed.

"Shamus I will hold you to that glass of wine, for now I will let you go, I have a bit of sewing to do and you guys have horses to pick up."

She smiled at them all again and was about to leave but she turned again.

"Jorge, what do you know about how people of spanish heratige celebrate Christmas?"

[Guest]

Shamus nodded and smiled at her with a wink of his eye. Jorge on the other hand was a bit taken aback by her question. "I am what is referred to as Mexican Catholic, so I believe a lot, may I ask why? I am not sure that your Marques and I celebrate the same. I am willing to discuss things with you though. If you have a moment?" She had peeked his interests with that.

[Casandra Lightheart]

She smiled and nodded.

"I have the time"

She sat back down.

She looked at the other men.

"My door is unlocked will one of you grab the large basket off the dresser I will start on this while I listen."

[Guest]

Shamus nodded. "Yes Ma'am." He headed out the door to her room, Across the hall and over one door. He went in and grabbed up the basket that looked like it had sewing things in it. He headed back to the room not wanting to miss anything. He came in and set the basket down for her on the table beside her. Then he found a place to sit.

Jorge sat across from her and the other men all found a place to sit. It was like kids sitting down or story time. "So, how much do you know and what would you like to know?" He had to have a starting off point so he asked. It made sense to him.

[Casandra Lightheart]

She threaded several needles with the proper color thread and bagan to sew closed the seams that needed it.

"I am afraid you need to start from the begining, I don't know anything of the spanish culture."

[Guest]

Jorge thought for a moment. "Well, it is pretty easy to explain. As a Catholic, we have Mass on Christmas Eve, but you knew that, right? I believe your Marques follows with the more traditional twelve days of Christmas. The twenty fifth is the first day of Christmas. The twelfth, the Epiphany. It is like one big festival those twelve days. Or is it the sixth is the Epiphany, I do not exactly recall. I know that there are the twelve days and then the Epiphany. So that would be the twenty fifth of December to the fifth of January."

He thought for a moment. "But there are some cultures, who celebrate until the candlemas. Which would be February second I believe. But that is usually done by the Christian cultures in Latin America and Europe. Not so much in other places. But that extends it to forty days of Christmas."

He gave it some more thought. "If I remember correctly, on the feast of the Epiphany the priest donned white vestments and blessed the Epiphany Water, frankincense, gold, and chalk. Chalk is used to write the initials of the three magi over the doors of churches and homes. Not only do the letters stand for the initials of the Magi traditionally named Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar, but of the phrase Christus mansionem benedicat, which translates as "may Christ bless the house."

He stopped for a moment to see if he could remember anything else. "There is also an ancient custom of solemnly announcing the date of Easter on the feast of Epiphany. This tradition dates from a time when calendars were not readily available, and it was therefore necessary to make known the date of Easter in advance, since many celebrations of the liturgical year depend on it."

"Oh, and I believe The proclamation may be sung or proclaimed at the ambo by a deacon, cantor, or reader either after the reading of the Gospel or after the prayer after communion. That pretty much explains it." He gave it more thought, but then he nodded. "Yes. That is the basics of it."

[Casandra Lightheart]

She was quick when it came to sewing up seams and the red shirt she had picked up didn't need any patching just the seams and she was done with it by the time Jorge was finished telling her of Epiphany.

"Thank you, I know just when to give him his special gift."

The men would see a slight blush to her cheeks.

She put the rest of the clothes in the basket and picked it up.

"I'll just go finish the rest of these in my room."

She handed them the red shirt and headed for the door wuth a smile on her face.

[Guest]

The men all noticed the blush that had stained her cheeks when she mentioned his gift. It peeked their interest but none of them were stupid enough to make a comment about Lady Casandra in such a way. Well, almost. Joseph jumped up and ran to open the door for her. "Um, Lady Casandra, do you need a man's opinion on this mystery gift? You know, we uh, could tell you if it's something a guy might like getting." Oh yea, brave Irishman.

[Casandra Lightheart]

Her blush deppened even more making her bright red. She leaned into him and whispered in his ear.

"I had a nude painting done."

She moved through the door into the hallway.

"And no you can't see it."

She went to her room and closed the door.

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