Pure As Snow in Moscow

Properly speaking, Christmas to Anatoly was celebrated on January 7th but that didn't mean he couldn't appreciate all of the festivities currently going on. For all of the island's faults and there were certainly plenty of them, when it wanted to celebrate something, it did so in style. The mansion was trimmed with all manner of wreathes and bows and as grand as it was, it paled in comparison with some of the storefronts along the busiest roads.

It was all a fantastic spectacle and he knew if he looked around hard enough, he would be bound to find a party or two to attend. He preferred peace and quiet in the company of the one he loved beyond words, though, and so he convinced Lex to come with him on a stroll through the Palace Gardens.

"It is a beautiful place," he murmured with his hand resting gently on Lex's arms, heedless of the scandalized mutterings of the ghostly residents.