thedispatch | Secret Santa!

Secret Santa!

[ Every year, the reapers of the London branch held the more modern tradition of a secret Santa event. The branch tended to separate into smaller groups, mainly based around what departments were near one another in the office buildings, if only to give more diversity to just who your partner could possibly be. Forms were handed out to everyone interested in participating, consisting of simple questions that could help your partner figure out the perfect gift.

Not being the particularly festive type, William always declined, saying there was far too much work to be done to waste his limited free time shopping for gifts. But inevitably, Alan always persuaded him, usually with the promise of freshly baked cookies. With a huff, William would fill out yet another form and add it to the pile.

This year, when Grell comes into work on Christmas Eve, there is a large box sitting upon her desk, wrapped in shimmering red paper and topped with a glittered gold bow. With no name tag indicating who it is from, it can only be assumed her secret Santa had placed it there before she arrived to work. Inside is an array of, surprisingly well chosen, self pampering products, wonderfully fit for a woman with a fine taste for the indulgent. A book of sonnets tied with a small, but well crafted bow lays beside it. And to top it all off, two tickets to a night of fine theatre at the beautiful Canterbury Music Hall.

Certainly, the simplistic questionnaire couldn't have pinpointed her interests so well, what with inquiries about favourite foods and colours. The last was painfully obvious for her even without the form! So such a lavish - and expensive! - gift could have only come from someone who knew her quite well, and had the funds to pay for it all! Now the question was simply...who? ]

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[ Surely, the entire office must have heard the redheaded reaper's croon, upon seeing the gift on her desk. Judging on the wrapping alone, it seemed to be professionally done - and specifically catered to her tastes.

It has her skipping over to her desk and discarding everything she's holding, into her seat, without care, to take the box in hand. It's heavy, and clearly holds more than one item - and so, in a rare moment of good judgment, leaves it in place to unwrap. Immediately, she gasps-- and is visibly overwhelmed, while dismantling the separate elements for observation.

Holding the book and tickets to her chest, heaving an emotional sigh, she can't believe that someone could have paid attention to her so intimately. Who could know that much about her?

If she had to narrow it down to one person, well, that might be William; HOWEVER, he's never done anything like this for her before. Alan, the little shit, isn't of any help, either! He merely tells her that it is up to her Secret Santa whether they wish to approach her or not.

Alright, so, it's on to ask William, herself, then. ]

Wiii~llll~♡

[ Pushing her way into his office, she hops up to sit on his desk! ]

[ William, who had been occupied sorting various forms on his desk into neatly organised piles, can only look up with a dangerous scowl on his face when Grell's butt is suddenly seated in the middle of it all. ]

Get off of my desk, Sutcliffe.

[ He must be in a more festive mood than was originally thought, as he's giving her the option to climb down herself, rather than simply shoving her off. But, perhaps that's just to keep the files from slipping down with her. ]

[ Smile shifting off-kilter, her shoulders rise and fall with a sigh!

Instead, she extends a legover, to carefully hop down between William and his desk. ]

I have a pressing question for you. [ Appropriately, she leans into him, as she drapes her arms over his shoulders, fingers laced together. ] About a pretty red box.

[ William's sour expression remains unflinching, despite Grell's flirtatious intrusion on his personal space - or perhaps because of it! He's letting her get away with quite a bit, right now. But who's to know when he'll get fed up and push her to the ground. ]

Get on with your questions, then. I have plenty of work to redo now that you've made a mess of my desk.

Brilliant.

[ William does allow her a bit of slack from time to time, but she really is pushing it. Intriguing! It has the redhead batting her lashes already. ]

Right, then. So, I received the most lovely present, and I thought to myself, the unnamed gifted must know me very well. Upon asking myself, who could that be-- well, you were the first that came to mind.

[ Leaning in a little closer, she peers over the frames of her glasses. ]

Were you my secret Santa, Will?

No.

[Short and to the point, William is quick to then pry her arms off from around his neck. ]

Now get back to your desk. And tuck that gift away. Save any detective work for your time off the clock.

[ Expression falling, she finds herself pouting, in fact. ]

I see. I suppose I should've known that would be too good to be true.

[ With a SIGH, she slips away to walk herself around the desk, fingers following its edge as she stares off in fantasy. ]

Though, I suppose this means that I must have a secret admirer--

[ Which, admittedly, sounds equally thrilling and grossly desperate. Confusing. But, also an opportunity to make William jealous, which isn't desperate at all, of course. ]

My, that means my perfect man could be waiting for me!

[ Not even bothering to watch her anymore, he begins fussing with reorganising his paperwork. ]

What makes you so certain they are a man?

[ Ah, a hint perhaps that, though the gift may not be from him, he just might know something about it! ]

Edited 2020-12-19 19:28 (UTC)

[ Pausing in her stride, Grell blinks. ]

A woman...

[ Turning to look over her shoulder at him, her hand pauses at her cheek, remiss! ]

That could change everything, you know? Perhaps she would have merely used her intuition on what I might like best-- though, this gift was still meant to impress... Hmm...

[ That hand had begun tapping at that cheek of hers, but suddenly, it stops. ]

Wait-- what do you know about that?

[ In a classic case of stubbornness, William reiterates his initial instructions to her. ]

Nothing that I am going to tell you on the clock. Now, get to work.

[ With a whine of protest, her cheeks puff! ]

Oooh, fine. I just hope I don't make a mess of things, in all my distraction!

Cause any errors or make any messes and you'll be staying overtime to fix them. Then you'll have to wait even longer.

[ His warning gets a final glare along with it, showing he's serious about keeping her here all Christmas Eve if he must. ]

[ That should be intimidating, but rather, a sultry intrigue washes over her features, lashes batting. ]

And I suppose you'll be staying to supervise, then?

[ Wait--! Blinking wide with realization, a hand balls in front of her lips, brows furrowing. ]

Though, perhaps I ought to be spending this Christmas Eve with this potential true love of mine... [ SIGH. ] Fine, then, you win.

[ Now William's a bit torn in this situation. Surely he'd like to clock off on time, but there's still his own gift to give Grell. And if she's running off to find out who her secret Santa is, that may prove difficult. Thankfully, none of this shows on his features. ]

Good.

[ He eyes the door, a silent final command to get moving. ]

Yes! Very well.

[ Moving toward the door, she hesitates a step in, glancing back to William with the smallest sigh.

Reapproaching, she procures her gift for William, wrapped in festive golden wrapping paper and tied with a red ribbon. Knotted into its bow, however, is a single stem of forget-me-not. ]

In case I don't catch you. [ While leaning over to leave it on his desk, she kisses his cheek. ] Merry Christmas, Will.

[ And with a wink, she's off! ]

[ He's ready to reprimand her again but she's already out the door, and speaking up would only delay things further. Instead, he pulls his handkerchief from inside his jacket to wipe at the wet, and undoubtedly red lipstick smeared spot on his cheek. Then, regarding the package, gives a sigh at the flower tied to its top. The gift is moved to the corner of his desk, not yet openned, but also not tucked away and forgotten.

He is rather curious but will wait until his break to open it. ]

[ Inside, William will find a neatly folded scarf, with a handsome pattern - in neutral colors, so that he might wear it on the job. Subtly, it has his initials embroidered on the end meant to wear over his breast.

Tucked underneath is a very nice leather-bound flask, and again, beneath that, a note. It reads:

A scarf, to warmly embrace you in the absence of my company - and something extra to allieve you, when you should have it!

With much love,
Grell♥ ]

[ William spends his lunch break in his office, eating his sandwich while doing a bit of extra work off the clock in hopes of leaving on time for the day. But once his meal is out of the way, he sets his pen aside and pulls the neatly wrapped gift towards himself. Grell has always been a good gift giver, despite William's interests being rather limited and dull. The scarf is soft and will certainly work well for England's blustery winter season. The flask, perfect for days that give him exceptionally bad headaches. And when William finally reads the card, he very nearly smiles at Grell wording his thoughts in more or less the same fashion - with her added into the mix of course.

He hums for a moment, before leaving his office and approaching Grell's desk. The box he has tucked away for her is not nearly as large as the one she'd found on her desk earlier that day, but it still has the potential to hold a decently sized gift. He keeps it hidden for now, though. ]

Thank you, I quite like what you've picked for me.

[ He scans her desk, making a quiet judgement of how much work she's gotten done already. Rather impressive, actually. Perhaps the motivation of a potential secret lover? ]

You are free to go on your lunch break. Your admirer may still be in the dining hall, assuming they're on their usual set weekly schedule.

[ He leaves that second hint as he checks the time on his pocket watch. If she decides to head out to do some investigating for a hidden romance, he'll hold something out to her - the same forget-me-not that she tied on his gift. ]

[ When William approaches, she sits a little straighter, perky and positively beaming. Not only has she blazed through most of the paperwork she'd neglected all week, Will enjoys her gift!

Hands clasping at her chest, she swings herself up to stand! ]

So you do know who it is, do you? I-- suppose I ought to catch them, then!

[ Though, when he holds that flower out to her, she takes it as a refusal of her mere expression - and though she reaches to accept it, the heartbreak flashes across her face! ]

I'm pleased that you enjoyed the gift, Will.

[ Without further warning, she teleports off to the dining hall. ]

[ With that, she's gone and William has to wonder if there was another meaning associated with this particular flower, other than what its name implies. Sighing at his failed attempt at a small romantic gesture, he returns to his office to place the sprig of tiny flowers in a temporary cup of water.

Despite knowing who Grell's secret Santa is and why they chose what they did, there's still that slight pang of jealousy Grell was hoping she'd get from him. He reclaims his seat, huffing softly before resuming his work.

Should Jezibelle from Corrections choose to reveal some insight on Grell's gift, she'll find that, in a way, William had a part in choosing it. The girl had come to him earlier in the month, asking just what Grell would truly like. She told him that it was going to be an attempt to keep the violent reaper in good spirits during the "busy season" of Christmas thru to the New Year. In reality, it was a tactic to get the two reapers on with the relationship she, and most every other woman in the branch, knew William wanted but was too stubborn to act upon. Though she keeps that last bit from Grell, instead merely suggesting she offer that second ticket to William. ]

[ Grell feels herself cycle through a range of emotions. Confusion at the woman's intentions. Thrilled that William had been behind the gift, after all, and would therefore be her true love! Disappointment, upon recalling his gesture only moments before, and thinking to herself that he wouldn't wish to accept the ticket from her, either.

Taking Jezibelle's hand, she leaves a kiss upon the back of her palm, thanking her while parting ways. She would need to brood over a piece while deciding her next move.

Somehow, she manages to dodge William until near the end of their shifts.

She's already through his office door, before she announces herself with a clearing of the throat. ]

Will? Wouldn't you believe it, I've finished my work, and I was hoping I'd go home a bit early-- [ As though she's already anticipating that he will say no, she rushes into her next words. ] As it turns out, part of my gift was a pair of tickets for a performance tonight, and I'd hope to dress up a bit, you know?

[ Her assumption was right. He would have flat out told her no if she hadn't cut him off from doing so. But the last bit of her explanation has him frowning for a separate reason.

When she'd come into his office earlier that day, he took note of the book, but he never thought to ask on what the slips of paper were that she held along with it. Did Jezibelle really buy Grell every suggestion he made to her? Damn.

Adjusting his glasses, he rises from his chair, rounds his desk and approaches her. His gift to her is summoned and he offers it. Though he looks a bit unsure as he does. An odd look for him, certainly. ]

If that's what you have planned for the evening, then I suppose I should give this to you now.

[ His gift to her is a set of earrings and a necklace, both sporting large pendant rubies. It's the packaging that has him concerned right now, though. When helping Jezibelle with her gift, he had asked her for a suggestion on how he could wrap Grell's in a way that would make the obvious jewelry box less...well, obvious. She came up with a humorous idea to take forms Grell had filled out wrong and had to redo, shred them up and use it as filler around the smaller box. Being in Corrections, she had a drawer full of all the incorrect forms already!. William then topped the pile with a post-it note that said "Stop filling out your forms in red ink!!" While he liked the idea, the current awkward vibe between them made it seem wrong. Still he offered it to her. ]

Edited 2020-12-21 00:28 (UTC)

[ Drawing a breath, Grell's eyes just about sparkle, when he holds out the gift for her! She accepts it, to hold as though it's the most precious and fragile thing. ]

Oh, thank you, Will!

[ Carefully opening the box, face alight, that all immediately grinds to a halt, when she sees what's inside. Frowning with pursed lips, a brow dangerously quirked, she peers up at him slowly. ]

Really?

[ Plucking up the note to show him pointedly, as she prepares to tear into him, she spies something underneath the shreddings. Dropping the post-it altogether, she dusts off the jewelry box... and gasps!

Picking it up, she hands the remainders of the gag gift to William, so that she can open it up for a proper look.

Her features soften, fingers to her lips. Why, her eyes may even go a bit misty. ]

Oh. Oh, William, they're beautiful...

[ The moment the box is shoved into his hands, he drops it to her desk, thinking that he'll never do something so silly again. Obviously, comedy and creativity aren't for him. But he feels a sense of calm when her eyes alight. ]

Be careful with them. They cost quite a bit.

[ Not that he thinks she'll do anything but treasure them, but still, a reprimand is always necessary. Especially after a flopped attempt to be silly. ]

I hope you will wear them this evening, then. I'm certain they'll match whatever you choose to wear.

[ Giving him a look, albeit a good-natured one, she closes the box to hold against her chest. ]

Quite the gesture, to give me such a grand gift. I hope you'll allow me to return it.

[ Drawing one more breath of courage, she draws one of the tickets from her pocket, and holds it out to him. ]

Will you accompany me this evening?

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