Owner	Pose
Samuel	It's been a hectic couple of days... week... amount of time that, much to his surprise, Bean can't accurately enumerate. Holidays, celebrations, shenanigans. And, of course, after having built a fully functional mini-train with Forge for the seasonal festivities, there had to be someone to look after the thing.     It had been a big hit, all things considered. The track, running along the school grounds, is lifted up off the ground by the front of the school to keep the driveway and garage clear, the rails on struts that kept the whole contraption just below the levels of the second floor windows to discourage anyone taking a ride just to peek into dorm rooms. And although the train was perfectly capable of running itself, managed by a laptop running a custom program in a sheltered replica of a station's ticket booth, for safety reasons Bean had designed it so that it required a 'driver' monitoring the whole system from the train itself as soon as passengers were detected in one of its two cars.     In short, he's been maintaining and driving a mini train on endless loops around the school grounds for /days/, all the while entertaining his passengers and having to listen to endless repetitions of the same seasonal jingles... while dressed as an elf. The things he does to put a smile on someone else's face...     It's a very tired and somewhat grumpy looking 'elf' that takes the opportunity of the late hour to have the rec room all to himself, stretched out as much as a recliner allows, eyes half closed, savoring the silence. In full festive mode, Bear is draped across his lap, his hi-vi vest supplemented by a jolly santa hat with holes for his ears.
Nathaniel Carver	Fortunately for Bean, not all the students are present for the holiday season, several of them heading home for the break. Nathaniel is surprisingly one of those students...he wasn't expecting to come back to an operating and ridable mini-train that covers the school grounds. It's one of the lesser surprises that this school brings, though. He asks around, follows the tracks, and ultimately finds Santa's little helpers in the recreation room.     He announces his presence with a low whistle, "This you?" he asks, approaching Bean and Bear from behind the recliner. It's Nathaniel. A look around would he reveal he's dressed in jeans, a white t-shirt, and a silk embroidered bomber jacket with three foxes and a rose sewn on the back. He's holding several small boxes that have been neatly wrapped in red and white.
Samuel	"Hey Nathaniel!" Yup, Bean knows who's there even before a single word is spoken. People always forget about reflections... The train, for the moment, is happily running on autopilot outside, considering there's nobody wanting to ride it just now, and will probably shut itself down in a little while to avoid an absolutely atrocious power bill. Not that Bean thinks for a moment that the school gets its electricity any conventional way. There's parts of the place that he's never seen, and barely even sensed.     Bear looks up and gives a friendly 'whurf' but stays where he is, delineating an absolute exclusion zone of personal space while providing a comforting presence, just as he's been taught. For his part, Bean manages a smile and a tired wave, sticking to the full name for a greeting, knowing that his friend abhors any of the abbreviations. "Good to see you back. Place hasn't burned down, nothing unusual happened, except you missed Hambone's covert bowling alley in the garage. Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year."
Nathaniel Carver	"You don't think train tracks, or you wearing green tights, for the matter, is unusual? I feel like either of those counts. I'll have to check out the garage next...love bowling," Nathaniel's hands are gloved, and he ruffles Sam's hair gently. "Happy Holidays, Sammy. How was it for you?" He knows not everyone has a family to go back to, even if his isn't by any means ideal."     Nathaniel sets the pile of wrapped presents on the table before Sam and sits on the arm of a nearby chair. He smiles sheepishly, "Those are for you. Jillian helped me wrap them."
Samuel	The hair ruffle gets a warning look from Bear. There is nothing like a German Shepherd to give people a 'look' that is at the same time a warning and a nearly friendly doggy smile. But Bean hugs his canine friend around the neck, scratching him between the ears to let him know that no infraction had happened, patting him on the flank and ordering him off his lap. Trained as he is, Bear obeys and sits next to the recliner, between Bean and Nathaniel.     "I guess my definition of unusual has been stretched a bit over the years." the technopath smiles and sits upright, the recliner following shortly thereafter. "It's been busy, but everyone seems happy, so that's mission accomplished." Question evaded... The presents earn a moment of contemplation. "That's ehmm... that... can't be right. There's too many." Seems he's also not going to ask about Nate's family.
Nathaniel Carver	Drawing the offending hand under his thigh, Nathaniel offers an apologetic smile. "I bet the little ones loved it, and it's a cute look," he chuckles at Bean's disbelief, before shrugging. "I didn't think it would make too much sense if I settled for just the one." The presents are slim, each only a few inches thick but longer. There's about seven stacked, and they've been individually tied with a ribbon. It's his stepmother's influence, certainly.     "I didn't get anything for Bear," he looks rueful, having not considered that. "I trust you gave him extra treats for the Christmas season."
Samuel	"He got to ride a train from the front car with his head out the window. That was one happy dog." Bean smiles and ruffles Bear's fur again, setting the canine in that odd doggy smile again. Sensing that there's no problem, and there isn't likely to be one, Bear withdraws to sit on the opposite side... it seems he trusts Nate with his human, that's high praise.     The top most present is picked up and held between dextrous fingers. "I didn't get you anything..." Bean confesses, looking a bit crestfallen. "I mean, I didn't get anyone else anything either, but..." Yeah. Work in progress. As carefully as he can, he opens the present, starting by pulling the ribbon open before even starting on the paper. No ripping, no tearing, but careful untaping and unfolding.
Nathaniel Carver	Nathaniel brings his hand up, waggles fingers, "You gave me these sick gloves, dude. This is partially a response to that kindness, and just because, yanno, you were my first friend here," he admits, openly. The sheepishness hasn't quite left, probably some anxiety attached to gift-giving, but the companionship means more to Nathaniel than he's letting on.     The first gift in the pile is a soft-cover book, boxed, which suggests the others (all of a similar size) will follow suit. "I did a bit of research and hoped you didn't already have the full collection," The cover is likely very familiar, colored in the same way as the book Nathaniel spotted on Sam's desk a month ago. It's 'Treason's Harbour' by Patrick O'Brian. "Merry Christmas. Thanks for showing me I'm not in this alone."
Samuel	The picture of a man-of-war at anchor in a Mediterranean harbor makes it very clear what book series this is, and Bean's face lights up. Usually found with an impassive teutonic mien, except for his trademark almost-but-not-quite-real smile and periods of intense rage, his expression now twists into an actual smile, the right corner of his mouth creeping higher than the left. "Wow... I mean... that's..."     He'd looked into getting the rest of the series, of course, but even at second hand prices those books were not cheap. It was more than he was capable of spending on entertainment, especially with the Aubrey-Maturin series running into a staggering twenty-one books. "Thank you." And now he looks at Nathaniel, with an expression of pure joy. "Thank you! How did you know?"
Nathaniel Carver	It isn't the entire series, of course...not even the every book after 'The Ionian Mission', but it's an admirable effort on Nathaniel's part. "In your dorm," he explains. "I saw one of these books. Google did the rest of the work." He's blushing slightly and rakes a hand through his white hair. Is that observant in a weird way? He's not sure, but he's also relieved. "I'm really glad you like them."
Samuel	"You'd be surprised how many people don't pay attention to their surroundings." Yup, that scored more than a few points with Bean right there. Not just the books, excellent gifts though they are, but also the way Nathaniel has managed to come to an accurate conclusion from information just briefly glimpsed weeks ago. "Guess I'm a bit addicted to these. Aubrey and Maturin, Hornblower, Sharpe... All of them heroes with severe character flaws, usually just tolerated because their country needs them for the war. Except Hornblower near the end, he actually managed to end up respectable. Got hope for Aubrey as well... And the Napoleonic wars were the death of the old world, in a way."
Nathaniel Carver	"I pay attention when I'm interested...not quite the same as I've noticed from you," The constant state of watchfulness is not how Nathanial operates, but he's seen it from Bean. "I never read them, but hey, maybe you could let me borrow the others," he offers, an infinitely pleased smile on his face. "I love a good redemption arc. There's an older movie based on the first book, I saw, and it did reasonably well."     He stands and steps over towards the tracks, leaving the hint of a suggestion hanging. "So how long did this take?"
Samuel	There are times when Bean is like Drax, and a social suggestion is just another incomprehensible snippet of verbiage. And then, on other occasions, he can be quite quick off the bat. In this case, he stands up and stretches out, putting the book on the pile and smiling. "We should watch it sometime."     The tracks can be seen through the window, the train just coming past, empty. It has the classic steam train design, even letting out puffs of what probably isn't actual smoke but making a good show of it, towing two cars that can seat four people each on two bench seats, just like any amusement park ride. "Just over a month. But I had help, of course. Forge made the parts I couldn't improvise, and we got some help from the stronger teachers to put up the tracks. Going to have to take it down again next week."
Nathaniel Carver	Flashing a rewarding smile back at Sam, Nathaniel continues the discussion on the track, "Wish I could've been apart of it. It wasn't my intention to be away for so long, but my family was pretty insistent that I spend Christmas and New Years with them...turning over a new leaf or something like that. Still not sure how that looks like," he admits, thoughtful.     "Anyway," he looks at Sam. "I know it's dark and cold, but do you think you have another ride left in you?"
Samuel	"New leaf is fine, but only if they intend a new chapter." Yeah, Bean's not done with the literary similes it seems. He comes to stand by the window, hands behind his back, a position recognisable far and wide as parade rest. He's standing a bit closer than he usually does, sacrificing reaction time for an outward show of trust.     He watches the train come past again and turns to Nathaniel with a smile. "Well, I'm already dressed for it."
Nathaniel Carver	"We'll see," Nathaniel says, so cynical about anything blood bonds have to offer. Anyway. He lays a gloved hand over Sam's shoulder. It's a gentle touch, every bit for Bean, to show him his trust is well-received as it is a way for the white-haired mutant to anchor himself in the here and now. With a nudge, he sets them on the path outside. "Lead the way, conductor!"