'Is this... a gift?' Looking at the finely wrapped parcel before her, Reed is somewhat at a loss. 'The clean new outfit's standard, but I added a little material to give it quicker cooling ability... oh, yeah, the tactical gloves are heat-resistant too. Open it and try them on, time's a-wastin'... crap, am I spoiling the surprise? The Doctor's not gonna dock me for this, right?' The Vampire engineer hastily covers her mouth, and tiptoes out of the special dormitories, winking at Reed before she shuts the door. 'Happy holidays!' 'Happy... holidays.' Reed holds her parcel, fixed to the spot, unsure if her murmur succeeded in floating past the door. For her, holidays are difficult to reconcile with happiness. It was on the stroke of a holiday that her mother and father died. The gift they'd brought back from Londinium fell at her feet, wrapping stained with blood. Her sister dragged her out of the snow, pulling her hand, passing through one alley after another. Candlelight shone on window after window, but nothing lay ahead of them at all. With the footfall behind them drawing closer, her sister told her to hide, finding her the darkest corner to tuck herself in, her chest burning from not even daring to breathe. 'It's alright now, Loughshinny. Stand up.' The voice of her sister returned to her side. She opened her eyes, saw the firelight creep out from a stranger's window, and it became a strange purple, and malevolent in its very look, scaring even the pitch-black night away. Her legs were still too weak to stand. No more did her sister hold out a hand, but went back into the glow of the blaze. She knew that if she couldn't follow, then she would be forever left behind. She grit her teeth and slowly rose up, pushing back the fear and pain, chasing the figure in the firelight. Without knowing it, she ran farther and farther, becoming too but a small shadow. Ever since, the fire never truly went out. It burned within her eyes, inside her heart, the night of every festivity. Five years on, her sister placed a spear in her hands. In her recollections, this was her last time being given a holiday gift. Since then, the flames came to ignite at her spearpoint too. Slowly, she became used to the heat, to the scorching that stabbed through her body with each breath. She believed this undying flame would be with her for life, even chasing her in death. Until she received this present. She realizes, and it startles her. So there were people who'd still try to put water to these raging flames. In every test and training thereafter, Reed puts on these gloves, and after the battle, she'll attentively clean her spear's blade according to her manuals. She hasn't told Closure that in actuality, there exists no reagent nor material that can cool a Draco's flames. After all, when she touched this gift, she truly did feel a long-lost, refreshing chill.