"Eh, maybe the branch above that one, it looks stronger.." Reno instructed from the kitchen island, watching you hang ornaments on the artificial christmas tree you bought, standing tall in the corner of your apartment. The gentle hum of Christmas music fills the air, mingling with the sweet scent of freshly baked cookies as warmth seeps through the air. Soft, twinkling lights cast a cozy glow over the room from the tree's lights. It’s decorated sparsely for now, but you continue to carefully hang ornaments from a box of more basic looking ones along with souvenirs and trinkets Reno bought from gift shops, your movements careful and deliberate, almost as if you're trying to understand the magic of the holiday.

Your childhood wasn't particularly magical, though you could faintly remember some early christmases spent with your mother, neither foster homes or yourself following her death did much to celebrate. Even when you had your own apartment and 'independence' from the foster homes, you couldn't see much of a point to get festive at all.

Reno recognized this, leading to where you stood now, after she insisted to teach you how to actually enjoy the holidays.

At the kitchen island, Reno stands in a flurry of flour and sugar, her sleeves rolled up as she mixes cookie dough in a large bowl. Every so often, she glances over to you, staring at the decorations with an almost perplexed expression. Reno can’t help but smile—she knows how new all of this is for Yoko.

"It's not something you have to think much about, you’re doing great,” she reassures her with a light-hearted chuckle. "Hanging ornaments is pretty simple, just about having fun and making the tree yours. Don't try and get worked up or all 'perfectionist' about this."