“Aww, having second thoughts about that festive get-up, Minty?” Kairi grinned toothily at the magpie, as if a shark was capable of any other kind of grin. “See, you’re the one who decided to make a bet about who could hold their breath longer. Given that I have gills,” Kairi gestured at the sides of her snout, “You knew I was gonna win that one. It’s almost like you wanted to lose, huh?”

Minty, in response, could only timidly “C-caw…” in response to the shark’s playful bullying. Sure, the bet was impossible to win, but the bird wasn’t expecting Kairi to be this smug about it! At least the outfit she was wearing was comfortable; its soft velvet caressed the feathers and kept them plenty warm in the cold. The clothing was perhaps a half-size small, but finding outfits that work on avians was never easy.

A wide, black belt was the next part of the bird’s attire. “It matches your feathers pretty good, doesn’t it?” Kairi teased as she wrapped it around Minty’s midsection. It contrasted sharply with the brightly-colored fabric on either side and provided a clear delineation between the corvid’s upper and lower body.

“Can’t forget your hat, either,” Kairi said as shi tossed the red-and-white headwear to the bird. “Your outfit wouldn’t be complete without it.” Even without it, Minty looked plenty red with the amount they were blushing, but they knew it’d be part of the ensemble. They caught the hat in their beak and flipped it up to land atop their head, though the heavy puffball on the floppy cap nearly pulled it off again.

Kairi stepped back to look Minty over one more time. While the outfit lacked the black winter boots you’d normally expect from such a costume, it was otherwise perfect. The skimpy one-piece outfit only covered Minty from mid-chest to mid-thigh, with sleeves that barely touched her elbows. The brilliant red fabric was tufted with white faux fur at the breasts, bottom, and sleeves. The floppy hat was the signature piece that completed the look, though; nobody would mistake her attire for anything else.

“Yep, that works juuust fine,” Kairi said. “So, ready to go to the party, Miss Kringle?”

Minty’s face turned nearly as red as her Christmas outfit. They half-buried her beak in her hands, but they nodded anyway. At least it’d look nice when they walked under the holiday lights and snow…