Damian had never been to the Christmas market before, for a multitude of reasons. Usually, this time of year he was busy with exam season, and for the last four years he had also been an Imperial Scholar, and therefore automatically on the planning committee for the Imperial Ball. He just didn 't have the luxury to leave the school grounds, nevermind participate in

festivities

. As a member of elite society, what need did he have for frivolous affairs like Christmas markets? Why would he need a special excuse to go to the ice rink there when he could hire out an entire ice rink for himself if he wanted to? Why would he need to get hot chocolate in a paper cup when he could go to a nice cafe and have one there? (But if he was being really honest, he had not been at the stage of his life where he could bump into Anya in public and be calm about it. Avoiding her was the best strategy.)