6 Dec 2023, 05:35
A Very Chaotic Christmas
Hyperion - Morella - Roderick - Astra - Raymond - Aces - Elliot - Jesse - Maria
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"Hermes get back here-"
"Mum's going to kill you if she finds out.
"Which is precisely why she won't, Roderick."
Hermes finally made it into his crate. All trunks were packed, all goodbyes said, and honestly? Both Norrick siblings were ready to go home. Astra still hadn't quite gotten used to this new life and missed her parents. It also seemed that the closer they got to the holidays, the more Roderick behaved like his normal self.
Astra found it strange how Roderick seemed to suddenly remember her existence as they departed from Hogwarts, suddenly wanted to talk to her on the train. She had been saving the compartment for her and Renelle, but Rick had ended up in there all the same and Astra was again subject to their petty rivalry.
I swear they're more like siblings than Rick and I are, she thought for probably the thousandth time, practically laying in her seat with Hermes napping in her lap, reading. That or enemies to lovers. Which is disgusting.
They arrived at Platform 9¾ and Astra bid farewell to her friend. Roderick pulled her along to go meet up with Jesse and Maria, who each held an end of a sign which read Small Norrick Childrens. Astra was delighted to see Ria, and Hermes was likewise delighted to see Jesse.
The kids met with their mother a few moments later, and wished her happy birthday, though they were a few days late, and each gave her a gift. Morella apologized profusely that Hyperion couldn't be there, he was working a big case. Neither Rick or Astra cared, they were simply happy to be home.
Hermes went home with the Lerians, since Astra could not be caught dead with him, and this broke her heart, but alas. So it must be. She was exhausted and had barely the energy to fill in the gaps her infrequent letters had made. Roderick acted as if he hadn't ghosted her, which was strange to the redhead, but she dismissed it as coincidence.
Hyperion came home the next morning, tired, but ecstatic to see his children. “Look who it is! The great snake!” he exclaimed upon seeing her, swooping his daughter into an embrace. The rest of the day was spent swapping stories and drinking hot tea and chocolate as they watched snow come down in soft sheets to blanket the world for tomorrow, the big one: Christmas Day.
Astra went to sleep that night with a new candy stash from Roderick, consisting of all sorts of goodies from Honeydukes, awaiting the next day with excitement. She had hardly closed her tired eyes before there was a loud commotion in the kitchen. Sunlight streamed through her window. And then Hermes hopped up on her bed and Maria followed a moment later. “Happy Christmas, Sleeping Beauty!” she said, pulling Astra to her feet. “Breakfast’s almost ready.”
A feast of bacon and toast and eggs and cinnamon rolls and orange juice greeted the young girl, as well as the beloved Lerians. Uncle Ray, Aunt Aces, Elliot, Jesse, and of course Maria, some of Astra's favourite people. The fireplace roared with a blaze tended to by Uncle Ray as the rest of the bunch ate. “I hear the Daltons are coming over?” Aces asked Hyperion.
“You heard right,” Morella piped up from the stove. Astra's excitement increased tenfold as she remembered the present of perfection she had for her best friend.
Roderick and Astra were assigned dishwashing duty as Aces, Morella, Elliot (who is a surprisingly good cook), and Maria prepared another feast for a king for lunch. And just in time, too, for just as everything was laid out on the table, a knock came at the door. “I GOT IT!” shouted Astra before anyone else could move and she raced towards the door, throwing it wide and saying, “Happy Christmas!” She reached out to help with any parcels or coats that might require assistance to carry or remove.
Everyone was comfortably inside soon enough, and the smell of roast turkey was filling the room. Fresh rolls from Mr. Dalton’s bakery, stuffing, roast potatoes, a fresh salad, and cranberry jelly accompanied the large bird, as well as a smaller portion of chicken for those who didn't feel like turkey.
The table had all it's extensions put in and still they had to set up a card table, to which Roderick, Renelle, Astra, and Arien were banished assigned seats. Luckily, the tables were roughly the same height, and while lots of individual chatter was going on, there wasn't really a sense of separation between ages or anything. In fact, Arien and Uncle Ray got into a very deep discussion about the characteristics of a perfect chocolate cake.
All in all, everything was looking splendid. A Christmas to remember.
1 Jan 2024, 14:01
A Very Chaotic Christmas
Christmas might just be Renelle’s favourite holiday of all.
Firstly, gifts. That one went without saying, of course- after all, who didn’t like getting free stuff? Not this Ravenclaw, that was for sure. And the food, too. It was common to eat well during festivals, but this one in December was definitely the best; especially with Renelle’s dad’s bakery, which meant there was almost always an endless supply of fresh rolls, cakes and whatnot.
The company certainly helped as well. It was almost somewhat of a tradition for the two families - Norrick and Dalton - to get together at some point during the week, whichever house it might be, for the most wonderfully chaotic Christmas to ever have graced either place!
This year was no different. The day or so during which the two best friends were separated felt like an eternity (though Renelle could not pretend to have missed Astra’s charming older brother, he had been quite insufferable on the train ride back home).
Though the first year had to admit, she did miss her family quite a bit. She’d never been away from home for this long before - one of the downsides of boarding school - and not seeing her parents, as well as Arien for more than three months had made her a bit homesick. She just hoped Arien wouldn’t be as annoying as Roderick once he got older.
Upon reaching home, warm welcomes and hugs were exchanged; it was a shame that Renelle’s mother could not be there, but she was so happy to be back, she didn’t even mind that much. That rest of day passed in a blur, spent stuffing themselves with treats the young girl’s dad was only too happy to make.
Bright and early the next day, the Dalton family set off to the Norrick residence (even her mother had made time to accompany them, which Renelle tried to act nonchalant about but was secretly ecstatic). Barely had her dad knocked, when the door was swung open by a very enthusiastic-looking, Astra Norrick.
Everyone got settled down rather fast, considering the sheer number of people, and they all dug into the wide assortment of food. Renelle’s dad had bought with him a bunch of fresh food from his bakery, and that, along with the things prepared by the Norricks, made together a rather splendid meal.
Chatter soon broke out along the table, and the Terrible Two wasted no time in dreaming up dangerous fun activities for the whole family. Certainly, Renelle thought their conversation was more productive than her brother’s, which was the characteristics of a perfect chocolate cake. Like, anyone knew that the trick clearly laid in frosting!
After a while, Renelle finally took a break from stuffing herself with food. Setting down her fork, she turned to her redheaded companion with a sly smile. “So, dear friend. What gift might you have gotten the Great Renelle?”Facing a wonderfully chaotic Christmas with @Astra NorrickReducioOOC note: Renelle and Astra's writers have standing permission to godmod each other
From sprinkler splashes to fireplace ashes
1 Mar 2024, 18:27
A Very Chaotic Christmas
Hyperion - Morella - Roderick - Astra - Raymond - Aces - Elliot - Jesse - Maria
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"Gifts after lunch, my dear," Astra said pointedly before taking a large bite out of her roll.
Lunch was delicious, and filling, and the youngest Norrick was happy to sit back for a bit before opening gifts and then the inevitable Snowball Massacre.
But the chatter began to slow down, bit by bit, as life updates got over with and discussions halted. Roderick itched to open gifts (and he said as much, multiple times) and it seemed Arien shared the sentiment. So to the tree went the four kids and nine adults (talk about being outnumbered!).
Astra and Roderick each had their gifts from their parents and the Lerians, having already opened their sibling presents, and Astra had her gift to give to Renelle. She'd bought it on one of those... less than legal outings to Hogsmeade, and she thought her best friend would love it.
First, she opened the gift from her parents. It was a few galleons and a gobstones set. Astra and Roderick exchanged a devious look, seeing they got the same thing, before jumping up to thank their parents with hugs.
"Oh you're going down," Roderick whispered with a devilish gleam in his eye.
"Overconfident, aren't we?" Astra responded with a smirk. This was going to be fun.
Then her gift from the Lerians, which was a new Astronomy notebook with the moon phases calendar already inside, and- "Exploding snap?! Thank you so much!"
Astra saw Elliot pass a few coins to Jesse. The younger twin smirked. "Told you."
The young girl quickly took a small package from off the tree and held it out to her best friend. "Merry Christmas, Renelle."
Once gifts had all been opened and exchanged, a mass exodus was made from the house, everyone bundling up and tumbling into the cold, white, world outdoors, headed to the park. Astra walked with Renelle and laughed when Elliot fell on his butt trying to slide across a patch of ice.
So far, this Christmas had been fantastic. Friends and family alike seemed to be having a good time as well, so that was a plus.
"We've done the Snowball War with you guys, haven't we?" Astra asked Renelle. The Daltons and Norricks had been friends for quite a long time and spent many Christmases together. "If we haven't, I'll tell you now that Elliot goes absolutely feral, and Jesse is super good at dodging, and Maria's snowballs are more like snow bombs. Oh, and whatever you do, don't let Roderick get behind you, he thinks it's funny to drop snow down his own teammate's back."
Two snow forts were to be erected in the field, and two teams formed. There would be the Lerian siblings and the Norrick-Dalton quartet for this Snowball War. Aces and Raymond would likely pepper each team with random snowballs if it wasn't active enough on the field. Hyperion was known to make commentary.
And, the best part, once everyone was ready to stop, Morella had two giant thermoses of excellent Dutch cocoa, enough for each person to get a full cup (and often more!).
let the games begin!