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Dad

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Pa

Andrea

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Interacting with	Date - 25/12/25
WC 4759/200	Color Legend - Mylo | BSL | Thoughts

Closer.

Closer..

Closer...

Mylo could sense the presence steadily growing near, a sense of doom slowly encapsulating their mind. They knew what was to happen, what had to be done. Year after year the ritual had never changed, year after year a sacrifice had to be made. There was only one way to deal with it and that was by accepting their inevitable fate, burying themselves under the blankets and staying as still as possible and hope that this year would be different.

Hope was futile, nothing ever changed.

Closer....

Closer.....

Closer......

It was close now. Close enough to hear the slightly laboured breathing. To hear the creaking of the floorboards beneath it's feet as it neared. It had become quieter over the years, perfecting it's ritual, finding the right places to step to minimise the noise, the right time to near and the perfect way to attack.

Closer.......

Closer........

Closer.........

It was here. Mylo knew what had to happen. A sacrifice had to be made.

Bracing themselves they held the blanket tighter over themselves, hoping for it to be swift and kind, but knowing that wouldn't be the case.

Suddenly it struck, crushing Mylo under it's weight, pulling the covers - their safe haven - away from them, exposing them to the cold air in an attempt to disorientate him and gain the upper hand.

"MYLO IT'S CHRISTMAS!!! WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP!! YOU CAN'T STAY IN BED ANY LONGER YOU HAVE TO GET UP!!" A loud voice shouted right into his ear that had been freed from the captivity of the blanket. Andrea had once again made it her mission to act as Mylo's alarm and wake them up at an ungodly hour (7am) during the holidays. Well if you asked Andrea it wasn't just a day during the holidays, it was Christmas day, the best day of the year! And if you slept in you were just wasting time you could be using to enjoy it, they had given up trying to debate her on the fact that sleep was sacred.

Andrea was as stubborn as one could be, even if she knew she was wrong she would defend her original point to hell and back - unless she knew it was a very bad take to have, then sometimes she would admit defeat, but not without finding a less worse take and sticking to that one just to annoy whoever she had managed to trap - so Mylo had learnt throughout the years to just let her have it, to save their energy and to not debate with her. If they really needed to make a point he'd just hold her on the ground, keeping her there until she gave up and tapped out.

As Andrea decided to freeze Mylo to death by removing the warm safe-haven they had turned their blanket into from his body they just took the time to look out the window, admiring the view of snowflakes slowly making their way down to the ground. It was quite a peaceful sight, in contrast to the chaotic fight that Andrea had gotten herself into with Mylo's bedding.

They had absolutely no desire to help her though, it was quite amusing seeing her small 9 year old body struggling to pull the last bit of the blanket free from under their body, as it looked like she was trying to pull an elephant all by herself. Although if she put her mind to it she probably could do that.

Finally the last bit gave way, fully exposing Mylo to the cold air surrounding him, he would probably freeze to death soon - he was being dramatic, it barely changed but the betrayal of their covers made it seem worse than it was. Although it seemed like the devil incarnate beside him hadn't finished her mission yet, as she had started to tug on Mylo's arm now that she was finished with the blanket. Unfortunately staying in bed didn't seem like an option anymore.

"Okay, okay okay. Calm down. The world isn't going to end if I stay in bed for a little longer." They groaned as he turned around, slowly manoeuvring their body to a seated position and blinking their eyes open trying to get them to focus. The first thing coming into view being the grin on Andrea's face that seemed like it took up all of the available space, she was actually vibrating with excitement. 'Maybe if we hook her up to the electricity meter she could power the house for a bit' they wondered, it couldn't be good for her to have so much excess energy that she was actually bouncing off the walls, she might actually spontaneously combust.

At the next tug of their arm - she really wasn't giving up, I told you she was stubborn - Mylo relented, giving into the energy and letting Andrea pull him out of their warm, cosy bed, it truly was a travesty.

It seemed like Andrea was scared that the second she let go of her older sibling that he would bolt back to the comfort of their bed, as she hadn't let go for a single moment as they made their way down the stairs to the kitchen. Her grip of steel making sure that he was following closely behind, not allowing any chance for escape.

Getting to the bottom of the stairs made up for the early wakeup though, as the smell of bacon, eggs and baked beans wafted into the room, letting Mylo know they hadn't been Andrea the Evil's first victim.

"Are you two coming? Breakfast is nearly ready!" a comforting voice rang out through the hall, helping Mylo realise they had halted in the middle of their journey at the smell of food, their guide having had the same reaction. At the sound of their dad shouting out for them Andrea picked up the pace though, tugging Mylo along at such a ferocious speed that they nearly got very well acquainted with the floorboards.

Turning the corner into the kitchen they were finally freed from their bonds as Andrea bolted away, this time to attack their dad who was sat at the dining table happily watching his husband prepare their breakfast. James always swore he could cook, and he could if it was something simple and didn't require too many things to be done at once, but it was an unspoken rule that Mike did the cooking if they wanted something that didn't taste bland, or if they didn't want to risk it burning.

"Pa it's Christmas! After breakfast we have to go and open the presents, I think I know what I got! I'm pretty sure it's at least one pair of socks, but I hope they've got llama's on them as that would be funny. Or maybe ducks, or frogs would be cool as well. Plain ones would be okay as well but that would be a bit boring. I think I could also get -" Her rambling was cut off by her breakfast being put in front of her, one way to quickly stop her in her tracks was to feed her, as as hard as she tried she hadn't quite mastered the art of speed talking and eating at the same time, it was a life saver sometimes.

"That sounds great sweetheart, I'm sure whatever socks you get they'll have a great pattern on them." James said, smiling happily at the excitement of his youngest child. "Now, shall we have some breakfast?" He chuckled, putting everyone else's plates on the table as well and gesturing for Mylo to come join them. He hadn't realised that once again they had stopped in the middle of their journey, content to watch the happiness of his loved ones. Smiling at the scene in front of them Mylo made his way to the table, happy to start the day off with some great food.

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Breakfast had concluded, meaning that Andrea had finished her food at lightning speed giving her no time to speak - a rarity as it was usually the other way round - and thus made up for it by continuously telling the rest of them that they had to eat faster, which if Mylo did actually do might be life threatening as he couldn't breath and swallow and breath at the same time like Andrea seemed to be able to do.

They had however start eating slightly faster, just to avoid the attack that would be coming his way if they didn't manage to finish their breakfast before Andrea ran out of patience. He truly was fighting a noble fight. Their parents had also seemed to catch onto the fact that she might start actually bouncing off the walls if they took much longer so had started speeding it up as well, but still enjoying the company though, as as much as Andrea couldn't wait to open her presents she also knew that she would have to wait until everyone was done anyway so the exasperated sigh that followed as she watched everyone eat slower than the speed of light was all in good fun.

The end of breakfast also signalled the start of cleaning, as they couldn't just leave dirty dishes hanging around. Andrea being the smart child she was had already asked if she could tidy up her plate and put it in the dishwasher, Mylo wasn't sure how that help everything move faster but if it made her happy that was what counted. So they tried to ignore the glaring of their younger sister as she watched them help tidy up, seemingly wanting them to move faster.

"The more you stare at me like that, the slower I'll move." Mylo threatened, purposely slowing down their movements to make sure she was getting the point. That quickly stopped the glaring. What followed was an expected "Children behave." from their dad as he didn't even turn around from where he was stood at the sink, prewashing the dishes so that the dishwasher didn't get clogged. "Yes Mylo, behave." Andrea mocked, sticking out her tongue for good measure which earned her a glorious glare from their pa and made her sheepishly avert her gaze. "That was also meant for you young lady." James added for good measure, the scolding tone not matching the slight grin that nobody would see grace his face.

"How about you two make your way into the living room, we'll finish up here and join you in a minute." Their pa suggested, having seen the way that Andrea's gaze kept lingering on the door leading to the living room. Mylo was honestly impressed she had held out this long and had actually waited to be told to leave the kitchen, she truly was having character growth. Although the way she actually sprinted through the door before Mike had even finished his sentence let everyone know she wouldn't have been able to wait much longer.

Smiling at his younger sisters antics, and trying to hold back their laughter as she nearly bumped into every available surface before settling down on the floor, Mylo followed her into the room.

A soft glow filled the space, making everything look slightly like a dream, as Andrea plugged in the lights on the Christmas tree they had decorated together the previous night. It was one of Mylo's favourite traditions they had, as each of them had a specific task meaning that everyone helped decorate. Mylo usually chosing the put on the lights as Andrea loved choosing where the baubles would go, usually deciding on a story and then placing them accordingly. What that story was nobody knew but at least she did.

Seeing as Andrea had busied herself with trying to look through the presents underneath the tree Mylo knew that now was the time, they'd only have one shot and would have to be quicker than they ever had, quieter than they ever had and use every skill they had ever learnt to their advantage.

Quickly calculating the fastest route they counted down from 3, keeping an eye on Andrea to make sure nothing would go wrong, and sprinted for the sofa. Managing to get to the corner spot just before she realised what had happened; Mylo had gotten the good spot on the sofa.

"I didn't want it anyway, I'm on floor duty." A proud smile gracing her face as she tried being the better person, only to immediately sigh a sigh no 9 year old should be able to do and clarified "I'm handing everyone their presents, duh. So you have to be nice to me or I won't give you your presents!" Touché was their immediate response, his sister knew how to drive a tough bargain. They both new she was only teasing though, as much as they liked to pester each other and Andrea loved to get on Mylo's nerves he would literally fight anyone for her. They also were nice to her pretty much all the time, she was just dramatic and held the few times Mylo pulled out the big guns over their head at all times, it was a great strategy.

"OKAY! ARE WE READY FOR PRESENTS!!" Mikes voice boomed through the room, accompanied by a very very off key flute being played by their dad. He wasn't very musically inclined, and as much as Mike had tried to teach him they all agreed James had somehow gotten even worse which was insanely impressive. It had become another one of their little traditions though, that their dad would open the present gifting event by playing.... something. Calling it music might be a stretch, and which song it was was never decipherable but their dad had fun with it and they all loved the energy it brought into the room so nobody ever complained, even when the screeching of whatever instrument he had chosen hit a particularly painful decibel.

Once everyone had chosen their spot for the event, Andrea of course sitting on the floor as close to the tree as possible and Mylo wasn't quite sure that she wasn't actually under it, the small ball of energy decided to take an inventory of what they had.

"Okay! So we have 3 presents for everyone... Ooh we can do alphabetical order, I like that idea." They all knew it was best just to let her think out loud for a bit, let her decide on what the best course of action would be for the presents. "We could also do names in a hat..... nah, alphabetical is better." At least deciding on the method didn't take as long as it had previous years, Mylo shuddered remember a few years back where it had taken her a full 15 minutes just to decide in what order they would go.

"Oh! That would mean I go first!" A small smile on her face, she had absolutely not just thought of that possibility and everyone knew it, their parents sharing a knowing glance accompanied by a small grin on both of their faces, she had absolutely planned this.

Taking out the smallest of her 3 she started unwrapping it, very very carefully in contrast to her usual chaotic way of doing things. Leaning forward slightly Mylo tried to look at what it could be, this one wasn't from him and as much as they tried not to be there were still very curious.

Their attention paid off as as soon as the paper had come off their knew exactly what she had gotten, and even though she hadn't had her first instance of magic yet Mylo knew for certain she was a seer. As in her hand she held a soft pair of socks, but not just any pair of socks, a pair of socks with llama's on them. And not just one pair, but two more were revealed as she tried looking closer at the design, one pair with frogs on them and the other with ducks. Maybe he'd have to ask her if there were any places they had to avoid in the near future.....

"I knew it!" She shouted, holding up her prize with a happy grin on her face. Of course the llama's had to be put on immediately, you can't get presents and then not wear them the instant you got them, it was Christmas law! "These will look good with my llama t-shirt." she muttered more so to herself, seemingly pleased with the idea that was forming. "Thank you! Soooo, now it's dad's turn, then Mylo and then pa, and then I go again! Dad you have to do mine first!" Andrea said, already halfway over to their dad with her present in hand. They had also always had the tradition that they got presents for each other, in their household Santa had never really been a thing, which seemed to be a good thing as any time they had gone out and seen a Santa in the wild Andrea had burst out into tears, absolutely terrified. Mylo had had to stay in her room until she fell asleep one time, he'd do it as many times as she needed though.

Holding out the cube packaging with a huge grin on her face Andrea waited for their dad to take it before turning around and sitting back down in her rightful spot by the tree. Making sure that she was sat down their dad took his time, inspecting the package carefully. "Now, I'm not sure but I think this might be an elephant... or maybe a guitar...? Am I close?" He asked, shooting a cheeky grin Andrea's way, which was met with a comically over exaggerated eye roll.

"Yes dad, I wrapped an elephant in that." Was the deadpanned response, ever since she had learnt what sarcasm was she hadn't stopped much to the amusement of the rest of the family. Their dad decided that was their cue to open the present that had been handed over to him, taking off the wrapping paper and revealing one of the Carcassonne extensions. Something they all knew he had been looking at for a while but hadn't wanted to get for himself, so what better time to do so than Christmas. "Oh that is great, thank you sweetheart! How about we play a game together after we finish unwrapping the rest of these presents?" Posing the question in such a way that made it more of a request than a question, not that anyone minded as they all loved the game and the question was met with enthusiasm. "So Mylo next!" Andrea chimed in, seemingly excited to give this one, not that she hadn't been for the others but Mylo suspected this was her present and she was very proud of it.

Accepting the gift that made it's way to him Mylo had a feeling as to what this might be as Andrea had been attempting to discretely ask questions about it for a while, note that though she had attempted to be discreet this attempt had failed badly. Unwrapping the present they found that their suspicions were correct as in their hands he was now holding a vinyl record, encased in a sleeve that on the back had all of the music Andrea had put on it (with help from their parents of course) and on the front had a lovely drawing of their entire family and some random other drawings, at the top the name of the vinyl read; Mylo's Music. She knew that he couldn't bring electronics into the school as magic and muggle technology didn't mix in the slightest, but she had found out that they had record players and had been asking about their favourite songs for a while now.

"Wow.... This is amazing." Mylo whispered in amazement. "Thank you so much Andrea, I will definitely be listening to this at school." A huge smile on their face, that was reflected by Andrea who somehow seemed even more happy than Mylo was with the present. Carefully putting the vinyl down on the table next to the sofa he got up and gave his sister a huge hug, trying to show his appreciation for the gift she had given him. "You can use it to study!" She happily suggested, knowing that Mylo liked some background noise when doing so as it helped them focus, it was an amazingly thoughtful gift. Looking around the room Andrea had already made her way back to the tree. "And last but not least Pa!" She said dramatically, holding out a small envelope.

"Well I wonder what this is...." He queried, taking great care in opening the seal a questioning look appearing on his face when he could see the folded up piece of paper contained within. "Now, it must be something good as I can see all of you grinning like maniacs, so -" pausing in the middle of his sentence they all knew he had seen the name of the event.

Bach in concert.

Mylo could literally see his eyes light up and quickly scan the rest of the information, letting their pa know that they had bought 4 tickets for them to go and see a orchestra play some of Bach's music, one of his favourite classic composers. "Thank you, I promise not to overload you guys with too much theory." a chuckle escaping James as they all knew that he wouldn't be able to keep that promise, none of them would mind though as they knew how much he'd enjoy the experience and they loved that he wanted to share it with them.

After that they unwrapped the rest of their presents, Andrea getting a big dinosaur teddy she had been asking for for ages and a collection of drawings Mylo had made for her of Hogwarts (she had been constantly asking for them, and he had wanted to make sure they were perfect.). Their dad getting new jumper and a hat that Mike had knitted himself, immediately putting both of them on. Their pa getting a subscription to a musical magazine and a new jumper as well and Mylo getting some new art supplies and a book they had been wanting to read for a while now. Happy smiles lighting up the room as everyone was grateful with the things they had gotten.

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Having spent some time admiring their new things everyone decided that it was the perfect time to play a game of Carcassonne , as it had to be tested to make sure everything worked of course. While their dad went to go and set everything up the rest of them made sure to tidy up the living room, getting rid of all the paper and putting away anything they didn't want to use in that moment.

As everyone found themselves at the table their dad took it upon himself to read the rules, explaining any new ones or ones that varied from the original game making sure that everyone understood what was going on. After which it was everyone for themselves, there was no mercy in this household.

At some point Mylo had found themselves in the lead, but only just, having been able to pull off a risky strategy and earning themselves a load of points. It didn't last long though as with the final few cards Andrea had managed to somehow pull off her own strategy, one that none of them thought could have worked but now that it had she had shot off into the lead leaving the rest no chance to catch up. Which was confirmed as they started counting the points after the last tile had been placed, Andrea had won.

"I win, I win, I win!" She sang, happily dancing around the room with a huge smile on her face. Mylo truly didn't care that he had lost, it was nice seeing her so happy, the soft smiles on both their parents faces mirroring his sentiment. Her happiness wasn't only affecting Mylo and their parents though. Andrea didn't notice as she was too busy doing her dance but everyone else in the room did, it was hard not to when things started floating in the air.

The tiles that had originally been lying flat on the table had started levitating, making their way over to Andrea and following her dance movements, it was slightly hypnotising. Seeing the looks on their faces though Andrea stopped, and finally noticed what was going on. At which point the tiles immediately fell to the ground, leaving a stunned silence. It didn't last for long though.

"OMG I DID MAGIC!!! I'M A WITCH!!" She screamed, excitement pouring out of her. Ever since Mylo had started attending Hogwarts she had been non-stop badgering them for information, attempting to do magic herself and wishing to be a witch as well, and now her dream had come true. "PA, DAD I'M GOING TO HOGWARTS!" Followed as everyone else still looked at each other slightly shocked, not that Andrea had noticed yet. "That's amazing sweetheart! You'll have to wait a bit longer though I'm afraid as you won't go until you're 11, but yes it's very exciting!" Their dad said, being the first to break the silence, a huge grin on his face at his daughters excitement. At that everyone else snapped out of it as well, all of them very happy for her as it had been all she'd talk about, when she'd get her first instance of magic, what she'd do when she joined Hogwarts, etc. They were all just excited that she wouldn't be disappointed when she didn't get her magic and it turned out she was a muggle, Mylo wasn't sure if she would have been able to be consoled from that.

"I need to go and prepare! There's so much I need to know!" She exclaimed, running off to her room before anybody could say anything. Mylo mentally prepared themselves for the huge list of questions that would likely be coming his way, seeing as he was the only one so far who had gone to Hogwarts in their family. Not that he minded at all, it was great to see her so happy.

A grin still on all of their faces the 3 that were still downstairs started clearing up again, picking up all of the cards that had found their way to the floor and making sure they hadn't lost any of the pieces, magic surely was quite messy sometimes.

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The sun had disappeared from the sky as everyone was sat in the living room, the nativity film playing on the tv and the light from the Christmas tree illuminating the room. Andrea had exhausted all of the questions she could possibly come up with and had somewhat calmed down, waves of excitement still radiating from her but that was to be expected. Mylo had enjoyed answering them all and seeing her light up at any mention of magic, making sure that she understood what to expect and what things would look like.

It was amazing to see how such an experience could mean so much to someone, and he was happy that she would be joining them in a few years, he knew she'd do great things. But the excitement seemed to have taken it's toll on everyone, as while the credits rolled a chorus of yawns could be heard, signalling that an amazing day full of surprises had come to and end.

"Okay, I think it's time for bed everyone." James yawned, stretching and slowly getting up from the sofa "Let's get you in bed, young lady." was the response to the protest that Andrea attempted to make, not very well as she was obviously already half asleep, a content smile on her face.

Bidding everyone goodnight Mylo made their own way upstairs and got ready for sleep themselves, replaying their favourite moments from the day in their head, and got into bed. The smile on their face never quite leaving as their dreams filled with the possible adventures they would have when Andrea joined him at Hogwarts. And the likely trouble the girl would get herself into, she would be an absolute menace with access to magic. At least detention might teach her a thing or two, but Mylo doubted it.

It was a peaceful night, filled with joy and excitement. A fitting ending for a great day.

ABILITIES | STATS
Perfectionist | Wandmaker [Dragonheart, Elm wood] | Calming presence
sta • 8 | eva • 7 | str • 5 | wis • 10 | arc • 7 | acc • 8

Code by Ara Villa