The hall is warm in the early evening. It is not yet Christmas, of course, but the holiday evening is festive non-the-less! A crackling fire burns in the hearth, throwing soft gold across garlands and evergreen boughs. The air carries scents of cinnamon, pine, and something sweet drifting in from the kitchen.
There is a clomp of boots at the entryway as Linnea steps in, knocking snow off and brushing her coat free of gathered flakes. Marigold is at hand greeting her with a cup of cocoa, which she accepts with a grateful smile as the warmth settles back into her large blue-gray hands. Danica gives them both a small smile as she passes by, heading out for her turn at watch.
Noirin sits at the piano bench, legs dangling, fingers moving with practiced confidence through a medley of Christmas songs. Near the hearth, Bluebell and Julius trade lines in a duet.
“I really can’t stay…” Julius sings with demure mock shyness.
“But baby it’s cold outside…” Bluebell purrs back with an almost predatory lilt that earns a quiet chuckle from Aiden, seated by the fire alongside his lady Nadeen with a mug of mulled wine.
At the long table, the childlings work on creating festive decorations for the hold walls. Blossom is in heated argument with Rochallor over whether a construction paper flower counts... "If I say it's a Yule flower, it is!" Stomp of small hoof!
Art is among them, a smudge of glue on one cheek and an earnest brightness in his eyes. He lifts a a many-times folded and intricately cut paper snowflake toward Thistle and Gwen.
“This one is not really accurate, since real snowflakes are all unique, and statistically the odds of reproducing one by hand are extremely low. But still, this sparkly glitter is rather pretty, don’t you think?”