Cai Vane. (vanest) wrote in disorderic, @ 2017-12-15 21:16:00 |
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Entry tags: | cai vane, gwendolyn vane |
WHO: Gwen & Cai Vane
WHEN: 14th December
WHERE: Vane Family Home
WHAT: Christmas Traditions and tree decorating
WARNINGS: None
Gwen had turned the music up the minute she got into the house — loud enough that anyone who talked had to raise their voice a bit, loud enough that it sounded like a backing track to anyone singing along. Her mother’s house was half-done up for Christmas, in a haphazard way which was very typical of Violet Vane. There was tinsel wound around the bannister, the tree was up, a wreath was on the door; everything else stood in boxes, half coming out of it. Gwen had to step over a box to get to the tree and there were fairy lights all over the floor. “Oh, you and your brother can do it,” Violet had said, waving a hand. “I’m doing bingo tonight with Isla down the road.” She’d disappeared, promising to be back soon, and Gwen had started to sing along, methodically unpacking everything. There was no rhyme or reason to the boxes, everything thrown in together at the end of the Christmas season. Just like always. It made her sigh and smile and she turned as Cai walked in the door. There was a bottle of Baileys on the fireplace and, in lieu of greeting, Gwen said, “Shall we start with tradition one? I’ve put the kettle on if you’re easing yourself into it with the Bailey’s in hot chocolate.” “I’ll make two,” Cai replied, smiling as he stepped into the familiar scene. “I picked up candy canes on the way,” he added, holding up the packet for her to see before taking three out for garnishing their drinks — one each and then a third to crush and sprinkle on top so they looked proper Christmassy. He tossed the rest of the packet to Gwen, for adding to the tree later, and picked up the Bailey’s instead. “If I can’t hear you’re singing from the kitchen you’re not loud enough.” Despite her solemn promise to herself every year not to eat the candy canes before Christmas, Gwen still dipped into the box and took one out, setting it to the side. It wasn’t enough to have one in her drink — she had to. Otherwise, it wasn’t really Christmas. Grinning, she looked at Cai and said, “I promise to absolutely bellow out Mariah while you’re in the kitchen. Or maybe Wham. I’m feeling a bit of George Michael.” “You almost had me convinced George Michael was back and in the house,” Cai told Gwen when he returned from the kitchen, handing her the hot chocolate and placing the Baileys back on the fireplace for later. “Start with the tree?” he added, even though that was always the way. “I can sing just like him,” Gwen said, launching into a few lines, clutching the hot chocolate in one hand. She was laughing as she drifted over towards the tree, reaching out to fluff some of the branches out. “I found the really ugly decorations so quick. I’m going to put that rocking horse you made right — here.” She jerked her wand sharply and the horse flew into her hand before she delicately placed it onto the tree, front and centre. Cai scrunched up his face as the rocking horse that looked more like a rocking giraffe was added to the tree. “I can’t believe mum kept them all. Maybe this will be the year it finally falls off the tree and breaks.” He waved his wand, Gwen’s bauble flying towards him. “Though, at least I could spell my name when we customised these.” “Look!” Gwen protested, laughing. “Your name has three letters. Mine has seventy billion.” She looked at the childish attempt to spell ‘Gwendolyn’, the errant ‘b’ in there a constant source of family amusement. “I think I did quite well.” She watched it find its place on the tree and then followed it up with a string of beads that Violet had made from necklaces. It was, at best, eclectic. It was also very ugly. It was never leaving the family tree. “You could wear this, you know,” Gwen said. “Around your neck. I think it’d just about fit.” “And deprive the tree of such …interesting beads? I couldn’t pull them off like the tree can.” He pulled out some lights and carefully wrapped them around the tree by hand, placing them so they’d directly hit the beads when turned on, maximising their impact. He followed that up with his perfectly spelled (but sloppily written) ‘Cai’ bauble, placed right next to Gwen’s so people could easily see how good he’d been at spelling. He stepped back to admire the partially decorated tree, smiling as he sipped his hot chocolate. “Ugly trees are underrated. This tree is always my favourite.” Gwen scowled, making the expression larger, more dramatic as she looked at their baubles side by side. Her own hot chocolate hid her smile for a moment, but barely, as it broadened, warming with her insides in the path of the warm drink. “It’s a good tree,” she said. “The one at work is too classy and the one we have in the flat doesn’t have such a beautiful angel to go on top.” A beat, and then, “I’m talking about you.” Cai laughed, flicking his wand to summon the actual angel topper. “You know what we could do though?” He suggested, inspecting the angel. “Stick a photo of Romilda’s face right here. I'm sure she'd love being the centrepiece of the tree.” “Do you think it should be one of her selfies during the mega duckface phase?” Gwen asked, gleefully. “When she kept chucking up peace signs and had like, foundation on her lips?” “I think it has to be one of those selfies,” Cai agreed with a grin. “If she complains we can just say that we thought her message of ‘peace’ was very fitting.” Gwen laughed, loudly, over the top of Cliff Richard singing about mistletoe and wine. “It is the season of peace and love, after all,” she said, her face lighting up as she thought about it. “I’m gonna go through my pictures later. I reckon Mum’ll love it.” There was no way she wouldn’t, Gwen thought, as she opened another box and reached for the tinsel. She bypassed the tree for a moment and instead started winding it around the fireplace, moving candles and vases to catch and hold it. “You’re not going to have fancy other place plans for Christmas, are you?” Gwen asked, as her back was turned. “You’re coming home?” The question surprised Cai, quiet for a moment before he replied. “I was thinking about spending it with my secret family, but my imaginary children have been annoying lately so I’m going to come home instead,” he joked. “Of course I’m coming home,” he added seriously, seconds later. “There’s nowhere else I’d want to be for Christmas.” “Wow, but I love imaginary Ioan!” Gwen said, aiming a laugh over her shoulder that rang out like a bell in the living room air. She swayed to the music, taking another long drink of her hot chocolate, spinning round the tree as she looked at it. She couldn’t stop thinking about Romilda’s letter. “Okay, good,” she said, falsely casual. “I think it’ll be nice for everyone to be together. Happy family.” She reached out, self-consciously, and tugged at a branch to spread it out further. “Some of us will probably need it.” Cai took a long sip of his hot chocolate, reality slightly splintering the magic of Christmas. Another sip and his mug was empty, Cai reaching for the bottle on the fireplace to top it up with straight Baileys, holding the bottle out for Gwen when he was done. “It will be nice,” he agreed. “We’ll make it one of the best Christmases yet.” Gwen gladly took the bottle from her brother, pouring it into her mug, filling it past any level which could be termed ‘decent.’ She was going to get too tipsy on Bailey’s and be hungover tomorrow — but what else was Christmas for? “Of course,” she said, with a quiet confidence she wasn’t sure she completely felt. “I think we’d deserve it. It’s our gift to ourselves and Romilda and stuff.” “Romilda might be upset if that’s the only present we get her,” Cai chuckled, trying to bring the mood back up. He stepped towards her, wrapping his free arm around her shoulders and giving a light squeeze. “Maybe a one way ticket to the Bahamas is the perfect gift for her.” Gwen sighed and nodded, wrapping an arm around Cai to squeeze him back. “If you’re gonna get her one of those,” she said, very seriously, “on your flash hitwizard wage, then I want one too. Throw money at your favourite sister, too. I can accompany her! I’m a great chaperone.” She looked at Cai expectantly. “You’ll do it, yeah?” “I don’t want to ruin the surprise but…” Cai temporarily trailed off, only to finish with “Then I’d miss you too much. You’re right about her needing a chaperone though, otherwise she’ll end up with a harem and never come home. Guess that’s mum’s present sorted too.” Gwen’s nose wrinkled, but she smiled and reached out to shove at Cai’s arm. She took another drink and then cradled the mug in the palm of her hand, before giving him a meaningful look. “If you send Mum away and she comes back with a harem too, I hope you know you only have yourself to blame.” Cai laughed. “We can have a harem of step fathers. Donald mightn’t like it, but he can buy his own ticket to the Bahamas if he wants to stop it. There’s only so much I can do.” “You’re such a good son,” Gwen said, laughing, then wrinkling her nose. “I’m letting you take the favourite spot this Christmas, I guess, but there’s nothing I could do to top that. Not even if I made the best reindeer food, which I will.” She lifted her chin a little. Cai was so weak in the face of competition. “My reindeer food is the best every year,” Cai took the bait immediately, meeting her eyes with a steady, challenging stare. “But if you think you can beat me, you’re on Gwendolyn. Race you to the kitchen?” |