Knox (knoxinator) wrote in shadows_rpg, @ 2019-07-19 11:54:00 |
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Entry tags: | #december 2017, #group scene, aidan, knox, max, shayna mae |
Who: The O’Reilly clan and Knox
When: Early evening, Monday December 25
Where: The O’Reilly house
Status: complete
The nice thing about not having a huge family was that nobody was in much of a rush on Christmas day. They had nowhere to be, no one else to visit… at least not as a huge group. Her dad would sleep for most of the day, depending on how far into the night he drank. And that was okay. Shayna Mae liked the laid back, casualness of it.
They spent the day lazying about and Shayna Mae enjoyed some of Aidan’s moonshine, though not enough to get drunk or incoherent. Knox was cooking them dinner, so she wanted to be alert enough to eat and enjoy it with everyone else.
Well, almost everyone else. Her dad had way too much moonshine and had passed out in a bed upstairs shortly after one o’clock and she didn’t expect him to join them for dinner. But they had a smallish tree decorated with colorful lights and several candles were lit around the house. It was festive enough for them, at least. And the house smelled amazing, thanks to whatever Knox was cooking. Shayna Mae occasionally popped into the kitchen to watch him, or take a look at what was on the stove, but she didn’t want to hover and risk setting something on fire, so eventually she took to wandering between the kitchen and living room where the others were.
“Do you want your presents now, or after dinner?” she asked Max and Aidan after refilling her glass with just a tiny bit more of moonshine.
Max was lounging on the couch reading random Reddit threads on his phone. Because he could do that now and every little thing he could do now that had been denied to him for the last two years was to be cherished. He glanced up when his sister came back in and shrugged. "Do we wanna make a big deal out of it?" he asked because he really didn't care either way. He had gifts for all of them but they were just carved animals he'd made in prison and managed to sweet talk the warden into letting him keep so they weren't fancy gifts or anything. He also doubted his siblings had splurged on something amazing so it was just a sweet gesture for the holidays. It wouldn't even be the whole family since their dad was passed out.
“We can do it now and not make a big deal of it,” Aidan pointed out from where he sat draped over an armchair. He’d been working his way through a series of locks, trying to see how quickly he could pick them. It was a gift from a couple years back that he knew he’d never outgrow. “Though we should wait till Knox is done cooking ‘cause I got shit for him too.” Everything he had was small, most of it stolen, but he still wanted to see his family open it since he’d taken the time to wrap it. His wrapping skills could use some work, but there was no doubt which gifts were from him. In every case, there was more tape than newspaper. “Any idea what he’s cookin’? It smells great.”
"We're not going to make a big deal out of it," Shayna Mae said. "But it's not like we give each other stuff every day." She didn't have expensive gifts to shower them with either, but they had never been a shallow family who needed frivolous things. If they waited for Knox so everyone was there, that felt like making a big deal out of it. Not that Shayna Mae minded one way or another. "We'll wait for Knox," she decided finally. "He's making wild turkey and some veggies and stuff. It looks amazing too. He needs to give me some cooking lessons." She grinned and walked over to the small tree to adjust some of the smaller handmade ornaments she had collected over the years.
"I say we pile dad's presents on his head and take a picture," Max muttered. "Mine gifts to you guys are pretty small so unless one of you is giving him something huge it should work." It had been such a naive hope that their dad might be doing better when Max got home but Max had still held onto it. To say he was disappointed was an understatement. At least Patrick wasn't a bad drunk, he just wasn't very functional. "But yeah, let's wait for Knox. I'm getting pretty hungry too, think it's just the smell of it all that's got my stomach going haywire."
Aidan didn’t care either way. The only person who was receiving a gift he actually paid for was Shayna Mae and he’d stolen the money used to pay for it. But it was the thought that counted, right? “Cooking lessons would’ve been a good Christmas gift,” he said, tipping his head back to smile at his sister. “For you, not me. I like this thing where Knox cooks.” It meant he didn’t have to and nobody wanted him to. Not that he wanted his sister to, but maybe he’d feel differently if she could cook like Knox. “I don’t wanna risk waking dad. Things are good. Let ‘em sleep it off.” He’d tried to tell his dad to slow down on the moonshine, but that never really worked. He didn’t want to argue and he didn’t want to deal with his father, which kind of made it easier if he was passed out.
Shayna Mae wanted to be offended that Aidan agreed she needed cooking lessons, even though she brought it up in the first place, but he was right and she knew she wasn't the best cook. She tried though, which is what mattered, right? Food always tasted better when it was cooked with love. There just happened to occasionally be some burnt edges around that love. "Well, you two lazy butts could go ask Knox if he needs help with anything. Setting the table, and all that."
Knox happened to love to cook. He’d been doing it since the days when it was mostly meat roasted over an open fire and wild vegetables and mushrooms gathered in the forest and bread made from hand-ground grains. Everything was so much easier now with grocery stores and all that, but he still liked that the majority of their produce came from Shayna Mae’s garden. And Knox could still catch a wild turkey himself, which he had done for Christmas. They only needed a few store-bought things, and he was pretty sure it was all going to be delicious. It would just be him and the kids -- though they weren’t really kids anymore, were they? -- but that was just fine too. There would be leftovers.
He got to a point where he was ready to start serving, and Knox sauntered into the living room, wiping his hands on the ‘Kiss the Cook’ apron he had on over comfortable lounging clothes. “Soup’s on!” he declared to the siblings with a bright grin. “Go sit down, I’ll bring it out.” He may have been a pretty good cook, but his idea of setting the table was just dumping utensils and napkins in the middle of the table for everyone to grab. Drinks were up to them.
Max pocketed his phone as he got up and right now the promise of food was about the only thing that could get him moving. "Smells good, man," he called after Knox and since he was up he started helping out a little, spreading out the plates and utensils though the way he did it wouldn't be acceptable in any high society. He still wanted to tease the old man by showing him a picture of a gift pile on his head and he was pretty sure Aidan was wrong and that the old man would sleep through it. "
Aidan followed his siblings to the kitchen, grabbing the moonshine while Max set the table. "Anyone want a refill?" He knew some people got all fancy with Christmas dinner, but he liked that theirs was casual. He couldn't imagine them all getting dressed up and sitting down with fine china and all that shit. It just wasn't them. The food, though, smelled amazing, and was probably fit for a king. At least, that was his opinion. "Where'd you learn to cook so good, Knox?"
Fancy anything tended to make Shayna Mae feel out of place, and she definitely preferred a laid back atmosphere where everyone could relax and enjoy themselves instead of worrying about what fork they needed to use, or if their elbows were on the table. She sat down since Max was sort of setting the table and Knox was bringing the food out. They would save food for their dad when he woke up, but it didn't make any sense to rouse him now when he would probably just start snoring at the table anyway.
"I'll take some," Shayna Mae told Aidan, though her gaze was on Knox and his silly apron which looked so out of place on him, which is probably why it seemed so endearing.
Family gathering around to eat was one of the most basic human activities, and Knox loved it. They didn’t do it a ton in the house anymore, since everybody was grown and on their own path, and Max had been gone for a while, so it was nice to have an excuse. Knox didn’t believe in anything the Christians said, but he enjoyed this stolen holiday anyway. He glanced over toward Aidan at the question, picking up the turkey on the serving plate to take to the table. “Just been doin’ it for long years, my friend,” he answered jovially. “Pour me some too.” He ruffled the young man’s hair with a grin before he went back to grab more dishes to bring to their big old table. A lot of O’Reillys had eaten off of it down through the years.
"Hit me up," Max said cheerfully scooting his glass closer to Aidan for the refill as he sat down. He knew Knox had been doing this for a long time and had been cooking for their great great great grandparents no doubt, maybe even further back than that. Of course he could cook, he was fantastic in most ways. "Man, I can't wait to eat," he sighed happily. Eating had been one of the best things about being home lately and they'd just been having basic things so far. This was an actual feast and it had been more than two years since he last had a home cooked meal of this caliber. He'd lived alone for a while before prison and he really hadn't come home often enough.
"Let me know what you think of this one," Aidan said as he procured a new jar of moonshine and began to refill everyone's glasses. The liquid was bright red, unlike the previous batch, which had been honey colored. He could always make the struff straight, but one of his favorite things to do was incorporate something from Shayna Mae's garden into the mix. In this case, he'd used cranberries, which felt a bit festive, even if a little bit tart. Once everyone had some in their glass, he took a seat at the table and surveyed the meal Knox had prepared. "I don't know what we'd do without you," he grinned. "Probably starve." Not quite, he knew, but their meals would've been significantly more basic.
"Ramen noodles and frozen pizzas," Shayna Mae said with a grin. Everything looked and smelled amazing and she took a sip of her moonshine, a hum of approval forming in her throat. She was never disappointed by Aidan's combinations. Shayna Mae felt bad making Knox serve after doing all the cooking, so she stood to take the plates to start serving the turkey at least as Knox brought more food out. She might not be the best cook but she could be useful in other ways. "You guys want some of everything, right?"
“Aw, you guys would manage somehow.” Knox paused as he arrived at the table again with full hands to kiss Shayna Mae’s cheek. “Thank you darlin’,” he murmured. It wasn’t unusual for him to be affectionate with all of them, but his gaze was a tiny bit warmer on Shayna Mae before he kept circling a bit, then set the plates down on the table. Knox paused at his spot at the table to lift the glass of moonshine for a sip, then groaned his appreciation. That was good. He smooched the top of Aidan’s head on his way back to the kitchen to grab the last couple of items.
Max tried it too and groaned happily. "Too good," he said, licking his lips he enjoyed the subtle after-burn. "I'm gonna end up like dad and be drunk all the time if you keep this up." No wonder the old man had a problem. "I would've killed for this hooch in the joint," he sighed, finishing the drink and setting the glass down. He'd been drinking a lot since he came home but how could he not? There was so much alcohol on offer, at home and around town. He was just happy his tolerance for it hadn't gotten all fucked up from sobriety that lasted too long.
“A little of everything,” Aidan nodded, giving his sister a smile and a murmured word of thanks as she served them. They were all useful in their own ways—Shayna Mae grew the food, Knox cooked it, and Aidan… well, it seemed he got them drunk. Which was fine, he supposed, though he didn’t want to see his brother end up like their father. He raised his brow as Max downed the newly refreshed drink. “You keep that up and I’ll cut you off,” he half-teased. He wasn’t really going to police his brother, not around the holidays and not freshly out of prison, and even after the most he’d ever do was give him a look.
Aidan didn't need to police Max because Shayna Mae would. Not in a nagging, strict way but in a way that would hopefully keep him from ending up in prison again. She felt protective of both of her siblings and she liked taking care of them the best she could. With her cheek tingling from where Knox had kissed it, Shayna Mae finished serving everyone after he brought the remaining dishes out. Her stomach rumbled from hunger and everything looked so good. It made her wish her dad was sober enough to enjoy it with them. Shayna Mae sat back down with her own plate and released a happy sigh. "Well, Happy Yule, Merry Christmas and all that stuff. Try not to eat it all too fast."
Knox plopped down in front of his plate, pleased with how everything looked and smelled. He didn’t always go all out for holiday meals, but sometimes he liked to, and this one felt kind of special. Max was back! That was reason to celebrate. He lifted his glass to everyone, a broad smile on his face. “Happy Yule, and here’s to everybody being back together again,” he said warmly. Knox loved all of them, he’d watched them grow up and turn into who they were, and that was always a treat. The roster might change through the years, but the O’Reillys were always family to him. “Well, y’know ... almost everybody,” he added with a glance toward the stairs. Patrick had his own issues.
"Under the same roof will have to do," Max said as he raised his glass. "Happy Yule." He drank to the toast because it was bad luck not to but this time he didn't gulp it all down at once. He was reckless but he was also hungry and he vaguely remembered his limits. "I really missed you guys, even when you threaten to cut me off." He gave Aidan a pointed look, then smiled easily again as he started in on the food. It was too tempting so he wasn't about to sit around and stare at it for any longer and it tasted as good as it looked and smelled. He hummed appreciative noises at Knox, letting the meat melt on his tongue.
“Happy Yule,” Aidan smiled, toasting along with them and then taking a sip of his drink. He could always make something a little less strong, but this was what he’d perfected and it seemed a shame to change just to keep his father and brother from getting drunk. Besides, with his dad, he’d just end up drinking more to get to the same place. Max usually had some restraint, so Aidan figured it was just the long dry spell that was causing him to over-indulge now. “We missed you too,” he smiled at Max. “I’m glad you made it out for Christmas. It’s just not the same without you here.” It was different when he was out, doing his own thing, but not being able to be there because he was behind bars had a much more sobering effect.
Shayna Mae began to eat, already feeling pleasantly buzzed from the moonshine, so she didn't want to go overboard and end up sloppy drunk by the end of the night. The food was amazing and Shayna Mae shot Knox a pleased look before she glanced over at her brothers. "It's definitely more quiet," she teased, "but Aidan's right, it's not the same. I mean, and as long as you follow house rules, you can stay as long as you want to." More teasing, though obviously Max knew to pull his weight and keep things clean. Messes drove her crazy, but they all knew that so there was no need to explain.
"Quiet?" Max quipped, giving them both an incredulous look. "With this guy in the house?" He picked up a maize corn just to flick it at Knox's head playfully, giving the giant a mischievous little grin. "You're both so full of shit." Knox had definitely made it fun to grow up and Max had never fully felt like the oldest kid because he'd always had a big brother of sorts to playfight with. Not much had changed there and they still wrestled on occasion. Knox sometimes even let him 'win' sometimes though both of them knew that was on purpose.
Knox tittered and picked up the piece of corn where it had landed after bouncing off of his face to flick it back at Max. “I’m quiet as a mouse,” he insisted, laughing again because they all knew that wasn’t true. He could be silent if he needed to be, but being boisterous was in his nature when things were relaxed and good. Like now. They really needed some music on or something. “We did miss you though, idiot. We’re not complete without each other.” He was tempted to throw something more substantial than a kernel of corn, but he didn’t want Shayna Mae to get onto them for food fighting. Knox drank some more moonshine instead. “We need all hands on deck, bad things are coming,” he added, still sounding just as light and merry.
Aidan snickered, shaking his head. There were a lot of words he might use to describe Knox, but ‘quiet’ was not one of them. If their familiar was quiet, it generally meant that trouble was brewing. “You think they can feel it?” He asked thoughtfully as he munched on dinner. “The other witches? I feel like we should be preparing for battle or something.” The trouble was, they didn’t know what was coming. It was just something in the air, or the feel of the soil. They could all sense it, but Aidan wasn’t as worried as he thought he should be. It just felt like another day in Point Pleasant most of the time. ‘Bad Things’ were always on the horizon.
Shayna Mae shrugged. "Probably. I mean, if we can, they can. But no one seems overly concerned. Caius D'Onofrio and I talked about it for a few minutes at Zania's party, but he seemed more distracted by other things. I think at this point we all know to brace ourselves and just deal with things as we can." She took a bite of food, sighing internally at how delicious it was. It was hard to be worried about much of anything today, with how relaxed and happy they all seemed to be. Tomorrow might be different, but she had full confidence in her family to be prepared.
"Really?" Max sighed and that wasn't the first time he heard about bad things - or big things - coming to town. The sexy lady at the Castells’ party had said they all had something in common, something big and external that was going to affect them all. Leave it to Max to expect it to be bad but now Knox pretty much confirmed that for him. He couldn't feel shit, of course. He was just enjoying his newfound freedom and happy to be home, even if it meant he now had to sit on the sidelines for talks like these; magic shit, premonitions, all the things he wasn't privy to. "Well fuck," he muttered and raised his glass in a forlorn toast. "To bad shit coming."
“To bad shit coming,” Knox chimed in, lifting his glass as well. He grinned around the table at them, his current favorite people in the world. “May we fuck it in its ass when it arrives!” It wasn’t the most couth toast, especially on Christmas, but Knox gave no shits. He knew they could all handle whatever came down the pike at them, Max included. He might not have the magic his siblings did, but he was tough and capable and Knox loved him just as much. It would be just another storm to weather, and the O’Reillys had made it through countless storms before. For now they had warmth and family, and they could fill their bellies and give each other gifts and just enjoy their holiday and each other, all together again.