Open RP: A Little Morning Singing.

[pippithepirate]

((For more information about Lucia day, go here. For a complete, approximate translation of the song in the video, go here. Who said RPs weren't educational?))It was December 13th, and it was very, very early in the morning. In the Gryffindor common room, silence roamed

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[jezzthespoon]

Jezz happened to be wide awake at what was for him quite a godly hour, reading a guide to hexes while in bed. Then the faint, insistent strain of singing a ways off caught his attention. Over the past few years song had become something of a secondary bane of his existence, mentally tangled with the prospect of conversion at swordpoint.

He marked his spot in the book, fastened his leg brace, buckled on his kukri for good measure, and headed for the door, by which time the sound of singing had grown considerably louder. Still standing at the door, he sent Keheneshnef under it into the Slytherin common room to reconnoiter. Once Keheneshnef slithered back under and hissed a report, he opened the door and stepped into the common room himself. It was doubtful that a human child would force a choice of "song or sword," but he still moved with somewhat excessive wariness.

[pippithepirate]

Long step, striiide, long step, striiide... That was the cardinal rule of Lucia-ing, and for someone who was usually skipping to get from point A to point B, it was somewhat difficult to remember.

She had, somehow, managed to get into the Slytherin common room. She'd never been there before, but now was not the time to go sightseeing. She was very focused on her task. Christmas cheer, oh yes!

Still singing in a loud, steady voice Pippi strode up to Jezz, not even interrupting herself to greet him. In fact, she didn't speak until the final notes of the song had died out, when she straightened up and thrust out the tray of coffee and buns towards Jezz.

"Good morning!" she said brightly. "Have a saffron bun and some coffee!" Then she saw the kukri, blinked once, and smiled cheerfully at Jezz. "Are you a pirate?"

[jezzthespoon]

The buns did look appealing. Jezz carefully took one, blinking back at what seemed a non sequitur of a question - one that hit disconcertingly close to home, at that. He took his cue for being truthful from her decidedly nonaccusatory tone. "I have been called something close to a pirate. Is this a ritual, or just a habit of yours?" It would be an odd habit to walk about singing with candles on the head, but he'd seen stranger.

[pippithepirate]

Oh, well, close to a pirate, then. That was perfectly alright. Pippi approved of pirates, especially ones that ate saffron buns.

"Today is Lucia day, so I walk around singing and treating people to Christmas cheer! I should really have more people with me to make a parade, but I couldn't find anyone else. Mr. Nilsson didn't want to wear his hat." She fished out a paper mug from one of the pockets in her long night shirt. "Would you like some coffee with the bun?"

[bantersucks]

When Pippi made her rounds near his door, Jaime was fast asleep, in the middle of a fairly bizarre dream that involved Giganta trying to smash his school to bits (and yet managing to miss Mrs. Westberry with every stomp), the Batmobile being driven into his father's garage for repairs, and Paco attacking a giant sock puppet with a nailbat.

Then the sock puppet started singing, and it became too weird for his brain to handle.

When he opened his eyes, he thought he was still dreaming, because the singing could still be heard. No, wait, it was coming from right outside his door, in the hall.

This was why, as Pippi passed by his door, it opened and an incredibly disheveled head poked out. Jaime blinked at her a few times, and the first thing his sleep-addled brain could send to his mouth was, "Why do you have candles on your head?"

It was a perfectly reasonable question. He wasn't fully awake yet and for all he knew this could be a continuation of the same weird dream.

[pippithepirate]

Pippi, being in the middle of her not even remotely silent rendition of "Silent Night, Holy Night," finished her verse before addressing Jaime. A Lucia did not interrupt her singing for idle chit-chat! She was pretty sure.

"I bring light and warmth into the dark age of winter!" she said after she was done, as if that much should be obvious. "I'm Lucia!"

She balanced the enormous tray on one hand without any problems at all, and started digging around with her free hand in one of the pockets of her too-large shirt. Finally she found what she was looking for: a long piece of silver Christmas tree glitter, which she placed on Jaime's ruffled hair. There! Instant Christmas cheer!

"Christmas will be here soon!" she reminded him sternly, in case he had forgotten. "This is what you do where I come from. Have a saffron bun!" She presented him with the tray again.

[bantersucks]

(( ♥ Pippi. Assuming Christmas tree glitter = tinsel. I'll edit if it's not

[pippithepirate]

((Yeaaah... So I suck at finding the correct words, sometimes. >.<))

Pippi tilted her head, pondering the question. Well, with that hair, he did look sort of bushy... In some lights. He would need to wear more green, though. "You do, a little bit," she said honestly. "But it's difficult to stand still for as long as a real tree would, so I'm not going to dance around you."

She sighed deeply. "I know it's not Christmas now. It's Lucia, now. December 13th. Where I come from, you're supposed to stride along, like this..." She took a couple of majestically gliding steps and gave Jaime a pointed look. "And sing Christmas songs! Want to come with? I was going to have Mr. Nilsson with me, but he wouldn't wear his hat."

With a sad little sigh, she found the monkey's star boy hat in a pocket. It had been such a pain to attach the little gold stars to it, too...

"Can you sing?" she asked hopefully, peering up at Jaime. Not that it was important if he could sing, as long as he could belt.

[kosmosmagdalene]

The person that came out of KOS-MOS's sleeping pod/storage whatsitcalled is....ah screw it, Mary Magdalene's making another appearance.

Faint singing could be heard from somewhere in the castle, and since Mary's got nothing better to do, she followed the noise to find Pippi doing her Saint Lucia thing.

[pippithepirate]

Pippi had been practicing her striding for a moment or so, walking in large circles while singing about three gingerbread men in a voice that echoed around the stone corridors. She would have appreciated the accoustics, if she'd known what those were.

Striiide, striiiide... She thought she was doing pretty well, and was so busy with her task that she hardly noticed Mary's arrival. Soon, however, the striding brought her face-to-face with the blue-haired lady. So she smiled cheerfully.

"Hello! Happy Lucia!"

[kosmosmagdalene]

"Happy Lucia to you too, child. Is it typical for children to wake everyone up with food and singing on this day?"

[pippithepirate]

Pippi nodded. "Yep! Or, it is where I come from. So I decided to do this while here, to spread Christmas cheer! You do know it's Christmas soon, right?" She held out a saffron bun. "Want one?"

[vislor_turlough]

An insomniac Trion is a dangerous thing. Turlough hadn't been able to fall asleep at all, for reasons he couldn't fathom.

And that damned singing was NOT helping either.

Turlough ran to his door, threw it open, and stuck his head outside the door, saying, "Do you mind?"

[pippithepirate]

Turlough was greeted by the sunniest, perkiest smile in the history of the world, complete with dimples and freckles.

"No, I don't, but that's so nice of you to ask!" said Pippi cheerfully as the candles on her head flickered. "Good morning and Happy Lucia and Merry Christmas! Would you like a ginger snap?" She'd heard they put you in a good mood. No one was allowed to be grumpy today!

[vislor_turlough]

"I hope those candles set your hair on fire. People are trying to sleep." She's too cheery. That's my rule a fact. "One ginger snap," he added, taking it.

[pippithepirate]

Being Pippi, she ignored the insult and gave him a ginger snap. "It's Christmas soon! And Christmas are for the children, you know. So smile!" For emphasis, Pippi smiled again, showing off her sparkly white teeth.

"I can sing you a lullaby, if you like. They always help when Mr. Nilsson has trouble sleeping." Hmm, he probably should drink coffee, though. "And you can always try chamomile tea. But you should be up now soon, anyway! It's practically early." Well, in some parts of the world, she was sure it was early, anyway.