(Untitled)

[flowers_on_skin]

It was Christmas Eve, babe...in the drunk tank, and an old man said to me, "won't see another one".

Christmas had always somewhat perplexed Eostre, if she was honest. She didn't understand. The trees were pretty. She'd always rather enjoyed the food, but it seemed to her that God got rather lost in it. The Christians had such a funny little

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[get_a_lifetime]

Death bounded into the rec room with an ornament for the tree. She had been so patient waiting for the glue to dry and now the cobbled together orb of glued sea glass was ready to hang.

"Hiiiii, Eostre," she sing-songed as she skipped past her.

[flowers_on_skin]

Eostre watched Death go past her, her hand unconciously on her stomach and put a biscuit down.

She rubbed the end of her nose.

"Hello, Didi."

[get_a_lifetime]

"How are you?" she asked brightly over her shoulder. "Are you feeling better yet? I totally am."

[flowers_on_skin]

"Well, that's something," she said, breaking the edge off of a biscuit, but not putting in her mouth. "A lot of people were very worried."

She avoided the question about how she was. She didn't want to talk about throwing up when she was quite enjoying her biscuits.

[get_a_lifetime]

"I know. Even Crowley kind of was and I didn't think he cared about anything," she said. "It was the solstice, I'm sure of it. Death and rebirth of the year."

And almost to prove her point, the jukebox started a new song.

Now is the solstice of the year.
winter is the glad song that you hear.
Seven maids move in seven time.
Have the lads up ready in a line.

Ring out these bells.
Ring out, ring solstice bells.
Ring solstice bells.

[flowers_on_skin]

Eostre wrinkled her nose again, thinking about standing with Sam Vimes on the solstice. Thinking about how cold and empty she'd felt around this little spark, this little ember of life.

"Mmmm. We're for the dark," she said. "I haven't been able to stop thinking about Laurie Lee all week. Nice boy. And Crowley doesn't care about this, usually. Either that, or he's good at pretending not to."

[get_a_lifetime]

"He's at church," she replied, stepping back to see how her ornament caught the light. Satisfied, she spun around and walked closer to Eostre, a distinct spring in her step. "You look all comfy and cozy," she beamed.

[flowers_on_skin]

Long years of practice meant that Eostre didn't move when Death stepped towards her. Her face didn't even change.

"Winter doesn't suit me," she said, with a wry twist to her mouth. "It's a bloody battle to stay warm."

[get_a_lifetime]

"Yeah," she nodded, "I know. I was all cold and hard inside, but now it's gone. Of course, my sisters are gone too, but that's the better option according to everyone around here. I just kinda hope the boys don't show up in Spring. Destruction and Desire and Destiny? He's so blind and cranky," she chittered, shaking her head. "Where'd you get cookies?"

[flowers_on_skin]

"I made them," said Eostre, holding out the plate with her hand swathed in her sweater, which was one of Mike's. "Want one?"

She tilted her head, her hair falling into her eyes.

"Oh, I don't know. I miss your brother sometimes. The other one. I met a little girl who reminded me of him the other day. Skinny and miserable."

[get_a_lifetime]

"I miss Dream too much," she replied as she nodded and reached for a cookie. "I try not to think of it or I start to cry."

[flowers_on_skin]

She nodded.

"I get like that about Loki. So I don't think about him either."

[get_a_lifetime]

Death swallowed hard and held the cookie in a shaking hand. "Yes. He's gone. And I haven't seen the All-Father or John in a long time. I don't like that people just go away. Disappearing isn't dying. It's so...open."

[flowers_on_skin]

Eostre shrugged, and took another bite of her biscuit.

"They come, they go. They're here, they're not. All three of them have died before, Didi. I imagine it's an awfully big adventure for them."

[get_a_lifetime]

"That's true," she agreed before she nibbled the cookie. "I can make shortbread," she offered once she'd tasted it. "It's hard though."

[flowers_on_skin]

"There's a nack to it. There's a nack to most things."

She popped the rest of her biscuit into her mouth.

"My shortbread isn't so bad. My gingerbread is better."