...and the world sings an April lullaby

[withpockets]

[ooc: forward dated to tonight, after the party. anyone in the Casa may tag, but it's mostly geared towards the Nephilim children, if they'd like to be tucked in on Christmas Eve.]The Ball was epic and fun, and probably all the residents of the Casa met plenty of new people and made some new friends in the process. But now it's late, and almost

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[theburningcross]

Devon (formerly known as 42-K and occasionally known as Arthur) is looking more tired than he'd really want anyone to believe he is. He was having fun at the party- he doesn't see why it had to end.

"If there's really a Santa, then how come he never visited the camp?" he asks grumpily as he walks into Rose's bedroom, looking sulky. Granted, that should be an obvious question, but if all those specials he watched on TV meant anything, then there's no reason why he shouldn't have.

[unprodigalchild]

Melissa - Melissa, she remembered her name and people are calling her by it now, the way they used to - is already sitting crosslegged on the bed, huddled into a nightgown a couple sizes too big for her.

"Maybe," she says, "they stopped him." Because they could have. They were terrifying and all powerful and sure, they were defeated them, but the Doctor and Donna and Martha and Desmond and all of their rescuers are... something else. Melissa's a little in awe of them. "Or maybe he did come and they just kept the presents away from us."

It's perfectly logical, Devon. Melissa is nothing if not logical.

[withpockets]

"They stole your presents from you," Donna says as she bustles in, already wearing her pyjamas, and kisses Devon on the top of his head as she walks in. "Because if you had nice presents, then you might be happy, and they didn't want you happy." She beams at them. "But I promise Santa will come tonight," she tells them seriously. "I've put out cookies and milk and everything. And I'm sure you'll all get just lovely presents."

[theburningcross]

Devon makes a face at the kiss, but he secretly appreciates it. You don't get kindness from strangers at the camp, much less affection, and it's taking him a bit to adjust to the fact that he can be a kid and not a tough little Emim who likes to harass his handlers.

He climbs up onto the bed with Melissa and draws his knees up to his chin. "So even though we're not human, he'll come?" This is a valid question in Devon's book. Even if he is a kid, he never really felt like one.

[who_will_buy]

While Donna is helping the other kids to bed, Emily has been in Donna's room changing into her pajamas, and then down the hall getting her teeth brushed. She is back in Donna's room, standing inside the curtains and looking out the window at the stars. Emily met so many people tonight, and no one seemed to hate her or be disgusted by her existence.

It doesn't make much sense at all to her, but it was such an amazing night. One of the best nights she ever had. She doesn't understand this Christmas thing still, but she thinks she likes it a lot.

Emily is so exhausted from all of the dancing and meeting new people, but she is distracted by the Rift and thoughts and she needs Donna to be able to fall asleep.

She blows air against the window, watching it fog up from the cold.

[withpockets]

Donna doesn't see her initially when she comes in after tucking the others in, but she notices the lump in the curtains and the feet sticking out from underneath them, and sneaks up on Emily, tickling her ribs through the cloth.

"What's this? Got a lump in my curtains!" Donna exclaims, laughing.

[who_will_buy]

Emily squeaks, and then starts giggling when she realizes there are fingers on her ribs. Hey, nephilim children are not immune to tickling.

She turns toward Donna, trying to escape and laughing. "It tickles! Hey! It tickles!"

But she's grinning so she doesn't actually mind one bit.

[withpockets]

Donna laughs, and scoops her up, cuddling her madly and giving her a big kiss on the cheek before flopping on the bed. "Oh, I'm plumb wore out from that fancy party," she sighs, and then grins excitedly. "Buuuut before we go to bed, I have a very special Christmas present for you, if you'd like to see it."

She really really really hopes that she's right and Emily will be excited. She's pretty sure she will.

[cyfor]

Cy is curled up on the couch, still wearing Donna's coat and talking to herself. "Once upon the entry stair, I saw a man who wasn't there. He wasn't there today again; tomorrow I will let him in."

She pokes her fingers around in Donna's pockets, hunting for interesting tidbits, and comes out with a toothpick. Cy holds it up, frowning, and then rolls off the couch with a thump, pads over to the fireplace grate, and flicks it through the Rift.

[withpockets]

"Now, let's not make messes, dear. Have to put presents out for the kidlets," Donna comments as she walks in. She smiles a little at Cy. "If you promise not to unwrap them, I'll let you help. And you can have all the bows after the presents are unwrapped tomorrow."

It should be a good offer...

[cyfor]

It is. She gives a cheerful little chirrup and pokes at the remains of the toothpick. "Put them in the blender and have confetti for breakfast."

No, Donna, the living room will never be clean again.

[withpockets]

"Something like that," Donna says, amused. She'll just have to clean. Again. That's all right. "They are quite shiny."

[26_u]

In the kitchen, in a corner, is a little Rephaim who managed to squirrel away a napkin full of cookies from the Christmas ball and is lifting them out and examining them one by one with an air of reverence. Tobias - Toby, really, as Tobias is a name he may have to grow into - never saw cookies before coming here. And he's a bit afraid that if he doesn't keep them close to him, they'll disappear like so many other nice dreams.

[withpockets]

Donna, of course, goes looking after tucking Devon and Melissa into bed, and finds Toby in the kitchen and smiles. So cute, with his biscuits. "I can put those in the cupboard for you," she offers. "They'll still be there in the morning, unless the Doctor or Des decide to be a biscuit thief, but we'll get you new ones if they do."

[26_u]

Toby looks up at her, eyes wide - but then, his eyes are always wide. "I can't take them to bed with me?" he asks. It's not that he doesn't think Donna will give them back to him - she's the nicest lady he's ever seen - but he's never had anything that's really his before, and the idea of sleeping with the cookies tucked in between his hands up against his chest just makes him happy. He can hold onto them all night long.

[withpockets]

Donna's face softens, and she decides that maybe Santa can come early for Toby. And Melissa and Devon if they'd like, too. Hey, they can each have one present Christmas Eve, right?

"Well, they'll all crumble and get the bed full of crumbs, and then you wouldn't be able to eat them," Donna says, motioning for him to come with her while she pokes around on the top shelf of the hall closet. She lays hands on the present and pulls it down, handing it to him. It's soft and squishy, and inside is a stuffed lion, the extremely cuddly kind. "Here, you can open this a little early," she says with a conspiratorial whisper.

That way he can have something that's his to cuddle tonight.