[Gift] Hark, or Whatever

As Cherubmas slowly but surely took over Burrowgatory, blanketing everything in white and gold decorations just like the snow began to blanket the ground, even the Church of Sulfur got in on the festivities. The priests, nuns, and acolytes hardly ever turned down a good party, regardless of the occasion - and everyone still needed a little something to ease their minds after recent events, what with the vampires and Oleander being dead and then not-dead, and all. Elegant wreaths marked the doors, and glimmering tinsel draped over the stained glass windows, and everyone bustling about was positively humming with cheer.

Well. Almost everyone.

“Why are we even doing this?” Mirele grumbled. “This isn’t even our holiday.”

“It’s about community and togetherness!” Francesca chided them, at the same time that Yuri said, “Trying new things is good for you.”

Mirele gave them both a flat look and went back to tying their scarf. 

“I know what you’re thinking right now!” Francesca chirped. “You’re thinking, ‘You know what? This is actually on me. You’d think that after working with Oleander for so long, I’d just ignore lust buns altogether! But noooo, and now here we are!’ Well, when you put it like that, this was practically your idea!” She grinned. “Great idea, Miri! We’d love to go carolling with you!”

“Fran,” Yuri lightly scolded her. Her teasing was good-natured, but she might actually make Mirele up and leave if she kept at it. The grumbling in and of itself was already more verbal engagement than Mirele usually granted people; it was just hard to tell if that was good or bad.

Then again, they were still bundling up to go out into the cold despite their protests. If they really, really hated the idea, they could easily have just cold-shouldered the other two and left. Yuri decided to be cautiously optimistic.

“Come on, it’ll be fun!” Francesca backed down with one last reassurance. She handed Yuri and Mirele some booklets of sheet music that she had procured from somewhere - probably Dove - and secured her hat so that it wouldn’t slip off in a gust of wind. She’d already tied her ears in the front so that they hugged her neck like a warm scarf. Yuri didn’t mind the cold so much, but he had also bundled himself with a scarf and light coat, just in case the weather took a turn beyond the gentle snowfall that currently graced them.

Yuri was already humming as the three of them stepped out into the winter air. The melody and lyrics of the carols that the cherubuns had provided them were unfamiliar, though Yuri had already heard other succubuns inserting their own, much bawdier lyrics in place of those written in the booklets. He was going to stick with what was on paper… for now.

Various streets throughout Burrowgatory had been established as carolling routes for those partaking, so that they wouldn’t bother the homes of anyone who didn’t want to be involved in the new tradition. Yuri, Francesca, and Mirele made their way to a neighborhood close to the church, joining a few other roving groups of carollers. The streetlamps that lined the sidewalks were festively draped with the same kinds of decorations as the church and the homes in the surrounding area, all glinting in the light. Linking arms - Francesca on one side of Mirele and Yuri on the other, so that they couldn’t slip away - the trio followed other singers up the sidewalk to a stop in front of the first house.

It wasn’t nearly as organized or harmonious as the church choir, of course, but the carollers were enthusiastic if nothing else. Some of them seemed to have rehearsed before striking out on their impromptu roadshow, but plenty hadn’t, stifling giggles as they stumbled over the unfamiliar lyrics. Yuri did his best to keep pace and stay on key, but it was a little difficult when they hadn’t stopped to establish which key they were actually supposed to be singing in to begin with. Haphazardly, the group made their way through the full set of songs and moved on, laughing and chatting with each other between houses.

It took a few stops before Yuri and Francesca started to realize that something was off. They must have noticed around the same time, exchanging a glance with each other and then back at Mirele, where they were hanging near the back of the carolling group. Sure enough, as everyone gathered themselves and started on the next round of singing, Mirele’s mouth stayed firmly shut. Yuri and Francesca shared another look, but neither of them wanted to interrupt the singing, so they just got through the next few songs. 

When the singing wrapped up, they both fell back to join Mirele. “Miri, it’s no good to come along carolling if you’re not going to sing,” Francesca wheedled them.

Mirele heaved a deep sigh, seemingly in resignation. It seemed like they had been hoping their lack of participation wouldn’t be noticed.

“If you’re really not enjoying yourself, we can go back,” Yuri offered, frowning. “It’s supposed to be fun.”

Mirele sighed again. “No. It’s fine,” they said, quiet as usual. “I can sing. Since you invited me.”

It seemed like they had been studying the music booklet despite staying silent before, so at the next house, they did indeed clear their throat along with the others. Yuri opened his own mouth to begin reciting the songs once more, but stuttered to a stop after just a few notes.

Looking back at Francesca again, she looked as surprised as he felt. They both shot another look back at Mirele, whose eyes were closed and head held high, voice ringing out clearly above the other carollers.

It was beautiful.

Yuri was so taken aback that he couldn’t find his place again until the end of the song. Mirele opened their eyes once the melody had finished, only to find their two companions staring at them in shock.

“...What?” They asked, frowning at them.

“What!?” Francesca echoed. “Where have you been hiding that singing voice all this time!?”

“That was absolutely lovely,” Yuri hurriedly reassured them.

Mirele huffed, leaving a white puff of breath in the air. It was hard to tell because of their dark fur, but they might have been blushing, despite their grumpy expression. “It’s not a big deal,” they mumbled.

“You never told us you could sing!” Fran insisted.

“You never asked if I could sing,” Mirele deadpanned in response. “You just dragged me along.”

“This is amazing. This is rearranging my entire worldview.”

“...Let’s keep going, or we’ll be left behind by the group,” Yuri suggested, nudging Fran to get moving down the sidewalk again. He was as stunned by this revelation as she was, but he didn’t want to make Mirele uncomfortable. He knew that Francesca didn’t either, of course; she was just more open about her enthusiasm.

She calmed down by the time they made their next stop at the end of the street, though Yuri caught her surreptitiously throwing glances Mirele’s way every now and then as the next round of carolling started up. He only noticed this because he was also stealthily glancing back, so he couldn’t call her out on it.

It wasn’t like they’d actually needed to look; Mirele’s singing voice was unmistakable now that they’d heard it, clear and carrying through the wintry air. It boggled the mind that such a sound could come from the mouth from someone who so rarely made noise at all. It was like they’d been saving it all up for something like this.

“It’s a Cherubmas miracle,” Francesca whispered to Yuri. He elbowed her, but he had to stifle a small laugh.

“Stop drawing attention to it, or the miracle will go away. Like if you reveal what you wished for on your birthday,” he whispered back with a grin.

She returned the grin, and they went back to singing, voices entwining with the rest of the group and ringing throughout the snowy afternoon.