[SE] we both went mad

NOE

But I got smarter, I got harder in the nick of time

Noe was not what we would call the superstitious sort, and so as decorations had gone up all around Stormbreak as protection from spirits, the girl had scoffed to herself and gone on her merry way. She'd never planned to put things up around the Carpenter house, but even she had to admit that their home looked rather bare and sad in comparison to the neighbors'. And so it was that she found herself kicking open the door, her arms filled with lanterns and wreaths, with the full intent of decorating with light and color to match the rest of the neighborhood.

And if it did happen to ward off unwelcome spirits, well... what of it?

Setting her load down in the entry, Noe huffed a breath and picked up one of the wreaths to inspect. It was very autumnal, all oranges and yellows and reds, and she fluffed it and picked at it to make it look just so before pulling a hook out of the pile and arranging it on the front door. "Perfect," she declared aloud, then turned her back on the door and began to organize the chaos into something that made a little more sense.

Honey, I rose up from the dead, I do it all the time

idealism sits in prison, chivalry fell on his sword

Koa hasn't been home as much as he'd like, but he tries. At least once a week - more, if he can help it - the oldest Carpenter child pops back to his family home, usually for dinner or the occasional overnight.

Nobody'd been home when he got in today, in an unusual twist. After searching for any of the three usual denizens, Koa'd shrugged and decided that there was only one course of action to be taken. Setting Pipsqueak to play lookout on the roof, the young Dragoon had wrapped himself in a sheet and sequestered his bulky frame into their hallway closet.

And then he'd waited.

And waited.

And--- yeah no okay it really wasn't that long.

Warned by Pip, Koa waits eagerly for his sister to come inside, doing his best not to wiggle with anticipation at his own trick. Five seconds, ten... only when it sees she's closed the door and set down her things does the Dragoon finally burst out from hiding, draped in a (mostly) white bedsheet, his arms upraised and voice booming out with a playful: "BOO!"

koa

code by sky

NOE

But I got smarter, I got harder in the nick of time

BOO!

Noe shrieked in surprise, straightening and turning in one smooth motion, her hair flying about her head as she searched for a weapon and came up with a rather ugly vase that had been sitting on a table in the hall. Brandishing the pottery above her head, she let out a fierce yell and turned to throw it at whatever creature's head -

But it wasn't a creature that had burst from the hall closet. It was a ghost. So much for protection.

But it wasn't a ghost either, and Noe cursed as she lowered the vase and set it back on the table. "Koa," she greeted the not-ghost, disgust lacing her tone. She ought to have known. He'd been playing these kinds of pranks on her since she was little, and she fell for it every time. "You're lucky I didn't throw something at that big head of yours," she scolded, but her eyes were dancing with laughter. It was hard to stay mad at someone draped in a bedsheet.

Honey, I rose up from the dead, I do it all the time

idealism sits in prison, chivalry fell on his sword

"With your aim? It'd've be lucky if you hit anything other than the wall!" Koa retorts teasingly, pulling the sheet off his head to reveal a massive, shit-eating grin. Before his sister can test that theory the young man is striding forward, pulling her into a crushing hug against his very much corporeal chest.

Peering over Noe's shoulder, Koa raises a brow at the accoutrements she's set within the hall. "Are we actually decorating this year?" the soldier wonders, mildly bemused. Releasing his grip on the girl, he kneels down to inspect her bounty, taking a wreath between his hands. "We haven't really decorated since... y'know." Since mom died doesn't need to be said aloud - she knows it as well as he. Leafchange had been Mahina's favorite season, dedicated as it was to her patron god; she'd always made sure they decked the house in honor of Ludo, directing the other Carpenter denizens to fulfil her exacting vision of holiday cheer.

It was one of many things that had fallen to the wayside after the war. At first it hadn't felt right to do without her, and then as the years rolled by the family had simply not addressed it, as was the case with so many things. Now as Koa's fingers roam across the gilded leaves on the wreath, he feels the familiar pang of loss bloom deep in his chest.

But it's duller than it has been, tempered by the warmth of the autumnal colors, and when he finally rises moments later the young Dragoon is smiling, his eyes soft as they meet his sister's. "She'd like these," he tells her, still holding the wreath. "Alright, Sparkplug - tell me your vision and I'll execute it. Maybe we can get the place done before Dad comes home."

koa

code by sky

NOE

But I got smarter, I got harder in the nick of time

Noe scoffed playfully at Koa's teasing, sticking her tongue out at her brother before he pulled her into a crushing hug - which, of course, she returned. She didn't see much of Koa these days, and it was always nice to have a little quality time. The siblings had always been close, and all the physical distance in the world wouldn't change that for Noe. She was nothing if not loyal.

At Koa's question, Noe softened. "The house just looked so bare. I think the neighbors have gotten overzealous as the years have gone by." Noe might not have been particularly close to any of the gods, but she remembered decorating in honor of Ludo in the years before Mahina's death. It had been a while, but... "And I thought it might cheer Jude up," she added, biting her lip. She was worried about her best friend. After his dad had died... well, things just hadn't been the same.

She understood. But she wanted to help, and this was one of the few things she could do to try.

As Koa knelt by the box of decorations, fingering the leaves on a wreath, a little black head popped up from the decor. Mika hissed, weaving her head back and forth in greeting and drawing a smile from Noe. The girl knelt next to her brother, holding out her hand so that the mata mata could twine around her wrist. "I was thinking the big wreaths on the doors, the smaller wreaths on the windows, and maybe the little lanterns on the windowsills?"

fin

Honey, I rose up from the dead, I do it all the time