Welcome to Gaia! ::

((Oh noes! We skipped Halloween! D: How could we have? crying ))

Gabriel lay on his bed, on his stomach, still in his pajama pants. He watched the snow outside of his window drift down in lazy spirals to pile onto the thick blanket that covered the outside world, silencing every sound. Glancing at the obnoxiously bright red digits on his alarm clock, it was four o'clock in the morning. He turned his eyes back outside and rested his chin on his crossed arms. He felt a draft from the window dance cold air across his bare back. It made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end and made goosebumps creep over his skin, and a small smile tugged at his lips.

God, I love Christmas..

((Uh ohs. Bad kitty! =squirts with water gun= ))

Shadow shifted slightly and cracked open an eye. She lifted her head from the floor and watched Ma-sharu go out, then let out a soft sigh. She slowly rose to her four paws and slipped out the dog door Gabriel had been kind enough to put in. She glanced around at the still-dark world around her and shook out her thick fur, then loped after Ma-sharu. Once she caught up with him, she fell into step with him and brushed against his leg.

Even in the dark of the early morning, it was clear that she was far from healthy. She was so thin that her ribs were prominent beneath her thick coat, which, though it should have been a sleek and glossy charcoal color, was a dull, almost dusty shade of black. Her eyes were dim, not holding the light they once did, and just the effort it took to catch up with Ma-sharu exhausted her to the point that it was more than frustrating. She shook out her coat again in an effort to warm her already-shivering body and let her large paws act as snowshoes, allowing her to walk almost on top of the foot-deep snow.

Shadow stopped and watched him dart off into the dark. Her ears went back like a puppy that had just been kicked in the muzzle and thrown out of the warm house and into the cold, dark wilderness. Abandon. Her eyes glazed over more than they already were, and she sighed softly before turning around and slowly trudging back to the house. She shook the thin dusting of snow half-heartedly from her fur and slipped inside. She slunk to her dog bed and sank onto it, her joints and muscles screaming out in protest with sharp, burning pain. She let out a deep breath through her nose and closed her eyes loosely, her slightly labored breathing starting to even out.

((Hehhh.))

Gabriel held back a dreamy sigh as he watched the snow continue to swirl down from the black sky. It was so mesmerizing that he lost track of time. Glancing at his clock again, he blinked to see the red numerals flashing the number 5:18 in his face. He bent his legs up at the knees and swished his feet lazily in the air, then shifted his head to lay on his crossed arms. He found it odd that the twins or his father hadn't come in to try and jump on him like usual. He shrugged that thought off and rubbed the back of his neck. He didn't care if anyone walked in and saw him without a shirt now; his tattoos were finished, so he didn't have to cover them up anymore.

After another five minutes of staring blankly out the window, he rolled off the bed. He shuddered slightly when the cold wood floor shocked his feet, but he brushed it off and stood. He crossed his arms over his toned, bare chest and walked out into the main part of the silent house.

Kian sighed softly and picked her head up from where it was resting in her hands, her elbows on the windowsill. She glanced over her shoulder at her twin.

"Would you quit that?" she muttered. She huffed slightly and went back to looking out the window. "Fifty ryo says Papa ditched us again to go hang out with Luci. Again."

((OUCH. I'm going to go get some now. Cherry chocolate chip. ;D ))

"Define 'family'," Kian muttered bitterly under her breath. She glanced over at the door as it silently opened, then felt her spirits lift slightly as Gabriel poked his head in. He stared at them with a somber expression for a long two minutes. A broad grin finally slammed over his face, and Kian felt herself grin back.

"Merry Christmas, guys," Gabriel whispered.

"Merry Christmas," Kian whispered back. She slid from the chair she'd pulled up to the window and crossed the room to hug her elder brother around the waist. He smiled and gently hugged her back, rubbing her head. He glanced up at Tina's small form beneath the thick blankets and his brow furrowed slightly. Tina was usually the one up at four in the morning, doing somersaults on he and Kian's beds to get them up. He let go of his sister and walked into the room, then sat on the edge of Tina's bed. He reached out and rubbed her shoulder gently.

"I know you're not sleeping," he said softly. He tugged the edge of the blankets down so he could see her face. He stroked her hair softly. "Do you want to tell me what's wrong?"

Gabriel blinked at the tears, then at the words. His jaw set slightly. He glanced over his shoulder at Kian, who had returned to the window with a guilty hunch to her shoulders. The girl huffed softly and propped her chin in her hands, then her elbows on the windowsill. Gabriel turned back to Tina and, with gentle hands, smoothed her hair back from her face. He leaned down and kissed her forehead to offer some sort of comfort before he straightened again. His eyes were soft and warm towards his sibling as he looked down at her.

"No, he didn't," he said softly. "I promise." He drew an X over his heart and smiled gently at his younger sister.

And he'd better not make a liar out of me.