Author's Note: This was written for callmedan, whose favorite characters are Uma and Nox, on the Aveyond Kingdom forum as part of a gift exchange. Also, props if you catch the random Star Wars reference that I don't know why I included.
Outside their mother's bedroom, two twin girls peered through the crack of an open door. One had hair as black as the sky of the Demon Realm and a troublemaking spirit to match. The other had a complexion befitting an angel, complete with a halo of cloudy white hair. Both had luminous blue eyes sparkling with all the mischief and intelligence of their mother, who happened to be the current subject of the twins' attention.
"Uma, move your fat head, I can't see!" Nox, the dark-haired twin, grumbled as she shoved her sister out of the way to get a better view.
"Shh! Do you want Mother to hear us?" Uma wrestled with Nox until they finally settled on the uncomfortable position of Nox crouching on Uma's shoulders, both of their heads peeking into the room.
"Lars and I are traveling to Shaelnir to visit his ill mother, but it's too dangerous to take the girls. The northern kingdom is harsh any time of year, but it's even worse during the winter," Mel explained. "We'll only be gone a week at most. Promise me you won't let them get into trouble this time."
"Who's Mother talking to?" Uma whispered.
"I don't know," Nox replied. "She's standing in front of the door, I can't see."
"I won't let you down, Mistress! I promise!" answered a cheerful voice that causes both girls to break out in grins.
"It's Auntie Yemite!" a surprised Nox exclaimed, slipping off Uma's shoulders. They both tumbled into the room and landed in a jumble of black and white at their mother's feet.
"Girls! What are you doing?" Mel glared at her daughters with the obligatory annoyance of a scornful mother, although her smile betrayed her amusement at their antics.
Nox grinned guiltily from the floor. "Nothing, Mother." Uma hastily fixed the disheveled bow that Nox had pulled off. "We were just, um, about to knock."
Before their mother could reprimand the girls, their "aunt" rushed forward and scooped them into her arms. They had admittedly grown too big for an average person to casually lift them, but Yemite's arms were still strong from her days of battling beside Mel. "Uma, Nox! How are my favorite children of darkness...er, I mean nieces?"
Mel eyed the three of them suspiciously. Yes, she knew perfectly well that leaving the three of them alone was a possible - no, probable - recipe for disaster. But what choice did she have? Edward and Stella were too busy ruling their kingdom in Thais to babysit. Ulf would've been an ideal choice, but he lived on another continent. And she certainly wasn't about to ask Te'ijal and Galahad. But still...
"Maybe this isn't such a good idea."
"No!" Uma and Nox protested in unison. They each grabbed one of Yemite's horns, while Yemite protectively tightened her arms around them.
"Let them stay, Mistress. It's only for a few days. I'll take care of them, I promise."
"Yeah, let us stay with Yemite!"
"We'll be good. Please?"
Mel knew when she was fighting a losing battle. Saving the world was no problem, but winning an argument against both of her daughters was an impossible task. With a long suffering sigh, she accepted defeat. "Fine, you can stay. But you're to be in bed by nightfall; no going into the weapons chest in the basement, and absolutely NO chocolate covered eyeballs for them, Yemite."
Nox gasped. "But Auntie Yemite makes the best chocolate eyeballs!"
"I said none! Or you'll have me and your father to deal with." As petulant as they were, even the twins recognized that Mel Darkthrop and Lars Tenobor VIII are a force to be reckoned with.
"Fine," Nox grumbled, privately resolving to settle for caramel lizard tails instead.
"Be safe, okay? Father and I will be back soon." Mel kissed each of her daughters on the cheek and playfully mussed their hair. "I love you both." Mel donned her traveling cloak as she exited the room, sending Yemite one last meaningful glance.
"Well," Yemite said with a grin as soon as Mel and Lars had left the premises, "Who wants chocolate covered eyeballs?"
"Auntie Yemite, we're bored," a disgruntled Nox whined as she tugged on Yemite's tail. It had been three days, and she couldn't stand to be cooped up in this house for one more hour. Even Uma, by far the more laid-back of the two, had begun to thrum with restless energy.
Yemite, as much as she'd like to oblige the little ones and have a little fun, was trying in earnest to be a responsible babysitter. Aside from the "forbidden" darkling delicacies and that one accident with the fire in the kitchen, she thought she'd done a fair job of it. Mel trusted her with the task of caring for her daughters, and Yemite didn't want to let her Mistress down. But she had been quashing her own boredom for the past few days. Surely little excursion wouldn't hurt.
"How would you like to go to a party?" Yemite asked. Uma and Nox nodded fervently.
"That would be so much fun!" Uma gasped, and ran upstairs to get changed. Mel didn't host parties very often, as she found them tiring and boring. But Uma loved the enchantment of it all; she couldn't wait to dig up the party dress that had been collecting dust in her closet since last year. Nox was less excited to get dressed up, but she nevertheless enjoyed the excitement of the few parties she'd been to.
A few moments later, the twins emerged from their rooms in their partygoing outfits. Uma was a miniature snow princess in her white dress trimmed in sky blue. By contrast, Nox wore a knee-length black dress that looked more like an oversized shirt than anything. Still, Yemite fawned over both of them. "You look so adorable!" she squealed. "If only Mistress could see you. Oh, my friends don't usually like humans, but how could they not love you two?"
The twins gave each other quizzical looks. "Yemite, where exactly is this party?" Nox questioned.
Yemite's only reply was an enigmatic "You'll see".
"Welcome to Underfall," Yemite announced as she, Uma, and Nox stepped out of the mirror express.
Uma and Nox gaped at the exotic sight of the dark city. A sprinkling of white dusted the walkways and surrounding fields. On some of the buildings hung green garlands adorned with multicolored translucent baubles. Slate gray clouds hung above and below them, heavy with the promise of more snow.
"We darklings and other demonfolk have a tradition of celebrating the winter solstice with a week of celebration," Yemite explained as they walked to their destination. "There are decorations, and feasts, and parties that last until sunrise. And on the last day of festivities, friends and family give exchange gifts to give each other joy through the cold and dark winter."
Darklings certainly are strange. But it would be nice to celebrate a holiday like that,/i Uma mused. She trailed behind Yemite slightly, scanning the area for something she could turn into a gift for Aunt Yemite.
iI wish we had a holiday like that, I would so love to get free stuff in the wintertime,/i thought Nox, in total contrast to her sister's thinking.
"We're here," Yemite announced in a singsong voice. They had arrived at a building called Darkling Hall, as indicated by the moss-covered sign. "They're with me," she added when the zombie guarding the door gave them a funny look. He stepped aside and the trio entered.
They were immediately greeted by a wall of overwhelming sights and sounds. A quartet played in the center of the hall, the music just a bit too gurgly to be coming from human instruments. Multicolored light bathed the room, emanating from a blob on the ceiling that looked suspiciously like it had eyes. "Yo, Yemite!" shouted a stout blue darkling, who rushed forth out of the crowd and embraced his friend. "Rotwart! It's been years! I haven't seen you since the slug-eating contest for who would get to be the chosen one's servant." Rotwart handed Yemite a glass of some slimy drink and they disappeared into the din to reminisce about the good old days, leaving Uma and Nox unattended.
"Well, where do we go now?" asked Nox.
"I was thinking we could get gifts for Auntie Yemite and Mother. She did say presents were part of the tradition."
"Yeah, a darkling tradition. And why should we, when she didn't get us gifts?"
Uma huffed at her sister's selfishness. "Nox, do you only ever think of yourself? Besides, Yemite said the gifts were given on the last day of celebration. She's probably waiting to give us our gifts."
Nox considered for a moment. It could be fun to look around for a gift. "Okay," she conceded, "But we should each only look for one present. One for Auntie Yemite, one for Mother; each from both of us."
Uma smiled, alight with the energy the two of them shared when they were on a mission. "I'll go outside to find a present for Mother."
"And I'll stay in here and get something for Yemite."
"Meet back here in twenty minutes?"
"You got it, sis."
Nox ventured into the crowd of monsters, careful to avoid anything with tentacles or large feet. She wandered around the edge of the room, scouting for anything that Yemite would like. Unfortunately, the only remotely giftable objects were dust bunnies.
She came to a stairwell that appeared to lead into a basement. Feeling adventurous, she crept down. A trio of monsters sat around a table playing a game of cards.
"I raise you 500 gold pennies," said a small green demon.
"I'm out," huffed a hooded figure.
"Are you kidding me? You know I can't cover that!" shouted a brutish orc as he slammed his drink on the table in anger.
The green guy shrugged. "That stone in your pocket is worth 500."
The orc pulled out the stone and held it in defensively in his hand. The air around it shimmered with intangible dark energy. Somehow, Nox intuitively sensed that it was cursed. This was perfect - Yemite loved curses! She didn't understand how, but apparently they were delicious to darklings. "I ain't betting this!" The orc demonstratively slammed his fist again, shoving the stone back in his pocket. This orc sure was quick to anger. Wheels began to turn in Nox's head, and a wicked smile spread across her face as she formulated a wonderfully awful idea.
She meandered into the room. "Excuse me, gentleman. Sorry to interrupt your game, but I'm looking for a suspect - green, a little bit slimy, about yea tall," Nox gestured a few inches above her head. "Wanted for accounts of thievery, and uh, cheating at cards."
The orc glared daggers at the demon across from him. "Eh Greedo, that sounds like you. And ya know something? I always knew you were a cheater."
"It ain't me, I swear it!" the monster apparently called Greedo protested.
"Hey kid, aren't you a little young to be playing detective?" The hooded figure raised a spindly finger at her.
"For your information, I'm actually, er, a gnome. We retain our youthful faces even at hundred of years of age." Nox didn't know if that was true, but she figured these dumb brutes would believe it. "And yes, Greedo. That was his name. I'll be back with my friends, and they won't let you get away this time!"
"You'll never catch me alive, kid!" Greedo made a mad dash for the exit, but the orc caught him by the collar of his jacket.
"Trying to cheat me out of my money?! You're not going anywhere, punk, until I introduce you to my fist!" he bellowed. Nox wrinkled her nose in disgust at the visible spray of spit.
While Greedo pleaded for mercy, Nox nonchalantly strolled past and lifted the stone from his pocket. The orc was too absorbed in making violent threats to notice. Nox emerged from the basement, smugly tossing the cursed stone up in the air and catching it. Her pickpocketing skills were truly a thing to be admired. She was, after all, her mother's daughter.
Meanwhile, Uma skipped out the door into the crisp winter air. The hulking zombie was still looming in front of the entrance, but he didn't notice Uma as she crawled away, blending in with the snow. Now, where would she find a present for Mother? She wandered up and down the streets, but they were empty of everything except snow. Maybe she could get a flower from the fields, but they was so far away, she'd never make it back in time.
Suddenly, Uma's thoughts were interrupted by the clamor of a couple on the midst of a heated argument. They emerged from the mirror express in the center of town and immediately started walking in her direction. The woman, a pale redhead in a slinky dress, was pulling her companion along, who seemed intent on refusing to move.
"Come on, husband, it's only a party. You need to go out more - the only time you leave the house is when you're trying to escape."
"I will not socialize with creatures of the night!"
"Galahad, you're being ridiculous! I already promised them I'd bring a bottle of blood, it would be rude not to-"
Wait...Galahad? Uma recognized these two, although it'd been years since she'd seen them. "Te'ijal!"
The couple paused their bickering at the sight of Uma waving. Te'ijal ran toward her, and even the typically stoic Galahad's face lit up upon seeing one of his best friend's daughters.
"How's Mel's little crumpet? The last time I saw you, you were no bigger than a dragon's egg!"
"Uma, what are you doing here?" Galahad asked. Leave it to him to ask the rational questions.
"Mother and Father are away, so Auntie Yemite brought us here for the celebration. But I have a big problem. I need to find a gift for Mother, but I don't know what to get." Uma looked up at them with wide, helpless eyes she knew grown-ups were unable to resist.
"That's quite the dilemma, young one." Te'ijal surveyed the area, her catlike eyes eventually landing on a perfect gift. "Over there, in the greenery on the edge of that building, you see those orbs? I think your mother would appreciate one of those. Mel has … a thing for orbs." The vampress giggled at how fitting the present really was.
Galahad reached to retrieve one for her. "What color?"
"Ooh, get the dark blue one! It's the same shade as Mother's eyes."
The precious trinket was placed in Uma's hands. She'd found a gift after all! Now all she had to do was meet up with Nox. She accompanied the two vampires back to the party, idly wondering what her sister had found for Yemite.
The party lasted until sundown. They danced to the strange darkling music, which Nox found thrilling and Uma, in spite of herself, eventually got around to enjoying. Te'ijal's bottle of blood was a big hit, and she even let Uma and Nox try some, although they didn't find the taste very pleasant. When it was time for singing, Yemite and Te'ijal sang an old Underworld folk song together, and even Galahad couldn't resist a laugh.
As soon as they got home, all three of them collapsed in a heap back on their sofa. Their eyes were already drooping with the thorough exhaustion of a day of festivities.
"Auntie Yemite, can we just sleep here?" mumbled Nox.
"I suppose it won't hurt." In truth, Yemite didn't want to get up herself. She used her tail to snag the blanket that was draped over the side and spread it over them. Curling her legs up onto the couch, she lazily wrapped a wing around each of the girls as they drifted off into the Dreamworld.
"Girls, we're home!" Mel announced.
Uma and Nox pried open their eyes to the morning light filtering in through the windows and the sight of Mel and Lars standing in the doorway. They tore off the blanket and stumbled to hug their parents, who enveloped them in a crushing group hug. Yemite snuck up behind Mel and threw her arms around her neck. She wanted to hug Mel too, of course. "Did you miss us, Mistress?" she asked. Mel laughed in agreement and let go of Uma and Nox to show them the bag in her hands. "Grandma recovered quickly, so we were able to to come home early. And we brought special treats." Mel opened the bag, revealing a dozen fragrant pastries with assorted fillings.
"I almost forgot! We got you presents too," said Uma. She pulled out the ornament from the pocket of her dress. "It's an orb, for you and Father. Tei- I mean, Yemite said you liked them."
Mel took the orb in hand, marveling at the glasswork and rich blue hue. "It's lovely, but why the gifts all of the sudden?"
"It's a darkling tradition," Yemite interjected. "We exchange gifts in the wintertime. I … er, educated the girls about it while you were away."
Nox held out her gift next. "This one is for you, Auntie Yemite."
Yemite let out an involuntary eep of excitement. "A curse? For me?! Where did you find it? Oh, you shouldn't have! So many delicious treats to eat, I can't wait until dessert!"
Lars quirked his eyebrow at his daughters. "Yes, where did you get them?"
Uma and Nox exchanged a glance, the sort that scheming partners gave each other when they were knew someone was onto them. "Nevermind, I don't want to know," said Mel before either one of them came up with something satisfactory to tell their parents. One day, Mel would get the full story, but right now she didn't want to spoil this moment with her family.
"I'll admit, I didn't get gifts for all of you yet, but I think I can improvise." Yemite motioned for them to follow her outside. She flew up into the air and perched on the roof of their house. "Everyone watch closely! And you might want to stand back a little." The darkling raised a hand into the sky, drawing on magic she hadn't used in years but that still thrummed solidly through her veins. Suddenly, the sky was alight with dazzling firebursts and explosions of all colors.
The twins and even their parents were mesmerized by the display. "I've always wanted to see fireworks," whispered Nox to her equally dazzled sister.
Mel's heart swelled with love as she watched her daughters' awestruck expressions. It turns out Yemite wasn't such a bad babysitter after all. Maybe they should celebrate darkling holidays more often.