I have returned, dearies! It seems that you guys really wanted to hear about Christmas Dinner. XD Alright, we shall have dinner! This chapter will see a change in point of view considering Cross will not be there. Let me know how you think I did with Neah! Warning: Jasdero and Devit have dirty mouths… you've been forewarned.
Disclaimer: I own a box of cereal and a handful of song lyrics, but not the rights of D. Gray-man.
Part Nine: Once In Royal David's City
"For He is our childhood's pattern;
Day by day, like us, He grew;
He was little, weak, and helpless,
Tears and smiles, like us He knew;
And He cares when we are sad,
And he shares when we are glad."
Cecil Francis Alexander
They were to dine at the Camelot's that night at 1800 hours. Road, of course, wanted him there an hour early. Neah truly wished that he had some other option, but he was betrothed. Even if the family had wanted Road to marry Mana, any chances of that had disappeared seven years ago with Rory.
By the time he had dropped the Bookmen off in Paris he had only an hour to prepare himself. Sophia had thankfully laid out his best suit earlier in the morning. He left his wet clothes in a heap on his bedroom floor, but then he thought better of it and laid them in a neat folded pile on his armoire. Neah Walker turned to look at himself in the full length mirror next to the door. From afar he looked ready to go, but up close his eyes looked slightly red and puffy. He frowned at himself.
There was a light tap on the door. Neah felt his stomach clench uncomfortably, afraid that one of his family members had come to ride with him to the Camelot's estate. However, when he opened the door he only saw Sophia holding a metal spoon.
"Press this over your eyes," she said, handing him the utensil. Neah gave her an odd look at this command. "Really, it will make the puffiness go away. It will also help with the bags under your eyes."
"Thanks," he mumbled. He took the spoon from her hand and pressed it lightly to his right eye.
"Didn't you sleep last night?" asked Sophia.
"Would you have slept if you were meeting your brother for the first time in seven years?" inquired Neah in response. She bowed her head in embarrassment. "You don't look much better. If anyone asks then say my mother kept both of us up. They should believe that."
"Yes, Lord Neah," she replied with a polite curtsy. "I shall fetch your mother now." Sophia left him alone with the spoon, shutting the door quietly behind her.
Neah looked in the mirror and saw that Sophia had been right. His face did look a lot better, much more like the dignified young Lord Walker. He pulled on his overcoat and then walked out of the doorway. As soon as he was in the hall, Neah opened a gateway to the ark. He left his bedroom door slightly ajar.
oOo
He was surprised to see that Camelot Manor was actually decorated for the occasion. Generally Uncle Sheryl chose to ignore the Christmas holiday, considering it was a holiday celebrating the religion of their enemy. However, today holly hung above the doorway as well as sprigs of mistletoe (Neah noted to be very careful when entering rooms). On every window sill sat three candles: one pink, one white, and one purple. An akuma maid took his coat at the door and he moved to make way for his mother and Sophia.
"Neah, darling!" cried out Road from the top of the stairs. She wore an ivory short-sleeve gown with three tiers of fabric in the very wide skirt. The skirt was full of intricate designs and ruffles that made it seem larger than it already was. Neah was impressed that Road had even made it out of her bedroom. Now if she'd only fall down the stairs…
He wanted to strangle his inner Noah for thinking that last part. The voice was an ever-present part of hi s life since he had awaken, but he still often found himself appalled by the thoughts of the Noah of Destruction. Sure, he wasn't overly fond of Road, but he didn't want the night to be ruined by her falling down the stairs because of some stupid dress.
"What do you think?" she asked, twirling around on the landing. "Francine made it for me! I don't think a human could make anything half as good! Am I not beautiful?"
The dress truly was beautiful, he admitted to himself, but Road had always been under the delusion that she was the most beautiful being on the face of the planet. Her face was not the most aesthetically pleasing, being very sharp and bony; her eyes dropped a little too much, giving her the impression of always being sleepy; and her hair… that was an entirely different disaster. Road was very vain when it came to her hair, and no matter what treatment she used her hair always remained limp and dull. He recalled that one day not four years ago he'd come to call on Road to find the girl running after a screaming Sophia with a pair of scissors, trying to cut off the poor servant girl's pretty raven curls. Luckily he had calmed Road down by calling Sophia's hair a rat's nest (he'd apologized in private later… he couldn't fathom why for Sophia was just a weak little human). Someday (hopefully soon) Road would wake up and realize that no matter what she dreamt up, she'd never be more beautiful than Aunt Lulubell. There was no competition when it came to the Noah of Lust.
Speaking of said Noah, Aunt Lulubell made her grand entrance at that point. She was in her Noah form today just like everyone else. Her long luscious hair tumbled down her back in neat ringlets. Golden cat-like eyes stared haughtily at every occupant in the room. Neah was not surprised to see her wearing a scarlet dress with skirts so wide that could have engulfed Road. The top of the dress clung tightly to her body, leaving little for anyone to imagine.
"Lovely as always, Lulubell," stated Uncle Sheril. He bowed and grabbed her arm in order to place a yearning kiss on the back of her hand. Neah rolled his eyes in disgust.
"Don't be too touchy; your ward is at the top of the stairs," replied Aunt Lulubell, retracting her arm. Uncle Sheril gave a sheepish grin and turned to look at Road. Road was visibly flustered by her own 'grand entrance' being interrupted and overshadowed.
Uncle Sheril clapped his hands together and gave out a noise that oddly sounded like a squeal. "Doesn't my dear Road look lovely today! Francine really outdid herself this time!" he exclaimed. "Come down and greet our guests, Road dear. It would be a waste to stand up there all night."
Road huffed by gingerly climbed down the stairs to join Neah. She spared a glance over to the sitting room where Sophia was helping his mother sit down. "Why did you bring her along?" she asked, wrinkling her nose.
"She's my mother," he responded gruffly. "I'm not just leaving her home."
"And Sophia, too! You know how I despise her," said Road. "You know Francine could have watched her."
"I'm not letting one of your akuma maids take care of Mother. They'll kill her," snapped Neah. He stormed into the dining room to wait for the others to arrived, Road calling pitifully after him.
Unfortunately, he walked right into Uncle Jasdero and Uncle Devit. "How's our favorite nephew?" inquired Uncle Jasdero while swishing wine around in a cocktail glass.
"Like you care," he grumbled. Neah Walker would be polite to Uncle Sheril and Aunt Lulubell despite all their flaws, but his patience always ran out for the two goofballs that made up Jasdevi.
"Someone having a bad Christmas?" taunted Uncle Devit.
"You guys don't even believe in Christmas!" Neah exclaimed. His two uncles looked at each other and then began to cackle maniacally. They clapped him on the back like he had just told the best joke in the world.
Thankfully, the dinner bell rang at that moment, so his favorite uncles went to sit down. Neah took his customary seat at the right hand of Uncle Adam, the man giving him a wink when he entered. Uncle Adam was dressed in his favorite attire: his Millennium Earl suit. Neah thought it was very garish considering the large grin, for he honestly preferred the man's real face. Perhaps it was because he looked like his brother…
"So we have survived to see another year!" proclaimed Uncle Adam at the head of the table. His relatives gave a loud cheer. His mother and he only clapped. Sophia sat behind his mother with her best poker face on, but Neah could tell the poor girl was terrified. "And it's been a very successful year, I might add. The Crimean War is still going strong, and I must thank Skinn for seeing to it that the hostilities in Kansas boiled over!"
Uncle Skinn stood up and bumped into the table, causing it to rock a bit. He huffed and bowed to Uncle Adam to show his gratitude. His relatives clapped loudly (Uncle Jasdero and Uncle Devit began to hoot and holler).
"Now, let dinner be served!" exclaimed Uncle Adam.
Fourteen akuma maids carrying silver trays walked into the room and placed them on the table. They lifted the lids to display a very delectable looking meal. Neah saw the maid closest to his mother begin to lean towards her hungrily.
"Harriet! Either leave the room or self-destruct!" barked Uncle Adam. The maid straightened up and muttered a hurried apology before leaving for the kitchen. Neah breathed an inward sigh of relief.
Dinner was surprisingly uneventful. The conversation was for once polite (it may have had something to do with the presence of his mother) and Uncle Skinn waited until dessert to start throwing things. Normally they'd only get to the soup and things would already be flying across the table.
"How are your studies coming, Neah?" asked Uncle Adam.
"Oh they're fine. Must I learn ancient Greek, though? It's truly dull," complained Neah.
"Hahaha," laughed Uncle Adam, placing a hand on his thigh. "I never really cared for the subject either. Why did you decide to study that?"
"Mother wanted me to," responded Neah.
"Then you should probably do as she says," said Uncle Adam. "Or at least pretend to be studying. Have you thought about maybe studying Chinese instead? It would be very difficult, but I think you could manage it."
"I'll give it a try," stated Neah. He had learned French, Italian, German, Spanish, and Russian easily. Learning Chinese might actually prove to be an interesting challenge, he thought.
"Tell me, my lord, but didn't you invite those Bookmen?" inquired Uncle Fiidora. He opened his mouth enough that Neah could see the parasites all over the man's tongue. Neah cringed at the sight.
"Yes, but Bookman said they had work to do," replied Uncle Adam sadly, digging his spoon into a giant piece of strawberry shortcake.
"That's a shame," sighed Aunt Lulubell. She batted her eyes. "I would have liked to have gotten better acquainted with them…"
Uncle Sheril gripped his fork so tightly that it began to bend. "Yes, isn't that a shame," he said through clenched teeth.
"It must be no fun being a Bookman," stated Uncle Tyki while swishing champagne around in his glass. "I'd want to kill someone if I were locked up all day reading."
"You already do kill people, Tyki," chuckled Cousin Wisely. "I see you do it all the time."
"Have you been reading my thoughts again?" questioned Tyki, setting his champagne down angrily. "What have I told you about that, you little Cyclops?"
"Cyclops had one eye. I have five," responded Cousin Wisely while straightening his shirt cuff. "I would have thought that you would have known the difference by now."
Tyki growled dangerously.
"Go easy on him, Tyki," said Uncle Maashiima. "He's only a kid."
"Then why can't he behave more like Neah?" snapped Uncle Tyki.
"Not everyone is practically perfect like Neah," stated Uncle Maitora. He looked at Neah, but the boy didn't look up. Uncle Maitora always gave him the creeps- even more than Uncle Fiidora.
"I think he's perfect!" chimed in Road, making lovey-dovey eyes at him across the table. Neah decided it would be better to stare at faceless Uncle Maitora.
"You're too biased to properly look at him, Road," patronized Uncle Toraido. "If you would stop and think for a moment-"
Road sniffed and dug into her cake. Uncle Toraido looked directly at Neah and then went back to eating without continuing his train of thought. Suddenly Neah was very nervous. Uncle Toraido had appeared to be implying something. He wondered vaguely if he knew about his afternoon visit. That, however, seemed to be impossible. He'd only told the Bookmen and Sophia where they were going, and he knew that none of them would have compromised this information.
"Are you alright, Neah?" asked Uncle Adam. Neah was about to come up with an excuse for his behavior when he was interrupted.
"WHERE'S ST. NICHOLAS?" demanded a very drunk Uncle Jasdero.
"YEAH! WE WANT PRESENTS!" screamed Uncle Devit, his face also flushed in intoxication.
"You two are disgusting," sniffed Uncle Sheril, behaving very much like Road.
"YOU KNOW WHAT'S REALLY DISGUSTING?" inquired Uncle Jasdero. "YOU AND LULUBELL!"
Uncle Sheril's eyes seemed to turn red in an instant. "What did you just say?" he questioned.
"SHERIL AND LULUBELL SITTING IN A TREE! F-U-" sang Uncle Devit.
Before they knew it, Uncle Jasdero and Uncle Devit had several cuts across their faces. "I care for her as a brother!" bellowed Uncle Sheril. Road looked down at her lap, clearly embarrassed. "Don't you two go insinuating things in my house!"
"Plus you all know I like Tyki better," added Aunt Lulubell. Uncle Tyki rolled his eyes and went outside to smoke.
"Brother, yeah right," muttered Cousin Wisely under his breath. Luckily, Uncle Sheril didn't seem to notice.
Uncle Skinn stood up and slammed his fists on the table. "I want ice cream!" he yelled.
"Skinn, just sit down," groaned Aunt Lulubell.
"This dinner wasn't sweet enough!" hollered Uncle Skinn.
"Be quiet!" snapped Uncle Toraido.
"I'm not getting you ice cream," grumbled Uncle Sheril.
"I'd like some as well!" exclaimed Uncle Adam.
"Francine! Bring out the ice cream!" ordered Uncle Sheril.
"Suck up," mumbled Neah. Uncle Adam laughed at that remark.
"You're the only honest one, Neah," said Uncle Adam. "I really appreciate that."
"Thanks," stated Neah. He felt his spirits fall. He wondered what Uncle Adam would say if he knew about his visit to Mana… Neah didn't even want to think about it. He suddenly felt very dirty.
An orchestra of akuma began to play in the next room. "Neah! Let's dance!" cried out Road, running daintily around the table to take his hand.
"But I want ice cream…" he moaned. It was the first excuse he could think up.
"Come on!" shouted Road, now attempting to push him out of his chair.
"I should really dance with my mother first…" he stated.
"Just dance with the girl already!" proclaimed Uncle Maashiima. Neah pouted, but he let Road pull him away from the table into the next room.
It was beautifully lit and decorated just like the entrance hall. Boughs of holly were wrapped around the thin marble pillars in the room. Large French windows allowed for a lovely view of the snow-covered countryside. As he began to dance a waltz with Road, Neah allowd his mind to wander back to his brother. He wondered if Mana was having fun somewhere in Berlin. It sure had to better than a friendly dinner party. Mana had truly become whimsical in his time away from home. While seeing Mana angry had truly been frightening, Neah had been more scared by his newer playful side. The look on his face when he had 'surrendered' himself to Neah, and that kiss on the cheek…
The Mana he had known as a child would never have kissed a girl on the cheek, much less a certain human servant girl.
"Neah! You stepped on my foot!" complained Road.
"Sorry!" he exclaimed, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.
Neah saw that the adults had joined them in the ballroom and were now twirling about. He saw Sophia standing alone by the door, so he looked about for his mother. Mother although being supported was dancing gracefully with Uncle Adam, now in his normal form although he too sported the stigmata for the party. She appeared to be happy. Neah let a smile tug at his face. His uncle had always been kind to his mother.
"I'll admit, she really is remarkable for a human," said Road. She walked up beside him and leaned her head onto his shoulder.
"Yeah…" agreed Neah.
"If only Uncle Adam could find a way to turn humans! Then she could stay with us forever," she lamented.
And it seemed as if his mother in that moment became very small and that she was dancing among giants. Instead of his relatives Neah saw the faces of monsters waiting to consume the frail woman dancing benignly among them. He wanted to shiver, but he couldn't with Road so close to him.
"You shouldn't care, Neah," said the inner Noah inside his head.
But Neah knew that he did. As pathetic as his mother was, he still loved the woman. He didn't know her reasons for being among the Clan of Noah- he had honestly never thought to ask- but now he really wanted to know why. He wanted to know more about this woman who had thrown herself willingly into the lion's den.
Neah felt himself snap back into reality when Uncle Devit ran into the room with a pair of deer horns tied to his head.
"LOOK! I'M A REINDEER!" he bellowed.
Uncle Jasdero joined him, but he wore a red cloak and a pointed hat looking much like the pope's hat. "AND I'M ST. NICHOLAS! HERE I AM TO BRING PRESENTS TO ALL THE GOOD LITTLE CHILDREN AND BEAT ALL THE BAD ONES!"
With that he pulled out a whip and began to chase Uncle Devit around the room. His family began to laugh, but it sounded more like an evil cackle to Neah. He began to wish that he were somewhere else than at this mockery of a Christmas party.
He felt bad for thinking this. Neah knew that his family truly wanted to spend time together, and even his mother had been looking forward to this special occasion. Most mornings it was impossible to get her out of bed, but today she stood next to Uncle Adam, looking years younger. She looked like the mother he had lost seven years ago.
Plus there was Uncle Adam. He had always looked up to the man, and Neah was fully aware that his uncle had a soft spot for him. Neah wanted to make the man happy and proud, but he also wanted to have his brother's respect. It was easy to tell that Mana thought very little of Uncle Adam or anyone in the family for that matter. After having spoken to his brother that afternoon Neah felt… different somehow. It wasn't that he was acting any differently, but something inside of him seemed to be different. Normally he was very apathetic about whatever his family did during their get-togethers. Today, however, he was feeling. It wasn't a good feeling. In fact, he was pretty pissed at how his family was behaving.
Neah had been raised to be a gentleman, a noble meant to rub elbows with Great Britain's elite. His family might act like they belonged among the aristocracy, but tonight they were just as disgusting as any poor man- perhaps even worse. Even poor men on Christmas spent it more somberly, sitting on a bar stool in some dingy pub singing carols or surrounded by their family.
Perhaps he didn't belong with the Clan.
Neah almost turned white from shock. He'd never thought about not belonging. He had been born a Noah. But so had his brother. Mana had decided to turn his back upon this bizarre family. Would he be capable of doing that?
"We're taking a family photo now!" announced Uncle Adam. Everyone filed out into the sitting room, Road dragging Neah again by the hand.
"Sit next to me, Neah!" exclaimed Road.
"Come now, Road. Let the boy have some air," chided Uncle Adam. She pouted but did as he said.
"Thanks," said Neah gratefully.
"Don't mention it," stated Uncle Adam with a wink. "If we left Road to her own devices, you would have been smothered by now."
Neah genuinely laughed at that remark. "That's true," he agreed. "Perhaps if she had something to do, she might not be so… overbearing. She's cooped up in this house all the time by Uncle Sheril, and she only gets out to visit me. It must be boring sitting here all day."
"That's why I'm going to let Road start using her abilities for the war," said Uncle Adam. "She's thirteen now. It's about time that she starts helping the family. You as well, Neah."
Neah felt his face brighten. He had heard stories from Uncle Tyki about the great works that he did for Uncle Adam to help bring an end to the war. "Really?" he asked.
"Really," replied Uncle Adam. He patted the seat next to him. "Right now, though, we have a photograph to take."
Neah sat down to his uncle, completely forgetting his earlier inner turmoil. He could think about 'other sides' and such nonsense later whenever he found time alone. "I'm glad," he said. "Then I'll really be by your side fighting this war."
"Stop chattering people! I need to smoke!" snapped Uncle Tyki. "Let's just get this over with."
"Why am I next to these two…" moaned Uncle Sheril. Uncle Jasdero and Uncle Devit were swaying in their spot on Uncle Sheril's left, grinning like mad men.
"Lighten up, Sheril!" slurred Uncle Jasdero.
"We're a HAPPY family," continued Uncle Devit.
Francine ducked her head under the black camera cloth. "Smile," she said in a very metallic voice. Neah mustered up the best smile that he could. He would have to do his best to enjoy his family's presence for now.
Okay, so that's my take on a Noah family Christmas. XD Got to say, I had fun with Sheril, Jasdero, and Devit. I thought that little bit of family drama might add something, considering that Sheril is the Noah of Desire. Plus, while the characters are similar, I didn't want them to be exactly the same as their future counterparts.
Anyhow, sorry it took so long to write. I has a summer job! I'm also working on another project with the Polka-Dotted Sock (to all her fans: Sorry I monopolize all of her free time. It will be worth it in the end!). If you'd like to know more about it, then feel free to private message us!
Please let me know what you think! If I totally butchered this, then let me know. Please review!