The evening sky was full of grey clouds, snowflakes drifting lazily through the chilled air. The weather always tended to be somewhat bleak this time of year, but there was an added pall of gloom hanging over the small town. Light was glowing in many windows but added little cheer to the white landscape. People shuffled through the snowy streets or huddled in small groups around the large braziers lit on street corners to ease the chill, conversations quiet and short.
One figure, though, seemed to be moving with more of a spring in his step than the others. Though the frayed slacks and green scarf he wore offered limited protection from the cold, his steps were brisk and considerably more energized, his black eyes bright and his face one of the few with smiles. When a passersby brushed past roughly, the boy tightened his hold on the bundle under his arm while turning to give a jaunty salute with his free hand.
"Evening to ya too, good sir!"
A yelp from around a street corner brought a brief flash of alarm to his face, but once he hurried around it, his face relaxed. Two younger kids were standing by one of the smaller street fires, the slightly smaller girl laughing while the boy swiped frantically at his frayed red hat.
"It's not funny, Dot! Stupid bird!"
"Y' know, Wakko, I've actually heard that's supposed to be lucky," his sister said between giggles. "Kinda like finding a four leafed clover."
Wakko huffed as he brushed the last white smear from his hat.
"Yeah, well, I'd rather have the clover," he grumbled.
The older boy let out a chuckle as he strode toward them.
"Sorry, baby bro, but birds gotta do that too."
Both the others turned, their faces lighting up.
"Yakko!"
He laughed as they raced to meet him, returning their hugs as best he could with his free arm.
"Hey, sibs! Careful, don't wanna drop this."
The younger siblings drew back, looking at his cargo with eager eyes.
"How'd it go?" Wakko asked, bouncing on the balls of his feet.
"Take it easy there, pal," Yakko said, grinning. "I got enough to last a few days, if we're careful."
Dot poked her immediate older brother's chest, eyes narrowed in a playful glare.
"So no sleep-eating, got it?"
Wakko crossed his arms with a pout.
"It's not like I do it on purpose, ya know."
Yakko chuckled again as he ruffled his brother's red hat.
"We know, Wak," he said. "You are doin' better at it, though."
His younger brother looked up at him, black eyes wide and shiny.
"Really?"
"Yep," Yakko answered. "I always know when you've been up… I know everything, 'member?"
Both his siblings rolled their eyes, but neither denied it.
"So, can we go home now?" Dot asked. "It's cold out here. And gloomy."
The oldest brother gave her a smile as he bent to pat her shoulder.
"Sure, sis. Stick close."
Both his siblings moved without prompting, Dot between him and Wakko with her brothers holding her hands. As they headed down the street, people didn't react much, but that was nothing new. But those who did reacted with a range of smiles and uneasy glances. The kids had gotten to be well-known around town, fondly by some and nervously by others, depending on whether they were friends or 'special friends'.
"Did you have to do hard work today?" Dot asked, looking up at her older brother. He shrugged, shifting his package to avoid dropping it.
"Just the usual. But a bunch of Miss Flamiel's chickens got loose and I had t' chase 'em all over the east end of town."
"Bet they broke out 'cause they can't stand her either," Wakko snorted.
Dot giggled and Yakko let out a chuckle of his own.
"I think you're on point, Wak," he said. "Up 'till today I didn't know chickens could look scared."
All three siblings laughed. A chilly wind stirred up some of the snow, sending it swirling through the air. Some passersby pulled their coats a little tighter, grumbling. Yakko looked over at his younger brother, and a fond grin came to his face. The middle sibling was watching the glimmering crystals with an almost awed expression, tongue poking out as he smiled.
"The snow's dancing!" he said cheerfully.
A glance at Dot revealed she was watching Wakko with a smile as well. They both knew there wasn't much their brother couldn't find the good in. In truth, it was a pickup to his siblings far more than he knew. They knew how to roll with the punches with the best of them, but that didn't change the fact that life could be hard. Granted, life for a lot of other people in Warnerstock was hard. All they could do was make the best of it.
Yakko usually found that not too hard to do, though; he and his siblings had always had a knack for finding a way to enjoy life and have fun. Above all, they had each other. And that was enough to make any hardship worth it.
Finally, they reached the old wooden water tower they'd called home for the past year, since the orphanage where they'd lived for three years was forced to close. People said it had collapsed years ago, and a new one had been built instead of fixing it. It had taken a little work, but they'd managed to make into a decent shelter… better than living on the street, at least.
Pushing aside the heavy curtain that served as the door, Yakko let his siblings troop in first, then glanced up and down the street before entering himself.
"Can we make a fire?" Dot asked. Yakko gave her a smile.
"Probably should wait till tonight, sister sibling. We're runnin' short on wood right now."
Both his siblings let out a sigh, but neither protested. They'd gotten used to going without things even before they ended up on the street. Even though it wasn't through anything he did, Yakko couldn't help but feel regret. His siblings deserved better than this, and he often felt guilty that he couldn't give it to them. It helped that they appreciated what he could do; they expressed it often, directly and indirectly, and Yakko knew it wasn't just because they were trying to make him feel better.
But if Mom and Dad were here…
He cut that thought off before he could finish it; there wasn't much point to it. They all missed their parents, and the happy life they had with them, but wishing they were here wouldn't change anything. All they could do was make the best of things… like they always had.
"So, sibs," he said. "Anything interesting happen t' you today? Besides the rather embarrassing end I caught?"
He quirked a brow at his brother, who grinned sheepishly. Dot giggled before speaking up, her voice excited.
"Actually, we saw something really neat! There was this guy in the market square, and he was talking about how there used to be these artifacts that could do things, give people magic power and teleport them and even grant wishes!"
"Neat!" Yakko said. "How'd ya like one of those, Wak? The teleporting'd be handy for pulling pranks."
"Yeah!" the middle sibling said, nodding enthusiastically. "I think I'd rather have a wishing one, though."
"What about you, Yakko?" Dot asked. "Which one'd you want?"
After pretending to carefully consider for a few moments, Yakko shot his sister a winning grin.
"Why, magic, sister sibling. You know that'll do wonders for my card tricks."
All three siblings shared a laugh, though a more solemn thought hung in the back of Yakko's head.
If I really had magic, I'd fix all this.
(Just to be clear, this technically is a crossover, but barely anyone is finding it in that section so I'm moving it to the main section where people will find it easier)