Sounds of the Season (9) : Seasonal songs play constantly this time of the year, and between old classics and new hits, there’s always something for everyone on the quest for Holiday cheer. One song, more than all the rest, is hitting hard. It’s catchy and festive and even though you’ve heard it a hundred times, it’s still exciting whenever it comes on again. Something about this song fills you with such joy and merriment that it’s almost impossible to resist the urge to spontaneously dance or sing along with it. There’s something magical about it; it’s an instant mood lifter and can make even the chilliest winter days feel a little warmer.


She’d gotten more than a few curious looks on her walk. Maybe it was because she was fully loaded out, wheeling what she’s since dubbed her utility wagon through the city streets in the later hours of the night. Mel didn’t think it was that late, but considering what time nightfall now came because of the season she could understand why. She didn’t agree, of course, and for very specific reasons she wasn’t too worried about being out late anyway. She was confident she could handle herself, after all.

Lulu was relaxing in her crate, hidden under the blanket along with the rest of tonight’s haul to ensure her warmth. She was used to this now, actually–the weekend trips to the cold, cold of Mercury–as well as the routine leading up to it. The shopping, the packing, the loading up of the wagon, and the walk through a park.

It was never the same park, but Mel always made sure to leave from a quiet, secluded area of a park. She rotated through all the parks in the city in a randomized order, actually, so that dictated what time she left home. It had to be late to ensure the least amount of people wandering about, and she had to be as quick about it as possible so she didn’t attract any attention to herself. She made contingency plans for her contingency plans, in case she had to dodge a Chaos aura within the vicinity…

So far so good, but her luck would only hold for so long.

Today’s park selection was the furthest from her home, but it did mean she got to walk through one of the more decorated, well-to-do neighborhoods once she got off the bus. One of the houses even installed speakers along their gates that played tunes to passersby, much to her relief. The snow seemed to eat the sound come wintertime, and the nights became much, much quieter than she liked when she was out and about.

Her lips slowly tugged up into a smile as she passed said house, and it was playing a family favorite tune. It was one she hardly listened to away from home, if she were being honest. They played it way too many times, and she’d gotten her fill of it growing up, so now whenever she heard it she always got a hit of nostalgia along with the irresistible urge to skip the song.

When she didn’t have a choice, though, it was still nice to listen to.

Actually, it was always hard not to sing along, and the young woman found herself pausing underneath a street lamp for just a second to finish singing along to the second chorus. She kept her eyes peeled, of course; she was still a young woman out in the dark, she wasn’t so crazy as to get too carelessly lost in a song. That didn’t mean she couldn’t fully enjoy it, though, and the memories that came with it. It made her yearn for her family as it came to an end, both the one she grew up with and the one she was born into.

There was just something about it.

She’d been thinking about them more often these days, for some reason. Multiple times this year she’d been on the verge of asking her mom about it, or starting to look into things herself. Ultimately she stopped herself before doing either, and in fact promised that she absolutely would not do the latter without first speaking with her parents. She owed them at least that much, no matter what anyone said. The courtesy to let them know that she was curious, and it was getting harder and harder to ignore the fact that she was.

With a sigh Mel pushed off from the lamp she’d been leaning on, the song long since ended, replaced with a slightly more upbeat, modern tune. Catchy, she thought, and she pulled out her phone to quickly identify it before moving right along.

She still had a place to be, after all, and a different goal set for this weekend. She was so close, she absolutely had to meet this goal before this weekend was up.

This weekend, she was going to finish those repairs.

The family stuff...well. She could wait until the new year to figure that out. As far as she could tell, it was far, far more complicated than anything her Knight life had thrown at her so far.

749 (gdocs)
Backdated to 12/1/24.