against a pile of pillows. He's got a few bags of chips and a bottle of pop next to him. "Let's hear a story."
"Since the Posada is about this... how about... a long, long time ago, there was a woman named Mary," Piper starts out. Suddenly a woman appears in the middle of the room, wearing a dress. "She was engaged to marry a simple woodworker named Joseph, but before they married an angel visited her." The room lights up and an angel appears in the sky.
"A MALE angel," Piper says dryly, glancing over at Ace. The angel's gender abruptly changes, much to everyone's amusement. "He tells her that she's going to be a mother," Piper says. "But she has no clue how, because she's still a virgin. He tells her that God is going to give her a son. And that's where this story truly begins," she says, looking over the group, "because that son turns the world upside down, even as a baby."
The world warps around and plays out in front of them as she describes a dangerous voyage on the back of a donkey, and a birth in a small stable, where the Son of God is laid to rest in a manger. The group sits on a cold hill covered in sheep and shepherds watching as the sky is filled with angels singing. They watch a train of wise men and their servants cross mile after mile of desert on camels to get to the baby boy, only to be waylaid by a jealous king.
They watch the wise men come to visit the family, bearing gifts. They hear the screams and sobbing of mothers as their sons are slaughtered when the king tries to kill the unknown baby that threatens his position. They watch the small family travel to Egypt to hide, only coming back when the king is dead. They see the boy start to grow.
The world seems to shake as the story comes to an end, and everyone realizes that they aren't in the past. "That's not the end of the story," Trent says softly.
"Of course it's not," Piper says, yawning. "That one has to wait for Easter."
"Let's do another!" Emily says eagerly, only to blink. "She just fell asleep, didn't she?" she asks as Piper lets out a little sigh and curls closer to the teddy bear.
"I'm surprised she was awake this long," Max says.
"Yeah, remember that time we were doing a show and she started snoring while holding your mic for you?" Rocco says, laughing.
"I will never forget it," Max drawls, getting up and grabbing a blanket. He drapes it over the sleeping Piper and picks up a pillow. "Who wants to have a pillow fight?" he asks with a grin.
The entire room cheers, leaving Piper sleeping soundly as they continue her Advent Calendar day without her. Only Ace heads over, dropping to the ground next to her teddy bear and falling asleep on its arm. That big of a story had taken a lot out of both of them.
Advent Calendar - Day Twelve
Nico looks at his phone, raising an eyebrow for a moment. "It is Brandon's day, yes? The invisible boy?" Tatiana asks. The fact that her son has come halfway across the world for breakfast makes her happy, but also makes things a bit tense. Marie had excused herself almost as soon as he showed up.
"Yeah," he says.
"What's on the phone?" Superior asks, closing his newspaper.
"Our... friend... says he wants to sponsor Piper," Nico says, not yet replying to the message he just got. "It'd probably get me off the list."
"Is it worth it, handing over a promising telepath?"
"Hell no," Nico says, sending a quick, concise message back with a wave of his hand. "If he wants to sponsor someone, he'll have to get that right just like everyone else--by going through Mastermental and the kid, herself," he declares, digging into his pile of pancakes.
His phone rings. His hands are full, so the phone floats in front of him. For a second he just stares at the empty room on the screen. "Brandon," he says after swallowing, "the whole point of talking like this is so we can SEE each other."
"Oh, um, sorry," the teenager says, appearing.
"I do not know why you are always so invisible!" Tatiana scolds him, looking over
"Since the Posada is about this... how about... a long, long time ago, there was a woman named Mary," Piper starts out. Suddenly a woman appears in the middle of the room, wearing a dress. "She was engaged to marry a simple woodworker named Joseph, but before they married an angel visited her." The room lights up and an angel appears in the sky.
"A MALE angel," Piper says dryly, glancing over at Ace. The angel's gender abruptly changes, much to everyone's amusement. "He tells her that she's going to be a mother," Piper says. "But she has no clue how, because she's still a virgin. He tells her that God is going to give her a son. And that's where this story truly begins," she says, looking over the group, "because that son turns the world upside down, even as a baby."
The world warps around and plays out in front of them as she describes a dangerous voyage on the back of a donkey, and a birth in a small stable, where the Son of God is laid to rest in a manger. The group sits on a cold hill covered in sheep and shepherds watching as the sky is filled with angels singing. They watch a train of wise men and their servants cross mile after mile of desert on camels to get to the baby boy, only to be waylaid by a jealous king.
They watch the wise men come to visit the family, bearing gifts. They hear the screams and sobbing of mothers as their sons are slaughtered when the king tries to kill the unknown baby that threatens his position. They watch the small family travel to Egypt to hide, only coming back when the king is dead. They see the boy start to grow.
The world seems to shake as the story comes to an end, and everyone realizes that they aren't in the past. "That's not the end of the story," Trent says softly.
"Of course it's not," Piper says, yawning. "That one has to wait for Easter."
"Let's do another!" Emily says eagerly, only to blink. "She just fell asleep, didn't she?" she asks as Piper lets out a little sigh and curls closer to the teddy bear.
"I'm surprised she was awake this long," Max says.
"Yeah, remember that time we were doing a show and she started snoring while holding your mic for you?" Rocco says, laughing.
"I will never forget it," Max drawls, getting up and grabbing a blanket. He drapes it over the sleeping Piper and picks up a pillow. "Who wants to have a pillow fight?" he asks with a grin.
The entire room cheers, leaving Piper sleeping soundly as they continue her Advent Calendar day without her. Only Ace heads over, dropping to the ground next to her teddy bear and falling asleep on its arm. That big of a story had taken a lot out of both of them.
Advent Calendar - Day Twelve
Nico looks at his phone, raising an eyebrow for a moment. "It is Brandon's day, yes? The invisible boy?" Tatiana asks. The fact that her son has come halfway across the world for breakfast makes her happy, but also makes things a bit tense. Marie had excused herself almost as soon as he showed up.
"Yeah," he says.
"What's on the phone?" Superior asks, closing his newspaper.
"Our... friend... says he wants to sponsor Piper," Nico says, not yet replying to the message he just got. "It'd probably get me off the list."
"Is it worth it, handing over a promising telepath?"
"Hell no," Nico says, sending a quick, concise message back with a wave of his hand. "If he wants to sponsor someone, he'll have to get that right just like everyone else--by going through Mastermental and the kid, herself," he declares, digging into his pile of pancakes.
His phone rings. His hands are full, so the phone floats in front of him. For a second he just stares at the empty room on the screen. "Brandon," he says after swallowing, "the whole point of talking like this is so we can SEE each other."
"Oh, um, sorry," the teenager says, appearing.
"I do not know why you are always so invisible!" Tatiana scolds him, looking over
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