Characters: Janis + Family
Setting: Afternoon of the 24th, at the Parke residence in Main
Content: lots of cousins. SFW
Summary: Vilcas & Parkes and babies and people riding on Dragons in Colorado. Or something like that.

For all that Janis Parke’s home in cold Maine gave every inch and impression of a modest cookie-cuter home when compared to the several dozen other in the subdivision, when the holidays hit it became very, different. A few charms made it possible for the sixteen cousins, two babies, three dogs (and one mouse), eight aunts and uncles, and four grandparents to live rather comfortably inside- there was never a map established before hand or after wards Thus, as Janis wandered down the halls, she had to remind herself where exactly she was. Snippits of conversation could be overheard continuing- but not to exclude, her cousin-in-law (a very, very liberal) arguing with the equally opposite uncle over god knows what. The women of the family debating how much rum to add to the eggnog across the hall from an uncle asleep as the triplets painted his nails. She paused when she heard her cousins comparing appropriate sizes of their own schools- dragons seemed to be the mode of transportation for Salem to up the ‘Ponies for All’ theme coming from the Colorado siblings. Janis side-stepped that room before her sister tried to pipe up and defend it with monsters or urchins or whatever inhabited the latest book at her disposal, it wasn’t that she didn’t love her sister, but the book-nerd of the two never, ever stopped talking.

Sadly, she didn’t move fast enough and as Janis made her way down the hall a few more feet- the high pitched squeal that was Judy’s voice made it’s way over her elders. “Yeah? Yeah? Well in CCI we have MONSTERS. Ask Jan! She SAW THEM.”

There was an appropriate pause as the group let this settle in, before the eldest demanded details. Janis kept moving.

It wasn’t for several more minutes and a dozen or so more rooms til she found her goal- the second library that only came about with the holidays. Filled with books from every Vilaca and Parke home, the over-sized cushions were, as always occupied by her Papi Vilaca and the babies of the family. Cara, the babies’ mother set on one of the footstools bouncing the babbling baby Ruby when she came in. Not having noticed her younger cousin, Cara continued to speak. “No, no we haven’t heard from them in a few months. Last I heard from she and whomever she’s dating was up in Chicago- Oh. Jannie!”

Cara turned to face her and held out the baby, “Come on in, come on in. Papi and I were just talking and playing with the babies. It’s too loud out there, y’know?” Taking the baby, Janis sat at her grandfather’s feet as her cousin continued to speak, effectively changing the subject. “I’ve heard you kind of had a rough end of the year, hrm?” Her grandfather’s eyebrows rose at the question, obviously he was unaware of the story her sister was so ready to tell.

“Whats wrong baby girl?” He asked, leaning forward to ruffle her hair a little more. “Did you not get your date to the dance?”

She wasn’t going to cry, she wasn’t going to cry.

Using a shirt sleeve, Janis did her best to hide any signs of being upset at the thought of the… bits. “No, no Papi I did, Apple took me but…”

Cara spoke up, ending her sentence for her. “Apparently our little Jannie here saw the remains of a murder beforehand.”

Janis didn’t know if she was thankful or annoyed at her cousin speaking for her- but well. In her family? No one was allowed a full sentence.

Tags: !complete, janis parke