“Are you KIDDING ME?” Virgil snapped, genuine anger replacing his usual sardonic tone. This caused Violet to jump in her chair, eyes widening as she looked up at him in shock. His eyebrows furrowed, clearly trying to suppress his trembling as he continued, “What was happy about that?! That wasn’t a family gathering, it was an evaluation and I FAILED. EVERY YEAR. That time they were ‘nice’, but every year they only got more disappointed! More demanding!”
Violet’s heart sank, eyes turning downcast as she whispered, “Virgil… I know, I’m sorry… What I meant was-”
“You don’t know! They were proud of you! Your gift was a reward. Meanwhile, I got a reminder: do better.”
Keeping her composure for his sake, Violet shook her head as she spoke gently, “I know, you didn’t deserve that. I knew it wasn’t fair, even then… Don’t you remember later that evening? That's what I wanted to talk about...”
“No. And I don’t really care,” he scowled, moving to put on his coat, “I’m heading out for the day. Good luck with the shop,” the bells chimed behind him as his hand sunk into his pocket, fumbling for a pack of cigarettes. Despite his words, he sighed, letting his mind wander to that night as he flicked his lighter with shaking hands.
“Hey! Hey! Wake up!” A small voice whispered in the dark, causing Virgil to shoot up from his bed in fright. Glancing over, he saw a blurry, grinning face, “Took you long enough! Come on!”
“Violet…” Virgil mumbled in confusion, reaching out for his glasses on the nightstand, “Why are you in my room…? You’re going to get us in trouble again…”
Violet was fully dressed in her winter gear, shoving a similar parka and boots into his arms, “Only if we get caught, so shush and hurry!”
Eyeing her warily, Virgil eventually relented, never being very good at saying no to her. Quietly the pair crept out of their house, careful not to alert their sleeping parents as they ventured out into the cold, dark night. Struggling to keep up with her confident pace, Virgil trudged through the dense snow of the Ice Realm, huffing from exertion, “V-Violet! Wait up! Where are we going anyway?”
“It’s a surprise, a real surprise this time!” She beamed back at him, “You’re really going to like this… But if you don’t hurry up we’re going to miss it! Slowpoke!” She stuck out her tongue teasingly before running quicker, making her brother protest and chase after her.
Eventually Violet slowed to a stop as they approached two giant rock walls. Virgil frowned, “We came to look at rocks…?”
“Silly, hurry!” Violet giggled, moving to pass between the rocks. On the other side they found themselves standing on a cliff overlooking a valley. Gorgeous as it was, it soon became clear to Virgil that this wasn't the surprise. To his awe, bright bursts of colours streaked across the sky, painting the night with dancing vibrance.
“Wow… I’ve never seen them this bright!”
Violet moved to plop herself onto the snow, beaming proudly, “This is the best place in all the realm to see them! I know you like them so I wanted to show you! This can be your spot!”
“Mine?” Virgil sat next to her as he gave her a look of surprise.
“Yeah, we’ll call it… Virgil’s Point!”
Virgil smiled shyly to her before glancing back up at the northern lights, shaking his head, “It can be both our place… Because it’s more fun to watch them together.”
“Pft, some gift them!” Violet laughed playfully, before slipping off one of her mitts to hold her pinkie out towards him, “In that case, I promise to always come watch them with you, no matter what! Especially during Solstice!”
Slipping off his glove to hook his pinkie to hers, Virgil smiled, nodding, “Okay… No matter what.”
It was late in the evening when the shop’s bell chimed again. Violet had just finished setting up the shop as she gasped, “Virgil… Listen, I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have-”
“Save it, it’s fine…” Virgil mumbled, before holding out a wrapped rectangle towards her, “Here. Sorry for blowing up at you. Wasn’t your fault…” He glanced away.
Blinking, Violet looked down at the gift in surprise, “I wasn’t expecting this…” As she stripped away the decorative paper, a canvas was revealed. Her eyes widened as she looked at the painting in her hands: the northern lights dancing over a familiar frozen valley. Tears welled in her eyes as she smiled, “Virgil’s Point…”
“Happy Solstice…” He mumbled under his breath.
“Happy Solstice…” Violet responded, before holding out her arms with a laugh, “You’re required to hug me now, though! It's holiday law!”
Virgil scoffed as he backed away, “No way..." Seeing Violet grin mischievously and unlock her brakes, Virgil knew he was in trouble, eyes widen as he hopped away, sprinting as she chased him around the shop, "CUT IT OUT! I'LL TAKE IT BACK!"
art by ghost
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