#((put the semi there since it ties in with the winter party at Annalise's home))

[foxedthecards]

Holiday Vigil [Semi-Open Starter]

Far, far into Christmas Eve night a certain little redhead gathered hat, coat, mittens and scarf and quietly departed from the festivities without a word. Or well rather, a certain reserved gentleman did so in the guise of Jonas, if the golden eyes glancing backwards over his shoulder as he headed out the door indicated anything.

Mr. Fox immediately headed out to the barn, taking care to put as much distance between the animals and himself lest he disturb them. Pulling aside the carefully placed burlap sacks revealed a full formal evening suit in protective plastic as well as a messenger bag. He immediately got dressed, donning coat, hat and scarf and leaving the mittens in favor of his black leather gloves and once more with the bag he headed out again.

His destination lay in the forest grove past Annalise's farm. Here now in the dead of winter, snow lay on the ground, crisp and blue-tinged from the sliver of the moon in the sky and the bare skeletons of trees reached out to a sky glittering with perfect stars.

Mr. Fox took a moment to find a stump and laid his bag down beside it. He took out a simple round mirror, laid it facing upwards on the stump. A tall white candle was placed in the center of it. Round the candle he circled a wreath of poppy flowers.

Lastly from the bottom of his bag, he produced a little tin soldier. He'd gone scouring through antique shops to find the exact right one: a World War 1 doughboy. The enamel was all but worn off but still the little fellow stood there, gun at shoulder, giving a salute.

He placed the little soldier in front of the candle before he carefully lit it and stepped back, shrugging off the bulky coat momentarily to lay it by the log and leaving only the scarf and hat. It was cold but all those years ago on this same night it had been colder. He could bear it.

He clasped his hands, holding them in front of himself closed his eyes and began to sing:

God rest ye merry gentlemen let nothing you dismay...

With barely an interruption of breath, he switched effortlessly to French:

Que Le prophète de l’âme, notre Sauveur, est né le jour de Noël..

to German:

Der gegen den allbösen Feind an uns’rer Seite ficht..

And finally back to english once more

O tidings of comfort and joy...comfort and joy. O tidings of comfort and joy...

Jonas's voice was sadly under-trained and at the moment slightly hoarse from the cold. It also lacked the deepness and reverb his own well-trained voice would have offered the song though he did his best to bring both into Jonas's voice. But it would do. He made up for it somewhat by bringing out the cadence of his accent more, enunciating each word precisely

Lit by the small golden glow of the candle, Mr. Fox continued on with the carol, voice raised above but barely breaking the silver silence of this deep winter night...