[Silver]

Gamble loved the holidays. Everyone was so cheerful and friendly, the cold weather didn't bother him a bit, and there was so much delicious seasonal food around. There were many parties to attend, many old friends to visit, and overall a nice time to be had, if a bit busy.

The Houndoom was wandering through the streets of the city, a ridiculous hat on his head and a way-too-long handmade scarf around his neck. He looked less threatening than usual, but he did notice a few children give him a wide berth. They were much more likely to come over and pat him on Halloween, he supposed. Just as he was considering getting something to drink, a tavern appeared out of nowhere. Was it new? Had it been here before? He wasn't sure, but he also didn't really care. He slipped inside and went to see if they had any mint flavored liquor that he so loved this time of year.

[Isalynne]

Cecil was pacified enough to slip back onto his stool, keeping his body angled towards Cyril. He couldn’t help it - he had to be able to see any approaching threat, so he could strike first. The mere thought of what could have happened if the stranger had been dangerous, in those few minutes he wasn’t standing guard, was too horrendous to bear. At some point, he had taken a personal oath to protect the boy. At least he was true to his word.

Two Cyrils..? It would be a lie to say his mind kept itself in clean quarters. One of him was beautiful and desirable enough; oh, the fun he’d have with another..

“One of you is an expensive enough date,” He teased, and left the concept at that.

Oh. He’d almost forgotten that he was wearing the kitten sweater. God, it was delightfully hideous! Every time he looked down at himself, he couldn’t help cracking a smile at the pom-poms and the nonplussed feline face.

“I’m skilled, darlin’,” He purred, arching a brow. “Full of surprises. You know me.”

[Lilith Michaelis]

A laugh, a poke in the chest, and a shake of the head informed Kakashi that he was terribly wrong. Hmm. Alright. Not Thorn. What could it be then? The kid seemed to think it was obvious but there were a lot of the names in the world. A lot of things a strange child but not a child could be called.

"It's been awhile, so forgive me for a couple of mistakes, I hope. Hmm." There had to be something that could tell the child's name. Something in those stories. He knew sometimes the kid was just... there. But there were a lot of reports involving a strange child in the forest that happened when people nearby were dying. A single person. Hundreds. Didn't matter. Sometimes the stories said he was there when things were still happening. Others claimed they thought they'd seen him before. Almost like an omen. ...Like an omen...

"Is your name Omen?"

[crow]

Soda laughed. "Sweet! I'll see you there, then. Oh, wait, you need the address, don't you?" He dug through his pockets for a moment, before giving u and pulling out his phone, muttering under his breath. "Let's see... I swear I wrote it down somewhere..."

"Just email it to me later," said Alex. "I'm not worried about it. Is anyone else from the Goblin going to be there?"

"Our boss might show up," said Soda, frowning slightly as he thought about it. "She's friends with the owner of this place."

"What's the scene like? Maybe I've played it before." Alex found himself a little more curious now, drawn in despite his initial reservations.

"The owners are this couple... One of them's a retired chemist or something, I don't really know the details, and they say the other one came from this big mafia family or something. There's a whole lot of mystery, which was part of how it got the crowds it got when it first opened," Soda said. "But now most people just go back for the killer drinks. You'll see when you get there."

[Saahs]

He waited, quiet and patient, as he swayed ever so gently to and fro. When his new friend tried guessing a second time, Omen was both pleased but not surprised, and bobbed his head up and down with a string of delighted titters. "Omen!" he confirmed, patting himself on the chest with both his tiny, grey hands.

Pleased with the small achievement of his newfound friend, Omen scuttled forward and climbed about and over, uh, said newfound friend, to go have a better look at all the pretty lights. A pause with his head turned to look over his shoulder, though, to wait for Kakashi to follow suit.

[Adelie]

She could've sworn it was still Tuesday. Or Wednesday. Or Friday - or, wasn't it Friday today? Or was that yesterday? She wasn't even sure any more.

They say time sure passes when you're having fun, but it turns out time flies when you're not having fun, either. With the holidays coming up, there was just so much to do - shopping, cooking, more shopping, grading papers that she had so heedlessly assigned before break, more shopping - and so little time to do it in. It was only in a few moments like this, sneaking into the perennial holiday party, that she felt she had a moment to relax.

[Kyrit]

For a moment, Kyrit thought she'd seen Estebanito out of the corner of her eye as she was finishing up her cake. Luckily, a very quick question given to the bar tender granted her access to the opposite side of the bar momentarily. When she asked if she could hide for a moment the bar tender asked if she needed help dealing with anyone, to which she assured wasn't the case. "It's kinda like hide and seek. I want him to catch me, just... not quite yet! It'd ruin the fun. I really want him to stick around for the entire event."

[Middy]

They hadn't been to the event area for a bit, maybe a couple of days at least? Well they had their reasons, mostly reasons tied to their many worshipers and those trying to commune with them. Not that they really paid them any real attention anyway, they were disposable. No, Delirium had better things to do in their spare time, and that spare time consisted of holiday events. Who would have ever thought that an Elder God would be into festivities?

[Sarah]

Hyx had not expected to come back to the Tavern. He'd really thought that Kail would want to come again. Hyx didn't mind going, but he had far less reason to stay. His interest lied in the daily prize and not in the socializing aspect of the Tavern. Although he saw many people he kept to himself, and they were probably grateful for it. His more reptilian than human form often put people off.

"I'm here for the daily prize," he said, thankful the workers were not overcrowded.

[FrostWynd]

She didn't have any clue what this was supposed to be.

Having stared at this odd object, that had just shown up from seemingly out of nowhere, for a good several minutes by now, Lydia was not sure of what to really make of it. It definitely looked like a door of some sort, but the area she discovered it was definitely not where one belonged. The more she stared at it with her two sets of blue eyes, and generally just hung around close enough to it, she could sense something about it was off. Like as if a strange energy was radiating off of its surface.

She honestly didn't like it. It was too out of place, and made her quite nervous. So much so that her long tail whipped around in agitation about it. But she had this sneaking suspicion that it held some significance. To the point where she reached out a clawed hand to open it up slowly...

[Jaykobell]

1988?! What a surprise for them to learn that Orion, someone they looked up to, was stuck with such an old version of the book. Well, surely an older version had to be fascinating in its own right. After all, the stars, space, the planets: they all changed with the rhythm of life, and for sure, the two editions had to be virtually completely different now.

They held their breath. An idea crossed their mind. Perhaps, a stupid idea. Yet, maybe it would prove to be a good one. But could they really afford to let go of their own copy? Who knows when they would be able to get another one...

Their thoughts were interrupted by Orion requesting to check out their sketchbook. They looked away timidly at the request. "S... Sure," they agreed, passing the book towards the man. They had nothing to hide, but they always felt self-conscious, showing their amateur art to others.

[Jaden Wolf]

The two siblings entered the tavern decked in festive but fashionable clothing. Between the two of them, almost every person they passed turned to look, they were so good looking. Models, perhaps, some people suggested.

Raiden found a high bar table for the two of them, sliding into it gracefully, and his sister followed suit in the same manner. She looked up for a waiter and opened her mouth, but Raiden raised a finger to silence her. It was not an unfriendly gesture, rather mildly amused as he gave her a chastising look. “You know the deal, sis, you aren’t allowed to speak in public.” Phoenix rolled her eyes at him but obliged while giving a sidelong look at the nearby women who had turned all puppy-eyed at the sound of Raiden speaking.

[RiDragon]

Migraines sucked.



That was the only thought that surfaced in the groggy mind of the boy as he trudged his way into the party.  Though last year was...  Too eventful for his taste (by a whole lot) he just couldn't keep away from the festivities.  He had aquired a taste for human food after his initial refusal (it goes all the way through you.  Gross.). And the fact that this place had so many sweets for free was just too much of a temptation to resist.  He picked up something with custard in the middle and took an awkward bite.  His chewing and eating skills still not quite well practiced.  Hopefully the sweet food chased out the pounding from his head.

[zapdragon555]

Cyril's small melancholy moment was effectively whisked away by Cecil's comment and the new focus on the silly sweater, hideous as it was. It was actually rather cute, but Cyril refused to say such a thing. He was a man of taste, after all. Cyril rolled his eyes teasingly and sipped his drink, then leaned over to catch Cecil's straw in his lips and sip on it as well. "Mm--I think I like yours better," he mused, grinning with a small chuckle and a wink.

Again, Cyril paused, and felt a strange shudder pass through him. He looked around, brows knitted, then shook his head to clear it. "Must be out of sorts tonight," he mumbled, running a hand through his hair and letting out a small laugh. "I swear, I'm jumping at shadows. Time to get drunk." It was said as a joke, but it seemed a little forced, clearly trying to cover up his own antsy actions. First the feeling he'd had when he'd seen the old man, and now this? Cyril was sure it was a coincidence. Maybe some sort of anxiety attack coming on? Strange, he felt quite fine. Deciding to smile and shrug, Cyril reached across to Cecil's hand and took it, fiddling with his rings playfully. "You'll drive me home, won't you? Actually, scratch that, toss that idea--take me back to your place. I'm certain my father would explode if some mysterious stranger showed up with his half-conscious son." Again, a joke. Cyril didn't really love being drunk, in fact, he hardly liked it at all. Instead he sipped at Cecil's drink again and thumbed over one of the smoother rings, offering a smile up to Cecil. "I won't be any trouble," he added, a bit more genuine and soft, and he leaned over to press a small kiss to Cecil's very fuzzy, wooly shoulder. That damn cat sweater.

[ToxicShadow]

As he still didn't seem to have the face of holiday cheer, the Quest Master approached the bartender, moving around to the other side of the bar and slipped a lei made of real, colorful flowers around the man's neck. "You should try to enjoy yourself more."

The bartender glanced down at the lei now around his neck, and even lifted it in his hand to examine it more clearly, but still sighed, although he made no motion to remove it.