[Jaden Wolf]

A low chuckle. “Hope, slow down,” Runic called after his girlfriend. The young woman had bounded ahead toward the tavern, positively aglow in her excitement. She looked back at him, beaming.
“I can see it!” she shouted.

Runic shook his head with a smile. “You know, the point of a date is to be together,” he pointed out. Hope slunk back to him, both bashful and abashed. Wrapping herself around his arm, she snuggled into him.
“Sorry. It’s just...it’s Christmas Eve, you know?” she said.
“I know,” he responded softly, “but I have no interest in mortal festivities beyond the excuse to be with you.” Hope practically turned cherry red in embarrassment, but buried her face into him.
“I know.”

[Kyrit]

Ten minutes came and went, and she was still nowhere in sight. With a defeated sigh, he began the walk back to the entrance. Waiting for him at the door was exactly what he wasn't expecting to find; his partner. In her hand was a wrapped box, a stupid grin on her face.

"Merry Christmas, love," she called out, holding the box out to him. "I know it probably wasn't very fun for you, but thanks for letting me have a bit of fun at least.

[crow]

Xinyi's comment about drinks sparked a curiosity in Alex. He watched them down one glass--- some pale concoction with leaves floating in it--- before asking, "Have you been to the place they're hosting this party at?"

"Party?" said Xinyi, arching a brow at him. They must not have caught as much of Alex and Soda's conversation as Alex had thought.

Alex glanced at Soda. "The Apothecary," Soda supplied.

Alex laughed then. "I swear, every bar we go to has a name right out of a fantasy novel or something. Whatever happened to naming your place the 'Playhouse' or the 'Green Room' or something?"

"Too unoriginal," said Xinyi. "Also you wouldn't catch me dead working someplace called the 'Playhouse'. One look at the name and you just know it's going to attract a bunch of creeps." They started in on another drink, but fortunately they only sipped at this one. "Anyway, I've been to the Apothecary. Hate to say it, but their boss is something else. I'd need another ten years at least before I could get on that level of cocktail crafting."

[Isalynne]

Cecil’s arm easily snaked around Cyril’s waist, resting there with an ease greater than one would imagine after a matter of weeks. There was no hesitance. Being candid and tactile with him had never been an issue - they moved fluidly together, with purpose and joy. He needn’t worry. Maybe a day would come where the boy would shrug him off, but it sounded entirely unimaginable to him in the moment. For now, he basked in the physicality, drumming a gentle rhythm on the bar’s surface with his free hand.

“Mm? I’m fine, pet,” He answered with a smile, but didn’t look overly convinced. Thinking about it for longer than he had to would make everything feel sordid. Dirty. It would remind him that he was luxuriating on the back of lies. “Jus’ a bit noisy in here, isn’t it? Warm. This jumper is itchin’ me.”

That much was certainly true. He had to stop tapping out his tune and reach up to scratch around the neckline, trying to alleviate the irritation of the coarse wool.

“Want to take that walk soon?”

[Adelie]

Despite her previous musings on the nature of punctuality, she had made a determined effort, this time, to be on time. Or even, considering that the party seemed to be slightly less populated at the moment, that not all the food had been laid out yet, that there were still people waiting outside - perhaps she had even managed to be ahead of time.

But she had also decided, in her infinite wisdom, that she would not longer subject herself to time itself. It seemed silly, really - why let such a simple thing as time, as a clock, as a calendar, force her to change her habits and whims? Why not force time itself, instead, to listen to her instead?

Why wait for Christmas when she could just define today as Christmas? It all sounded quite good in her head.

[FrostWynd]

So Christmas was almost finally here, and that meant that wherever Skylar would go there would be lots of celebrating and holiday cheer in spades around every corner.

And for her, she would almost be ready to also celebrate the holiday in her own way. There was just one thing that she needed to do first, before the day arrived. Which was to pay a visit to the tavern that was hosting their own event right now, and check it out. Although she had no intention of joining the very festive party, it wouldn't hurt to stick around for a little bit. At least until she could pick up one of those gifts they were handing out, along with a couple other things to take home. Once she was done, Skylar intended to go home with those extra goodies to help take care of her friend, who had been feeling a little under the weather for a couple days now.

[zapdragon555]

It was always a little exasperating when Cyril got it into his head that Cecil was hiding something. Regardless, he decided not to press it--not in public, and not on their day together. He felt warmth chase up his spine as Cecil's arm encircled his waist, and he leaned into the contact more easily than he could've ever imagined.

Easy. It was easy to be around the other man, and that was a feeling that Cyril had never experienced in such a profoundly simple way before. He touched his head to Cecil's cheek as he nearly finished off his drink, then passed it to Cecil to let him finish--he'd seemed to like the taste when he'd sampled it earlier.

"Mm. It is a little noisy," he mused, though a different kind of noisy than what usually plagued him. Here, people at least seemed to be having fun, instead of putting on airs for each other. But even then, the allure of a walk, of more intimate one-on-one conversation, was strong. He grinned and twiddled his finger over one of the pompoms on the sweater one last time, wrinkling his nose in amusement. "Bet you regret wearing the thing now, don't you," he chuckled, and nodded, shifting to stand up from the bar stool and offering his hand. "Let's bounce, shall we?" he tried out the word with a mirthful look in his eyes.

[Jaykobell]

When Orion brought up how he looked at the star maps and the loops and everything else space had to offer them, oh, but how they knew. Every time there was a new post online or a new article published by Orion, they were all over them. You'd expect great things from someone who'd managed to find a brand new star. And every time, they learned something new.

When Orion asked what they did for fun, Canopus's expression shifted; to something almost akin to panic. "U-um..." they mumbled uncomfortable. They couldn't be honest and say that they creepily waited for Orion's next article and or discoveries. Or that they didn't go out of their house very often at all, having virtually no social life. Gosh, what were they supposed to say?

Maybe they could dodge the question all the while saying the truth. "U-um, well... I-I don't really do much," they said quietly, laughing sheepishly. "I-I'm more of a homebody, you know?"

[Sarah]

Hyx was not last minute shopping. If he’d forgotten anything then he didn’t need it. He was interested in the tavern. The prizes and merriment were still rolling out. It seemed the crowd had not died down over the days the tavern had been opened. “Here to pick up the prize for today,” he said shortly. He was interested in the raffle and prizes, but he did not have time to hang around. He’d hopefully have a vacation shortly after the holidays were over.

[Flame]

While he was waiting for his breakfast for dinner (or perhaps more accurately, for third dinner), Atlas had decided to be even more adventurous and try another delicacy he'd not partaken in to date. Alcohol. Now, he'd heard at length from Flame what the dangers of the drink were, so he had a healthy wariness about him, but at the same time, he couldn't help his curiosity. Plus, it was Christmas Eve and he'd heard only good things about a beverage called eggnog. Especially when it was enhanced with a healthy dose of bourbon whiskey.

[RiDragon]

Null snapped awake with a start.  He hadn't remembered falling asleep, but apparently he had.  The ice in his drink had melted, but he drank the flat beverage anyway.  Least the headache was gone.  Be stretched out a bit, wondering how long he'd been out.  It was the day before Christmas, wasn't it?  What did they all call it, again?  He scratched his nose and wiped off a bit of drool that had stuck to his bottom lip.  It was something like uh...  Christmas Adam.  That sounded vaguely correct.

[Mojave]

The two sat about conversing between themselves for a while. Or so it seemed. After some time, the newcomer rose from his seat and disappeared into the crowd. Judah picked up his latest drink and returned to the pool side. From the direction of the bathroom, a sudden series of cracks and pops could be heard, and a sudden high pitched yelp. Thinking he was unobserved, Judah slipped a small vial out of a pocket and dumped the contents into the water. He grinned as he walked away, while beneath the surface of the water, creatures best described as koi sized sea monkeys were hatching and beginning to grow at an accelerated rate. They were harmless, but he couldn't wait to see the look on someone's face when they were discovered.

[ToxicShadow]

While the Quest Master and bartender continued their banter, Spirit, the peculiar cat that stepped in with Captain Veer, jumped up on the bar top. “Master,” he greeted, dipping his head as he did so in a bow. “Thank you for inviting us to your celebration!”

“Oh, Spirit my dear!” The Quest Master turned on their heels to greet the cat in return. “Of course, of course! It would be a terrible shame if you missed it again.”

[Silver]

Gwen would love to shake up the party, maybe light it up a bit, but she was too drained to cause any real mischief. She sunk deeply into a chair and stared wistfully at the empty table in front of her. She forgot when she came in that she didn't have any cash to buy a drink with. She was just going to have to watch the party and see if anyone walked away from anything that looked good.

Gwen began to nod off into her chair, feeling safe and warm for the first time in a while. She shook herself awake, reminding her brain that she didn't actually know anyone here and that falling asleep in a crowd was not the smartest survival instinct it had. When she came to, she was surprised to find a drink and a plate of warm food sitting in front of her. Skewers of meat, festive goodies, and even some cookies. She wanted to cry a happy cry just from smelling it. She didn't know who put the food here or what they wanted, but she was not going to waste any time figuring it out.

[Mojave]

Well, the big day had finally arrived! It was still dark out when the two trouble makers decided they were done. Charge left as he had arrived, without a word. Meanwhile Judah went to the bar for one last drink- those fruity little drinks were addicting- before going to find the hostess of the party. "Thank you for inviting me, but I believe I'm going to take today's prize and clear out. Merry Christmas!"

It wasn't five minutes after he'd departed that a commotion began in the pool. Apparently the creatures were cannabilistic and there was a frenzy going on as they devoured each other, the odd pieces of crustacean leg or antennae tossed about on the water's surface. As suddenly as it had begun, it was over, a truly large individual being the sole survivor. It was content to swim around, though as a self reproducing creature, if it was allowed to mature and spawn, the cycle would repeat endlessly.