[Silver]

Muse rustled around in her little hat, trying her hardest to get into a comfortable sleeping position. She tried her wings folded, unfolded, her legs tucked under and sticking straight out, but nothing worked. After a while she let out a disgruntled little huff and climbed back out of the hat. There was to be no napping for now. Perhaps the presence of so many people was making her uncomfortable.

As she climbed out of the hat, she noticed that it donned a large, fluffy feather. Her first instinct was to grab it in her mouth, and that's exactly what she did. While she wasn't sure what it was supposed to taste like, it was simply awful and she immediately spat it back out and started licking her face to get rid of the taste. She really needed something to wash the taste of artificial feather out, so she awkwardly waddled around the floor looking for any hint of dropped treats.

[Freezair]

There was no time left to dilly-dally, so Random was in charge of collecting the goodies for the day. He bundled himself up with nary a portrait to look at and rushed out to the clearing to collect his prizes. Thankfully, since he'd gained a landbound form some years back, it was a lot easier for him to handle these days. Unfortunately, Mahams were still not made for dashing--through the snow or any other substance, for that matter. Even with knitted booties on all his feet he was still grumblingly cold.

"Yeah, rub it in," he said to no one who seemed to be there. "Why do I always get the dirtiest jobs? See if I actually share the prize with you," he mumbled. "You'd've earned it if I don't."

[crow]

Leo laughed softly at Oliver's explanation. Maybe it was cruel to do so, but Leo didn't mean it that way; there was something endearing about the way he spoke. When he covered his face with his hands, some part of Leo wanted to reach out and pull those hands away. His fingers twitched, and he caught himself, though the impulse surprised him as he realized what it was.

By then it was too late anyway, which was probably just as well. He didn't think Oliver would have appreciated it if Leo had suddenly grabbed his hands. He smiled and tried his best not to seem too distracted. "You made it yourself? Wow, now I'm really curious as to what it is." He couldn't remember the last time he'd received something hand-made. He didn't think he needed to be... thanked for his involvement in the cult take-down, especially since he'd signed up for it with his own goals in mind, but he was beginning to learn that it was better just to accept Oliver's goodwill when it was given.

At Oliver's prompting, he picked at the tape, unwrapping the gift carefully to preserve as much of the wrapping paper as possible. Slowly the contents were unveiled. His eyebrows shot up as he caught a glimpse of white and green yarn. A moment later, he lifted it out, shaking it slightly so the bundle unfurled... into another Christmas sweater, in the same colors as Oliver's own.

[Adelie]

Really, there's no good reason for her to be here. Today is a tightly scheduled day for her - she just left one appointment and she's on her way to another event - and attending this holiday party is certainly not a part of that.

But she walked by, and the place looked so welcoming, and it smelled so welcoming as well - peppermint, sugar, gingerbread, and chocolate. When she'd gotten curious and come by, some staff member with a santa hat had shooed her in, telling her she was going to catch a cold if she kept standing outside. No one could blame a girl for just dropping in to say hi and pick up some food, could they?

[SpringsSong]

They had finally convinced HK-55 that he could leave their sides for a few minutes, Lana and Xyshari made to disappear into the crowd as quickly as they could.  They both knew that there was only so long that they could escape him.

"Could always send out HK-51 to distract him for a little while," Xyshari mused, but Lana shook her head.

"An assassin versus a bodyguard, who is a more recent model?" she asked.  "That's just asking for an unpleasant confrontation."

"May as well enjoy the time we have away from everything now, then, huh?" Xyshari asked with a wink, grabbing up two mugs of eggnog.

[Mojave]

With a jolt, China sat upright in the chair she'd passed out in. A quick check of her phone told her she'd missed two days of the event and she groaned. Despite being refreshed energy wise, she was ready to return home. Stretching, she stood and straightened her rumpled clothes with distaste. Yep, a long hot shower, some primping time, and fresh garments were in order, stat. "Well, I'm all partied out, can I claim today's prize before I bounce?"

[Middy]

Rushing to the event from the shop was a bit more than silly, the event wasn't going anywhere and she had plenty of time, but maybe it was the excitement of seeing all the new people coming in and out of the area. She wasn't going to socialize of course, as she was afraid of saying something stupid-- like getting someone angry at her on accident. More importantly, she was wondering if she could find her father there, whoever he was. Maybe she was never told for a reason, but she was adult enough to go out and search for him. That and... it gave her some time away from building animatronics.

[Claiming 4th Day]

[FieldsofIris]

Dahlia winced in sympathy as Cody recalled what happened before he wound up at the tavern. A broken plate could've easily triggered the panicked response from the young man, and the guilt surely didn't help. With a small smile, she rubbed his arm encouragingly. She decided to wait to respond, letting the man think himself through the situation.

"Well, hon, if you're concerned about the expenses, is there a way you could get a part-time job?" She suggested softly, not trying to make it seem like he was at fault. She just wanted to try and help him find ways to ease his guilt. "Even if you just contribute a little bit, I'm sure that'll help you feel better." The apology and forgiveness would help him, as well, Kosok reminded, almost absent-mindedly.

"Also, maybe compromise with your guy about talking to someone," Dahlia added. "That could help you work through your feelings, even if you just talk to a friend." The more advice she could give, the more options the man would have to choose from - hopefully, there was one that was comfortable.

A warm smile crossed her face as Cody mentioned loving Zane. She wasn't interested or even really familiar with romantic relationships, but love between people was something she was always glad to see. That part, though, he was gonna have to work out with his partner.

"No need to apologize, sugar," Dahlia grinned. "And yessir, you're right about that!" Kosok chattered lightly as Cody got his name right, his expression seemingly happy.

Dahlia carefully pulled the phonebook over towards her and Cody as she pulled her chair closer to his. "Here's the name of this place, by the way," she murmured, finger landing on the correct entry. The only information included was the name and phone number, so the address would require a bit of research. "If you'd like, I could search up the address on my phone and you can either text or call your - Zane?"

[Claiming day 4 / the 22nd's prize! c:]

[Isalynne]

Of course, Aranyani had no idea what Grid was talking about. She was polite enough to nod along enthusiastically as if it might convince someone, but the fine points were flying over her head. A topic for another time, perhaps. Somewhere not so crowded, and while she was less excitable about meeting new people.

"Tah'kwache.. I have not heard such, no," She said, looking solemn. It was a shame that they didn't instantly have something in common - another talking point to make it easier to communicate. "We rarely leave our village. This is.. a big adventure, yes? I am.. come from a place with very little, and I am confused."

The story of her birth was a rather big subject, and one that filled her with excitement and honour, so she didn't hesitate to elaborate on the point even though she hadn't been asked.

"My.. my birth mother, she laid an egg! Just one, it's rare.. and inside was me, and..my village, they found me, yes? On the sides.. these, um, the banks."

[Kestrel]

Lyric didn't typically go to holiday parties, but she had seen a flyer for this one posted on her library's billboard this morning, and it seemed cute. Nice, friendly. In truth, it would probably be good for her to get out more, talk to people more.

She padded into the tavern, blue eyes glancing around and taking in the decorations, the snacks, the people. She just needed to find someone nice to talk to. Shouldn't be too hard, right? Most of the people Lyric knew were nice, so her chances that any given stranger would be seemed pretty high.

She looked into the crowd again, edging her way along the wall towards the refreshments. The faces blurred before her. Lyric took a deep breath in and out. She could do this. Yes, she could do this.

[Skylark]

You know, thinking about it, it was actually quite nice to fake this so-called holiday cheer. He didn't believe in anything that was happening, of course, and if asked he was only here so that he could observe human behavior to criticize and/or mess with it later, but he could see the appeal in worshiping this 'holiday spirit' so many seemed to be embracing. Especially considering the time of year. With the days so horribly short and daylight a commodity no longer readily available, mortals had to find some way to keep their spirits up during the dark days so that they wouldn't fall into despair.

[Saahs]

Laughing, Warren looked down at the little doll after his tiny song was played. "Ya like that? Here, I'll play you an actual song, then." And with that, he started to happily doot away to a bouncy tune. He swayed side to side to the song's rhythm, hands lowering from the kazoo to softly clap along. Not lough enough to draw much attention, but enough to enunciate the tune's beat.

Once the song was finished, he put the kazoo away and looked down to the doll. "Can you write? I might have a notepad an' pen so we can chit chat!" Was it a good idea to chat with an animate doll? Probably not. Was he a smart man? Definitely not!

(Claiming today's present!)

[Indigo]

Here, at least, was one place Piotr couldn't follow him. Dean didn't like to make fun of his roommate's oversensitivities, mostly, but for someone's definition of dangerous religious symbols to extend to Christmas trees...he couldn't deny that they were religious symbols, of course, but they certainly didn't have the deep spiritual significance normally associated with such things.

Most of the time he and Piotr got along okay, but their disagreements, particularly when it came to eating people abducted from parties in the middle of the living room, were strong enough that he wanted to get away whenever they happened. Last year he'd gone to a much looser event, outside and much less crowded, but that didn't seem to be available this year, and this was a pretty decent substitute. Christmas had never meant much religious to him anyway. Maybe that was why he could still safely enjoy it.

[Jaykobell]

What an interesting place. Venturing out of his house wasn't really the norm, and especially not during this specific holiday. His stitched mouth and overall unsettling appearance was more fitting for October and the frights of Halloween, and not so much the cheerful mood of Christmas. Even in his questionable attire, however, he managed to smile and appreciate the decor. He enjoyed taking a few pictures of the place. It was nice to take pictures of something other than the deceased.

He reached the place where other people were eagerly reaching for gifts and small trinkets of some kind. While he waited, he got wind that they were being handed out for free. How very nice!

He approached once a little bit of wiggle room was freed, and he reached out for the little prize. Once he received it, he smiled and turned to his camera. He flipped it around and showed a picture of words to the organizer; the picture displayed the words, "Thank you."

[Lilith Michaelis]

Hadya nodded in response to his question and gently clapped along as he played. She clicked and chittered again in imitated laughter as he continued to play his little kazoo. She even got up to dance for a bit, bouncing on her hinged toes and spinning. As the song came to an end, she curtsied and took a seat in his lap again.

The doll nodded vigorously when he mention writing. She'd love that! It wasn't often she actually got to talk to anyone except Daddy and she didn't need a pen and paper for that. Please please please!, she signed, whether he would understand or not.

((Claiming the prize for the 4th day/December 22th))