[Sappheara]

It was the end of the celebration for Chumani. Azena barely gotten to the party and Chumani wanted to leave now. Well, she wanted to leave earlier before Azena got there. Now she had a good reason to leave this place. The other three could stay if they wanted to spend some time with their older metra. She could care less what they decided. She tapped her fingers on the table watching everyone in the room. She looked at her watch and spoke. "You know it's getting really late for me. I think I'm going to head out." Azena eyed Chumani with a frown on her face. "You want to leave so soon? I just got here and I would like to spend some time with my granddemons. I came to this awful place because of them. I don't think it would be nice." Chumani wanted to yell at her but bit her lower lip. She took a few deep breaths before she spoke. "They can stay with you if they want but I'm going to head out." Chumani slide the chair out from under the table and got up from her seat. She walked to the bar where her demons waited. She left Azena behind without saying a word to her. Chumani spoke fast, she wanted to leave as soon as possible. "Azena is going to stay. All of you are free to do what you want. If you wish to stay with her go ahead. I'm going to take off and head back to the temple." Anguish and Enigma looked at each other and Anguish spoke up. "Is everything okay, metra?" He watched his metra closely. "Yeah, just tired. I need my rest." Chumani sound exhausted when she spoke. Before anyone else could speak, Chumani left the tavern. The two demons and guide went to the table with Azena and continued to enjoy the rest of the night.

{Claiming 1st Day}

[Saahs]

Warren glanced down as Hadya began writing again. Something told him he was being watched. It could have been the paranoia that this little doll was in fact evil, or it was just the normal paranoia about the fact that no matter were he went, at any given second his Masters could try to take control over him. Hmm, maybe coming to the tavern hadn't been such a good idea.

But they had yet to take over, and the shores were shrinking back now. So there was, hopefully, very little to worry about for the time being.

"Awww, thank you!" he chimed, head bobbing from side to side. "And I'm havin' a lotta fun, though it'd be more fun if I were dancin' up on a table singin'." That got a snicker out of him. "Oh, yeah I do play other insturments! It's just, you know, it's the funniest instrument to play, ya know? But no, I play other instruments, too!"

(Claiming the last day's present!)

[ToxicShadow]

"Come on, Daddy! Come on, Auntie Elle!" The young girl with long white hair, Ekko, was practically bouncing with enthusiasm as she was just one step ahead of the two adults whom was holding each of her hands as they made their way into the Quest Master's tavern.

Admittedly, Pulse had wanted to avoid Christmas parties all together, as he most certainly wasn't one for social gatherings, but there was absolutely no way that he could turn down his adorable little girl when she asked to go. Especially since she'd done the clever thing, and invited Auntie Elle to go first, as long as Daddy said it was okay. Since Hypolight had already agreed to go, if he okay'd going, Pulse really couldn't turn them both down. Never mind that she wasn't actually Ekko's aunt, but now the closest thing she had to a mother figure.

Both the woman and the girl were wearing fuzzy hats with fake ears, and Elle was wearing an unusually large scarf that covered part of her face, with the way she had it arranged. Unlike Pulse, whom intentionally stayed in the shadows while performing, she was front and center on the stage, so she had to try to conceal herself from others if she didn't want to be bothered while out in public.

The trio first grabbed drinks, all three of them choosing hot cocoa, since that was what Ekko wanted most, and the adults just joined in, before settling into chairs around a vacant table.

"I'll go get grab us some food, and after we eat, you can claim your prize, okay?" It was Elle that spoke, taking upon the task of really venturing into the crowd herself, so Pulse didn't have to. After all, just attending the party, even if it was just mostly to eat the food and claim the advent prize, meant that the man was almost already at his limit.

"Okay!" Ekko answered enthusiastically. "But can I have a dessert, too?"

It was Pulse that nodded his head this time, answering his daughter, "Yes, if you eat well, you can have something sweet, too."

[Jaykobell]

The two young boys stepped inside the tavern with two very different attitudes. One seemed excited to be here, but the other had a much more reserved look on the whole thing. The first one was already stepping further inside when the timid one called out to him.

"U-um... Victor?" they said quietly, so much so that their friend had barely heard them.

Victor stopped and turned around. "What?" he asked, tilting his head curiously.

The timid one struggled to continue their train of thought, instead opting to look away, almost in shame. Seeing that reaction, Victor walked closer to them and took ahold of their hands, squeezing them in his own. "What is it, Lucas?" he repeated, trying to urge his friend to speak up. "Tell me."

"It's just..." Lucas tried to say, but then they sighed. "Are you sure you're okay with this?" they finally asked.

Victor stared at them for a moment, but then he caught on to what Lucas was referring. "Is it the makeup again?" he said, and there was a hint of annoyance in his voice. "Lucas, you're fine! I'm happy you're wearing it!" They hadn't even put all that much on: just a tiny bit of contour and a pale, subtle touch of eyeshadow. Victor had insisted he was fine with Lucas putting on more, but they had been too insecure to add any more.

"You say that," Lucas argued — although, with their quiet voice, not much arguing was actually being done, "but boys aren't supposed to—"

"But you're not a boy!" Victor interrupted, and he squeezed Lucas's hands a little tighter, to try and make them realize that everything would be fine. "Remember? You're better: you're neither gender! You love the makeup and you're rocking it." His expression hardened a bit. "Fuck your dad," he added, whispering the words so that only the two of them would hear.

The harsh language made Lucas gasp. "Victor!" they whispered in a high-pitched voice as their eyes scanned the place, waiting for an adult to come out and scold them for swearing.

"Lucas," Victor said, "shut up," he almost ordered, his voice being relatively intimidating despite how feminine it sounded. "I'm a boy that looks like a girl; you think I look any less embarrassing?" Neither of them did, but if Lucas insisted on using that logic, two could play at that game. "Literally no one's looking at us," he pointed out, dragging one of Lucas's hands along with his as he motioned to the rest of the celebrating folks. "So stop," he insisted, his voice and his words being so direct just to make sure the point would go across.

To make sure of that, he went the extra mile and reached up, standing on his toes, so he could give Lucas a sweet kiss on the lips. "I love you, okay?" Victor reminded them, and he couldn't help but to grin when he saw the shock on Lucas's face. They had been an item for a while now, but Lucas always made that expression of unfiltered shock whenever Victor acted on his feelings. "So don't worry about it. Just have fun!"

It felt like they needed to remember how to breathe following Victor's kiss. "O-okay," they said quietly, almost running out of breath just saying that single word. "I..." they added, pausing as they inched just a little bit closer to Victor's face, "I-I love you too," they whispered quickly, and they found the courage to return a kiss, even if it was but for a split second.

Their turnaround surprised Victor for a moment, but the kiss made him both blush and giggle all at once. "Good!" he said with a large grin. "So let's have fun! It's Christmas today!" Having just a little bit of fun together like this was the least Victor could do, considering Lucas would be forced to go back to their awful family later that night. He would love to invite them over with his family, but Victor's mom wasn't there yet. She wasn't understanding enough to make Lucas feel as welcome as they should.

Regardless, getting to spend time with their boyfriend on this day was enough to make Lucas smile. "Okay," they said, this time with just a little bit more confidence, "let's have fun," they agreed.

They almost regretted agreeing when they saw Victor's face light up, his eyes shining with just a little bit of mischief. He snickered, and he started walking backwards, dragging Lucas along with him. "Let's go!"

[Middy]

Today was the last day (was it?) to be at the event and have a chance at all kinds of things. Haze had gotten there a little late, but the festivities weren't going to just suddenly end in a few hours. Frankly, she was both busy and a little tired, so she would make a quick pop-in before returning to her own holiday events.

"Rawwwrk... I'm here to claim the final day!" she cawed loudly, making sure everyone around her could hear her shrill call. Usually it would send shivers down one's spine, with the ethereal sounding chill and tone. She would have scared everyone, if she didn't have to leave so suddenly.

[Claiming Final Day]

[Redd]

"Red! What on earth are you doing?"

The blonde woman stood in the centre of the street, hands on hips and mouth pressed into a disapproving frown as she watched the other woman prance ahead. She'd taken the thief out on the promise of good behaviour, but honestly? She was doing anything but that.

So far, the other woman had dodged the train fare (though that could have been classed as Ashley's fault, she'd refused to take Red out in her work car, she being a detective and Red being a... well, criminal), she'd stolen snacks from a gas station, and produced a bottle of liquour and had started consuming it as they'd wandered the streets.

To say the least, Ashley was frazzled and not in the mood when Red had taken off down the street to gawk at a... what was that? A tavern? You had to be joking.

"Red, we are not-" Ashley began to hotly bark. The thief paid no attention, clearly, as she slipped through the front door.

Though she stopped to poke her tongue out at the blonde.

Why had she thought this would be a good idea?

Ashley, with a stream of curses, followed the red-head into the crowded tavern, cautiously clutching her brown handbag close to her. Just in case. The tavern was... not what she'd expected. Crowded, yes. But... there were more cheery vibes, more... people her age, and it didn't really have that seedy feeling she would have expected from something Red had picked out.

"Want a drink? My buy." Red suddenly popped up beside the blonde, two hurricane glasses full of a cream colored liquid and dusted with cinnamon in hand. "Non-alcoholic, for the prude little police officer. And mine... well. I'd be arrested if I told you." And somehow between now and disappearing earlier, the woman had managed to find herself a santa hat as well. Probably stolen.

"Ugh. Fine." Ashley groaned with an eye roll, as she accepted the glass and took a cautious sip. At least Red was good on her word regarding the no alcohol thing.

"There's also a little giveaway thing I signed us up for." Red chirped up happily as she flopped into a nearby booth and patted the seat beside her. "C'mon, take a seat, you look stressed as all hell. We can take ten here, and then keep going. How's that sound?"

[Claiming the final day]

[Sarah]

Christmas felt like it was finally over. Regardless of any other gathering they still had to attend, Christmas was finally done. They hand't exchanged gifts in years, so it was not unexpected that they hadn't really gotten anything. Honestly it took a lot of the pressure off. With no obligations other than visiting they'd hadn't had to worry at all until a few days prior to the events. Nonetheless they found themselves wandering. A few hours when they should have been resting was spent instead at some party or another. It wasn't like they really needed the sleep anyway. A party would be exactly what they needed to revitalize themselves.

[Lilith Michaelis]

The funniest instrument to play....I like that.
You made a good choice. What other instruments do you play?

And you should go dance and sing! If you want to, I mean.

She climbed off of his lap to allow him more room to move and do as he wanted. Hadya herself continued to bob and sway and bounce to the rythym of the room.

But soon enough, the tavern began to quiet and people began to drift put the door. Hadya's little nonexistant heart dropped a bit - she didn't want to go yet. But it was late and Dad would be expecting her. She grabbed Warren's notebook one last time and wrote her last message before quietly making her way out the door.

I have to go now. Maybe we'll see each other again. Happy winter!

((Claiming the prize for the 1st day/December 25th))

[crow]

"You think so?" said Leo, still smiling, but he couldn't bring himself to say any more than that. It was a relief when his food arrived, and he could deflect to it, picking at the... salad. He'd forgotten in the intervening time exactly what he'd ordered, between the sweater and... mostly just the sweater, actually.

He tossed the contents together and took a bite, chewing thoughtfully. The food was fine. Better than some, not as good as others. At the price point, it was actually pretty good, better than what he had been expecting. As he ate, he listened to Oliver speak, and tried not to feel too... disappointed? Even he wasn't sure exactly what it was. It made sense that Oliver wasn't always going to be here. They'd been operating out of a van, after all. And yet, he couldn't help but feel a sense of loss already, at the thought of not seeing Oliver again.

It wasn't his place to burden Oliver with that though, especially not today. "If you do decide to stick around, we should do this next year," he said.

[Isalynne]

"Aranyani."

The voice was clipped, grumpy, and low. Its owner didn't look any more cheerful - relatively short and slender, with a mouth set in a tight, grim line. He didn't intend to wait for the priestess to be finished with her conversation. His stance was defensive, sidling slightly in front of her to make space between her and Grid.

"We must go, now," He said with finality, one hand reaching out to rest on the small of her back. "Please come away."

The look he gave Grid was inherently distrusting.

[Indigo]

It was far too cold. She couldn't imagine how all these creatures could stand it; even fluffed up as far as she could go, she still shivered. Best to get inside quickly.

Oh, no. Inside was much worse. Warm, yes, but confining, full of people and noise and clutter and unfamiliar smells. She picked up one of the cookies and licked it, and couldn't decide how she felt about the flavor. Another lick did not decide her, so she set it back down where she'd gotten it from and went to mingle as unobtrusively as she could. Hopefully this prize would be given out soon, and she could go home.

[Mojave]

A stranger entered the shop, headphones blaring over his ears so loud it was a wonder how he could stand it since it was audible from over a foot away. Head bobbing slightly as he walked, he gave a cheery little wave to the lady hosting the event before heading straight to the eggnog and spirits. Once he had a cup full, he returned, sliding his headphones off his ear preemptively. "Hey there, here for the party. Heard there are prizes? I'd like today's please." His voice was a smooth rumble like a DJ's. He gratefully accepted the day's gift before sliding his headphones back on with a smile, "Ciao, babe!"

[Thunder]

At last, Christmas day was here! Tori had heard that there was a particularly special prize for the Advent Calendar today, so she made sure to book some time to go back to the bar and grab one. When she got there, there were still tons of people, as expected. She supposed everyone else was just as curious and excited as she was.

She found the Quest Master and waved. "Hi, Quest Master!" she said. "Could I have the last gift, please?"

[Kyrit]

Hale was pretty used to this sort of thing by now. Maya would want something, but she wouldn't leave the house. Supposedly, she had actually tried to check this while advent calendar thing out and just couldn't do it, which naturally meant the moment he got off work she begged him to come.

"Hey uh, can I get... Whatever it is you're handing out?" He hadn't bothered to check on what was going on. He was just here to get the requested item and be out.

[Adelie]

'I hate parties,' said the girl, her words muffled by the thick blue scarf she was currently wrapped in. She punctuated her statement with a half-swallowed sneeze.

Her companion shrugged. 'You say that like you aren't always begging me for invitations, Kath.' He had a cookie, a bite taken out of it already, in one hand and a mug of eggnog in another

'We're not old enough for that,' she reprimanded, but there wasn't much seriousness to it; in fact, she'd taken the cup only to drink from it herself. 'Ugh, is this supposed to be eggnog? This is nasty.'

'And it's not going to help your cold,' he responded, taking the mug back and staring at it speculatively. 'What are the chances drinking this is going to get me sick too?'

'Too high, so I guess you'll have to get your own cup.'

'Okay, first of all,' he said. She was hiding a smile behind her scarf. 'That was my cup to begin with, and you know you could just get one of your own, right? They're right over there.'

'No fun in that,' she said. 'Merry Christmas!'