WHO: Anyone and everyone!
WHAT: Christmas Party! While originally an excuse for Secret Santas to give or drop off their gifts beneath the tree, anyone can swing by for a little holiday cheer.
WHERE: City Hall
WHEN: December 25th, starting at 10am and ending around 8pm
WARNINGS: N/A, but let me know if anything comes up!
( as described above, the tree is decked out and ready to receive gifts... or people giving gifts! on the left side is a place for secret santas to drop off their gifts if they're too shy to give it to their giftees, or if they don't know who to look for. on the right side, however, it seems to be a little more relaxed, giving people an opportunity to give gifts beneath the sparkling, shining fake tree that's been procured for the event. )
[ Argalia isn't shy. He simply wants to drop his presents off early, discreetly, and then mingle around until there seems to be enough presents that his might have been placed within. Procure it and then leave; the holiday season isn't particularly something he favors, even though his cheerful greeting to Santa might say otherwise, so he'll be taking his leave as soon as he can.
To that effect... With no returnee addressed, Junpei will find his own name on a clothing box with a shirt inside. There you go, Mr. Conspiracies.
... And Fearne will find something extra among the boxes as well, in a script woefully familiar to her: a short silver necklace with a small bouquet of milkvetch at the end, the slender blossoms colored by pinkish-purple sapphires.
so, sorry. don is looking more like santa herself with the sack of gift she's brought to the party, staring hard at kromer for a bit (why is she he the one who gifts?!) before resolutely setting everything with a hum. is she dressed up? of course she is. in red. the holiday stores are great. fashion and fun in one.
ahem.
alhaitham has two gifts with his name on them, one being a set of fountain pens with various designs of birds on their casing and the other being inkwells of varying colors to go with it. no, neither of these were specified on his likes list.
altria gets a box of luxury chocolates!!! they have various fillings, but they're all holiday-themed. you're just as likely to get a hazelnut creme as you are cranberry delight. and orange, of course
angela's name is on a rather petite box, which houses a set of fairly pretty bookmarks.
badou receives a small gift folded over in cloth, and unwrapping it reveals a watercolor of this city's skyline at sunset. the stars are nearly out at the top, while the sun reflects warmly against the glass and cloud-bottoms
chesed is granted a small cloth sack of nondescript coffee beans, though the card that comes with it claims to be high quality dark roasted
daan's present has been proven too hard to brew (thank the wings), but she's ensured that he's getting the brandy he asked for in a tidy little sack. it's flavored with blackberries, according to the label
fearne is receiving a gift similar to badou's in its size and cloth-covering, and when she unwraps it she'll find a familiar looking sight: a water color of the feywilds from the exhibition room, only bathed in an unending dawn as the vegetation takes on hues don's more familiar with the lady herself. oranges and pinks, light and alive; all else is the same, though the lit window has fearne herself painted in
heine gets one in much the same vein, and once the cloth is unwrapped he'll find a watercolor of the lake in its more serene state of winter, white and quite and sparkling. there's a sense of warmth regardless of the chilly state, brought about by the apparent sunrise it'd been painted during (present as well, hued slightly).
hong lu another watercolor, wrapped well and pinned with an additional note of "ENJOY!!!!!!!!" on the cloth. beneath its cloth is... a startlingly good watercolor of kqe-1j-23, except in a suit and cap like the one hong lu wore to the gala. the abnormality is stylish.
junpei, her beloved bestie of all time, is getting a t-shirt that. doesn't seem to make sense on its own; it's left one. don will be happy to show him she's got the other. additionally, beneath the t-shirt, junpei also gets a watercolor of an abnormality called the headless ichthys. another fun bit of her world.
kaveh gets a watercolor as well, one depicting a golden landscape with windmills in the distance. while there's far off buildings of a city, most of the square is hues and shades of yellow wheat, farmland, and so on. a small note is tucked inside the cloth as well: "A PIECE OF MY HOME FOR THEE"
even kromer gets a gift... one she wishes she wouldn't get, surely, as it's a locket with cut out pictures clearly from the gala: herself, dressed nice with her fake ass smile, and junpei's shirt. not junpei, just his shirt from the night.
midnight present is in a lovely basket, each part of the gift wrapped with snowflakes! a set of orange-scented care products, from face cream to hair care. it's her favorite fruit, and so is he!
the box miu receives may be small, but inside is a gift that don suits her well: a daisy bracelet, petals painted different colors.
netzach is also receiving a cloth-wrapped watercolor, a square depicting one of the sunnier spots of the city. the grass is vibrant, dotted with colorful flowers, and the rays are evident in how everything seems to glow.
nill is getting something similar to miu, the long box opening to the pleasant sight of a necklace bearing a golden daffodil blossom as its pendant.
for shinjiro, as thanks for ever feeding her and her own, she's baked... some homemade cookies for him. they're different flavors, from raisin (?) to orange peel (??) and even some experimentals like applesauce, which wouldn't be terrible if it wasn't burned on the edges. it comes in a box of twenty.
for her dear grumpy boss vergilius, who didn't want a gift at all, he's getting a sack like daan did: inside is a dark bottle of whiskey, plain and simple. no flavoring to be found. you're welcome.
yesod is also, also, getting a cloth-wrapped gift, the water color within startling simple compared to the others. posed as a still-life, lavender blossoms sit somewhat angled and upright out of a dark brown vase, tucked beneath but no less present than the sunflowers above. dark green leaves frame the two, giving them a vivid beauty.
yi sang, last but not least, is also the final public giftee of don's watercolor works. wrapped with care in the cloth, a simple note is pinned onto the fabric: "THEY ARE QUITE FUN TO PAINT". she can see why dongbaek had liked them so, and the golden petals of the spicebush are vibrant and alive against the dark branches they sprout from in the piece.
while don won't be lingering by the pile, she'll still be around. i'll put up a top level soon. ]
[ A couple months ago, Chesed heard someone's idea of life was doing the bare minimum at a cafe and drinking mid coffee. In Chesed's humble opinion, mid coffee is worse than bad coffee. At least shitty coffee leaves some sort of an impression, even if that impression is awful.
And thus, upon receiving his assigned Secret Santa, a delighted grin had spread across his face.
He arrives at the designated spot, lingering on the right side while clutching an oblong object covered in cheery red wrapping paper. Chesed stays there, greeting each person with a polite smile and a nod until he spots the redheaded man. He's only seen Reno in passing through various network posts, but the man strikes a memorable figure.
Chesed approaches with a breezy grin, presenting the item in his hands to his Secret Santa recipient. ]
Ah, there you are. A merry Christmas to you, for I have come to bestow you with a gift~
[ Should Reno choose to tear it open immediately, he'll be greeted with a glass jar. It's screwed shut with a red lid, filled with fragrant, freshly-ground coffee. ]
[ A beautifully wrapped gift package has been left in the drop off area addressed to Eddie. Inside, the man will find Vol 1-6 of A Legend of Sword. There's also an elegant bookmark with a red tassel attached wrapped neatly within the package.
There's nothing inside or outside the package indicating who his Secret Santa might be. ]
a. IN WHICH DON QUIXOTE CREATES A BOUNTIFUL ZOO OF ANIMALS
[ while she.............. hates................... that kromer is the one who has set all this up.................. it is a splendid party and she loves parties.
regretfully, she loves parties. and finding she especially loves being able to make snow into things-- yes she'll fucking go if someone beans her with a ball, but this girl is easily the happiest young woman in the world simply squatting down to form a line of small animals!!!!!!!! ]
I hope the snow stays, for I should very much like to make more around the city!!! Will thee join me? I require two more horses, if it is something thee can manage, but if not I shall permit thee to make try thy hand at another.
[ she is... building a battlefield, maybe... with animals... ]
b. DON QUIXOTE AND THE MANY FOOD CHOICES, PREPARED BY ONE OF HER GREATEST ENEMIES AND UNFORTUNATELY QUITE DELICIOUS
[ the longest, loudest sigh, picking at her baumkuchen.
so this... is the proper sort. hers is stored away safely for later, but this certainly takes the cake (ha) on that one. it's so good. ]
It is a shame that she is so good at cooking, and I do not wish to waste a single crumb... Old habits certainly die hard.
[ eating everything she's got. sigh......... there's a cup of eggnog with marshmallows in it beside her. sorry. it's probably good. nonethless!!! dear companion!!! a question posed!!!! ]
Have thee any seasonal specialties particular to thy world? If thou'rt able to recreate them, I would love to try it!!!
c. OF HANDICRAFTS, GIFT GIVING, AND A HELPING HAND
Here, here!!!
[ ... here, here! it isn't a cheer, it's a waving hand for one of two reasons:
1. she is making extra gifts for those who need it, little bracelets and other such crafts like art and poetry. ]
Art thou in need of a gift? Behold, my wares!!! I shall accept payment in the form of praise and affection, such as a pat upon the head or back.
[ they aren't like, the best, but it's that sort that has a charm to it. honesty? her wrists hurt. she shouldn't be doing any sort of handicrafts after the week she's had.
speaking of the week she's had,
2. gift-giving... if anyone wants to play out their personal gift from this list you're more than welcome to use this prompt, she's beyond beaming being able to give things to others.
otherwise, don's very keen on peering around or over shoulders to anything one may be working on. ]
Oho... Whom is this for, if I may ask? I would like to help any way I can if there is something I can do!!!
( oh, it's absolutely ridiculous. sorry. she tried.........
sitting under the tree is a basket tied off with an obscenely excessive amount of ribbon, enough that it'd be an absolute hassle to get through the hanging bits to get at what's in the actual basket itself.
the ''''''''''treasure trove''''''''''''' is the following:
it could absolutely be worse. she could've tried to cook for him. it's signed, of course, because why wouldn't this ridiculous thing be. you're sooooo welcome, wanderer. )
[ reno will just go ahead and drop off his gift for don quixote on the table for the secret santas, just because he has a Sneaking Suspicion about how this is going to go down.
the box itself is hard-sided and red, as reno has by now gathered that red is a common christmas color. inside are two things: one, a sealed tupperware with a little bow on top; and two, a smaller wrapped parcel with a sprig of tree(? it felt festive) and some glittery charms attached.
because the one who gifts probably did him dirty, the foil-lined tupperware contains two hasselback potatoes, which look delicious to him but are probably a terrible gift to get if you hate potatoes.
the other parcel contains a set of flower hair clips, plus a note in Reno's cramped handwriting that says, "I kinda felt like 'Likes: Potatoes, Dislikes: Justice, sparkles, flowers' was the wrong order of things, so this is just in case. Pick whichever one suits ya better."
he will however be Observing. just to see what the reaction is to the potato situation. inquiring minds have to know. ]
[ a couple of months ago, Reno did indeed make some sort of insinuation that his goal in life might be as simple as clocking in at a mediocre cafe and making mid coffee all day long. this goal, as he had protested to several people at the time, was less about the coffee itself being mid and more about having a benign job upon which no fates hang—but he also isn't much of a coffee aficionado, so the coffee being mid also wouldn't bother him. ]
Oh—heyo, you must be my secret whatever? [ SANTA Reno it's Santa. listen. he doesn't have Christmas where he's from, it's hard to remember these things. fortunately by now he's already dropped his own box off at the secret Santa table, which leaves his hands free to take the oblong package he's offered. ] Thanks, man.
[ a considering pause, then Reno glances up. ]
So how's this work? Am I supposed to open it now? [ this is a real genuine question, this is like. the third gift he's ever gotten in his life so he doesn't know what the protocol is. ]
of course kromer would try to sabotage her like that. now that she knows the true identity of the one who gifts (how could she be so blind!!!!!!!! no wonder sinclair was so vexed!!!!!!!!!!!) she'd been dreading her present, and
okay. this isn't so bad. to its credit, while it is a potato, it's pretty tasty looking. someone made this for her. don quixote looks dejectedly at the potato, carefully taking some of the flower clips out of its packaging to put in her hair, before she
SIGHS
and goes to sit away with the potato dish a bit, the rest of the clips in her pocket. reluctantly... resignedly... taking pieces of the hasselback and eating them. it's a shame to waste food. even potatoes. and she has been trying her best to tolerate them, this is-- this is just part of that!!!!!!!!! also, someone made it for her!!!!!!!!! how could she spit on it like that!!!!!!!!! she can't!!!!!!!!! what if they're still here, watching her?! she can't just throw it away! she has to eat it! that's what a hero would do! that's what a proper fixer would do! that's what the red mist would do! you don't turn your nose up at a gift! you don't forsake a homecooked meal! you accept what you're given out of the goodness of someone's heart! if she made something for someone and they simply tossed it aside, she'd be devastated! what sort of fixer, what sort of hero-- nay, what sort of person would she be if she made someone feel like that?! no! she wouldn't! she would eat this hasseback potato one slice at a time, grimacing and sniffling at the warmth, the taste of it (which, to its credit, is very good!!!!!!!!!), and maybe if someone didn't know she didn't like potatoes it would look like she was crying that someone had given her something so lovely out of the goodness of their heart.
...
if she can take out one more weakness, she will be all the stronger for it... keep it in mind... think of it like that... ]
( hello, don quixote. guess who's getting a whole load of faun all at once!!! that's right!!!! she is!
there's no sneaking around it, fearne is absolutely just going to throw her arms around don and drape off of her like she does not have bones. she's got full faith that this one can stand up to her full weight, yeah. her gift is stashed away on a nearby table, at least, just so it doesn't get ruined or crushed in the process. )
Thank you.
( a sniffle........ she won't cry yet. she's trying Very Hard to keep it together though judging by how wibbly she's getting. her gift can come after she smothers don a little. )
[ this one most certainly can!!!!!! stand up to her full weight!!!!!! with a little slump at first, but she's returning it tightly soon enough. hello, fearne... her dear friend. ]
It seemed a most important thing, [ a gentle tone to her warm words, ] when I came across it in my ventures.
[ because she very much likes to look at paintings and exhibits not her own, seeing if she can pinpoint who they might belong to if there's no indication otherwise. with as many people as she knows, even if there's still many more she's yet to meet, just who has that much of a connection to a magical sort of place, filled to the brim with beautiful shades of plant life?
very little. she'd gambled, and won. such peeks into others' private lives, thoughts, memories, perhaps even desires... art is taking a piece of the world and making it yours, she's simply giving fearne that piece back. ]
[ He wasn't even expecting a gift so he was going to run off without checking. Good thing Fearne's packaging stood out, because it catches his eye before he realizes that's for him. ]
[ He takes it eventually, with great reluctance. Once he's in the comfort of the office he's now using as random storage, he opens it.
And
What is this.
Okay, well. The dish towel and oven mitts aren't terrible, but the apron? No. Absolutely not.
The tea mug and infuser is too cutesy. Maybe he could pass it off to Altria...
But the book. The book. With that suggestive cover. Who in their right mind gifts something like this??
Someone named Fearne, apparently.
He only flips through the first few pages to confirm it's exactly what he thought it was before he decides he's not going to read through that and dumps it into a drawer to be hidden away and forgotten. Along with it goes the apron.
(He ends up reading it, if only to know what fiction from other worlds is like and so if this Fearne ever approaches him to ask how he liked his gift, he is more than capable of telling her exactly how terrible her taste in books is. But after he's done reading the book? Back into that drawer, never to be seen again.) ]
[Alhaitham is just depositing a gift bag (that at least includes tissue paper) to be found because he doesn't actually know who Kim is and thus only had the extremely minimal list to work off of.
It has two packs of cigarettes of two different undetermined types, which he did not test for quality, and four different junk food snacks (chips, cake rolls, etc) two of which are spicy and one of which is lychee flavor.
[Don Quixote will have the luck of crossing paths with Alhaitham by the tree just as he deposits a gift bag.]
Oh, so you received my name in this gift exchange. [But he'll take both gifts, looking at them as if he's going to remove the wrapping methodically before... very much just efficiently tearing it straight and bundling the wrapping into one hand as he reveals the pens and inks one at a time.
... He twists one of the fountain pens apart, inspecting its components before carefully putting it back together. One of the ink bottles is given a shake, though he doesn't open it.
There is, as he looks down at the gifts, a blink-and-you'll-miss it smile.] Thank you. These will be useful to me.
yeah, she's seen this handwriting before. no message this time, huh.
she thinks to leave the unopened box there for a second, even getting up from rummaging under this tree to walk away and pat off some of the glitter before eventually walking past again to swipe it up before it gets buried by other boxes.
for now, it gets shoved into a pocket to be opened later when she's alone. she does not look for him. not overtly, anyway. he stands out, so it's not like it'd be difficult to know if he's there or not if he happened to stick around.
and much later, with a book on flowers and silvered chain in hand, she's going to wonder just what it is she's meant to do with this information. if he wants an actual conversation to stem from this then maybe he should've stayed long enough for one. as for the necklace, he'll just have to find out then what she does with it, hm? )
[I am extremely sorry in advance for this entire comment. Closes my eyes. Okay here we go.
For starters, all of the presents are wrapped, but, uh. Barely. They all look like this. Listen, she tried.
For Fearne, her secret santa: she's been gifted a notebook! Inside is a set of freshly pressed flowers from the park. There's no rhyme or reason or flower language to them; Altria just picked out the prettiest ones she could find. There is also... A hand blender.
For Kaveh: This salt and pepper shaker set in particular.
For Yi Sang: A notebook where she's written out a few of the constellations she can remember from Faerie Britain! ... And also a turkey baster.
For Johanna: A notebook where she's listed out a few of the spells "Merlin" taught her. Altria did write his name in quotes. They're pretty standard fare: how to start a fire, how to unlock a door, etc. There's also a a milk frother.
I'm sorry. Explanations will have to come from her. She will gladly hand these gifts directly to their recipient at least! Including her secret santa. I'm sorry, Fearne. She's doing a good job for her first Christmas.]
[ Yesod approaches Don to give her both her Christmas present, as well as Sinclair's Secret Santa parcel, if the recipient himself won't be making an appearance today — and he means to thank her in person for her watercolor painting. Like her suggesting the lavender in the flower shop weeks ago, the piece is filled with thoughtful meaning. Like La Víbria de Tierra Temblorosa and their viper drawing collaboration, Yesod will take good care of this gift.
Don's present is neatly wrapped in paper intended to acknowledge her apparent interest in "adorable shapes" — it resembles the theme of her gala outfit. Within, there is a decorative tin bearing an image of a horse on its lid, and opening it will reveal that it has manually been filled with artist's charcoal sticks. (Yesod may have used disposable gloves for this step, just in case.)
Sinclair's present, gift-wrapped in blue, is a hardcover notebook that can be used as a writing journal or a sketchpad. Its pages are unlined, while the paper itself should withstand either purpose, and a sun and a moon are embossed on its cover. ]
Thank you, Don.
[ She also receives a smile to accompany the words — Yesod's expression is fully visible today, too. ]
( Louis hadn't signed himself up for the gift exchange (thank you, Lestat) but his giftee's list of likes had struck a chord with him, and he found himself having a surprisingly lovely time shopping for someone with vaguely similar tastes to himself. He might have gone a little overboard. Beneath the tree is a collection of presents, each neatly wrapped in green and gold paper and tied with festive ribbons: easels in several sizes, oil and watercolor paints, the best quality brushes he could find at the art supply store near his apartment. Along with that is an assortment of candles, scented and unscented; he had gone into a fugue state when he found the candle store at the mall and desperately wanted an excuse to go back, and this had been perfect. Not knowing what his giftee liked, there's a bit of everything, and the result might be slightly overwhelming to the senses of even an ordinary human. And to top things off: a fine bottle of brandy.
His gifts are left by the tree, but Louis will be watching surreptitiously nearby to make sure he didn't do too terribly. )
( Zelda's attention is immediately torn from her thoughts to Don when she speaks, looking to the gift she's offering to her. Though, she hesitates to take it, looking to Don with a curious gaze. )
You are generous to offer gifts to those who do not have any yet to give to others. Are you certain you wish to give them for practically nothing?
Secret Santa, that's right. Pleased to make your acquaintance at this fine event~
[ He's unfazed by the question. Chesed's come to wrap his head around the staggering number of different worlds out there. It's only expected that, even if people were familiar with gift-giving and gift-receiving protocols, there would be those unfamiliar with the "rules" of Secret Santa. ]
You may open it now, though I would not mind if you preferred to open it later. Some are shy about that sort of thing, perhaps self-conscious about being watched by the gift-giver.
[ He offers Reno an easy shrug. ]
Though for the gift-giver, half the fun of giving a gift is seeing the recipient's reaction.
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