GP - dreaming of a black christmas

[lcrpg_npc]

The repurposed railway arches that housed Beagle's bar and restaurant were decked in shades of black: black christmas trees glittering with sparkly and satiny black ornaments, black wreaths with perfectly tied bows, black garlands draping along the walls and bar, ribbons edging the long banquet benches in the restaurant dining room. A gentle snow seemed to fall from the ceiling, a specially designed lighting effect much more pleasant than the cold and wet that would've accompanied real snow. Christmas music played over hidden speakers, setting the mood without interfering with conversation.

The Kraken Black Christmas feast was a different spin on the holiday than you'd find most places, and yet, a christmas feast all the same. All the flavors of the season were there, both in the bar's specialty cocktails and in the feast itself, served banquet-style to those fortunate enough to get tickets - mulled wine, egg nog, roasts and stuffing and puddings, and so much more. Yet the food and drinks all shared the same theme as the decor, shades of black augmented with squid ink, charcoal, or black sesame seeds.

Guests had been encouraged to continue the theme with black festive attire, but it wasn't required, and spots of color could be found here and there along the table or mingling in the bar. There was one thing everyone could agree on, though. No matter how black the theme, the mood was anything but dark.

Comments

[akatawitch]

"Oh God, I hope not," Sunny laughed, and her mind picked out a random film sex scene--Titanic, apparently--making her laugh harder.

[prince_of_nymphs]

Fin looked startled for a moment, then smiled brightly as he embraced her in return.

He'd had no real family for so long, then he'd had Will and Winter and Phouka- Then Pippa had come crashing back into his life. He had Sunny, Rob, so many people in his life that he loved and considered his. Angelique was very much counted among them. Hell, even people who maybe weren't as keen to be sucked into the fae's life were his now, in his heart. He'd been lonely for so long, and he refused to be now- And he refused to let anyone else be.

[faizel]

"I'm very glad i ran into you tonight. I'd much rather be here, with you, than alone with my reading," he said quietly.

[wandandawolf]

"If he gets handsy," Remus told her firmly, "I'll hold him down while you kick him. But it's only ever been his mouth that's a problem, I promise."

[akatawitch]

Sunny's small smile was lopsided. "Coming from you, I take that as a high compliment indeed."

[wandandawolf]

"I went to one of those schools too," Remus murmured, with a fond smile of his own. "My family took me when they could over the winter break, but more often than not, I ended up staying at school." Easier to avoid the questions of the neighbours, that way. Easier to just go to the Shack like any other month. Visiting James-and-Sirius, on those few rare occasions, required adherence to a strict schedule. "Used to explore the Library and end up in the common room with the hearth going and a big book to read."

His mother had coped the worse in having her son away for Christmas, but she was safer at home. "Mum sent me decorations in the post, and I'd make my own little tree." That was the closest he'd gotten to a family Christmas for those seven years.

[wandandawolf]

Remus noticed the reaction he was engendering in Felix: he was too well attuned to people not to. And while it probably should have heightened his interest, it banked it instead. Remus took his play rather seriously (every pun intended) and he simply didn't want...complications. As tempting as Felix was.

So his expression softened, a little, although there was still a firm certainly in his voice. "I rather think so," he replied, smiling in return, "and as much as I appreciate your enthusiasm, I've always been able to manage Sirius in the past. You're very pretty, Felix, and very intelligent, and utterly delightful - but you'd come off second best, I'd afraid, in terms of my attentions. And you don't seem like someone who'd take being second best particular well, and I'd hate to hurt someone so dear to me." He leaned in and lightly brushed the backs of his fingers across Felix's cheek.

"I quite enjoy talking up a storm, but..." Remus turned and unerringly found Sirius through the crowd, letting Felix follow his gaze if he wished. Sirius was in the middle of an extended snog with some fit young bloke, and Remus clearly didn't mind as he smiled a little sadly at Felix: "...I'm afraid one pretty thing in my bed is probably all I can manage without a lot of bruised egos. I'm sure you understand."

[utterly_mysterious]

Sunny's laughter set Angelique to giggling as well, and she waved a hand as if she could brush away that last comment. "No, no, no! Not that kind of film," she protested, laughing.

[utterly_mysterious]

Angelique just held him as tight as she could for a long moment, hoping she could express in this silent way the feeling she didn't really have the words for.

When she felt like she could speak again, she released her grip and moved a half-step back, just enough that she could touch Fin's cheek and smile at him. "You're ridiculous and I adore you," Angelique told him firmly.

[prince_of_nymphs]

"Oh, well, I'm pleased to be ridiculous in a way that can be adored," Fin laughed.

[faizel]

Faizel beamed at that, quietly pleased that he'd said the right thing.

[faizel]

"That's lovely, truly. ...My mother has never been terribly interested in the holidays, nor was my father ever terribly inclined to celebrate. It was all a bit too- Well, outside their small sphere of interests."

[harrowgate]

The remarkable thing was, Felix did understand perfectly. Though he had not experienced a great deal of rejection in his adult life, Remus' was probably the kindest, warmest rejection he'd ever heard. Felix had never in his life been turned down for sex and decided to like the man even more because of it. Remus was honest with him, and if he couldn't lure the charming intellectual and his rake of a boyfriend into bed with him, honesty was all he could ask for. He even let Remus touch him, without giving him the usual I-see-what-you're-doing look.

He did turn to watch Remus find Sirius in the crowd -- with a fellow wizard for a lover, that was a luxury Felix envied just slightly -- and was only faintly surprised to see Sirius entangled with someone else. "As long as you don't mind the occasional well-earned compliment, I won't suggest it again, darling," Felix answered, light and musical and not in the least offended. He didn't even seem particularly upset.

Rather than belabor the point (because he had just been rejected, and no matter how kind he didn't care to discuss it for very long), Felix tipped his head toward Sirius. "You don't mind that he... enjoys his own second-bests?"

[wandandawolf]

Remus didn't offer his thanks for Felix's understanding, but he rather thought he didn't need to, from the way their eyes met for that one second before they both ended up looking at Sirius.

Who probably would have loved the attention, if he'd only known about it. "Oh, Sirius always comes home safe," Remus murmured, glad for a moment at their little lives, at how he'd been able to hold things together. Despite time, and death, they managed to endure. And because of that, he knew he had no real need for jealousy. "Or I go pull him out of the fire," he added, under his breath, flashing a brief smile at Felix. "Besides, Sirius has some very....extensive needs. I'm glad someone is satisfying them. I'm too ill sometimes, you see."

[wandandawolf]

"No siblings?" Remus wondered. He didn't seem like the sort who had siblings: typically they would have been mentioned by now. "Cousins in town? Pet dog?" Faizel's life seemed content, just rather lonely. Remus got lonely, knew it down to his bones. Always seemed a shame for others and less so for him.

[akatawitch]

"Still, I needed that," she said as she wiped at her eyes. Sunny still wore very little in the way of makeup, so she could do this without fearing messing up her face.

[utterly_mysterious]

"And I promise I'll be nice to Will, as well," Angelique told him, her tone warm. She didn't like the idea of forgiving him for what he'd done to Fin, but if Fin could do it, why should she keep her heart hard against him? "I do hope the two of you really make up, dearest."

[utterly_mysterious]

Angelique loved feeling that she had helped someone, even with just a small thing, in a small way. If she had given Sunny a moment of perspective on something clearly quite important to her, then that left her with a particular warm glow. "Normally, this is where I'd tell you to go and get your man," Angelique admitted, "but I'll leave that timing to you."

[harrowgate]

Felix gave a small sound of consideration, dipping his chin in a faint semblance of a nod. So, Remus and Sirius had exactly the sort of arrangement that Felix had more or less insisted upon with Shannon -- though Remus made it sound like that was out of necessity. Felix could never, would never, wish the sort of illness that Remus had spoken of upon his own lover, not for any reason.

"You've drawn some uncannily accurate parallels between Sirius and myself," he said, more quietly. "The cannot be said about you and Shannon, I'm afraid. He'd be rather annoyed that you and I have been conversing this way. He doesn't share your views when it comes to my...."

He waved a hand and did not finish the sentence. Could he really say that Shannon did not try to satisfy what Felix really needed? Could he explain it at all, without admitting to his own selfishness? Robin's words came back to haunt him, as they had regularly in the last few days. 'Your problem is that you don't want to be in a relationship with anyone.'

[akatawitch]

"He seems to be making a new friend, so I'll let him be for right now," Sunny said with a little smile. "But thanks. If I have questions, I'll remember you offered."

[faizel]

"No, nothing like that. I do have a few friends here though. I've become quite close with the guardians of one of the students I was tutoring, Finlay and Will. Their ward, Winter, is a friend, of sorts, from back home. Oh, and through them I met my dear Sunny," he added, gaze drifting over the room before settling on her. She was currently speaking with someone he didn't know, and looking as beautiful as ever.

"We ran into one another tonight by happy chance," he said, gesturing over at her.

[prince_of_nymphs]

Fin's smile faded, and he shrugged one shoulder. "I hope so too."

They'd both perish otherwise, and even if that weren't so- He honestly wasn't sure he knew how to exist in the fae world without Will at his side.

[offthebeatenpath]

Em didn't roll her eyes at the idea, but it probably showed that she wanted to. At least Jag had never been confused about that aspect of things. "I'm more used to being the one feeling that way," she admitted. "Pretty much always. But I bet he's the only one who doesn't understand why you want him."

[offthebeatenpath]

Em brightened immediately when she saw Bobby. "Hey! When did you get back?" She didn't think it had been that long since Bobby's last email, and he hadn't said anything about leaving Boston.

[codenamemilady]

"That's one way of looking at it." Weird wouldn't be the first word that came to Milady's mind, but it wasn't necessarily wrong.