londoncallingrpg | GP - dreaming of a black christmas

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GP - dreaming of a black christmas

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.

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Sunny shrugged, looking down at the dress (her breasts looked amazing, she couldn't much argue with that). Wouldn't he know better than she did if she looked any good? But the words were so deeply ingrained that they came anyway. "I'm not a person anymore when I wear black. I'm my lack of melanin."

She shook her head. "So who or what tricked you into coming?"

"You're beautiful, and very much a person," he whispered. "And I wasn't tricked, the ticket was a gift," he added with a small smile.

It wasn't beauty that was the issue exactly so much as being exoticised for being snowy white, which wearing white or black always exaggerated. She'd seen it in people looking at her tonight already. All the same, Sunny felt herself go warm all over in a really stupid way.

Dammit.

"You're lucky you're cute," she mumbled, ignoring the pink in her cheeks.

Faizel smiled, blushing just a touch as well as he gave her a playful nudge.

"Will you sit with me tonight?" he asked. "I'd like that very much, if I'm honest."

Sunny's eyebrows went up. "Of course I will." As if there was any question about it. At least, there hadn't been one on her part once she'd found him.

Then she smiled at him, lopsided and playful. "Though it's not too late to flee if we'd rather do that, too."

"Don't tempt me, I've a copy of the New Wizards Herbology Journal sitting on my nightstand at home, just waiting to be read," he sighed, looking wistful. "Have you seen the things they're doing with oblivion moss these days? Remarkable stuff, honestly."

You are such a dork.

But the thought made her feel all stupid and fluttery rather than mocking. "The things you read for fun," she said with a shake of her head. "Though, no, I don't. I don't think that's a specimen I'm familiar with."

"No? Oh, it's very interesting," he insisted, chatting away as he offered his arm. "It's sentient, a bit violent, actually..."

He babbled on the whole way to the table, talking about how it was harvested and it's various uses, even once they were sitting down.

"...They think it might be used to develop a cure for those who've had their brains addled by a few too many memory spells."

Sunny let him go on, though she was honestly listening. It took a wizard to listen to this kind of thing from another wizard. Maybe that was true about any kind of academics. It took one to stand one. "Sounds very much like experimenting with that might well wipe someone's brain entirely if done wrong, but neat."

"Possibly," Faizel admitted. "But think of the good it could do. Not just for our kind, but normal people harmed by magic too."

"Oh, that would be amazing," Sunny agreed. "Maybe cover-up could be better than just doing whatever keeps innocent bystanders from talking."

"Exactly!" he smiled, so pleased to have someone so willing to chat about such things with. "One of my old professors is actually studying it himself. I wish you could meet him... Perhaps I could write him and we can visit some time. You could see my old school."

Sunny couldn't help but try to imagine Faizel meeting anyone in her life. He and Orlu would get on really well, she was sure. Sugar Cream would like him. Sasha... well, Sasha was extremely geeky in his own ways, despite all his bluster and arrogance.

Chichi would probably eat him.

The offer was a sweet one and she shrugged shyly. "I'd like that, I think."

"...Then I'll do it, I'll reach out to him. Perhaps we could even visit before the new year," Faizel offered, growing slightly bold.

Watching Faizel try to people was honestly really adorable, and she couldn't help but smile. "If it works out, then absolutely."

"Oh, it'll be lovely. I'm quite excited now," Faizel beamed.

She cupped his cheek, leaned in, and kissed him.

It was something light and sweet--they were in public after all--but she just couldn't stop herself from doing it, he was too cute.

Faizel looked a bit startled by the kiss, and he blushed a little as he ducked his head slightly and smiled.

"I just mean... I would like to show you where I spent most of my youth, even if not all those memories are good ones," he said, still looking a bit pink and clearly not certain how to react.

"And if you'd like to show me, then I'd like to see," Sunny affirmed, equally not sure how to react to this shyness but not minding it. She smiled. "I can't decide if introducing you to or sparing you from my friends would be the greater kindness."

"I'd like to meet them," Faizel said honestly, looking over at her and taking her hand. "I mean, if the chance ever arose, I'd love to meet your friends," he added, giving her hand a brief squeeze, then leaning over to kiss her cheek in return.

Sunny squirmed a little at the kiss. Her smile was probably verging a little on silly. "Well, there's always Skype. It's our primary mode of communication, these days."

"Oh, the, computer phone-thing, right? I've never done that. I have a laptop, but I just write on it mostly," Faizel admitted. "Technology and my magic don't always get on. I've only just mastered my phone. Went through a few of them before I figured out my magic was reacting to them. I wrote a paper on it, actually."

"I can safely say I've never had that problem," Sunny laughed. It sounded like quite the pain in the butt, yet she couldn't help being amused. "Maybe we should find out if you're kryptonite to my computer before we try it."

"That... Might be wise, actually," Faizel replied seriously. "Though my laptop likes me quite well, for what it's worth."

"We'll figure it out," she assured him. "I don't think Chichi will let me do otherwise."

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