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

[show_me_something]

"That's the idea, I believe," Victoria answered evenly, but there was a twinkle in her eyes, the corners crinkling with humor.

[wandandawolf]

Remus found that this woman put him at ease immediately, and that was a rather rare thing for something to do. "...I'm Remus. I get easily impressed at parties," he offered with a smile, before a thought occurred to him. "...Actually, I spent most of my adolescence stopping my friends getting too drunk and doing something terribly stupid, so the novelty of being able to relax hasn't quite worn off. What about you?" He looked at her, but there was nothing much to say: well dressed, elegantly appointed, but not in some sort of pretentious way: "Social butterfly? Charity doyenne? Secretly a librarian?"

[show_me_something]

"Oh... nothing like that." Victoria wasn't entirely sure what to make of the young man, but her curiosity didn't show. "Simply someone intrigued by the new and unusual. When it comes to food or entertainment, at the least."

[wandandawolf]

"This probably ticks the boxes when it comes to 'new and unusual'," Remus suggested, looking around at the guests and the gathering. "And the food is certainly...different." He noticed she hadn't introduced herself, but it wasn't his place to pry. "But it gives people somewhere to go to, and that's important at this time of year."

[show_me_something]

"I love the holidays. It's my favorite time of the year really. The food, the lights, the decorations. Finding just the right gifts for everyone on my list. The parties." Going away to tropical climes with Ivan when their schedules allowed.

[wandandawolf]

"It's definitely a jolly time," Remus agreed, picking at his food. The colour might have been disconcerting, but then he'd lived through James and Sirius' attempts at bachelorhood: he'd tasted far, far worse. Some of it was actually pleasant. "...I think what I like about Christmas is that it's an opportunity for family, whether the one you were born with, or the one you made. A lot of people seem to need the latter these days, even if it's...making new friends at bizarrely themed Christmas feasts!" He flashed her a small, conspiratorial smile: Remus knew he could definitely do with folk in his life that weren't Sirius-and-wizards, that didn't drag him down into stories and histories and notions of a war he'd never fought and a wife he'd never known. Sometimes it was just nice to be anonymous at a table and meet someone new without any expectation.