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

[prince_of_nymphs]

Fin shrugged one shoulder, sipping his drink and then gesturing around them with one hand.

"The drinks are the point, aren't they?" he asked. "It's all just rum and a fun gimmick... I'm definitely enjoying the rum part, the gimmick isn't really doing much for me. I prefer a bit of colour in my meals."

[akatawitch]

The gimmick was a bit of a mixed bag for Sunny. The whole thing was fairly entertaining. The wearing of one of her taboo colors... She smoothed her hands over the skirt of her dress. She'd live. "I feel like there's got to be a Jack Sparrow joke in here somewhere, but I'm not clever enough to find it right now."

[prince_of_nymphs]

"I never actually saw those films," Fin admitted, polishing off his drink and pushing his hair back before gesturing to the barman that he'd have another.

[akatawitch]

"They weren't very good anyway," Sunny assured him.

"So. Am I actually going to get you to admit that something's bugging you?"

[prince_of_nymphs]

"I'm fine," Fin replied, frowning and shaking his head. "Just a bit puzzled is all. I didn't realise Will was attending with a friend, if I had I would have made other plans. As it is, I've passed my tickets off to someone else. I don't want him to feel watched while he's socialising."

And that was what Fin assumed it was. After all, when he'd asked Will if he wanted to see other people as well, the other fae had made it very clear he did not. Will was a lot of things, and unintentionally careless in many ways- But he wasn't much for lying. Omitting, maybe, but not lying. Still, it was strange to feel so out of the loop, and hard not to feel uncomfortable watching him with another fae. It bothered him, though he couldn't put his finger on why- Other than that nagging thought that Will was trying to wound him.

Still, Fin didn't feel the need to burden Sunny with those jumbled emotions. She wasn't likely to be an unbiased voice of reason after all.

[akatawitch]

Well, actually her first thought was He has a friend? "More fairies?" she asked in a low voice. She couldn't imagine Willy seeing anyone who wasn't fae as equal enough for that.

[prince_of_nymphs]

Fin nodded a little, then shrugged one shoulder. "So I'm just going to have a few drinks and then go."

[akatawitch]

Sunny had to have a look, and fortunately Willy was pretty easy to pick out. He stood so much taller than most people, and the afro made it even more pronounced. As for a companion... well. At first, she didn't see anything. Not until she focused on power instead of on eyesight. And then she spotted the other fae. An itty bitty thing. He had to be twice as big as she was. "... That's different."

It was a situation that could easily have wended into an 'I told you so' conversation, but Sunny didn't want to do that. It wasn't like Fin didn't know how she felt about his shitty, shitty boyfriend. "I'm sorry," she said. And she meant it. She was irritated on his behalf, but she was sorry.

[prince_of_nymphs]

"Why are you sorry? He's allowed to have friends," Fin shrugged, scratching at his jaw. "I suppose if I'm upset about anything, I'm upset that we've missed yet another chance to do something like a normal couple. I'm upset that he didn't think I might want to do something like a normal couple. I don't begrudge him friendship though, and I'm sure Curnen is glad for the hot meal."

[akatawitch]

"Because he upset you," Sunny said, as though it should have been obvious. But she softened the edges of her tone rather than sharpen them. "And I know you're... trying."

[prince_of_nymphs]

"I just- I don't know. Maybe it's time to move back in with him. Making things work is never going to happen if communication isn't happening," Fin said softly. "If I'd been home I'd have seen him before we left. We could have talked. Or maybe it would have occurred to him to, I don't know, ask me."

His drink arrived, and he thanked the bartender before looking at Sunny again.

"You know what... Yeah. I am. I'm going to move back in. I'm going home. Maybe tonight even," he decided. "Should I text him, do you think?"

[akatawitch]

Oh God in hell.

"Or maybe you could just make a better effort to talk?" Sunny pointed out. "You can be under the same roof and still have terrible communication, which seems to be the real problem here."

She dodged the question, because there was really only one way she was going to answer it and he wasn't going to listen to it anyway.

[prince_of_nymphs]

"That's what I'm doing," Fin countered, tipsy logic overruling everything else.

[akatawitch]

"Fin," Sunny said slowly. "I don't think you will, but I need to at least ask you, do my heart a favor and don't make this decision while you're drunk."

[prince_of_nymphs]

"I'm not drunk," Fin argued. "I'm just ever so slightly... Something. I've forgotten the word, but it's not drunk, I know that."

[akatawitch]

Up went Sunny's eyebrow. "Yeah, no, for major life decisions, that counts as drunk."

[prince_of_nymphs]

"I'm a grown man, Sunny. I know what I'm doing, alright?” Fin sighed. "It's my heart, and he's my evermore, and... This isn't some drunk whim. I've been building to this. Tonight is just the kick up the backside I needed to get on with it."

[akatawitch]

Sunny could not contain her eyeroll. "One of these days I will know better than to bother."

[prince_of_nymphs]

Fin sighed, then pulled on his coat. "I know I make foolish choices sometimes, and I don't doubt that there's some idiocy to the path I choose tonight, but sometimes you have to be stupid. Sometimes stupid is the right choice, Sunny."

[akatawitch]

Sunny desperately hoped that line would never, ever make sense. Stupid choices were stupid in part because they weren't right. She bit her tongue. "Mm."

[prince_of_nymphs]

"Look,, all I'm saying is- I want to try being closer again. If it doesn't work out, there's a flat waiting for me next door. It's a risk, but I'm going to take it. It feels like a risk worth taking," Fin shrugged.

[akatawitch]

Sunny nodded. "I'm only mad because I don't want you getting hurt, you know that, right?"

[prince_of_nymphs]

"I know. I do, really, I understand, Sunny. ...And I hope you know I only get so frustrated because I worry you wont ever take those big leaps and risks yourself," Fin said quietly, reaching out and giving her arm a soft squeeze.

[akatawitch]

Sunny's shoulders wriggled in an awkward motion that wasn't quite a shrug. "I'm seeing somebody, kinda," she mumbled, not at all pouting.

[prince_of_nymphs]

"You are?" Fin asked, looking like he might sit back down.