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

[shannonteverius]

Shannon spotted Remus by the wall and wandered over to say hello. As Remus swallowed the inky liquid in his glass he asked, "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

[wandandawolf]

"Oh, certainly not," Remus murmured, before treating Shannon to a bright smile over the rim of his glass. "But that's what makes it interesting, surely." He licked his lips and paused for a few seconds, trying to identify the flavours on his tongue. "...I have absolutely no idea what it tastes like. Maybe some sort of fruit brandy, but tart. Have you tried one of the resident concoctions?"

[shannonteverius]

"I haven't found the courage," Shannon said with a shake of his head. "Though I am reassured to see that you haven't died from it yet," he teased.

[wandandawolf]

"Ah well, I've been told I have rather stupid levels of coverage in the past," Remus averred, but the memory of the Hat and all that amused him more than anything. He took another sip, and gave Shannon a sideways glance, choosing to remain against the wall and do some people watching.

"I'm rather resilient true, but look, you must be made of pretty stern stuff yourself." He flashed Shannon a brief grin and waited for just the right moment to follow up with a casual: "I mean, you are with Felix." That grin just got broader.

[shannonteverius]

Shannon laughed, his blue eyes sparkling. "I'm not sure that's resilience." His expression softened with a fond look as he thought of his lover. "I think they call it foolishness."

[wandandawolf]

"Fortune favours the foolish, isn't that the expression?" Remus furrowed his brow for a second. "No, it's the bold, sorry, misquoting my Virgil there."

Still: he reached over and gave Shannon a brief squeeze on the shoulder. "I can't talk, considering my bloke. Either way, we're very foolish, and very bold, and clearly very appreciate much appreciate being the adults in the room. Now why don't I get you a drink?"

[shannonteverius]

Shannon eyed Remus' drink warily, then took a breath to steel himself. "Why not? And then you can tell me more about this bloke of yours. Last time we spoke I hadn't heard that anything was official."

[wandandawolf]

Remus steered him towards the nearest bar with a gentle hand on his back. "One of...these, please," he said to the bartender, gesturing with his own half-drunk glass. He couldn't for the life of him remember the name of it. When it arrived, Remus paid, and gestured for Shannon to have a start, clearly curious at his reaction.

"As for my bloke, we haven't been official for that long. We were, however, decidedly unofficial. He was in love with me, and I was in love with him, and both of us too stupid to do anything about it. So it's a bit of a gift, really." Remus held up his glass in a toast: "Merry Christmas."

[shannonteverius]

Shannon was trusting Remus's word that the drink wasn't as vile as it looked. He fully intended to blame Remus if his faith had been misplaced.

"Merry Christmas," he said, clinking his glass against Remus'. His first tentative sip was offensive, but only in the way that strong alcohol tended to be when not fully prepared for it. His second sip went down more easily.

"I'm glad you both came to your senses. You seem very happy."

[wandandawolf]

"We are very happy," Remus murmured. For all their arguments, that seemed a bit astounding, on some days. "...Besides, have you seen his arse?" he added, with a cheeky grin. "I am a lucky man. Speaking of lucky men, how are things with you and Felix?"

[shannonteverius]

Shannon wondered if Remus had had a little too much ink to drink, but at the mention of Felix the soft smile returned to his face. "We're doing quite well," he said. "I feel like we've become even closer recently. Yet he still manages to surprise me in unexpected ways."

[wandandawolf]

Thinking of what he knew about their relationship, Remus believed - hoped - that it was not some sort of false state of revelation on Shannon's part. "How long have you two been together?" he asked. They'd been together when he met them, he thought, so it had to be more than a year. "There's often a tipping point for the closeness, from what I've been. But if he can still surprise you, after more than a year, that's a very good sign." He snorted, softly, and had another sip of his drink: "Sorry, I don't mean to pry. I went to a private school and got to play relationship counsellor to a lot of friends who married their teenage sweethearts. Trust me, I've seen a lot."

[shannonteverius]

Shannon's eyes sparkled with amusement. "Not much has changed for you then, I'm afraid," he said with a soft laugh. "Felix is my teenage sweetheart."

[wandandawolf]

"And Sirius is mine," Remus admitted, with a bit of a wrinkle to his nose. "So maybe I should be your counsellor and you can be mine, hmm?"

[shannonteverius]

"Why not?" Shannon shrugged. "The least we can do is vent to each other." He took another sip from his glass, pretending it wasn't such an off-putting color. "Though I'll expect anything said will be held in the strictest confidence."

[wandandawolf]

Remus chuckled. "As I said, private school. Sort of everybody's friend, when I wasn't being a prefect. I know how to hold my confidences." He didn't press Shannon's ability to keep secrets, and took it largely on trust. He knew the man worked in something government-y, and generally, they were a secretive sort, if a bit conspiratorial and prone to leak whatever to the Daily Prophet if it made them look good.

"...Drink's not terrible, then?"

[shannonteverius]

"Not terrible is a good way to describe it," Shannon said. That was as close to a compliment he could give the black liquid. "Though I hope whoever threw this mournful excuse for a party has come to their senses and learned the error of their ways."

[wandandawolf]

"Oh, I don't know," Remus said, looking around at all the decorations and the spread and the general....theme of the event, "you can't say it's not memorable, can you? And that's half the battle, for something like this."

[shannonteverius]

"Like the benefits of bad publicity?"

[wandandawolf]

Remus' reproachful glance said that he thought that was a bit harsh...if true. "Think of it this way," Remus suggested, with a bit of a twinkle in his eye, "next year, they'll definitely know who likes the idea and who doesn't. It's a way of cornering a very particular market."

[shannonteverius]

"I can't see the point of cornering a market like this," said Shannon, "but to each his own, I suppose."

[wandandawolf]

"Well, now you know not to come next year," Remus observed. "Or not to let Felix drag you."

[shannonteverius]

Shannon wondered what Felix thought of the event. Occasionally there were things Felix appreciated that Shannon did not understand. This party could be one of them. He'd find out later.

"What about you?" he asked. "Will you be here next year?"

[wandandawolf]

"Depends on Sirius, really," Remus commented, after a brief moment's thought. "He got the tickets, he likes parties, and people...I mostly tag along to keep him out of trouble." He shot Shannon a rueful glance: they might have had that in common when it came to their partners. "Mind you, it doesn't often work, but it's always entertaining to watch the results. What about you? Would you tell Felix to sod off?"

[shannonteverius]

"Felix is welcome to attend parties without me," Shannon said. "Though it would depend on timing with this one. I do insist that we spend Christmas together."