We'll Deck Your Halls (PARTY! Open)

[Lincoln King]

This is an open thread set on the 17th of December, everyone welcome! Just a casual thread for people wanting to have Christmas drinks and chats, no post requirements, though around the 300 - 500 word mark is suggested to keep things moving. There will be no strict adherence to a posting order, but please try to allow people a decent amount of time to reply if you are having a side conversation or it is something that will impact the overall RP. Have fun, please don't be shy about jumping in! P.S. Lincoln has a prize to give out for best ugly sweater, so bring your worst.

Wearing

Lincoln was in the mood for a casual Christmas party, more of a tongue-in-cheek outing for those who were dreading either spending the holidays with family or bitterly alone. Neither sounded particularly charming, family was lovely for the brief and fleeting exchange of pleasantries and while loneliness had benefits at the end of the day this was largely considered to be the most depressing time of the year for those without somebody. Why not give people an excuse to escape the arriving relatives, or a group to hang out with to make their holidays a little less woeful?

The Chrononaut had been a suitable location for a previous event, the venue was easily customised and close enough to most forms of public transport that people found it easy to get to so it seemed a natural choice. Delicate lights had been strung up along the ceiling, giving a soft halo to the room that glinted off the draped tinsel and baubles that had been used in tasteful amounts to cheer the place up. Pieces of mistletoe had been strategically placed over entrances and a few booths to add a certain amount of cheeky suggestion to the whole affair, because why the hell not? A spread of treats had been laid out upon a table and the bar was stocked with free beer, wine, champagne and cider for those who were able to partake. Candy canes sat beside a large bowl of alcoholic eggnog, plates of cookies, pastries and miniature puddings topped with white icing and glistening red cherries that seemed designed to tempt anyone in their vicinity. Lincoln King knew, of course, that not everyone attending could partake, so while the food items were delicious they were also a part of the decorative process to bring a bit of that Yuletide magic. Napkins on the bar were in silver and gold, ready to mop up the merriment over the course of the night. One never can be too prepared for the after effects of merriment, he figured, checking over the last few details.

The invites were fairly widely spread, largely through word of mouth but he had invited a few specific sets of people he hoped might take advantage of the opportunity to get out and enjoy themselves. As the first guests started to arrive the evening's music began to play softly, no cheesy Christmas carols on the playlist for this party, but ugly sweaters had been thoroughly encouraged. Lincoln was gratified to feel the first stirrings of holiday cheer as he greeted new arrivals, that touch of enthusiasm was enough to briefly drown out the things that had left his secondary personality largely in control over the past month. It was a good feeling, one he hoped might just last.

[Doc]

It was that time of year. The time of year that caused Doc to reflect on things. It was closing in on the anniversary of his death and rebirth as a vampire. It was the time of year that pivotal things happened to him, whether it was by coincidence or by his unwitting hypersensitivity to the time, was unknown. It could be that due to his mood souring at this time of the year, that it led to those pivotal experiences that marked him permanently.

So once more he was reflecting on things in past. Doc called it reflecting, his employees called it being hatefully disagreeable. In truth, Doc did not see any difference in his day to day mannerisms. To him, he was the perfectly polite businessman he always was. To his employees, he was a caged lion that was just waiting for the door of the cage to be swung open, so he could pounce and kill the first unwitting innocent that crossed his path.

Doc’s office was flung open, Grace his assistance was shoved in by at least three people, before the office door was pulled shut before allowing the hapless assistance the chance to dart to freedom.

Doc looked at her dispassionately, “Grace.”

Grace eyed the shut door, then looked at Doc and squared her shoulders. “Doc.”

She had intended on saying more, but her throat suddenly constricted and her mouth went dry. She stared at him like a wounded deer.

Sighing one of the long suffering, forbearing, slowly released sighs, Doc prompted her, “You wanted something?”

Grace nodded, while trying to figure out how to say that the staff were at their wits end and he needed to lay off of them.

A mere nod was all Doc received for his effort. All forbearance lost, “Grace!”

“I need a date to a party!” Grace stared at him with wide round eyes. Where the hell did that come from?!

Doc sat back in his seat, looked at her for a long moment. “You’re asking me.. What?” Another pause, “To take you to a party?”

Dumbly Grace nodded. ‘No!!’ Her mind screamed, but her voice refused to cooperate.

“I do not fraternize with employees. It is bad for business. You would get clingy and then I would have to ******* fire you. You would puddle. I hate when females puddle. No.”

Grace’s shoulders slumped in relief, but from Doc’s point of view it looked like defeat. That was all he needed, some love lorn personal assistant that moped and puddled about the office, because he said no.

Doc looked heavenward, “Fine.” he uttered with barely concealed contempt. “I will take you. But this is only because I am ******* nice guy.” He glared. "It doesn't mean I like you. Now should it be construed as any implied relationship. Because it isn't. I am just ******* tired of replacing my assistants. Are we clear? Good." He growled. However, secretly, he was thinking this would be the perfect excuse to get away from the Ball and Chain as well. Not that she was being extra clingy, but she was psycho and flip, just like a switch. And the holidays made her extra cranky and twitchy. Yes Best to avoid her at all costs.

Grace’s mouth dropped open then shut. She stared blankly and then nodded ever so slowly. This could work. Yes There was that ugly sweater party she got invited to. Yes! She would drag him to that party.. And use the party as the lead in to tell him he needed to lay off the staff. Get him liquored up.. and she might manage to get a bonus for the staff as well! “Great! We can leave from here. But you will need an Ugly Christmas sweater. Do you need me to get you one?”

Doc’s lips slid into a crooked smirk. “Ugly sweater? No.. I think I can handle that..”

[Charles Crafter]

Where do you meet marks? On the street? Go up to their mansion? No no no, the best place to find a mark is at a party! If you're lucky enough to get invited...or good enough to forge an invitation and identity. And that was exactly the reason Charles Crafter was here, to find a good mark to get rich off of. Of course, no one else knew that. He'd be keeping those thoughts to himself. Yes, he was invited, but it was such a widespread invitation it might be difficult to get a juicy rich and stupid person to get instead of some random guy. Then again, if he did fail to find one, this could be a quite enjoyable evening. And he was dedicated to making the most of that unless, by chance, something better came up.

He picked out the clothes to the party, festive but stylish, combed his hair, and put on the smile he knew how to use so well to his own advantage. Now it was just a matter of when it all got started. Everything was just in place like it should be. No weapons randomly hanging out in the open like some psychopath who came to fight instead of relax. He was a conman and a thief, not some blood thirsty murderer. Such uncivilized behavior was not what he wanted to be known for. In fact, if he did his job right, he wouldn't be known for anything criminal at all!

He walked in the doors the same smile on his face as he adjusted his cufflinks and surveyed the surroundings. Every face, every bulge where a full wallet was, every key jingle or clang as a piece of jewelry fell. This was how he worked. He studied who had the money and who didn't. Who had the gems and who had the coal. Who had the job of boss of a company and who was the janitor for a school gym. He of course was among none of these types of people. But that wouldn't stop him from mingling with them.

[Meara]

Being the people person she was, Meara could not resist a good party. Not to mention it was a Christmas party. So there wasn't even a question about going or not - it was just a mention of what to wear. The invitations mentioned something about an ugly sweater contest, so that narrowed it down considerably. So after a bit of consideration, she tugged on a red with white snowflake sweater with a pair of black leggings and finished off with a pair of black heeled ankle boots and a black hat.

It took Meara a longer time to find the venue than it took her to get dressed. She was still more or less handicapped by her horrible sense of direction. Until she memorized the city streets, Mea would be stuck using the map on her phone, and the generous help of strangers. Once she was sure she found the right building, Meara slipped inside and looked around. She was a bit early, so the venue was still sparsely populated. Meara exhaled a bit nervously as she meandered her way over to the bar through the crowd, taking in the sights and sounds of the party. None of the faces looked familiar to her, so she resolved she would make at least one or two acquaintances tonight.

Wearing

[Kira]

Kira titled her head at the invite. "Please explain this whole ugly sweater thing." she asked Dave, her thrall.

Dave sighed, it wasn't the first thing he had to explain to her. "It started off like your grandmother knitting you a sweater and it's ugly but you got to wear it. Well now it has turned into a contest to see who has the worse one, can buy them in stores now." he said.

Kira shrugged, she didn't have any family. Some of the things of this world she didn't understand but that's what happens when you can't remember your own past. "I don't want to wear one. Can I just bring one with me? Find one for me will you." she muttered as she walked off to her room to find a dress. The last party was grand so she was interested to see how this one would be. Picking out a red dress and her white winter coat, she got ready for the party. She put her hair up and added butterfly clips to it. She wore Butterflies to the last party as well, she would just keep to a theme when she attended these parties.

When she came back downstairs, Dave had left and came back and held up an ugly sweater.

"Wow, that thing really is ugly." Kira said, in which Dave just nodded.

"That is the point." Dave replied, "I think I got this...well before you came into my life."

Kira wasn't sure if what he said was a good thing or a bad thing. They've been through a lot together, good and bad. "Do you want it back? I feel like it should be burnt." she said.

"Eh, I don't care." Dave replied, "I'll feed the animals. Go to the party."

Kira nodded, holding the ugly sweater away from herself like it held some kind of illness. She left a note for Reggie telling him where she was going. Then again, she got home before he even seen the last one. It was hard to believe she was the more 'social' person even though she felt like she wasn't.

She quickly headed to the same place as the last party. She checked her coat in, she wouldn't need it inside not that she needed it outside, the cold didn't bother her after all. She headed further into the building, wondering who would be here at this party. She wondered if Lexy would be at this one, or anyone else she knew.

Kira looked around, taking in the colors of the party and what was offered for food and drink. She wasn't interested in the eggnog that was for sure, but some wine was always welcome.

Dress
Coat
Ugly Sweater

[Robin Little]

Robin hadn’t been to any of Lincoln’s shindigs since the Masquerade. Had Lincoln thrown anything since then? Robin couldn’t recall. He’d in fact tried to steer clear of any large gathering of any type, except for work. The last one hadn’t gone as planned, with all that wine and changed outfits, and the argument with Maddison near the end – parties, he decided, were starting to become more drama than they were worth.

But it was a Christmas party. It was snowing outside. It was the season to be merry! The house, indeed, looked like Christmas had thrown up all over it, just as Maddison had promised. It was hard not to be optimistic, to think that this party would be different, that whatever rain cloud followed Robin around might hold off, just for one night.

The invitation had included a tidbit about a prize for the best ugly sweater. Robin went out of his way to track an ugly sweater down – not because he wanted to win, but because the idea of showing up to a party in something comfortable rather than having to dress up in a suit was far too enticing to resist. Maddison, of course, was her usual graceful self. Robin assumed she always only wanted to look her best, and so the suggestion of an ugly sweater was vetoed.

Robin, however, despite any protest that Maddison might have made, still wore his sweater – coupled with dark jeans and nice shoes. He’d wanted a sweater with a literary reference, and though he wasn’t averse to Star Wars or Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings, they were the only ones he could find. But he wanted something more highbrow. Rather than settle on a literary reference, then, he settled instead on a Kubrick reference. Film, too, could be literature.

Rather than risk public transport and the many woes that might befall them if they took too long to arrive, Robin instead opted to drive them. It took them a while to find a park – every one of the parks seemed to be taken just before Robin eased up to them – but eventually he snuck into the lot of a closed shop, assuming the proprietors would not mind. They had no customers at this hour.

With his arm around Maddison’s waist, the pair stepped into the club.

”So far so good,” he muttered, more to himself than to anyone else. Nothing drastic had gone wrong. He could only hope the rest of the night followed the same trend.

[Vexen]

Dress
Sweater

Winter had always been Vexen’s all time favorite season. The scent of peppermint and pine, the manner in which people went out of their way to light up their homes with cheer - it was the perfect time of year. She always went out of way to ensure that her small, one bedroom apartment was properly decorated. She wasn’t satisfied until every corner was filled with a decoration, the entire floorplan looking as if a Christmas Hurricane had traveled through, spitting up reindeer, stars and christmas ornaments. This year was no different. Even if she had died, even though her apartment was smaller than normal, and her money was tight - she refused to stray from her one-person tradition. And so, her apartment was lit up like the fourth of July.

Of course, she hadn’t bothered to turn off the lights as she headed into the city, and it wasn’t until she stepped onto the curb outside of the club that she even thought of the consequences. Pausing for just a moment outside of the door, she curled her slender fingers around the handle and glanced behind her, as if her eyes could see the shine of her window from miles away. Deciding that it would be far too much of a hassle to run back across town, she gave the door a tug and stepped inside, her fingers moving easily through her windblown blonde curls. This would be her first real night out since her turning, and she couldn’t deny that she was anxious. The only other of her kind that she had spent any real time with was Prudence. What if she did something utterly moronic?

Hesitating in the doorway, she gave her ugly Grinch sweater a tug, the wool hanging tight to her athletic form. As a human, it had felt constricting and too warm, but now she barely noticed the way it rubbed against her arms. It had been a last minute detail, one that she pulled on over her thin dress. It wasn’t because she wanted to win the competition that had been mentioned, but because what was a holiday party without the ugly sweater? Realizing too late that she had lingered in the open doorway a moment too long, she slid her faithful book beneath her arm and made her way into the club, bypassing the table of refreshments with a sigh. As much as she loved eggnog and candy canes, she didn’t want to spend her night doubled over in excruciating pain.

No, she had already learned her lesson.

“Well, this should be an interesting adventure,” she chuckled to herself as she rested against a table, her eyes searching the gathering crowd, though she doubted she would know a single soul.

[Elizabeth]

The woman never understood the obsession with ugly sweaters. One time her familial house had incorporated this idea into the Christmas season, and part of the woman wondered if it was payback for her sweater knitting craze that occurred that year. Shamus had seemed particularly eager to get everyone into sweaters after Elizabeth had made him one and when she was honest, Elizabeth had seen more flaws in her handiwork than anything. She never knitted another sweater again-not even for the cats. It seemed knitting was not everyone's forte, especially not her cup of tea. Well, the woman could not simply be good at everything, she supposed.

Her startling blue eyes glanced to her wardrobe a few evenings prior to the night of the big event and the woman shook her head. She absolutely was not wearing an ugly sweater, because Elizabeth did not own something ugly and believed it to be wasteful to purchase something to be worn just a singular time. When she was human, at best, the woman owned four different gowns; all of which served a purpose. She had a black one for mourning and was required to wear it for many months after her father died. Then there was one for the chores to be done around the house, then a dressing gown for the bed time hours and finally, a gown that was one for special occasions, which wasn't anywhere near the quality of gowns the woman currently possessed. While it was true the woman still had dresses and coats with tags on them, and shoes still in boxes, Elizabeth planned to wear each of them at some point, but to wear a sweater for just a handful of evenings? It was blasphemy!

But, that did not mean Elizabeth did not wish to be part of the holiday festivities. Quite the opposite. So, she had to be resourceful and that was something Elizabeth most certainly was. She had to be when she was human and while she was in a variety of guilds-both past and present day. The petite woman stood and moved to the closet where her fingers began to search for dresses in colours of red, gold and silver. But, red as she recalled was never kind to her skin tone and silver washed her features out. While she had a few golden colored dresses, Elizabeth had no gold. Alas, this did not deter the woman, so she continued digging until she pulled out a dress the colour of a male peacock's plumage. At least, that was how she would describe it, but most would just call the colour teal.

Because Elizabeth had been gone until recently from the city, the usual Christmas tree had not been put up, let alone decorated, but the woman knew just where the decorations and boxes were. With the dress upon her bed, she moved to a suite within the tower that was no longer used by one of her childre, but accessible to her at any point. She wondered how he would feel if he knew his suite had become a small storage space; at least one of his rooms. After disappearing into a hidden corridor, she returned with a clear tote of items she was positive she would be using this year...if only she could locate her glue gun and sewing kit...

Night of the party:

The woman arrived at the party with bells jingling at various parts of her body. She had tried to make her ensemble as ugly as possible, but in truth, Elizabeth sort of liked how the dress had turned out. It wasn't something she would be able to wear ever again, outside of another Christmas event, perhaps, but at least another dress had found a purpose in her closet and was getting used. The woman tucked a loose flying strand of hair back into her french twist, before she stepped inside and took a look around. If she recalled correctly, she had attended a soiree of sorts that this young man had hosted before, but never made his acquaintance. Cosimo had been her escort for the evening, but she wondered if he came with her only because he felt some semblance of pity for the woman, given all things until recently. Elizabeth had thought about asking him, or even Taranto to escort her tonight, but that seemed unfair as she knew Cosimo had many childre and Athena, and as for Taranto, she knew not where he was most of the time and what he did with his evening. Something, Elizabeth made note to rectify in the immediate future. For now, there was a party to attend and sweaters to observe.

[Alexandrea]

She really wasn't sure she would go.

After a customer had left a copy of the flyer, Alexandrea had tacked it up on the bulletin board and went about her business. Every time she passed by it, she gave it the stink eye just because. Because she kept meaning to get out there and be social... but she didn't. And this time wasn't looking like it would shape up any differently.

So even as she hunted through her bedroom closet in Willow Court for the only sweater she would even consider wearing, (a cherished gift from Liz a few years ago) she was not actually planning on attending.

And as she found just the perfect boots and hat, she still was sure that nothing would come of it besides a quiet night of accounting in the QCC office after a quick game of dress up.

Using the webcam on her laptop to check how the outfit looked with a pair of black velvet leggings, Alex still had not yet actually decided if she would go. She grinned at the sweater and thought twice about the idea of wearing it to an 'ugly sweater' party. In her opinion, it was the cutest sweater ever. It was like a pug puppy. So ugly it was cute as hell.

But Elizabeth had made it for Alexandrea with her own two hands. And might not appreciate it being worn as an 'ugly' sweater. But what were the odds of them both showing up to this party?

It reminded Alex that she should pester the Elder to get together again soon, it had been too long. It had been too long since Alexandrea had seen a lot of her favourite people.

Maybe some of them would be at this party? Maybe. Maybe she could just poke her head in. Just for a quick look and see. Just see who was there and then she could always leave again if she felt overwhelmed.

At some point Alex must have talked herself into it. For even as she continued to debate about going or not with herself, she found herself at the Chrononaut.

The blonde Allurist chewed her bottom lip a few seconds and then let herself in, trying to slip through the doors and into the shadows of a dark corner as quietly as a mouse to escape any notice.

[Lincoln King]

It was only early in the evening and already the turn out was fairly pleasing, a real mixed bag of people walking through the door. Linc watched each with a curious eye, that brain of his taking snapshots and storing them, remembering details and observing without any real intention on his part. Some of those who entered were unknown to him, people he made a point of greeting with even the quickest of hellos. When Kira came through the door he grinned, this woman had come to his Bitr launch and he was glad to see she was back for more. "Hi, good to see you again. I'd love to speak later, actually learn your name?" He winked at her, letting her get inside and moving on to speak to Meara, a stranger to him looking mildly uncertain upon arrival. "Happy holidays, i'm Lincoln, please come in and grab yourself something to drink or eat." He was aware it might not be possible but he didn't want to make assumptions or try to figure out who amongst them was entirely living. There were some very impressive sweaters coming through the door and alongside them impressive outfits. Robin's made him laugh, Lincoln descending on him eagerly to tug him free of his date and pull him into a strong embrace. It was accompanied by a cheeky knock of lips to his jaw, gaze only then falling on Maddison, acting as if he hadn't noticed her. "Oh, Maddison. You came, well, happy holidays! Come in guys, maybe i'll find you later for a dance." Those clear green eyes slipped over Robin's face, half expecting to see disapproval but his own grin was ready to soften the admonishment for his churlish behaviour. It was a party, right? He was going to have fun. "Mistletoe." He said, pointing above them and once more dipping his head to provide a loud smack of lips, intentionally dramatic followed be a series of smaller kisses nudged at his friend's face before allowing him release. A grinch sweater caught his eye, Lincoln looking at the woman wearing it with a face that clearly said "good choice" making a mental note for the competition.

As if it had never occurred Lincoln shooed them inside, waiting to grin at the next arrivals. The blonde woman was familiar, in fact he was quite convinced he'd been to her shop at one stage, the one with those incredible portals he used frequently. Her name was one he knew, and at first had not connected to her but now he remembered. She'd emailed him once, telling him off and they'd gotten to talking. He wasn't convinced it ended overly well. "Good evening. I'm Lincoln... Lincoln King. Welcome, and happy holidays to you." He'd find her again later, though if she wished to speak to him he didn't move far. The woman in green was familiar too, she had come to the Bitr party with a charming gentleman on her arm. They had been a quiet, polite group and had seemed genuinely interested in the event. Her outfit was incredible, a beautiful gown with ornaments and tinsel arranged on it to look like a Christmas tree. "Oh, wow. That's incredible, you look fantastic! Unaccompanied tonight? I am very glad to see you came to another party, i'm not sure we got the chance to speak I'm Lincoln King, and you are?" His hand was offered in a manner that meant it was not for shaking, so much as gentle accepting, the gentlemanly hold that would often be accompanied by lips across the knuckles if he were trying to impress rather than just greet.

There were many to talk to, so many faces to memorise and drinks to be shared. He vowed he would say at least one word to each, to acknowledge every effort with a thank you or just a simple smile. Lincoln loved to play host, he was entirely in his element and only felt growing enthusiasm as things seemed to really kick off with drinks being handed out and decorations being discussed.