// HOLIDAY PARTY

[eluviomods]

WHO: EVERYONE!
WHERE: The Atrium
WHEN: December 24th
WHAT: Holiday party!
WARNINGS: None (but please mark if there is questionable content!)

// Jingle Mingle_ ➣ Sparkles and Spirits Late the night before, visitors will be asked to leave as the atrium is going to be closed for a few hours. It's completely blocked off from sight. In the morning, it will be open once again and the entire space is covered in a soft padding of snow. With more still falling! It's not entirely clear just where it's coming from or how they rigged it up to not even melt, but it's here. Throughout the day, the snow will keep falling though won't get any higher than one foot. Except for a designated area on the western side of the atrium. There characters will find copious amounts of snow to build forts or snowmen or wage an all out guerilla warfare snowball fight. Stationed throughout the atrium in various places out of the way are buffets and bars to provide everyone with delicious delectables and delightful drinks. These stations are constantly manned and refreshed so that nothing is ever empty or anyone is left wanting. Don't see a food you're dying to have? Ask and one of the workers will be happy to seek it out for you! Late morning to mid afternoon, there will be a gingerbread house contest. Everyone is encouraged to participate and show off their creative skill! All items needed will be provided to create your masterpiece. Various awards will be given out, including Best Use of Gumdrops. Once the magic hour begins, all the lights in the atrium will begin to flicker on. Twinkling lights in the trees and candied garden lights will mark the path appropriately called Candy Cane Lane, which is little more than a means to encourage a more romantic atmosphere with a walk around the atrium itself. ➣ Flannel and Frost Once night falls, the party is still going strong. More food is brought out and the drinks just don't stop flowing. Because what's a party without booze? On the east side of the atrium a large canopy is stationed with a dance floor beneath it just waiting for everyone to cut loose. A DJ will be playing all night with pulsing, hypnotic beats that not one booty can say no to. Invite someone to cut that rug or dance by yourself like no one's watching. It's time to cut loose! While walking through the atrium, be careful! There's enchanted mistletoe that will spring up anywhere at anytime and will trap anyone without restraint. (Did you think we wouldn't have this?) It hovers in the air with a soft green glow, encasing two passersby within an arm's length radius. Get those lips to puckering to get yourselves free! (A kiss anywhere counts, so don't fret!) Tucked away on the north side of the atrium is a large maze. It boasts to be the best activity for the holiday party, but those in charge could be a little biased. It's a mystery as to what goes on beyond the entrance and the only way anyone can find out is to just march right in. The rules of the maze are: 1.) No one goes in alone (max. 2 at a time) and 2.) If you feel too trapped or lost, take off the visor and the experience will be over. Upon entering, everyone will be given a visor and set loose inside. Each group will experience something different should they choose to go into the maze, so please go HERE for a customized maze trip! Everyone is free to stay as long as they wish, but around 3:00 in the morning, workers will begin dismantling things and ushering people out so they can clean. Once everyone is nestled all snug in their beds, they'll be visited by someone to get their holiday gifts! Happy Holidays!

Comments

two

[genice]

( It's the generally convivial nature of the thing (what thing, he wants to ask, but he takes all of this as a general celebration of Winter and an excuse for the people of this ship to simply spend time focusing on something other than their work) that's kept Victor out and wandering through the region, Makkachin a steady presence at his side. Right now he's also a steady presence marking the snow over by a tree, something Victor is politely ignoring.

Considering the far more sapient individuals on board have been doing the same...

Regardless, he turns his head when he hears Lee's exclamation. The glow is familiar, as is the sense of minor amusement (and annoyance) that filters through as he recognises the man's unplanned position. Holding a cup of spiced wine, Victor shifts his weight and waves from where he stands, oh, a meter or so away. )

Mistletoe, I think! If mistletoe managed to trap people in place until they kissed, like some kind of teenage prank.

( #helping )

[aploun]

[ #nothelping

Lee glares at the plant for a few moments longer before dragging his gaze over to whomever that is talking to him. Someone. A man. Lee has no idea who he is. And in his current state, he's ready to blame him for whatever this situation is. Shaking the excess drink off his hand before wiping it on his pants, he quickly filters through his mind to figure out what mistletoe is and if he's ever heard of it before.

Pretty sure he hasn't. ]

Wait. [ Wait a second. ] What do you mean? How can a plant trap people for that?

[genice]

( Briefly, he considers offering this man a napkin for all his worries in having spilled his drink all over himself. Then he remembers he doesn't have any, giving a mental shrug as he looked back up at the glowing green bundle. )

On it's own? It shouldn't. I'm pretty sure the green glow in part of some...

( He gestures with his own drink, drawing a kind of circle in the air. )

Invisible barrier that keeps people in there for a while. Until they find a key to unlock it, if we're running with that metaphor.

( Victor is at least. He looks at Lee's face, offering a somewhat apologetic half-smile. )

Want an assist?

( He has one dog on call and also a fairly observationally informed intelligence on what counts as a "key" to unlocking the mistleforcefield. )

[aploun]

[ Lee is too busy looking up at this curious plant, his mouth in a slight o-shape. Probably looks a little ridiculous. Does he care? Not in the slightest. ( Though that is likely thanks in part to all the drinks he's had today already. Shhh... ) Eventually, though, he gets his shit together and looks back over at this alleged help. ]

What?

[ He must appear so smart to others today. So. Smart. This is a man who played president for a short while. President of the entire human race. He lets out a small chuckle, brows raised as high as they can go. ]

Offering to kiss me to set me free?

[ Because that's what this sounds like. ]

[genice]

( Truly, Lee's still managing to be more put together than some of the people Victor's politely sidestepped around here. He taps lip of his cup against his own lips, deciding in a shrug and a light laugh. )

Either me or Makkachin.

( Victor nods his head to the side, indicating the poodle currently drying to dig out some unknown target from the few inches of snow covering the immediate area. In the end, he shifts his cup to his non-dominant hand, taking a step closer and extending his arm, palm up, gloved fingers spread. Still juuuust far enough out of reach of the plant to not guarantee Victor getting stranded in the same situation.

A kiss on the back of the hand has worked in what he's seen. Same with on the cheek, or whatever else; part of him thinks about Yuri, and the ache that leaves in his chest is almost enough to make his smile fade. He misses him something fierce. This would be a great story, telling him about how something so ridiculous could exist, and about offering to help people out with Makkachin as the true knight in fuzzy brown armour trotting around.

Just, you know, also prone to licking his rescued princes and princesses for as long as he could get away with it, even after exiting the mistlezone. )

It's your call whichever way you want to make it, right?

[aploun]

[ At the indication, Lee shifts his attention over to the dog. In some ways it seems wildly out of place on a spaceship, but in other ways, it's really not. He's suddenly stricken with a small pang of homesickness ( if that's even the right term for it ) as he recalls Jake and Romo. That thought, at least, brings a smile to his face.

However, he doesn't really want dog slobber all over his face. No offense, Makkachin.

So, Lee gives a small nod as he thoughtfully chews on his bottom lip for a moment or two. Some decisions are just hard to make. ]

As much fun as I think it'd be to be trapped here all night, [ he starts, trailing off as he looks at his drink before back to Victor, ] at some point I'm going to need a refill and I imagine that's going to be hard to get.

[ He grins in a way that's all boyish charm; ] I'd appreciate the help.

i'm starting to wonder at what kind of special hell i type phone tags in /stares at above tag laksjd

[genice]

( He chuckles at the conundrum; given his own personal leanings, he'd want to be free in order to drink as well. Particularly thinking about how divorced this is from everyone he cares about, or anything he'd wanted to be. His own smile is self-amused, paired with a wink and a tip of his glass to Lee, miming cheers. )

There's the real tragedy of the night! I don't think the service here goes quite far enough to take care of refilling glasses without some effort on our part.

( Still chuckling, he steps in close and rests a hand on Lee's shoulder to keep them both steady, ducking in and pressing a neat, chaste kiss to his cheek. There's a thrum from overhead as the mistletoe registers the activity; companionably enough, Victor turns and encourages Lee to stumble on forward along with him to get outside of the mistletoe's activation field. Makkachin trots on over to investigate them both, uttering a singular bark and wag of his tail in the process. )

I should have prefaced that with an introduction — hello! I'm Victor Nikiforov. Who am I freeing back to the rest of his evening here?

LMAO it's all good; it happens to the best of us

[aploun]

[ It would be a tragedy. Because he feels like drinking until his mind isn't so busy anymore. There's thoughts in there he doesn't feel like having and the alcohol is doing a pretty damn good job of clearing out some of those cobwebs. At least for tonight, anyway.

No offense, but the kiss barely registers in Lee's mind as he's immediately looking up because he hears that noise and what the frak???? This is weird. It's very weird, but he's happy to be out of this strange planty prison. And he does make a very concerted effort to gracefully ( "gracefully;" read: not very ) out of the danger zone. ]

Thanks! [ Because first things first, he should be polite. He hasn't had that much to drink that he's forgotten manners. Then, his mouth forms a slight o-shape as the memory sluggishly filters back into his conscious mind. ] Oh! You're the one who didn't want the optimism. [ Or something like it. Lee, good job. ] —I'm Lee.

[ Of course, he looks to the dog then and holds his hand out to be sniffed. ]

Don't think we've met.

[genice]

( Oh no!!! How dare he not remember!!! ... What Victor will forget about by the end of the night, but that's beside the point. He's more pleased he can pair a face to a name from the network at last, grinning for that and gesturing with his cup of cider. )

Lee! Was I? I don't remember... ( he chuckles, clearly not so concerned about it either way. ) A pleasure to meet you face to face. This fine canine is Makkachin. Makkachin, say hello to Lee.

( He obediently sniffs Lee's hand, leaning up to lick at it immediately afterward. Also, shove his head under said hand. Welcome to pet him Lee, really, anytime now is fantastic. )

[aploun]

[ It's friends helping friends. That's probably what Lee will remember about it. Or something like it, anyway. That's the important part, right??? At least, that's what Lee thinks. Friendships are important in times like these.

Which, speaking of, he can't help but kneel down for easier petting. Dogs are fun. Dogs are nice. Sometimes he wishes he had one, though he's glad he never did all things considered. ( He'd try to get one now—he's seen the animal shelter aboard the ship—but he doesn't really trust that things won't go tits up here. ) So, living vicariously through others is what it's going to have to be. Makkachin is an odd name for a dog, but he supposes things like Fluffy or Rover are, too.

He glances up at Victor, still quite happily petting away. ]

Nice to get a face to the name. [ One side of his mouth lifts in a smile, ] Settling in any better?

[genice]

( Makkachin endures the attention, shoving his nose in Lee's face to try and get in happy licks if he can. Victor observes, a fond smile on his lips. For all the hell this is in different ways, at least Makkachin is here with him. Not everyone has that comfort.

He lifts his cup a little, as if silently bidding cheers to Lee as a reply. )

Oh, I've been here and there, talking with all kinds of people. I suppose I'm much better settled than last week. Or the week before. You?