The Party. [Christmas Plot/Open to all]

[Chibi Magician]

[ Since Christmas is coming up, the staff and I decided to make a little Christmas plot of sorts. Staff will control what happens, and such. Everyone on the site can join, with multiple characters if they please. However, please try not to flood the thread if you're only conversing with one member. There will be no posting order, since I find it a bit of a nuisance to wait for someone.. Second, if you notice someone is alone in the thread, please go over and include them as well. I will certainly be trying to make sure everyone is included in this fun little activity, so it would be marvelous if everyone else did as well. Those who want to say they helped Luz or are included in some way can, but please don't involve my little deity too much with this asking to help and such. Also, Luz will be included in the event, so by all means talk to him during the thread. Anyways, onto the last little blurb in my long ramble. Happy holidays to all, and I hope you enjoyed what the fellow staff and I have thought up for the holidays. ]

It was the day before Christmas, and the community hall, a well-kept building coloured a plain white, had been prepared for a Christmas party. Only moments prior had Luz voiced an order to have the building set-up for a Christmas party for the citizens of Argi. The deity had long slaved over the preparations, with the help of those who had offered, and now he sat on one of the ceiling beams staring down at the work that had been done. His hair was a bit tousled from working from morning to evening on the preparations. It was a lot of work for a single day, but it had been done nonetheless. Luz had a pleased smile upon his face as his red eyes gazed upon the hall with its' many festive decorations. Garland was hanged from the halls and adorned the stage in wondrous fashions, tables were set to the side to make room for dancing, and lastly a large table had been placed near the kitchen for when supper was made. To the left side of the stage was a fully decorated Christmas that Luz was quite pleased with. Luz spared a quick glanced at the clock, noting that it was time to get this show on the road. The god, who looked more like a 12-year-old boy with messy black hair and red eyes, made his way down, with more of a slow glide towards the ground.

His feet soon touched the floor of the community hall, taking no time to dally. Luz immediately turned tail towards the front doors, unlocking them with the small key that was once kept within the pocket of his large green and white Christmas sweater. Once that was all finished, the deity scrambled his way back towards the main area to take a seat. He took a seat farthest from the stage, leaning back in the plastic chair to watch the people who would hopefully flood in soon.

[Dream Wolf]

Dream had heard, he knew there was a party, but he was afraid to go. If not for his old baby sitter Candy, he would be in his room, sleeping or making his metal birds and animals. But Candy had told him flat out, if he didn't come on his own she would tie him up and drag him there. So here he was. He had come early, because Candy had given him the start time, but apparently she had been confused, or lied to him... He noticed Luz, it was hard not to, his energy was incredible and defied Dream's Absorb ability, which was to be expected, but it made Dream nervous, he could tell a lot about someone just by the 'taste' and 'texture' of their energy Dream could sense the unimaginable power, but he couldn't get a good feel for it.

He adjusted the backpack that held the little things he had made, he had not been told if there was a gift exchange, but he had come prepared, just in case. The things he had brought were little trinkets he had put together with various metals and gems, the one he had an actual recipient for was the cat girl figure he had made for Candy It looked just like her, only with ears and tail of a red tiger cat.

Dream looked at the Tree, this was his first Christmas without his parents, and they had always had a big tree like this, he wasn't sad though, he had come a long ways in the short year his parents had been gone. Dream smiled a bit and reached into his pocket, he pulled out a small star made of bronze, it had the image of him and his parents together. He had made it for this very purpose the night before. He hung the ornament on the tree and spoke.

"Be happy, always, no matter what happens, I will always remember you." His voice did choke a bit, but no tears came to his eyes. He turned as he heard someone else enter.

[Alana Summers]

[ I have permission to say that Alana picked Max up, etc. ]

Alana was well aware of the Christmas party that would occur at the community hall. At first, the young woman absolutely no plans of going. She had planned to spend the night with her cat, Faze, since there was no reason for her to go. That was up until she received a phone call. Her partner, Max Abner, had wished to attend the party at the hall. The weather outside was far too cold to run, and Max had decided to call Alana to ask for a ride. The conversation had started with a lot of nos and begging, but soon ended with a fine. Thus it lead Alana down a path of picking up the 13-year-old and driving them to the community hall. Thankfully, parking wasn't the worst, making it easy for Alana to park her red car into one of the available spaces. Unfortunately, the woman Chaser hadn't been given enough time to change into something more festive, leaving her to throw on a red sweater. "Max, listen up, we go when I say so, or you're getting no ride home, got it?" Alana explained, laying down her laws.


Staying until late into the night wasn't Alana's plan, since she wanted to get home and see Faze. With quick hands, Alana unstrapped herself and swung her legs out of the car to get out. Alana's fair coloured hand reached out to grab her purse, of which contained a small gift for her partner. She had no plan to give Max the gift until they left, and had originally planned on giving Max the gift after Christmas. Once Alana had everything she needed, the woman closed the door to her vehicle and headed towards the doors of the community hall. When she entered through the heavy doors, she was greeted by an assortment of tables and Christmas decorations. Her eyes scanned the area, noting the current quests along with the deity in the corner. Alana took a few steps into the hall, debating what she was going to do now that she had arrived.

[Max Abner]

[this is the outfit they're wearing]

Max was really excited for the holiday party. They had decided beforehand that they wanted to wear a fun dress, so they already had their outfit chosen out. It was really adorable, but today they didn't totally feel like a girl or a guy so it didn't really matter. The only problem that Max had realized was that the dress would be a nightmare to walk to the community hall in. It was winter and cold and they didn't want to walk around in the snow in a knee high dress. After begging for a while, however, Max had convinced their partner Alana to give them a ride to the hall. Max had gotten dressed in their dress, a necklace, some transparent tights with white snowflake designs, and dark ankle boots.

When Alana arrived Max rushed out the door the greet their friend. They didn't really stop talking the whole ride there. Once they arrived they saw the community hall all decorated and stuff their excitement sky rocketed. They were about to scrambled out of the car and into the hall when Alana started talking. Max giggled and nodded. "Okay there grumpypants I'll listen to your rules. When you want to leave we'll leave. Protesting on my part will be kept to a minimum." Max held up their hand and put their other over their heart as if to give an oath. Once it seemed that Alana was satisfied with Max's answer they took off into the building.

Max opened the doors and took in the majority of the room in the first few seconds. A table, a tree, and a couple of people were here and there. The tree was probably the most interesting thing to Max and so they wandered over there first. They looked at all of the decorations on the tree and as they were doing this they saw another person doing the same thing, or so it seemed. Max smiled and walked over just in time to see them put a decoration on the tree. "Did you make that?" Max asked as they looked at the decoration. It was a little metal star with what looked to be a photo of a family in it. They

[Dream Wolf]

Dream saw the girl staring at him but he didn't mind, most people stared at him, he waved back with a half hearted smile and turned back to the tree. He sense Max before the Chaser got across the room, but he jumped when they spoke to him.

"Ah yeah. Its a copy of the only picture I have of the three of us together. It's my fist Christmas since they died. Ah! But I'm not sad about it any more. It happens, and I know that they are together on the other side waiting for me, Mom always said that you can't dwell on the past, because if you're always looking back you can't see what's coming at you." He rubbed the back of his head, he really wished Candy would show up. She had made all that fuss about him going, so he had expected her to be there. But it would be just like her to get him out here and then spend her night watching TV specials or shopping online. That was one thing about girls he didn't get, they were always buying things, a good example was how many blue dresses Candy owned, each a different shade and style. But come on! Fifty different shades of blue? Really? He sighed in his mind.

"You're Chaser Abner, right? I'm Dream Wolf, I'm a student at the Academy. It's nice to meet you." He knew of Max's gender fluidity, even if no one told him, he could sense the difference, Max Abner's energy was neither male nor female. But their skills were almost legendary. He shifted uneasily, even though he was older, he felt like the child in this situation. Here was a thirteen year old who was a full chaser, and he was fifteen, had been in the care of the academy since he was eleven, yet he couldn't even fight pipsqueaks yet.

[Pandora Akiyama]

Dress she'll be wearing

Pan made her way through the buzzing streets of new years eve, not one person without the glow of Christmas cheer plastered on their expressions. Although, she did seem to be quite the odd woman out, wearing a long lovey blue dress, hair pulled back into an alluring style, seeming like Cinderella. Lifting up the ruffles of the royal gown, Pan paced quickly towards the hall lit with enchanting colors of green, red and white, the mere place was radiating with festivity. Guilt was already washing over her, being late was one thing, however she knew what would await her inside, judgmental stares and disapproval. Shaking her head, blonde locks bumping against her shoulders, Pan attempted to push aside thoughts of self doubt, focusing on arriving to the party as soon as possible. Chest heaving, calves aching from the harsh speed walk, she stopped in front of the hall finally, a smile forming on her features. 

Pushing the pair of wooden doors open, slowly to be sure she would step in unnoticed, Pan gently stepped onto the tiles of the hall flooring, silver heels making a soft 'clank' noise. Flinching at the sudden sound, she collected her jumbled thoughts together, making her way over to one of the many delicate spruced up tables. Sitting down ginger ally, tucking the blue cloth beneath herself, two curious chocolate brown orbs admired the brightly lit room. However much Pan felt out of place, the fact that her attire was some what considered 'formal' this allowed her to relax slightly. 

Fixing her gaze on a thoughtfully decorated Christmas tree, Pan couldn't help but feel over joyed. As a child, she had never been allowed to have a festive tree, nor even look at one. Since then, all she would do was admire their beauty. Rising to her feet, she glided lightly towards the tree of lights, opening a small purse, reaching for a glass golden star ornament. Staring at the meager treasure, she reached up, placing it onto a high branch, or at least as high as she could reach that is. The reason Pan had chosen this tree was odd, she felt like it held some type of wonderful memory, simply Christmas trees were not for decoration, but for memories, a memory tree. It was silly to believe a tiny golden star could hold any value, however it held much more than most people could imagine. This had been the first and only ornament she had received. Stepping back to examine her work, a smile crossed her face, eyes gleaming with new found joy.  

[Candy Green]

She was late of course, since she had agonized over her appearance for a change. She had finally decided on a cream colored blouse, with a light blue ankle length skirt slit up one side for freedom of movement, her shoes were pretty, but sensible, she hated high heels and always managed to turn an ankle when she did wear them. Her hair was a soft gold, and her eyes a light blue. Her cat ears, something she used from time to time to make a statement, were the color of black tea with milk, as was the tail that twitched agitatedly behind her. She usually didn't pay much attention to her clothes, but she wanted to look nice in the presence of her God.

When she entered she saw Dream right away, over by the tree, with Max Abner of all people. Candy smiled. Her little cousin was a shy person, and had trouble talking to people he didn't know, yet lately he had been making a lot of new friends. He seemed a little nervous talking to Abner, but he was doing fine. She went over to a table where drinks were being served, she picked up something pink and gave it a sniff, checking to make sure there was no alcohol in it, as she tended to be a little odd when she drank, to put it mildly...

She sipped the drink, which tasted like rose petals smelled, not bad, but not a strong flavor either. She sighed and began to make her way to Dream. Of course no one knew her true relationship with him, everyone who knew about them, thought she was just his old baby sitter. As did Dream. Candy pulled her cellphone out of her purse, which looked like something a child would have, with its little kitty looks. But it was cute, and Candy loved cute things. She rested against the wall, about ten feet from Dream and Abner, watching but not interfering.

[Verrat Hanssen]

Christmas, while a fun time (don't get him wrong), was probably Verrat's least favorite holiday. It was the season for joy and love. All about family and friends. And while friends were in no short supply, the family bit? Well... it was a bit lacking. And don't even get him started about shopping for presents and gifts for the people on his 'nice list'. That took way too much effort. It was stressful times indeed, and you didn't even get to celebrate in comfortable clothes. And though his outfit wasn't all that strangling and chaffing, it still wasn't as good as his hoodies and jeans. At least he had his mask still, hanging around his neck. It was a small comfort.

The Ghost had been in the community hall for a long time, just watching the people below. Decorating took a few hours before the actual party. Sitting up in the rafters, he watched the people down below frantically complete the last minute touches. And then the doors opened, small groups of people herded themselves into the festivities. Glancing to the side, he could barely view the small God sitting a few beams away, doing the same as he. Watching. Gaze going back down, Verrat could see a few people he knew pour in. Dream, the kid he saved from that fairly weak Brute. Max and Alana, the inseparable Master duo. Candy, the feline Master. Smirking slightly, Verrat decided that it was time for the Lazy Master to make his appearance. Slipping off his seat, the Chaser summoned several wide blades to act as steps on his way down. The trajectory of their sudden appearance forced the sharp metal upward, canceling out the fall of the man as he stepped down, the weapons disappearing as soon as his feet left their surface. His catlike coworker seemed pretty interesting, so he settled on his landing space being on the other side of the beverage table. Grabbing a cup of punch, he walked over next to her, leaning quite heavily on the wall, as if he didn't have the effort within himself to actually stand up. Which was basically true.

"Long time no see, Stranger." Verrat greeted in a casual, friendly, if not bored tone. He's met the colorful individual more than a few times, brief as their encounters were. It came with the territory of being fellow Masters. "You enjoying the party so far?"

[Candy Green]

Candy glanced at Verrat. "Stranger huh? I heard about what you did for Dream, thanks for that. He means a lot to me, like a little brother in a way." She shifted so she was facing the other Master.

"What exactly have you been up to lately, besides saving errant apprentices?" She finished her drink and sighed, sparing a glance for her little cousin, he wasn't likely to be in any danger here, but it didn't hurt to be safe. "That kid is gonna give me a heart attack one of these days."

Candy smiled slightly, as she thought about her little cousin as he had been, a little kid who followed her like a love struck puppy. He had always found a way to get into trouble, sometimes he would sneak out at night and try to find Darkness to study, thankfully he never succeeded, but there had been some close calls. The image of Dream lying on the street that night he had beaten that Razor flashed into her mind, it had been horrible, he had been covered in blood. She physically shuddered at the memory.

[Verrat Hanssen]

Snorting at Candy's words, Verrat just shook his head. "Nah, it wasn't a big deal." Folding his arms, the Chaser looked up, eyeing the rafters. "I'm just glad he wasn't seriously hurt. That Brute wasn't too strong, but it could have really messed him up." Glancing over at the kid, he scratched his head and sighed. "I have a feeling that this won't be the last time either." Huffing out a laugh, he shrugged. "Students these days. Walking disasters, I tell ya."

Scratching his chin, the lazy man thought about what he has 'been up to' lately. "Oh, you know. Same old same old. Trying to avoid getting... white hairs or something." Fidgeting with one of his raven locks he sighed, folding his arms once again. "But honestly, I've been thinking about taking on an Apprentice or something. Might be fun I guess. Less boring than what I've been doin' lately." Running one hand's fingers through his hair, he took out a little eyedropper, putting a few drops of medicine on his irritated cornea. Much better. It's been a while since he'd done that. It was getting way too dry.

Seeing his good acquaintance with such a sad face made Verrat nibble on the inside of his cheek. Sighing, he patted her on the head, not really knowing what else to do. "Hey, chin up. Don't know exactly what's wrong, but it's Christmas man. The past is the past. You gotta roll with the now. Celebrate with your family, yanno? Be thankful for those you still have." His smile was warm, encouraging. But there was something hidden behind the pleasant features. Was it sadness? Nah. But something similar. Too hard to explain. He didn't even want to put forth the effort to even think about it. Meh. He already lost interest in it, gaze going back to Dream and the girl, most likely a student, beside him. "So... on a scale from one to a litter of kittens, how cute of a couple do you think they'd make?"

[Alana Summers]

Upon hearing Max's response, Alana rolled her eyes, but she was satisfied to hear her rules would be followed. Even if there was slight name calling, it gave no bother to the red-head. Months of being Max's friend had long adjusted her to their attitude. A small flock of civilians made their way into the community hall. The breath-taking decor seemed to surprise a majority of those who entered. Alana wasn't one of those people. Christmas had long lost its' awing beauty after years of seeing the festive decorations. Decorating still had its' joy, but was often repetitive or copied from pictures, movies, even other people. Alana took a few more steps in, her footfalls rather quiet compared to some who'd entered. Her reddish-brown eyes spared a sideways glance, catching a glimpse of a familiar figure, that being Sammy. The idea of an acquaintance arriving was a small comfort, since it was likely the community hall would become packed.

A small debate over greeting Sammy was soon ending by a the light clanking of shoes. Alana turned her head, glancing back to find a blonde haired girl in a blue dress entered. The dress had many different shades of blue, and went to the extent of Alana imagining an ice princess entering in such a thing. Either way, the attire the blonde hair girl wore was beautiful. After the girl had entered, Alana took another look around, finding that Max had already found someone to mingle with, that being boy carrying a metal star. Two other people, who Alana recognized as full chaser were by a wall and already chatting up a storm. However, the girl in the blue dress was a bit more branched away from the conversation. Alana shrugged, and began to make her way through the community hall and towards the blue dressed girl. If she was going to be here a while, might as well meet someone.

After a few moments, Alana managed to get over to the girl just as she was putting a star ornament on the Christmas tree. The girl stepped back just as Alana approached and stood to the girl's right. "It's a nice tree, isn't it?" Alana started, trying to make a casual conversation. The tree itself had decoration covering it, which made it look festive and almost happy. The chaser's reddish-brown eyes drifted upwards, finding the glass ornament that the girl had placed. Lights made the golden glass of the star gleam in a lovely manner. Alana had to admit that the small ornament looked lovely in the position. She continued scanning the tree, but Alana still listened for the girl's response.

[Candy Green]

Candy looked at Verrat with mirth in her eyes. "That's Max Abner, a full chaser despite their age, and Gender Fluid. As cute as it might seem, Dream wouldn't know what to do with himself in a normal relationship, let alone one with such a unique aspect. Besides, even though he's fifteen, he hasn't awakened to such desires. In fact he feels left out because of it. He's a little odd that one."

Candy looked at her cousin with obvious affection. All those who knew about his problem with Darkness treated him differently in some manner, though some were less prone to treating him badly. But many who knew about it treated him like a victim of plague. "I really want to thank you for not treating him like a freak, like many of the instructors do. He doesn't mention it, but people don't seem to think I care about what they think of him. I know this is supposed to be a time of joy, but just yesterday one of his instructors asked me to talk to the Dean about getting him expelled from the academy, said he was a danger to the other students."

Candy was doing two things, one she was changing the subject to something other than her cousin's love life, and she was addressing, with another Master, the problem with the instructors. She looked back at her cousin again and shook her head slowly. "All he wants to do is help people, but when he uses his power, people treat him like a monster. How can anyone be so cruel..."

[Verrat Hanssen]

Verrat couldn't help but laugh, giving his fellow Master a sideways glance. "Oh trust me. I know who Max is. We've talked a few times." Scratching the back of his head, the lazy man grinned. "Besides, you can basically ship anyone with anyone else. It's a pretty fun pastime. You should try it~" He snickered, looking at the duo a few feet from themselves mischievously. How fun.

A somewhat somber expression graced Verrat's face, or at least as serious as it could be in his current state. It looked more like mild (at best) seriousness, and mainly bored look. "The Darkness is alive. Whether people like it or not, it breathes just like us. You gotta respect that. Everyone should." Sighing, he shrugged indifferently. "Too bad not everyone thinks like that. They believe that the Darkness is just this... mindless killing machine. Even if they do love their blood stuff and violence, they think. They feel fear. They can love. It's just... different." Staring subtly at the fifteen year old, Verrat casually picked something from his ear. "How could I judge him for being fused with the Darkness? If anything, I think it makes him more... interesting." The lazy Master chuckled, snickering slightly.

Looking at Candy from the corner of his eye, Verrat looked up, staring at the ceiling. "You'd be surprised at how cruel people can be, man. Someone who you think is a good person can secretly... Ugh. I don't know. Eat babies in his free time." He shrugged. "But you're right. This whole situation doesn't sit right with me. Perhaps we should have a little... chat with the teachers, dontcha think?" His grin was excited. Dark. He didn't like how the Professors were treating Dream just because he nibbled on an itty bitty Razor. Oooo, how scary. If the kid was going to do anything violent or break or whatever, he would have done it already. He wanted to change that. 

[Pandora Akiyama]

Pan hadn't a clue who might be speaking with her, nor why, it seemed the sudden voice had appeared out of nowhere, a presence following it's place. Glancing over to see an elegant looking female with narrow golden orbs and long scarlet colored hair, both of which revealed her beauty. Although she was personally straight, she was smart enough to know whether or not a women was pretty or not. Upon hearing the gentle words, a slight smile formed on pan's features, chocolate brown eyes glowing with a new sense of adventure. Nodding her head, golden locks moving along with the gesture, she too turned her attention back towards the brightly lit tree replying in a light tone,

"Without a doubt, it shines like the night sky, although I suppose that's how I think of most memo- sorry I mean, Christmas trees."

Face turning a tint of red from embarrassment, Pan glanced back up to the tree, the sight calming down her blood which was now roaring in her ears. rambling on had always been one of her many bad habits, however flaws do make a person human, thus everyone needs them. Closing her eyes for a split second, she swiftly collected herself, the red pigment fading from her face.

Turning to face the female, she held out a welcoming hand, indicating a hand shake, a fully smile now planted on her lips. Pan straightened her back slightly, preparing to give a kind and better impression before she thought of her as a dumb mumbling idiot. Bowing gracefully, as a custom to how she had been taught to greet others she spoke crisply, although fake as well, facade now going up,

"I believe we got off on the wrong accord, my name is Pandora Akiyama, may I ask for your name?"

However much she hated repeating these lines did not matter, it was proven the most efficient way to meet strangers. Although, this particular girl did not seem like the type to perhaps appreciate a formal greeting, which might be a relief on Pan's part, but then again she wanted to please her mother... Urgh! Everything's just so messed up in my life, why can't I just be normal? Pan screamed internally, only her brown eyes showing the pain she was undergoing on the inside. 

[Ichinose Hachirou]

Hachirou opened the door to the hall quietly, before slipping his frame through the crack of the door; the sounds inside indicated that the party was already well underway, so he didn't want to cause too much of a disturbance. Logically speaking, there wasn't much chance that the people inside would notice the door opening if the party really was underway, but he just couldn't stop thinking about it. He could already imagine how as he walked in, all the eyes of those in attendance would focus onto the door and lock onto his figure for a brief moment. That moment would extend into eternity and -

"Hey, nii-chan - move it!"

"Hachirou-kun, you're so slow! It's cold out here! Ei~!"

Two pairs of hands pushed him into the room , causing the door he had painstakingly cracked open slightly to burst open instead. The cold winter air clung to the trio's clothes as they rushed or, as the case might be, was shoved unceremoniously into the hall. Hachirou turned towards the pair behind him with a slightly resentful look on his face.

"You two...wasn't that kind of mean?"

"It's perfect for a lazy bum like you, nii-chan."

"Yeah! You've finally decided to come to the party, so you might as well enter with a BANG!"

The sporty-looking girl with bob-cut hair puffed out her modest chest.

"Come, let Sakuya-sama show you how to-"

Hachirou senses tingling!

Hachirou immediately turned away from his childhood friend and started walking by himself towards the crowd. Ignoring Sakuya, who was currently wearing an extremely shocked look of disappointment at Hachirou's refusal to join her in her proposed demonstration, Hachirou began congratulating himself on having avoided yet another threat to a normal life. Nonono, going with Sakuya now was just going to make things worse. The commotion, the inevitable questioning looks. Normal was best. Act normal. Huh? What exactly was normal behaviour at events like this? He turned back, intending to ask his sister, but was instead greeted by the sight of his childhood friend bawling into his sister's embrace.

"Kaori-chan...uwaaan...Hachirou-kun...he-...he- *sniff"

"There there, Sakuya. Just let Kaori-sama wash your sadness away."

...What kind of cheap drama was this?

As that thought crossed his head, he noticed the two slyly glancing over towards him, before resuming their act. His eyes narrowed in annoyance. It was only at times like this that they got along perfectly. Was he some sort of common enemy for them? Granted, he might obsess with normalcy a bit too much, but he was just trying to do his best to live without causing ripples! Sighing, he walked back towards the two who were still re-enacting a popular drama from years back. What was it called again, Fall Sonata?

Well, whatever.

He wrapped his arms around them from the front with a small smile on his face.

"C'mon, let's go."