Happy Holidays, Polychromatic!

[cry-reaper.livejournal.com]

When; Saturday evening
Rating; PG-13ish, good holiday fun. If the mistletoe gets out of hand, we'll update.
Characters; Anyone who knows Mara and her friends.
Summary; It's a holiday party!
Log;

The setting is set, the lit holiday tree, the evening's feast, the specialty drinks, even the mistletoe has been placed with precision.

There will be music playing, room for dancing, and once Caspian arrives, there may even be sleigh rides.

And thank the Gods, there's not a curse. So come in, sing a few carols, open a few gifts, make some merry and be jolly.

[ooc: Have fun with this guys! Please indicate if your threads are open or closed, and tag away.]

Comments

[cry-reaper.livejournal.com]

"Still, it seems an odd thing to do."

Mara shrugged it off with a smile and took Umi's arm, leading her to the tree. "Here, I have something for you, thanks for all your help."

[soulofocean.livejournal.com]

"Something for--?" Umi looked surprised for a moment, but it passed fast and she smiled warmly at the older girl. Maybe a bit bashfully, even. "Aw Mara, you didn't have to! Really, it was great enough to be a part of this."

[cry-reaper.livejournal.com]

"No, it's only right. This wouldn't have happened without you and I wanted to show my appreciation."

Reaching the tree, she searched amongst the general, un-tagged guest gifts for one with Umi's name on it. It was small and rectangular and she handed it over with a smile.

"I realize I don't know your tastes very well yet, so If you don't like it, don't fret, I won't be offended if you want to trade it for something else, I'll even take you to the shop if you like."

[ooc: She gets THIS (http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/img-thing?.out=jpg&size=l&tid=461757) pendant, just imagine the pearl is a little more tear-drop shaped.]

[soulofocean.livejournal.com]

"Mara..." Umi accepted the present, still feeling a bit hot on the cheeks but very happy to hear about Mara's gratefulness. It hadn't been much, not at all. But she'd helped knowing this would be something everyone would enjoy and because she felt like doing something for the woman who was making Ken so happy. "Thanks a lot. I doubt I'd want to trade it for anything."

She held the little box in her hands carefully, cherishing it already. "Do I get to open it now?"

[ooc: ahsgdhsgdsdg THAT'S BEAUTIFUL. *A* ♥]

[cry-reaper.livejournal.com]

"Of course, if you like." She chuckled a little. "What's the use of giving presents if I can't see everyone open them?"

[soulofocean.livejournal.com]

"I'm totally with you on that one!" Sounding very childish too, though that happened to Umi every time Christmas presents were involved. Not that she noticed. "Thanks again."

Unwrapping the gift made her let out a little gasp as she discovered the necklace. "It's... gorgeous! A snowflake..." So fitting, too.

[cry-reaper.livejournal.com]

Mara smiled, "You seem to love the holiday so much, it seemed fitting. I'm glad you like it."

[soulofocean.livejournal.com]

"It's fitting for ten thousand reasons apart from that one. I love it!" And she put it on right then and there. It went well with her blue dress. "You got excellent taste in jewelry!"

[cry-reaper.livejournal.com]

"My father used to buy me all kinds of trinkets." She touched the pendant, helping Umi settle it with a bittersweet look on her face. "They were bribes coming from him, but I always liked the variety."

[soulofocean.livejournal.com]

"Bribes? From your dad?" It seemed so odd, calling a father's presents that. Umi herself was constantly spoiled rotten by her own father. Not that she couldn't see how that might have worked... "Um. Sorry, we shouldn't really go there tonight. It's a happy occasion, after all."

[cry-reaper.livejournal.com]

"That it is." Mara's smile widened. "Do you have parties like this every year back home?"

[soulofocean.livejournal.com]

"For Christmas and New Year? You bet." She was more than happy to let the subject die, though Umi committed it to memory. So what Ken had said about Mara's world, and what Umi had seen in that nightmare... But, yeah. Tonight was for happy thoughts. "My family's a bit... popular. So we get to go to a lot of these. Some end up being really boring."

[cry-reaper.livejournal.com]

"I hope this one isn't boring." Mara smiled, confident that the party would be anything but boring and started back towards the food, planning on getting herself a drink. "Can I get you something"

[soulofocean.livejournal.com]

"I think it has everything it needs to be a blast." Umi followed her, looking around and still touching her new necklace now and then. She'd really loved it to bits. "Um. Sure! Maybe a soft drink..."

It wasn't like Clef was around to make faces at her for drinking, and as long as she hid from Aya...

[cry-reaper.livejournal.com]

"Just a soft drink?" Teasing, Mara began mixing herself something using the holiday punch as a base. It was nice to not have to worry about getting home safely after the party.

[soulofocean.livejournal.com]

"It's either that or I have a couple of people who'd ground me." A bit embarrassing as admitting to that was. "But hey: soft doesn't have to mean too soft!"

[cry-reaper.livejournal.com]

Mara gave Umi a sly wink as she mixed a weaker version of what she was drinking. "I don't understand what the fixation people here have on placing an age on drinking. So long as one is properly supervised and responsible, it shouldn't matter how old they are."

She passed the drink with an added smirk, "But if you get caught, we never had this conversation."

[soulofocean.livejournal.com]

"...You took that right out of my mouth. I swear people make fusses out of the silliest things. No matter from what kinda world they are!" Take Clef, for instance. True: Cephiro was a pretty conservative place in some aspects, but Umi was sure that just the sight of her with a glass of champagne in hand at Fuu's party had upped the mage's blood pressure a couple of notches. HONEST.

She accepted the drink with little laugh at Mara's words. "Consider me sworn to silence!" She even crossed her heart. "A Magic Knight's word."

[cry-reaper.livejournal.com]

Mara took a sip of her drink and tilted her head. "Magic Knight? I don't think I'm familiar with that."

[soulofocean.livejournal.com]

"...Boy, I keep talking like everyone should know about it." Umi took a little sip of her own drink and explained herself. "It's like a title. Hikaru, Fuu and I are warriors of sorts. Magic Knights of Cephiro. We protect that world."

[cry-reaper.livejournal.com]

"Like the Scythes of the Order back home, I guess? Guards, military units and the like?" Although she suspected that that wasn't entirely accurate.

[soulofocean.livejournal.com]

"Kind of! I guess." Truth be told Umi doubted what they were supposed to do for Cephiro fitted any sort of military duty. Some painful memory threatened to come to her but she pushed it down and smile. "Though it's just three of us. And we use magic as well as swords."

[cry-reaper.livejournal.com]

"I don't think I'll ever really get used to magic." She regarded her young friend with a careful eye, "What exactly can you do with it?"

[soulofocean.livejournal.com]

Umi let go of a deep sigh. Then she shrugged a bit helplessly. "Right now? The question's more like what it can do with me."

So why not. It wasn't a secret to anyone anymore, and Umi knew the woman Ken loved had to be someone of trust. She raised her hand and stared down at her open palm as she explained. "I... lost mine after some nasty things happened. Now it's back but it's all over the place."

[cry-reaper.livejournal.com]

And that was something that Mara understood, "That happened to me, too. After I died, my powers were uncontrollable. It took a long time to get them back under control."