Christmas Party 2020!

[Lucy Mitford]

The invitations are out again for Lucy’s annual holiday party. Friends have been texted. She’s accosted people in the streets. Word is circulating! Come join August and Lucy to celebrate the holidays, Saturday, December 19 at 7ET!

Their townhome is located on a pretty New Haven street dusted with snow. It's a stone building with an elegant facade, rising three stories shoulder to shoulder with the buildings on either side. The front door, warded with a discreet but powerful sigil of protection, is open to any coming to join the festivities and do no harm.

Unlike previous years, guests are invited to come straight through the elegantly appointed main floor, past the Christmas tree, past the kitchen, and out the open french doors to the joyously lit and unnaturally warm back garden.

The large walled garden is already starting to slumber for winter, but there’s still just enough green to provide a lovely backdrop to the twinkling lights of the season. The garden looks partially planned and partially wild, with its combination of slate and gravel pathways weaving through the space. Those with magical sensibilities might notice a pattern to some of the dormant plants -- a subtle magic that protects the garden from disease and intruders. The garden is just big enough to get lost in, with the ivy-covered brick walls providing a romantic sense of green privacy.

The garden has been decorated for the holidays with string lights and holiday ornaments and bunting. Near the open french doors, a buffet table has been set-up with both light bites and main courses for those who came hungry. Opposite is a fully stocked self-serve bar, for those who came thirsty.

Tables and intimate cushioned seating is scattered about the garden in large and small groupings, lit by candlelight and firepits, all protected from the elements by a climate charm that keeps the space feeling cozy, but not overly so. Music plays from hidden speakers, just loud enough to be heard throughout the garden, but not so loud to interrupt lively conversation.

At the back corner is a black-paned lean-to greenhouse. For the party, the potting table has been cleared off, and comfortable seating has been arranged for a cozy, candlelit spot for those seeking a private escape from the hubbub of the rest of the party.

Dinner & Drinks

The buffet tables are set up with a selection of larger and smile bites with options for vegetarians and vegans alike. Have a full meal or enjoy some snacks. Whatever suits your fancy!

The self-serve bar is well-stocked with good wine, fine spirits, elegant seasonal garnishes, and upscale mixers. The recent snow is made the most of to keep the seemingly endless number of champagne bottles chilled.

Gift Exchange!

Bring a silly gift! Lucy’s invitation came with one request --- unlike previous years, she asked instead of bringing gifts for herself or August, to please bring a silly or wacky gift for a gift exchange! Gifts should be of no more than a 20 noble value.



((This is a board event! If your character knows Lucy, then they’re invited! If your character knows another character who knows Lucy, then they’re invited! If your character heard a rumor about a party, then they’re invited!

Please feel free to post at your leisure. Post your character's outfits and/or gift exchange gifts! You're welcome to write something longer to go here, or just a brief note about your character's attendance.

On December 26, I’ll pull numbers and any character that has posted a gift for the gift exchange will get one of their own! I’ll post the results, and anyone who wants can post their reaction to the gift that their character got to take home from the party!))

[Mallory]

Hearing about the warm back garden, the witch picked out a festive blue dress and tights, the kind of tattoo-baring outfit she probably wouldn't get to wear outdoors again until spring! There was a little silver in the light polish on her horns, the bright color showing up the most under the lights that Lucy and August had strung up around the garden, in her horns' ridges to form a faint spiral.



She arrived with Eri on her arm, and made a note of her pretty dress to the hosts and other guests in the small talk that went with their greetings (with a slightly sly look to her wife). Though a little more tired than she had been recently, Mallory seemed to be in good spirits -- but later in the evening, during quiet moments, her eyelids may have drooped from time to time.

The past year had been one of a lot of changes, though a few things remained steady. She was still teaching part-time at the school in Kabuki Street, switching from Greek to Latin as part of her Classics classes this year, and happy that the exams were done... for the students at least. She still had grading to fill up the rest of her weekend! Her shop, the Lyceum, was as busy as ever, but she and Safiya al-Bahur (the co-owner) had finally taken on enough staff that they could focus on magical consultations and other pursuits.

But their house was changing! They had just finished expanding the garage into the basement, and converting one of the upstairs rooms into a nursery. Her mother-in-law, Shiori, had been in town often to visit Mallory and Eri's niece, Juri, to help out, and occasionally to offer a particular piece of wisdom about motherhood. Her father-in-law, Roka, was still teaching history at the school and continued to be as baffling as ever in his pursuits. She swore she'd seen someone packing money into his jacket when she'd glimpsed him while out shopping...

The baby was due at the beginning of May. With any luck, the little one would not share Mallory's birthday -- April 30th.

Maybe she'd picked up something from Roka's baffling choices, because it sounded like she'd had at least an equal hand in picking out the gift for the gift exchange:





A Nintendo Game & Watch Tabletop Snoopy game, c. 1983. While priced a little higher on most Earth markets, in a place like RhyDin where people still kept up and supported a wider range of technology, it wasn't too hard to find something like this for twenty nobles. It was in decent shape, and still worked! Played a tinny little song whenever a game started, with a beep every time one of the little music notes rose up to disturb Woodstock and his sleeping bird friends.

The witch tried to stay as late as most of the other guests in spite of feeling tired, too cozy leaned up against Eri by a firepit to move, vibrant green eyes tracing the spellwork woven into the plants when her attention sometimes drifted from the faces of the others telling stories later into the evening...

[Eri Maeda]

Eri griped a bit while getting ready for the heated garden party, grousing at having to change out of her comfortable track suit attire as a delinquent should. She had to admit that she liked the dress she had found for the occasion though. The sukeban thought it was quite festive and went well together with Mallory's choice of dress.


She'd been busy overseeing the alterations to the house and holding court at the Sunny Mart, so once she arrived with the witch and began mingling Eri found herself enjoying the party and the company. She was soon telling a long rambling delinquent story, involving a girl who had inexplicably spewed a geyser of feathers from her mouth. The story ended without punchline as they were wont to do, transitioning somehow from the telling of the unfortunate curse to linger in greater detail about a trip to Seaside that had followed.

Perhaps Eri had a hand in picking out the gift of the Snoopy game as well, as she was grinning a goofy grin when Mallory presented it.

[Josette Wheeler]

Josette was always super excited for Lucy’s parties! It felt like it had been far too long since they had been able to catch up. The ballerina made sure to try and spend some time talking with Lucy and August without taking up too much of their time, before she plucked up a glass of bubbly, festively garnished with luscious blackberries. She took her time to wander a bit and simply enjoy all the sights and twinkle lights of the utterly magical garden.

It was so cozy and warm in the garden, that coat and hat didn’t last long! Josette happily chatted with familiar faces and new acquaintances alike if they were willing, throughly enjoying the music and the comfort of being around things that grow. Always one to love a good story, Eri’s tale caught her ear, eyes widening a bit as the visuals of the spewed feathers danced in her head.

For her gift, the ballerina brought a cute little llama with a dapper little hat, bowtie and a monocle. The llama had the ability record and repeat any silly expression one could dream up in any language and accent— if one only gave him a hug or a squeeze!

[Delahada]

Saturday, Lucy had said, and Salvador remembered.

The Spaniard had not really dressed up for the occasion. He arrived wearing his usual style of well worn old blue jeans and boots with the laces removed. There was a permanent pink hand print on the shoulder of his leather jacket still, and the t-shirt he wore underneath was only a basic, plain hunter green. Maybe that was his attempt at being festive.

Though the company he arrived with this year was different from last, he thanked Lucy and August quietly for inviting him again. Even though he operated under the belief that one should never accept gifts from his kind, Salvador actually brought a surprise wrapped in plain brown paper to contribute to the white elephant game that Lucy told them about. He hoped whoever wound up with it shared his sense of humor and didn’t mind the color.

Despite the frosty bite in the air outside, Autumn was not quite at its end, much like every year he had attended before. This year was different, however. There was less of a manic edge about him, and he actually indulged in partaking of the food and drink. Though he did so in private, collecting a plate to take with him to the remotest back corner of the garden reserved for people just like him. He was still Salvador, and the hustle and bustle of parties still made him uncomfortable.

Instead of lurking by the greenhouse, he found himself a reclusive section of the garden where no one could sneak up behind him. A place that still allowed him to keep everything in view. There he spent the majority of his time, people watching in solitude. Though he did not turn away anyone who might have ventured close to attempt friendly conversation, even if he wasn't very good at that sort of thing. In particular he kept an eye on his companion, allowing him to constantly feel the comforting weight of his protective gaze. Besides, he enjoyed watching how easily he made friends and mingled.

There was a tradition to uphold, however, on Salvador’s part. Not a gift, but again something left behind that in his mind belonged to Lucy. Some time later, once all the guests had trickled out, an object that had not been part of their home decor before, but was now propped against a wall, was certain to be discovered. There was no tag or note, no indication of how it had gotten there at all. But now they were the proud owners of a hand crafted piece of driftwood art that doubled as a wall planter, already containing a small plant. Something to always remind them of the sea.

[Betty Liski]

Driving the Wake & Bakery in the snow was a whole new sort of holycrap for Betty to manage, but she was at least sympatico with her not-so-car-inclined co-pilot Coydog, around the 8 o'clock hour. They brought a joke-y cookbook and a couch potato doll respectively, for the White Elephant gift exchange.

Betty's Togs:



... and Coydog's Clothes:



They milled around the party, socializing, stuffing their faces and carousing in general, though Betty found a few moments to sneak out front and smoke a clove or two, as she wasn't exactly up-to-date on Lucy's own quitting-smoking-journey.

[PrlUnicorn]

Colleen arrived, fashionably late, after dropping off her youngest children.



For the hostess, she brought a bottle of Caymus Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.

[BardGallant]

Dris heard a rumor about there being a holiday party tonight that all of the city was invited to, so of course he absolutely put in an appearance! The bard showed up on the arm of his boyfriend Rhys Germain, probably to nobody’s surprise whatsoever. Though he couldn’t recall having actually formally met Lucy, or August, and therefore presented himself to their hosts to make introductions first. As he was a guest, he had brought a bottle of Penderyn whisky to add to their drink collection and share with everyone, noting that this was Rhys’ favorite brand*.

And yes he also brought a silly gift, as rumors told him he should! Naturally, it had to be something musical and fun. ( Squeaks Series 1: Flops the Narwhal.) Probably made it easy for the recipient to figure out who it was from, if they knew him well enough.

After introductions, Dris availed himself of the first fruity drink he came across, and circled back repeatedly throughout the evening to make sure he had a full glass. Personally, he did not gather any food for himself, but he was certainly seen nibbling from Rhys’ plate here and there. He made the rounds, socializing and schmoozing with anyone and everyone, complimenting them on their prominent features and otherwise getting to know them. When they finally departed, Dris was just tipsy enough to try to give Lucy a hug, thanking her for a lovely time, buzzing on good holiday cheer and having made so many new friends in addition to spending quality time with already established ones.


__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
*Penderyn Legend is a Madeira-finish single malt whisky, bottled at 41% abv. (43% in the USA). Aromas of fresh apples and citrus fruits intermingle with cream fudge and sultana raisins to create a complex yet fresh, clean and well-balanced whisky. Incredibly smooth and both fresh and rich dried fruits abound. Delicate and sweet on the palate with just a hint of bitterness to remain refreshing. A long aftertaste of Madeira cake and sultanas.

[Ebon Ilnaren]

Ebon and Phen arrived at the townhome in New Haven sometime before Colleen. She evoked the season in color, wearing a red dress and shoes, with emerald green in her necklace and matching earrings.


Ebon, meanwhile, had donned a red shirt beneath black vest, pants, and shoes, and a striped tie with festive colors.


Though both had met Lucy through art showings at PUBLIC, this was their first visit to her and August's home. After greeting their hosts, with Ebon translating for his wife's signing, they presented some drinks to share with the couple and their fellow attendees, in this case a selection of flavored brandies.


There was also a wrapped book for the exchange.

[Koyan]

Koyan arrived with Aiden a half an hour into the party. He greeted the host and hostess and gave warm praise for the elegant set-up. As he typically could be, he remained somewhat aloof for the duration, though when he engaged other guests, he did so with sincere smiles and comfortable conversation. The majority of his jokes and teasing were reserved for the Greek, who he stayed close to most of the night. He chose black leather as the main components of his attire, with a softer cotton shirt beneath the hand-tooled jacket.



As for the silly exchange gift, some cheeky bastard made an Utter Nonsense, Rhydin Edition, and this was their contribution. The point of the game: to utter phrases in different accents. The person uttering the phrases might have a totally unique take on the accent presented on the card, making the game all the more hilarious.

An example of Rhydin accents:

Elf
Orc
Unicorn
Vampire
Dragon
Banshee
Witch
Naga
Leprechaun
Yeti
Centaur
Goblin

Example phrases:

That nest of newts are nearly knackered.
Would you like Bloodwyne with that rack of Lake Monster?
A gathering of Gorgons convenes in Hyde Park at midnight.

And so on....

[Aiden Harper]

Aiden accompanied Koyan, of course, dressed comfortably in faded jeans and a double layer of long sleeve shirts, grey over maroon.



The Turk had brought the gift for the exchange and he had brought one for their Hosts. A strikingly authentic amphora of wine, sealed with wax. The container was patterned in ancient Greek geometric style rather than depicting any Gods, and the wine within was aged to perfection.



Aiden had a quick, wild grin for anyone brave enough to interact with him and likely offended a number of those people with his nicknames. He wasn't shy about sampling the food or the wine and shadowed Koyan throughout the night.

[Lucy Mitford]

Lucy was delighted to welcome so many friends, old and new, to their home. She spent much of the first hour with August near the front door welcoming guests as they arrived. But then she made an effort to circulate throughout the garden, catching up with old friends and getting to know new ones better, trying to make sure everyone had everything they needed.

She received the host gifts with gratitude, making sure that all of the bottles joined the others at the bar to share with everyone. But truth be told, the amphora Aiden brought was secreted away for private, later enjoyment. She was curious about it and wanted to make sure she had an opportunity to taste it!

She was delighted to see Josette, exclaiming she loved her dress (of course), and then trying to catch up on all that had happened since they had last spent time together. In a private moment between the friends, she blushingly confided that things were getting pretty serious between her and August.

Having already heard the good news from Mallory, Lucy made sure to congratulate Eri in person as well about the baby. She also asked about the home remodeling, recalling Mallory mentioning something about changing over a library...? Remodels are so stressful, aren't they!?

When she managed to get them together, she checked in with Collie and Ebon and Phen, asking their impressions of the new governor since she couldn’t recall having ever met her. She swore she wasn’t looking for gossip, but is she dating Hope Naharis? Normally she’d ask Jewell, but she hadn’t had a chance to ask her about it.

She made sure to explore the far reaches of the garden to visit with friends, spending a moment or two in the quiet spot Sal had picked out. She avoided asking him any small-talk style questions and instead yammered at him about her plans for the garden, and the magic she had been developing there just by planting certain herbs in different positions around the place and asking if he’d ever heard of that type of magic.

At some point she managed to follow Betty out front, sheepishly asking if she could bum a couple drags from her clove. She stayed to talk for a few minutes before handing off the cigarette and begging with a lighthearted smile, “Please don’t tell August!” before rejoining the party.

Lucy had her own contribution to the gift exchange. The small box neatly wrapped in pretty seasonal wrapping with a pretty bow. Inside, the Newgate Smart-Sleeper Alarm Clock! Stylishly designed in New Haven and then charmed in Dragon’s Gate, this special clock features a musical tinkling bell alarm that will not turn on unless you’ve had a full eight hours of sleep, now matter when you set it for! Useful? Maybe not! But the ultimate in self-care!




Throughout the night, Lucy seemed to be loosely shadowed by someone who looked like he might have been acting as security. Tall and blonde, dressed in black slacks and a black blazer, he kept his distance, keeping to the fringes of the party and speaking to no one, but he always seemed to keep Lucy in view.

[Isaac Wheeler]

Isaac arrived to Lucy and August’s party with his fingers threaded through a certain Cajun’s. Though they arrived just a bit late, this was one of the events of the year he’d never miss. Despite the winter’s chill, the scion’s skin had a sun bronzed glow courtesy of a recent and much needed vacation.

Greeting both Lucy and August with a warm smile that hardly ever left his face the whole night, the usually introverted Wheeler was oddly more social than usual. He thanked the couple for the invitation and asked them if they had any plans to get away again for the winter. He also made sure to inquire if there were any future exhibits that Lucy had on the horizon at PUBLIC. Isaac very much enjoyed seeing the artwork.

Spotting Josie, he released Cane’s hand after a fond kiss to the backs of his fingers to sweep his sister up in a hug and spin her when he spotted her. He’d missed her something fierce and hadn’t seen her since they returned from their vacation.

The knife thrower was utterly relaxed throughout the evening and chatted or up-nodded to any familiar faces he spotted and even shared a few slow southern smiles with some new acquaintances as well.

His coat was ditched before long due to the warm ambiance of the garden, but the scarf around his neck remained curiously in place throughout the night.

As Isaac was quite fond of flasks, he made sure to add his gift to the ever growing pile and hoped it would bring a smile, or at least serve as a vessel for some good holiday spirits. Liquor that is! One can never be too sure in RhyDin.

After securing a few drinks and watching with no shortage of amusement the mountain of food on Cane’s plate, he wandered towards the green house, inevitably drawn to the quiet and the candlelight. Should Cane join him after circulating the party and catching up with everyone, there were a few softly murmured words for the Cajun's ears alone—perhaps even in Greek.

[Bailey Raptis]

If not for the fact that, y'know, Cuervo was a ambulatory statue, their presence at August and Lucy's holiday party might have been described as "blink and you'll miss them." They didn't stay long, but they were probably hard to miss as they wended their way through the townhouse into the garden. Anybody who looked twice or askance at the proxy just received an upnod and a waggle of one hand, turned into a fist save for the pinkie and thumb fingers, which extended outwards. The shaka sign, for those versed in surfer culture.

The gift that Cuervo brought on behalf of Bailey wasn't really silly or wacky on its face, but it might have seemed a bit incongruous with the "white elephant" nature of the proceedings, or, well, with the sort of gifts typically handed out at Christmas. Anybody who was later in attendance at Dris' and Rhys' holiday party might also realize, after the fact, that Bailey had brought the same gift, more or less, to both celebrations. A jar of raspberry preserves, hand-canned by Bailey, got added to the gift exchange, though Cuervo didn't stick around long enough to swap presents with anyone. Though their gaze fell longingly for a beat or two on the bottles of champagne chilling in the snow, the statue managed to stick to their schedule and make their attendance at the party brief. Brief, but possibly memorable?

[PaintedLips]

Annette made it a point to know about the most elegant gatherings across the galaxies, and she made a special effort to attend Lucy's. She dressed in a unique piece purchased at a fashion convention a few sectors over, wore a muted red on her lips, and long extensions that covered her undercut and side-shave.

The wandering Companion met Lucy once, many months ago. She re-introduced herself to the hostess before taking time to enjoy the garden. While comfortable in small groups, Annette spent more time listening than talking. Whenever asked she described her profession as 'a Companion to those in need'. Her most recent journey was to Arda, and she happily shared tales of the elegant elves and hospitable small-folk.

The gift she brought came from Arda.