Whenever you arrive, you're greeted with a bright smile and hustled inside. Cho learned from her many explanations of Christmas last time, and has prepared a little sheet with an explanation of New Year's traditions from Earth, and she's handing them to anyone who wants to know what this celebration is all about.
If you want to establish your character's arrival, you can do so here.
Bret arrived early, which meant he started drinking early. He'd never been a big drinker back home, but apparently he was becoming one in Rowan. At first it was just to give him something to do, something to be doing in case Jemaine showed up and he needed to look like he wasn't waiting for him.
But then Jemaine never came. And Bret kept drinking and avoiding Cho and anyone else who would-- they would know what he was doing and yes, he was ashamed of it. But he couldn't help self-destructing a little bit. He'd brought his friend to Rowan and he'd driven him away, not just from him but from everyone else.
He was frightened and lonely and his heart felt like it was made of glass. So, half an hour before midnight, he stumbled back home, prepared to wallow some more before the year was out.
Re: ARRIVALSmelodyofwaterJanuary 2 2010, 23:44:18 UTC
Demyx arrived, all smiles and giving Cho a great big hug. He'd never celebrated New Years before. "Hi Cho! Happy New Year!" He took the list, and tried to figure out what the heck any of it meant.
Eventually, he decided to just copy what other people were doing, and attempted to have a good time just talking to anyone who looked lonely or like they weren't talking to anyone at that exact moment.
EAT, DRINK, MINGLE, WHATNOTtenuefarfallaJanuary 3 2010, 01:02:25 UTC
And so the party heads forward. Food and drinks are set out like before, and there's a couple of bottles of sparkling white wine in the kitchen in a cold cupboard with a note saying not to tough them until midnight. If any of your characters invited an NPC, they're probably around and are available for chitchat. Also, a couple of demon musicians are playing music in one corner of the room (and by demon I mean from the demon section, so there's a dwarf and a human as well), because Cho doesn't want Demyx to have to play all night, and Bret is in a pouty sad mood.
If asked about any of the specific traditions, Cho will try and elaborate, but otherwise she's just moving around doing her best to make sure everyone is having a good time. If someone wanted to look very very closely, they might be able to tell that she's throwing herself into this party so hard because she's upset, but to most people she will just seem extra attentive.
He doesn't drink much -- that's his usual habit, and with his recent emotional state Sam doesn't trust himself with very much alcohol. He stays quiet most of the time and occasionally spaces out for a little while, but there are moments when he appears to be having a genuinely good time.
Cris does his usual drinking, and plenty of socializing to go along with it. He's actually very interested in all of the traditions involved with New Years -- though what perplexes him the most is why one would have one's new year celebration in the dead of winter. On Willhaven, the new year starts on the first day of spring.
About ten minutes before midnight, Cho makes an announcement and hands out the champagne, and at one minute til the new year, she activates the symbols to make her her little fake NYC ball glow and starts it dropping.
As the night's gone on, anyone who had been paying attention and had an eye for such things might have noticed little moments between Sam and Guy -- a glance, or a touch. Now, as the countdown begins, Sam reaches over and takes Guy's hand in his.
Then at midnight, Guy turns and leans in for a kiss. Sam turns his head instinctively as he sees it coming, letting the kiss land just on the corner of his mouth. He doesn't pull away, and when it's over he's smiling -- but there's a tension in the smile, as he's suddenly hyper-aware of everyone else in the room who might have seen.
Still, he gives Guy's hand a little squeeze, and takes a sip of his champagne.
That's it. The food has been eaten, the booze has been drunk, the musicians have gone, and it's time to go home. No one leaves without being assured that Cho loved having them there, and probably a bit of tipsy snuggling from your host.
Sam has been smiling as the night has drawn to a close, and as he and Guy are about to leave, Sam swoops down to give Cho a hug. She feels so small, but Sam knows how big a spirit she has, and for whatever reason, at that moment, he feels the need to show her how much she's appreciated. In his enthusiasm, he even lifts her slightly off the ground.
Cho giggles and clings to Sam when her feet leave the ground. Something has been going on, she's sure of it, she's just not sure what it is, and right now she really can't manage to care. Sam seems happy, which is thrilling. "Happy New Year," she parrots, kissing his cheek now that midnight has passed and tradition doesn't demand anything more intimate.
He gives her one little extra squeeze at the kiss. Sweet, kind Cho. Sam's glad to see her happy, too.
"You know, it's just possible that it might be," he says as he sets her down. Looking at things from here -- in the wake of his first real social activity since his arrival in Rowan, of the (generally) happy atmosphere, of the nervous thrill of the midnight kiss -- Sam can almost believe it.
He's fully aware that something could change tomorrow and he'd feel differently. All the more reason to hold onto the feeling now.
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If you want to establish your character's arrival, you can do so here.
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But then Jemaine never came. And Bret kept drinking and avoiding Cho and anyone else who would-- they would know what he was doing and yes, he was ashamed of it. But he couldn't help self-destructing a little bit. He'd brought his friend to Rowan and he'd driven him away, not just from him but from everyone else.
He was frightened and lonely and his heart felt like it was made of glass. So, half an hour before midnight, he stumbled back home, prepared to wallow some more before the year was out.
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Eventually, he decided to just copy what other people were doing, and attempted to have a good time just talking to anyone who looked lonely or like they weren't talking to anyone at that exact moment.
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If asked about any of the specific traditions, Cho will try and elaborate, but otherwise she's just moving around doing her best to make sure everyone is having a good time. If someone wanted to look very very closely, they might be able to tell that she's throwing herself into this party so hard because she's upset, but to most people she will just seem extra attentive.
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Happy New Year, Rowan!
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Then at midnight, Guy turns and leans in for a kiss. Sam turns his head instinctively as he sees it coming, letting the kiss land just on the corner of his mouth. He doesn't pull away, and when it's over he's smiling -- but there's a tension in the smile, as he's suddenly hyper-aware of everyone else in the room who might have seen.
Still, he gives Guy's hand a little squeeze, and takes a sip of his champagne.
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"Happy New Year," he says.
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"You know, it's just possible that it might be," he says as he sets her down. Looking at things from here -- in the wake of his first real social activity since his arrival in Rowan, of the (generally) happy atmosphere, of the nervous thrill of the midnight kiss -- Sam can almost believe it.
He's fully aware that something could change tomorrow and he'd feel differently. All the more reason to hold onto the feeling now.
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