expiationlogs | chestnuts roasting over an open fire...

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chestnuts roasting over an open fire...

Who: YOU!!!
Where: Claude's Apothecary (also known as: his house)
What: Claude and Ethlyn decide to host a Christmas party -- they may not be familiar with Christmas, but when in Rome! There will be drinking, dancing, and much revelry, and it's open underneath the guise of a combo grand opening, meaning that it's free for all and sundry to attend!
Warnings: Probably some underage drinking Claude will make no effort to curb, but that's about it.

Welcome, one and all to the Apothecary's grand opening celebration -- which just so happens to coincide with winter festivities! Despite the fact that neither Claude nor Ethlyn have any familiarity with Christmas whatsoever, they've decided to put together a party anyway, and what a party it is! At the front of the room, Claude and Root have put together an assortment of festive outfits for people to wear: all manner of ridiculous Christmas sweaters from Root, and from Claude, an assortment of reindeer horns and Santa hats if you choose to get as decked out as he is.

Inside, all breakables and valuables have been safely tucked away and have been replaced by all manner of decorations: glittering lights, bristly boughs, a Christmas tree and, of course, an assortment of mistletoe hanging over everyone's heads, ready to ensnare an unlikely couple or two in a requisite smooch. The entire place is, in fact, absolutely covered in festive greenery, courtesy of Kurama -- a little overkill, maybe, but they can't help themselves. Even if you duck past the mistletoe, it may have a way of finding you anyway; Kurama has a mischievous streak, and the ability to grow unlimited amounts of mistletoe to dog your steps.

Every surface seems absolutely covered in anything you might want from a feast, from unctious meats still dripping in their own fats to enormous platters of roasted vegetables and freshly prepared rolls and flatbreads to trays filled with biscuits and pies glittering with sugar. Also available for everyone's consumption - and Claude's not checking IDs as long as the kids aren't being too foolhardy - is a seemingly endless supply of libations, from steaming jugs of mulled wine to mugs filled with buttered rum to an open container of punch ready for the spiking. In the background are a few local musicians that Claude hired to play for them, though the stage is set for any tipsy guests to try their hand at entertaining the crowd.

On a table at the back are wrapped presents that are ready for the taking for anyone who wins at an assortment of games - with anything inside ranging from the Apothecary's own wares of teas and tinctures to pantry items from local vendors to a cute cuddly stuffed animal or two - if you choose to partake. Games of Questions and Commands (essentially Truth or Dare), Flapdragon (a game in which you must drain your glass to see what prize you win at the bottom) to card and board games are available for people to compete at. Everyone loves a good parlor game. Or, for those with a bolder constitution, Snapdragon is available outside, in which people set shallow dishes of brandy and dried fruits out, set it aflame, and ask people to go bobbing for the fruit at deadly risk of losing their lashes and brows. Spectating the whole scene is Claude's wyvern, who guests are welcome to go out and greet anytime they like.

Finally, for those more retiring in nature, and exclusively Claude's closest friends: he will allow some into his private quarters to have a little rest from all the fuss and noise. It's a good place for quiet conversation if you can hack it, or even to nap off the worst of the booze. For anyone else who wants some peace and quiet, you'll have to settle for the employee break room, a modestly undecorated place with a supply of caffeinated beverages and flat surfaces to rest upon.

Feel free to make up your own prompts and just use this as a fun holiday space for gift exchanges and drunken festivities! Happy holidays, Expiation!

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It's festive!

[ She intentionally picked a deep green one to color coordinate for Christmas with Koharu's red hair stripe. Root's considerate like that.

But then she pauses in consideration. ]

Do we need to cut holes in the back for your wings? I can do that. [ She has a knife on her and everything. ]

[ How sweet, thinking of important fashion decisions such as color coordination. The green truly does match with her already holiday appropriate hair, and this might dawn on her eventually—but for now, she can't deny the coziness of a large sweater in these chillier months, even if this isn't something she would purposefully decide to wear any other time. ]

You don't have to go that far! Maybe I can just...

[ Koharu pulls the sweater over her head and straightens it down, though there's now an odd lump where the sweater reaches over her back. ]

It's not too silly, is it?

Kind of a cute Quasimodo effect. Not bad.

[ The sweater itself is, apart from being a nice dark green, patterned with two-dimensional Christmas lights and garlands all across it. The lump on her back gives a slight impression of a tree. ]

So is this when I get to find out what the wings are about? [ Because she really hasn't forgotten to ask that. ]

[ Now knowing it works out in its own odd way, Koharu beams. Come to think of it, it's a lot toastier like this, too; while she typically doesn't get too bothered by the cold, maybe she should consider ways to keep all of herself warm in the snowy winter months.

And speaking of... ]

Oh. [ Well, asking was inevitable, Koharu supposes; most do, though last time they were trying not to die. Or at least she was. ] It's because I'm a cupid—we all have them.

[ Root pats the seat next to her and gestures an invitation with her (alcoholic) drink. ]

Tell me all about it. I'm curious.

[ She means this extremely genuinely. Root would love to hear the fuller explanation. ]

[ Invitation taken. Koharu settles in the seat beside Root, though lacking any alcoholic beverages of her own, of course. ]

Let's see... [ She trails off briefly, giving a thoughtful hum, then: ] Do you know the stories about cupids? [ Koharu has to double check, because some, she's found, don't. ] It's not much different from that. We work under the goddess of love to help humans, well—fall in love. It can be a lot of work, so that's how I usually spend my time.

Sure.

[ Cupids is not what she was expecting. Root looks at Koharu a little nonplussed. ]

Like this? Aren't cupids usually invisible? Just saying, I don't really need you to set me up.

[ She's so very happily taken, not that she and Shaw would ever characterize themselves as exclusive. ]

Uh—normally! I don't know why you're all able to see me now.

[ She can't complain though, since it works out. Without the others around, it would get awfully lonely. ]

So, er, don't worry. I haven't been working as usual 'cause of it.

[ ... Could she even collect the usual reward for it here, anyway? ]

Probably part of the simulation, [ Root says easily. ] It needs us all on a relatively even playing field to make an effective experiment.

[ That's her hypothesis, and she hasn't seen anything to disprove it yet. But Root's more interested in learning about Koharu than rehashing the same tired complaints about being stuck in an A.I.'s playground. ]

What's that look like? Working as usual. I've never met an agent of the goddess of love before. [ That's a little cheeky, but just Root's usual sense of humor, self-aware of how absurd things can be. ]

[ ... Oh, huh. Her visibility has come up a few times by now, but it's the first reasonable explanation Koharu has received for it. Not that it makes it any better, but she supposes there isn't anyone here who likes the idea of being a test subject.

But a Christmas party isn't the place to mull on AI whatevers. The less she has to think about it, the better, frankly, and so it's easy enough to segue back into other matters. ]

I'd be surprised if you had. [ Koharu knows from experience that humans simply don't know that cupids are a real, actual thing, so it's a first for everyone here. ] But—mm, let's see...

[ She curls a hand at her chin in thought. ]

Well, to make this short—we have like a... task board we pick out targets from, do some recon on them once we have one, and from there we have to decide on who's the best person they could fall for. And from there– [ Koharu points her finger out, making the gesture of shooting a gun, before trailing off with the slightest hint of a wince. ] ... I usually hope it goes that smoothly, anyway, but the reality is that we tend to get into a lot of fights over our targets.

[ Moving from real life to a simulation just makes sense to Root. It conceptually fits with her worldview, and everything she's experienced since being here is in line with it. She's not easily ruffled as a consequence, and she can come up with plausible explanations for most things. ]

Sounds weirdly mercenary. [ Root is boggled and fascinated. ]

How do you actually do it? Make people fall in love? I've made people fall in love with me, but never with each other.

[ Mercenary. Huh. It isn't a thought that's ever crossed Koharu's mind, but now that she mentions it, that... isn't wrong. ]

I mean, we're cupids. [ She says, like it should explain everything; in a sense it more or less does, and so Koharu ends off easily: ] We shoot them.

[ She doesn't specify with what though, as surely most would come to the obvious conclusion of arrows. (Nevermind Root's already seen her work with a firearm, but details.) ]

But doing that the normal way isn't too hard either, if you were wondering about it, too.

You actually shoot them? Is that why you were good with a gun?

[ Hey, Root's not going to assume anything, especially after that gun-shooting gesture Koharu made a second ago. If anything, the more Koharu says the more curious she gets. It just sounds so utterly weird. ]

I don't know how I feel about making people fall in love, [ she goes on thoughtfully. Harold and the Machine would both be adamantly against it, which Root does take into consideration for her own moral view, but she herself is mercenary enough that she'd leave it on the table as a strategic option. She probably wouldn't go around randomly altering peoples' emotional states, though. ]

... Yeah...

[ On both accounts. Koharu can tell Root is approaching this with a healthy dose of bewilderment, so there's some uncertainty in answering plainly, but at least she doesn't appear to be taking it... terribly? It's an improvement from previous conversations, at least. ]

—Oh, but I don't mean making anyone fall in love! Just like, the typical matchmaking, you know? I don't think any good would come out of trying to force that on someone.

How do you do typical matchmaking if you're invisible and shooting them?

[ This is just not piecing together in Root's mind. She's certainly not taking it terribly -- she's open to a wide array of moral perspectives -- but she's still not understanding yet. ]

Oh. No, no, erm.

[ Koharu gives a small halting motion with her hands. ]

Sorry, maybe I misunderstood... I thought you were wondering how you could to it yourself. I, uh—stick to doing it our way, usually.

Well, now I'm confused. [ Root sounds pleasantly happy to continue the conversation, though, sipping her drink and leaning back and cocking her head with its Santa headband. ]

What's your way? You shoot them and then set up meet cutes or what?

Sorry, I think I worded it badly...

But I don't really do anything after, so it's up to the person if they want to act on their feelings or not.

[ Which, sometimes they do. And sometimes... they don't. ]

[ She's still trying to figure this out. ]

Okay, so you just-- set off this spark of interest. Is that it? And some people are stubborn and don't listen to it.

[ Root sure knows someone like that, so she sounds a little amused and a little fond. ]

That's right!

[ She says, with a nod. ]

I, er—guess if they're the type to ignore their feelings that way, it does happen... But there's not really anything we can do about that.

Some people are a harder nut to crack than others, [ she agrees dryly. ]

Took me years to get my little lady to even admit she could have feelings for me.

[ Root sounds much more fond than annoyed, though. Clearly she enjoyed the challenge. ]

Oh, so you have someone!

[ The news appears to delight Koharu, but she really can't be surprised. With how cool, collected, and pretty Root is, there's no way someone wouldn't fall for her. ]

It sounds like she fessed up eventually, right? It's hard for some people, but I'm glad she came around eventually.

[ Getting someone interested in Root is not difficult; she lies for a living and has a string of deceived besotted men lined up after her in her history, none of which she's ever reached out to again. Root being interested in someone is what's rare. And of course who she's interested in is someone who makes it difficult. She likes the challenge.

It still feels recent and precious enough that she actually appreciates Koharu's enthusiasm, an unexpected note of reserve -- not quite shyness -- tempering her smile. ]

I don't know if came around is the right way to put it. [ Shaw was kidnapped and psychologically tortured for ten months; it really broke down her resistance. But Root knows that's not why she's with her, it was just the enabling event. She doesn't have a complex about it. ]

But we got there eventually. I'm not upset she held out. That she's such a tough cookie is what drew me to her in the first place.

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