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Inside, all breakables and valuables have been safely tucked away and have been replaced by all manner of decorations: glittering lights, bristly boughs, a Christmas tree and, of course, an assortment of mistletoe hanging over everyone's heads, ready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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[ Claude knows that this isn't Ange's scene. Truth be told, it's barely Claude's scene in any sincerity; he loves a party, but this is purely for business, and as a reward to his employees for picking up so much of the slack during the rebuilding stage. But that's not why he wants Ange to come.

No, he wants Ange to come because he thinks that maybe amidst the dancing and merriment, the presents and costumes, the food and drink, she might even have a good time. It's good for her to get out there and socialize, even if she defers to hanging back in a corner and gossiping with someone about how stupid everyone is. Or if she defers to hanging back in a corner and gossiping about how stupid he is. It's okay. Claude's a big boy. He can take it.

And the antler headband he's been wearing all night is kind of begging for at least a modest amount of ridicule, though it's to his delight and surprise that Ange has gotten into the spirits too. ]

You're even wearing the horns! [ He exclaims, delighted. ] Look at how cute they look on you!

[ He reaches one hand out to prod at them, but thinks better of it as soon as the butterflies turn into something else. ]

Ahhh, lighten up! It's easy enough to avoid. You know what people around here are like -- I couldn't very well hold a Christmas party without a bit of mistletoe to brighten everyone's spirits. [ He winks at her. ] It's not like you'll find me underneath it.

[ At least the butterflies don't stay in that shape for long. The moment Claude pulls back his hand and says all of this, Ange lets out an offended huff - which seems to be the cue for the creatures to turn back into their original form as they settle back down onto the fake set of horns. ]

That's the problem! You know where they are!

[ Of course he won't be spotted underneath them when he's the party host. Ange knows Claude better than to think he would allow himself to be under them for even a second if he didn't want to be. He's probably mentally mapped them all out in his mind. ]

I don't! [ Sure, Ange has been trying to keep an eye out, but she's so afraid of that Surprise Mistletoe. There's always one where you least expect it..

Also, yes, this seems like a very genuine concern. Ange looks genuinely concerned, at least, not matter how huffy she is at the same time. ]

What if I end up underneath one and some creep starts demanding kisses, huh? Do you want me to kill someone at your Christmas party?

[ Do you want her to harsh the vibe like that, Claude!!! ]

If they're going around trying to kiss people who don't want to be kissed, then I'll kill them myself! [ Claude says, his voice entirely too chipper for the subject matter. He sounds like he might actually do it, too... though no, that's not Claude's style. It's much more likely they'll get kicked out and there will be a post up on the network the next day relentlessly slandering their name. ] You have my blessing to throttle anyone who needs to be throttled. Present company excepting. You'd be able to think of a reason, [ he adds on with a wink.

Still. He gets Ange's point. It's that it's going to put her in uncomfortable situations, and she's already annoyed enough by everyone's canoodling as it is. He wraps one arm around her shoulders and pushes her through the crowd. ]

C'mon, let me grab a napkin and I'll draw you your own handy dandy map. Then will you at least tolerate the mistletoe?

Considering it doesn't seem like you're considering removing it because it bothers me, it feels like I don't have any other choice.

[ And - let's be real. Even though Ange is a grumpy girl, it's not like she's seriously going to force Claude to modify his entire party just for her sake. She may be complaining, but if this was the party of someone she liked less, she would have gone around and actually destroyed the mistletoe by now.

Ange's actions - or lack thereof - often speak much louder than her words. Like the fact she's even letting Claude touch her and move her around the party like this without throwing a hissy fit. ]

I just don't understand. Are parties like this where you're from? [ They've both been to fancy parties! Ange knows Claude has got to have been, considering what she knows about his background. ]

Sorry, Ange, [ Claude says, clapping a hand on her shoulder as he guides her to a pile of napkins. He whips a pen out of his pocket and scrawls a map on a napkin, chuckling a little at the array of Xes -- it makes him feel like he's drawing out a battle map instead of a bunch of awkward potential-kissing locations. ]

Parties where I'm from are nothing like this. We'd dance like maniacs around the fire, hooting and hollering and singing our lungs out, and when that was done? We'd get to feasting, and we'd do it all over again, [ he says with a chuckle. ] Parties after I ascended were horrible, dull little affairs where the only thing people danced was ballroom, and we had to figure out how to use fifteen different forks instead of eating with our hands.

[ He pushes the napkin into Ange's hands. ]

...This here is my attempt at a little modernity, let's say. You throw a party that the people want, not that you want. [ He... probably wouldn't be holding a party at all. ] And the people wanted mistletoe.

[ He pauses, looking Ange up and down. ]

Which I know isn't your thing, generally speaking... but have you had your first kiss yet?

[ Sorry, Ange. He's prying!

(Don't ask him back. He hasn't.) ]

[ You know what? Ange has only been to one kind of those parties - the latter, though she's not really surprised by them sharing this common experience with what she knows about Claude - but she thinks both sound kind of miserable to her in their own way.

Not a surprise that Claude would like the former though.

But even though Ange is pondering all of that in her mind as she listens to him, she's snapped out of the thoughts entirely when he asks her that of all things. ]

W-What kind of question is that to ask someone, Claude?! [ She looks like she's ready to stab him with something.. But with the same energy a really tiny startled dog has.

So that reaction likely already says enough about the answer without her even having to add it, and yet-- ]

Of course I haven't! Why would I?! Who do I even have to kiss, huh?!

[ Claude can't help but cackle in sheer mirth at Ange's reaction -- he knew she wasn't going to disappoint him, but gods above, she really didn't disappoint him. ]

What? It's not a big deal! I'm just asking you an innocent question! [ He grins. ] You're cute as a button. Why wouldn't you be sampling the...

[ He waves at the party with a sardonic quirk of his brow. ]

...oh-so-appealing members of our little society? [ He can't keep his face straight, turning his face away to snicker. Not at her, necessarily; he'll be the first to admit that for a discerning young woman like Ange, the pickings are a little slim. ]

There's a nice couple boys and girls in the mix here, I'm sure. But really, I was curious. Everyone seems to be getting up to this and that, and I wondered if you were one of them.

[ She starts looking even more embarrassed when he calls her cute as a button, of all things. She might be contemplating throwing something at him, because-- well, how else is she supposed to get rid of this embarrassing mood other than violence, right.

Thankfully it's not a very serious thought, since Ange's affection for Claude would stop her before it'd ever get to that point. Instead she's just left stewing in her own embarrassment as she listens to him, letting out a huge huff when he says that last part. ]

Absolutely not. I'm trying to solve the mystery of this place! I don't have time for-- for--!! [ Is it surprising she can't even say the word when she's giving him this embarrassed look in the first place.. ] For canoodling!

[ Nailed it.

Sounding completely normal about this. ]

[ Claude laughs, leaning against the table. ]

Other people are capable of multitasking that sort of thing, you know. Canoodling and saving the world, one step at a time.

[ He looks out at the party before them -- true to form, there's canoodling aplenty, people cheerful to smooch underneath the mistletoe and doubtlessly sneak off to play a little more after the fact. There's an ease to his movements even while Ange is getting all worked up, limbs loose and smile wide. It's a testament to how comfortable he feels with Ange that he freely says, ] Don't get so worked up about it. It's not a big deal. I haven't either. [ He winks at her, quick as anything. ] Don't tell my customers, though. Their kindled hope keeps my business running.

[ Is that... is that worse than just sleeping with your customers??? ]

.. what--

[ Hold on.

It's not even Claude's shady business practices that are throwing Ange off here. She's kind of used to it, considering the occupations of her mother's side of the family, which are way worse than anything Claude is suggesting over here.

No, it's the information that comes before it. Later Ange may realize that's not just something that Claude tells anyone, but any realization of the trust or familiarity between them has to come after her initial surprise about the fact itself. ]

What do you mean? [ There's, in fact, a subtle implied show of respect for Claude and his secrets here that Ange lowers her volume to a hissed whisper, despite the fact she clearly looks pretty worked up. Even now. ] You haven't? Ever?

[ This is baffling to her. Ange's facial expression is saying as much.

She was totally assuming Claude was going around having sex with everyone... Was she this wrong? ]

Wh -- what's with that reaction?! [ Claude all but squawks, sheer indignance overcoming his features. ] I was being cool! I was being reassuring! You don't get to just throw it back in my face like that! Rude!

[ He was trying to be, though he's not entirely aware of it, a cool older brother. He's neither been a cool older brother nor had one in his life, but Ange is just young enough for him to see her as something of a younger sister, and he attempts to be a non-judgmental, guiding figure in her life.

Only for her to judge him right back! Which is unfathomably rude! He crosses his arms in a huff, evidently more offended by Ange's attitude than he is shamed by his own inexperience. ]

Why is that so strange to you? It's not as though I've ever had the time.

[ He's had the time here, granted. He just... hasn't wanted to. ]

Oh-- [ Ange practically looks offended in this moment. Maybe not very intensely so, but it is definitely there, present on her face as she looks at him. The girl is even squinting a little bit, like she's scrutinizing his reaction. ] Don't even try that! You've had time, Claude! You have had plenty of time!

[ Ange can't for sure tell how much time he may or may not have had back home, sure, but.. they have so much time in this place. Even if some things have to be done, she's sure Claude has had spare time. Enough so that he could have been canoodling with just about every person he'd want. ]

And you seem like you're an attractive guy to most people. [ She's only really saying most, because.. well, who would Ange be to understand that sort of attraction, really. If this place has proven anything to her, it's that she just doesn't know.. ] So what is the real reason you haven't, huh? I bet people are throwing themselves at your feet all the time!

Excuse me, I have a business to run! Crises to handle! Much more important things than sweeping someone off their feet! [ Claude points out, absolutely huffing with indignance. Though it is odd, isn't it? That Ange thinks it's perfectly defensible that she's inexperienced, and the only thing she'd holding against Claude is that he's got the time.

Though... Ange does at least admit that others find him attractive, which is nice. He doesn't need to hear it - he knows that he's good-looking in that very irritating way that good-looking people do - but it doesn't mean he doesn't still like it. He huffs, crossing his arms and leaning against the table, looking out at the crowd. ]

I haven't liked anyone enough, [ he says with a shrug. ] Or if anyone had potential, they have a partner already -- and Claude von Riegan doesn't share!

[ He says it lightly, like it's a joke, but that's the truth of the matter for Claude. He understands polygamy as much as anyone else (more than anyone else, really), but for himself? He's a one-partner kind of guy. ]

There's no reason to go around kissing everyone just for the sake of it, you know! [ He wags a finger for dramatic effect. ] That's what I meant when I told you that there's nothing wrong with getting a late start.

[ He's giving a little bit away when he says sweep them off their feet, admittedly -- he's a romantic, even if he's slow to warm to people. ]

[ ...

She's thinking over here.

She's thinking so hard, in fact. Because she does think what Claude says is pretty valid, but that's mostly since she's viewing it from her own point of view, as someone who thinks there sure is a whole lot more important than kissing. But Claude is so-- He's so Claude, surely he would be able to kiss someone and plot his secret schemes at the same time. She refuses to believe that is what is holding him back.

So is it really just that he hasn't liked anyone? But..

There are so many gears turning in Ange's mind right now. It's even visible on her face with the way she stares at Claude. She squints like she's scrutinizing him. Calmer than a moment ago, but perhaps all the more dangerous for it. ]

But everyone else here just starts hooking up with the first person they see. I thought that's what people do.

[ Yet Claude is acting like it isn't. And he's practically the only person telling her this, so what does that mean? Is it saying something about the people here or something about him? She isn't sure. ]

No?

[ Does he have to give Ange the talk? He didn't think he had to give Ange the talk, but he also didn't think the talk would ever consist of someone with a more than ample base of knowledge about the ins and outs of sex and the eagerness with which people chase after sexual gratification, but on the idea of romance. She must really be sheltered.

Or the exact opposite, he supposes, knowing he'd grown up with his parents' lofty love story, of poetry and books and war-torn lovers, of flowers and courtly gestures despite the nature of the court that he himself had been raised with. ]

I mean, yes, that is what people do. That was one of my old classmates' signature, after all. But that doesn't mean it's the path all of us tread!

[ Has Ange been holding herself back because of this expectation? Claude knows that he would, if that had been his mindset. He's not the sort to leap into bed with the first person he sees. What if they have a knife?! ]

At least back home, you're expected to at least court the one you have your eye on, unless it's an arranged marriage. You have to woo them! There's gifts, and poetry, and outings to the market, and -- the romance of it all! Sex is just a small piece of that puzzle.

[ Okay, okay, so his parents probably hopped into bed immediately. That doesn't matter. The thing that matters is that the wooing has to come eventually, no matter the order! ]

[ Ange frowns at him like Claude is saying something that's completely incomprehensible to her. ]

Well, that's clearly not how they do things here. [ As she's sure Claude has also already noted. Especially when he's an observant guy. Oh, to be an observant guy in a world full of people who would rather talk about sex than anything important.. A true curse, if you'd ask Ange.

But she's definitely not sure how to feel about Claude's idea of romance either. That all seems a little.. excessive? Poetry? Writing a poem? About someone else?

That's a different kind of hell altogether.

But he seems to be speaking of it with such passion that Ange narrows her eyes, giving him a suspicious look as she asks: ] Have you ever written a poem to court someone?

[ Is that it? Is Claude maybe not having sex all over the place, but instead throwing out poems like candy?? ]

Me, write a poem? [ Claude looks a little amused at the prospect. He can't imagine himself doing it, truly. But nor has he met anyone whose beauty, intellect and personality begged to be memorialized in a way only accomplished through pen and paper. But he's read his fair share of romantic poetry, and believes the notion to be rather lovely in and of itself. ] No, never. I wasn't courting a soul back home. In all likelihood, I'll have a political marriage, and that will be that, though I suppose there's always the chance of finding a lover after that.

[ He says it with the sort of pleasantness that another would use to discuss the weather. If it is to be a political wedding, he thinks, there's no reason for himself or for the woman he marries to hold themselves back from love, provided they practice discretion in the process. ]

Maybe I would, with the appropriate inspiration! But just because you're not seeing it doesn't mean that romance isn't happening. They're just a little more subtle than the...

[ He considers his words. ]

Horny toads out there.

[ Well, he isn't fully denying the poem allegations.

Which means that he is the type that would write one. God, Ange doesn't even know how to deal with that thought. It's something she might have to process sometime after this party, considering the entire party is already overwhelming enough to have to consider the mental image of Claude writing some sort of sappy poem about a lady's eyes or something. Ugh. Gross!!! Why is Claude one of the smartest people she knows, yet also one of the most embarrassing?

If she looks like she's pouting at all, it's entirely because she's desperately trying to suppress all those mental images right now. Even though she instead speaks up about-- ]

Like who, Claude? Since apparently you've got your eyes all on it.

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chestnuts roasting over an open fire...

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