sweetcandygirl | Home for the Holidays

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Home for the Holidays

Over the weekend, Harley was busy decorating her Nexus apartment, stylizing everything in soft whites and a few bright splashes of reds.

In the middle of the apartment, where her aerial silks normally hang from the cathedral ceilings, and several pinwheel decorations. And soft Christmas music is playing on the stereos, filling the open areas of her apartment.

The smells of several delicious foods waft from the kitchen. Everything is made with a vegetarian-friendly flare, that is still respectful to the season itself. And to supplement the fact there may not be any meat on the menu -- there is a large keg of ale on a countertop nearby. There is also plenty of wine, cocktails, and eggnog available.

Harley has invited a few people over to her apartment for a small pre-Christmas party. Mostly, those who already live or stay in her apartment.

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Thor's just as pleased to see her, even if he doesn't recognize the more stern-looking man at her elbow. Ah, her boyfriend, the Cylon she told him about. He looks far more human than the Vision did, and someone more interested in cybernetics might ask tons of awkward questions about that, but Thor has been around the universe long enough that appearances surprise him little these days. "Well met, Caspar," he says, inclining his head respectfully. This is a party and he hasn't forgotten his manners, no matter how festive the atmosphere.

"A Good Yule to you and your house, also," he adds, addressing them both. "It's been one Hel of a year, hasn't it?"

One-arm hugs are just as good. And Harley is able to make up for the lack of an extra arm, but giving a friendly embrace.

"Awww shucks. Thank you!"

Harley will always give him a way out. She accepts him as he is -- mental instability and all. Just like he accepts her the same way.

They learned so much about each other in the Nightmare. And it is why Harley knows she doesn't have to hide anything from him.

"Ha! Party animal. Duck. That is a good one." She takes his arm, and nuzzles close to him for a moment.

"I see your apartment is still standing," he adds with a teasing glint in his eye. Hey, he can't help but be curious about the place where Loki's been laying his head at night. "How've you been?"

"Just speaks to the quality of the architecture! It stands up to my actions... two Lokis, a moonshine entrepreneur, and a garden full of unique plants." Harley grins.

"Good. It is nice to have people around me again."

Cricket's more of a previously-neglected cause than a lost one, generally speaking. He seems awkward as hell in his suit and bowtie, but there's nothing about him to indicate he's anything more than mundane. He's even sans leg braces, because they didn't work so well with his new dress shoes.

He shakes hands with Josh firmly, smile warming up. "Ain't seen you around before, but I reckon any friend of Harley's is a friend of mine if they wanna be."

He is so sincere here.

But helping the host is what Adia likes to do best at parties! Oh, well. "It'll be nice to see Cricket again. And Loki," she adds quickly, not wanting the god to feel left out in case he's eavesdropping or something.

"I got a crash course introduction to him during Halloween," Caspar adds. "Nice guy. By the way, Harley, congratulations on the cherry stem tying record at the café."

"Not all of 'em," he tells her, making a face good-naturedly. "A jackass in a nice suit is still a jackass."

He hugs back without blushing any worse, laughing at her tease. "A little kiss never hurt anyone. I'll take it as it comes."

I mean, he probably has a preference as to who kisses him, but hey, it's a party, he'll live.

"He can be a great guy. Just don't let him know you think that." Sort of like you Caspar. Loki just wants to be low key.

"I bought him a few Grinch sweaters."

Speaking of gifts, she holds out two glitter-covered Christmas cards to them. Inside is a gift certificate for one Harley Favor.

"I tied? Who did I tie with?"

"True." She won't think of jackasses she knew, who looked good in a suit. Not today. It is about her friends. And Christmas.

With that statement, he gets a kiss on his cheek. And Harley grins.

"No mistletoe required!"

Cricket hasn't fully registered Caspar's laser-focused fashion sense as of yet, although even he, humble backwoods boy that he is, hasn't missed that the man dresses well. He smiles warmly at them both and his ears turn pink at the dual compliments.

"Well, I wasn't sure how dressy was too dressy, but I never had an occasion to wear a suit before, so I thought what the hell?" He laughs at himself a little. "I guess the salesman steered me right, then."

He looks surprised to have a gift brought to him, and cradles the box against his chest like it's a precious jewel before he even opens it. "Geez, you didn't have to do that..."

He sits down to open it; his tread over toward the nearest chair is a little slower than usual because he's not wearing his leg braces, but he seems fine otherwise, and he lights up like a Christmas tree when he opens the box. "Is it from your beach??"

Caspar rolls his eyes. "Well. That's a comfort, then, that you can tell the difference." His smirk comes easier this time. He missed this sort of banter -- he hadn't attempted it via text, merely checking in with Josh now and then. The truth is, he doesn't trust himself to say the right thing. It's easier to keep his distance. But he's trying, too.

The hug surprises and warms Adia's heart, and her smile for Josh brightens. Never mind the meaning behind the sweater, which is just as well, it would only make her worry. She knows Josh's love of horror movies, but their real life entanglement with a serial killer makes any sort of slasher flick a taboo subject.

"Yes, please. I mean, it's up to you, but that's the fun of giving a gift." Not getting something in return. The last thing she'd want to do is make Josh feel guilty.

Loki is one of those fashionably late kind of assholes. He was quite possibly Extra before Extra was cool, and so when he does make his entrance, he's dressed to the nines. He was seriously considering an elaborate Halloween costume and didn't get around to it, so he's making up for it now. Possibly he's watched a few productions of A Christmas Carol lately, because he's wearing men's Regency costume. The shirt is black silk, the cravat a dull gold satin, and the waistcoat is black-and-gold brocade. Overtop is a green velvet tailcoat with accents that are too well coordinated with the color of the cravat to be accidental. The breeches are a little bit too snug to be authentic, and anyone who thinks that wasn't intentional doesn't know Loki very well, but between that and the black stockings and shoes, he looks like he's just about all legs.

As a finishing touch, he's wearing his twin-horned helmet, and he's tied a sprig of mistletoe to the left horn with a twist of red ribbon. He stalks right over to Harley first thing, bows, and offers her a small bouquet, three white roses bundled neatly with sprigs of holly and evergreen. "Happy Holidays, dearest."

Caspar looks human, for all intents and purposes, although there is something robot-like in the unblinking way he looks at Thor. Is he doing some sort of diagnostic scan? Calculating the odds of a god in his midst?

No. He's just trying not to look at that sweater. God, why. And the hat? Who dressed this deity???

"Nice to put a face to a name," he finally responds, his voice quiet but polite. He hasn't forgotten that he's at a party, either, so he'll also mind his manners, even if that means being visually assaulted for the rest of the night. "We don't celebrate Yule, though. Just the Winter Solstice."

"It's a little like Yule, but, um... not as fancy? Unless you celebrate The Feast of Poseidon, too." She holds up her cup. "Same drinks, though."

"Awwww... these are lovely Princess." She sniffs at the white roses. And places a sprig of holly into her hair with a grin.

"Are you looking for lots of kisses tonight?" She teases him, stepping close to him. So close that her lips ghost over his lips.

"Oh, is that all?" Thor makes a show of peering around the place as if in search of some other wayward souls she's brought home like stray puppies, grinning the whole time.

He laughs once more, then releases her from his grasp. Truth be told, he's needed this kind of break. A party where he doesn't have to put on a kingly air and play diplomat is a welcome refuge, whether it's today or during Yule proper, something he also has plans for. "Been keeping busy, I hope. With Loki in your house, I can't imagine things stay quiet for long."

"Silly Thor. Things don't stay quiet for long in my life... because of me." Harley grins. A bright and big smile. "Loki has been a refreshing addition."

One overhearing might expect a mighty (heh) Aesir to be offended or made awkward by being called 'Princess', but Loki just breaks into a wider, warmer smile, completely unashamed.

"I might well be," he answers, and places one hand gently on her waist. "If you are amenable. You look beautiful, as always."

"Alastor made a daisy chain of the damn things," Loki calls offhandedly from the other end of the room, in regards to the cherry stems. "But I'm not convinced he didn't cheat."

"My favorite thing to do..." She plants a soft kiss on his lips, wrapping her arms around him, and pulling him close.

"You look very handsome. Very dapper."

As dissimilar as Thor and Loki really are, there are some things you just pick up on after fifteen centuries of brotherhood. Harmless, passive trolling is, apparently, one of them. Thor knows all too well how to dress to impress, and this... this is not it. Not at a gathering this small, among friends and family. No, he's saving the more impressive theatrics for a more public eye this year.

Besides, he's worn way worse, and recently even.

That they don't celebrate Yule proper doesn't surprise him; even on modern Midgard, three weeks of feasting has fallen out of fashion in favor of just two pairs of days, set one week apart. Not at all a proper welcome to a new year, in Thor's opinion, but human lives are too short to spend all their time celebrating, he supposes. "Poseidon, hmm," he says thoughtfully, the name unfamiliar to his ear. "No, although my feast day is only a few weeks after, at midwinter."

After everything he's been through over the past decade or so, for whatever reasons he's still refused to entirely speak of, that Loki has found somewhere - someone - to welcome him with open arms is genuinely good news to Thor. He doesn't pretend to understand what is happening in his brother's head at any given moment, whatever fears or doubts or desires now drive him, but whatever the case, Loki has been blatantly unhappy for some time now. If this is what he needs to heal, or to forget, then Thor is all for it.

That Harley is a joy to spend time with certainly helps, too.

"We endured a great deal of diplomatic feasts and galas in our youths," Thor tells her with a chuckle. "Terribly boring, some of them, especially for young boys as we were. More than once, Loki chose to liven things up with a well-placed word or subtle spell, just enough to make the party more interesting."

"Your favorite? Truly?" He kisses back, gentle, eyes falling shut. For once, not a performance.

"Mn. I wanted to stand out. But I will wear the sweaters you gave me all winter."

"So much so I made it part of my revised 12 Day of Christmas wish list. 5 Kisses to Loki. And of course, the song ends with a magpie in a lemon tree." Harley grins. And gives him another kiss.

"Aw sweet. Just wait for your final gift."

"Hey! I betcha you are the guy to ask for all the best childhood stories. Ohhhh is there a photo album, with little bitty Thor and itty bitty Loki in a bathtub together?" Harley grins.

"I hope my party is interesting enough, without need of a spell."

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