aterat | Winter log

Entry tags:

Winter log

Who: Everyone!
What: Open Log
When: December
Where: The Hunter's Lodge
Warnings: N/A
Notes: This is a mingle log, so people are free to set up their own TLs under it. So tag in and tag around!

Snow has fallen outside and while it's not heavy it's set just enough down to gently cover the wooden benches and ground outside. The chairs have been removed but the lanterns are still out and lit (as well as the little lights that have been replaced with more festive ones) if people want to walk around outside and have private chats among the snow, the trees and the lighting.

Potluck - Food is all around. Got a story about how the food you brought is part of a long standing family tradition? So much the better! But Ignis for his part has been researching and working on bringing the foods he's heard about. So here you'll find an appetizer platter along with a cream cheese tree, turkey, ham, his version of the Crown City roast, stuffing balls, roasted potatoes and roasted vegetables, and of course a few different desserts.

So you can find him making sure the table is decked out in christmas colours and full of food. But as he sets the last appetizer tree down on the table, he nods. "Quite glad to see that you could make it."

Trim a tree A small group of freshly cut green trees are sitting in a corner with room to go around the back. Simple lights are already in place, but there are ornaments with hooks sitting in silent invitation to decorate the tree and gather around as well as different coloured garland too.

But there's plenty of supplies and being able to decorate a tree with Nida last year was all sorts of fun as it will be again this year. So the advisor is definitely happy that nature can come inside at least temporarily.

Ignis stands back and takes a look at the trees with a satisfied sort of nod. "I suppose after the holiday, I will see about replanting it outside." Turning to his guest, there's an easy smile. "It won't do to simply throw it away do you think?"

Gift exchange - Gifts aren't required, but people are free to do so. This can be as private or as public as wished! The royal strategist is busy arranging gifts under the tree, trying to make some sense as to how they should be grouped, so he's on his knees trying to keep the order straight. As soon as someone approaches, he acknowledges their presence with a smile. "Would you mind handing me that blue wrapped gift sitting on the chair right next to you?"

Wild card- Dancing? Snowball fights outside? Feel free to make up a thing here!

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He smiled tentatively at hearing Jacob's reply that he was fine. Yuki really did wonder what could keep someone out in the cold for so long but hopefully that could be shared at some future point.

Still, he was startled by his hand being taken and nodded as he was asked if he was having fun. "I am. It's really nice to get out sometimes." Yuki really wanted to say he'd be having more fun with Jacob by his side, but alone time was important too. Even here he was sure to have time alone to reflect and consider what was going on.

But he couldn't contain the smile that appeared on his face as Jacob did the hand kiss thing. It was a gesture he saw so many times while he was here and the old fashioned part of it never seemed to get old. The ladies on the receiving end always seemed as if they loved it and would laugh and giggle.

"It is. I'm not usually good at going out." Jacob had the tendency to hang out at home, go to work and then repeat. He sometimes needed to be reminded that there were things outside of work. Luckily, having Yuki with him was a pleasant reminder that there was someone looking forward to seeing him.

"Sorry if I was gone for too long. We should celebrate." He inhaled a final breath of smoke before flicking out the cigarette. "I'm all yours, for the rest of the evening."

Jacob grinned, a glint of mischief reflecting in his bright hazel eyes. "Whatever you want to do."

The gray head shook. "It's okay." Really he didn't want Jacob apologizing for something that really wasn't that big of a deal, and Yuki wasn't trying to imply that the other man being on his own was a bad thing.

A smile slid over his face as he was told that Jacob was his for the rest of the evening and that just made him feel giddy inside. "I might take you up on that celebration thing." And of course he caught the mischief. Whatever he wanted to do..well that left quite a bit open to the imagination which made him blush.

"Have you eaten?" His poor mind felt like it was going around in a circle at this point.

Jacob grinned at Yuki and replied in a relaxed tone. "I had some cookies but I could go for more. Do you want to go back inside?" He kept Yuki's hand in his as they slowly made their way back to the lodge. There wasn't a lot of snow but Jake wasn't going to chance slipping while holding onto another human being.

"The snow is nice." He loved the snow though not for the typical reasons. He didn't play in the snow but he found comfort in the way that the landscape froze. Nothing died but hid, waiting out the winter. It was the kind of strength that he wished he could project.

Someone who was as composed and beautiful as the winter snow.

"Just cookies?" Yuki asked, considering there was so much food inside. But he nodded. "Ya, we should eat." And he couldn't help but feel a little giddy as Jacob held his hand as they traveled. The warmth that seeped into him from that simple gesture made him feel like he was the luckiest person in that world.

"It is nice." he agreed, feeling a small blush come over his face for reasons unknown to him. Still, he didn't pay it any more mind because he was trying to get the other into the warmth and make sure he ate as neither were at this level of cooking. And of course he'd found out that people could take it home too so that was food for later as well.

"Okay. I saw Ignis's food." It looked like a picture that he'd find in a magazine. "It looked too good to eat." Not that he wasn't interested but it almost didn't look edible but something plastic that came from a child's kitchen toy set.

Jacob looked down at Yuki and frowned. "Your cheeks are red. Are you cold or is it me?" He couldn't help but grin like an idiot. He liked to think that Yuki was blushing because of him.

They stepped onto the porch around the lodge and Jake kicked the snow off of the bottom of his shoes.

Yuki laughed lightly. "He did make a nice feast for his wedding in the fall too." It was too bad Jacob missed it because he totally would've at least wanted to dance with the man. Whether they actually did or not would be an entirely different story of course.

But then his cheeks being red was brought up and lowered his head, and tried to turn it away. He wasn't sure how to react at all but he was definitely feeling that old giddy feeling again and he wasn't sure what to do about it.

So he opened the door first just for something to do and had to stop himself from taking off his own shoes out of habit.

"I'm sad I missed it." He wanted to dance with Yuki again. Their first dance had been memorable and it was a happy memory; up until Jacob had freaked out and run away. "I owe you another dance."

Jake walked into the lodge, keeping Yuki's hand in his. "But I think we'll have another chance." He wasn't sure if there was dancing at this party but there wasn't a rule saying that they couldn't dance. They'd just have to find a private room so that they wouldn't draw any attention. Jacob could get through a full dance with Yuki but he didn't want that many eyes on him.

He wasn't that much of an extrovert.

"It was something." He never knew a place could be so..alive and vibrant. Whenever he would think of the hunter's lodge, there was a sadness about it due to hunters coming in with what they'd killed. Yes it was the same thing with fish and other things that he ate back home but at the lodge the entire animal was there slung over the hunter's shoulders half of the time.

But Jacob's voice cut through all of that and so he nodded. "Yes you do." And as they walked through, he couldn't help but realize other people were watching them pass through. And then the last part almost had him stop although he did keep going. "Wait..another chance? You mean you know someone else is getting married soon?" Because for a moment, the fact that it would be here and tonight at some point didn't occur to him even with other couples out on the floor.

Seeing other people dancing alleviated some of the nervousness that Jacob felt flutter within his chest. It wouldn't be out of place if they made their way over to the dance floor. "I don't know about that." Jacob had never thought about getting married nor had he known anyone who would be getting married. A lot of his siblings were in committed relationships but werewolves didn't have weddings and his older sisters wedding would have to wait until after the war. Who knows if he'd be alive by then.

He shook away the thoughts and focused on the the present. "Alright. Then, may I ask you for this dance?" Jake lifted his hand with Yuki's in his as if to guide him towards the small dancefloor. The song was partway through but Jacob didn't care. They could finish this song and dance through the next.

"Oh." Yuki replied, somehow feeling let down because he figured more people would be getting married here. He simply followed Jacob as he moved through the crowd, seeming to know where he was headed. And so he just went along with it.

That was, until he was asked for a dance. He really wasn't sure if he should say yes because so many people would be watching them, right? And of course there was always the niggling wonder that sensei might come up and say something to them which made Yuki wonder sometimes.

But his nervousness disappeared when he looked up into Jacob's eyes and he smiled a little shyly. "Yes."

Jacob's nervous smile widened into a warm grin as Yuki accepted his invitation. He knew that he had messed up last time and it was time that he showed Yuki how important he was to him. With a gentle tug, Jake pulled Yuki close and moved them to the edge of the dance floor. There were a few people dancing and they were far from the center of attention but it was strange dancing in a place where people could see.

That was until Jacob focused on Yuki. His outside concerns quickly faded away and he found the set of steps that would match the song. "I'm still not very good at this." But it was obvious that he was trying his best not to step on Yuki's feet. It would have been bad before but he was less scraggly now and he imagined that his weight had increased with that change.

"I hope you don't mind." The song was soft and sweet. Perfect for the snow outside though Jacob couldn't place the melody as something familiar.

He could feel his nerves begin and he was no doubt shaking inside and out at this point. But he kept his attention on Jacob and just started to try and smile. There was no doubt he was nervous and that it was showing. All he could do was trust Jacob.

And that was a strange feeling because as they began to dance and the other asked if he minded, Yuki smiled. He knew he trusted the man dancing with him because other wise they wouldn't be dancing together at all.

"No I don't mind."

All he could do was hope sensei didn't come ruin it with questions that neither of them would have.

They were both nervous but somehow Yuki's trembling steadied Jacob enough to comfort the other. It was strange but Yuki made him feel strong. It was as if those feelings of uncertainty didn't matter because only Yuki mattered. The sensation was pleasant and unfamiliar, bringing a coy smile to Jacob's lips. He felt like a hero or a giant. It was intoxicating.

The dance was slow and Jacob tried to lead though his skills were lacking. It didn't matter, if anything else they could sway to the song and enjoy each others nearness.

He pulled Yuki closer and just like before, his body replied with eager excitement. He felt the affects and softly apologized but didn't pull away this time. "Sorry." Jacob really hoped that Yuki knew what he was apologizing for.

Yuki now wished he'd paid attention to Shigure when he was whirling Miss Honda around in some deluded form of dancing. Or maybe even if he'd asked shishō once or twice for tips. Neither were here of course and it was too late to ask sensei. But asking him would be like asking Shigure at times.

But he held onto Jacob's hands and tried not to think about being poked. Of course it didn't last as his mind went into a sort of overdrive and he ended up looking at the man's shoulder or chest. Anywhere was fine except to look up at him because his face was just turning red.

"It's..fine." Yuki replied, hoping his voice sounded steadier than he felt. Of course he damn well knew what the apology was for, but since he himself knew how these sorts of things worked, he didn't want an apology for a very normal biological function.

Jacob inhaled and focused on steading his quickening pulse. Last time he had run away but he wasn't ashamed anymore and he knew how to calm himself down. It just took half the song for him to finally calm down.

"I'm not used to touching other people." He admitted after some time. "Only my family and that's-" He chuckled softly. "Not like this." He liked holding and dancing with Yuki much more. "I'm probably dancing wrong too." He knew his sister would make fun of him after the few years of dance class he took as a kid. It was a shame that he didn't remember any of that now.

The song slowly came to its end and Jacob slowed them to a stop, hoping that Yuki at least enjoyed the dance.

"That goes both ways." Yuki admitted. It was a long drawn out history and one that he didn't want to get into. Their eyes locked when Jacob admitted to not touching anyone the way he was touching Yuki. And of course that made him happy to hear that too. So this whole thing really was a mutual trying to figure this whole thing out. And somehow that was pretty satisfying.

But he smiled. "If you're dancing wrong and I'm following you, then we're both wrong." And it didn't bother him as much as he thought it might.

After the song ended, Yuki refrained from bowing. "Are you hungry?"

"Does that mean that we're both right?" Jacob chuckled softly as he turned and lead Yuki off of the dance floor. It wasn't a large space and it only took a few minutes to reach the tables of food. "Yeah. Let's eat." That was what they had originally come inside for.

"I think I'll try a bit of everything." He hadn't eaten much today so his stomach was empty enough to fill up on cookies and everything else that would be at the party. Ignis's cooking was amazing.

"What do you want to eat?"

He could only laugh, hoping his face wasn't too red at this point. "I hope so." He'd of course rather be right than be wrong, and if being with Jacob was wrong, he just didn't give a damn. It was really nice that Jacob was still holding his hand and that was just so really important even if the other might think it was such a small thing.

Smiling at his companion's 'selection' for food, he nodded. "That's a good idea." And as he looked over everything, it felt the same as when he was at the wedding. "I guess we'll start on one end and work our way down."

"Sounds good to me. My stomach can be endless." It was only because he hadn't eaten yet in preparation for the party. He wanted to try everything and unlike the ball a year before, he wasn't going to duck out early. "It all looks good. I've already tried most of the desserts." He didn't have a sweet tooth but Christmas was all about those cookies and he couldn't resist.

"What's your favorite?" He gestured at the spread. "Out of everything. I like the stuffing balls and ham. Though ham is best with eggs and bacon." Jacob really liked breakfast food.

Yuki just smiled. He was pretty hungry too but he wasn't going to even think about trying to make this into a competition like the stupid cat would do. Jacob could beat him in eating any time, and all that really mattered at the end of the day to him was that the other was full and enjoyed delicious food.

"Which dessert did you like?" Yuki asked, turning to look at the man.

But then he was asked which he liked and he shrugged with a smile. Everything looked so good and still wasn't anything that he was used to eating back home. "All of that sounds delicious."

Jacob was a little competitive but he wouldn't randomly turn everyday actions, like eating, into a competition. That was a good way to get sick and ruin everyone's day.

"Oh. The cookies. Cookies are the best around Christmas." He glanced over and spotted his plate of uneatable cookies. "Oh, don't eat those. I made them and I think they taste like carboard." But he had brought them to the party anyway.

"Mmm." Jacob hummed. "So you want to try a tiny bit of everything too. Maybe we should share a plate so we don't get too full?"

"You brought cookies?" Yuki asked, somehow surprised that Jacob did such a thing. And even if they weren't the best, he was going to have one later anyhow because of who made them. Besides, everyone was their own worst critic, right? And Shigure complained about his cooking who knew how many times.

But he did look over the other ones, ones with weird pointy candies in them and ones he was told were peanut butter. There were mint ones, and star shaped ones that had appeared at the October wedding along with the ginger cookies. He recognized chocolate sugar cookies and christmas 'kiss' cookies.

Turning back to Jacob now, he nodded. "Maybe we can both get different things and try them too."

A low warm chuckle rumbled through Jacob's chest. "Sounds perfect."

He leaned towards Yuki with a smile before pilling a few different cookies onto his plate. They'd be able to eat more if they split them in half however, even with that thought in mind, he took way too many cookies and would likely take a few of them home to eat later. There was no point in overeating and making himself sick.

He wanted the night to be special because he was out with Yuki.

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Winter log

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Are you cool with handwaving from here?