Winter log

[faithfulsupport]

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!

Comments

[neurotoxicity]

There was an awkwardness to her pause that was only accentuated by her brushing a strand of her hair out of her face. She gave a shrug and finally settled on placing it in the place she'd previously said wasn't good enough. Truth be told she only settled on that because someone noticed. If nobody had spoken up she might have just continued to place and replace it for another few hours.

"I've been told I'm a bit too much of a perfectionist," she said with a somewhat stiff chuckle. Bit too much was probably the understatement of the century, she was definitely a complete and utter perfectionist in everyway. "And I'd hate to ruin it with a bad placement."

[faithfulsupport]

The blondish head shook at her comment. "I don't find anything wrong with being a perfectionist." So says the man who does the same damn thing of course. But then he smiled. "I don't believe there's a set of instructions that come down to decorating a tree. However, as long as it fits in with your taste and style, I've found it could be done up in just about anything."

At least that's what his experience had been in dealing with Nida and learning about the holiday at any rate.

[neurotoxicity]

"That's nice to hear. I never hear the end of it from my partner back home," she said with a hint of a smirk. Rachel never really let up about just how much of a perfectionist Ivy was and it'd only gotten worse after they'd moved in together to start their business. Not that they didn't get along or care for each other, just that they had very different personalities. Very different.

"I can't say any of this is really my style," she said with a sigh. "Not that it's not nice."

[faithfulsupport]

The advisor chuckled because he heard some of that same stuff from Noct back home. "I used to tell my friend that he was merely jealous." It wasn't true, because the king definitely had a more casual and laid back kind of style compared to his strategist. But it always lightened the mood and that was the important thing.

But when she said it wasn't her style, Ignis had to inquire. "Do they have this sort of holiday where you're from?"

[neurotoxicity]

"I should try that next time," she said with a smile. "Though I think my friend would probably just argue with me that I was the jealous one." Jealous of her ability to just let lose and have fun without needing to plan every tiny detail out.

"Christmas? Unfortunately," her ton took on a bit more of a grim edge. "Complete with familial expectations."

[faithfulsupport]

He smiled. If somehow he had helped come up with something new to try, provided that it could indeed be recalled when they left this place that might be of help.

But when she mentioned the expectations, he had to incline his head. "May I be so bold as to inquire as to what those expectations might be? I merely ask because this is a new sort of holiday, as we don't have it in my world."

They should though, it'd be fun. And if he could recall this place and this holiday, he'd introduce it and see how far he could run with it.

[neurotoxicity]

She ran a hand through her hair at his question and gave a wry smile. "The Tamwood family, my family, is important among my kind. So when there are important gatherings there's..." she shrugs. "Expectations of me to be a good girl and come home for whatever social gathering they had planned. Things like this but more fake. Was more about appearances and status than anything else."

[faithfulsupport]

He could relate. Royal balls and all of that were basically for others entertainment and maintaining appearances was important. Noct had been the 'victim' of these tiresome things even as Ignis had dutifully trained the prince how to dance and how to speak smoothly at these sorts of events.

Noctis never tried the polished approach and it fell on Ignis.

"Well, I don't suppose it would help to know that there were families such as yours in my world that held the same sort of standards of expected behaviour?"