aterat | 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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

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.

Winter log

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Are you cool with handwaving from here?