Christmas Day, SaDiablo Hall, Dhemlan, Kaeleer

[glacial_queen]

After a long time talking and making up, it was a much happier Warren and Karla that had come down for a Christmas luncheon--which, at four courses, was still nothing compared to the Christmas feast that Mrs. Beale was preparing for supper. Karla had given her a bunch of Earth cookbooks for Winsol one year and Mrs. Beale had apparently decided that celebrating Christmas required her to make every meal that was even the least bit holiday-inspired.

Lunch was appropriately merry, the whole household glad that Karla and Warren had patched things up. Once the plates were cleared and the footmen were pouring coffee for everyone, Saetan pushed himself back from the table and shook his head. "I have no idea how we're going to be expected to eat more this evening," he said. "I'll still be digesting by the time the goose--and the roast--and the suckling pig are ready."

"Speak for yourself," Andulvar rumbled. "I saved room for the last piece of trifle, except for how it vanished." He glared at Prothvar, who grinned unrepentantly and burped.

"What we should do," Jaenelle suggested from her seat at Saetan's right, "is invite Karla and Warren's friends for dinner. More mouths might mean less food to intimidate the rest of us."

"It's Christmas!" Karla protested. "Everyone's probably with their family."

"Probably," Jaenelle reminded gently. "It wouldn't hurt to invite anyone, would it?"

Karla conceded the point and sent out an email from her phone:

Open invite for Christmas dinner in Kaeleer. Comp'd portal, feel free to show up whenever, if you want! Happy holidays!

[NFB for distance, but open. If you want an invite, you've got one. Super-SP for the holidays, feel free to ping in whenever over the next few days if you'd like.]

Comments

[trigons_child]

Raven had been to Kaeleer many times since leaving Fandom, but that had only for training sessions with Lucivar. It would be nice to come and just relax and spend time with friends for a change.

Once she arrived she began to look around to see who else might be there. It had been nice to see people in Sunnydale not long ago, but with their voices gone and the demons creeping about stealing hearts, there had been little time for catching up.

Hopefully Lucivar wouldn't be waiting with sticks today.

[glacial_queen]

There were probably no sticks today, thank the Darkness. Karla wasn't willing to bet that for certain, but odds were good he'd let Raven go without training. He'd call it her Christmas present and just make her work double next time.

"Kiss kiss," Karla said, doing just that on Raven's cheek while engulfing her in a giant hug. "Good to see you, darling."

From Karla's mood and smile, Raven could probably guess that she and Warren had reconciled.

[trigons_child]

"You are happy," Raven said, smiling as she hugged Karla back. "Did you speak with Warren? And it went well?" There weren't many other things she could think of at the moment that would cause such a good mood in her friend.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Raaaaaven," Dinah called as she arrived and saw her New Gotham buddy. "Happy holidays!"

[trigons_child]

"Merry Christmas, Dinah," Raven said, arms out for a hug.

[life_inshadow]

After the disaster that was the last weekend in Sunnydale, Tara had made halfhearted plans to go back to Weaverville and see her birth family for Christmas.

By noon Christmas Eve, she was almost wishing the Gentlemen would come back.

So when Karla's invitation came through the next day, it was quite a relief to make some hasty excuses and portal on out to Kaeleer. Anything was better than another week with her family.

[glacial_queen]

"Tara!" Karla said, giving her friend a giant grin. "Isn't it weird to be coming here for some peace and quiet?"

Two out of two holidays had prejudiced Karla slightly against trips to Sunnydale.

[life_inshadow]

Tara was healed enough to giggle. "I think come V-valentine's Day, I'm leaving Sunnydale ahead of time," she noted. "Though ... Thanksgiving was pretty normal."

For her. Not for Buffy, but she didn't know that yet.

"Anyhow, this feels a lot more Christmasy than seeing my family does."

[wwiii]

Of course Warren was here for Christmas. He'd come here on Christmas Eve, and had staked out a corner of the room with the tree in it, mostly because of the comfortable chair.

He'd made up with his girlfriend and he was surrounded by friends, and he was kind of immersing himself in Christmas carols on his phone for the past few days. He was ready for you, Christmas. Totally and completely.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Warren Warren Warren," Dinah chanted, thus deep-sixing any sneakiness of approaching him from the back. "I made it!"

[wwiii]

"Dinah, Dinah, Dinah," Warren replied, grinning a little as he turned to nod his hello at her. "You did. How was the trip?"

[nothornlessrose.livejournal.com]

It hadn't taken Cassidy much preparing to decide to take Karla up on her invitation. She had spent a great deal of the break with her family and when the invitation came, Devra had pushed her to go.

So after making sure she had gifts and sweet treats for everyone, Cassidy was cheerfully exploring and greeting everyone she knew.

[glacial_queen]

"Cassidy!" Karla said, giving the little witch a hug. "You've been scarce recently. You're not hiding a boyfriend from me, are you?"

[nothornlessrose.livejournal.com]

Cassidy shook her head with a small blush as she hugged Karla back.

"No, I've just been studying and losing track of time outside of my room when I do that."

She wished she had a boyfriend to hide.

[trigons_child]

"Cassidy!" Raven said warmly when she saw her friend. "It has been so long since I have seen you. How have you been?"

[heromaniac]

Momoko had of COURSE taken Karla up on the offer!

She was totally not at all staring sparkly-eyed and wondering how she managed to be so lucky as to go from one palace to another.

Obviously she had good taste in friends!

Speaking of, she looked around for one of them... any of them? Hello?

[trigons_child]

"Momoko!" Raven said when she saw her friend arrive. "It is good to see you. How are you?"

And why did you shrink Karla went unspoken. For now.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

There was a squishy hug and then Dinah saying, "So, New Year's in New Gotham? Or Tokyo City?"

[glacial_queen]

"Momo!" Karla called, diving out of a room and attempting to tackle-glomp her friend. "You're here! You made it! Merry Christmas!"

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah calculated the time-change to Kaeleer and realized she could make the dinner, then begged and pleaded with Portalocity to take her there in time.

Looking around for Karla and the other Kaeleearans, swinging a bottle of wine from Helena's cellar from one hand, and a basket of Alfred's pumpkin tartlets from the other, she called out, "Hello! Anybody want some goodies?"

[glacial_queen]

"I do! I do!" Karla cried, waving her hand high in the air so Dinah would see. "Are those Alfred baked goods? I want some, me! Me! Me!"

Way to be all grown up, Karla.

[genesishero]

Evan had been planning on just sitting quietly in his dorm room for the holidays, blatantly ignoring that Christmas was going on at all. It had seemed like a pretty great plan, actually, what with all the denial, and the not dwelling on how much he missed his family, and all.

And then he'd gotten the invitation, and his denial had been smashed into a million tiny bits, and by that point it really made no sense to let himself wither away on his bed for a few weeks, did it?

So, there he was, with a wiggly puppy along for the trip mostly because there was nobody left at the school who could watch Ozzy, and the kennel was similarly closed for the holidays, looking a little out of his depth. But at least he wasn't alone for Christmas, right?

[kindrednotkind.livejournal.com]

He most certainly was not! And Ozzy was about to get a friend, with a little brown and white dog sprinting down the hallway to investigate the newcomer. A large white cat the size of Evan padded softly behind him, all feline grace and laziness.

*Hello! Hello!* Ladvarian barked, tail wagging in furious welcome. *Merry--I forget! Merry Not-Winsol!*

[offers-choices.livejournal.com]

Lucivar was lounging about the Hallway, mostly because he could. And if any of the chestnuts roasting on an open fire (well, not all that open, since it was contained in the fireplace) happened to zing their way at anyone, well, that was surely coincidence.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Bad Lucivar. No pumpkin tart."

Yeah, Dinah didn't look or sound like she meant it.