The Estate, Sidra, Glacia, Thursday (Fandom Time)

[glacial_queen]

Winsol had been going on now for several days. The family had just decamped from SaDiablo Hall in Dhemlan back home to Glacia to continue the festivities in their own home. There would be several more days of formal events, but this evening was just for family and close friends (specifically friends close enough to be family). The children were tumbling around like puppies, a mix of Earth and Kaeleeran carols were playing from floating music spheres scattered throughout the suite, fires crackled in the large hearths, and food and punch and hot spiced rum were piled high on the sideboards throughout. "Happy Winsol!" Karla said, holding up her cup in a toast.

"Happy Winsol!" the room chorused back to her.

[Open to residents of Glacia, dear friends, and anyone who thinks they'd have gotten an invite]

Comments

[future_sandworm]

Leto raised his cup too, smiling at Karla. Hania had quickly joined the other children, no doubt trying to encourage them to participate in some game, and Alice had found some relatives of Karla to talk to. Neither Christmas nor this holiday held much meaning to him, but a celebration that brought family and friends together did.

"What are the formal events like?" Leto asked Karla, out of curiosity and not because he wanted to distract her from this evening, which was no doubt more enjoyable.

[glacial_queen]

"Stuffier," Karla said with a laugh. "A bunch of aristos trying to flatter me and maneuver for positions in my Circles. A few young bucks certain they can supplant Warren as my Consort. They seem to think that if I haven't married him after bearing his children, they somehow have a chance."

She gave Warren a warm smile before turning back to Leto. "There's dancing, interminable speeches, and a lot of gift-giving, which is a fancy way of sucking up to me. Not very much different than formal events in your court, I would assume."

[future_sandworm]

"Oh, it sounds very familiar," Leto said with a laugh. "I'm very glad I was invited to this evening instead." He added teasingly: "Unless you want me to subtly insult someone..."

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal was not there, but Karla would be receiving a letter:

Dearest Karla,

Jono and I must tender our regrets, but I'm certain you will understand if I say that after the path we took to get here, we are not interrupting our honeymoon for anything. Please find accompanying this a souvenir.

Have a lovely Winsol, and please convey my best to Ermengarde.

Hannibal

It was accompanied by a sugar sculpture of their resort and grounds on the moon.

[glacial_queen]

At a point in the evening, Karla dashed off a quick response.

Hannibal darling,

The last thing I'll do is try to interrupt now you've finally made honest men of one another! (Yes, I just giggled too, at that.) Enjoy your much-deserved honeymoon and we shall attempt to get together to celebrate once you return. My love to your irascible husband.

Best,
Karla

And she directed Ermengarde to sent a bottle of blooded rum to Hannibal's home on Fandom and a box of liqueur-infused chocolates.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"And a happy new year!" Dinah cheered, taking a sip of her drink, and leaning into Priestly. Thank God for time-changes, because it meant they could visit Karla before starting their own marathon holiday plans.

[lovemykilt]

Priestly slung his arm around her waist and attempted to rest his chin on her head. It didn't go well.

This was what happened when you had a tall girlfriend.

"Cheers." He raised his spiced rum. If anyone asked, it was fortifications for the hectic days ahead. Or, you know, he was clinging to it (and Dinah) for warmth. "When is the Glacian new year?"

[glacial_queen]

Oh honestly, Priestly, it was perfectly warm in here!

"Two nights ago," Karla said, coming over to wrap her arms around the both of them. And grinning. Grinning so hard. They were still together, yay! "The longest night is our New Year's Eve. After that, the days get longer with the promise of spring."

[heromaniac]

"Priestly!" Momoko would glomp him but she was too busy being excited to see him and Dinah so cute.

THEY WERE STILL TOGETHER!!! SEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE?!

Don't worry; Momoko was totally not hiding tiny D+P flags anywhere on her person. They were in her rooms.

"Did you get the birthday cookies?! Did you?" Okay, maybe there was an attempt at a bouncy hug.

[future_sandworm]

Leto only met Dinah at Karla's these days, it seemed, but it was good to see her when that happened.

"Happy whatever holiday you are inclined to celebrate," he greeted. "Did you know you have an evil lookalike in Fandom nowadays?"

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Leto!" Dinah offered him a hug, then said in a bewildered voice, "Is she a vampire?"

[heromaniac]

"DIIIIIIIIIIINAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

That was all the warning she got.

*glomp attack*

What? There had been cookies.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"MOMOOOOOO!" *return glomp*

Clear the area people, bouncing was happening here.

[trigons_child]

Raven was there, of course, since, well, she lived there.

And she had a wee horde of children with her, running and giggling and occasionally getting exasperated smiles from their mother.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Oh my gosh, so many adorables," Dinah gushed, then offered Raven a hug. "Merry Christmas from New Gotham, and happy Winsol from me!"

[glacial_queen]

"Mother Night," Karla said, shaking her head as several of Raven's brood tumbled by, unsurprised to see white feathers amongst them. "And how many are here tonight?"

[heromaniac]

"You look so happy," Momoko said, smiling as she offered a cup of warm punch to her friend. "Are they all yours now, or are you only hosting some?"

[anarchist-queen.livejournal.com]

Unable to attend in person due to very irritating reasons, Leda had to settle for calling her friend.

*ring ring* (or whatever ringtone you like)

[glacial_queen]

"Leda!" Karla was in high spirits when she answered the phone. "Kiss kiss! Happy Winsol!"

[weldedtomyspine]

Momoko was around. Jaime had actually been sort of watching her out of the corner of one eye as he did his own mingling, so he knew precisely where she was.

But that was sort of par for the course with him.

What might seem unusual, to people who knew Jaime well, was his grin. Not that he didn't often have one, but this one was tinged with... something.

As if something particular awesome had happened recently.

[heromaniac]

Momoko couldn't help being a social butterfly, especially when it was their Fandom family! Throughout the festivities she would come back to make sure Jaime was okay (she still fretted he had bad memories of Glacia, since the trip that had turned him into a kid for a week) and then would get distracted by someone across the room or be dragged off by one of the kids wanting to play or someone needing help with something.

Okay, and once she'd left to find Julian to tease him about something she'd heard when helping one of the servants who was refilling the sideboard...

But now she was back to stay. It was late and she was a little drowsy. The fires inside had the Hall toasty warm, she was full of food and punch and friends and children's laughter, and now she had her Jaime... "Mmmmm," she purred happily, reaching for him. "I hope you're comfortable, because I am totally needing cuddling."

Need... want... pft.

[glacial_queen]

Karla was staring at him with narrowed eyes. She'd been doing this for several minutes, foregoing a greeting to peer at him.

"Hmm."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Hmmmm," someone hummed next to his ear. "What is up with the perkiness? You're like a coffee pot of percolating. Perking?" ANd then he was being hugged. "Hey, you."

[heromaniac]

Momoko was here and was totally not tired after chasing one of the kids in a game of "Tag". Nope.

She'd been running with a LOT of them in a game of "get out of the kitchens with as many fresh baked cookies as we can before Ermengarde catches us and skins us alive".

That said, she was wandering around with a few warm cookies left (she'd given most of them away to the not-so-brave kids) and trying not to look smug.

[glacial_queen]

Karla sighed, folding her arms and trying to look stern. "Momokoooo," she said, warningly. "You haven't been stealing Ermengarde's cookies, have you?"