░ MERRY YOUNG AVENGEMAS. ▍CLOSED BUT FLEXIBLE.

[selfimage]

WHO: Young Avengers, Woofs, and others.
WHERE: Kate + Billy's apartment, Heropa
WHEN: December 21st, evening
WHAT: CHRISTMAS PARTY WITH PARTYING and also kegs
WARNINGS: Probably underage drinking, things might get lewd, bc really look at this rowdy crew.

[ Christmas was a funny thing. but mortal traditions were funny things, and it was sort of like watching a river carve into the landscape, or your favorite youtube video suddenly go viral. traditions evolved, became usurped, ingrained, and then streamlined. some were cast aside in whims of materialism, and others remained as a testament to history, and some were strong enough to breach the barriers of the multiverse. this was one of them.

so here he was, dressed in a terrible knit sweater made from colorful yarn that depicted a cat and the phrase "Merry Avengemas" in all irony. well, mostly irony, there was a certain percentage to everything when it came to "Loki versus all seriousness." to him, there was never a reason not to celebrate. most in Asgard would jump at any excuse to stuff themselves full of mead and pig and break into inebriated dance in the middle of the All-Father's court. Loki, as new as he was, wasn't one who was going to break those traditions, just make them a little better. well, better comparatively.

they were stuffed into Billy and Kate's little apartment with mulled wine, bacon rolled dates and Loki in the kitchen. where Kate spoke of catering, Loki waved his hand and said "how hard can it be." he had never cooked for over two, but really, how hard could it be? for someone like him, who cared little of ruining everything, the possibility of burning dinner left them with the option of finding an open pizza place and ordering. (i.e. he didn't care at all.) the menu had been carefully constructed: mac & cheese with heart attacking breading, mash (with plenty of mayo, shut up Billy), turducken and fruit relish (there's also some desserts like a cookies and fruitcake). while Loki thought it was all a little too traditional, he managed to put a little twist on everything and ignore the comfort from the familiarity of the food. aside from wine there were festive martinis, spiced cider (all in plastic cups) and whatever this world's equivalent to PRR (Pabst Red Ribbon) in a cooler in the kitchen. there was garland and lights framing the windows and doors (all too purple for anyone's festive comfort, Loki would say), mistletoe strew around like it was a good idea, candy canes in beer glasses, and pine soap in the bathroom.

Loki seemed to find the whole thing all that more amusing. while (a very purple) Kate went and dumped people's coats in the nearest bedroom and greeted people at the door, he waited for the guests in the kitchen with an apron (EVEN MORE AMUSING) tied around his waist. he'd be out and about when he got tired of poking things with a baster. ]

Comments

[selfequipped]

[The traditional nature of the dinner and gathering is not lost on Kate, either. She's checked on Loki enough in the kitchen to make sure he's not ruining things, though one simple fact is clear: Kate doesn't know if she'd be able to tell. The choice of turducken isn't lost on her, though, and she intends to tell him later that maybe they should have gone for something with a far less ridiculous name.

And concept, for that matter.

Still, it's unusual as it is. Kate's holidays have either been spent on the streets taking care of Hydra agents, or she's been stuffed inside of some room full of stuffy, likely extremely morally ambiguous adults while making small talk with one person or another ... or her sister and her husband. That's how it's been in the recent years since her mother's death, and being stuck in another world with a group of people who are (apparently) werewolves or something fits. It fits, but it's weird that it's met with such traditionalism from Loki of all people. She wonders if he's trying to either impress Lydia or if the irony of it all isn't lost and he appreciates that.

Aside from her greetings, she seeks out her guests for a one-on-one at different points in the gathering, complete with either a glass of wine in her hand or a little plate with cookies for her and the other person to share. In fact, she approaches with the latter extended and one of the following things comes out of her mother:]

I hope you're enjoying yourself.

[Or:]

I've been checking on him in there. So far, so good.

[Or:]

Would you like another beverage instead?

[After all, she's a trained socialite.]

[selfimage]

[ after about fifteen minutes after her third check up, Loki wanders out of the kitchen looking pointedly like he'd messed something up. he looks around once, twice, and then fashions his gaze back on Kate. ]

Kate Bishop.

[selfequipped]

Turducken. [The three-syllable word comes falling out of her mouth almost involuntarily, and the judgment in her tone is strong.

Too strong.]

I mean, Loki.

[ex_question191]

He's not going to put anything in the food, is he?

[ stiles asks, taking a cookie. it's totally serious: this seems like exactly the sort of crowd for Loki to want to prank, so while he's not too worried about burnt bits or food poisoning, he's still kind of hesitant about the whole "Loki in charge of catering" dealio. ]

[ still. it's nice not to have to cook for himself. and to have other people around. even though he's only spoken to some of them a couple of times, or never at all, it's not so crowded as to make him too anxious. everything's relaxed. the cider... probably helps. ]

[selfequipped]

Depends on what you mean by "anything," [Kate supplies in way of a quick response. She throws a glance back toward the kitchen, and it's obvious that she has her doubts. Oh, she doesn't think Loki's going to drug them or anything, but that doesn't shorten the list of things that he can do. It doesn't one bit.]

[inmyothertights]

[There is also a vaguely crankly looking Kaplan in his own ugly sweater (perplexing a lumpy green affair with something that is either a unicorn or a narwhal with a kippah on it's head) poking at the mash and handing out drinks when they are requested. He's actually not as cranky as he looks, but he will magic up a hat shaped like a menorah for anyone who wishes him a merry Christmas, just to be contrary.]

[selfimage]

[ are you poking his mash, Billy Kaplan? he frowns when he sees you poking that mash. ]

Where is your holiday spirit?

[ because that mash is good, and because parties are good, and because that is definitely a cranky face and not a chipper party face. ]

Food, drinks, company, terrible sweaters and materialism. What else could you possibly ask for in a party?

[ says Loki in an apron. ]

[inmyothertights]

[He is poking that mash he suspects mayonnaise.

He looks up when Loki talks to him, and considers that for a moment-

And waves his hand.

Now Loki has a menorah hat, five candles lit.]

Baruch atah- and so on, so forth, ha shel Hanukkah, there we go.

Holiday spirit!

[brushoff]

[ Yeah, Dorian can't help it. He's partly into his third drink and he's just absolutely confused as to what Billy's sweater is. (Dorian, who's wearing a charcoal gray sweater, obviously didn't get the Christmas sweater tradition memo.) ]

Is that...a horse?

[ex_question191]

Hey, Merry Christmas.

[ which nets him a hat. stiles takes it off to look at it, grins, and puts it back on. ]

Christmukkah, then. I did nothing for Hanukkah this year, which makes me officially the Worst Jew, right?

[brushoff]

[ Errybody in the club getting tipsy.
or, at least, Dorian Gray in Kate's apartment getting tipsy.
or, more accurately, Dorian Gray in Kate's apartment trying to get tipsy.

He's still in a bit of a funk after dying. Unsurprisingly, getting burned alive can seriously mess with your head. but, he's putting on a good front, the front of Dorian Gray: party animal. A front of back to his normal self. So, he's had a drink in hand all throughout the evening (though the astute partygoer could notice that Dorian's only drunk two of them). He is also lingering around mistletoe, because some bad decisions need to be made.

It's when he spots someone unknowingly standing under the mistletoe (or even knowingly in someone's case), that Dorian walks up to them, smarmy grin on his face. ] Enjoying the party?

[ or, if it's someone he feels comfortable with (or someone that he knows won't punch him in the nose) he just straight up tries to kiss them. ]

[selfimage]

[ well, if there was someone being himself he could always count on Dorian. whether or not Dorian was being mopey Dorian or Dorian was being party Dorian, they always seemed very unique to him. the obvious march beneath the mistletoe leaves Loki all the more amused, and he heads over (in an apron!!!) and gives him a look over. ]

I wonder how long it'll be before this five feet of rug is worn beneath the mistletoe.

[ hotly, like Dorian isn't there at all. ]

[selfequipped]

[What understanding that may be there between Kate and Dorian seems to be tested as the night goes on. It begins with her sighing as he ends up under the mistletoe the first time, and that sigh slowly becomes more and more exaggerated as she drinks more wine and starts having extended mental pictures of her grabbing her bow and shooting an arrow through the mistletoe for one, dramatic show to get him to get the idea that it's a bad idea.

Thankfully, Kate has no intention of starring in The Christmas Mistletoe Games as Kateniss, so she resists that urge.

Instead, she comes up beside him, firmly wrapping her fingers around his arm while somehow keeping her distance from his face so he can't go in for a kiss.]

Hey ... let's go talk. [She counts to three so she can keep the ice out of her voice.] In my room.

/latest

[immuno]

[ Parties bring out the best in Lydia, as a general rule, but it's no secret she struggles with the ones she isn't contributing to setting up. Staging it in Kate and Billy's apartment insured she was hands-off until she arrived, gifts in one hand, coat in another, but she did worm her way into the kitchen after that to try and see what she could help with.

Mostly, that amounted to reorganizing plates and fidgeting.

That said, her usual propensity for criticism of others' hosting ability falls short because she finds as a team, Kate and Loki really leave little to be desired. Something she perhaps should have expected. Relenting, she adds her gifts—Stiles, Loki, Derek, Kate—to the pile on a handy table, and sniffs disdainfully at a cup of peppermint PBR before opting for cider out of a solo cup.

And satisfied with the decorations, there's nothing to keep her from mingling. Quick to question on how people to know each other, how long they've been in this world, and and so forth. ]

[selfimage]

[ spoilers: it comes with constantly being a disappointment. there was always a back-up plan, and it was usually pizza.

the first time she comes around Loki humors her and lets her fiddle around with the plates and festive cutlery and napkins tied with glittery nametags that bear the name of the entire character cast of Home Alone 1 - 5 (the only non-purple thing in the room THERE IS SO MUCH PURPLE) without any fuss. he looks oddly at ease, as if this is Loki in his natural, social habitat.

the second time she comes around (which he's hoping is a drink or two later) it's really debatable just how much mayo he's being liberal with all over the mash, and he sort of looks like he's been caught doing something awful. ]

Oh, good, you're just in time.

[selfequipped]

[While Kate hadn't been in the kitchen for most of the fidgeting, she passed by at least once to see it, and make her own judgment. It's clear to her that she could've had some help with this. Then again, it's also clear to Kate that she had a hard enough time accepting Loki (and sort of Billy's) assistance in setting up her apartment. Once a micromanager, always a micromanager.

Still, it might be a way to connect at some point. And why not?

With only a beat more of thought along those lines, she approaches Lydia, an easy smile on her lips.]

If New Year's Eve isn't all planned out, we ought to see what the two of us can whip up in a week. [There is a chance that she has something planned with Loki, but it's worth the offer. And the next big party occasion isn't until July fourth (at least, that doesn't have some kind of undertones that can make partying feel a touch too tacky).]

/later than latest

[doneproperly]

[Parties do not bring out the best in Mandrake.

He's never really seen the point of them-- in his world, they've always seemed like a waste of time. Everybody in his world just uses them as an opportunity to suck up to their betters and trade barbed quips with their rivals. Here though, they're even worse-- Mandrake has no idea what's expected of him at social gatherings and feels adrift in a sea of people genuinely having fun and trading niceties they actually probably mean.

He's an outsider here. He shouldn't have come. He sees that the minute the door swings open to admit him. But he would lose face now if he were to walk out backwards only moments after making his appearance, so he grits his teeth and sets his mind to the task at hand. He will weather this party for an hour-- because Billy asked him to-- and then he will make his excuses. He's a powerful magician, right? An hour at a little party should be nothing.

Awkwardly, he slides into the room and looks around desperately for someone he knows.]

[inmyothertights]

[Here is someone he knows; Billy hovers over - literally hovers - so he's just near Mandrake, so they're both looking at the same relative spot on the table.]

Cookie?

[He holds up a plate. They are delicious cookies, man.]

[selfequipped]

[Surprise marks Kate's features the moment that Mandrake walks into the room. This is clearly something from Billy, and while she thinks it's good that Billy has friends, her opinion on Mandrake has ... changed. Considerably. While there is still some ambiguity to him, she has a feeling that the ambiguity itself is rather marred, and it would be an insult to herself to do anything less than—well—trust him less. After all, she's a sharp enough individual to know what she's doing.

Still, he's here, and it's the holidays, and this isn't even a holiday that Billy really celebrates. So, she has to be understanding. Plus, it's bad enough that she runs around trying to make it clear that Loki's a good guy, and she believes in him so much that he's now cooking turducken in the kitchen.

With all that factored in, it would be a touch hypocritical to stand around glaring at Mandrake. Instead, she grabs a glass of wine, fills it up almost to the rim, and slides through the room, extending it toward him and almost nudging it against his chest.]

Drink. Relax. We won't eat you.

[ex_question191]

Yo!

[ stiles is unmistakable. he's also wearing one of Billy's menorah hats and a fake red nose, which makes him look like a Jewish reindeer. he comes over to Mandrake as soon as he spots him. ]

Happy Christmas! Man, if I'd known you'd be here I woulda brought your gift. You'll have to swing by mine later and pick it up.

no i will be the latest!!!

[altercate]

[ so. this is happening.

if derek had his choice, he'd be holed up in a tent on top of a mountain somewhere with a couple books, thoroughly ignoring the festivities. ignoring holidays has been more or less a habit since the fire, and derek sort of--

even with everything, with the way he's stopped carrying guilt and grief and anger around like a physical burden, derek's still quiet, and prefers the quiet. and sort of prefers ignoring the day of his birth entirely, but stiles and lydia had kicked up a fuss, and derek had folded like a wet napkin. that's becoming a worrisome habit, but derek's going to consider it after he's made it through the party itself.

or you know, wallflowering by the window, since derek's party skills are unacceptable when he isn't trying to wheedle his way into something or stalking scott. ]

wallflowers unite

[powerkicks]

[ for all their times working together and kicking out people from loki's club, this might be the first time america's actually interacted with derek in a non-work environment. well, if nodding at him from a distance when he arrives counts as interaction. he definitely seems more on her level with the whole party thing — not that she's as actively trying to disappear into the wall as he is, but she likes to take a break and hang back every so often.

she's approaching him now, two cups of mulled wine in her hands, because it's one of those times where she just wants to escape the festivities a bit without completely being alone. plus, she's sure loki would encourage all the employee bonding, or whatever, and it couldn't hurt. ]

They're all out of hipster beer. [ that is totally a legit greeting, okay. also, just offering a cup in his general direction. ]

[selfimage]

[ after all terrible flirting, cooking of the traditional turducken and ruining of every mortal tradition with mayo and mashed potatoes, he finds himself shedding his apron and heading on to the party floor. away with you, responsibilities!!

it's not that difficult to spot Derek. there's not enough people to make it more than a slightly wide definition of "intimate." Derek's never been much more than a man of few words, but that doesn't discourage him any. instead he moves in like a snake at a slither, but approaching with two drinks in hand. he offers him a PRR between dark nailed fingers, lifting a brow. ]

You really must be careful or your face with stick like that.

[ he says smoothly. ]

I'M GOING TO BE SLOW sry

[smarterthandad]

[What's three years old and crashing your party?

Valeria Richards.

Hey, she's 1. young and 2. an Avenger. No, really. She just got back from leading a team of them, you know. Avengers Doomstadt, if you will.

Anyway, she got in somehow, possibly with lockpicks, and she and her adorable party dress are now sweeping cookies from the buffet table onto a paper plate, because she has her priorities, and they mostly involve sugar if no mad science is possible.]

I WILL NEVER oh ok

[selfimage]

[ okay, well, this is new. he's coming out of the kitchen, shedding the outer exterior layer of the apron he was wearing (did he need it? did he think it looked good? all bets are off on this one). there is a gift for her, somewhere, most likely back at Loki's apartment that he didn't bring. (why is that the first thing that comes to mind and now why is this child here?)

there's a cautious approach, but when he does he leans just over her shoulder and reaches for a cookie off of the plate she stole them from. ]

You even dressed up.