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Trainer
Don't get too close, it's dark inside. |
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Elayne
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Post by Jazz Johnson on Feb 18, 2018 1:37:05 GMT -8
Hearing the banter between everyone had Jazz snickering a bit as well. A new religion revolving around Sera? That was something else entirely and certainly sounded interesting. Marcie even joined in which was a little surprising but pretty cool, really. Then Mia wrapped an arm around him and Jazz found himself instinctually leaning against her. This was nice... he'd missed this actually, quite a lot and the hug and following gesture meant a lot more to him than Mia knew. It was comforting in a way that after all the chaos earlier, she was there and still his best friend. Or at least one of them considering Luke wasn't there but that was probably for the best all things considered. Closing his eyes briefly, Jazz relaxed, comfortable for the time being. Nik and Dasha were here now and everything would be alright, wouldn't it. Mia's next words had Jazz looking back at Nik and Dasha to see Orion... and apparently Jasna was now hugging Nik. That was actually really cute and apparently Mia was headed over there too now. It made sense for Mia to want to comfort Nik after how abruptly they'd left but... well, maybe he was just being selfish. Taking a few steps to the door, Jazz half wondered if he should say anything but the brief explanation Dasha gave had him chewing his lip a bit. Looking over at Sera, Jazz didn't exactly know what to say but a talk with their dad didn't sound like bad news. That was good, right? Well, at least Nik didn't really look that bad and considering all the attention he was getting, what else was there to say? Ummm, chocolate made him feel better so... maybe that would help? Who didn't like chocolate, right? Especially home-made like Orion's cookies and other sweets. Spinning on a heel, Jazz grabbed a plate and started to pile on at least two of everything and ended up creating a pyramid of sweets. Heh, presentation was worth something, right? "U-um, here," Jazz offered, extending the plate to Dasha with a sheepish smile. It was a peace offering and well, he hoped she would stay at least long enough to make Nik happy. "Ya kin share with Nikki too 'r, whatev. Ah... I have summin' fer ya too if yer stayin'." Ok, this was way too awkward and Jazz's voice was getting quieter by the second. He was trying though, that was what mattered here, right? Someone hurry up and save him, dammit.
ulla
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Pokémon League
Fighting-Type Gym Leader
SOMEONE CHALLENGE MY GYM ALREADY |
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Yumi
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Post by Mia Kearney on Feb 18, 2018 6:01:32 GMT -8
Mia eased off a bit, ruffling Nik's hair while still keeping one arm around them, glad they had enough to do both now!~ "Love you too...~" The focus clearly shifted to Dasha however as she seemed to be the one explaining things, and even as Mia kept an arm around Nik, it was clear she was a little tense for her own sake too let alone just theirs. The pause at dad made her a little suspicious...especially given the topic at hand. She glanced towards Nik, assuming before really asking. "Hey...is he really okay to...trust with all of this?" She felt a bit more at ease given Dasha hadn't come back in with handcuffs or anything.
Marcie however kept her lips shut...she didn't believe that in sucha tense situation they'd just went for a walk, especially given the teleported out of here. Sure they had to get past Mia at the time, but nonetheless...it just didn't add up for her.
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Civilian
I can't help it, I'm a babbling idiot. Please kiss me quick, 'cause I need to feel it~ |
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY 🌸 SG 🌸
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Post by Nikolai Laska on Feb 18, 2018 8:52:11 GMT -8
Hhhhhhhhh ffffffff Nik knew they shouldn't be this indulgent in front of Dasha but soaking up all this affection from their partners was such a welcome comfort after the high stress earlier and could they maybe just curl up in bed please? ;-;
Ahhh no Mia had a question shit now they had to cover her lie. Why did she say dad anyway??? But okay Nik had worked in politics so they could make this work. Which actually worked well as a base. "Don't forget, Dad's nobility too. And he and Dash have always been close in their own way. So he was good for helping her calm down and giving some advice on how to proceed carefully to avoid legal trouble."
Sera slowly nibbled a piece of peppermint bark. Her memory was pretty shit, but she felt like Nik might have said soooomething in the past about her dad specifically marrying into the family to avoid having to do that kind of stuff? But maybe she was misremembering, or misunderstood. She guessed it would make sense he had the knowledge and just didn't like having to use it, maybe?
Mia may or may not have heard a similar story in passing once, Nik had no idea. Orion would know very well that Nik was full of shit right now but hopefully knew to stay quiet. Jazz and Marcie should have no reason to doubt, though.
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Interpol
PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Jayspurr
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Post by Dasha Laska on Feb 18, 2018 9:16:39 GMT -8
Orion was slower to ease up. Some vague, internalized stress didn't want him to let go, and that squeeze together really wasn't offering any incentive to stop either. "Love you too," he mumbled back, much less confidently than Mia could pull off. Dasha's explanation didn't entirely sit right with him, and even as Nik explained further he…. couldn't help but squint a little more? "Guess she didn't want to go see yer mom hm?" he forced a chuckle in order to give Nik some breathing room.
Dasha, meanwhile, was trying to keep control of her face. She felt… embarrassed at best and vaguely stuck at worst. She wasn't about to change her story nor was she going to explain fu- Blue eyed daggers might as well have been shot in Orion's direction for that comment, and a sharp "Ow…" escaped from Orion after the fact. "Don't stab me, I think your mom's pretty nice by comparison~" To his own mom, but only Nik would probably get that right then.
Dasha's lips parted, about to say something about him keeping his goddamn mouth shut but- Hello??? Blue eyes blinked several times at Jazz as the plate was extended to her. As much as she was aware that Nik had promised sweets, she wasn't expecting them to be produced by this… uhm… Orion's cousin or brother or? Relation of some kind that she couldn't quite process effectively right then. Both hands flattened, palms upwards, and she took the plate at least right after. "…. Ok, thank you," she answered, her voice a little louder than Jazz's but almost monotone by default. She wasn't sure what Jazz could even have thought to get her, but she'd already promised Nik she'd stay for a little at least.
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Trainer
Don't get too close, it's dark inside. |
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Elayne
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Post by Jazz Johnson on Feb 18, 2018 11:24:20 GMT -8
Jazz listened to the conversation between the others, not quite following why it was necessarily a bad thing that they'd gone to see their dad. It was actually pretty cool that Nik and Dasha were close enough to their dad to want his advice. Maybe things wouldn't be as bad as it had appeared when they left, huh? Well, he could be hopeful at the very least. Orion's question and the glare that followed had Jazz biting his lip a bit. He didn't know enough about Nik and Dasha to know what their family life was like but judging from that look, they weren't super close with their mom? As Dasha took the plate and thanked him, Jazz smiled a little. That was something at least, right? Rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, he nodded and murmured 'you're welcome'. Ah... this was still pretty awkward but umm, right. Presents, maybe that would lighten the mood a bit? "Ummm... so, yal wanna open the rest of yer presents? 'r we could play sum games 'r summin'..." Jazz murmured, looking at the others briefly before he felt Kovu rub against his leg. That gesture helped a lot actually and stroking the big cat's mane was calming if only slightly. "I think teh coffee's still hot if anyone wants sum." Since he was going to get some more anyway.
ulla
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Pokémon League
Fighting-Type Gym Leader
SOMEONE CHALLENGE MY GYM ALREADY |
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Yumi
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Post by Mia Kearney on Feb 19, 2018 6:43:47 GMT -8
Marcie wasn't ready to believe the dad line, but if she lingered and pushed it it wouldn't get any of them anywhere fruitful. It'd just make her look even more suspicious by highlighting the fact she had a better head on her shoulders than the woman Niso managed to hypnotize in her little lie. With Jazz's prompting to open the rest of the presents, Marcie saw it as a viable path to ease her own sense of tension. "You know that might be a good idea...we're...all good, right?" She started to walk back towards the couches, resting her rear on one of the arm rests.
Mia took the explanation of nobility and stuff and just accepted it. She wasn't well versed in any of that and hadn't done any research on Era like Marcie likely had by now, shrugging it off and hooking her freshly gifted arm around one of Nik's, teasingly flexing it under Nik's with a smirk. "I already got my present, but I wouldn't mind finishing the night on a high note...you two okay for that?"
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Civilian
I can't help it, I'm a babbling idiot. Please kiss me quick, 'cause I need to feel it~ |
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY 🌸 SG 🌸
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Post by Nikolai Laska on Feb 19, 2018 7:21:41 GMT -8
O R I O N... Don't do that, don't-- aijiajijfaafffffffff. Even Nik didn't get the comparison line, reading it in the moment as nice in comparison to Dasha which only sounded so much worse. They tried to maintain a smile because everything! was! fine now!! but babe do not ruin what might be the last chance to ever convince Dasha to come over hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
Thank you Jazz thank you Marcie and Mia for agreeing yes please anything to be not having people talk right now. "Presents sound great." That didn't really answer Marcie's question but oh well. Nik squeezed Mia's new arm tighter with theirs and moved their other from around Orion to hook around his arm and pulled both toward the couch to sit with them. "Afterward we can have more of Rion's delicious desserts. And-- Sera do you wanna reach over and put the Christmas songs back on?" They were pretty sure that was the stereo remote there on the kitchen counter?
Sera saw it and headed that way, but as she did she flashed Nik a cheeky smirk. "What, one Carroll not good enough for you~?"
... Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. Nik couldn't help but snicker just a bit. Sera wasn't sure about any particular playlists, and just found a station that seemed to be playing holiday songs-- "Let It Snow", at the moment-- and put it on loud enough to provide ambience but not so loud as to be hard to talk over in the living room. Afterward, she grabbed a few more treats and, seeing as the couch was already crowded and she felt it better to keep a respectful distance after everything else tonight, turned a dining chair toward everyone and sat there instead.
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AZOTH
‘Cause these words are knives that often leave scars The fear of falling apart |
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Jayspurr
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Post by Orion Alim-Verdi on Feb 19, 2018 8:18:30 GMT -8
"Ok." Dasha walked a bit mechanically before sitting down in the lounger she'd been in before her impromptu run for the door- just in case she needed to get up and leave again. The Absol plush that was on the floor now got gingerly picked up and squished into her lap. As much as she didn't want to accept a gift from Niso motherfucking Konto, it was soft and comfortable and reasonable.
Orion sat down comfortably 'between' Nik and Marcie again. His nerves weren't quite settled even after Nik assured them everything was fine, but moving on was just gonna be what it had to be, yeah? For now, at least. As the music came on, it was easier to settle back some and just watch as the last of the presents were presumably dispersed.
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Trainer
Don't get too close, it's dark inside. |
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Elayne
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Post by Jazz Johnson on Feb 19, 2018 14:11:51 GMT -8
Jazz was more than a little relieved that everyone seemed to agree with his suggestion. He'd move back to the center of the room while everyone got situated, smiling a bit more when he heard Nik's suggestion. Yes, good, that would be great. Presents and then desserts and talking and no more tension please. Sera's pun had Jazz snickering a bit as well though he was a little surprised she decided to sit in a chair for now. Ah, oh well. Looking at the presents, Jazz waited until everyone was comfortable at least before taking the smaller presents and bringing them over to Sera. He knew that she was probably trying to be considerate of everyone else but well... if it hadn't been for her, Jazz wouldn't have even come downstairs for Arceus knows how long. "I know 's nawt much but, still hope ya like eht. 'n thanks fer before," Jazz murmured, placing a small box in Sera's hands that contained a jewelry set. Next would be Dasha who would also receive a small box and a small smile. Dasha's box also contained a jewelry set that had a more elegant touch to it. "Merry Christmas~" He... didn't really know what else to say after that and moved on to Marceline. At least he knew Marceline a little better considering how much she'd helped him. "Here, 's nawt much in comparison but I hope ya like eht," Jazz explained, handing the last box to Marceline. Unlike the other two, Marceline's had a more personal touch to it. Her jewelry set would have green in the center, a perfect match to the shirt she'd gotten earlier and would go well with most everything she chose to wear. That obviously hadn't been planned out in advance, nope, not at all. With that, Jazz would head over to the tree again and drag over a very large box to Nik. Smirking a bit, Jazz would stand and stretch, backing up a bit just in case. "Now, don't kill me but ya kinda deserve this~," Jazz mused, wearing a shit eating grin as they watched Nik start to open his. What was inside was yet another smaller box. Clearly this particular present was patterned after the nesting dolls he'd seen in stores before. Either way, Nik would have a series of boxes to open and unwrap before finally finding his real gift. The first 'real' box held top of the line art supplies. There would be still a couple smaller boxes inside however, one of which would contain a paint set. The last smaller box would have to be opened several more times before revealing a fairy necklace that coincidentally matched the earrings Dasha had given him earlier. Last but certainly not least was Orion. Returning to the tree, Jazz once again shoved a rather large box towards Orion. "Now before ya say anything, 's nawt what ya think," Jazz smirked. After what he'd just given Nik, the large box would be suspicious at best but... well, it wasn't quite as bad. Once the box was opened, Orion would find a clearly custom made Singing Elektross that looked ridiculously similar to Mr. Fish. Why no he hadn't asked that eel to pose for him why would you think that. This would be sitting on top of a rather large box that held a top of the line mixer (in a color that complimented the kitchen) complete with various attachments. "I know ya like cooking 'n baking 'n stuff so thought ya could use one o' these," Jazz explained, grinning a bit before sitting back. "Sorry Mia, ain't got nuthin else fer ya. But guess I could give ya a hand around yer gym if ya need it~," Jazz quipped, grinning just a bit too much as he gestured to her new arm. He'd spent more time on Mia's gift than anyone else's and it showed. Of course, that was to be expected given the nature of the present. Ehh, oh well. It was Mia's own fault for opening it early anyway.
ulla
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Pokémon League
Fighting-Type Gym Leader
SOMEONE CHALLENGE MY GYM ALREADY |
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Yumi
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Post by Mia Kearney on Feb 19, 2018 14:50:47 GMT -8
Pecking Nik's cheek as the three of them moved to the couch, Mia knew she had no presents left to receive, but it was fun enough to watch everyone else's reactions. A nice relaxing song choice too, though as Sera pulled out the dining chair, Mia pouted and puffed her cheeks out, opening an arm out to try and offer what little space remained, or heck even her lap. Sera needed cuddles too after everything damnit! Ah well, she was mainly trying to be a goof and keep her mood up, so if Sera didn't come over she'd just give her a warm, 'just messing' smile before settling into Nik. With everyone opening their presents, Marcie opened her own, and was clearly a little surprised to find the jewellery inside. When the others seemed to get similar presents after her, she gave a disbelieving chuckle for just a moment before lifting her own gift out of the box. "I take it being a Sinclair engineer pays pretty well hm?~" Of course she wasn't rude enough to inspect if the jewellery was even of a good quality or had real gems....at least not infront of everybody. "I dunno." Mia piped up with a smirk. "They keep a train city running, gotta pay pretty well when you've got the lives of thousands of people on your hands!~" "....That is both understandable, and terrifying to realize." "I know right? There was like a year of my life where I didn't wanna ride it cause-" Thankfully Mia's memory of her brief fear of Sinclair was interupted by Jazz's pun, snickering a little and letting go of Nik's arm just briefly to snap her fingers and point back at Jazz. "Ayyyy!~"
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Civilian
I can't help it, I'm a babbling idiot. Please kiss me quick, 'cause I need to feel it~ |
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY 🌸 SG 🌸
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Post by Nikolai Laska on Feb 19, 2018 15:44:56 GMT -8
Sera briefly shook her head to Mia's offer. She was plenty close enough, and this way here was room for Jazz to sit on the couch when he was done. ..... Oh?? She certainly hadn't been expecting him to get her anything, but it seemed she wasn't the only one who'd asked what attendees might like. "Thank you," she said simply.
Nik quirked a brow at Jazz's words, raised it higher on the second box, and leered at the third. Yeah okay Jazz. They 'deserved' this for trying to protect everyone they loved and do the right thing morally, if you say so. After the draining night, a prank that otherwise might have amused them was just very tedious to a point of detracting from their enjoyment when the gifts were finally unveiled. Gee thanks, supplies they probably had no immediate use for and would sit on a shelf until they ran out of current stocks or thought about a project that took this or that thing, neato. Sigh. The necklace read more 'flower' than 'fairy' to them, too, especially after Dasha's lovely unmistakable silhouette earrings. They feigned a smile anyway. "Thanks Jazz." It wasn't like they hated the gifts, just weren't really feeling them, but ending the night on nice thoughts was good at least.
The pun to Mia earned grins from both Nik and Sera though.
"Oh, Sera. There's one more buried up under the tree there labeled for Alex. Could you hand that to Dasha?"
Mm? "Yeah sure." She slipped out of her chair and got down on all fours to look under the tree and grab it. From there, with enough leaning by both parties, Sera could pass it off to Nik, who leaning the other way was able to hold it out for Dasha.
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AZOTH
‘Cause these words are knives that often leave scars The fear of falling apart |
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Jayspurr
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Post by Orion Alim-Verdi on Feb 20, 2018 16:38:37 GMT -8
Dasha gingerly took the box that was handed to her, looking over it carefully for a moment before unwrapping it. Oh, yeah that- … yeah that totally made sense now that shew as unwrapping it (and maybe noticing what everyone else was unwrapping as well). Dasha twisted one of the earrings around in her hand testing the weight and form.
Marcie's assessment caught her ears and had her glancing sideways for a few seconds before looking back again. Jazz had thousands of people's lives in his hands. That wasn't fucking terrifying given this crowd, oh yeah totally not. She… might have bitten the inside of her mouth harder than necessary and was vaguely regretting it now. Maybe she'd grab one of those cookies from the plate that she'd set down on the floor and just….. eat that yeah.
Orion, meanwhile, had raised his eyebrow pretty high as the box was shoved at him. Looking around at everyone else's gifts, he almost asked if he was getting a very large jewelry set too but- It's not what you think- huh? Oh yeah? What was he thinking? Wait what oh holy- Orion was laughing sharp and loud. Oh man. This was also going on the man cave wall, and no one was going to stop him. The mixer had him smiling a little softer and giving a simple nod. This was much a present for him as a present for Jazz considering the numerous things that would get put in the kitchen refrigerator as a consequence of this, heh. "Thankya," he snorted softly.
Dasha jolted slightly at Orion's outburst but was able to react a little faster to taking the present for Alex right after. Her eyebrow raised, her gaze flickering to Nik before she shrugged again. Right, yeah…
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Trainer
Don't get too close, it's dark inside. |
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Elayne
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Post by Jazz Johnson on Feb 21, 2018 15:51:23 GMT -8
Jazz smiled at Sera's thanks and briefly shook his head. "No, thank you~," he murmured, his voice sounding slightly suggestive. Maybe he was feeling more comfortable now but well, if Sera hadn't talked him down he would still be upstairs. For that, he was pretty grateful and a little relieved that she liked the present. Dasha's reaction didn't give away much but it at least looked like she liked the present? That was good, right? Hopefully. At Marcie's comment, Jazz got a little flustered and rubbed the back of his neck. The jewelry hadn't been super spendy but it clearly wasn't made of plastic either. Still, having it pointed out was rather uncomfortable and he was grateful that Mia piped up in his defense. " 'ey, c'mon. 'm good at meh job. Yal dun needta worry 'r nuthin'," Jazz murmured, feeling a little self-conscious that he would have to defend what he did. Ugh, why was this a thing? Couldn't they just have fun? Please? Mia's response to the pun had Jazz grinning again. He knew she would like that pun even if he didn't exactly have another present to give now. Nik's reaction... wasn't exactly what he'd hoped for but then again, Jazz hadn't known the night would go to shit either. "...sorry man, thought you'd enjoy it," Jazz murmured briefly at the leer. Arceus they felt about the size of ant right then. Fuck this... why had they agreed to do this in the first place? Right. Mia's arm. It had sounded like a good idea at the time but, sigh. Well, at least Nik thanked them for it which elicited a weak smile from Jazz. Yeah... well, he had tried. Orion's reaction to the Eelektross however was exactly what Jazz had thought it would be. Good. At least he'd managed to make his favorite cuz happy. Smiling more now, Jazz nodded at the thanks and made a small gesture to the cookies. "You have no idea how tempted I was to just... give that to you early. Guess this means you'll just have to make more later~,"Jazz teased slightly, moving to the couch and pulling his knees up to his chest as Dasha took the present for this Alex person. Right. Could he not be the center of attention now? That would be great.
ulla
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Pokémon League
Fighting-Type Gym Leader
SOMEONE CHALLENGE MY GYM ALREADY |
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Yumi
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Post by Mia Kearney on Feb 22, 2018 1:22:18 GMT -8
Well if Jazz was sure it was 'no biggie', Marcie supposed she could be comfortable accepting the gift, briefly holding the jewellery up against her ears and neck to try and get a feel for them, and maybe glancing around for a reflective surface should she find one or not. She felt the ear rings were a little big for her taste, but she made no physical signs that she didn't like them, they'd just quietly go in her jewellery box never to be seen again. The necklace however might have seen some use, which let Marcie offer Jazz a bright smile in thanks before putting them away.
As Nik opened their present the mood between the two guests dimmed briefly, but it thankfully didn't last when Orion opened his, Marcie full blown snickering behind her palm as she tried not to burst into a giggle fit, while Mia gave in and giggled her way through the present opening. "I have to wonder if Mr. Fish will enjoy that or be mortified!~"
With the presents all but done, Marcie took in the room around her to try and gauge how everyone was. Jazz seemed to be the biggest outlier, curling into himself, but mostly things were either 'dim' or good now, and she needed to get home for...a tsunami of reasons now. With a slow breath through her nose she slid off the arm of the couch and rounded the back of it, not wanting to force Orion to stand from Nik and giving him a light one armed hug from behind.
"Well, if the presents are all shared, I think I must be going. Thank you for being a wonderful pair of hosts." She briefly considered showing Nik a physical form of gratitude too, but from here a handshake wasn't viable and a hair ruffle seemed patronizing...she just gave them a light pat on the shoulder and started to collect her presents, carefully holding them in one arm as she pulled out Dusknoir's Pokeball, stepping away from the main section of the room to release the Anthropophobic ghost Pokemon and handing him the gifts instead to be carried, just getting ready to depart if no one stopped her as the Dusknoir backed itself into the corner, turning to bow her head to everyone. "It has been a lovely evening, I hope you enjoy your gifts.~"
"Aaaah I'm pretty chuffed with mine.~" Mia, not knowing Marcie, had no qualms about her leaving, especially given she had made it clear she had stuff to sort out and, now, a fang wound to have seen to. Mia's eyes shifted mainly to Jazz, pouting a little as he pulled in his legs. She'd give Nik a light peck on the cheek, shifting up and away and sliding behind Jazz, giving them a light hug from behind and just holding them for a minute, not making a big fuss or drawing attention, just making sure he was okay.
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Civilian
I can't help it, I'm a babbling idiot. Please kiss me quick, 'cause I need to feel it~ |
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY 🌸 SG 🌸
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Post by Nikolai Laska on Feb 23, 2018 15:05:24 GMT -8
Nik felt vaguely nauseous as they realized how much everyone seemed to pick up on their reaction, or lack of reaction, or whatever, and Jazz's apology kind of made them want to throw up. Like...??? They smiled? They said thank you? They were very polite and tried to express gratitude? Fucking forgive them for not breaking down in tears of joy apparently. They forgot they were strictly obligated to never be even vaguely dissatisfied with anything.
And like...?? If Nik knew Sera-- and they did-- she was every bit as ambivalent as they were. Not that they blamed her, but they were a bit annoyed that no one else picked up on that yet all got awkward toward them. Even now, Nik could tell the sweet smile Sera had given Jazz in response to his almost flirty tone was entirely forced and fake, but doubted anyone else would.
Orion's present was amazing, and they genuinely loved that, but by that point it kind of emphasized what level of care and attention had gone into Mia's and Orion's gifts, while Mia and Sera and Dasha were all pretty much 'girls like jewelry right??' and Nik was a combination of that and 'you like some kind of art right???' Nik kind of would have expected Jazz to know them a little better after living together for months, or that he would have thought to ask Orion for advice, and guessed technically this did qualify as "a little" better but... Fuck it, maybe Nik was the problem. Maybe they were just an ungrateful piece of shit who couldn't appreciate the thought behind a gift or put aside their own tired feelings enough to be a decent host and--
Marcie don't touch them fuck. Nik's shoulder immediately recoiled as it was touched. They kind of wanted to hide in bed for a week after this Arceus-forsaken disaster of a party and there were only two people whose touch would be appreciated right-- *three people, Nik mentally corrected as Jasna jumped into their lap and squinted in an 'I'm watching you' way at Marcie. Welp, with Mia focusing on Jazz being a fucking pissbaby about other people having emotions that weren't exactly what he personally wanted and shutting down over people daring to not sing his praises for breathing, apparently, one of Nik's arms stayed against Orion and the other held Jasna close and pet her gently.
Sigh... Jasna did make them feel a bit better, but Marcie leaving so soon and Nik having zero chance to talk to her or do anything that might help them mentally humanize her throughout the whole party had them honestly about as upset as the entirety of the Niso bullshit, and debatably even moreso given at least the latter got sorted for the most part. They'd had such strong hopes of using this night to help with that, in part as more gift to Orion, but now if anything they only felt more offput by her existence and ugh. "Have a safe trip home," they uttered mechanically.
Sera had taken her seat again, and briefly waved to Marcie as she headed out, but mostly focused on nomming her snacks quietly. She didn't want to cause a fuss... though...? Nikki didn't seem very happy; for as much as they were clearly doing their best to look neutral, Sera could feel the slow downward spiral going on inside more distinctly than the feelings of everyone else due to the most familiarity with Nik. So... "Should the rest of us be heading out soon, or did you want to try to do anything else?" she asked, trying to give Nik an out.
They shrugged. "Whatever at this point..." The put so much work into the decorations and stuff but... hhh. "I'd planned we could maybe watch a Christmas movie or play charades or like..." Their face tinged a bit as they more muttered. "Maybe.. dance to the music or decorate some stupid ornaments I picked up or something." All of which sounded so stupid and trivial now. "Think we're all pretty tired now though..."
Sera couldn't tell if that was more 'I still wanna do these things but don't think anyone would now' or just 'I swear I'm not a bad host, there was at least intent to be good even if I don't want to anymore', but looked around for others to react before making any kind of suggestion herself.
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