pawnstorm | [open] jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock.

Who: Gilgamesh and everyone! A group holiday party for the "Most Wonderful Time of the Year" job.
When: Forward dated to December 7th or so.
Where: Heaven's Feel, Caissa
What: Gilgamesh and friends are getting into the holiday spirit, and you're invited! Join for gifts, grog, mistletoe and more.
Rating: There will probably be drunken shenanigans going on, thus PG-13 to be safe.

Happy Holidays!

[The holidays are in full swing at Heaven's Feel! Brightly lit trees and ornaments litter the store, with warm fires blazing, gentle music playing and mistletoe strung from every available spot on the ceiling. The ostentatious host stands at the ready to attend every need and ensure everyone has a match of their very own this holiday season—including you!

Generous portions of hot chocolate, gingerbread cookies, and wine are being offered free of charge to all guests. These delights are enchanted to fill you with an extra dose of courage, so be bold! Go after your crush, engage a complete stranger, or just do something really crazy to celebrate the joyous occasion. 'tis the season to be jolly, after all.

The sprigs of mistletoe have been charmed by Gilgamesh to encourage smooching. The urge to pucker up beneath them will be strong, so watch where you stand! If you look beneath the big tree in the center of the store, you'll find a gift addressed to you. It could be an article of clothing, a ticket for free services, or even something more personal!

Naturally, Heaven's Feel matchmaking services are always available, so feel free to fill out a card while you're here or just get cozy by the fireplace. Merry Cherima, everyone!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Archer hasn't actively participated in winter festivities in years. In fact, he's been separated from all of it for such a long time that it's difficult for him to even remember what it was like when he was young.

Big gatherings and parties aren't really his thing, but he was invited so he came. He doesn't mingle very much, but he does sip on some hot chocolate and muse quietly by the fire -- which is where she will find him, actually.

He looks up when she greets him. ]

Regina.

So you're yourself once again.

[ She could have a bit more tact, considering. Considering that "Archer" clearly wasn't his name--Shirou. But out of similar circumstances when it came to alternate names and given the fact Archer wasn't fortunate to make it out of battle, she refrains. Still, she has some concern for his well-being. Being killed can't be pleasant -- being dragged to the Otherworld and having an eye taken isn't pleasant, either. ]

Are you well?

[ It's good enough. Had she called him by name, his reaction would have been less than pleasant. As it is, he accepts the comment at face value. She did see him die, and she did see him as a child (which he thankfully isn't any longer). Nothing else needs to be read into it. ]

Well enough.

[ He had some time to come to grips with the experience, so to speak. There's no need to discuss it further, in his view. ]

I wouldn't have expected you here.

I was wondering what the commotion would be.

[ For once, she can say she's glad for someone's wellbeing, beyond her usual circle. Either it didn't seem to phase him at all or he hid it well enough.

It didn't matter, she wouldn't pry. ]

Winter is usually not a happy time, not like this in Briton.

[ Well, there is a Santa-style Gilgamesh roaming around so there's quite a bit of fuss going on this evening. Archer suppresses a sigh. ]

A little too much, I think.

[ Parties really aren't his thing. ]

Survival is more important there, I take it.

Just a bit, but who am I to judge.

[ If anything, she's come to the conclusion this holiday is pretty obnoxious and that's from the decorations alone. ]

Outside of our own wars and invaders, yes, it is, for you see, winters are harsh. The days are short and we do what we can to stay warm as well as pray that we have enough food until spring.

[ Archer's trying not to judge, but every once in a while he sees something that makes him question his own decision to stay here. It seems he isn't the only one like that. ]

It's frivolous, but I expect nothing ill is meant by it.

[ People are just trying to have a good time; he supposes it's a good thing that they can. ]

This place must be strange to you.

I would certainly hope so. Although, I may not stay for longer, myself. I really never cared for loud gatherings.

[ So far, so good. In Eire, kings and nobles have their hostages in banquet halls for others to see as a display of their power and might. This is... nothing in comparison. ]

Not really.

[ Aside from all the technological advances- ]

When you are taken by a foreign force and held against your will, the... [ She pauses in her mind to consider her words. ] Second time isn't that odd. At least we can speak to each other rather than learn to read and write another language.

[ That may be for the best, considering the host is prowling around here somewhere. The hostess, at least, would likely be polite.

He lets out a soft hum. ]

You desire to return home.

[ What she says seems to indicate as much, but vague as it is, he seems to recall her saying something to that effect when he was cursed in childhood. ]

What I told you wasn't a lie, yes. Yes, I do.

[ It's only natural she leave out details about it, it leads into another conversation she doesn't want to discuss or remember. ]

It's not a pleasant feeling, waking up in a foreign land, learning the culture, politics, or the people. We should be lucky! Enprise seems to be at least gentler, despite the circumstances of the war with Noir.

[ It's strange to hear, though there may very well be a large contingent of Heroes drawn from other worlds who wish to return home. For him, there is nothing he left behind that he desires to go back to so he would prefer to stay here. ]

It is more challenging for some than for others.

[ He adapted because he had no choice. It wasn't a particularly emotional experience. ]

Perhaps, sometime in the future, they will send you back.

[ She won't say she misses her mother and how robbed she feels of the time she could have spent with her. She couldn't be raised by her mother, she had to be sent away. That seems to be the theme of her life, she thinks. ]

It doesn't matter, I've learned by now it's not important to get my hopes up.

[ Even if it's been three years for her. ]

It's difficult the first few years, yes. But Enprise offers a comfortable enough life to where it makes that transition easy.

[ He was robbed of many things, once. He suffered, but even as he strove to rise above it, he was also critically flawed. Perhaps his worst failure was that he could never see what he had until it was too late to change it. ]

When hope appears lost, there is nothing for it but to make our own.

[ Something he also fared quite poorly at (and still does). It's a work in progress, which is all he can really say about his own state of affairs. ]

Fight for that, if not yourself.

Well, that's encouraging.

[ Half sarcastic, half serious. It's not too hard to find anyone who shares a similar sentiment to hers, especially in a war zone. He seemed so hopeful and happy as a little boy; it's not a surprise to her that it's been weathered down.

It's still not her place to pry as to why that is. ]

Even if your heart is in the right place, I hardly need the advice. I don't depend on anyone. Everything that I've done so far has been by my hands and mine alone. If no one was there to free me, then I will be the one to free myself.

[ A wry smile -- that's a little too much information, isn't it? Maybe not. She lets out a laugh, either way, despite herself. ]

"Hope" isn't really reality sometimes.

[ There are many reasons why a happy, hopeful child became a surly Heroic Spirit. He hasn't disclosed them to anyone here, and he may never do so. He owns his own mistakes so there's no reason to drag up the past.

Her comments, sarcastic or not, simply earn a quirked eyebrow. ]

I didn't say it was.

[ He has to work for his own, after all. ]

We all do what we need to, to live.

[ A hopeless existence can at least find purpose in goals and direction -- or at least, that's how he's kept himself sane. ]

[open] jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock.

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