[Mojave]

From outside the tavern a taxi came to a skidding stop, the passenger side rear door flying open before it had fully ceased moving. From the back seat a tall lithe young man leaped, easily keeping his feet on the ice. Behind him the open door closed with a loud clack just as the wheels of the taxi came to a full stop. Blinking momentarily, the driver looked at the back of his passenger, shrugged, and drove away.

For his own part, Diego was examining the exterior of the tavern- all the people who would have been waiting outside for it to open were already inside it seemed. He'd tried to make it in time for the first day, but he hadn't even known where to find the place until after 7pm. Then he had to get ready, catch a taxi, and wouldn't you know it, traffic had been quite congested (not the term he actually used) so he was just now making it. Over half an hour late. He sighed with resignation, adjusted his winter coat, ran his left hand through his spiky black streaked orange hair, and summoned his party smile. Mismatched eyes continued to take in the decor with appreciation as he entered the tavern. This was going to be fun.

[Adelie]

There were plenty of weird folks here, for lack of a better word - bedecked in outfits outlandish enough to look like costumes, or really confused tourists. It made her wonder if she'd picked up an invitation meant for someone else, but she distinctly, absolutely, most definitely recalled seeing her name on the envelope.

She wouldn't have picked it up otherwise. This time of year, there were far too many circulars and scams for her to read her mail half the time.

But it certainly seemed like there must've been a mistake, or at least a miscommunication; this party was no place for an overworked teaching assistant.

[Silver]

Christmas. Right. It was the time of year where people she barely knew demanded her attention in the form of her presence at various places. She really did not think she had enough friends to warrant so many invitations, but she did feel obligated to accept them nonetheless. Even one party was probably one too many. Nonetheless, she baked a sweet treat, wrapped it up nicely, and brought it along with her to see out her invitation.

Silver was rarely properly dressed for the occasion, but she felt especially out of place at this party. Is this what Christmas parties were supposed to look like? She didn't think so, but she didn't want to say as much. The last thing she wanted was to look even more out of place. She placed her goodies down on a table and wandered around, hoping she would bump into someone she recognized.

[SpringsSong]

The number of people present was the first surprise, though, in retrospect, Xyshari and Lana shouldn't have been as surprised as they were. They had been here the year before, and there had been just as many people there before.

"Lana, look at this!" Xyshari said, tugging her wife along towards one of the tables that had refreshments set up. "These are the kinds of things we never got at the Temple because we didn't need these sorts of things - I wonder what this drink is?" Xyshari said, picking up a mug and taking a long drink from it.

"Well?" Lana asked, reaching for one.

"Well, it's not hot chocolate, but it's good!" Xyshari exclaimed, looking around for the mysterious proprietor. "Excuse me! What is this fabulous drink?" she asked.

[Freezair]

The snow was freshly fallen, and Scrabble was in high spirits. Certainly, his toes were frozen and the tip of his tail felt like it was about to fall off, and he was much too big to fit inside the warm, cozy dance floor--but he could still hear the thumping music outside, and he could awkwardly dance to warm himself up. And there was still hot chocolate available outdoors.

His brother had promised to go inside and bring him a present, too. So, for now, despite his epic size and the cold, he was content.

[zapdragon555]

The blond man's answer didn't sit well with Karl, but he knew it wouldn't do to keep pressing it, so instead he hunkered down and sat very still in his seat. There were a few waiters and waitresses milling about, so he was sure they'd reach them soon...

Karl didn't know how much tension he'd been holding in his shoulders until Johan's light touch brushed some of it away. He let out a quiet 'yeep!' sound in the very back of his throat and looked down at the menu, picking it up and putting his nose in it.

Johan watched him for a moment, then let out a small sigh through his nose, leaning his chin on his hand and peering around the bar. If Karl wouldn't engage him, he'd go people-watching instead.

[Claiming Dec 15th]

[Jaykobell]

Clovis had been rather unhappy when he and Hark had returned from this place the day before, and he had wondered why. A dance party hardly seemed like such a bad thing, especially when they could potentially earn some free money that was much needed for their travels.

But even he had to admit he could understand the grumpy reaction. The lights and the music were rather overwhelming — but granted, in his lifetime, he had experienced raves that were much more eccentric than this. This one was definitely unique, though.

Still, he could feel the tense Fenling walking at his feet. "Are you okay?" he asked, looking down at the Fenling.

The small mammal looked ready to run, her fur standing on end and her eyes showing the self-control she practiced to stay here. This is extremely unpleasant, she complained.

He chuckled sheepishly. "I guess it must be even louder for you with those ears, huh?" The Fenling shot him a warning stare, and he put his hands to his chest. "Don't worry! We just have to stick around until we get their free prize for today," he promised. "And then we'll leave."

Her glare remained. I expect your words to be the truth, Sergio, she threatened; and the few times the Fenling expressed clear feelings made sure to get her message across clearly. Or I will displace us away from this place myself.

[crow]

"Come on, Gin. It won't be that bad. You've been showing him the ropes behind the bar, haven't you?" Alex said. He'd found them a seat fairly removed from the hubbub. Maybe their choice was ironic considering their lines of work, but sometimes you wanted a break from all the excitement, especially if it was what you did for a living. Alex knew Xinyi felt the same way, though maybe not Soda; he seemed to live for it, even when it left him dead tired at 6 AM at the end of a long day at the Goblin.

Xinyi made a face. "Yeah, so I know exactly where he's going to go wrong," they said.

Alex arched a brow. "It's going that badly?"

Xinyi's grimace became more... nuanced, a wince beneath the layers of exasperation. "He's trying, but... you know how he is. And you can't charm a drink, or make it better by sheer force of enthusiasm, if you don't know how to do basic measurements."

"Ah," said Alex. There was a story there, but he didn't need to ask. He could imagine the scene for himself. "Well, maybe I'll just nurse a glass of water toni---"

"Alex!"

Speak of the devil, Alex supposed. They both turned in the direction of the voice, unmistakable even over the music. Soda was running at them--- for better or for worse, without drinks. "You are not going to believe who I just ran into!"

"This'll be good," said Xinyi. Alex couldn't tell whether they were being sarcastic or not. For his own part, he merely inclined his head at Soda, who stopped short at their table, grinning wide.

"Remember that guy who was hitting on you the other night after your set?"

[Sarah]

Sevastion huffed a sigh. There were so many people. He scanned the crowd again and his eyes fell on Zli. The Demon was dancing without a care in the world. Sev rolled his eyes even as a smile graced his lips. Ridiculous. The only reason he was in this loud dark place was because Zli had begged to come once the invitation had shown up.

A chuckle escaped him at the memory and he quickly covered it with a cough. Raziel shifted at his side. There was a question in the air but Sev was content to let it sit.

[Jessari]

Dinoon huffed a sigh and settled his head down on his paws. Ghost watching could be a bore sometimes, but tonight wasn't too bad, he guessed.

As he watched, feet and ankles occasionally passed his hiding spot. He started to keep count of how many women walked by in high heels, and how many could actually do it without wobbling. If he was female and bipedal, which thankfully he was neither, there would be no way he would wear something that looked so painful!

[FrostWynd]

"Hmmm...." Tenebrae would continue to stare down the envelope for a few more moments, but no actual answers to his predicament would be forthcoming from it. As to be expected, he supposed...

"Bah, whatever...!" Finally he grew tired of it, and would just toss the thing somewhere haphazardly as he felt pretty convinced that he didn't actually need it. Despite how ridiculous the party's setup was in theory, and eye burning some of the intense colors were, there were still a couple of things that did still somehow catch his attention. Namely the food would pique his curiosity, but did he also hear something about free gifts? Well now that just convinced him further to see about sticking around for a little while.

[Kylo]

"Thank you!" He shouted before he dashed over to the tables. He greedily scooped up a fist full of cookies and scampered off to a secluded corner to munch on them happily. He crunched on them noisily and messily before deciding that he needed a drink. Carrying his remaining cookies he set out to scrounge up a glass of punch or milk. Whatever he could find that preferably was cold and sweet. It was warm enough in here to not warrant hot chocolate or tea.

[Adelie]

If she were going to be stuck here, summoned against her will to some esoteric party hosted and attended by people she had no connection to and no desire to connect to, she could at least help herself to something to eat.

Unfortunately, everything here seemed, well - themed. Making her way over to the snacks section and picking up the most viable article of food she could find - a simple cookie, iced in florescent colors that seemed rather inedible - and nibbled it apprehensively.

It was good, she had to admit.

[Silver]

The Advent event happened around the same time every year, but she never managed to remember it ahead of time. For once, she was actually looking forward to relaxing at the party. It was weird the first few times, getting together with a ton of people she didn't really know, but she did eventually grow to like it.

Syra took a step backwards when she opened the door. Between the lights, music, and decor, it was really intense. For some reason she was expecting something more... calming? She really didn't want to leave without giving it a try, so she shook off the weird feeling and headed inside.

Syra wandered around the room for a few minutes and realized that she didn't feel that chatty after all. It wasn't like she ever knew anyone at these sort of things, even after coming to a few. She decided to sit down at the bar and try whatever they were offering.

[zapdragon555]

He just didn't understand how Johan could go out in public in such a way without so much as an inkling of nervousness. Did the man feel fear? Karl would never know, because such a question would probably receive some kind of infuriating answer that got them nowhere. This place was far enough away, too, he supposed, that it was unlikely anyone had seen Johan's face in the news. Even if he looked a bit different now, with a year or so of age and some slightly longer hair, there was still no mistaking those eyes.

Karl found himself staring at Johan's lashes out the corner of his eye, then sighed through his nose. He wondered how Lotte and Nina were doing...

"There's a rule at this bar," Johan said quietly, startling Karl out of his daze. "Whoever starts a fight gets thrown out. If anyone comes for us... I'm sure the owner will take care of it.

Karl blinked owlishly at that, but felt a small, uncertain smile tug his mouth. "Yeah?" he murmured softly, wondering about that. The bar did seem amicable. He took a long, deep breath, held it, and let it out, picking up his menu with a little more assuredness. "Alright, then. We deserve a moment to relax, don't we?"

"I'm not sure about deserve," Johan murmured cryptically, and Karl's smile fell ever so slightly, putting his focus on the names of food and drinks in front of him.

[Claiming Dec. 16]
(Also if anyone wants to interact with these two they can, but please do put a sort of "@Zap" at the end or beginning of your post so I can tell!)