nexus_crossings | Ho Ho Ho! Happy HP Holidays!

There is something different about the Nexus this Christmas season. There is a light snow falling over the entire Nexus plaza. The snow is gentle, with no real coldness to the falling snow flakes. As one approaches the main gathering area, they will notice that there are many Christmas decorations, including garland hanging from the air, and there are twelve towering decorated Christmas trees, some sparkling with tiny icicles, some glittering with hundreds of candles. There are also thousands of floating tiny candles in the Nexus plaza, that gently move at their own discretion.

In one corner, there is an orchestra, directed by a Dwarf. All of the musicians are playing music on instruments made from ice. In the center of the Nexus plaza, is a huge banquet table, loaded with holiday foods and treats that showcases a variety of food from different cultures, and some of the different worlds that gather into the Nexus itself. The main delight of the banquet table is that magic can make the food replenish itself, meaning Christmas dinner never has to end. Most will be able to find something they would enjoy. With the added perk that the food is LOL-free.

There are some added little Christmas adventures, for those who get caught up in the holidays. Here are some of the extra options for the Holiday season.

Secret Santa!
There is an added bonus to the Secret Santa gifts this year. The presents will deliver themselves! There are tons of wrapped gifts floating through the air, destined to only drop when they reach the person to which they are intended. Please note that not all gifts will be given in the spirit of the season. There are a few prank gifts floating around too. Be sure to watch out for them!

Christmas Crackers!
There are Christmas crackers scattered among the tables, and in amongst the branches of the trees. They are decorated with festive paper that is twisted at either end like a sweet wrapper. Inside of the tube are prizes, and some contain Muggle prizes such as a paper hat, a plastic toy, and a slip of paper with a joke printed on it. But the rare person will receive a unique, peculiar magical prize, and will envelop everyone nearby in a cloud of blue smoke.

Weasley Sweaters!
Time to try your luck at the Christmas Sweater bin. There is a large rotating clothing rack that seems to have an endless supply of them. Each one more Festive than the last! Pick one and show your Christmas spirit for the rest of the day.

Enchanted Mistletoe!
Be warned Nexus traveler, the Nargles** have hung enchanted Mistletoe all around the plaza. If an unlucky person steps underneath the Mistletoe, they will find that they are magically stuck to the spot, until they can find someone to kiss them. Of course, the kiss can be platonic, familial, or even romantic. For a few unfortunate people, the kiss may be the last thing they would want to do... but it is that or be stuck in the same spot for the rest of the season.

**Nargle Wiki
[Click Here for information on the HP Holiday Event!]
[Your character is free to give other Christmas gifts to people they care about -- HOWEVER, please do not deliver your Secret Santa gift. That will be handled by the Secret Santa moderator. Please post details on your Secret Santa gift in this post please.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Sitting is good. Amelia nods and slowly pulls back so they can make their way over to the nearest table. She exhales a silent sigh as she sits down, and looks over at Harley with a shy smile.

"I never expected something like this from a party. You're..." She hesitates for a moment. Words are going to be hard all night for her, aren't they? "You're very kind for being so gentle with me." And an amazing kisser, but how does she say that without sounding more awkward than she already does?

Harley is watching Amelia carefully. Treading on those eggshells, just in case the other woman starts to show signs of stress.

But the compliment gets a smile out of her. "You said you only kissed someone twice before. I didn't want to be... too passionate with you."

It's not stress so much as being overwhelmed. She's kissed people before, but they never kissed her back.

"Passionate?" The answer surprises the rogue a little. "I don't understand what you mean. There are different ways of kissing, true, but how can one be more passionate than another?" Oh how many things she still has yet to learn.

"Oh Amelia..." Harley laughs softly. Where does she begin to explain. She is not sure she is the best person to even start this conversation.

"I am a very passionate person. And our kiss... was me holding back expressing any of that passion."

Amelia's a passionate person, too, but she's also a very inexperienced one when it comes to any kind of physical contact. She wishes Harley would explain more of what she means, because she wants to understand.

"I didn't... do anything wrong, did I? To make you hold back like that?" Self conscious and critical so she is, this is an important thing for her to ask.

"Oh no Amelia... you didn't do anything wrong. Promise."

Harley plays with her hair for a moment. "I just didn't want to accidentally upset you, Amelia. Your friendship means the world to me."

"Oh."

For a moment, Amelia's not sure how to respond to that. It's not often people call her their friend or talk about their appreciation of her and their friendship. This all new territory for her and yes but exciting and terrifying.

"Thank you," she says softly, looking down at her feet, her cheeks flushing again. "That... that means a lot to me, that you think so highly of me." A beat as a slow, shy smile touches her lips. "I value you, too."

Harley reaches out to take Amelia's hand in her own. And smiles softly.

"I am glad to hear that. I look forward to our time together."

She jumps at the touch to her hand. She doesn't need comfort right now, so why does Harley want to hold it? Nothing about this makes sense in her mind, but it feels... good, and Harley's hand is warm even through her glove. To her own surprise, she doesn't want her hand back right now.

So when Harley smiles at her, Amelia can't help the way her own brightens.

"Me too." She takes a breath, needing it more than she realized a moment ago. "Maybe after the new year comes we can start our training routine? Unless you still need to find a place to live. We could start with that, instead."

Edited 2017-12-18 00:19 (UTC)

"Steve offered to give me a tour of the Nexus apartment he is currently renting. He is looking for a bigger place. And it might work out that I could live there..."

"It is close by. And we can visit often."

"It's a very cozy space. Lots of light and easy to warm or cool depending on the time of year." She's certainly been over there enough to know.

The idea that they could see one another often is one Amelia likes a lot, though. Her fingers unconsciously tighten around Harley's and her smile pulls a little wider. "My room's not really built for visiting, but I'd be happy to host you sometime if you'd like. Or I could come visit you. Steve's place is the perfect size for two people to spend a day visiting in."

"We could get a good couch, cuddle up together, and watch some movies together." Harley grins. She leans into Amelia just a little.

"Movies are good. I've only seen a couple and I know there's--"

Wait a second. Did Harley just say... cuddle?

If they're keeping score for how many times Harley can make Amelia blush in a night, she's already beaten out her previous record at Halloween.

"Ahh, maybe not the cuddling part. That's... a lot more touching than I'm used to."

Harley glances down at their hands, which still entwined. Even that counts as cuddling in her books. Then gives Amelia a smile.

"Whatever makes you comfortable, Amelia."

The little look makes Amelia self conscious enough to take her hand back gingerly.

"Movies, chocolate, popcorn, and maybe some ginger ale and pizza if we're watching more than one?"

Once Amelia takes her own hands back, Harley places her hands in her lap.

"That sounds perfect."

Plans like these are her favorite kind. There will be snacks, a friend, and experiencing new things together. She smiles brightly at Harley and nods.

"Then it's a plan. Whenever you're ready, come find me at my inn. I'll be there."

"I did find my PINpoint!" Harley mentions. She pulls it out from her bra, where it was nestled safely.

"I can officially put you into my contact list now."

Amelia's going to avoid talking about what Harley's doing to get to her PINpoint out and instead dig her phone out of one of her pouches.

"I'll send you a message now so you can have my number." She smiles at Harley and then sends her a simple text:

This is Amelia. Let me know when you're ready for our movie day. I'm always available to you.

After she pushes send, she waits a moment and then looks up at Harley. "Did you get it?"

"Got it!" Harley cheers slightly. And then saves Amelia as the 'Ravishing Rogue' in her contact list.

"Perfect." She smiles brightly, oblivious to the nickname she's been given. "I can hardly wait for our movie day."

Ho Ho Ho! Happy HP Holidays!

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