nexus_crossings | Ho Ho Ho! Happy HP Holidays!

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.]

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He nods slowly, the words echoing his own thoughts, the way his crew - his friends - have so quickly become this important to him. He wouldn't be here now if it wasn't for them, in so many ways.

"That's the plan."

He finishes off what little remains of his food, picking up his glass before he remembers it's empty. "You'd think a place like this would have stronger drinks," he says, covering up the momentary error with a weak smile. "Guess they don't count on people like us."

Steve watches Jim and quirks a bit of a smile. He still hasn't fully begun to paint a picture of just how much is troubling the captain but he knows more than enough to make mention of it. Instead, he'll get up from the table and make a point of slipping his shield back across his back.

Time to go.

"Come on. I know just the thing."

Really? Jim looks up in actual interest and curiosity. Yeah, this is probably enabling bad habits, but fuck it, he knows when to stop and he doesn't particularly want to be stone-cold sober right now. Even just tipsy would be better than this.

Besides, he could do with getting away from the buffet tables anyway. Seeing that much food just sitting around is making him antsy.

"I keep meaning to explore this place more," he says, as he gets up to follow Steve. "Things... keep coming up."

"Well, the last time I was there I wasn't really able to imbibe. All the stuff there probably would have killed me at the time."

Steve snorts slightly as he leads the Starfleet captain through the plaza at a leisurely pace. His hands have slipped into his jeans pockets as he walks in a small attempt to block out some of the cold. It hunches his shoulders up a bit.

"Blaze-37 and Ghost showed me this place a while ago. Good friends of mine and with constitutions human can only dream of, usually." The name of the little tavern isn't in any language Steve can read but judging by the vaguely risque image it's printed atop of, it's probably dirty.

Most of the patrons are decidedly Not Human but it's quiet tonight for whatever reason. Steve is careful to ask for a recommendation that would be acceptable for an organic to consume and is met with a decidedly electronic laugh before the waitress disappears. When she comes back it's with a pair of glasses containing a bright red liquid that smells strongly of....not quite cinnamon but close.

Steve picks up his glass and clinks it against Jim's.

"To adventure and discovery."

Jim tugs the collar of his jacket a little higher around his neck as they leave the relative warmth of the decorated area of the plaza. At least there's no wind howling through the area at the moment, so a brief walk to this tavern is not too much of a hardship. The inside of the building is a welcome refuge nonetheless, and Jim gives the room a visual sweep as they enter. It's a lot less rowdy than a lot of the bars he used to frequent in his younger years, but there's a certain vibe they all seem to have, the familiarity putting him a little more at ease.

Now that he can see what kind of patrons this place tends to draw, he can understand why Blaze and Ghost would be the ones to introduce Steve to a tavern like this. And when the drinks arrive, he takes a whiff of his own glass. It certainly smells drinkable by human standards, and Steve doesn't seem to have any concerns about its safety, so that's good enough for him.

He taps his glass against Steve's. "To better days ahead." He hopes, anyway.

The liquor tastes much like it smells, a smooth burn with odd spices he can't quite identify, the sharp bite of alcohol layered under the initial taste. "Not bad," he decides, after taking a moment to mull it over.

"If it gets the job done, I won't complain about the taste. This is pretty alright though."

Jim gets a sly grin from Steve before he takes another bigger sip of his drink. Sets the glass down. Offers a content sigh. He won't have too many out here tonight. Steve wants to be on guard if something comes up.

"I think you made yourself a fan back at my place. Sarah gets excited anytime I even mention you."

Steve is more than welcome to drink just enough to be sociable. Jim isn't quite slamming his down and asking for another, but he fully intends to have enough to make a difference, enough that his problems don't seem to weigh so heavily on him. To that end, he takes a deeper drink before letting it settle a little, trying to get a sense of just how much he can handle.

He looks up at the mention of Sarah, smiling faintly. "I'll have to hang out again sometime, then. Wouldn't wanna disappoint her." It's easy to like animals, especially friendly dogs - or doglike critters, anyway. "Maybe she could come along when we go running."

After everything that happened on Halloween, Steve want's to make damn sure he can get up and fight at a moment's notice and sadly that means being sober to do it. But he can enjoy a drink or two slowly over the course of some time chatting with Jim.

"Don't wait up for me." Steve nods at Jim's drink before giving the captain a small smile and a wink. "I'll be sober caddy if you want to enjoy yourself."

Jim's smile at the mention of Sarah makes his own grow.

"She'd love that. Plus, having her with in the winter means not having to worry about icy pathways." Steve points over his glass then and chuckles. "It's usually not a problem but I've been sending her on ahead to clear the path when I go running."

As good as it would be to get properly drunk with someone, it's actually reassuring to have somebody watching his back like this, for once. Having a 'designated driver' is one hell of a novelty for him, but what the hell, most people only live once, right? Jim salutes Steve with the glass, not quite setting it down just yet, periodically imbibing as the minutes crawl on.

"Right, the fire breathing thing." That's still kind of amazing to him, and definitely something he'd like to see in action. "Don't you end up running through puddles?"

"That's right, you haven't seen her in action yet."

Steve grins over the hand he's propping his chin in. It's no trouble at all really. In most situations Steve doesn't really have a choice but to take the job since he can't get drunk most of the time. Tonight, however, it's entirely by choice. He doesn't think there will be any trouble but he'd rather be on guard all the same.

Plus, he thinks it might sit better with Jim too if there was someone on the lookout and ready to go if something did happen.

"Yeah, but it's winter. I'm running in boots anyway. Doesn't bother me any."

It certainly does. Jim may not have seen Steve in action either, but he hefts that shield like it's an extension of his arm, so that bodes well for his fighting skills on top of what Jim already knows. Besides, he's still got his phaser locked to stun, if something should happen.

He certainly hopes not. He's had more excitement than he could shake a whole bundle of sticks at, lately.

"Makes sense," he agrees. "Better than falling on your ass when you hit a patch of ice. I do not miss Iowa winters."

"Don't remind me. Brooklyn in the winter was a brutal place back in my time. Proper insulation and central heating are modern luxuries. Stuff I wouldn't want to give up now that I've got it."

Steve chuckles all the same into his drink. This is good. Nice, even. He's got Jim at least kind of relaxing. That's got to be a plus, right?

"When do you want to go running or training again? I'll invite you over for exercise and lunch."

Whether it's the company or the alcohol, which is slowly making its effects known, it's definitely better than sitting alone in some corner waiting for the next disaster to come along. "Yeah, I'm a fan too. Beats the hell out of having to burn shit to stay warm."

Jim gives the question some thought. Final exams have wrapped up for the year, bringing his post as a guest lecturer to a close. So he's going to have some free time. Assuming no new emergency crops up in the meantime, which... it's Starfleet, it happens sometimes. But he knows damn well that he's not going to be particularly social just after New Year's. Never is, for reasons obvious to anyone familiar with the Kirk family.

"Second week of January work for you?" His glass is getting low, so he catches the eye of the waitress and indicates that he'd like another. It's weird stuff, but weird isn't a bad thing, especially if it gets the job done.

Reasons Steve is unaware of in the least, but he doesn't pry. The captain's a busy man and even if he wasn't how he spends his free time is his business so long as it's not hurting anyone. Frankly, Steve's more than a little happy Jim's considering when to come back at all.

He needs more training buddies over here. Routine's too quiet like it is now. Steve misses his friends and comrades.

"I'll pencil you in. And mind I don't say anything about it or Sarah'll be waiting at the door for the last two days before you show up whining." He chuckles a bit at that and takes another sip of his own drink which is still about half full.

"While I'm making notes, anything in particular you'd want to eat or have to avoid?" There's nothing in Steve's face that says he's picked up on any of Jim's habits, not even from helping to spruce up Hunter's apartment. Just the earnest face of a guy trying to do right by his friend.

Jim smiles slightly as he imagines Sarah doing just that, and the greeting he would be likely to get after keeping her waiting so long. Dogs are good people, and it seems Pokemon aren't much different, as far as he can tell. "I won't spoil the surprise if you won't."

He pauses a moment at the question, trying to study Steve's face without being too obvious about it. But just like last time, with Hunter, there's nothing that points to this being a fishing expedition trying to lure out secrets he'd rather not think about ever again. Still, the answer's not an easy one, and Jim stalls a little for time by draining what's left of round one, sliding the empty glass to the edge of the table in exchange for the new full one that's been delivered. "I'm not really picky, but I am, uh, cutting back on meat lately. No bacon or pork or anything." There, that sounds neutral enough, right?

Steve nods, more than understanding. Just because he doesn't have to work hard at all to stay in this kind of shape doesn't mean everyone else has the same luxury. Whatever diet Jim's on Steve will be sure to accommodate.

"Not a problem. I'm learning some basics on cooking from a gal who runs a diner not too far from my apartment. I'd be happy to try and put some of that to use." Sans meat, of course.

Jim is starting to get a pleasant buzz going on as the cinnamon-ish stuff goes to work on his boosted alcohol tolerance, though it doesn't evoke the same kind of giggly, carefree attitude as last time, with the Asgardian mead. Just a comfortable numbness, putting a soft wall between himself and the annual birthday bullshit that he dreads every year.

"So I'm gonna be your guinea pig, huh?" He doesn't sound like he thinks that's a bad thing.

"Something like that."

Steve doesn't hide the smirk on his face, just chuckles all the more pleasantly at hearing his friend sound like he's looking forward to trying out his efforts. He might have started picking up as many new skills as he could out of necessity when he and Buck were broke bachelors trying to get by in Brooklyn, but by now it's a genuine sense of satisfaction he gets from learning new things.

Even moreso when he gets to share the fruit of his labor with his friends.

"Just make sure you're ready to take a run and train, too. I've been itching to have a chance to go all out for a while. Here's hoping the weather is on our side."

"Yeah, I will be. Shit gets better after week one." That's the voice of experience talking, something he can state with absolute confidence. He's not so far gone that he doesn't know Remembrance Day is squarely to blame for his mood this time of year. It's mostly the anticipation, the dread of waiting for it to finally pass. And hoping like hell that he can keep out of the spotlight this year.

"What's 'all out' mean for you?" Might as well find out what he's already gotten himself into. Jim sure as shit hopes it doesn't involve random ambushes and pop quizzes.

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Ho Ho Ho! Happy HP Holidays!

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