snuggled up together like two birds of a feather would be ☆

[heaaarts]

[ Things are a little different this Christmas Eve. It's the first holiday season in years that many residents will be able to spend outdoors, and whatever drives the place has gone all out to make things festive. There are white lights and ruby garland strung up around lamp posts, red bows and wreathes adorning buildings. Even the trams are decorated, lit up on the outside and warm and cozy inside. There's a chill in the air, but for the most part it isn't too uncomfortable. Trees stripped bare of leaves by the change in seasons have had their leaves replaced by lights, and the occasional tree in the park bears large, shining baubles.

The ball this year is held in a new building, something that's popped up on the outskirts of the residential area overnight. (Of course, no one will be able to get inside until much later in the evening.) The park's a little smaller and crowded as a result, but not by much. It, like much of the outdoors, is covered in white. A light snow has been falling since early afternoon, resulting in a glistening bed of frost over the ground, the trees, and every rooftop. Much of it stretches out past the area, giving a wintery cover to most worlds. The fountains in Radiant Garden have frozen over into chaotic ice sculptures, and enough snow for a snowman (or snowmouse) can be found in Traverse Town, while the sound of carols comes from nowhere in particular in Disney Town. Hopefully no one tries to take the tram to Halloween Town for purposes of sneaking into Christmas Town. That world is barred off from entry no matter how hard anyone tries.

Somewhere around six in the evening, the doors to the ballroom open and remain so. Large wreathes decorated with red ribbon and crystal clear baubles hang on the doors. The building itself is decorated simply and tastefully, with red ribbons and streamers, dimmed lights and soft, instrumental music, perfect for the pristine dance floor. The ceiling, a true highlight of the room, is made of framed glass and gives a perfect, pristine view of the stars and snowfall outside. The tree this year is decorated with red, pale green, white, and more clear glass ornaments. Strangely enough, each is marked with a small tag. Just a simple old strip of paper, blank until someone gets close enough to see their name appear on one special ornament, in swirling red script. There are birds, hearts, stars... all kinds of simple, precious ornaments there to take. Maybe they mean something.

Like any good party in the DR, there's plenty of food. In the back room, separated from the ballroom by frosted glass walls, there are tables with glass tops and sheer white tablecloths, the largest of which is rectangular and has a placement of ham, roast birds, casseroles and vegetables, with nuts, popcorn, pretzels and cheeses further down. There are two smaller, round tables, one with drinks (non-alcoholic eggnog, ciders, and hot cocoa), and one with sweets like pudding, cookies, fudge, and sugared fruits. A group of much smaller, more cozy and personal tables are scattered in the corner near the food, with delicate placements decorated with classic red poinsettias. ]

{ ooc: LiveJournal mirror here. Happy Holidays, everyone! }

Comments

[another_chance]

[Xeha seems a little edgy today. Maybe he's still not quite used to the old DR routine again yet, maybe he's expecting Heartless to come charging out of the icy idyll; still, he's making the effort, heading for the general area of things ball-shaped with various presents in tow.]

[skybright]

[when he gets to the building and inside, Sora will be heading for him as soon as she spots him! slowly, of course, because her dress doesn't leave much room for movement, never mind the fact that she's been stuck in (admittedly low) heels.]

[another_chance]

Hey, Sora!

[He picks up the pace, gives her a smile.]

... You look. You look nice.

[kingdom_seed]

Dad. Seriously. You skipped Halloween - ngh!

[Have a dark duo heading into the scene. Layla, in an long, elegant yellow dress with bow detailing, pretty much dragging her father along.
Kurt does not seem to be in the festive spirit.]

[dawnrise]

[Another year, another Christmas, another ball. It's becoming routine now, or at least tradition, and it's starting to become something Riku can at least relax at. Well, she relaxed last year, but she more or less trusts the place not to cause chaos deliberately, or to allow any real destruction.

She's chosen a red dress this year, a real evening gown type deal. It's stupidly girly and a choice she's regretting in the cold, but at least she's warming up near the Christmas tree.]

[f_iery]

[Wolf whistle coming from this guy. He's dressed up all snazzy as well, in a simple black tuxedo with a deep red vest and matching tie.]

Look who's in a dress. Color me surprised.

i have too much fun describing what my characters look like :(

[f1re0nthesun]

[Axel's actually bypassing the ham table to come say hello to Riku, since he's actually at the party this year. he feels a lot more comfortable about going to such things by now, and the decision was pretty much made for him when the fancy clothes he's wearing were laying out when he got up today. he's wearing this, but the fabric has a coppery sheen to the black, and instead of bandages the pants are tucked into extra-tall ninja sandals, and over it is a magnificent haori jacket in a shade of green that really goes well with his eyes. the fabric is, rather incongruously, flecked with tiny Christmas trees in a darker green. his hair's braided in a long plait down his back, and will probably be useful for smacking people in the face when he turns around quickly.]

Hey, Riku. Nice dress.

[before]

Nice dress.

[He sounds like he actually means it! And he does, because she looks pretty amazing. He wants to ravish her right there on the spot, even. But he'll resist.]

[lightyin]

[And in one corner, there's an odd decoration--whatever it is, it's fluffy, and mostly red and silver.

Oh wait, it's a Riku. A very unhappy one at that. He was almost expecting the genderswap, but the the outfit was a little ridiculous. The super-long dress was one thing, but the antlers didn't make sense at all, and as much as he tried, they seemed to be stuck there. At least their ornaments matched some of the ones on Christmas tree.]

[dawnrise]

[There's a Riku choking on her cocoa at the sight of those antlers. Cough cough cough--]

[skybright]

[Sora is just sort of awkwardly there, uncomfortable as always in formal wear. she's got a Christmas-themed bag sitting near her that's got several presents in it. chances are if you know her at all, there's a present for you! she's near the tree, looking at it to try and distract herself from how she feels at the moment.]

[notacopy]

[This Riku is also near the tree. He's dressed in a black tux with a dark green vest and tie, the latter of which he keeps playing with because he's not sure what exactly it's purpose is. Though currently he's examining the ornaments on the tree, until he spots Sora.]

Sora!

[before]

[Red looks about as fancied up as he ever does at these things, which is to say he's got himself a nice suit and that's about it. He's browsing the holiday foods boredly, looking for something that might appeal to him.]

[dawningcoast]

There's some fudge on the other side that's amazing.

[Oh my, look who it is, looking exceptionally less formal.]

[seasides]

[Kai's got himself done up in a nice white suit, and looks pretty pleased with the setup. not that he's ever disappointed by the party decorations, no matter the type of year, but he's definitely pretty fond of Christmas and is glad the DR has thrown another amazing-looking party. he's already managed to obtain a glass of hot cocoa for himself, and is just sort of slowly moving through the area.]

[frisbeeoflight]

[there's a Lea, looking at all this food while unconsciously playing with a locket he's wearing]

Hey, does anyone know if there's any paopu fruit here? I can't find any...

[captive_destiny]

[Guess who it is, hanging back from people as much as possible. At first glance he appears to be dressed normally, in a white button-up shirt and black pants. There's hints of metal glinting at his wrists and ankles, and a long, slim silver chain stretching from under his pant leg to a ring embedded in the floor near a decorative tree.

He isn't meeting anyone's eyes, and grows very still when he hears certain voices. Riku didn't want to be here, that much is clear.]

[seasides]

...Riku?

[oh no. Kai doesn't look happy, though Riku should know by now that when Kai looks unhappy when he's involved, it's generally directed at whoever or whatever is causing him pain or discomfort. so in this case, he's rather displeased with the DR itself.]

Oh jeez, I'm sorry. Did it force you here?

[lightyin]

[Staying away from people, eh? Well, what if the people don't stay away? There's a female Riku approaching, attempting to free a streamer from herhis outfit's headgear.]

It's not Halloween anymore, this is stupid.

[A pause. Hello familiar Riku.]

Hey...

[frisbeeoflight]

[by now he knows that that's a Riku. Probably. This place is strange. Still, wasn't this a version of a little boy he knew? and he was chained!]

Hey, what the hell happened to you? Who caught you?

[conflagrate]

[trapped in the building as she is (what, you think she'd come dressed like this on her own?), Axel's decided that she may as well pick through the food. what else could she possibly do here?]

[futanari]

[Hey there, pretty lady. If this Riku looks particularly surprised and/or dreadfully amused, it's surely a trick of the light.]

Anything good?

[futanari]

[Thank you, whatever deity is in charge of the dressing room, for putting her in a suit.]

[rikuonehalf]

[Hey, wanna trade? This Riku's been put in a dress. It's a mystery how it's staying on him, since he doesn't have the boobs to hold the top up.]

[skybright]

Riku!

[you're pretty lucky she can't really run in her dress, Riku! because otherwise you'd probably be barreled over. she's moving as fast as she can toward her, and is toting along her present bag!]