open;

[schild]

Who: Network folks who are in Locke for Xmas
Where: A community center (let's say it's the same one from the first aid thing)
When: Backdated to December 23
What: Christmas/Holiday Party!
Warnings: Shenanigans? Kissing?

[ Ah yes, come one, come all! As per the plotting, let's just say Ryan put out a message that went something like this:

Hey everyone! I was wondering how many of us are stuck here in Locke for the holidays. I'm used to parties and celebrating with friends, so I figured, why not do that anyway! It'll be a Network-only thing, so don't be shy. And if you wanna help, just let me know!

And thus your character finds themselves here, a part of christmas cheer and echoes, surrounded by free food and tinsel and even Mistletoe... The Christmas party! And by Christmas I mean Santa and reindeer and all that lame stuff. ]

[ Feel free to start your own top-level comments I mean seriously, if you need an excuse for dumb shenanigans this is it. ]

Comments

[hustru]

[And here she thought she finally understood American traditions. Apparently not.

Aren't such costumes for Halloween....?

After just staring at them for a good while, she will put her glass down and come over. Stop a metre away from them. Stand there awkwardly. Which means that it looks like she is glaring furiously at them as if she plans on grabbing a knife and throwing them out of the window the next moment.]

[originaloddcouple]

[Eventually, they spot the staring stranger. They're not entirely sure how to react, so they just stare back.

Maybe she needs a hug or something? They're really confused.]

[hustru]

[They can be confused together.

Staring intensifies. ...After a moment she puts her drink down to not spill it when she gets up and comes over. She'll be positively towering over them once she gets closer, even if her 185 centimetres don't actually make her taller than them. She just has a talent for towering.]

[originaloddcouple]

[oh my god look at that towering.

Is she gonna punch them? Maybe she works for Mrs. Harvent and has to lunch them for leaving her alone.

Maybe she's another Blood Key and wants to beat them up because LOL, BLOOD KEYS ARE VIOLENT.

Maybe they shouldn't judge so soon but OH MY GOD THAT STARE they're gonna die

They shake in their costumes. Isaac's face can't be seen behind the pumpkin mask, but it's pretty clear that both of them are TERRIFIED.]

[hustru]

[Oh no. She knows those expressions. They often don't end well at all. WHAT DO.

WHAT DO.

Stare some more? No, no, she cannot {but she does} - in the end she steps forward which looks even more threateningly, and thrusts a hand at them.]

Siiri.

[originaloddcouple]

[OH NOOOOOOO oh wait, she's just holding out a hand to shake.

She must be friendly!

They grasp it in unison and start shaking enthusiastically.]

Isaac!

And Miria!

Pleasure to meet you!

[hustru]

[Shaking hands is something that she can do and handle. Her grip is firm and she just.... goes along with this. And suddenly feels very homesick. They remind her a lot of her flatmate back in Oulu.]

It's nice to meet you, too.

[That is what you say, right? But what now, how is she suppose to continue beyond standardized pleasantries...]

[originaloddcouple]

[They keep shaking for a bit before eventually letting go.]

So, what brings you to this party?

[Dians: solving every conversation crisis]

[hustru]

We couldn't go home this year.

[Not after the earthquake and all the work that it left them with - both of them were unfortunate enough for facilities to get damaged and people to die or get incapacitated so that they had to take over a heightened workload. And neither of them can afford to push that work over into the new year, in Siiri's case because some things just need daily attention and the second person who could have done that is hurt too badly to do it.

And the we might be obvious, but it is also explained at the same time as she points over at a shorter blond woman who eagerly talks to some people. This is the other half of the "we", aka the person that she came with. Something to cling to in the weirdness that the network and the strangeness that another country around Christmas is.

PS: She is really thankful to have met someone who seems to easily carry on a conversation even with her lacking input. Yay ;u; ...but then again, that just reminds her of her friend back home...]

[originaloddcouple]

Well, that's not fun!

But at least you're among friends!

[hustru]

[She shrugs a bit. Is she? She is among friendly people, and feels at ease, but...

...ah. Is this a different definitions of friends. Probably. Americans are so weird about interhuman relationships...]

Yes.

You too.