December Event - To All a Good Night

[pumpkinhollow]

To All a Good Night

Givingstide

Winter is hard for everyone, but none more so than the residents of an island that has been isolated by the cruel hands of fate. Where the rest of the Emerald Isles is able to rely on imports from other nations in warmer places, Marrow Isle has no resources but her own. All the while, her mettle continues to be tested against the horrors brought on by the curse.

It is for this reason that among all the holidays celebrated by the Mothers' children, Givingstide is particularly beloved. A warm and cozy festival based around wishing each other prosperity and love in the new year, the lengthening of days, embracing generosity even in the lean times, and celebrating the fact that the darkest part of the year is coming to an end.

The fireplace is lit at the Oak & Iron. A wreath of pine boughs hangs over the merry blaze, paper horses and snowflakes decorate the walls, and a table in the center of the room has been done up to look like a silver sleigh. As people file in, hot food and warm drinks begin coming out of the kitchen and bar, and gifts begin piling up on the sleigh table. (Ultimately, a fair amount of them end up on the floor around it.) Everyone greets each other warmly with hearty handshakes, firm hugs, and wishes of a blessed Givingstide. Perhaps if you have a clever eye, you may even see a horned figure drinking hot cocoa in the corner harmlessly, enjoying the atmosphere of good will and keeping watch over the party to prevent any troublemakers. And for once, just once, for the first time in so long on this frightful, forsaken island, there is true peace.

[ Enter the Tavern. ]

The tavern is warm. Orange firelight flickers, as if dancing with the shadows. Decorations of shimmering silver and hunter green, the colors of Givingstide, adorn the dark wood decor of the Oak & Iron. The stucco and timber walls of the dining hall safeguard those within from the bitter wind and snow. It's no Leeds gala--- the food is simple, but it is beautifully made. Roasted chicken, potatoes, onion soup, and fresh-baked bread. Slices of pumpkin pie are passed around for dessert. Hot cider with or without alcohol, mulled wine, coffee, and spiced tea are served with the meal. It isn't glamorous, but it's made with love and tastes like coming home somehow.

As dinner carries on, music begins to be played from the tavern stage, and Mayor Poe has Yorick assist her in doling out the gifts from the table. They read the tags and summon the recipients to the table to recieve them. You can open yours right there or at your table, and decide for yourself whether you care to announce the name of the giver to the room.

Once the gifts are distributed, the partygoers are left to their own devices, allowed time to laugh with friends, dance to music, drink to their hearts' content, sneak off to while away a private moment in one of the inn's sitting rooms, or head home for an early night. Regardless of your choice, let it be with a loved one. A friend, a partner, a member of your newfound family. Blessed Givingstide, and may your lantern ever stay lit.

gifts and vouchers

Some important information regarding gift-giving and vouchers can be found below.

[ Review. ]

Gifts can be purchased using your own Brass, or via the holiday bazaar vouchers found in our December TDM. If you haven't taken the trivia quiz on the TDM, you still can! You can take it for each character or just once and give all your characters the same voucher.

For simplicity's sake for both our mods and our players, we will allow you to decide for yourselves the prices of your items so long as they are reasonable. You can use other purchase requests in the bank as a reference or simply decide on a price you believe is fair based on your experience. You do not have to list prices. We will trust you to make fair decisions! If you're still unsure how much an item ought to cost, feel free to ask us in the question thread on this post, but in the spirit of the holiday season (both real and fictional) we would rather allow your characters to get gifts for all their loved ones than worry too much about financials. Perhaps your character is simply a very good bargain hunter!

As a slight aside, we would love to thank each and every one of you for being a part of making Pumpkin Hollow amazing this year. We truly could not ask for a better group of players and are extremely grateful to have met all of you delightful, creative, talented, funny, incredible people. We hope you had a great holiday season, whatever that looks like for you, and we're so honored to greet the new year with this fantastic community!

Hand in hand, we put the darkness to our backs and step into the light. Rejoice, spring cometh.

Comments

QUESTIONS/COMMENTS/CONCERNS

[pumpkinhollow]

Neil West || NPC || Closed to Ocularum

[itsjustabaddream]

Despite the gift table, Neil privately slips around the room to each of his Ocularum compatriots, giving each of them a small token. It is a modest wearable item, tailored to each of their personal tastes, and imbued with such a powerful magic that it almost feels like static the first time it is held by its recipient.

"This is for you," he proudly tells each person who receives it. He glows with excitement and anticipation, waiting for you to ask what exactly it is.

[witheredpeonies]

“Oh, hello. Here, hold this.” She hands Neil a package wrapped in brown paper as she accepts her present from him, her smile cheeky as fuck.

[apocryphalarchivist]

It wasn't as though he hadn't been expecting to see Neil - quite the contrary, he has something of his own he'd left on the gift table - but to have something passed over catches him off guard. Jon's brows lift with immediate interest.

"Oh--- thank you, Neil," He starts, flashing a thankful smile his way, before his face shifted back to excited curiosity while he takes a better look. "What have we got here?"

Chris Freeman | If your name is mentioned, they got you a gift.

[thelatechrisfreeman]

Chris is wearing their new winter outfit, sans waistcoat, with the convertible riding skirt indeed in the skirt configuration. They hurry in without taking off their green winter coat and carefully stack each gift beside other ones labelled with the same names. (The fact that Chris is only on the baby girls' gifts because they helped First Aid pick out what to buy... well, let's ignore that.)

First Aid, the Shade, Sam, Vika, Dr. Watson, Hawkeye, Bart, and Sally will each find a gift on the table from Chris. As for the gift picked out for Erik... Chris is keeping that close, unsure if Erik will make an appearance at the Givingstide celebration.

[notinflictthem]

Hawkeye's been dodging the cold as best he can this month, in between patients and aggressively repressing whatever the hell that nightmare train was. His winter coat is a little shabby, but his new glad rags under it are, in a word, a choice. His waistcoat is the closest thing he could find to a Hawaiian shirt, his cravat is garishly patterned, and his coat is. Green? Turquoise? Point is. It's a Lot. He looks pleased with himself as he leaves little cards on the table. The one for Chris has an I.O.U with a little drawing of a pair of mittens inside it.

When he catches Chris with the card in hand, he sidles up beside them, explaining-

"Sorry I don't have them done, but they should be on your pretty little mits by the end of winter. Turns out doing a heap of knitting projects at once makes 'em all go slower. Who knew?"

Angel

[graveling]

[I have big anxiety about missing someone, so you decide if we have enough CR for Angel to get your character a present.]

Angel never thought his life would get to where he had a list, a list of people in his life to get presents for. He has a small pile inexpertly wrapped on the table that he’s staring at with a mix of awe and confusion and if his eyes did tears, he might be crying right now.

Come shake him from his WTF as his gifts are passed out.

[thethirteenthchild]

Dahlia nudges Angel gently.

"Did you open mine yet? I saw them give it to you!"

John Rambo || Open, gifts & recipients below

[theydrewfirstblood]

John doesn’t partake of the meal—he still can’t bring himself to touch a thing.

The staff, however, seems to still think they have to listen to Freeman’s orders, even if he’s not living there anymore. One of the serving girls he knows brought his meals to his door takes him aside and points out two baskets by the kitchen door, laden with food and a couple of flasks of cider and spiced tea to take home.

John’s gifts are simple, a combination of purchases and handmade items cobbled together from scraps of wood he took home from work and findings during his hunting trips into the forest. He’s probably overthought nearly everything, but seeing the packages go out is fun.

Hawkeye gets a set of notecards and matching envelopes—perfect for sharing a few more jokes in the post—and a wooden nameplate for a desk or counter engraved with the name HAWKEYE’S BAR & GRILL and a stylized hawk in one corner.

Chris Freeman gets a gift basket of more homemade fry bread, a jar of artisan fruit preserves from the bazaar, and a simple bracelet made from hairpipe bone beads.

Eddie and Angel receive a family gift of sorts: a wooden box engraved with Bobbin’s Loot, as mentioned to Eddie previously. In the box, there’s some Navajo fry bread and a new package of some very plain handkerchiefs bundled with a couple of laundered but visibly used rags of John’s with a tag reading simply ‘for Bobbin.’ Maybe with a few things she’s allowed to “steal,” she’ll spare Angel’s nerves.

River gets a thunderbird pendant strung with some bone hairpipe beads and a few metal ones made while hovering around her forge and trying to learn to cast his own fishing weights.

Various others receive gifts of homemade fry bread, homemade jerky from John’s hunting, and trinkets made of bone beads…and in a few cases, less typical spoils of the hunt.

Only one set of gifts doesn’t go on the table—and that he plans to hand deliver.

So, at the end of the night, when everyone else has their things…John tracks down Sam and Lou Porter Bridges.

[[OOC: Don’t see a gift for your muse? MY BRAIN DOES NOT WORK AND I PROLLY FORGOT, so if John knows your muse he still made them something nice in the catch all—or you’re a hawk man and he gave you something…not fit for polite company actively eating food. XD]]

[maltesefalcon]

When the secret present for Cerrit is delivered, there’s a warm laugh. “I see you and I had similar gift ideas. There’ll be a lot of rabbit stew cooked this winter.”

Cerrit

[maltesefalcon]

[See note at Angel’s TL.]

Most of Cerrit’s list of gift recipients actually get a card. There’s a note inside that’s the real present:

Fear not for meager meals this winter. Fresh game will be delivered to your home a few times this season.

May the darkest nights of the year be warm and bright for you.

Cerrit

Surprise, bird of prey will be getting rabbits, if not venison for friends. That said, there is one actual gift box, for a certain John Watson…

[lightconductor]

"Ah, there you are. I was very much hoping you'd be here."

Watson has fussed a little about this, to be sure. He doesn't have a terribly expansive gift list -- he hasn't made nearly enough close connections yet -- but he did want so very much to get Cerrit something nice. The problem is that Cerrit is not going to have any use for a shaving kit, no matter how nice.

He comes over with a broad smile on his face and a little package tucked under his arm.

Dahlia Leeds

[thethirteenthchild]

Dahlia adores Givingstide. Great good, good company, and an excuse to put her money to work giving her friends extravagant gifts that they're not allowed to complain about receiving. What's not to love?

On the table, she has left relatively large gifts for Ianto and Arthur, as well as smaller packages for River, Cerrit, Angel, Chris, Degas, and a few other friends. As soon as one of her friends receives their gift, she is quick to sneak over to their table and snoop about their reaction.

[thelatechrisfreeman]

Chris may surprise Dahlia by getting a little teary when they open their present.

(Look, they weren't expecting anything from her. Having someone else think of them as a friend first is new to Chris. They're usually the one chasing down approval and making the first overtures of friendship.)

But there is a smile on Chris's face too, when they look up at her.

Annabel Lee

[witheredpeonies]

[See note at Angel’s TL]

Annabel Lee has been working her fingers to the bone making her presents happen. She’s hand-embroidered lengths of velvet ribbon with floral designs, meant to be added as trim to clothing or worn as neckties or hair bows. The pattern is individualized for each person, from a blue with white waves for Zelda to black with gold compasses rose and spyglasses for Jean that’ll go well with their pirate outfit.

River, however, gets a larger present: a leather blacksmith apron with a floral design burnt into the edges, specifically flowers that they’re planning to plant in their garden.

[somebodychildofanyone]

A look of awe steals over River as she opens her present from Annabel. There's a moment of just staring at it, overcome, before she bundles it to her chest and hugs the ghost tightly. River is, as always, so very warm.

"It's gorgeous," River murmurs, through the Feelings.

Cecil Palmer

[lasthumanvoice]

[see note at all other Sols TLs]

At some point, the musicians playing take a break, and Cecil stands, pronouncing in a clear, warm voice, “I take you to…The Weather.”

He’s picked out a few presents for the nearest and dearest. Gerry in particular gets two from him, one without any indication who it’s from.

[batteryacid]

Eddie jokes gently, "More presents? The pizza party for the whole town wasn't enough gift-giving for you, Cecil?"

Snakes Tolliver | OTA

[worstorganplayer]

Snakes is confused and yet not confused by a holiday similar to one from home. Hey, they had Halloween, so why not?

He's not a stranger to gift-giving, exactly, but he's not quite sure who to gift to or whatnot. He deliberately gifts Lucas and Chris, but beyond them (and a gift for his boss for appearance's sake), he's just not sure. He ends up deciding that he can't be a loner if he still has designs on the place (although he's not sure he does). But he has some baked goods, cookies and pastries, purchased for pretty much the whole town to hopefully allow each person to get at least one, if desired.

He hangs out at the food table, tries to socialize with quite a few people, and asks some questions about the holiday. He always wants to learn more about this place, after all.

[thelatechrisfreeman]

"Oh, Snakes, I love it!" Chris exclaims. They immediately pull on one of the knitted gloves -- brown and white colorwork, with a horse prancing on the back of each -- and admire it. When they look back up at Snakes, though, their cheeks are pink with embarrassment. "I didn't think to get you a gift."

And the gift list they came up with was so long, that they ended up using all their voucher money before getting to the last two people.

"If you can wait a little while, I'll get you a belated gift. Promise."

Eddie Kaspbrak

[batteryacid]

Like Angel, Eddie is sitting next to a stack of presents that he intends to hand out. The names are clearly labeled. There's one for you, just come up and say hello to get it.

[[OOC: I haven't been able to figure out who Eddie would get presents for, aside from the very obvious partner. When you tag, I'll come up with some kind of present on the fly (unless you've already got something in mind).]]

[graveling]

Angel comes up to Eddie and just leans against him. "Merry Christmas. I know, not the local holiday, but. Merry Christmas."

Bart Torgal

[theresalwaystheview]

Bart is delighted to be here, it feels so different from the holiday parties he'd attended in the past, all stuck up and posturing, judgment and debate over glasses of fabricator champagne. He would normally have been made to wear a well-tailored suit with no personality, a badge with his name on it, and made to be quiet unless ordered by his father to regurgitate official duties and titles and things he had no passion for. He wouldn't have been allowed to show up in a pretty black and green embroidered vest with a little holly spring through a buttonhole and his excellent asymmetrical winter coat.

Here, it's utterly opposite what he's experienced before, and he revels in it perhaps a little too much. He's refilled his cup with spiced cider twice before coming to realize that he's starting to get a bit tipsy. He's neatly wrapped an assortment of treats from the Bazaar, in plain brown paper but all with sparkly bows in various colors.

Out of his CR, if you've told him offhand little things that you like, you will find that he's remembered every one, and has picked something accordingly.

Please save whoever he's talking to very fast about the biology of mistletoe.

[hyliasblessing]

As gifts are being passed out, Yorick calls for Bart and hands him gift from Zelda that is wrapped immaculately in crisp, seafoam-green paper and topped with a golden bow. Inside the box, which is not much larger than a book, there is an odd gadget that seems to not be functional at the moment, along with a note.

"My friend Bart,

I have so enjoyed sailing with you these past weeks! Your keen mind and charming personality have been a boon to our laboratory, and though I am often busy and have not had much time to spend there yet, it is always lovely to have good company with whom I can discuss more cerebral pursuits. I look forward to seeing more of you in the new year!

This device is an unorthodox gift, but I think it's one you will enjoy. It appears to have come from my home world and was sadly damaged in the process, and I have yet to figure out how to fix it since buying it from Calloway's Curios some while ago. I believe you will have better luck! Once it is in working order, you will be able to use it to capture images that can be stored in the device's memory, create detailed maps of the island, keep notes and manage inventory. It is called a Purah Pad, named after the brilliant scientist who created it and who you remind me of very much. I hope it will serve as a fun project that can be turned into a useful tool!

Have a lovely Givingstide, and be well!

Fondest Regards,
Princess Zelda"

If Bart would like to talk to Zelda about this, she can be found at the table nearest the fireplace chatting with other Ocularum members.

Mary Dahl

[i_didnt_mean_to]

Mary is also seated in a corner drinking hot cocoa (nowhere near the guy with the horns). She only has four gifts to give, so they are laid out on her table and she's keeping an eye out for the recipients -- Gerry Keay, Chris Freeman, Dr. First Aid, and Dr. West.

She did pretty well on the trivia game and earned enough vouchers to spring for some nice presents.

[thelatechrisfreeman]

"Hi, Mary. Happy Givingstide." Chris looks a little embarrassed. "I, uh... didn't get you a gift yet. But if you're willing to take a belated present..."

River la Croix | The Only One Of Mine Who Understands How Winter Gift-Giving Works Even A Little

[somebodychildofanyone]

River's packages on the table are, well, varied in size. Dahlia has a large, flat-ish one, for instance, while Annabel's is essentially either a jewelry box or a single orange depending on how shittily River wrapped it. The package marked for Chris Freeman rattles when it's picked up; John Rambo's doesn't make a fucking sound. Degas has what can only be a basket (it's still wrapped in paper), and it's far, FAR away from the one marked for Erik, a small cylinder with a folded note on the outside that says 'not in front of everyone else' in River's scratchy, runic handwriting.

She's going to give Eddie his gift personally here at the party, it needs some Instructions.

[theydrewfirstblood]

John isn't really expecting any gifts--so when he gets one marked as being from River, he's startled. He's not sure what to make of it, silent as it is, but he's not sure how it will stand up to his gift for her.

Glancing up from his gift, he spots her nearby and smiles, gesturing with his present.

"I'll open mine while you open yours?" he offers good naturedly.

"Slasher Face" Jean

[restingslasherface]

Jean got confused and passed out gifts early, but if you want to save the nugget from the gaffe of seemingly giving nothing by bringing your present here you can! Reactions to said gifts or hunting Jean down to give them one are also welcome.

They've decided that, given the nature of the holiday, the Page of Kora's Avatar is most appropriate. As a result they're freezing their ass off.

[batteryacid]

The shepherd puppy that Jean toted up to the farm has been brought along to the gathering as well, mostly because Eddie wasn't sure the puppy would react well to being left alone. He is currently snoozing in a doggie bed at Eddie's feet, the nub of a half-gnawed jerky treat resting on one paw.

"I still can't decide on a name for him, Comrade," Eddie confides to Jean. "I wonder if I should open it up to a vote."

[lovinglefthand]

First Aid arrives just a little bit late to the party, a consequence of making sure Analog (his new kitty! First Aid has a kitty!) will be safe and comfortable in the clinic alone, and won't get into any mischief. Such as sneaking into the surgery room and opening all the cupboards, again. But he brought several gifts for his friends and colleagues with him, so if you'd like to do an exchange come up and say hi!

He's keeping a particular eye out, however for Vika and Hawkeye. Doctor Pierce's present goes on the sleigh table next to Chris's pile of gifts -- actually, if the doctor looks closely, he might notice that while the tag on the gift bears First Aid's name, it matches Chris's handwriting. Furthermore, the scarf inside perfectly matches the gloves Chris picked out for him. But surely that means nothing in particular.

As for Vika, First Aid isn't entirely sure if she plans to attend. If she doesn't, it's okay. He'll just visit Bart's house tomorrow evening and give it to her then. But he's hoping she'll come to the party -- and maybe even have fun while she's here!

[lastofthefirst]

Behold, Vika! Specifically, Vika staring into a cup full of a hot drink in deep confusion. Someone handed it to her to be Hospitable, and Vika, caught up in the celebration, did not make a scene by verbally decimating said person. She's being So Good, First Aid.

Mind you she's so absorbed in staring at this drink that she's managed to miss the medical kaiju that's looking for her but c'est la morte, no?

[tisnotthehouse]

There were only a few people Tarantulas was interested in buying gifts for, and he was only expecting to see one of them tonight -- so it's an interesting mix of surprise, pleasure, and annoyance that he feels when he catches Emery's scent in the crowd. (And it has to be Emery's scent that catches his attention -- he's never actually seen the wolfformers's fully human face before.)

"I didn't think you'd come," Tarantulas says when he catches up to him, pouting slightly as he explains, "I was going to take your gift out to you tomorrow. It's still in the shop right now."

[wolfborn_were]

"I had a present to give the kid," Emery replies with a shrug. "And he might need a minder for the night, so I'm keeping an ear out." Demonstrative tap of his own ear.

Emery smiles. "I wasn't expecting a gift. And I tried to think of a good one for you, but I couldn't. So..."

Emery reaches into a pocket and pulls out a small pouch. When he passes it to Tarantulas, the weight ought to be noticeable.

The pouch contains two hundred brass. (Yes, this is all the money that the bank was holding for Emery. No, you can't refuse it, Tarantulas. It's your Givingstide gift. Haha, social obligation!)

[apocryphalarchivist]

Gift-giving has never been something Jon felt as though he were particularly good at.

That didn't stop him from using his friends presents, and floating around the gift table anxiously to see when anyone gets one. He's occasionally pulled away to chat, but it doesn't take him long to try to peek back over to see if anyone's picked up one of his own.

Wrapped with great care and tied off with ribbons are gifts for Annabel, Zelda, Eddie (in fact, there are two for Eddie - one wrapped in burgundy with yellow ribbon, a far more fall-colored arrangement), Gerry, and Jean.

When he's not spotted taking glances at the table, he can easily be found listening to stories being shared over food and cider. There's no feeding the Ceaseless Watcher from learning these tales, but that's clearly the last thing on his mind; tonight, he's fallen into the spirit of the season, and is having an absolutely grand time of all of it.

(( OOC NOTE: if I forgot any particularly good or compelling CR between your characters and mine, let me know, and I'll have him have a present for them, as well! Bad memory stays bad, as always. u_u This applies to any of my characters, too, not just Jon! ))

[restingslasherface]

Today in Gift Reactions: Jean finds their present from Jon and stares at it in confusion. After a long moment they get out The Notebook(tm) and start cross-referencing it to see what other Jean there is on this island 'cause surely, SURELY, given that they have barely talked after giving the Statement, this can't be for THIS Jean.

Right?

Right?

(Rescue them Jon they're in a social boot loop.)

[sunshinesally]

Sally's running a bit late to the party, so her gifts end up haphazardly stacked on top of the gift pile, but such is the nature of trying to get an infant ready to go out somewhere. The addition of winter clothes did not help.

After dinner, Sally can be found on a sofa near the fire with Gwen in her lap, keeping toasty and enjoying a cup of coffee while Gwen babbles at the decorations. "Is that a horsey, Gwenny? Does it look like Missy?"

Sally has a lot of gifts, having diligently bargain-hunted and put her voucher to work. She's already given Eddie his gift, so the remaining presents on the table are for Arthur, Chris, Erik, Hawkeye, First Aid, Cecil, Tarantulas, Sam, and Jean. Additionally, she has some little baggies of homemade chocolate-and-toffee bark for anyone who she may have forgotten or any new friends she makes.

[thelatechrisfreeman]

"Hi, Sally! Hi, Gwen! Happy Givingstide!"

Chris has had only one cup of spiced cider, so even if they are a little more giggly than usual, it's being kept in check. They wave at Gwen and place a smallish box next to Sally.

"First Aid and I picked out a gift for Gwen, but he's got it," Chris explains, "and this one is for you, Sally."

The box contains a pair of fluffy, cozy house slippers.

[skeletonkeay]

Gerry's been pretty quiet this month, in part because he has been working tirelessly on his gifts in between his job. He doesn't have a particularly large amount of people he'd like to get gifts for, but it's definitely far more than it's ever been before in his life. This is, effectively, his very first real Christmas. (And even then, it's not actually Christmas here, but whatever.) As such, his gifts are carefully crafted or bought for the small amount of people he cares for.

He doesn't put them on the table. Gerry wants to give them out personally. He individually finds a moment to pass off his gifts to Cecil, Mary, Eddie, Annabel Lee, Jon, Pomni, and Erik. Where can he find them?

[i_didnt_mean_to]

"Gerry, Gerry!" When Gerry turns toward her voice, he'll see Mary standing on top of her table, waving to him. "Happy Givingstide!"

She moves back to her chair while he walks over to the table, and picks up the package with his name on it. It's a flat, medium-sized rectangle, wrapped in paper decorated by hand-drawn holly sprigs.

"I got you a present!"

[hyliasblessing]

Zelda has already exchanged a few gifts with her closest people, as well as given some goodie baskets comprised of homemade sweets to a few of her friends and crewmates, but she has a few more to give out. While she waits at the Ocularum table, tucked away in a corner with some hard cider and chatting, she eagerly awaits her remaining three gifts to be distributed to their new owners: Pomni, Annabel Lee, and Erik.

[jeveuxpartir]

It didn't matter what she was doing before the moment that her name was called--- she'd been surprised to hear it, and stood up, gladly taking the box.

There was a nervous excitement to seeing the name on the label, as well.

Quickly carting it aside, she carefully undoes the wrapping on the gift, pulling open the box without even the faintest idea of what to expect.

Lord Erik Osborne

[lordoftheozarks]

[ooc: I'm anxious about gift giving even in my rp so taking a leaf out of Sol's book and asking that if you think your character has enough CR with Erik, please tag in here even if just like one line or an empty header and I'll make up a gift on the spot. Note: CR can be positive or negative Erik is the kind of petty that would gift something to someone he has negative CR with just to annoy/embarrass/harass them. If you think that's you then it is! You can also comment to handwave the exchange.]

He debated if he would come. He's only just, with some gentle coaxing from Chris, decided to return to civilization earlier in the week. This will be the first time most of these people will clap eyes on him since that train disaster in November. After gently laying his hastily gathered gifts upon the pile, he takes a seat near the back of the room, obscured in a dark alcove. He needs neither food nor drink, so it's better he stays out of the way. Let those who can enjoy such things be near them. He can't say he's feeling very merry yet. But he's here. He's here. He's trying to recapture the social energy he once had.

[thelatechrisfreeman]

When Chris catches sight of Erik sitting near the back of the room, their expression visibly brightens up and they smile warmly at him. (As they make their way toward his table they also happen to snag a fresh cup of that spiced hard cider for themself...)

"Happy Givingstide, Erik. I'm so glad you decided to attend." Chris slides into the seat across from Erik, sets their drink down on the table top, and reaches over to lightly touch Erik's hand. It's just for a moment, even though Chris is clearly reluctant to pull their hand away.

They take a sip of their cider, possibly to fortify their nerves, and then reach into a pocket and pull out a small box labelled with Erik's name. "This is for you," they say, pushing it closer to him.

The box contains a silver pocket watch on a chain. Chris is watching Erik with those big blue eyes, hopeful that their gift will go over well.

The Shade | OTA

[deaths_head]

The Shade came to Givingstide without much--but he also came with plenty.

If he knows you, odds are you got a simple link bracelet made entirely of wood, engraved with his sigil: the outline of a casket surrounding a runic symbol.

The bracelet is wrapped in linen and nestled in a small box, resting in a bed of what looks like coal dust flecked with dried herbs. A note sits right on top, folded with the words READ ALOUD BEFORE WEARING written in bold hand.

May the laughter of an Irish wake lighten every load,
may the promise of a restful slumber shorten every road,
may you taste the sweetest pleasures that fortune 'ere bestowed,
and may all your friends remember all the favors you are owed.

Reading the makeshift spell will bring the smell of burning wood, but no smoke or flame. Wearing the bracelet will give the wearer one such boon should it cross their path, as the blessing reads: an instance of superior physical strength or endurance in a time of need, a long and inconvenient journey made suddenly shorter by unnatural fortune or circumstance, a moment of good fortune made far better than expected, or the repayment of some debt--financial or personal--that was otherwise forsaken.

Jean, Chris Freeman, Nieve, Angel, and as a bit of a friendly but heartfelt troll, Hawkeye Pierce, he'll approach at some point during the night with another gift: a blank envelope with a simple note inside, but he won't linger to watch you read it.

If this name be unknown to you, know that it is mine--and know that it is power over me beyond this world. Here, its greatest power is in what it represents to me: trust and kinship, things I have only ever found with the souls in my care.

If this name be known to you, know I have shared it with others. Consider any you have seen me gift this note to be your kin, as they are mine.

May your glass be ever full.
May the roof over your head be always strong.
And if you never choose to join me in the Vale, may you be in heaven half an hour before the Devil knows you’re dead.

At the bottom of the note is a name, printed neatly and carefully.

Josiah Cole

[thelatechrisfreeman]

Chris smiles upon opening their present, silently reads the note (to know what the present means and does), and gently traces that casket outline before replacing the lid on the box. They feel like this is a present best studied and activated in private, not a thing to be done in the corner of a busy party.

They tuck the box into the opposite pocket from the one carrying Erik's gift, and then pick up the gift they bought for the Shade.

When they see him, they call out "Joe!" happily -- it's about the only warning the Shade gets before he is being held in a one-armed hug with Chris's face pressed against his shoulder.

"Thank you! I got you a present, too... I didn't make it, but I hope you like it."