melodiesoflife | Christmas Party & Cheer

Christmas Party & Cheer

WHO: OPEN
WHEN: FORWARD DATED: December 22nd
WHERE: Christmas Town
WHAT: Celebrating the snow, the holidays, good cheery, warm fires and friends.
WARNING: Mistletoe?

With Rukia's help they were able to find a large enough hall in Christmas Town to throw the party. Zelda had set it for this day since a group of brave heroes were going to set out on the 24th. She had made sure that everything was perfect and of course everyone was invited. There were at least six decorated trees with polished silver and gold ornaments hanging from their branches. Scarlet red ribbons decorated the trees and tables with large bows tying the streaming trails together.

There was one very large tree at the halls center and there were a few presents around the bottom for those who needed a place to put gifts. At it's top was a large pointed star.

Champagne and small finger snacks were set on the tables and a part of the room was cleared for those who wanted to dance. Zelda was even able to hire a few people to play Christmas songs throughout the night. There was a table dedicated to sweets with cookies, cakes, small pies and other wonderful treats spread out for people to try.

Among the decorations was mistletoe. This little plant hung above the doorways waiting for any pair who happens to be caught in their hold. Most of the mistletoe was thanks to Minako but Zelda might have put up one sprig at the entrance to the party; it's all in good fun and kisses on the hand or cheek are perfectly acceptable.

[ooc: feel free to make open posts and tag around! It's a party!]

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"It feels like we've been here all our lives." Zelda's party was a small affair; something between a group of people unfortunate enough to get roped into another world's politics. This was an actual party. New friends, new neighbors: a new life where Ales could start over. No worries about facing the consequences of his actions back home. Needless to say, he enjoyed this peaceful life. He wasn't the leader of an army, but the chance to fly a real airship and conduct his own funded research was preferable.

As stupid as most of the other Heroes could be, they all weren't that bad. They didn't mind his love for science and they were all focused on saving the world rather than lazing about. Ales could get used to living here forever.

"We may as well break off of Aqures Ixen and start our own village of Heroes at this rate next year. At least, as long as the Calamity remains frozen." It was worrisome how it stopped moving out of nowhere with no explanation. With no reason behind it, the smallest thing could trigger it again.

He shakes his head. This is a party, not the time to ruin the moody by worrying about the fate of the world. "How kind of this village to let all of us to gather here today."

Sephiroth didn't like that thought very much, with regards to how long it felt that they'd been on Crystallis as opposed to their respective home worlds. Much in the same way that he didn't like feeling like he were wasting his time, which he often did especially when mundanely drifting from one day to the next. An old, bitter thought was rehashed; it was all very well taking so much effort into saving this world in order to save their own, but afterward wouldn't he then go ahead and try to destroy it anyway? It didn't motivate one to be so proactive, that was a fact.

Perhaps if he were more like Ales, and had less expectation with regard to his life in general he could be happy enough with the smaller things he had now that he didn't before, rather than the bigger ones that he didn't? Regrettably that had never formed very much of Sephiroth's personality. He liked to be at the forefront, smashing boundaries and then continuing up and striding to the next one.

Minutely, Sephiroth bit the underside of his lip a little as Ales mentioned the Calamity. He'd been there when the Sage had imparted the knowledge that it would begin to expand again in the new year but he wasn't sure he wanted to be the one to break that news to Ales and ruin the festive cheer. Thankfully the subject changed in time for Sephiroth to answer it; and not feel so bad for the distraction.

"Well, a lot of Heroes of Light have been working here over the last month to get it set up like it has been. I suppose they couldn't very well have refused."

Ales nodded, his smile wavering ever since he brought up the Calamity. They're celebrating whatever hope they have now: more heroes, a renewed determination to find out what happened with Palitutu, no matter how terribly their Moogle hunting expedition went. Christmas was a time for parties and good memories, not focusing on the depressing things in life. That will come later.

"Offering us something in return for our hard work. Nothing unusual about that, right?" It was a more fitting location than the old Aqures Ixen observatory, he had to admit.

"It's something good to think about after...all that this year decided to be."

"Not at all." Ever observant and intuitive Sephiroth had noticed the drop in the tone that their conversation had started to bring about. In an attempt to keep something of a good spirit up, he raised his glass and saluted it down towards Ales before flashing a fleeting smile and taking a sip. Silver bangs dipped forwards and back to their rightful place with the motion, the color almost seemed to glisten with the twinkling lights behind it and above him.

"There has been a lot-" Sephiroth found he had to swallow again in the aftertaste of the whiskey that time, like the comment had made it stick in his throat some. He abruptly cleared his throat and then continued.

"-there is a lot that has happened, it's true. But I believe it's something of the spirit of this season to look forward at least with a measure of positive thinking."

Ales stood on his toes and stretch his arms as high as he could while lifting the glass in response. A second of wobbling later, he stood down and took a sip of his own. He clasped his small hands around the glass and drank half of the small cup of punch. The night had been full of dancing and talking without the aid of alcohol, and he was already getting a dry mouth.

"Hm?" He kept his gaze fixed on Sephiroth in case he was choking on the strong whiskey, but he appeared fine. "Of course. That's why we have celebrations - to delegate time to goofing off and focusing on the topic of celebration. Friendships and gift-giving, in this case." A vague theme for a holiday, but Teensies only needed the smallest of reasons to throw a party.

"And the new year is coming up soon. I'm looking forward to getting more work done and researching crystal energy in the new continent." Imagine all those library they must have!

Sephiroth scoffed but at least tried to chuckle it away a little towards the end. He never spent any time in the goofing off that Ales mentioned and even if he were to consider it...how would he even start? For much too much of his life it had all been the hard-graft, with precious seconds in comparison ever reserved for what he might relate to as fun. Even those moments came with at least an equal, if not larger sting in their tail. As such he was left only remembering such times fleetingly, as they inevitable were followed by much bitterness.

Sadness.

He still had a very large issue in admitting to himself how sad he'd become in the wake of Genesis and Angeal. It's a saving grace that Ales soon mentions something that pricks more to Sephiroth's intellectual leanings, like a fine dart of a needle meeting it's bulls eye. The expression of the tall man hardens as interest is piqued and before long those thickly-lashed eyes are narrowed inquisitively.

"Crystal...energy." Mako. It's a thought that's been sat there quietly yet now a spotlight shone on it. He'd spent a month or so being interested in the same, when he'd helped initially with the Enterprise, before more important matters had whisked him back to where his strengths lay.

"I wasn't aware you'd carried on researching the same. How's that going?"

Ales closed his eyes. "It's going." A brief yet accurate answer to the question. "Just a moment." He left the company of Sephiroth and ran to the other side of the table to grab a chair and drag it closer. Dancing was hard on the feet, and Ales needed some form of rest that wasn't lying on the floor. It would be easier to speak to Sephiroth on a higher surface, too.

He pushed it against the wall and hopped high enough for his arms to grab the seat, then pulled himself on top. "Alright, crystal energy." He recalled speaking with Sephiroth on the similarities between Mako and crystals, and with his recent windfall, the silver hair man would have the opportunity to look into it.

"A few weeks ago, some acquaintances and I went to the forest to harvest crystals from monsters. We had plenty of alchemists in our team, so we got a good bagful of crystals from each monster." Weak Mandragoras have a decent payout while being easy to fight, and ochus were living treasure chests. "They're mostly stored in the lab, but I have a chestful in my house."

As he watched Ales retrieve a chair, Sephiroth considered to help but instead placed his glass down on a nearby table and also made to move a seat closer to where the small man sought to position his chair against the wall. It was the very least to do, to make it easier to talk to him and so smoothly he also lowered himself to sit down.

Leaned forwards on the chair a little, his long silver hair fell forwards over his opposite shoulder almost like a curtain closing the rest of the room off from their conversation. Not that anyone might eavesdrop, especially over the music, but at the same time Sephiroth isn't too sure how public Ales wants any of his knowledge to be yet.

He listened intently as Ales continued to explain, delicate silver eyebrows raised a little where he hadn't known the capability of the alchemist Job too personally. Questions blossomed keenly behind his eyes as the potential of such research seemed to seep in even further.

"The theory being, that instead of the life energy being returned to Crystallis, these crystals are a physical manifestation of the same." It was a matter-of-fact statement but intriguing all the same and Sephiroth just became more and more curious.

"So I suppose the next step is being able to grade the power contained in individual crystals, and how to tap at that energy?"

Ales silently thanked Sephiroth for sitting down with a nod and a tip of the hat. The locks from his wig obscured little of his face, but silver hair would suffice. The party was enough of a distraction, anyway.

"When you put it that way, it all makes sense. If Heroes can turn into crystals, why not monsters? We become more like statues than a collection of small clusters, and unlike monsters, we can reverse that cycle." His idea to use Heroes that have been in crystal stasis for over a year in case of an emergency was a viable option now. "Whatever this life energy is, at least someone's death won't mean the end of their time on this world."

It was easy for Ales to ignore the implications of harnessing souls to power machines; progress would never happen if he stopped to think about the minor side effects of his work. Prisoning nature nymphs and misleading local heroes were necessary steps for his plan to restructure society to continue unobstructed. It's just that most people had a problem with looking at the larger picture.

"My next step is to recreate the crystal engine they use in ariships on a smaller scale. Once I can do that, then I'll research how different crystals react, and then I can move onto observing the types of energies in our crystals." He stuck his hand in his pocked and pulled out his own crystal orb.

Gazing at it, he pondered whether using his own would be a safe bet.

No.

There were plenty of others that could be duped into lending their own crystals. If his machine will cause negative effects, he doesn't want those to happen to his own.

Knowing what he did -which was as little as the next Hero with a theory- about life energy mechanics on Crystallis, Sephiroth was not too taken with the idea that they weren't so much different from the indigenous monsters of his world, nor the idea that it meant that even in death it didn't mean the end. That was exactly what had happened to their doppelgangers, for sure, and they'd just been re-purposed into new life. Just like what happened back home.

Still, he listened to Ales intently, leaning forwards on his chair and resting on his elbows, near to his knees. Engaging his brain was a pastime that Sephiroth did an awful lot of and running new thoughts and theories through it was exciting, yet at the same time a long-tired exercise. It didn't do much for the festive revelry he had thought to at least try to be a part of, but that hadn't ever been much of his thing, either.

"Hm." With a furrowed brow he looked over Ales' crystal as he produced it. Spencer was custodian of his own crystal a lot of the time, especially as currently it wasn't like Sephiroth had much in the way of pockets to keep it in.

"I shall have to recontact with Cid, perhaps, about the preliminary notes I had made about the engine that used to power the Enterprise, see if he can release them in your direction." A sharp nod turned into something a shrug at the end though.

"It might help a little."

Ales nodded. "It's settled, then." He jerked his head back to its natural position, swinging his locks across his face. "That will be next month, after I'm done with work," he shrugged. No sense in admitting he was going Ellie in her mission to free the Heran prisoners to a member of the military.

"But anything you can do will be greatly appreciated."

He stood up and eyed the dance floor. The music changed to something slow and relaxing, but the rhythm called him. "You really should go out there and talk to some people, get your mind off of things." A quick smile at Sephiroth.

As Ales stood up from his seat, Sephiroth sat back in his own and pulled his posture up a little straighter where he'd been leaning in Ales' direction. He nodded, satisfied enough with the something-of-a-plan, before brushing down the creases that had formed in his shimmering suit jacket from how he'd been sat. They fell right out, he probably needn't have done that.

Ales' smile was met with a curious expression in response. It's not like the small man had ever suggested anything of the sort to him before and seemed, as a result, rather out of the blue. Either that, or he really was wearing his heart on his sleeve much more than he'd ever intended to.

He'd stay put, watching curiously still as Ales departed for the dance floor.

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Christmas Party & Cheer

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