Christmas "Meme"

[snakewithbaggage]

Jingle Bells! Jingle Bells!
Suzu ga naru
Suzu no rizumu ni hikari no wa ga mau
Jingle Bells! Jingle Bells!
Suzu ga naru
Mori ni hayashi ni hibikinagara

Welcome to the Dinohouse Christmas "meme"! This is going to work a bit differently from most memes, but still free free to do what you want here!

The idea:
Following this post I will be making an assortment of Universe/Location "thread" comments. These will define the specific scene and universe being worked in. Comments by applicable characters will follow under that comment.

Example:
Mushverse; Shiba Mansion; open to Shinkengers

Comments following that would all be set in the Mushverse universe, be by any Shinkengers that want to participate, and take place at the Shiba Mansion Christmas party. Think of it sort of like every "top level" comment is its own post to the community.

Following that example, if your desired AU/Canon/etc isn't there, feel free to make a "thread" for it! Say there's already a Mushverse Go-busters "thread", and you want to do something in Aibouverse, or something more canon, maybe just between two characters? Make one!

Comments following the "thread" headings can be group setting free for all, or between individuals. Say it's a canon GokaiGalleon party, and Gai and Luka want to go off alone, or are on their way to the Galleon together? Their thread can be a separate second level comment thread beneath the main Canon Gokaiger thread.

I know that's a lot of information/qualifiers, but don't let it make you nervous to post, "rules" are fluid, and mainly set for added organization.

HAVE FUN. And enjoy the season!

Comments

[keepitreal]

So I might have been a hermiting beetle for the past while. Maybe. That doesn't mean I won't make at least a small appearance, poking my head in at the Cous Coussier.

What a place, right? I make a grumpy sort of face, but I slide inside anyway, shrugging my coat a little closer anyway.

[catcameback]

I'm still standing right in the doorway, trying to avoid any emotional shrapnel from any of the sundry and assorted angles. This place is even more riddled with landmines than home, what with Ankh and Eiji skirting around each other over there, both Births doing something else in another corner, and the not-Ankh detective whose name I have already forgotten with his sister right in the middle of the restaurant.

Sigh.

I'm just turning around to leave when I walk right into green leather and and a lingering cloud of grumpiness.

"Uva!"

[keepitreal]

I hardly notice when a yellow bundle of not-so-cat bumps into me, but it shocks me out of my fugue. I step back a little, "Oi, watch out. Don't know what you'll hit when you're rocketing around like that."

I swear I wanted to sound more mad and less gently chiding and concerned when I said that, but oh well. Cat's out of the bag so to speak. "Kazari."

[catcameback]

"I'm glad you're not dead again!"

Oh, come on, even I know that's pathetic. I don't even care about him that much, I'm sure I don't, but. Damn it.

Why do I care if I care about him anyway? That's what humans do, is make fools of themselves in front of people they're interested in, and the ones worth keeping are they ones you don't scare away. That's what I've learned from my human parents.

"I just mean. You... well, I don't know where you were for a while there. I guess we've all been busy, though. Um. Hi."

[keepitreal]

"Shut up," I grumble for a second, before I correct myself, rubbing the back of my neck. "Sorry. Nah, it's my fault. I'll be around more often, all right? I sleep more when it's cold, that's all." It's a piss-poor excuse and I know it, but I felt like I couldn't just... not say anything. I felt bad about it.

Stupid human body with its stupid squishy inclinations.

"But hi."

[catcameback]

Well, he hasn't changed much, has he. I bet he's not having massive crises of whether he's human, or Greeed, or Zodiarts or. Whatever. Whether his family is in danger or dying or dead or...

I hiss a little, mostly at myself, and then take a step back, back into the restaurant.

"You're here, though. So I guess you wanted to see us, huh?" I smirk, then glance around, trying to find a table that is equidistant from the most annoying people in the restaurant. "Wanna get something to eat? While we're here?"

[keepitreal]

"'Us' is a broad term, but I guess." Really, I wanted to see Kazari, as weird as it was. That's what I felt the worst for--skipping out on the others... I'm not sure; Mezool and Gamel had each other. Ankh was... Ankh. Who did Kazari really have that was close and familiar?

But that's too pitying for both his tastes and mine, isn't it. Gross. At the very least he needs someone to make sure he doesn't get in over his head.

"You pick something; I'm not too sure on the menu here. How, uh. How have things been?"

Smooth. Yeah. Smooth like sandpaper. Or a bag of rocks.

[catcameback]

Well, duh, Uva, of course it's a broad term, that's why I used it, so you wouldn't suspect me of anything. I smirk at him anyway and grab the sleeve of his jacket to drag him to the table I identified as closest.

"I like fish." I say blankly. "I like poultry too, but I try not to eat too much of it, 'cause of... Well, 'cause of reasons."

I rub a hand through my hair a few times. Am I grooming? I think I am.

"Um. You know. Alright. Family shit, you know. Or do you? I don't know. The other Ankh came back, did you hear about that? Or, I mean. He was back. Before us, even."

[keepitreal]

WELL SOMETIMES CATS ARE CRAFTIER. I just like the direct approach!! Gosh.

"A fishy dish is fine, then. Don't want to start anything," I murmur the last part, my eyes sliding elsewhere in the restaurant. This tentative ceasefire is... it's really something. My suspicions keep raising but nothing ever comes of it, so I can relax, in longer and longer periods.

"Family shit? ...Hope that little guy isn't as tempermental as he used to be, then, for all our sakes." The last thing we needed was someone fucking up this second chance for us.

I grimace a little, resting an elbow on the table when I sit, but I make sure it's close to Kazari for. Reasons. "You need any help?" I know he's... usually up to something, and there's no real reason to doubt he's never not up to something, but at least now I'm sure he won't screw us over. He's got too much to lose. I might as well help him keep what he's got, too. Family. Feelings. Something indescribable. I speak low, then, just so someone won't overhear me, "You know. With anything."

[catcameback]

I grin at him and flag down any old server to order for both of us. I get us the same thing, and I figure I can take Uva's fish and make him eat all the vegetables. Or something.

"Um, yeah. I don't know. Still getting used to being a human, I guess. Would have been nice if we could have started out, like. Younger or something."

Right. Uva never liked Other Ankh much either. No one did but me.

Well, they were all jerks. I bare my teeth at him and sniff. "He's doing better than I bet we are, even if he does still talk a little funny about Ankh sometimes."

I scrape my hands through my hair again. Why won't it lie... well, not flat, it's never flat, but. Not in my face? Is that so much to ask?

"Help?" I smirk at him for that one. "You're offering to help... me?" I blink and sit back, tapping all of my fingers on the table top. "I guess we've all changed more than I thought."