[Mingle Post] Holidays

[passingmod]

Who: Everyone! Open to All
What: Holiday Mingle Log
When: the holiday season
Where: Locations in comments, or add your own.

Tonight, dreams take the form of the winter holidays. Everything is imagined in grand scale, from a winter wonderlandscape to a glorious feast, to gifts under the tree and the inevitable mistletoe. All of everyone's favorite things have made their way into the dreams. And it feels so vivid and real.

(ooc: This is a post to keep threads together for winter holiday antics. Separate posts are also fine, and this one is optional. Feel free to use the location subthreads as prompts, or to add something entirely different. These include hints of the dreams crossing into waking life; those are small and entirely optional as well.)

Comments

[fridgeninja]

A brief search of his pockets turned up a dark blue matchbook, like the ones handed out at bars, with THE VELVET ROOM printed on the front. He frowned at it for a moment before handing it over.

"looks like this is the best I can do."

[braidstobows]

"Please give those to me." Homura took the matches as Souji offered them. She struck one and held it by the mistletoe. If they burned that away, perhaps the spell would not linger anymore, either.

She made sure a snowy branch was handy, to put out the fire if need be.

[fridgeninja]

Unfortunately, the mistletoe refused to catch. Souji found himself mentally shuffling through Personae, wondering if Pyro Jack would do him any good, before reluctantly devoting his attention to the current situation again.

"It looks like we're down to two options," he said. "And setting ourselves on fire is probably a bad idea."

[braidstobows]

The other option was really just about as unacceptable. At least, the option she assumed he meant.

"You believe we should kiss." It's a rather flat statement.

[fridgeninja]

"I think... it's better than frostbite. But we can wait and try something else, if you'd like."

Souji's not one to push. Especially not when he's the senpai in this kind of situation.

[braidstobows]

As matter-of-fact as she tended to be about her situation, Homura was not sure someone would want to kiss her. Not if they understood what they were kissing, at least.

But as he said, it was better than frostbite, and he seemed willing.

"Then this is fine," she said, and she turned her cheek towards Souji.

[fridgeninja]

"If you're sure," he said, waiting a moment, and then bending down to plant his lips chastely against her cheek.

Would that be enough?

of course NOW i see i fail at formatting. oops. also, shall we let them? XD

[braidstobows]

Homura closed her eyes, no more than very slightly, but enough to bring her to the very threshold of recognizing she wanted this - oh, not him; she barely knew him and this situation would have mortified her into collapse a month (well, many one months) ago. But the feeling of kindness. A gentle touch. It brings Madoka to mind, as so many things do, the only one to treat her with that casual affection.

She let herself dwell on that for no more than a heartbeat's longing for her one and only friend, before she glanced up - and tried to move away.

[fridgeninja]

After a moment, it became obvious that nothing was stopping her now, and Souji stepped out from under the tree as well with alacrity -- accidentally crowding back into Homura's space for a moment before he could step away again.

[braidstobows]

There was a definite sense of relief, notable only in the way Homura turned away from Souji just a bit too quickly.

"I offer my apologies for this unseemly first meeting." The courtesy, as always with her, is bland and lacks the depth of sincerity. Going through the motions by rote.

[fridgeninja]

"It wasn't your fault. In fact, thanks for rescuing me."

Souji, on the other hand, was the soul of sincerity itself, something that shone through no matter what the circumstances. But something about his smile said that even if he'd noticed the same wasn't true of her, he didn't mind.

[braidstobows]

"I was also trapped," Homura pointed out. It hadn't been so much an act of kindness as practical, and not worth making a scene over in the larger picture of things.

[fridgeninja]

"Still." Souji smiled and shook his head. He didn't really feel the need to convince her of anything.

"Let's head back inside."

The lights looked warm and inviting.

[braidstobows]

There weren't many people who'd seek out her company. Or even make that simple offer to warm up. She had to admit it was gratifying.

"Very well. I have a little time." There was no particular reason to refuse, she supposed. "It will be better to warm up before we return to our homes."