(no subject)

[exeggutorhead]

Who: Denizens of Shark House and anyone else invited over

Where: Shark House/Goldenrod City

When: All through the holidays!

Summary: Catch-all log for Shark House members' December threading

Rating: PG-13?

Log:



There may be plenty of awkward family drama, explosions, and the general mayhem that can't be avoided when the members of this household are...who they are. But it's the holidays, and everyone's home for them, so there's celebrating to be done anyway.

Comments

Early Christmas Morning

[exeggutorhead]

[For all the talk of kidnapping Santa the previous night, of course the red intruder hadn't been caught at all.]

[And for once, Envy is actually waking up early. There's still some amount of time before the house has both of his half brothers in it and he wants to be awake to savor that time.]

[But hell if he's going to be awake by himself. So he rolls right over and starts insistently nudging Heather's shoulder like an actual five year old...well, on Christmas morning.]

Hey. Hey, Heather. Heather, wake up.

[His next move if she doesn't get up is lightly blowing on her ear. He learned this shit from her.]

[foolishwren]

<sub>[Yeah, he super didn't get caught. Heather and Envy are the worst Santa-catchers.]

[She's somewhere in the mass of blankets that Envy's bed has become in the winter, and yes, her first reaction to Envy shaking her like an excited first-grader is to mumble something and shrug it off. But blowing in her ear gets a disgruntled noise and her arm emerges from the blanket-tangle to swat at him.]</sub>

Nnnhhg, what.

[exeggutorhead]

[The swat isn't hard to dodge, and he burrows underneath the blankets after her to nudge with more annoying effectiveness.]

Come onnnn. We don't know when they're getting here, I want to be awake before they do.

Besides, we didn't catch Santa last night, so we should go see what stuff we got.

[foolishwren]

_{[The disgruntled noise returns, longer and louder. But once he's in the blankets WITH her, she can't fight him off. So she just knees him halfheartedly, trying to block him where she can, while glaring at him with one eye cracked open.]}

Mmmmmmn but I'm tiiiiireeeed.

[exeggutorhead]

[Oh, kneeing him? Is that how this is going to go?]

[Wordlessly, Envy wraps his arms around her torso and begins to scoot.]

[He's pulling them directly towards the edge of the bed and cannot be deterred.]

[foolishwren]

<sub>[... OKAY THAT WAKES HER UP.]

[As cute as it is to see her 400+ year-old significant other get super excited about presents from Santa, being dragged onto the floor is really not how she wants to start Christmas Day.]</sub>

Envy, if you dump me on the floor, I'm gonna take every single present Santa brought you and eat them one by one while you watch!

[exeggutorhead]

[OKAY MAYBE HE CAN BE SOMEWHAT DETERRED.]

[He doesn't look the slightest bit remorseful or sheepish though.]

Well then I guess we'd better get up, so you don't have to run the risk of having to eat a bunch of...I dunno, rocks, maybe, or Pokemon eggs.

Pre-Christmas Preparation!

[a_sin_for_him]

[For all that she never knew about the holiday until a handful of years ago, Lust's taken well to Christmas. Most of it. The sentimentality of it speaks to her, the whole idea of coming together in the dark and cold time of the year and sharing in comfort and companionship. It's...nice. Especially when one has a family and friends to share in it with.]

[So despite her misgivings about the whole Santa affair - why the breaking and entering? - she's getting the house decked out for the holidays. Madeleine, her Minccino, is on wrapping duty at the coffee table. Gifts for those not in the house, should someone wander into the living room. It smells like something is baking in the oven, and there's puffs of what look like flour leading in from the kitchen. Lust herself is up a step ladder, stretched on her tiptoes, hanging a garland over the window. One of the Umbreon is on the back of a chair on the other side of the large window, the other end of the garland clasped in its mouth. Both look...a touch precarious.]

[Which may be why Kir Royale, the Espeon, is vibrating and watching intensely, tail tips lashing.]

Almost have it in place....

[exeggutorhead]

[Envy's been drawn in from the backyard by the smell of whatever baked good is happening in the kitchen...although once he actually gets inside, it'd be hard not to catch sight of Lust about to fall off a ladder.]

So if you fall off and break your neck, do I get your presents?

[a_sin_for_him]

[It's a testament to Lust's circus skills that she doesn't come tumbling off the ladder when Envy startles her. She only almost tumbles off the ladder. It wobbles, rocking back and forth from one leg to the other. One of Lust's hands braces against the wall and she balances on one foot, trying to steady the step ladder.]

[The Umbreon drops the other end of the garland, leaping down and sending the chair toppling, rushing to help steady the step ladder.

Dark'n'Dirty, no! [Lust sighs at the abandoned garland and casts a look in Envy's direction.]

Clearly that's your master plan, off me via accident and take my presents.

Sometime Christmas Day

[a_sin_for_him]

[It's going to be a very full house, for the holiday. On top of the complete Elric set, Lust's invited Timothy over. And insisted he bring May and the kittens as well, all of whom have stockings hung for them. She asked him to come by late enough to be spared the chaos of the proper present-opening morning, but early enough to spend the majority of the holiday. He ought to be spending more of those, here. She wants him to get to know her family, them to get to know him. Beyond the casual exchanges over the network and in passing. It goes without saying he'll be moving in eventually, when they're both ready for that step.]

[By the time Tim arrives, Lust is dressed in a casual - if snug - red ankle length dress with a festive ribbon tied in her hair like a headband. His gifts are set aside neatly, waiting for him, and poor Henry the Espurr has been coaxed into wearing a Santa Claus hat and festive tie. He does not look particularly pleased with this, but he never looks particularly pleased with anything. And luckily it seems to be a moment of calm in the house...]

DANTE EFFIGY

[exeggutorhead]

[There was absolutely no way that Christmas Day at this house was going to be completely normal and traditional.]

[Especially not with the particular gift that Envy had gotten and has now dragged out into the middle of the living room under one arm. He holds the dress up, the pink and purple and white fabric blessedly free of the smell of rotten meat or perfume. But everyone present from Amestris, those who haven't already seen it anyway, ought to recognize the thing.]

Hey, so Santa gave me this thing. Who wants to help me set it on fire in the yard?

[A sort of grimly gleeful look passes over his face.]

I was thinking we could even stuff it and give it a head and have a really great time. Merry Christmas to all of us.

[armoredsoul]

[At first, Al looks confused, then disgusted as Envy drags out that hideous ballgown. The fact that Envy was given THAT is a sick joke.]

[But then Envy actually makes his suggestion, and he breaks out into a wide, mischievous grin.] Oh, hell yes! I bet we can find enough shed fur around to stuff that thing easy.

[a_sin_for_him]

I think that's the only logical course of action.

[The spirit of Christmas had been in quite the mood, this morning. What interesting things from home have shown up.]

I have yarn I'm never going to use, to give it hair. Make it a proper representation.

Ed and Lust

[a_sin_for_him]

[If nothing else, this is certainly the most interesting Christmas that Shark House has seen. But everyone seems to be behaving themselves, which is all that Lust hoped for. She supposes it helps some that Edward has been keeping to himself, more or less. She doesn't blame him for not being the most comfortable here, but it is a holiday and she is hostess in this home.]

[So she makes a point of seeking him out, at one of those moments when things are rather quiet and everyone's occupied with their gifts or naps or whatever else.]

There's a fresh pot of cocoa. And it's late enough in the day that I've brought out the bottle of vanilla rum, if you'd like to stiffen it up.

[Because she isn't about to simply say she's checking on him. Even though that's exactly what she's doing.]

[alltoblame]

[Edward has been keeping to himself, because at this stage there's nothing he wants less than to stir the pot. He'd already managed some sort of shaky truce with Envy to make things easier for Al but that was based on the concept of keeping his distance and now here he was instead, in the middle of it.

He is off in the farthest corner he can find, safely away from Wrath and all the drama that would entail, reading when Lust does approach.]

That doesn't sound like a bad idea.

[Even if he's not entirely aware that's what she's doing, he is grateful for it. For the distraction from everything going on in his mind at being there, and the offer itself.]

Sounds like things have quieted down a bit.

[a_sin_for_him]

They always do, eventually. It's not always quite like this, of course, it's the holiday.

[Everyone's home, spirits and tensions are high, the morning's gifts from home...it's been quite a day. Even the Pokemon have been bouncing off the walls, and not just the Eeveelutions. Many who've been banned to the basement by now.]

I'll bring you a mug of stiff cocoa. And...well, here.

[Lust bends down to lift a Munna in a scarf up into her arms and offer the Pokemon to Edward.]

This is Dame Adelaide Applebrook, and she has quite the knack for easing agitated minds. I don't know if you have a Munna yet, but you ought to. Everyone ought to. I have three. Perhaps you might like her to keep you company while you're here.

[alltoblame]

Yeah...

[It made sense that the holiday would be more chaotic, especially considering who they were talking about, then add to that his presence being there. Not to mention the hideous dress Envy wound up with for a present, plenty of reason for people to be on edge, over-excited and things to go a little crazy. At least there hadn't been any stabbings that he was aware of.

He is just going to blink as Lust offers the Pokemon before taking it with a nod. No comment on the name, he's just going to settle her into his lap for the moment, looking the Munna over curiously.]

I haven't read up much on these guys, but that does sound helpful.

[Over 700 last he really looked into it, and that was too much to get a good grasp on all of them in the short time he'd been here. Not when he had other focuses like family drama and trying to study just why they were here in the first place. Plus festivals, holidays, Al's venture out for gym badges and the random Legendary Spat.]

Thanks, Lust...

[That might be for more than the cocoa and Pokemon babysitter.]

[a_sin_for_him]

They're rather darling little things. I don't understand how anyone can know everything about all the different types, there's so many...

[She can't keep track. And she's been here for years. And new species keep popping up. Like Gilda. Lust had never heard of a Poplio before the seal hatched and spoke her type.]

[She turns to get the promised cocoa, returning a few minutes later with a large mug of spiked hot chocolate drink.]

Here. It's alright...when Scar was with us, he was never particularly comfortable coming here or spending any time here. I couldn't blame him, really. He used to find a quiet corner and just...hide there.

[She snorts a bit, fondly though, and with amusement.]

For Envy, Backdated to Late-December

[no_ufo_ending]

Envy? Hey, um.

_{[Henry appears halfway around the corner, his shaggy hair obscuring most of his face as per usual. He hunches his shoulders in attempts to be smaller so that his Embarrassing Request might be harder to notice. Because that makes sense.]}

Can you help me with something?

[exeggutorhead]

[Envy looks up from his semi-contorted position on the couch, where he'd been flipping through one of the numerous fashion magazines the house seems to collect.]

What is it, you need help hiding a body?

[no_ufo_ending]

Wh--

_{[That catches Henry off guard so much that he actually straightens up.]}

No!

_{[He even looks a little defensive about it. HENRY WHERE'S WALTER? HE'S BEEN OFF THE RADAR FOR A WHILE HASNT HE!!!!! Instead of revealing some horrible plot twist, Henry slowly melts back down into his sheepish disposition.]}

No, I need your help with my appearance. I almost lost a customer because I don't look enough like a stoner anymore...but I want to keep my Pokemon Center job. It feels...nice to look like a person again and have people not cross the street to avoid me. It's been so long. And if anybody can help me find a balance between the two, it's you.

_{[Henry gives him a pitiful frown and brings his hands together to plead.]}

[exeggutorhead]

[Envy snickers about that defensive outburst because he's a terrible friend, but as Henry continues he sits up, leaning forward on his knees as his buddy makes his request.]

[And starts looking decidedly interested because what's this? Getting to play with someone's appearance? His favorite thing!]

You know, I think I might be able to pull that off.

You're gonna have to tell me exactly what "stoner" looks like, besides...what you used to look like.

[no_ufo_ending]

<sub>[Henry opens his mouth to reply--]

[--and then he shuts it.]</sub>

Uh...

_{[Henry is an artist but that doesnt mean he can actually use words to describe a particular aesthetic.]}

Uh. Uhm. Er. It's like. We--they're like...baggy clothes. Kinda. Unwashed. Messy hair. Stubble. Like...the only thing they do is eat Dodtritos and get high.

_{[So Henry just describes what he used to look like ANYWAY.]}

[exeggutorhead]

[Envy refrains, barely, from saying that out loud.]

[If only because Henry is his best friend.]

[Instead, he taps his chin, thinking.]

So...that, but also nice enough to still work at a Pokemon Center and be a regular guy...

Who was it who told you you didn't look enough like a stoner?