OPEN | here come the night

[halfwinchester]

Who: Adam Milligan (halfwinchester) and whoever else might be admiring Ewaymas!
Where: Around the mansion.
When: Dec. 13, anytime from late night to mid-afternoon.
Rating: G for now!
Summary: What the hell's with all this Christmas stuff? At least one newcomer is out and about looking at the changes.
The Story:



<sub>[Very rarely does Adam sleep through the night--or at all, if he's being honest. When the light fades and the mansion gets quiet, it's the perfect time for thoughts of his time in the pit to creep back in, and almost every night begins and ends with him sitting wide-awake until he's too tired to mount a defense. Sometimes he likes to ward away his nightmares in the bathroom. It's smaller in there, and reminds him of the times he'd hidden there when he'd been sick with the flu as a young child.

That night, he's counting spots on the ceiling of his room when the snow starts to fall, and it's the first thing that grabs Adam's attention before the noise starts. Snow? Had that been in Wonderland's weather report? By the time his curiosity wins out over his apprehension, the noises outside his door have long since stopped.

He creeps into the hallway in bare feet to see what going's on. Christmas decorations? Is it Christmas?

The mansion looks beautifully done up in the late hours of the night, and for a while Adam looks around until the pull to return to his room grows too strong. He can be found downstairs inspecting the giant Christmas tree once daylight breaks, dressed for the weather in a heavy sweater. His breakfast is an apple, which he eats while poking at ornaments on the branches.

For once, he has something to do in the mansion that isn't simply "avoid angels." It's strange enough thinking it's already December. A lot of the time it feels like he just arrived, soul broken and all.]</sub>

Comments

[eatsyourscience]

[Souji has a habit of being up at night, especially when the weather is inclement (not that that happens much in Wonderland). Since tonight is the annual decorating spree, he's up, wandering the halls while the magic is actually at work, and once it's over, it doesn't occur to him to go back to his room and sleep. Why not stay up? He has no where he needs to be in the morning, and maybe he can be the first one to go out into the snow. It's a childish thought, but it makes him happy.

Around dawn, he finds his way down to the entrance hall and sees Adam by the tree. Not that he recognizes him on sight--he's only ever spoken to him via text on the network.

Apparent stranger or not, Souji doesn't think he has a reason to be wary. He waves a little as he reaches the bottom of the stairs.]

Good morning.

[lowkeyangel]

[Gabriel doesn't exactly sleep. At least, normally. He's had his dose in Wonderland, thanks to being powerless a few times, but he's in full control of his Grace at the moment. Just enough to, like Adam, take a look at the Christmas decorations.

And turn up his nose, for the most part, Christmas being the inaccurate and stolen nonsense it is. Sure, he likes some aspects, like the sweets and the egg nog and the presents — and how, generally, people dial back on being douchebags for a little while. But Christmas is a reminder of his pagan past, and that makes him strangely melancholy as he sits down near the stairs to stare at a wreath.

It's on complete accident that Adam wanders by and he happens to notice.]

Can't sleep?

[notthesecondworstfighter]

[It's nothing short of a surprise to wake up and find the mansion decorated overnight. When he first steps out his door, Wash has to do a doubletake, and then finds himself wondering if perhaps he's still dreaming. Until he remembers, anyway. Wonderland. Magic. All that stuff that still manages to catch him off guard. At least this is a pleasant piece of Wonderland magic though. He can't deny that the place looks pretty great, and it's been a long time since he last saw Christmas decorations.

Deciding to enjoy it, he makes his way downstairs, not paying as much attention to where he's going as he probably should, too busy inspecting the decorations he passes. Thankfully, he manages to not trip down the stairs and break something, and when he reaches the entrance hall...well. The gigantic tree is another surprise. But what catches his eye is Adam inspecting it, seeming as interested yet puzzled as he is.]

This whole thing new to you, too?

/smooch!

[ex_alighthouse135]

[As Adam is inspecting the Christmas tree, someone else enters the room. Elizabeth is quite taken by the sight of it. A real Christmas tree! It's the first one she's ever seen. But then there's something else that takes her attention.

She walks quickly in Adam's direction, looking as though she might say something, but rather than speak she reaches to put her arms right around him and leans into for a sudden and not-so-brief kiss!]

kisses!

[onsilksheets]

[The sudden onslaught of Christmas decorations threw Bela for a loop because she remembered it being springtime back home; Christmas was over half a year away for her. She didn't make a big deal of the holiday itself, and that probably stemmed from a few rubbish Christmases when she was a child.

The less said about that, the better.

It didn't stop her from her usual routine though, and Bela makes her way downstairs, greeted by the sight of the tree on her way down. She could accuse the mansion of overdoing it but maybe it thought the residents would appreciate the decorations. She blinks to make sure it's real, coming over to inspect the tree.

What Bela didn't expect to see was Adam.]

Early start for you, yeah?

[Casual. Friendly. Avoiding anything to do with zombies.]

[askedforit]

Sleep is a thing that's sort of hit or miss for Peter, and sometimes, he finds himself with a case of sleeplessness. But really, even though the sleep might be nice, he can't quite argue with the sight that's before him. Wonderland's gone all-out for Christmas, it seems, and it's really kind of impressive.

It reminds him a little of the lavish affairs his parents would put on back home. And it's with a mixture of fondness and distaste that he recalls the parties and other fancy gatherings that were hosted at his childhood home.

But this isn't home, far from it. There's danger and threats to look out for, but there's good things too, and Peter's doing his best to focus on those instead.

While he wanders around taking in the decorations, he spots Adam poking at a Christmas tree, and decides to try striking up a conversation.]

Hey. They really went all-out with the decorating, huh?