2021-12-01 - Christmas Time Is Here, By Golly

A cool, autumn chill gives an extra bite to the dreary rain that falls from the sky. The rain isn't heavy, it's almost more a cold mist than it is a downpour. And thus, it's not keeping the hearty folk of Gray Harbor from going out to do some Christmas shopping. The downtown shopping area is busy, with families going from shop to shop, trying to find the Must Have gifts for the season. Two older gentlemen look like they're about to knife each other over a PS5 some scalper is selling out of the back of his car.

Alexander appears to be doing some shopping as well, although it's more practical than gift oriented. Unless one counts the small bag of new cat and bird toys that he can't quite resist getting. The toys inside jangle merrily, as if Alexander were getting into the season. And he sort of is: his hideous sweater is bright red and bright green, with a horrible Santa face embroidered on the front.

Hello, how are you is overrated. So Isi, in a colorful poncho-sweater (unlike Alexander's, it is stylish af), sees Alexander and veers toward him with the blunt question, "What feeling do you get from that?"

She doesn't have anything in her hand. If she is shopping she hasn't purchased anything yet. The awkward angle under her poncho shows that her arm is still quite broken. Thus, Poncho!

Alexander jumps in place when the blunt question comes at his side, hunching defensively until he recognizes the woman. "Oh, you're alive. Good." A nod, like some minor issue has been marked off his 'to do' list, and it's satisfying. He looks down at the sweater. "Office party. White elephant exchange. One co-worker gave it to another, and they started talking, and laughing, and became good friends. They kept giving it back and forth to each other, and when one would lose a bet, they'd have to wear it." His smile is brief, but fond. "They were friends." His head tilts to one side. "How's your arm?"

Shopping is certainly a thing this time of the year and Lyric has just a couple of people to buy for. Her first visit was the hardware store where she has a glass Angel, but it's one of those with a stake to poke it in the ground and the angel hovers over a solar light. At night, poked in the ground, it'll probably look pretty all lit up. There's a few other things in a bag over her arm. A Christmas Tree star sticks out most prominent. When she hears the jingle sound, she assumes it's one of those Salvation Army people and starts digging into her pocket with her free hand only to discover it's Alexander. She grins and moseys over towards him. "Are you shoppin?" Ms. Obvious. Isi gets a smile and a 'Merry Christmas." Cause she's not politically correct in the slightest.

Downtown is busy, and Perdita is... surprisingly part of it. She doesn't seem like the type that would shop downtown... in Gray Harbor. Maybe downtown in a major city. She's currently dressed in a cream colored cropped faux fur coat over a black lace bustier that she's apparently decided is perfectly acceptable outdoor wear in the cold of winter. A flowing metallic gold skirt catches the light as she walks, stiletto heels announcing her presence as she walks toward Isi and Alexander, and now Lyric. She's holding two shopping bags from one of the thrift shops, and looks absolutely thrilled with herself.

"Yeah, no help from fucking de la Vega." Isi, bitter about hearing that the person she trusted with things is now suspended for corruption. Two steps back in the progression of 'trusting cops' there. She modulates her tone slightly to add, "God, talk about a gag gift..."

Lyric doesn't get more than an upraised eyebrow and not totally hostile nod. Answering about her arm has got to wait because DAMN DITA. "Do you have any idea what I would give to just, be you, with your fashion sense for even just ten minutes?"

Alexander turns his head as he feel someone else approaching. He smiles. "Lyric. Hi. Yes." He lifts the bags, to prove it. He gives the angel she's carrying a bit of a worried look. "Careful. Sometimes the Veil, uh, does things to stuff like that. It's pretty, though." Perdita is seen, and Alexander actually lifts a hand to give a friendly (for him) wave in that direction.

There's a sidelong look towards Isi at the fucking de la Vega, and he frowns. "It's not his fault. He didn't do anything with that murder case. It would be stupid. The original abduction was twenty years ago. He wasn't even here," he says, quick to defend the other man.

See, that confuses Lyric, what she walks into anyway. "But.." Trying to work it all out in her head. "If the two office workers were passing it back and forth and wearing it when one would lose a bet.. and the were friends." A slight tilt of her head, "How come you have it now?" Enquiring minds want to know! His mention of the angel only makes her smile, despite the thought of the veil doing crazy things to it. "I am going to give it to Brandon." Brandon, the ghost kid at the cemetery. "It's for his grave, so he won't be alone."

Lyric notes the look from Isi towards Alexander, then herself, then of course Perdita. A shrug is offered, "I like Ruiz, he's a nice guy." But like Isa, she has to admire the outfit Perdita wears also. "You look pretty."

When Isi compliments her, Dita takes a second to twirl, showing off the shimmer and shine of the metallic skirt and revealing that the bustier is, at least, lined with nude illusion fabric. She's not wandering around with her breasts out. Today, anyway.

"You know I can take you shopping once your arm gets better and show you where to find good deals and good fashion. Anything that works on this body will work on your body." Perdita tells Isi with a warm smile, which moves to include Alexander and his festive sweater, and Lyric, as well. "Thank you. Love the hair."

"Don't decorate for Christmas," Isi makes a mental note to herself. If the Veil is gonna fuck with it, she's just going to ~not~. "Also, I'm going to hold you to that D," and she cuts herself off abruptly, and leaves it with that single syllable hanging. Also, very deliberately not looking at Alexander. "You and Ravn....." before she shakes her head. She's had this conversation about the suspended chief of police already.

Lyric gets her focus - "Why are you buying shit for people's graves before they're dead? Or," and she looks a little shame faced as she backs off the incredulous tone in her voice, "Did you just lose someone?"

Alexander shrugs at Lyric. "Don't know. Only know the emotions and events that clung to it. I try not to think too much about how it ended up in the thrift shop," he admits, ducking his head. He blinks at the idea that Lyric is giving the angel to someone else, and his head cocks to one side, studying it. "I hope, uh, Brandon likes it." He glances back at Isi. "You should always decorate for Christmas. I have a little tree."

Then he notices that Isi isn't looking at him, and he frowns. Turns and very deliberately doesn't look at her, like the mature human being he is. Instead, he says to Perdita, "It's a nice outfit. But aren't you cold?"

"Thanks!" Lyric beams at the compliment, even if the misty rainfall is getting it super damp at the moment. The question from Isi gets a shrug from Lyric and she offers easily, "No, he died awhile back. Over 2 years I think. I never looked at the year he died. But he gets lonely. Especially on Halloween. And Christmas."

To Alexander, she smiles, "Oh! I thought you meant they were your friends too. I see what you mean now. Maybe shopping at the thrift shop isn't the best idea for you. But I guess shopping anywhere may not be either. What if clothes were made in sweat shops or something. Probably not a good idea." It makes sense. "Is everyone excited about Christmas?"

"We'll make a shopping day of it. Oh, I met a girl you're either going to love or try to murder, Isi. Her name's Gabriella."

There's a look of sympathy from Dita to Alexander as he explains about the sweater, but she's still smiling, "I think it's okay to enjoy the happiness without worrying about how it came to you. It's enough that two people cared about each other and shared that affection through the garment, and now you get to share that, too."

"That's my secret, Alexander. I'm always cold." Lyric gets another of those sympathetic smiles, but Dita shrugs a little, "My family didn't do a lot for Christmas. It's a fun season, though!"

If Alexander's not looking at Isi that deliberately then SHE won't look back at him. This is gonna get awkward at some point, or one of them is going to trip. Till then, very serious adult-ing going on. She WILL respond though, with a shrug of her shoulder. "There's no point. Only time I've ever celebrated the holiday was that one year the Tribal Council decided to split the casino profits among everyone. First time I ever had gloves, scarf, and coat brand-new. " There's no pity-party in those words, just simple matter-of-fact.

So, that's generally how she feels about Christmas.

Not being a total garbage human being, she asks, "Do you need help carrying stuff?" Open offer, to any of them.

Alexander favors Lyric with a somewhat weary sort of smile. "You begin to see one of my problems," he says, quietly. "But it's fine. I find things with good memories." He kicks the ground with one sneakered foot. "I like Christmas. It's true that suicides and assaults are higher this time of year than many others, but outside of that, it's a lovely time. I like the mythology. Celebration. Peace. Goodwill towards mankind." There's something a little wistful in his voice.

And then Perdita mentions Gabriella, and his good mood - such as it was - instantly evaporates. "Oh, she's real." A pause. "Is she like she was in the Dream?" Scowl, scowl. "And if you're cold, you should put on a sweater," he says, being Helpful. He tries to shake his head at Isi's offer without looking at her. It's...very awkward.

Sensing a kindred spirit of sorts in Isi, Lyric looks at her with a more curious expression. "Yeah, I know what you mean." The words are for Isi, and there's a wealth of understanding in them. She doesn't pry though, doesn't try and swap childhood stories. "I'm not going to buy much, just a couple of things for some friends."

With Alexander being wistful and weary at the same time, Lyric moves to stand a little closer. "Does it help when you go shopping if someone is there to kind of help? I'll shop with you at the thrift stores." She knows better than to try and touch him, but she's near just in case. "I never met Gabriella I guess. Who is she? What kind of dream were you in with her?" Again, enquiring minds want to know and Lyric doesn't mind asking.

There's a little nod from Perdita to Isi, as if she, too, knows how it is to grow up stuck with hand-me-downs. "I'm good for now, especially because you still have a busted arm. Hasn't anyone, you know... helped with that? Or are you being stubborn?"

"She's real. I met her when I was getting pizza for me and Garrett." At the comment about a sweater, she tilts her head, pulling back the coat slightly to reveal more of the bustier. "But then I'd ruin the lines of the outfit." Perdita, that's lingerie. It's not an outfit.

"We were being chased by broken harmonicas. We had to join a blue grass jug band to get them to stop. Turns out a reed flute isn't very much like a clarinet... or I suck at clarinet." Or both.

Lyric steps closer to Alexander, and Isi steps a little further away from both of them. Or maybe she just wants to catch a better look at totally-clothing-but-also-totally-not-clothing that Perdita's showing off. At the mention of 'help' Isi shudders slightly. "Ravn kept saying his roommate could do shit like that, but it's just.... unnatural. "

Speaking of, "Goodwill towards mankind can go fuck itself this year. I'm not feeling like many people deserve it. Okay, some," and no, she doesn't look at Alexander. See how her head turns to that spot just right behind him? Maybe she's talking to that hydrant there. Good cheer to you hydrant! "I'll save that shit for a year when my boss doesn't try to murder me."

Joe is far less fashion-forward than most of those there, though he doesn't have anything as glaring as Alexander's sweater. The usual dark, conservative dress of wool peacoat, old jeans, black watchcap. He's ambling along from the direction of the coffee shop. There's that hitch in his gait that means his bad hip is acting up, but he's got a paper cup of something warm enough to steam, and a relatively contented expression.

Alexander eyes Lyric warily as she steps closer to him, holding his ground but keeping a close watch on her for sudden movement. "No. It doesn't help," he says. It's not angry, just completely lacking in anything like tact to soften it. He does grimace, and add, defensively, "I can shop for myself." He edges a little away from her, glancing towards Perdita as she opens the coat. His expression is skeptical. "Frostbite is more important than lines. Preventing it."

There's a slow nod as she explains some of the dream. "Tiny little harmonicas that made awful music. It was strange. I played the banjo. I don't like the banjo." Isi is ignored since she's clearly not talking to him and he is being so mature and not petty and childish at all right now. He's mostly keeping an eye on Lyric's alarming proximity, so he doesn't notice Joe approaching just yet.

Speaking of hydrants, a little dalmatian puppy is lifting his leg on it at the end of a new-looking zebra-striped leash.

"Again, Chief?" Chris grumbles with exasperation. How much liquid could a small dog hold? It turns out, not very much; at least, the ninth time he's lifted his leg on something on this particular walk isn't very productive.

Chris has his overcoat over a warm red button-down for the chilly day. Fae seems to be with him, with his other hand slipped into hers.

"Those are supposed to spray, not be sprayed," he attempts to instruct his would-be coworker. The little pupper's career future at the department appears dubious at best.

"Oh man! I miss all of the good dreams about music. Mine are all scary. Except when I drove the mario kart things made out of food and my hair was cotton candy and I had a gingerbread fan club. That was pretty fun. The molten chocolate lava falls kind of burned though." As Alexander edges away, she doesn't mind too and Lyric steps once in the opposite direction, almost directly in the path of the approaching Joseph. So many places she can't move to get out of the way, but the lesser of the evils is away from Alexander and underneath the awning of the store nearby. Safe from the rain. "Why don't you like Banjo's?" Directed to Alexander before she gives Joe a look. "I think she's mad at Ruiz." Lyric tells Joseph, indicating Isi. No one told her not to say!

They end up coming to a more crowded part of the street and distinct waves of unease start to roll off of Isi. Another side step, though this one takes her behind Alexander and does anyone know how freaking hard it is not to look at someone RIGHT IN FRONT OF THEM? Thankfully, Look! Shop! Right there! No idea if it is something Isi actually wants to go into, but she steps to the doorway and opens it.

"Mind your own fucking business," is what she snaps at Lyric, "The fact that everyone wants to craw up de la Vega's asshole and make it smell like flowers isn't my fucking problem." With that sally she is gone into the shop with the door slamming closed behind her.

Fae waltzes along beside Chris, her pale grey eyes adoringly chasing after the new puppy he's starting to get mildly annoyed with. "He just has to make sure the other dogs know he owns the whole town." that's fair, he's pretty new around these parts and bitches need to recognize.

The ginger girl bends down to pat the puppos head as it gives out a 'roo roo roo' "Awe, you're so cute Chief, until you get bigger and you bark at 400 decibels because I encouraged your loudness with affection." she beams bright 'roo roo roo' the doggo responds, he's ready to learn some bad habits.

The commotion aside snatches her attention away from coddling the fuzzy ball of fur as Isi lets loose her irate vent. "Oh uh, alright then." she blinks, entirely lost as to what just happened, but willing to mind her own fucking business because it certainly wasn't any of hers in the slightest.

"I... for the record I want nothing to do with de la Vega's asshole." Perdita states, to no one in particular, "He reminds me a bit too much of my tío, Lito." Dita watches Isi head off into the shop with only the faintest hint of concern/amusement/vexation playing over her passive features, then shrugs to Lyric. "She's... had a really rough couple weeks. Hey, Joe." head tilt, smile.

Fae and Chris get a finger-wiggle and a smile, and then she's cooing over the puppy, because Dita loves puppies... even if she looks like she has the fashion sense of someone who might try to make a coat out of them.

Joe doesn't loom. He just doesn't have that kind of presence. Even with tattoos and scruff, he's clearly some sort of nerd. His expression turns quizzical indeed as Lyric shares that revelation....and then Isi's reaction confirms it. "I can't imagine why," he deadpans. "Javier's always such a charmer." But that's more than the usual, and he watches the girl's departing back for a moment, before shrugging. He'll find out, or he won't.

"Hello, Perdita, how're you?" he says, amiably. Only then does he glance down at the dog and grin, before looking up and noting to his owner, "He's real cute." Alexander he seems quite content to ignore for the moment, perhaps in the spirit of armed truce.

"Most of mine are awful," Alexander tells Lyric, sympathetically. "Although the Mario Kart thing sounds sort of interesting. Unless someone was trying to eat you. Sometime they--"

And then Isi stomps off, and even Alexander can't ignore that. He winces as the door slams. "...really doesn't like him, huh?" Then there are new people, and...a puppy. Which Alexander smiles at. At least, until he sees Joseph. His spirit of armed truce is apparently to turn and walk away, without another word to anyone.

Anger, Lyric can handle fairly well and when it's directed at her, she gives a whimsical smile despite the snapping at her. "Me either!" The response is cheerful and comes easily as she agrees with Perdita. She certainly had no interest in the Captain's rear nether regions. "Yeah, that's true," the response is more dead pan this time as she speaks with Joseph. "He can be a charmer." A light shrug given his way before she looks down at the puppy. But unlike the others she doesn't fawn over it or anything. There's a single comment, "Cute." That's it though. She shrugs again. "I guess I better go shopping some more so I can be finished. Good seeing you. Try not to get eaten when you sleep." Directed towards Alexander as he walks away. The rest she doesn't really know as well.

"Oh, don't encourage him," Chris tsks playfully at Fae, giving a little tug at the end of the leash in a futile attempt to stop at least one of the two from howling at the sale in the window of whatever shop they're standing in front of them.

Just as quickly as the gathering of people converges on the city block, it breaks apart. Whatever the argument was about was clearly none of the man's business, and he's content to leave it that way.

"Thanks," Chris asides to the attention paid to the puppy, "This is Chief. And I'm, uh, Chris Baxter, and this is Fae." He has no idea if she already knows everyone or not, but it seemed like the polite thing to do.

Fae grin at Perdita as she showcases Chief like a brand new car on The Price is Right. "He's got a little heart on his nose, I'm pretty sure he's the cutest puppy ever. We need to get him on some puppy calendars or something." like father like son apparently, being on calendars for looking cute must just run in the family.

Trying not to dwell on the little tiff that went down a moment ago she moves right on past it blabbering away to Dita like she hadn't seen her in a million years. "Oh, I was thinking about having a little get together soon and thought maybe you'd want to come out to help me celebrate." her teeth slowly shine from her lips.

"I got a new job, so I was thinking maybe a couple of drinks sometime soon?" she'd worked a couple of days at this point, but it was still pretty fresh, she wasn't going to get any employee of the month trophies for her cold coffee deliveries though.

"I am dandy, Joe. I found a gorgeous vintage sheer silk blouse in the shop around the corner, and I intend to pair it with all sorts of mind boggling lingerie to wake the people of this sleepy little town up a little." Perdita's grinning, tilting her head to one side as she looks up at Joseph, only to register, with a little sadness, that Alexander's gone. Ugh. Emotions. She fingerwaves to Lyric, then reaches down to scratch behind Chief's ears, gently, babytalking to him in Kalderash. Who knows, maybe he's fluent?

Truth be told, as Alexander turns on a heel and leaves without a word....the amusement in Joe's eyes is a good long ways from kind. In fact, his expression is almost haughty, for a moment. Only to relax into its usual amiability when Lyric departs, and he salutes her with his cup. "Have a good evenin'," he tells her.

"Chief, huh? How old is he?" A pause, and he adds, belatedly, "I'm Joe. Glad to meetcha." Fae gets only a mock-outraged, "You again!" before he turns to eye Perdita at that. "Well," he says. "I imagine this town could use far more wakin' up of that kind.....and better you than me." Because what they all needed was the image of Joe in a sheer silk blouse.

"We've only had him for a few days, but this little guy is seven weeks old," Chris explains, kneeling down to the dog's level to give him a much-needed head pat. And then Fae gets one to avoid leaving her feeling left out.

"It's always a good time for a happy gathering. Unless it's a workday, or we're busy," Chris considers aloud as he gets to his feet. "Good to meet you, Joe. And see you again, Dita. I'd better keep this little guy moving; it's cold, and she hasn't finished knitting his sweater yet." Was that a joke? It's unclear.

Rounding her mouth and returning the feigned offense Fae huffs at Joseph. "Well, I never." her smirk can't help but rise at the good-humored jeering. "Somebody doesn't want a Christmas card, or a mixtape." she teases playfully shaking her head, Joe was cool, he was going to get both of those for sure.

"I probably could knit him a little sweater." she perks at Chris, before shifting over to Chief who would probably hate a sweater because clothes are dumb...at least for dogs...and some people that choose to live their lives that way, no judgment.

"I've never knitted before, but I'm sure there are youtube videos that can get me up to speed." it's never too soon to prepare for being an old woman, someday those grandkids will need stupid hats of their favorite cartoon characters.

Rising back up, Perdita smiles up at Chris and includes Fae in it. "He's going to be a great asset to the fire department, I can already tell." she tells them, proudly. Who knew Dita liked dogs? She seems like more of a cat person. "Knitting isn't so hard. Just... don't drop a stitch, because then things start to unravel really fast. My grandmother taught me that much, at least..." Before her father forbid her from learning more knitting.

"I dunno, you in a bustier would turn heads." she tells Joe.

"Pleasure, man," Joe retorts to Chris, after another sip of his drink, though it's rapidly gotten to 'tepid', being held in this cold. He retorts to Fae, "I'd never be so unchivalrous as to admit to not wanting a Christmas card, let alone a mixtape. And I'm sure you could pick up knitting right quick."

"Probably not in a good way, however," Joe replies to Perdita. "I think I'll keep my silk opaque, for the sake of everyone's eyes. It's such a thin line between waking people up and thoroughly scandalizing 'em, and I have to think of Javier's reputation. Itzhak is a lost cause."

It was starting to seem like everyone wanted to get out of the cold and Chief has been out of pee for a good while, just pretending to pee on things but nothing was coming out. "Well, I'll keep you on the Christmas card list. As far as mixtapes go though...how do you feel about grunge? It's kinda coming back and I could throw a few modern artists on there for you." she mentions to Joe, offering a flutter of her fingertips to both him and Perdita as the doggo is gathered up and the couple starts to head out.

From a joke to reality, Chris mentally appended some kind of craft store to their already lengthy shopping list for the day. At least, he could stay outside with the dog. While his girl shopped for dog-sweater material. He glances up toward the sky, accepting his new place in life.

Not missing a beat to get on down the road, Chris mosies on after Fae. "I've never seen so many people storm off at the sight of a puppy," he asides with a bright smile.

"Javier's reputation is, unfortunately, in the crapper at the moment. Over shit that isn't even his fault." Perdita gestures vaguely toward the universe as a whole, "The one cop I don't strongly dislike, and people think he had something to do with a 20 year old case...?" Really, Dita? Does Bobby Lavoie not count as a cop to you?

"

"I like grunge well enough," Joe admits. "I'm not conversant with where the genre stands these days, though." Another thoughtful sip. "I liked it back in the day when it was new, though. Had some of the albums - Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, all that. You wanna introduce me to where it's at now, that'd be kind."

He rolls his eyes. "You know where he was twenty years ago? He was a Marine in Afghanistan, that's where. Saved my damn life. He ain't got shit to do with that case. You'd think people in this town would know better..."

Fae gives a thumbs up on her way off with her boyfriend and her dog, that mixtape is coming, new artists will be discovered for better or worse. "See ya'll later!" she calls out backwardly skedaddling on out.

A finger wave back to Fae, and then Perdita's turning her attention back to Joseph, shaking her head slightly, "You'd think. I don't even like cops and I at least know Ruiz isn't a bad guy. They'll come around... or they won't, and we'll beat them up, huh?"

A last wave for Fae, but Joe's giving Perdita a positively feral grin. "I like the way you think," he agrees. "No, he's not a bad guy. Not always a nice one, but never a bad one. Admittedly, I might be somewhat biased..."

"You, biased? About the man who saved your life and... other things?" Perdita smirks at Joseph, a slight tilt of her head to indicate her amusement. "Well, for what it's worth, he's got my vote to be reinstated." ah, yes. The vote of a grifter, thief and former sex worker. It carries such weight!

"It'll get cleared up," he says, amused. "I should get on home. Got a date to play chess with someone in Kazakhstan," Joe adds, in all apparent seriousness. "You have a good evenin'," And with that, he's turning to head for the harbor, pace easy despite the limp.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do." Dita tells Joseph with a cheeky smile, and then she, too, is heading down the road, though the opposite direction, intent on her next thrift shop find.