C&C HOLIDAY JAMJAR ICE HOTEL HELL: PARTY

[bluffing-ruffle.livejournal.com]

WHO: AHAHAHAHA. Just... just tag yourselves in.
WHERE: The Gorsewick Hotel
WHEN: December 19th. 5PM-7PM for setup, 7PM onward for dinner.
WARNINGS: Let's just cover for your basics unless something more specific comes up.
SUMMARY: Miles Edgeworth and Remus Lupin are hosting the second comm-wide holiday party and have rented out the dining hall in the Gorsewick for the night. Everyone comes in for food, warmth, and (relatively... hopefully...) civil company. Whether or not they can leave is another story.
FORMAT: IF IT FEELS GOOD, DO IT! Long prose, action brackets, rapidfire dialogue, present tense, past tense--whatever floats your narrative boat!



The Gorsewick is not all that large a hotel, although it would very much like to grow up to be one someday, a mere five stories tall and having only a small parking garage to its name. The owner is clearly an optimistic sort of fellow, building a place like this in the City despite the risk the existence of imPorts poses to it and the hits the tourism industry has taken from their antics; bigger places than this have been smashed to pieces by enormous grey lizards with bad cases of heartburn.

Sadly, it just isn't paying off. At a time when people should be on vacation, packing his rooms to the max, the Gorsewick is... really, really empty. The groups renting out the dining hall are pretty much the only things keeping it afloat this month.

Still, appearances must be upheld, and although it is mildly understaffed, it is currently no less well-cared for. The handful of people on duty that night are friendly and the place is clean as a whistle--no bugs, no rats, no dust, nothing like that. He may be running a sinking ship, but the owner is damned determined to keep it a tidy one on the way down.

Come on in.

Comments

[notadartboard]

In the absence of the caterers, Sanji has taken it upon himself to serve - well, to serve certain people he likes for his own reasons. He comes by with a bottle of wine and stops when he sees her...

"Miss Rachel! Can I offer you a drink? Or maybe the pleasure of my company?"

[temporaltossed.livejournal.com]

"I would love a drink. Please. And I won't say no to company." Maybe Sanji's enthusiasm would help pull her out of her funk.

She offered her wineglass for filling and used her teke to pull out a chair for him as an invitation.

[notadartboard]

He poured the drink with the grace of a first-class chef and then set the wine bottle on the table before sliding into the chair. "You're looking lovely, tonight," he said charmingly, not touching at all on the air of sadness around her. "Did you enjoy the dinner?"

[temporaltossed.livejournal.com]

"I did. Did you help with it, it was amazing." She took a sip and smiled, leaning back in her chair, passing over the compliment. Dressing up had been habit, she hadn't really paid attention to what she pulled out of her closet (http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_b3lHDYhOpy8/SYrKWKd0NyI/AAAAAAAAAjc/_j9oeadLq9Q/s320/rene+dehry+tunic+dress.jpg). It wasn't even holiday themed and left over from fall, but it was clean and not jeans.

[notadartboard]

"Well, the tuna steaks were my doing," Sanji readily admitted. "As much as I'm at home in the kitchen, I like being able to be at the dinner table instead from time to time." He meant that compliment, though, perhaps less for the garment and more for the lady herself. He always meant it.

[temporaltossed.livejournal.com]

Smile widening, Rachel gave Sanji a little nudge. "Those were fabulous and I'm glad to see you out here." And she did, she had to admit that she liked the pirate.

[notadartboard]

Oh, good, a smile! That was just what he wanted. "Ah, you got to try it, then? Excellent!" Sanji leaned toward her, resting his scruffy chin on his hand. "I hope that means you're having a good time."

[temporaltossed.livejournal.com]

"Not sure I'd go that far, but I'm not bored." Her smile faded a little, "I'm afraid I'm not really in a holiday mood."

[notadartboard]

"Ahh...I can understand." Sanji kept his smile bold and warm in encouragement. "Never mind the holiday, I'm just glad to see you at this gathering. This is the first we've really been able to hang out, isn't it?"

[temporaltossed.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, I guess it is." Taking another sip, she chuckled, "it has been a rather Network-based association, hasn't it?"

[notadartboard]

"I suppose that's what happens when we get busy with our respective obligations." Sanji pulled a spare glass to him and filled it for himself. "Some days I swear, if not for the network-devices, I wouldn't get to talk to anybody interesting."

[temporaltossed.livejournal.com]

"I don't know about that, although it is nice to talk to people that aren't students and staff once in awhile." Rachel drained her glass, and looked at the dregs swirling at the bottom.

[notadartboard]

"Taking care of the school like that must be a lot of work. All the more reason to get out and party, hmm?"

Sanji took a sip of wine and glanced toward the square of wooden floor in the cornder. "I don't suppose you'd be interested in a dance, with me?"

[temporaltossed.livejournal.com]

Rachel looked at the dance floor and listened to the music for a moment before setting her glass aside with a shrug. "Sure, why not. Should probably work off some of this food."

[notadartboard]

Beaming, Sanji stood and offered his hand to lead her there. He was nothing if not light on his feet, and a good foxtrot would be just the thing right about now.

[temporaltossed.livejournal.com]

It was hard not to return the smile as she took his hand, heading out to the dance floor. "I can't remember the last time I danced."

[notadartboard]

"No?" Sanji took up position, his hand comfortably on her waist. "You didn't make it to the prom dance? I admit I only really danced with Miss Dazzler that night..." No, it was no use bringing up the past. It didn't matter. "Anyway. Let's make up for it, shall we?"

[temporaltossed.livejournal.com]

"I was there for a little while, I guess I forgot about that." She placed her hands easily enough and started to move, years of martial arts and living with a ballerina and German rogue making her light on her feet, telepathic abilities making up for any lack of knowledge of the steps.

"How have you been since you've been back?"

[notadartboard]

Sanji led with the grace of his own martial arts training, and the elegance of a gentleman. "Oh...it's been an interesting month so far," he replied. "Two of my crewmates came in at once, that was the biggest shake-up I suppose."

[temporaltossed.livejournal.com]

"I saw that," she chuckled at the memory as they spun about the floor. "They seem... nice." Crazy, more than a little off-center, wacky... any number of other adjectives she could come up with.

[notadartboard]

"They're decent enough." Sanji wouldn't disagree on any of the other points, just because they were his crewmates and friends didn't mean they didn't annoy him sometimes. "It makes life interesting, that's for sure."

He came out of that spin with a little dip, and kept right on dancing happily.

[temporaltossed.livejournal.com]

She giggled a little at the dip, but didn't miss a beat as they resumed the dance. "How did you all meet? Where are you all from?"

[notadartboard]

"Ah, well, that's a long story," Sanji said smartly. "They were already in Luffy's crew when they stopped by the restaurant where I worked. They're all from the East Blue, but I was born in North Blue. And now we're all in the same pirate crew~."

[temporaltossed.livejournal.com]

"Cute poetry," she snickered. "But what do you really do? Do you actually take over ships and steal their stuff?"

[notadartboard]

Sanji laughed, he wasn't even really trying that time. "Other ships, no. Luffy's in it for the adventure, so most of the treasure we raid is from ancient ruins, things like that."