so pile your boots up in the corner -- hang your jacket from the door

[herotypical]

Who: anyone invited to house seven's thanksgivingstravaganza -- as well as anyone walking by who might be curious about all the brouhaha.
What: giving thanks!
When: forward dated to november 24th due to predicted holiday hiatuses!
Where: house seven!
Summary: friends, food, fondness. family. festivities.
Rating: g for goin' up.

House Seven was decked out in soft oranges and browns. Gentle reds and yellows. The table was shoved up against a wall and dish upon dish of delicious Thanksgiving dinner-bits adorned it. Plates to one side, a pile of cutlery. Feel free to line up and pile your arms high with roasted turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, carrots and green beans, cranberry sauce, sinful gravy. Stuffing. Steamed broccoli. The amount of food would almost be laughable had the guest list not been so long. Chatter abounded.

It was, by all accounts, a fairly casual gathering. No ceremony (Buffy, by this point, was all ceremony'd out after some fiercely dedicated meal-prepping) to stand on and no customs to keep. Just food and friendship. The only thing customary about Buffy Summers would be her delighted, enchanted grin throughout the evening. Very little pleased her more than a social event that was going well.

Mix! Mingle! Make merry!

(ooc; threadjack into oblivion and don't forget to add your character to the entry tags! have fun! note that this is forward-dated. i'll be tagging around myself later this evening. )

Comments

[herotypical]

"It's caring. And what goes around comes around. And I've got a whole dish of the stuff in the fridge and if you'd be so very kind as to not hog that sauce, I'll be sure you'll never ever want for cranberry sauce for the rest of your life. Or at least until next Tuesday."

[all7seas]

"We have an accord, then. You, making me sauce for the rest of my life." Jack marginally let up on his possession over the dish.

[herotypical]

She straightened, cradling the butter dish in one palm.

"You should try it spread on one of the rolls. And grab some turkey and put that on there, too. And maybe some gravy and mashed potato for glue. Turkey dinner sandwich. Food of the gods."

[all7seas]

"Will you make me one, darling?"

[herotypical]

"You're the one sitting there with enough free time to play keep-away with the cranberries. Me? I have a butter dish to fill. Of course -- you could always join me while I fill the butter dish and maybe, just maybe, there's bits and pieces of things also in the kitchen that might lead to sandwich making. If you let the sauce go and give someone else a chance to love it."

[all7seas]

"Done." He pushed back from the table so that he could follow her into the kitchen.

[herotypical]

She grabbed an empty water pitcher on her way. And a few dirty plates. Old skills from only three months of waitressing finding themselves easily back in her bones. She lets these objects clatter to the counter-top and didn't look back at the pirate while she fished for a wrapped pound of butter from the fridge.

She knew he was there.

[all7seas]

He was there, indeed, with a few more dirty plates and an empty vegetable bowl. Jack quickly took charge of the items Buffy left on the counter, setting them up in the sink so to expedite the washing-up later.

"Brilliant dinner, lass."

[herotypical]

"Had help," she flicked away the brunt of the compliment as she tore into the foilish wrapper around the butter.

[all7seas]

"Funny, and here I was bestowing all the credit on you." He glanced over at her and smiled; already, this Thanksgiving was heads and tails over last year's, when he hadn't even realized the holiday was happening.

[herotypical]

Buffy knifed off a generous hunk of butter and slid it onto the dish. She nudged it side to side with the blade until she was satisfied with the minute details of its orientation. Then -- and only then -- did she turn to face him.

"Oh. Oh, fine. Bestow away. Better do it now before we get to the pies and you realize this was all a big mistake and you want a Thanksgiving hostess who can make better pies."

The pies. The only part of the meal she actually did do all by herself.

[all7seas]

"Annie, your pies are going to make me spontaneously weep from pure unadulterated pleasure." A pie-prophecy. He reached out for her hand. "You having fun?"

[herotypical]

She began by lightly touching her fingertips against his. "Oh. Of course. Nothing like a bunch of running around like a hosting-chicken with her head cut off to get the fun a-pumping." A smile. She griped but she also loved it. Keeping busy and keeping useful.

"Kind of a nice change after the ups and downs of the last little bit. De-agings and New Feathers and suddenly remembering how hard it is to dress stylishly and warmly at the same time."

I read that as "hostage chicken" and got confused.

[all7seas]

"Most beautiful chicken in Luceti." He would let her control the pace of the hand-holding. Jack knew better than to get between Buffy and any sort of mission. "How long did Giles stay here?" The pirate had stayed well clear of Seven during that time, and it had nothing to do with his personal feelings towards the other man. As far as Jack was concerned, looking after another child was completely out of the question after what had happened with Jilly.

that entire tag was a trap.

[herotypical]

"Not long. Not too long." Those fingertips crept up to his palm, now.

At least Giles had been older than Jilly had been. Buffy had felt free to leave and return as she pleased. There had been something a little too surreal about keeping a close eye on a young Rupert.

yus

[all7seas]

"And of course you looked after him brilliantly." With a more assured grip on her hand, Jack tugged her closer. "Perhaps there will be time for less running later?"

Because he had something important to tell her---and he did not want it to ruin the party for her.

[herotypical]

Closer was not a bad thing. Not at all. She leaned in until she could just about feel tickled by that mustache. "Why? Planning on staying after everyone else's gone home?"

She wouldn't turn him out of doors. Nope. Not after he'd been so scarce, lately.

[all7seas]

"Only if there are several hundred decorative pillows on offer," was the soft reply. He leaned back against the counter, resting his hands on her hips. "Unless you throw me out, of course."

[herotypical]

"...Will you settle for a dozen?"

[all7seas]

"A dozen.....a dozen...."

[herotypical]

"Come on. The decision can't be that tough. I feel like I haven't seen you in, like, a week. I'd like to be doing more of that seeing you thing, thanks. I like it when you come around."

Buffy conveniently ignored the Elizabeth Swann was now living here elephant.

[all7seas]

Because Elizabeth Swann was now living...

"Then I'll be round later. Leave the window unlocked, eh?"

[herotypical]

"...You're gonna leave and come back?"

Translation: And not even help me with the clean-up?

[all7seas]

"After I wash the dishes?"

Translation: I want to climb through your window, Annie.

[herotypical]

"...Deal." A moment to hold his eyes in place with hers, then: "Which reminds me of another deal I oh-so-recently made."