defenderofdesmoines | MHA #2 | Friday Evening and probably onwards

It was a Christmas miracle: an even tackier, way-too-early ugly sweater party.

With way, way too much alcohol, and a kinda ridiculous number of activities.

There were, of course, the ubiquitous plastic snowmen haunting (almost) every corner of the apartment, and one out on each of the Smokers' Balconies for good measure. There were strings of lights lining the ceiling, as well as tracing the edges of each window. There were cookies to decorate (and eat, because you definitely should eat, and there were moddable snacks aplenty as well.) While there was, of course, Christmas music playing, those with keen eyes (or at least, enough wherewithal to look around an apartment before you started potentially drinking heavily in it) might spot a karaoke machine that would come out later. One particularly tinsel-y corner had an abundance of Santa hats and reindeer antlers and wearable strings of lights to wear while taking photos, and in the guest room -- of course -- there was a much-fabled craft table, where you could make an ornament that didn't have to be in an immature shape, but definitely could be.

There was also, hovering slowly through the party, a drone with mistletoe dangling from it. A Mistle Drone, one might call it, even.

And, because this was the Christmas Rager, there was alcohol. There was so, so, so much alcohol. The kegs of Christmas ale had once been reordered, there was a Make Your Own hot chocolate and coffee bar, and while Annie would never argue that Summer's shot table wasn't the star of every party...this year was a little different. Mostly because of how they'd decided to serve Annie's punch: in a freestanding bathtub, just slightly off-center from the room.

Welcome to the third annual Christmas Rager. Hope you wore a sweater, because the hostesses both have glitter cannons in case you didn't show up festive enough!

[~~please hold for way too many threads~~ and we're off! open to literally every single adult on the island -- students are welcome to attempt to crash, but they'll be busted.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"No, it's just punch," Annie told him with a grin. "And I promise, it was delivered this morning and neither Diego nor I has ever taken a bath in it. It's just to have a big enough vessel for that much punch."

Blame TikTok.

"Good to know," Steven said. He looked around at the crowd so far, then asked, "Have you seen Wanda about? Marc mentioned she wasn't at work the other day."

Should he have said it was Marc who'd noticed that? Ah, Annie knew Steven and Marc were close. Surely it wouldn't seem strange for Steven to have that information to hand then.

"I knocked on her door yesterday to see if she wanted to help decorate -- last year she made it snow in here," Annie offered. "Her lights were on, but she didn't answer, so I think she might just be busy?"

And like, not turning up for the rager was kind of a statement considering what a big deal it was -- but after her bachelorette party, Annie knew what was up with Wanda, and better than to get her feelings hurt or anything. (Though she would probably at least run upstairs to leave a jello shot or two outside her door, if she remembered.)

"She might be having a hard go of it, it being the holiday season and all," Steven said, with sympathy. After all, he was having intermittent issues with it himself as his own holiday drew closer. "Well if you see her let her before we do know we were thinking about her?"

Steven knew Annie and Wanda were good friends, so it stood to assume Annie would run into her before Marc or Steven did.

"I definitely will," Annie assured him. (Spoiler alert: she actually would not, but that would probably be understandable given the circumstances.) "And you're right -- I think this might be kind of a rough time of year."

It sounded like Steven knew at least some portion of Wanda's story, and considering how many very sad things had happened to their friend, it seemed like a safe enough thing to venture, anyway.

Yeah, given how fondly Wanda had spoken of her friendship with Annie, Steven assumed not only that Annie knew about why Wanda might be having a hard time of it, but perhaps she knew even more than he did. "It can be hard seeing people happy if you're not feeling that way yourself. But the nice thing is having options. Like this party. It's good how kind and welcoming people can be about sharing things like this. Hopefully Llewellyn and I can manage something even half as nice when it's our turn."

"I'm looking forward to that, too," Annie told him sincerely, "though from what Mr. Watts has told me, it sounds like a...different vibe?"

She was self-aware enough to playfully roll her eyes as she gestured at their surroundings when she said that.

"Well it'd be silly for us to try to imitate what you've already done," Steven said. "Especially you doing it so well. So yeah. I mean there'll be music and games and all but food and friends is mainly what we're going for. Hopefully people will like it."

"It's going to be amazing. Don't even sweat it. And besides -- lots of people around here don't even have holidays where they're from, or have never celebrated," Annie told him, trying for reassuring. "It's part of why I like going so big with this."

Steven appreciated the reassurance. "That's part of why I wanted to do it as well. Especially since it falls Christmas week this year. Figured there may be those who aren't celebrating or have no where to go. How about you? Are you heading anywhere for Christmas proper?"

"We'll go see my mom in Iowa for a little of it, and otherwise probably just hang with Diego's siblings on the mainland," Annie replied. "My birthday's the twenty-first, so that's always kind of part of the whole deal, too, and this is the first year I've had the Hargreeves around to celebrate anything."

Not because she and Diego were married now, but because the other four Hargreeves had been lost in time for awhile. You know, as one was.

"Oh, cheers, happy birthday in advance then," Steven said. "And must be wonderful having a partner to share it all with now. Especially him having family of his own that's now yours."

Steven really did have a surprisingly optimistic mental picture of family all things considered.

"I've told Llewellyn that this year I'll teach him how to have a proper Jewish Christmas," Steven said, with a grin. "We're going out for Chinese."

MHA #2 | Friday Evening and probably onwards - the THIRD ANNUAL Christmas Rager!!

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