meet the (grand)parents...

[theresalwayshope]

Allison felt a little like she was going insane.

She started out just planning to invite Aramis and Porthos over to meet Jason. Dinner and drinks, nothing big. Then she realized she didn't just feel obligated to invite Athos, she wanted to. So, if she did that, she obviously had to invite D'artagnan, and she really wanted to meet Constance...and she'd promised Grey a chance to help her bake a cake, so if she did something more than dinner, she could let him come over at some point...

The small family dinner became a small dinner party, and with a few more additions morphed into an impromptu potluck for the whole building...or anyone that wanted to show up. She told the family about it privately, asking Porthos and Aramis to make sure the others at least stopped by (with a subtle warning that Jason would be there), told everyone else she knew in the city, and for the rest of the building she posted a couple of handmade fliers: one in the elevator, and another in the laundry room announcing that, with either a main course or appetizer offering, an invitation to the holiday celebration taking place in apartment #39...dressy casual to formalwear welcome, bring your favorite Christmas CD as a bonus.

And, of course, she told Jason...and told him her family would be there.

By the night of the party, Allison was ready...she just felt a little like she was going insane.

She kept her outfit cute, but simple, and took care of dessert by baking some cupcakes, gingerbread cookies, and a two layer chocolate cake which she invited Grey over to help her bake. With a little careful scheduling, she also managed to contribute to the food on hand with her second ever attempt at beef bourguignon: rich, hearty, and sort of impressive under the right circumstances. By party time, she had her front door standing open, some Trans Siberian Orchestra carols playing on her stereo, and while she didn't yet have a tree, she'd gotten some cute plastic holly garland to hang around the apartment, and for fun had ringed her whole living room ceiling in multicolor Christmas lights for good measure.

The party was good to go. The place smelled good, the food came out okay with more to come...the evening was good to go.

And when Jason showed up, her family would show up...and they'd all meet each other...

While she waited for her guests, loved ones, and boyfriend to start arriving, Allison puttered around in her kitchen, swore to herself she was not hiding, and tried to pretend that she wasn't having visions of someone either drawing a sword or a knife by the end of the evening.

Tonight had to be perfect.

(HOLIDAY GATHERING POST! Treat it thusly. :P Front door's open, come and go as you please, anyone in the Bramford Building is welcome, and if you know Allison even remotely she told you about the party. Gather at will, and leave a call for Allison in your subject line if you want to play with her directly! Open eternally, will probably be linked near the end of the month. :D)

Comments

[prodigaljaybird]

Jason's grin doesn't dim for the lack of present cookies. He knows where Porthos and Aramis live, and none of the windows in Bramford besides Allison's are anywhere close to properly secured. He could probably get there and back with several in the time it takes Porthos to get a drink.

"Too much swordfighting to do at home, I guess," he says, already sure Porthos isn't carrying any of his weapons now, which is a shame, but Allison probably wouldn't appreciate any impromptu sparring between them, however curious Jason is. "You use a schiavona, right?"

[du_vallon]

Porthos' face falls in confusion, the word not making sense no matter how he breaks it down. It's not English and though it sounds a bit like French, it's still not clear enough for Porthos to figure it out. "A...?" He licks his lower lip, clearing his throat. "I guess?" Maybe Aramis can tell him later what it is.

[prodigaljaybird]

Jason frowns, but he picks up on Porthos' trouble soon enough. "It's just some dumb Italian word for big ass sword," he promises. "With a basket hilt. I thought I saw you with one in the street a while back. I'm surprised people don't run at the sight of you with that thing. Looks brutal."

[du_vallon]

It's stupid, but he feels an instant kick of relief when Jason explains what he means. Porthos is trying so hard to keep up with his lessons, but English is a hard language and he'd had to spend years ironing out his dialect after leaving the Court. Learning this one as an adult is more difficult than he stubbornly likes to admit. "Yeah, that's me and mine," he agrees proudly, lifting his chin up happily. "Don't really use it unless I'm fighting or practicing," he swears. "Have you seen Aramis'?" he asks, excitedly.

"It's a bit fancy, just like him."

[prodigaljaybird]

"Yeah," says Jason, "Smaller, faster, looks like a good blade. I mostly use a katana or a daito if I go for one - Japanese swords, totally different fighting style. You know - " Jason's gaze cuts sideways to Allison, softening before he remembers he's talking awesome swords, "I'm surprised she hasn't demanded you teach her yet."

[du_vallon]

"She's asked, a few times. I always put her off because Athos is the best of us," he admits freely. "Aramis and I, we're still good," he allows, because he'd never admit to saying that they're not. "But d'Artagnan and Athos are the better when it comes to it and I'm not sure she's comfortable yet with the both of them to ask."