(Hello there.)

{Pythia watches Ivy walk away, the walks off herself, looking around curiously at the guests.}

Dianne: “Oh, we’ll be prepared. He shows his face and it’ll get punched. After everything he’s done, does he really think he can just come in here, like nothing ever happened?”

(Hey there! I hope you've been having a nice holiday?)

Frederick looked slightly amused. 'I very much doubt that a person like Crowley cares what other people think of him. If he wants to show up, then he will, and we'll just have to deal with it when it happens. Anyway... the main party is being held in that big room where the post-war celebration was, just in case you two didn't know.'

Ivy entered the main room a little after Armin did, spotting him but not walking over to say hello. Instead, she and Jonathan made a beeline for the refreshments table and started selecting food, while Ivy kept an eye out for anyone else she recognised.

(Yes, I did. How about you?)

Dianne: "I know. I'll be headed there now. If you see the crow, let me know. See you around."

{Dianne walked off to join the party.}

(Yeah, it's been pretty good. Our holidays are usually quiet, we all just stay at home together, but it's been nice to have some time to chill.)

'Enjoy yourselves,' said Fred as they left. He then went outside to see if any more guests were coming towards the palace.

In the main room, Armin was standing near the refreshments table, sipping from a glass of red wine. Upon noticing Rex and Dianne coming in, he grinned and walked towards them. 'Hey, it's you two! I was starting to think I wouldn't see anyone recognisable.'

'We got held up by Fred,' said Rex, giving Armin a brief hug in greeting. 'Apparently that crowdragon is thinking of coming back here.'

Armin looked at Dianne. 'Wait, Crowley? He can't be. Even he's not /that/ crazy. I thought Lucci threatened to kill him if he ever showed up again.'

“I did.”
{Lucci says, stepping out from behind Armin. Dianne steps back, startled.}

Dianne: “God-f@&$ing-damnit, Lucci, don’t do that!”

Lucci: “Dianne, there are children present. Anyway, if he shows up and starts making trouble, he will die. No questions, no chances.

Armin flinched when Lucci suddenly appeared from behind him, but recovered quickly. 'Well, this is going to be interesting,' he said thoughtfully. 'I can't imagine him being stupid enough to start causing trouble after being told that. I never thought he had much common sense, but still...'

Lucci: “You’d be surprised. He’s not overly intelligent, that one. He only sees what he wants to see. And it often gets him shot in the ass.”

Dianne: “Yeah. He acts like a big shot, but he’s pathetic. He’s a literal bird brain.”

Armin chuckled. 'I guess even if he does show up, he won't really cause any problems for us. He'll be dead in about two minutes.'

He surveyed the room, taking a sip of his wine. In one corner was a raised platform presumably meant to serve as a stage, though nobody was performing anything yet.

'I remember the last time we were here, it was Magnus and a bunch of draugrs up there doing the music,' he said wistfully. 'It still feels weird to not have him around anymore.'

Dianne: “Yes, I miss him too. But he has a family on the other side. He needed to be with them.”

Lucci: “I wouldn’t worry about him. He is at peace. As is Wendigo, and everyone else who fell in the war.”

'I know. They're probably all happy wherever they are. I don't want to bring them back; it's just weird not seeing them around anymore.' Armin continued to eye the stage, wondering if anyone was going to step up and play tonight. After a moment, he turned back to the others, smirking slightly.

'So, anyone here bringing gifts for each other?'

'I have something for you,' said Rex. 'But that's all. I don't really know anyone else.'

Dianne: “I have gifts, but I didn’t bring them. Was I supposed to?”

Lucci: “I got gifts for everyone. How about you, Armin?”

'You didn't need to bring them,' said Rex in response to Dianne. 'I think everybody else left theirs at home. But I think we're supposed to exchange gifts at the party, so we'll have to go back and get them later.'

'I didn't get gifts for /everyone,'/ said Armin. 'I don't have a clue what most of you would want. But I tried to get as many as I could.'

(Yeah, I still need to write what kinds of gifts my characters would like. DX)

Dianne: "Oh...Alright, I'll go get them."

Lucci: "I could get them, Dianne. I would be much faster."

{As they were talking, Jerry appears from the crowd.}

Jerry: "Howdy, fellas. How're you doing?"

(Ooh yeah. XD Well, take your time, I'm not in any rush.)

'Oh, hey Jerry,' said Armin, turning to watch Jerry emerging from the crowd. He looked pleased to see him. 'I haven't really seen you in a while. Been busy with your investigator stuff?'

(Happy new year, by the way.)

(Happy new year!)

Jerry: “Oh, yeah. Working on cases, finding missing people. Sometimes getting threatened by mobsters.”

Dianne: “They threaten you? Give me their names, I’ll-“

Lucci: “No. You’re on break from combat. If anyone needs to be dealt with, I’ll do it myself.”

Dianne: “Lucci, these people have never seen you fight.”

Lucci: “Your point being?”

Dianne: “ So, they don’t know how terrifying it is.”

'I could help, too,' Armin offered casually, drinking some more of his wine. 'If you want anyone dead, just let me know. I don't mind getting in a fight to help a friend out.'

Lucci: “No. There will be no need for that.”

Jerry: “Yeah, they won’t touch me, because they’re too afraid of you guys.”

Dianne: “As they should be.”

'If you say so.' Armin shrugged. 'But if anyone does work up the nerve to hurt you, I /will/ go after them. I don't just sit by idly when people are attacking my friends.'

While he was talking, Ivy came wandering over to join them. For some reason, she looked a little smug. But all she said was, 'Hi, you guys. Is there an interesting discussion going on here?'

Dianne: "Yes. Your favorite subject: Murder."

Lucci: "No, we're just discussing Jerry's cases."
Jerry: "Yeah. So, what have you been up to, Ivy? Enjoying the party?"

Ivy smiled. 'Yes! Whoever organised this did a pretty good job,' she said, ignoring Dianne's comment. 'I've just been admiring the decorations. By the way, I've noticed that somebody hung sprigs of mistletoe from the ceiling in a few places, sooo... you should probably be careful where you stand.'

Armin made a disgusted expression. 'Mistletoe? That thing you're supposed to kiss under? Nobody's actually going to do that, Ivy, so you can wipe that creepy grin off your face right now.'

Dianne: “I’m going to make this very clear right now. Anyone who tries to kiss me is going to lose their face.”

{Jerry gives Dianne a side glance and takes a step back.}

Lucci: “Please don’t. The people won’t like it if you melt someone’s face right in front of them.”

'I wouldn't go /that/ far,' said Armin, shooting a glance upwards just to make sure there was no mistletoe above any of them. 'But I still don't plan to participate. It's a stupid tradition.'

Ivy's face fell. 'You can't /not/ kiss under the mistletoe. It's bad luck.'

Dianne: “I don’t care. I don’t kiss.”

Jerry: “What, you would have us kiss people we’ve never met before? Isn’t that kinda...creeper-ish?”

Lucci: “Look, traditions can be fun and all, but I don’t think anyone should step outside their comfort zones. Especially not this group.”

Ivy smirked. 'I should've known you guys wouldn't be any fun. Oh well, maybe if you get drunk enough later, you'll change your minds. People do stupid things when they're drunk, y'know...'

'You're reminding me of when Ana used to hang mistletoe everywhere and try to corner Sargon under it,' said Armin with a grimace. 'And I'm not going to be able to get /that/ drunk, unless someone sneaks Akhetian ale into the party like last time.'

{Lucci *Shifty eyes*}

Jerry: “C’mon, no one gets /that/ drunk. And why is it so important to you that we kiss people?”

Dianne: “Yeah, Ivy. What game are you playing?”

'She's probably secretly shipping everyone in this room,' said Armin.

'I'm not playing a game,' said Ivy, ignoring Armin. 'I'm just trying to uphold Christmas tradition, and I believe that it's bad luck if you don't kiss while standing under mistletoe! If you /really/ don't want to kiss anyone, then just watch we're you're standing, and none of us will have a problem.'

{Dianne just frowns at Ivy.}

Dianne: “I’ll stand where I please. Tradition means nothing to me.”

Jerry: “Well, I’ll be careful. I still don’t understand why this is so important to you, though.”

Lucci: “I have a question. Will you be standing under the mistletoe, Ivy?”

Ivy eyed Lucci. 'Not on purpose, no. But if I /happen/ to find myself under mistletoe with someone, then I won't break the tradition.'

Armin snorted with laughter. 'Yeah, right. I bet you're going to spend the whole night trying to lure unsuspecting people under mistletoe so you'll have an excuse to do inappropriate stuff to them.'

{Lucci just smiles knowingly while Dianne makes a disgusted face.}

Lucci: “...You just want to kiss hot guys, don’t you?”

Ivy flushed, but just said defensively, 'Maybe. Is there something wrong with that? I'm looking for a new date anyway.'

'What happened to that rich dude you were dating like a week ago?' Armin snickered. 'Either you're cheating on him, or you get through boyfriends even faster than I realised.'

'I am /not/ cheating on him.' Ivy scowled. 'We broke up the other day.'

Lucci: "Well, I'm sorry to hear that. However, a party of intoxicated eligible bachelors may not be the best place to find a lasting relationship. Nevertheless, you should enjoy yourself, so long as it doesn't come at the expense of others."

Dianne: "So, why did you two break up? What was the dealbreaker?"

'Oh, I do plan to enjoy myself,' said Ivy, smiling at Lucci. 'I'm glad someone understands.' She then turned to Dianne, her smile fading. 'Who said it was any of your business? It just wasn't working out and we decided we'd be better off apart. It wasn't anything dramatic.'

'That's a shame,' said Armin. 'I was hoping you were gonna say it was because he wasn't rich enough.'

'I don't date people just because they have money! What do you think I am, some kind of gold digger?!'

Dianne: "Yes."

Lucci: "No, Dianne, you don't."

Dianne: "You suck the fun out of everything..."

Jerry: "Hey, don't be rude, you two. I don't see you two having much luck with dating either."

Dianne: "Do you honestly think I'd want that?"

'Almost everyone in this city is human. I don't have a lot of options, Jerry,' Armin pointed out.

Ivy sneered at him. 'What, you can't date a human? You're too good for them, huh?'

'It's not that. I just can't be with someone who's going to grow old and die while I won't.'

{Jerry nods in understanding.}

Jerry: “Yeah, that’s a fair point. But that’s no reason to harass Ivy over all this. She wants to date, that’s her decision. Why are you all so aggressive towards her for it?”

Armin shrugged and downed the remainder of his wine in one go. 'I don't know. Because it's funny? Ivy can do whatever the heII she wants, I'm not trying to stop her. I just think her dating habits are amusing.'

Lucci: "I don't know, Armin, for someone who claims to not care, you're awfully quick to voice your opinion."

'What are you getting at, Lucci?' said Armin. 'Ivy's just a source of amusement to me. Anyway, I'm not the only one here who likes making fun of her.'

Lucci: "I understand why Dianne doesn't like her. I don't understand why /you/ don't like her. What I'm getting at is that friends don't do this to each other. And, you claim to be friends. So, why take shots at each other?"

'I never said I considered Ivy a friend,' said Armin. 'Just an ally. And I don't really know why I do it. I don't even remember when this all started.'

Ivy glanced up at him. 'I started being rude to you because /you/ were being rude to /me,'/ she scoffed.

'Weren't you the one who started it?'

'No!'

Rex, who had been silent until now, glanced back and forth between them with a look of amusement. 'So, basically, neither of you can remember why you started insulting each other in the first place?'

Lucci: "Those two words are synonyms, Armin. Ally, friend, it's the same thing. And, you can't even remember who started it. So tell me, why is it /really/ that you two don't get along."

Ivy just sighed. 'OK, honestly? I /do/ know why I started insulting you. When we first met, I didn't trust you at all, because you used to be in Sargon's army and I kinda suspected that you still worked for him. Obviously, I know that's not true anymore, but that's the reason why I didn't like you in the beginning.'

Armin listened intently, then said, 'I guess I just didn't like you because I thought you were shallow and self-centred. But that changed after I saw what you were willing to do to help us beat Sargon.'

Ivy narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. 'I think we just keep insulting each other out of habit, and we actually don't dislike each other at all.'

{Lucci crosses his arms, looking at the both of them.}
Lucci: "Now that you're aware of it, what will you do?"

'Well...' Armin said slowly. 'I guess if we don't actually hate each other, then there's nothing stopping us from becoming actual friends.'

Ivy wrinkled her nose. 'Only if you stop picking apart my romantic habits.'

'Can't promise that, your 'romantic habits' are hilarious to me.'

'...OK, whatever. We're gonna be friends now,' said Ivy firmly. 'You stop making fun of my dates - at least while I'm in the room - and I'll stop calling you bloodsucker and stuff. Deal?'

Armin considered for a moment. Then he stuck out a hand. 'Deal.'

Ivy shook it, looking pleased.

Lucci: "Good. It'll be nice to not have you two going at it so much."

Dianne: "I don't know, it was funny to watch."

Jerry: "I agree with Lucci, after all we've been through together, why can't we all get along?"

'I'm still going to make fun of her whenever she's not around to hear it,' said Armin warningly. Ivy just rolled her eyes, apparently expecting this. 'Anyway, that's enough about my relationship with Ivy. Anyone want to--'

Before he could finish, Frederick appeared, looking rather uncomfortable with how crowded the room was. 'Crowley has just seen sighted within the city,' he said quietly. 'He's not here yet, but it seems like the rumours were true and he's considering coming here.'

*been sighted

{Dianne cracks her knuckles, nodding at the notion.}

Dianne: “Ok, let’s go kick his feathery behind.

Jerry: “Wait, let’s just see if he actually causes any trouble before you brutally attack him.”

Armin nodded. 'You'll let us know if he tries to come in here, right, Fred?'

'I'll keep an eye out for him,' Fred promised. 'If he sets one foot on the palace grounds, you'll know. And if he does come in here, please don't kill him unless he starts causing trouble. It might ruin the festivities.' With that, he hurried out of the room to keep guard.

Dianne: "I make no promises. He's tried to kill me on three separate occasions."

Lucci: "Don't. If anyone needs to do away with him, it'll be me."

Jerry: "I'm sure that won't be necessary."

'Yeah, even he's not stupid enough to attack us after what happened last time,' said Armin. 'Unless he's secretly suicidal... Anyway, I need to go get another drink.' He headed off towards the refreshments area.

Ivy glanced at Lucci. 'Why does it have to be /you/ who deals with Crowley? I mean, sure, you can probably kill him really easily, but it seems like you think the rest of us aren't capable of beating him.'

Dianne: "I need a drink as well."
{Dianne follows Armin to the refreshments.}

Lucci: "Oh, no, it's nothing like that, you're all more than capable of obliterating Crowley. It has to be me because I'm not permanently staying here. Think about it, if these people see you brutally murder someone, how do you think they'll treat you moving on?"

'They've got a pretty nice selection here,' Armin remarked. 'More than I was expecting.' He looked over the array of drinks available, seeking out the red wine he'd been drinking before. Finding it, he poured himself a full glass.

Understanding came into Ivy's gaze. 'Ohh, I see. You can leave any time you want, so it doesn't really matter what you do here. That makes sense. Though it's kinda disappointing that we can't beat him up ourselves...' She shrugged. 'Meh, it doesn't matter. I'll just enjoy watching you destroy him.'

Dianne: "Hmm. Not bad."

{Dianne takes the wine bottle Armin had and pours herself a glass.}

Lucci: "I mean, you can still beat him up, you just can't kill him."

Armin sipped his wine, surveying the room and watching Dianne out of the corner of his eye.

'I always wanted to find out whether vampires or dragons have better alcohol tolerance,' he remarked. 'Our drinking contest never really resolved that. I'm pretty sure it ended in a tie.'

'Yeah, maybe,' said Ivy. 'I definitely won't hesitate to knock a few of his teeth out if I get the chance. But I probably shouldn't hurt him unless it's in self-defence. Otherwise people might get the wrong idea.'

{Dianne just shrugs.}
Dianne: "Eh, each subspecies is different. I have a really high tolerance because I'm native to active volcanic regions, so my liver is unbelievably strong, as to filter out sulfuric and arsenic compounds. Compared to that, alcohol is nothing. Between the two of us, I think I won that contest though."
Lucci: "Yes, that would be the best. Defend yourself if necessary, but do not engage."

Armin snorted. 'I seem to remember that I was way more coherent than you were. But I /did/ pass out afterwards, so... I guess that does mean you won.' He said the last part reluctantly. 'It was close, though.'

'I'll be careful,' said Ivy. 'I won't do anything to him as long as he leaves me alone.' A sudden thought came into her head. 'Huh, I just remembered the gifts I had for people... I should probably run back home and get them...'

{Dianne smiles evilly as she sips her drink.}
Dianne: "Yes, it was very close. But, I still won. Perhaps we'll have a rematch after we visit Triticum."

Lucci: "Yes, that would be ideal. Do be careful, though. Don't rush, and risk tripping."

'Sounds good to me,' said Armin. 'I won't give up so quickly next time. Even knowing how bad the hangover's going to be. If I manage to win, it'll be worth dying the next morning.'

Ivy rolled her eyes. 'I'll be fine, Lucci, you worry too much. I'll be back as soon as I can.' She hurried out of the room without a backwards glance.

Dianne: “Give up? How is not being able to handle your liquor, ‘giving up’? You passed out. How is that giving up?”

{Lucci nods and walks for the refreshments table.}

'I was the one who suggested that we stop drinking,' Armin said. 'You were planning to keep going, and I said we should stop. Yeah, I passed out afterwards, but I /could/ have stayed conscious long enough to do another shot if I'd really tried.'

Ivy ran out of the palace doors, passing a worried-looking Frederick along the way. 'Be careful, Crowley's supposed to be out there--' he started, but she was already out of earshot. Frowning, Fred sent a telepathic message to another vampire a short distance away. //Crowley's location?//

//Nobody knows for sure,// came the reply. //He managed to slip by us.//

Dianne: “I suppose that’s true. Still, if you could have kept going, so could I.”
{Dianne stops momentarily, sipping her drink.}
Dianne: “So, no more mocking Ivy to her face. Think you can manage that?”

{Lucci stood by the refreshments table, eyes closed, focusing on Ivy and Crowley’s current locations.}

'Sure,' said Armin easily, chugging about half of his drink in one go. 'I can still make fun of her when she's not around... But I probably won't, at least not as much. After everything she did to help us in the war, she deserves a /little/ more respect. I guess I just never realised that until now.'

Ivy sprinted through the snowy streets, taking care not to slip. Within a few minutes, she had reached her house, hurried inside, and grabbed a bag of wrapped presents off a table. She then left the house and started to head back towards the palace at a slower pace.

Up on a nearby roof, Crowley sat in his human form, watching Ivy go past. His eyes narrowed as he saw the gifts she was carrying. Guessing that she might be going to a Christmas party, he shifted into dragon form and began to stealthily follow her along the icy rooftops.

Dianne: “Yeah, I guess. She’s brave, if nothing else. Still, the way she clambers after every man who so much as says hello to her is just...gross to me.”

{Sighing, Lucci begins to walk for the exit.}

'I don't like it either,' said Armin. 'She's a creep. But she's what, nineteen? Lots of people her age probably act like that. She'll grow out of it in a few years.' He shrugged. 'Well... hopefully.'

Ivy was oblivious to Crowley's presence; the small dragon was able to move very quietly. She hurried in through the palace doors, almost running into Frederick in the front corridor.

'Did you see Crowley?' he muttered.

'What? No.'

Crowley stayed up on the roofs, watching with glee as Ivy entered the palace. //Oooh, there's totally a party going on. I can smell the booze from out here.// He eyed the guards by the door, trying to decide whether he should kill them or simply teleport inside the palace.

Dianne: “Maybe you’re right. I don’t know much about youth behavior these days. I guess we should just lay off and hope for the best.”

{As Ivy arrived, Lucci comes to the front entrance. He brushes past Ivy and Frederick and looks up, right at Crowley. He doesn’t say anything, he just stares right at the crowdragon.}

'Yeah. I think /everyone's/ a bit stupid when they're young. I definitely was,' said Armin with a hint of mirth. His expression turned distant, as if he were reminiscing about something.

Crowley crawled to the edge of the roof and peered down, meeting Lucci's gaze. His body went still with shock. Then he stuck out his tongue and said loudly, 'Get lost, dude. I'm not here to kill anyone, I just wanna join the party.'

Dianne: “Heh, I wish I had that luxury growing up. If I was stupid back then, I would have died.”

Lucci: “And I’m here to tell you that you’re not welcome here, Crowley.”

{Lucci replies, just as loud.}

“Where’s your mother, Crowley?”

'If you grew up 3000 years ago in some active volcanic region, then I'm not surprised,' said Armin. 'It sounds dangerous.'

Crowley scowled. 'Don't know, don't care,' he replied. 'I sneaked out while she wasn't paying attention. I don't need to live with my freaking /parents/ anyway, I'm a grown adult. And I heard there are awesome Christmas parties in this city, so I thought I'd fly over and check it out.'

Dianne: "You have no idea. Boiling geysers, other dragons, all manner of viscous beasts...Yeah, my early years weren't fun."

{Lucci pulls out a phone and menacingly opens it.}

Lucci: "Crowley, if you are incapable of acting like a responsible adult, then your age is meaningless. I'm calling your mother again. you can either wait here calmly for her to arrive, or you can spend the night in the dungeon again? What's it going to be?"

*vicious

'Yeah, it doesn't sound especially fun... What were your parents like?' he asked curiously.

Crowley bared his teeth. 'You can't do that! I haven't done anything wrong!' he complained. 'You're just scared that I'm gonna kill some poor, pathetic little weaklings. Well, I'm not! I just wanna join in the party! It's not against the damn law.'

(Will make a new room later to continue in, this one's getting pretty full.)