A rather surly looking youth with dark black hair was sulking within sight from the buffet table. They knew he didn't like social events, they knew he didn't like crowded places with people. But did that stop his family from dragging him along? No! Here he had been looking forward to staying home in the temperature-controlled comfort of his room, only to be told he was supposed to help with the food. Everything was so noisy in the cathedral hall, from music to raucous singing and clanging of plates. The apothecary was one of the few individuals not participating in the masquerade marinating in his own disgruntled irritation. Heisei was sampling a few shots of mulled spice wine while ensuring the dish they brought was still steaming hot. Instead of something loaded with sugar or more alcohol, the Rosenite's item of choice was much more practical. It was a large tureen with a special soup made with clams, chives, and other ingredients used as a cure for hangovers. And Celestials knew that these people would need it.

"There is literally almost nothing for me to eat here." Efrain scowled. "Half of the tables' contents are either alcoholic drinks or sweets. The rest are meat, or something slathered in honey and salt. Are they trying to celebrate or give someone indigestion?" The small dragon floated over carefully, balancing his cup. Perching on a ledge above Efrain he took a sip, mulled over the taste, and nodded approvingly. "I'd say both. The number of cases involving intestinal distress tend to spike along with major holidays and feasts. That's what happens when people who rarely eat meat from four-legged animals suddenly gorge themselves after a year of subsisting on grains, legumes, and vegetables." Below Heisei his owner rolled his eyes. "And each one comes into the shop moaning how they feel like they're going to die the day after participating in said festivities." "Such is life." The Ataiyan dragon replied, finishing his cup with a gulp. 

His elder siblings were somewhere in the masses. Chrysanthe and uncle Walter were responsible for finding fresh juniper and pine for wreaths and garlands along with holly and mistletoe. Lysandre kept stumbling over things and dropping the decorations for some odd reason, and Belen said something which caused his older brother to go after him with a branch. The mechanical decorations were mostly reused from previous years' events, with a few minor adjustments. There was a series of box-tunnels in bright, gaudy wrapping and ribbons designed to keep the animal visitors entertained. Niall had claimed it as his fort, and was slowly stripping the ornaments from the trees while raiding the snack table. They had even brought Millie with a red and green bell tied in a bow. Not all the food was safe for the animals, so Niall was given an unintentional monopoly. 

But at the end of it all, he'd rather be sleeping than sitting here pretending that he wasn't hating every minute of it. And he couldn't leave, because someone would notice and tell his parents. 

"This is great! Look at all the decorations and food!" Hours ago they were rushing off the Clephsydra with boxes of ornaments while his mother was pushing them to move faster. It was a hectic flurry of time, tossing boxes and rolls of ribbons while trying not to drop anything breakable. But all that was a blur and the end was definitely worth it. Luckily most of the decorations they brought from Antikythera were easy to set up and didn't take much time. Now that they had time to themselves, why not enjoy it? Efrain had a sour face the whole time, grumbling and complaining. Everybody else was more enthusiastic, and they all knew he didn't want to be here. Cyril was excitedly hovering around the buffet, trying to decide what to try first. "These are so pretty! Do you think Poppy's mom made them?" Moseying over he saw the cookies. "Maybe, they look really good! So where should we start? From the desserts or the entree dishes?" As his twin was debating over which was best, Belen's mouth fell open as he saw something fishing clams out of their family's soup dish.

"GODS ABOVE–Is. That. A. Platypus?!!" He gasped loudly. His brother looked where he was staring. IT WAS A PLATYPUS. IT WAS A FLIPPIN' PLATYPUS TAKING CLAMS OUT WITH A SPOON. The two brothers gaped as said platypus was mumbling to itself with a thick accent, removing as much seafood as possible from the pot. A small growing pile of shellfish was building up on its bowl. Satisfied with its catch, the platypus set the ladle down and was ready to scuttle off when two half-fey boys flanked it on both sides. Nearly spilling the precious clams, it stared up at them with narrowed eyes. "–Ach! What're you two gawkin' at? Somethin' on me face?" Belen let out a high pitched gasp as he began sucking in air. "It's a talking platypus!" The two were ecstatic while a very bothered and confused mammalian creature was trying to have a bowl of clams in peace. 

Before the platypus could protest, the boys were shaking his flippers. "We gotta show Chrys! Can you believe it–a talking platypus?!" "Oy! What's the big idea–" Cyril cut him off, coming down to his eye level. "Hey what's your name? I'm Cyril and that's my brother Belen. We've never seen a platypus or a talking one before!" The platypus was still wary of the two, probably thinking they were trying to smooth-talk him out of his soup. "Never seen a platypus? Well you lads are in luck, arentcha? Now mind letting ol' Haskell have a bite before that weasel bandit swipes them clams out from under his bill?" The twins looked at each other and nodded. As soon as Haskell started scooping a spoonful, they grabbed him and his bowl–carting him off.

(Her gown: Here) 

Who knew that kissing a drunk elf while balancing on a dwarf's head with one foot would result in an invitation to the celestial ball? Kyra knew. But that was more because it was an elaborate way to steal an invitation. She showed her invitation to the nutcracker guards. Keeping her mouth from bursting out in laughter at the sight of their outfits, she managed to get through into the Celestial Hall.

Bursting through the doors she held out her arms in excitement, "I am ready to party!" She shouted to nobody in particular.

Music flowed around the room. Violins, pianos, and hundreds of other musical instruments combined together into one fantastical orchestra. Eyes stared at her outfit. She had a lovely blue and white dress on that was a little different than most other gowns. Instead of being a one piece dress, it was a two piece. Kyra was showing off her abs on her stomach with the gown.

The half elf took no mind and headed straight for the food table. Cookies, fancy meat, large tureen with a special soup, meat, or other sweets. It didn't take long before Kyra had gathered up a pile onto her plate. She opened her mouth and dumped as much food as she could into it. After wiping her mouth off with a napkin, she went directly to the table that had all the alcohol. Not bothering with a cup, she went right for the pitcher of the wine. Kyra drank every single drop. Now that she was properly drunk she could excuse anything she did on the drinks. Kyra loved alcohol.

Next was to find a dance partner. She searched around the area and found a hot noble man dressed up in purple and blue. Snatching his hand, she dragged him out to the dancefloor. They danced to several songs and talk about all sorts of things. He was a good partner but not the type that she was looking for. Kyra managed to switch to a different partner during the dance. Then she switched to another one. Eventually she became a bit bored. Leaving the dancefloor, she noticed a scowling Efrain. The ones who scowled sometimes were fun. Racing over to the buffet table, she sat next to Efrain.

"Hi grumpy." Kyra said with a mischievous smile, "You look bored. Want to make some choices you may or may not regret tomorrow?"

She had plans. If he was looking for something fun to do, well there was a lot. They could trick some snobby nobles, explore the hall, cause mayhem, or something along those lines. Of course she didn't mind going back to the regular dancing and talking that was expected of these events. But all parties needed something to spice it up once in a while. Her blue eyes were filled with trouble. She stood up in front of Efrain and held out her hand to him with a smile.

"Come on. It's not everyday we can get this chance." 

He saw her coming from across the hall. Already his frown was deepening as the last thing he wanted was happening–a stranger was coming over to talk to him. She not only came to talk to him, she sat next to him. The reeking stench of alcohol was wafting off of her breath. "Hi grumpy. You look bored. Want to make some choices you may or may not regret tomorrow?" He glared at her out of the corner of his eye. "…I'd rather be flayed alive." Heisei drifted down from above, leaning on Efrain's shoulder. The small dragon looked over this clearly inebriated girl. "Speak of the…well you know." As soon as she offered her hand to him, Efrain set his face like flint in refusal. "I'll pass." Heisei sighed and leaned on his arm. "You might as well give up now miss. Once he says no there's nothing in the world that can make him change his mind. Even his own parents have learned the hard way just how stubborn he is. He might not look like it, but he's perfectly fine being the way he is." 

"Exactly, Heisei." The apothecary said in a huff. His dragon assistant looked at Kyra again and tapped a claw on his snout. "…Hmm." Knowing that tone of voice, Efrain turned to his assistant. "What are you thinking now?" Heisei leaned over and whispered. "Don't you think this is a perfect opportunity to see how effective that 'hangover cure' is?" Mulling over it, Efrain had to agree. It was a good idea and this was an excellent opportunity. Turning to the girl, the Rosenite crossed his arms and leaned back. "You know, there might be one thing you can do for me that could convince me to entertain your ridiculous notions for a short moment." He moved his head over to the buffet. "Take as many drinks as you can while still maintaining enough sobriety to stand, then drink that soup in the covered stoneware tureen at the edge of that table closest to me. If you aren't sober after that, then I refuse to listen to any request you make of me."    

A platypus! A magical platypus! Protesting all the way, Belen and his brother brought Haskell over to a blonde Rosenite girl with a dark green cloak and emerald green satin tunic. She had a pair of fitted trousers above knee-high boots, the ends tucked close to conserve heat. "Chrys! Chrys–hey! Look what we found!" "Unhand me ye ruffians! Ol' Haskell's not going to let himself get swindled outta a batch of stone-cherry clams!" Hoisting the creature high, Cyril took the platypus' bowl off his flippers. Chrys raised her eyebrows in surprise when the platypus talked. "Wow, that's amazing! Hey, I've heard about magic platypuses from the bestiary books. How'd you manage to get here?" Hearing someone had at least some knowledge on what a miraculous being he was, Haskell forgot his fussing over his precious shellfish. "T'was no easy feat, lassie! Even somebody as incredible as meself went through a few bumps and scrapes on the way. Takin' a ride on one of them fancy airships was outta th' question. Them tall folk don't see us worth the dust of our tail flippers. Walkin' would take a dog's age before I got here."

"So how'd you do it Haskell? You must've had a real solid plan to get here when the festivities started." Belen asked, taking a seat and putting Haskell down. The platypus hopped up on a stool and put his flippers on his sides. "Ah now there's the real meat and potatoes of the tale! Had to cut aways across the middle, where all that grass is and flat land. A wagon was passin' by and I helped myself to a spot beneath the goods. Can't go on by myself with all those horrid fanged beasties on the loose. Stopped by that river city down yonder. The name's…Bayou or somethin'? There I had a little chat with some seagulls about the best way to go up the mountains. Had ta pay 'em a few anchovies before they started talking. Greedy birds…"

The platypus continued his long winding tale of how he arrived in Zets'ki without succumbing to frostbite, snow wolves, and the great black Yeti. Long story short, some nice people offered to take him along and they arrived at the cathedral without a hitch. Before meeting those people he had gotten lost and probably ended up at Tar Eisalae at one point, by his description. Though you couldn't blame him. Managing to make it to the Zujiuchu Mountains without a map or compass was a feat in itself. With the story done, Haskell remembered what he was here for. Mood soured by the cold clams, his beaver-like tail tapped against the chair in annoyance. Belen then had an idea. With a bit of magic, he heated up the bowl just enough to get the shellfish nice and steaming. The platypus was pleased, and decided they weren't were such a bad lot after all. 

“Well being flayed alive can be an option too, mr. masochist.” Kyra said with a smirk.

She could hear the dragon speak. Apparently this guy was super grumpy. But her stubbornness was great. Perhaps she would at least have fun clashing with this stranger. He proposed the deal about alcohol. A smile spread onto her lips. Alcohol was her best friend.

“Alright. But if I win this bet, I get a hour with you. Whatever I suggest or want to do, you will have to go along with to an extent. Would you agree that a barrel of alcohol will enough for this bet?” Kyra asked.

This was going to be fun. Not only would she get to be so drunk that she lost all control, assuming she had any, but now she would have an excuse for it. A dare. An agreement. Somebody she could point to for anything that happened tonight. Besides she had several potions she wanted to try out for her tricks. If she could excuse her actions on the drink then point to him, no consequences would befall her. Either that or she would just escape before anybody could punish her for her actions.

“Would you like to make that an official deal?” Tonight was going to be fun.

A smile on her lips and mischief danced on her eyes might have revealed her excitement. Kyra couldn't wait to drink as much alcohol as possible. She was going to get drunk, dance until she couldn't move, and prank as many people as she could. Parties were so much fun. 

"I never said it was a bet. But if that's your excuse then so be it. Oh and don't think I'm going to fold if by some off chance you are sober after finishing the soup. I'll be checking to see if you've actually pulled it off. When that line is crossed I will be the judge on whether I oblige." This was just an experiment, nothing more. Only an absolute fool would enjoy taking a devil's dare to get sopping drunk. Who did she think she was, trying to be cheeky with him? Shooting her away with his hand he carefully watched her movements. "Well go on. I'll be waiting."

While that lush was busy drowning her liver he planned to find a reason to go home. He had enough toxic exposure to social interaction for a month. Sometime he needed to pull out his primer on summons and make himself a doppelganger to handle such unpleasantries in his stead. Let his siblings and parents complain; Efrain had enough. Noticing the apothecary's movements Heisei inquired: "I thought you said you were going to wait for her?" The Rosenite answered without turning around. "Why would I wait for a drunk stranger I hardly even know? She can go bother somebody else."

"You must really despise her." The dragon quipped back. "When I was a child Mother told me not to talk with strangers." Efrain replied with dry sarcasm. "Now I see she had a point." Returning to his usual scowl he turned on his heel to leave Kyra to her own devices. Good riddance, he thought. He'd first get out of this cold and forget everything that had happened. 

Kyra watched as they left before she could even get a word in. He claimed that he was going to wait for her. But it didn't take to a genius to know that he was just trying to get out of this situation. She shrugged her shoulders. Suddenly an idea popped her into her mind. She waited until he started to leave. When his back was turned, she lifted up her hand to her head.

Magic flowed from her fingertips as her body began to vanish. Walking over to the grumpy rosenite, she let out a giggle. The dragon would probably be able to see here but she did not care. A summoning spell brought a sky shard blue violin to her hands. The bow went across the strings producing a lovely note. This violin had the special ability of amplifying the emotion being played.

“We dance we dance,
Given the chance,
Our brothers and sisters beside us,
Our music being harmonious, “

Her voice was sweet but had a slight somber tone to it. The notes of the song were sweet and slow.

“The snowy storm,
Fire keeps us warm,
Keeping down the dread,
That we may find ourselves dead,”

“Only the songs that we play,
Can keep us cheery through the day,
Let us give and be kind,
To never give a mind,”

“To the frost at our door.”

“Sister, brother together we must dance,
Cause we know it may be our last chance,
And really show out our love to one another,
Give our love to mother and father.”

“The fire has gone out,
Using joy to keep away doubt,
Perhaps we may not live tomorrow
,With the fierce wind to blow.”

“But I get to spend this happy moment with my family,
We all must leave as it is our mortality,
But I had the best night because I know,
That my family comfort makes the world seem slow.”

She stopped singing and rested her arms by her side. Kyra wondered how he would feel if he knew why they partied during the winter.