it's the solstice

[arclightning]

Who: Mako, Wu, & close CR
What: They might be in a different world, but the solstice is the solstice, and that means it's time to feed everyone you care about, if you're Mako
When: Night of December 21st
Where: Mako and Wu's loft above the Raccoon Room

Content warnings: Sadness from potential memory-share stuff, homesickness, mentions of Mako and Bo's dead parents

© TESSISAMESS

If you have close CR with Mako or Wu, in the days leading up to the Winter Solstice—December 21st—you may have gotten a small text invite in your inbox. A few simple lines inviting you to the Raccoon Room on the night of the 21st for dinner "because it's the solstice." Normally the Raccoon Room is closed early in the week, but on the 21st they've opened it up.

They're actually having people over in the loft above the Raccoon Room, and their living space is decked out in lanterns and candles to keep out the long darkness. Snow falls quietly outside, but in here it's warm and it smells like ginger and pepper. Wu's put on a few scratchy records in the background. Here and there, Winter Mournings are hung, not quite out of reach. It's very easy to accidentally or purposefully touch one.

If anyone comes in early enough, Mako is still at the counter with his sleeves rolled up, rolling dumplings, covered in rice flour. Maybe help him cook? He's looking better than he was early in the month: his skin is the correct pallor without that odd gray cast, and there's no smoke rolling off his body, so that... has to be good!

For the later arrivals, Mako's made dinner, which means hot tangyuan in gingery broth, an entire bowl of mushroom noodles for sharing, and a simmering pot of broth for people to cook things in, as well as a lot of a tangy sauce that Mako gets kind of cagey about when people try. Sit down, enjoy some hot pot! It's a time to be together, after all.

[ ooc: tag around, top-level, have a good time! ]

Comments

Mako // various points throughout the night

[arclightning]

1. memshare // other people's memories

[ Mako does his best not to touch the Winter Mournings, but he put the things up and still manages to touch them every now and then as he's moving around his own apartment.

No matter whose memory he ends up in he lets out a quiet sigh as soon as he sees what's happening and crosses his arms, frowning hard. ]

Not this again. This yours?

2. dinner // traditions

[ During dinner—multi-layered thing that it is—Mako looks up in the middle of swirling some hearty green vegetable in the simmering pot of broth and makes eye-contact with whoever is across from him. It's a weird thing, to be sharing this tradition with a bunch of people for whom it doesn't mean the same thing, but... maybe that's okay. Maybe the first part of sharing a tradition is getting people to buy in.

So, he sucks in a small breath, looking relaxed for once, and asks, quietly, ]

This is supposed to be about your family. The solstice. Who, uh... who else would you want here? If you could have them? Anyone from home?

3. general // tag him from the prompts in the header!

2

[siriusly]

[Manabu's dove headfirst into meal prep even during meals because...well. it's a thing he can do! mingling? not really great at that; he was never much of a party person or socialite. it's why Mako doesn't get an answer right away and scallions keep getting chopped. only until he wonders why whoever Mako's talking to isn't answering because that's rude does he look up and--]

Eh? Huh? Me? [blinkblink.] Sorry, did you say something?

[arclightning]

[ This is why they get along, really. Mako's been cooking for more or less 10 hours now and he still wants to keep his hands busy, wants to keep rolling up little dumplings and making sure people have enough tea.

He's taking a bare moment to actually eat some of the tangyuan, has to swallow around one before he can answer with a quiet smile. ]

Yeah, you. Wanted to know who you'd have here, of your family. If you could. That's what this whole thing is about.

3/wildcard ayoooo

[pabugotmoves]

[It's taken Bo all morning to gather himself up to come. Dongzhi is a big deal for so many reasons. He has always, always spent it by Mako's side, the last few years in exception, and even though they've been fighting and things are awkward and horrible and Mako has been Really Difficult lately... he can't not go.

There are just some lines you don't cross.

And maybe if they can talk on Mako's turf with other people around then it will be...okay? It's not a trap? Wu wouldn't let that happen, surely.

He arrives early, mittened hands carrying a small parcel of items. A deep breath and Bolin lets himself up into the loft apartment, stopping for a moment to gather his courage and take in the familiar smell of foods from home. The nostalgia is powerful, almost overwhelming in both good and bittersweet.

Pabu chitters before bounding down from his place on Bolin's shoulders and shoots off to find Fritter. Right, well. On his own, then. Okay. C'mon, soldier. Be brave.

So he makes for the kitchen where he knows his brother will be slaving away over the stove.]

Um. [A little louder than it should be, announcing his presence at the kitchen's threshold as if Mako wouldn't make the cadence of his footsteps immediately.]

Happy Dongzhi, Mako.

[arclightning]

[ Bolin's footsteps are a known thing, like the particular way that fire curves when Mako's bending it or the feeling of dumplings sealing under his fingertips. And he'd figured Bolin would show, figured of course he would but there was that tiny frisson of fear that maybe finally they'd been wrenched too far apart because Mako was... an idiot.

Corrupt, he can't quite say, but it's true. He doesn't know what would have happened if Wu hadn't dragged him back, forced him into normalcy.

Either way: when Bolin's steps approach, Mako tenses up but doesn't stop pressing dough into little balls, rolling them like they're charms to ward everything away. He's been so disconnected, so far from home and everything he knows: every single of these tiny things feels like a bead on a string stretching back to Republic City, which is a stupid thing to think but Mako can't forget it.

He doesn't know what to say to Bolin, because there's so much he has to say (I'm sorry, please tell me you're somewhere safe, a hundred other things, and so Mako lands, quietly, on, ]

Come taste this broth?

3 - lemme know if this works!

[shiro2hero]

[It's later. Probably toward the end of the night. Shiro mostly came by to check on the guys, since it'd been difficult to do that most of the month. Especially after the mess he accidentally dumped on Mako's lap. He's felt bad about it, really. Not bringing Bolin's situation to Mako's attention, no. But not being able to do anything about it.]

[That and the whole confrontation around the mushroom last month.]

[So, towards the end of the night, while things are winding down, he's started looking for Mako, specifically. His joints still hurt, he probably should head home soon - but he can't just go without trying to speak with his friend.]

[arclightning]

[ It's Mako's own party but being that social for that long, especially fresh off this bout of what turned out to be corruption. Mako feels sort of brittle still, a little tentative, like saying the wrong thing will knock him right back down into the flames.

So, after the whole night, he is hiding a little bit, tucked away in a corner while Wu entertains a few of their remaining guests with his hands curled around a hot cup of tea. He straightens up just a little when he sees Shiro, something in his shoulders going tight. The last month was... hard, and weird, and Mako definitely owes Shiro an apology, no matter how much that smarts. He swallows, waving him over. ]

Shiro. Hey. You get enough food?

1

[chickenchoicejudy]

[Ryan has been busy settling into a new home and with rehearsal until there weren't rehearsals anymore...which is to say, he totally forgot about the Winter Mournings.

So naturally, Ryan reaches out and touches one out of curiosity, not because he thinks it might bring them into a memory but because it's cool and pointy and every single brain cell is going touch it touch it touch it see if it's pointy touch it right now--.

And so, he touched it. And now they're at Gas and Dog on one of the worst days of his life. He's not sure exactly how he can tell at first - the gas station is practically empty and in the middle of absolutely nowhere with forest on all sides, and the light is almost unnatural. It's still dark but the sun is just starting to come up without a full blown sunrise. Ryan's intimately familiar with it now that he's nocturnal, but he wasn't back then. Back then he was just miserable and not sleeping enough. That emotion seems to permeate the air - it's not a time when anyone would want to be at a gas station, but he knows what's coming.]

--Yeah. Yeah, this one's mine, I think. Uh. ...Welcome to Gas and Dog?

[He jokingly spreads his arms and twiddles his fingers like, "Ta da~!"]

[arclightning]

[ Satomobiles might be fairly widespread in Republic City, but fuel stations look nothing like this. It takes Mako a second to make any sense of the odd shapes he's seeing in front of him, little pillars squatting by the road; looping things attached to them; stained pavement and a single sign. There's an odd feeling in the cool air, and Mako steps a little closer to Ryan, frowning softly. ]

A... fuel station, huh. Anything terrifying gonna happen that we need to be ready for?

3

[laminae]

[Fern has made sure to bring his scout badge to the dinner so that he can actually partake, instead of just hanging out awkwardly at the table with an empty plate. So hey, he's totally enjoying the food.

He glances over at Mako's question and furrow his brow, thinking.]

Oh, uh. Probably NEPTR? I think he's the only one back home who doesn't hate me, and he's my favourite anyways, so it'd be nice to see him again.

[arclightning]

That's your brother, right? The... pie one?

[ Mako has a pretty good memory for details but also it's very hard to forget half the wild things Fern says just because they're so out there. Carefully, he pushes a plate full of sauteed mushrooms closer to Fern. It's his love language, Fern. ]

2.

[onekindsoul]

[Mako looks over to Ruby right as she awkwardly and incredibly loudly slurps up some of the broth. It's like a solid ten seconds before she realizes that Mako is looking her way and asking her a question at which point she absolutely freezes and stares back.

...She is beauty. She is grace.

She quickly slurps up the rest of the broth up and gives a nervous laugh.]

Uh- Sorry. Family?

I mean it's hard to say really. There are a lot of people I'd love to have here... My dad or my sister for one.

...I guess if it's possible to get back those we've lost it would be... It would be great to get a chance to see my mom again.

[arclightning]

[ Mako can't help smiling at her. The expression catches at half his mouth, crooked for a moment before it turns into a full-blown grin accompanied by quiet laughter.

Never change, Ruby. ]

I know the feeling. Mom is probably who I'd want here, if I could have anybody. This is mostly her recipes. Or, you know. Close as I could get.

2

[avatar_state]

[She stayed sort of out of the way, for most of the night. She has a gift for Mako, tucked to the side. But he's the host, and he's busy, so she tries not to bother him. She had brought some buns to add to the feast, with her increasingly spice-heavy signature.]

[When he speaks, however, she laughs a bit.]

Pretty sure our lists would be mostly identical. I mean...my parents, for sure. Tenzin and his family. But other than that, think we line up pretty well.

[Her smile turns fond.]

Whole lot of found family, between us.

[arclightning]

[ Talking to Korra is such a relief after the last month. Mako has been cagey and angry and lost in his own memories, but Korra's right: she was there for most of those memories, or at least a very emotionally-significant chunk of them. She gets it like only Team Avatar can, and Mako offers her a quiet, relieved smile as he pushes another bun onto his plate. ]

Really didn't think I'd miss the kids so much, but... I do. And Beifong. She'd probably hate that, right?

[ He contorts his face into something more serious and Lin-ish and makes his voice kind of raspy. ]

"Don't get all emotional on me, kid."

1.

[convene]

[To be fair, he didn't mean to touch the Winter Mourning, but they were rather intricate in design and quite fascinating. It doesn't help that when he has realized what he's done he's standing at the defense bench in the Old Bailey. There, sitting between the two benches, in front of the jury, was a large omnibus. Ryunosuke immediately shudders, wishing that it wasn't such a bad memory that he was apparently reliving. Susato stands by his side which isn't surprising to him (and it's a bit of a relief if he's honest) but then there's... Mako?]

Ah. Yes, this is one of mine. [He rubs his face, ready for this just to end.] I don't think I'll forget this trial for the rest of my life.

[At the witness stand is a short, middle-aged man wearing a purple overcoat and a tall top hat. Next to him a rough-looking young girl with braded blond hair, twirling a shilling between her fingers.]

How are you here? [He asks, turning to face him.]

[arclightning]

[ Mako lets out a quiet groan after taking in the strange surroundings. He's not exactly a stranger to being in a courtroom—though this one looks very different from the trials in Republic City—but this is strange and more importantly, not his.

And also probably not good. He shifts a little closer to Ryuunosuke, frowning at the two people on the witness stand. ]

Those things—Wu made them—they... do this. It happened in the dream, too. This is your memory, and we're stuck here until some deer decides we're done. Guessing it's not a good one. What's happening? Anything we need to worry about?

[ Can anyone here actually hear him? Mako's about to find out. ]

ota

[siriusly]

Good to see those sconces he installed are still holding up... This place really came together since last he was in here! Which was...a while ago, given Manabu's apparent allergy to fun. The little dog omen who flanked him on the way in has now struck out to do all the sniffing and schmoozing Manabu won't do himself, so kindly give Magnet some attention, yes? Meanwhile Manabu will be just scanning around owlishly at the decor...and the spread.

"Eh? Wait..." He squints. "Which...one of these is pizza? These look more like rolls..." But Wu did say it was bread-based.

[royalfling]

Wu lets out a long suffering sigh, waving a hand at all the food. "Mako said that pizza isn't a solstice food. I said traditions are meant to be broken, but let me tell you, he's in a state right now."

Especially after last night. Wu isn't exactly very happy with his boyfriend right now, so he's over here hanging out with Manabu instead.

[siriusly]

"A state?" Manabu echoes, confused. "I mean, I guess I don't mind either way, but...what does that even mean?"

OTA

[laminae]

[Fern has never celebrated the solstice before. He wasn't even sure what the solstice was until he had asked Varian. Normally, he's be excited to hang out with friends and enjoy one of their traditions, but tonight....

Tonight he happens to be dragging Varian to this evening more out of desperation than anything good. He's worried about his boyfriend's growing corruption, and he's hoping that spending time with friends eating good food will do something to help the situation.

He can be found up in the loft, nervously hovering in Varian's vicinity the whole night. Right now he's absently poking at one of the lanterns, and eyeing some candles on a shelf near him, occasionally glancing in Varian's direction, hoping to see some kind of improvement in him.]

[droptheious]

[Varian is very much wrapped up, despite being inside. It's a good thing he can't feel temperature or he'd definitely be overheating. He's not convinced this is going to help him at all, and is wallflowering harder than he's ever wallflowered before.

He's poking at a bowl of the broth, occasionally dropping his bandana just a little to take a sip of it, before quickly hiding his face again. He knows Fern is trying his best here- but he can't shake the hallucinations that keep creeping into the field of vision or the strange feeling of not understanding where he is coming and going. He moves a little closer to Fern, uneasy. ]

...The broth's pretty good?

[He's trying his very best here. ]

[laminae]

[Honestly, Fern would find Varian being bundled up cute if not for the whole terrible reason behind it. As it is he's completely disheartened the coolest bandana ever is being used like this, instead of something like their second kiss.

Still, this is better than Varian staying hunkered down in the house. It's vastly better, and he offers his boyfriend an encouraging grin when he inches closer.]

Cool. I should try some. [He hesitates, then asks:] Um. You doing okay?

[royalfling]

[ Wu leans down to see what Fern is doing, himself doing kind of the opposite of Fern. He's annoyed with Mako right now, after Mako's corruption has been taking him over for weeks on end, and, yes, they may have come to some sort of conclusion late last night, but it still isn't enough for Wu to be quite over it. ]

You can take one.

[laminae]

[Boyfriends dealing with their significant other's corruption is a real mood.

He starts a little when Wu speaks up, surprised.]

Really? [He looks over at the lantern.] You and Mako wouldn't mind?