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

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?

[droptheious]

[Sorry, Fern, he's just here using the adorable bandana for awful reasons. He does seem to be marginally improving by being around other people and not being stuck in his science cave all the livelong day. ]

You should, you'd like it. I think it's got ginger in it. [At the question his shifts uncomfortably- at least he won't lie about this to Fern. ] I don't know. I still feel weird. It's...a little easier having people around? Makes it...not lighter, but less heavy.

[laminae]

[Even a sliver of an improvement means that this entire outing was worth it.]

Oooh. [He likes ginger! But really, he isn't going to let it distract him from the more important topic here.] That's good, right? Please tell me that's a good thing.

[droptheious]

[Varian would really rather talk about anything but his condition, even if he knows talking about it is what's going to ultimately help him more. He rubs the back of his neck.]

I...I think so? I don't know. It feels a little less like my own skull is gonna cave in on itself.

[B-bonus???]

[laminae]

[If it helps at all, upon hearing that a warm, relieved grin appears on Fern's face. Varian, you don't know just how happy he is to hear that.]

Cool, awesome. That's really great to hear. [Maybe this is it?? Maybe this party will fix him!] That's gotta be a relief, huh? Maybe by the end of the night you'll be back to normal.

[droptheious]

[That grin does help a little- it eases a tiny sliver of tension in his shoulders. Worrying Fern is the last thing he wants, even if he knows it's inevitable. ]

It is a relief that...something is happening, I guess? Though...hah, I wouldn't be that hopeful. It's not relieved that much pressure.

[laminae]

But it's still something! Aaaand Wu gave me - [He is pulling cookies out of his pockets. Pocket cookies.] - snacks! Have one!

[He is a little too eager in shoving them all into Varian's hands. Eat them please.]

[droptheious]

[Wow, a little pushy with the cookies there, boyfriendo. He blinks down at the pocket cookies-opening his mouth to question why Fern was keeping them in his pocket, before snapping his jaw shut. No. Don't ask. He knows he won't like the answer.

Carefully he raises one, brushing the pocket lint off it, before lowering his bandana to take a bite. It's not an easy achievement with the fangs, but he's trying his best here. He chews it, before swallowing.]

Okay. So. That was a cookie.

[laminae]

[It's fine it's totally normal pocket cookies that don't have anything to do with corruption at all!! Fern is just going to be watching very carefully as Varian takes a bite, it's all perfectly normal.]

Um. Yup. [Sure is a cookie.]

You feel any different?

[droptheious]

[He's already raising another cookie to his mouth when Fern asks him that and stops dead. He glances at the cookie, then at Fern. ]

...Why? Is it supposed to make me feel different?

[laminae]

Maaaaybe?

[Fern shifts his weight from foot to foot anxiously. He isn't too concerned about explaining the cookies, he's worried about them not having any kind of effect.]

Wu said they're, um. Anti-corruption cookies. [And he slumps.] I'm not sure that's actually a thing, though. I think his goat got got.

[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?

[royalfling]

Of course! They're meant to be let off into the air at the end of the night. You can do one.

[ He smiles a little. At least hosting, he's good at. He can make people feel at home in his home, if only for a little while ]

[laminae]

Oh! Oh wow, that's a thing? That's really cool, can I grab one for Varian, too? He might like it.

[It might help his corruption, is what he's vainly hoping here.]

[royalfling]

Sure. [ He waves a hand distractedly, glancing back across the room to see Mako at least talking to other people. That's good. Really good. ] There are plenty.

[laminae]

[Wow, that answer seems... Off. Wu seems a little off. Fern's noticing that now, and he's raising his eyebrows as he looks in the direction of where he glanced.

Mako?]

Thanks....

[Whaaat is going on here.]

Uh, the party is really cool. Did you and Mako come up with it all together?

[royalfling]

Oh. Yes, well. No, it's a big deal back home. The Solstice, you know. The longest night of the year. We used to celebrate it with a big party in Ba Sing Se, and Republic City has their own celebrations. Mako has a lot of good memories of it, he wanted to bring everyone together.

[ Wu lets out an impatient sigh ]

He likes to have something to do. It lets him ignore all his problems, and pretend that they don't exist.

[laminae]

Cool, bet those would've been fun.

[Buuuuut that isn't why he asked. The latter half of Wu's remark is why he did, and he casts a longer glance over at Mako this time.]

So he's basically doing this 'cause he's got problems going on? What kinds of problems?

[royalfling]

[ Oh, good, an opening. Wu turns back to Fern with an exasperated look ]

He's obsessed with this sauce! This sauce his mom made, and he was up until almost dawn making it and he wouldn't give it up! It's so, so frustrating.

[ It's not really the problem, but the symptom ]

And he's literally burning up. Like, his skin is burning off, and he's like "I'm fine, Wu, leave it!"

[ He does a bad imitation of Mako's voice there ]

[laminae]

S... auce? [Honestly, under normal circumstances he wouldn't find that too strange. Who doesn't find comfort in food their parents used to cook? Psychos, that's who.

But the whole skin burning off is a huge, huge red flag, and it makes Fern look over, panicked, towards Varian. Yeah, this sounds horrifyingly familiar.]

Is his skin getting rocky, too? Or just burning off? What about his teeth? And his fingers? Does he, um. Have a claw situation going on?

[royalfling]

...he does have a claw situation. It's so weird! And, yes, his skin is just... burning. Burning off, burning up. And he's not doing anything about it!

[ Wu follows his gaze, and grits his teeth. ]

Hold on.

[ Holding up a finger, Wu flits away to grab some of Lysithea's anti-corruption cookies that Mako refuses to eat. He's back in barely a moment, showing them into Fern's hands ]

Make Varian eat these. Pretend they're something fancy.

[laminae]

[Ohhh no. Oh no oh no, that sounds almost exactly like the corruption is going through. Fern's concern is mounting, though he's surprised at the cookies being shoved into his hands.]

Dude, I'm not sure it's a good time for desserts?

[Sorry Wu, he isn't cluing in that anti-corruption food is an actual thing.]