Celebrating Yuletide (Tag the Captain and crew)

[Ryuusei Fuushino]

He broke it for a bit, half expecting reprisal...which would've been totally worth it! Sure she'd issued a challenge earlier, but they weren't under that 'Missile Tow' thing. However Mizuki kissed him back...and before getting into it, he gave Neri the stink eye. When they finally did part he couldn't help but ask. "Soooo, did Pinky plan this?"

[Sakuya]

Sakuya looked forward, as if waiting for William to join her. It was silly, really; why would he accompany her while everyone was still at the party having a good time? She just didn't feel like she would have been good company anyway. Yule was always hard for her and the alcohol had ignited her anger in more ways than one today. She wanted to shoot things. She wanted to scream. She wanted to feel things again; to not be so cold all the time. She wanted to be loved, to be touched and to feel what her brother felt. She wanted someone to accept her not as a symbol of fire and lust, but as an actual person. 

She was surprised to see him wander into the hallway. A smile appeared on her lips as her eyes widened with happiness. "Hey..." she said sweetly to the blond man walking toward her "I just wanted to get away from the holiday cheer. I really am a scrooge..." she chuckled under her breath

[Neri Kaioh]

Neri let the song stop as they finished their song together. She was about to wrap her arm around Mizuki, taking advantage of attention elsewhere. She felt pushed aside as the strange man kissed their leader. A deep frown was placed on her face as she lost any advantage she had. She lost her holiday cheer as she poured a stiff drink, draining it. She poured another drink, going to stand in the corner. Her eyes not leaving Ryuusei. She did not trust him.

[William Tenoh]

William followed Sakuya into the hallway and away from those obnoxious Christmas carols. He hated them. He hated them all. It seemed that Sakuya felt the same way. Now was the time to approach her... while everyone else was busy.

"Hey Sakuya. Don't worry about it. I hate Christmas carols too. I hate them so much that I downed half a bottle of whiskey to get away from them." William said to her. Alcohol was a poor substitute for Sakuya's company. She was a good conversationalist and easy on the eyes.

[Hayate Tenoh]

Hayate left the room to go do her own thing. She spotted William walking up to Sakuya, presumably to chat her up. She did not want to be the third wheel, so Hayate went to her room to sleep off the alcohol or something. She had had enough of Christmas carols for one year.

Next time she needed to lay off the alcohol. She stumbled into the room and fell face-first onto her bed. Then she sat up. Maybe she should change out of the party dress first.

[Alexandra Kino]

Alex staggered out of the galley under her own power... somehow. She had spent a bit of time being merry and a lot of time drinking alcohol. She was going to have a hellacious hangover later, but she could live with that. She had gotten a decent meal and some alcohol out of the party, so the brunette was satisfied.

Alex walked into her room and fell on the bed. She did not even bother trying to change out of the party dress. Parties were a rare occasion. No one would care if she slept in a wrinkly dress.

Sleep it was.

[Tomoe Natsumi]

As the party wound down, the young princess of Saturn took some time to stand up and stretch herself.

It was time for her to head back to her room and get some rest. She paused and looked at anyone who was left in the room, gave them a small bow and then said. "Well..I guess I'll head to bed now... night all."

[Chisana Usagi]

Chi sighed as everyone seemed left. The fun for the evening seemed to be over as her face fell. Her eyes looked over at the gifts left unopened, forgotten as the alcohol ran freely. She was used to the tiny fact that most people didn't pay that close attention when she talked. Often, she was looked down upon with her soft heart and hands.

She finished off what was left of her drink as the last four people headed out into the hallway. She leaned back in her seat as she brushed a small tear that formed. With just her, all the pain and hurt she had been holding on to caused more tears to fall. She never would have guessed in a million years that she would miss her family so much still. She felt as if her sister was so far away, forgetting about all the trouble they caused. Auntie Setsuna had gone into a shell which did not seem to break. The rest of her 'cousins' seemed to have parts that disappeared from them. She knew bits and pieces were still there, just got molded into something new.

Was she the only one not very effected? Natsumi seemed to be the same, though she was not that close with the girl before this. Maybe Natsumi was tougher, if anything. Chi was soft hearted who hated to fight. She just wanted to make sure everyone was happy, even at her own expense. She wanted to show everyone that them not fighting was okay. They could be who they were even with that dark time. She knew the others looked down on her because of her refusal to fire her weapon at a living being to kill them. She cried with the smallest amount of pain. Tears seemed a natural course for her. Her grandmother was like that as well. Here in the far reaches of space, there was no place for it.

This begged the question, could she give up who she truly was? Could she change to be a cold heartless person, uncaring if others got hurt? Could she lash out violently when one of her friends pushed her over the edge? Could she be what the others wanted her to be? Or would she just the be laughing stock to the others?

Tears streamed down her face in thicker waves. It was nice that no one else was around to see her completely break down. Her legs curled up as she buried her face in her knees. Her head echoed with the words of others, making fun of her. She knew in her heart of hearts that she could not bring herself to change. She would keep doing what she has always done, try to bring a smile to everyone and not cause ripples in the water.

Her body felt like it was made of lead as she glanced at the gifts. She would play Santa's little elf as she gathered what she could up. She knew that she could not carry all of them at once. She carried what she could each trip that she made. The last time she made it to the mess hall, she picked her gift. She sat at one of the tables as she carefully unwrapped it. Someone had given her an antique set of paint brushes, paints, new harp strings, and the book that her father and grandfather read to her every night. She cradled them to her chest as she closed her eyes. It was a small gesture however it meant the world to her. A fresh set of tears ran down her face as a smile broke through. She could only think of one person who knew what that meant, her aunt.

She cracked open the book with a sigh as she started to read it. Her eyes drifted open and closed several times, until they were unable to open with that final time. She fell forward, asleep with in the book, dreaming of home.