a smoocharoo from me to you

[siberia]

we've already done mistletoe...
but are you prepared for...
NEW YEAR'S KISS MEME

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shinsha

[globs]

[burns you]

[womensrights]

[ it’s a beautiful new year’s eve, and minerva is familiar with the tradition of a new year’s kiss in that she’s heard it once and kind of made up her own thing for what it means. while other people might understand that the new year’s kiss is traditionally a midnight smooch, her definition is ever-shifting… and she’s the type of person that will change it to suit what she needs at any given moment.

right now, it’s this: ]

Wooow, your hair would make great earrings! I’ll trade you my special kiss for a few pieces!

[ they don’t know each other. it’s a miracle that they’ve ended up in the same place. but when she sees something pretty, it’s only right that she should have it. ]

[globs]

[ they're probably at a party or something, which means Cinnabar is situated in the furthest corner away from everyone, hoping no one notices them. Alas, their hopes are quickly dashed... Shyness and shininess don't pair well. They eye Minerva warily at first with their usual amount of coldness; then she mentions turning their hair into jewelry, and their glare quickly drops below freezing. ]

Get lost.

[ they cross their arms and look away from her. ]

[womensrights]

What!

[ she cannot possibly understand what she’s done wrong here. she is a beautiful young lady whose face would be accented by a nice pair of earrings, and she feels like it is a living rock’s duty to provide that. ]

Come on! Just a little! I can even break them off myself!

[globs]

[ LADY...

this has crossed the line into being mildly threatening, and Cinnabar responds accordingly, squaring their shoulders and clenching their fists. This is not the kind of stress they were expecting to be put under tonight. ]

Want me to pull out your teeth in return? [ it's the best comparison they can think of. ] Don't touch me.

[womensrights]

[ wow, rude. ]

I’m not even touching you! I don’t get what the big deal is!

[ it annoys her to have to do this, but she will suffer for the sake of her fashion. she combs her fingers through her huge mane of hair, but when nothing comes loose on its own, she sighs in frustration—and forcibly plucks one single strand with a wince.

it doesn’t occur to her that the gem doesn’t exactly have strands. ]

Here, see? I did it! [ … ] You can have this, if you want, but you won’t get my kiss.

[robopriest]

What a beautiful sight.

[Who knew that in a place like this, in this cursed town, they would have fireworks for New Year's? They did have snow for winter, but...this is something else. A nice reprieve, Hansa thinks.]

[He looks over at the gem nearby, smiling, the dark blue of his eye reflecting the shining streaking lights above them.]

Don't you think so?

[globs]

[ pretty much all of them is reflecting the fireworks, on the other hand... though they aren't quite looking at Hansa - their expression places them somewhere between amazed and nervous as they stare at the display above. ]

... Are you sure this isn't dangerous?

[ pretty as it is, it reminds them of a Lunarian attack, though they've been assured it's just something humans do for fun... ]

[robopriest]

Its only dangerous if you're the one shooting the fireworks. From here, though, we're perfectly safe.

[He smiles - this must all be rather overwhelming for a living gem, he thinks, simply judging by the look on the other's face.]

Have you ever seen these before?

[globs]

[ well. nothing seems to be happening down here on earth, despite the loud explosions in the sky, so he's probably right. Even so, they can't completely let their guard down. There's nothing in this town they trust.

Well. Maybe a few of the people. A little bit. ]

No... Never. [ when gems celebrate, it's much more... subdued. Explosives-wise, anyway. ] But you have.

[ it's not a question, but Cinnabar's obviously expecting an answer. They can't believe blowing things up in the sky is a normal thing?! ]

[gets burned]

[eolja]

[the concept of Christmas might have been lost on Seonho, but New Years Eve makes far more sense. It's a lot like Korean New Year, even if the traditions seem a little different... Like the absence of kite-flying, which is something Seonho remembers doing every year back home.

That's probably why he's with Cinnabar right now, holding out a spool for the kite he's carrying,]

Why don't you give it a try, Cinnabar? I'll grab the line if the wind gets too strong, so you don't have to worry about losing your grip.

[it's a perfect day to fly kites AND smooch,]

[globs]

[ they've got their opera gloves on, so it's easy for them to take the spool from him, even though they're staring at it with some confusion. This is, once again, something they definitely don't have back home, and it's obvious from the furrow in their forehead. ]

You really think the wind could knock me down?

[ the paradox of cinnabar: very fragile and soft, but also ultra-dense. they probably weigh six times what he does. ]

[eolja]

[look,,, does Seonho understand how gems work!!! his impression of Cinnabar is just that they're beautiful and also very fragile, and are fortunately in a good enough mood to endure Seonho's company on this fine New Years day. He glances down at Cinnabar's gloved hands and smiles mischievously,]

I suppose not. I shall have to think of another excuse then.

[an excuse for hand-holding... so close... and yet, so far... he adjust his grip on the kite more firmly,]

All you have to do is hold onto the spool. I'll do the rest.

[globs]

[ they are all those things, too. they have layers, like shrek. The mischievous smile only makes the crease between their brows deeper, but they at least know Seonho isn't the type to pull a prank on them. No, he's possibly too far in the other direction. What is he looking for an excuse for, though... suspicious. ]

... Okay.

[ Cinnabar agrees, but they're keeping an eye on him!! ]

[monoclinic]

[ once alexandrite had discovered the short, aged, almost unreadable passage about what seemed to be a year-end ritual of past civilizations, the whole menagerie that still lived with their sensei came alive with the idea of a sort of celebration. they can't celebrate it during the wintertime when they hibernate, so they decide that their new year would start that day, in the middle of summer, at the highest moon.

that's part of why phos comes out to find them. phos read the passage and knew about its traditions.

they know what they want to try is a bad idea. the worst, maybe. but something draws them to cinnabar irresistibly even in these moments, knowing that if phos is stubborn enough, just maybe— ]

Ah, Cinnabar...

[ phos says it quietly. they're standing a short distance from cinnabar, their alloy leaving a short, melty trail behind them in the grass, as if the alloy itself were feeling their sheepishness. still, phos takes a step forward towards cinnabar on the coastline. ]

Are you coming back? The celebration already started.

[globs]

[ and who else would come find them but Phos?

Cinnabar has not been back to the school, not really, nor have they read this mysterious artifact that Alex dug up, but they're quite good at listening (some might call it eavesdropping), and have grasped the general gist of what's going on. In fact, that's why they're out of their hidey-hole at midday in the first place. They wonder if it's sheer luck (Cinnabar's being bad or Phos's being good) that the other gem found them, or if it was calculated. These days, it's hard to tell. ]

I'm not going.

[ an answer Phos probably saw coming. Truth be told, none of the others have even talked to them until now. Just Phos. As usual. It's something, to be remembered so consistently when they're more conveniently forgotten... ]

[monoclinic]

That's what I figured you'd say.

[ even if they had any interest, it's not like they would probably go anyway. and that's why phos is here. they were planning to reach the cave, but it was impossible to miss the glistening red and silver by the beach, especially with the sun beginning to set. ]

Did they tell you what's happening? I don't think I saw Dia or anyone go out to tell you.

[ phos draws out an old parcel hidden in their uniform and holds it out, extending their alloy towards cinnabar to take it. ]

I stole it from Alex. Here.

[globs]

So you're stealing now. You truly are awful.

[ they suppose Phos already stole resin in the past. Still, that's a bit different from taking something directly from another gem. Cinnabar eyes the package (and their alloy - still weird) hesitantly, though they accept it after a moment, if only out of concern for Alex's belongings. It looks too old to just let fall to the ground carelessly. They have their gloves on; even so, they're holding it very delicately, as they always do when they're given someone else's things. ]

... You want me to read this?

[ one eyebrow raised, they look from the package to Phos. All things considered, this is a fairly precious item, and there's a reason Cinnabar doesn't work in the library. Gloves or no gloves, they're already nervous about ruining this relic. ]

yang

[laoshu]

tw: yang

fiora

[bisouled]

loops!

[unghost]

[ Winter is never a particularly pleasant time of the year for gems - least of all for Cairngorm. Fraught with bad memories, and the endless biting exhaustion, it's certainly not a time of the year they think worthy of celebration. They've never once seen celebrations dedicated to bringing in the New Year, since gems are typically dead asleep by this time of the night when the year turns, themself included. Approaching the hour at even by half has them struggling to keep their eyes open, even with a majority of Chroma awake and still with lights on.

The only reason they're even making an attempt at staying awake is for Lupin's sake. They're not stupid - they can see that this is some sort of sentimental tradition for humans, probably because of their horribly short lifespans. The last few weeks, ever since he laid out his heart to them, they've been ever so slowly trying to be more considerate to him, in their own ways; to pay more attention to things that might make him happy. So, for what it's worth, they are trying.

Yet, all that effort doesn't stop them from nearly dozing off as the minutes tick by; the town has a bit of hustle and bustle more towards the center, where people are excitedly waiting what must be midnight. But Cairngorm's not the kind to keep around the epicenter of talk. No, they're much more suited to the quietness of where they're sitting with him, slightly secluded from the main crowd, next to each other on the porch floor of some abandoned storefront. There are lanterns lit here and there, probably by the two of them, to help keep them awake. There's a hint of space between them - they're still shy, even not directly in front of others like this. Maybe there's a lull in their conversation, or maybe they start drifting off right in the middle of him talking, but their chin starts to dip, a bit of that ever-present tension easing out of their expression. They don't look asleep, not yet, but if he's waiting on their response to something he's said, none comes; in fact, in their drowsiness, they even slump over a little more to their side, until the two of their shoulders are brushing. They're heavy, and cold in the frigid December air, and blissfully unaware yet that they're even leaning into him by accident. ]

we LOOPIN

[heartsteals]

[ They are trying, and he's well aware - after all, he knows by now that Cairngorm can barely keep their eyes open once the sun starts setting, and he knows doubly that they have little interest in betraying their sleep schedule for silly human things. Lupin would like to say he's noble enough that he considered not finding them to celebrate this with them... but he's not. It would be terribly depressing for them to miss out on a town-wide event that isn't a curse or a massacre or what have you, for one thing.

More than that, though, imagining being here, at the turn of the new year - whatever that might mean in a place like this - without the one person in this town who's made everything feel very much worth it for him? Unthinkable. He's still riding on the high of his successful confession. They've probably noticed it in him, too - the skip in his step, the glint in his eye, the slightly-knowing smile he casts their way when he sees them in public that slips into shameless fondness when they're alone. Of course he wants to be here with Cairngorm - lately, they're always at the forefront of his thoughts. His heart is light and airy, and he fills the air with conversation to match. ]

Drifting off?

[ he notices when they bump against him (of course he does - they're heavy, yes, but mostly, it makes his heart flutter a little), but says nothing about it, not wanting to embarrass them and scare them out of the moment; instead, he just looks over at them with a sort of gentle amusement, one brow raised. ]

[unghost]

[ Luckily, they're not so far gone that that fails to wake them up - as soon as he says that, their eyes flutter back open, head lifting. It takes an extra moment for them to realize that they're leaning onto him, which they correct, immediately, sitting up straight and pushing his shoulder where they'd touched him so gently that it's more a pressing touch into his coat jacket with their gloved hands than anything else. ]

...You know how it is.

[ They mumble, embarrassed despite his best efforts. It's embarrassing to let their guard down in such a way around him, but they can't help it - not in the current conditions. But if it was anyone, they'd rather it be him that see them like this. Huffing, they retract their hand from his shoulder, pressing it over one of their eyes instead, trying to focus on staying awake - against their most dear wishes.

Cairngorm is simultaneously a hard worker and incredibly lazy, depending on the work in front of them, so for them to make a concerted effort for something that's not for a vague greater good and instead for the personal gain of someone else... it's something. ]

You're lucky I've stayed awake this long. [ They're scrubbing at their eye with the heel of their palm, if only so they have something to do other than make eye contact with him. ] I'm better than most gems at this.

[ but u wouldn't guess it bc theyre passing out in the dirt all the time ]

[heartsteals]

[ he sighs internally. See, this is why he didn't want to say anything! Apparently, he should have just kept his mouth shut entirely. They're so shy. He'll have to be more careful (and/or sneaky) next time. Lupin's eyes crease in good humor; he has half a mind to bump their shoulder with his, instead, but he doesn't want to push too hard, especially considering a certain tradition he's planning on carrying out soon enough. ]

Are you? I catch you napping an awful lot for someone who's good at staying awake. Sometimes even outside.

[ in the snow? cairngorm??

Unable to resist the urge to tease them completely, he softly puts a hand on their head, brushing his thumb over their hair just briefly. ]

Well, with any luck, we'll have a good light show soon that'll wake you up soundly.

[unghost]

[ His ruffling of their hair gets a grumble out of them, and they don't shy away from it - though ... it does seem like they had to forcibly stop themself from doing so. They're trying!! They don't want to physically recoil every time he tries to touch them, because they're sure he will take it the wrong way, but sometimes it's more instinct than anything else. Thinking about that for a brief moment at least prevents them from saying something cruel in return to his comment about their sleepiness. ]

What do you know about gems anyway. Whatever. Explaining it to you would be way too much work...

[ That last bit gets muttered under their breath, and they finally give up on rubbing at their eye, crossing their arms instead. ]

You're not talking about auroras, are you?

[ It's a rhetorical question; obviously something like that couldn't be timed, and the climate is nowhere correct in order for one to appear. But it's easier for them to ask like this than to feel like they're clueless and asking him for all the answers. ]