A Feast! [Thanksgiving 2k16]

Jocellyn entered the hall, wearing a pretty auburn dress. For once, she nad thought to represent her house and the season, and even her bandages was nowhere to be seen when it usually covered her mouth. It was a feast, after all, and she was supposed to eat. The girl jad allowed herself to put on make up that went unexpectedly okay with the large autumn leave in her blonde locks.

She went for her house's table, which she considered to be the one standing out the less this feast day. After all, the whole room was decorated for Autumn. Jocellyn sat down on the cushioned chair, feeling awkwardly alone at her table, not really knowing anyone in her house yet.

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Floriano came in as soon as the doors opened. He was smiling dazzlingly, trying to impress anyone he walked by, in his first-clan tux and white satin gloves. His parents said to save the costume for his birthday party, but what could he bave worn here if not this.

He went for the snack bar, sheepishly stalking besides the nachos bowl and taking one every few seconds, devouring it like a seven year-old. He wiped his mouth with the back of his glove, leaving a smear of sauce on it, which he deliberately ignored, marching away into the crowd.

Luke came in slowly. Not having anyone to know, besides Kuno, was frustrating. The girl was an odd one that was for sure. When he had offered to be used as an experiment to her demonstration of puppetry he didn't think it'd be so.. creepy. He quietly walked over to the Autumn table where a girl sat. "Hey." He said. The blonde boy had his hair in his usual ponytail with his usual attire, a wire like choker and his gray shirt that was very loose at the tom with his usual black jeans and black converse. His black leather bracelet contained little metal bead-like things around it and a chain, that connected to nothing. His blonde bangs fell across his forehead and his emerald green eyes looked intently at the girl. It wasn't his fault and he may have been seen as a bad boy but he was quite the opposite. He oped that the girl wasn't to shy or anything if he scared her he could turn into a little bunny and calm her down. It had worked with a few girls so far but none of them ever talked to him again.

Kuno came in slowly a few minuets after Luke. She would join him but he was at the Autumn table and she was just an initiate. Sighing she went over to the initiate table and sat down. She was in her usual dark gray dress with the one red cloud on her stomach, her black high heeled boots, a ring with a kanji symbol on her right hand, and her black shorts under the dress as the opened up at the side a little bit. Her ruby necklace still held a white ribbon behind it and as well as a blue crescent moon under the ruby, she had almost left it at home in Japan. It was her good luck charm and there was no way the girl was going to lose it. Her crimson eyes seemed darker than the regular bright red colored leaves of Autumn and with her long brown hair that covered her right eye and the black rose on the left side of her face to keep her bangs out of the way, the girl seemed to be dressed for a funeral. She carried along with her a small little bare puppet, with no details or decorations whatsoever. That would have to be done later. She wished she could have brought one of her three life size puppets that she brought to the academy and have a little fun scaring people but she wasn't that mean. Playing around with her little puppet make making it dance around the table in front of her it seemed that the girl was using magic but she wasn't. In fact it was part of her gift, the gift of puppetry. She could make puppets do whatever she pleased and all she had to do was move her fingers around and they'd do whatever she wanted. If she had made a puppet of anybody in the school the girl could have controlled them easily and they would be bent to her will, forced to do what she wanted them to do. For now she could only do small animals and puppets that didnt look like anyone or anything.

ooc;; shout out to clove and bun for actually posting. ♥ bic;;

In truth, she wasn't that hungry at all. Despite the school having a holiday off, Ishiko herself had completely forgotten about the feast and had found herself filling up on snacks throughout the day instead. By the time she'd stepped into the Grand Hallway, she'd certainly regretted it. The aroma in the room was amazing. The dishes themselves looked absolutely heart-clogging, but wasn't that supposed to be a part of the fun? She was stuck with little other choice than to nibble a few bites here and there. Oh, maybe she could sneak some back to her room...

As she was searching for a place to sit, she passed by the tables where other initiates had taken it upon themselves to gather. It was a miracle she hadn't forgotten the meal completely. It was a chance to make friends. Her first run in with a student hadn't exactly been so... friendly.

She discretely looked from person to person, noticing a rather darkened figured playing with a few strange puppets on the table. The girl would have moved on without a second thought, hadn't it been for the kanji she'd seen on the stranger's ring finger. Her eyes brightened in curiosity and she tapped on her shoulder. Ah, but she seemed so wrapped up in her puppeteering...

"Sumimasen," Ishiko muttered quickly, "Is anyone sitting here?" The girl gestured to the empty spot beside her on the bench.

___

He still wasn't home.

Lynn sat at the end of the table of mostly Springs. Technically, she wasn't a Spring and more and hypothetically, she should have been sitting away with the rest of the Guardians and teachers, but something felt more cozy just blending in amongst the rest of the student crowd. She'd still felt like she was old enough to be a freshman in all honesty, and there was some relief in not having to be completely social for a time. One or two people to talk to would have been fine, but for now, it was nice to let her guard down and just poke at some mashed potatoes for a while.

There wasn't much else to do.

___

Being particularly picky of getting only the best slices of the turkey was some dumbass called Preston. He seemed to have found an unmanned turkey for himself, one of the perks of showing up early. He'd already claimed one of the drumsticks for himself, picked out the wishbone to break off with someone later into the night, and was cutting right into the juicy breast. If anyone wanted some of the good stuff, they'd have to come up and speak now, or forever hold their peace.

___

In the middle of the room, dancing through the crowd and looking for a place to sit, was the school's new arts teacher - however well that was going. Jason had made his evening dinner a balancing act. In his left hand was a mountain of all the fixings: corn, stuffing, yams, mashed potatoes, green beans, cranberry sauce, and of course - a tower of turkey. With his right hand, he leaned precariously over the table, taking extra caution in making sure he delivered the lava flow of gravy just right, hopefully without making a mess on the table. "Damn..." He cursed quietly under his breath as people kept bumping into him, causing small drops to land on the clean cloth.

Thanksgiving was the day he was least shameful, and one of his favorite holidays. He'd been carefully fasting all week for this glorious moment and was well prepared to clean his plate.

Kuno looked up from her puppet as a girl tapped her shoulder. She shook her head. "Nope nobody is. Go on ahead." She said and moved her fingers a bit more making the little puppet bow and then it sat down and leaned forward as the girl stopped playing with it. Kuno turned to the girl who was sitting next to her curiously. She wondered why she didn't find her creepy like most everyone. Especially back in Japan when everyone treated her as if she was a demon, her only real friends were little puppets that she painted to make her own friends. Pretty soon her trunk full of puppet stuff would a rive and she could make new little puppets as she learned to control her gift.

Luke waited for the girl to answer but it seemed she was rather shy so he gave her a small smile.

Jocellyn grabbed her purse tightly as the boy showed up, a habbit she had, holding on to her stuff when others came around. Mostly boys, since the ones sne knew when she was younger had turned out to some jerks, stealing her toys. She blinked at him, realizing she was about to say something and was glad she managed to hold herself back from it. Her scream would've destroyed the whole Grand Hall in a second.

She waved, trying to look as friendly as possible, qondering if that as their newest roommate which Floriano liked to stammer about all the time, like an overly active child. Which he probably was.

A blur caused the beautiful clothes that were spread across the table to flare out, food began to disappear from the plates set out in the middle. Even Preston's perfectionist turkey carving skills were not spared from the speedster. After he had cut a particularly tasty looking slice, it vanished in front of his eyes. A few feet away, the red haired speedster skidded to a stop. An impressive mound of food adorned Felicity's plate--a food equivalent to Mount Everest. In fact, Felicity already had a large roll in her mouth, and was chewing away as she ran. The girl seemed satisfied, and plopped down next to a few other Autumn students. She was already munching away, food disappearing into her mouth at an alarming rate. Yet no matter how fast she ate, the speedster was able to make sure no drop of food got on her uniform.

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Chip was already set up at the Winter table. He had discretely brought in books to boost himself up in the seat-- just so he did not look like a child who had wondered in. Although, he was certain that those who had been at Beata long enough knew him. It didn't help that they kept getting new students, however. He also had a hard time reaching food, a grumpy look crossed his face. He hated being short.

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Soon after the Felicity fiasco was over, another Autumn student entered the Grand Hall. One hand carried what appeared to be a diaper bag and the other was placed on the koala pouch that the baby was carried in.

For the most part, Shepard had been well behaved on their way there. However it seemed the loud noise of the Grand Hall proved to be a challenge for Shepard. His eyes were narrowed as he looked out to the side, a perpetual frown was on his face as the stimulation of the room hit full force. Beyond the clamor of plates and talking, there was also the fact that the smells were quite different than the Daycare that he had grown up in for the past four months. While he had gone outside before--this was not quite like it. There was plenty of red and orange colors. Yet also an overwhelming smell of new foods and people nearly forced Shepard over the edge-- had he not been as close to his father. He was able to still find comfort in his closeness. Thus, he closed his eyes and his head rested against Leo's chest.

Leo had been plenty aware that the event may be too much for Shepard, but Leo also knew that it was his son's first Thanksgiving and wanted him to experience it--even if he wouldn't remember much of the event. Besides, Shepard was beginning to be weaned off of bottled milk and to solid foods, it couldn't hurt to give him some mashed foods. Beyond even that, with the 'gossip girl' posts on Esper, Leo had to prove that he was not ashamed of his son, he could take their petty comments and wear them like a badge. Yes he had a kid-- and Shepard is cuter than they'd ever be.

With that, Leo found a seat at the Autumn table and placed the bag under his seat. With practiced ease, he was able to keep one hand on Shepard and still put food onto his plate. The angel was certain to get an extra amount of mashed sweet potatoes in which he planned to feed Shepard. The baby himself was already trying to turn in the carrier, curious of what his father was doing.

Suddenly arms wrapped around Leo, his sister pulling him in for a hug. "Happy Thanksgiving, Leo~ You too, my best nephew." She bent down and delivered a kiss to his soft blond hair. She wore a maroon sweater paired with black leggings and boots. "What outfit did you put him in?" She asked, lifting Shepard out of the carrier. The baby wore a white onesie with brown overalls and a cartoon turkey printed onto the chest. She placed him on her hip, admiring the outfit.

And Happy Belated Birthday to you, Aleta. I figured a new outfit couldn't hurt." Leo answered, taking the opportunity to take off the carrier. Shepard was just about able to sit up, so he could always place him in his lap when it was time to eat. The baby himself simply stared up at his aunt with slight curiosity. He remembered her vaguely, so his curiosity did not last. Instead, he twisted in her arms for Leo--who graciously took him back.

"Not my old outfit for Thanksgiving?" She asked jokingly, taking up a seat next to him, even though she was not a part of the Autumn house. Aleta would move later--she just wanted to talk with her brother.

"Well-- seeing as how your outfit was a tutu that made you look like a turkey I decided against that." Leo responded, an amused look to his face.

"How rude, I was the cutest baby." Aleta leaned forward, placing her hands on her chin.

Leo laughed and joked back, "Why did they let the turkey join the band?"

"Leo, no."

"Because he had the drumsticks."

"God damn it."

Luke gave the girl a closed eye smile to show he was a friend and not someone who would hurt the girl. And before she could say anything he turned into a cute little white bunny with big green eyes. He huffed as he turned into a little bunny, he didn't mean to of course but he couldn't help but think of it and it happened.

Kuno sighed as she grew bored and started to move her fingers again, making the small puppets body move again. She didn't watch the puppet but instead be looked at her ring with the Kanji symbol. It was the Kanji symbol for puppet after her gift. The ring was a simple silver band with a circle that had the Kanji symbol with a blue background, it was complete with a see through covering made of possibly glass. She watched it with a guarded expression all the while fiddling with her puppet with her left hand, moving her fingers repeatedly.

Barry ran inside soon after Felicity and followed suit, albeit more politely taking food that wasn't already on people's plates. By the time he sat down next to Felicity, he had a mountain larger than hers. "Y'know, if you just ate more often you wouldn't have to eat this much in one sitting," he told her smirking. He smeared butter over his roll and shoved it into his mouth. He had mashed potatoes (no gravy, that's gross), and corn, with some asparagus and cornbread and everything anyone would see on a normal thanksgiving plate, except there was at least ten times more food than what any normal human with a normal metabolism would eat.

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Mikaela entered the room in a simple sleeveless dress, although she still wore her brother's leather jacket. She looked around the room and saw a bunch of people. Scanning the small crowd, the Summer managed to find Leo and Shepard, with a girl she figured was Aleta, by the description Leo gave of her. Kaela walked over to the Hermans and sat down on the other side as to not block Aleta from Leo and also not separate herself from the Angel and his son. "Happy Thanksgiving!" she said happily to the three of them, making a funny face at Shepard.

This time of year again. Funny how it all flew by. Kayla could've followed that smell from her dorm to the Grand Hall with her eyes closed, turkey, ham, corn, stuffing, green bean casserole, potatoes, on and on and on. Beata had never spared expenses, for better or for worse, and she was going to take advantage if it was the last thing she did.

She'd learned her lesson from last year and skipped lunch and breakfast. By the time she was pushing toward the tables, snatching up an empty plate, she could feel her stomach rumbling. They could've fed an army with all this and still had leftovers the next morning, but the look in her eye warned any bystanders that she was ready to fight for the scraps. Kayla hit the middle table first, ripping off a hearty leg from the poor bird in the center table before anyone else could get to it. Then there was the rest, sides of mashed potatoes drenched in gravy, spoonfuls of corn and cranberry sauce and a heaping of stuffing, a cut of ham that threatened to plop off the plate.

Kayla paused, glanced around, and ripped off a wing for good measure. She'd shredded it to the bone by the time she'd moved down to the end of the table, balancing her mountain of a platter on one hand while she picked at the sides and servings with the other. Fuck, she knew she looked like a mess, an old hole-y flannel and a bruised up face from her brush-in at the infirmary, but if she was getting any weird looks, she wasn't paying attention.

There were a few familiar faces swimming around in this storm of people, Pres and Brailynn and their old Autumn prefect with a bundle wrapped up in his arms, but she didn't focus on them for long. If anything, she kept her head down as she moved, unbrushed hair pulled back in a ponytail and a face full of grease. When she reached the drinks, a couple of plastic cups set aside some two liters and spigot jars, she poured herself a drink with all the dexterity she could muster and slammed it back a second later. The cup was half empty by the time she'd moved away.

It was only by then, weaving through the crowd, that she realized she didn't know where to sit.

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She'd always hated Thanksgiving. A five star chef could've prepared all this food for all she cared and she'd still feel nauseous at the scent. The food, the chatter... Thanksgiving at her house had always been deathly silent, no other family besides her mother and father, sometimes her great aunt. So in a way, maybe the noise was a welcome change. That didn't help her headache at all.

Of course, she'd come in a bit buzzed, slipping past unnoticed and downing a glass of wine meant for the teachers and guardians before taking her place at the far end of the table, away from anyone else. She'd felt sick for weeks, and nothing she did washed away the queasiness in her gut.

Evelyn stared at a platter of shredded white meat, what was left of part of a turkey. It looked like a pack of dogs had ripped it apart. Her lip curled at the sight. Meat. Ever since she was young, since before she could remember, she'd hated the taste, the texture, just the look of it.

For reasons even she didn't understand at this point, she leaned forward and loaded some on, a paltry serving with a small pile of peas, corn, and mashed potatoes. Her plate looked barren, but it still felt like an insurmountable amount.

Why not?

She picked at it with her fork, still not daring.