Delia took a long sip from her cup that couldn't have lasted for much more than five minutes.

"It is never what people expect," she finally said. "Just like this plane of existence, it has many worlds within it. You can find many things people talk about, and things no one could possibly imagine. I like it, but then, I'm me, and it's home."

Posted by: @valiantarcher

"You're talented in both music and trade?" Moira asked, a bit awestruck. "What instrument do you play? Or do you sing?"

Lauren opened her mouth to clarify her point on lemonade -- then, wondering if perhaps that would require more explaining than it was worth, decided to focus on the music part of the discussion and hope anything related to lemonade and "trade" could just be quietly dropped. There were few topics she'd rather discuss than music, anyway.

"Mostly piano and guitar, though there aren't many instruments I can't play, given a little time to familiarize myself," Lauren said, hoping she didn't sound too self-satisfied. "I can sing, too, though not well enough for performances."

Posted by: @stargazer

Emma giggled.  "Hi, Hector," she said.  "I don't have peanuts.  Want a cookie?"

"Hector would love a cookie," Ian said. "Say, do you think if I planted a cookie in Hector, it'd grow into a cookie tree someday? Hmm. I'd probably have to water it with milk instead of water. That sounds sticky. Maybe I should stick to flowers." He eyed Hector speculatively. "What kind of flower do you think I should plant? I like dandelions myself, but my friend Lauren would be very grumpy with me if we were growing dandelions in the house."

Maeve continued her staring contest with the hippo for a few moments (which was increasingly awkward for Kaelin), then tucked it in the crook of her arm. 

"His name is Draig," she said, slightly huskily. "Padraig Bairseach, Draig for short."

Where was that pesky Mr Waters anyway?  Molly kept her eye peeled for more trouble, but to her relief, there didn't seem to be any pending.  She promised herself that she would never bring a guest to one of these functions again.  Then she smiled wryly; she knew that next time she'd no more say "No" than she had this time.  "Ernst the Mountain Climber," she said aloud, though she didn't think there was anybody close enough to hear.

She watched Delia pull aside the drapes and say something, then tuck the curtains back in.  So that's where Mr Waters was concealed!  About to go and drag him out, she had second thoughts.  Maybe it was safer to just leave him there.

Turning back to survey the room, she saw Junior dive under the refreshment table.  What was the deal about tables this year?  They seemed to have an undercurrent of attraction for people, if usage was any indication.  Molly shrugged.  Just so long as she didn't have to go crawling about under them herself.

Posted by: @stargazer
Oh, I could tell ya stories. Never a dull moment at one of these.

The bull thought there had been a lot of dull moments around the exciting ones tonight, but before he could say so, his attention was caught by the tablecloth moving. He sniffed - Junior. He shuffled uneasily back from the dessert table, determined not to be caught off-guard again. He'd get in trouble for going on the offensive, and decided on a different strategy.
"How many of these parties have you been to, Dan?" He hoped his tone sounded nonchalant enough.

---

Posted by: @arin
Mostly piano and guitar, though there aren't many instruments I can't play, given a little time to familiarize myself. I can sing, too, though not well enough for performances.

"You can play almost anything?" Moira said, eyes wide. "What's the oddest instrument you've ever played? Do you compose tunes as well as play?"

Well great, Junior. Now that you're under here, how are you going to get out? Just one more thing that hadn't gone to plan tonight.

Posted by: @valiantarcher

"How many of these parties have you been to, Dan?"

It didn't seem like he'd been noticed so far. The conversation was still going overhead. Junior waited some more.

He peeked under the tablecloth to see if anyone was looking in his direction. It didn't seem so. Junior decided to wait just a little bit longer to see if perhaps the little party at the table would break up. If not, he'd just have to chance it.

Mr. Norro struck up a conversation with Ian, and when the Baxters became involved, Faye took the opportunity to get herself some dessert. She was a little embarrassed by it, but she hadn't eaten since lunch time and was beginning to feel it. At least there was plenty of conversation going, so she wouldn't have to feel too rude focusing more on the refreshments table than on the other partygoers.

Just as she was reaching for a glass so she could get some punch, she noticed a pair of hands come up from under the table, and.... She couldn't really believe her eyes as she saw the hands, somehow, successfully fill the glass with punch without knocking over the whole punch bowl.

Faye's curiosity got the better of her. She glanced around and, once she was satisfied no one was paying her much mind, snuck around the other side of the table. She glanced around again, feeling a little foolish about indulging her curiosity like this, but.... Faye lifted the table cloth just enough to see under it. There, she saw Junior crouched under the table, but with the glass of punch safely in his hand.

Faye blinked. Part of her wanted to know what Junior was doing under the table, but the other part didn't dare ask. The last thing she wanted, though, was to put Junior in the middle of another scene. With an internal sigh, she muttered to him as quietly as she could, "Need anything?"

Just when Junior thought it might be safe to exit from under the table, he saw a pair of feet walk to the side of it. He began to hope that he wouldn't be noticed. No such luck. A hand lifted the tablecloth and Faye peeked beneath. The jig was up.

Posted by: @ryadian

"Need anything?"

Being discovered, and thinking that a southern gentleman hiding under a table looked utterly ridiculous, he decided to exit. Holding the glass carefully, he got up from under the table. There, next to the table, he stood facing Faye (and behind her, Mr. Norro and the others). Junior stood silently for an awkwardly long time. It would have been the easiest thing in the world at this point to pretend that he had lost a button or that he was looking for a contact lens, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. This would take some explaining.

With his free hand, he straightened his jacket and then held his lapel. After this, he straightened himself to his full height, inhaled through his mouth in anticipation of his explanation, and... quickly turned and then walked away. There was no salvaging his reputation at this point, it seemed.

On his way back to Ms. Brown, he passed by the gift table, which still held a present for him. He picked up a green box with a red bow and walked, somewhat dejectedly, to where Molly was standing.

"Your beverage," he said, offering the punch to Molly.

After handing over the glass, Junior saw, and dusted off, a dust bunny on his shoulder.

"Why, thank you," said Molly, smiling at Junior as she tasted the punch.  "That was rather gracefully done, if you don't mind me saying so.  I must admit that I have never seen anyone handle a glass so adeptly in such difficult circumstances--more than once today."

He seemed a tad embarrassed, so she refrained from asking him just why he had been under the table, though naturally she couldn't help being curious.  After all, he hadn't been the only one, and it really wasn't any of her business.

Posted by: @valiantarcher

"How many of these parties have you been to, Dan?" He hoped his tone sounded nonchalant enough.

"Not sure about a precise count, but we've been doing things here in town since before Emma was born. Not just parties like this, but some other adventures, like a cruise a while back that ended in a shipwreck."  He grimaced.  "But we all came out of that eventually. This is pretty calm compared to that."

He was distracted by Emma's cute little giggle nearby, so he glanced over to where Ian was talking to her.

Posted by: @arin

"Hector would love a cookie," Ian said. "Say, do you think if I planted a cookie in Hector, it'd grow into a cookie tree someday?..."What kind of flower do you think I should plant? I like dandelions myself, but my friend Lauren would be very grumpy with me if we were growing dandelions in the house."

Emma was looking up at him, shyly. "Um, daisies?" she whispered.

"Ian, you're wonderful with her, and I can tell she likes being around you.  May I ask if you have children of your own, or perhaps little nieces and nephews to spoil?"

Mel deposited her gift, a ceramic white elephant, in one of the handy coat rooms off to one side. It would be safe there, she decided, in case anyone was clumsy (the phrase bull in a china shop came to mind) or had a tail that did not always obey the laws of available space (she'd been there, done that, and it was always a tricky project to get all the shards out of one's tail without doing additional damage to oneself).

The party was still going strong when she returned to her favorite area, the dessert table. However, when she looked at the clock, Mel decided the best thing to do would be to say her goodbyes (home was a hike away from Ditto Town) and have a bowl of eggnog for the road.

Fortunately, there was a stack of bowls next to the plates, and Mel deftly picked one off the top of the stack and trotted over to the beverages to ladle out a generous helping of eggnog. She might have another cookie or two... it was a long walk after all, and no sense in letting the cookies go unappreciated...

Posted by: @stargazer

Emma was looking up at him, shyly. "Um, daisies?" she whispered.

"Ian, you're wonderful with her, and I can tell she likes being around you.  May I ask if you have children of your own, or perhaps little nieces and nephews to spoil?" 

"An excellent suggestion!" Ian said. "Daisies are one of my favorite flowers."

He couldn't keep from beaming at Dan's compliment. "Nah -- well, not exactly. Lauren's got a couple younger siblings and a few nieces and nephews. We've known each other since we were little kids, so I've been kinda an honorary big brother-slash-uncle for them. I'm an only kid myself, so no actual nieces or nephews. As for me, gotta find a Mrs. Grayson before I can even think about little Graysons." He chuckled at the thought, imagining all the havoc little miniature versions of himself would cause, and Lauren's likely reaction. 

Posted by: @valiantarcher

"You can play almost anything?" Moira said, eyes wide. "What's the oddest instrument you've ever played? Do you compose tunes as well as play?"

Lauren paused to think. "The oddest? When I was about your age, our music teacher brought in an ancient instrument from Alagocia, this giant flute thing that took two people to play. A classmate and I managed to play the Temsee national anthem on it, but it took a while.

"And yeah, I'm actually working on an album of my own right now. It won't be finished for ages yet."

She started at a tap on her shoulder. "You looked like you could use a lemon cookie or two," Ian said cheerily, handing them to her. "Who's your friend? I'm Ian, by the way, though I'm sure my reputation proceeds me."

Ian finished off his cider as Lauren made the introductions. "I take it that's your white elephant you're holding," she added.

"This is Hector," Ian said. "You're gonna love him almost as much as I do, I'm sure." Lauren rolled her eyes. "What'd you get, Moira? Did Lauren show you hers?" He raised his eyebrows.

Lauren scowled; she's nearly forgotten the envelope in her hand. "No. Do you have any idea who this is from? I'd prefer to have this cleared up before we leave."

"Hmm, fancy envelope, potentially expensive present," Ian said, tapping his chin. "I might have a guess."

Posted by: @stargazer
Not sure about a precise count, but we've been doing things here in town since before Emma was born. Not just parties like this, but some other adventures, like a cruise a while back that ended in a shipwreck. But we all came out of that eventually. This is pretty calm compared to that.

A shipwreck? That sounds way more exciting and dangerous than a kick. Before the bull could inquire further, Dan was distracted by the conversation between one of his daughters and Ian. Norro took the opportunity to look around for Moira - he finally saw her talking to a lady on the other side of the room. He heard Ian excuse himself and walk over towards them, so he followed, stopping a little short of the group - if Moira was still angry with him, it was better to not butt into the conversation immediately.

--

Posted by: @arin
The oddest? When I was about your age, our music teacher brought in an ancient instrument from Alagocia, this giant flute thing that took two people to play. A classmate and I managed to play the Temsee national anthem on it, but it took a while.
And yeah, I'm actually working on an album of my own right now. It won't be finished for ages yet.

She has had such an exciting life! Moira's question about Lauren's musical album was stopped before it was asked by the previously mentioned Ian appearing and being officially introduced.

What'd you get, Moira? Did Lauren show you hers?

Moira held up her gift in response, and then listened curiously to Lauren's and Ian's discussion about Lauren's gift. An envelope containing an expensive present? What could be so expensive in such a small, flat wrapping?

But, speaking of presents, she realised she still held the bull's. And, it just so happened that he had wandered over to their vicinity. Oh well. She'd have to squelch her curiousity for now.

"If you would excuse me, I had better go check on my companion," she said. "It was lovely to meet you both, and I very much enjoyed talking with you, Lauren. Maybe we'll get another chance to continue our conversation at some point?"

Lauren's expressed goal on coming to the party had been to meet their new neighbors, and make a good impression. It said something of her usual manners, or perhaps her self-esteem, that she was surprised that Moira said she enjoyed their conversation.

"Oh, yeah," Lauren said. "If you're in the area again, we should meet up for lunch, or something. There's a café not far from our place."

As Moira walked away, Ian directed Lauren's attention to where Junior Gladstone stood, next to someone neither of them had met yet. "Maybe I should take the lead on this one?" he suggested, tentatively. 

Lauren huffed, and tugged on her blouse. "Probably," she said, with only the barest hint of reluctance. 

She followed behind Ian as they walked over. "Hiya," Ian said with a wave to the woman, then turned to Junior. "Hey, uh, was your gift in an envelope with fancy gold lettering? I realize I'm going against centuries of tradition and all that is right and good in the world, asking a man what he brought to a white elephant, but that's the one my friend got, and if it was yours, we, uh, well we aren't quite sure what it is."

Posted by: @aileth

"That was rather gracefully done, if you don't mind me saying so.  I must admit that I have never seen anyone handle a glass so adeptly in such difficult circumstances--more than once today."

“Well, thank you.” Being caught under a table was embarrassing, but at least the effort was in some way appreciated. Although it now means that somebody must have been watching him the whole time.

“Etiquette lessons. Long, repetitious etiquette lessons. Although they usually took place while seated at the table, not under it. However, they also didn’t involve large, annoyed cattle. Nevertheless, they taught me that sometimes it is best to ovoid confrontation.”

Junior decided to say no more. He had probably already said too much. Talking with people and not looking awkward was incredibly difficult when conversing with someone you were not paying. Wait a minute... Was Molly employed with his company? Perhaps that was why she was being so nice to him. Who knew what she was really thinking? Junior retreated a few steps back, feeling self-conscious. Perhaps it was time to leave. “I suppose if I’m going to open this, I’d better do it,” Junior related as he lifted the gift.

Junior opened the box and pulled out a notebook, spiral-bound, and a ballpoint pen colored black and gold. “Well, well. Look at this fine looking pen. With complimentary paper! Now this will be useful when creating the next big cologne.”

He liked the sleek design of the pen, and although he usually used personalized stationary, the notebook was a gift, and that meant something. Besides, it might be easier to use when hiking through the wilds in search of exotic fragrances.

Just then, Ian appeared. While they had been on good terms earlier in the evening, Junior was unsure how the night’s events had affected Ian’s opinion of him. Unfortunately, he had been one of the small party at the refreshment table. It looked like he would have to explain himself after all. At least he’d had some practice explaining to Molly. Junior was relieved that Ian had an altogether different reason for speaking with him.

Posted by: @arin

"Hey, uh, was your gift in an envelope with fancy gold lettering? I realize I'm going against centuries of tradition and all that is right and good in the world, asking a man what he brought to a white elephant, but that's the one my friend got”

You weren’t supposed to reveal who gave the gift? I thought that was part of the fun! Perhaps traditions were different in Temsee... 

Posted by: @arin

“and if it was yours, we, uh, well we aren't quite sure what it is."

“Oh! I shouldn’t have used the scientific name,” Junior apologized. “It is a white elephant.”