Christmas Dinner! (RSVP)

It was the early morning hours of December 22nd and Bow was the only one awake in the tower as she began to prepare for the evening's festivities. As she cooked up a storm she started singing to herself little Christmas carols in a sweet, soft voice. She wanted today to be perfect in every way and spent all of her time and effort into making sure every dish was just the way it needed to be. She made ham, turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, corn, green beans, rolls, everything one could possibly think of for Christmas, it was there. Not to mention practically every dessert known to mankind.

All of this took the entire day and gave Bow plenty of time to think. As she cooked she started to wonder why she was even doing this. And then it hit her. This time of year was the hardest for everyone, really. Especially those without family. Already she had seen it at the orphanage. All of the kids were down because they didn't have parents to go home to and, well, eat with. The thought made Bow's heart ache and then she smiled softly.

That's why she was doing this. So that everyone without a family to call their own could come together and for just one day, be a family together. Everyone that she had invited had a single thing in common. They were different. And that common uniqueness is what Bow hoped would bring them all together. She believed that all of them would be able to sit down together and share a meal in peace. It didn't matter that she had invited people from "both sides". Those sides didn't have any power over Christmas. This was a time to set aside their differences and just be... normal. Just for one day. Just for one meal.

It made Bow get teary eyed thinking about it and she giggled, whispering to herself. "Silly girl... It's not like any of them will understand... Well... Hopefully they will..." She sighed and then smiled, finishing up the last of the meal before calling the truck to come on over and then Yang to come and help her. They packed the truck in no time and were on their way to the shelter.

Bow had made sure to make enough for the people already there and then went to the back to start setting up for her dinner. She placed everything perfectly, making sure there were enough seats for everyone, the lights were set up right, the food was all around the table and then had a couple other tables to fill as well. When they got done, Bow looked around the room and sighed in relief. "Now we wait for our guests to come..." As everyone came in they would be served with drinks by Bow as well as she walked around making sure no one felt left out.

Miley sat in her room napping hoping shed get up in time, if only there was a device thing that could help you get up in time. Maybe the upper world had it... she'd have to look into it some time. Today was a great day or she hoped it would be. Today was the day of the Christmas dinner Bow was planning and based on what she was told, Christmas was a time to spend time with friends and family and other stuff and something about a stalker fat man who snuck into your house at night. Miley had already made sure to keep track of the days till he came so she could stop his creepy ways and stop him from stalking people and breaking into their houses.

Miley had never celebrated Christmas let alone herd of it before but then again happy joyous holidays where you spend time loving your family was a foreign concept if not an impossible one in the Feecon Kingdom. She just hoped her father would catch wind of this and come looking for her because that would ruin the party and no one would want that. In fact she hoped non of her family would be there, which would be the entire population of the Feecons since all Feecons were related. Miley would just half to make this dinner all about her friends then she had decided.

Miley yawned as she stretched and fell out of bed. Miley slowly sat back up before she got up on all fours and went over to some clothes Bow had gotten her and grabbed a shirt and a pair of jeans with her tail and ran out of her room and the tower. Miley then runs up to the water taking a deep breath before jumping in but kept her head and tail above the water doggy paddling to shore shivering. Miley then shook off the water like a dog and changed her clothes laying the wet ones flat and hidden so she could wear them when she went back to the tower.

Miley then made her way to the Dinner party walking in on all fours following some people in one of them wore striped like clothing and had brown and blue hair. Miley looked around curiously before spotting Yang and ran over to her and hugged her legs trying her best to speak English having that same old Japanese mixed with British accent she had. "Hi Yang" Miley said with a smile.

Annie was all bundled up today...as usual for a cold winter's day.  She had received a call yesterday from Bow saying that she was going to be holding a Christmas dinner today; and having no reason to pass up a free and perfectly good meal, she decided to attend.  Good food and a comfortable place to relax for a while were two things she always tried to take advantage of.  She walked down the street holding Kasha in her arms (in kitten form of course).  On a day like this Kasha kept an invisible force field around Annie.  The invisible force fields were never near as strong as the usual blue ones, but it was perfect for keeping the wind off them without attracting too much attention.  

Before long they came to the place that Bow had given directions to and described.  'Hardtime's Cafe'.  Yep...this was the place.  She and Kasha approached and walked in to the shelter with several other people.  She'd never been to this shelter before, and didn't really know anyone aside from Bow; and the feeling of being in a crowd of people she was unfamiliar with made her a bit timid and shy.  She quietly walked in with the crowd, looking around at the other people as she held Kasha close to her.  She realized that other than some of the staff and Bow, there wasn't really anybody she kn-  Wait, was that...Jemmy?  That was curious...  What was Jemmy doing here?  Then again, that might have been a silly question.  She was probably here for the same reason everybody else was. For the food.  And maybe some other reason.  Did she know Bow too?  

Due to the number of people walking in the doors at once, Bow hadn't noticed or greeted Annie yet; so she and Kasha figured they might as well go over to Jemmy and say hi.  Still holding Kasha in her arms, Annie made her way over to Jemmy and smiled, greeting her in a friendly tone.  "Hello Jemmy; I didn't know I would see you here.  Did Bow invite you too?  Or did you come on your own?"

Of course...it didn't really matter to Annie why Jemmy was there.  She was just happy there was somebody she knew (other than Bow...who at the time was occupied) that she could go over and talk to.  It made her feel more comfortable being here; even if she hadn't known Jemmy for very long and she WAS a strange and possibly dangerous person. Kasha's mind was simply that of a protective observer. He was always watching out for Annie, even though people around here didn't seem too dangerous... Though there was this one nearby girl that did seem to have two personalities...one of them quite evil. It wasn't dominating at the time though, and didn't seem like it would come out anytime soon; so Kasha simply kept aware of it along with everything else.

Jemmy's eyes opened wide. So. Much. Food. She wanted to eat it all, and she could, too. Jemmy shook her head. She had decided not to do that. Bow was throwing this party in order to feed a lot of people, not just Jemmy. Therefore, Jemmy would only eat as much food as a normal human could.

A delightful aroma reached her nose. Maybe she would have to settle for two humans worth of food. It smelled way too good.

Bow gave her a glass of juice, and Jemmy smiled broadly. She was wearing a new red dress and a Santa hat for this, both purchased at Mr. Hawthorne's expense. Bow had said that she didn't have to dress up, but Jemmy was trying to be good. Or at least, she was trying to look like she was being good. Her hair was neatly brushed, and her face was clean.

There was a bit of a line for the food. Jemmy didn't feel like standing in it, so she sat at a table and waited for the line to get shorter. She looked up at her red balloon. "So, how's it going?" The balloon gave no answer.

Annie's voice brightened Jemmy's face. "Annie! I'm so happy to see you. Yeah, Bow invited me." She read Annie's mind, and learned that Annie knew Bow as well. "That's great, all three of us can be friends."

Jemmy didn't care if she sat or stood in line now. As long as she had Annie to talk to, she would do whatever the other girl did. "A lot's happened lately. I was assassinated! Well, almost. I got away and Bow chewed them out. I'm trying to be a little less evil now. What's new with you? Still homeless?"

Cynthia had woke up with the rest of the teens at the Hardtimes Cafe, she had settled to live in a homeless shelter as it was free food and board, she also got to meet a few people there too, better than living in a stuffy apartment room.

She and the other teens had began sweeping the dining room, making sure everything was spick and span for this Christmas dinner. In the afternoon she played a few Christmas songs to a small audience there.

Finally it was evening and she was ready to stuff her face. She saw many new faces that she hadn't seen before and so was a little hesitant to talk to anyone she didn't know, waiting in line to get her plate she waved to a few of her friends and smiled at them.

Yang managed to make it down the stairs in time to help Bow load the truck. Well, most of the stuff. OK, like, 2 boxes? But she helped! Bow was an...interesting kind of a super hero. Yeah, she'd help them with villains and stuff...and try to talk them to death, but she was so passive, this was more up her alley. Helping people THIS way, something that Yang truly didn't have the patience to do. As they got into the truck and drove, Yang laid back and took a nap, waiting to get there. By the time they did and had gotten out, Miley was tackling her legs. She managed to keep her balance, barely.

"Hi Miley." She said, petting her and rubbing her head. "How are you today?" She asked happily, stepping out of her grasp to help Bow unload the truck now. "Hey, Bow? Quick question, how many people did you invite?"

While they were unloading the truck, Yang asked her how many people did she invite and she couldn't help but giggle as she smiled. "Well... I invited at least 20 people personally, and then I gave Nina at least a hundred to give out at the store... But I only heard back from about 15, so I planned for 50! I'm sure not that many people will show up... But won't it be great if they did!? I also have a back up in case more than 50 show up..." She giggled and finished unloading before going and setting up for the dinner.

When they were done, Bow watched as people started to show up and began greeting them all. The less she knew someone the more she said hello and to make sure they felt welcome here. When Annie and Jemmy walked in she simply waved and saw that they started talking. It made her dance on air, literally. All of the Christmas lights were being powered by her right now. She saw a girl that she had seen a few times at the homeless shelter but had never really talked to, so of course she skipped over to her with a bright and warm smile. "Hello, Miss! Are you having a good time so far? Would you like a drink? If you have any questions, please ask me!" She giggled and smiled as she extended her hand for a shake.

Miley smiled brightly up at Yang trying to form the correct word after taking a while of thinking of what Yang was saying she also said some parts in Feecon but did hand gestures to help her understand her words. "I am fine (though I hope) my father (Doesn't hear word of this and ) comes with (the royal army and) kill everyone (then take me back) to hell (and punish) me for escaping..." she put simply before helping them with the boxes.

As Annie talked with Jemmy, she explained that she knew Bow too. Annie truthfully didn't know Bow all that well, but regardless smiled and nodded when Jemmy said that they could now all three be friends. When Jemmy said that she had survived an assassination attempt Annie blinked, going a bit wide-eyed with alarm. She responded, "Well....a-at least you got away. That's a good thing. Um.." She looked down and off to the side slightly and said in a quiet voice, "A-and yeah...I'm still homeless..." She never liked saying that to people, and the way Jemmy had asked so bluntly made her feel bad about it. Kind of like rubbing it in.

Kasha felt this in Annie and looked up at her, giving a soft meow. The meow was also giving in sync with a telepathic message that basically said that everything would be okay, and not to worry or stress about it right now. Annie let Kasha's words sink in for a bit, and sighed; then nodded. After a bit she looked around, seeing all the other people getting in line. Unfortunately for Jemmy it was getting longer, not shorter. Annie looked to her and said, "Why don't we go get a place in line? I'm kinda hungry.."

As they walked over, Annie noticed that Jemmy was all dressed up for this dinner, and complemented with a smile; "That's a very pretty dress by the way. You look really nice in it." As she said this her smile was mostly genuine; though she tried to hide her embarrassment. Seeing Jemmy all fancy made her think about herself and how she must have looked. Her clothes were all dirty, and she herself hadn't had a bath in five days. But then, it was freaking cold out there. She wasn't about to take off all her clothes and get into icy cold water in THIS kind of weather. Nope...she'd rather be dirty, and she was mostly okay with that except for situations like this where she felt like she should have at least TRIED to look nice. Oh well... Stuff happens; what can you do about it?

Yep, Annie was still homeless. That was too bad. It also seemed that she didn't like admitting it. Jemmy realized she had made the girl feel bad. That, combined with Jemmy's nice new dress, was making Annie lament her current situation by comparison.

They stood in line, which only seemed to be getting longer, and both of them were already hungry.

Annie was her friend, and Jemmy had promised she would be nice to her. She decided to make Annie an offer. "So, somebody gave me a house," Jemmy lied. She was living in a house, but only because she had threatened the owner into letting her stay there. "If you want, you can come live there with me. There's plenty of space." She remembered that Annie had some limited telepathy, and that she didn't like threatening people to get what she wanted. Annie also didn't want Jemmy to threaten people either. Jemmy pondered for a moment, trying to figure out what to say. She was afraid Annie wouldn't accept the offer. "Look, nobody got hurt, and nobody is going to get hurt. I promise. I told you I'm trying to be good. Please, help me do that. I just need a friend like you. So, do you wanna move in?"

Cynthia seemed a little surprised but smiled at Bow when she greeted her "ah yeah I think I've seen you around a few times before" she said in a friendly manner "I'm Cynthia, so you're the host of this do? That's really cool, thanks for setting it up and everything, everyone here is thankful for it" she said in her calm monotone Irish voice.

Yang watched Bow go and shook her head. She hadn't exactly heard of bringing a bunch of villains and heroes together and having some big dinner. Grabbing one of Bows big pots, she hoisted it onto the stove and started making the soup. It was basically the only thing she knew how to make and Bow was clearly busy. Hopefully making sure everyone was unarmed...although knowing her luck someone would be. Titans never had things go their way, even with the original team.

On the other side of the room, a girl dressed in black slowly crept in on all fours, eyes locked on a fuzzy creature underneath the shelf. Reach back and pulling out a sword, she skewered the mouse and ran into the corner, pawing at it and playing with her food.

Bow nodded to Cynthia and smiled happily. "Nice to meet you, Cynthia! I am the hostess, but it's really not anything special. I'm just hoping that everyone will have a good time and be able to get full..." She smiled softly as she looked at the line forming. So far, everything was going smoothly.

She then saw Miley helping with the few boxes that were left and ran over to help her, overhearing most of what she said. Her smile was just as bright as she responded. "If he does come, he can join us! I'm sure that'll make him happy!" She giggled and then saw Yang helping with the soup.

Bow ran over to her and blinked, smiling sweetly looking at the soup. "It looks perfect Yang! Why don't you get in line and make a new friend?? That girl over there, Cynthia, seems really nice. Why don't you go talk to her?" She giggled and then skipped over to Annie and Jemmy.

"Hayy you guys! You two know each other? That's wonderful! We should all hang out sometime! I hope you guys like the food, there's enough for everyone and them some..." She giggled and stayed there for only a moment before skipping off to greet everyone else. Both of them would probably be able to tell that she was insanely happy right now. Jemmy being able to know that she was praying this went well.

Miley smiled to bow who helped her with some boxes but then she heard what she said getting the gist of it and blinked confused. Why would Bow think her father who wished nothing but to toture her until she gave into the evil inside her and do what he says killing thousands and one day take over the throne, and wanted her to have no friends so he'd kill them all, would be please by some dinner party for a holiday they didn't even celebrate? Miley then saw Jemmy and ran over and gave her a big hug she had missed Jemmy.

Annie blinked in surprise as Jemmy said that she had a house, and offered to let Annie live with her in it.  Though it was hard to tell what went on in Jemmy's scrambled and chaotic mind, Annie could tell that she wasn't being honest.  Annie couldn't tell exactly, but it felt like Jemmy might have killed someone to take their house.  Jemmy then, after a bit, explained that no-one was hurt, and Annie believed her; taking a moment to think about the offer and what Jemmy said.  

Kasha was not quick to trust Jemmy at all as he looked at her from being held in Annie's arms.  He didn't trust anyone very quickly, and with a mind as unstable as Jemmy's he took extra caution.  As Annie thought, Kasha searched Jemmy's mind as best he could to determine her intentions for offering to let Annie stay with her.  Sure she was being nice, but was there anything else behind it?  Was there an alternative motive?  Kasha wanted to know and make sure.  Annie hardly noticed, since Kasha searched people's intentions so often that she didn't pay attention anymore.  It was something he did all the time, to everybody, and she was used to it.  

Annie was considering Jemmy's offer, leaning toward saying yes, when her thoughts were interrupted as Bow came over to briefly say hi.  Annie blinked, looking up to Bow before smiling.  "Thanks Bow; I'm sure from how it smells that we'll both like it."  When Bow started to skip away Kasha gave Annie a quick telepathic message and she called out, "Don't work too hard okay?"  After she left, Annie looked to Jemmy again; then smiled and giggled lightly.  "She seems really happy about all this.  I guess it must be going well.."