Light 'em up

[starcharter]

Characters: EVERYBODY
Date: sundown on November 29th to sunrise on November 30th
Location: A plaza in Earth
Situation: The population of Keeliai could use a little warmth. So Chekov set stuff on fire and invited everyone over.
Warnings/Rating: None, but please put something in your comment header if necessary.

On Wednesday, everyone received the following audio message (and text attachments in English and Russian) from (1) Pavel Chekov in their inboxes:

“Hello. I would like to invite you to a bonfire in Earth sector on Friday at sundown. Please feel free to bring friends.”


A plaza in Earth sector is buzzing with activity-- most of it from one young man. He spends the day lugging folding tables and pushing wheelbarrows of supplies into the plaza. As the day wears on, several entrepreneurial kedan set up stands. By sundown, the plaza is lit up with three large, roaring bonfires. Most of the ice and snow has melted away, leaving a few patches here and there in the furthest corners of the plaza. One patch a bit away from the fires is completely devoid of snow and ice-- it's a sort of dance floor or performance area. Some music is playing out of one of the upper windows of the buildings overlooking the plaza. It's varies from quick and frenzied to slow and soothing. Of course, anyone is welcome to claim the floor to perform a magic show or do a little singing of their own.

There's a hodgepodge of various folding tables set with the essentials: raw vegetables, the closest equivalent of marshmallows Chekov could find (next to the chocolate and graham cracker substitutes), and sausages. There are skewers and tongs lying around should anyone need them. He also brought a few jugs of water, which are refilled periodically. It's not much, but it's the best he could do with a limited budget and not a lot of time. The kedan have taken the opportunity to sell what Chekov couldn't bring-- hot beverages and food, blankets, scarves and gloves, and several other simple wares.

It's not a grand setup, but there are roaring bonfires, food, and good company.


(Posting this slightly early because of Thanksgiving chaos. Let me know if you have any questions)

Comments

[wintershepherd]

"Thank you," he said, grinning. "Careful, yours is about to go up in smoke."

While she dealt with hers, he stacked some grahams and chocolate.

[backwordscompatible]

"Hmm? Oh, no, not again..."

Grinning, she retracted her own stick. Sure enough, it was smoking. But not burned. Not yet. She blew on it a few times to put it out, before taking a bite right there on the stick.

Big mistake; she covered her mouth almost immediately, inhaling sharply to collect cool air into her now burning mouth.

"...c'oss e'uff." She managed to get out in between bouts of laughter.

[wintershepherd]

"Close enough," Jack echoed with a laugh, nibbling at his cautiously and then taking a bite when he found it had cooled enough.

"Mmm..."

[backwordscompatible]

" 'old 'ou!" She managed to get out in between bites. The marshmallows were large enough that it took three before she was able to finally jam the entire end of the stick in her mouth, slowly pulling off the rest with her teeth. "Now that's more like it. They taste so much better when they're not covered in charcoal."

[wintershepherd]

The winter teen poked her in the side. "I wasn't doubting you," he teased right back. "You look like a chipmunk by the way, your cheeks all puffed up like that."

To prove his point, he reached up and pressed a cold finger to the one nearest him.

[backwordscompatible]

She squirmed once when he poked her the first time, trying not to laugh, and when the finger went for her cheek...it was like all the air and marshmallow were pushed over to the other side. It held for maybe half a second before she pulled back, swatting lazily as she scrunched her nose at him. A moment later, when she swallowed, she followed it by sticking out her tongue as well.

"Brat."

[wintershepherd]

"You should know name calling isn't a deterrent for me," he winked. "But if it makes you feel better, then go for it. You are having fun tonight, right?"

He asked it even though he already knew the answer... he'd seen the smile she was wearing before.

[backwordscompatible]

For a moment, she partially misunderstood the question. Thinking he was talking about the two of them, right then.

"You'd better hope so, Frosty, or else they might threaten to take away that title of yours." Mr. Spirit of Fun.

[wintershepherd]

"Not gonna happen unless I get to vette my successor and that's gonna involve a lot of initiation pranks." The spirit doesn't miss a beat despite knowing that Zatanna misunderstood the question.

[backwordscompatible]

"That's one way to scare off the competition."

She cleaned off the last of her stick, eyes falling back to the stock of marshmallows. One had been the deal...but this was technically her first of the night, too, considering the mishaps with the others. Back and forth between the bowl and a certain spot off in the distance where she had come from earlier. Debating whether or not to prolong things before getting back to her date.

On the one hand, Dick was warm. On the other hand...so were the marshmallows.

[wintershepherd]

"You bet it is, I've had a lot of time to plan these things!"

He followed her gaze, letting the stick rest across one knee so it could cool. "Don't let me keep you," he said graciously.

[backwordscompatible]

To her credit, when she looked back, she offered the most genuinely apologetic smile she could offer.

"Sorry." Even though she wasn't actually doing anything wrong. "We'll hang out again later, alright? I promise."

[wintershepherd]

He shakes her head at the apology anyway. "Sounds good," he answered to her offer. "I'll catch you later, Zatanna."

[backwordscompatible]

"Not if I catch you first."

She offers him one last hug, just before, before straightening and heading off--

--although, at the last moment, she thinks better of walking away empty handed, and turns back long enough to grab the nearest stash of marshmallows. Just one bag. She wasn't that cruel, after all.