(no subject)

[action-antihero.livejournal.com]

There's off-key humming coming from one of the booths; a humming that might sound something like "Deck the Halls" in its more tuneful moments. The sound isn't coming from the seats, but from the end of the booth, as Jack's standing next to the booth's table, the table covered in Christmasy items--snarled balls of lights, molting tinsel garlands, and layers of tissue paper with ornaments laid neatly on top.

He's sorting through the Christmas things he'd got from his apartment yesterday, looking for a couple items in particular, and there wasn't any space to do so in his apartment. At least unless you count the floor or the bed, neither of which was much of an option with a rather bouncy chihuahua running around.

"A-ha!" he says, pulling out a small, lidded box, from the very bottom of the larger box. Inside are two ornaments, nestled in cotton batting. Their paint is chipped but they're stil recogniseable as a small, blonde-haired angel and a small star.

He carefully puts the lid back on the box, then pokes through the tissue paper, looking through four generations' worth of Bauer Christmas memories.

[ooc: Must flee for bed, but feel free to tag if you want to slowtime!]

Comments

[maid-of-astolat.livejournal.com]

Elaine watches him for a little while before making her way over with an unasked-for mug of hot chocolate. With marshmallows! And a little cinnamon on top!

"Good even, Jack. I thought this might be a seasonal treat for you, considering what you're doing."

[action-antihero.livejournal.com]

He looks up from trying to detangle the Christmas lights, smiling when he sees Elaine.

"Oh, thanks Elaine," he says, dropping the strands in one hand to take the mug. "Ready for Christmas yet?"

[maid-of-astolat.livejournal.com]

She nods. "We've had our tree up for about a week. I'm nearly done with presents."

Elaine is really quite happy. "Where on earth did you get all of that?" she asks, taking hold of one end of the string he's trying to detangle and working on it.

[action-antihero.livejournal.com]

"My apartment. I took a peek out the door yesterday and it led right into my apartment so I grabbed a few things I wanted. It's all stuff I got from my parents, or collected over the years," he says, taking a sip of the hot chocolate.

[maid-of-astolat.livejournal.com]

Elaine smiles. "That's nice. It's good to have things like this."

Elaine doesn't have much from home, anymore. Most of her jewelry went towards her tab in the first few months of her stay here at Milliways.

[action-antihero.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, it is. Kim has quite a bit of stuff to, but I wanted to keep some of it," he says, placing the mug on a bare spot and picking up one of the ornaments--a small, wooden nutcracker.

[maid-of-astolat.livejournal.com]

Elaine looks at the small item curiously. "What is that?"

[action-antihero.livejournal.com]

"A nutcracker," he says, moving the lever that operates the jaws. "Not a useable one--the ones that were actually used for cracking the shells of nuts are larger, more sturdy. There's a ballet called 'The Nutcracker'--we got this as a souvenir the year we took Kim to see it."

[maid-of-astolat.livejournal.com]

Elaine nods. She's only heard of ballet from Meg, really. "Things to remember the event by."

She had little trouble picturing Kim younger. "How old was Kim?"

[agirllost]

Two light haired girls, one older, make their way to the booth.

The older one puts her hand on his shoulder, "Are those what I think they are?" Kim asks, peering into the box.

Angela's a little behind her and tries to look over her mom's shoulder before eventually moving to the other side of her granddad.

[action-antihero.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, I needed to sort through this stuff where Coco won't break it," he says, picking up the smaller box.

"Recognise these?" he says, opening the smaller box and lifitng up the batting inside.

[agirllost]

"Where did you get them?" She looks at the items in the smaller box and grins.

"Greta, Dad...," she reaches down and brushes her fingertips against the angel's blue robes.

[angela-edmunds.livejournal.com]

Angela smiles. It's nice to have her family back. She hugs her Grampa from behind and kisses his cheek.

[action-antihero.livejournal.com]

He wraps an arm around Angela, kissing the top of her head. "Yeah, I took a peek out the door yesterday to take a guess at how much time was passing and it ed to my apartment. I got some of my stuff, and I couldn't leave the Christmas stuff behind. Especially these ornaments; not when we don't have that many family heirlooms."

He looks down at Angela, "You've seen these before, I hope."

[angela-edmunds.livejournal.com]

Angela beams. "Oh, yes. I love the star in particular."

As a very small girl, she used to dream that it was a real star and that Angie had to put it back in the sky.

[agirllost]

Kim glances back at them, she's smiling, but her mind is elsewhere for a moment. She remembers her mom putting up Greta, making sure that she wouldn't fall off the branch, and then when she got a little older, she was allowed to do the honors.

Her dad was sometimes away for Christmas, but he always tried to be there when she was younger to decorate the tree. 'He got them from his apartment which means that they won't be there when I go through his things after his -- ' she stops the thought before it can continue.

"Greta was my favorite, Angie. Although, you probably already knew that..."

[angela-edmunds.livejournal.com]

"You tell me every year," Angie says softly, smiling.

Things have gotten about ten times better for Angie. She's still wearing baggy clothes and far too much makeup, but it's getting better, gradually.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_chappy_/]

There's a Ryan nearby, looking at the Christmas ornaments with some amusement.

"Traditionally," he gestures towards the table with the hand that has a cigarette in it, "one decorates a tree with those, not a table."

[action-antihero.livejournal.com]

Jack looks at Ryan with exaggerated innocence. "Really, Ryan? I didn't know that."

[http://users.livejournal.com/_chappy_/]

"Really," Ryan says, with a touch of amusement in his voice. "I'm guessing you have or are getting a tree."

[action-antihero.livejournal.com]

"Well mainly I'm just trying to sort through this stuff, but I'd like to get a tree," he says, trying to untangle another strand of lights. "We'll have to do it soon, though; I can't beleive it's only a couple days until Christmas."

[http://users.livejournal.com/_chappy_/]

"I think you might be better off asking the bar for some new lights. Designed obsolescence and all that." He takes a drag off his cigarette before adding, "I don't think I have anything left to do for Christmas."

[action-antihero.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, maybe. Though these were top-of-the-line last Christmas." He dumps the ball of lights into the box with a bit of a huff. "I've still got presents to do, but it's not like I'll be running to the mall or anything. Christmas kinda snuck up on me this year."

[http://users.livejournal.com/_chappy_/]

"I think it did for a lot of people. Easy to lose track of time, here."

[action-antihero.livejournal.com]

"Too easy. Would be nice to have more time to enjoy the Christmas season. But then it's not like at home either, as probably half the people here have never heard of the holiday, so it's not like we're surrounded by the usual reminders."