The Perk, Sunday evening

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

Rory entered the coffee shop with her laptop and recorder. After ordering a large mocha, she settled down in a corner to wait for Aeryn.

[ooc: For can_be_more, but feel free to bounce in with all your Perk needs.]

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[can_be_more]

Aeryn walks into the Perk, ordering her usual and then sitting down at the table with Rory. "I got your message."

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"Awesome," Rory smiled. "I take it you're okay with being interviewed? Do you mind if I record it?"

[can_be_more]

"Um, sure. That's fine," she says.

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"Yay! Okay. First question - what do you know about Christmas, as of right now?" Rory asked, smiling expectantly and flipping the recorder on.

[can_be_more]

She actually has to think about it, because she's heard a lot of things from a lot of sources. "Well, it's a holiday to celebrate the birth of a religious leader," she begins. "Who apparently had two fathers and one was a god? I don't really understand that. And there was a drumming boy wearing a table and a singing Chrissmass tree, which still makes no sense, but it's your holiday, not mine. And now every year there's a parade, and you drag fake trees indoors to decorate with anything shiny, and kiss people with plants. Then there's the Sandy Clouds hip-wiggle thing. Which makes less sense than anything."

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

Rory hid a smile, and nodded. "Okay. That's...an interesting take on it all. What about the whole gift-giving aspect? Do you know anymore about Santa other than the...hip-wiggling?"

[can_be_more]

"Some. That you buy each other presents to celebrate the religious leader's birthday and give them to each other instead of as some sort of sacrifice, which... okay. And you tell children that Sandy Clouds brings the presents that you bought and puts the presents in socks under the fake tree with the bad decorations. And that children will cry if you accidentally tell them Sandy Clouds doesn't exist," Aeryn says, speaking from experience on that last part.

"Oh," she adds. "And Sandy Clouds is married to Mrs. Clouds and is not gay."

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

Rory nodded. "Okay. Um. Who's told you about Christmas, so far?"

[can_be_more]

"Elizabeth, John, Cameron..." She has to think. "Xander, Veronica, and of course I learned some from the pageant. And Angel, but I think he was teasing me, so I don't think it counts."

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

Rory's brows shot up. "Okay. Interesting. Do you have any holidays like this where you're from?"

[can_be_more]

Aeryn shakes her head. "No, none."

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"Then all of this must be kind of weird for you. What's your opinion of it all, as of now?"

[can_be_more]

"Either there's a lot people aren't telling me, or your species is stranger than I thought," Aeryn says honestly. She shrugs. "I don't really have an opinion on the holiday itself, but it seems to make others happy."

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

Rory nodded. "Okay. How do you plan to spend the holiday?"

[can_be_more]

"I'm staying here, and so is John," she says. "There was a dinner on Thanksgiving, but I don't know if anyone will be here to do that again. So I guess I'm not really sure yet. I don't know what you usually do on that day."

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"It depends on the person, really." Rory consulted her notes. "Okay, any traditions that have struck you as really inexplicable, beyond the ones you've told me?"

[can_be_more]

Aeryn sighs, and could go on for a while. "The decorating the tree thing is the strangest thing I've heard. There are ornaments you put on them, things like meece with hats, which I do not understand what that has anything to do with religion. I was told that the pageant was actually a recreation of the birth of this leader, not that I know why anyone would want to see that onstage. There are the great-aunt-mabels who are large and crush you, though again, that was Xander and I can't take that too seriously. I don't know why Sandy Clouds does a hip-wiggle and I could not be happier that Bristow did not recreate it," she rattles off. "Kissing under plants, what the frell is that?"

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"Well, the pageant was a little off. My part was completely made up, for one thing," Rory said, rolling her eyes. "Santa doesn't normally do the hip thing. That's just a weird manufacturer. And I don't know what Xander is talking about, but then again, I often don't. And finally...I don't know what the deal is with mistletoe, but any excuse to kiss is good for me."

[can_be_more]

"Yes, but I've really only seen the missiletoe when the toaster and Sandy had it," Aeryn points out. "There's something wrong that that. Thanks for... clearing some of that up."

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"Ah, true. What's with the Santa and the toaster, anyway?" Rory asked, making a face.

[can_be_more]

There's a definite wince from Aeryn before she says, "John had his toaster fixed, now it talks in rhyme and insults me. Angel decided the toaster is gay and needed a boyfriend, hence Sandy. The rest is..." She makes a gesture with her hand that she thinks probably completes the sentence.

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, the toaster wanted to, um...well, it was very rude to me," Rory said lamely. "And then I saw it at the pageant, with the Santa, and then Bristow took the toaster away...." She shrugged.

[can_be_more]

"I for one applaud Bristow's actions," Aeryn says happily, sipping her coffee.

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

Rory laughed. "Well, I'm just scared for the poor toaster's sake." She folded up her laptop, and shut off the recorder. "Okay, well...that's it. Should run next week, I think. Thanks for meeting with me, Aeryn."

[can_be_more]

"Not a problem," she says. "I'm sure I'll look interesting."