Pixie Dust; Thursday [11/30].

[beautiful_boc]

It had been entirely by accident, of course, but Boc had actually gotten out and socialized (a little last week), which meant he was feeling pretty proud of himself, and also like he'd filled some sort of quota that would allow him to not have to worry about going out and about anytime soon, stumbling into a Friendsgiving should hold him over for quite some time now.

But what he was feeling far less confident about was the array of sweaters that had arrived that day, all of them very bright and colorful and gawdy, mostly red and green with slogans on them that he couldn't quite read, or snowmen or some man in a red suit that reminded him a bit of the merchant who had settled in the Church of Elleh just outside his home cave if he'd maybe gone to too many Friendsgivings...

Ugly, all of them. Horrid, actually, to the point where even Boc felt he would be less offensive than some of these sweaters, but he dutifully put them up and on display, all the while shaking his head and wondering if he would ever truly come to understand the way people seemed to prefer to dress in this world.

Pixie Dust is open!

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[stykera]

"Oh no," Stark murmured when he walked in. "It's that time again, isn't it?"

He didn't actually sound that upset about it. Shocking, isn't it?

"Hello, Boc!"

[beautiful_boc]

Stark may not have sounded upset, but Boc couldn't help but feeling like his words were a bit...foreboding.

Granted,Boc did tend to find most words forboding.

"Oh, ah, hel-hello." His head bobbed in greeting, and he hadn't even bern startled, so that felt like good progress. "But, erm, begging your pardon, of course....but...what time would that be, again, exactly?"

[stykera]

December in Fandom often had a very foreboding quality.

"For the sweaters," Stark explained. "Usually Summer and Annie have a party where everyone wears them." And gets very, very drunk and covered in glitter obvs. "But I don't know if they will this time. And sometimes people wear them on other days because they enjoy them. Maybe you should get one for yourself?"

[beautiful_boc]

Eyes wide and mouth slightly agape, Boc looked from Stark to the sweaters again. When that gaze swerved back over to Stark, it looked positively devastated.

"Must I, though?" he asked, almost pleading in its dread. "Do I have to?"

Oh, but so many of the traditions of this world were rather terrible, weren't they? Perhaps not as terrible as some in the Lands Between, true, but at least there, most everything was terrible. It didn't lure you into a false sense of security with wonderful things like Friendsgiving.

"N-not," he then hastily stammered, "that I mean any offense, of...of course! It's just that...erm, well, I just feel that...uh...well..."

He forlornly looked at the sweaters again, wondering if he really needed to say it. Stark did have an eye, after all. Surely, he could see where his concern was coming from!

[stykera]

"Oh no. No no no," Stark stammered out. "Not if you don't want to! No one will make you wear one. They're just meant to be fun. They're even called 'ugly sweaters.'"

He paused. "I'm sure you're invited to any party though. Even without a sweater. You could wear a hat instead?" Or maybe get covered in glitter but that traumatic detail could wait.

[beautiful_boc]

There was a disparaging look and a faint whimper sent toward Stark in response to the absurd reminder that he was, somehow, bafflingly, bewilderingly, inexplicitely INVITED to things around here and a wag of his head like he'd never understand it, not ever!

"I...well, I suppose I could do a hat," he allowed, gingerly reaching a long paw up to touch thr well-worn bowler currently perched on his head. "A hat, I'm sure, wouldn't be too...questionable."

Even if Stark had called the sweaters ugly himself, Boc could bring himself to say it directly.

[stykera]

You were a welcome member of the Fandom community. Deal with it, Boc!

"Perhaps...a ribbon on your hat?" Stark suggested. "Something festive? You don't need a sweater. I promise. I have some, from other parties. They're...very silly."

And ugly. They were ugly. But amusing! And Boc probably disapproved of all of the terrible fabrics involved.

[beautiful_boc]

Sounds fake, but okay!

This was, of course, hinging an awful lot on the idea that Boc would even go to such an event, and, really, him not going was the most elegant solution, when you got right down to it.

"Perhaps," he allowed, generously. "I might....have to take your word for it, I'm afraid, I am not too familiar with...festive things. Or silly ones, for that matter..."

[stykera]

If Boc went to more events where he was totally welcome he would become more used to these ideas! So there.

"I wasn't familiar with any of it before I came here," Stark said gently. "Except for things a friend said at home that made no sense."

Most of what Crichton would say hadn't made sense, even after Stark had gotten so many of his memories when the Crichton who had lived with him on Talyn had died on them.

"Eventually you may get used to it. I'm happy to help with understanding, if you like."