#interaction. ∶ keziah emem. ─ bear ludlow.

[theiressence]

“No fun?” Her face was incredulous, her mouth dropping open in mock devastation. “I’ll have you know, I was squeezing into my childhood ugly Christmas sweater until I was twenty-five years old,” she revealed with a laugh. “It was a traumatic experience for me, okay?” Teasingly fanning away her tears, only to gently poke at the other’s arm. Keziah flashed him a smile, then shook her head when she glanced away. She’d left the Holiday Mingle for a reason — she needed a pick-me-up, and had gotten more than she bargained for. In a good way. Her eyes lifted to the clock on the wall, noticing the tinsel draped across different corners of the diner. Only looking at him when she processed his suggestion in its entirety, “Is that right?” She tucked her bottom lip between her teeth, narrowing her gaze, “Well, how ‘bout this? If you do all that, I’ll put it on. Just for you.” Her gaze dipped, taking in his expression, then mirroring it with her own matching grin.

A gasp fell from her lips, “Pancakes don’t have feelings, okay? I’m sure they’re happy as long as they’re eaten.” Her eyes drifted past him to the waitress that had taken her order, then back to him, “Well, maybe the pancakes and the kitchen crew back there. I’m sure they appreciate how much joy my fruit covered pancakes are going to bring me.” It’s always been easy for Keziah to fake niceties and conversation; she had to do it for years, but this — this was genuine. Upon noticing his smirk, her brow rose, leaning in just an inch, “No, you’re right. I wouldn’t want to end up on Nick’s naughty list, but…” She paused, resting her chin against a closed fist, “There are some naughty lists I’d make an exception for. Wouldn’t you?” Her voice dropped an octave, and she held his stare. Yeah, there were some naughty lists she’d make exempt.

While Bear would never criticize or really even comment on anyone's aversion to anything holiday related, he did find some amusement in teasing about it. That feeling displayed on his face, perhaps even his body language, as he stayed cozy and relaxed next to his company. "You've got no sense of fun," he playfully chastised with a shake of his head. The fauxness of his disapproval obvious. That's what the ugly Christmas sweaters said to him; people that knew how to have a laugh and engage in the silliness of the holiday season. Perhaps poke fun at it. That glance over his shoulder to the outside world beyond the warmth and satiated feeling the diner provided showed him the snow coverage and Bear could only hope it wouldn't get worse overnight. "I'll dress up one of my plain ugly sweaters if you want... throw some tinsel on it or wrap some lights around you." Pleased with his idea, he grinned at her.

As though he believed her Bear's head nodded along but the look in his eyes said he wasn't buying it. "I think the torture and abuse you're subjecting your pancakes to is evidence of the contrary." He held a hand midway between them as if to say the proof is right here. It was nice to sit here and have a silly conversation with someone easy to talk to and be around rather than home alone experiencing yet another holiday not understanding what it meant to everyone else. "Besides," a smirk took shape, "I wouldn't quite consider being on a naughty list to be a bad thing." Especially if any thought was put into who, why, and how the judgments were being passed.

[theiressence]

There’s not an exact moment that Keziah can pinpoint that explains her aversion to ugly Chrismtas sweaters; she’s always just thought they were hideous, and while she wasn’t necessarily a ‘trendsetter,’ she knew what she wouldn’t be caught dead wearing. Her nose scrunched in an exaggerated show of disappointment, fleeting, then a laugh, “I’d say that’s a win for me. My winning streak of not wearing an ugly Christmas sweater continues.” A brisk glance over her shoulder to follow his gaze to the door, then back to him; she gave a deliberate shake of her head. “While I appreciate the thought, neither of us are doing some last minute shopping… I’ll just have to borrow one of your non-Christmas themed, yet still ugly, sweaters before the season’s over,” she assured him, engaging her brows in a display of daring. It’s an amusing thought, endearing even.

A brush of her hand pushed her curls over her shoulder, her demeanor set to derision, though it’s short-lived. Her brief presence at the Holiday Mingle dredged up forlorn emotions she’d been working intensely to ignore. It forced her hand, inciting her need to adorn a painted face, but here, on a random December evening, beside an unfamiliar, but kind man, Keziah was able to truly forget about the caving ache in her chest. Even for a moment. With her head turned towards him, lips puckered, exhibiting her thoughtfulness, she cocked her head at him, “Oh, I definitely meant for it to be on top and all over.” Amusement dappled across her features, unable to keep from feigning astonishment at his inquisition, “Excuse me? I would never be on anybody’s naughty list; Nick’s got it out for me, I’m sure of it.”

"Most likely," Bear smirked a bit when he glanced at her, "it's not of the holiday variety, though." As a pretty simple man he wasn't known for keen fashion sense. He wore what was functional and comfortable to him, and if it happened to look halfway decent then that was an accidental bonus. "Sorry to disappoint," he added after her comment on being proven wrong. It was something he'd been accustomed to at one point in his life, being a disappointment, but now Bear wasn't a fan of missing the mark. "You think the stores are still open?" A quick glance over his shoulder said that they could run out and buy one. If it put a smile on her face during a season that got a lot of people down, it seemed worth the wasteful spend.

That was Mary — always sweet talking anyone that came into Stacks except for Bear. To which, at listening to the exchange, he cut the seasoned waitress a look that she ignored. With her closer to him now he was able to admire how pleasant whatever her scent was — perfume, lotion, ...hair stuff? For a man who spent most of his time outdoors and amongst wildlife ( his recent crossing of paths with a grizzly bear back in the fall sprang to mind — if only people knew how horrifically bad they smelled ) it was always nice to be in the company of the fairer sex. "It's alright," his head twitched to the right, feigning at toughing it out, "I'm figuring you meant for the fruit to be on the side." The exchange he had with Mary was typical, she was like a pseudo aunt. She had her moments, like her comment, where some care for Bear slipped through but most of the time they liked to banter and give each other a hard time. "Twenty years?" Brow lifted, he turned to her at his side. "Have you double checked to make sure you're not on that naughty list?"

[theiressence]

“Do you have an ugly sweater I could borrow?” Leaning forward, her elbow came to rest on the counter, and her dark gaze wandered the length of him, cocking a brow in question. “You don’t strike me as the type of guy who would own one, but I’d love to be proven wrong,” Keziah mused; his compliment not, in the least bit, lost on her. The concern that she must’ve been interrupting his own company with the sudden presence of hers, now obsolete. Escaping the overabundant festivity that seemed to consume the locals of Woodside had extended beyond the Holiday Mingle, but the pit stop at Stacks was proving to be one of her better decisions this evening. “If you have one for me to wear, I’ll take one for the team and wear it,” an animated laugh tumbling from her at the thought — of all the people to have convinced her to wear an ugly sweater, it would be some charming stranger at a late-night diner.

At that moment, she made a decision. Smacking her lips together, Keziah closed the gap between them, and slid into the seat that occupied the space beside him; convincing herself if he hadn’t wanted her there, he would say so. ‘What’ll it be, darlin’?’ Her brows shot up, then her gaze, lifting her head to meet the waitress’ with a beaming curve of her lips, “The pancakes, please. With bananas and strawberries.” She spoke the additions emphatically, making a show of eye contact with him to deliver her point, “I would say I’m sorry, but… I’m not.” She embellished the statement with an airy laugh, then found herself watching the interaction with the same waitress, smiling between the two of them. “Think you could have a word with him for me? I haven’t seen a gift from the guy in over twenty years.”

"Why would I be kidding?" Brow lifted, Bear turned a bit to challenge her, his amusement matching hers. "You're the type that can pull off anything." Yes, it was a compliment. The woman beside him was beautiful and had a personality to go with it. Often times, good looking people tended to lack in that department, but she had color and that made her enjoyable to be around. Even if he wouldn't put Bear in a mingling spirit. "Let's test it and see if I'm wrong..." A grin began to form as her amusement dissipated. But then, of course, he nodded in solidarity.

The bit of sass was nice, too. Bear glanced over at her with a grin cracking his tired features. "I might." He wouldn't actually. What he mostly hated was seeing people drown their food in sugar. When Mary came back around he nodded and smirked at her as she poured him another refill of coffee and made some comment about being up all night. "Someone's gotta keep an eye out for Nicholas... that's an awful lot of breaking and entering in one night..."

[theiressence]

If there was one thing nobody could take away from Keziah, it was her God-awful eagerness to participate. She was definitely the type of person who put her hand up for anything and everything, but so help her if you ever caught her in an ugly Christmas sweater. His question resulted in her face forming an unimpressed grimace, and her head shaking emphatically for effect, "Oh, God no. You kidding? I'll do almost anything, but I would never wear an ugly sweater willingly." A laugh, mostly at herself, then she slowly nodded her head as her amusement simmered, "I wasn't really feeling the whole Holiday Mingle thing this year."

Her hands were locked together in her lap; the moment she realized how much tension she seemed to be carrying, she eased them. Keziah turned in her seat, catching his eye for a moment then allowed a warm smile to spread across her features, "I said butter and maple syrup, didn't I?" Her tone was teasing, and she gave a small shake of her head, "The only other thing I'd add is maybe some bananas or strawberries. You gonna hold that against me?"

"Since I'm here and not there you might be onto something..." His tone was light, almost teasing and a trace of a smile that had ghosted his lips dissipated just before he took a sip of that freshly delivered coffee. After a beat, mostly soaking up the comfort of the drink, Bear turned a bit in his seat to give his companion a once over. "What — no ugly sweater?" That might've been the sole reason ( no, it absolutely was not ) why he hadn't stopped in on the holiday event. Too many people and free booze was a combination Bear wouldn't subject himself to. Plus, the holidays were such a mixed bag for someone that had grown up without any traditions. "I guess you got booted for low participation points," the man mused. "And please don't tell me you add a bunch of stuff to your pancakes or we might have to separate."

[theiressence]

The overwhelming presence of happy families, caroling and being loved up, was it. Keziah could only fake it for so long, and she'd done enough of that tonight. After downing her third or second spiked drink, she had to get out of there. Honestly, if she were smarter — and didn't have her decision-making affected by the alcohol in her system, she would have gone straight home. But no. Tonight, the pity party continued. Sliding onto an empty stool in the mostly empty diner, she deflated almost immediately, shedding her usual friendly, confident persona. A low rumble of a voice pulled her attention, and she glanced over with a tired smile, "Oh, no — I was there... until I just couldn't be anymore. Then I decided I wanted some pancakes with lots of butter and lots of maple syrup." Keziah's eyes narrowed accusingly, a playful tone in her voice, "Why — Holiday Mingle not your thing?"

❛ OPEN & BEAR. — STACKS.

Part of the reason he strolled in escaping the cold was because Bear knew most would be checking out the Holiday Mingle. He wasn't someone that grew up with happy memories of Christmas or the holidays, or any memories of them at all. It was hard to remember life before his mother had taken off and then his father... well, there wasn't a nurturing or festive bone in his body. These facts didn't make Bear a Grinch around the holidays but he couldn't force himself to go be full of cheer somewhere else in town. When he settled at the main counter, a waitress already bringing him some hot coffee, he glanced at the other that was here and not there. "Holiday Mingles aren't your thing either?"