→ i don't want a lot for christmas, there is just one thing i need

[creatio]

CHARACTERS: Barbie House Residents & You.
LOCATIONS: That pink little number where superpowered girls live.
WARNINGS: None in post, please let me know if I need to change that.
SUMMARY: Ugly sweater party time.

( If you know Kimberly and Clary at all, then you'll know there's been a festive treat in the works for a while. People will have received their personally designed invitations during the week, but neither of them have been shy in mentioning the party while wandering the city laden with shopping bags. The house is suitably decorated - enough mistletoe to potentially be a biohazard - but with a little help from the world's best ( and most stylish ) warlock Magnus Bane, it's definitely looking the part. And if it's a little small, well outside is covered in lights too, an army of space heaters dotted in their garden to make things as cosy as possible.

There's multiple flavours of punch, though be wary of the one that smells overwhelmingly of gingerbread, someone was a little heavy handed with the liquer. If that doesn't float your boat then the living room table is laid out with different drinks and snacks, some more festive than others. Eat, drink, be merry. And if you hear Blue Christmas at any point in their festive playlist, please track down Baby and give him a hug ( or a drink ... or one of those sprigs of mistletoe. )

The only rule ( and it's definitely a rule ) wear a Christmas sweater or suffer the wrath of women scorned. Though maybe not something with tassles or baubles, Simba might be after them. )

Comments

tomas ortega ♰ ota

[buenpastor]

[ tomas looks 300% out of place, he's clean shaven but he's older than most of the crowd by at least ten years, and if that weren't enough he's also in his traditional black shirt and collar.

now, on the one hand, he could be a stripper. he definitely has the built for it, strong arms, wide shoulders, he probably has abs under the shirt. on the other hand, there's a chance he's actually a priest and does anyone actually want to try to guess and get it wrong?

he mostly wallflower, which isn't very different from what he was like when he actually had the age to attend these things. he drinks some eggnog and stays as far away from the mistletoe as he can. he becomes more active, as the party goes on, mostly in making sure the kids don't fall on their faces and make it to the bathroom if they need to puke. he is also an open ear to any drunken feelings anyone might be willing to share, he's a good, responsible adult who totally knows how to relate with The Youth. ]

[recoined]

( she might be the hostess with the mostest when it comes to super cute sweaters and festive accessories, but she hadn't planned the entire thing, so kimberly's more than willing to assume that a friend hired a man with some dance moves to liven up the party. it wouldn't be the weirdest thing she'd experienced thus far in this city, nor completely out of the question. maybe it was alec's idea of a joke.

no, that's unlikely. alec can't tell a joke to save his life.

in any case... tomas, have a friendly, slightly punch-drunk — okay, maybe punch-tipsy is a better term — teenager, bouncing up with all the cheer the season calls for. )

So, Magic Mike... what's your track? R Kelly? Ludacris? Maybe a little reggaeton?

( no, kimberly hart does not come from a long line of spanish-influenced musical listeners, but she does have other influences. sometimes. when she's listening. )

[buenpastor]

[ HE UNDERSTANDS THAT REFERENCE. his sister, olivia had sat him down to watch that movie, claiming it had a worthy message about growing up and following your dreams (she'd mostly laughed at him throughout.)

he'd be more offended if this were the first time he gets confused for a stripper. he keeps it quiet, the teasing is too much. ]

Adestes Fideles? [ he gives kimberly a small, embarrassed smile. h o n e s t l y ] Father Tomas Ortega, nice to meet you.

[ his accent is markedly mexican. ]

[recoined]

( yeah, no. sorry, father — god help her, she's trying not to make a daddy joke here — she doesn't get your spanish greeting. but it sounds nice rather than a douchey pick-up-line, so her reply is a bit more easy-going than it might have been from a younger, more rico suave kind of guy. )

Sorry, father, no nintendo. ( kimberly, you're a mess. ) So... you're not a stripper?

( a quick glance up and down might betray how she's slightly (only slightly) disappointed in the mix-up. he would make a good one, at least. )

[buenpastor]

Actual ordained priest.

[ he's smiling but he's 1. embarrassed and 2. judging you. ]

And that wasn't Spanish. I thought most people knew the song?

[ and he takes out his phone to play this because anything is better than continuing with the stripper conversation. ]

[recoined]

( honestly, she's making a face at the music choice. suffice it to say: no, she doesn't recognize it. it sounds like the type of overly preachy garbage she'd hear whenever her grandparents tried to drag them to mass — which, now that kimberly thinks about it, kind of makes sense. you know, with an actual priest and all. )

Sorry, I guess I'm more top 40 than prayer hands. ( though, since it's kinda relevant... ) I am pretty fond of the emoji, though.

( what???? )

[buenpastor]

[ tomas has to laugh at that. is that how kids try to relate to adults now? by being fond of the emojis? ]

I don't know if you're trying to find common ground or if you're making fun of me.

[recoined]

( god, she needs a drink. and maybe to not take the lord's name in vain while staring at a very attractive Actual Priest. she's pretty sure that's, like, against somebody's rules. somewhere. don't ask her. )

Jesus — ( whoops. there she goes again. ) — I'm not making fun of you. I'm not in, like, middle school.

( why does she have this constant problem of running into people who make her feel like she's fifteen again??? she's AN ADULT, thanks!!! )

I just didn't expect to run into Your Holiness at an ugly sweater party. Which... for the record, you're not wearing one.

[buenpastor]

[ it's been so long since he got to interact with teenagers without anyone being possessed, this is refreshingly normal. ]

I'm a new arrival, I own three shirts and a jacket. And you can relax, I won't try to convert you or anything.

[recoined]

That ship already sailed. ( good luck converting the disgraced former cheerleader, tomas. good luck. you'd need it. ) I mean, my boyfriend's basically possessed by the devil, so I'm probably not the target audience for your... brand.

( tmi? why not. )

[buenpastor]

[ well, that gets him to sober up. he even stands up a little straighter. ]

I'm an exorcist, so maybe you are my target audience. Did you mean that literally?

[creatio]

( When Kimberly had told Clary there was a priest at the party, she'd just laughed. But then she spots Tomas filling a cup of eggnog.

There's a priest.

Like, seriously.

But Clary's feeling very gungho about the whole thing, she's been doing her best to make sure everyone's having a good time and enjoying themselves. That people are happy. So she's not going to be shy about wandering over to him by the punch, smiling when she fills up her cup with more gingerbread monstrosity.

( Hysterically, she thinks about the fact that he's a priest and she has literal angel blood running through her veins, but that might be the alcohol just making it funnier. Wisely, she keeps quiet. ) ) Hi. I'm Clary. Hostess number two. I don't think we've met.

[buenpastor]

[ Tomas looks up when she says hi, and switches his drink from one hand to the other so he can hold it out. ]

Hi, Hello! Father Tomás Ortega. A pleasure. [ He's a self-conscious kind of friendly, it's easy to picture him ten years ago as the nice kid who was too awkward to realize half his class had a crush on him. ] It's a very nice party, sorry about not following the dress code.

[ He's not wearing an ugly sweater but the collar should more than make up for it, honestly. The longer the party goes on the more he feels like he should have left it back home. ]

[creatio]

( She shakes his hand, even if she's not used to being so formal. )

That's okay, I'm sure we'll forgive you. That's kind of your deal, right? ( Ha, oh no she's so awkward. ) Mostly I instigated it to torture my friends. They're of the dark and brooding type.

( And she just isn't. )

Where are you from, Tomas? Or uh, should I call you Father?

( Oy. )

[buenpastor]

I get "Father Tomas" the most often, but either is fine. [ He tugs at his collar a little. ] I didn't know if I should wear it, but it somehow felt worse to crash a party without it.

[ This is awkward for both of them. How do you talk to a teenager who's not possessed by Satan? ]

I'm from Chicago, but I grew up in Mexico City. What about you?

[ Look at him, engaging in normal small talk. Good job, Tomas. ]

[creatio]

Well, it might put some people into a bit of a tailspin but as long as you're chill we'll all be fine.

( Because you know, supernatural creatures. )

Brooklyn, born and bred. Actually, this is the longest I've ever been out of the city. I kind of miss the rush of traffic. It's weird to have to tune it out.

[coyandcryptic]

[Is that a priest?

Moving through the party, Magnus catches tantalizing glimpses of the black shirt and a flash of white beneath his chin, but he waits several more minutes before he can quite summon the nerve to go up and speak to him. Yes, it isn't obvious what Magnus is at first glance, but he doesn't have many dealings with Catholic priests. He can't imagine one would react very well if it was brought up.

Then again, this is a priest at Clary's party, and Clary is a Shadowhunter. And he's stalked watched him long enough to see he's attempting to be as good an influence as possible on the partygoers, just like Magnus plans to be. So they have that in common. Finally it's his curiosity that gets the better of him and he sidles up with a glass of the gingerbread monstrosity, magically doctored now to be palatable.]

Father. You look like you could use a breath of air, care to join me?

[buenpastor]

[ Tomas accepts the glass on reflex, he smiles at the man offering it and, to his credit, he only hesitates for a moment when he sees the unicorn on his sweater move. A wizard? Sorcerer? Warlock? He makes a mental note to not use any of those words until he finds out which one is correct, Tomas would hate to be accidentally rude. ]

Yes, of course. Thank you. [ He does look like he could use some fresh air. The supernatural he's encountered is always evil, and there's a routine to exorcisms. Real, benign magic is new. When the unicorn moves again, Tomas' smile turns more genuine, that has to take a special sense of humor. ] I felt bad I didn't bring a sweater, but I couldn't have competed.

[ If you pretend the magic is normal maybe it'll eventually be normal. Great job, Tomas. ]

[coyandcryptic]

Oh, thank you. It's not my usual style, but you're not the only one, Father, Alexander didn't wear one either, I noticed.

[It isn't the most decorous sweater to be wearing when meeting a priest, but Magnus has never been accused of decorum and he doesn't plan on beginning now. If he'd known how cautious Tomas is being about his future choice of wording, he'd be both surprised and very happy.

He leads the way to the yard, sweeping up a new drink of his own on the way. The yard is warm enough thanks to the space heaters, but he isn't opposed to casting a little something extra just to keep off the chill if need be.]

Here we are, a little peace at last. Merry Christmas. [He taps his glass against Tomas's.] I'm Magnus, by the way, Magnus Bane. Do you know Kimberly or Clary? Or both?

[buenpastor]

[ He takes a sip of his drink despite not being entirely sure of what it is, and then he takes a proper drink immediately after, once he realizes it's not bad and probably won't get him drunk. (it's a big 'probably' he doesn't drink often, and even less since he's been on the road.) ]

Tomás. [ introductions are important, he can and probably should be polite. Magnus looks... thirty, maybe? But in all likelihood the man is over a hundred and the impression of agelessness is real and not just Tomas being weirdly star-struck by the ugly animated sweater. ] Father Tomás Ortega. And I met them both here.

[ Which technically means he's a priest crashing a teen party. He frowns at the thought, put like that, it sounds really bad. ]

[coyandcryptic]

Tomás, then. It's a pleasure, although I admit it's a surprising one.

[It's definitely not bad, anymore. It might get him drunk. Magnus's drinks have a tendency to kick harder than expected. Which, if he's honest, Magnus would really enjoy seeing, before making sure nothing terrible befalls him as a result. He does his best to be a responsible troublemaker.]

Really, did you? Was it the pink house that drew you in, or the masterful decorations?

[He waves a hand at the house, looking proud enough that it's obvious he's had a hand in the decorating.]

[buenpastor]

[ He turns back to look at the house at Magnus' gesture. He's not entirely sure why his first assumption hadn't been magic, magic should be his go-to explanation for everything by now. ]

I heard about it at the mall, but the decorations told me I was in the right place.

[ his cheeks get a little pinker before his glass is even half empty; total lightweight. ]

It may not have been the best venue but if I want to be part of the community I have to start somewhere.

[coyandcryptic]

[Magic is Magnus's go-to for most things, there's no reason to change that now that he's here. But he'll keep an eye on the level of that drink, there's no call at all for Tomás to get a little too loose, especially if he's trying to make a good impression.]

Are you new here too, then? I just arrived a few weeks ago, I was lucky to find Clary here. I've known her since she was just a little biscuit. I hope she's finding a way to relax here, her life back home is just nonstop. Not that any of us have gotten much rest lately.

[Tomás doesn't need a top-up, but Magnus does, and he snaps his fingers to refill his glass with a little flourish.]

[buenpastor]

Getting to relax was half of the appeal.

[ he can't help staring at the glass and at Magnus in turns as it refills itself. and then he shrugs a little, if Magnus is doing magic like this then he probably doesn't have to worry about people reacting poorly to his job. ]

I'm an exorcist— well, my partner would still call me a trainee. [ he says that with a little fond smile that only has a hint of self-deprecation. ] The work doesn't give us much time to breathe.

[coyandcryptic]

Oh, exorcisms. [Magnus shudders a little theatrically, but not by much.] I don't blame you for needing to relax. They're exhausting, and they never go as well as you hope they will.

[That probably sounds strange to anyone but a priest.] I didn't know the Church still did them. That's where most of mine come from, people who can't find someone willing to go through the process. Most of them aren't actually possessions, but occasionally something else will be in there. ...I'm sorry, you probably don't want to talk shop.