Ch 32. Hollytide

John walked along the Avalon streets, dodging around a Jotun and ducking beneath a swooping phoenix as he pushed his way through the crowded sidewalk. He drew his overcoat tighter and adjusted his collar a bit to keep snow from reaching the back of his neck and to protect from the biting breeze as it whipped between narrow alleys in dreadful gusts. Avalon’s weather was… unpredictable. It didn’t have seasons so much as seemingly random trends that seemed to shift every month or so. You could have one month of desert-like dryness and awful heat followed by two months of bitter cold or even weeks of rain. That didn’t even get into weather events unique to Avalon such as moontide which allowed you to swim in the air, or evergrey where the fog became thick and spat out physical manifestation of your worst traumas. Evergrey always coincided with him having double or triple his appointments.

As it was the first snow of the year that also made it Hollytide. Hollytide was a bit like if Christmas had been placed in a blender with a few hundred other winter traditions and spun on high before being poured into a Rubik's cube that was somehow also a chalice. That is to say, he found it both familiar and deeply confusing. He’d made multiple attempts to fully decipher all of the traditions and their origins, but always came out of it more confused than before. At this point he just rolled with it and hoped for the best.

As he walked he saw a number of Kobolds running around giving random gifts to whoever they saw, a birdfolk landing on each individual tree it found before singing a song and moving on to the next one, a circle of golems spinning a top the size of a small sedan, and a dragon nibbling on seasoned roots as it perched on the top of a small mansion. Every group from every dimension and world had its own way of celebrating. He rather liked this time of year, and Hollytide was probably his second favorite holiday after the Midnight March.

He arrived at the small building he used for the support group to see that several glowstones had been affixed to the wall in a festive manner, and a number of garlands had been wrapped around nearby lightpoles. John gently touched one of the glowstones as he pushed open the door. He was immediately assaulted by the sights and sounds of the yearly Hollytide party. He saw Sarah having a quiet conversation with Rene, Eric talking to a circle of other men making broad motions that looked distinctly like mimed swordstrokes, and a number of other small groups gathered around and talking. Hilda and her husband Jacob were there as well, having a conversation with Arachne the tailor and a few of the other business owners from the buildings near where he worked. The party was held in the support group space, but he usually sent out a pretty broad invite to lots of people. It was a good opportunity for newly transmigrated people to dip their toes into the new cultures around them and meet new people both from the old world and natives to Avalon.

He frowned, a little disappointed, as he realized that he didn’t see Andressa. He’d invited her, and even arrived at the time she said she would, but perhaps she was running a bit late. Smiling in spite of that, he said some short hellos and made a bit of smalltalk as he made his way to the refreshment table. He took some time to pour a bit of dwarvish punch which had a surprisingly sweet taste despite an earthy aroma and stood sipping it and watching the festivities.

He glanced at the door when he saw someone coming in, hoping it was Andressa, but hid his disappointment when he realized it was Ben. He was wearing some tight black pants and a frilly white shirt that his fur seemed to spill out of, and his tusks had gold and silver rings on them that John didn’t recall being there before.

He waved at him, and then saw that a woman was holding his hand. Ben waved at him and approached with the woman in tow. She was tall, about the same height as John, and had tan skin and long brown hair that fell in wild curls across her shoulders. She was wearing a simple black skirt and boots along with a crimson blouse.

“Hey John,” said Ben as he approached.

“Hey Ben, good to see you. Drink?”

“I’ll take a big one.”

“Who's your friend?” asked John as he smiled at her, pouring a drink for Ben.

“This is Celeste.”

“Nice to meet you,” said John. “Drink?”

“Yes please,” she said in a surprisingly gruff voice.

John nodded and handed her a drink too.

“You playing bartender today?” asked Ben.

“No, just people watching, hoping a friend I invited shows up.”

“Oh… a friend, huh? Is it your secretary? Did she stand you up?”

John looked at Celeste. “You should make this guy dance. Has he told you he used to be a famous singer and dancer back on our world?”

“Oh?” asked Celeste with a smile. “You want to show me some moves?”

“Oh uh, of course.”

She took his hand and they walked to the center of the floor where a number of others were dancing to the bardsong that was bouncing around them. Ben shot him an annoyed look, which would’ve looked fearsome to someone that didn’t know him. Ben had two left feet since he’d transmigrated into his new body, but John didn’t feel too guilty. One jab deserved another.

John decided to mingle a bit and came upon Sarah and Tyk, the bard from the last mixer where he’d invited locals, chatting.

“Is this why I couldn’t hire you to play?” asked John.

Tyk smiled, which showed the impressive row of lizardfolk teeth. “Yes. I had a prior engagement with my fellow bard.” He gestured his drink toward Sarah.

“We’re not engaged,” said Sarah. “A couple dates is all.”

���We ate no dates, certainly not two.”

“Well you two fell into a rhythm nice and quick, huh?” asked John.

“We did,” replied Sarah.

“How was your last show? I’m sorry I couldn’t make it.”

“It’s fine, I’ll just hold it over your head for the rest of your life.”

“Fair enough. It went well though?”

“It did! They offered me a regular spot and extended time on stage.”

“That’s fantastic.”

She smiled. “It’s not Saturday Night Live, but it’s something.”

“Well at least your show is funnier.”

“It is, but it’s a low bar.”

They bantered a bit, but eventually Tyk asked her to dance so John went back to the drinks for a moment. He watched everyone dance, happy to see that despite his hesitation Ben seemed to be having a nice time as well, though Celeste seemed very wary of his silver capped tusks as they moved, which surprised him given how graceful she seemed overall.

He had a drink, then another, feeling a bit warm and quite a bit tipsier than he was expecting. He found himself drawn into a dance with a naga, then Sarah while Tyk joined the band for a song, then a dwarven woman that threw him around more than he was ready for. After another drink he felt a tap on his shoulder and saw Andressa looking at him.

She seemed to be a paler shade of red than usual and her eyes closer to pale yellow than gold. She had put her hair into an elaborate braid and was wearing a black dress with matching fishnets and flats. She’d chosen a metallic blue lipstick that complemented sapphire earrings and a matching necklace and he realized he was staring at her silently for nearly a full minute without saying anything. Consequently she became a few shades brighter.

“It looks like you didn’t wait up for me much,” she said with a smile, eyeing the drink in his hand.

“I don’t see a reason to wait up for someone that doesn’t show up when she says she will,” he replied, a bit surprised to find some venom in his voice.

Her eyes widened.

“I’m sorry, I’ve had quite a bit more than just this one,” he said, indicating his drink. “It’s not like it was more than a casual invite. I mean, if it was a date or something it would be different. I mean, I wanted it to be one, but I-” He paused and Andressa darkened another few shades, her now golden eyes twinkling.

She took his hand. “Come on and dance with me,” she said.

He let her drag him and they began dancing. There wasn’t exactly a formal way of dancing, and the dancefloor itself was an odd mix of gyrating, ballroom, flamenco, and Naga line dancing that frequently intercepted the dwarven mountain-stepping. Andressa opted to drag him into something that seemed mostly to be holding onto one another and moving as best they could to the beat. He was either a much better, or a much worse dancer with so much drink in him. He couldn’t really tell. Andressa had the lead most of the time and with her superior strength she kept his hands on her wherever she wanted them to be.

He wasn’t sure of how long they danced, but when the music stopped they were both panting and sweating. She practically radiated heat normally, so when she got worked up she seemed almost like a furnace. In spite of how overheated he felt, he found himself reluctant to pull away, and she didn’t make any move to break away from him either.

She took one hand and pointed up.

John followed where she was pointing and realized they were standing under some mistletoe.

He looked at her. It meant the same thing on Avalon as it did on Earth, and he found himself grateful for that.

He pulled her closer and they sunk into a deep, long kiss.