[ 009 | Video | Dated 11/25, Post-Event ]

[lightgunhustler]

[When the feed opens, Jo looks a little worn around the edges. She's pretty sure that look is going around at the moment -- the event had been a hard one for a lot of people, enough so that she'd almost considered not issuing this invitation at all, but she and Tohru had discussed it and decided together that sticking with the original plan was probably for the best. Events came and went all the time in Wonderland, and deciding not to deviate was probably the best medicine for any ills this one had caused. Still, there was a little more weighing her down than just that. She hadn't seen or heard anything from or about her mother in days, and considering they hadn't been on the best terms lately, it had her stomach in knots.

She clears her throat a little before putting on her best face, offering the feed a tired but genuine smile.]

I know this probably feels a little bit last-minute. Ned and Tohru and I have been talking about it for awhile, and I'd planned to say something earlier, but things came up.

[The event, mostly. She's pretty sure she doesn't have to elaborate on that.]

I've heard people talking a little about Thanksgiving, and awhile back, I talked to Ned about hosting it for everyone, like some of us helped Dean do last year. We'd talked then about wanting to make it a tradition, do it every year, even for people who don't normally celebrate it, and I wanna hold to that. The bar is huge and has room for everyone -- I'd like to do it there again. I know some people here have family or friends they'd like to do their own gatherings with, and we don't want to interfere with that, so--

[She pauses, the mention of family making her smile flicker just the tiniest bit before she reinforces it.]

What I'd like to do is host it tomorrow, the day before Thanksgiving. Some people have family here, either biological or otherwise, but not everyone does. I know not everyone gets along, but for one day, it would be nice to be able to put everything aside and check our problems at the door. Remember that we're all in the same boat, just for a little while.

So-- no matter who you are, whether you celebrate Thanksgiving back home or not, everyone is welcome. Food will be on at about three PM, and while we've got some stuff mapped out, we're glad to accept any help that anyone else wants to offer. Everyone is free to contribute and come to spend as much or as little time with everyone as they'd like.

[Weapons will be checked at the door, just in case, but otherwise the open-door policy stands.]

There's no telling how long any of us are stuck here. Some of us have been here a long while, others are new, but whether we like it or not, we're a community. It would be good to focus on the upsides of that and remember the good parts about being in Wonderland, instead of letting the bad weigh us down.

Comments

video;

[lightgunhustler]

Good. Sounds like you're well-equipped to handle Thanksgiving.

[Your lady love will be impressed, Hook.

She purses her lips slightly, thoughtful.]

Guess it depends on the person? I've been here a year and a half. Little more than, actually.

video;

[unhand]

After so long, it must be difficult to retain any hopes of getting home.

[lightgunhustler]

For some, maybe-- me, I don't really want to go back.

[She smiles a little bit, shrugging it off. She's gotten used to her opinion being an unpopular one.]

It's not perfect, but I like it here.

[unhand]

[Hook raises his eyebrows. He's not judging, exactly. He knows better than most that homes can be found in the strangest places. But he's still surprised.]

Better than where you're from, then?

[lightgunhustler]

Yeah, in some ways, it is. I like the people here.

[And if she's being honest--]

I don't have much to go back to, but here, I have a pretty good life sometimes.

[unhand]

That's unfortunate. [A pause.] Or fortunate, I suppose, that you did find a place where you can be happy. Even one as strange as this.

[Everyone deserves a happy ending.]

[lightgunhustler]

It can be rough from time to time, and it's not where I ever imagined myself-- but Wonderland's not so bad.

[She smiles.]

I never would have met some the people who are most important to me if I'd never come here.

[unhand]

[Hook knows that kind of smile. He raises an eyebrow, leaning in a bit.] Important? Could it be you've found love in this most unlikely of worlds?

[He can certainly imagine choosing to stay here for love. It was for love that he sold his ship, after all, and he'd known no other home for so long.]

[lightgunhustler]

Love?

[Pretty direct question there, Hook-- but it doesn't seem to bother her. Not much, anyway.]

Awhile back, I thought I had. It didn't work out. I'm not sure I'm looking for that again anytime soon, but-- I've made some pretty amazing friends. People who are as close to me as family. It's not always about blood. Sometimes you get to choose your own.

[unhand]

That's love too. [Different love, perhaps, but still important. Still something Hook understands cherishing.]

[lightgunhustler]

It is, just a different kind.

[She definitely agrees with him on that point.]

The way you said it made me think you meant romantic love, that's all.