[Crystalkers] Year-End Feast
With this year coming to a close, things had been hectic for anybody looking to tie off the year with something special. The holiday season was nothing but crazy, but for a few other people, there was another reason to celebrate tucked between Thanksgiving and the new year.
To most people, a day like today wasn’t anything all that special. You wouldn’t get a day off from work, you wouldn’t see decorations for it lining the streets, and most people are too busy holiday shopping to notice it. However, to four people in ripped jeans and studded jackets, today was everything.
Four years ago, on this day, a fishy Crysta had left a tattered ad on a telephone pole looking for a few people to join their punk band. Luckily, three of the best people they could hope for applied.
This day was huge for them, and it was celebrated by a dinner party hosted on rotation by someone in the band. This year the host was Angie, the afformented ad poster, and the rest of the band.. were a bit worried.
They loved Angie, don’t get it twisted! But when cooking and fine dining is mentioned, Angie isn’t the first person to come to mind- Blythe swore she saw them burn juice once. Not to mention, Angie had a tough act to follow with Sugar Plum being the host of last year. As was usually with Sugar Plum, everything was pristine, had a place, and no short of perfect.
Still, here Angie was, cooking up a storm for their bandmates. They were preparing only the finest dining for the friends they cared for oh so much. This included cup ramen, frozen pizzas, and of course, a box cake for dessert. It was chocolate, which had sort of become an ongoing joke within the group. Their first official meeting was at a restaurant. Nothing too fancy, but something more chill so they could get to know each other. Angie ate their weight in chocolate cake and let it all go onto the pavement outside. Since then, it was only customary that a chocolate cake be present at the table during their celebrations. Thankfully, Angie is nothing if not good humored, and finds the tradition hilarious.
The hours seemed to tick by as Angie cooked, determined to get things perfect- in their own little way.
As the hours ticked by, Angie found themselves getting more frustrated than happy with the end result. They lived in a shitty apartment, so that ruled out a chance to decorate nicely. The only “nice” thing Angie had were the clothes on their back, and even those had been tattered and ripped to shreds. Not that Angie minded, that was the style, and most rips were intentional, but the point still stood. They really, really wanted to make this day special. This dinner, and their bandmates, meant the world to them, and they didn’t want to come off like they didn’t put forth any effort. Their band deserved better than that.
Their frustration grew with each minute passing, threatening to boil over until there was a knock on the door. ‘Oh!’ Wow, they must have really lost track of time. Their frustration immediately dissipated as they opened their door to Midnight, who wasted no time wrapping them in an almost-too-tight huh. Blythe and Sugar Plum were close to follow, coming in together lost in some conversation or another, but they both stopped to say hello and enthusiastically welcome the other two into the talk. Angie hardly had time to be upset about anything anymore with such a warm hello.
Although, the frustration returned once it was time to set the table. They felt almost humiliated as they brought over that heaping bowl of noodles, not-so fresh out the oven pizzas, and the Betty Crocker box mix cake that had frosting dripping down the sides. Humiliation wasn’t something Angie was used to, but they felt it right now. They opened their mouth to give some sort of apology for things, but their friends' faces seemed to light up when everything was set down. They waved Angie down to the table, eager to get things divided and start eating. Angie couldn’t help the toothy grin that broke across their face.
Once it was all said and done, Angie was more than happy around the table. Sure, what they made wasn’t exactly fancy, but that didn’t really matter. This was less about the food, and more an opportunity for them to get together outside of the band, an opportunity they always loved to take. That was the bare minimum to keep them happy, and Angie fulfilled it just by bringing them together. Even if their pizza ended up extremely undercooked… somehow.