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A little while after their chat with Penny, Kate and Nykannis heard Dan’s announcement that Christmas dinner would soon begin.

[color=DarkMagenta]“What are you doing?”[/color] Nykannis asked as her companion started heading for the door.

[color=Red]“What does it look like?”[/color] Kate asked with a chuckle. [color=Red]“I’m going down to have dinner, and [i]you’re[/i] coming too!”[/color] she added, grabbing the mad scientist’s arm and pulling her out of her chair.

[color=DarkMagenta]“The hell I am!”[/color] Nykannis protested. [color=DarkMagenta]“It’s bad enough everyone and their brother can apparently find this ‘private balcony’. There’s NO WAY I wanna get dragged into the middle of their little clusterfuck down there! Besides, we’ve got plenty of food up here, don’t we?”[/color] she asked, gesturing to the snack-covered table.

[color=Red]“Those were just appetizers,”[/color] Kate corrected. [color=Red]“Dan’s putting together a feast! So come on!”[/color] she insisted as she dragged the reluctant Nykannis out the door. [color=Red]“Stop being such a Grinch and have some fun!”[/color]

Soon enough, the pair arrived at the feast hall. 

[color=Red]“See?!”[/color] Kate asked as she gestured to the enormous spread. [color=Red]“You can’t say at least [i]some[/i] of this stuff doesn’t look delicious!”[/color]

[color=DarkMagenta]“I guess…”[/color] Nykannis grumbled. 

Then the White Elephant began.

[color=Red]“Y’know, if you weren’t so antisocial, [i]we[/i] could have participated in that, too,”[/color] Kate noted with a wry grin.

[color=DarkMagenta]“[i]Please…[/i]”[/color] Nykannis rolled her eyes. [color=DarkMagenta]“It’s [i]completely[/i] random, and besides, I could make most of these gifts in my sleep.”[/color]

[color=Red]“I guess,”[/color] Kate conceded with a resigned frown, before her eyes widened as something caught her attention. [color=Red]“Huh, looks like things are startin’ to heat up,”[/color] she observed, jerking her thumb towards where Rachel had stepped forward to begin her tirade.

[color=DarkMagenta]“Leave it to the Ass-endancy to start shit. And you call [i]me[/i] a Grinch…”[/color] Nykannis muttered as Lily made her challenge. [color=DarkMagenta]“See, this is EXACTLY why I didn’t want to come down here. I mean, we could have watched all this from the privacy of our cozy balcony and not risked getting dragged into all this sh… Is that [i]Oros?[/i] She’s [i]STILL[/i] wearing that fucking makeup?!”[/color]

[color=Red]“Forget that!”[/color] Kate told her, while trying not to burst out in hysterical laughter. [color=Red]“Did you miss the part where that self-righteous bitch signed up for a [i]Keijo[/i] match?! Pfft! That stupid prude has no idea what’s she’s gotten herself into!”[/color]

[color=DarkMagenta]“I’d expect nothing less from one of those sanctimonious morons,”[/color] Nykannis replied. [color=DarkMagenta]“Come on, let’s find a nice secluded spot and start having some this food you’ve been going on about,”[/color] she added, fervently hoping to go unnoticed by the anarchic crowd surrounding them.