Scene #3590: New Years at Lute's

Owner	Pose
Lute	Another year in the Multiverse. And what a year it has been. Lute has had most of his entire life uprooted, his entire worldview changed. He caught a legendary Pokemon, learned he was living in the wrong world, and, amongst other things, formed a few new personal connections. It's been a year worth celebrating. And it's time for that celebration. Lute's home, located in the desert region of Orre, is set up for a party. His front door is open wide, ready to take in all visitors. Decorations are set up inside and outside, large banners reading 'HAPPY NEW YEAR', streamers, confetti, and everything one can imagine. Lined out in the front yard of Lute's house are a vast number of fireworks, already set up and pointing towards the sky. Party music is playing, set up to be heard inside and outside. Lute himself is inside at the moment, with his wife, Harp. He's wearing his same outfit as usual, the dynamic labcoat to make him look truly like a Pokemon Professor. Harp is wearing her standard outfit as well: a black halter top, and black leather pants. They're sitting on their couch together, leaning against each other, waiting for guests to arrive. They've put out an open invite for people to come and celebrate, although they still expect it to be relatively low key.
Sanary Rondel	After ten long months, Sanary is finally ready to say goodbye to her first year in the Multiverse proper! Losing an eye, getting an eye, getting employed, reviving an evil god, seeing her loved ones killed on three separate occasions... THere's probably things she'd want to do-over, but all together? Not too bad. She got some sweet gear out of all of it, too, so there's also that. This isn't the time for fighting, though. No, this is a time to relax. To kick back, watch some things explode, and forget about how many things she'll have to kill for at least a little while. The cleric arrives at the house with her usual fare: White coat that probably needs a good dry-cleaning, bag of questionable fried food, and... A broom? A broom. It looks like something a witch would use to fly, but she's clearly not a witch yet. "Heeeey, Lute. Harp." She knocks on the door lazily while listening to the music, setting the broom aside to keep it out of the way for the time being. "I brought the usual!"
Lute	Some of Sanary's habits have become more or less natural for Lute. The need for her to learn to take better care of her clothing? Normal. The fried food? Sanary is one of the biggest sources of cholestoral in the household. The broom, though? That is, in fact, a new one. Harp simply smiles towards Sanary, giving her a bit of a nod in greeting. She knows better than to ask, and she has a good enough theory about the broom not to stress it. It's almost certanly just a bizarre backwater New Year's tradition or something. Lute, on the other hand, just /has/ to ask. His eyes linger on the broom as he gets up to help Sanary settle in. He moves to greet her, giving her a tight hug, before taking the bag of food to the living room table. An arm stays around her waist for now. And yet his eyes never come off the broom. "...What's... with the broom?"
Sanary Rondel	Returning the hug fondly, Sanary picks up the broom again before stepping inside. It wouldn't do to keep a gift from another person outside, after all! With the food safely inside as well, the healer sets the broom aside yet again before stretching her arms out. "Much better... Aah. Oh, that? Got it from Marisa. Uh... She's a witch. Shoots lasers and flies around. Been using that to practice flying without the..." She pauses. What were those anklets' full names again? "... The AANS. Stands for... Something, but those let me fly. I still need to learn how to do it without them, though." An awkward chuckle later, and she ruffles Lute's hair while looking between him and Harp. "So! How've things been around here? Haven't seen you two in a while."
Lute	Lute's eyes open up a little in surprise. An actual flying broom? That's... really old school. He smirks at Sanary, keeping his arm around her waist, staying close to her. They've seen eachother a number of times recently, but there are still certain bits of... awkwardness that happened that have not been brought up. He decides, for now, not to bring that bit up, though. After all, today is the day for celebration, not for him to apologize for being a bit of an idiot. Insted, time to focus on new things. "Awesome that you've been learning to fly. I've been thinking of learning myself. But, I can just use some flying Pokemon. Like Giratina. ...Though still kind of want to find a way to fly on my own, or stand on the ocean on my own." Harp, for her part, remains on the couch. One of her legs drapes across the other. She leans back into the couch, one arm over the back, the other holding a glass of wine. She swirls it just slightly, taking a sip, and then looking to Sanary. She ponders. If the broom isn't some backwater tradition? She now is, in fact, curious what Sanary's actual tradition. "...How do they celebrate the New Year in your world?" Harp nearly says village, but stops herself before doing so. But, she assumes the answer will, somehow, involve pigs.
Sanary Rondel	Sanary laughs lightly and lifts Lute briefly, almost as if she's checking his weight before setting him back down. "Yeah, flgiht's worth it. Even with the anklets, I can do all sorts of stuff I couldn't before. Just haven't really... Er. Gotten anywhere with the broom yet. But I'll get it sooner or later!" She sounds determined enough, at least. Who knows if it'll actually get her anywhere, though? Sanary doesn't seem too keen on bringing up previous awkwardness, at least. That, or she's forgotten. It's hard to tell with her. Either way, she perks up a bit at Harp's question and the chance to talk about her own world for a little while. "Oh! Uh. Eating a lot and getting drunk, then dragging everyone back home the next morning. We never really followed the days, though, since..." She clears her throat, looking just a little embarrassed. "... Nobody really knew how to count anything other than money back home. We just followed seasons, mostly."
Lute	Lute straightens up as lifted. One of the few things he hasn't gotten used to since his world changed is that his strength isn't what it used to be. Where before, he could fight and train Pokemon both fairly well? Now, he's Pokemon focused, and any strength he gains is from them. He's also not quite used to being with a strong woman. Still, he's lifted rather easily, weighing much the same as he normally does. He raises an eyebrow to Sanary, though doesn't ask what that was about. Probably, a bit of mild teasing, or something. "So does the broom take magic to fly, or does it come with it? If it does, I wouldn't mind trying to take it for a spin." Of course, if Lute is allowed to, it will likely end with him in pain. Harp leans forward a bit, resting her chin on her palm and elbow on a knee. She's considering Sanary a little. It's not a surprise they didn't keep too much track of such. But, it also means Sanary is most likely unaware of certain New Year's traditions. A slight chuckle from Harp, and then she asks, "So. Not to much different than our traditions. Though. There is one thing we must think on. New Years is often celebrated with a kiss. ...So. Who is kissing who?" She's obviously teasing a bit, the type to occasionally enjoy making things awkward briefly.
Sanary Rondel	Sanary looks over at the broom, the shakes her head at Lute. "I don't know if it actually does anything. Marisa mentioned that she learned to fly on a broom, so maybe it'd be easier learning with that? But..." She shrugs lightly. "If putting magic into it is supposed to work, I just haven't done it right yet. Although if you wanna try, you can." She snickers lightly a moment later. "Just don't expect it to go up or anything." Harp's suggestion, of course, gets a flustered stare from the healer. "Wha.... R-really? I thought that was just a Christmas thing with the weird floating plants." She still needed to check on Audrey about that. Furrowing her brow for a moment, Sanary looks from Harp to Lute before stroking her chin lightly. "Just how many of these traditions are there, anyway? I-I mean, it's not like they're bad or anything, but... I just don't want to get caught off guard if peope start showing up in Medical, that's all." So why is she so flustered?
Lute	Lute nods, moving over and grabbing ahold of the broom. For a moment, he is left wondering: /How/ to ride it. The most obvious method would be to sit straddling atop of it. But, if he makes one wrong move while it is in such a position? It will hurt. He instead deigns to sit on it side-saddle. He holds it with both hands, knees bent. And then he starts uselessly hopping up and down for a few minutes, trying to get up into the air. Harp decides it is best to ignore these antics. "Mm~. I suppose we /should/ get you caught up on kissing traditions. Yes, there is the mistletoe. The kissing on New Year's Eve is a thing of good luck, to bring in the new year with your partner. I wouldn't mind you stealing the kiss with Lute from me~. Or, you know. You could pick who you'd want to kiss. The only other traditions you should watch out for is if you played Truth or Dare, or Spin the Bottle." Harp sets her glass down, though. There /is/ something to consider, if Sanary is so flustered. She smirks, "Was someone setting up mistletoe in medical, then?"
Sanary Rondel	Sanary observes Lute's technique for trying to get the broom to go, actually looking like she's studying his movements. She hasn't considered sitting on it that way before, but maybe he's got something there... Well, that can wait until after the party. "So that's two so far... Eh? W-wait, there's only one good luck kiss for New Year's, then?" The healer strokes her chin again, trying to ponder the logistics of that. "If that's the case... Would we get more luck if we spread it out, then?" She looked from Lute to Harp while counting on her fingers. "If you two and me and Yari... That's four. Then there's Sarracenia and Fuki and Medusa... Hnn. Still need one more." She'd have to ask about the Truth Bottles later. "A few times. And there was this one party in Galianda where those mistletoe things were floating over people's heads. Magic, I think, since they disappeared after the person they were floating over kissed someone." Another stroke of the chin. "... Should check on Audrey about that, actually. Is that how it usually works here, too?"
Lute	Lute sighs, not getting any luck. Maybe sidesaddle doesn't work? Whatever. He puts it between his legs, closes his eyes, and focuses. He repeats a word over and over again: "Fly. Fly. Fly." And then, he jumps. And his worst fears occur. He jumps /too/ high, hitting his head on the ceiling. And then, as he falls, the broom catches on his couch, swinging it up a bit. Lute falls to the ground, rolling around, muttering, "I-I'm okay." Harp seems completely unphased by this. "Mmm, well. If they were /here/, then we could make a complicated kissing grid. But, it is just a superstition. It's not actually true. It's just a fun tradition~. Perhaps we could all share the kiss together?" The mistletoe is going to be yet another fun way to tease Sanary. Harp just /knows/ it. More details are needed, definitely. She grins, "Who did you end up kissing? Or was it a chain of people, one after another?"
Sanary Rondel	Sanary winces slightly at the ceiling hit, although she does start laughing after a few moments. She's not so cruel as to ignore Lute's pain, of course, ands he directs some healing magic his way just to take some of the edge off and alleviate potential bruising. "Caaareful. I don't think jumping high counts as flying yet." Shaking her head with more amused snickering, Sanary turned to Harp again with a blank stare. "O-oh. Then.. Oh. Wait. Is that.. I-I mean, it'd be better than stealing anything from anyone, so." She's blushing again. Thankfully, there's the topic of mistletoe to distract her! "Oh, I didn't kiss anyone. It was just interesting to watch because one my bosses kissed her boss who's also my boss, but someone else I work with was trying to get the higher boss to kiss the boss of somewhere else. And I think there was a robot trying to kiss a zombie, but that was back in medical, and..." She's not going to stop talking about that anytime soon, is she? Not without something to stop her.
Lute	Lute, for the moment, just remains laying on the floor and absolutely in pain. The healing helps, but he will still need a moment before he gets up. Harp gives a bi tof a blank look at the kiss conversation. She is not truly certain who kissed who, because Sanary rambles a little. She shrugs a little, smiling, "Well. Such can happen if mistletoe is involved. Just be careful and observant, next year~." But, always the type to target weak points, Harp leans back in her seat. She stretches a little, raising her arms behind her head, reclining, "We'll share the kiss, then~. Trust me, it will work out."
Sanary Rondel	Sanary scoots over to the table with the food to fish out a chunk of chicken, popping that into her mouth before sitting by Harp with a lazy grunt. "Mmrf... Will do. Does look like it'd be pretty messy if there's too much of that stuff floating around, and if someone's sick during that whole thing..." Half a year ago, she would have never even worried about that sort of thing. The thought of sharing the kiss puts more color on the cleric's cheeks, and she gives Harp a blank look before finally managing a quick nod. "S-sure. Yeah, then nobody's left out of the luck... Spread?" That's the right word for it, isn't it? She looks from Harp to Lute, another snicker escaping her. "You okay over there? Come on, you've hit your head harder than that before, haven't you?"
Lute	Lute finally crawls off of the ground, slowly lifting himself onto the couch. He is still obviously weak, but he is slowly recovering himself. He slumps onto the couch, leaning back, on the opposite side of Sanary. He looks a little pale. "...I'm okay. It's just... It's a guy thing. You wouldn't understand." That's all he can mutter for now, still tired. But, he lifts up a hand, wrapping his arm around Sanary's shoulders. At the same time, Harp moves her arm to slide behind Sanary's back, around her waist. They lean into her from both sides. They don't seem all that hungry, themselves. Harp smiles, looking towards the clock, "Getting close to time, now~. At least, in this region, it'll be New Years soon... Mm. Let's hope this is another productive year coming up~."
Sanary Rondel	"A guy thing? What, you got your balls in your head or something?" Sanary breaks into another laugh, although there is still some sympathy shown Lute's way if the extra healing magic is any indication. She even quiets down her laughing when he's closer just in case. The cleric does straighten up a bit when she feels both of their arms coming around her from each side, draping her own arms over their shoulders. "Yeah... Hnn. If it's anything like this last year? It'll probably be just as crazy." She grins mischievously. "So don't be surprised if I've got an extra arm or four by the end of next year. At the rate things have been going for me so far... I'd be surprised if I didn't." An extra foot in height wouldn't be too bad, either. At least for reaching the high shelves.
Lute	Lute shakes his head, a little, "No, see. I hit my head, but the broom, riding on it between my legs... That was not the best idea I have had. I will not elaborate on that more, though." He takes one last deep breath, finally settling in where he isn't in intense pain. He leans against Sanary, pressing his head against hers. He nuzzles against her slightly, eyes closed. Harp places her free hand along Sanary's arms, shaking her head, "Oh, come now. Just stick to two arms. You can handle things with just this. But. You /have/ come a long way. A /long/ way. You've advanced quite a bit in this short year, and are well known as one of the more... active and eager Confederates." A sigh from Harp. "A shame that my husband has been a bit stupidly overeager in some of /his/ offers, though." Yes, she's bringing up the offer Lute made. "LET'S NOT BRING THAT UP!" Lute panics. And then, the clock switches over to 12:00. The music changes to a celebratory tune, and alarms go off everywhere. The fireworks outside burst off on their own. And, despite the bit of awkwardness there? Lute and Harp both lean in, kissing Sanary, aiming for her lips. It's a bit unusual of a position, but effort is, in fact, being put forward to make sure all three kiss at once.
Sanary Rondel	And in an instant, all was made clear to the healer. Sanary raises her hand, and even more healing energy is sent Lute's way for both mending of the region and pain relief. She, too, does not speak of that any further. "But imagine what I could do with those. All those shields, the weapons... I'd be freaking unstoppable." She's letting her imagination run wild with that, and the cleric snickers bashfully at the compliment sent her way. "You think? Well... I won't purposely try and get extra arms, then." But if they just happen to come here? It's not like she'll say no. Thankfully, the reminder of Lute's previous offer in what might have been one of the most ill-timed proposals she's ever heard does get shunted aside by the sudden burst of sound all around the house. If not for Lute and Harp coming in to kiss her, Sanary would think the house was under attack. But with those kisses? She's not going anywhere. The positioning is rather awkward, and it's hard to get them both in on it, but she definitely isn't complaining at all.
Lute	After a moment of kissing, Harp pulls back a bit. She knows that she hit a sore spot, but she also knows that the timing would make that pushed back. She just wants the other two to be ready to face that incident... Eventually. And to realize, at the same time, that it isn't all that big of a mistake. It is something to move on from. She pulls back for a similar reason: To give Sanary and Lute a bit of their own private kiss. Lute and Harp can be romantic fairly frequently. These two have less time for that. Lute's lips press against Sanary's directly, his eyes closed. His arms, wrapped around her. And, eventually, he pulls back, breathing slowly as he looks Sanary straight in the eyes. "...You know, I think the four arms thing could be pretty cool looking." This would probably ruin the moment for any other girl except Sanary.
Sanary Rondel	Although Harp's departure doesn't go unnoticed, Sanary's a little too distracted to question her about it. Whether it's because of the kissing, or the thought of having four extra arms, or something entirely different is unclear at first. Pressing her head in against Lute, she returns the kiss lightly and grins as he pulls back with that comment on the extra arms. Oddly enough, she just takes it all in stride. If anything, she actually seems a little too enthusiastic about that idea. "Right...? Two smaller weapons, two shields, the bigass axe... I could do all sorts of crazy stuff with that." And then she gets right back into the kissing! It tastes like fried chicken. Apparently, she's put some thought into this already.
Lute	Lute sits back, leaning against Sanary still. He holds his arm out, imagining, "Plus, if you learn some of that magic stuff that lets you put your spells into your blades? Imagine! If you have a weapon or shield in each arm, you could get these /really/ killer attack combos going. Or heal four people at once!" Harp facepalms, closing her eyes and shaking her head as Lute talks. Lute smirks, though. "Let's make that your New Year's Resolution! Get four arms!"
Sanary Rondel	"Now we're talking. Or even if I just grab some of the stuff in the Zaibatsu's armory, I could become this... Freaking.. Death wall. Maybe keep one arm free to heal people at the same time, even." Sanary's laughing freely now, and her laughter only grows louder at Harp's facepalming. "Sounds like a plan~ Ehm... Resolution? Yeah, why not. You need to get one, too, though! Like..." She strokes her chin thoughtfully. "... Learning how to fly! Without a broom or Pokemon or magitech anklets or anything." And then she starts laughing again, although it's not mocking in the slightest. No, she's... She's actually serious about this.