Third Floor Common Room, Wednesday Evening

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

No, Dawn wasn't going home for Thanksgiving, and no, she didn't really want to discuss it. What she was doing instead involved a number of recipes she'd pulled off the internet, a bunch of ingredients that might or might not match the recipes by the time she was done with them, and a mess she was going to have to clean off the counters and floor once she was finished.

Pumpkin chocolate chip oreo cheesecake, anyone?

[ooc: Open! Dawn's got the stuff for side dishes and desserts for Thanksgiving. Go as traditional or weird as you want.]

Comments

[likethegun]

Sam followed his sense of smell down the hallway and into the common room, grinning when he saw Dawn and the food. "Wow. This place smells good," he said. "I don't quite know what I'm smelling, but it's good."

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

"Dessert," she told him proudly, gesturing to the cheesecake which would be going into the refrigerator very shortly. "I'm doing side stuff next. No turkey, though, because that's just all kinds of scary. Plus, then there's carving, and it's not my thing."

[likethegun]

"Yeah, no offense, but I like you better when you're not wielding a sharp weapon," Sam teased. "What's all this for?"

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, you say that now, but when I finally cut you loose sometime, you'll be grateful," she stuck her tongue out at him. "Thanksgiving. It's tomorrow."

[likethegun]

"Good point. I'm sure the time will come when I'll be the one who's tied up again," he teased. "I know Thanksgiving's tomorrow. Are you taking these home with you?"

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

Dawn glanced downward and mumbled something involving the words "not" and "going."

[likethegun]

"You...wait, you're not going home?" Sam said, moving next to her. "I just assumed...is everything okay?"

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

"Buffy's got a thing," she said, waving vaguely with her hands. "They're not celebrating at all, and everyone's busy."

[likethegun]

"Oh. I'm sorry," Sam said. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a hug, before making a noise like someone who just had a lightbulb go off over their head. "Hey, do you want to come and have Thanksgiving with us?" he said. "We're not...I mean, we don't usually make a huge deal out of the holidays, but we're trying to do a kind of traditional thing, since it's Grace's first holiday."

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

Dawn hugged him back. "You sure it's okay if I invade?"

[likethegun]

"It's totally okay," Sam replied. "I think by now, it's safe to say that you're considered family."

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

"Aw, thanks." She blushed a little bit. "Am I bringing stuff? What time do I have to be there? Are people getting dressed up? Okay, never mind that last question, because I've met you guys."

[likethegun]

"If by 'dressed up' you mean 'wearing clothes' then yes, we'll be dressed up," Sam said, laughing. "You don't have to bring anything, although if you want to bring something for dessert, I don't think anyone would mind, even if it's extra."

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

"I can bring dessert," she decided. "Are you excited about having a real family holiday? I mean, with your own family?"

[likethegun]

"It's exciting, yeah. I'll warn you, I'm not sure how it's going to go."

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

"Buffy and her friends got attacked by the spirits of dead and grumpy Native Americans one year," Dawn said. "As long as that doesn't happen, I'm sure we'll be fine. You're really sure your Dad and Principal Washburn won't mind? I mean, if this is a first family holiday thing..."

[likethegun]

"I'm really, really sure," Sam said, trying to sound assuring. "It'll just make it more familial to have you there."

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

"Okay. Then I can come." She grinned. "A Winchester family Thanksgiving. Except for the shotguns and salt, you could be on the Hallmark channel."

[likethegun]

"Clearly, the Hallmark channel is lacking something in not including us," Sam said, laughing.

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

"Ratings," she said, giving a decisive head nod. "I'm not sure if you realize this, but your family is ridiculously pretty and ready for prime time."

[isourking.livejournal.com]

Ron wandered into the common room only to stop and look at the food with wide eyes.

"Now that's a lot of food," he said trying not to drool. "What's the occasion?"

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

"Thanksgiving," Dawn told him. Then, deciding to explain, "It's to celebrate the holiday during which we, as a white, colonizing population, began duping and infecting the indigenous population of the country. But they gave us mashed potatoes and corn, so it's almost an even trade."

Guess who'd been talking to Willow?

[isourking.livejournal.com]

"You Americans have some strange reasons to celebrate stuff," Ron said turning on the TV to a sports program just in time to see a raw turkey land right in front of the sportscasters.

Ron shrugged it off and helped himself to some stuffing. "Of course any excuse to eat is fine by me. Rotten luck for those indigenous folk."

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

"I have two words for you," she said. "Boxing. Day. Also, you guys eat blood pudding, and bangers and mash which just sounds dirty."

[isourking.livejournal.com]

"Well at least my holiday doesn't obliterate another culture," Ron replied. "And if you think that sounds dirty you should have some spotted dick."

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

"It was almost an accident," she said defensively, then stared at him. "Ew?"

[isourking.livejournal.com]

"Don't give me that look," Ron replied. "It's an actual
dessert and I didn't name it."

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

"But...you eat it."

[isourking.livejournal.com]

"It's dessert!" Ron protested. "Don't you have some kind of food here in the states that sounds dirty but isn't?"

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

"Nope. We don't have any food that sounds like diseased body parts," she told him, happy in any ignorance she was displaying.

[isourking.livejournal.com]

"Well that's just bloody unfortunate," Ron grumbled. "Well at least your food tastes better."

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

"My food? Really?" She was perhaps understandably surprised by that.

[isourking.livejournal.com]

"Well at least all the flavor of the food isn't boiled away," Ron noted. "Or you know at least that's how most cooks who aren't my mum do it."

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, food from the land of British wasn't my favorite," she admitted. "Kind of...boring."

[the_merriest]

"Something smells awesome," Rikku declared, popping her head into the common room. "Ooooh, is this for everyone?"

Food rocked.

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

"Uh huh," she grinned, "I got bored, and hungry, and there's Thanksgiving tomorrow. Cheesecake's not ready yet. Hey, do you think cranberries can go into stuffing?"

[the_merriest]

"Is that why we don't have class?" Rikku asked, bouncing on her toes. "Cheesecake, really? Ooooh. I bet they can. Cranberries go with everything. Maybe we should put some in the cheesecake, too."

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

Even Dawn wasn't ready to put pumpkin and cranberries in the same dessert. "Maybe they can go on top, for decoration. Yup, that's why. No Thanksgiving on Spira, huh?"

[the_merriest]

"Nope," Rikku said. "I was kinda asking somebody about it, and they just said everybody goes home to eat or something. You guys have some weird holidays."

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

"The food's good, though," she pointed out.

[the_merriest]

"Hey, any holiday with food's fine by me," she grinned. "We don't have enough interesting ones. Except the ones I make up."

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

"What kind do you have, and do you make them up a lot?"

[the_merriest]

Rikku giggled. "I made up one about punching people in the face," she grinned. "I got bored and no one was reading the paper, so I just made up a holiday. It was awesome."