Logs:You crown the year with your bounty; your wagon tracks overflow with richness.

You crown the year with your bounty; your wagon tracks overflow with richness.
Dramatis Personae Kitty, Leo, Marinov
In Absentia	2023-01-25 "If I belong to any religion, it's 'universal celebrationist'."
Location <PRV> Kitty and Marinov's Apartment {Cathaus} - Lower East Side
This high ceiling, fourth floor apartment is on its way to being well lived in. The walls are a light cream colour, the spotless hardwood floors stained a rich red-brown. The door opens into the living room, always bright with natural light coming in the windows or the glow of the twin pink rock salt lamps nestled on the one of the sills. Small succulents and other resilient, cat-safe houseplants dot the windowsills and nearby surfaces – one on the low coffee table between the faux-leather couch and the television mounted on the wall, another on a brushed-metal ladder bookshelf squeezed into a corner. There are no rugs, nothing that can collect fur, but the couch and floor are both covered in pillows. In a corner, wedged between the wall and the bookshelf, is a stack of protest signs, the majority gathered from the long year of Jackson Holland's imprisonment. On the wall opposite the television, there is a framed poster of the Cat’s Eye Nebula from an astrophysics conference. To the left of this space is a small kitchen, just large enough to fit two people in it, if one of them can walk through other people. To the right is a small hallway, leading to the washroom and two bedrooms. The nearer bedroom door has a small blue mezuzah on the doorframe, newly fastened to the wood, and a ceramic hamsa attached to the center of the door. It's an eclectic mix of Half-hearted Holiday Vibes in here -- there is a menorah, still covered with wax-drip on the arms, waiting impatiently by the sink to be cleaned; a cardboard box full of Variously Themed wrapping paper that has yet to be recycled; A single red ornament hanging from one of the houseplants like the tree in Charlie Brown; a red and gold 2023 calendar hung up in the entryway wall, themed with rabbits and advertising Lunar New Year Sales at their local Asian market. There is a bowl of White Rabbit candies on the counter. Kitty is also looking a little Eclectic as well -- on top, a navy blue peter-pan collar blouse with gold edged enamel planet pins connected by a gold chain, her face carefully made up in a Natural Look; on bottom, flannel pyjama pants and fuzzy yellow socks. There is a dent in her untied hair that looks an awful lot like where headphones might sit. The Magen David that usually sits on her collarbone is absent. Whatever she was doing before their guest arrived seems irrelevant now -- right now she's raiding the cupboards for Hosting Snacks, jerky in one hand and a bag of Sweet Corn Chips in the other. "...tea would you like tea I can put the kettle on," Kitty is saying, "and there was a buy one get one on swiss rolls at Sunrise Mart do you like? Swiss rolls? I know they're more of a Hong Kong thing but --" Whatever the 'but' was going to be about is forgotten as she sweeps by the entranceway to deposit her bounty on the coffee table. To her roommate, "-- the lighter one has no chocolate in it for sure but I could not figure out if the checkered one is chocolate or coffee flavoured." Leo has only just shed his (very wet; outside it is evidently Quite Miserable) silver-gray car coat black dress boots (laced currently in red); beneath he's in thankfully much drier spread collar shirt in lustrous vermilion silk with abstract bats embroidered in gold along the cuffs and hem and deep indigo slim-fit jeans, a sleek black waxed canvas messenger bag recently dropped off his shoulder and now held at one side. The semi-permanent kind-of-pale kind-of-haggard look that has been etched into his features of late has been pushed fully aside in favor of a fond bemusement as he drifts in Kitty's wake, fetching up against a counter to set his bag down beside the snacks. "I --" There is some Serious Contemplation happening as he opens up his bag -- Tea? Swiss Rolls? One of these things is scrunching his brows, as if he himself is not sure. That he ultimately answers an inconclusive, "Yes," is perhaps not the Most Best helpful. He adds after this, a touch anxiously: "I brought. Presents." And then, in case it wasn't clear: "For the New Year." "Eh, well, if it's not one thing, it's another," laments Marinov, "Not gonna roll the dice on needing a hospital stay. It's rare that I enjoy any kind of sweets anyways." They are wearing the t-shirt of what must be a local band ('Brick and the Mutant Garbagemen') with a blazer over it, and a skirt designed to look like it is torn around the edges. "Though if you put tea on, make sure that kettle is full full for me," they instruct in addition. They had hopped over from their position on the couch shortly after the door has opened, and is now inspecting the bags to help get everything to where it needs to be. Their ears, however, perk at the mention of presents. "Oooh, presents-- do they celebrate the lunar new year in the Philippines? If I'd known, I might have--" They turn their hand a couple of times to let the end of the sentence be implied. The whirlwind snack tour pauses for just a moment as Kitty looks over her boyfriend sans coat, just a bit of a flush rising in her cheeks. Recovers gamely by pushing up onto her toes and giving him a quick peck on the cheek before returning her attention to the kettle. "They don't," Kitty calls back to Marinov confidently, "like Japan doesn't either." A beat while she opens the fridge for the cake, closes it again, and looks up at Leo with an anxious frown. "Um. Unless I am completely wrong? Because then why would you bring presents." "Please don't become hospital...ed." Leo looks up from where he has been drawing two small boxes from his bag, both neatly wrapped in heavy red paper with stylized gold rabbits dancing across the surface. One has a small neat gold bow and a little tag, the other a card in a red and gold envelope tucked under its ribbon. "Oh -- not all -- but, well -- yes, we celebrate --" Even as Kitty is saying they don't he is beginning this answer but breaks off in some puzzlement. He's holding out one of the presents (the one with the tag -- it reads, in his careful writing, "Marinov -- Did you know the rabbit is the queerest year in the zodiac? May this year bring you ever more health, prosperity, and style.") to Marinov though his hand is absently starting to lower as he looks to Kitty, a little confused: "-- wait, if you thought we didn't --" Now he is looking to the rabbit-themed New Year calendar, the white rabbit candies. "Huh." Marinov's eyes widen a little as they reach to receive the box. They trace their finger over the dancing rabbits, "Geez, so freaking cute!" Their head tilts back and then the box is raised nearer to their face to inspect the tag. "I feel like rabbit's gonna be my year. And I learned this year that in Vietnam, it is year of the cat? So I'm gonna have all kind of animals at my back!" They're careful to slice any adhesive with their claw so that the paper does not get damaged. "What makes rabbit extra queer, though? Like, is there a sto-" They finish opening up the box, pulling a handcarved wooden comb with a capiz shell inlay. They examine it quietly for a few moments, expression inscrutable. After a few seconds pass, they brush it across the fur past their right cheek, their tail curling up in delight. "Thank you! I fucking-- I have to spend so much time combing, you have no idea, and this is lovely." Their right eye shuts as they pass it through their fur a couple more times. Kitty's eyes are going wide as Leo's response finally reaches her brain, her mouth just a little open with confusion. Looks at the calendar when Leo does. Looks back at him with a red flush burning on her cheeks. "I just," she begins meekly, "really like the food. The calendar was free, and it's nice!" She is starting to open her mouth to explain to Marinov about the rabbit, then shuts it again. “I didn’t realize you did celebrate, I would have decorated more. And get you something.” She does emerge from the kitchen now, cream-filled sponge cakes on a plate with a knife, and cranes to look at the comb. “Oh that’s gorgeous.” "You are double blessed this year, then." Leo's face is absolutely not inscrutable, much though he tries to stop the widening of his eye and slight furrowing of his brow as he anxiously watches Marinov open their present. The relieved breath he exhales when their tail curls up is small but audible, his expression relaxing into a faint smile. "More than -- one story. In Chinese folk religion the patron deity of gay people is Tu Shen -- the bunny god. And also, rabbits are not very. Sexually dimorphic, which -- there's a sort of. Famous -- poetic quote from Mulan. About not being able to tell male rabbits from female. It has become a whole -- thing, among -- well, lots of --" He has a very faltering hesitation before he settles uncertainly on, "us." Leo has started fidgeting with the ribbon on the second package somewhere in here, but catches himself when it starts to loosen, blushing and carefully, precisely setting it back into place. "Why wouldn't I -- most Chinese -- I mean. Being away from my family is a little -- but I still wanted -- we used to --" he fumbles, a little wistfully. "Oh!" Here he offers Kitty her box, his smile shy despite coming up on Almost A Year of properly being her boyfriend. "This one is yours." The card inside the red envelope is a simple one, paper that looks handmade, a watercolor on one side of a starry night sky. On the other, in fountain pen that has very slightly bled in places, Kitty, Jade is a very auspicious stone -- as a gift for New Year, it's meant to foster luck, and hope. I believe it, too. My nanay sent me my lola's jade pendant last New Year and February brought me you, absolutely the brightest star in my world. I can only hope that this year brings you as much joy and abundance as you bring to my life. I love you. Leo To add to Kitty's comments, Marinov notes, "I'll pretty much take any opportunity to be festive. If I belong to any religion, it's 'universal celebrationist'. If I get to eat stuff with friends, learn some things-- like about gay bunny god Tu Shen-- and watch some lions dancing to boot, that's some good shit. So thanks for sharing." They turns their gaze over towards Kitty, idly brushing through some of the fur on their forearm with the newly received comb, though they add, "And the new calendar isn't bad." Kitty looks a little bit like she’s committing the Tu Shen lore to memory, head tilted slightly to the side as Leo continues. Her eyes only go a touch wider at us, then a lot wider at Chinese. “Oh- oh- I’m sorry way back when you said you weren’t Chinese I must have just — I will,” she tries to recover, “get you something.” Her face is burning now as she glances over at Marinov and mouths ‘help’. Her face is still flushed red when she takes the offered present, runs her fingertips over the gold rabbits. “It’s almost too pretty to open.” This doesn’t actually stop her from peeling the wrapping paper off the box and opening it. Stares at the bangle inside, mouth forming a perfect “O” of surprise. Sets the box down for a moment to open the card, her expression soft with affection. When she’s finished reading she hugs the card to her chest. “It’s — this — is beautiful, thank you, I…” At this point she decides to give up on words and just hug Leo, instead. "I --" Leo pauses -- for once, here, his hesitation does not look anxious, only thoughtful. "-- am Chinoy when I am in the Philippines, and Filipino when I am here. I am Chinese," here, his smile slips just a little bit wry, "but not in the way that most white people have mean, these past years, to say, a plant from the PRC government sent to kill Americans with disease. Just -- you know. Me. Not my passport, or my political affiliation, or my terrorist proclivities. Purely Filipino-grown terrorisms only." He is very earnest in his assurance of this. His smile is easier at the hug; he returns it, fierce, and is looking uncharacteristically relaxed when he separates and leans back against the counter; no restless fidget, no involuntary clench in his shoulders, his weight settled in a way where he doesn't look perched in preparation to get up and run. "I am," he says to them softly, "very glad for the opportunity. To be festive with you." "Ohh," says Marinov in realization, "I had no idea that you were Chinese as well, I am probably like. Super fucking oblivious, I guess. I'll remember it next year, though!" Their finger taps against the side of their head, as if trying to push that information in. They bow their head in acknowledgement, "And with the amount of luck I've got coming at my back, it's gonna be a year to celebrate!" Kitty nods along with Marinov's response. "And now that we know, we can deck out this place properly for --" she pauses, scrunching up her nose. "-- You might have to tell me which festivals you do celebrate, actually. I should probably stop assuming." Self-reflection complete and hug ended, Kitty grabs the bangle and slips aroundthrough the furniture to show Marinov up close. "I think it'll go with anything but maybe I can borrow your style brilliance anyway?" She phases it on, carefully lining up the bangle around her left wrist, where it fits so snugly it hardly moves after placement.. "Between your lucky year, my lucky jade -- nu, our lucky jades," this addition with a beaming look at Leo, "I think we are sure to find plenty excuses to celebrate. Together."