Have Yourself A Merry Little Whatever [Group Thread]

[River Blue Ashford]

David Rossi, the station owner, had once again outdone himself - He certainly had a knack for doing that didn't he? The man always seemed to make a point of outdoing the bash or event that he threw the previous year it was like he wanted everyone to know how well off he was... Or maybe he just wanted everyone to have a good time. River, ever the pessimist, assumed it was the prior because that's what his black dying heart laid. David had the crew do up all of the Friday Night Live stages with garland, sparkling items, twinkling lights (that threatened to make River's stomach churn), and an endless buffet of treats and snacks. Thank god (if there even was one) for the open bars on either side of the long run of stages which were both packed. River would try to avoid that group for as long as possible and from where he stood on the sidelines watching one of the bands play on the soundstage he mindlessly tapped the flask in his pocket reminding himself it was there and silently congratulating himself for bringing it. Once again he had been determined not to attend the stupid station Christmas party but a call from his agent and an email from Emmy (well her Uncle as dictated by Emmy) had him in a town car and in the venue only an hour and a half late.

He just had to make it through a few hours. That's what he kept reminding himself as he turned his back to the group and took a swing from the expensive flask and allowing the cool scotch to slide down his throat with a sting that he had become way more accustomed to than he ought to be. It was still half full. Good. He'd need every bit of it to get through this fiasco tonight.

[Deleted]

Elizabeth Collen, a new and blossoming actress. She is musically talented as well and has a lot of fun with the movie star life. When younger she just knew she wanted this. Now as time has gone on she has enjoyed herself very much. She was busy working on the cast of Our Chaotic Life. She had a lot of fun with the different actors there. She thought she might end up getting into another show in the future as its not a cast but a recurring person. 

One day she bumped into the gentleman who played USNAVI. She walked over to the actor who's name was River if she remembered correctly and smiled. "Well hello. How are you today?" She said looking at him gently.  She didn't want to make a mistake of who he was. So she didn't say his name. She looked gently at him watching how good looking he still was. All actors seemed to be the hottest people around. Thats for sure. She made sure to try to keep her appearance up and look as good as she could. 

[River Blue Ashford]

What's that? Someone was addressing him? He cut his sip short and pocketed the flask back in his blazer before turning around to see Elizabeth. He knew her name at least. They weren't exactly friends.. Then again he could count his friends on one hand. He just knew her name because of Savannah. Truth be told if it weren't for that he wouldn't have the slightest clue (or interest) even though they were all on the same freaking sitcom.. Then again she was just a cameo character and they didn't even have many scenes together. Still, if it wasn't for Savannah insisting he was being rude he wouldn't know it at all. "Liz. Hi." He grunted not really interested in exchanging pleasantries with his cast mate.. Or ever. They were all babies compared to him (sort of)! "You lost or something?" He grunted. Geeze why couldn't everyone he didn't like just leave him alone? Because that was most of the population of Earth.

"Really? Are we really doing this?" He sighed heavily already bored. "Don't you hear enough of those meaningless pleasantries throughout the halls?" He waved toward the door with his hand and helped himself to another drink from his flask. And the station always wondered why he was like this.. These naive young girls.. How could he not go absolutely bonkers with their positivity and lack of common sense?! "Why don't you go find @anna or @savannah? I think I saw them that way." He lied as he pointed. Truth was if Savannah was anywhere close she would have fwapped him upside the head hearing him talk to their cast mate like he was even if he was grumpy for a good reason.

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Elizabeth looked at him and smiled. "Hello. River right?" She asked looking at him gently. She didn't want to be mean but she felt like he was being a little stand offish, something about Elizabeth was she was really good at being all the time perky and exciting. "No, not lost just thought I would see if you need any help with anything. Do something. Can you believe that the holidays are coming up again. I am a big fan of Christmas myself. But am open to celebrate Kwansa or so on." She said looking at him.


"Yes, yes we are. Now I said how are you doing? Put a smile on your face. Cheer up its a nice day outside." She said looking at him gently and watching his hand movements she knew there was a point and a limit to how people need to be pushed. "I wasn't looking for them. Are you worried about something? Do you need to talk about it?" She said with a  smile on her face looking at him meaningful and imported with life.

[River Blue Ashford]

Really? She didn't know his name? Even if she had never been on the show that he was one of the six stars of surely as a child (she wasn't that old at all) she had seen him in a fair share of films. He was River Ashford the once child star who had fallen and was now (potentially) making a comeback. Even worse was that she was continuing to try and make conversation. God was this going to be all night? Sh**. "Are you usually this talkative?" He asked flatly taking another swig from his flask and screwing the top back on. Man he wished he could screw the nozzle back on this young thing to keep her quiet or get her to leave him alone. "And bossy? Don't tell me what to do." He asked shortly. Maybe that jab would shut her up.

"It's a sh** day outside. Every day is a sh** day in this city. You'll get that when you're older." What was with her?! "Hell no..." Time to go. If she wouldn't move he would and he did. And with that he moved past her pretending to have to be somewhere else.

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Elizabeth looked at him ever so careful and smiled. "Actually, I am normally way more talkative. Its quite fun talking its a hobby if you think about it. But singing is way more fun." She said smiling as she looked at him. She thought it was amazing how fun he was. "Oh well I don't know it seems like a great tone. I think its your perspective on things." She said looking at him carefully. When he began to walk away she followed him.


"What do you celebrate?" She asked looking at him. "Do you celebrate Christmas? Do you have family yet that you visit or come to visit you?" She asked looking at him. "Are you dating anyone?" She said looking at him carefully wondering how far she was annoying him. She just thought she would talk and keep him company.

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She loved the christmas season. Anna loved how the decorations, the carols, everything. She loved the feeling in the air and just how everything seemed so much more magical. The fact that she had a christmas party to go to was just icing on the cake. It also gave her a chance to relax and just have fun away from cameras and scripts for one night.

She showed up dressed simply only adding a santa hat to her casual look really. As she looked around she saw several faces she recognized. By the look of it River was making his usual friends.

Anna couldn’t help but bounce up to everyone as she greeted them, waving and smiling like she usually did. “Hi I love these type of parties!” She really did love these things and love how at least most people tended to be just a little nicer to each other.

[River Blue Ashford]

Way more talkative? "Now that's hard to imagine." He thought aloud in a less than thrilled voice. He didn't know her very well or even for very long, despite sharing some scenes together, but he alreadyknew that much. Was there anything more awful than this? "Oh yeah? That's nice. Maybe tell that to the band. They can probably be bothered to care about that sort of thing. Night." Perhaps he was being dramatic but at this point River would have rather been in the pits of hell being prodded by the devil himself's pitchfork than at the mercy of these young doe eyed women who believed they had the entire world at their feet for the taking. To him there was nothing more obnoxious and patience (which he had little of) testing.

"Nothing. I don't celebrate anything." He insisted lowly continuing to try and weave through the growing crowd. Geeze, she really didn't give up did she? Maybe if he was lucky her character would move away or be killed off next season then he could avoid this situation with her in the future now that she seemed to think that they were best friends. "Do you like the game twenty questions or something?" More like thousand questions. He wasn't about to answer about his dating life. That wasn't anyone's business let alone some nosey girl. And as if on cue there was Anna blocking his path and of course she was in a Santa hat. He nearly hurled. "Great." He wasn't about to hide that her arrival was the opposite of what he wanted. He just wanted to go home. "There. Here's a friend for you. I'll let you two catch up." And he tried to sneak around Anna now. Maybe she'd be more willing than Elizabeth to let him go.

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She looked at him and smiled. "I know it is, my mom thought I should have gone on talk show radio." She said smiling towards him. When he spoke that she smiled. And jumped up and down like a little kid and gave him from behind a hug. "No way thats a brillant idea!" She said smiling. With that she saw him walking away. She followed after him and looked at his back. "You don't celebrate anything, that sounds sad, is it a family thing? I know I would hate to celebrate Christmas alone but I have my parents and everyone still in my life. So it doesn't even seem real." She said smiling still.



When she said that game she jumped up again! "We are so much the same! I love the game you really need to get to know someone. Okay you ask me go on you know what you want to do!?" She said smiling when Anna came she smiled. "Hey Anna, River and I are playing twenty questions you want to play. He was about to ask me a question." She said, glancing towards River again. "River is such an amazing guy. I need to make you a homeade Happy Holidays card just for you River."

[Deleted]

In truth she had only heard part of what River had said and part of what Elizabeth. Though honestly she did hear his comment about twenty questions. From what she knew of River that probably meant things were heading in a bad direction. Especially since it kinda looked like River was running away from Elizabeth. Poor River.

“I have the feeling that River didn’t come here to play twenty questions just yet. But maybe later. I think a few people were looking for you River.” She had plenty of chances to egg River on and she certainly didn’t want him snapping at this poor woman. Better to give him an out to take for now. Though if Elizabeth did seek him out in a bit for twenty questions well, that was all on him. “But if it helps any, I’ll play along!”

[River Blue Ashford]

"You don't say.." River grunted wondering if this young actress was like a torrential downpour and would never let up. It was time to get going. Heck, that time had long passed. He just wanted to be away. "What are you doing?" He cried out suddenly out of surprise when the younger woman wrapped her arms around his waist in a hug. A hug he did not ask for nor did he want. Like some obsessed fan. He had that happen to him when he was a preteen movie star and he had been horrified. Now he was just angry even though it brought back some old memories that nearly frightened him. "Get off of me." He insisted in a snarl using his tanned hands to rip her arms out from around him. He wasn't some prop or plaything for someone's amusement, for someone's fantasy. He was flesh and bone and now incredibly pissed off. Next level.

Anna gave him an out from the juvenile game and he snagged it brushing past both women without so much as an excuse me and striding toward the bar immediately ordering a scotch on the rocks. Something strong. Medicine to get through the night's events. He officially needed it and his stash was no longer doing the trick.

[Deleted]

Isabella hadn't planned on coming to the Christmas party. For one thing, she didn't much like parties. For another, she didn't really know anyone there. As an Italian actress freshly arrived from Europe, she felt somewhat uncomfortable around the born and bred Americans that seemed to make up the vast majority of cast members in the studios many programmes. Eventually, though, she had decided that since she was going to be working with these people for an indefinite period, she might as well try and get to know them. Also, she'd heard that there would be wine.

Hence the reason why the brunette was now standing, glass securely in hand, in the middle of the action, watching the events of the party go on around her with a slightly strained smile, trying to muster the courage to go up to someone and begin a conversation. With any luck, if she put it off for long enough, someone might actually approach her.
She'd made a genuine effort for tonight. She'd bought a new dress- nothing too fancy, but it was classy, she liked it and, above all, it was on sale. A few discreet touches of makeup had completed the look and now, here she was. Standing by herself in the middle of a party, looking lost.

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She smiled towards Anna, "This lovely man suggested that I go and tell the band I can sing, and maybe sing something. Way better thoughts are running through his head that he hasn't told me yet either." She said looking at Anna, "Well if he isn't going to ask me. Do you want to ask me a question or should I ask you?" She said looking at him with a smile. And then back at Anna.When she had given a hug from the back he kind of freaked out a little. "Nothing to worry about, its how I thank people!" She said smiling.


She watched as he walked off to the bar. She turned to Anna. "Did I say something?" She looked towards Anna, "That pour girl looks lost, I think I am going to introduce myself. Come on!" She said grabbing her hand and leading her towards the lady. "Hello there, I am Elizabeth Collen,  who are you?" She said smiling as she looked at him watching carefully. 

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She gave a small sad smile that bright as Elizabeth asked about River’s Attitude. “Don’t mind him, he’s not a great people person but I think deep down he means well.” She leaned in and gave Elizabeth a hug in greeting.

Laughing Anna let herself be led towards as Elizabeth put the poor lost looking girl. Honestly she kinda loved the energy of her new companion, She was girl after Anna’s own heart. “And as my energetic friend was about to say. I”m Anna. Try not to to let our combined hyperactivity scare you. We really do mean well.”

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Isabella glanced up with some surprise as two cheerful looking women approached her. She certainly hadn't expected this, but they seemed friendly enough and so she decided to be sociable for once.
She smiled brightly and introduced herself, her Italian accent faint but still noticeable in her voice. "Hello, I'm Isabella. Isabella di Braccia. And thank you. It's nice to know that there are still some well-meaning people in the world." A hint of bitterness crept into her tone, unbidden, but she hoped that her two new acquaintances wouldn't notice. "How are you both? Hasn't it been a beautiful day?"