gloriouscurse | If you are really thankful, what do you do? You share. [Thanksgiving Day in the City]

Never had Regina had an abundance to be thankful for. Henry, of course, she was glad every day for him. Under the curse they'd had this holiday together, though it had always been just them, and after it broke the holidays had fallen to the wayside as event after event happened in Storybrooke. Then there was the year spent back in the forest, and though everyone knew what it was, there hadn't been much to celebrate. Or if anyone had, Regina certainly hadn't taken part in the festivities. She'd had nothing but newfound vengeance. In her life before, there was no such thing as 'Thanksgiving' and the last large meal she'd had, the last grand gathering, had been the king's birthday and she couldn't have cared less if she tried.

This year is different. This year there's family and friends of the family and things to celebrate. There's Henry getting to have a holiday with all three of his parents, there's Robin and Roland and a happiness that has managed to settle into Regina's belly and slowly allow her to relax. She hasn't had a terrible dream in weeks, and maybe she's started to let herself believe that this could be how her life is. She finds herself wanting it, the warmth Cora's home never allowed for, the laughter she's denied herself, and so she works hard at it, cooking and baking. Henry's with her in the kitchen in the morning after spending the day before hunting wild turkey with Robin. There are appetizers out by eleven: parmesan and cream cheese pumpkin puffs, deviled eggs and veggies with homemade dip. The wine and drinks are flowing by noon, and at three, dinner is served with traditional fare: turkey and stuffing, mashed and sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, real cranberry sauce and everything in between. She'd urged her guests to bring food they enjoyed too. Dessert is during mid-cleanup and includes Henry's no-bake pumpkin pie, an apple pie, pecan, and sweet potato.

The dull chatter in the room, the occasional laughter and the noise of whatever people watched on television during Thanksgiving all lended itself to make her step back and watch for a moment, eyes suspiciously damp. She's truly thankful, because she never thought she'd have this.

[ooc: Treat as gathering! Lots of mingling and tagging one another.]

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The kimono that Yuuko wears may be anything but traditional, but the sweets that she brings to dinner are, even if they aren't what might traditionally be expected at an American style Thanksgiving.

Still, Yuuko's always loved mixing a bit of the unfamiliar in whenever possible.

"Happy Thanksgiving, Agatha," she replies in turn, lowering the dish that she has in hand. "Care for a sweet?"

"They look so pretty," Aggie says, picking up a pink flower thoughtfully. "What are they made of? Is it that chewy rice flour?" She can't remember the name specifically, but she remembers that she'd liked it before.

"What do you think of the holiday?"

"Some of them are made of mochi, yes. Others are baked and formed from regular wheat flour. They are called wagashi," Yuuko explains, lowering the plate slightly once Agatha has made her pick. The diminutive size won't fill anyone up on the sweets, but there are enough other dishes that Yuuko figures the size will likely be appreciated more than resented.

"The holiday is lovely. Such an outpouring of positive emotions and sentiment in these couple of days. Though I do hear that the shopping gets rather fierce tomorrow," she muses, tapping her lip in thought. "Are you having a good time?"

"I brought bread made from corn meal," Aggie says, nodding toward the buffet table where she'd placed the bowl.

"And yes. As long as no one asks me about pilgrims."

"Did you make it yourself? I'll have to try it," Yuuko remarks with a smile. She's glad to see Agatha in good spirits today, surrounded by a large group of people who all appreciate her and enjoy her company.

"Hopefully people realize that the picture painted of pilgrims during the creation of Thanksgiving wasn't precisely accurate. If they could have been easily placated with a bit of food, we'd live in quite a different world today."

Aggie nods, flushing up a little with pride. "Yeah. I made a lot. Hopefully not too much."

Her pride turns to antipathy at the suggestion. "They always thought they were being goo and pure, but really thy were awful."

"Well, it isn't uncommon for people to have distorted impressions of themselves. For them to see a reflection entirely different than what's there in the mirror," murmurs Yuuko, who makes her way over to the table of food, next to the dish that Aggie indicated.

"Do you recommend eating the cornbread directly, or should I be spreading something on it?" she asks, tilting her head, smile widening.

"I do butter sometimes. Or plain, both are good." She doesn't acknowledge the first part of what Yuuko says, knowing that she's not immune from distorted impressions. In the end, they're what had made her so powerful but so, so angry.

"How are things with Barbara? That's the name of your guardian, yes?" Yuuko asks, reaching for a knife to cut the piece of cornbread judiciously in half, one to eat plain, the other to enjoy with butter. It's still warm enough to slowly melt the better that Yuuko's spread on top, and Yuuko doesn't doubt that she'll enjoy the food a great deal.

"This smells wonderful," she murmurs, lifting it up to take a small bite. "And tastes twice as good."

"She's good," Aggie says comfortably. She leans over and points out the back of Barbara's head, in case Yuuko wants to say hello.

"Thank you. I made it from a real pilgrim recipe...only I made it taste good."

The ease with which Aggie speaks of Yuuko sounds indicative of a fair degree of trust between the two of them. It's good stability for someone like Aggie to have. A calm in the storm, a supportive relationship, after so many years of turmoil and of being wholly shunned for being different. Yuuko's eyes rest on Barbara for a brief while, wondering what the experiences were that enable Barbara to be such a good guardian.

But of course, a glance alone won't tell her much.

"You should do that with all pilgrim recipes. You could even open a restaurant, at this rate," Yuuko compliments Aggie, taking another bite of the cornbread. It is good. Substantial and not too dry.

If you are really thankful, what do you do? You share. [Thanksgiving Day in the City]

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