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Ichabod has never been particularly enamored of Christmas, which seems to be a larger-scaled affair in the hotel than he had ever experienced in his own Sleepy Hollow of two centuries prior. There were decorations aplenty, including the very German tradition of erecting a large fir tree in the midst of one's home and decorating it with little tokens and trifles. Ichabod thought this served only to get sap all over one's floors but it seems to have stuck with the people of the modern era, judging by the tree currently taking up residence in the entry hall.

A trip outside to see the gardens provides a bit of a respite from all the frippery of Christmas decorations and after a lengthy walk and a good amount of fresh air, Ichabod feels he is prepared enough to endure the onslaught once again. One of the things he recognizes upon entering is mistletoe, that bane of pretty housemaids everywhere, and he stifles a chuckle. He is not be getting caught unawares beneath it, vile weed, and pities anyone who does.

He supposes that he would be less melancholy if he had someone to indulge him in these holiday traditions, be that his beloved Katrina or even the company of Lieutenant Mills but the hotel provides no such company for him. He only knows Miss Smoak, charming girl that she is, and it is hard to feel festive and full of good cheer when he's so alone.

Still, he has enough coin to purchase a drink and he does, a thick dark ale that is the closest approximation to beer from back in his own era. It's not quite the same, but it will suffice, and hopefully it will bring warmth to his limbs and lightness to his heart.

[[Find Ichabod at the bar, being surly about Christmas.]]

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Charming has been here for far too long. His family is off in Neverland with an unscrupulous pirate, an evil queen, and too many dangers surrounding them and he's here. He's been incredibly down for a good while, but he doesn't seem to be half as upset as the man at the bar. Charming can be patient, though. He spent twenty-eight years in a coma. Being stuck in this hotel is child's play.

"Is it really so bad?" Charming asks, taking the stool beside the man.

"It is quite a bit more than I am used to," Ichabod says, trying to be more charitable about it. "In my particular era, the decorations weren't quite so prevalent."

Christmas was a day for church-going and small family gatherings, nothing like what he's seen here or in the modern Sleepy Hollow.

Charming cranes his neck around to look at the decorations adorning the hotel. "You think this is bad? You've never seen a castle during a coronation. I thought I might drown in all the decoration they insisted on having. I'm lucky I don't have allergies because the flowers alone could kill a man," he says with a warm smile. "Can I buy you a drink?" he offers. "In the Christmas spirit and all," he adds quickly, with a gesture to those prevalent decorations.

"I suppose I could concede to one Christmas drink," Ichabod says, smirking slightly. "I am Ichabod Crane. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance," he says, trying to be a bit more welcoming than before.

The people in the hotel all seemed very nice even if they were from radically different backgrounds.

He's never sure which name to give, but he has already mentioned coronations, so maybe he should go with something that isn't the shepherd boy's identity. "I'm Prince Charming," he says. "And it's not really Christmas as far as my timeline knows, but on the other hand, time's been a bit of a sticky subject for me lately."

"It was not quite Christmas in Sleepy Hollow either," Ichabod says, dipping his head in reverence. "Your Highness, forgive my earlier familiarity. I was unaware of your station and my manner of address was not befitting your title and style."

It has been quite a long time since Ichabod has crossed paths with anyone in the peerage and never with someone so powerful as a prince.

Charming blinks in shock, not having been addressed like that for a long time. "Trust me, you don't need to treat me like a prince, but it's easier than the complicated story of why I'm called something else. And even Prince Charming has a story attached," he admits. "I'm a shepherd who got in a tricky situation and wound up with a kingdom. Please, let me just buy you a drink," he pleads. "And no more salutations."

"I shall respect your wishes on the matter," Ichabod assures him.

"It's much easier not to style you, anyway, so you have saved me the trouble. I cannot help but be pleased about that."

Charming offers a grin, happy to meet someone that he doesn't know, but definitely doesn't look like someone from Neverland (even though he maybe, potentially, has a bit of Hook look to him). "So, what's a man like you doing in a bar like this on a day like today?"

"Trying to absolve myself of guilt from shirking my responsibilities," Ichabod points out, sighing a little. It's not something he's used to, being idle, and he thinks he will need to find gainful employment soon if he means to continue in this hotel without return to Sleepy Hollow.

"I suppose it's no fault of my own that I am stuck."

"Then I owe you two drinks," Charming announces, eyes widening at the serendipity of meeting someone like this, by coincidence. "You can join the ever-dismal club of people who are stuck here against their will when there's work to be done elsewhere. What's your poison?"

"Ale is the closest to what I am used to in my own world," he says, smile a little brighter than it had been. "So ale will more than suffice for a shared drink."

"Ale is perfect," Charming says, because it's close to his own heart, too. "I mean, I have memories of beer," he admits, tapping his temple. "Except that they're not very fond ones. I guess even magic can't account for taste."

"No, I suppose it could not," he says, laughing lightly.

"A year ago, I would have said magic did not exist. Now I know better, if only because I have seen it with my own two eyes. I know now not to discount things out of hand."

On the farm, there hadn't been much magic filtering through his life, but it had always been there on the outskirts as a constant. "I've lived in a world without magic for some time, but I'll tell you that there's drawbacks to that, too, especially when there's an imbalance of power."

"What sort of things have you seen, then?"

"Demons and and a great battle between good and evil," Ichabod explains. He feels comfortable enough sharing it here, so far from Sleepy Hollow.

"Things I never would have believed in before."

"I see it's a common problem, then." Not that he's ever had to deal with demons, but the Evil Queen is a demonical behemoth of her very unique own. "Can I ask the obvious question? Is that why you're hiding out here? I mean, unless there's a good reason, rushing back to face those kinds of things isn't a real enticing thing to do."

"I actually have been barred from returning. My attempts at the door have yielded no results," Ichabod says. It's something he is ashamed of, honestly, because he hates knowing others are watching and waiting for his return.

It's strange how this seems to happen to certain people. Charming can do whatever he'd like apparently because doors will open to Storybrooke and the Enchanted Forest, but only for so long and never to where he wants. He needs to be back aboard the Jolly Roger with his family before something happens to him. "That sounds like I should buy you more than another drink, then. You deserve a pitcher."

"I am afraid being publicly intoxicated will do none of us any good. It is best if I indulge in moderation," Ichabod says with an easy laugh.

"Otherwise, I may end up in a sorry state indeed."

"I've done my fair share of carrying people when they're soused beyond the telling of it," Charming promises, though usually it's only at the local tavern when the neighbours end up drinking too much and are a hazard to the local animals. "I promise, even if we're only newly met, I wouldn't let you greatly embarrass yourself in public."

"You are a good man," Ichabod says, pleased that he can relax a little in his presence. Not too much, as even good men can be not what they seem but given he hasn't seen much of the horsemen's influence in the hotel, he feels safe enough.

"A man should always have someone he trusts in this regard because you never know when you might overimbibe."

"Where I come from, it's not always so black and white, but I've been lucky enough to have two good women to steer my morals to where they belong." Between his mother and Snow, he's learned to be open and to forgive, to give people their second chance, and to hope with all his heart. "So, what sort of demons are you dealing with, then?"

"The biblical sort, quite literally," Ichabod admits.

"I wish it were a more metaphorical sort."

"I'm fairly sure no one deserves demons, literal or metaphorical," Charming says gently, drinking with a swiftness that comes of being in a terrible situation. "Mine were...well, I don't know. Not demons, exactly, but dark things, indeed."

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