He tried his best to sneak in without too much fanfare, which, granted, wasn't easy because it wasn't a big place and there were quite a few people already there by the time he arrived. Preston was not familiar with this type of Christmas tradition and perhaps the only reason he came was because he'd learnt that he ought to bring a present for this festive occasion, and that seemed like a good excuse to cover up the guilt of nearly shooting Beauty before dropping bombshells that compelled him to get something nice for her.
It wasn't wearing a suit that made him feel awkward, showing up like this, but the fact that the guns wouldn't fit inside the sleeves. Which didn't mean to say he showed up unarmed, of course - one should always be prepared for... unnatural disasters - but his forearms felt very bare this night.
Even as dinner was served, John kept to himself and spent most of his time seated close to the fire (the only thing that felt like home, and perhaps for all the wrong reasons), inspecting the food he'd decided to put on his plate cautiously before taking a few small bites.
While he looked like he might pull a gun on anyone who would dare to assault him with small talk, confetti or puff pastry, he was actually rather responsive to neighbouring verbal stimulation when he wasn't staring at the rather curious, bedazzling blue object Beauty called Abraham Sapien.