EVENT ★ WINTER WONDERLAND

[futurologists]

HOLIDAY PREPWORK The sun might still be AWOL, but that doesn't mean it's time for a vacation! The goblin community seems even more motivated to get their holiday preparations together, working tirelessly to brighten up the grim atmosphere. To that end, they've enlisted the help of the ALASTAIR recruits that've been bumming around. Characters that signed up will be invited or roped into the goblins' various holiday traditions and events. Though they may refuse or fail these tasks, for every one that isn't accomplished, characters will suffer one effect from the curses list for upsetting the holiday balance. Note that those that didn't sign up can still help with tasks out of the goodness of their hearts, they just won't be assigned anything themselves or suffer any curses. Additionally, though PCs are magically bound to work with some partners, they may team up with others as well. GREETINGS FROM LLOYD ALASTAIR sends their holiday tidings! Some characters will find special deliveries addressed to them by name from the mysterious Lloyd of HR. The packaging might be messy and overtaped, and some of the gifts are less nice than others, but it's the thought that counts. MISTLESNOW The first snowfall of the year arrives, and though this may not bode well when there's no sun to melt it away, for now it's pristine and beautiful. Flurries and gentle snowstorms continue for days, blanketing all of Chantes and the outskirts. With it comes a uniquely magical weed epidemic. Mistletoe grows off every surface it can, stems and shrubs of it creeping off of anything it can cling to, including trees, archways, lanterns and buildings. This parasitic plant is a notorious holiday tradition, but in Chantes it packs an extra punch: when two characters step under it together, they'll find themselves magically rooted in place. Mistletoe's spell can only be broken by a kiss, and while chaste exchanges usually work (kisses to the hand, butterfly or eskimo kisses, etc.), more stubborn weeds do exist. This effect lasts until characters smooch or the weed dies from lack of sustenance, which could be anywhere between several hours to a full day. Mistletoe can be destroyed by a third party in a pinch, but be careful not to get stuck under the plant as well! As an OOC note, feel free to be creative on the range and strength of the mistletoe, but please respect other players' boundaries! If you would like to break the mistletoe with a hearty handshake or have your character be immune, be our guest. HAPPY HOLIDAYS All the hustle and bustle aside, the festivities themselves are peaceful and joyous -- and thanks to the ALASTAIR recruits, not punctuated with death or ominous Chimera motifs this time. A large bonfire continues all night with food and mulled wine aplenty. It's time to kick back, make some snow angels, and relax.

Comments

Sieglinde Sullivan | Kuroshitsuji | OPEN

[grunehexe]

A ⚝ TIME FOR OPERATION [OPEN TO HOUSE GUESTS*]

[Bzzt. Bzzt. Bzzt.

The annoying sound of alarm buzzes fills the main room, and the source... is the game board Sieglinde is bent over on the floor, biting on her tongue and brow furrowed in concentration as she carefully moved the tweezers toward the illustrated man and the hole in his body to remove the tiny piece of plastic only to-

Bzzt.]

This is nonsensical! Is this some sort of joke device?

[What was the deal with this thing??? And was someone at the door?]

B ⚝ MISTIL [OTA**]

[This was exceedingly troublesome. Mainly for the fact that Sieglinde's tiny boots were glued in place, her knees were quaking with the strain of remaining upright as long as she had so far, and it was cold. Sure, she was bundled up, but she'd only popped out of the house to visit the apothecary downstairs... and her chatelaine, with the ALASTAIR device installed, was with her old dress upstairs, not the newer garments Sebastian had made for her.

She couldn't see any magic seals... but perhaps they were under the snow? Or traced on the leaves of the mistletoe above her head? (Note to self: harvest later) Either way, her teeth are chattering, her knees were knocking... and she's stuck outside the apothecary no matter how much she struggles to move.

Play it cool, Sieglinde... At the sound of someone approaching, though, she can't help but turn at the hip and look up a bit too expectantly.]

Ah- !

C ⚝ GATHER ROUND THE BONFIRE [OTA]

[Deep into mulled wine, pleasantly warm by the bonfire, and nuzzled up against an admittedly very queer skull-faced beast, wearing one of the ugliest sweaters you may have ever seen over her dress... Sieglinde actually looks rather giddy with enjoying the unmarred festivities.

It's either that, or the drinks.]

This is even better than winter sabbat! - do you celebrate it?

[Teach her your peculiar holiday ways.]

----------------

* this is open to anyone who might stop by, whether it be roommates, patients in for check ups, the people she's offered to teach about herbs, etc.
** she's young, so let's keep all contact G-rated (kisses to hand, cheek, forehead, etc) please and thanks

C!

[dearkafka]

[With food and drink being passed around, Kaneki's kept his attention focused on the fire. The smell of wood burning was driving the worst of it away, though, having worked several hours in the kitchen today (largely out of obligation; it was so difficult to say "no" when asked), this was a respite in comparison.

He'd had to wave off several offers of plates of food and glasses of wine, claiming feeling sick or tired or something in-between. It was easy enough to believe; the guy had a weary look in his eyes, though it tended to persist.

He's been looking at the others gathered around the bonfire occasionally, so it's not like he's missed the young girl sitting with a cup of wine a short distance away. He hasn't really made an effort of saying anything about it—not until she addresses him with a question. Or, well, he's pretty sure it was him. There's not really anyone else in the vicinity she had looked when speaking.]

Oh - um. [He shakes his head.] No, I can't say I've ever heard of it...

[He eyes the beast she rests against, tugging at one of his sleeves absent-mindedly.] It seemed more like Christmas to me, but... [There were certainly differences, not the least of which being they were in a different universe than home.]

[grunehexe]

[A bit too deep in her cups, (not that it took so very many cups to make an eleven year old tipsy), some of the signs of discomfort her conversation partner was sending out went unnoticed. She's absolutely stuffed herself, at least, so she's not eating any longer (for now).

Instead, she's more interested in her fellow bonfire loungers, kicking out her tiny feet as she made herself more comfortable against the sleepy beast, who performed its equivalent of a lazy eye open and close, the eerie red lights in the back of its skull illuminating dimly then going black again.]

Oh, a Christian! You must be enjoying the festivities!

[They partied hard during the Christ's Mass, last she was aware.]

[dearkafka]

[It was a social gathering, so Kaneki would be a little uneasy regardless. He'd never had Hide's aplomb for such things, always stuck to the guy's side whenever he was dragged away from a quiet room and a book to whatever gathering Hide had guilted him in coming to. At least it had quieted down from when the food had initially been served; many of the goblins and recruits were sinking into drink and sleep, though Kaneki would be wide awake for some time.

He's looking at the skull-faced beast, thinking that the red pupils standing out in the dark pits of its eye sockets looked something like kakugan, when Sieglinde speaks up again. His attention is diverted back to her sharply, sitting up straight in an instant.]

O - Oh, I'm actually - not. [A bit stammered. Of course he knew the origins of the holiday, but that wasn't exactly how it was treated back home.] I mean, well, I am enjoying them, but not really for... religious reasons...

[They sure do party hard during Christ's Mass, but for different reasons than she might think.]

It's a holiday back home, but not everyone who celebrates it is Christian, actually...

[underthings]

[ There's nothing wrong with enjoying a little mulled wine. Or, a lot in Dorian's case. It's, perhaps, one of the only good things about this whole... ridiculous fiasco so far. In fact, he's going so far as to contemplate how he can pilfer some and keep in his room for later use. Because there is always a need for later use.

At any rate, he's made himself comfortable by the fire, sitting as close as he dares to leech the warmth for a while longer before making the trek back to his quarters. How he seems to manage to find the people in this strange place with attachments to furry beasts is beyond him, but it's his lot in life, apparently. This one is definitely peculiar, but he's managed to keep his questions at bay. For now, though they're likely coming soon enough.

He takes a pull from the current drink in his hand and regards the girl with a curious look. ]

I'm afraid I'm not familiar with this sabbat. What is that?

[grunehexe]

[If there was ever a thing that Sieglinde enjoyed, it was imparting knowledge on others- something only eclipsed by her curiosity towards learning entirely new things from others- or books, she'd mostly had books.

For her whole life she'd been taught that the outside world despised witches, raised on bedtime stories of the witch trials and torture methods, so she'd never imagined being able to talk about it with an outsider... but no one in ALASTAIR's employ had yet to react negatively to the news of what she was.

Let alone that she'd probably had more mulled wine than an eleven year old should, genius brain or not. (Her tolerance was for beer, not this delightfully spicy grape wine.)]

A celebration of witches- there is a ritual for the goddess, sacrifices, a banquet, of course... dancing, and merriment...

[She kicks her legs a bit happily, and with the size of her bound feet it was obvious she wasn't doing any dancing herself, at least, the beast behind her sleepily yawning and readjusting the lay of its head.]

- do you not celebrate the solstice in your land?

[underthings]

[ So it seems they have that in common. Dorian does so love sharing his knowledge with whoever will listen. ...Or even those who won't. Much time goes into his research, so he often sees no reason why he can't discuss it with someone, anyone. Knowledge is a gift he doesn't mind giving or receiving. Even as he gets older each year he's still learning and finds it utterly fascinating that there is still much he can know.

When Sieglinde explains a little more of what sabbat actually is, Dorian can't pretend to hide the way his brows arch toward his hairline. A celebration of witches? What an odd thing. Tevinter would certainly enjoy the idea, but the rest of Thedas... not so much. Still, a smile eventually works its way over his lips as he watches her own enjoyment transform her. ]

Sounds like quite the party. [ Truthfully, it sounds like any magister's fête. Minus the ritual for a goddess, anyway. ] But, no, we do not. Where I come from, most of the world isn't quite sure how to handle magic. Fear begets fear and so on—nasty business.

[ But there is literally zero point in discussing Thedas' history with magic right now when things are supposed to be happy. ]

We have a celebration called Satinalia. It's a weeks long celebration that is appropriately followed by a week of fasting. Though, that is something that slips the mind from time to time. There are dozens of parties and feasts. And, should one feel so inclined, gift giving as well.

B

[jamminshield]

[Steven was humming a random Christmas carol to himself, but he stopped when he noticed Sieglinde.]

Sieglinde? [Something seems up, so Steven quickly draws in close to her, looking very concerned.] Are you alright? What's wrong?!

[grunehexe]

[It was Steven... ! Sieglinde was glad to find it wasn't a stranger, at least, to find her in such a compromised position, tiny boots quaking in the snow and still rocking back and forth only to find that really wasn't doing anything and her feet weren't going anywhere.]

Steven- you have come to my rescue.

[She definitely felt like a rescue at the moment, teeth chattering a bit as she pointed to the ground in a circle around her.]

I believe I have stepped into a magical trap of some kind... Be careful, but- is there any sigil beneath this snow?

[If she bent down to check for herself she couldn't reach, let alone then stand up again.]

[jamminshield]

[He's wearing a puffy jacket and mittens adorned with a kitten pattern, frost on his breath as he looks over the scene in concern. He doesn't think to look up.]

I have? ...I mean, I have! [Got to be the knight in shining armor.]

A magical trap? That sounds like serious business. Don't worry, I'll do my best. And you'll be out of there before you can say... um... Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious! [And so he leans forward, starting to push some of the snow to the side, several feet from her.]

a pretend he's here for herbs!!

[viscontree]

Looks that way.

[Julius points at the operation board and looks at it in disgust. It's completely nonsensical. How else would you describe that?]

If you hit this button it makes a strange noise. I've never seen anything like it before in my life. [The future is a really bleak place with no games.]

How about you?

Yes good

[grunehexe]

Neither have I...

[The past in an isolated German village that served as a front for a super secret military chemical project was equally bleak, unfortunately.

Sieglinde has the tweezers in hand, staring down intently at a ridiculously shaped "bone" in one of the holes on the caricature of a man, carefully... Carefully... Lowering them in order to grab it only for the game to BZZZT when she hit the side, making her expression puff out in frustration.]

This thing- !!

[She thrust the tweezers at him indignantly.]

You attempt it- perhaps it is faulty.

[Or you just suck at Operation, Sieglinde.]

[viscontree]

We don't know what this contraption is capable of.

[Julius accepts the pair of tweezers from Sieglinde and frowns a little at the operation board. It makes another BZZZ sound. He's bad at operation too apparently. ]

I'm afraid to admit that I'm at a loss of words. It's not speaking in morse code is it?

[Where's the hidden message???]

C

[unoradinary]

[Ran herself seems pretty merry herself, but she hasn't really been drinking - she's just really enjoying everything, small hiccups here and there aside.]

Eh? Well, around this time my dad and I tend to be up in the mountains.

There's no greater challenge than surviving harsh winter conditions, y'know? So I guess that's kind of an annual thing we do.

[grunehexe]

You go out into the mountains for fun?

[That seemed odd by Sieglinde's standards of fun, but she was well aware that the people of the outside world were an odd and varied bunch...

But her question was a bit hard to understand, seeing as she asked it around a mouthful of pie.]

[unoradinary]

[What...did she say...

Time to guess to the best of her ability?!]

No, no, we didn't shower in fountains then dry in the sun, we went to the mountains and climbed them for fun!

b-ish? I'm basically wildcarding you for snowballs, lets do it

[counterattacked]

[Ah, okay. He's seen this around town by now. Some poor soul stuck under the magical influence of a pain in the ass plant growing above her head. Eren spots Sieglinde's festive distress from his perched on the top of a nearby building. (What the hell is he doing up there?) It's going to take him a minute to find a good angle to cut the plant down, so he calls out first to alert her to his presence.]

Hold on—

[He follows this up with casually stepping off the side of the building.

Before he falls very far there's a sharp snapping noise, and a pair of cables fire from the odd mechanism at his hips. Thus anchored, he rappels down the side of the wall to pull a visible vine away from the mouth of the alley.]

Can you move yet?

[grunehexe]

[Eren was flying.

Well, no, he wasn't, and she recognized that a moment later, but there was a split second of pure wonder on her face before the more observant part of her brain picked out the wires, where they anchored into the wall.]

What are-

[She definitely wasn't going anywhere, knees knocking a bit in strain from standing unsupported for so long, following as Eren moved and pulled the- the mistil?

Once it was out from over her head, Sieglinde's struggles actually resulted in movement, unexpected, which sent her flat on her rear in the snow. Her gaze didn't move from Eren above her though, blinking a moment before-]

The mistil!

[That was the cause of the spell???]

[counterattacked]

[Ah, success. Good, he wasn't positive that was going to work, to be honest. He braces his feet against the building and holds the handful of green out for her to see from where he's hanging. (Hopefully this is the last of it because he's in a stupid position to get caught under it. Sieglinde is way too short to reach him up here, and this probably isn't a great time to try to recreate that one scene from spiderman.)]

It's growing all over. [Mistil, mistletoe. Close enough.] If you get stuck under it with someone it won't let up unless you kiss 'em.

[Which is, to be frank, pretty stupid and makes no sense, but. Magic. Eren is not a romantic, and had gone for the slightly more hack and slash route of freeing her.]

C

[dailydouble]

[ While the beast earns little more than a glace, that sweater is hideous. There's slightly more emotion on Ahad's face than is usual, as he stares at it in a vaguely horrified way. It's offensive to the eyes.

Nonetheless, he will still nod to Sieglinde in greeting. ]

Winter sabbat or...whatever this is?

[grunehexe]

[Though Sieglinde herself has little idea about clothing from after the 15th century, still wearing a gown beneath the sweater and her hair in her hennin... Even she could guess that this might just be an Unsightly Sweater. Still, it had been a gift, and she would be remiss not to show appreciation...

But really, it was warm, and at the moment that's all that counted for her, nestling into the broad side of the beast behind her and cradling a half full cup of mulled wine.]

The sabbat!

[Since he called it "whatever this is", he obviously didn't know this world's, after all.]

[dailydouble]

[ He's not rude enough to mention the hideousness of the garment, anyway. It's easier to work under the assumption that either she was cold or had no taste at all, and better not to ask which it was. ]

We have some holy days, but the practices of the majority is rather sun centered. It has been for thousands of years.

C

[evenslimmer]

[ That thing...would totally make Bobby Drake go off on a rant about Disney, if Bobby Drake were here. As it stands, it's no weirder than anything that he's seen in space...but it still gives him a pause, before Scott carefully sits down at a close yet reasonable distance, just to make sure it's not going to be aggressively protective. ]

Me? Sort of. I suppose that's what Christmas used to be. But that's supposed to be more about religion than seasons now, or getting gifts.

[grunehexe]

[To Scott's (and everyone else's really) comfort, the beast doesn't seem terribly interested in what's happening around the bonfire. One pinpoint of glow winks into existence in a single eye socket, but it soon dims- it's version of cracking open a single eye before giving up and going back to sleep.

Sieglinde, for her part, is having trouble hiding her age- and not just because she was a bit tipsy on the mulled wine still held in both hands in her lap.]

Shall we be getting presents, do you suppose- ?

[evenslimmer]

[ There seem to be some seriously irresponsible alcohol policies in this town. ]

I don't know. I don't know if Santa Claus visits in this universe.

[ Because she seems— well, younger— but he still feels stupid for saying that, because maybe not THAT young. ]

Maybe from friends? That's who you're supposed to give them to yourself. Friends and family.

[ Scott does not have any friends here yet, though. ]