EVENT ★ WINTER WONDERLAND, THE RECKONING

[futurologists]

HAPPY (NONDENOMINATIONAL) HOLIDAYS When recruits arrive back at Oska, they'll find the place already full of other ALASTAIR teams visiting Oska, and the castle and grounds entirely decked out in festive cheer. The castle is draped in purple and white finery, with a light dusting of unmelting snow everywhere -- even inside, somehow. Don't worry, the indoor snow has been enchanted to be strangely warm. Dagny has taken it upon herself to add a little plant life in and around the castle: mistletoe, of course. It can be spotted growing in little sprigs out of chinks in castle walls, around from wooden doorframes, or even sprouting out of other, unrelated trees. You're never really safe from mistletoe. And what would the use of mistletoe be without the enchantment? Dagny has made sure that there are enough variant species of the mistletoe to offer something for everyone. Recruits may find themselves stuck under any manner of mistletoe, trapped until they fulfill the mistletoe geas. The Classic: This is the standard magical mistletoe, that traps people in a lightly shimmering sphere until they exchange a kiss. Any kind of kiss will do, just pucker up! The Papilion: This is similar to the classic, but its berries come in brilliant shades of orange and pink. It will only release its catch after a butterfly kiss. Clinging Merriment: This mistletoe is all wrapped up in itself, and climbs whatever surface it's on in twisting spirals. All it wants from its catch is a hug, but make it a good one! The Lively Stepper: This mistletoe seems to shiver in some unfelt breeze, and if you listen closely enough, there's a gentle chime of bells that fades when you lean away from it again. People stuck under this plant will have to dance together, to whatever music they can find or make. Whispering Mary: This mistletoe comes with deep purple leaves and seems to hide within itself. Only after a secret has been shared from each person trapped under it will it flower open and release them. Evening Gown: This mistletoe is a gaudy display, with brilliant green leaves and splendid white blossoms instead of berries. It will only release its catch after they compliment each other -- and the Evening Gown always knows when it hears a genuine compliment, and accepts no substitutions! Catflowers: Dagny didn't put this kind out, and has named them after the suspected perpetrators. She's been trying to take them down when she finds them, but there might be a few she's missed. This thorny sprig of mistletoe will only release its catch after they've punched each other. Sorry about that. THE WINTER BALL Exciting news, passed from recruit to recruit and team to team: the castle will host a ball soon! It's set to be on the second night of team Audentes's arrival in Oska, and it's going to be a truly extravagant affair. Nothing to wear? No fear! The wardrobes in each recruit's room will open upon an enormous display of fancy clothing in a multitude of styles. Once you've settled on one (and somehow, the wardrobe knows the difference between trying on and settling on), the rest of the outfits vanish the next time it's closed. The festivities start as soon as the sun begins to sink. Music filters through the air, growing louder to guide partygoers through the castle and into the dance hall, which was definitely not a room in existence until today. The music flows from no discernable source, sometimes swirling orchestral pieces, sometimes something with a heavier beat, for a different kind of dancing. The selection is as varied as the ALASTAIR teams tend to be. Listen long enough, and you might even hear something from your own home universe. A large glass flower shimmers in the center of the room, under which various recruits have taken to leaving presents for one another. Be sure to stop by and check the brightly wrapped parcels for your name! Team Audentes in particular gets a special gift. The north side of the room is decorated in an unmistakable Christmas theme, complete with an enormous, glittering tree. The care put into these decorations definitely has a personal touch, it might even outshine the rest of the hall's decor. Each member of the team has a lovingly wrapped box complete with a bow under this tree, and upon opening it will find a small, intricately detailed, never-melting ice sculpture of themselves -- very possibly in a ridiculous pose. Those who were acquainted with former teammate Nicholas St. North will find that their sculpture features two figures: themselves, and North himself. And of course, what party would be complete without the food? The kitchen has really outdone itself with its spread of delicious foods, suited to all appetites and palates. From gently steaming roasted bird to strangely colored foreign piles of tiny quivering spheres, there's something for everyone. Including the alcoholics among us: the punch is delicately spiked with that incredibly strong drink of Nalawi, which leaves a pleasantly fruity aftertaste and an immediate alcoholic burn. (Any children partaking will find that their cups have somehow filtered out any alcohol and are strangely juice-only.) ICE MAZE Outside the castle, the courtyard has been transformed. Giant shimmering ice walls have sprung up seemingly overnight, forming endless, winding pathways: an ice maze. Stepping into this beautiful, gleaming maze immediately cuts off all sound from the castle life around, so loud just a moment ago. Inside the maze is only the crunch of light snow underfoot, the sound of one's own breathing, and the echoes that bounce faintly here and there. Throughout the maze one might find bits of warm, inviting clothing. A pair of bright red mittens, a puffy coat that fits perfectly to the wearer, a scarf woven in brightly colored, warm wool. If a maze-goer chooses to ignore and walk past this clothing, they might find that something begins to follow them. It starts as just an unsettling feeling, but put off accepting the clothing for long enough and it may turn into lurking shadows in the corner of an eye, a black shape that's there in one second and vanished in the next. A faint yowl may float down a corridor, vaguely feline if only it weren't so deep. Whatever that came from must have been large. Accepting and wearing just one of the offered clothing chases away this unwanted visitor immediately, and in just five minutes more the ice maze will finally bring you out the other side. Don't take any of its gifts, though, and the maze may just lead you to meet the Yuletide Cat instead. (Which just so happens to be Cherenkov and Crowley sharing a giant cat costume. Don't laugh, they worked hard on it.) THE VILLAGE Far outside the castle, the village has been brought back to warm, glowing life. Or at least, that seems to be the case. Team Hearthstone was recently on a mission to recover an item called the Time Catch, and has used it to temporarily, visually turn time back to a time when the village of Oska was populated and lively. Humanoid villagers, all in various shades of purple and blue, hurry to and fro, talking and laughing in a language that goes untranslated by the magitek jewelry. They don't react to any of the recruits, though, and trying to touch any of them will have your hands passing straight through them. Even the restored village around them is just an illusion. One can walk straight into one of the villager's houses and find the warmth of the fire and aroma of the roasted fowl to be completely believable -- but trying to take a seat at the set table will send you crashing straight to the ground to sit in the illusion-covered rubble. THE SQUIDGE PARK After the festivities wind down, you may want to visit the newest addition to the Oska grounds -- the brand new squidge park. After Audentes's success in its mission on Zeta-12, ALASTAIR has been gifted with a clutch of squidge eggs to look after. Audentes need not worry about the squidges in their absence; there will always be someone in Oska to make sure the jelly-like aliens are being nurtured properly. The squidge park is located off the greenhouses in the courtyard; it's an enclosure containing many artificial habitats so the squidges may interact with different environments to help them grow. Right now, they are just eggs, but with enough love and care, they may "hatch" (read: their amorphous blob selves will grow limbs and enter the larval stage) before Audentes even ships out again. OOC NOTES Blind date assignments for those working to complete the Lonely Hearts Club bounty can be found here. ICly, the match-ups are publicly posted in the ballroom for all to see. The other ALASTAIR teams present consist of everything from humanoids to strange creatures; feel free to handwave them in your threads! The only stipulation is that transferred characters (ex. those who have dropped) are not present. The party lasts for one night, and the following day the rest of the teams will pack up and leave Oska to Audentes. The ghostly village-that-isn't will revert back to ruins at this point, as well. However, all other winter amenities will remain for the holidays! Following the party, characters can expect to be in Oska for several more weeks, with the next mission starting in late January. A more detailed calendar for next month will be up soon! Questions about this log, Oska, or the game in general should be directed to the FAQ. You may submit mission ideas or player plots at any time.

Comments

[heavyhitter]

[ Oh, shit, this is a Giorno friend? Suddenly she's paying a little more attention, giving him a little sharper a once-over. ]

God, hell no. If it was I woulda busted through all the walls myself on like day two, trust me. [ She starts them forward, gesturing with a broad wave of her arm that he come along with. Their destination matters less than the trip, so off they go. And, of course, she switches to Italian. It hardly makes a difference with their translators working, and technically she could do this with anyone and be perfectly understood... but it's the thought that counts. ]

So, Giorno's friend! Guess that means we're friends. How long you been in, anyway?

[unholey]

[Ramir's sharper second-over with Giorno in mind will reveal they're about the same age and about the same height; but that's where the similarities end. Giorno is bright and vivacious; Fugo is quiet and reserved, to the point of coldness. Giorno always strives to look like he stepped off of the page of a high fashion magazine; outside of his unusual coloring and strawberry earrings, Fugo is halfway forgettable in his ALASTAIR uniform. They'd look a little odd standing next to each other.]

Yes, I'm a friend of his. [No comment on them now being friends, because he's not sure what to say about it.] A few days. What about you?

[heavyhitter]

[ No comment is a perfectly acceptable answer to Ramir, apparently. He's not the first person she's decided is her friend within minutes of meeting, and won't be the last — but all things to considered, simply not objecting is a pretty good way for it to go over. ]

Years, decades. Half my life. [ She snorts. ] No, I'm kidding, but that's actually true for some teams — I'm at like a year.

[ And it's been a pretty good year, by the casual good cheer of her tone. ]

They say they send us home at some point, but, dunno about you, I'm not really in a hurry.

[unholey]

A year. [Fugo frowns, thin and stormy, and the corners of his brows twitch. God, he hates this scheme. Years and decades. He's ... going to just assume those long tenures would be for people who actually signed up for this work.]

I'd rather be there than here, but. This is where Giorno is. [He shrugs, because-- obviously, Fugo not going anywhere unless it's with Giorno. It's not something he even needs to say.] Since we're stuck here, there's no point in half-assing it.

[heavyhitter]

You're pretty into him, huh?

[ In, you know, whatever way applicable. She assumes friendship, but you never know. And that thin frown certainly didn't escape her attention, that's a dude not pleased to be here. She keeps a sidelong glance over on him. ]

What kinda shit you got going on back home?

[unholey]

[Firmly:] We're friends.

[Which is one of those simple, easy statements that means a great deal coming out of his mouth. And it's a sort-of lie, in the way that "friends" barely scratches the surface of his relationship with Giorno. But it works. They're on good terms. They work well together. They trust each other. So: friends.]

I'm an accountant. [Among other things. But accountant is the simplest way to describe the work he does, given that Giorno has been more quiet than not about what he does. And because he knows that's a pretty unusual job for someone his age, he also offers:] I didn't get along with my teachers, so I dropped out of school. But I'm pretty good with numbers, so I was able to find work eventually.

[heavyhitter]

[ Hey, friends can mean a lot, she knows that as well as anyone. It's what whole empires are founded on. But anyway. She doesn't look much like she's been corrected by his answer, but does give him A Look over his being an accountant. ]

Seriously? Hang on, how fucking old are you?

[unholey]

Practically speaking, seventeen. [Technically he didn't get a chance to celebrate his birthday back home. But like hell he's going to wait until November rolls around again to count himself as seventeen, that's stupid.] And yes, seriously.

[heavyhitter]

And you already went for a job like accountant?

[ She shakes her head disbelievingly. And, true, everyone needs an accountant — her grandmother had been no exception, so Ramir knows it can't be totally a bullshit job. But still: ] It's like you cut out all the good parts and went straight for boring middle age.

[unholey]

Yeah, you earn better tips. [There's significantly better money to be earned doing accounting for a crime family than being a tetchy waiter in a cafe or playing piano in a bar.] Although in accounting, they're called "bonuses".

[heavyhitter]

[ This is not making things any better. ]

You're a sixteen-year-old accountant. [ She heard that technically seventeen. ] It's like, I don't think you could be any more boring if you fucking tried.

[ Okay, she doesn't quite mean it. He's a good friend of Giorno's, that means there's got to be more to him. But she doesn't have to admit that. ]

[unholey]

[His birthday should have been in a few days... let him live his life...]

My hobbies include reading and-- [A pause. Does this. Count as a hobby? Playing the piano was his job for the past six months-- not a hobby. And, frankly, between his hospital stay and coming back to Passione, he hasn't practiced in a month. And he didn't play at all after being kicked out of university, a period of time which tallies neatly up to three years.

But... when Giorno asked him if there was anything he wanted from his apartment in Milano, the only thing he could come up with was his box of sheet music and practice books. So it counts. Maybe. A potential hobby.] ... playing the piano. How's that? More, or less boring?