[Sooner or later, the blizzard outside dies down enough that you're able to venture off into the snow. As you wander side by side, you'll find yourself lured with the sweet smell of cakes and sugar-y goodness as it wafts through the air. The snow beneath your feet remains powdery soft, though watch your step! The next time your foot touches the ground it's off you go sliding down a big, steep hill into a brightly lit valley. People are bustling about without a care in the world, and Christmas music is playing from all corners of the city. The buildings before you are tall and decorated with all sorts of Christmas lights, and there's a large, full Christmas tree right in the center.
And you're heading straight for it? Like. You're going at mach speed dashing through the snow with the possibility of plowing straight into it.
[pure boredom has driven kaz out of the hated lodge—it's not that he's looking for anything special, but just something different. so when he smells the sugary scent on the breeze, he perks up visibly, and steps forward with a gusto--
--only to zip down the cliff, screaming alone on his ass into the ravine below.
or... a city? the scream slowly gives way to elation.]
AAAAAAAAAaaahhh?? Oh hell yes! Civilization! We win!
[he's elated!
and still moving!]
Wait oh shit!
[he's trying to dig his heels into the snow, throwing his arms out to the sides to slow his speed.]
[It’s curiosity that draws Estelle out of the lodge, both at the conspicuously clear sky, and the sight of Kaz wandering out on his own. She doesn’t intend to go far, just enough to ask him what he’s doing... when he suddenly slips out of view, and just a few steps later, Estelle finds herself sliding after him.]
Ah—
AAAAHH!!
[She catches up to Kaz, which turns out to not be a good thing. But she has a shield, and that can be used to slow herself! But first...]
Grab my hand!
[She’ll reach an arm out for him to take, with the other firmly gripping the shield.
Whether he takes it or not, she’ll drive the pointed edge of her heart-shaped shield into the ground to try and slow herself.]
[What a blessing Estelle is for having something that can actually help them out. As they slip and slide, the shield drives itself into the snow, slowing them down just enough as they spin out and land at the base of the tree.
Luckily, it's just a light lovetap as they both stop instead of slamming right into it, though there's a flurry of snow that flares up right into their faces. As they blink the snow out of their eyes, they'll see the village around them as it sparkles, and after a moment several villagers look at the two of them suspiciously and whisper among themselves.
There's lots to do and plenty to see, but here they are at the tree. With sights and sounds that are quite endless, they just might miss the pile of presents.
That's right, presents! Under the tree stacked high in the sky, boxes and bags catch the eye. Anyway, they'll find that the villagers seem to be bringing presents to set beneath the tree and that same sweet smell will direct them toward a bakery not far off. There's a line of people pooling out the post office door and into the street, and an ice skating rink can be seen not too far from where they stand. There also seem to be a few roads they could explore from the main part of town.
Where would you like to go first? Your options are many!]
[estelle is a cute girl and also actively trying to save him, so he grabs her hand immediately! they nyoom down anyway, but when they ever-so-gently bunp into the twee, kaz jumps to his feet, pulling estelle up after him. with his spare hand, he brushes some snow off of her, full of exuberance and praise for once.]
Wow! Thank you, that was incredible. I don't think we really would have died, but I don't think we would have stopped, either! Um. [he looks at her hand, and lets go. is he embarrassed??] Anyway.
Where do you think we are? It's nice to be back somewhere with actual retail.
[presents are cool and all, but probably all of them suck? it's always better and easier to buy your own! he looks around, eyes bright. his first target is surely going to be the bakery, but are there any shops that look particularly high-end?]
[There's plenty of retail, though maybe not quite as high-end as Kaz is thinking. There are a few stores up the road with large windows displaying a few new winter jackets. There's also a butcher shop, a candle shop, and a gift-wrapping shop in addition to what looks like a shopping mall.
The bakery is on the way to these places, and presents are still being piled around the tree. If they glance at the gifts though, they may recognize a few names.
To: Katarina. To: Limbo. To: Mugen. To: Seraphine.
Hm. At least the villagers seem to have gone back to mind their own business. If this place truly is a trick, it seems as though nothing terrible will happen to them for now.]
[torn between the delicious scent of the bakery, the presents at hand, and the fancy winter jackets, he IS vaguely wondering (hoping?) there's something in there for him—so since kaz knows maybe like, two of those names? he's going to start looking through them for his own.]
Honestly, at this point I'd be more surprised if it wasn't. Demons really do get their kicks in the strangest ways.
[can he find a box for arcangelo? can he shake the shit out of until it breaks??]
[Presents are for good boys and girls, so it's entirely possible there's something for each of them. The trouble, however, is that the villagers are still bringing gifts and adding to the pile. For every time Kaz moves a box to check a gift tag, three more will appear. Why, it seems as though they're almost being boxed in themselves around this tree as villagers chat amongst themselves, discussions of Christmas Day on everyone's mind.
Good news, Kaz does find a gift for Arcangelo. And it sounds expensive!
The bad news is that there is definitely a wall of boxes being built around them, and if Estelle's watching she may notice there's a slight disturbance in the snow, almost as if something in slithering underground...maybe it's best to ignore that strange rumbling sound. The walls grow higher and higher as the gifts multiply. But at the very top, there are two gifts wrapped with bright ribbons and two tags.
[ok, first of all, fuck arcangelo. but he still picks up the present, carrying it with him as he continues to search for his own. maybe he can swap it for his if his is crap? that would be ideal.
the wall goes largely unnoticed, and kaz certainly isn't going to pick up on the underground slithering—he's focused on G I F T. so when he finally sees his own tag, he lights up like the Christmas tree in front of them.]
Ah! Finally. My just desserts—but in the fun, festive way, not the scary murder one!
[he scrambles over the other gifts towards it, with an aim to take it and rip it open. hell yeah gift giving!!!]
[Something's moving below as the stack grow taller around them, just barely keeping their gifts just out of reach. The ground rumbles, and right before Kaz can reach either his or Estelle's gift, something large bursts through the snow.
It's odd in shape, almost like a snake and colored in red and white stripes. As this peppermint snake rears back and begins to eat some of the presents, two green, furry hands reach out from the other side of the wall to take the presents belonging to Kaz and Estelle.
"Something isn't right" is a bit of an understatement as the snake circles around them, jaws unhinged and body moving in a way that may constrict them if they aren't careful.]
Ugh, the one thing I was finally looking forward to! Christmas is ruined again.
[the fuzzy hands don't go unmissed by kaz, as they snatch away his present—HIS! PRESENT!—leaving him with the terrible booby prize of a...]
Christmas demon snake! Christmas demon snake!
[grabbing estelle's hand, kaz jumps up, attempting to pull estelle along with him as he avoids the constricting circles of the wretched reptile. is anyone else in town reacting to it?? he looks askance once, but without any better options, and his demon-killing powers nerfed, kaz proceeds to start bashing the snake to death with arcangelo's expensive present. fuck arcangelo.]
[There's shouting from outside of their present-prison as the villagers gasp and yell about someone being a thief. They're reacting all right, but it seems that the wall of boxes is just a little too tall for them to see inside.
The snake gives a sharp lunge even as Kaz tries to beat it with Arcangelo's gift, sharp fangs out as a minty-smelling acid drips from its mouth. Bashing it with one present doesn't seem to be doing the trick, and its tail whips from somewhere behind Estelle with enough force to knock her back if she's not balanced.]
[the bonk isn't working, and he's out of patience. as soon as the snake opens its mouth to lunge, kaz hucks the whole present inside, scrambling back as much as he can, estelle's hand still held tight.]
Fuck this! We're getting out of here!
[he's definitely looking to either get up and out, or through and out—whatever it takes. if the snake so much as looks at him, he just starts throwing presents at it with his spare hand as they attempt to skedaddle out of here. everyone can have their christmases ruined.]
[Estelle holds out her shield to deflect the blow, though the force from it throws her off-balance... and easily yanked along with Kaz as he begins an attempt at retreating. She stumbles briefly, but manages to keep up enough that he can keep a hold on her.]
The monster started attacking after we set our eyes on those presents... Could it be here to punish us for our greed?
[Maybe there's a connection to the moral of that storybook! ...or it's just a snake monster. But maybe throwing presents at it will help!?]
[Throwing presents at it is mostly just making the snake mad, but it's also easily swallowing down the gift Kaz throws down its throat. The present wall is over their heads by now, villagers screaming. It's hard to hear what, exactly the fuss is all about but the pair of them can pick up on one key phrase.]
"The Gronch is stealing our gifts!"
[As for the snake, it slithers around the tree, winding itself in a circle to ensnare more presents and Estelle and Kaz both. It seems to be indulging in a present or two, but they're running out of places to go.
They could try to break through the wall to the other side! Or they could climb straight up. Or, even, they could just try to defeat the monster itself. Which route will they take?]
[kaz looks between the snake, and the wall of gifts, which is currently only serving to piss the reptile off—and lets go of estelle's hand before lunging forward, jumping on to the snake
and
he licks? it??]
It's a candy cane! So, maybe we have to eat it as a symbol of our holiday sins!
[this must be quite the sight for poor estelle.]
Maybe stab it with your shield! Through the mouth!
[I would love to know why Kaz is licking this snake. This also was a bad idea because even if the snake is made of candy cane, you really shouldn't lick reptiles. Hope Kaz loves the feeling of brainfreeze and a numb tongue.
Estelle, being the one holding the braincell right now, will be able to get out of the snake's way while Kaz is wrestling with it. The snake's busy flailing, trying to throw Kaz off, but there are handholds and footholds in the wall of gifts that Estelle can climb.
As she peers over the wall, she'll be able to see through a few cracks in the stack. The Gronch's sleigh is a bit of a pathetic sight, wooden and rickety and being pulled by what looks like a small, thin and bony creature. It doesn't quite match the dog from the story Estelle's familiar with, but she might not have time to investigate it. Instead, two spindly green, furry legs can be seen sticking out from under a bundle of packages, loading up the last of the gifts on his sleigh as another smaller, candy snake holds the villagers back and occasionally lashes out to attack.
And more importantly? She'll catch sight of twogirls being stuffed in a bright green bag, the top tied off with a bow before it's thrown on the top of the stack and the snake outside in the village loops around, pushing the back of the sleigh as it begins to pull away from the tree.
Hm. Well that's problematic, isn't it?]
Edited (no my rita link :() 2021-01-13 22:33 (UTC)
[oh that's so cold, that's so unexpected, and it doesn't taste anything like a peppermint frappachino. this is unmitigated bullshit. he hates it, and he's done with the snake—so when it bucks, he taks the opportunity to let it throw him off, riding the energy on to the wall of presents, and climbing up after estelle.
by the time he reaches her, though, the sleigh is already pulling away—and he sighs a huge and mighty sigh, leaning his head back in disgust.]
Typical. The cabbie gets a call, and drives off exactly when you need them the most! Inexplicably evil.
[The presents continue to shift and wobble, making it a bit of a climb. With the force of the shield in her hand though, she's able to collapse a hole in the wall!
Granted, she's falling from fairly high now (about six feet), so hopefully she doesn't hurt herself as she lands! The villagers are in a panic, running to hide and gather as many of their belongings as they can. Weirdly, none of them are trying to stop the sleigh at all? And some of the shops now have boarded up windows and blockades? Huh. Maybe this isn't a strange occurrence down here in Whereville.
The snake with the sleigh slithers fast in the snow, leaving a deep groove that Estelle and Kaz can follow. The snake around the tree seems dazed that Kaz has used it as a springboard, and it soon dives back down through the hole it came from as the ground rumbles beneath them once more. The snake seems to be following the sleigh and its kin, creating large hills and patches of ice beneath's Estelle's feet. It leads her toward the base of a mountain, tall and dark and winding and a flash of white practically blinds her. When her vision clears, she'll see the sleigh's out of reach. How did the sleigh get to the top of the mountain already?
At least there seems to be a path they can climb.
...except. Where's Kaz. Did Kaz follow? You have a few routes you may take, but perhaps you'll part ways.]
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And you're heading straight for it? Like. You're going at mach speed dashing through the snow with the possibility of plowing straight into it.
What will you do?]
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--only to zip down the cliff, screaming alone on his ass into the ravine below.
or... a city? the scream slowly gives way to elation.]
AAAAAAAAAaaahhh?? Oh hell yes! Civilization! We win!
[he's elated!
and still moving!]
Wait oh shit!
[he's trying to dig his heels into the snow, throwing his arms out to the sides to slow his speed.]
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Ah—
AAAAHH!!
[She catches up to Kaz, which turns out to not be a good thing. But she has a shield, and that can be used to slow herself! But first...]
Grab my hand!
[She’ll reach an arm out for him to take, with the other firmly gripping the shield.
Whether he takes it or not, she’ll drive the pointed edge of her heart-shaped shield into the ground to try and slow herself.]
no subject
Luckily, it's just a light lovetap as they both stop instead of slamming right into it, though there's a flurry of snow that flares up right into their faces. As they blink the snow out of their eyes, they'll see the village around them as it sparkles, and after a moment several villagers look at the two of them suspiciously and whisper among themselves.
There's lots to do and plenty to see, but here they are at the tree. With sights and sounds that are quite endless, they just might miss the pile of presents.
That's right, presents! Under the tree stacked high in the sky, boxes and bags catch the eye. Anyway, they'll find that the villagers seem to be bringing presents to set beneath the tree and that same sweet smell will direct them toward a bakery not far off. There's a line of people pooling out the post office door and into the street, and an ice skating rink can be seen not too far from where they stand. There also seem to be a few roads they could explore from the main part of town.
Where would you like to go first? Your options are many!]
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Wow! Thank you, that was incredible. I don't think we really would have died, but I don't think we would have stopped, either! Um. [he looks at her hand, and lets go. is he embarrassed??] Anyway.
Where do you think we are? It's nice to be back somewhere with actual retail.
[presents are cool and all, but probably all of them suck? it's always better and easier to buy your own! he looks around, eyes bright. his first target is surely going to be the bakery, but are there any shops that look particularly high-end?]
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[Is he... being nice?]
[Well, she’ll take it. And while she puts her shield away, Estelle is going to take a moment to marvel at where they’ve landed.]
This town... It looks just like something from one of those storybooks I read!
—Oh, but we should be careful. [She’ll draw a little closer to Kaz and lower her voice.] It could be a trick.
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The bakery is on the way to these places, and presents are still being piled around the tree. If they glance at the gifts though, they may recognize a few names.
To: Katarina. To: Limbo. To: Mugen. To: Seraphine.
Hm. At least the villagers seem to have gone back to mind their own business. If this place truly is a trick, it seems as though nothing terrible will happen to them for now.]
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Honestly, at this point I'd be more surprised if it wasn't. Demons really do get their kicks in the strangest ways.
[can he find a box for arcangelo? can he shake the shit out of until it breaks??]
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Some of these even have names of the deceased... I wonder what could be in them?
[She'll stop to allow Kaz to do his searching... and will keep an eye out for any gifts bearing her own name.]
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Good news, Kaz does find a gift for Arcangelo. And it sounds expensive!
The bad news is that there is definitely a wall of boxes being built around them, and if Estelle's watching she may notice there's a slight disturbance in the snow, almost as if something in slithering underground...maybe it's best to ignore that strange rumbling sound. The walls grow higher and higher as the gifts multiply. But at the very top, there are two gifts wrapped with bright ribbons and two tags.
To: Kaz. To: Estelle.]
no subject
the wall goes largely unnoticed, and kaz certainly isn't going to pick up on the underground slithering—he's focused on G I F T. so when he finally sees his own tag, he lights up like the Christmas tree in front of them.]
Ah! Finally. My just desserts—but in the fun, festive way, not the scary murder one!
[he scrambles over the other gifts towards it, with an aim to take it and rip it open. hell yeah gift giving!!!]
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Something isn't right.
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It's odd in shape, almost like a snake and colored in red and white stripes. As this peppermint snake rears back and begins to eat some of the presents, two green, furry hands reach out from the other side of the wall to take the presents belonging to Kaz and Estelle.
"Something isn't right" is a bit of an understatement as the snake circles around them, jaws unhinged and body moving in a way that may constrict them if they aren't careful.]
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[the fuzzy hands don't go unmissed by kaz, as they snatch away his present—HIS! PRESENT!—leaving him with the terrible booby prize of a...]
Christmas demon snake! Christmas demon snake!
[grabbing estelle's hand, kaz jumps up, attempting to pull estelle along with him as he avoids the constricting circles of the wretched reptile. is anyone else in town reacting to it?? he looks askance once, but without any better options, and his demon-killing powers nerfed, kaz proceeds to start bashing the snake to death with arcangelo's expensive present. fuck arcangelo.]
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[nevermind, she's getting yoinked, and with her non-getting-yoinked hand, she holds up her shield again.]
This wasn't in the story...
Y-you said you can fight demons! Right!?
[is this... how that's done]
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The snake gives a sharp lunge even as Kaz tries to beat it with Arcangelo's gift, sharp fangs out as a minty-smelling acid drips from its mouth. Bashing it with one present doesn't seem to be doing the trick, and its tail whips from somewhere behind Estelle with enough force to knock her back if she's not balanced.]
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[the bonk isn't working, and he's out of patience. as soon as the snake opens its mouth to lunge, kaz hucks the whole present inside, scrambling back as much as he can, estelle's hand still held tight.]
Fuck this! We're getting out of here!
[he's definitely looking to either get up and out, or through and out—whatever it takes. if the snake so much as looks at him, he just starts throwing presents at it with his spare hand as they attempt to skedaddle out of here. everyone can have their christmases ruined.]
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The monster started attacking after we set our eyes on those presents... Could it be here to punish us for our greed?
[Maybe there's a connection to the moral of that storybook! ...or it's just a snake monster. But maybe throwing presents at it will help!?]
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"The Gronch is stealing our gifts!"
[As for the snake, it slithers around the tree, winding itself in a circle to ensnare more presents and Estelle and Kaz both. It seems to be indulging in a present or two, but they're running out of places to go.
They could try to break through the wall to the other side! Or they could climb straight up. Or, even, they could just try to defeat the monster itself. Which route will they take?]
no subject
and
he licks? it??]
It's a candy cane! So, maybe we have to eat it as a symbol of our holiday sins!
[this must be quite the sight for poor estelle.]
Maybe stab it with your shield! Through the mouth!
[SO WHY ARE YOU LICKING IT]
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I can't do that! I'll get eaten!
[Well, everyone's yelling about 'the Gronch', so...]
M-maybe we can escape on the Gronch's sleigh!
[She assumes he has one. But can they see any sign of him, or the sleigh from the story?]
[For now, she's going to jump for the wall and try to climb up the presents. Seems better than being on the snake, anyway.]
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Estelle, being the one holding the braincell right now, will be able to get out of the snake's way while Kaz is wrestling with it. The snake's busy flailing, trying to throw Kaz off, but there are handholds and footholds in the wall of gifts that Estelle can climb.
As she peers over the wall, she'll be able to see through a few cracks in the stack. The Gronch's sleigh is a bit of a pathetic sight, wooden and rickety and being pulled by what looks like a small, thin and bony creature. It doesn't quite match the dog from the story Estelle's familiar with, but she might not have time to investigate it. Instead, two spindly green, furry legs can be seen sticking out from under a bundle of packages, loading up the last of the gifts on his sleigh as another smaller, candy snake holds the villagers back and occasionally lashes out to attack.
And more importantly? She'll catch sight of two girls being stuffed in a bright green bag, the top tied off with a bow before it's thrown on the top of the stack and the snake outside in the village loops around, pushing the back of the sleigh as it begins to pull away from the tree.
Hm. Well that's problematic, isn't it?]
no subject
by the time he reaches her, though, the sleigh is already pulling away—and he sighs a huge and mighty sigh, leaning his head back in disgust.]
Typical. The cabbie gets a call, and drives off exactly when you need them the most! Inexplicably evil.
[anyway.]
Wanna go to that bakery?
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Rita!!
[she starts knocking presents down to try to clear a path.]
There are people on that sleigh!! In the green bag!
[and she’s going to try to scramble over the mass of presents and run alongside the snake to chase after it! can she make it?]
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Granted, she's falling from fairly high now (about six feet), so hopefully she doesn't hurt herself as she lands! The villagers are in a panic, running to hide and gather as many of their belongings as they can. Weirdly, none of them are trying to stop the sleigh at all? And some of the shops now have boarded up windows and blockades? Huh. Maybe this isn't a strange occurrence down here in Whereville.
The snake with the sleigh slithers fast in the snow, leaving a deep groove that Estelle and Kaz can follow. The snake around the tree seems dazed that Kaz has used it as a springboard, and it soon dives back down through the hole it came from as the ground rumbles beneath them once more. The snake seems to be following the sleigh and its kin, creating large hills and patches of ice beneath's Estelle's feet. It leads her toward the base of a mountain, tall and dark and winding and a flash of white practically blinds her. When her vision clears, she'll see the sleigh's out of reach. How did the sleigh get to the top of the mountain already?
At least there seems to be a path they can climb.
...except. Where's Kaz. Did Kaz follow? You have a few routes you may take, but perhaps you'll part ways.]
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