[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.]
[kaz didn't see anyone on the sleigh. kaz deeply doesn't care about the sleigh, actually—he's way more concerned with the fact that the SHOPS ARE ALL CLOSED NOW????????
his face crumbles with distress and disbelief, exactly like as if someone just told him his black tuxedo was actually midnight blue.
he doesn't care about the sleigh. but with nowhere to shop, why live? as estelle makes her way to the sleigh's path, he reluctantly follows her, melancholy rising to max levels. at least estelle is cute. she's the only thing worth considering in this extremely shit place, now.]
And just like that, the light is gone from my life. This is why retail hours should be extended through the winter season. Haven't they ever heard of seasonal affective disorder?
[wherever estelle is going, kaz is reluctantly following after. with nonstop sighs.]
[Estelle is definitely going to be sore in the coming days, between the jump and crashing through all these gifts, but she continues after the sleigh undaunted, at least until she sees where it’s ended up. Now she’s a little daunted.
She’ll give Kaz time to catch up, offering him an apologetic smile.]
I don’t know if any of this is real, but... it wouldn’t feel right to just leave it like this.
[So she’s going to try following the path up the mountain!]
[As Kaz waxes poetry about the cruelty of capitalism, Estelle is really doing her best out here as they begin their ascent up the mountain. The path is a little narrow and slippery, but it doesn't seem to be too difficult to navigate. The mountain itself winds in circles, the path working in a spiral as the clouds roll in and begin shielding any sort of light they could use.
Every now and then there's a whip of the wind, and a jingle-like laughter can be heard. But the sleigh itself is no longer in sight.
Near the summit, the path narrows further, almost to the point they nearly have to hug the cliffside in order to shimmy along. If they aren't careful, they will lose their balance, and any time they actually touch the cliff itself they'll find that any exposed skin will begin to grow cold and stiff.
At the end of the path, there's a strip of land that gives space for two bridges. One bridge is made of ice blocks with small gaps in between, and one is made of wooden planks and rope that's seen better days. The two seem to lead to two different paths without joining again at the end.
[kaz is deeply beginning to regret following estelle. this sucks. rather than simply thinking it, however, he decides to voice his distaste out loud.]
This sucks! Why are we chasing that sleigh, anyway? Is it even anyone we know? [he rubs his hands together rapidly, huffing on them, trying to warm them up, and settles for sticking them in his armpits.]
Both of these bridges look to be in a deplorable state—how could a sleigh even get across? The rope bridge would disintegrate and give under the weight of anything moving too quickly, and the ice bridge would lead you to slip off into the depths, no matter how sturdy it looks!
[kaz is looking around for something, anything else. where did the sleigh actually go?? how far is the way back now? maybe they reopened the stores.]
[It is, unfortunately, freezing up on this mountain and the cold seeps in the longer they stand at the bridges and debate their options. Looking back, Whereville is very far away. The lights are just bright enough to barely see, but it's hard to tell if the shops are open again or even if the villagers have come out of hiding.
Across the bridges, there are two more paths. Looking up though, they can see what looks like the mouth of a cave...and the front of the sleigh sticks out just far enough, like there isn't quite room to park it.
The ice bridge is slick, but the wooden bridge sways in the wind slowly. They can pick whatever makes sense.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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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.]
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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?]
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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?]
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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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his face crumbles with distress and disbelief, exactly like as if someone just told him his black tuxedo was actually midnight blue.
he doesn't care about the sleigh. but with nowhere to shop, why live? as estelle makes her way to the sleigh's path, he reluctantly follows her, melancholy rising to max levels. at least estelle is cute. she's the only thing worth considering in this extremely shit place, now.]
And just like that, the light is gone from my life. This is why retail hours should be extended through the winter season. Haven't they ever heard of seasonal affective disorder?
[wherever estelle is going, kaz is reluctantly following after. with nonstop sighs.]
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She’ll give Kaz time to catch up, offering him an apologetic smile.]
I don’t know if any of this is real, but... it wouldn’t feel right to just leave it like this.
[So she’s going to try following the path up the mountain!]
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Every now and then there's a whip of the wind, and a jingle-like laughter can be heard. But the sleigh itself is no longer in sight.
Near the summit, the path narrows further, almost to the point they nearly have to hug the cliffside in order to shimmy along. If they aren't careful, they will lose their balance, and any time they actually touch the cliff itself they'll find that any exposed skin will begin to grow cold and stiff.
At the end of the path, there's a strip of land that gives space for two bridges. One bridge is made of ice blocks with small gaps in between, and one is made of wooden planks and rope that's seen better days. The two seem to lead to two different paths without joining again at the end.
Which path will they take?]
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This sucks! Why are we chasing that sleigh, anyway? Is it even anyone we know? [he rubs his hands together rapidly, huffing on them, trying to warm them up, and settles for sticking them in his armpits.]
Both of these bridges look to be in a deplorable state—how could a sleigh even get across? The rope bridge would disintegrate and give under the weight of anything moving too quickly, and the ice bridge would lead you to slip off into the depths, no matter how sturdy it looks!
[kaz is looking around for something, anything else. where did the sleigh actually go?? how far is the way back now? maybe they reopened the stores.]
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A dear friend of mine. And another girl, with pale blue hair...
[She considers the bridges.]
If we have to choose one, how about the ice bridge? It should hold so long as we’re careful.
[That is, assuming Kaz doesn’t spot anything that would make her reconsider.]
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Across the bridges, there are two more paths. Looking up though, they can see what looks like the mouth of a cave...and the front of the sleigh sticks out just far enough, like there isn't quite room to park it.
The ice bridge is slick, but the wooden bridge sways in the wind slowly. They can pick whatever makes sense.]
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