[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.]
[for the first time probably since estelle has met him, kaz looks... actually worried.]
Was she wearing a bandage around her head? What color were her eyes? Did she look vaguely dissatisfied with the general state of the world around her?
[his eyes dart between the bridges. if it's who he thinks it is...]
Fuck it! We don't have time for this. Let's just run across the wood bridge as fast as we can and hope our luck holds! As Adam Levine once paradoxically and unwisely sung, YOLO!
[and, true to his word, he's off to the wooden bridge at a cracking pace!!!]
[.....there he go. As Kaz dashes across the wooden bridge, it swings wildly under the weight of his footsteps. It seems to hold up pretty well though, all things considered! If he doesn't stop to wait for Estelle, he'll find himself running into what looks like a thicket of trees. The direction to continue isn't immediately obvious, but he'll find that the area is eeriely quiet.
As for Estelle, it looks as though the wooden bridge will hold well enough if she wants to attempt crossing! But the ice bridge is still there if she wants to try that instead.]
[The bridge holds up as Estelle walks across the bridge, but the moment her feet reach the ledge of the other side there's the sound of splintering wood as the bridge gives way, collapsing and disappearing into the ravine below. Likewise, the ice bridge crackles simultaneously before bursting into shards. If the two of them don't dodge, they will find slivers of ice cutting across their cheeks and their upper body.
Guess the wooden bridge was the best idea!!
With the two of them in the forest now, it's hard to see if there's a path for the sleigh. They may have to look around for clues. On the other hand, the forest itself is still quiet as they walk through, but occasionally there's the twinkle of Christmas lights from the highest points of the thickest trees.
Where will they look first in this forest? There're trees, a few off-beaten paths, and of course they can look around the ground itself.]
[kaz, to his credit (no) does turn back to check on estelle when she calls—only to be rewarded with an ice shard to the cheek, nipping a cut that drips down the side of his face.]
Ow! Ahh, we're wasting time, come on!
[he wipes the blood off with his fingers, flicking it into the snow at their feet, and starts heading deeper into the thicket of trees, taking the time to examine the paths. do any of them look more used than others?]
[Estelle is fortunate to be facing the other way when the ice explodes, though she has to pick some shards out of her coat as she jogs to catch up to Kaz.
While Kaz checks the paths, Estelle stays near, staring up at the trees with the twinkling lights.]
[Are they wasting time? Hm...it does seem like an awful lot of effort just to climb up a mountain, doesn't it? It's almost as if someone set up a handful of obstacles solely to deter people from approaching.
Guess it's a good thing these two are stubborn! So, Kaz will be able to head deeper into the woods, examining the paths and the ground around them. There seem to be tracks in the snow leading off to the left, but to the right there are small imprints almost like footsteps of some kind. The prints are smaller than Kaz's own, but they seem to be moving toward the north.
Estelle will get a good glance at the trees though which means she'll see the lights fluttering. As she watches, the trees begin to rustle with movement, the branches quivering and there's a flutter of leaves as the trees begin to bend just slightly to block the natural light.
Every now and then heading for the path to the right, there are a handful of colorful gumdrops the size of boulders. But the further into the woods they venture, they will soon hear the sound of loud, heavy footsteps.]
[I often think about how Kaz would flat-out just die if Estelle wasn't here. Regardless, Kaz is asking to speak to the manager and the footsteps draw closer, something akin to a miniature earthquake running beneath them.
From the trees, a large, cookie foot appears first. And then there's a second. And soon they will realize that they're staring at someone's ankle as a several-stories tall gingerbread man appears, peering down at them with its icing eyebrows furrowed together, gumdrop eyes squinting.]
[kaz is only momentarily shaken (haha) by the quake.]
He already has visitors, because that asshole kidnapped real people that we actually happen to care about, so... tell him we'll give him one chance to let us in, or we're calling the cops!
Wh-what we mean to say is, while we don't intend to interfere with Mister Gronch's business, we believe he has mistakenly taken something that is beyond the scope of his normal activities, and would like to rectify the error...
[The gingerbread man is very much considering just stepping on Kaz and solving the problem (also, what the hell is a cop?) but he seems to be blinking slowly and thinking this over.]
"Exchange?" [There's a nod of his gingey-head, but he bends down to pick up one of his gumdrop buttons. It seems he's waiting to hear what the two of them will offer in exchange for being taken to the Gronch.]
I can offer you one extra-large luxury chocolate for the safe return of our people, and I promise not to sic the authorities on you for your involvement in human trafficking!
[The cookie monster seems to take offense to both of those offers because he is, unfortunately, not a cannibal.]
"No exchange, no visitations!"
[The gifts aren't accepted and that's completely tragic...but perhaps you can offer some Christmas magic? This gingerbread man does the job of one, and yet it seems he isn't having fun...
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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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[for the first time probably since estelle has met him, kaz looks... actually worried.]
Was she wearing a bandage around her head? What color were her eyes? Did she look vaguely dissatisfied with the general state of the world around her?
[his eyes dart between the bridges. if it's who he thinks it is...]
Fuck it! We don't have time for this. Let's just run across the wood bridge as fast as we can and hope our luck holds! As Adam Levine once paradoxically and unwisely sung, YOLO!
[and, true to his word, he's off to the wooden bridge at a cracking pace!!!]
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[She tries to answer the questions, but he's already gone.]
W-wait! Don't be reckless!
[She's... not going to attempt following until she sees if he makes it.]
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As for Estelle, it looks as though the wooden bridge will hold well enough if she wants to attempt crossing! But the ice bridge is still there if she wants to try that instead.]
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What are you doing? Come on!
[and starts going off into the forest!!! he's looking for any way that looks like it might be a path up to the sleigh, even indirectly.]
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[aaand he just ran off anyway.]
Wait for me!
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Guess the wooden bridge was the best idea!!
With the two of them in the forest now, it's hard to see if there's a path for the sleigh. They may have to look around for clues. On the other hand, the forest itself is still quiet as they walk through, but occasionally there's the twinkle of Christmas lights from the highest points of the thickest trees.
Where will they look first in this forest? There're trees, a few off-beaten paths, and of course they can look around the ground itself.]
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Ow! Ahh, we're wasting time, come on!
[he wipes the blood off with his fingers, flicking it into the snow at their feet, and starts heading deeper into the thicket of trees, taking the time to examine the paths. do any of them look more used than others?]
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While Kaz checks the paths, Estelle stays near, staring up at the trees with the twinkling lights.]
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Guess it's a good thing these two are stubborn! So, Kaz will be able to head deeper into the woods, examining the paths and the ground around them. There seem to be tracks in the snow leading off to the left, but to the right there are small imprints almost like footsteps of some kind. The prints are smaller than Kaz's own, but they seem to be moving toward the north.
Estelle will get a good glance at the trees though which means she'll see the lights fluttering. As she watches, the trees begin to rustle with movement, the branches quivering and there's a flutter of leaves as the trees begin to bend just slightly to block the natural light.
Every now and then heading for the path to the right, there are a handful of colorful gumdrops the size of boulders. But the further into the woods they venture, they will soon hear the sound of loud, heavy footsteps.]
"You. Shall. Not. Pass."
[Hm. Investigate? Or take the other path?]
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Oh yeah? We'll see about that!
Show me your credentials! Who's your manager?
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[well, since stealth isn't an option, how about damage control?]
Please excuse us! We don't mean to trespass!
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From the trees, a large, cookie foot appears first. And then there's a second. And soon they will realize that they're staring at someone's ankle as a several-stories tall gingerbread man appears, peering down at them with its icing eyebrows furrowed together, gumdrop eyes squinting.]
"The Gronch will not see visitors!"
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He already has visitors, because that asshole kidnapped real people that we actually happen to care about, so... tell him we'll give him one chance to let us in, or we're calling the cops!
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Wh-what we mean to say is, while we don't intend to interfere with Mister Gronch's business, we believe he has mistakenly taken something that is beyond the scope of his normal activities, and would like to rectify the error...
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"Exchange?" [There's a nod of his gingey-head, but he bends down to pick up one of his gumdrop buttons. It seems he's waiting to hear what the two of them will offer in exchange for being taken to the Gronch.]
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[!]
I can offer you one extra-large luxury chocolate for the safe return of our people, and I promise not to sic the authorities on you for your involvement in human trafficking!
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I have... some cookies?
[They're just a couple of sugar cookies she made back at the lodge.]
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"No exchange, no visitations!"
[The gifts aren't accepted and that's completely tragic...but perhaps you can offer some Christmas magic? This gingerbread man does the job of one, and yet it seems he isn't having fun...
...any other ideas?]
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[kaz, in exchange, is disgusted with giga-gingy's refusal of the Best Thing In The World.]
The shops are all closed—we can't even buy anything! Our best bet is just to run between his legs—or dunk him into a gigantic glass of milk!
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