❄ I just wanna keep on waiting underneath the mistletoe ... [sisi voice] A Jingle Mingle

[alittlefuninstead]

Wherever you are, whoever you are, you'll likely find yourself blinking one moment and teleporting in a flurry of snowflakes the next. Luckily for you, there's no murder this time! (Probably.)

Rather, you'll hear Christmas carols aplenty as you approach a winter castle, snow lightly falling and various paths leading to gardens filled with still-blooming flowers (how.) and lit topiary displays.

Upon entering the castle, you'll find it's brightly lit and decorated...welcome to the party! Frost lightly dusts the walls and some nearby surfaces and guests will find there are halls and floors aplenty to explore. There are rooms filled with plush chairs and fireplaces for those looking for something cozier, rooms filled with all kinds of games and toys, and naturally there's a large ballroom prime for dancing. Spread through you'll find tables of snacks, full-course meals, drinks, desserts, and even champagne towers. Are you looking for something specific? Simply ask a member of the staff. Watch your step though! Their assistants really are doing their best to help, and the jingling bell may be too faint to hear if you aren't paying attention.

It seems as though you've all been invited to a wonderful holiday party for no reason at all...but there is one thing amiss...or, should I say...amistletoe?

Pinned up on every doorway is a sprig of fresh mistletoe, decorated with bright red bows and dustings of frost. And sure, perhaps it's easy just to avoid the doorways if you want to be a spoilsport. But should you avoid it for too long, it will seem as though the mistletoe is following you, almost as if some asshole is hiding out and purposefully trailing behind to keep it dangling over your head.

Oh. And did I mention you can't leave the castle grounds until you play along? Pucker up.

[ooc: this can be any past murdergame characters y'all, go nuts.

for clarity sake, this includes characters from: reapsody, grimmoired, plasmatio, subdivided, thotordie, bluesclues, tropicalgetaway, notagain, and redactable!

edit: and by popular demand any of you from the above games can also bring your yuggoths and your tikirobos. The Robowests were in CRAU and therefore don't count goodbye.]

Comments

[daifukus]

[ junpei pls. he and i are crying. good thing tonbo is aware of this fact and already shoving the plate at him. TAKE A BACON WRAPEPD DATE OR TEN. ]

I believe they are some sort of western dish? It's quite a unique flavor.

[crashout]

[thanks tonbo. junpei's immediately taking like three and shoving one in his mouth, chewing and also trying to decide if he likes it.]

...never had it, not sure how I feel about it. But thanks. [there's a grin.] Feeling up for coming out from behind the chair anytime soon?

[daifukus]

[ glad he just eats them like a gremlin ]

I thought the cheese was good. [ he's smiling back though ] But I suppose since my hiding spot has been discovered......

[ he'll just have to give junpei the whole plate so he can unfold himself from behind the chair. how'd he even get himself back there anyway? it's truly a mystewy. ]

[crashout]

[it's because he's been hanging out with gremlins for way too long.]

I think we could find something even better, but it's good enough. [he reaches up to pat tonbo on the shoulder before he takes the plate, helping himself to another snack like an asshole as he steps out of the way so the spear can shimmy his way out.]

Anyway the best hiding spots are empty rooms in corners of the building where people aren't going to look. [he says, as someone who is used to hiding out at parties.]

[daifukus]

[ wow same ]

Shall we go find something then? I'm sure no one will mind if we borrow one of the other rooms to eat in peace.

[ let's make a break for it while no one is watching. ]

[crashout]

What, you don't think people'll miss us? [no tonbo's right, let's abscond. junpei's going to motion with his hand for tonbo to follow and they'll head down a hall away from everyone else!!

there are still lots of food tables here. it's fine.]

It's not so bad, is it?

[daifukus]

I'm sure they'll come to find us soon enough.

[ he says this like he didn't immediately lock eyes with nikkari for a moment of wordless communication before slipping out with junpei. talk about being hilariously married ]

But this, I'd say, is much more suitable.

[uncleanse]

[ he has full permission to smooch, for the record. live your best life boo ]

[crashout]

[tonbo your husband??? i say this and i'm not even sure where dick is, it's fine. they can vibe and junpei grins again.]

Still not used to big crowds? I'll admit, I wasn't exactly planning to attend a party anytime soon.

[daifukus]

[ it's fine, they've Talked about it. ]

It's still rather uncomfortable, yes. Returning home has only made moreso.

[ sometimes you're just a spear who doesn't know how to people? ]

[crashout]

Yeah, I guess going back meant just being with the other swords and your saniwa. [thoughtfully...] You were making a lot of progress before. So we can take it one step at a time. I recognized a bunch of people out there, so that's a good place to start whenever you feel up to it.

[given that junpei's immediately wandering toward another snack table, he's not going to be the one to push tonbo to be social. it just feels like something he should say.]

[daifukus]

Mm. As did I.

[ but now that the initial panic of OH NO NOT AGAIN has settled itself enough to not send him diving under the table.... he just needs to work up to getting out there and getting his mingly on.

clearly, it's time to eat more treats instead. ]

Though I will say it feels a little odd to have us all gathered here for rather innocuous purposes.

[crashout]

[they can stall and eat treats. they deserve it.]

Yeah, I'm kind of feeling like the whole thing's a little suspicious, too. But I can't figure out what's going on yet. Nothing seems like a threat yet.

[daifukus]

[ making out in the back room with their partners right there, yeah! ]

I'll be glad if it stays that way.

[ he's still tired from camp, fam. ]

But as long as we're allowed to leave at the end of the night, I suppose it's nothing we need to be concerned about.

[crashout]

You and me both. We should probably start looking for a way out, but right now it looks like the party's keeping most of us busy. [as mistletoe looms in corners of the room...]

[daifukus]

[ things i learned while writing this: mistletoe exists in japan but as a parasitic plant that grows in spherical clumps on certain trees. it's also a food source for birbs and apparently not poisonous? wow. that being said, as tall as tonbo is, he Does Not Percieve ]

As the night gets late I'm sure more people will be inclined to take an after dinner stroll around the castle.

[crashout]

[hate all of that deeply.]

Might take 'em a couple of hours. Have you seen how huge this place is? It's bigger than the ship but more condensed than camp. If you don't go outside, that is.

[daifukus]

Hopefully, more than just a few people will be inclined to investigate as we continue.

[ he's laughing. but also on instinct, he immediately flicks his eyes to the ceiling? and actually notices the mistletoe this time?

hm ]

Ah.

[crashout]

Ah? [and he looks up as well and he sort of settles for narrowing his eyes a bit.]

Ah. [one of those times...] ...it probably doesn't mean much, right?

[daifukus]

I assume it's related to the holiday?

[ dunno how much he's learned about modern celebrations so lack of exposure we go. but it looks innocent enough regardlessly....

what if he reaches out and tries to poke it first ]

[crashout]

[tonbo will be met with a slightly icy chill because he probably touched jack's invisible hand and i think it's funny. regardless, the mistletoe shakes at him.]

Sort of? There's a tradition with mistletoe at Christmas, I don't know how it started or why but it's like...if you and somebody else get stuck under the mistletoe, you've gotta kiss 'em.

[daifukus]

[ HE'S HERE

tonbo on the other hand looks incredibly startled as he pulls his hand back. GHOST? GHOST???? NIKKARI????? but then the words junpei say make it through the brain and he whips his head back to look at director-san. ]

...Eh?

[ tonbo why are you blushing ]

[crashout]

[there's a laugh, but unfortunately it's not nikkari. sorry to tonbo and tonbo only, and junpei blinks in surprise.

sir?]

...what's with that look? [ahaha.]

[daifukus]

[ so he's just gonna pretend that's normal ]

Is that.... alright?

[ humans are So Weird about relationships after all. he's also half expecting nikkari to pop out from under the table thanks to conversations they've had? but it's fine!! probably. look at him, more nervous about a simple smooch than anything else they've faced. someone, please take pity on him. ]

[crashout]

Usually. [this is not reassuring?] I mean...people know it's just tradition and usually doesn't actually mean anything romantic or whatever. If you're worried about your husband he'd probably think it's hilarious.

[or be needy and want to join in, but he's too tired to think of the prospect of any weird threesome hybrid of tonbokari and himself.]