❄ 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

[reconnective]

[sometimes your impulse control says to make something fun. but handholding is good, and he'll half-lead and half-follow wherever clementine wants to go.]

I didn't mind our task back then, but ours was just baking. Having everything all set up isn't so bad though. It really feels like people just want us to have a good time.

[stillnot]

[ can't relate, clem's impulse control tells her to drink puddle water and eat random mushrooms.

she's just wandering through the room at a very leisurely pace, taking her time enjoying the decorations. but heading towards a doorway to another room because she saw a fireplace in there, and that would probably warm him up faster. ]

Suspicious...

[reconnective]

[stares at kh3 where you pick up ingredients from stray take-out boxes spread out on the ground...

regardless, the leisurely pace is nice. he's kind of very fond of christmas, truthfully, which means his eyes are wide and he's taking in everything he sees while they walk. the doorway's approaching, and it's about then he spots the mistletoe and just sort of. narrows his eyes.

hm.]

You think so?

[stillnot]

[ she isn't unaware of the mistletoe? she just doesn't think anything of it. it's just a decoration. ]

Little bit. But - even if this is another fucked up situation, not much to do but wait. [ this is just dark humor, honestly. she's not... that suspicious? largely because she is still too exhausted to be. how did any of us survive crau. ]

[reconnective]

[it's definitely just a decoration and sora's promptly ignoring it. it's not like it'll haunt him or anything.]

It's not going to be another messed up situation. It doesn't feel the same. [he knows she's just like this and it's instinct that makes him reply. but he squeezes her hand a little at that.] Guess it's a good thing there's so many people though.

[it's nice, and they make for a good distraction. the room ahead has a large crackling fire, a few plush chairs, and what looks like a few walls of library books and a giant christmas tree in the corner. snack tables are backed up against the walls and the room itself is prime for relaxing.]

[stillnot]

I don't know. Last time I saw a place all decked out for Christmas didn't go great.

[ not that she wants to get into that? and she's still just playing devil's advocate.

she gently tugs him through the doorway... it's fine... do not mind the ominous mistletoe... ]

[reconnective]

You and I have very different Christmas experiences. [given she has seen...that he met santa...but it's fine. he glares at the mistletoe like he's trying to assert dominance but clem pulls him through the doorway and he follows along obediently.]

I wouldn't mind hanging out here for a while though. Maybe even a few days. Not that I think we can, but...you know.

[stillnot]

We've had different everything experiences.

[ sora why are you glaring at christmas decorations. you like christmas decorations. but she is leading him over to the fireplace so they can stand in front of it. ]

If I threw a party and someone just stayed for a couple days, I think I'd be pretty upset.

[reconnective]

Maybe not everything though. And besides, there're some things we've done together that we haven't shared with any of our other friends.

[like murder. very fun, very wholesome. also he's glaring at the mistletoe as if he's expecting it to fly off the walls and turn into a monster, frankly, but the fireplace is far more tempting. there they go.]

This place is huge...you think they'd even notice before we left? [he's still joking, but hm. castle...]

[stillnot]

Well. I bet you could hide out for a day or two.

[ ... but he's not being subtle about the glaring so she is finally just going to ask?? ]

Is... something wrong?

[reconnective]

I'll think about it. [all of that for an "i'll consider it." but he blinks in surprise suddenly like he hadn't even realized what he looked like, frowning softly before he shakes his head.]

No, it's nothing. It's just a lot of decorations for something like this...[hm.]

[stillnot]

[ she laughs lightly at the first thing, but. she is just ????? ]

That seems like something you'd like, though. [ sora you've been to christmas town. you looked elated at most of the decorations!! ]

[reconnective]

And I do! But I just want to make sure they're only decorations...that so bad?

[stillnot]

[ she shrugs. ]

It's never bad to be cautious. But - what? You expecting them to turn into monsters or something?

[reconnective]

Maybe? [he realizes how silly that seems now.] I don't know, after everything that's happened it wouldn't surprise me if someone tried to use Christmas against me, too.

[there's a light pout, but he relaxes after that.] ...but it's not like we couldn't fight back if that were true so maybe things aren't so bad.

[stillnot]

I think after everything that's happened, we're prepared for pretty much anything.

[reconnective]

Everything except for a completely innocent party. [he can joke about it at least. but he'll stand in front of the fire to warm his hands.]

...have I said that I've missed you yet? [just an aside.]

[stillnot]

We'll learn to handle that, too. [ she gives a small laugh... haha... the trauma... ]

I missed you too. [ it's been like a day? ]

[reconnective]

[listen sometimes a day is too long? it's fine.]

Just another reason I want to stay as long as possible, I guess. [to learn, or because he missed her? yes.]

[stillnot]

Guess if you've got nowhere better to be.

[ ... hah ]

[reconnective]

Gimme a break. [there's a grin.] I think I already told you that I'd rather be places with you than anywhere else right now.

[...maybe not in so many words but to him the implications were there.]

[stillnot]

Yeah. Me too.

Maybe that's why I'm not scared, right now.

[reconnective]

["me either" is what he wants to say, and it's what the look on his face says. but instead, he relaxes even further and nods along.]

Good. It's a party, so we should enjoy it while we can. Pretty sure there's all kinds of food I've never even seen before. [and mistletoe that...seems to have moved from one wall to the wall that's closer to them? hm. okay. he will just pointedly ignore that.]

[stillnot]

[ clementine isn't even shy, she just doesn't assume that the whole mistletoe tradition is, uh. enforced. ]

Really? Even you have things you haven't seen?

[ he's been to so many worlds? ]

[reconnective]

[they'll figure it out sooner or later probably. right now sora's more invested in food and also clementine, like, existing.]

You say that like you're surprised. [he shouldn't laugh.] But yeah. We didn't always have a chance to try new stuff when we visited other places, so some of it I've only ever heard about.