Jingle Mingle...2

[alittlefuninstead]

Some of you may be used to this by now. For some of you, this may be your very first time being swept away in a flurry of snowflakes. (Though some of you may have been particularly naughty and were shoved into a burlap sack before disappearing into the storm.) As usual, it seems as though the time for bloodshed has passed and when you open your eyes you're greeted with...

...a ski lodge.

Worry not! This isn't the lodge Krampus had taken residence in but it's a rather large and cozy getaway. You may even find that your clothes have changed into something holiday-appropriate for the occasion. It seems as though someone has gone around decking the halls with boughs of holly, lights strewn along the walls, Christmas trees in large corners, and plenty of food and drink to go around. (Yes, this includes alcohol. Please do try to be responsible though, hm?)

Similarly, some of you may recognize the frosty patterns that lightly dust the walls and surfaces and the usual staff and their assistants are back in action. Should you require anything, you may ask one of them and they'll be at your service!

The lodge has plenty of rooms filled with furniture, fireplaces, games and more. And for those of you feeling a little more adventurous, you may venture outdoors. To the left there's a sprawling garden with gazebos, firepits, flowers and lit topiary displays. To the right, you may follow the path down to a hot spring. And straight ahead? There's the path leading you right to a rental shack holding skis, snowboards and snow mobiles.

This almost seems...quaint, doesn't it? And perhaps it's a little too easy, but you should know by now everything comes with a price.

Sprigs of mistletoe are pinned up in every doorway once again, bright red bows and dustings of frost lingering around them. Don't try to escape to the outdoors to avoid it! Ice sculptures appear in every direction each decorated with the mystical plant. You could try to avoid it, really, but avoiding it too long will earn a chilly breath of air directly in your ear as you're pushed straight into the nearest person. Wouldn't you rather choose on your own?

Well! The choice is yours, and you might want to make it fast. There's no way out without paying the kiss tax, after all.

[ooc: it's mgcu time! this mingle is open to characters from the following: reapsody, grimmoired, plasmatio, subdivided, thotordie, bluesclues, tropicalgetaway, notagain, redactable, snowend, 7rings, seasonality, and chasma!

Comments

[toyska]

[I'm pretty sure Childe destroyed a display and stole her some stuffed animals so you are correct! And he grins about it]

Ahaha, well, it's true that I've never been one for limits.

[And off they go! He'll wander along with her, hands in his pockets.]

Are you planning to collect all of those?

[azuta]

[given that she will literally reach over to pluck more mistletoe as they walk along - ]

Well... I suppose someone may try to stop me...

[iris, silently: they will not succeed]

[toyska]

[


looks around at this motley crew of murderous lunatics and children]

...I think you've got a while before anyone tries, honestly.

[lwj is outside so it's fine]

[azuta]

If they do, I'll handle it.

[she has so much confidence for no reason

but as she manages to spot a mistletoe underneath the arch of a doorway, she frowns when she finds that even rising to her tiptoes doesn't bring her any closer to getting to steal and destroy it

she'll glance to him]

Care to lend me a hand? Though it would make you an accomplice rather than just a witness.

[toyska]

[It's because she can do whatever she wants forever

He'll let her grab for it first, though her comment does make him laugh.]

I suppose I can permit a single black mark on my record. [the SHEER AUDACITY

But since he's tall, it's not too much effort to reach up and pluck it off. He doesn't hand it over right away, though, examining it thoughtfully.]

I suppose these serve some sort of purpose beyond decoration? [Like, he's presumably? Seen people kissing under them?? HAS ANYONE EVEN KISSED YET I'M IN TEARS but even if he has he doesn't quite get the connection.]

[azuta]

[the AUDACITY she's about to tease him for precisely that before he asks and then

the look she gives him is

withering]

Hmm...

[she's clearly trying to decide if this is a sincere question or an elaborate pick-up line]

Yes. [a beat] It's a holiday tradition in certain countries - to share a kiss with those you find yourself with underneath the mistletoe.

[a gesture to the plant. that is the mistletoe.]

An explanation - not a suggestion.

[toyska]

[yeah this was all an elaborate setup to get a kiss



in another universe, but in this one childe actually frowns a little at this plant in his hand]

...It's an otherworldly tradition--not something from this place?

[please god tell him he's not trapped in a sex lodge]

[azuta]

[THE FACT THAT THEY'D DO THIS EXACT SAME DANCE IN A DIFFERENT SET-UP WITH DIFFERENT RESULTS




but as is, iris just relaxes once she feels comfortable again that he's not going to hit on her]

Hmm... It's common enough in different cultures on Earth that I wouldn't be surprised if it simply carried over. Does your world not have this type of tradition?

How envious.

[toyska]

[You know hilariously if anywhere in teyvat would have a fucking mistletoe-esque tradition it would probably be fucking snezhnaya

luckily childe is childe and would much rather be fighting at all times, so--]

Mm, well, such things aren't really something I care to deal with, so...

[He looks amused, though, even as he passes the plant over to her.]

Not to state the obvious, but I take it you're not fond of it?

[azuta]

[she will take it, and neatly pluck at its leaves to shred it in her fingers as she speaks unabashedly]

I rather like how you said it.

"Such things aren't really something I care to deal with." [THIS IS THE WORLD'S BIGGEST UNDERSTATEMENT COMING FROM IRIS] I have other interests.

Just think of how many awkward encounters I'm preventing - I think I should be thanked.

[not really but she does think she's providing a net benefit here,]

[toyska]

[That gets a soft laugh from him; idly, he wonders if she means it the way normal people do, or the way he does. In this place it could be either tbh.]

Ah, but what about shy couples looking for an excuse to have their first kiss?

[He's just playing devil's advocate because it's funny]

[azuta]

[iris keeps being accused of violence in brackets and while it's not entirely off, it's still funny. let her be sane-passing.

anyway, without missing a beat - ]

Then they ought to take it at their own pace and enjoy their courtship dance, or otherwise find their confidence.

True opportunists [and hormones] will find a way.

[(iris voice) if you still need a mistletoe as an excuse to kiss, you're weak]

[toyska]

[Only if Childe can be too

Her response has him shaking his head in amusement, even as he spots another one and wanders off to pluck it off the wall. This one he puts in his pocket, though what he plans to use it for is anyone's guess.]

With views like that, it's a wonder they didn't invite you to the station.

[Hell, maybe they did? What does he know.]

[azuta]

[ . . . ? ]

An invitation... to 'the station'?

[she pauses thoughtfully, but it doesn't take long to put together context clues given everyone else being... everyone else]

Is that the location you were brought to for a different farce? [well, that's colored by her own experiences] ... where you agreed to go?

[toyska]

[A "farce", she says, and he can't even argue because that's exactly what it was!! God. He came out of it alright, and he's happy to have Iris (hah) in his life in particular, but he's still disappointed that he didn't get his Battle Royale dream.]

Mmhmm. [A sigh.] I'd been hoping for some strong opponents to fight after the inevitable trap was sprung, but I suppose I should've known better than to get my hopes up.

[Fuck Miles Edgeworth in particular

But Childe is rude and hasn't asked anyone else about their games until literally this moment, so he's in for a surprise shortly.]

Why, what happened to you?

[azuta]

[iris, internally: oh i see i'm talking to a charming madman

imagine if she walked away here like she's thinking about doing for 0.5 seconds]

[azuta]

[but she continues this conversation bc she's not easily intimidated and at least he's a straightforward charming madman]

... how to explain... An unfinished story sought its end, and so brought a number of us to a school in which we were the stand-ins for its cast as it decided to use murder as its plot device. [her expression gets briefly more severe] It decided to make four of us into puppets to orchestrate its intentions.

[she plucks another mistletoe from its resting place and just crushes it in her hand.]

I would have liked to simply decline an invitation.

[toyska]

[Don't look at him in that tone of voice miss "head of the vengeance squad"

But it's kind of fascinating, in a way--it sounds like a story in and of itself, and he's always enjoyed those. But being dragged into plots unknowingly, being made into a puppet... his mouth twists in distaste that's a little too sincere to be anything but personal.]

I'm sorry that happened to you. [It's the appropriate thing to say, but he means it, too. He's had time to get over his own hurt, but it wasn't that long ago. Besides, it's not a situation he'd wish on other people--well. Other people that he likes, anyway.] It always comes down to schemes and plots, doesn't it? A bit pathetic, if you ask me.