glocksuke | Jingle Mingle...2

Jingle Mingle...2

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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ that's fine, she's going to resettle and start beaking through her feathers anyway. preening. ... roxis will also give jack a scritch?

though he is also now eyeing the nearest sprig of leaves and berries a little dubiously. ]

Given what you've been saying about it, I'd be surprised if the enchantments weren't something along the lines of making these last for however long the holiday does, or compulsive in nature.

Either or, or perhaps even both.

[ jack trills, the sound a low short ratlling noise as they lean into the touch.

flat nods, his eyes following roxis’. ]

Probably! I guess you could say we traded murder for kissing? [ he laughs. ] It’s a big improvement, if you ask me!

What will it be next time, I wonder. Perhaps a talent competition as a change of pace?

[ the driest deadpan as he arches a brow, though he keeps up the gentle ministrations he's giving jack. all right, all right, you ridiculous corvid. ]

I don't suppose you've tried leaving yet to test whether we can? I looked around outside earlier; unless you're keen on getting lost in the woods and freezing to death there it probably isn't the best idea to just wander off.

Card tricks usually don’t score very high in talent shows—do you sing?

[ exploring the woods, though—that seems fun! ]

A couple getting lost in the woods… all we would need is a guy with a chainsaw hiding in the trees in order to recreate a horror movie!

[ he sounds far more excited than he should be. however he’ll give roxis a glance, and a tilt of his head. ]

But maybe hypothermia would take you first? Yeah, probably.

It's not generally enough visual spectacle for a crowd, no. I know, I know. [ he can think of a few ways he could make things a bit flashier, but... beat. ] Even if I did, [ sing, that is, ] I'm not about to do it in front of an audience. I can play, though, if there's a violin around here somewhere.

[ or decent enough material to make one out of. in tangentially related news, things i had to google out of morbid curiosity. but he shrugs with one shoulder- the one jack isn't on- with a bit of a sigh. ]

I'll pass on the surprise horrorshow, thanks. Weren't you listening to me? I just said it'd be a bad idea to go and get lost out there.

[ he might be slightly more prepared for the weather in a red cloak with gold trim and all, but that still doesn't mean they're not going to die of hypothermia. ]

You play the violin? We could duet!

[ sometimes you learn new things about your boyfriend! now does this mean that flat knows how to play the violin? or any instrument at all?

hm. give him a week. ]

Sometimes the worst ideas are the best ones! [ what the fuck does that mean. ] But we’d probably die, yeah. Sooo… [ hm. ] What if we try taking them down?

Why does everyone always sound so surprised to learn this... What do you play, then?

[ surprise? there are so many musical instrument type syntheses in mana khemia 1 that they didn't bring back for 2, it's wild.

anyway sometimes the worst ideas are just that: the worst, but since flat's already moved on from it, ]

And take down the mistletoe? You'd think if they thought to enchant them they might have tried sticking them to the doorways as well, but I suppose it wouldn't hurt to try.

[ he cannot quite reach any of them on his own, but like. they're not nerfed here. they can get creative. ]

I'm not really surprised, I just think it's nice to know! See, if you said something like the trombone, then I'd be surprised. Also, I've tried a bunch of instruments. Violin's nice, but I think piano was the easiest one for me to practice. I've even tried vocal synthesizers. And if I don't know it, then I can learn.

[ because, hey, if he learned how to fly a plane through flight simulator games, i have no doubt that he would be able to learn to play an instrument by absorbing information like some weirdo sponge.

either way--! ]

I mean, if there's an enchantment, we can probably try to reverse it? And then we can try to jump and grab it or something.

Vocal synthesizers?

[ what? ]

Hmm... Well, if we're going to make the attempt, we might as well see what we're working with first. [ either one of their daemons can probably fly to try and snag it, honestly, but what if the enchantment also affects them? bird kisses??? or would it reflect through to them themselves? hm.

so first things first, he just casually yeets a single card at the ribbon and bow holding up the sprig closest to them. predictably for the purposes of this post/thread, it does not cut the ribbon ... or seem to damage it in the least, actually. so roxis just recalls the card with as casual a flick of the wrist as he'd used to fling it up there in the first place. ]

Well, if nothing else, we know that's enchanted against breakage.

It’s like…an electronic voice? It’s a program that you can use to make a voice.

[ things to teach roxis: vocaloid.

however seeing roxis throw the card for naught is… disappointing!? flat considers sending a curse to the plant in order to set it on fire, but… that would probably scare others? and, from what he could analyze from roxis’ attack, that would be nothing but troublesome…and most likely ineffective, too.

SIGHS. ]

Well… what should we do? What do you want to do? Maybe you get on my shoulders? But it might be glued on or something…

[ he understands all those words separately and it shows in his expression. ]

I see.

[ no he doesn't. anyway, sigh! ]

If it's glued on then generally there should be some sort of solvent that'll work on it, it just depends on what kind of glue it is.

[ the chemist part of alchemist, everyone... even though i. don't know if acetone is still called spirit of saturn in a non-earth world that clearly has kept other random earth things like the calendar and western zodiac for funzies because mana khemia is not about the worldbuilding. hell maybe it's even just called acetone by now. not like i know!!! fridges and vacuum tubes exist! ]

Worst comes to worst, we scrape it off?

Edited (readability...) 2021-12-13 07:23 (UTC)

I mean, it wouldn't be normal white glue if your cards couldn't do anything about it...

[ though flat has been looking at the mistletoe for quite a bit now and...he can't really understand it? weird. this is some w e i r d magecraft that's keeping that thing up there.

however... ]

Why don't we just burn or break the area that's holding it instead? I think that might be easier.

[ deadpan: ] Maybe it's superglue.

[ but roxis is also scrutinizing the mistletoe now, but like, outside of what they've already discovered, he's also not getting much from it. w e i r d , huh? it's almost like there's thread magic forcing them into not being able to do anything about it. there's a glint of light that thrums briefly in his palm as he considers testing something... but hm, nah. ]

Maybe if it only nulls any attempts at doing anything to the decoration itself ... not the worst idea, honestly.

[ like, what are the odds the entire lodge is constructed out of alchemically or magically reinforced material? ]

I thought your cards would cut superglue…should they be sharpened?

[ how do you sharpen cards, actually? is it like knives? now flat is wondering if roxis would make a good chef with them…

he taps his chin, observing the mistletoe closely before smiling. ]

Do you wanna try?

They should, but given that I can't quite make heads or tails of what's actually making up whatever enchantment is on the decorations I wouldn't put it past the hypothetical glue to be similarly incomprehensible in composition.

[ which normally he'd hate to admit, not understanding something like this, but like, they just blew up angels all across the universes with a quote unquote bomb. sometimes you accept that there are wild things out there outside of your existing frame of reference that you'd need to study up and do more research on.

he is eyeing the card he recalled a little dubiously though, trying to see if it picked up any material worth analyzing on the edges or if it's just... pristine. hint, it's the latter. anyway: ]

I don't have anything imbued with a fire ether trait on me. ... I'm sure I could figure something out from what we have available here if you gave me a moment, but do you want to do the honors?

Super-super glue…I’d love to make something like that!

[ what could they use? there’s many glues out there, both natural and synthetic… could they mix them together? correct the properties to improve its resistance? how do to that in the first place—no, the how doesn’t matter.

either way, he’ll grin at the offer, nodding. ]

Sure! Game, select!

[ though he poses, with arm and hand outstretched, it’s largely unnecessary as nothing comes from his hand. the area around the mistletoe, however, spontaneously lights on fire… but nothing burns. after a few seconds, the flames disappear, as if they had never occurred in the first place. ]

Total failure!

[ hm. ]

... nullification within a certain radius, do you think? Or— stasis?

[ any damage incurred won't actually actualize if time doesn't pass...? ]

Nullification is easier… it could just be that this has higher stats than I do. Kind of like how something is stronger because you can’t understand it. Stasis would be cool, though…although that takes a lot of energy? Not like that’s a problem here, though.

[ he looks around, and then at roxis, head tilted. ]

Any other ideas? I got one, but it’s not great.

[ and if flat’s saying that… ]

Honestly, now I just want to take one down to be able to analyze it...

[ put it in front of vayne and have him rattle off properties the way he and sulpher had once played off as being one of sulpher's abilities as the mana of sulfur if he really runs into a dead end on his own, even. ]

... What's your idea?

Oh, great! We have the same idea!

[ and this makes things so much easier because— ]

I can’t understand it well enough, so I thought that it would be easier if I exposed myself to it. However I think that it needs two people to activate the spell, so why don’t we go?

[ for science! ]

... I suppose pre-casting a ward against mental interference would be defeating the point, wouldn't it.

[ for?? science...???? ]

[ he nods. ]

It would.

[ for science! ]

[ was all this just a convoluted plot to get them both under the mistletoe. no, because it's flat, and flat would've just gone for it without needing the setup. probably. maybe?

vosgetel is going to look up from preening herself while still situated on flat's shoulder, glance over at roxis, more or less just shake her head at her person, and then go right back to preening. preening, but judgmental.

thanks, soul. ]

...... fine? We can go. I suppose.

[ for. science, (????) ]

Awesome!

[ is this a convoluted set up for roxis to get under the mistletoe or not? there was a time when something like that would have been more than possible… but it isn’t now.

jack, on the other hand, is glancing between roxis and flat…though it quickly goes to preening its wings.

flat will reach for one of roxis’ hands, gently tugging the alchemist towards the mistletoe. ]

Come on, don’t look so nervous, Roxis. It’ll be over before you know it!

[ is he going to kill roxis, or kiss him? ]

Edited 2021-12-16 14:14 (UTC)

[ i can think of at least one canon where both of those would be the same thing, but this ain't nier automata so it's fine.

it's easy enough to pull him along, at least, he doesn't really offer any resistance. honestly he wouldn't really mind it if it weren't for the venue, and how many people are around. if this becomes a public spectacle he's going to die on the spot for a third time.

anyway, haha. mistletoe. ]

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