glocksuke | 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

[ i can't remember if he did but i feel like the answer is "probably" or that he's at least seen it happen to someone else; so. he's watching this, and between the bow and the clothes, he has to ask: ]

There was someone where we were that bowed just like that... Are things just really formal in your worlds, or what?

It's not especially formal... It's just how things are done!

[...]

If you don't mind my asking, who was it who bowed that way in your group?

It's not really like that where I'm from.

Xie Lian.

[oh.

well, there's clear recognition in her face.]

Aaaah, His Highness's luck really is the worst - was he quite alright there?

Hm? Yeah, he was fine. He picked up a few injuries here or there, but who didn't?

[oh, whew. she visibly relaxes at that.]

What a relief. He's quite a tough guy, but even in our own world he's faced more than his fair share of difficulties! And now it sounds as though he's ended up in two of these little games... what a mess.

[a beat.]

Ahaha, Crimson Rain Sought Flower really will wipe out any remnant of whatever brought him there. So at least we don't have to worry about repeats in either of those places!

Huh? Two of them? That's possible?

[ forget whoever or whatever crimson rain sought flower is supposed to be THIS IS REALLY ALARMING?? ]

It seems so! When last I spoke with him, he said he had been to "the Realm," but - that was quite some time ago. And you said yours ended just a few weeks ago...?

[she frowns.]

...ah, but hold on a moment, if he had been through something like this before, he certainly would have said so during what you all experienced... [...] Perhaps the Xie Lian you know is not the one I know, but merely someone with the same name...? Though that would be quite a coincidence...

I mean, we didn't really talk much. If he mentioned it, it was probably to someone else. He really liked the Hua Cheng guy, I think, so probably him.

[

excuse her]

He was there too?!

Yeah, he was a Watcher from the other team. Why - you know him, too?

Well, I know of him, and we've met a few times, but I wouldn't say we're close...

[sqx, inwardly: he's not close to anyone in our world but xie lian]

He didn't really seem that interested in being close to most people, but we didn't talk much, so maybe I just got that impression because we were on different teams.

That's... well! In my experience, that's one of the better impressions you can get from him. Although, now that I think of it, no one who's gotten a worse impression of him hasn't deserved it in some way...

Hm? What's that supposed to mean?

Well, he's got quite the fearsome reputation in my world, is all. But thinking about the stories that led to him having that reputation, well...

[she taps her chin, thinking.]

For example! He was once responsible for the fall of... thirty or so gods, I think it was? He destroyed all of their temples in the mortal realm, in a single night! It certainly leaves one with the impression that he's not someone to be crossed. But the gods had made a bet with him, you see, and they refused to hold up their end of the bargain after they lost.

...Weird that people from the same worlds keep getting dragged into these things.

[ that's more of a comment to himself than to sqx, but. ]

That bet must have been something pretty important if he felt a need to go that far. What was it even about?

It's more than a little concerning, yes.

[it may have been a comment to himself, but she hears and agrees with it. so!

anyway.]

Ah, well... it was agreed that if he lost, he would give up his ashes. Which, in my world, it's no small thing for a ghost to give those up! Destroy the ashes, and you'll destroy the ghost entirely. On the other hand, if they lost, they were to give up their godhood and return to being mortal.

[she's quiet for a few moments.]

They lost - quite decisively, in fact; there was really no room for arguing that perhaps they'd actually won... but they refused to do what they'd promised. And yet! It's a fact that had they won, they would have insisted that his ashes be destroyed.

[ he's learning so much about hua cheng today. ]

Uh huh... I didn't know gods could do that. "Return to being mortal," I mean.

...it's not common. But there are times when it's necessary.

Times like what?

When a god has misused their power, or when it's become obvious they shouldn't have had it in the first place.

...I'm not sure that I get it, but okay.

[ he's just a musician ]

...don't worry about it! It's rare.

Anyway, my point is, you didn't do too badly if the impression you got was just that he was sort of aloof.

There's no reason for me to worry about it if it's not my world.

It's not like I had a chance to get any other impression, though. Really, all I knew what that he has a thing for that Xie Lian guy and he hated the angels, but there wasn't a single person who didn't by the end.

(no subject)

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