Happy Holidays

[polymods]

✖ THE MALL

Ⅰ. THE REASON FOR THE SEASON
Boy, wasn’t November exciting? How about those Black Friday deals, huh? Hope you’ve had fun camping out in furniture stores! You can of course continue to bunk there, but the High Temple is also open to all Travelers again this month if you’d rather sleep there. Don’t forget to stock up on items that could fit inside your Traveler bag - this is the perfect time to get that fancy moisturizer you’ve been missing, some books, or maybe a copy of the hot new video game Bonestorm!

As December rolls in, you’ll notice that there’s even MORE holiday cheer to be found! Pressing in on all sides of you! Suffocating you! Or maybe you’re one of those people who just lives for carols and huge plastic evergreens decked out in tinsel and lights, in which case you’re going to be thrilled!

There are indeed plenty of those aforementioned trees throughout the mall, alongside wire and light reindeer, glowing stars, and oversized novelty gift boxes. If you have keen eyes you’ll notice that hidden throughout the mall are dozens of small, creepy elves with dead vacant eyes. They don’t do anything. They just… watch.

Who on earth could they be reporting to?

---

Ⅱ. HE SEES YOU WHEN YOU’RE SLEEPING
At the center of the mall concourse there is now a miniature village set up, themed entirely in ice and snow and candy. At the center of this plastic paradise is a lavishly decorated chair, and in front of it a camera. At times marked clearly on a schedule at the village gate you can wait in line behind a red velvet rope for your turn to see him.

Who? Well. That depends.

In many worlds, there is a benevolent figure who appears in December, bearing gifts for all the good children. Santa is the most likely person you’ll find sitting on that big chair, ho-ho-hoing and looking as kind and jolly as any creature possibly could.

Maybe you’re from somewhere without a Santa Claus, but with some other equivalent. In that case, you might see what you’re familiar with instead!

Regardless of his exact form, the figure who beckons you to sit beside him has only one concern: have you been nice?

Niceness is subjective, but if you’ve managed it you will be rewarded. With a twinkle in his eye, the Non-Denominational Mall Figure will reach into his magic bag and pull out a gift, JUST for you! What could it be?!

Oh, and don’t forget to smile for the photo! You may pick it up in half an hour once it is developed.

But if you’ve been naughty, or if you sneak over to that chair during the OFF hours? In that case there will be a cracking noise and the sudden overwhelming scent of rank goat.

“Better luck next year,” the Non-Denominational Mall Figure says sadly, his eyes trained on something over your shoulder. Turn your head and you’ll see that your naughtiness has attracted another holiday staple: Krampus.

Yes, this hairy, horned devil carries chains and bitch rods, the latter of which he uses to whip the everloving shit out of you if he catches you. You’ll have to outrun him long enough that he gets bored, or find some other way to distract him or pay him off. Maybe there’s a German market set up in the mall somewhere where you could get Krampus to do a Smorgasvein with you?

Notes:
1. This month if your character has been nice, they may receive ONE special item! They may only receive this gift once - multiple attempts to see the Non-Denominational Mall Figure will result in Krampus appearing instead.

The special item you may pick for your character can be one of the following:

- one animal companion. This animal can travel with your character from island to island from now on. The only stipulation is that it must be able to fit comfortably on the ferryboat. If your animal is too large, your character can instead get a mini version!

- one carriable item from your character’s homeland. In the case of weapons, this must be something that is not game breaking in terms of power level. (ie: yes, you can get a gun, no you can’t get a gun that explodes the sun.)

- a collection of holiday candies, all of which have magical healing properties.

2. You determine if your character’s actions put them on the Naughty or Nice list

---

Ⅲ. WINTER WONDERLAND
As you wander through the mall you will notice that amongst all the holiday decorations a large area on the first floor that was closed last month is now lit up and has a welcome sign standing outside. Whatever could it be?

Perhaps a bigger and better Orange Julius?

No silly! It's an indoor ice skating rink. And as if that isn't cool enough - get it? Cool? - it would seem that for the whole month skate rentals are free. So go on, slap on a pair of skates and take a whirl around the ice rink! Show everyone your fancy moves or just try not to fall on your ass.

Don't feel like skating? That's okay, there are dorky performances happening at noon and 5pm where a group of people dressed up as holiday creatures will skate around in formation and do tricks.

If you’re more mature, at 8pm there's a live jazz band that will play music for the skaters.

There’s plenty of beverages and foods to be sampled from the holiday kiosks that have popped up close to the rink.

Notes:
1. This is a public ice rink so you will have to share space with people, so if you plan on throwing out a triple lutz or whatever then you might want to make sure you don't hit or slice into anyone with your skates.

---

Ⅳ. ALL I WANT IS YOU
Cheerful generic holiday music fills the hall as the Christmas celebration hits full swing with a slightly panicked glee. The same rotation of a dozen different carols cycles through, one after the other, hour after hour. There are only a few refuges from the mind numbing music through the mall - that one New Age import shop that hasn’t changed its world music CD in a decade, and Spicy Subject which only plays pop punk covers of carols. Even the bathrooms aren’t safe from that rise and fall of notes that let you know a certain diva is going to tell you that you’re all she wants for Christmas.

Just as the hundredth iteration of the song is about to drive you mad, there’s a tremendous crash. A twenty foot tall Christmas tree that had once been suspended in the middle of the food court has crushed the Pizza Corner and taken out the power source for half the Mall’s sound system in one go. A caped figure escapes along the rafters that once supported the tree in a cloud of heavy fragrance. He pauses only once to bow as banner unfurls. Crude letters have been painted over a previous black Friday announcement: You have been warned: The Phantom!

The crowd begins to murmur and huddle in groups, and if you get nosy there are plenty of rumors. A teen from one of the ear piercing boutiques mentions a ghost story about a Luxuriate employee who got in a terrible accident while mixing bath bombs on site that rendered him permanently aromatic and with a permanent splitting headache that would have killed a lesser person. An older man from the Hotdog Hut pipes up that he disappeared into the labyrinth of hidden hallways that allow employees to navigate the mall for restocking and avoiding the overly aggressive salespeople. Every year the Phantom emerges in an attempt to banish the sky high notes of that ever popular Christmas carol, and every year the people who run the mall put it back in rotation.

Even after the incident with the choir.

A mother with two small children who are more puffy coat than person hushes the hotdog seller. It’s all nonsense of course. Some kind of interactive theater to drive up sales before the holidays. The looks that pass between the other employees, and the signs that the poor twenty-something postgrad working at Pizza Corner might have been crushed say otherwise.

So does the pungent waft of multifloral scent that starts to stalk you through the mall. Apparently, someone’s formed a crush, or are you giving him a terrible headache? What is it about you that you do better than anyone that might be appreciated by this deeply eccentric murder? Or what makes you the most annoying? Either way, it might be good to keep your hand at the level of your eyes because you’re about to be whisked away to the depths of the Mall into the Phantom’s lair.

Notes:
1. The Phantom is now more archetype than human. Killing him will probably not solve the issue, but it will make you smell like you’ve been eating bath bombs and drinking essential oils until New Year. Which could be fun.

2. Alternatively, if you agree with him about the music, you can always agree to team up to take out the rest of the sound system.

3. The Phantom has an excellent tenor voice. Just, you know, in case you were wondering.

Come on Jessica, come on Tori! Let's go to the mall, you won't be sorry!

Network · Logs · OOC · Memes · Plurk

Comments

3B - Because these were BOTH bait

[helpdesk_hero]

Live music? Jazz? Next to a skating rink? Definitely several sorts of bait for David. Bait that had him coming up behind Carter before sitting down on the bench next to him with no comment. Just him sipping at his extra large salted caramel mocha. It's an okay band, he supposes, but for now he's just listening peacefully, sitting close to one of his best friends.

Who said they needed words to be comfortable listening to jazz together?

Of course they were! ;)

[extrasensory_problems]

Carter gives David a smile when he sits down next to him, they don't say anything at first because they really don't need to. Which is nice, having someone he's so close to that they can sit and enjoy each other's presence and energy.

Eventually Carter motions towards David's drink, "That smells good. What is it?"

Carter why you gotta be around the things David likes the most?

[helpdesk_hero]

Yeah. It's been a while since David had someone he could just sit next to and, well, bask in the presence of. Since Josh actually. Though that might be a bad comparison, given the fact that him and Josh also had that aura of UST going on.

"Salted Caramel Mocha. Got all the spread of flavors that are good. One of my favorites for the winter."

Because he's psychic? XD

[extrasensory_problems]

"Mmmm salted caramel, yeah that sounds great. I just have hot cocoa because I'm a basic bitch." He says with a grin.

"Nice to hear some live music and not the same recorded holiday tunes hrm?"

Because that's how it works

[helpdesk_hero]

"Nothing basic about liking the classics," David counters. "And mine's basically just hot chocolate with caramel and coffee."

So it's fine. He's just a slightly less basic bitch.

"Yeah, the music is nice. Getting to really get to hear something is always a relief. The jazz over canned music wins my heart."

[extrasensory_problems]

"Yeah same here." He says, and then takes another sip of his cocoa. Leaning his body against David's a little, shoulder to shoulder. It just seems to happen naturally when he's around him, like two little magnets.

[helpdesk_hero]

Two little magnets, repeatedly finding themselves together. It's fine. It's comfortable. It makes David smile. A lot. To have even this little bit of pressure against himself made him relieved.

He lived on contact.

"Is jazz just something you like?"

[extrasensory_problems]

"I don't just like it, I love it." He says with a grin, "There's something about it that can cut through bullshit and just hit you right in your very center being."

[helpdesk_hero]

"Fuck yeah," David said, his hand coming up to offer Carter a fist bump. Yes. All the power to jazz lovers.

"It's all about the way it makes your heart pump and your body insist that it's real, that you're real. And what you feel is just so intense."

[extrasensory_problems]

Carter happily fist bumps him back, because fuck yeah. Jazz kicks ass.

"Yes!! Exactly! The only thing that can hit you like that is jazz....well that and Dolly Parton."

[helpdesk_hero]

This was what friendship was about. Score. Just someone getting it. And it made him smile softly, just to know someone else got it. Because it felt like he did.

"Dolly's pretty amazing at that. Jolene is haunting and always will be."

[extrasensory_problems]

"Dolly is so amazing, I cried when I got to see her in concert a few years ago." He admits and takes a sip of his drink.

[helpdesk_hero]

"You got to see her?" David said, sitting up a bit straighter and looking at Carter with envy. "Oh you fucker if you ever get good with the telepathy thing, you BETTER show me some of that memory."

[extrasensory_problems]

"I did and it was one of the best concerts I've ever been to." He says and then laughs when David demands that he share that memory with him.

"She played 5 different instruments, each of them covered in rhinestones, and sounds exactly the same as she does on recordings. Just.... Yeah I'll totally share that memory with you."

[helpdesk_hero]

Damn, that was right. David smiles and nods at the agreement. Yes, this was absolutely something to look forward to.

"She deserves more credit as a legend," David answered with a smile, shaking his head. "Best lady."

[extrasensory_problems]

"I'm glad you agree." He says with mock seriousness, "Because if you hated Dolly I don't think we could continue to be friends."

[helpdesk_hero]

"If you liked jazz and not Dolly, I'd judge you," David agrees with a nod before sipping his drink. That was a good thing to hear.

"It's nice to have someone who likes my music likes around."

[extrasensory_problems]

Carter nods in agreement, "It is nice to be able to talk about music with someone. Anytime I try with Kyle he rolls his eyes and calls me an old man."

[helpdesk_hero]

"Yeah, I'm certain he would with me too," David answered with a shrug. "Kyle's just full of that sharp tongue in his head. But thank goodness I'm not alone in talking about how good the music is. Even if I'd prefer not, you know, christmas."

[extrasensory_problems]

"Yeah I'm not a huge fan of Christmas tunes but they become more tolerable if it's being played in a jazz style." He says and then motions towards the holiday decorations strewn up around the mall.

"What do you think of all the holiday stuff? I'm not huge into the creepy elves but I like the lights."

[helpdesk_hero]

"I have complicated feelings about Christmas in general and so decorations aren't overly my thing. But the 1984 minions are not to my taste."

They were wigging him out and since he already hated malls it was even worse.

"Make me nervous about them getting violent."

[extrasensory_problems]

He nudges David's shoulder with his and does his best Dudley Doo Right voice.

"Have no fear Nell, I'll save you."

[helpdesk_hero]

“Pest,” David laughs, leaning against Carter with a smile. But he smiles and settles down again and sips his drink again. “You big on Christmas?”

[extrasensory_problems]

"Nah not since my mom died." Carter says simply, "Kind of hard to feel the holiday spirit when you've got no one in your life to share it with."

[helpdesk_hero]

“So you just wanna avoid it? Because you and me, we could do that. Recruit Kyle too. Pretty sure he’s Jewish. We could have a ‘no thanks Christmas’ winter slumber party or something.”

But like, invite other people and not note that it’s about ‘no thanks christmas’.