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

Chloe | Detroit: Become Human

[neverwither]

⭕ Ia. IT'S CHRISTMAAAAAS

In a furniture store where two androids have made a cosy little bed-nest for themselves, Chloe is hard at work decorating for the holiday season. Not one but three Christmas trees stand at the foot of the bed, all decorated with precision. The first is decked out in patterned baubles (some might even go as far as to dub them gaudy), a stuffed toy St. Bernard positioned at the bottom to gaze up at the tree. In the middle is a tree of blue, white and silver. Its ornaments have a mix of shapes; star, egg, lamp and icicle. The last tree is one of pink, silver and white bows and artificial flowers. Disparate as they look, they hold a connection for her.

It's the first time she's had the free rein to celebrate this way and so she may have gone just a little overboard. But isn't it the season of cheer (and excess)? She's even humming along to the all too familiar tunes that incessantly play.

⭕ Ib. CHLOE CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN

You might also find Chloe standing before a myriad of gift boxes, paralysed by choice. Who knew a store could have so many festive cardboard containers? Her brow is furrowed with the weight of the monumental decision she's trying to make. A large box with a reindeer design is picked up, inspected and set back from where it was gathered. A much smaller silver, holographic box gets the same treatment. Two blue boxes are taken - one glittery and the other with a ribbon. One in each hand, the blonde head keeps turning between them.

"The glitter could gum up the paint..." she mumbles to herself. "And maybe the first idea would be better anyway..." With a gentle sigh, she turns to the nearest person to seek out their opinion. "Do you mind if I ask you a question? Do you think it's annoying and tacky to do the nesting boxes thing to finally reveal the gift?"

⭕III. JINGLE BELL JAZZ

Did someone say dorky performances? Chloe is there. The dorkiness is part of the charm, and she's impressed by the tricks. Out of the many things Chloe is capable of, skating is not one of them and so any display of talent is one that's highly regarded.

Unbothered by the chill, she stays to watch both performances and the skaters in general. If not for the undignified prospect of ending up sprawled all over the ice, she probably would have had a go by now. The evening settles in, the jazz band starts and there's plenty to keep her entertained. She's gotten herself a gingerbread cocoa, wreath-shaped gingerbread cookies, pretty much all the gingerbread items.

She hasn't actually sampled gingerbread yet. From the scent, she assumes it's going to be good. If not, she can gift it to someone else. Either way, she's happy to share her spicy treats.

⭕ WILDCARD

[ Want to choose your own adventure? Catch me at another_thoughts_hat or via PM and we can do a thing! ]

Ia

[unkindled_madness]

[Sephiroth hasn't staked out a dedicated place to sleep in the mall, and when he does sleep, he tends to do so during the day. The music... has not been conducive to that. There has got to be some place where it's quieter, and he's going to find it eventually.

For now, he is momentarily distracted by Chloe's decorating. He's lacking a lot of information about Christmas, but he's yet to see an illustration showing more than one tree in a household.]

...are you decorating those for other people? [That would be like her.]

[neverwither]

( Good guess Sephiroth - its pretty much accurate. She's all aglow with holiday buzz when she stops her decorating to give him her attention. )

Sort of, yes. You could say they're my representation of people, as well as a surprise for one. ( Though the term 'people' is used somewhat loosely, depending on your stance. ) The one with blue, white and silver is for Connor, another android here. ( Oh, her little smile might be quite telling there. ) The one with the patterned baubles is for his partner, Hank, even though he isn't here. He has a dog like this one, you see... And the one with the bows and flowers would be the one that's me.

I did think about doing more, the miniature ones, for people but I'm not sure who might observe the holiday and who might not. I did see a black one... ( Does her smile have a hint of mischief? Probably. )

[unkindled_madness]

[Sephiroth returns that mischievous smile with a raised eyebrow.] I only just learned of Christmas. I certainly don't celebrate it.

...Connor is a friend of yours? [His tone is carefully neutral. Seeking confirmation of what the man said to him, but he isn't interested in discussing that encounter.]

[neverwither]

( Whether he'd been familiar with Christmas or not, she hadn't expected a spectacularly different answer. Maybe one day something that doesn't cause him to make that expression will reveal itself. Like a secret liking for fuzzy slippers or the crunch of Autumn leaves. Though she wonders how much he knows of simple pleasures. Or how willing he'd be to entertain them in the first place. )

Alright. I promise I won't foist a festive tree upon you.

( Going back to fussing with the Hank-tree so she can avoid directly looking at him, she nods. ) More than a friend, actually. Have the two of you met?

[unkindled_madness]

Three seems to be quite a lot already.

[Well, it doesn't sound like Connor mentioned the incident either. If he's that significant to her, then is it the sort of thing one ought to mention, or better left forgotten? Sephiroth isn't sure.]

Only very briefly. I believe he was looking for you at the time.

iii

[antifungi]

Dorky performances are not high on the list of Joel's interests. The sound of live music, though, invariably draws him in. Even if jazz isn't exactly his favorite, either, it's a welcome break from the constant cycle of tinny, canned Christmas music everywhere else. And serves as a decent distraction from the rest of the trappings of a season he's no more inclined to celebrate now than he'd be if he wasn't trapped in this whole surreal nightmare.

Ordinarily, he wouldn't pick a familiar face out of the crowd for anything less than necessity. Idle small talk isn't a skill he's kept honed, over the years, and one he's got even less use for. But - it's not like there's a whole hell of a lot else to do around here, and even he can only spend so many hours out of the day paranoid and preparing for the worst.

He's not sure what she's preparing for, with a veritable mountain of gingerbread, but it sure seems a lot more serious than a simple taste test, given the mass quantities. "You plannin' on feeding an army?"

[neverwither]

Admittedly she's kind of surprised when Joel strikes up a conversation. It's good, right? Hopefully he's been integrating himself more with the merry band of misfits that island hop together. Either way, Chloe's content to indulge in some chitchat.

"How have you been, Joel?" she asks, all perfectly pleasant and like they're not stuck in a world where any means of magical mischief can strike at any moment. In the midst of chaos, one must seek to make calmness where one can. "This is all..." She peers down into the bag holding her festive treasures. It is a lot. It hadn't seem quite so excessive when she was picking bit after bit up at the various stalls.

"Well... some of it is for a gingerbread house," she half explains, half justifies. "And some is..." Examining her wares again, she picks out a package of star shaped cookies wrapped in clear cellophane and tied up with a red ribbon. Offering it to him, she smiles. "...just because."

[antifungi]

Integrating? No. But maybe he's blending in a little better, at least. And, at the end of the day, even Joel needs some semblance of social connection - however much he prefers to pretend otherwise. Tess was proof of that, once. Now it's just him and— Well. Just him, now. Not a state he's all that happy to be back in.

"More of the same." Short and only informative by the loosest definition, but it's something. He can't really say better, anyway, no interest in mustering up the lie or putting on a front.

He almost rebuffs the offer, hand half raised to ward her package of cookies off (after that carnival, the thought of more sugar just makes his teeth ache). But he takes it, instead, after that halting second of indecision. "You're gonna need more than just the gingerbread to build a house."

[neverwither]

Those connections are what Chloe seeks. Years of feeling alone have left her both wary of trying to bond and craving to do so. With the friends she's made, the intensity of the feelings have lessened. It isn't just her, a creator and other Chloe models she floats around any more.

She nods and decides not to pry any further. He's making an effort, and she doesn't want to spook him by delving any deeper than he's willing to give.

In the same vein, her smile is small, though no less warm. Where she wants to hesitate, uncertain of herself, she forges on ahead. Any awkwardness on her part might make the whole encounter more stilted than it needs to be. "Yes, I'd say you're right. Have you ever built one before? If so, I could use the advice."

[antifungi]

"No." Yes. But he doesn't want to head down a road that leads into such dangerous territory. Not now.

There are easier parts of the past to navigate, though. Less personal.

"Built enough real ones to know that won't hold together on its own, though."

Ib

[detectivemiracle]

"I think that really depends on the recipient of the gift," Chloe says in response, shoving her hands into the pockets of her jacket as she considers the gift boxes with about as much seriousness as her name-twin. "And, uh, how many boxes are you planning to make them open?"

[neverwither]

Of course her fellow Chloe can be relied upon to recognise how serious this serious mission is. "It's for Connor." Those three words are all anxious excitement, and more staring at the boxes commences.

"I think I should go with a singular box," she finally decides. "I wouldn't want him to think I'm playing a joke on him or anything like that." The android's perfectionist streak rears its head.

[detectivemiracle]

Chloe nods. "Even if it is a joke, he might not get it. Or he might take it the wrong way..." She waves a hand vaguely. "It's all about how well you know the other person. If you have the same sense of humor. How well you get each other."

[neverwither]

"Oh no, it's definitely not a joke." Excellent points are being raised. Slightly stressful points, as she's so desperately keen to get this right, but she's thankful they're being made.

"I think we get each other quite well. And there is a mutual challenge with humour." Judging by the way she quirks a smile, the latter part is sort of meant to be a joke. Except it isn't really. And kind of illustrates the point.

[detectivemiracle]

"Gift giving can be a real minefield," Chloe says with a slight laugh. "At least, when it's for someone - mm, important. Who isn't a child. I remember the first Christmas when I was dating - my ex." If her smile turns a little sad, well. That's just how it is, sometimes. "It was like, do I get him something useful, or something sentimental?"

III

[lickstheevidence]

One thing that Connor has discovered since he deviated is that he likes sharing a sleeping space with someone. More specifically, with Chloe. They'd shared their bedspaces with each other a few times in the past few months, but now that they've put a name to their relationship the idea of sleeping alone lost any appeal it may have held, if it ever had. He's found that waking up next to Chloe, usually with one of them holding the other, is the best part of his day, and he suddenly understands why some humans find getting out of bed a hard thing to do. Sharing a bed is both comfortable and comforting, and the nest that Chloe had created for them out of the fluffiest bed linens she could find hasn't made getting out of it any easier.

Then again, when Chloe isn't there beside him he has a much greater incentive to get on with his day. Chloe has flitted off to who knows where, a whirlwind of enthusiastic energy as she prepares for the holiday season. Connor hadn't even heard of Christmas or the winter holidays until their arrival on this island, as the topic had never come up during his time in Detroit or their previous months here. It all seems to have descended upon them very suddenly, but then that could probably be said of most things in his life, and many of those things had turned out very well indeed.

So he wanders the mall, in and out of various stores, getting ideas and purchasing a few small items, what Chloe might have called "stocking stuffers", silly little things that he hoped she might appreciate. Soon enough he finds himself at the ice skating rink, and after spending time watching the skaters and deciding it doesn't look terribly hard, he slips on a pair of skates (free rentals? Is that an oxymoron?) and heads out onto the ice. Tentatively at first, his attempts illustrate his initial anxiety. But as he finds his footing and with it, his confidence, he's soon gliding along the ice like a seasoned professional. He's not thinking of trying any jumps or fancy moves just yet, but given time? He always accomplishes his mission.

[neverwither]

Done with her most recent raiding on the mall, Chloe too makes a stop at the ice rink. It doesn't take long for her to hone in on a very familiar figure as he skates. Not calling attention to her presence at first, she watches him out on the ice. He cuts a fine figure, as though he's been doing this for years. It isn't entirely surprising, all things considered, but it doesn't stop Chloe smiling to herself. He looks at ease. It's a beautiful gift in itself.

Thus far her fear of embarrassment, of failure, has prevented her from slipping on a pair of skates herself. Being a public spectacle when she could be bad at something hits the perfectionist buttons that linger.

The motivation is that Connor isn't going to judge her. She's sure about that. Nor would any of the other Travellers, probably. If she stumbles, she and Connor can laugh about it together. Carry on and keep learning. There is something to be said for picking up a skill the way a human would.

With her skates on, she hovers near the barrier to begin with and waits until he's about to pass her. "Excuse me, fine gentleman, do you think you could hold my hand?"

[lickstheevidence]

No one would judge Chloe, and if anyone does, they're not people Chloe needs to be around. They'd especially better not say anything untoward to her in Connor's earshot. Not everyone can be good at everything, not even androids. There are plenty of things Connor can't do, that he envies in others.

He startles when Chloe draws his attention, recovering quickly as he skates a wide arc and comes back around to stop neatly in front of her, palms resting on the top of the barrier between them and offering her a shy smile.

"I would be honored to hold the hand of such a lovely young woman." He backs up slightly to give her a small bow, then reaches his hand out to help her step carefully out onto the ice, hovering closely to assist should she slip and lose her balance while she gets used to the slick surface.

"Have you ever been ice skating before?"

[neverwither]

“No, I’ve never been before.” She doubts she needs to ask if she can picture a certain someone taking her out on the ice like this, and she’d rather not taint the experience with it.

Keeping a tight hold of his hand, Chloe stares down at her feet as though it will make them act according to her wishes. All too aware of how she’s more awkward duckling than graceful swan, her cheeks already begin to burn with a blush. Logically, she knows she’s being too hard on herself - she’s only just gone out onto the ice, for goodness sake.

Before she launches off to do her best to skate around with Connor, she looks out around the rink. For all those who appear to be right at home, there are those who echo her nerves and newness.

No one is paying any attention. No one cares. No need to be so paranoid.

Grip on his hand loosening, leaving their fingers comfortably entwined, she glides off slowly so she can get a feel for it. “I’m not holding you back, am I? You looked like you were ready to spin and leap.”

[lickstheevidence]

Connor's surprised, but he masks it immediately and finds maybe he isn't so surprised after all. Elijah Kamski is practically a hermit; unless he has a rink hidden somewhere in that mansion of his, it makes sense that Chloe won't have been ice skating before, and he can't picture Kamski skating either- not that he wants to, and not that he'd be willing to teach him. Chloe is another matter entirely.

"Don't look at your feet, just hold both of my hands and look at me, alright? I won't let you fall, I promise." Her blush is a charming blue that's only slightly darker than her eyes, and it falls prettily over her features. Does she have freckles, or is it the lighting? His eyes follow hers across the ice for a moment before he shakes his head with a smile. "Eyes on me. Whatever anyone else is doing doesn't matter."

But then she must be feeling confident, because once she has her footing she begins to strike out on her own, pulling him along as she glides so that he's the one left stumbling behind her. One eyebrow raises, and the sense of wonder and surprise overtakes him again as he catches himself and paces her.

"No. I'm nowhere near that good, believe me. I was preconstructing the possibility, but I need more experience first. Ninety-three percent of my simulations had me falling hard on my ass. The world will have to wait for my Olympics debut I'm afraid." He grins sheepishly at her with a small shrug.

IA.

[midsommaring]

Colour Dani impressed. She's never seen a tree quite like this -- trees quite like this, and she's standing a little ways off, admiring them.

She can't remember the last time they'd really done a Christmas tree, at home. Always something going on.

"Wow. These look... amazing. I love it."

[neverwither]

While she's making the effort to be modest about it and not smile too widely, Chloe's delighted by the fact someone likes her handiwork. "Thank you. I know they're... Well... Perhaps a little overboard, some might say, but why not get into the spirit of the season?"

Leaving her decorating for now, she takes a few steps closer. A friendly approach without getting all up in a stranger's space. "I'm Chloe."

[midsommaring]

"No, I think it's the perfect amount of holiday spirit." She offers her hand in greeting, smiling warmly. "Nice to meet you, Chloe. I'm Dani. I'm um. Still pretty new here."

[neverwither]

“Delighted to meet you, Dani.” She shakes the woman’s hand with a warm smile of her own. “If you’d like a tree of your own I’d be more than happy to help you put something together.”

If she’s new, Chloe figures she might not know too many of the other Travellers yet. Even if she does, another friend won’t hurt, will it?