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Happy Holidays
✖ 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?
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.
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.
Come on Jessica, come on Tori! Let's go to the mall, you won't be sorry!
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.
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Jean-Pal actually laughs. "David, in our line of work in our own world that's true. Ultimately it's just an excuse to close your heart off."
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Listen, David and kissing are a HORRIBLE combination in his experience. A super horrible one. It gets him in so much trouble.
But Jean-Paul isn’t wrong. It is just an excuse to close his heart off. But for good reason. He wished he could skate well enough to pull away from the other. Not that any distance would last long next to the speedster.
“I’ve had my heart broken and tattered enough, literally and metaphorically, to be so tired of opening it up, Jean-Paul. I’m young, I know, but it’s just been so much since I first came to Xavier’s and the last few years have been the worst. I’m like a wound that won’t heal because you keep poking at it.”
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His smirk fades into a sad little smile. "This is like talking to myself," he mutters. "Look. I am not discounting your pain. I'm actually not - my greatest heartaches were in my youth. You feel more when you're young, because it's so new. I'm just saying that being alone isn't any great salve."
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Akihiro might give him a high five before kicking his ass for his girlfriend. Yeah. Not talking about that little interaction was probably for the best. But it was definitely on the list now.
"No, he's not immature. Hawks is perfectly mature, and about my age. But Carter had this whole 'well are you sure it was just compulsion and didn't have some actual interest side' to it, and fuck I hate it when people have points. I tried to point out I'm a bad person to have feelings for and was reminded that it doesn't work like that."
So yeah, he's got concerns. A lot of concerns. But he winces at the idea that Jean-Paul sees a similarity between his own youth and, well, David. That's not a good sign because fuck the guy hadn't had an easy youth.
"See, here's the thing. People look at me and say well you're young. And forget that in a lot of ways I'm overflowing with experience. Yours and Scott's and Hank's and everyone's. I'm not as immature about this as it seems. I know this ache, I know how rarely things work out, I know how it tears you apart. Fuck, I know what it's like to live a lie with your sexuality and hurt yourself over it because I've got Bobby up here too. I get that alone isn't a salve. I get that together isn't perfect either. It's complicated."
And his brain worked TOO HARD and thought himself into bad areas.
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Jean-Paul snorts. "Fucking telepaths are, unfortunately, pretty good at pointing out potential subconscious desires," he muses. "And I must say I am rather disturbed to hear you say having feelings makes you a 'bad person.'"
Jean-Paul tugs David along the ice just a little faster. "You are. And you aren't. I know you've felt it, you've had the knowledge, but it's not the same as living it, David. I know that's going to piss you off, but it's true. And you can't use other people's fuckups to hurt yourself, mon ami. It's stupid."
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"See, that's so horrible, that they see people that well. I just wish I could read it that well. And I didn't say that, I said that I'm a bad person to have feelings for. Which isn't wrong."
One thing Jean-Paul wasn't quite wrong about, but not quite right about, was that it wasn't the same. It's still a basis for experience. Life is about learning from other people's mistakes.
"I think I'd rather think of skating than anything else."
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"I know, right? Total cheaters."
He laughs and tugs David along. "Then come on, you, I'll pull you faster!"
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"Speaking as someone technically under the telepathic umbrella, I have to agree. Worst cheaters."
But he usually disparaged himself with it. Still, he smiles and accepts this. At least he isn't falling.
"I just wish I could show you what I used to be able to do. I was impressive once. I think."
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He glances over. "I said you coudl touch me," he reminds him. Then smirking, "Just keep it above the waist, mister."
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It helped that he already knew where it was. And once he had it he could really feel it. The way the ice felt under him. It was familiar. Less than it should be, but good.
David pulled away from Jean-Paul and glided gracefully forward. Yeah, this was going to work.
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He really was an extraordinary young man, and one of those whose greatest enemy really was himself. Not in some cliché manner, either - David was just amazingly good at self sabotage, it seemed.
Jean-Paul shrugged lightly to himself and sped up, skating now to show off.
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"You know that anything you can do I can do now, right?"
Slower. Anything Jean-Paul can do he can do slower. Which meant that his jumps wouldn't be as high, his spins not as fast, and really, there were other things too. But he was still happy enough to twist around and skate backwards near Jean-Paul with confidence.
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"Seems like you're pretty good."
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He fell back beside David again. "Are you having fun?"
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This wasn't his prime,s o it had to be past tense.
"Yeah, a lot of fun. I love nothing more than skating. Actually, my ex managed to woo me because of this wonderful thing he did with skating. Rented out a whole rink for an evening for me. Had it catered."
And then David blushed. That night had been a lot more than just that.
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"Really? That's the sort of thing a rich playboy does. I know because, well. Was that your first date?"
Ignoring the blush's implications? Maybe.
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Yes, it was anything a rich guy did. But Damian was less a playboy than that got across.
"Not at all. But it was my birthday. And he doted."
David had never felt so seen or desired as he had that night.
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"Oh, that's delightful," Jean-Paul says sincerely. "That's what a rich boyfriend ought to do!"
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His powers had been so out of control he had effectively collared himself.
"People... don't turn that attention on me, Jean-Paul. I think that is why I fell so hard for young you. I'm not used to feeling wanted by people, not like that."
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Jean-Paul glances over, expression borderline sympathetic. "That is... unfortunate. You're a very desirable person, David. Young me was many things, but he had impeccable taste."
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Then he sakes his head.
"Young you was shallow, no offense. I get that physically I'm attractive. People have beat that into my head."
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Jean-Paul rolls his eyes. "Don't tell me what I was like, I am perfectly aware. Obviously you're attractive. But you're much more, and if you've not found people who appreciate that? You're hanging out in he wrong places."
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And beautiful to see.
"I hang out in perfectly fine circles. But that doesn't mean the people I run into are, well, are my Kyle I guess."
Not that he's looking for serious love or anything. In a world like this that felt unfair. But he still likes those fleeting months with Damian when he felt like he mattered to someone.
"Or maybe I'm just meant to rededicate myself to skating and change the world through amazing jumps."
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Jean-Paul executes a little spin. "Not yet. I'm just saying don't sell yourself so short, mon ami."
He grins. "That sounds fun, at least."
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Fin i think