Thanksmasnewyearskwanzaakkah 2015 : The Big Party

[Cyber Punk]

[At the Bar]

Luna shrugs, still smiling. "Oh, you know... robots, gadgets, drones, weapons... I even have a shop back home. River's taking care of it in my absence. Girl's gotta have a hobby when I'm not out adventuring."

Then she pauses, and nods. "Never seen a ninja, huh? We're stealth assassins, trained from birth... though I don't kill. Not anymore." She briefly stares into her alcoholic cocoa, then takes a sip of it. Nisha gently places a hand on her sister's free shoulder, and tries to smile reassuringly.

Skip wakes up and examines Butler through sleepy eyes. It leans in and sniffs once, then yips sleepily at the catperson and returns to sleep.

"Don't be fooled by his size, he's grown. Juvenile, but not a kid." Luna continues, patting the pet mini-fox. "A special breed of miniaturized foxes, and I just had to have 'im! Isn't he sooo cute?"

[Earl of Purple]

Santa's Seat

"I don't know if it would work. There's this big girl who does magic, and she says magikcing things from one place to another doesn't work in GLoG for security reasons. No, I don't have magic. I'm not old enough to learn." Because a nine-year-old with access to even some basic magic tricks is asking for trouble.

Then, it's her turn to sit in Santa's lap! Because I'm posting first and therefore Nisha missed first go. "Can I have a scooter, with pink wheels and a bell please Santa?" The gnome girl's hat falls off as she looks up at Sophie's face. "Um, are you a woman with a beard?"

[Arkhosia]

[Thanksmas Throne]

Blanche joins the line!

[Shadowcaller]

Fayyaad, meanwhile, sits cross-legged on the carpet without further ado. He concentrates, willing it to fly - just to see if it's enough. It isn't, apparently, and Fayyaad instead says:

"Up."

The carpet does float upwards, then, and Fayyaad rubs his forehead as though he had a headache.

"You okay there?" Dena asks, more concerned about the headache than the fact the carpet was flying. That part wasn't terribly surprising.

[Morty]

Mika will stay there for a while and pet the two wolfs. She needs some rest.
After a while she will stand up.
"I need something to drink." she says. "You wanna something, too?" She is aware that this sounds strange, since she can't really understand them.

The wolves get up and follow Mika happily.

Santa's Seat

"I don't know if it would work. There's this big girl who does magic, and she says magikcing things from one place to another doesn't work in GLoG for security reasons. No, I don't have magic. I'm not old enough to learn." Because a nine-year-old with access to even some basic magic tricks is asking for trouble.

Then, it's her turn to sit in Santa's lap! Because I'm posting first and therefore Nisha missed first go. "Can I have a scooter, with pink wheels and a bell please Santa?" The gnome girl's hat falls off as she looks up at Sophie's face. "Um, are you a woman with a beard?"

"I might be," Sophie says, enigmatically. "And I think the bag has just what you need," she adds, as she produces the exact thing Cheasadh asked for.

"You okay there?" Dena asks, more concerned about the headache than the fact the carpet was flying. That part wasn't terribly surprising.

"Yeah," Fayyaad says. The carpet rises into the air a bit more, then moves forwards and backwards. "I think it was... imprinting on me, or something like that. It responds to my thoughts now. Why don't you take a seat yourself?"

[Earl of Purple]

Santa's Seat

Cheasadh's face lights up at the sight of the scooter, and she grabs it with a hasty "Thank you!" before vacating Santa's lap for the next applicant.

The scooter is a light aluminium street-scooter, with tiny little pink wheels and pink foam grip covering the handlebars. It folds down quite small, and is sized perfectly for Cheasadh- and best of all, the handle can extend upwards, so it won't get too small. The extension cannot make it so large that Nisha could use it, however. There's also a bell on the handle, marked with a butterfly.

[Shadowcaller]

"Was just about to." And without hesitation she climbs onto the carpet and sits down next to him, having used these before. "So a carpet just told you it was under your command and now you're telling a woman with snakes with hats for hair to climb onto it. Must be a pretty weird day." She observes.

[Morty]

"It is," Fayyaad admits as the carpet starts floating forwards at a leisurely pace. "The weirdest one I've had in my life. But, well. I'm sure it'll be topped at some point, and regardless, it's no use just standing around gaping. I have to take it in stride."

[Cyber Punk]

Santa's Seat

"Well, you only need magic or energy to charge it, it's a mini-teleporter. You could get a grown-up to charge it for you." Nisha explains.

Then Cheasadh gets her scooter, and it's her turn. Nisha stares at Sophie, then glances at Luna, her shadow clone and the catperson, then seems to sigh before stepping forward. She does not, however, sit on Sophie's lap.

"Um... merry thanksmas?" She doesn't know how this works.

[Morty]

[Santa's Seat]

"Merry Thanksmas, dear," Santa Sophie says. "Go ahead and sit in my lap. Then tell me what sort of present you'd like to get."

[Cyber Punk]

[Santa's Seat]

Nisha begins to say she'd rather not, but glances in her sister's direction and concedes, sitting on Sophie's lap. "Uhh, I'd like a bond pet bird. A... a loyal pet raven. Please?"

[Morty]

[Santa's Seat]

Sophie nods, reaches into the bag and produces a snow-covered oak branch. On it sits a large, tar-black raven with bright, intelligent eyes. It looks at Nisha and caws in recognition.

"It seems your wish has been granted," Santa Sophie says.

[Cyber Punk]

[Santa's Seat]

Nisha, who had had a seemingly permanent scowl stuck on her face up to this point immediately beams (and actually squeals), takes the branch and pets the female raven. "C'mere, girl. I name you Brenna." Then she looks up at Santa Sophie. "Thank you. It's not much, but I'll never speak ill of Santas again." Then she gets off Sophie's lap and puts the raven on her left shoulder.

Returning to her prior sitting-while-floating pose beside Cheasadh, she holds up the gnome girl's hat. "You dropped this." Then she returns to fawning over Brenna.

[5a Violista]

[Party]

Wild Harley Zorzo appears!

What will...
(Oh, wait. I haven't played Pokemon recently enough to finish that sentence.)

Regardless, she shows up at the party, completely swordless. If I remember correctly, last time she was at one of these parties, Santa gave her a sword. The sword mercilessly betrayed her, breaking at the wrong moment and causing her arm to get cut off and then catch on fire and then she got every disease and parasite imaginable, and then a couple more. Then, directly because of that experience she got chased by ghosts at night in GLoG and almost got killed and she barely escaped by holding a family of halflings hostage while trying to find a mirror to escape. After that, she had to sell her soul and fell into a nasty cycle of self-loathing, grief, and hunger.

Wasn't a fun experience.
She obvoiusly blames it all on Santa.

So, it's rather understandable that she warily looks at (but still tries to keep her distance from) the Thanksmas Throne where the Santa Stand-in sits at. "Oh, I'm watching you. Don't you dare try anything this time," she says under her breath. "Try anything funny and I'll catch you for sure this time."

[ThePhantom]

Party

One of the folks at the party, just someone nothing special in looks slides up behind Harley. Through, that purple hat pushed up on his head is a bit interesting, its fairly distinct.

"Hello Miss. Are you having a good time?"

[5a Violista]

Party

Harley answers without really getting a good look at this person who approached her. She wants to look at him, but doing so would mean temporarily breaking visual contact with the throne. "Honestly?" she says, prefacing it with an exhale and following it with a lie: "Yes I am, actually." She quickly nods to emphasize her lie.

"It is the holidays, after all. And you?"

[ThePhantom]

Party

"Oh, I've had better times. Through, I think there might be a way to make your's better, Miss Zoro. There's power in that throne, one that can do many things."

E smiles and lifts a package from a pocket. The package shouldn't have been able to fit in there, but it did.

[5a Violista]

Party

Packages!

Packages are interesting. Once it appears the corner of her eye, Harley Zorzo finally breaks eye contact with the throne, at Mr. E.

She has stared at that throne for so long that she has to blink several times. It seems like he implied that the package came from the throne's power or contains something to do with it. So, she asks a question that encompasses the two questions (about the package and about the throne) that she has. "What of it?" she asks. "Last year I got something from the throne but it would have been better quality just to make my own."

[ThePhantom]

Party

"Perhaps it would of. But this time we can ask for different things."

Mr E tilts the package and cracks it open, revealing a large green piece of candy. Through it wasn't always candy, so Harley might recognize it.

"I kept it, and while I didn't find any way until now to lift the curse, there might be a way here."

[5a Violista]

Party

The large piece of candy immediately draws Harley's eyes and her mouth hangs open in dumbfoundment. "That's...is that...I can't...believe..." She can't even finish a complete sentence. She recognizes it.

"Um." She finally regains her composure. Or, rather, Harley is trying to maintain her coolness because she doesn't want to get her hopes up. "That's what I think it is, right? How...? Or, no. That doesn't matter. Do you really think it could work? What do you think we'll have to do?" Harley is imagining somehow stealing away the Thanksmas Power from the throne.

[ThePhantom]

Party

"It is."

E gives Harley a big smile.

"As for what we do, I get to ask for something to remove the curse on it. You get to be the backup, in case I don't ask in the right way. There's a great amount of power in those gifts and so there should be something that will fix it."

[5a Violista]

Party

Harley has to bite her lower lip to keep herself from smiling. Well, there's no guarantee that it would work since Santa might try to screw her over again. And Santa makes her slightly nervous, anyway.

However, it's worth it. Facing the person in red on the throne is worth it if this works out.

She nods. "Well. Thanks. Um, let's get in line, I guess."

((Well. I've got to go for now, but now that I've logged on today it should be easier to log on tomorrow. Just as well, anyway; we'd probably have to wait for someone else on the throne in the first place.))

While I am deadtimed, she'll follow Mr. E over to the Thanksmas Throne.

[ThePhantom]

Party

"Alright then."

E closes the package and gets into line, waiting for his turn.

(Alright then. See you tomorrow.)

[goto124]

[K F P]

((I just got a wisdom tooth removed. The anesthesia is wearing off, and it hurts.

Also, I think I should end the scene about now. Thanks for the fun time, Fenric!))

Fiar looks up at Katrina, scrambled egg falling out of his mouth.

<Sheesh, that really is long!>

Fiar suddenly turns around, as if it'd spotted something.

<I think I hear a chicken!>

The fox (followed by the penguin) jumps off its seat and disappears into the distance.

[FireFox]

Santa's Chair -> Run Away!

Reinholdt glances down at the adorable black fox now in his hands, then back at Sophie, then at the fox, then back at Sophie. "I, uh, think mine's defective?"

Or maybe this is how Callie's been hiding. Ah well. He straightens up. "Works for me. Thank you Santa. You'reamiracleworker,gottagobye." Reinholdt rushes off with the fox in his hands so he can talk to her (it?) in private about vital turn of events and portents. Also to stop clogging the line for the kids.

"Hi Callie." He says to her once he ducks someplace quiet. Presuming she hasn't already introduced herself by biting him and jumping down by this point. A totally reasonable response when dealing with a Reinholdt.

Callie reverts back to her foxgirl form, which might make holding her in his hands a little hard for Reinholdt. Of course, she's a skinny girl and he's a big strong man so he might not even notice. She's got a lot more piercings than he'll remember from the last time he saw her. The punk pink sidecut is new, too. The fez turns into a santa hat to match the red corset and skirt with white fur on the hems; she's dressed for the holiday, if not for the weather. Clearly just a clever disguise! No alternate universe versions here, no sirree!
M-Mr. Johnson? Where am I? Woah, is this, like, a MegaCorp's office Christmas party? Wavy! I mean, like, you still shouldn't be using that name. Gotta keep our relationship professional, you know, sir, in case my fixer starts thinking you're my output. She winks her right eye, the cybernetic one, up at him flirtatiously. Oooh! Do I finally get to know which 'corp is paying you to pay me for this last string of Runs? That's, like, lethally bad manners, even for you. But we're all in this together, right sir? Against... him.
Yeah. We Shadowrun now.


Meanwhile, over at the entrance, three identical little girls are ushered in and herded around by a woman in a red wizard robe, decorated with festive icons and holiday sigils, and a half-elf in a pink schoolgirl's uniform. Not only are the triplets old enough this year to be properly enraptured by all the season's wonders, they are also old enough to run off and get into unimaginable trouble on their own.

[Reinholdt]

At the Bar

"You have a river running through your home ma'am?" Makes it easy to take a bath I guess.

He's not really sure about that whole ninja thing though. Why... or even how, would anyone assassinate stealth? That doesn't make any sense. But he doesn't question it further.

"He is quite cute ma'am. I can think of many people who would love to have him ma'am. Better keep a close eye on him ma'am, or they might try to get him using treats and pets."

Chummers

Reinholdt is tall, but he's far from strong. Callie gets dropped placed down.

Hmmm. This cover is pretty deep. Maybe mind altering levels. Rein went that far when infiltrating the MagCave after all. No better way to hide than to make yourself a different person. Odd she would look the same though. Or maybe this was the doppelganger/simulacrum/clone she was using to keep attention off her. Rein did that too. Damn, he's going to have to compliment Callie on this level of detail later. At least after he unravels the charade. But for now that would require more info, maybe some dna tests, silver, mirrors, and reminiscing about old times. The only thing Rein could do for now is play along.

"You don't have to worry about your fixer tonight. Everyone here is either discreet enough or ignorant enough that we can relax. I had the techno-wizzes make sure of that. Would you like some eggnog?" Rein steps over to an attendant and grabs a pair of mugs, offering one to Callie and taking one for himself. "It'd probably be rude to outright state the name, but let's just say we're on Mount Olympus's doorstep. I find it all ironically fitting since we're practically waging war."

See now, if it hadn't been years and years since his last contact with the culture, he probably would have gotten the name technomancers correctly.

[Felandria]

Meanwhile.....

Felandria is looking for Magtok, hoping he is still around somewhere, but also looking to mingle in general and see some of the people she hasn't seen in a while.

[Earl of Purple]

After Santa's Seat

"If I have to go talk to a grown-all-the-way-up to get it recharged, I won't bother. Thank you." Cheasadh puts her hat back on, and then starts to scoot off on her new scooter.

[Cyber Punk]

[After Santa's Seat]

"The magicking girl can help you, then." Nisha says, then waves to Cheasadh as she scoots of on her scooter, all the while showering Brenna with love.

She skips over to...

[At The Bar]

Real Nisha runs up and shows her clone the raven, and they both fawn all over it before the clone is dispelled. "Look, sister! Santa got it for me!" She says, rather cutely, interrupting her sister, who was staring at Butler.

"Uhh, no, my friend, River, is at home, and he is helping with my shop in my place." Luna responds, then tickles the raven, who doesn't resist, though it seems to enjoy Nisha's affections a lot more.

Turning back to Butler, Luna gives him a questioning look. "That's oddly specific, Butler. You were talking about a fox you've seen before? What's up with that?"

---

Dropping another clone, Nisha runs off with her new pet raven to feed it some meat she stashed somewhere before coming here. She stands in the open, ready to be mingled with while she feeds Brenna pieces of meat with her teeth instead of her hands.

[Shadowcaller]

"It is," Fayyaad admits as the carpet starts floating forwards at a leisurely pace. "The weirdest one I've had in my life. But, well. I'm sure it'll be topped at some point, and regardless, it's no use just standing around gaping. I have to take it in stride."

"That's an excellent attitude, but you can't have been in the nexus for long if this is the weirdest day in your life." Dena remarks with a smirk. "Of course, 'weird' is subjective."