A Very Trog's Thanksmas

[bc56]

Half a Devil

Sekhmet gives her husband a squeeze. "You know I, uh, can't project an illusion if I, uh, can't see the target."
She's still working on binding illusions to objects. She's made progress though!
I'll, uh, have to find a good place for it. But I, uh, have somewhere in mind to try first." Those instructions don't seem too difficult yet. She's not sure how much time she'll have to oversee it though.

[Recaiden]

"Oh, just something that matches how I am now. Except the, uh, Thanksmas." Spike waves at their illusionary angelic human appearance.
"I'm not expecting a whole changeling golem."
"Thanks, Prumathe."
And now, to put a gift under the tree!
That's a perfect distraction from Sekhmet's made-over look.

[Rebonack]

[A Foxy Thanksmas]

"I'm pretty sure it's the real me," Zee replies thoughtfully. "Like I'm there right now, being all big and just sort of chilling on the Game's surface. There are some other bronze host empyreans nearby, too. And I think I've got something like twelve putti crawling around on me being annoying."

Probably more.

Just skittering around on her like celestial lice.

"I'm looking at the Game right now. I'm reading it. I don't fit inside of it anymore, like Lapis or Eao or Selekhael. I'm just too big. It's like the scene in the Matrix where the operates are reading the Matrix' raw code. If what I'm experiencing isn't real than I really don't know what could be real," she says with a sigh. "The thing about apotheosis is that the Game itself is kind of an intermediary. It builds a body for you out in the Empyrean. Or I guess inside the Game itself and then you kinda crawl out through the event horizon."

A beat.

"How much do you know about black holes?"


[Throne of Power]

Paige looks vaguely annoyed, but she heads off to fetch some cookies. She is DEFINITELY rolling her eyes while facing away from the cat girl.

Then she pauses half way to the snack table.

"Wait, what sort of cookies did you want?"

They have lots.


[FLOOFbegone]

GLUG!

Tastes like...

Nutmeg.

Really sweet. Like extra thick milk?

"It's okay, I guess?" Lucas concludes, licking his eggnog mustache off. "It must be one of those tradition things. Like fruitcake."

He isn't a fan of fruitcake, either.


[Location tags, in MY trog's?!]

Anika may notice Lapis perched up in the rafters with her sister helping to string out some glittery garlands. The resemblance between them in their respective smol child shapes is immediately obvious. Lapis hasn't seen Anika yet, she's too busy hanging decorations!


[Venus and Rose]

Rose gives a nod. "Yeah, I think that's probably a good plan. Oh! Someone I needed to talk to isn't busy anymore I'll see you later okay?"

Whoop, off she goes.


[Post Devil Things]

"It's nice to meet you too, Prumathe," Rose replies with a kind, if a little strained, smile. She's channeling just a little more magic into Sekhmet. The last she can spare before she begins lifetapping herself. Really, she would rather not do that if she can avoid it. "When I asked Sapphira about, well, about you? She said that she and your father never had a child. That he was just crazy. I didn't believe her, though. He seemed so certain. And so concerned about you, too. I started thinking... if she can do to other faeries what she did to me and Charcoal... what would stop her from doing it to mortals, too? It would ruin everything and everyone. So I came here hoping you would be at the big party."

[bc56]

Foxy Thanksmas

Jade gives Zee a skeptical expression. She's really drank the coolaid, hasn't she. "Yeah, well until it was proven otherwise, and even a while afterwards, I was convinced I had eaten Jason. It took literal divine intervention for me to see the truth. Just think about it." She says. She shrugs when Zee mentions black holes. "They're big, dense, in space, and nothing gets out of them."

Devil things

"If she could do that to mortals..?" Sekhmet looks alarmed. She strains herself to sit up and look at Sapphira. The Archfiend has a stack of empty glasses in front of her and is currently passionately smooching a young NPC around Prumathe's age. She seems oblivious to her daughter's plight.

[Lord Magtok]

The King of Sinful Sots

Seasick Crocodile?

It's funny that Magtok's mind might wander to the deplorable spawn of that fiendish Amurrun, as he's seemingly forgotten that one is accompanying him! Blanche is here too, dressed up in a comfy looking Thanksmas sweater with her usual combo of dark jeans and boots. Not entirely by choice, but mom insisted that she spend some time with her aggravatingly smug boyfriend.

"...I'm not sure I've ever been here, honestly," Blanche comments, more to remind him of her existence than anything else.

Oh, that's right, clothes! I completely forgot to mention it in the last two post, but Magtok wears clothes too. A festive red hat, pants that aren't part of a three piece suit for once, and festive sweater with 'I'm having a meltdown' printed below an anxious snowman in the midst of his seasonal transformation into anxious puddle. Figures that a weirdo like our cyborg would gravitate towards something so morbid and neurotic.

"That's probably for the best. Really, I feel like Trog's only lasted this long because it used to be the only bar in the entire town, and the town used to be such a tiny, drab little place that the only thing to do on a Saturday night was go get sauced, raid a dungeon, get into a fight, or start a cult," Magtok shrugs, recalling his past escapades with all of the above. Does it really count as a cult if you only ever had one crazed, obsessed follower, though? That's more of a...what do the kids Blanche's age call them? Oh right, a yandere simulator. Yeah, that's definitely what they're called. It's like having a yandere simulator pestering you, but with some religious iconography thrown in.

"By the way, don't look now, but there's another cat on the Santa throne. Dark hair, techy eye patch, black dress. You recognize her? I'm not sure if she's a complete stranger, a clone of your dad trying to mess with me, or another one of your half-sisters. Any idea?" Magtok asks, muttering conspiratorially about his own daughter. Well...not this clone's daughter, but a different Magtok's. A much more heretical, irresponsible Magtok, I presume. Either way, he's never seen Raven Ebondark in his entire life, and he has a bad feeling about that one.

[Reinholdt]

Spoiler

Show

[Darker Corner]

Zara continues to smile widely as she turns to observe the tentacles spell out her name. So it indeed is Sasha, and she can't get away with rechristening the girl as 'Suzy'... too bad.

As she looks back into Sasha's dark eyes, something in her own eyes gives way. The jolly, friendly look has been replaced by the cold, dead eyes of a predator. It doesn't last, but she's already deliberately shown Sasha that there's more to her than meets the eye.

"Sasha it is, then! Nice to meet you, do you want anything? There's food, dancing, stories, santa and jolly fun to be had all round!" She spreads her arms and twirls in place like a ballerina. "Is fun, yes? Zara can read a story to you, if you want? Or we can talk about you... Karasu says you had a scientist father, can you tell me about him?" She'll probably get silence in response, but she still asks.

[Throne of Power]

Nina looks vaguely annoyed, but she heads off to fetch some cookies. She is DEFINITELY rolling her eyes while facing away from the cat girl.

Then she pauses half way to the snack table.

"Wait, what sort of cookies did you want?"

They have lots.

[Darker Corner]

Sasha continues staring at Zara, her lack of emotion to what Zara says and does a stark contrast to Zara herself. Or perhaps Sasha was cowed by Zara's predatory spirit? That would imply a difference in behavior admittedly. Which doesn't much happen when Sasha shakes her head again! Maybe she doesn't find festivities fun? Or doesn't know why they're fun yet. This is her first Thanksmas.

Either way... She sinks into the ground! What? Actually running away? Maybe she was cowed after all.

It takes some time for her to reappear, but she does come back. And this time a tendril rises with her holding a box. This box is poorly wrapped in unfilled pages from a children's coloring book, GLoG now down a coloring book that was cannibalized for wrapping paper. The box peeks out of the questionable wrapping in numerous places and some of the box even seems wet. Nonetheless, if Zara is still here, Sasha's tendril holds out the gift to Zara and points with another at the tree.

Ah. She saw people dropping gifts at the tree and thought to contribute. At least vaguely familiar with the whole process from Khannie's birthday party. There are way too many lights over there for Sasha to deposit the gift herself, so any help Zara could give would be greatly appreciated.

[Throne of Power]

Raven Ebondark waves her hand. "Any cookie is fine as long as it is as black as my soul! Or, at least speckled with darkness." She tells Paige before the catgirl kinda stretches up, craning her neck to get a look. "They, uh, do have chocolate cookies over there right?" It's important she get a chocolate cookie. At the very least chocolate chip.

While the help handles her confectionary demands, Raven's ears twitch as feels eyes upon her. This should be the natural state of things, but it is a festive party and people are drunk with ignorance. All the same, she begins to look around and if Magtok and Blanche don't stay subtle, she might spot them.

[Shadowcaller]

[Location tags, in MY trog's?!]

Wow, there sure were a lot of cool people gathered here for Winter Veil, or thankmas as people around here called it. She was honestly confused what the whole winter veil thing was even about (something about dwarves?) but like thankmas it had something to do with presents so did the reasons for celebrating it matter all that much?

Anika had expected someone to greet her but it looked like people were pretty occupied with either talking or thankmas stuff.

Then she spots Blanche and a moment later, Lapis, aha!

Anika turns around and slips outside again only return a few moments later carrying a present so big a full grown human could probably fit inside it. But as Anika is carrying it without much effort it can't be very heavy despite its size. On top of it rests a bunch of smaller presents, each with a big label on them reading RAIN, WENOMIR, CASSANDRA, LAPIS, MITHARS, SISTER, NATHARIA, TINA, ELNA, ANIKA, MOM & DAD, FRESCOTS and ILPHOLIN.

The druid first wanders up to Blanche and simply brushes past Magtok who she assumed must be one of those festive golems the goblins animated every year with their magic. "Happy thankmas, Blanche!" She exclaims as she holds up the largest present on which the others rest as it's apparently meant for the catgirl.
However, as she attempts to thrust it into Blanche's arms the gifts resting on it starts to tumble off the top and if she isn't careful she might get almost buried underneath them.

She better resolve it quickly though as Anika had a lot more presents to deliver and Lapis was right there!

[5a Violista]

[Just Venus Now]

"'kay," she says. "Talk to you later, then!"

Well!
She's alone again. But at least the food's all out.

Venus moves over to one of the nearby stools to sit.

---

After a while, Venus looks around to see if there's anybody else at all that she knows that she can talk with.
It's likely after Rose and Sekhmet are done talking, probably.

Oh! Hey! It's Sekhmet. She doesn't really look well right now, but...Oh! Is that her husband? She should go over there to congratulate her.

She goes over to Sekhmet and Prumathe. "Hi," she says, "you probably don't remember me and besides I look a little different, but it's me, Mi-" Wait. No, that was before she went by Minerva, so..."June. We met in here, actually, and you saved my life?" she says, trying to jog Sekhmet's memory. And then Sekhmet suggested she go to GLoG but she ended up finding a job and a place to stay elsewhere.
Venus does look kinda similar. Except, instead of androgynous, more actually feminine. Still has freckles, about the same height, the pink-and-bpack wedding band, etc; but she's got deer ears and presumably she still has red hair but a wool hat's covering it all up. Wearing a dress instead of that athleticwear-and-shirt.
Venus glances, checking for a ring, just to double-check. "So it looks like you did get married! Congratulations!"

[bc56]

Venus and Sekhmet

Sekhmet stares at Venus. "You, uh, look different." Of course she's one to talk, because she looks very different too. "I did, thank you! This is my husband, Prumathe." She introduces the man with her.

[Deathkeeper]

FLOOFbegone

Gara stares intently at their cups. But she decides that NO! this isn't good enough for a special Thanksmas activity with a new friend.
She stands up straight, points at the cups and declares, "BY THE POWER OF CIVIRON!" and bends the very threads of reality just a tiny nudge to the left.
The cups are now filled with pink strawberry milkshakes. With sprinkles on top.
"Better? Definitely better."

[WindStruck]

Deck the Halls

Solstice finished putting up the last of the wreaths in her box, mostly keeping to herself..

So many people here.. like before. Or more crowded than usual, even! It was a party, a time for socializing but.. she really didn't know anyone in here, did she? She wasn't sure if she had seen a familiar face at all! It would be rude to just butt into a conversation..

Solstice approaches Zee and says, "I am finished hanging the wreaths. What else do you think I should do?"

Admittedly she hadn't ever celebrated Christmas before, or even Thanksmas! She didn't really know how exactly things should be. All she could really tell was that the decorations were pretty and the place seemed to be coming along nicely.

[Morty]

Apart from the very fuzzy wolves, Trog's is swarmed with yet another Thanksmas mainstay: goblins. Small goblins, from little kids to teenagers. They scatter around the area looking for fun things to do. Among them is very likely a likewise small gnome. As well as three woblins in two degrees of smallness.

Another goblin also enters the scene, unrelated to the swarm of younglings and the adults accompanying them. Olvisin would really do fine without the swarm of kids that reminds her of home a bit too much, but she'll deal with that. The goblin mercenary is wearing an enormous Santa hat and grabs the biggest drink she can find. Then she roams in search of someone to talk to.

Wenomir is also there, likely accompanying Koshal. The two showing up together to Thanksmas and other celebrations is tradition at this point.

[5a Violista]

[Venus and Sekhmet]

Venus starts to get a little self-conscious of her ears, again. Yeah. They look different.
She bites her lip.

Then, upon being introduced, she turns to Prumathe. "Hi! Nice to meet you," she says. "You have a very lovely wife."

Back to Sekhmet, she says, "So you two living in GLoG, then? I ended up finding a job with discounted room and board, so..."

[Earl of Purple]

Venus and Sekhmet

"I do, yes. It's a pleasure to meet you, June." Prumathe smiles and bows slightly in greeting.

Half a Devil

"I think that can probably be done. A bird or something, maybe. If I get Pontius to help, maybe link it to a necklace so you can see through it. Hmm. Maybe not- that's... a cool idea, but way above anything I've done before." It's in his mind now, so he'll probably build something that can do that anyway, if only to keep an eye on their house when they aren't in, make sure Sapphira or her minions don't break in.

Post Devil Things

"That... is a very worrying thought." Prumathe glances over and blushes. Oh, man. That guy doesn't have a clue what he's in for, does he? Although... Did Sapphira pick him specifically to show Sekhmet she can have someone like Prumathe, too? That's a bit creepy if so.

Goblins!- Under the Tree

Cheasadh is in fact here, and she'll leave a present under the tree as well. It's wrapped in pink wrapping paper.

[Rebonack]

[Foxy Thanksmas]

"The Dreamheart makes up weird stories. That's what dreams do, right? Sometimes you dream that you're someone else or something else and when you're dreaming it seems natural," Zee says thoughtfully. "Or... that's what I remember it being like. I haven't dreamed since the whole apotheosis thing. I'm pretty sure you need to have a soul in order to dream."

Yep.

Zee is soulless.

She's pretty okay with that, too. It isn't like souls do anything important anyway.

"So the Game is sort of like a black hole. It has an event horizon like one. And the whole world inside the Game is encoded on that surface. So people like me who are too big to actually go inside the game just sorta fiddle with the surface. That's what I'm doing right now. It's why I have so much trouble 'seeing' things sometimes. There is a TON of code to read and it's kind of overwhelming."

Just a little bit.

Reading a universe is quite a bit of fluff to sort through. No one cares about you, gastrotric living in the beer stains on the counter! I don't need to look at your worldline right now!

"But... I guess it's possible the Empyrean is some kind of crazy trick? I've been through so much weird stuff I really don't think anything would surprise me anymore."


[Throne of Power]

"Sure, I'll get you some double chocolate cookies," Paige replies before doing just that.

A plate of chocolate cookies with chocolate chips in them. They're still gooey and warm. "Here you go! Now if you could move your legs just a little I'll finish up those ribbons on the throne."

Just two more RL days to go before the party REALLY starts crackin'!


[FLOOFbegone]

Lucas gives the milkshake a skeptical look.

He...

Really doesn't like strawberry milkshakes that much?

"I've got to ask, are you only able to do magic things related to pink?" he asks. "Not that there's anything wrong with pink. It just seems like there's a theme."


[Post-Post-Devil Things]

It could be that Sapphira is just enjoying herself.

Or maybe she's doing this because she knows that it makes Sekhmet uncomfortable.

Rose really doesn't care a great deal either way. Mostly she just wants to try her best to fly under Sapphira's radar. She saw first hand what she did to that Buttercup who got devil'd and immediately wanted to be Buttercup again.

"I really hope not," Rose admits. "I really, really hope not. But this is a happy celebration, right? So we should be happy and celebrate instead. Maybe start with the Thanks part? I know I'm thankful for new friends and a clean start."

Maybe not a one hundred percent clean start. Rose has still got some tar clinging to her soul. But it isn't spreading like it was before and it isn't threatening to drag her down to hell forever so she's pretty stoked with how things are going!

She's also thankful for all these tasty looking snacks! Maybe she should grab something?


[Deck the Halls]

"Great job with the wreathes," Zee says, offering a kind smile. "If you like, you could take a box of baubles-"

Reaching under the table, Zee comes up with a box full of absolutely beautiful colored glass balls. Some of them have winter-themed images on them, but others are shiny solid colors or simple geometric shapes. Zee holds it out for Solstice to take. "And hang them from the wreaths and garlands. Mishnehel is already hanging some."

She points at the half-elf woman busy placing ornaments.

"You could help her out if you like?"

Didn't she see Mishnehel at Trog's before? If only briefly?

[bc56]

Foxy Thanksmas

"Less of a crazy trick and more of something you don't understand. You said you can't grow or change if you aren't interacting with this world. Presumably, you can't learn either? So your understanding is millennia out of date. It's like believing the world is flat, or time is a constant." Jade shrugs again. "If I had to guess, I'd say you're in the computer, and what you see as 'the game' is an interface for projecting into the real world. After all, computer programs can't be changed without action from an outside user." She looks up at a table. "So how about those snacks?"

Post-Post-Devil things

Sekhmet looks a little uncomfortable at her mother's behavior. "Oh, right. I had this gift to put under the tree." She pulls a very small box out of her purse. She doesn't want to think about her mother kissing some stranger. Or about her possibly turning people into fiends. "I, uh, guess I'm thankful for not being in my mother's clutches?"

Sekhmet, Venus, Prumathe

"We live at GLoG, yes. We had our wedding reception there by the lake. It was beautiful." Sekhmet hugs Prumathe briefly. "So where are you working?"

[5a Violista]

[Venus and Sekhmet and Prumathe]

"Yeah! Same," she says, smiling back in the greeting.

"So I work at that Black Dragon's Den," Venus says. "It's down by the docks. Gets a little dangerous at night, but I work most afternoons and nights, so if you're ever in the area some afternoon then you need to stop by!" she says. "I'll tell you which drinks are the best if you come." And since Sekhmet already thanked her, that basically makes it a promise, right? She's not entirely sure how it's supposed to work.

[Zefir]

[Half a Devil]

Princess Osa takes over the job of answering Sekhmet's questions. Give it space to grow. Not anywhere too hot. Even if Sekhmet is fireproof, the others are not! Avoid cliffsides or lava flows. Provide plenty of sunlight. They can grow in lightless conditions, like Eurus did, but that requires a lot more work and complication. Not recommended.
First you must oversee a safe and healthy metamorphosis. Simple unless disturbed. Then, you are correct; the first things hatched should usually be six Workers.


[Walking Present]

A little dragon hatchling, with scales of many colors, hops over and lowers her head down to get a better look at what's going on here.
"Hello? Are you a talking present?"

[Walking Present]

The present itself is rather large. Imagine one of those wooden horse swing for small childs, just maybe a bit longer. The presend also seems to hover as the one who carrys it is rather small and at the center of the bottom. So the hatchling might only see the little green creature when it pushes his eyes close to the floor.Either way the present will turn to the hatchling and stop.

"Hello." it says. "No, I'm not a talking present. Even thought you might only see the present. And hear a voice that comes directly from the present... and no I'm not a ghost either. I am sure I didn't die yet. Is that the right way to the tree? I can barly see. And now he starts to speak in rythms?

The present has turned so it isn't facing the tree anymore.

[A small present]

Mia has arrived here. As she enters the event she stops for a moment. These festivals come rather quick. She smiles for a moment thinking about that in her homeworld she never had the time to go on such events. She shakes it off and heads for the tree placing a small present next to the others. After that is done, she heads straight for the snack table, looking for her favorit winter snack. Sadly they are still working on that part so she waits in front of the snack impatient.

[SNACKBAR]

This time Mia is wearing those Chrismas dress. A mostly red dress with white stripes at neck, arms and lower end. The dress only reaches to her knee. Since it is rather cold she does wear simular red knee socks. She has a curly hairstyle mixed with some green bands for a little thanksmas feeling. She waits patiently as the first batches of fresh made cookies get set on the snackbar. The cook warns her that they might be to hot and need to cool down a bit, but as soon as he's back in the kitchen she tries to gab one. With an ouch she drops it right away and shakes her fingers. That was to hot.

[Purple Eagle]

[Darker Corner]

Sasha continues staring at Zara, her lack of emotion to what Zara says and does a stark contrast to Zara herself. Or perhaps Sasha was cowed by Zara's predatory spirit? That would imply a difference in behavior admittedly. Which doesn't much happen when Sasha shakes her head again! Maybe she doesn't find festivities fun? Or doesn't know why they're fun yet. This is her first Thanksmas.

Either way... She sinks into the ground! What? Actually running away? Maybe she was cowed after all.

It takes some time for her to reappear, but she does come back. And this time a tendril rises with her holding a box. This box is poorly wrapped in unfilled pages from a children's coloring book, GLoG now down a coloring book that was cannibalized for wrapping paper. The box peeks out of the questionable wrapping in numerous places and some of the box even seems wet. Nonetheless, if Zara is still here, Sasha's tendril holds out the gift to Zara and points with another at the tree.

Ah. She saw people dropping gifts at the tree and thought to contribute. At least vaguely familiar with the whole process from Khannie's birthday party. There are way too many lights over there for Sasha to deposit the gift herself, so any help Zara could give would be greatly appreciated.

[Darker Corner]

Zara gets a silent stare in response, it's just as Karasu said. An emotionless one, such as herself. Not Zara, but her real self; the side she just showed the littler girl. When she shakes her head, it's taken to mean that she doesn't find it fun. After all, that's the only definite 'yes/no' question she asked... or maybe she doesn't want anything?

Hmm... she decides to go with the former.

"Well, Zara-" She starts to speak when Sasha starts to sink into the ground. Stretching her hand forward, she withdraws it as the girl disappears. Did she scare the girl? She stands there pondering the thought, then shrugs and starts to leave, when the girl reappears again! And with an object, too! It looks like... a poorly-wrapped gift?

Another tendril points at the tree, and Zara nods in understanding. "You wish to add your gift to the pile? Karasu did say you can't stand the light... she told Zara all about you, so Zara will tell you all about her, too!"

First things first, though: address the wrapping paper. "You should have asked for help in wrapping it, you would have been provided wrapping paper and taught how to wrap a box. Zara can teach you how... by re-wrapping this box so it's even prettier! You would like that, yes?" Wouldn't do to drop it in the sorry state it's in, after all!

She's already looking around for someone she can get gift-wrap tools from. One of the NPCs ought to be of help.

[Deathkeeper]

FLOOFbegone

Gara gives Lucas a self-conscious look and starts inconspicuously sipping the drink.
"Civvy really likes pink. And my magic is all about like, making people happy and hopeful and stuff. So a lot of it ends up being pink. Besides, mizutsune and their bubbles are naturally pink anyway."
Oh right, she's an actual sapient Monster Hunter critter.

[Arkhosia]

Mags and Blanche - Enoby Darkness Dementia Thurl Ravenscroft Way

"Er, I don't, but I'm not sure that means anything?" Blanche shrugs after taking a glance over at the catgirl on the throne. "I don't really know my extended family very well. Haven't tried to connect to em or anything, I've been a little busy." Which is only partially true. Sure, working for VIGIL takes up a lot of Blanche's time and focus, but connecting to her half-siblings or even really going out of her way to learn about them has never really held any weight or priority to her.

It only occurs to her after a second to ask what trying to "mess with him" means exactly - but before she can speak up about it, Blanche's attentions are suddenly focused on someone very different. "O-oh! Uh, hey Anika." She smiles with a shy little blush that is probably very uncharacteristic from Magtok's point of view before all those gifts start to tumble down.

"A-oh [shist]." Blanche leans out of the way as things start to fall, raising an arm to shield herself while trying to tilt the stack away so the rest of them stop falling. "Maybe we should er, set this down so you can grab the rest?"

[Earl of Purple]

Post-Post Devil Things

"I already dropped one under the tree whilst you were out." He thinks a moment. "I'm thankful I met Sekhmet, and that Pontius was willing to take her on as an apprentice." If neither of those things had happened, he'd likely not be married now.

Venus, Sekhmet, Prumathe

"Oh, I've heard of that place. I've never been, though. I'll have to change that someday." He's not heard particularly pleasant things about it- apparently there's knife-fights and illegal gambling in the back rooms, but... if Prumathe's heard of those rumours, surely Intersection has too, right? Probably just libel.

[bc56]

Venus, Sekhmet, Prumathe

"I've, uh, heard of it too." Probably at work. But Sekhmet looks more nervous. It's a real rough place, she thought. Isn't that a bad place to work? It can't be safe. Or respectable.

Post-Post-Devil Things

Sekhmet slowly stands up. "Phew. I, uh, think I'm okay now." She's decidedly not, but she'll live. She walks over to the tree, deposits her gift, and walks back. "Today has been, uh, trying." She orders a drink, with little care as to what sort.

[5a Violista]

[Venus, Sekhmet, Prumathe]

"Just make sure you come by in the afternoon and not at night," Venus repeats. "The local area can get dangerous if you leave the main roads."

He says that, predicting what they're thinking about it.
Of course, she doesn't completely guess their thoughts right, but that's fine.
Besides, she just helps out waitressing and also in the kitchen. And people frequently tip well.

[Rebonack]

[Foxy Thanksmas]

"Can't grow and change in the organic ways mortals do. DEFINITELY can't grow and change the way faeries can where they just up and decide to be something else. Learning happens, things can be discovered. What we are is sorta fixed. If someone 'changes' then they're gone. Unless, of course, we've got the resources from the material world to fuel those changes," Zee tries to explain. "I'm probably doing a terrible job trying to explain all this. I've only been at the empyrean thing for nine years and I still don't get most of it. But... I'm trying, I guess."

It probably doesn't matter.

Trying to make a mortal understand this nonsense is hard.

Trying to make a faerie understand it?

Probably impossible.

"Yes! Snacks. I... have some buffalo chicken wings? Is that too spicy for a fox?" Zee offers. She doesn't feed foxes very often these days.


[Post-Post-Devil Things]

"Today HAS been trying, but it's been a good day, too," Rose says, smiling brightly. "It is definitely the best Thanksmas EVER!"

Then she'll prance over to the bar with Sekhmet and-

Hmm...

She frowns at the bar stool.

What's she even supposed to DO with that thing?

Rose settles on just plopping down on her haunches there on the floor. When you've got a salamander for a butt the difference between sitting and standing is often kind of dubious. "I'll have some hot chocolate! With peppermint in it!" the devil requests. Then pauses, looking worried. "Wait, is this going to taste icky? I'm not sure if it will..."

It won't. Not in Rose's case anyway. All that devil in her is over-riding the typical fae aversion to mortal food. She sure is a weird critter.

"Nah, you should be okay!" Zee replies brightly, passing off a cup of festive hot chocolate to Rose. It's got whipped cream, chocolate shavings, and a peppermint stick in it! Extra-Thanksmasy. "Did you want some hot coco too, Sekhmet? Or did you want something hard?" Zee asks.


[FLOOFbegon which is happening at the SNACKBAR]

"Were you always like that?" Lucas asks. "If that's an okay thing to ask. If you've always been a monster-hunter monster that can turn into a girl."

It seems like a pretty unusual thing, all things considered.

Just to make sure she doesn't feel singled out, he adds, "I've basically always been like this. The whole pooka thing, I mean. Or for as long as I can remember, anyway. I guess maybe I wasn't for a little while, but that was back when I was just a baby and wouldn't have noticed the difference."

And then Mia burns herself nearby! Lucas gives a little start at the sound. "Oh wow, hey, are you alright?" he asks.

[bc56]

Foxy Thanksmas

Jade just thinks this is more evidence for her theory. If changing someone replaces them with someone else, that's like converting an object from one class to another. It makes sense to her.

But snacks!

"Not for this fox!" Jade will happily take a plate of wings and begin snarfing them down. She seems to have adapted pretty well to eating without opposable thumbs.

[WindStruck]

Deck the Halls

Solstice smiles softly and warmly back. "Certainly, I can do that." But even beneath the genuine, kindly demeanor, subconsciously the gears (metaphorically speaking) were still whirring in her mind, considering this part of her job for some possibly arbitrarily and undefined number of extra days in her room. Because to be honest, thirty days for hanging up a few decorations would seem ludicrous. She still enjoyed helping Zee, however, and didn't mind the work.

Solstice admires the pretty baubles a bit before getting to work. Hanging them was easy. Finding the perfect place for them, however, was not!

"I am not certain how collaborating may help at this time..?" she says uncertainly. After all, only one person could hang any particular ornament at a given time. Or technically, you could probably have two or three or four hanging the same ornament, but they'd all be getting in each other's way, and.. really, what would be the point? It was just a terrible idea all around.

Regardless, Solstice thought she might at least approach the half-elf, despite the alarming things about mugging faeries she was saying earlier. Solstice remembered this half-elf from before: the one with the dark-oak-colored skin. Perhaps there was a different way to work together though.

"Hello. Do you see any you like?" she said, displaying all her ornaments to Mishnehel.

[Recaiden]

[Walking Present]

The present itself is rather large. Imagine one of those wooden horse swing for small childs, just maybe a bit longer. The presend also seems to hover as the one who carrys it is rather small and at the center of the bottom. So the hatchling might only see the little green creature when it pushes his eyes close to the floor.Either way the present will turn to the hatchling and stop.

"Hello." it says. "No, I'm not a talking present. Even thought you might only see the present. And hear a voice that comes directly from the present... and no I'm not a ghost either. I am sure I didn't die yet. Is that the right way to the tree? I can barly see. And now he starts to speak in rythms?

The present has turned so it isn't facing the tree anymore.

"No, tree's over there." The hatchling points her claw, somehow expecting that the walking present will be able to see it After all, the hatchling can see it!

Finally, leaning down all the way she sees the legs carrying it.
"Ohh wow you're so small!"

[Earl of Purple]

Post-Post-Devil Things

"Um, probably not something too hard. Sekhmet, you're already tired. Alcohol won't help." Although as bc's American and I think Sekhmet's nineteen, she might not be aware she can drink something alcoholic.

Venus, Sekhmet, Prumathe

"Afternoon, right. We'll, uh, see you there." Or possibly not. Prumathe's going to ask around, find out if the stories he's heard are exaggerated or not.

Deck the Halls

"I like those. Or you could maybe help me with the tinsel. It's hard to put up on your own, no matter how many hands you have." Since it goes from one place to another, two people need to hang it to ensure all the droopy bits are the same.

[bc56]

Post post Devil Things

BC maybe be American, but Sekhmet isn't. Where she's from, there is no legal drinking age. "I'll, uh, have a glass of mulled wine then."

Venus, Sekhmet, Prumathe

Sekhmet nods in agreement with Prumathe. "Uh, see you soon, hopefully." She has the same reservations that he does. She doesn't want to be seen in a wretched hive of scum and villainy.