Personification Life, the Universe, & Everything [IC]

[Zarkenis Ultima]

There's No Business Like Snow Business

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Meritari grinned as she heard Giovenith's compliment, and nodded at her advice without much intent to listen. If the snow shoveling worked, she could probably look into getting off another launch or two before having to escape retaliation... but it didn't seem to work. The rabbit just ate most of the snow headed towards the two.

Now how is that fair?! The Kemetian inwardly growled, while outwardly clambering up the snow bank to where Gio was, crouching behind the peak just in time to avoid being riddled with snowball holes. Not that snowball holes are a thing. "I'm going to need a new plan..."

Looking up over the peak of the snow bank, Meritari looked at the battlefield. If she tried to shovel snow from there, she'd just end up throwing it to the ground; up here was too far from Sallow's cloud fort for her to reach it. Unless...

Sandy soon flew up to engage the lesser winged equine. Perfect. She thought, assuming that Sallow would be too distracted by this to notice her. Meri jumped down from the top of the snow bank with her shovel and began using it to erect a decently-sized rectangular mound of snow, a wall to protect herself from the flying pony's attacks while down in the frontline.

Glancing to the side, she saw Amanda continuing to work on her snow effigy, unconcerned about the cruel battle raging on. Looking at the round base of the effigy, Meri had an idea. I'll have to try that later.

[The New Velociraptor Empire]

Leg Day

"As I suspected, it looks like we are not so welcome here," Victor whispered as he saw the guns being readied.

"Enemy DNA detected. Please put down your weapon. You have twenty seconds to comply." the childlike voice of the security bots requested as they formed an organized line to prevent further passage down the hallway.

"I believe that is our cue to retreat," Victor disagreed as he took a few steps back with his arms in the air. He scanned the area for any useful material and looked behind himself to make sure the hall was clear. Luckily it was a clear path to the distant door, unfortunately, there wasn't much cover if gunfire broke out. He stood waiting for the right moment to make a run for it.

[Holy Lykos]

Frozen Zone
"Would we even be able to make stuff up robust enough for any possible situation in the time we have?" Sterling's first question was as he tried his damnedest to figure out what those people were saying. But he couldn't catch anything from this distance. At the very least they weren't being noticed so far. "We could do basic stuff though. Stop, Go, freeze, hide, come here, get back, stuff like that. What else might we need?"

"Though, do we even have any idea where Brit might be in the camp?" The former unicorn asked, eyes peeled for just any sign they could have in the town ahead of them. Could they even do this, in any universe? Neither of them were fighters, and they didn't even know the language! This was gonna be a long night.

[Monfrox]

Leg Day

Samantha had not been a stranger to the antics of the Building, but she never really got used to it. She had felt rather cross about the whole ordeal that just happened, but only to the extent that she could. She noticed the others had been brought along too, so at least she wasn't alone. Now where, that was the real question. She noticed the machines and wished she knew what was going on. At least she had her pistol under her suit jacket. The detective stood cautiously but before then she had been taken off with the group to another place about as familiar as the last. The appearance of hostile robots made her very nervous and she absent-mindedly took a few steps back. The weight of her shoulder holster made her feel only slightly better. But perhaps, there was a way to get by without violence?

"C-can we...move past them if we're peaceful about it?" She asked in a voice a bit louder than a hushed whisper.

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Frozen Rain

The church was mostly silent to the average ear, but as Ford used the spell, it worked to a small extent. Something was dampening it noticeably to the experienced magic user. Still, he could make out hushed arguments in English and French accents. The church itself was barricaded and boarded up, but through small cracks shone light from a small fire inside. It didn't matter what was used, everything was placed to help keep unwanted visitors out. Two figures were sitting around the fire, one smaller than the other, both hunched over trying to keep warm.

In the front, the talk went on. Relaxed voices of German soldiers complaining about the cold and lack of sleep, eating frozen food in their holes. There was little sound of movement or footsteps, just the occasional sneeze or coughing into one's coatarm. Most were getting settled in for their last leg of the watch before changing out with other troops from their foxholes, hoping to get some shuteye soon.

[Stormwrath]

Leg Day

"You could've told me that earlier!" Macy whispered back to Victor, moving the barrel away from her with her finger before raising her arms as well. She also began to back away from the robots, who floated forward in response. Too bad there wasn't anything useful lying around in the hallway...

The android heard Samantha's mutterings and slowly turned her head around. "Hmmm, that could work," she nodded.

Macy turned back to the still-menacing robots. "Ummm," Macy nervously began to speak. All of a sudden, every single weapon was pointed at her. "Eeek! I mean, we're just trying to find our way back to the ummm, group of visitors on the above floor! Yeah, and ummm, we seem to have broken off so uh, do you happen to know where the stairs to the next floor are?" While she was speaking, the group continued to back away from the robots until the door was only a few feet behind them.

[Giovenith]

There's No Business Like Snow Business

The fluffy vapor that had formed Sallow and MB's snow fortress stood against the pressure for as long as it could, but it wasn't long before it dissolved into air with a whoosh, leaving the two defenseless.

"There they are!" Giovenith cried. "Get them!"

Oh no! It was time to go Rambo! At least Sallow assumed, he'd never actually seen it. Scooping up MB, he flew to dodge the oncoming shoveled snow coming his way.

"Take that! And that!" Giovenith got a work out for her arms aiming at the paper-pony, who had been quickly left without ideas and only has his own speed and agility to rely on in the epic snow war. "What'cha gonna do now?!"

What was he going to do now? He could throw snowballs back, but that would be futile without cover. He could just fly away, but that would be surrender! Was else could he turn to his advantage? It took him a moment, but Sallow finally figured out his next move. Balancing MB on his back, he zoomed upwards.

From her own spot, Giovenith squinted her eyes as she watched the grey and black form rise. "Be careful," she said to Meri. "He's trickier than he looks."

"Hey giiiiirls!" Sallow hovered above the two. "Do you know what season it is?" He propped his hooves beneath his chin cheekily.

The young woman hesitated, suspicious that the paper-pegasus had apparently carried no snow up with him. "... Winter?"

"Nope," Sallow shook his head. "It's..." And in one swoop, he came ramming down on the branches of the tall tree towering above them. "... fall!"

Piles of once-settled snow became loose from the uppermost branches, and the shaking the made as they fell dislodged further snow from the lower stretches, all culminating into one giant blanket of white coming down from above.

[Northwest Slobovia]

Frozen Rain

[A]s Ford used the spell, it worked to a small extent. Something was dampening it noticeably to the experienced magic user. Still, he could make out hushed arguments in English and French accents.

Definitely not home. No, wait... Ford closed his eyes, seeing if he'd feel evidence of a divine presence; after all these centuries, there shouldn't be one, but... No, nothing.

The church itself was barricaded and boarded up, but through small cracks shone light from a small fire inside.

Seeking a better view, Ford took a few steps forward to press his eyes to a crack. On his third step, something snapped! beneath his feet. He froze, pulse pounding in his ears. Did the conversation just stop? Yes! Shitshitshit! He held the awkward mid-step position for long seconds until the conversation started again.

Carefully, he stepped backwards into the gloom. Time to see what else is still standing in scenic Villeroux.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

There's No Business Like Snow Business

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As soon as she finished building her wall - without making someone else pay for it! - Meritari looked up, just in time to see Sallow and MB's cloud fall apart and leave them exposed. She grinned at the sight, and Giovenith's war cry was more than enough for her to spring to action, repeatedly going through the motions of scooping up the white packed ice and hurling it in her foe's direction. The pegasus was agile and had the gift of flight, making him a tricky target, but that only made her feel all the more thrilled about it. Despite the physical exertion, she was having a lot of fun.

Then Sallow flew up into the air, where her shoveling technique could not reach him. Perhaps if she had been stronger, she would've been able to press on the attack, but as she was now, there was no point. That's not fair, is it? She questioned for a moment, before dropping that train of thought. There were a ton of strange things involved in the snow war already, and this was the first time she participated in one, so she was no one to decide something like that.

Fair or not, it certainly took her by surprise when the paper pony swooped down and smashed against the tree, causing the snow that had settled on the tree to fall upon her and Giovenith in an avalanche. Fortunately, Meritari was a bit further off, meaning she had a little bit more time. Thinking quickly, she vaulted over the wall she'd built, an impressive feat for someone bogged down by so many clothes. Her gambit paid off, as the wall held back part of the avalanche, though she ended up being covered in snow either way.

"Not my proudest moment..."

The Kemetian quickly got up and patted herself to get rid of the snow that had gotten on her, before setting her sights on Sallow again. Might as well try this now... She thought, getting to work on something similar to what Amanda was doing, as if she was making the base for a snow effigy of her own. Naturally, the sphere was rougher, as it was made far more hastily, but it would do. Instead of continuing to build an effigy, she slid the head of her shovel underneath the base and grinned.

She had discovered artillery.

"Take this!" She shouted as she flung the enormous snowball at Sallow.

[Tiltjuice]

There's No Business Like Snow Business

Things happened to be fairer, if only because MB was a red and blue (and other colors) beacon amidst the white. Also because his best effort to throw snowballs was rolling it through the snow up to the other team. Or alternately dropping it from above, like Sallow had, but he hung on, ears flat over his eyes like aviator goggles.

He burped a cloud of steam, waving both hindpaws randomly at Meri and Sandy.

[Giovenith]

There's No Business Like Snow Business

Not expecting to be attacked in the air, Sallow was unprepared for Meri's attack and thus wasn't able to dodge in time. The snow smacked into him face-first, and being made of paper, packed a more powerful blow than it would have otherwise. He dropped from the air like a fly sprayed with Raid, and subsequently disappeared beneath the pile the snow created.

Meanwhile, Giovenith was just crawling her own way out of the snow pile thrown onto her. "Did we win?!" she asked, looking around. Seeing Sallow apparently disappeared, she rose her arms up. "We won!" She crawled all the way out of the snow pile. "Woo! Victory feast, I say!"

Frozen Rain

One could almost forget that this was war, blissful as their surroundings were, and yet that somehow only made Willow more anxious. If they stayed frozen in fear like this, they'd freeze to death and never find Brit. They had to take risk, like it or not. This mission wasn't getting any safer.

"We'll go round to a more secluded area," he whispered to Sterling. "With trees or abandoned buildings or something. It seems like they're all going to sleep anyway, so it'll be easier."

With that, he crawled ahead hastily, keeping his eyes peeled for a spot where they could approach without being noticed. He tried not to notice the numb irritation that was entering his arms, though it wasn't easy with how alien it was. Eventually, he noticed uphill a more shrubby area, an uncultivated part of any normal town that nobody else was likely to go stomping through any time soon.

"There," Willow pointed it out. "Stay low, we might stand out as we go up."

Nearly dragging himself along his stomach, Willow slowly but surely pulled himself out of the snowy expanse and onto the hard, icy dirt tucked between scores of dead shrub. He winced as they scratched into his face, but didn't dare cry out. They were in? Now to figure out which direction to go in. They could be stealthy, but they had to make it one direction and back, running aimlessly around town would be a death sentence.

[Northwest Slobovia]

There's No Business Like Snow Business

Sandy hovered over the snowball fight, unsure of what to do. Pushing or blowing snow off the Building's roof onto Sallow would serve him right, since he seemed a unclear on what was meant by 'snowball fight'. But that assumed his aim was good, which was hardly guaranteed. He mulled the problem over for a while.

When he returned his attention to the ground, the snowball fight seemed to be over. Above him, the clouds were breaking up, and the patches of blue sky called to him. He climbed steadily, as man at ease; there was no need to hurry.

Back on the ground, Amanda heaved her snowman's head into place. She stepped back to admire her work. It seems rather plain. A face would help. Perhaps the cultists have... What was the formula? 'a corncob pipe, a button nose, and eyes made out of coal'? Given the way Galli works, they probably do. She headed back inside.

The cultist minding the winter clothes and snow toys did indeed have features for snowman faces. Amanda was also able to get a worn-out broom for her snowman to hold. “You wouldn't happen to have an old silk hat, would you?”

The cultist turned to root around in a hammerspace closet, coming up with one hat, and then another. Amanda looked them over, trying to decide between them; she eventually decided that the more threadbare one seemed better for 'old silk hat'. Amanda took it, dumped her snowman's future face into the hat, and returned to the snow.

When the cultist retrieved the second hat, Sandy Heard the grinding sounds of chaos magic: fully-orchestrated car crashes set to a jaunty tune, accompanied by musical nails on a chalkboard... and loud enough to worry him. Not Demens' or Naomi's magic, but something even more jury-rigged, and as potent as Giovenith's magic. His ears moved as he sought the source. The Building?? Oh, no!

He started a wingover, then turned it into power dive: that much ill-constructed magic meant trouble. The amount of reverb he Heard suggested it was echoing inside the Building, a worse sign. Everything looks OK on the ground... Waaait... it's gone!

He continued his dive anyway, turning both head and pinnae, seeking the Music again. He pulled up only when he was level with the second floor windows, flapping his wings as he slowly turned in his search.

Amanda had just put the hat on her snowman when it was blown off by the downwash from Sandy's wings. “Dear! Could you hover a bit further away?” She caught his frantic expression, and reached for her stunner... which she'd left up in their apartment. She glanced around nervously. “Sandy, what is it?”

He gave up his search and landed, turning back into a man. “Magic, ummm... chaos magic, unfamiliar and enough to worry me.”

“Which is?”

He nodded in Giovenith's direction. “Like hers or Susan's, but with less skill than the former... and maybe only a bit more control than the latter. Did you see anything inside?”

She froze at Sandy's description, a tight frown on her face: Kale's 'friendly fire incident' left dozens dead, and this was worse, whatever that meant to Sandy. “I just got decorations for my snowman.”

Sandy followed her gesture, studying the figure. ...and an old silk--! His eyes went wide, and he returned to being the Muses' mascot, pressing an ear against the fallen hat. Nothing. Back in human form, he studied it closely; other than a curious bit of paper stuck inside –- 'in this style, 10/6' –- there was nothing untoward about it. He turned back to his wife. “Something almost Happened. I'd say that was strange, but this is Galli; Somethings Happen routinely.” He shrugged; whatever it was, it hadn't Happened.

They called it a day, heading back in for hot chocolate, and inviting everybody in sight as well.

[Holy Lykos]

Frozen Rain

Sterling had to suppress shivers as they crawled. His extremities were getting so hellishly cold it became increasingly hard to focus. The dull awareness of his limbs would turn to painful attention just as fingers felt increasingly stiff. But he kept moving which helped keep limbs warm. Every so often he'd shake out his hands as well to bring more life into them.

The former pony kept quiet, only really nodding with Willow's words. He was deathly afraid even the smallest thing could set off some sort of alarm. Luckily for them it seemed quiet enough to keep going and soon the pair had properly crested the hill.

"I need so many warm baths already," He mumbled, before turning to look over the village. "It can't be that big, can it? Any of the buildings have unusual presence of guards that would show a prison?" He asked as his own blue eyes scanned the town from their vantage point. "Or maybe wherever the fanciest dressed person is..."

[Monfrox]

Frozen Rain

Ford taking the opportunity to explore the rest of the town was, in the long run, the better option. Well, for now it was. The village had all the expected sort of houses and places that a village on the outskirts was expected to have, while not having the big hustle and bustle and larger facilities the town had. A small general store, a farm, and the houses were all relatively modest. Most were only one floor with an attic. One of the houses stuck out, though. It almost seemed to call Ford in. The door was ajar and coated in dirt. The window at the front of the house was smashed. Glass and frame lay outside, sticking up from the snow.

For Willow and Sterling the voices lay behind them. From the hill they could see the town of Villeroux ahead, and the chapel with the smoke coming from the hole in the roof. The small houses and such. The bodies in the snow, but there was only one person walking around outside that they saw. Through trees there was the road in and out of the village, though the only way it was a road was the tire tracks in the snow. But their goal was there, right in front of them.

[Northwest Slobovia]

Apartment 2L, The Building
Holiday Feast Day, afternoon

“Sandy, you were supposed to be minding the oven.” Amanda slid the doorstop in place with her foot, set down the things she'd just bought, and hung her jacket on its peg. Soon, with the door ajar, the aromas of their cooking would join the ones wafting out of the dining room where the Froxians were getting ready.

Without shifting his gaze from a spot in the middle of the living room, Sandy replied from his seat by the oven. “I'm watching it. The casserole just came out, and the pie just went in. I've got the casserole on the range keeping warm.” He gestured to where he seemed to be looking. “I think I understand how Tisias was discussing ousia. What I See makes more sense now, and I've got better... control over it.”

He touched his index fingers together, and a brilliant green spark left a silvery trail as it arced toward Amanda. It burst into a dinner-plate-sized golden brocade a few feet in front of Amanda's face.

She smiled, charmed, but her smile faded as the implications sank in. “The last time you showed off your fireworks, they were a couple of inches wide, and you couldn't get them more than a foot above your hand.”

Sandy gave an excellent impersonation of the cat that ate the canary. “Yes! It's a big improvement, isn't it?” He blinked twice, then looked at Amanda. “Oh, you don't like it?”

“It's wonderful, dear, but what does this tell me about your other magic?”

“Ooooohhhh! Still the same. The fireworks spell is a toy; altering it to work with, um, more selective and... precise control of ousia took only a few days. Making the necessary changes to The Ever-full Cup would probably require an extensive rewrite, assuming it could be done at all. The spell might be so different that I'd have to start over with its list of recipes.”

Amanda nooded once; that would do. “I got the sugar sprinkles for the gingerbread men, red and green. Also this seedling grape vine you asked for; that took forever to find. Are you going to explain what it's for?”

“You'll see... you'll see.”

[Giovenith]

Feast

Do you know how long it took to make enough trays of miniature Easy Bake Oven cupcakes for everyone? Too long! But Giovenith worked through it. Sallow obviously knew how to cook but wouldn't what with being easily flammable and all, plus he was still nursing the epic beat down he'd received outside at the hands of Meri, Gio, and Sandy, epic snow fight team extraordinaires. He sat off the side, slowly popping himself back into place and smoothing over flaws on his mache body. As he did so, he noticed a scrape on his front leg that would require more indepth papyrokinesis, and trotted up to Giovenith at the table.

"Hey Gigi," Sallow greeted cheerfully. "Would you mind fixing this for me?" He held out his leg.

Giovenith didn't look up from her sprinkles application to the cupcakes. Each individual shape had to be perfectly placed, and she was tried to accomplish that with a magnifying glass and tweezers. "Not now."

"Later then?"

She didn't answer, continuing with the sprinkles. Sallow slowly lowered his arm with a blink, then looked around the room quickly for something to change the subject. He settled on the fancy-looking drinks she'd been preparing and smiled. "I'll put the umbrellas in!" he declared with a clap, and moved towards the drawer that contained their umbrella toothpick collection.

"Don't!" Giovenith snapped, turning to him with a frown. "This is a winter themed dinner, umbrellas wouldn't make any sense. Don't be stupid."

Sallow froze in place and blinked more in confusion. He slowly withdrew his hoof and stood there as the young lady went back to the cupcakes. A few seconds later, he was by her side again, looking around at the Easy Bake display she had amassed. He pointed to a chocolate-covered plastic spatula. "Do you want me to wash your stuff?"

"I thought you couldn't touch water," she said, tersely.

"Well I'm waterproofed up right now. Besides, I could just wipe and sanitize it, no need to rinse-"

"No thank you, I'd really you rather not," she cut him off, putting the tweezers aside and wiping down her own hands.

"I'm just trying to help."

"Nobody asked for your help," she pulled the cupcake tray away. "Nobody ever does, so I don't know why you keep showing up."

Something like that would have cut Willow pretty deeply. But although Sallow was aware of that fact, he had the fortune of not suffering the same weakness, and so was more put-off by Giovenith's hostility than outright dejected. That didn't mean it didn't hurt though. He looked down and sorted through his feelings, sifting through all the need to please and goofiness until he perked up again with a suitable frown. "Okay, Giovenith," he ventured carefully. "You know, I'm just saying, just because I'm not really Willow, doesn't mean I'm not a pony too."

Giovenith, for her part, was hanging on a thin thread. Deep down, she knew she wasn't be fair to Sallow, but she was hurting. Willow had left her again even after already being gone for so long, and her other friends... just seemed to had faded away. The Teen Club members, once so plentiful and constant, had left her as the apparent sole remaining former member in the Building. Even Marcus, whom she understood from the beginning would be away from her for long periods of time, his absence had begun to weigh on her. Looking back, almost none of he adults she'd always been with in the beginning were around anymore either. Aside from the people she was off to feast with, it seemed everyone was just, gone. This dinner was a tradition, but it was happening without most of the people who made it so.

Was it her fault? Giovenith knew that wouldn't be logical, but the idea lingered there. It wasn't Sallow's fault. And yet, the idea of Sallow still managed to make her angry—a cheap construct designed to distract her from the abandonment around her, as if she were so stupidly fooled. Every time he showed up, he was just a visible reminder of her own increasing loneliness. This made him an easy target for her pent up sadness and frustration, even if it was wrong.

"You're not a pony, you're just a paper puppet stuffed with Chaos magic, you wouldn't even exist anymore if Naomi didn't," she spat, not turning to look at him for fear that she might start crying in front of him. It took a lot to keep her voice from shaking. "You just think you're alive, but you're really just another dumb minion."

"Why are you acting like this?"

Why was she? It wasn't like her. But maybe that was the point. Maybe she was tired of acting like everything was okay. "Just go away, okay? Nobody liked you at the snow fight so they won't like you here."

Sallow looked down again, caught between thoughtfulness, confusion, and sadness. He flattened his ears. "I just want to be your friend."

That pushed something inside Giovenith. "I already have friends!" she snapped. "Real friends, not, not, lie-friends! Just leave me alone, I don't want you to be here anymore when I come back!" Several paper birds flew from her pockets in order to grab the remaining treats she'd prepared as she opened the door and stormed out. Sallow didn't try to respond as she slammed the door after her and power-walked down the hall, breathing heavily.

Calm down, calm down, she told herself, slowing down as she drew nearer to the steps. You don't want to cry or be mad at the party. Take a moment, breathe it in, stay calm. And so she did, breathing deeply until she was able to stop trembling and think more clearly. Things were going to be okay, they were going to be fun! Just remember that. There were still plenty of beautiful things to do, she just had to keep searching.

Managing to put up a convincing enough smile, Giovenith trotted into the dining room and began to set up her things.

[Giovenith]

Frozen Rain

Willow tried to think as quickly as he could. Even in winter, night would end quicker than they expected, and the last thing they needed was to be stranded out here during morning.

"Okay, so every town has nature spots, right?" he whispered to Sterling. "And shadows for tall buildings. If we just stick to those, we should be fine. Don't try to run too fast though, or they might know something is up. For now, let's follow the road in the trees as best we can..."

And so he lead the way in just that, trying to keep far enough from the road that they wouldn't be spotted while also keeping it in his own sight's reach.

[Northwest Slobovia]

Frozen Rain

A small general store, a farm, and the houses were all relatively modest. Most were only one floor with an attic.

It's all surprisingly intact for a village in a war zone. I didn't expect to find anything taller than waist high.

One of the houses stuck out, though. It almost seemed to call Ford in. The door was ajar and coated in dirt. The window at the front of the house was smashed. Glass and frame lay outside, sticking up from the snow.

He whispered to himself: "Strange... it's as if it was blown out from the inside." He remembered -- not quite remembered, since it wasn't his memory, exactly -- something Sandy saw, the front of the Building blown out from the explosion a few years ago. He took a few steps back: the house didn't look like it had been hit by a shell. Odd. No harm taking a look--

Ford's stomach rumbled; he hadn't eaten in hours, at least. First things first. He slipped through the shadows back to the store; it had probably been looted already, but the same brutal logic suggested looters probably overlooked something. Be hard to see inside, even with the Wolf's Eyes. After stepping inside the shop's doorway, he checked his pockets for a matchbook.

[Monfrox]

Frozen Rain

As Willow and Sterling trudged through the snow, they quickly found their feet starting to numb. Sure, the snow was kept out for the most part, but being out in the elements was not helping. But Sterling was colder than Willow, even though they were both wearing the same kind of uniform. So far, it was only their extremities, but the cold would soon work under the layers even if they were moving around. The pair sought the easier path of the hardened snow on the road as they walked into the village. The both of them came right up behind Ford as he walked up to the church, having sated his investigative hunches for now, but not his hunger. They were just about behind him when Willow mustered up almost all the courage he had to try to speak, but he never really got the chance.

Ford knew what he was doing, though. Neither trying to force the barricades nor just walking right in seemed like a good idea: either one could easily get him shot. So, he walked up to the door, and rapped on it with his knuckles as loudly as he could. From Slo

The door flung open and a pair of arms shot out and pulled Ford in, then again and yanked Willow and Sterling along too. The pair were shoved to the ground next to Ford before the very audible metallic click of a safety being disengaged rang through the air. Behind them, a girl with jet black hair and a mean face stood holding an M1 Garand with an M1 bayonet on the end of it. It was still darkly stained with streaks along the blade. A cigarette hung in her mouth and...no wait, that wasn't a cigarette. It was a candy cigarette. She held it in her lips like a real one, though the flame on the end was obviously just a red speck of food coloring. She eyed the trio.

"Hands up, now." He voice was a bit deep and almost gruff for a girl. "Turn around and start walkin'. Don't even fuckin' thing about trying some stupid shit or I'll blow you goddamn heads off. All of you fuckin' lot."

She pushed them further into the church to where an older man, wrapped in blankets and a large overcoat, sat next to a fire with his hands held out to it. The sound of footsteps from above echoed softly in the air until they came down from a hallway. Another girl appeared, carrying a Kar 98k over her shoulder. Her hair was sharply contrasted to that of the other girl's, being a stark white. Her blue eyes found the new group as they were being brought in.

"Americans! Friends!" She announced, rushing over.

"Candida! You can't just-!" The first girl protested very harshly but was ignored.

"Please, please, come warm up! Your hands and feet must be so chilled. Are you hurt? Sable, you didn't shoot any of them, did you?"

"Did you fuckin' hear me shoot them?" The girl answered with a huff, very visibly cross. She sat up on a stack of crates.

The white-haired girl, Candida, went back to the main trio, sitting them around the fire alongside the old man who hadn't opened his eyes since they had seen him.

"Here, we'll warm you up and get you something to eat and drink. Sable, can you please bring me something from the cellar."

"What am I, you fuckin' maid?"

"Please?" Candida pleaded, her voice soft as the powdery snow drifting outside.

Sable grumbled, sat for a few extra seconds, muffled obscenities, then left. She returned and all but threw a few cans to Willow, Sterling, and Ford. Crackers and pre-mixed oatmeal cereal. She chomped on her candy cigarette before taking her seat with her own little can that she pulled a disk of chocolate out of and munched on.

Candida sat between Ford and the old man, smiling angelically at the three.

"It's so great to have more friends here. Was your trip long and arduous? I sincerely hope not. Are you here for your other friend? she was by a few days ago. Very nice, but not much of a talker. We helped out as best we could but I wish we had more to give to her."

"You practically gave her all our fuckin' food, you dumbass."

"Sable, eating is important to everyone, not just ourselves. And we had more than enough so we gave her our extra in good faith. That is what friends do."

"Good fuckin' grief..."

Feast

Mon and Lidev felt...confused...and a bit touched. Except on rare occasions, the feast was normally singularly prepared by the two of them. They didn't mind, but it was hard work. Now that the kitchen was hustling and bustling, there was little they found themselves able to preoccupy themselves with. The casseroles...the meats...the everything else. Mon went to work on the holiday meats while Lidev, still walking around like the floor was thin ice, found herself drawn more towards the Belas who didn't know her well enough to know her rather colorful history.

"Red or white wine to serve with dinner? Or maybe both? I brought some champagne, and sparkling wine for those who want to avoid alcohol tonight too."

[Tiltjuice]

Feast!

Another swirling vortex appeared behind Giovenith. Instead of leaping out of it like he usually did, MB crawled through it, tugging along a small sleigh full of popsicles, with a minuscule wreath down around the base of each ear and a jester hat on his head. Bells jingled.

He wandered up to a point vaguely between Gio and Sallow, and the Belas, jabbing the point of an ear behind him at the sleigh. Have some? Where put?

[Stormwrath]

Leg Day

Macy didn't like being at the front of the group. Not when gun barrels were pointed straight at her face. She continued to stall until one of the other members of the group slowly opened the door. As everyone else slowly snuck into the door, Macy took a step back and said to the robots, "Right, ummm, we'll be heading this way I guess. Ummm, buh-bye!"

With a dash she got into the door and shut it with her back. Loud bangs were heard on the other side, and whatever caused it punctured several holes through the metal door, one of which was just inches above her head. Guess that was their cue.

The room they just entered in had a flight of stairs both leading to the above and below levels. Macy held the door for a few seconds as the rest made a break for it and ran up the stairs. Macy dashed soon after, trying to keep close to the others without accidentally slipping back down. Behind them, the robots burst through the door, their blue happy faces replaced with red angry frowns. The group kept on running and running until they reached the topmost flight of stairs, then dashed to the nearest door. Macy began looking around and bringing all sorts of random objects to the door to obstruct it.

"I think that will do," she held her hands against her waist, beholding the stack that she had just created. Looking out the shattered window, her eyes widened in surprise. "Ummm, guys?" she pointed her finger out to the scene that was on the other side – a flat desert plain that ended as soon as the cliff wall began. They weren't on the topmost level.

This was ground level.

[Holy Lykos]

Frozen Rain
"That sounds like a good enough idea, yeah," Sterling concurred. He followed along behind without any hesitation, Willow had always been good at deciding what to do in tense situations so far. "Hopefully we can pick up her trail in town." He tried to keep his fingers moving, to keep them warm and get used to moving them more dextrously. It was annoying, so unfamiliar compared to his infinitely more able magic. And though Sterling was a bit anxious about hearing the voices behind them, he kept going forward without hesitation. at least the town itself seemed quiet enough. They should be safer once they reached it. Or maybe not, the librarian would have no idea.

As they went on, and they found a person in front of them, he'd started speaking "Wait, isn't that-" Only to get cut off by the sudden 'abduction' as they were pulled into the house. Then a flurry of activity, talking, confusing strange humans, and food being shoved into their hands. He hadn't time to get a word in edgewise between the barrage of shoving around and questions from one of them. "Well, uh... Yes." Was about all he could muster at first. Not really an answer to anything, just Sterling trying to get a handle on what just happened.

Sterling's mouth opened and closed like a suffocating fish, leaving the actual question asking to Willow. This was just bizarre, who were these people?

[Northwest Slobovia]

Frozen Rain: A Glitch in Time Saves Nine

Ford didn't need to find a match to realize that there was no reason to bother: the smell of smoke clung to the store. Shaking his head, he sighed and muttered to himself. “Sacked and burned... Six thousand years of 'civilization', and people still wantonly destroy. Jericho, Illion, Thebes... now Dresden, Tokyo, and Villeroux.” He sighed again and stepped outside, despairing of this world as much as his own.

"That sounds like a good enough idea, yeah," Sterling concurred. [...] "Hopefully we can pick up her trail in town."

Ford's head snapped around as tried to find the voice. There! The two figures in the dark were hard to make out, but what he could see was distinctly American: helmets, cut of their uniforms, equipment. Though if the Army was desperate enough to recruit guys as short and scrawny as the little one, this Second World War was going poorly for the Allies.

He slowly scanned the area: he could neither see nor hear anybody else. “Hssssst!” A stage whisper: “Guys! Over here! I'm American!” He waved to them, motioning for them to move quickly. He touched his helmet, confirming that he'd taken off the cover, and the medical corps' big red-cross-on-white-circle should be plainly visible, even in the poor light.

How did soldiers introduce themselves? He prepared his greeting for their approach: 'Captain Bela, 28th Infantry'.

[OOC: Illion is commonly known as Troy. If the 'figures in the dark' come closer, Ford will introduce himself, so it's safe for Willow and Sterling to assume he's said that if they do.]


Holiday Feast

Amanda cocked her head at Sandy's grape vine seedling, sitting on the tray with the dishes to go down the hall to the feast. It looked decidedly out of place with the sweet potato casserole, pecan pie, and gingerbread men. “Sandy, is the grape some sort of garnish?”

He husband looked up from choosing bottles of wine to go with dinner, with half a dozen worlds and two times in his own, he had a lot to choose from. “Dionysia is a winter holiday, and a history gave a couplet from a prayer to the old drunkard himself, so I was--”

“The feast is supposed to be ecumenical.”

Sandy held up his hands. “So say the Christian grace. Or praise Giovenith.”

Sandy's wink was met with a dirty look and, “Fine.” Amanda rooted around in a closet, and came up with a tiny golden angel-with-trumpet ornament, which she hung from the seedling. If it hadn't been tied to a stick for support, it would have bent under the weight.

Sandy nodded at the result. “God likes wine too.”

They carried the tray down the hall to help the Froxians set up.

"Red or white wine to serve with dinner? Or maybe both? I brought some champagne, and sparkling wine for those who want to avoid alcohol tonight too."

Amanda smiled graciously at the offer. “Perhaps we could serve. Sandy's is the business, so he has hundreds of vintages available. Hard liquor too, for those who prefer.

“My apologies. I've forgotten your name; it's been a long year. I'm Amanda.”

[Giovenith]

Frozen Rain: A Glitch in Time Saves Nine

Willow resisted the urge to shake his head as he thought through the many things that could go wrong, until he was stopped dead in his tracks by a sudden hiss. He tensed up. Had they been caught?! But no, a few more seconds thought, he realized that there would be no reason for the enemy to be quiet around them. Willow stopped Sterling with a gesture and looked around for the source of the call.

“Guys! Over here! I'm American too!”

The voice seemed to have the same accent as the people they'd spoken to before. Willow nodded to his companion and carefully lead the two towards the spot with the glinting symbol...

He squinted his eyes. "Sandy?"

Willow had only met the wizard a few times, but enough to recognize his face even the dark greenery. Ford wouldn't have been able to say the same, though he might have recognized the two former ponies' voices. Ironically, Willow had first met Sandy when the latter was in the form of a giant pegasus; now they were meeting again with the former as a tiny human. This wasn't lost on Willow, and he immediately jumped into explanation.

"Holy, fucking, shit," he hissed quietly, raising his hands in both emphasis and demonstration. "You're here too? It's me, Willow! And Sterling too!" He tried to slap his own face with his hands, as if that might prove his claim. "We got sucked in here by magic and turned out like this! How did you get here?"


Feast

Giovenith blinked a few times at Mon and Lidev. They were an unexpected addition given how sporadically they had occupied the Building since their initial permanence. They had been some of the first people she'd grown close with upon moving here herself. Along with the Belas, it was nice to know that there was at least a good mix of old and new here at the celebration.

"Good afternoon, everyone," she greeted, approaching the small group, cupcake tray in hand. "Talking about drinks? Can't have that without some munchies to fill you up!"


Lobby

The front desk cultist looked up from his book as a wind swept through the lobby. In a shower of glitter and rare tropical flower petals, Dax Liebsturk appeared, with all the luggage he would need and a customary "Welcome" unicorn plushie.

"Good to have you, Mister Liebsturk," the man at the check-in desk greeted. "We've been expecting you. Please, come over and receive your keys, and I'll show you to a social event our current residents are hosting."

[Tiltjuice]

Leg Day

Macy didn't like being at the front of the group. Not when gun barrels were pointed straight at her face. She continued to stall until one of the other members of the group slowly opened the door. As everyone else slowly snuck into the door, Macy took a step back and said to the robots, "Right, ummm, we'll be heading this way I guess. Ummm, buh-bye!"

With a dash she got into the door and shut it with her back. Loud bangs were heard on the other side, and whatever caused it punctured several holes through the metal door, one of which was just inches above her head. Guess that was their cue.

The room they just entered in had a flight of stairs both leading to the above and below levels. Macy held the door for a few seconds as the rest made a break for it and ran up the stairs. Macy dashed soon after, trying to keep close to the others without accidentally slipping back down. Behind them, the robots burst through the door, their blue happy faces replaced with red angry frowns. The group kept on running and running until they reached the topmost flight of stairs, then dashed to the nearest door. Macy began looking around and bringing all sorts of random objects to the door to obstruct it.

"I think that will do," she held her hands against her waist, beholding the stack that she had just created. Looking out the shattered window, her eyes widened in surprise. "Ummm, guys?" she pointed her finger out to the scene that was on the other side – a flat desert plain that ended as soon as the cliff wall began. They weren't on the topmost level.

This was ground level.

"That's going to be a problem, right? I don't think any of us has climbing gear."

Mathias looked from face to face, where he'd braced himself atop the pile of random objects for added weight. "I mean, it's still better than dealing with angry hostile robots. No offense, Macy, but I feel like they just herded us here...like this is their home, and they know it better than we do..."

He brushed back sweat-soaked hair, product of his frantic sprinting, and tried to catch his breath.

[Tiltjuice]

Frozen Rain: A Glitch in Time Saves Nine

Ford didn't need to find a match to realize that there was no reason to bother: the smell of smoke clung to the store. Shaking his head, he sighed and muttered to himself. “Sacked and burned... Six thousand years of 'civilization', and people still wantonly destroy. Jericho, Illion, Thebes... now Dresden, Tokyo, and Villeroux.” He sighed again and stepped outside, despairing of this world as much as his own.

"That sounds like a good enough idea, yeah," Sterling concurred. [...] "Hopefully we can pick up her trail in town."

Ford's head snapped around as tried to find the voice. There! The two figures in the dark were hard to make out, but what he could see was distinctly American: helmets, cut of their uniforms, equipment. Though if the Army was desperate enough to recruit guys as short and scrawny as the little one, this Second World War was going poorly for the Allies.

He slowly scanned the area: he could neither see nor hear anybody else. “Hssssst!” A stage whisper: “Guys! Over here! I'm American!” He waved to them, motioning for them to move quickly. He touched his helmet, confirming that he'd taken off the cover, and the medical corps' big red-cross-on-white-circle should be plainly visible, even in the poor light.

How did soldiers introduce themselves? He prepared his greeting for their approach: 'Captain Bela, 28th Infantry'.

[OOC: Illion is commonly known as Troy. If the 'figures in the dark' come closer, Ford will introduce himself, so it's safe for Willow and Sterling to assume he's said that if they do.]


Holiday Feast

Amanda cocked her head at Sandy's grape vine seedling, sitting on the tray with the dishes to go down the hall to the feast. It looked decidedly out of place with the sweet potato casserole, pecan pie, and gingerbread men. “Sandy, is the grape some sort of garnish?”

He husband looked up from choosing bottles of wine to go with dinner, with half a dozen worlds and two times in his own, he had a lot to choose from. “Dionysia is a winter holiday, and a history gave a couplet from a prayer to the old drunkard himself, so I was--”

“The feast is supposed to be ecumenical.”

Sandy held up his hands. “So say the Christian grace. Or praise Giovenith.”

Sandy's wink was met with a dirty look and, “Fine.” Amanda rooted around in a closet, and came up with a tiny golden angel-with-trumpet ornament, which she hung from the seedling. If it hadn't been tied to a stick for support, it would have bent under the weight.

Sandy nodded at the result. “God likes wine too.”

They carried the tray down the hall to help the Froxians set up.

"Red or white wine to serve with dinner? Or maybe both? I brought some champagne, and sparkling wine for those who want to avoid alcohol tonight too."

Amanda smiled graciously at the offer. “Perhaps we could serve. Sandy's is the business, so he has hundreds of vintages available. Hard liquor too, for those who prefer.

“My apologies. I've forgotten your name; it's been a long year. I'm Amanda.”

MB trailed along behind the Belas curiously, sniffing this way and that at the scents coming from every corner. There was much for the humans to enjoy, but the Good Lady who liked to eat the crunchy baked figurines wasn't here, and that meant things more to his own taste would be scant.

The rabbit had planned ahead - well, it was Cuisine's suggestion really but he merrily ignored that part - and twirled his ears back, grabbing a frozen bar of henna, peeling it and grabbing it in his forepaws. After a few licks (pulling the sleigh was Hard Work), he hopped over to Sandy, who seemed least occupied, and pointed questioningly again at the fruit sorbet popsicles, then waving his ears around to encompass the small cluster of people.