(december catch-all) LEGGY KRAMPUS IS COMING TO TOWN

[vestigemods]

DECEMBER CATCH-ALL

► YOU WANT SNOW? WE GOT SNOW

To all who've endured the last couple of dismal months, congratulations - you've broken through the windy rains of October and damp, depressing ones of November to an inexplicable peace falling over the containment zone. Untouched snow covers the ground, a veritable winter wonderland. It's almost idyllic, even if not quite in the same way that the early weeks of summer may have been. The air is brisk and chilly, but at least you can see the sun again. In fact, the heat of it on your skin is almost enough to make up for the chill, at least when the sun is at its peak.

Make snowmen! Have a snowball fight! Perhaps even skate on the frozen lake - Foodland seems to be stocking brand new sets of ice skates in various sizes, their colors obtuse enough to make sure you'll be spotted even if it starts to snow. And... consider showing a little pity on the local wildlife if they come a-scritching at your door? If you're cold, they're cold, et cetera.

BABY IT'S COLD OUTSIDE

But December has a little bit more misfortune in store than just a little bit of nippy weather. On the 16th + 17th, you might start to feel... a little strange. Maybe you've come inside from a rousing snowball war to park by the fire, but instead of warming up, you just... keep getting colder. In fact, your temperature keeps on dropping no matter what you try - blankets, a hot bath, none of it seems to do more than slow down the speed at which you're cooling.

Or maybe you're not cold at all... but oh, you're starting to wish you were. Because your temperature only keeps rising, like a hot flash from hell no matter what you do to cool down, with sweat beading on your forehead and dripping down your neck. You may even find yourself desperate enough to strip down to your underclothes and lie in the snow, if only for some sort of relief. Don't worry, though - whether you're too hot or too cold, it'll go away on its own eventually. Let's hope it's before the hypothermia gets too bad or you go delirious with fever.


Then, throughout the couple of days before Christmas, the snow kicks up to a flurry. According to the children's books in Foodland, this is a telltale sign that a magical gift-bearing man called Santa Claus is on his way. But kids' books never do tell the full story, do they?

True to form, there's a pitter-patter up on the rooftop. Is it reindeer paws? Since when do reindeer have paws, anyway? Then the fire in your fireplace, if lit, goes out with a magical puff of air... but what comes down your chimney is quite a bit worse than the stories. His Naughty List is filled with those who have yet to satisfy the elder gods with their horrible death, and rather than bringing gifts and cheer, this particular Santa has come to collect.

Two clawed hands wrap around each side of the fireplace, eyes pale as the snow, the beard around his gaping mouth tinged with the red of blood. But there are more hands now, so many hands, so many too-long arms, peeling himself from your fireplace to attack. He moves quickly, almost uncannily so, with an agility one might not expect from one with such gangly arm-legs. His hands are sharply clawed, perfect for swiping and drawing blood - but that's not what he's trying to do. No, his goal is to drag those who've been Naughty back up the chimney from whence he came, hauling them off through the flurry of snow and disappearing from sight if you try to pursue. But it's fine. Being choked to death by Leggy Krampus's obscenely long prehensile tongue isn't... the worst death, at least?

► MOD NOTES

• This is the December Catch-All Log, for any action top-levels throughout the month. Large gatherings (parties, meetings, etc) are still encouraged to post their own logs for organizational purposes!
  
• Refer to the bottom half of the November + December Bulletin for any December-specific info to potentially include in your prompt, as well as more specifics regarding the events.
  
• Because this is a catch-all for everywhere + all month, try to remember to label your top-levels with identifying information like the IC date and location of each prompt (whether in the subject or in the prompt title within the comment). Also consider mentioning if any of your prompts are event prompts!
  
• December's specific resources can be found in the Not-Bulletin.
  
• Any questions can be directed to this top-level or, for a quicker response, to Trace on discord/plurk.

Comments

Nie Huaisang | OTA

[porndealer]

LET IT SNOW: DEC 1ST

[Waking up to snowfall is wonderful, beautiful even. While Qinghe is very mountainous, there's not much for any weather beyond rain and sun. It's not like he's never seen snow, maybe once... when he was very young, he can't remember for sure.

Don't mind him standing with the door to the Chinese Wizard Frat Cabin wide open, just outside, fan held up to keep snow off his head as he watches the snow fall.]


MERRY SHITSCRAM: DEC 20TH

[Another exciting morning for one Nie Huaisang as he wakes up, cold as hell, but that's not the most important thing right now. He rolls over tugging the blankets around himself tighter, while also brushing hair from his face-- wait.

One hand... two-?

AH! Sorry for anyone who was still sleeping, but there's a surprised shout from Huaisang's room as he scrambles out of bed. The cold is the last thing he's thinking about as he bursts from his room, in just his under things, excitedly yammering on about how his arm is back.]

Look look look!

[Whoever is unfortunate enough to come see what's got him up in arms, haha, will be shown his right arm, very much attached to him again and looking. Like an arm.]


YOU BETTER WATCH OUT: DEC 23RD

[Still on a high after getting his arm back, Huaisang is up late sitting in the living room on the couch, legs crossed under a blanket as he undoes his braids for the evening. Mostly he's in the living room as the fireplace is there and it helps take the bite off the unrelenting cold just a wee bit. Enough that it's better than hiding away in his room. With each braid he undoes he'll gently comb through the hair with his fingers, humming to himself.

His humming comes to an uncertain pause as the fireplace suddenly goes out. Almost like a candle someone snuffed out.]

... hm?

[He hadn't heard the scuttering of feet on the roof before, but he hears something now. Something coming down the chimney as smoke curls up ominously. At most he figures it's some animal, but what actually peers out at him is anything but. A hideous face and hands. So many hands. At this point when he shouts in shock the rest of the cabin probably thinks it's him being excited over something again.

Not until he's attempting to scramble over the couch and hide, but that thing is too quick. It's gets his robe first, trying to yank him back but he manages to get free long enough to make a run for it.]

W-Wei-xiong!! Monster, demon! Help me!

[Anyone can help, but it's Wuxian's name that comes to the forefront first. His friend was an amazing fighter after all, who else would he trust to save him? Huaisang barely gets the words out before he's snatched roughly by multiple hands this time, grabbing and pulling him towards the chimney and he tries to grab onto anything to keep from being taken.]

No no, let go! I don't want to die! Help!


(OOC: After typing these up I realize only the first starter is really OTA, but please come pelt him with a snowball or something. Anything.)

Vivi Ornitier | OTA

[toosmall]

DO YOU WANNA BUILD A SNOWMAN: DEC 1ST-15TH

[Anyone who happens to be having a stroll around town might start seeing small snowmen of varying sizes pop up. Some sport hats and mittens, another a scarf. All with rocks for eyes and... is that Twizzlers, or some cheap alternative, for the mouths? All with smiles, some with noses, others not.

But all of the snowmen have cans of dog and cat food near them, if not kibble of some kind, set out for the strays that wander about. Vivi can be found making his newest snowman, using his ice magic to make an icicle for the nose.]


ICE TO MEET YOU: DEC 1ST-15TH

[Vivi has mostly stayed in town since he'd been brought here, but the snow, while cold, does for some reason give him a bit of an adventurous streak. So he sets out, the trek to where all the cabins are isn't so bad, cold, but he's tried to bundle up. One of those kids jackets that give Michelin Man vibes and mittens over the gloves he already wears along with a scarf. It all looks a bit silly with his big ol floppy wizard hat on top of his head with this get up.

His destination isn't the cabins per se, it's the lake in fact. He'd heard about it, but not yet seen it. It's frozen over when he does find it. Just to be extra cautious he'll use his own ice magic to help make sure it's very very icy, definitely not falling through no thank you.

Vivi slip slides along, enjoying the light snowfall as he "skates" across the lake. Anyone else around might hear the little mage laugh, up until he falls over, scooting along a bit on his rear end.]

Whoops. I think I made it too slippery.

ice to meet you

[legbreakings]

[ Living in the boathouse, Jiang Cheng spends a lot of time at the lake and today is no different, the lake being iced over or not.

The boy sliding over the ice on his butt, however, is new.

He wisely stays on the shore, just watching with his arms crossed over his chest. ]

What do you mean, you made it too slippery?

Jiang Cheng

[legbreakings]

1 Baby It's Cold Outside

a) December 16th, in town

[ It should have been just another trip into town and yet today, something is different. Jiang Cheng finds himself shivering as he rummages around Foodland, even inside the building he is rubbing his hands to try and warm them up, tries to keep his teeth from chattering.

His breathing is coming hard and fast, he is pale, his skin cold. ]

Have you seen more winter clothes here?

b) December 17th, at the lake

[ Yesterday, he had still believed that more warm clothes would be enough to fix the coldness that had seeped into his body. By today, it is clear that a second sweater and a thick scarf won't fix this.

And yet, despite all this, he isn't even staying inside.

No, he is staggering around at the edge of the lake, his eyes unfocused, his body no longer even shivering. And even worse, he is tugging at the scarf tightly wrapped around his throat and then at the fastenings of his thick winter coat. At least his cold hands are barely coordinated enough anymore to rid himself of the clothes. ]

2 Wildcard

[toosmall]

[Vivi hears the voice and glances over his shoulder seeing someone standing at the shoreline. Awkwardly he manages to spin himself around on the ice to face the familiar man.

He'll wave before trying to stand up.]

Hi Jiang!

[Annnnd he almost makes it to his feet before ending up splayed out like weird little starfish on his stomach.]

Oof-! I-Im okay!

[This is fine. Eventually he decides that kneeling on the ice is just fine, fixing his hat some.]

The lake is iced over, but I'm not sure how thick it is, so I made more ice on top to make sure it's definitely not gonna break!

[Or maybe that would make it too heavy and- let's not think about it. Vivi holds his mittened hands out at the ice, casting a small ice spell. It casts out a light layer on top of the ice already there. Shiny and clear enough to see through. Clearly not natural.]

Maybe it would have been better to use water spells and let that ice up on its own... hm.

[legbreakings]

[ Clearly not natural indeed, and something which Jiang Cheng hasn't seen before. He has heard of Gilia's water powers, which are already baffling enough, but he hadn't realized... ]

I didn't know there are other people besides Gilia who have water magic. I'm sure it could be useful for other things than icing over the lake for playing.

[ An useful skill, for sure, he will have to file it away for reference.

But right now he steps closer, stepping onto the ice though only at the edge, a little suspicious still. ]

I come from a land of lakes, but these usually don't ice over. Does this happen a lot at home?

[toosmall]

Oh, Ms. St. Loe! She's a really nice lady. Hm, lots of people can use magic where I'm from, but not every can do the same kind of magic.

[And he knows, his magic probably shouldn't be used this way, but... sometimes it's nice to have some fun.]

Mhm, if it gets cold enough. The cold makes the water freeze up and get hard like this. Then you can walk on it, if it's thick enough.

[Science and stuff.]

Naminé | OTA

[lethechained]

A. || CABINS | DECEMEBER 1ST

[ Naminé doesn't make it off of her porch before the view outside her house draws her up short, bringing her originally brisk pace to a stuttering stop. The door swings shut - loudly - behind her, but the sound only makes her shoulders flinch, the rest of her too preoccupied with gaping at the blanket of white covering everything to actually glance backward.

The way she looks at it, you'd think she'd never seen snow before. ]


B. || LAKE SHORE | EARLY DECEMBER

[ It seems that since this place previously held the distinction of being her primary location for drawing in the sand, the snow hasn't entirely put a stop to Naminé's creative endeavors here. The shore might be hidden under all the crisp mounds of white, but she's acquainted enough with at least some of the policies of winter to know that there are entertainment options available to her even now.

Not that she's been exceptionally successful with getting the snow to clump together sufficiently to form anything out of it yet. The evidence of that is clear, as a few failed attempts are sitting here and there like sad little hills of uncooperative slush. She did endeavor once to scrape some sort of pattern into the frost, which looked promising enough - but made her hands awfully cold. (Too cold, in fact, to go on with the idea.) By now she's finally gotten around to figuring out how to roll a ball of snow into a slightly larger ball of snow, and is dutifully pushing it along near the frozen surface of the lake with all the concentration that any art project deserves. ]


C. || ANYWHERE OUTSIDE | DECEMBER 16TH

[ Breath clouding in the air, Naminé regards the stick she holds in front of her in one slim hand with a strangely intense concentration. The fact that she's shivering doesn't help much, since both it and her arm keep wiggling, but one can't say that she isn't trying. Her other hand hovers next to it, fingers splayed carefully as though she were about to grasp it. She doesn't, however - and instead they curl in, almost as if in anticipation.

This isn't her first try. Everything so far has created nothing more than disappointing sparks at best, and not one of them has taken. So when she attempts one last time to cast Fire, she's fully expecting to be as resounding a failure as before. Her fingers flick out just the way they did the last time, she forces the magic out the same as last time, and yet - maybe it's the interference of some vaguely remembered recollection finally finding the appropriate place in her mind, but this time, the result is different.

Unfortunately, it's different in a much bigger way than anticipated. A short burst of flame appears from her opened palm, instantly engulfing the small piece of wood. This would be excellent news if not for the fact that it lights all of the stick, including the part still clutched in her gloved hand. Her startled squeak is simultaneous with said stick being immediately released from her hold, whereupon it falls into the snow with an accusatory hiss of steam. The smoldering glove follows in short order, her eyes round as she pulls it off and drops it as expediently as she can manage. Almost disbelievingly, she regards the fallen items in the moments thereafter as they settle, slowly cooling on the ground.

As preoccupied as she is, she's wholly unaware of the gradually growing flame still clinging to the end of her scarf. Someone should probably give her a heads up about that one. ]


D. || WILDCARD

[ Choose your own adventure. ]

C

[theprezident]

[ The containment zone may not be very big, but when you're not that many people in it, it really seems big. For the most part, Rhys doesn't really interact with people outside of his cabin, if only because he never encounters them.

He's already making his way over to Naminé, because she's a familiar face that he hasn't really had a chance to talk to beyond the network yet, when she sets her glove and scarf on fire. Which is, obviously, very alarming, especially when she doesn't seem to notice.

He's still far enough away that he has to shout. ]

Naminé! Your scarf!

[lethechained]

[ It may be that they both share the same preconception; Naminé's become so accustomed to the wide-open space of their cage and the sparseness of the population within that it hadn't seemed necessary to worry about being discovered during her practice. Said study was more than enough distraction to keep her from realizing she had anything approaching company, and so she's caught thoroughly off-guard when she hears a voice call out her name.

The girl goes rigid, startled into stillness as she attempts to distance herself from the previous moment's internal panic. The mental block doesn't last long before her head turns, body angling with it quickly enough that her the scarf whips out and back in again, still lightly aflame as she looks around for the source of the noise. ]

-- Rhys?

[ She blurts the name out as soon as she spots him and her mind provides it - which takes a precious few seconds, as she's never spoken the moniker aloud in her current recollections - and follows it up with a blink, baffled by his urgency. The flicker of her smoldering scarf catching the edge of her vision answers that question soon enough, however, as his other words click into place. From that point (and her startled noise of exclamation) on, the girl busies herself with hurriedly attempting to unwind the scarf from her neck - which makes for a rather harrowing attempt to watch, what with her shaky fingers. ]

[theprezident]

[ Oh no. This is not looking good. He's not sure he can help in any way? But he's making his way over regardless, because he at least has a metal hand so maybe he could take over because he doesn't have to worry about getting burned or

something

Or maybe she manages to get the scarf off before he gets there. Time will tell. ]

[lethechained]

[ Fortunately Naminé at least has the sense to keep the flame away from the rest of her clothing now that she knows it's there. Once she's got enough give on the scarf, she uses one hand to hold the burning end out - which makes untying it with only the opposite even more challenging, but at least mitigates the risk to her person.

By the time he gets close, she's finally made some headway. The remaining end of the fabric finally slides free as he draws near and she lets the whole thing fall into the snow to join her other hapless possessions. The icy ground isn't enough to put it out immediately now that the fire's had more opportunity to spread, which isn't exactly a welcome development, but-- he might be just in time to help her stomp on it.

Somebody's got to, anyway, because it's not showing any sign of stopping. ]

wei wuxian | open + some closed sub-threads

[mannerless]

GOTTA HAVE THAT BROTH, dec 17th, cabin 15 + just outside

( residents of cabin 15 may have noticed wei wuxian's unannounced absence yesterday, as well as last night and most of this morning. it's about noon today when he slips in through the door, then heads for the kitchen with purpose.

you see, while he firmly and convincingly assured lan zhan of his renewed wellbeing, the truth is that he still feels very much like shit from the little ✨hypothermic incident✨ yesterday, and now he also feels horrifically embarrassed about it on top of that. retreating to his own cabin seemed like the only reasonable option, really. and now he has done so, and here in the kitchen, he digs through the cupboard until he seizes the object of his pursuit: the broth. the can is quickly opened and poured into a pot on the stove turned up perhaps too high (to heat it faster, of course). in the meantime, he's ducking over to the couch to snatch the first available blanket and draping it shamelessly around his shoulders like some sort of overlarge shawl or cloak.

feel free to discover him at any point during this process, or in the impatient broth-stirring that ensues.

alternatively, a bit later, someone (who the fuck even knows who) has asked one too many questions regarding his blanket-cloak and his mug full of herbal poultry water and he's ducked outside instead. he can now be found sitting crosslegged on the front porch of cabin 15, just a head and two stubby arms poking out of a wad of blanket, an overlarge steaming mug in hand. )

A DESPERATE SEARCH, dec 23rd, lake + woods

( those who live in the cabins closest to the lake almost certainly hear a disturbance just after dark - though really, with leggy krampus running around, it likely isn't the first or the last. this particular disturbance, however, isn't the sound of someone being kidnapped. it's the sound of a rescue, or... at least an attempted one.

currently, wei wuxian is sprinting through the thickly falling snow, squinting for visibility as he sharply scans the area, shouting - ) Huaisang! Nie Huaisang! ( in basically every direction in hopes of some sign of which way to even search.

maybe you come out and see what the fuck he's yelling about right outside your cabin - or maybe you want to help the search. alternatively, you could already be outside for some godforsaken reason and (in his graceless and single-minded urgency) he straight-up collides with you without even realizing you're there. pick your chilly snow-covered poison, really. )

SOME COMPANY, dec 30th, along the road

( it has been five whole days since the last of the chimney abductions, and the first of those killed have begun to return to the land of the living (case in point: nie huaisang). between that and the strange.... cold incident before that, wei ying is quite certain that the tomfuckery of the month has properly passed. it has a light sort of near-bounce in his step as he strolls up to the roadside just north of the gas station, ready to set off for town.

maybe you're there (in the gas station parking lot or along the road itself) preparing to set out, yourself. or maybe you're off up the road ahead, and he has to jog to catch up. regardless, he pulls up beside whoever it is and says, ) Do you mind if I join you? It's such a boring walk, alone.

16th, for lan wangji.

[mannerless]

Lan Zhan! Lan Zhaaaaaaaan - ( there comes a call from outside lan wangji's front door on this fine morning, followed by a pitter-pattering of tiny knocks - knocks which make entirely too much sense once the door is opened to find wei ying standing far too close to it, close enough to be able to rap at the door with two feeble knuckles while the rest of his arms are tucked deep within the barrel of his hoodie. were they familiar with the concept of a t-rex, that's precisely what he might be reminiscent of, his sleeves bunched terribly around his wrists so as to have his fingers exposed to knock.

lan zhan isn't given time to greet him - instead, wei ying is brushing past him into his cabin, making quick tracks for the fireplace with every intention of sitting as close to it as he can without literally catching on fire. and all the while he's complaining, of course - ) Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan, how are you not cold? I suppose you're used to your cold pond, hm? Well your pond's terrible, sorry to say, and so is this. ( give him a moment to situate where he's sitting, to wrangle his hands back out of his sleeves to rub them together in front of the fire. ) Oh, and! You might be wondering why I've not cozied up to my own fire. Well, let it be known that the fire in my cabin is undoubtedly cursed, and I'm much too cold to deal with the stupid cursed fire at the moment.

12th, for wen ning.

[mannerless]

( it has been... a bit different with ning, since he died and returned. at first, just looking at him felt like it thumbed a fresh bruise, so soon after he and his sister and the rest of them marched to hang on his behalf. to hang and to burn, in the case of wen ning and wen qing - and though there's resounding proof that such a thing didn't actually happen, it spent a number of weeks being a topic that wei ying couldn't stand to face directly, dancing carefully around it in his mind to stave off the mind-numbing guilt that washed over him each time he failed to do so.

but quite a bit has happened since then. what were once open wounds have closed, faded to a dull ache with time and the insight regarding his future offered by the likes of lan zhan and a-yuan. and ning himself has continued to be just as diligent a friend as he always has, even trying to intercede with the mindfuck tree-sitters on his behalf just a few weeks ago - and all of this after how wei ying has been acting. he hasn't been mean to him, of course, he could never. but he has always had some sort of excuse not to be alone with the man, and when he looked at him, his gaze lingered vaguely on wen ning's nose or cheek rather than meeting his gaze. there's no way the man didn't notice.

perhaps it has been eating at wei wuxian, or perhaps the revelation comes all at once - but this morning, as he sits at the table with his bowl of sweet puffy cereal and catches sight of wen ning in the corner of his eye, he comes to the abrupt realization that the guilt he feels for their distance is stronger now than the guilt he feels for wen ning's supposed fate and whatever he endured in lieu of it. and he finds that he isn't so hungry anymore, rising to set the half-eaten bowl by the sink as he says, ) Wen Ning.

( ah, he hadn't meant for that to sound like apology, but it certainly did. it isn't enough of one, obviously, but he makes certain to brighten his tone just a bit to add, ) Take a walk with me? I thought I might head to town for a bit, and it's a fantastically boring trip without company.

20th, for sizhui.

[mannerless]

( wei ying hadn't slept last night - at lesat not intentionally. the so-called gifts were to distribute on the twentieth. today is the twentieth. he wishes for something earth-shatteringly critical, and as such, he has spent much of the night buzzing terribly in place to await any sign that it would or wouldn't come to pass.

at something like three in the morning, however, he blacked out altogether. wei ying only really discovered this fact upon waking up on the floor, and how much time may have passed was the last thing on his mind, at that point. after far too many minutes spent lying on his back on the floor and regaining control of his laughter and tear ducts alike, he's quickly but quietly ducking out of his room and down the hall, letting himself into sizhui's room in turn. ) Sizhui, ( he whisper-shouts across the quiet of the room, shutting the door behind him and padding over to crouch beside the bed, chin setting on the edge of the bed, both hands reaching up to rock the boy back and forth a bit. )

A-Yuaaaan. ( he sing-songs, in just such a way that one might expect that he were the child and the figure in the bed were a parent he'd chosen to entreat. he can't help it. he's going to burst if he doesn't tell someone, even if that someone happens to be his poor harassed child trying to sleep through the night. or... through the morning? though he hasn't checked the time, it's light-ish outside, so it's close enough to time to wake up anyway. )

17th (shortly after the open starter), for residents of lotus pier 2.0.

[mannerless]

( the porch was fucking cold, which was all well and good for a bit but now his mug is empty and their cabin has run out of broth to suck down, so this late-afternoon finds him slipping in through the front door of his siblings' residence, shutting it behind him as he calls, ) It's just me, ( and makes quick tracks for their kitchen just as he did his own. but he doesn't aim for the cupboards this time - no, wei ying is holding out hope for the truest of healing poultices, the ones which only his shijie can brew...

and sure enough, there in the fridge sits the most holy of coveted liquids - wei ying doesn't even bother to check what manner of soup the container holds, promptly snatching it from where it sits and rustling up the first available pot to start to heat it on the stove.

(yes, he still has his blanket cloak. he's ashamed of neither that nor the thievery which he's committing, because it isn't actually thievery if they're family and he's hungry and cold.) )

[lookslikeacinnamonroll]

[ Something has been... wrong. No, maybe "wrong" isn't the best way to put it. Maybe more like "off." Something has been off, between Wen Ning and Wei Wuxian. He doesn't know what that something is, or how to set things right again, but Wen Ning has just been trying to continue on as normal, as quietly and unobtrusively as he can. He steps in when Wei Wuxian needs help-- like with those strange creatures from the tree-- and disappears when he's not needed.

As he walks into the kitchen of their cabin and sees Wei Wuxian sitting there, eating cereal, he freezes slightly, not wanting to intrude. ]

Wei-gongzi. [ Ah, but there comes an invitation. Wen Ning's posture relaxes somewhat, releasing the tension he hadn't really intended to hold. ]

Y-yes! I mean, I would like to walk to town with you. The road can be dangerous, and it's best to travel with company.

I'm all about that broth, 'bout that broth, no chicken

[bombshelled]

[ Lana is used to cold winters. She's from New York, she sees snow every year (for like twenty minutes, after which she sees slush and salt and black ice). Anyway, point is, even though she's used to cold winters, she's not used to getting fucking hypothermia. So she's out in her usual winter getup, aka leggings-upon-leggings, knock off uggs, a puffy winter coat, hat, scarf, and gloves-- all in a mishmash of at least three different patterns and five different colors. Who the fuck has time to care about matching when there are more important things to worry about, like staying warm?

Wei Wuxian may hear the faint 'POP'ping sounds of tiny explosions getting nearer and nearer as Lana trudges through the snow, trying to use her powers to at least keep her hands warm. She quits it when she gets closer to the cabins, though, seeing a guy wrapped in a blanket sitting on the front steps. ]

Hey. Is this where Gilia's living still?

[theprezident]

[ He will definitely help her stomp on it. Luckily, there's plenty of snow to aid in suffocating the flames when the fabric is stomped into it. The fire is out pretty quickly, and Rhys breathes a sigh of relief. ]

Are you okay? You didn't get burned?

[lethechained]

[ Between the two of them it really doesn't take long at all before the flame is dealt with, and without intending to she adds to his relieved sigh with a simultaneous one of her own. Glancing up with the beginnings of a surprised smile, she's quick to shake her head at his question. ]

No, I don't think so. It doesn't feel like--

[ When she looks down in an automatic attempt to check, though, she can see a growing hint of redness on the hand that was initially holding the stick. Startled, she blinks at it. ]

... Oh. That's strange...!

[ Except for the part where, you know, she set her glove on fire just now. ]

[taciturnly]

( a hurricane might have been less chaotic, but wei wuxian is the kind of maelstrom lan wangji is used to. the kind that leaves you drenched to the bone, but instead of drowning, you rise, caught in the sunlit afterglow. and lan wangji is terribly warm.

he watches him half-stunned, fully poised, a few strands of hair plastered to his forehead. in his hurry, wei wuxian most likely didn’t notice the absence of his clan’s ribbon, or the way his hair falls free down his back, over his shoulders. he probably failed to note his overall attire, one layer instead of three, cheeks flushed and skin slick. granted, it’s a bit dark inside, save for the flames, which wei wuxian immediately goes to like he has a death wish. how is he not hot? lan wangji can practically hear his teeth chatter over the litany of complaints, cold beyond measure, and the way he gets so close to the fire nearly leaves him dizzy.

he was on his way to snuff it out. wei wuxian knocked, an icy mess, and it’s almost funny, how they both feel the opposite of what they exude. lan wangji barely hesitates. wei ying looks pitiful and his chest constricts the same way that it always does, when he’s anything less than fine. he walks up to him, drops to a crouch. his hands are deliciously glacial between his own when he gently grabs them, lightly rubbing despite the warmth that makes his breath a little shorter. he frowns, patiently searches his gaze. ) Tell me of the curse. ( and maybe they’ll figure out how to break this one. )

Fran Bow | Fran Bow

[keeperofkeys]

i. Let It Snow (pre-16th)

Snow is wonderful. Fran bundles herself up and runs outside to play in it. Tossing handfuls of the snow in the air, dancing around, tossing snowballs at trees.

She's even started to build a snowman. Come and help her, if you'd like.

Rhys // OTA

[theprezident]

A. December 16th - 20th, OTA

[ Despite the cold seeping into everyone's bones, Rhys can be found outside, wandering the town and entering all buildings that he can enter to check their basements (if they have any). Every day he has snacks and a hot drink of some kind with him, but from the 17th to the 20th he has more than one thermos with it.

He's not really looking to engage with anyone, but if you're close by, he will wave with a friendly smile.

If it's noon or later on the 16th, though, he will say something. ]

Is it just me, or did it suddenly get way colder?

[ But he won't actually notice anything off until he gets home and can't get cold. ]

B. 20th December, SSSS-haus, open to anyone who might pass by

[ He hadn't had very high expectations of the Technicians' generosity. In fact, he fully expected it to blow up in their faces. Colour him surprised when he opens the door to head into town again and finds The Multi-tap that he asked for.

Except he doesn't pick it up right away. He squints at it for a few seconds, and then goes back inside to grab an umbrella to poke it with.

Look, don't ask. Or do. ]

C. December 23rd, late night, SSSS-haus

[ Rhys is curled up on an armchair by the fire, wrapped in a blanket and working on his Containment Zone database exclusive to himself when he hears the footsteps on the roof. His first thought is that it's someone in the house moving upstairs, but something about it seems off. Considering where he's from and where he is right now, he knows better than to ignore his gut feeling, and he shuts off the hologram before he unravels himself from the blanket and stands.

Just in time for the fire to go out. He starts backing up, staring intently at the fireplace as the first limbs of Leggy Krampus starts poking out-- ]

Oh, shit no.

[ Nope, nope, nope, he is out of here, turning tail and running towards wherever he thinks Lalli is. Because he knows Lalli can be relied upon in a crisis. ]

LALLI!

D. Wildcard

[theprezident]

Uhhh.

[ Are you okay??? ]

You don't feel it?

[ That's more than a little disturbing. ]