Complete Megathread Side Story (Wintersday) Zeusterday Express

[Raid Boss]

Zeusterday Express
Cycle 1

Spoiler: Mood

If you were in the starcalled capital of Finweald at the beginning of December, you might have seen recruitment posters pinned sporadically throughout the city and at small taverns, seeking to gather those who were interested in joining Zeus and Childress in delivering presents to children throughout the explored regions of Arcia.

Should you inquire those who might be in the know about it, they would try to convince you to pass up on it since it was one of those charitable journeys, which meant little profit to be had.

If you were in the business of making children happy and spreading the starcalled festivity all over Arcia, however, the poster mentioned a time and a place: the First Friday of December at the Embertorch, Explorers' League Headquarters.

If you were a whistle, the trip shouldn't have been news for you since you've likely helped Childress with preparations even if you didn't plan on going with her.

· - · ❄ · - ·​

If it was your first time at the League's HQ, you would have to crane your neck a bit to look up at the wooden behemoth that was the Embertorch, built atop an equally massive bridge that arched over a rustic cobblestoned square, which couldn't even be seen anymore as it had been blanketed by snow.

There weren't many people there, but of the ones present, you would have easily recognized them. Even if you didn't, you would have immediately been spotted by Zeus, Childress and Kiryuu, or one of the giant reindeers that were a head taller than the joly giant himself... without their antler (roll a 1d3 or choose who noticed you).

Spoiler: 1

WELCOME WELCOME! I am GLAD that YOU have made it HERE! Come and have a HOT CHOCOLATE. We are about to HEAD OUT!

Zeus beamed as he ushered you toward a steaming pot where a heavily-dressed faerin with a white bob cut was pouring the chocolatey drink into a cup to hand over to you.

HEWOO, I mean h-hello! I am Uzuna of the Uwuru Nomad Clan. Yes. That is me. Nice to meet you-ru.

Spoiler: 2

Heh. You've come after all. Prepare yourself. Boiya/girlie, we've got some back-breaking work cut out for us. Children are no joke.

Childress greeted you with a smile while her arms are crossed. Everything about her, from her festive costume to the way she beamed with excitement, was completely different from the usual cool Childress. No matter how far you stood away from her, you could feel the intense energy radiating from her.

Before you could say anything, however, an arm could be seen draping over Childress' shoulder. It was Kiryuu coming in hot with a dad joke.

Pretty funny, huh? Considering how her name is-OORGH

Kiryuu finished his joke in wheezes as Childress elbowed him in the throat, all the while ushering you toward the sleighs.

Spoiler: 3

The reindeer looked at you with its big dead eyes. It attempted to communicate.

Makes reindeer noises and eats your hair. Make a DC 50 mastery or DC 75 expertise to avoid it. If you fail, no amount of screaming is going to help you. God is dead.

· - · ❄ · - ·​

And so, time passed quickly as the express crew finished getting ready for the lengthy journey ahead. Food and drinks were packed, and other essential provisions were secured onto one of the many cars attached, one after another, to form a sleigh train, which would be pulled by 12 giant reindeers that Zeus had somehow pulled out of his butt.

If you were remotely perceptive, however, you would have noticed that the faerin, who introduced herself to everyone as Uzuna of the Uwuru Clan could be seen running around and tending to each of the titans that dwarfed her. While they respond aggressively to anyone without beast arts or presence less than 30 (or neutral if 30+) they adored her, indicating that she or her clan might have supplied the reindeers.

When it got closer to the departure time, Zeus waved you and the rest of the crew over to him for a quick briefing.

If we WANT to deliver PRESENTS to ALL the good BOYS and GIRLS in TIME, we must FIRST head north and meet LADY WINTER, OHO!

Zeus gestured for you to take out the map that had been passed out earlier.

Spoiler: Map

Meanwhile, Childress thumbed toward Uzuna.

The western part of Zalra is very well navigated by this one's clan, so she'll be our navigator for that part. The old man's got us covered beyond that, right?

It's been a WHILE, but my memory of it has YET to FADE, OHO!

Zeus looked northward, his eyes appearing softer than usual, though it might have been your imagination.

We've got to stop midway though, to replenish and seek shelter from all of the nasty Zalran crystallites. Feo headed out a week early to get things ready for when we arrive.

Now then, finish PACKING and get WARM and COZY, boys and girls. It's ALMOST time for ADVENTURE, OHO!

[ Well then, what will you do? ]​

Journey to the North

Guidelines

• Up to 2 characters per OOC account can participate in this mini-game, you may interchange them throughout the event.
• Each character can make up to 2 posts per cycle.
• Each post has a max wordcount of 250 words.
• A post can either be a line of dialogue or a small paragraph.
• There is no reward for participating in this special event other than what is earned at the end!
• If you would like to expand on your interactions with other characters, you may do so in the official Zeusterday Express comms.
• It is okay to jump into this megathread at anytime. The Zeusterday Express will be stopping at specific locations so you can flavor your character being there.

Mechanics

• Unlike regular events, you must write your post first and then use the site to roll.
• After you post, go back and edit your post, adding your roll to the total tally in your post template.
• If you accidentally forget to roll on the forum, you may roll on Discord using: ?r 1d10 CharacterName | 1560C1
• To interact with an NPC, ping @Raid Boss
• A new cycle will be posted every 24-48 hours.

Cycle 1

▣ Current Location: Finweald, Astorea
↳ Next Stop: Northern Zakaden, Zalra

---

▣ Current Objective

• Meet and greet and prepare for the trip [ 1d10 ]
• Flat roll, no modifier
• After the cycle, the end score will be compared to an average across all posts, changing how the next cycle progresses. Nat-10 and nat-1 are the wild cards that will affect the calculation and change things up in big ways!

Spoiler: Post Template

You don't need to do anything but:

Post here

▣ Attire: Describe or link to a reference picture of what your character is wearing here
▣ Preparation Progress: XXX

 

[Luthien]

"It’s not faaaiiir, Yu! I just wanna pet them a little…"

She’d been excited about this event since the first day Zeus had dragged his ass back into the League, helping out with the decorations and any planning that Childress and the others would allow the elf to get involved in. ’Tis the season to be jolly as they said, and from the second Lúthien found out that Wintersday was a thing within TerraSphere the girl had been hooked.

"I’ve tried everything too, and they still won’t—ooh?" The pout on her lips quickly went away when Lúthien caught one of the reindeer moving closer from the corner of her eye, turning her gaze to look as its snout reached towards her… and tried to bite her hair! "H-Hey no, bad Blixem! That’s not straw, that’s my hair—Yuuu, help!"

Having failed to move away in time the elf was now in a tug of war with the reindeer, pleading eyes turning back to the man as she whined loudly.

---

▣ Attire: ❰ ❱
▣ Preparation Progress: 004

@Yugam

 

[Ayna Nietzsche]

⋇⊶⊰✦⊱⊷⋇

Ayna shuffled behind @Chrys and @Kamala Graham, a little uncomfortable in her holiday outfit. Stupid sexy seamstress, with her stupid sexy sewing! Perhaps she should have taken the red flag that was the older woman's reactions when measuring her artificial body. Perhaps she should have brought an extra cloak for herself. Regardless, she has learned a valuable lesson today: Never trust Chrys' recommended service providers. I should've built my own Wintersday armor. Ugh!

What are you looking at?! Ayna scowled at the reindeer that was staring straight at her. If there weren't so many people, she would have tried to knock it unconscious, a fitting rebuttal to its inauspicious audacity. She would've succeeded, too, the same way she did avoiding its attempt to get anywhere near her hair, which was by zipping away from it. But was it an omen for things to come? Will something, someone, else try to eat my hair?! I hate the holidays!

She hugged Bobbert the Blue-Nosed Basseal tight for some much-needed comfort as the Duelist of Dunnstads feared the worst. The basseal simply stared at a random person while Ayna continually squished its face, oblivious to the travesty of its reputation. That or it didn't care. Maybe Bobbert was too busy plotting the downfall of Arcia to pay any mind to such insignificant goings-on. Who knows? Only the one with the blue nose.

▣ Attire: Ayna's ill-advised Wintersday attire
▣ Preparation Progress: 006

 

[Ash Vargold]

"H-hey, could you not-!"

Ash was, fortunately, too tall for the deer to reach his head. Unfortunately the same couldn't be said for his tail, which he was rapidly learning looked exactly like a delicious thuja. The time he would have liked to spend helping out was instead being spent on a dangerous game of keep away. The deer seemed very intent on it...

"Just because I'm green doesn't mean it's a tree, you- OW.."

He yelped as the deer finally caught its prize and began to contentedly graze away at the hair. The fact that it was hair instead of a delicious shrubbery didn't seem to phase it. Ash stared down at it, debating whether he should try to pull it free, or if he should just accept his new life as reindeer chow.

▣ Attire: Pretty much the same but he's got a hat now.
▣ Preparation Progress: 15

 

[Erick Stryker]

He saw it coming, and he still couldn't stop it.

"No, no, no, n--" Erick swatted with both hands warding, but the deer would not be denied. The empty eyes that stared back like an abyss locked with his as the creature gnawed at his hair, pushing him to the floor with heavy hooves. Erick threw up his hands defensively and covered his face. It availed him little.

"Come to the Wintersday event, she said," he muttered, wincing in pain as the creature took a healthy chunk out of his blue locks. "I promise you'll have fun, she said. Meet the Explorers, you might like them... they told me I was going to be providing food to kids, not reindeer... and definitely not my hair!"

Erick wrestled with the creature in a vain attempt to get it off of him. That was when he noticed @Ash Vargold in a very similar predicament to his own. Between the two of them, it deigned to go back and forth, much like its species was wont to do on grass in the wild. "Fancy seeing you here," he greeted, albeit with much less enthusiasm than he would have liked to afford the man. "I see you also made fast friends with Rudolph."

▣ Attire: We were supposed to dress up for this? Didn't get the memo...
▣ Preparation Progress: 18

 

[Chrys]

《⋯《 ⋯ ❖ ⋯ 》⋯》

Chrys simply stared at the loud old man who was wearing the same costume as him and gave him a nod. Ignoring the tiny girl of some nomad clan, because there's a height requirement for talking to him, Chrys proceeded to simply take his cup, eager to take a warm sip to alleviate the coldness in his belly. Only then did he notice @Ayna Nietzsche shivering like a Christmas elf in June. Because, you know, that elf would be unemployed.

"Here. Let's get something warm inside you," he offered his half-empty cup of chocolatey warmth to the magia, even though she probably didn't even need the drink, both to parch a non-existence thirst or chase away the coldness of the season. Don't magia have built-in temperature regulators? If not, that would be poor design. You're literally making your own sweet bod. Why would you keep a human's weakness to the environment's mood swings.

After booping Bobbert's blue nose, he turned his attention to @Kamala Graham, his fleshier companion, ready to lend her his red coat if need be. The last thing he wanted was to lose either woman to winter's wrath. They were the only reason he keeps dodging death. What was his reason to be here, though? Cessia wasn't part of this. Am I even getting paid? He would be utterly crushed if not.

"Kamala, are you warm?"

---

▣ Attire: Bargain Bin Santa
▣ Preparation Progress: 020

 

[Zelrius]

Why was Finweald always the place where expeditions took off? It seemed this was becoming more and more commonplace. Walking just past the boardwalk, there was nothing there. None of the boxes, or carts. But, he could still see it - the exact spot that his weaponry had shattered an innocent table in twine. And then again, another spot, where he had loaded unto the wagon, and been shuttled to Camp Hope for both the Vintergard expeditions. Now this, in all its levity by comparison to those two trips. Everything started at the impromptu capital of the nation of Starcalled.

Most of those gathered he knew by name, but didn't think to approach them. Ayna, Chrys and Kamala wrapped up in their own preparations. Luthien fighting with a Reindeer. And the familiar face of @Ash Vargold - surrendering to being reindeer food. Zelrius walked over, reaching a hand out to pet the creature on the head. "Let's let the tall spirit-casting wolfman go, yea?" A soft request to see if there was any way to free his acquaintance from the jaws of such a monster.

▣ Attire: An ugly red, green and brown sweater, and an reindeer-antler headband
▣ Preparation Progress: 029

 

[Kamala Graham]

‧͙⁺˚･❀･˚⁺͙‧

Kamala's cheeks grew red when she realized that Childress was talking to her. Her time with the Explorers League was brief, and it ended when she died for the very first time, but to be remembered by a White Whistle of her caliber, Kamala couldn't think of a greater Wintersday miracle. "O-oh, hello! Well, you've got nothing to worry about me! I've worked with children before. I can handle them!"

She's so intense, and so gorgeous! Kamala gulped as she couldn't help but stare at Childress in her pretty great festive costume. She compared hers with the White Whistle's and determined that the single Wintersday hat that she chose to go with wasn't even at par. Obviously, it wouldn't be. The elf had opted to go simple and not wear the outfit @Chrys' seamstress friend had sewn for her. At first, she thought it would be rude, but she really couldn't go all the way as @Ayna Nietzsche did. Both girls are just too beautiful! I can't compare...

Kamala didn't actually remember who Kiryuu was, so when he appeared she just assumed he was close with Childress and left it at that. She gave them a final nod before joining her friends at the sleighs. It was at that moment that she heard Chrys' concerns.

"Hmm? Oh, yes, I'm still warm. Thank you for asking!"

▣ Attire: Kamala with a Wintersday hat
▣ Preparation Progress: 039

 

[Little Doggo]

LIL' DOGGO had one objective in mind right now: to join the Explorer's League itself and become one with the whistle. She had her notes ready to write down and memorize their Oath, only today it was a different day, a special one at that. They were all getting ready for some trip, one she hadn't noticed nigh a thing about, but all the more intriguing. Any sense of a goal completely left her mind as a huge, boss fight sized man guided her over to the promise of hot chocolate.

"I-IT'S SHÈNG DÀN LĂO RÈN!" She yelled with all the strength a dog could muster back at Zeus (@Raid Boss), face plastered with disbelief. Her first time to see the legendary Christmas Old Man in the flesh! Christmas wasn't much of a thing at home, being a traditional house had her watch the festivities from afar. But not inside Terrasphere, which apparently took after some western culture too! "Will you grant me a wish?!"

When Uzuna introduced herself and her funny named clan, Doggo picked over the offered cup full of hot, steamy chocolate straight from the pot, giving it a careful sip (having learned from her last time sipping hot drinks), she followed with her presentation

"Hi! I'm Lil' Doggo from the Doggo clan, thanks for the chocolate!" 'Siiiiip!' And after that, she offered Uzuna to take a sip of her own from her cup.

Preparation Progress: 42

 

[Yugam]

When the pair had arrived at the Embertorch, Yugam had only narrowly avoided being kidnapped by Childress thanks to Kiryuu giving the ultimate sacrifice (seriously, was the guy alive after that?)

In any case, the now red-clad Hunter had been watching Luthien run around trying to pet one of the reindeer with no small amount of amusement. He himself had attempted to give one of the antlered horses a pet, only to have it snap at his hand. Definitely not friendly...

The elf began to whine about the reindeers not allowing her to pet them, and the man could only chuckle. "Try giving them any treats?" the man suggested before his eye caught one of the reindeer creeping up on Luthien. "Oh, looks like you made a friend."

Glomp!

"H-Hey no, bad Blixem! That's not straw, that's my hair—Yuuu, help!"
"Eh?! The fuck am I supposed to do?!" the man shouted back as he ran up, and took hold of Luthien's hair with one hand, trying to provide her some slack so she wasn't having her hair pulled out at the root, while the other tried to pry open the reindeers mouth (very unwisely).

$ show action summary

Rolls

Roll Result
1d10 (5) = 5

Yugam | 1560C1

Preparation Progress: 47

 

[Luthien]

"Mhmm, I tried giving them sugar cubes… and even sliced apples!"

It only resulted in the reindeer snorting whenever she made the offerings, often strongly enough that they tumbled to the snow where they would later pick them up from, but if Lúthien so much as tried to reach out and pet them they would try to snap back. Granted, all of that was quickly forgotten with the pressing issue at hand, mainly stopping Blixem from giving her an unexpected and uneven haircut.

"Eh?! The fuck am I supposed to do?!"
"I dunno, just make him stooop!"

Nearby the elf spotted @Vargold and @Erick in similar predicaments, with a familiar antler-cladded redhead attempting to help the first as @Zelrius approached him. Yugam reached for her hair, stopping the pulling from the reindeer, and the action granted Lúthien enough time to pinch Blixem’s nostrils until the reindeer finally released her hair. The second his teeth slackened Lúthien reached for Yugam, pulling the hunter along as she stepped back and out of reach of the reindeer who attempted a second bite, before sticking her tongue out at it.

---

▣ Attire: ❰ ❱
▣ Preparation Progress: 054

@Yugam

 

[Eva]

Eva was never into unpaid labor,

but upon hearing that this was more akin to a charity, she just okayed and went along with it. She did a lot of charity events in the real life, so doing something like this wasn't out of place for the stoic woman.

There was quite a commotion. It seemed that a few adventurers were being harassed by the reindeer somehow. Walking closer to the scene of the incident, she saw people with their hair being munched on. Not wanting to get in the same situation, she circled away and noticed the small @Little Doggo. Walking closer to her, Eva greeted the kid.

"Little girl, here for the presents?"

▣ Attire: This
▣ Preparation Progress: 64

 

[Omega Redux]

It had been quite some time since Omega was able to last log into Terrasphere! Something about being responsible parents and too much time spend video gaming and writing better grades and other such nonsense!

But now it had become Christmas. The time of love and forgiveness and whatnot! That, and a good dose of puppy dog eyes and personal Omega charm. But that was then and here was here!

The present.

Quite, literally, lots of presents to mess with deliver and make all the people happy! What was not to love about that?

"Excuse me, old lady," she addressed Childress, who for whatever reason took her time to greet Omega. "But in what world are children a joke to you?! They're feisty, loud, dirty, adorable, AND quite sharp! Only adulting turns them into boring ones!" She gave her a nod before taking a better look around.

Cute things.

It was then that her eyes set sight upon the most adorable of all things, except the super scary reindeer.

Pat pat pat pat pat pat

Suddenly, @Little Doggo was assaulted from behind. "So cute!" Omega exclaimed.

---

▣ Attire: Just don't look too close
▣ Preparation Progress: 68 (took the first number)

 

[Little Doggo]

LIL' DOGGO turned around just when someone muttered the word 'presents', only to find this scary christmas lady with a gun directly infront of her, with eyes closed and a smile that brings chills to anyone.

It had to be a player obviously! As spooky as they looked, they had a certain goofiness with the christmas decorations they had, doggo twirled her moustache at that moment, getting some chocolate on it when she gave another sip to her cup.

"Mmmmhm, but I also wanted to join the Explorer's League and become a whistle!" Determination seeping from her voice at that claim. "But if you have any presents, I'll take them. My name is LIL' DOGGO, what's your miss?" For a moment her eyes turned back to watch around the present faces, maybe @Crimson Ruby just went to do her own thing? Uncertain, but The catgirl couldn't be far away.

Her looking around left her exposed to a surprise pat attack, her ears tucking against her head as her tail waged from side to side. Too fast paced, too chaotic compared to Ruby's delicate pats, and when she turned around-

"So cute!" This professional headpatter exclaimed.
And she looked like her age too! Hopefully a player and not some very cool NPC only "Thanks! You are very cute too!" Instead of a pat though, DOGGO offered @Omega Redux her cup of hot chocolate. "Want some? Uzun's givin them for free."

@Eva
Preparation Progress: 71

 

[Omega Redux]

"Of course I..." Wait a second, there was a thing. Wasn't there? Her whole roleplay persona and all that! Yeah. Third-person and stuff. "Of course Omega is! She has been designed for maximum efficiency and all that." She gave @Little Doggo a nod.

"Lil' Doggo is your name?" Tilting her head. "That's like, Omega calling herself Final Boss! Oh, wait she is." Clearing her throat, she gracefully accepted Little Doggo's cup of hot chocolate... not without giving her another ten pets or a hundred though.

Sip

"You're too kind, Lil' Doggo! How about you work for Omega instead?" Not even ten seconds into the game and she was at it again. "We have free chocolate bars... or treats?"

Sip Sip Sip

"Jeez, this tastes absolutely wonderful!" Sip Sip Sip

Only after all this, and only then, she turned to @Eva. Her eyes settled on the gun. "And that's quite a nice rack you got there! Omega is in fact, here for the presents." Having caught the tail end of their last conversation.

---

▣ Attire: Just don't look too close
▣ Preparation Progress: 74 (took the first number)

 

[Sean Poteitoku]

Ah, December. One of the happiest times of the year. With snow and Christma-WINTERSDAY, not Christmas... Smiles were sure to be had by all.

Why am I narrating my own thoughts like a Christmas movie? I don't know. I should help spread the holiday cheer, though!

...Heh, that rhymed.

Sean had seen the flyers posted throughout Finweald in passing, and they had reminded him of the time of year. How hadn't he realized the upcoming cheer? So, he made haste for the headquarters of the League, where on arrival he'd see a colleague.

Without any hesitation, and as little as a thought, the red warrior rushed to confirm the info his sight brought. As he grew nearer, his suspicions grew clearer.

"ZEUS! Where have you been!? I've been worried about you! Why suddenly show up now?"

@Raid Boss
▣ Attire: His normal outfit but he's wearing a festive outfit and fake Santa beard.
▣ Preparation Progress: 78

 

[Ash Vargold]

Ash glanced sideways as @Erick Stryker spoke up. Ah, he remembered him... not just from before, but he'd been at Camp Hope, huh? There was a faint flicker as he activated Investigation mode, and...

"Oh, hi Erick." He smiled and made an another attempt to tug his tail away, only for the reindeer to respond with a judicious application of teeth. He winced, thankful for the pain limiter. "Yeah... these guys are pretty insistent, huh?"

He was about ready to pull out the big guns when @Zelrius approached. Unlike him, he seemed to have a better luck with the reindeer. At last free of its menace, he took a moment to check on his rather mangled tail. "Eesh. Thanks for that. I don't know what's up with these reindeer."

Did he know this guy? He didn't recall meeting him, though the red hair seemed familiar. Then again...

"Sounds like you know more about me than I know about you. I'm Ash the 'tall spirit-casting wolfman'. And you?"

---

▣ Attire: He's got a hat again.
▣ Preparation Progress: 84

 

[Rael]

"I-I may have antlers, but I assure you, I am not-... N-not the hair!" The elven girl tried to keep a reindeer from munching on the accessory adhered to her headband, the red ribbon already starting to come loose under such conditions.

A futile fight, as she would soon find out as the reindeer which had held her captive until that very same moment finally allowed her to go, chewing on the red ribbon that it had managed to claim as its prize for a hard-won battle.

It did little to dampen her mood, hot cocoa eventually finding its way onto her hands. She moved through the crowd, attempting to spot familiar faces as she happened upon the conversation between Kiryuu and Childress, his wordplay having earned him a solid hit.

Yet she laughed at the joke, the sound clear and unrestrained, and it wasn't until she had realized that she might be the next to receive a hit from Childress herself that she hid behind her mug of hot chocolate.

---

▣ Attire: League-supplied attire!
▣ Preparation Progress: 90

 

[Chrys]

《⋯《 ⋯ ❖ ⋯ 》⋯》

Chrys gave @Kamala Graham a comely smile. At least one of his friends was appreciative of his efforts to make them feel good about all this. He grew a little sad when he remembered the rest that were busy elsewhere, the other three members of their team that have been away for so long, perhaps doing a bunch of quests somewhere far from where they were. Wherever they were indeed, Chrys hoped @Leyna, @Elias Stryker, and @Samantha Yurei were at least taking some time off to refresh themselves on good old Wintersday. That and hopefully they were getting them a lot of money. Money is still the best holiday gift, after all.

That said, he then proceeded to further help with the sleigh train's preparations. He had never seen such a thing before. Or maybe he has, but never this close to him, this physically near, nothing else like it he could touch with his very fingers. It seemed to him a magnificent progress in this world's engineering, though in his defense, Chrys has never really seen what else the Magia could do, the out-of-place giant mechs from more creative engineers. The most he's seen was, well, that's a topic for another day. Focus on finishing prep up and then we can finally leave.

▣ Attire: Bargain Bin Santa
▣ Preparation Progress: 092

 

[Kamala Graham]

‧͙⁺˚･❀･˚⁺͙‧

With @Chrys gone, Kamala walked closer towards @Ayna Nietzsche, a little confused as to what was going on with her. It took her a few more seconds before she realized that she wasn't feeling that comfortable in her attire. It's a girl thing. Or maybe it was just a them thing. Either way, she kept her warm with a tight hug, reassuring her that everything would be all right. That's what friends do, right?

"You look amazing in that outfit, Ayna! I wish I could pull that dress off."

It wasn't entirely a lie. Kamala did wish she could rock such clothing. She simply just left the part out about wearing it in public. Kamala doubted she'd ever have the confidence to wear such a thing in public, which made her even more impressed with her friend, even though her friend seemed to struggle in that moment. Ayna was a big girl, though, and she's seen her face worse odds. A Wintersday-themed attire would be no obstacle for her in time.

Catching a glimpse of Bobbert the Blue-nosed Basseal, Kamala started playing with him, booping his nose and asking, in a way that mimicked a person talking gibberish to a baby, who was a cute basseal? It was a rhetorical question. Everyone already knew the answer. It was Bobbert. Bobbert the Blue-nosed Basseal was the cute baby. No one else could compare.


▣ Attire: Kamala with a Wintersday hat
▣ Preparation Progress: 098