[CLOSED]

[hypertoxic]

WHO: Vriska and various folks.
WHERE: Ranging around town and into the woods!
WHEN: All throughout December.
WHAT: Questing and catch-all.
WARNINGS: Spiders. Definitely spiders. Probably talk of death at some point. Otherwise, Vriska being her charming self.

Starters below! Feel free to hit me up at heartfuls! Quest info for reference.

Comments

Christmas Spider

[promissum]

[Val his more than willing to accost any random stranger that happens across his path to do quests. That's usually how he does things. So it's a nice surprise when somebody else demands his attention first.]

I have a sword to cut down whatever tree looks good to you.

[Admittedly, Val looks like a skinny stick of a man, but looks can be deceiving.]

Come along lass.

[hypertoxic]

[ She called out because she recognized him. They've only met the once, but what she learned about him was pretty entertaining. She actually laughs when he calls her "lass," and she'll end up joining him at his side, grinning. ]

Who cuts down a tree with a sword? No axes lying around?

[ that's the part she questions, mostly because, well, far be it from her to judge someone's strength based on their appearance. ]

[promissum]

I don't have any proficiency bonuses with axes. Fenrich does.

[He's just going to talk like life is an rpg because he's far, far too aware of it.]

While I can use axes, I'm much better at using swords. Also I arrived with a sword and no other weapons. I haven't seen any axes that look sturdy enough to use here anyway.

[hypertoxic]

Okay, wait. Before I get to the rest of that, did you actually just say the words "proficiency bonus" out loud? [ kind of gives him a surprised look, honestly. ] That means something to you?

[promissum]

Yes, I did.

[He doesn't look surprised, but it's not like he's ever thought his world was the weird one.]

Of course it does, why would I say it otherwise?

Christmas Spider.... eventually

[hypertoxic]

Hey, Prompto.
Are Christmas spiders a human thing, or what the fuck is that quest a8out?

[photoshooter]

i can almost definitely promise you anything spiders are never ever ever a human thing. so i have no idea. do YOU know what the hell christmas spiders are??? there aren't a lot of yellows so i kind of want to know before someone asks me to do something dangerous and spider-related!!

[hypertoxic]

I have a8solutely no idea. I mean, I know spiders, 8ut Christmas spiders? That's a new one.
Anyway, lol. You need someone to protect you, you 8ig 8a8y?

[photoshooter]

maybe! somehow i doubt these christmas spiders are anything like a normal house spider. they probably shoot webs from their eyes or set people on ACID FIRE or something!!

ring the bell, make a wish

[hypertoxic]

[ It's ... a stupid idea. She knows it, doubts herself the moment she reaches out to the two of them about coming with her. But they both readily agree, and she's got no choice but to follow through with it after that.

(She does. She knows she does. But this stupid bullshit town, with its stupid bullshit magic, maybe--)

Shout and Minato will find Vriska waiting for them at the edge of the woods. She's got on a scarf that covers her ears, and is wearing a much-too-big coat she pretty clearly "borrowed" from Okuyasu. She looks small all bundled up like that, but she still tries to smile for them when the two of them find her. She's been trying to do that more, these days -- smile like she means it. ]

Hey. Thanks for coming. This is stupid and it won't work, but what's the worst that can happen.

[ Cool, optimism! She hasn't told either of them what her wish is yet, either. ]

[messianic]

[Honestly, Minato's honored that Vriska wants him here for this. It's an important task, one he believes in very much...so even if Vriska wants to take a pessimistic stance on it, Minato just hums softly.]

... I'm excited to see what the bell is like, honestly... it should be interesting.

[glaciers]

[He likes his friends, and he likes Vriska despite now knowing everything that she was forced to do growing up. If she wants to do the wish thread, then Shouto's willing to go with her. Between their powers they should have a decent enough time getting through the woods.

It's nice to be called on for something like this. So he's also got a small smile as he approaches.]

The worst is probably that it's just a bell.

[They probably won't need to fight a mutated bell monster in the forest.]

[hypertoxic]

[ For just a moment she tucks the lower half of her face into her scarf, watching the two of them. They smile in a similar way, she thinks, quietly, and it always sets off something aching in her chest when they do.

Giving her head a rough shake she'll beckon and lead the way, floating a few inches off the ground because walking through ice/snow/underbrush/etc is for losers. ]

I think you're probably right about that, [ she muses, smiling a little. ] Knowing this town, either nothing will happen when I ring it, or we'll summon up a bunch of angry ghosts or something.

lake visit

[hypertoxic]

... Duo? Duo, hey!

[ Honestly, after being trapped in that god awful castle, the weather back in town is positively balmy. Which is part of why she's out and about, though the other part is that she's heard about something new in Flavo.

Both reasons are momentarily forgotten when she sees her friend, and she zips up to him with a big grin. She stops just short of hugging him, which it may well seem like she only held herself back from at the last moment... ]

It's good to see you again. Did you make it back from that frigid bullshit hellhole okay?

[deathscyther]

[Duo certainly isn't complaining about the warmth. It's actually nice enough that he's discarded the turtleneck and jacket for a tank top, mainly because when Vriska finds him he's working outside of his house in Bluo getting wood chopped up for the fireplace inside.

He's not taking any chances this time. If they're going to get frozen out again in a week or however long he'd rather be prepared.

Her calling out to him gets his attention easily, though, and he lowers the ax he was using on the wood so he can wave back at her. The logs he has don't look the healthiest but at this point it's better than nothing.

Probably better she held back on hugging him anyway. He's covered in wood dust and sweat.]

Yeah. Looks like you got out alright, too.

[hypertoxic]

Naturally! No surprise there. I'm more shocked you made it back here in one piece. No other attempts on your life to worry about?

[ she figures she basically has the right to tease him For Ever. ]

[deathscyther]

[Rude!]

Ha ha. You're funny.

[Just let him roll his eyes at that.]

No, I managed to steer clear of the rest of those icy bastards. I can be stealthy when I'm not front and center of the enemy.

KICKY BLAMMOS YOUR DOOR DOWN time for carolin'

[fineprinted]

Vriska-chaaaan~.

[ it's impossible to miss that crop of fuzzy blue hair in this winter-white landscape. hey vriska, it's your buddy waving at you from the distance, running up to you in a sec before catching his breath. ]

Haa... Haa. Whew, got here just in time. [ not like he's late or whatever??? ] Vriska-chan, would you like to go caroling with me? We can sing whatever alien jingles you may know! It'll be fun! ♪

i hate how much this made me laugh

[hypertoxic]

[ Ah, Tsumugi... somewhat despite herself Vriska lights up with a grin. ]

Tsumugi, hey!

[ ... ]

Wait, you want to go singing together? You too?? Man, what is it with humans and this weird communal singing tradition?

im so glad

[fineprinted]

Breaking into song around this time of the year is pretty much the norm, yes. Along with some others, as listed in that message board in our laptops.

[ which begs the question whether the ones giving these quests are from earth or whatever... suspicious. ]

So your kind doesn't celebrate Christmas or any holiday at all? That's kind of sad. [ headtilt ] What do you usually do at the end of the year, then?

[hypertoxic]

Don't get me wrong, trolls do celebrate seasonal holidays. Our version just isn't so...

[ .... ]

Soft?

[ hm. ]

Don't worry about it. Tell me how you celebrate it! I want to know.

[ weird she totally ignored his question there's probably no motive behind that ]

Christmas spiders! (sorry for lateness, bought a new account due to notifs not working)

[yuzanagi]

[Someone is going around trying to think what Christmas spiders would want. It just so happened by what good timing there is in this world, he ran into Vriska, greeting her with a wave of his hand.]

Have you ever celebrated Christmas with spiders before?

[To be fair, he had asked a few other people this same question.]

no worries at all!!!

[hypertoxic]

[ what ]

What?

[ ... glances around ... ]

... oh, you just ask total strangers weird shit like that? Okay.

[ sticks her hands in her pockets and shrugs, smiling a little. ]

You're doing the quest. Yeah, I can help you! But you better be prepared. The Christmas spiders are not for the faint of heart.

[yuzanagi]

[He nods.]

Well I figure someone might have an idea why they are asking about spiders...

[It's how he found out a lot of the information about the city. Yu isn't shy of being seen as weird anyway.]

That's okay! I've faced many foes, a few giant spiders won't be so bad-looking if we can make tiny little santa hats for them.

[Yu, please.]

[hypertoxic]

Why? I mean, who knows. No one I talked to could figure out the idea behind the whole "Christmas spiders" thing. We are all just as baffled as you are. But by now I have some experience with them!

[ Another pause, and she looks him up and down. A smirk, another shrug, and sure, why not. ]

I will be honest with you, nothing about the Christmas spiders is tiny. If you're prepared for that, then I will help you. You don't have a tree ready, do you?