[EVENT] On the first day of Christmas...

[vrdr_mods]

Winter has been drawing in for quite a while, and even here, Christmas is inescapable. What's going on?

The day before

Snow is falling... all around. It's a freezing cold evening, and the air is still—except for the blizzard outside. Will you stay home in the warmth, watching the snow fall and the frost form on the windows? Or will you head out into the whirling night? Visibility is next to nothing, but you'll probably be fine... as long as you don't go too far.

The next day

Snow has fallen! It lies everywhere you look, inches-deep, from Tokyo to Mikage-cho. The air is still, and the sky is a clear, wintry blue. Doesn't look like it's going to warm up any time soon. But that means a snow day. You'll be fine, as long as you wrap up warm. Do you want to make a snowman sledge, skate or ski? Waterways are frozen solid, and if you can get to the right store, you'll find the equipment you need. Or maybe you want to keep it closer to home, with snowmen tea-tray sleds and snow angels? Just try not to kill any rivals or near-rivals with a snowball.

Snow also drifts gently from the ceiling of the Velvet Room, fading before touching the floor. Festive, unseen sleigh bells clash unnervingly with the usual elegiac piano melody. Igor watches on with his trademark knowing smile—the festivities are just beginning....

In Iwatodai Mall, Inaba Shopping District, and Station Square, there are Jack Frosts around the place, along with chilly-looking Pixies, Onmoraki, and many other assorted demons. They have large sacks, or toolboxes, or planks of wood; they work merrily in hard hats, and whisper and giggle amongst themselves, and watch you as you pass. What could they be up to?

Christmas trees now stand in all the open spaces, hung about with baubles and lights. Illuminations are up, too, on every building, across every street, between streetlamps, you name it. More urban areas, like Tokyo or Sumaru, are as dazzling as you'd expect. But it isn't just the real world—all cognitive zones are suddenly hung with countless tiny lights as well. Probably not a good sign.... then again, the inhabitants seem strangely reluctant to fight you.

Comments

[fogboundcrow]

With any other adult, he'd probably complain about being picked up like that. He's a thirteen year old! Not a little kid, but... Mama.

This is okay. Hopefully he's not too heavy for her. "Ah, this way."

He points toward that little alley where the Velvet Room door hides. It'll be easy to spit, on account of it being this glowing, blue door.

[mamakechi]

Akako grins and makes flying noises as she quickly walks to the glowing door.

[fogboundcrow]

Raven could argue that he's too old for flying noises, but his Mama is carrying him and doing flying noises and he hasn't had that since he was very little. The memories are hitting hard, and he's quiet at first, just soaking in the moment, safe in her arms.

Once they reach the Velvet Room, not only will Igor still be there watching with interest, but they will also find the conspiracy board in all its glory.

Naturally, Raven grins at the sight. "Ah, there it is. My handiwork..."

[mamakechi]

Akako grins too, giving herself a moment to take it all in. "Is this your base of commands, Feather Red? Looks like you've made a great effort to plot out enemy activity..."

She leans in, a little closer, to read all the fine print.

[fogboundcrow]

Mm. Praise. Praise from his Mama... He tips his chin up, pleased with himself. "A world such as this warrants a great deal of consideration. Duplicates from parallel worlds, familiar faces whose lives branch in every direction. Supernatural situations abound..."

In other words, yes. Lots of effort.

[mamakechi]

Akako laughs and rubs his head affectionately. "You're very smart. This must've taken a lot of work!"

[fogboundcrow]

Aaa, head pats from his Mama, too. His chest puffs up with pride. "It took a great deal of work and meticulous observations. Just like my notes about the Midnight Channel back home..." He pulls out a notepad so she can experience it. Isn't he such a good boy, huh?

[mamakechi]

"Back home, huh..." she scans over the notes with less enthusiasm, though she tries to hide it. "Murders..." and cognition... "...stay safe, okay?"

[fogboundcrow]

"I will. I'm strong, and with the power I've obtained, I can finally be a hero." But she looks less enthused, and that's sad. His smile wanes. "And I'm not alone."

Even if Yu Narukami is still a pain. Mostly.

[mamakechi]

Bright boy for catching her slip. She pats his back with a dry chuckle. "Don't worry -- it's just the old motherly anxiety kicking in. My child possibly heading into danger will always stir that up, I'm afraid." A few more pats. "You've got all the power you need to be a hero already...tell me more about your friends?"

[fogboundcrow]

He could argue they aren't necessarily friends, but... well. He accepted his Shadow. That would be rather regressive.

So he takes his chin in hand. Where to start...

"Well, there's Kanji Tatsumi. He found me when I was all alone, locked out of the house by my abhorrent former guardians. He... gave me this." He digs a small, knitted crow plush out of his pocket. "And he reported in those miserable excuses of 'foster parents.' I was able to move to a more stable home without leaving Inaba. It was... comforting."

[mamakechi]

Akako's grip tightens on Goro when he talks about his former foster homes. "You really have grown...mine at home would still protest about "having friends"," she laughs. "Kanji sounds like a great friend to have. Knows you well, too." Akako nods at the crow plush.

[fogboundcrow]

"...It was difficult to accept. Easier with Kanji-san, because of how much he did for me. And Nanako-chan's just a little girl. She's, ah... the daughter of the man who took me in. She lost her mother, too." Oops. That's... sore subject. He averts his eyes. "It was just us until Dojima-san had to take in his nephew, so I got stuck sharing a room with him. He's very exasperating but I suppose he's a decent person."

[mamakechi]

Akako strokes Goro's hair. "Parental loss is very unfortunate...but it's a touchier subject for you than for me, I think. Since, well, I'm still alive where I come from." A grin, with a touch of a more morbid sense of humor in it. "What's Nanako-chan like? And maybe you can show me around Inaba sometime."

[fogboundcrow]

Mama's stroking his hair again... He relaxes into the touch. "Nanako-chan is a very sweet little girl. She's endlessly curious and quick to connect to others, and she's quite enchanted by Junes of all places. I think, too, that she's grateful to have more people in her life, since her father is often so busy with work."

[mamakechi]

"Junes...I've never been before." A hum -- a good outing at a later date? "Little kids do tend to get the strangest interests. But Featherman would never be one of these childish interests, no." Her grin is one that could be perhaps described as "shit eating".

[fogboundcrow]

Ha. Good. She appreciates his interests! Always a plus, in his eyes. "It takes a high IQ to truly understand the nuances and thematic layers to the Featherman franchise. There are reasons to enjoy it regardless of age."

[mamakechi]

"Truly, only the highest of IQs," she indulges her little boy with a motherly grin. "Does Nanako-chan sing along to Junes commercials like you did Featherman commercials?"

[fogboundcrow]

...Oh, damn it. The slightest blush takes hold because he sure did that, and it's embarrassing in hindsight. "Yes. Just about every time, in fact. She's enchanted by it." And it's adorable, so... hm. Fair enough, really.

[mamakechi]

"She sounds absolutely adorable," Akako grins, patting his head. "Anyone else in your life you'd like to talk about?"

[fogboundcrow]

"Well, there's Magpie, another version of me." His smile wavers a little, but just a little. "Right now, he's a little younger than me. I do enjoy spending time with him, and I'm happy to be there for him, but before he changed, he was older. He's seen difficult times, but he's always been there for me, and despite how rough around the edges he seems, I know that he cares."

[mamakechi]

Akako pats him. "I was texted by him, I think. He seems...troubled."

She pauses, looking over the conspiracy board. "I hope I don't make things worse for him..."

[fogboundcrow]

"I think he just needs a little time. He's in a very dark place in his life back home, and I suspect that it's a lot for him to process." However, he gives his mama a very serious look. "But no matter what, it's not your fault."

[mamakechi]

"It can't be my fault, since I'm not from his universe," she replies, a bit glib. But then she lets out a sigh and pats Raven a few times. "I worry about my son so much that it seems to bleed over to you all, as well. I won't take it personally, though...I'd like to think I'm stronger than that, now."

[fogboundcrow]

"I hope all of us won't put too much strain on you, though. By far, we outnumber the others here." It has to be, what? A dozen of them now? Perhaps even more. "I'll have to speak with Hawk about it, too. He's a really little version of me... about six or so, so he hasn't..."

Raven stops himself.

"Well, he'll need adequate preparation."