The Yuletide Festival [Event] [Open]

[Emily]

Art by Clara Sinem

Hateno Village had been populated since before written history. The way people farmed their fields and tended their flocks had changed very little. The village had had grown in the past century, but the villagers celebrated the connection they retained to their past. Every year, as the nights grew longer and the harvested crops were stored away for the coming season, the most celebrated of traditions occurred: the winter festival. For Hateno, winter was a time of community- warm nights around the fire, hearty meals, and for those that valued them, plenty of gifts. This year, through Zelda's organisational skills, the hard work of volunteers, and a particularly excellent harvest, the festival was going to be a lot bigger.

The telltale mist of effort rose from the workers' backs as they put finishing touches on the village decorations. They had been working day-in, day-out for well over a week preparing for the first day of the festival. And it was incredible what they had accomplished working in conjunction with local mages and engineers. Brightly coloured stalls lined Hateno's main thoroughfare, ready to be loaded down with all manner of homemade crafts and food products for that night. Strings of lights ranging all the colours of the rainbow connected buildings, creating a canopy of whimsical starlight. Crystals floated in the air at irregular intervals, softly pulsating in pastels as they rotated. Temporary housing had been built by the Hudson Construction, a gigantic inn with attached pub that would be as easy to deconstruct as a sword during the Upheaval. Everything was set to give a slight glow to the surroundings during the falling snow.

The only problem? It hadn't actually snowed yet.

Though some people had been arriving through the previous week, they really began appearing the day before the festival. Large groups began arriving in the late morning, by wagon or horse or more rarely a Zonai-powered device. As they showed up, they were greeted by locals who had volunteered to be the welcoming committee. There were people directing the new arrivals to the sleeping quarters, the pub, or wherever else they needed to go. An excited anticipation weighed heavily on the day's atmosphere, especially once the stall keepers and game runners finished stocking their wares. Children ran through the streets looking for candied apples or sweetbreads, while couples held hands and pointed out the different sights to one another. Zelda had been out among the people all day, occasionally dipping into the inn or another building to warm up. Link, true to form, rolled out of their home in the early afternoon. The other sages were around. Sidon roamed the city with Yona, eventually meeting up and hanging out with Link and Zelda over lunch. Riju stayed in the pub, where a fire kept the space warm. Purah and Tulin were performing last minute tests and checking over everything. Yunobo, of course, was eating rocks.

Clouds began rolling in through the afternoon, and by the time the stark golds and reds should have been painting the evening sky, everyone was instead met with a uniform grey, the colours only peeking in around the edges. And wouldn't you know it, the most wonderful miracle of them all happened as twilight fell: snow. First a light dusting, the flakes gradually filled out. Hateno's first snowfall of the season was everything the planners had hoped for, gentle but thick enough to make a difference. When the festivities began in earnest the next morning, everything would hopefully look perfect. For now, though, everyone would enjoy the official opening of the market.

*****

Welcome to the Hateno Winter Festival! There's fun and games to come, but we're starting just a bit early so everyone has time for an introduction post. How did your characters get here today? Have they been hanging out, setting things up with Zelda and Link? Where are they staying? Do they like the snow?

We're starting the night before the snowindividual competition. Tonight, the stalls have opened, there are little carnival games and plenty of crafted items and food. Enjoy yourselves, because the festivities begin in the morning!

[LuckyBlackCat]

"Son and done!"

Alyson launched the insectoid drone into the air. Freshly charged sigils shimmered on blue wings as it flitted around with the others, crafted to resemble winterwing butterflies and cold darners, kept aloft by wind magic.

With a satisfied puff of white mist, she looked around in awe at the thoroughly transformed Hateno Village, bustling with food and handcraft stalls in vibrant colours, aglow with Yuletide lights strung between buildings and floating crystals casting rainbow hues across the snow. Her fellow workers had outdone themselves. Although she travelled to Hateno Village this time every year to visit her parents, she'd never known a celebration on this scale to take place here.

It seemed that after all those years of hardship and uncertainty, everything was finally looking up. Yet...

Doubts crept in like icy drafts in an otherwise cosy house. She remembered the landscape spread out beneath her aircraft as she'd journeyed to Hateno, Akkala's crumbled citadel, ruins of villages dotted across desolate fields. New settlements would replace the old, but would erase the last relics of the Calamity's victims from history. Not everyone had the chance to rebuild. As for those who did, those gathered here... Could they, should they all pretend Hyrule's reconstruction meant everything was fine?

Something cold and wet hit her upside the head, startling her out of her thoughts. "Oops! Sorry 'bout that!" a child called, running past as his friends pelted snowballs at him and each other. Laughter carried on the breeze.

With a soft chuckle, Alyson swept the remnants of the errant snowball from her hair and cloak. "All good!" She wasn't going to let herself get lost in such dreary thoughts. She wasn't going to bring down the mood for everyone. After everything the people of Hyrule had endured, they had a right to some relaxation and merriment.

She stretched to ease the ache in her back and shoulders from all the building work, and headed further into the marketplace, double checking the decorations.


Claria was only here for one reason; out of respect.

Respect for King Sidon and the snowindividual competition he was to host. Not that she planned to take part, of course. She planned merely to watch. She understood why someone as outgoing and charismatic as the king would enjoy such an activity, but she couldn't see a hardened Depths delver like herself joining in, as much as it piqued her curiosity.

She headed out from the sleeping quarters she'd just checked into, her lights mingling with those of multicoloured floating crystals that bathed the snow with an aurora effect and reflected off of her scale mail. Alright, maybe there were two reasons - if anyone wanted an extra guard on duty, she'd be up for that. But she hadn't travelled all the way here and stayed overnight in the rowdy Dueling Peaks Stable for the festivities here. Not for the carnival games, she had a reputation to build and maintain, thank you very much. Not for the other competitions, as mildly intriguing as they seemed. Not for the music, although she couldn't deny the fiddlers playing Yuletide songs had skill, and that was a catchy tune. And most certainly not because she'd given into pressures from the Depths research team that she needed to relax for once.

No, this wasn't about relaxation. This was about doing the dutiful thing.

That said, there was something pleasant about being out in the soft snowfall as flakes melted on her scales. It wasn't quite the same as a walk in the rain, but she found it soothing nonetheless, especially with the steady rushing sound of the waterfall in the background.

"SNACKS! Get your seasonal snacks here!!"

Ok, the atmosphere here was getting a bit too loud and lively to truly be called soothing. Still, the smoked hearty salmon flatbreads at the vendor's table looked rather appetising, standing out to her amongst all the cooked food.

"Alright, you've got yourself a buyer." She headed over, noting the price signs, and pulled some rupees from her pouch. "That smoked salmon looks pretty good."

The vendor, a middle-aged Hylian woman, gave a cheery grin as she took the money and handed over a flatbread. "Here ya go!" Her eyes flicked to the luminous spots on Claria's arms and head-tail. "And you know, you fit the ambiance of this place to a tee."

Accepting the snack and thanking the vendor, Claria held back a groan at the inevitable quip. She wasn't going to get away from the Yuletide lights comments was she? The volunteer who'd welcomed her earlier had suggested she put on a light show, which... no. "As I've been told," she murmured, stepping aside to make space for other approaching customers.

[El]

It was that time of year when even something as simple and usually mundane as breath looked beautiful. Poetic, even. Ciel watched the curling wisps of silver unfurl through the twilight, escaping, entwining, fading, an elegant dance of weaving forms that had always been present - but rarely displayed. Snowflakes collected on her eyelashes. The crisp breeze kissed her painted cheeks. Colours of every hue and vibrancy twinkled in both the heavens and upon the earth, lapping up the festive fabrics that decorated countless stalls and reflecting in mirthful eyes already ashimmer with liquid-joy.

Sentimentality.

It wasn't a concept Ciel often gave herself leave to brood upon, short as her remaining time already was, but it was hard to escape the feeling when a whole festival was there to celebrate them. Family and community. Love and friendship. Warmth. Not warmth simply for the sake of satiating shallow desires, but warmth bred from having stared into the treacherous jaws of loss and as a result come to value even the smallest of trivialities.

Beauty could be found in many things, even something like breath. Life was a precious thing.

...

...It was also a very PRESENT thing - especially for the youth! Something nearby exploded, laughter bellowing. The Blue Fairy was yanked from her musings by the abrupt sound of a collision and then her brother's voice. With haste her eyes whipped through her busy surroundings, quickly locating the small young boy as he apologised to a lady who'd gotten caught in the crossfire of his mischief. Thankfully, she took it well: the stranger's assuring chuckle easing the protective tension Ciel felt tighten her shoulders.

What a brat, she sniffed, though affection melted upon her lips in a doting smile. She watched as he continued to run free, weaving between the forming crowds with his newfound gaggle of friends in tow and armed with playful vengeance. A part of her couldn't quite believe that their parents allowed him to be so-... undignified, but after all they'd been through it was easy to understand. Things like nobility and social standing held little significance in times like these. Wealth, though? Wealth still had an impact. The Beaumont family was one of the major sponsors of this year's Yuletide Festivities: donating a great deal of rupees to many of the vendors present so that they could make the trip here and set up store without fear of incurring any losses, while also helping to fund some of the more 'experimental' decorations. An investment well spent, Ciel mused with approval, basking once again in the buzzing atmosphere she so rarely got the chance to experience.

Count and Countess Beaumont were nearby, of course. Currently they were chatting with one of the members of the welcoming committee, while in the background she spied their family butler, floundering after little Arthur while he carried his big snow-dusted coat and abandoned fur-trimmed hat, bundling the hefty luggage against his chest while hollering something regarding the proper enunciation of 'about' not 'bout. Poor man deserved a pay-rise, Ciel giggled.

USUALLY she wouldn't have joined her family on an excursion like this one: ever since Arthur started to come of age she had been taking care to distance herself in public outings with them. Yet the obnoxious little cutie had given her the roundest, biggest eyes a few weeks prior and so that was that. Here she was. Her little brother's most ardent defender and champion, ready to smite any creature who so much as harmed a hair on his precious head. She had considered - multiple times - sabotaging his competition for the snowperson competition tomorrow, so that he could swoop a victory with ease and laughter. But that was clearly a bad idea, given all of the-... well, figures of authority and power who were present. Also, on an arguably much more threatening note, Great Fairy Kaysa would never allow her to intentionally cause anyone grievous harm. Ciel was not to violate the terms of her contract and the sworn oath, no matter how many times she pouted at the thought of what could've been.

And so Lady CiCi simply swanned through the shimmering streets, unaccompanied but certainly not alone. Nor did her presence leave room for a chaperone really.

If her sure stride and elegant bearing weren't already evidence enough of her competent influence, her attire absolutely was. While her slight figure was clad in the starkest of blacks with form-fitting silks and leather, it imposed a stark contrast to the majestic coat she had recently commissioned. It flowed out behind and around her, washing over the settling snow in a cascading tide of shimmering white fox-fur and feathered lace. Exquisite silver buttons trailed down the open front, and where it sat heavy upon her shoulders a pair of bedazzled epaulettes glittered. Ciel had made sure to proudly showcase its beauty in its entirety, going as far as to braid her hair up into a high bun, leaving only a few loose ringlets to frame her face. For a budding artist, Ashley held a great deal of potential: she was glad to have indulged his creativity with a bottomless budget.

Was the result ostentatiously regal...? In some eyes, perhaps. But true art was bold and unapologetic. She adored the beauty of it. Modelled it with comfortable, natural confidence. Honestly she could've probably spent the entire evening just enjoying strutting her stuff but tasty things began to distract her twitching nose and before long she found herself stood at a stall selling-... smoked salmon flatbreads?

"Feeling peckish, Miss? You won't regret giving it a try!" The vendor proudly declared, but Ciel found her attention drifting at the sight of a luminous and gigantic Zora who stepped past her. How pretty. A shame about her dour expression though.

[Rex Draco]

Sin| Hateno | Arc III
____________________

Sin had never experienced the Yuletide before.

In the monastery where the weather was always warm and sunny during the day and dark and icy in the eve there has never been a need for the cult to celebrate any festivals celebrating gods, spirits, and traditions that did not involve their sacred dragon god. According to the Ke Húm tradition during the wintertime Naydra became her strongest. Monks of certain seniority were expected to make a pilgrimage to Mount Lanayru and sit beneath the icy waterfalls in order to meditate. It was said that a monk of Ke Húm that could succeed in this trial would gain a great power. Sin was now considered an adult among the monks and was at a point in his training that he was allowed to make the journey but to do so he had to cross through Retsam Forest.

It was today that he found himself stopping at Hateno village. In a full cloak made of thick, red fabric, the Zora stepped through the archway leading into the decorated village. On his hips he wore two swords, bunched up against the sash of his sarouel. One conquered henceforth from a contest against a Hinox and the other from the corpse of an Iga.

The corner of his mouth curled up into a sneer as the edge of his lip hooked over his gums, putting his treacherous looking fangs on display. A white fleck fluttered down and landed against the center of his face where a nose would be, were he Hylian. The icy touch of the frozen sky star sent a shiver down his spine, to the tip of his poisoned tail. The barracuda balked at the sight. Why was the rain cold? No this wasn't rain -- what was it? Holding out his hand he would catch a few flakes, watching as the individual icelets melted in his warm palm. Normally the cold blooded fish would find the icy flakes sticking to his skin, but his cloak kept him plenty warm on his journey, or wet, depending on his need. Adjusting his cloak he moved to pull its hood over his tendrils, which were often mistaken as dreadlocks by local Hylians. The stinging tentacles were far from the harmless fins and scales of other Zora, which made it all the easier to obstruct his enemies.

The Zora began forward, unawares his greatest foe lay beyond the village gates. Those of the Ke Húm sect were descendants of the Ujua Bloodline of Zora. They were a mix-blooded lineage of Zora with great prejudices against the current line of kings that ruled the Zora kingdom for generations. They were renowned for their warriors, but there were a few exceptional sorcerers born from their branches. It was even believed members of the Ujua clan had come to blows with the kings in the past in an attempt to subjugate the Jabu Bloodline and crown themselves king, only to fail and become exiled. But these were merely brooks on a historical record that was covered by rivers and seas. Such drops in the deep Zora history were neither spoken of nor remembered.

"There you are!" A bright, calculating voice called from across the way.

If Sin had feathers they would have been standing on end. It was hard to not recognize the voice. The man had been a slave to its whims earlier that summer. While working under the sweltering gaze of the sun was not uncommon for the hardworking haddock it was beyond him how the capricious sage ever got anything done when she wanted everything done all at once. It was unfortunate for the Zora that he was a capable body with not only muscle, but zeal to get a task done once put on course. There were few that the sage could get their hands on that had such tenacity.

"Ah, I was looking for some hearty individuals to help and it seems one arrived. Good. I need your help." Purah pressed, tapping her fan against the corner of her hip, staring the silent Zora down. "Eh? Can you not do it or something?"

The Zora parted his lips, his azure eyes drifting towards the corner of his raven sclera. He shook his head, turning his attention back towards the sage.

"That's more like it. Listen, I need someone that can climb to the tops of these points that I've set up. It's for the festival. You know about the festival right?" But at this query Sin shook his head. "Well it's the Yuletide Festival, while its a usual even across Hyrule the princess has set up some special events in Hateno this year. You'll be helping the kingdom by lending a hand, fin -- or claw?" Purah looked over towards Sin's hands.

The Zora held out his palms, turning them over. They were indeed strange. Though they were webbed as a Zora's was his palms were rough and calloused, while the tips of his fingers were hooked with sharp claws. Sin shrugged, unsure of what to call his hands, but they served him well. He clenched his grip into fists and looked the woman in the eyes.

"They're strong, that's all that matters." Purah declared. "Well come on. Take this rope and climb up to the first point." She pointed to a wooden crate sitting beside her.

Sin nodded and walked towards the open container, peering inside. There he would take note of the heavy looking coils of rope, but these weren't just simple rope. He squinted his eyes. There appeared to be colorful glass prisms strung across the length of line.

"Are these--?" Sin murmured.

But he wasn't being paid to talk so moved to hoist the coil of rope over his shoulder and turned toward the first point. The woman worked him to the bone, but she did make it worth his while. 

[LuckyBlackCat]

As it turned out, helping hands were still needed.

"Ah, I was looking for some hearty individuals to help and it seems one arrived. Good. I need your help." Overhearing the familiar voice, Alyson turned her head. A slight smile pulled at her lips. She remembered Purah's endless requests over the summer - the Sheikah scientist certainly knew how to make sure all hands were on deck. Her latest hapless victim helper was someone Alyson recognised from the temporary inn at the Castle Town building site. She'd only briefly seen him, but his distinctive appearance was difficult to forget - a hulking Zora, covered in amber-coloured scales, with spike-tipped tendrils protruding from under the hood of his cloak.

"I'll help out!" Alyson bounded over, sturdy boots crunching through the thin layer of snow, and listened as Purah explained what needed doing. For a task that required climbing and attention to detail, her experience with construction work would be useful. "The more the merrier!"

Purah nodded, gesturing to the nearby crate. "Why thank you, more people are always welcome to pitch in!"

Rolling up her feathered sleeves, Alyson headed to the crate and hauled out one of the ropes of multicoloured lights, their crystalline facets aglow, courtesy of talented mages. Anything she could do for the kingdom, and to support a fellow worker, would be more than worthwhile - Yet that wasn't the only reason why she'd decided to join in. Her offer wasn't as selfless as Purah must have thought. In truth, keeping busy held the intrusive thoughts at bay.

Looking up at the gargantuan Zora, she gave him a bright grin. "Ooh, I'm sure you're going to love the festival! This year it's going to be like no other! There'll be a snowperson competition, and shield surfing, and an all-you-can-eat feast, and so much more! And the heroes of Hyrule are all gathered here! The sages, the queen, her knight! C'mon, for them, for everyone, let's make this the best, brightest celebration we possibly can!"


Moving back slightly from the gathering crowd, Claria tucked into the salmon snack. In predominantly Hylian-populated areas, the raw seafood she and most of her kind preferred was an uncommon find in food stalls and inns, cooked dishes seeming to be a cultural norm. While cooking had its advantages, bringing out beneficial properties of food - fried sundelions were an essential antidote to Gloom poisoning should Depths exploration go awry - she viewed it as more of a medicinal thing than a way to enhance flavour.

Halfway through savouring the lucky discovery, she became aware of someone's gaze on her. She turned to see a young Hylian standing at the stall, extravagantly draped in a coat of fur and lace, blue hair tied in an elegant bun. A Hylian whose face she'd seen before somewhere. It took a moment to dawn on her - this was the quiet, enigmatic woman from that awful night in the pub, a night that nobody who'd been there would forget any time soon.

She tensed, wanting to inch away as the girl stared at her like she was some kind of curiosity, but instead stayed put, dulling her luminescence to a low glimmer. The year had been wild, to put it mildly, and she wasn't going to push away someone who'd shared such an experience. Besides, going by what she knew of Hylian attire, this woman's coat marked her as a figure of eminence, someone who commanded respect. "I can attest, the food isn't bad at all," Claria told her. She wasn't usually one for small talk, but as long as the Hylian didn't make any Yuletide lights jokes, she could deal with it.

[Chaosome]

Oh how Malon adored the Yuletide season! On one level, it was a day off from the routine of recon and lookout duty and training. On another, more important level, it was a time for getting to share good vibes and warm feelings with those you cared for! Of course he had helped with the decorations back in Kakariko before venturing off with his off time to fine out what sort of delightful nonsense the Princess had in mind for Hateno Village. Speaking of adoring, the Rito loved getting to visit the village when time permitted. It was no bustling metropolis like he was sure that the Castle Town had once been, but it had food and fashion and frivolity. What more could you ask for? It even had a school house! And now it was getting to have a Winter Festival? Hard to beat!

The bird let out an impressed whistle as he flew in, getting a good view of all the hard work that had been put in... and the bits that needed to be done still. Luckily he was off duty! Not his problem!... Granted it'd be hard to say no if asked, cus it could lead to some free food, but that was a bridge to cross later.

Malon's usual black and yellow cloak had been traded out for a more festive red and white one with fluffy fur lining the edge. It appeared to be thicker as well, to account for the colder weather. Most Rito needn't worry about that, but having lived in the more temperate region of Hyrule for so long, his cold tolerance wasn't as up there as that of his northerly cousins. And so a little extra padding was all but required sometimes! Plus, he only got the chance to drag this cloak out once a year! It was only right!

As he strolled into the village, he was pleased to see that he wasn't as much of an early bird as he thought. Faces familiar and foreign filled the streets. While the lack of dangers meant that the work he did was awfully dull, it DID mean that things like this could happen to put as ease the peoples' woes and worries, which in turn did his heart good.

"SNACKS! Get your seasonal snacks here!!"

Ahh, another thing that did his heart good! Food! Regional, seasonal food at that! One of the best parts of traveling was getting to taste the local delicacies, and seasonal food was a double treat! As he made his way off towards the clarion call of confection, Malon's eye was caught by a familiar golden monolith of a Zora a short way off. He recalled seeing him at the construction in Castle Town. The bird's gait came to a halt as he moved to open his beak and shout to the Zora to greet him... But the words caught in his throat as he spotted Purah having a chat with the landlubbing fish. Shoot, if Purah spotted him here without a task, she'd volunteer him! It looked like the Zora had already been snatched. So instead, Malon opted for a friendly smile, a little prayer, and a wave as he scurried on towards his destination... He had no doubt he'd run into him again sooner or later!

As he finally approached the stall, he came to a stop. Blinking softly and tilted his head at a pair of curious sights. A Hylian so pale that were she smaller one could be forgiven for assuming she was a porcelain doll, and a Zora that looked like she'd plucked stars from the sky to decorate herself. Young though he might be, Malon had little doubt that the unique peoples of the world would never cease to amaze him. He was starting though, whoops, better to do that when one can't be seen. Or when it was his job, at least. Right! Snack first! "Hi there, s'cuse me!" Malon said with a chipper tone as he slipped past the pair and other folks crowding near to the stand. "You're very pretty, you know that?" he asked, the vaguely directed compliment hung in the air for a brief moment as he scooched by. "And I like your coat too, miss!" the bird added on as he slipped up to the counter to peruse the wares at wing.

[El]

A light flickered through Ciel's eyes. A memory resurfaced. Something shifted then in the way she regarded the Zora, the once brief and shallow curiosity deepening into a keener gaze. A sobriety of recognition adjusted the cadence of her thoughts and the tone of her expression. Ah.

Words unsaid pursed her lips, a moment needed before they smiled instead. It wasn't hollow though, no. Neither was it sharp. Even if the warmth of them had been painted on with safflina-rouge, the belated affection there was genuine: how could it not be? There was something far too adorable about such an imposing warrior of a Zora taking pause to assure her.

Ciel giggled and nodded.

She had half a mind to wrap an arm around one of Claria's burly biceps and claim her as her own for the evening, but alas, that dastardly fickle fiend named Fate had other plans. A fresh face fluttered before her in a flash of red fluff and silver feathers, quickly dashing her plans with distraction. How artfully he cut in line! The cheek of it all!

Usually a curt, crisp click of her tongue would've been the appropriate reaction here, but her disapproval was curbed by the Rito's deviously-timed compliments. Instead her fine eyebrows raised - just a hair - caught between admiring his worldly ways (and appreciated statements) or continuing to regard the interruption with disdain. Well, I suppose I WAS dawdling too much. She could acknowledge that much. But is queue-etiquette not a thing here? A barely perceptible huff smoked from her delicate nostrils.

Very promptly she hid the pout though, instead brushing past HIM this time to pull forth from her cloak a generous handful of rupees. The vibrant reds and blues chimed as they settled upon the counter. But before the vendor could give voice to her surprise - no doubt about to clarify the price of her wares - Ciel held up a gloved hand to spread two fingers.

"O-oh! OH! You'd like two, miss?"

She nodded.

It didn't take long at all for the flatbreads to be wrapped, still steaming hot as they were passed directly to Ciel - after she waved aside the returned change. Yet as soon as she obtained them, she handed one to the Rito: the sort of gesture which was swift and forceful, quietly - and immediately - demanding that he take the food or it'd quite literally end up on the floor.

Yet regardless of his response Lady CiCi would smile a sweet, syrupy smile and after a flawless curtsy swiftly turned on her heel to leave. If her glorious mane hadn't been so neatly tied up in a bun, it probably would've whipped him right in his silver-tongued beak! Ah well. She buried her resurfaced pout in her freshly-acquired treat.

[Sav'saaba]

Inside the East Wind, nothing proclaimed that the Yuletide season had descended upon Hateno once again. None of the walls were hung with living green in which ripe wildberries glistened between crisp leaves, nor were there delicate glass ornaments that would reflect the light as if so many little colourful mirrors, or platters presenting pyramids of honeyed apples or sauteéd nuts to hand out to a customer that had stumbled into the shop looking to acquire that one forgotten ingredient for the pièce de résistance of the feast abrew at home. Mabel had tried to rectify this grave shortage of confection with a home-baked fruitcake she had set out on the counter before her, but of the handful of people that had managed to find the store that day, not one had even so much as looked at it.

Mr. Pruce had been unmoved by her suggestion to close the general store early, just this once, for Yuletide Eve. The bewhiskered Hylian had huffed and called the festival nonsense and a waste of time, gruffly telling her he had a business to run, before he slammed the front door of the general store shut, a thick ledger clenched between the pit and crook of his arm. Mabel was left to man East Wind alone as its owner retreated to the storage out back to balance the books in peace.

Not a single customer had sauntered in since, and the morning bled seamlessly into late afternoon, with Mabel soon running out of tasks to keep her mind off all the mirth and memory-making she was missing out on. The shelves were stocked, the floors had been sweeped, the till was counted and correct down to the last green rupee —all thirty-seven instances.

In another effort to kill time, she had utilized the merch that sat on the counter in front of her for an impromptu arts and crafts project, stacking arrows into a precarious tower. Her masterpiece came tumbling down before it was even finished but when it had, she at least could keep herself occupied with picking everything up again, and sorting and retying the loose projectiles into bundles. Another half hour down! Someone was on a roll.

A dejected sigh escaped the girl. Well, there was always next year, she supposed. But what if she and Ashley were halfway across Hyrule from the village when Yuletide rolled around again?  Maybe the twins would be sprawled out on the white sands of Lurelin, hard at work on their tan while sipping from umbrella drinks, or perhaps they would be marveling at the sight of the fabled Dinraal's languid ascent into the clouds over Mt. Hebra, just like in the various brochures issued by the regional tourist offices that she collected from travelers stopping by the village. This very well could be the last time her family would all spend it together, at least for the foreseeable future. And if she was completely candid with herself, the creeping expanse of the grey streaks in papa's hair and the lines beside mama's eyes becoming slightly more noticeable every year had not escaped her attention.

Well then, now she felt completely bummed out.

Even the promise of her twin to save her some of her favorite treats did nothing to improve her dour mood as she stood behind the counter, her fingers feeling like frozen clay.
The hearth at her back had all but petered out, its once modest fire having atrophied to frail embers. Mr. Pruce would allot the amount of firewood to be used daily, and with these frigid temperatures, the woodbox had been emptied of its meager holdings hours ago. For a brief moment she had considered conjuring a flame, only a tiny one, to thaw her fingers by, but that meant breaking her vow to the Mayor of not using her fire magic within a radius of two miles of Hateno. Ugly-crying conjoined with a sobbed declaration that she had only tried to help had not made Reede budge on the ordinance, so that really left no options other than abiding.

That poor Ivee. Having mr. Pruce as a dad must not be very fun.
It was precisely this notion that had made Mabel volunteer for today's shifts, for it would allow her friend to go enjoy herself with her adorable little brother and gossipy mother and visit family in Tarrey Town. Mr. Pruce had stayed behind, for his usual reasons.

From outside, the laughter of children no doubt involved in hijinks carried in, and Mabel grinned as she listened for a hint of what else was going on beyond East Wind's drab walls.

Trying to stay a semblance of warm, she huddled under the fitted mantle draped over her shoulders and stroked the luxurious, white fur. It was a secret to everybody that she had snatc- borrowed it from her mom's closet.

But only for Yuletide! Really!

After all, the Queen's most trusted knight was going to attend the festival, too. She couldn't just be boring old Mabel for an occasion such as this, no way. And no way that she would risk one of her brother's creations, not with what he had dressed her in for last year's Yuletide. Besides, recently he had been too busy with working on an honest to Hylia paid commission to meddle with her fashion choices, anyway.

It was a storied article of clothing, a keepsake, this mantle. The pelt it was made from had once belonged to a lone Cold-Footed Wolf that had been terrorizing Tabantha, until it was ultimately hunted down and shot by her very own pops. Legend had, he gifted it to her mother during a Yuletide festival past, soon after they had first met. Of course Mabel was going to be careful with this beautiful article of clothing, with its silvery-blue sheen accentuating the colour of her own hair. And if their mom for some unlikely reason decided that Yuletide was the absolute perfect time to go spelunking in her wardrobe, Mabel could always blame her twin for the item not being there and secretly return it after the dust had settled; after all, whenever clothing went missing around the house, nine times out of ten Ash was the culprit.

Outside a soft jingling drew closer, and she half-expected that someone's horse had freed itself from its hitching and was having its own Yuletide feast in one of the many vegetable patches near the shop. It was common practice to deck a horse's tack out with festive bells this time of year, some silly tradition from olden times about warding off evil spirits.
Making her way to the entrance to take a peek, ready and raring to wrangle 1500 lbs of reluctant horse flesh, she overheard muffled part of a conversation.

"And how do you suppose we do that, then? You've had your chance. Turns out you couldn't take it with you, could you?"

While the words could easily sound accusatory, the tone with which they were spoken somehow did not.

Just as she reached out for the door's handle, someone on the other side pushed it open, and she stepped back to look upon the face of a man.

"Oh, hello." the customer greeted as he entered, seemingly completely unperturbed at her standing directly behind the door.

"Uhm, uh, w-welcome to East Wind!" Mabel blurted, and glanced over his shoulder for a companion to follow suit, but there was none. She could swear she had overheard him talking to someone?

"So, um, can I help you with something today or are you just looking to browse?" she asked and slipped back into her role of employee of the month as she trudged back to her spot behind the counter.

"Thank you. I'd like to browse," he assured her, and moved along.

What a peculiar appearance. It proved an effort too great for Mabel to not stare, and she surreptitiously let her eyes wander from the fitted leather covering his torso from which an assortment of off-putting animal relics were suspended, to the strange glyphs on his skin and the archaic Hylian characters painted on the wrappings around his legs while his own focus was fixed on their stock, moving from display to display, chiming as he did so.

Were the bells on his garments decorations for the festival, and wasn't he freezing in these temperatures, with arms fully bared like that? Her brow scrunched together as she thought.
There was something else, invisible to the eye, that intrigued her moreso; she perceived some kind of magic about him. Something unfamiliar to her, but it was calming, peaceful, like being enthralled with the fireflies skimming over the eddying waters of Lake Jarrah after a warm summer day, yet at the same time tinged with the sadness of losing what can not be replaced, or the melancholy of longing for moments forever swept away by the river of time.

In her rather enthusiastic studies of the art of magic, she had never come across anything like it. How curious it made her! But the young mage couldn't risk scrying in an attempt to find out more, because he would definitely become aware of it if she did. That'd be even ruder than the staring she had already subjected him to.

She shivered once, twice, not because she was cold -she was though-, but like an aftertaste, bitter and unsettling, there was an edge to said magic that she did not care for in the least.

Though this did not feel nearly as powerful, she had encountered it before when she was younger, with that ugly old statue nearby Firly Pond. Whenever she could not avoid following the road it stood beside, her strategy would be to close her eyes and hold her breath, and zoom past the squat figure as fast as her short little legs could carry her. Needless to say, it was a relief to Mabel when the effigy with its disquieting aura had all of a sudden gone missing from the village, most likely taken away by someone or perhaps pushed into the pond by rowdy teenagers. Even now, the rare appearance of the thing in a dream made her wake up drenched in sweat.

It was strange that she had been so terrified of a statue when it had never even so much as budged an inch from its place on its own, or really do much of anything besides getting soiled by birds, and Mabel was quite sure that wasn't because of her silly little ritual.

Stranger still that she was now reminded of it by this person. He seemed perfectly Hylian, and perfectly agreeable in demeanor.

She decided she was mistaken; she was only still a novice spellslinger after all, and she had been wrong about this kind of thing many times before.

To distract herself from her investigative ruminations, the girl picked up a piece of fruitcake and nibbled on it, only to conclude that she was grateful that no one else had. Not only did the cake taste slightly burnt, it was also as dry as Arbiter's Grounds --not that she would know, because she'd never been there, but, you know, travel brochures. She didn't jest about memorizing every single one front to back.

"My, don't you look glum! And on the cusp of Yuletide Eve, of all times. Why's that, then?"

The morsel of cake dropped from the corner of her mouth when the customer struck up a conversation so unexpectedly. He approached the counter, although it seemed he had left every single piece of merchandise exactly where it was.

"Oh, you know..." she sighed.

"Do I?" he challenged.

Mabel couldn't possibly share with this stranger she was moping over her lot in life of being stuck at a paid job because of some yearly festivity that had activities that were mainly intended for kids. Big baby that she was.

"I'm working until very late today so I will miss out on my family's Yuletide Eve dinner, is all. But never mind that." she smiled, bouncing right back, "Did you find what you were looking for, mister..?" she drew out the last syllable with expectation.

"My name is Yaku. And no, not really. I'm here because I have a message for a certain mr. Pruce. Call it a gut feeling, but I have a suspicion that you're not him."

It was then that she got a proper look at his eyes as he bent over the counter, the tattooed arm coming to rest there to prop his chin up in a hand.

Huh...

"That could either be a bout of indigestion, or you being right. You didn't eat my fruitcake, did you?" she parried dryly, back on beat, mischief crinkling her features as she motioned at the cake. "I'm Mabel, his employee. Mr. Pruce is in the storage room out back. I can take your message for him?'

"I'm afraid I must speak to him personally, in private, and I'm in a hurry."

"Oh, of course, you must be wanting to get home to your family as soon as possible, what with Yuletide Eve," she assumed guilelessly, but immediately regretted it, the words apparently having struck a nerve in the man, an uncomfortable silence to the comment speaking for him.

Well done, Mabel. Slow clap. What should she say now?

"Mabel, is it? That's a pretty name."

"For an old lady!" she exclaimed with feigned exasperation for comedic effect. Hylia, did she welcome a change of subject, what with this guy looking like he was now the one in need of cheering up.

"I don't understand why my parents picked it. Then again my twin brother has a girl's name, so it could've been worse," Good thing Ash wasn't there to hear that little jab at his expense.
"You know, my middle name is Cenedra, which is so much prettier. After my greatgreat...greatgrandmother?" she trailed off, lost among the creeping vines and branches of her family tree, but not so lost as to not having registered the man's amusement with her poking fun at her parents' tastes.

Good.

"Something like that, anyway. According to my dad. I've never met anyone else with that name. Say, you look like you travel, have you ever met a Cenedra somewhere?"

"Would you believe me if I said I have? A long time ago."

"Wow, really?" she perked up, unaware of the wistful grimace flickering over Yaku's features. "Well, tell her hi from me if you ever see her again."

"I promise I will. For now, I should seek out your boss. Time is growing short," he announced as he pushed himself off the counter. "It was very nice to meet you, Mabel."

"Likewise!" she nodded her agreement and beamed.

"Happy Yuletide, peanut."

"Happy Yuletide!"

...

Peanut?

══════════════════

Storage room was a little generous to dub this shed as, Yaku posited as his knuckles rapped against the door before him, his head cocked to the side and lips pressed into a tight line, before being told to enter by a voice from within.

"What d'ya want?" grumbled Pruce, hunched over a hefty book with his back to the entrance and not bothering to greet the visitor, his sole lightsource the pathetic remains of a candle so spent it was fused to the produce crates he used for a writing desk. The quill between his fingers scratched across the paper without pause.

"Pruce & Son, I assume? Who do I have the pleasure of addressing," Yaku prodded, "mr. Pruce senior, or mr. Pruce junior?"


"Lemme warn ya, I have no interest in sales representatives," the man sniffed, now having twisted around on his stool to face Yaku, whose features proved difficult to discern for Pruce in the dusky environment, "The store's been rebranded to East Wind by my wife. And my father's been dead for seven years, on this very night."

"Ach, but then what a nice gesture would it be to make a donation to charity in his memory this Yuletide, don't you agree? No doubt his generosity is well-represented in his son!"

The shaman was enjoying this, knowing full well that father and son had been two kindred spirits, the trait of avarice the only thing either had ever willingly shared between the two, and with their fellow man.

"We are aiming to fund swimming lessons for destitute Goron youngsters."

Pruce put his quill down beside the ledger, a vein visibly throbbing near his temple. "Swimming lessons for Gorons? For Hylia's sake, perhaps they should stop eating rocks if they're so worried about sinking!"

What a piece of work, this one. Glad for the darkness he was in, Yaku did not even attempt to suppress the teeth-baring smirk on his face, "What should I put you down for?"

"Nothing!"

"You wish to stay anonymous?"

"I wish to be left alone!"

Yaku reeled his needling back in; his remarks to Mabel about time running out had been truthful. With the pinnacle of Yuletide Eve mere hours away, the window of opportunity was closing fast. Like embers catching a gust of wind, the symbols grafted into his skin burst alive with blue luminance, bathing the room in more light than there had been before, its quality alien, quashing the shadows.

It dimmed as quickly as it had flared up; it lasted for only half a minute, or a minute, but to Pruce it seemed an hour. Outside the room, a clanking ruckus of something heavy being dragged towards the door approached.

"What- what is this? Is this some kind of cheap parlor trick? Are ya havin' a laugh?" the  shopkeeper inquired wide-eyed, but Yaku did nothing but slink silently into a corner of the storage, reduced to a mere spectator now that his part in aiding the spirit to manifest itself before a mortal had been fulfilled. A sudden draft picked up and extinguished the stumpy candle.

It came in through the still closed door, the transparent shade of the deceased Pruce. Bound in chains that were weighed down with dozens of massive rupees wrought from iron, the spectre exuded a dismal glow strong enough to make the surroundings out with little effort.

What resembled fabric and hair was in a constant state of motion, as if teased by an imperceptible breeze. Relentless in its approach, its empty, glazed-over eyes stayed fixed on the Pruce frozen on his seat, who under its gaze shrank until he could shrink no further.

"What do ya want from me?" cried the son.

"Much!"— his father's voice, no doubt about it, and it struck terror into the very marrow within his bones.

"Who are ya?"

"Ask me who I was!"

Pruce's lips quivered and the colour drained from his face.

"But you're dead! I should know, I signed your death certificate. I even paid those vultures for your funeral!"

"Do you not trust your senses? Do you not believe in me?"

"I don't! Senses can be fooled. No one returns from the grave!"

At this, the ghost began to keen as it violently rattled its chains between wringing hands, the noise it made so jarring and horrific it had Pruce fall forward onto his knees and clasp his hands to his face, the stool from which he sprung toppling over with a clatter on the dusty floorboards.

"Mercy! Mercy! I believe in ya, I must!" he mewled and began to tremble harder than he ever had before, "But why d'ya torment me? I'm your son!"

"Those who do not look beyond the narrow limits of their own Wants and who are blind to the Needs of others are condemned to walk this world after death. They will seek to interfere with mortal matters for Good, but in death, they have lost that power forever." Yaku opened his eyes with a start upon hearing the ghost's ephiphany, but still did not stir.

"These fetters I wear I forged of my own free will, link by link, inch by inch," the ghost pursued, "A mere seven Yuletides ago, yours was already as heavy and long as mine. You have laboured tirelessly on it ever since." 

Pruce dipped his head down towards his upturned palms, expecting a monstrous cable coiled around his wrists and snaked between his ankles, but saw nothing.

"I am here to warn you, that you still have a chance to avoid my fate. Heed me, my son, for my time is growing short! This Yuletide Eve, you will be haunted by three Spirits."

"Three? I think... I'd really rather not. Are ya not enough?" Pruce said with a faltering voice, perspiration pooling on his back and staining the shirt covering it.

"Without their visits you have no hope of escaping the path of penance I must tread for eternity. Expect the first one when the bell tolls once."

It was then that Pruce succumbed to his nerves, and he fell into a swoon. Yaku only just barely caught the man by the shoulders, and lowered him down onto the floor. He turned to address Pruce the elder.

"It is beyond my power to send you on from this world,"  the shaman told the spirit quietly, "But you are suffering, and guiding your son from beyond the grave towards a path of selflessness and compassion out of love should account for something. I pray your endeavor will be successful. May Hylia absolve you."

His fingers brushed the phantom's fetters, and the links that made up the chain snapped, falling away to dissolve into nothingness, right as the ghost began to fade.

Happy Yuletide.

When Pruce came to moments later, Yaku reached out and helped him back to his feet.

"So... it, it wasn't a nightmare..." he stammered.

"Afraid not." Yaku chuckled while escorting him outside and towards the shop's entrance.
As much as he wished he had, the shaman had no comfort to give the man.

"Remember, there will be three spirits visiting you tonight." Yaku said while he held out three fingers to punctuate his words, just as Pruce made it to the front door of his business and home.

"Oh, and Pruce? Send that employee of yours home for the day, please."

══════════════════

The door slammed shut, rudely waking Mabel from her power nap. Dazed with sleep she blinked, the corner of her mouth sticky. When it dawned on her who had just stumbled in, she shot up, expecting to get an earful for sleeping on the job.

"Ah! Mr. Pruce, are you alright?", she gasped, "You look like you've just seen a ghost!"

"Go home, Mabel. We're closed."

[Rex Draco]

Sin | Hateno | Arc III
____________________

It was difficult for Sin to blend in among the Hylians. Though average in height around his kind, compared to Hylians he was huge. In addition to his height he had the high, broad shoulders of a swordsman rather than the low and wide frame of a swimmer. His earthy scales could be picked out of a crowd, far from the coral reds and river blues common among the species.

When he pulled the bundle of light rope over his right arm, his cloak rolled back and revealed his muscular arm as his bicep held the hefty spool between his shoulder and arm. His webbed feet had little difficulty treading the ground as the wide, clawed flippers were as at home in the snow as they were in the sand. Despite the combined weight of the rope coil and his body, he didn't sink into the still shallow snows.

An unfamiliar voice rang across the air. He turned his attention to the Hylian woman. He didn't recognize her, though it was to be expected. Much of his time during the rebuilding of Castle Town was either under the guidance of Purah or stuffing his face into a pile of free food. He hardly socialized and had properly met two individuals at most, others in passing. But he couldn't be expected to remember every person that participated in the reconstruction effort. That 'princess' had hailed helpers as far out as the Gerudo Kingdom.

He wanted to disagree. Sin wasn't sure that those sorts of things were fun. Though he lived among many that followed the way of Ke Húm, including his own kin, it didn't instill into him a love of company. Precious was his time alone and to his own thoughts. She further elucidated the pressures of the festival aside from the inundation of patrons. None of it sounded pleasant though. It wasn't until the Hylian mentioned food that the Zora's gills spread.

"All?" No ifs, ands, or buts?

If he could eat it there would be none to stop him? He grunted, lips pulling back in a salacious looking grin.

"Then we hurry, or be left with nothing." As soon as Sin spoke his piece he turned to the first post.

With the ease of a monkey the surly sardine began to scale the post and laid out the first string of lights. With Alyson's help stringing the lights across the points shouldn't take very long. Two posts were at the gates, parallel from one another, with the next some of the way down by the Dye shop and so on until they arrived at the Inn, following the length of the main road within Hateno Village. For now Sin was left to Purah's devices, climbing across the rooftops like a chimney sweep. He would not be able to see Malon from this distance, but mayhaps they would meet under the awning of a tasty stop later -- who knew. For now all Sin could do was work and wonder what sort of foods there were.

But there was also the case of people being unexpectedly visited by a large figure wearing red robes, hopping across roofs and leaving bright, glowing lights behind.

[Emily]

"Alright, stand up on it and see if you can walk around," she said, standing up and stretching out her back a bit. The kid sitting on the table hopped off, landing on one foot before tenderly, tenderly, so tenderly putting some weight on what had been a twisted ankle only moments before. He started with the lightest touch before putting a little more weight, then hopping on it, and finally walking around. The dirt on his face still had tear streaks in it, but he beamed at her anyway. "Thanks so much, DoctorMiss Ariadne!"

"You're very welcome, now get back out there and throw a couple snowballs for me," Ariadne replied before looking to her teacher for approval. Rula, with the same smile she reserved for all public occasions, gestured as secretly as possible toward the bag on the table. "Oh, right," Ariadne corrected herself, digging into the bag and pulling out three honey candies and dropping them in the boy's hand, "Make sure to take one of these as needed to manage the pain. No more than one every minute, okay?"

She was rewarded with the reward all addicts gave, as the child gobbled all three candies into his mouth at once and ran out of the inn.

Snow was nothing new to Ariadne, having been born and raised on the outskirts of Hebra, but there was something kind of magical about it happening here. The lights, the booths, and the personalities of the people around her were so unnaturally festive that she didn't know exactly how to respond. It had been fortunate when that kid fell and hurt his ankle in front of her, because it gave Ariadne something to occupy her mind with instead of staring dumbfounded at the spectacle.

As she followed the child out of the inn, Ariadne once again took in the sights. She had missed the feeling of cold, though such an absence had once felt unlikely. Zora's Domain was nice, luxurious even, but there was something about the almost squeaky crunch of fresh powder under your boots. Not that the snow here was nearly so deep, it was coming down in a much more... dramatic way, as if someone just above the curtain line was rhythmically shaking it out of a container.

"Claria!" Ariadne called, seeing her one-time guide and current friend at the snack vendor. She walked up to the Zora and grinned, "This place is pretty cool. Food smells pretty good, too. Have you ever been here before?"

During her time in Zora's Domain, Ariadne hadn't changed her overall style, but her clothing had changed pretty dramatically. She now wore a headband to keep her still-wild hair out of her face. Dark blue, tailored clothing had replaced the baggy rags of yesteryear, and she'd even gotten her ears pierced for a nautical-looking style. While she wasn't necessarily cold here, she still wore a long, white coat over top that hung to the mid-thigh.

[LuckyBlackCat]

"Yep!" Hauling the coiled-up rope over her shoulder, Alyson returned the grin. Mention of food had certainly piqued this guy's interest, and he looked like he needed copious amounts of it to maintain that muscular frame. "There's going to be plenty tonight, and a huge Yuletide dinner tomorrow! Ohh, and if it's the kind of thing you'd be interested in, one of the contests is going be an eating competition! Yunobo of Goron City will be hosting it, I take it he'll be eating rock roasts, but I overheard some of the chefs talking about what else there'll be! Roasted goose, cranberry stuffing, mince pies, candied chestnuts..."

She chatted away as they set to work. It turned out the Zora didn't even need to grab a nearby ladder; the sharp claws on his hands and feet allowed him to climb the post with impressive speed. "Heyyy, wait up!" Alyson giggled, securing the ladder and hefting the rope up the second pole. "You'll leave me behind at this rate!"

Somehow, she managed to keep up, the duo fastening the lights to the points, stringing them from the gates to the rooftops along the main road until the place resembled a starscape. Dusk was quickly giving way to night, but the buildings, the stalls, the flakes spiralling from the sky remained illuminated, pastel colours dancing across them. Between the two of them, putting the final touches to the festive decor would take no time.


Cici, was it? As much as Claria hated to think about that night, she recalled the mysterious Hylian's introduction, the glittering writing in the air. A slight widening of the girl's golden eyes, and a warm smile on painted lips, indicated that Lady Cici also recognised her.

Before they had a chance to converse under better circumstances, however, a silver-feathered, red-cloaked Rito slid past Cici, turning the charm up to ridiculous levels and acting like his compliments gave him a free pass to the front of the queue. Hand on hip, fins bristling, Claria scowled. "You know, there's such a thing as waiting your turn."

Despite the flicker of annoyance on Cici's face, it turned out she had it handled. Expertly so, no less. Claria watched the noblewoman simply slip past the Rito, reclaim her place, and pull the veritable power move of ordering two flatbreads. The slightest hint of a smile, for just the briefest moment, tugged at Claria's lips as Cici held one out to the queue-jumper in a forceful gesture. There was no doubt as to who had the upper hand.

As Cici turned and left, having made her point, Claria sidled away from the stall. At the sound of a familiar voice calling her name, she turned towards the figure emerging from the inn, and her expression softened.

"Ariadne. Nice to see you here." For all the awkwardness of their first meeting, Ariadne's meddling father having insisted on a bodyguard for the journey to Zora's Domain, they'd developed a friendship over the past few months. Just as Claria had expected, the Hylian girl had developed considerable skill with alchemy and healing, and seemed to enjoy some aspects of her stay in the kingdom, as she displayed with her tailored nautical attire - even if others proved troublesome for her.

In response to Ariadne's question, Claria shook her head. "This is a first for me." She held out a hand, snowflakes settling on her webbed fingers. Not the kind of weather she was accustomed to, but as someone who thrived in the dark and the cold, it held a certain appeal. "It's different, but in no bad way." The simple, rustic architecture, while a drastic change from ornate stone pillars and bridges, had its own charm - although she was thankful for the Brightbloom seed shaped helm she wore, the door frames being so very easy to hit her head on if she wasn't careful. She could only hope to Hylia nobody had seen that embarrassing incident as she'd entered the inn earlier.

"Well, aside from the inevitable Yuletide lights comments." With a slight roll of her eyes, she turned her hand over, the glowing spots on her arm facing upwards and casting a green shimmer on the falling snow. Although she kept her luminescence as low as she could, the darker the night's shadows grew, the more it stood out. "As you can imagine, those are already getting old."

[Chaosome]

Malon blinked in surprise and and confusion alike as one of the women let out an all but silent huff before she brushed past him, only to have a flatbread suddenly thrust into his grasp with a smile faker than paint. The Rito looked down to the fresh bread in his hand with a perplexed tilt of his head.

"You know, there's such a thing as waiting your turn."

It wasn't until the Zora chimed in that he realized what happened. His cheeks lit up brighter than the Yuletide lights that were being hung in the distance. Immediately he bowed so deep that it wouldn't be a surprise if he nearly buried his beak in the dirt. "I'm so, so sorry! I didn't realize that there was a queue at all! I only just arrived a few moments ago, and saw you both aside chatting." he stood and bowed again as he continued. "It wasn't my intent to cut in line at all, please forgive my ignorance." Malon stood again and offered a genuinely sorry and embarrassed looking smile. The Hylian had long since turned her back to him, so he doubted she'd at all care about his apology, and the Zora didn't seem pleased with his accidental intrusion either. "What an awful first impression I've made."

Rubbing the back of his neck and clicking his beak he'd sigh and turn to the shopkeeper as he tugged out his wallet, dumping a couple silver rupees onto the counter. Most of his funds he brought today but... well. "Here sir, if you would? Take these and let it cover anything these ladies may want for the rest of the day. It's the least I can do for my fumbling." Malon motioned back towards not just Cici and Claria, but to the Zora's arrived friend as well.

The vendor stared down at the glittering silver rupees and then back up at Malon, then back down to the money before shrugging and snatching the gems up. "You got it!" The shopkeep wasn't about to argue with that kind of cash on the line. The bird's bad fortune was his gain he supposed.

With a nod he'd step aside and give another bow, smaller this time, in the ladies' general direction. "I honestly am very sorry about that. My stomach moves faster than my brain sometimes! I hope that hasn't soured the well beyond repair there! I'm Malon of Kakariko Village, I regret this wasn't a better introduction. I'm normally pretty okay at meeting new people!" the Sheikah bird said, once more awkwardly rubbing his neck as he glanced down, embarrassed, at the flatbread in his hand.

[El]

The chafing remark Claria spat in her defence made Ciel stand a little taller, her ego inflated with self-righteous indignation: it always felt good to be validated, especially in irritating matters. But, as dedicated as she had been to the bold image of a contemptuous march right out of there, with a huff and puff and a flurried tail of snowflakes and lace-... she didn't get far. Scarcely had she turned upon her heel did her ears then catch a flustered apology. An apology which just wouldn't end.

Baffled, Ciel paused in her tracks and turned back, watching the poor Rito as he suffered a meltdown. It was a peculiar feeling, seeing the very subject of her ire self-implode so abruptly - so earnestly. If there was enough blood left in her cheeks for it, she was sure she would've  reddened at the sight, seared by the hot iron of shame, but thankfully her shell wasn't quite that complex and so she was afforded further embarrassment. ...Had she really been wrong? Was this truly just a misunderstanding?

A grimace pinched her delicate features as the Rito went on to dump out a far too generous sum of rupees upon the stall's counter. And then he was there, right up in their faces, bowing, mewling, stringing together so many words of atonement and confession that she couldn't help but be impressed by his continued eloquence: most other folks would've deteriorated into fumbling stutters by that point. He very likely wasn't wrong when he stated how well he usually got along with society. And yet there he stood, humbled, head down in shame as he looked at the flatbread clutched between his fore-feathers like a chastised child.

Ciel sighed.

Fine. She was wrong.

Swallowing back a bitter mouthful of prickles and disdain, the Blue Fairy felt her heart soften. A twitch of her nose and a purse of her lips later, she resigned herself to striding back towards the Rito. Her own barely-touched flatbread in one hand, she extended her other, curling the gloved fingers around his. The touch was hesitant at first, but it was gentle. And when he raised his eyes to meet hers she would smile. Perhaps it was warped with the guilt of a wounded ego, but it was warm nonetheless - sincere in its own way.

It was an honest misunderstanding, her tender gaze seemed to say, though she wasted no magic on quite literally spelling out the words. Instead she lifted up onto the toes of her leather boots and carefully pressed a sweet kiss onto Malon's cheek: a twitch briefly crinkling the corners of her eyes when his soft feathers tickled her nose.

Surely no more needed to be said? Or done for that matter.

Claria seemed to have attracted an old friend too, and Ciel had little interest in interfering with the reunion at this moment. So she curtseyed elegantly to the two ladies and took her leave properly this time - and a lot less 'violently'. It would be an exaggeration to say she was sulking, but the way she then went on to nibble at her flatbread was certainly less indignant and far more reluctant. The taste had been marred. ...Would one of the children eat it if she gave it away?

"Mew~?"

...

Well, Ciel supposed it wasn't just children who enjoyed food.

Carefully crouching down into the snow many strides later, the 'Hylian' extended a hand out to a beautiful black cat to allow the creature to approach her first. It took a moment, hesitating in the comfort of its quieter alleyway, before striding out of the shadows: taking care to step only where footprints already were. It purred, humming with delight as her fingers brushed his fur, tickling under his chin and rubbing behind his ears.

You silly creature, I thought you'd hate being out in this weather?

His eyes glistened up at her, only to close again in warbles of bliss. The bell at his collar jingled.

I suppose it DOES smell nice.

Ciel knew the devious little beauty was only acting sweet because he wanted something from her - she knew that tactic all too well! - so to save him the extra effort, she blew generously on the flatbread and held it out. Sure enough, he wasted no time in trying to munch on it: though the task proved tougher than he'd expected. Not only was the flatbread too hot, it was too large. A dastardly foe for peckish felines to be sure.

In the end Ciel had no choice but to then spend her time delicately plucking out the filling and blowing on each bite. And by that point, the cat had settled into the comfort and warmth of her lap, paws wrapped impatiently around her now soiled glove, put to work by his irresistible cuteness. Ciel was still crouched of course - she would NOT ruin this majestic new mantle by sitting on the dirty snow of all places! - but since when did cats ever care about the stability (or amount of room) of their perches?

So absorbed were they in their shared moment of slave and master feeder and recipient, that when a chill came sweeping in, silent but sharp, it cut them both down to the marrow of their bones. They stilled, frozen. Two pairs of wide, unblinking eyes lifted to stare in the direction of the East Wind.

Ciel felt the cat's tail flick - just once - against her chest. Her throat tightened, a discomfort that eased only when she raised her fingers to the golden choker sealed around it. Yet as quickly as it'd come, it left. The hustle and bustle of the festivities came roaring back into her senses.

"....Merh." The feline grunted, ears still pricked with disquieted alert.

I agree.

[AmJanky]

Ashley

Traditionally a time to make merry, celebrate with friends and family and decorate with the egregious and flamboyant colours Hateno was starting to look decked out, baubles, lights, garlands and multicoloured magical drones flitting around and colouring the (admittedly normally already colourful) town. Even the mushroom installations had been given a Yuletide make over.
There were stalls lining the street hawking wares and foods and drinks. People from all over came into Hateno to celebrate the holiday. Yule was Ashley's favourite time of year. Not just for the decorations and people coming into town, but for the treats, mostly.

But there he was, not in that picture at all. Rather he was napping on the couch, or well, draped onto the couch, an arm over his face and a leg dangling over the edge. Snoring, loudly. It was just as well that his sister wasn't around, she might have snapped a pictograph of the scene.

On the floor were still the remnants of the Horriblin-lifestyle Ashley had been leading the past few weeks, only instead of on a cave ceiling he lived on the top of his cutting table or resting his back against the side with fabrics draped around him and a few pins between his lips.

A day prior he'd send out the very special package. A commission he had been working very hard on, it had cost him many a sleepless night and a lot of tiny little pin pricks in his fingertips.

Her request to make it monochromatic had been an exercise in restraint for him, but he found solace in adding the different textures in furs and trim and excessive amounts of glittery silver work. Too proud to ask Cece to borrow one of her newfangled treadle powered sewing machines. He'd do this by hand or die trying, by the sixth millionth stitch he was regretting that decision.
Any longer and he'd have started hissing at anyone who dared enter his lair.

However it had been worth it, so worth it. Today was the day he could see it in person on the majestic model Ciel. But needless to say, he was still catching up on some much needed z's. Blissfully unaware that the town was already bustling. Until he shot up out of nowhere and loudly exclaimed "But are the pockets big enough?!" Before looking around to find the sun already setting.



Moments later - If 'moments' consisted of meticulously doing one's hair. And pressing the seams on a red and green plaid vest once more. And draping every pleat of the bright red long overcoat to flow perfectly with each stride. And taking far too long to decide on four mismatched baubles in his ears and add other golden accessories. And at the last moment deciding against bringing a candy striped cane. - he shot out the door a piece of fruitcake half shoved into his mouth. He might try and feed it to the fish later, cause it didn't taste as good as it looked. Just before the bridge to enter the center of Hateno he stopped, straightening his vest and slowing down to a saunter. Making sure to take in the decorations and lights. Scaring a duck or two to flutter up with much ado because a piece of rubbery cake landed between them.

He was never Too Late, only Fashionably Late.



Foregoing the foodstalls, for now, he stopped at one of the stalls selling a rather punchy Yuletide version of the Noble Pursuit, spiced up with Chickaloo nut and Pumpkin. Purchased two and was planning on delighting his sister with his presence at the East Wing, weren't it that she was already outside.

When she just blinked at her brother still standing slightly dazed at door she was just shown the outside of, he offered her the cup, "Punch?"

[Rex Draco]

Sin| Hateno | Arc III
____________________

Sin's movements across the makeshift walkways, which were just planks laid across the rooftops, looked heavy and unbalanced, but despite his leadened steps the Zora was quite fearless, no matter how low the boards bent beneath his weight. His wide, webbed feet turned out slightly, allowing his claws to grip the wood with ease. He hung his lights across the determined path, one that had been determined by Purah's distinctly difficult to discredit calculations. He finally arrived at the end of the line, which was the balcony of the Great Ton Pu Inn, but as he stood on the edge of the banister he noticed that one of the lights on the rope was out.

The Zora could have easily left it, but it didn't seem right to allow the damaged length. Luckily the rope of light was not attached in a single length. Such a thing would have been disastrous because if a part of the decoration was damaged it would have involved tearing it down as a whole. The section in question was just an arm's length of rope. He decided he would remove it and bring it to Purah so she could repair it. He was sure that woman had a method to fix her own invention were it to fall into disrepair somehow. As he worked on detaching it from the rest of the rope.

But Sin wasn't alone on that balcony. Given the Hateno's festivities there were many travelers that had stopped there to enjoy the celebration. One in particular was a small child, likely strayed from her parents' side amidst their frantic efforts to settle their luggage in their rooms before heading out to enjoy all the streets had to offer. She wore a little pink dress and had blonde hair that was tied up in little pigtails on either side of her head. She stared up at the Zora as he took down the malfunctioning bit of decoration.

"Why — how come you're taking down the lights Mr. Fish?" Her voice was soft, barely a peep over a sugarplums.

The Zora blinked. He had never been confronted by such a  creature before. She looked to be Hylian, though those big eyes were like blue saucers. They were alien. Sin didn't know how to speak to children, let alone explain his actions in a way that their yet-developed minds could understand.

"Why? Why are you taking our decorations?" The child pleaded.

"Ah—" He hummed for a moment, rolling his claw-tipped digits against his chin and lips. "Well you see one of the lights have gone out, so I have to take this whole thing back to the workshop to be repaired." Did he use too many big words?

In the end he was not sure he was able to soothe the child. He eventually decided to take the tiny tadpole by the hand and walk them back into the inn. There he got them a glass of water and scooted them off back to their room. The child stopped and looked back at him. The Zora smiled uncomfortably before patting their heads. Pleased at this they became easier to send off.

Once that was resolved Sin made his way back out of the inn and would head back to the front of town where Purah could be found with her popup workshop (which consisted of a table and a few of her toolkits). The Zora was now on the streets, making his way from the inn to the town's entrance. This meant he would cross through the main road where the stalls were set up at either sides of the street.