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Winter solstice had come unusually quickly this year, or at least, so it seemed to Zalir. Zey had spent the fall mostly holed up in zeir dorm studying. But with the announcement earlier this week that there would be a festival today, the shy Litch figured zey might as well socialize. After all, festivals meant prizes such as Aetherjellies--and potentially making new friends!

Zey picked up a stocking and looked around. What first? An Imp with a vase of paper slips beckoned. Zey walked over. "Um, w-what do I do?" zey said.

"Dip your hand into the vase and take a slip of paper. You get whatever prize is written on the paper."

Sounded simple enough. Zey slipped zeir hand in and took a piece of paper. Zey held up the card and let the Imp read it. The Imp nodded. "A book then! You can choose any from that shelf." They pointed to a rolling shelf full of books.

Zalir picked up a book with "alchemy" in the title. That looked promising!



I am not tallying points for this event. I'm just doing this for the trinkets and the familiars.

Xenophon led his father into the carnival, hand clasped tight around the grown-up's. There would be a new chance to win new prizes here and maybe make new friends. And, of course, there would be a chance to listen to Dad's band play. They were one of the numerous bands invited to provide music for the music. Their usual rock bent had been set aside for the day in favor of more traditional Geist solstice songs. That was just fine with Xeno. To him, the important thing was to be able to point to his dad and tell everyone that that was his father. He was VERY proud!

Xenophon looked around at all the decorations. There were garlands and fake snow everywhere. He accepted a stocking from the attendant at the entrance. He had one at home now, with his name on it and everything, but it seemed polite to accept one. Still dragging Jurvik along behind him, he rushed over to a beanbag toss. The beanbags were round and white--snowballs, of course. He dropped his father's hand, gave him a big smile, and tossed one of the beanbags. He tossed two more--each landing in a different hole. The attendant clapped their hands. "Very nice!" they said. "Well, I think that deserves a book and a plushie! Which ones would you like?"

Xeno looked up at Jurvik, then at all of the plushies and the books. Cautiously, as if afraid it was a joke, he picked up a brown and white Kidden plush. That was the easy part. "Which book should I get?" he asked Jurvik.

Jurvik pointed at a thick novel. "That one. I read it when I was a kid--you'll love it, Xeno."

Xeno nodded and picked it up. "Thank you!" he said.

"Not a problem," the attendant said with a smile. "Enjoy yourselves, both of you! And Happy Solstice!"

Oh how romantic~! Odessa was excited to learn that the Above had been opened up. She couldn't wait to meet all the other races and make friends. It reminded her of something she'd read in one of her stories! She clutched her newest book to her chest, her mind in half whimsical thoughts of what might be. She hoped she could meet one soon, though she still was fairly new to the school and hadn't made many friends yet. Perhaps soon..




Oh yeah! It was Gift Giving time~! This had been the first year that Kiessi had a family. They couldn't wait to see all the decorations and people around~! It was going to be beautiful! They waited patiently, glancing around for their mother who was supposed to meet them here. When they finally saw her, they smiled and waved, bouncing on their feet toward her. They squealed in glee as Tambre handed them a large fennekit plushie! It was almost bigger than they were! They clung to it, smiling happily. "Thank you!" This was going to be the best Gift Giving ever!




Kara pulled her legs in close as she sat on Odessa's bed. She couldn't help but giggle just a little at her friend's daydream. She wasn't quite so enthusiastic about the Above as her friend, to be honest, she wasn't quite sure what to think about all of it, but she had been accused of being emotionless before.. perhaps this wasn't any different. When the question came from Odessa about her thoughts on the matter, she just gently shrugged, glancing off toward the wall. "I'm not really sure. I mean.. I guess everyone has a right to attend the school if they like, I just don't have much of a drive to see it." She hoped that was a decent enough answer, despite her friend's sudden deflation when she heard it.




Another festival. Another chance to cause mischief... Anara had heard strange rumors about creatures from Above coming to the festivities this year.. how strange! Perhaps it was interesting to note that there were more people to scare, but would it be as easy with such dastardly creatures running about? This definitely deserved some investigation. Anara smiled and sent out her newest little familiar to get some dirt on these new monsters...




Rorie was still pretty new to this Academy life and this had been the first festival he had been able to attend. He was a bit unnerved by the amount of crowd that had already gathered in the short amount of time it had been open. Were things always this way. He mused and stumbled through, trying to find anyone familiar but with the mountains of faces he was left pretty confused. He stumbled toward a stall and blinked, "May I have one?" He asked, pointing toward a box. The attendant gave it to him with a smile. As he unopened it he was surprised to see a cute little plushie inside.


Today's Items~
Odessa: Familiar
Kiessi: Plushie
Kara: Trinket only
Anara: Familiar
Rorie: Plushie

Point Total: 32
Dec 1st: 16, 10, 6

Winter Solstice was a very important holiday. It was the midpoint of the winter--after tonight, the nights would get shorter, and, hopefully, the weather would get just a little milder. Not that the weather bothered Ustule much. She was wearing a very light sweater, and only because she liked the colors of it. She wasn't all that cold, in spite of the snow falling outside the window.

Sphery was staring at her from her pillow, as though contemplating something deep. Ustule sighed. There was a festival going on downstairs. That meant that she could earn some prizes. Maybe some plush toys, or some candy. Maybe she could find a revenant poking around or something. It was unlikely, but hey, it was possible, right?

On the other hand...there were Daydreams about downstairs. Daydreams! The very idea rankled. So did she stay up here, snubbing those warmongering foreigners? Or did she venture downstairs to collect prizes and see friends?

In the end, greed--and loneliness--won out. Much as she might try to deny it, Ustule was a social animal. She needed interaction. She made her way downstairs and into the great hall, which was awash with people chatting and playing games. She silently collected a stocking from the person at the front and surveyed the available games. Which one, which one...well, that game over there looked interesting. It was a bottle game--throw the ball, knock over the bottles, win a prize. Sounded simple enough. She picked up the ball, aimed carefully, and threw.

Her throw earned her a prize. It wasn't the world's best throw, but a prize was a prize, nonetheless. She looked over the prizes and blinked. "What is thet?"

"It's an indoor snowball set," the game master said. "Cotton balls enchanted to be as cold as snow. That way, you can play indoors or during summer."

During summer? That was intriguing. And it came in purple, too! "I will take a purple one, please," she said.

The game master nodded and handed her the purple one. The bottles rang loudly as a boy next to Ustule hit the bottles. "Excuse me," the game master said.



Aw, heck yes, Winter Solstice! True, the colors were fricking dull, and it was cold outside, but dull colors weren't always bad, and anyway, he was part Litch. He was supposed to be able to withstand the cold, right? Even if he'd been raised as a southerner... Peri looked around for the thousandth time for any sign of Promme. Nope, not yet. He sighed heavily and took Teo's hand. "Come on, let's find some games while we're waiting." He made his way over to the bottle throwing game, only to find someone already there. It was a Litch girl--had he seen her around before? He wasn't sure. While she was throwing at one stand of bottles, he picked up another ball and threw at another stand.

He managed to knock over the bottles--at least as many as the girl next to him. He overheard her conversation with the game master, so he knew what he wanted when the adult came over. "Is there a green one? I like a green one. And can I have an extra prize, even if I didn't earn one? My friend can't play games like this. We're trying to find one he can."

The game master looked over at Teo, noted the cane and the fox, and hesitated. "No," he said. "But I can offer him the next best thing."



Throwing balls wasn't really Histeol's thing. It involved hand-eye coordination, which, well, involved eyes. So he sighed and simply tapped the ground with his cane. He listened for any sounds that might indicate either Prometheus or Parodia on their way. None yet. His hand reached down to scratch Haint, his seeing-eye Spectrefox's, ears. Someone tapped him on the shoulder. "Yes?" he said.

Someone pressed a ball in his hand. "Would you like to try to throw?" a voice said. It was a gentle voice--an adult's voice. It was probably the game master.

"I can try," Teo said doubtfully. "But I won't be any good at it. I'm blind," he added.

"Well, maybe I can be lenient on you?" the game master said jokingly. He sounded so determined to include Teo...it was hard to resist something like that, even if Teo's instincts told him never to trust a carnival attendant.

"Don't be too lenient on me," Teo said with a smile. He turned to the booth and made a throw. There was a satisfying ringing sound as the ball connected with the metal bottles.

Perigor whooped and clapped him on the back. "Verynice! Very, very nice, Histeol!"

Teo tilted his head. "Did I knock them over?"

"You sure did!" the adult said. "I think that earns you a double prize, a plush and something else. We've got indoor snowballs, boas--"

Teo nodded. "Boas sound good."

"What color?"

Teo hesitated. He heard the sigh from the adult as he realized his mistake. "It's okay," Teo said brightly. "I get that all the time. Um, Perigor--"

"On it!" his fellow freshling said.

Something fluffy settled around Teo's shoulders. He gave Perigor a grateful smile. "Thanks!" he said to the game master. "And, um, I'll take...um, any plushe that isn't a cat, please. I've got a few of those," he explained.

"Gotcha," the game master said. Something fluffy and goat-shaped settled into his arms.

Ziron sat and watched as some musicians played on the stage, tapping their foot to the must. Oh how they loved listening to the sounds that came this time of year, and this time it was even more special thanks to the daydreams finally being able to travel to the below. It was all but exciting! How could one not be gleeful seeing all these new faces and races? As they remained sitting though, Ziron was handed a book by the librarian. That was actually kind of nice, and it was one of their favorite books too!




"Time to get going Phyre!" Candy called out to her oldest as she put on her coat and going to find Phyre. Ever since Candy had brought home Crystallize's soulstone, Phyre had been acting a bit weird around her new little brother. At the moment though Crystallize was being taken care of by a babysitter Candy trusted so she could have some time alone with Phyre. After all, ever since Crystallize woke up the two of them girls hadn't had a lot of time alone together to just be mother and daughter ", Phyre, you are going to miss out on all the fun games, foods, music, and events if you do not hurry up."

It didn't take long for Phyre to come out of her bedroom with her coat on as well, the two making their way to the celebration. It didn't take long for Candy and Phyre to be handed something, Candy receiving a pair of earrings.




Phyre just wasn't her normal self. Ever since her little brother had come home she had been wondering what she was supposed to do as a big sister. Did she protect her brother like knights did, or fight with him like enemies do? She had seen both examples around the academy, and it made her very confused. How do one act like a big sister?

With her warm clothes on, she finally went to Candy and followed her mother to the festivity, staying close to her the whole time there. At least Candy still loved her despite having to share her love between Crystallize and Phyre. That for sure Phyre knew. As they finally made it, Phyre was handed a deer antler accessory and... A HUGE PLUSHIE!!!! She loved it already.




There wasn't much Lazarus was really excited about when it came to the this particular holiday. He was kind of looking forward to seeing some of the daydreams, but besides that all Lazarus really wanted to do was eat and see what music was playing.

Sitting by one of the booths, Lazarus just simply sat there as he watched others go by. He knew that he should be more excited for the season, but it just didn't seem too joyous to him at the moment. One would think he would have made at least a few friends here at the academy, but he had yet to even make one. There was a few nightmares of interest, but none of them were his friends yet. Not even the peppermint bark or the nice plushie he had received just now could brighten his spirits.




After Hallows Eve and how success Yihad had been there, hu was looking forward to what was to come this time. Hu was still confused about how hu could even stand to be around so many nightmares (And now Daydreams as well) that could see hum mess up at any moment, but there was just something about going to these events that made Yihad joyous and ecstatic!

After entering the grounds of the booths, Yihad was almost immediately handed a book by the librarian, a grin forming on hus face. I was a good one too, The Young Nightmare's Guide to Dark Alchemy. Hu was going to enjoy this one when hu got back to hus dorm.




Looking around curiously for what he was supposed to do, Vivek didn't know what one was to do at these huge festivals. Did they eat food? Play games? Listen to other play music? It looked like everyone was doing different stuff, so how was he to decide for himself?!

Deciding to allow himself to follow the crowds, Vivek soon found himself being given a stocking and a thing of candy canes. Why had he been given this stuff? Maybe it had to do with the name of the holiday, Gift Giving Day?




Hiding in the shades away from everyone, Somansh kept her wings hidden so those who did see her wouldn't see her wings. Out of any day, she didn't want others to be starring at her half wings. Today she just wanted to be a normal nigthmare and try to enjoy
Gift Giving Day, and to possibly meet a few of the Daydreams. After all she was part fallen, a race that had come from the Above. Maybe it would be alright to meet some of the other races that were from the above?

Finally slowly coming out of her hiding spot, she was given a stocking and holiday bracelet. They both looked like good enough quality, and she had been given them! It gave her a nice warm feeling, forgetting for a little bit about her deformity.




Giggling all the way, the little imp made her way through all the nightmares and daydreams when they showed up, looking at each booth before rushing off. She didn't know what she should do first! Everything just looked like so much fun! Finally she managed to slow down and stop at a game booth, bouncing in line while she waited for her turn. While she waited, she managed to turn to see something rather surprising.

One of the wisps had left the trees and was now hanging out by Jacintha, following her every moment. Assuming the wisp wanted to be friends, she motioned for the familiar to come closer, giggling happily as it did so. Not long after it was her turn to play the game, her dominating the ring toss and receiving a shiny boa! Now she could be a fashionista!



Total: 18 + 14 + 13= 45

Dodger wasn't sure if he was going to be able to meet up with his girl, but even if that was the case, this was a great time to try and find some great gifts for her. First holiday being together and all. Smirking, he took himself over by a ring toss game, and grabbed up the rings. Hmmm... What could he snag at this stand? Well all he could do was try it out and see if anything good came out of the effort!

"YES!" he shouted out among the crowd, blushing some, but mostly grinning at his excited outburst. He managed to land all three tosses. Well, since one can't just walk away from this kind of place without it, he made sure to snag up a peppermint bark prize, AND he also won a new familiar! This angry looking little bird amused him, so that was his pick. As the little critter tried chomping at his claws through the bars, Dodger laughed as he felt most amused. by it





Dodger
12.01.15

Kanda tugged her adopted father closer to the festivities, trying to get him there faster. Both her tails were wagging and her eyes were bright with anticipation. It would be her first festival with her new father and there would be Daydreams and nixies there! The little grimm wondered what the newest members of the academy would look like. Would they have horns and pointy tails? Most of the races of Below had horns, or a tail of some sort. So probably the daydreams would have them too.

Once they reached the festival, Kanda did her best to look around, getting on tip toes and everything to do it. There were a couple nixies around that she could see, but no entirely new people. Maybe they were actually the same races that were Below but they lived in Above? Hmm. . . Sliding her hand more sedately into Vüsala's, she thought about that.


For not the first time since he had adopted Kanda, Vüsala was glad she was mute. There would be none of the shrieks and excited yells that he could hear from the kids all around them. She had her own way to show her emotions and could be just as 'vocal' about her needs and wants. Right now for instance, with the way she was practically dragging him along, he could tell she was excited, and a faint smile touched his lips. Ah, well, it was exciting times they were in.

First thing they did was pick up a couple stockings. Kanda was doing her level best to see everyone in the immediate vicinity and he chuckled as he picked the stockings out; a yellow one for her and a simple red and green one for him. The couple behind the booth ushered them further in and Vüsala gently lead his daughter to the next booth while she was lost in thought. He picked out a book for her, tucking it into her stocking and got a surprise when the gentleman handed him a second one with a wink. What could--?

Ah. Vüsala politely thanked the man as he put that into his stocking. A romance novel, great. Obviously since it had chimera in it, it would be something he'd like to read, or so the older male probably thought. He bit back a sigh and turned to Kanda. A giant plushie was promptly handed off to him and he surmised from the giggling that was quickly receding that it was meant for him. Greeaat. The toy was nearly as large as his daughter! He tried to tuck it under his arm as best he could before trying to get Kanda's attention.