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This time of year, there are plenty of charity events sprouting up--and Destiny City Memorial Hospital is the lucky benefactor of this years sponsored Ginger Bread Run. While there is always some sort of Holiday themed run being held, it seems like this year has gone above and beyond--all with the children in mind.

This year's charity run has an entry fee of fifteen dollars and promises good fun--and all the milk and cookies you want after the race. Corporate sponsors are promising to match every donation in addition to their own donations, and all schools have promised to match the donation any student makes while running. If you can't afford fifteen dollars but still want to run, for the price of one unwrapped toy or ten cans of food, you too can participate!

The volunteers this year have truly worked miracles--yesterday, the streets looked normal, and today? Large banners and props were in place and lines were forming for the sign up. Two streets and half the park has been blocked off to make way for this race course. Festive music is playing and everyone seems to be in a good mood.

The race is going to be starting soon, but you've got a little time to wander around, make friends, and sign up if you haven't already!

Albert Wiley - Competing

His little bird had been in a state ever since the encounter with a pair of Corrupts that Wren said had been people she'd known - people of Order. While Albert was well aware that it was probably normal to be upset when finding out your allies had defected to (or were kidnapped and brainwashed by) the enemy, and was willing to give her a free pass to moping due to both that and being sick after the Rabid Poinsettia Attack, he wasn't going to allow it to turn his daughter into a shut-in. If she had her way, that was exactly what would happen. And as her father, he simply wasn't going to let that happen.

So here he was at the sign-ups for the Gingerbread Run, daughter in tow. He'd come for the kids and the milk and cookies, but frankly even without those he probably would have done his best to get Emily Wren out of the house. It could not be good for her to mope that long. A little melodrama was fine, given how fond of it he himself was, but this? No. No, this could not - would not - be allowed, and what better than a little physical motion to help her start perking up again?

"Come along, Wren," he chided gently, tugging her hand as they walked about. "And try to cheer up, little bird. this will be fun, and it's for a good cause!"

Joseph Ross - Competing

Normally, Joseph was only interested in races if they were done on or in something with a motor. Traveling by foot just wasn't his style. But this? Well.... this was for charity, and he was spending the holidays alone in his little apartment again. Rather than mope away the days - or worse, get in touch with his jerk of a father - he might as well do something good with his time.

With his hair finally long enough to pull into a ponytail (still not as long as he'd like it, but ah well, he was feeling more himself than he had been since running to Destiny City over - damn, had it really been - two years ago, now. And that meant he was comfortable enough to get out of his comfort zone and do something that well.... wasn't really to his taste, but when the price was some canned food that would go to feed people in worse straits than he himself was, there wasn't really any reason to say no.

Besides, those two mops of curls looked pretty familiar, even if one was decidedly unhappy to be here.

"Hey, Wren! Curls, darlin', I haven't seen you in too long," he greeted, making a beeline for his girlfriend and her father, greeting the petite young woman with a kiss to the cheek (which earned him a grumpy glare from her father, but ehhhh, he was used to the old man's sulking by now).

Cara Stauss - Competing

It had taken every penny Cara could save up from her part-time, unofficial dogwalker work to be able to do this. It was cutting into her funds for the dog she was saving up to get (someday.... someday, when she was staying somewhere she could keep one, instead of at a school for girls nobody wanted anything to do with), but she wasn't a little kid any more, and would be just fine without a Christmas. But she was hardly the only one who suffered the lack of one. If she could help keep others from suffering what she had for too many years to fully count...

...It wasn't because she really cared, though. She was just bored, and needed something to do. That was all, and anybody who questioned her about it would answer to Mr. Right Hook if they decided to get mouthy. For now, though, the albino teenager was double-checking she had brought extra sunscreen (layers and winter run or no, the sun was her enemy), and tucked her hat - with its dumb neck shade - down further over her head, dark prescription sunglasses easing the torment on her eyes.

If she was going to do this, she was going to minimize the sunburn she was likely to be left with - there was no need to end up in the hospital herself trying to do a good thing.

"This is stupid," she grumbled under her breath, and shook her head as she stamped in place a little, trying to make sure her shoes were going to stay comfortable for the run. "This is stupid, and I'm damn stupid for doing it, and - ughhhhh no point backing down now, I guess..."

Jocelin Lefevre - Competing

Flyers for the Gingerbread Run had been up all over town and Jocelin hadn't been able to ignore them for long. It looked, was for a good cause, and it was something to do to pass the time. She'd never really done a run like this before but she did usually go jogging in the morning and so long as she wasn't worried about winning it would be fine. She figured whoever won would be someone who did this sort of thing regularly.

She'd decided to go a little over and beyond and brought her entry fee and a toy. Both were turned in at the sign up table and she was given a number paper to pin to her shirt.

Since she had a bit of time before the race started she went over to where there was a bit of space for those running so she could stretch. The weather wasn't perfect, still a bit too cold, but she'd brought a scarf so hopefully she could keep her lungs from freezing while she ran and maybe, just maybe, they'd have hot coco at the end along with the milk and cookies

Alerana Ikaros - competing

As soon as Rana heard about the Gingerbread Run, she was on that like white on rice. Yes, it was just a charity event, offering a chance to do something nice for the children in the hospital. And sure, there weren't any prizes,unless you counted free milk and cookies. And you even had to pay to get in, though it wasn't all that much. But the run was still a kind of competition, so there was no way she was going to miss it! So she bundled up in a warm coat, wrapped a scarf around her nose and headed out. She was certain to warm up once she started running, but until then she needed the clothing to keep the chill off. She could always take of layers later.

Rather than pay the $15, Rana took the slightly cheaper option and stopped by the store on the way to the race in order to pick up 10 cans of veggies. (They were even on sale, so they cost less than a dollar each!) Then, plastic grocery bag in hand, she headed over to the registration table. Once she made her way to the front of the line, she plunked her bag on the table and told the staff member, "I'm here to sign up for the run."

After the registration form was filled out, Rana found she had some time on her hands before the race started, so she wandered around the area and admired the decorations.

Isaiah Varney - Definitely Not Competing

The choice to leave the house was not entirely his; the bustle of movers and constant shifting of his scanty belongings meant that Isaiah was constantly in the way in his own home. Gwen had been distant of late since he returned to their apartment, and the uncomfortable situation between them pushed him toward returning to his work place. He loathed a hostile household, especially when he could not relax within its confines, so he finally capitulated to the movers and left early that morning. Only a fraction of that decision was contributed by the charity race, and he felt no guilt over that.

After depositing his donation to charity, Isaiah tracked down a seat amongst the stands that remained relatively close to the ground. Few of the 'good seats' remained with others having arrived long before he, but one gracious girl among the front rows offered to swap him for one of the seats further up. While he accepted, he reminded himself mentally to pick up a prosthetic - even if it was only for the looks.

An inevitable anxiety settled upon him by virtue of being in such a public space. He recalled from around Halloween how the large gathering of townsfolk was beset by bats - him included. He knew from experience that any congregation of people stood vulnerable to Negaverse ploys or magical scheming, and that a battle could erupt anywhere. He knew the Negaverse proved deathly serious in their aims. He knew that, by attending, any one of these people might wind up a victim of their own choices, never to wake again. Such steep repercussions weighed against the immensely frustrating days he spent cooped up in Quenton's apartment, and how he went stir-crazy in a matter of hours. Neither life choice appealed to him, but appeal was a luxury he lacked now.

As he sat with his cane pinned between his legs, he looked out at the runners that congregated in the stretching area. None looked like anyone he knew, but most seemed young and spry and undefeated by the oppressive air of DC events. One even looked definitively older than the rest, and Isaiah immediately felt a pang for how this older man (Albert) could run and yet he was relegated to the bleachers. Then again, said older man probably lacked a history as a besieged knight. Next to him was a younger girl (Emily Wren), and their similarity to one another led him to conclude they were competing as family members.

Well. How about that. I hope this old fellow wins, then.

Jada Chamberlyn || Competing, because why the hell not

If there was one thing that Jada was weak for, it was charities. One could, eventually, even narrow it down to specifically children's charities. And it certainly had nothing to do with Aidan and Giulia, who were staring around at the Gingerbread Festivities with awe in their bright eyes; or with Lucas, who had decided he wanted to be a doctor; or with Zora, who was.... doing something... or with Kayley, who had died far, far too young. Well, it might have had a little to do with her having 5 younger siblings. But mostly it had to do with charities. (That was her story, and she was sticking to it.)

Destiny City Memorial Hospital had seen far too much of Jada over the years, and if $15 and a workout was going to be the cost for a little fun and charity, so be it. She knelt down, tugging at Giulia's cap, squishing the blonde curls under her hat, and fussing with Aidan's gloves. The twins rolled their eyes, attention more on the mass of people than anything else. With a sigh, she pushed to her feet, scanning the crowd for a familiar face. Her father or one of the others was supposed to be here to keep an eye on them while she ran, but she'd not seen hide not hair of any of them since they got in last night for their annual Christmas celebration.

There were several vaguely familiar faces, but she'd been out of the social scene of Destiny City for some time, her stops being short and intermittent. Last time she had been here.... with caedus, and then the time before that... terrible nightmares about a future that was frighteningly on track for a nauseating dystopia. She'd been in and out for so long, she honestly wasn't sure where to start again. But with the new year, the twins would be starting their new kindergarten, and she would be trying to settle in and decide what she wanted to do with her life.

For now, she was going to focus on the Gingerbread run, and her terribly late babysitters. “Giulia, don't put your gum in Aidan's hair,” she told her daughter absently, and ignored the betrayed gasp and inevitable squabbling between the twins. Aidan's fury was a loud squawk, and the puffing thumps of poorly-thrown snow behind her back eventually turned into giggles, and the pattering of- feet.

Damn it all.

“Giulia! Aidan! Get back here!” But the twins were gone, prancing through the crowd, sending snow flying under their feet. Honestly, they had about 0 situational awareness, and she had let herself get distracted. A familiar flash of rainbow-dyed hair, and Aidan was hoisted on Zora's lean shoulder. He waved frantically, and Jada lifted her hand- finally. She'd been afraid she might have to ask a stranger to babysit the kids while she ran, and that would have been quite embarrassing.

Making her way to sign in, and then to the starting point, Jada pulled her long hair back into a thick ponytail and began to warm up, starting from the ankles and moving up her body. Better to stretch and not have to worry about keeling over from a cramp, than try and look cool and die in pain halfway through the race.

She was clearly getting old.

Kolman Oriol (Quest character) - competing

Though he had just recently moved to town, even Kolman had heard of the Gingerbread Run. Well, he said "recently" but actually he had been here for a couple of months. He just hadn't made many (read: any) friends yet. At school, he pretty much had been keeping to himself so far. Every now and then, he'd sneak photos of things that he found interesting on his phone but he hadn't done anything with them yet. He had been toying with the idea of trying to see if the school had a newspaper or maybe some club dedicated to photography that he could join. But so far, eh. He hadn't done anything with those thoughts.

Maybe this event would help him get out there and finally find some friends. It was worth a try anyway, he was getting kind of tired of being lonely. So he showed up at the start of the race wearing comfortable but warm clothes and carrying one of his smaller, less-expensive cameras. He didn't want one of the larger cameras that was worth more possibly getting damaged. From what he had heard, this seemed more like a fun-run that was just called a race than an actual race where you had to fight for your place in a huge pack ...but no sense in taking chances.

As he wandered around, trying to figure out exactly when or how they were supposed to line up, he accidentally bumped into someone. "Er. Sorry, I'm just trying to figure out where I'm supposed to be."