BOUNTY: HOLIDAY HELPERS

[forgeabettertomorrow]

Who: Darin Altway, Princess Zelda, and YOU
Status: Open
Where: EVERYWHERE! How? ChristmasWinterstide Magic!
What: Darin and Zelda have learned what Winterstide is all about and are making sure everyone gets presents
Warnings: Mariah Carey Intensifies

1 PREPARATIONS - Closed to Zelda

Can you believe they put a damn bounty on our heads?? All we're trying to do is give treats and spread some cheer!

[There's really no telling whose idea this was. When Darin and Zelda get excited about something together, there's really no stopping them. They build off of each other's energy until the result is...well. This. Darin dressed like an alarmingly buff elf and Zelda dressed in an adorably appropriate outfit, stuffing assorted gifts and treats into a large sack in the living room of their new house. They've been at this for a couple of nights now and Darin never would have guessed that a bounty would be put on their heads. But instead of backing down and letting capitalism rule the holiday, he's doubling down. That's right, they're waging a war on Christmas Winterstide.]

You know, you don't have to come with me. Your recall ability is useful but if someone tries to catch us...I don't want your good name being dragged through the mud because I don't know when to quit.

[Said as if she, too, is capable of knowing when to quit.]

2 UP ON THE ROOFTOP - OPEN

[Wherever it is you call home, whether it's an apartment, a cottage, or your very own island, whether you live out in the middle of nowhere or keep your home trapped and locked up like a vault, these two Winterstide Wonders will find some way to leave you something. Don't ask how they got in (it's either literal recall magic, brute idiot magic, or some combination of two) but you'll find a homemade gift, courtesy of a master smith and some hilariously shaped "sword" cookies courtesy of a princess. They're trying to be as quiet as they can be, but there's a chance you might catch them laying out their presents or making a daring escape! Do you chase after them? Call the authorities? Claim the bounty for yourself?]

[Or you could join in on the fun. The more the merrier, after all!]

3 DASH AWAY ALL - OPEN

[Okay, so Darin's not exactly the best when it comes to security systems. Apparently breaking one just kinda sets it off. The more you know, right? Except now they're on the run from people who don't take too kindly to breaking and entering, even if it's done with "good intentions."]

[It's not especially late, but these holiday hoodlums are looking for a place to lay low. Jumping from rooftop to rooftop is a little too conspicuous and their ridiculous getups don't exactly allow them to blend in. It'd be a Winterstide miracle if someone could find a manger, or something comparable, to hide these two in!]

(OOC: If you would like to specify a turn order, wish to tag one character over the other, or you're okay with a threadjacking free-for-all, please don't hesitate to say so in the comments! And if you're still not sure, feel free to reach out to either Ant bitterbearface or Jen knighted! All that matters is that everyone has fun! Happy Holidays!)

Comments

Up On The Rooftop

[minorinpain]

Nappa's abode, such as it is, is a dusty old attic he's managed to claim for himself, unused and difficult without flying. A few crates tossed together into a makeshift table, with the remains of a fairly sizeable meal (it's mostly meat) and a few chairs of different makes haphazardly tossed together, and weirdly what looks like a sack of lettuce or something next to a crate and that's all she wrote.

The big Saiyan is asleep in a cot on a loft further up, likely once used for other storage. There was a ladder, but the broken remains of it tossed in a corner show that Nappa wasn't a fan of other people being able to get up to where he sleeps. And he definitely is asleep. You can tell by the snores. A cat, a ratty-looking street tom with reddish fur, is curled up on top of a nearby crate. An eye opens lazily, then closes, unbothered.

Seems like it's an easy in and out job, whatever they feel inclined to leave for him...until the "bag of lettuce" rustles and two beady red eyes stare out at them, tiny claws gripping the bag's edge.

The Saibamen cocks its head curiously. "Gya-gya?"

[forgeabettertomorrow]

'Man, who the hell lives in an attic' thinks the man who, until recently, wanted to sleep in a hammock in his bedroom. Darin doesn't have any idea who the hell is up here but whoever they are, they're getting some questionably shaped cookies and a nice, finely crafted tool set.

Darin attempts to set the items down in a place where they'll be easily seen but freezes when the lettuce in the old sack seems to be looking at him.

Which causes him to freeze in place.

Darin cautiously raises a finger to his lips in a 'shushing' gesture because WHAT THE HELL IS THAT THING?!?!?!

[multidisciplinary]

Zelda used to give Darin grief about living like a bachelor, but this place makes his old apartment look like perfectly respectable. Maybe a better present would have been furniture...

Having found a place on the crate-table for her small box of cookies, she turns back to Darin find him frantically shushing her. She follows his line of sight and... is that head of lettuce looking at them?

...

THAT'S FASCINATING.

Zelda waves off Darin's concern with one hand and grabs the Purah Pad off her belt with the other. Oh she absolutely needs to get a picture of that weird lettuce. It's for science! Zelda readies the camera and creeps forward, trying not to startle the lettuce (well, and be quiet too).

2

[thearchangel]

[Garrus' place does, in fact, have a chimney. But it's a small one. No one except a squirrel could get in that narrow pipe. The windows are all covered from inside with heavy curtains. The door is locked, barred. It's almost impossible to tell if there's anyone home.]

[Except there's a thin line of smoke out from the chimney. It's suspiciously quiet.]

[Maybe everyone's asleep. Or just stepped out for a minute. Surely, this is a perfectly ordinary door, just locked normally. No traps or anything.]

I JUST GOT HOME ALONE FLASHBACKS

[forgeabettertomorrow]

[Darin eyes Garrus' apartment thoughtfully. He'd considered sliding his gift down the chimney but the smoke implies it's lit. Going through the front door seemed...too easy? But a window was probably going to be harder to unlock.]

[He'd wondered if Zelda's recall magic could put a lock back together if he were to 'accidentally' break it. For now, he going to take a look at the door and try and see if he can jimmy the lock. These apartments weren't exactly secure. Or well constructed.]

GOOD

[thearchangel]

[The door is so very unassuming. So very normal. So maybe it's made of different wood than the rest of the apartment wall. Maybe it and the frame look newer than the rest of it. That's totally not suspicious, right? Maybe Garrus banged his head one too many times and had to get it replaced.]

[That's a heavy-duty lock for a totally normal door, though. Huh. Weird - there's two different key holes in the same lock.]

In The Garden

[empyrean_mirror]

[Well, here's a stroke of good fortune. A certain house on Eltrut has a garden with nine foot tall flowers and a charming little workshop. While the flowers aren't in bloom (it's snowing outside), the stalks are still tall, and that workshop isn't locked! It looks warm and inviting!

It's not locked, unfortunately, because there are men canoodling in it. But we'll get there.

Kaveh's workshop is the kind of chaos you expect from an artist. Boxes of those beautiful mechanical butterflies, notes and diagrams about a 10 foot tall exploding candy pinata shaped like a gryphon, pieces of jewelry in various states of completion, a beautiful blond man with no shirt muttering about how his husband wears too many belts while he's trying to get to them, wood and bits of metal stacked and scattered haphazardly in crates around the floor he forgets to move every time he wangs his shin on them--

Wait.

They have not yet noticed the intrusion, so if you're very quiet and don't kick over the crates or yell or anything, maybe...maybe you can sneak back out without Alhaitham or Kaveh noticing?]

[forgeabettertomorrow]

[Gods above, Darin needs to teach someone how to organize a workshop. It's so cluttered in here! Seriously, when this is all over, Darin might just pay a house visit just to help organize this explosive mess.]

[For a man of Darin's size, navigating quietly is a hurdle all in its own. Fortunately, his not!girlfriend-maybe!wife can use some gentle recall magic to keep him from toppling over if she sees him start to list like a capsizing ship. Hopefully nothing distracts her.]

Honestly...how can anyone work this way..?

[He's got to find a place to leave Zelda's "sword" cookies and the handcrafted metal paperweight/model he'd made but it's got to be some place visible!]

[He's whispering and so focused on his task that he hasn't noticed that the workshop is "occupied."]

[indispensable]

[Unfortunately (or perhaps the opposite, considering the circumstances), he gets no answer to his muttered question. Or at least, nothing that seems to suggest as such, for the only thing that floats over is the sound of a low, husky laugh, sounding incredibly sultry and highly suggestive—which, well. His belts are currently being dealt with by an impatient hand, after all.]

...want this...

[It's a teasing murmur that's full of promise, directed to the same pretty blonde man who Alhaitham has effectively caged against the table he'd been working on. His husband has been out here for far too long for his tastes, so Alhaitham had felt the need to remind him on what he'd been missing out on for not wanting to join him in bed. Of course, its also far from the first time they've gotten frisky here, even if Kaveh tends to complain about all the aches that come from it—though right now that'd just give Alhaitham ample reason to carry his senior out from here and back to their bed.

But for now, Alhaitham gives no recourse to Kaveh's struggle with his belts, as he continues his own task of riling up his husband further by mouthing at his neck, kissing and nipping between pleased hums. His own shirt has also long since been taken off, tugged off and then tossed aside by those same hands that are on him now; a favor which Alhaitham had easily returned, and now promises a further reward by the way he runs them up and down the expanse of his husband's back, always relishing the touch of his lovely skin and desiring more himself. But he'll wait until Kaveh gets through those belts—a little delaye4d gratification has always made it better for the both of them.

Between his focus wholly caught up with his husband, and not really keeping track of his surroundings given the fact that they are, rightfully, in the relative privacy of their own place, Alhaitham thus does not pay any attention to the noise that's going on—provided that they don't get too loud. If so, then things will change very, very quickly.]

3

[crystalrepose]

What's that? A dramatic getaway from irate misunderstanding homeowners?

It'd be just terrible if a sleigh crossed the street in front of the escapees, one drawn by an excitable, very round gryphon whose stubby legs were no hindrance to it bounding exuberantly in its traces. It kept jerking the sleigh around and made its charming little bells ring discordantly.

The driver was cloaked and bundled up heavily against the cold, hood pulled down almost to her eyes--and her attention was on keeping the excitable creature from dashing off in random directions after a snowflake. Not from, say, keeping the sleigh from being at face height for Darin. At least it was empty.

[OOC: Thread order Darin, Zelda, Miriam? Miriam is technically disguised for the moment.]

[forgeabettertomorrow]

Okay, tonight might not be going as planned but if Darin is used to one thing, it's running away from angry people. Zelda, on the other hand, might not be used to it. Which is why he's got her hugging his back while he tears through the snow covered streets.

When the sleigh crosses into his path, Darin barely has enough time to react to it. All he manages to say is:

"That's the roundest bird I've ever— "

Before he tries to stop, skidding face first into the side of the sleigh with a deafening CRACK with enough force for Zelda to be deposited into the empty sleigh next to the mysterious stranger.

[multidisciplinary]

Zelda is, in fact, not accustomed to running away from angry people. She's fled the occasional Yiga ambush here or there, but on the whole, this is not a problem she has much experience dealing with. Also, her legs are a lot shorter than Darin's and the deep snow on the streets slows her down even more. So she's on his back, arms around his neck, as he darts through the snowy streets.

(If it wasn't for the circumstances, this would actually be kind of fun.)

At Darin's remark, Zelda turns her head in the direction he's looking. She has just enough time to realize, 'Wow, that is an incredibly round bird,' before he collides with the sleigh.

Zelda shrieks in surprise as the inertia of their escape sends her tumbling out of Darin's hold right into the front seat of the sleigh.

2

[astudyinviolet]

[ Sherlock lives in an apartment on Eltrut. It's small and furnished with the basics as it is one of the apartments given to new arrivals. It's also a mess. There are piles of books and newspapers scattered about on the floor, chairs, and tables. Odds and ends litter the shelves and tables. His violin sits in its case on his bed where a lot of plushies reside. Even the walls are covered with slips of paper, drawings or articles which are then connected with strings. His personal clue wall relating to the mystery of many Sherlock Holmeses is still covered by a sheet. However, it's far from his only clue wall he has.

Despite the late hour Sherlock Holmes is awake and attending to one such clue wall. He seems to have just gotten home from information gathering but got distracted by some new breakthrough on the case. How can they tell? Sherlock Holmes is currently half dressed in his disguise for the night, still in a chemise, corset, and petticoat. A long, dark wig is plopped atop a stack of books, and a green evening dress and warm blue cloak are draped over two chairs. Sherlock busies himself with writing new notes and making new connections with string with manic energy.

Needless to say, Sherlock was not expecting visitors half-dressed as he is. ]

[forgeabettertomorrow]

[Darin and Zelda were already in the apartment when Sherlock had come home. Fortunately for them, the mess has afforded them some places to hide. Darin's currently under a table watching Sherlock ponder his clue wall. Unfortunately, he didn't see where Zelda had squirreled herself away to...]

[He lowers himself and attempts to crane his head out from under the furniture to find his partner.]

[Also? Darin has a newfound appreciation for Sherlock. His old apartment was just as badly cluttered.]

[multidisciplinary]

[ This place...

...looks so much like Darin's old apartment-- clue walls, women's clothing, and sizeable collection of plush animals aside.

Now, Zelda might be the pot calling the kettle black for being judgmental of the kind of mess she herself was known to leave in her workshop in Hyrule Castle, but at least the clutter didn't completely overwhelm her bedroom as well. (The princess has not taken into account how much work her maids did to keep it that way.)

Zelda had been busy admiring one of the clue walls when she and Darin heard Sherlock returning home. Childhood instincts took over and she immediately dove under the bed.

That worked fine for a little bit, but now the dust bunnies are tickling her nose like crazy. A series of tiny, girlish sneezes are coming from under the bed. ]

2 Up on the Rooftop (use whatever format you prefer)

[emet_sulk]

Emet-Selch's cabin aboard the Phantom Moon is known by his fellow crew to be warded against intrusion. Even if it wasn't, those who remain know better than to snoop through another's private space. However, the extra peace of mind doesn't hurt.

The ship is currently docked at one of the main islands for tonight, conveniently for the pair. When Darin and/or Zelda decide to descend upon his cabin, things might seem a little too easy.

The door has a standard lock which anyone can brute-force or finesse with some effort. But once one steps over the threshold, some sort of magical rope suddenly wraps around the intruders and yanks them back. The aetherial bindings dangle them from the ceiling. The door to Emet-Selch's cabin slams shut and locks itself again.

And that is how the would-be gifters would remain until the man himself shows up.

(ooc: Feel free to play out the approach if you want or cut straight to the capture.)

[forgeabettertomorrow]

[Now this should be interesting. Darin, admittedly, doesn't know a lot about Emet-Selch other than his impeccable taste in weapons and the engine that he's been working on. But that doesn't stop Darin from wanting to give him a gift. He'd spent a considerable amount of time working on a set of precision tools fit for magitech testing and engineering and he'd be damned if he wasn't going to deliver them properly.]

[Fortunately, the ship was easy enough to find. And Darin and Zelda could easily get there by small rowboat without causing any disturbance.]

Heh...kinda reminds me of when we sneaked aboard Ganondorf's ship. At least now it's a nice occasion, right?? We should be able to get aboard and off without any issue.

[multidisciplinary]

[ Zelda makes a half-hearted noise in agreement as their rowboat reaches the Phantom Moon. Yes, it does remind her of sneaking aboard Ganondorf's ship... a memory which makes her stomach churn unpleasantly. That was a miserable, awful encounter that ended in severe injuries for Darin and Ranma, and the revelation of Sonia's death at Ganondorf's hands. Not a memory she likes to come back to, no matter how well-meaning Darin intends his reminder. ]

Actually, I would say that is all the more reason for us to be cautious. I doubt this ship is entirely without guards or defenses.

[ She's been thinking about these things for the Seventh Heroine too. She wouldn't want someone to be able to sneak aboard it as easily as she and Darin snuck aboard the Desert Wind. ]

2, because the idea was too funny not to

[telepathicignorance]

(Normally, Chris stays far away from their crappy Nogard apartment. Right now, however? They're more interested in staying far away from Ganon.

Being a member of the scourge is a lot less tolerable now that Reaper is no longer around.

Fortunately, they don't have their suit stored in the apartment. Or at least, not anywhere where someone who isn't intending on completely ransacking the place is going to find it. In fact, it's a really barebones sort of place that might make people wonder if anyone is living there at all.

There's basically just a small table, a chair, and a blanket hanging to separate the area with the bed from the rest of the space. Sidestep is currently lying in that bed, appearing to be asleep but not actually, because being anywhere near an actually sleeping Sidestep is a terrible idea and this thread would not go fun places at all if they were. Instead they're just pretending, because they could sense someone was coming and wanted to catch any wannabe thieves by surprise.

Except these... apparently... aren't thieves?)

...This isn't an elaborate attempt to tell me to eat a dick, is it?

(Anyone who looks will see Chris poking their head out from around the blanket curtain, staring.

Look, it was the first thing they thought of when they saw the cookies.)

[multidisciplinary]

[ Zelda is quite proud of her cookies. Sure, maybe they didn't quite come out looking like proper swords, but at least they came out tasty! (The batter took her a couple tries to perfect; her kitchen skills are still on the basic side.) So whenever the pair find the right spot to leave their gifts, Zelda spends a little extra time neatly arranging the cookies on a plate.

Which is exactly what she's wrapped up in when she suddenly hears a voice coming from behind the curtain dividing the room. She spins around with a small gasp to find the apartment's definitely-not-sleeping tenant looking out from behind the curtain.

Shoot. Caught in the act. And they had (probably) been so quiet this time!

Normally, Zelda would launch right into an apology, but Chris's remark puts that completely out of mind. ]

'Eat a--?' [ She abruptly cuts herself off as she realizes what she almost repeated. Her cheeks turning pink with embarrassment. ] N-No, of course not! They're swords! Obviously!

[ The audacity of insulting her dicksmas cookies! ]

[telepathicignorance]

(She might be proud, but that doesn't change what the cookies look like!

Sidestep comes out from behind the curtain and... wow, they really don't ever wear less than at least two layers, huh?)

And swords look a lot like dicks.

(That doesn't stop them from grabbing a cookie and eating it, though. Huh.)

Flavor's good, at least.

1

[multidisciplinary]

[ Zelda is carefully wrapping her less-than-perfect sword cookies to make sure that they don't break in transit, but stops abruptly and looks up. ]

I "don't have to come with you?"

[ She gives him a look as she deliberately repeats his words. Is he seriously trying to get her to sit out so he can take all the heat? Is this some misguided attempt at a heroic sacrifice? ]

Why do you act as though you've been forcing me to help you this entire time? This is as much my idea as it is yours.

[forgeabettertomorrow]

I know that but...if we get caught, won't that make things tough for you? I'm the roguish corsair here. Maybe I could just tell them I put you up to it?

[Darin continues to load more presents into the sack. Dispersing these in waves rather than in one night was the better, more strategic approach...but now people are on the lookout for them.]

Even though we're not doing anything bad. Gods forbid we try and spread some cheer, right?

curse you i'm gonna have mariah carey in my ear for months now >:(( (2)

[catsgothistongue]

[Ranma's humble abode, a humble ordinary-lookin cottage, does in fact have a chimney for the caroling capers' convenience. If they wanted to get into the Yuletide spirit and all, though the front door's unlocked, and is less of a cramped space to get in. Inside the home of the martial artist, nothing in particular stood out. The place was well kept and tidy, the standard model of most cottages people've taken as their own. Ranma didn't want anything fancy or extravagant, any home'd have done him fine. Roof's over his head, walls to keep the cold out, what more could a guy ask for in a house?

The owner of the home they'd let themselves into was fast asleep, snoozing loud enough to wake the entire town, half-dressed in nothing but a tanktop and boxers like he always wears to bed. Too busy enjoying his sweet vacation to dreamland to register the princess-elf duo breaking into his place. If there were anything that could stand out in Ranma's home, it'd be the glass case, holding some miscellaneous weapons and items. An innocuous looking bell, and a pair of bladed polearms put on display.

GRRRRRRRWWW...

... oh, and the growling from an unknown beast coming from behind the two. That probably stands out as the second loudest source of sound in this household. It has veiled its body in the shadows, leaving only its three pairs of golden eyes visible, laying their sights on the big elf and the blonde. Someone doesn't seem too happy about these holly-jolly intruders coming into its masters' house.]

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

[forgeabettertomorrow]

[Darin's never had the opportunity to crash in on Ranma before. Usually the teen comes and harasses Darin, so this is the first time he's actually getting to see his place.]

[The first thing that catches his attention are those polearms. He'd have to remember to ask Ranma about them in a way that doesn't immediately give away the fact that he broke into his place. But seeing that definitely made him happy with the gift he'd made Ranma: a magitech enhanced training dummy that's not only portable, but stores the power of the strikes levied against it and repels that same power back.]

[Darin's about to pull the thing from his delivery sack when he hears the growling. When he turns...he freezes.]

Zelda...[He hisses and tugs at her blouse.]

...Any idea what has three sets of eyes...?