Well, the weather outside is frightful

[rosestolilies.livejournal.com]

Characters: Everyone!
Date: Midnight the 16th of December
Summary: The inhabitants of the Garden get their reward for making out beneath the mistletoe, in the form of a lights show in the sky.
Warnings: N/A

In the dead of night, the Garden is dead silent. Without the sound of the city or urban life, only the noises of nature pervade the air. Crickets. Rustling leaves. The occasional footsteps of an animal.

However, tonight, at midnight, the silence is broken by a loud pealing of bells, rousing the people of the garden from their sleep. The bells continue ringing for nearly half a minute before falling silent. For a moment, the peacefulness of night returns to the Gardens.

Then the enormous mistletoe plant begins glowing, with a brilliant white light bright enough to be seen from all corners of the Garden. It fizzes, shooting off heatless sparks, and then bursts, shooting up into the sky and breaking into pieces of glowing light, forming various shapes. Above the Orchard, a series of hearts form, burst like fireworks, and reform. Over the Necessities, nymphs made of sparkling light kiss and dance through the sky, winking down at the people below. Over the ruins, flowers of multicolored light pop into existence and disperse. And above the Viridian Pavilion, fiery red phoenixes swoop through the air, burn out dramatically, and are reborn in a new cascade of light.

The show will continue until morning. Fortunately, now that the mistletoe's light has dispersed, it's not so bright that it should keep people awake.

Comments

[highest_caliber.livejournal.com]

She laughs a bit. "I guess you're right!" And she punctuates that with a nod, though she'll be watching for even the slightest shiver. No one's going to get sick or freeze in this weather on her watch!

"Yes. I mean, we all get those kids of clothes when we arrive, but what we were wearing before is put aside nearby." So Subaru starts to look around and see if she can spot a neatly-folded stack of clothes somewhere in the clearing...

[just_your_problem]

Laughter is annoyingly contagious, isn't it? Marceline laughs laughs to the point of eventually smiling, thankful that in this strange as all get out place someone reasonably normal has crossed her path. While she doesn't care for the cold it isn't making her shiver or sneeze, yet.

"So this is the 'hello, you've been kidnapped' uniform?" She twists her lips, giving the dress that she's wearing a less than appreciative look.

"Seriously? My clothes are here some where?!" She starts kicking at the snow, "You're awesome! I wouldn't have thought to even look!"

[highest_caliber.livejournal.com]

She rubs her head. "Eheh, you could call it that. We all end up with that when we arrive. That, and the note the cat brings... Did you see that, too?"

"But yeah, they should be! If you tell me what color they were, I can help you look."

[just_your_problem]

"Kind of a messed up thing to make us wear, it's like snowing and stuff!" At the mention of a cat Marceline gets a very vacant expression on her face. Well, vacant if you don't count the blushing out of embarrassment. "I..didn't see any cat. But I did sit on something really warm and fluffy!"

Remembering that she can hover, she does as much. Her toes being wet she can deal with; however, the hem of the dress being wet was driving her bananas! "Thank you! Thank you so much! Um..." She has to think about what she was last wearing, the knock she got to the head was a good one.

"A red sweater with black stripes, blue jeans and a pair of red boots!" Glob save the Queen if Marceline doesn't find those boots!

[highest_caliber.livejournal.com]

"It's true that it's cold, and it wasn't very considerate of her." As for the part about the cat, Subaru just smiles sheepishly. She won't admonish her for it, but having that note would have helped out.

The young woman takes note of that and begins to look around. "Red and black and blue... that should stick out—" She trails off, noticing what the girl was doing. Pointing: "You're floating!"

[just_your_problem]

"Considerate and crazy both start with C! I think the Queen likes C words or something! No..wait, inconsiderate is an I..." Marceline wrings her fingers, unused to the feeling shy or out of place. Things,yeah, they would have been a lot better had she not fainted on that cat!

"Hopefully they will! Again, snow's fault. It'd be so easy withou--" Finger pointing, another thing that she had long forgotten was kind of a normal reaction. Being beyond abnormal at this point she just floats and squirms. "It's how I get around and junk. Although...if I shouldn't I can t..totally walk." Yeah, that knocked the cool and calm right out of her.

[highest_caliber.livejournal.com]

At the wordplay, Subaru giggles a bit. This whole situation is bound to make even the coolest of customers a little nervous.

Ceasing her staring, Subaru rubs her head. "Ah, sorry. I don't mean that anything's wrong with it. I just don't know a lot of other mages here." A pause, she steps closer, putting one wheeled foot in front of the other. "I mean, you are a mage, right? Or something like it?"

[just_your_problem]

So much for cool cucumbers! It really is a shock that there aren't more pissed off pickles in the bunch, all sour at the Queen.
Marceline quickly lands, digging her toes into the snow. There really is a lot that she has to learn about this place. "N..no don't be sorry. I'm not used to people not being used to it is all." She clears her throat, scuffing her feet.

"Mage? Oh no.." She shakes her head frantically, as the only mage she really knew was (and probably still is) a jerk and a half. "I'm nothing magical at all. I've um..never learned or tried."

Hey wait, did Subaru say other mages? "Hey, um..are you like magical?"

[highest_caliber.livejournal.com]

Now she feels embarrassed for bringing it up in the first place. "So it's just natural for you? That's cool!" She can't be bothered to waste energy on being suspicious of everyone and, besides, it's not that unusual for her.

"Hehe, sort of? I mean, I use magic, but that's common where I worked before being dropped here." She extends a hand, clad in fingerless gloves as opposed to her other, heavier gauntlet. "I'm Subaru Nakajima, by the way. What's your name?"

[just_your_problem]

"Uh, yeah! It's probably major lazy of me though!" Embarrassment, as always, was a two way street. Afraid of coming off as both rude and out of place Marceline made a mental note to be more careful. When the whole of a situation is suspicious there was so little energy to spare wasn't there?

"Sort of is cooler than not at all!" Any other questions that she could think to ask she will fire off later! For now, she takes Subaru's partially gloved hand in her own and gives it a firm (and icy) shake. "Su..Subaru!" Such an interesting and pretty name! In all of her years she had never heard anything like it. "Nice to meet you! My name's Marceline!"

[highest_caliber.livejournal.com]

She doesn't think it's lazy, but won't comment. Subaru has to wonder how she can do something that easy without it being magic, but decides not to pry. They are on a mission for those clothes, after all!

A note is made of that temperature different (her own body runs a good bit warmer than the average), so she gives a little shiver at the shake. "Nice to meet you, too, Marceline!" Subaru gives the girl just a little concerned look. "I think we should really hurry and find your clothes, then. Even if you feel fine, you might catch your death of cold in this weather!"

Her eyes scan the surroundings, looking for any sign of the outfit.

[just_your_problem]

Eventually the answers will come, when the time and the place is right. Then again, the likelihood of either of the girls going back to their homes, at that point, was slim to nil leaving plenty of time for the getting to know you phase. "Oh, oh! Well, the last thing I would wanna do is catch my death or be the reason for yours!"

Through the back of her mind ran the phrase "act normal", whatever normal was here. Marceline kicks about in the snow, occasionally dipping her hands into it. This Queen person? Total ding bat! "What the hey-hey! I think I found something, Subaru!"

She plops onto her butt, something she will regret later, and yanks at what looks to be a half buried black and red sweater. "Are you are that you're not cold? If you are you can totally borrow my sweater, I don't mind!"

[highest_caliber.livejournal.com]

Subaru seems to consider something, her chin pinched between two fingers. If there's a light covering, if she raced past that would clear away some of the—

Marceline's exclamation brings her out of that thought, and not a moment too soon. "Huh? Oh! Great!"

She slides over and crouches to help dig up the items. "Thank you, but I really won't need it. Since I'm staying moving, and my jacket is made of special materials, I'm warmer than I look!" Though she still needs to finish designing her winter gear.

[just_your_problem]

Anything is sure to be more fun or interesting than tossing aside handful after handful of snow! Maybe even snow swimming! No, never mind that. Marceline, with Subaru's help, manages to uncover the pitifully soggy sweater. "If you're totally sure!"

Tugging the sweater up and out of the snow she accidentally shakes snow in her own face (and probably Subarau's as well). Yeah, totally graceful MarMar! "Hey, do you know what's up with the colored fire in the sky?"

[highest_caliber.livejournal.com]

"I'm sure! Go ahead and—" She rubbed the cloth between her fingers, frowning a bit. "...I think we'll have to dry this all off, first."

Then she blinked and looked up. She had been so involved in the conversation that she forgot what she came out for. "Oh! Fireworks. I'm not sure why they're going off, but this is the first time I've seen them here."

[just_your_problem]

Even though the news was bad Marceline took it with a grain of salt and a shrug. She had, tonight alone, gone through worse than a wet sweater. "Aw figs! I was really hoping to get out of this..this.." She just made a face, no words coming to mind for how awful she thought the dress was.

Eyes back on the sky she tilted her head, easily drawn into the different colors and shapes in the fire. "Awesome! So that's what they're called! Maybe the Queen is blowing herself up in apology?"

[highest_caliber.livejournal.com]

She wipes that bit of snow off her forehead. "Well, we can fix that! But it'll take some time. If you want, there's plenty of clothes back at the inn where I'm staying." Subaru points off down the path she had been heading toward, away from the Ruins.

At Marceline's other comment, she laughs. "I don't think it's anything like that, but the middle of the night with no announcement is a weird time for it..."

[just_your_problem]

All this snow, it had long since made itself a pain in the butt. Finally, after glob knows how long of standing in the garden, Marceline shivers. When you're the odd woman out you don't have the luxury of declining offered help or moments of kindness. "Hey, if it's not a problem I'll totally take you up on that!"

The fireworks are awesome and all but being warm would be even better! Oh man, did she seriously just flick snow onto Subaru?! "Oh plum! Sorry about that!"

Feeling like a dumbhole Marceline gives an apologetic smile. "Yeah, wishful thinking or some junk!" She blinks, looking confused. "It's a nice gesture and all that! But geeze, it's not so nice to do it when people might be out cold!" Phrasing Marceline, phrasing!

[highest_caliber.livejournal.com]

She laughs a bit. "Yeah, I was asleep, and thought all the noise was something worse. I'm just glad I was wrong," and she turned her head as she fought with a yawn.

"Ahhn, sorry, sorry! I was already watching the fireworks with someone. We should hurry back so you can get some rest, too, out of the cold."

[just_your_problem]

Wait, asleep? Aw super fudge! No wonder Marcy was feeling pretty decent, it was late already! Kicking and clawing the ground in hopes of finding the rest of her stuff she occasionally looks up at Subaru with the expression of 'I'm such an idiot'. "Yeah, at least it wasn't anything horrible! But being woken up sucks even when you're totally expecting it!"

Two red boots, a sweater and really soggy pair of blue jeans later Marceline stands up. "Nah, don't be! I kinda didn't notice the time!" Watching the fireworks with someone? Hey, that sounded like a pretty cool thing to do!
Wait a second..

"I didn't mean to take you from what you were doin'! Uh, yeah!" She bobs her head in agreement, hugging her stuff to her chest. "I'm so ready to get out of here!"

[highest_caliber.livejournal.com]

She waves her hands. "No, it's okay. It's a good thing I came across you, after all!" Subaru smiles and turns. "Come on then. I'll go with you." Her skates whirr to life, but she keeps her pace slow, gliding casually along more than actually skating. "There's plenty of room if you want to rest somewhere for the night, or just stay for a while. Only a few of us actually live at the inn, but there are also lots of other places to claim."

[just_your_problem]

Wow, Subaru is really nice! Marcy's mind is already working on ways to repay her for it, since that is just how she rolls. "Yeah, sleeping outside is one thing! Sleeping outside in the snow, made of suck!" Not feeling up to walking the vampire Queen hovers, drifting alongside Subaru with a smile on her face. "I totes appreciate it," She paused. Wait, we? "From the sound of it this Queen has a mondo collection of girls going huh?"

Probably a redundant question, one that doesn't really merit an answer since the answer is so totally obvious.

[highest_caliber.livejournal.com]

Subaru nods. "There's at least a few dozen of us here, all from different worlds. This is just what I noticed on the Vine; I haven't met too many in person."

(If I'm boring ya let me know!)

[just_your_problem]

Until the numbers were put out, Marceline kept up with Subaru just fine. "Wow, that is more than I thought!" She pauses a second, digesting the information. "The vine? Is that what the talking heads are called?"

It's okay! But I figure we'd wrap up soon to make way for new threads? :3

[highest_caliber.livejournal.com]

Another nod. "You must have seen them on the mirror. That's what I mean. The plants are how much of us can communicate with each other, no matter where we are, here."