#[winterfes]

[originsword]

     // @inheirit  |  WinterFES

     ... So, the Mistwood was hiding a... ski resort now? That seems to be the rumor going around lately, at least. It’s a bit outlandish, but... what around here isn’t outlandish at this point? Shirou was content to leave it at an interesting curiosity, but... Rin seems to already have plans in mind— plans involving him, of course. He didn’t really put up much protest, but... it’d be nice if Rin treated stuff like this more like suggestions, rather than... demands.

     But at any rate, it took both of them to see it to believe it; a newly formed, possibly-temporary collection of snow-covered hills, perfect for skiing and snowboarding. However... they didn’t come all the way here just to look. As Rin put it— in for a penny, at this point.

          “... Hm— I already know there’s no talking you out of it, but... You sure you’re qualified for either one?“ The pair were already dressed up properly for the occasion, now it was just a matter of selecting gear. Once again, a choice isn’t really offered for Shirou— she’s content to decide for the both of them... At least she seems to be mindful of what might suit both of them the best, so... there’s that?

[cometform]

     // @hopesought​  |  WinterFES

     Well... that was an interesting “dream” he just woke up from. Felt like he was summoned and whisked away to another world for weeks and weeks on end... yet only one night passed on this end. This new experience, these new memories... It adds a lot of context to previous information— particularly regarding that Chaldea group. They acted so friendly and familiar with him, yet all Rider could do was (awkwardly) smile and nod back with such one-sided reunions. But now, at long last—

          “— Ya know, smiling is typically required for fun little festivals like this.“

     He approached the man identified as Ritsuka Fujimaru... once a foreign face, now one he won’t allow himself to forget. Seems like he came out here to take his mind off past troubles, but was having a little trouble doing such by himself... Good thing Rider’s here to fix that! A hard smack connected with the mage’s back— not enough to trip him over, but that definitely knocked some wind out of his sails.

          ”C’mon, Master of Chaldea— You’re still a New Argonaut, right? You should carry yourself like one.”

[wiltingbeast]

     // @mysticsever​  |  WinterFES

          “... No, there’s no limit on how much soup you can take. ... I think.“ One last day of this charity nonsense, making sure people who need help preparing bowls and bottles of soup get what they need... Seems like this girl’s only here out of curiosity, rather than some genuine desire for the free offering at hand. “... And no, I don’t know where it’s coming from.”

[wiltingbeast]

     What a grueling week... Adam was so far from his element, no matter which city activity he volunteered his help for. So many smiling and cheerful citizens, people who were happy to help each other out when needed in order to fully enjoy the Winter Festival... And yet there Adam was, about as frigid as the ice clinging to the ground and buildings around him. The hostile malice may have been absent, but... There’s no doubt his inability to relax made some people uncomfortable. How could anyone not feel the overflowing joy of the holidays-- they likely wondered.

     But now, the week of charity was finally over. When the Faunus arrived home to turn in for the night, the sight of his stolen weapon gave him some relief at last. Wilt and Blush were propped against the entrance to the main hallway, as if they had been standing there all this time. No note, no paper of congratulations... How anticlimactic.

     The moment his gloved hand made contact with the scabbard, a faint glow flowed across his body, up from the arm all the way down to his legs. The sensation was brief, yet warm... It seems like that was his remaining abilities being granted to him as well. Now he was whole again. ... Well, about as whole as he was allowed to be.

     How peculiar... An entire week without protection had left the bull anxious without many breaks, despite the generally safe atmosphere of the city festival. It was only once he regained his power that Adam could feel his muscles relax again. A mildly morbid revelation, perhaps... But his nature cannot be altered so easily in such a short span of time. At the very least, however-- he still managed to keep calm during this ordeal. No lashes of rage towards humans, or those who came to torment him over his predicament... In a way, perhaps that was enough progress of approval.

     And yet, with that in mind--

          “... Never again.“

[wiltingbeast]

     // @reliberated​  |  WinterFES (& Supergiant Challenge)

          “There-- Don’t expect anyone to pull you out next time.“ That was... about as nice as Adam was going to get for this charity work. The Crystal Funhouse is his current attraction to help with, and the bull just managed to lead a couple towards the exit of the mirror maze. A younger pair still in school, who were immediately relieved to be back out in the open. It seems like they had gone in on a whim, yet didn’t expect the maze to be so... intricate. At least the ice didn’t make the place soundproof-- their yelling is the only reason Adam had a chance to locate them in the first place.

     With the pair of humans now off on their way (with a barely-muttered thanks to boot), Adam pressed his gloved hands against his temples, a mild headache of irritation slowly coming up. He needed a break from this... Surely they’ll be fine without his help for a little while. Without even telling anyone, the bull simply began to wander deeper into the castle of crystal to see just how deep the palace can go.

     There are various chimes ringing across the icy halls, his footsteps being drowned out by the sound the deeper he went in. It seems like they lead to a more secluded part of the palace, but Adam wasn’t quite sure what that would be. In his hesitation to even come here in the first place... he hadn’t even bothered to read up on what all was inside this place.

     But for now, he’d rather just see it for his own eyes, rather than sit and wait for the next group of people who can’t tell a hallway from their own reflection.

[wiltingbeast]

     // @earthlysun​  |  WinterFES (& Supergiant Challenge)

     They’re everywhere. All over the place. Floating marshmallow... things. They flee and swiftly pester anyone wandering close to the Eternal Tree of Cotes. What an absurd gimmick... And now Adam has been requested to remain close to the tree, keeping a lookout for anyone being overwhelmed by too many of these abominations.

     But do they attempt to overwhelm the curious visitors? Of course not... many of them are too busy pestering him! So many simply float around him in circles, others bumping into him at various speeds as if trying to tackle him from his sitting spot. The only reason he hadn’t gone into a mad frenzy is due to the presence of children-- it certainly wouldn’t be a good look to go into a tangent over something like this.

          “Gh-- why can’t these things go bother anyone else?!“ At the very least he can complain to himself.

[wiltingbeast]

     // @firehrt​  |  WinterFES (& Supergiant Challenge)

          “-- If you’ve already finished your soup... please place it in the recycle bins.“

     How did this come to pass? An opportunity to regain more of his lost power... barred away like this? To be forced to commit to charity work just for a chance at strength? It’s not like he even has a choice anymore-- Adam’s been stripped away of what he’s already regained until this “challenge” is finished! So... The job he must commit to on the first day?

     Helping with the glorified soup kitchen in Fibonacci. The regular citizens of this city have been handing out containers, bowls and spoons for anyone interested in sampling the near-infinite soup... and it seems Adam will have to help out for a while, a suitable stepping stone for his challenge. This is... not comfortable for him. At all. Even with his blindfold on to obscure his damaged eye, a lot of the younger patrons felt intimidated by the Faunus, despite his best to remain neutral during this endeavor.

     And just as the patron he was just talking to finally left, another one had snuck up on him... one that couldn’t even bother containing her laughter. Already, off to a terrible start.

          “-- Spare me the ridicule, woman. Just get your soup and leave.”

[hybridsalvation]

     // @protectyou  |  Starter Call

          “-- You have to earn internet access? Who thought up of these rules??”

     No map on hand, no way to pull up directions on his phone... Guess he’s gonna have to learn this city the old fashioned way. Great. He’s sticking to Cotes for today, keeping his jacket zipped up to hold back the cold. He’s sure this place is suppose to retain a Japanese aesthetic, but the snow is keeping a lot of stuff covered.

     The city will need more time to dedicate the layout to memory, so for now he’s heading over to a place called the Lake of the Koi. From what he’s heard, the lake itself has frozen over-- but they’ve somehow managed to keep it maintained where you can still see the fish below, the ice safe enough to traverse. Once the youth arrived, he could see that there wasn’t much of a crowd-- must be a low point of activity. He kept getting closer to see if the fuss was true about the fish... yet once he got to the edge of the water, his feet came to a halt.

          ”Huh...? It can’t be--”

     Another familiar spiritual presence, one not nearly as overbearing as the last. This one was a bit harder to detect, as if the source was used to keeping their presence as down as possible. Yet Ichigo knows this feeling all too well... There’s no mistaking it. But how could he be here...?