Anyway, Toypocalypse is Adamas's absolute favorite activity during Wintersday.
As a cub he spent a lot of time studying war strategy and tactics + his mama Ardea taught him valuable stuff from her experience, so Toypocalypse is the perfect way to use all that knowledge in a safe manner.
The moment Wintersday is on, he'll puppy-eye anyone around him to convince them to join his team, and everyone in his circle has played with him at least once or twice over the years.
Mae initially wasn't that interested and played with him out of love, but after seeing how happy it made Adamas they rarely missed more than a couple games per year, and the same goes for Deryn.
Now that they have cubs, Adamas has been training their own little family team, and both Iridis and Diane seem to enjoy it as much as their dad.
Bunnie doesn't need convincing and has become his go-to partner in crime for over a decade, mostly because she gets to freely smash stuff. "Crime" because the first few times they'd sneak out some of the broken toys to study and fix them (Adamas had a short obsession with their concept and went through a minute of severe heartbreak the first time he saw one get smashed), before returning them to Tixx when they failed, and they still do that as a tradition of sort.
Aurelia doesn't really "get" the game, but since her son is the one asking, she does try to play at least once every year (when not busy elsewhere with Commander stuff). She's not a good player and within a couple rounds she'll be running around smashing and chasing the toys herself, in true Commander fashion ✨
Myo cooed softly as the falling snowflakes danced around her outstretched hands. Divinity’s Reach was in full Wintersday splendor as Faeyin carried the child in a carrier on her chest. Faeyin loved children, and Myo was no exception, especially because of where she came from. Faeyin smiled brightly hearing Myo’s voice, her heart brimming with excitement.
“We’ll be at the festival before too long, little one.” Faeyin said proudly as she made her way through the crowded snow-covered street. “You are going to-AAHHH!!” She winced as Myo grabbed a piece of her foilage and yanked
“Ok…ok…ah…let go…” Faeyin gently peeled Myo’s tiny fingers away. “We don’t do that.” she said quietly as she gently held onto Myo’s tiny hand. Myo reached up with her other hand, which Faeyin also grabbed gently.
“Let’s sing!” Faeyin said playfully. “Winterday is here! Everyone is filled with cheer!” she sang as she playfully rocked Myo’s hands gently back and forth.
“Ah, we need to make a quick stop before we go to the festival!” Faeyin said as they passed through the gates to the Salma District. Faeyin hummed a tune as she continued to hold onto Myo’s hands.
The children of the orphanage played in the snow as the priestess watched over them. She noticed Faeyin approaching and walked to the fence to greet the approaching sylvari.
“Oh…Faeyin…is that..is that her?” The priestess gasped noticing Myo.
“Indeed, it is.” Faeyin smiled at her.
“She’s precious. May I?”
Faeyin smiled as the priestess pulled Myo out of the carrier.
“By the gods.” The priestess muttered as she brought Myo close. “She is amazing.” She looked at Faeyin, who was smiling brightly. “And no one knows how?”
“Not one. Not the Pale Tree. Even her brainiac mother doesn’t know what could have allowed it to happen.”
“And her mother? How is she?”
“She is well. She asked me to watch over Myo for the afternoon while she and Amaranda took care of some things.”
“Ever so busy.” The priestess turned back to Myo. “Look at you.” She said to Myo as she gently bounced her on her arm. Myo turned to her, looking at her face, then turned back to Faeyin, cooing happily.
“Just think. Of all the people, Scarlet Briar-“
“Ceara.” Faeyin interrupted. The priestess glanced at her. “Her name is Ceara.”
“Ceara.” The priestess repeated, looking back at Myo, who laughed. “You mother is very special, little lady. Everything that she endured…and now…you. You arrived into this world.” She gently placed Myo back in the carrier. Faeyin reached into a satchel and handed a pouch to the priestess.
“For the children.” She smiled.
“May Dwayna bless you.” The priestess said as she looked into the pouch full of gold and silver coins.
“Well, are you ready to go to the festival?” Faeyin asked quietly over Myo’s shoulder, who squealed in Faeyin’s ear. She winced as she looked at the priestess, a smile on her face. The priestess smiled back, waving as Faeyin turned to leave.
Strolling back to the main street that circled the palace, she spied a familiar street vendor.
“How about some warm cocoa?” she asked to Myo, who cooed and laughed. “I assume that a yes!” Faeyin smiled. She wandered over to the vendor.
“A warm cocoa please. Not too hot. But just right for this young one.”
“Of course, ma’am.” The vendor smiled at her. He filled a small cup and handed it to Faeyin with a small straw and napkin. In return, Faeyin placed some coins on the vender’s counter.
“Thank you.”
“And thank you. Happy Wintersday and stay warm.” The vender replied. Faeyin turned and looked for a clear place to sit down. She spied a bench under a small overhang not far away. Brushing the small bit of snow from it, she unhooked the carrier and set her small passenger down. Sitting down next to Myo, she placed the straw in the drink and held it in front of her. Myo grabbed it with both hands and started drinking. Faeyin giggled as she wiped some cocoa that drooled down Myo’s chin. Faeyin watched the citizens walking the street, focusing on a group that was laughing and talking.
“Look at all of them. Celebrating their lives. For just a moment, they forget the worries placed upon them. If only every day could be this festive.” She looked at Myo as the slurping sounds from the cup indicating that she had finished her drink.
“Ok! Time to go!” Faeyin took the cup away and wiped Myo’s face again. Strapping her small passenger to her chest once again, the duo continued towards the Crown Pavilion. Slowly, the giant Infinitarium of the asuran toy maker Tixx came into view and the sounds of the festival started to fill the air.
“There it is!” Faeyin quipped excitedly. She could hear Myo cooing. “I know! It’s gigantic!” she smiled. They reached the stairs that descended into the festival area. Faeyin looked over the large crowd of people gathered in the area.
“Here we go!” Down the stairs they went into the Pavilion. “Where shall we go first? Oh! I know!”
“Happy Wintersday!” Toymaker Tixx said as he handed a gift-wrapped present to a charr and her cub near the center of the Pavilion. He turned to see Faeyin approaching.
“Well, you’re just brimming with cheer, aren’t you!” he quipped. He reached into his small bag.
“Hold, toymaker.” Faeyin spoke. “I need not a present this day, but one for this child.” She unhooked the carrier and placed it on the ground in front of him, kneeling next to Myo.
“Oh, of course…” Tixx paused. His trademark smile giving away to a look of surprise when he set his eyes upon Myo’s bright eyes staring back at him. “By the eternal alchemy…is that?”
“It is.”
Tixx slowly placed the back of his fingers gently against Myo’s cheek before looking at Faeyin. “She’s…she’s a hybrid? A sylvari and a human?”
“Indeed.” Faeyin smiled.
“I had heard the rumor that one had been born and hoped that I would have a chance to meet her.” He smiled. “Well, little lady, I have just the perfect gift for you.” He reached into the small bag and fidgeted around, his tongue playfully sticking out of his mouth.
“Ah, here it is.” He pulled out a small gift wrapped present and handed it to Myo who was fixated on Tixx. She grabbed it and held it close.
“Thank you, toymaker.”
“One other thing…” he motioned his head for Faeyin to lean closer. “You have some fans.” He whispered.
“What?” Faeyin replied quietly.
“Some particular asura seem to be interested in you and your ward here. They are IN the pavilion on some sort of QUEST.” He winked at her.
“I see. Thank you for your generosity!” She stood strapping Myo to her chest once again and placed the gift in her satchel.
Happy Wintersday!” he replied, waving to them as they walked away.
“So, the Inquest are here after you, huh?” Faeyin spoke quietly as reached up and held onto Myo’s tiny feet. “Then let us give them a Wintersday they will never forget. Where shall we go next, princess?” Myo cooed and kicked her feet as she reached for the falling snowflakes.
“Ah, the bell choir!? An excellent choice!” Faeyin grabbed Myo’s feet and started rocking them up and down. “Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!” she said playfully as they walked merrily through the pavilion.
“Step up and test your musical prowess!” a sylvari in noble krytan garb announced as Faeyin approached.
“I’d like to try!” excitement overflowing in Faeyin’s voice. He stepped aside and gestured towards a portal.
“This will take you to the stage area in the Infinitarium. Please enjoy!” he smiled warmly. Faeyin stepped through the portal and found herself standing in a snow-covered area. Looking overhead she could see the giant framework of the Tixx’s airship. Myo laughed and clapped her hands together at the site. Faeyin looked down and at her, brushing her foilage, before looking over the stage area. Four circular wooden stages were set up, each guarded by a snow elemental in the appearance of a playful snowman.
“Grab some bells and enter a stage!” one snowman said, gesturing to a nearby rack of brass bells with wooden handles. Faeyin grabbed a set and walked onto one of the stages. She noticed two shady looking asura entered in behind her. She smiled at them as she took her place.
“Now we’ll start. Try to keep up!” a voice came over the speakers built around the stage. A slight hum filled the stage as music started playing. Faeyin rang her bells in tune to the music. She glanced over her shoulder to see one of the asura activating a device attached to one of his bells. He turned to point the bell at her.
“Heh” she quipped as she spun in place, playing a flourish with her bells, knocking the asura’s bell away out of his hand and tripping him in one swift movement, causing him to fall to the stage.
“Disqualified!” the voice announced over the speakers.
“What? No!” the asura shouted as he was enveloped in bright light and teleported out of the stage area.
“Pathetic.” She heard the other asura mutter as they finished out the bell game.
“Well, we didn’t win…eh, we kinda won.” She said as she placed the bells back on the rack. Myo was focused on the snowman, a bright smile on her face. Faeyin walked back through the portal along with various other patrons that participated in the choir game.
“Well, what shall we do next?” she asked Myo as they walked away through the crowded pavilion. Myo bounced in her harness, reaching out to a nearby food vendor.
“Ah, ok. Time to eat. Then we’ll visit Winter Wonderland. How’s that sound?” Faeyin asked as they made their way the small booth, the smell of cooked vegetables and beef filled the air. Reaching the counter, they saw an asura busily slicing vegetables, and a dark skinned sylvari worked feverishly at the grill. He looked up and smiled at Faeyin.
“Customer.” He said as he banged one of utensils against the side of the grill. A human woman appeared from behind a stack of boxes.
“Yes, can I…oh my goodness!” She looked at Myo. “Aren’t you the cutest little thing!” She reached out and gently pinched Myo’s cheek. Myo giggled a bit before turning to try to hide her face.
“What can I do for you?”
“Something for the little princess here.” Faeyin said calmly.
“Ah we have just the thing!” She turned and grabbed a bowl from a nearby shelf. It was full of warm vegetables and thin slices of meat.
“That’s perfect.” Faeyin smiled as she set some coins down on the countertop.
“Thank you and enjoy.” The woman replied. Faeyin took the bowl and found a low wall to sit on. Uncovering the bowl, the aroma of the meal filled the air. She carefully plucked a small bit of potato from the bowl and held it in front of Myo. The little girl grabbed it and stuffed it in her mouth, smashing half of it against her cheek. Faeyin laughed.
“Ok, your mother needs to improve your eating skills.” Myo giggled as Faeyin held another bit of food in front of her. Faeyin’s thoughts drifted for a moment, her smile fading as she watched Myo eat.
“Your mother. How lucky she is. The only one of us somehow gifted with the ability to bear a child. If only the rest of us could be so lucky. If only we had a chance to be children.” She sighed as she tore a small bit of the beef and handed it to Myo. Chewing on the larger piece, Faeyin noticed two asura standing nearby. One brandishing a small staff with some kind of gadget attached to it.
“They don’t give up, do they?” Tixx said to himself after handing a gift to a young human child, noticing the same asura nearby. He turned and pressed a small switch on a nearby floating golem. “We have a couple asuran troublemakers in the festival area. If they board the Infinitarium again, make sure they have the time of their lives.”
“Will do!” a female voice said on the speaker.
“Happy Wintersday!” he said to the next person that walked up to him.
Faeyin and Myo finished off their meal. Myo fidgeted as Faeyin tried to wipe her face, which was covered in vegetable bits.
“Alright, let’s go have some fun!” Faeyin tossed the bowl into a nearby waste bin and proceeded to the stairway of giant floating mints that would take them to another portal. Stepping through, they found themselves on a platform overlooking a large pit of holographic projections of giant floating snowflakes, giant floating mint candies, and an ice-covered cliff wall creating a wintersday scene within another part of the Infinitarium.
“Since we have an entourage, let’s take the more difficult path through, shall we?” she asked Myo. Myo clapped her hands together and giggled, focusing on the giant snowflakes hovering in the air. Faeyin made her way across the candy cane bridge to another platform. She waited for the closest snowflake to reappear before jumping on it. Jump after jump, she bounded along the pathway, keeping an eye out for her followers. She could only see one of the asura behind her along the path.
“Hmm…either his partner is stealthed, or he’s waiting outside.” She muttered as she jumped along the route. She made it to path that took her to the cliff wall, giant balls of snow and ice lumbered along the path in front of her.
“Seems Tixx still has his rat problem.” She quipped noticing a group of skritt nearby on a ledge. “I can use that to my advantage.” She ran along the ledge, dodging past a giant snowball that lumbered by. She paused on a giant mint looking over her shoulder. The asura dodged the ice ball as well, raising a small pistol like device towards her. Faeyin looked up and watched a projectile fly through the sky from the skritt on the far ledge. It hit the ground by the asura, knocking him to a lower ridge.
“Gah!” He growled as he got to his feet.
“Hey!” Faeyin shouted down to him. He looked up at her to see her pointing playfully behind him. He turned just as a lumbering ice ball rolled over him, knocking him off into the pit. She watched as he disappeared in a flash of light. Smiling brightly she continued up the ridge, jumping into the giant present shaped portal at the end. The portal took her to a large platform where numuous other event attendees were gathered, opening gifts they had won for completing the trek. Faeyin took her present and jumped through the waiting portal that would take them back to the pavilion.
“Well, that was fun!” she said. She spied a set of multicolored flashing lights in the distance. Navigating through the crowd she found a small asuran golem floating in the air, ringing a small brass bell in its claw hand.
“Please-donate-so-the-children-will-not-have-to-eat-other.” Its electronic voice spoke. Faeyin closed her eyes as she tried to stifle a bit of laughter at the golem’s comment. She opened a small pouch and checked the number of coins inside.
“Five gold for you.” She said, setting the pouch inside the golem’s bag.
“Because-of-you-the-children-will-not-have-to-burn-their-clothes-to-keep-warm. Thank-you.” It replied. Faeyin snorted a laugh as she turned away from the golem.
“I shouldn’t laugh. She muttered, “but I was not expecting comments such as that.” They started back towards where the main area of the festival where Tixx was handing out gifts.
“Let’s check out main part of the airship, shall we?’ Myo bounced in her carrier, cooing playfully. They approached a large portal near Tixx, who winked at her as they passed through. They found themselves in the main control room of the giant airship, overlooking a large area covered in a giant hologram projected to resemble the five local capital cities and their surrounding areas.
“Well, where do we start?” Faeyin noticed the staff wielding asura appearing next to her. She smiled widely before heading down the stairs and running out into the field. It didn’t take long for the whole field to erupt into a mass of fighting and destruction as various holographic toys from Tixx’s giant machine appeared and attacked. Faeyin smiled the whole time as she heard Myo laughing and cooing. She constantly kept her distance from the shady looking asura during the entire ordeal until the very end.
“Whew! That was exhausting!” she exclaimed turning to the exit. She paused as the asura was standing not far in her way.
“Give us the child…and no one gets hurt.” he pointed the staff at her.
“Alert! Alert!” an electronic voice came over the loudspeaker. A giant golem came crashing into ground the next to them. They covered their faces from the flying dust and debris.
“What is this!?” the asura said, waving the dust from in front of his face.
“You are in violation of code 3.1419.” The golem raised its arm to him.
“What!?” he yelled as he disappeared in a display of light. Standing, the golem marched towards the far end of the field.
“Well, I guess that’s that!” Faeyin quipped. “Time to go!” They exited the giant airship once again back into the pavilion.
“Oh!” Faeyin noticed a familiar duo descending the stairs into the festival area.
“What have you done to my child?” Ceara asked as she reached the bottom of the stairs.
“Looks like she’s had a very busy day.” Amaranda said, a slight smile on her face. Faeyin looked down and found Myo sound asleep in the harness.
“Well, she was a very busy princess today. She told me what events she wanted to participate in, and what food to eat and drink. Who am I to deny her wishes?” Faeyin said playfully as she unhooked the harness and handed the child to her mother. Ceara strapped the harness to her body as Amaranda chuckled to herself.
“What are you laughing at?” Ceara asked snidely.
Amaranda shook her head. “Your wyld hunt.”
“Shut it.” Ceara snapped at her. “It was not.”
“Well, I suggest the three of us get a bite to eat. I know a very nice little place nearby that would be perfect for napping princesses.” Faeyin suggested. A nod of agreement as the trio started back up the stairs leaving the Wintersday festival.
