O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree

[space_gandalf]

There is a nip in the air and light snow that falls from the sky and on to the ground below. It is almost as if it is on queue. The grass and the trees have a fine coating of snow, but it doesn't seem to be enough to stop one person from having a blast.

In the middle of The Park, there is one Time Lord in a purple suit that is standing on a tall ladder that is propped up next to an equally large tree. And besides the big tree are a bunch of giant boxes filled to the brim with various decorations from all over the universe. There are even extra ladders for anyone who might want to lend The Doctor a hand with decorating the big evergreen tree.



And sitting on a table is an MP3 that is playing the jolliest of jolliest of Christmas songs. The Doctor can be heard from atop the ladder with a string of sparkly lights. "Santa Claus is coming to town...!" He loudly sings, as he struggles to keep himself from falling off the ladder. The Doctor needs a helping hand or three, or four, our five. And just who is willing to help him decorate the tree in order to bring in some Nexus cheer? Feel free to grab something from one of the boxes or feel free to contribute something special to tree.


ooc: Feel free to tag around, threadjack, and have a bit of tree decorating fun. :>

Comments

[i_paladin]

The morning had been a perfect one for a ride: cool, crisp, and more importantly something that Shadow had been insistent on doing. The shadow gray steed makes no noise as Paladin steers him down the road toward the inn where they are currently lodging when the sound of music (well more like noise) catches the Tiefling's attention.

In a not uncharacteristic move, they urge Shadow off the street and into the park to follow the music to the source: a massive evergreen, and after some further observation, a man on a ladder holding on to lights that seem to be strung together. Interesting. These lights without a seeming source of power have been popping up all around The Nexus as of late, the aesthetic is certainly appealing. What is most amusing to the Tiefling is that they can still mess with them if they want.

"Hail," Paladin calls. "What are you up to?"

[space_gandalf]

The Doctor continues to struggle with the lights as he hangs from the ladder, and the thin coating of snow on the rung of the ladder doesn't make it any easier for him. And with the strand of lights in one hand, and in his mouth he looks down to see who is talking to him. "Hello!" He calls down to Paladin from high up on the ladder, and he removes the strand of lights from his mouth and he drapes them over his shoulder.

"I was just hanging up these lights on this tree here!" But The Doctor suspects the figure down below will want to know why he's putting lights on an evergreen tree. "It is an old tradition on planet Earth, and on some other planets. And I can't say I blame them. Who doesn't like the idea of decorating giant trees?"

[i_paladin]

In retrospect Paladin could have phrased the question better, the what he was doing was rather obvious, the why was a bit more obscure. Face tilted up to watch the careful balance of man, ladder and lights Paladin replies: "people who do not like heights?"

With a heave, the Tiefling slips out of the saddle and makes their way to the current upright ladder with the Doctor perched on it. "May I offer any assistance?" Outside of any possible healing if he feel and broke something on his person.

[space_gandalf]

"I would love a hand, just grab yourself a ladder and come on up!" The Doctor shouts back down to her, and he then looks back up to the tree and he tosses a strand of twinkle lights up on a branch. "And if you're scared of heights you can find yourself a tiny tree!"

He looks back down and then back to the many bare branches that he still has to string the lights around. "Do you happen to have anything like this where you come from?"

[i_paladin]

"A tiny tree," Paladin repeats before looking over their shoulder and making a dismissive (and somewhat rude) gesture toward the horse before heading toward another ladder. Hauling it up and over to the tree, Paladin sets it up next to the one already standing with The Doctor on it. Once in place the Tiefling takes to the rungs and climbs to the top where the man is hanging lights.

"We put candles in the windows to keep away the darkness and the monsters that lurk within. Some are repelled by the light, others are not." Paladin turns slightly and smiles at The Doctor: "is this how you usually decorate for the season?"

[space_gandalf]

The Doctor glances over his shoulder, and he spots the horse. "Tiny tree is a very strange name for a horse." But he knew exactly what she meant, and it was an attempt at bad humor. Very bad humor. And he turns his attention back to the lights that are slung over his shoulder and he goes to loop them around another branch.

"That's an interesting tradition to the ol'candle in the window." The Doctor carefully shifts his body around on the rung of the ladder, and he hands the strand of lights towards her. "It depends where on Earth one might come from, but this just happens to be the tradition I've adopted. And it just happens to be one of my favorite traditions from Earth. I mean who wouldn't enjoy decorating a big tree with lights and trinkets."

He smiles as he looks at the twinkling lights that are already on the tree. "They don't exactly keep the monsters in the dark at bay."

[i_paladin]

"It is a very strange horse," Shadow has discovered the various boxes of decorations and lights and is currently nosing through their contents. Their lights kind of shine through him at a certain angle. A very strange horse. "His name is Shadow and he is extraordinarily sassy."

Also: hates puns, and fun.

Paladin reaches to take the offered lights and sets it on a branch but it slips. The Tiefling needs to work on their ability to drape. While the learning processes begins they continue. "It is very lovely, the colors of the lights on the dark of the trees." But then comes the contemplative question, as if it was truly a puzzle to be solved.

"Enough of them would eventually turn the night to day," the draping problem kind of solved the next one to tackle is placement.

[space_gandalf]

The Doctor peers down from his perch on the ladder to the horse. "Oi! Don't eat those!" He shouts down to the nosy horse, and he then goes to speak in a series of whinnies and knickers. And boy does he look ridiculous doing it.

"But good name for a horse. Shadow the Sassy Horse is far better than Tiny Tree."

And it is back to draping the lights on the branches of the tree. "It would take a lot more lights than the ones I have to really turn night to day." Or perhaps, Paladin has just given him a brilliant idea. And a sly smile crosses his face.

"Or do they."

[i_paladin]

Paladin watches The Doctor and then Shadow and then back to The Doctor and to Shadow before finally settling on The Doctor. "He says you're not the boss of him," but Shadow is moving away from the box of ornaments to go possibly eat something else.

"He is aptly named, you will have to excuse his behavior." This might actually be spoken softly, as if Shadow would hear. After some observation of ritual of decoration, Paladin feels like she is relatively well equipped to take on additional responsibility. Picking up some tinsel she adds it to a nearby branch.

"I do not know I am not familiar..." Oh, she spots his expression and Gods know why but she is smiling just as widely. "You have an idea."

[chiron_survivor]

Adia is still learning the customs of Christmas, a holiday as foreign to her as any other Earth holiday. But decorating a tree -- she's heard of that, at least. She approaches the evergreen with a thoughtful expression before catching sight of the Doctor and his wobbling string of lights. "Oh... hello?" She calls out, hoping she doesn't startle him off the tree. "Do you need any help decorating?"

She already has a hand on one of the other ladders, just in case.

[space_gandalf]

"Of course, I can use a hand decorating!" The Doctor calls down to Adia, with his attention on getting the next layer of lights up. And the tree is looking more and festive as he works. And one has to wonder how he's got so many lights to wrap around the giant evergreen.

"So grab yourself a ladder, and be careful!" He shifts his boot about on the slippery rung of the ladder that is covered in a thin film of snow. "It is slippery and a tad nippy up here!" At least it is just a gentle snow, and there is no wind or there would be a lot of trouble.

[chiron_survivor]

She looks up at him incredulously for a moment. He's telling her to be careful? All the same, she isn't afraid of ladders or a little snow. Just embarrassing herself. So she selects a ladder and carefully sets it up before retrieving a box of tinsel, the glittery strands catching her eye.

"So... this is a Christmas tradition?" she asks curiously. "To decorate evergreens?" If her innocent question doesn't clue the Doctor into the fact that she is new to Christmas, the fact that she is putting the tinsel on the tree one strand at a time should make it obvious.

[space_gandalf]

This is an issue due to The Doctor's frantic moving around on the rung of the ladder, and he knows he ought to be careful. The Doctor continues to work on the lights, and he somehow despite all of his moving around he doesn't slip but it is still hard to watch.

"You're not from Earth are you?" The Doctor is quick to ask, and he looks from the tree and then back to Adia with a big chipper smile on his face. "But there are numerous other planets that decorate their evergreens, but they do it for different reasons than the tradition on Earth."

He lets go of the ladder with one hand, and he flings the lights over to the next branch. "And there are even places that decorate big palm trees with lights."

[chiron_survivor]

It is a little nerve-wracking, watching the Doctor so precariously balanced. She concentrates on her own decorations instead. At least until the Doctor correctly guesses that she isn't from Earth. "No, I'm not," she says, surprised and a little pleased. "I'm from a planet called Leonis. You're right about the evergreens, we decorated ours for the Solstice. Only with white lights, though, not all this other stuff."

She tries tossing a bit of tinsel onto a branch and frowns to herself as a few pieces float to the ground. Back to one strand at a time, then. "Are you not from Earth, either?"