Ho Ho Ho! Happy HP Holidays!

[mudblood_andproud]

There is something different about the Nexus this Christmas season. There is a light snow falling over the entire Nexus plaza. The snow is gentle, with no real coldness to the falling snow flakes. As one approaches the main gathering area, they will notice that there are many Christmas decorations, including garland hanging from the air, and there are twelve towering decorated Christmas trees, some sparkling with tiny icicles, some glittering with hundreds of candles. There are also thousands of floating tiny candles in the Nexus plaza, that gently move at their own discretion.

In one corner, there is an orchestra, directed by a Dwarf. All of the musicians are playing music on instruments made from ice. In the center of the Nexus plaza, is a huge banquet table, loaded with holiday foods and treats that showcases a variety of food from different cultures, and some of the different worlds that gather into the Nexus itself. The main delight of the banquet table is that magic can make the food replenish itself, meaning Christmas dinner never has to end. Most will be able to find something they would enjoy. With the added perk that the food is LOL-free.

There are some added little Christmas adventures, for those who get caught up in the holidays. Here are some of the extra options for the Holiday season.

Secret Santa!
There is an added bonus to the Secret Santa gifts this year. The presents will deliver themselves! There are tons of wrapped gifts floating through the air, destined to only drop when they reach the person to which they are intended. Please note that not all gifts will be given in the spirit of the season. There are a few prank gifts floating around too. Be sure to watch out for them!

Christmas Crackers!
There are Christmas crackers scattered among the tables, and in amongst the branches of the trees. They are decorated with festive paper that is twisted at either end like a sweet wrapper. Inside of the tube are prizes, and some contain Muggle prizes such as a paper hat, a plastic toy, and a slip of paper with a joke printed on it. But the rare person will receive a unique, peculiar magical prize, and will envelop everyone nearby in a cloud of blue smoke.

Weasley Sweaters!
Time to try your luck at the Christmas Sweater bin. There is a large rotating clothing rack that seems to have an endless supply of them. Each one more Festive than the last! Pick one and show your Christmas spirit for the rest of the day.

Enchanted Mistletoe!
Be warned Nexus traveler, the Nargles** have hung enchanted Mistletoe all around the plaza. If an unlucky person steps underneath the Mistletoe, they will find that they are magically stuck to the spot, until they can find someone to kiss them. Of course, the kiss can be platonic, familial, or even romantic. For a few unfortunate people, the kiss may be the last thing they would want to do... but it is that or be stuck in the same spot for the rest of the season.

**Nargle Wiki
[Click Here for information on the HP Holiday Event!]
[Your character is free to give other Christmas gifts to people they care about -- HOWEVER, please do not deliver your Secret Santa gift. That will be handled by the Secret Santa moderator. Please post details on your Secret Santa gift in this post please.]

Comments

[darkpiety]

"I am sure it is, judging by the writing on your card." Abysa says before proceeding to read the cryptic text. What a curious message! But no other man with a gift landing in his lap would find more appropriate phrasing.

"A 'net', is it? Now I am doubly curious..."

Abysa considers the possibilities. His fingernails are generally kept filed down for Important Priest Business, but his oddly-shaped toes are still clawed, and his teeth are sharp. Abysa decides making a tear with one of his long canines is best; his feet have been in contact with the ground for too long to be appropriate! With a little ripping sound, Abysa does the job, getting a corner torn open.

"I have made a hole in the paper. You may have the excitement of removing the rest, now! I will tell you what is within once that is done." Abysa says, handing back the gift, making sure to touch his arm once more, before carefully placing the present back in his lap. He makes sure to direct the scholar's hands to the opened corner.

"It is a very pretty giftwrap, I might add. A golden colour, with hexagonal shapes all around... oh, snowflakes!"

[grantuseyes]

Micolash takes the gift back with a lopsided smile as he allows Abysa to direct his hand to the tear. Ah, finally! Something he can pull at and tear away the wrapping by. Staring forward as he continues to remove it. Anytime a scrap of paper comes away completely in a scrap, Micolash pockets it. Stuff to crinkle later.

When the box is finally revealed and opened (with a little of his fingers feeling around the surface of it to do so), Micolash lets the box lay open in his lap as he tilts his head to one side to turn an ear up towards where Abysa is hovering.

"What is it, Kin?" Best not to go feeling around at the actual contents just yet. What if they're sharp or pointy? Or it's something not meant to be touched? Let's leave it for Abysa to handle first.

[darkpiety]

"Ooh!" Abysa exclaims when the box is opened. He waits for Micolash to ask, before he gets ahead of himself in describing it. And it is a good thing he waits, as well, once he has a closer look at the dreamcatcher in question, his excitement falls just a bit. Still, Micolash is owed a description.

"Are you familiar with 'dreamcatchers', Micolash? They are like, ah, protective charms, in a sense. It is a hoop, with twine woven in a circular, spiral path through the center, to represent a web. This one seems to have a decorative panel in the very middle, with a flower woven into it. Quite unique! Most tend to have beads decorating the weave, to represent a spider. Ah, the 'spider' being the one to have woven the web, which catches dreams. Nightmares, in particular, so that the owner of the dreamcatcher will dream peacefully." Abysa does hope his description is not too long-winded, but he seems to be pleased with this gift. (And rather proud he was able to identify a human traditional object!) He tries to lead Micolash's hand to the gift within, gently, so that he may feel it. While doing this, however, Abysa is careful not to touch the object himself.

"Whoever sent you this clearly put much thought into it. Ah, but the dreamcatcher itself, particularly the decorative feathers... I cannot touch it."

[grantuseyes]

Micolash listens to the description with his brows raised in keen interest! When it gets to talk of spiders, he makes a pleased 'oh!' and sits up in his seat. The rest of the explanation is taken in with increasing amazement.

"That's. Wonderful. What a wonderful gift! Oh, Kin! It reminds me of Vacuous Rom! The Bergynwerth Spider! Have I told you of her? I cannot remember in the moment. I am terribly excited to be given such a-"

He pauses when he takes in that last part, though, and frowns in concern. "Kin? Is something wrong? Are they sharp?" Again, he decides against feeling at the object if that's the case.

[darkpiety]

"I... well, I think I did tell you, that I am naturally quite weak to things of a light and holy, consecrated nature. And your gift is one such object. Ah, but it is a misfortune only to me and my kind, humans are special in their neutral alignment. The object itself is not sharp or abrasive. It is quite beautiful, actually." Abysa sounds sorry as he explains, knowing it will be difficult to handle while Micolash cannot see.

"Ah, but if needed, I could possibly handle it in very short intervals. A few seconds, perhaps."

[grantuseyes]

"Holy? Such as something...sacred?" How curious! At last, Micolash reaches down towards the box to feel at the contents, lifting it out carefully, mindful that he doesn't pull at any strings or loosen any ties.

"Hanging this in my room would be delightful, but perhaps it can wait until I've taken my bandages off. So you do not have to do it for me. I would hate for you to handle a thing that innately harms your being, Kin."

[darkpiety]

"Ah, I am thankful for that! It does burn quite deeply. Holy objects, that is. How do I explain..." Abysa looks for a time at the object in Micolash's hands. It seems so unassuming; a beautiful object meant to ward off evil dreams, and yet he knows if he touched it even a bit, he would feel that searing heat like a knife into his skin.


"In it's formal, elemental sense, a 'Holy' energy is of Heavenly Light, attributed to the sky and to higher realms, and the beings that reside there, luminescent by their very nature. Likewise, beings of the lower realm, like myself, are attributed to darkness and unholiness. Such terms are very biased, mind you. I am a Dark Priest, and so my position is considered quite holy and sacred to other demons, but to the higher realms, I am considered to be debased and sacrilegious. Indeed, there is the misled assumption that only the Light and the Heavenly have divine and transcendent value, and that the Dark and the Low are devoid of that innate goodness, simply representing the waste and filth of the universe." It's evident in Abysa's sour tone that he resents this interpretation of universal forces.

"I hope that makes sense to you. The only argument anyone has that 'proves' Light's superiority, is that dark beings are innately weak to it. Our otherwise immortal bodies and spirits can be broken by it. Unfair then, that the rules of violence are the rules that decide the treatment of my people." Abysa heaves a sigh with that last sentence, looking away from the dreamcatcher, instead to Micolash's face. He pokes his long fingers through the cage bars to adjust the human's blindfold slightly.

"I apologize for rambling. I do it much too often, lately."

[grantuseyes]

Micolash listens, his head tilted away from Abysa, but only so he can turn a ear towards the demon and hear him that much better and more clearly. His pale fingers trace along the outer loom of the dreamcatcher, following the circle again and again in lazy rings.

"Oh it makes perfect sense, Kin. It is to assign a morality and arbitrary, subjective meaning to energy. Who is to say if fire is any more evil or pure than sparks? Kinetic force versus innate gravity? There is no good or bad; simply the application. Meaning could be...gleaned. Of course. From things such as water, stars, blood." All major things to the teachings of Mensis, after all. "But there is nothing to say that they have any greater or lesser purity than the others. They simple...Are.

"Do not apologize for rambling," Micolash adds, reaching up to catch Abysa's prodding hand, so he can take it and give it a reassuring pat with the other. (The dreamcatcher is safely back in its box before doing so too.) "Everything you have to say has value."

[darkpiety]

Abysa sighs with relief, smiling softly when Micolash's hand catches his.

"I feel as though I am always speaking so much, but I enjoy learning of other lands and people, and so I enjoy teaching others of mine in turn. Unfortunate that the history of my own people is so dreary... Oh, but," His dour manner seems to fizzle out in favour of his eagerness to speak of more Hell Facts.

"You know, the origins of the Universe, oftentimes cultures have many interpretations of that sort of thing. But in Hell especially, we demons have an interesting take. Just, your mention of water and stars, it reminded me of that. We refer to the stars, 'space' as some have creatively named it, as the Aetherial Sea, and it is from that Sea that the universe came to being, just as life sprung from the oceans of countless planes. And Hell, being the bottom of the Universe, is also the first shore from which existence sprung, beings only partially alive crawling forth from the endless abyss, taking form and gaining sentience... They would be the very first living beings, and the very first demons." The demon seems to be in good spirits now, as this is one of his favourite myths. He holds Micolash's hand as he speaks, swaying it back and forth a little.

[grantuseyes]

When the demon explains the understanding of his race's creation, there's a...something. A spark that shoots through his thoughts and down his spine with a detour to curl in his stomach as well. Something that makes him sit up straight like a dog alerted to the sound of a whistle only he can hear.

The sea...The stars? The-

But like trying to remember a dream that fades upon waking, it's gone, slipped through his fingers. Micolash frowns, wondering what that was. Like he'd nearly remembered something...

But then he pulls himself back to the present with a small shake of his head and turning to (mostly) face Abysa once more. "Forgive me. Is this...all myth? Legend? Or is this concrete history?" How incredible if it were to be so! A race who remembers their own origin, even before sapience had been established!