[MillietheWarrior]

Jobiehanna:

The Tali clenched the totem between her teeth as she was carried towards the chestnut stand. From her perch in Jasmine’s arms, she scanned the crowds milling about the stands. “I don’t see her,” she whined between her teeth, looking distraught. She glanced up at the woman carrying her, and shook her head.
“She said she’d be here. Maybe she’s somewhere over there?” Maybe she was. Perhaps you should take a closer look at what was running the stand; or more specifically, who. Even with her back to you, it was obvious the proprietor was a large, female Tali. Could this be who you were looking for?

Shieba:

With the geese content and their nest out of harms way, it seemed that all that was left was the bag. Robert and Maisy paddled off to snatch up more bread from the children feeding them on the other side of the fountain, and the mother and father goose settled in their new nest, away from anything that could disturb them. With everything safe and settled, the bag was now ready to be opened. The Fellox’s tugging on the ribbon seemed to do the trick, and it unraveled to spill out the contents. It looked like coal! But upon closer inspection, it was most certainly nothing of the sort. A small note fluttered out on top of the small pile of keystones.

Congratulations, I see you won!
Your contest is wrapped up and done.
I sure am glad you came to play,
I kind of I wish that you could stay!
This was great, it was fun you see,
You made a good holiday for me!
I’m sad you’re leaving, but don’t be blue!
You’ll have a Merry Christmas too!

((Congratulations, Shieba! You have won 65 KS! You prize will be sent shortly. Please make one final exit post. Once your post is done, another slot will be opened. Thanks for playing!))

Azura Rayume:

The reindeer snorted, tossing it’s head and stomping it’s large hooves. Without waiting for instruction, it turned and ambled through the petting zoo. The baby animals parted to let it pass, looking unimpressed and nonplussed by the giant, long-legged animal. The woman who ran the zoo looked on in amusement. “We have quite a few animals here, you know,” she said, conspiratorially. “We have baby Ursice, Yingshee, Torken, Sahound pups, this big fellow of course,  and even a Mocha Piccu hanging out around here somewhere.” She seemed to say it conversationally, but the twinkle in her eyes said otherwise as the Reindeer continued to amble through the pen. Hm…Think about what she said. Did anything there pertain to the riddle?

[Elektra]

As the little boy ran out of the store, Bruno smiled at the woman, and thanked her.  Picking up the present, she took it outside, and sat down on one of the benches.  Sipping from the cider that she'd been given, she used one hand to gently pull the bow off. "Should I open it here, or do I bring it back to that Lucain woman?" she said, unsure of what to do.  Aside from finding the box itself, she hadn't really been told what else to do, and that left her in a bit of a pickle...

Well, it wasn't going to just open itself, and she didn't really feel like walking all the way back to the front of the festival to check with that woman again, so that left her one option: Open it.  With a deep breath, she bent down, and slowly removed the lid.

[jobiehanna]

Jasmine continued to scan the crowd, searching for the tali's mother. Among the people, it was hard to locate a female tali, but as she looked toward the stand, she saw what looked like a female tali running the place. "Perhaps that's your mother," she said kindly, nodding toward the stand.

Then she walked over to the stand, trying to think of a way to kindly ask the woman if this was her child. She reached the stand and cleared her throat. "Um, excuse me, ma'am," she said rather shyly. "But, is this your child? She's looking for her mother..." She trailed off at the end, afraid that the woman might take her comment the wrong way, especially if this wasn't the pup's mother.

{8}

[Azura Rayume]

Haru was almost upset by the loss of her knew friend, but she knew he lived here and would do what he pleased while she didn't and would have to leave eventually. Ah, well... Maybe she should help out with finding that box. "Hey, Aya," she asked, striding over, "What did the note in the box say?"

Aya glanced up from her searching. "Something about a thing that's round, not soft, and warm enough to melt the snow that also needs to be in here." She snorted in annoyance. "Biggest load of nonsense I've ever heard. I haven't found anything that could fit that, and I'm starting to think the woman running this thing is messing with us."

"Don't be like that, silly!" Haru chimed. "Round, not soft, and warm, huh? Well, baby animals are warm, but most of them are soft. And-" Her voice dropped to a whisper. "-if you ask me, I think the lady who owns all these animals knows where it is."

"If she knows so much, you should go ask her."

"But that would spoil everything! Besides, she's probably not allowed to just tell us if we go ask, since that would ruin the game. She did mention a baby Torken, though, and those little guys could definitely melt some snow. I think we should go look over by him." There was a Mocha Piccu, too, but those were so fluffy they had to be soft.

Aya rolled her eyes. This game had too many people working for it, and all these vague clues weren't helping. Still, she had to admit it; Torkens were pretty warm. She had doubts that they were very round though...

(8/10)

[Shieba]

((Thank you soooo much~ <333 I had so much fun with this! =D))

Laksimi didn't notice the geese leaving, as the ribbon proved to be a bit of trouble for some more minutes until it finally opened and Laksimi looked at the pile of keystones. "Money!" Had someone lost this? In a nest? That was odd! Only then did Laksimi notice the note. She was learning to read already, but it was still difficult for her and she needed quite a bit of time to decipher what the words meant. "It's from the game!" she figured out, finally remembering. Was that really her money now? That was awesome! She could buy more bread for her duckies and the geese, too!

Looking around to tell her friends the good news, she found that they had left regardless of the snail-box, though. Upset, Laksimi looked for Robert and Maisy, but only spotted Miranda and William in their nest. "Miraaaaanda! Wiiiiilliam! It's money that was in your neeeest!" she told them. "I'll go and buy you more breeeeead with it so that you get something out of all the stress as weeeeeeell!" Laksimi was glad to see that the two geese seemed content with the new position of their nest. "I'll be right baaaaack!"

She collected all the money togther with her snail-box and placed it in her bag, having a few problems to squeeze it all in next to Emily. Then she quickly made her way around the fountain where she spotted Robert and Maisy getting more bread from other children. Perhaps geese liked bread much more than snails - she would have to remember that! "Rooooobert! Maaaaaisy! I'll get more bread for you, toooo!" she shouted, probably disturbing the other children in the process.

Laksimi looked around and saw a bakery just a bit away. Surely they would have some bread to sell for the geese! And then she'd have to tell the woman handing out the bread to the children that there was a nest in the middle of the fountain now. Heading to the bakery first would possibly be smart, though, as Laksimi was still dripping wet and now, out of the warm water, pretty freezing, so that drying her fur in a building seemed like a good idea. She couldn't get sick, but it still was cold. And once her fur was dry again...she'd have time to study the geese some more, watching them being all swim-swim-swim and quak-quak-quak and talk to all her new friends and invite them over to the Chateau so that they could meet her duckies and be cute and fluffy together. After all, that was the way to become a professional duckie-expert!

~ FIN ~

(Exit post~)

[Kylo]

Once Talcen arrived at the Bakery he decided to search this area too. He could smell cookies baking amongst other winter treats and he smiled happily. He went up to the baker and smiled. "Hello there! May I purchase a few cookies please?" He fished out some keustones and handed them over. "Thank you!" Once he got his cookies he smiled and started to look around.
(5/10)

[MillietheWarrior]

Elektra:

Inside the box was a totem. It was an intricately carved little thing, and looked rather pretty. It was painted in festive greens and reds, and if you looked closer, you’d see that it was in a familiar shape. It looked remarkably like a Hollowheart, but the strange markings and coloring on the totem indicated that it wasn’t exactly that. It seemed instead, that you’d won a rare pet, one that very few seemed to have. there is a small note attatched to the totem, and you read it carefully;

A big, big heart, and care for all,
With him your Christmas will never be small!
I’m sure you’ll love what we’ve made for you
Because we all loved it too!
Your time is up, we’re sorry to say;
But please have a Merry Christmas Day!

((Congratulations, Elektra! You’ve won a Bigheart! Your prize will be sent shortly. Please make an exit post and your slot will then be open.))

Jobiehanna:

When the woman approached her with something bundled in her arms, the female Tali looked rather confused. She reached over with one paw, as if to grab a bag of roasted chestnuts, before she realized the girl was not interested in her wares, but in bringing something back to her. With a yip of surprise, the female Tali leapt forward and snatched her child from Jasmine’s arms. “Oh, yes, she certainly is!” She scolded the pup, looking cross. “I told you not to wander off,” she muttered, before she glanced back up at the girl. “Thank you. Why don’t you take these for your trouble?” She handed over a bag of roasted chestnuts as the tali pup stepped forward chastely. “Here you go miss,” she said sweetly. “Thank you for taking me to my mommy.”

As you glance down at the totem she offers you, you notice that it’s brightly colored. It seems as though all the colors of the rainbow appear in the many different lines and cracks and zig-zags that turn this ordinary totem into something extraordinary. It’s in a very familiar shape, and as you stare at it closely, you begin to realize what it is. There is also a note attatched, and you read it, knowing it will say something to the effect of:

Paints and sparkles, glitter too
This present was just made for you!
I hope you like it and you had fun,
But it seems your time here is done.
Come back soon, and don’t be shy!
Merry Christmas, friend! Goodbye!

((Congratulations, Jobiehanna! You have won a Paint Drakel! Your prize will be sent shortly. Please make an exit post and your slot will then be open.))

Azura Rayume:

The woman who ran the petting zoo simply shrugged and smiled enigmatically. However, it seemed as though the little Sahound pup from before had returned. He barked and yipped, indicating that he wanted the others to follow. Who could’ve guessed that their idea that, perhaps the Torken baby was the clue was right? The Sahound bounced over to a round, pudgy little Torken who sat with a rather large, fluffy blanket wrapped around him. He let out a burst of steam and the snow melted around him. With a growl, the Sahound pup tugged at the blanket and the Torken made a noise of distress as the corner of something red and green was revealed. Could this be it? Take a look and see.

Talcen:

“Of course!” Thankfully, Momo was still working behind the counter, and the more fiery tempered co-owner, Nanao, was busy stacking the boxes the way she wanted. “What kind of cookies would you like?” Leaning on the counter, Momo looked the newcomer over, resting her chin on the heel of her hand as she waited for his order. When she did, she bagged up a small bag of assorted cookies, and handed them over. “You know,” she said conversationally. “If you’re gonna stick around, your chances of finding something here are GOOD.”

---

((Ooc: No problem, Shieba! I'm glad you enjoyed it! It means, if I have enough pets this time next year, I'll definitely be doing this again. ^^))

[Elektra]

As Bruno stared at the totem inside the box, she found herself confused at first.  But upon further inspection, she realized that it resembeled one of those rarer species of Hollowhearts, or, in this unique case, a Bigheart.  Smiling, she carefully tucked it into her parka, and exited the festival after smiling brightly at the Lucain woman  one last time and thanking her for the fun.  In all honesty, Bruno had to admit that she could definitely get used to a job as main event participant, or something like that.  She'd have to talk to Elektra about that later...


(Thanks Millie!  I had a great time, and really appreciate this whole event!  8DDD)

[jobiehanna]

Jasmine smiled kindly at the young mother and her child after handing the pup over. "Oh, it wasn't that much of a problem," she said cheerily as she took the bag of roasted chestnuts. "Thank you very much."

She took the totem from the pup with another smile, thanking her along the way. As she read the words she wondered what could possibly be so colorful, but then it hit her. She smiled to herself and waved good bye to the pup and her mother. Then she walked away from the chestnut stand and began her journey back home in the cold.

{Exit post}

((Thanks so much for doing this Millie! It was fun. :3))

[Azura Rayume]

"See!" Haru chimed, bouncing after the puppy. "I told you it was the Torken. And just look at his face!" Yes, the cuteness was setting in again. Though most people wouldn't expect a small rhino to be cute at all, the plump little baby just screamed "adorable." Sure, he was a bit upset by the sudden approach of the Sahound (and probably the two of them, no doubt), but that didn't stop him from being absolutely precious.

Aya grumbled something about stupid games under her breath again. "Well, isn't that just fine and dandy," she growled. "It looks like he's got what we're looking for. The only problem is figuring out how to get it away from him." The rage demon would have liked to just shove the little thing out of the way, but causing such a scene would probably get them thrown out. She would have to actually think on this, or- "Hey! What are you doing?"

Haru was crawling through the snow toward the baby, smiling and attempting to be just positively charming. "Hey there, little guy," she cooed, outstretching her hand so the youngling could sniff at it. "I won't hurt you, I promise. I was wondering if I could see what had there. Hm?"

(Searching)
(9/10)

[Thunder]

(OOC: There are open slots, right? o^o)

Dave really had no idea what he was doing here.

He was dressed in a black coat with a red scarf around his neck, aviators (which never left his face, even though there was no sun out today), as well as red earmuffs with his classic broken record design on them, watching his breath hit the cold winter air. He hated snow, as he once told his good friend Jade, saying that lava was much more preferable. But he had agreed to try to get a Christmas present for her (wherever the hell she was), and when he couldn't think of anything, he chanced upon this contest and decided to give it a shot.

He approached the young woman and gazed at her from behind his shades. "Sup," he greeted, giving her a casual, boredi-ish wave. "I'm here for this...contest crud. So sign me up." The sooner he got through this, the sooner he could get back somewhere warm.

[MillietheWarrior]

Azura Rayume:

At first, the Torken was wary of the two women who sidled up to him. He was used to children with their reaching hands and their smiling faces. The children always brought him food, too. But neither of them had anything edible. However, his mistrust soon melted away when the first woman crawled towards him. She looked like one of the children he was so used to. He gave a little squeak, rolling onto his pudgy little feet and bumbling towards her to nuzzle her outstretched hand. She wasn’t exactly one of the kids who usually visited, but she was just as nice as all of them, the baby decided. The package lay forgotten in the snow, still warm from the baby Torken’s body heat. Maybe you should open it up and see what was inside? I bet it’s nice.



((Azura: just a note, you’ll be allowed to make an extra, eleventh post for your leaving post. ^^))

Thunder:

Ceinwen clapped her hands as another contestant strode into the square. She didn’t seem perturbed or even bothered that he called the contest ‘crud.’ She just seemed excited to see someone else entering. “Oh, how lovely!” she said with a bounce up and down. “You, sir, are in for a treat!” She motioned behind her, the floppy hat nearly falling off her head at the exuberant gesture. “Please, please! Search, have fun, enjoy! And merry Christmas, of course!”

(Yep, three slots open; you may now start your ten posts~ ^^)

[Kylo]

"Oh thank you!" Talcen smiled happily as he munched on a cookie and began to look around. He peeked curiously behind the counter to see if anything was hiding behind it. He then looked back up at the women and smiled again. "So how are you anyway? I bet you get a lot of business here."

((Searching the area!))
(6/10)

[Azura Rayume]

Haru giggled, scratching the little Torken behind the ears and grinning. Boy, she was glad they had stopped here. She was making so many new friends! "If I had some more food, I would give it to you," she said with another laugh, "but the reindeer ate all of it. It's okay, though, since he's so nice." Her attentions turned to the box that now lay unguarded in the snow. "Hey, Aya, you should go get that. I really want to know what's inside."

"So do I," Aya said, striding over to the box. This one was for real this time, right? No more riddles leading to her digging through the snow, no more hay stuck in her hair... No more snow in general if this what what she wanted. She would be getting inside as soon as possible now.

She reached down and snatched the box out of the snow, glad that it had been hidden under something warm instead of in a snow drift. Her fingers fumbled with the bow for a moment, the slick ribbon a test for her frozen digits. She untied the knot, stowing the green cord away in her pocket, and ripped into the paper. Finally, she could get warm!

(Open that box!)
(10/10)

[Jaden Wolf]

A little girl skipped up to the lady in charge. She was dressed in a rather frilly black dress and had very curly black hair held back from her face by a large red bow. Most people who saw her thought that she looked rather adorable, particularly since she seemed to only be about 8 years old. Those who knew her thought her looks were a trap for all those other people.

As to why Kia was here without a parent or guardian, the fact was, she'd run off...again. She felt like she was some caged animal, always having someone holding her on a short leash. Her Mama was the only one who never did that, but Mama Maria was always so busy. So Jaden, her "grandma" of sorts, was always finding people to "keep an eye on her"...and she'd even been used as a sort of punishment for people who'd been bad.

She didn't always hate it, in fact, sometimes she adored attention. Other times Kia liked to play tricks on her guardians...and most of the time, she didn't know what she was doing. People always said that she was a crazy child, who could and would do anything, anytime. And she hardly ever denied that. But now, she'd run off, and was sad. She'd get in trouble when she came back...even with Mama, since she didn't have Nala with her to keep her safe.

But this contest thing had prizes, right? Maybe if Kia brought something back...she wouldn't be in so much trouble. Looking up at the lady, she gave her a big grin.
"Hey lady, can I try this contest thing too?" she asked in her sweetest voice. She was feeling rather mischievous right now, but for once in her life, was controlling her emotions for the sake of avoiding future punishment.