Nice and peaceful, Nabias offers a great place to start your journey or stock up on supplies before heading out to brave the rest of the wilderness out there. They also have Barakka's largest hospital facility to treat all sorts of injuries you could get out there. (+2 Precision)

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Re: .:Millie's Christmas Event [LAST 3 slots Open!]:.

Postby Flame » 01/17/2016 5:17 AM

It wasn't long before the unlikely pair were on their way once again, the little Velix making sure to stay close to its owners feet as they made their way down the street. It seemed that after that first, rather unfortunate adventure, he wasn't terribly keen on repeating the experience (or god forbid, finding an even more traumatizing one). That, and he was now considerably jumpier whenever they happened across a person walking their dog - one could understand his newfound mistrust though. While Pip held the notetaking equipment at the ready the entire time they walked, he really didn't need it at the moment, as Allorah seemed much more interested in observing what she saw than recording it. For the moment, it was all visual stuff anyways, and she'd probably be able to remember what she wanted to from it just fine (although it seemed oddly lax of her not to be obsessively spouting things for him to write down).

Normally, Pip would have preferred to take his notes electronically. As a mechanical robot himself, he was perfectly capable of recording sound bytes as well as memorizing notes (which also happened to be a lot faster than physically writing them down). Especially considering just how tiny his little arms were, writing didn't exactly come naturally to him, but it was one of Allorah's ground rules that all notes be taken in physical form for the sake of safety. After all, what would happen to all of her data if Pip shorted out, or god forbid, if someone stole him from her? Perhaps one day she would move to digitize her process, but for now, this was familiar and comfortable to her.

[24 - The Bonfire]
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Re: .:Millie's Christmas Event [LAST 3 slots Open!]:.

Postby Flame » 01/17/2016 5:23 AM

It was a surprisingly short walk before Allorah called a halt, although Pip was surprised as he glanced around to see that they were nowhere near any of the stores that they needed to visit. He'd been under the impression that Allorah would want to grab only what she needed and visit only the place that she had to to get them, but this pit stop certainly proved him wrong. "So, I take it we're stopping to do this 'research' you were talking about?" he queried inquisitively, peering up at his owner from shin-level. "Care to tell me what it's about so that I can be prepared to take notes on it?"

The subject of Allorah's study was actually quite easy to spot; before them stood a massive Christmas tree (larger than any that either of them had ever seen before, both in real life as well as via research). One had to wonder just why a town like Nabias had such an unfathomably large tree (you'd think it would be in a place more like Lamenolai or something), but it was certainly a sight to behold. "Snap an image of that, would you please, Pip?" Allorah said off-handedly, seeming entirely distracted by the sight before her eyes. The sheer amount of presents below the tree was amazing in and of itself, and she couldn't help but wonder if any of them might possibly even hold something that someone like her would be interested in. She highly doubted that, considering how odd her tastes were. Plus, who else would ever want scientific equipment for a Christmas gift?

[25 - The Christmas Tree]
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Re: .:Millie's Christmas Event [LAST 3 slots Open!]:.

Postby Flame » 01/17/2016 5:32 AM

At her command, Pip obediently cast his gaze back towards the tree, although he quickly found himself faced with a brand new conundrum. For starters, he wanted to find a good angle from which to take the photo. After all, this might be the only piece of visual evidence to go back to whenever Allorah wanted to access it. As he strafed left and right, looking for a good vantage point, he quickly realized that once again, his diminutive height had presented him with yet another problem. "Ummmm, question," he said uncertainly as he continued to search for a good spot. His gaze was currently overlaid with a screen for lining up a photo (who would have thought that the Velix had a built-in camera in his visual system?). "Did you want the entire tree in the shot? Because at the moment, all I can capture is the bottom 20 feet. I'm starting to think that I could use a height upgrade as well."

Allorah seemed to finally shake out of her reverie as Pip voiced his concerns to her. "Oh, sorry about that, Pip. Totally slipped my mind." Reaching down, she scooped the little dinosaur off the snowy ground once again, lifting him up over her head (and once again, ignoring the odd looks she was scoring for herself) and shifting him back and forth to try and find the best spot. "There. Stop there," Pip finally replied, swiveling his head in small increments to line up the best shot. From this new vantage point, he could capture the entire tree, as well as all of the presents and children running around at its massive base. He wondered for a moment how that tree would have been moved into the town (the logistics of that must have been ridiculous), but soon returned his focus to his job at hand. Allorah wouldn't be happy with him dawdling on such inconsequential thoughts. "There," he said, blinking a few times to snap a few photos, "That should do it."

[26 - The Christmas Tree]
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Re: .:Millie's Christmas Event [LAST 3 slots Open!]:.

Postby Flame » 01/17/2016 5:40 AM

"So, why do you think they went through all that effort of dragging that tree out of its natural environment here into the middle of town anyways? I mean, by that logic, why do they celebrate a holiday by murdering a tree and dressing it up in all manners of unnatural decor? That pine would even look more natural with apples hung on it than...popcorn, tinsel, plastic balls, and lights." It seemed that some of that blunt pragmatism that Allorah had had rubbed off on her little mechanical assistant, somewhere along the way. "Plus, why presents? Especially just leaving them out in the open like that? I mean, anyone could take them, and no one would be any the wiser. Wouldn't it be really easy for people to take advantage of this odd holiday?" Pip blinked again, although this time, it was really more out of perplexity than actually taking a picture. That, and the fact that he was keeping a close eye on those kids running around the base of the tree as well. He certainly didn't put it past one of them to snatch him up and take him away from his maker.

"I was wondering all those things myself as well," Allorah replied absently, her eyes still fixed on the scene ahead, flickering from one interesting thing to another. "Those are actually things that I was hoping to find the answers for while we were out today," she admitted, finally seeming to remember the fact that Pip had asked her about her impromptu 'research' just a moment ago. "I've never learned much about, let alone partaken, in one of these holidays before, so it's just as much of a mystery to me as it is to you." She glanced down at the Velix, gesturing vaguely at the notepad in his right claw. "You should write some of those questions down, and any reflections you have on them, as well as anything you see that might contribute to an answer. Who knows, we might just crack the secret of Christmas in one night yet."

[27 - The Christmas Tree]
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Re: .:Millie's Christmas Event [LAST 3 slots Open!]:.

Postby Flame » 01/17/2016 5:49 AM

Pip nodded, and wasted no time in beginning to scribble away at the notepad in his claw. His claws might have been tiny, but anyone watching would have been impressed by just how deftly he seemed to handle a pen and paper, especially considering what he was. He had surprisingly good grip for a hand that size, and his handwriting was surprisingly better than most (and definitely better than Allorah's herself, ironically enough). At that moment, a snowball suddenly came whizzing by the Velix's head, and he jumped where he stood, clearly startled as he scuttled away from the trajectory of the projectile, glancing wildly around for any others that might have followed it. Allorah saw it as well, and her gaze sought out the origin of the snowball, her eyes quickly alighting upon a small group of young children nearby. She'd heard of people having snowball fights before, but she'd never seen one, let alone understood why it was a sport. She had never found sports of any interest, and it thoroughly baffled her as to why anyone would want to voluntarily be pelted with solid objects.

She was curious though, as she'd never actually handled snow (to her, it was, at most, an inconvenience to walk upon), and out of curiosity, she reached down and scooped up a small fistful of the white fluff at her feet. Squeezing experimentally, she was surprised to find that the stuff actually stuck together, forming a small, dense white ball. "I see that snowball," Pip's voice floated up to her ears, a warning in his tone. "I swear, if another one of those things comes anywhere near me, I'm eating your next lab report." It wasn't an idle threat either - he'd definitely done it before (although that was back when he was still brand new and learning the ways of Allorah's lab). To his chagrin, Allorah was bouncing it up and down in her palm, testing its weight as she juggled it. "I can see how this would be a good projectile for throwing at someone though. I most certainly wouldn't want to be pegged with one of these though, just considering their size and weight. One of these things could do quite the number on someone."

[28 - The Christmas Tree]
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Re: .:Millie's Christmas Event [LAST 3 slots Open!]:.

Postby Flame » 01/17/2016 5:55 AM

Pip, for one, seemed to have gotten his fill (and then some) of being in the cold and dangerous outdoors, and he didn't hesitate a moment in letting Allorah know. "Come on, Ally. You still haven't started on the errands that you came out here meaning to run, and I don't want to be pelted by strange children with ice balls. Let's just move on, can we please? I think you've garnered all you can from this place." He fidgeted, dancing from foot to foot in anxious anticipation of leaving the area around the Christmas tree. His gaze was still nervously fixed upon the children (who still hadn't ceased their festivities), watching the snowballs fly and hoping that none went astray in his direction.

"Give me a second," Allorah replied, ignoring the pained groan that emanated from the dinosaur-shaped robot as she began to make her way closer towards the Christmas tree. "You're going the wrong way, mom! Away from the tree is this way. Or...any way other than the way you're going." It was a lost cause for him know - he should have known better than to think that he could change his owner's mind on anything after it was changed. Walking up to the tree, Allorah made her way to the woman who had caught her eye a moment ago. "Hi there," she began somewhat awkwardly, having not realized at first that the line wasn't as long as she'd anticipated, and that it was her turn to talk already. "I've noticed that there are people getting little signs and ornaments from you to hang on the tree. Is that for any particular reason? Should I be doing that as well?"

[29 - The Christmas Tree]
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Re: .:Millie's Christmas Event [LAST 3 slots Open!]:.

Postby Flame » 01/17/2016 6:10 AM

"Oh, hello, my dear," was the reply that Allorah first got from the lady by the tree, along with a warm, friendly smile. "Have you come to join the festivities as well? I'll take your presence here as a yes," she said with a light chuckle, her gaze and her voice warm and kindly. Allorah wondered if she was here doing this every year. "People just like to decorate the tree so that it looks nice, but some of them also like to make wishes as they hang their ornaments on the tree. They think that Santa might make their wishes come true, or perhaps that they'll be granted during the new year." Reaching down into a box at her feet, the lady drew out a small, multicolored bauble attached to a short piece of string and extended it to Allorah with a smile. "Here, take this one. It doesn't matter what you believe - either way, your contribution to the tree will be there for all to see and admire, and it'll make you part of our little Christmas tradition."

Allorah had no choice but to take the ornament (or look rude to refuse it), holding it gingerly between her fingers as if afraid that her touch alone might break it. She had the feeling that that wouldn't be the best of luck, and probably wouldn't look great in front of the kind woman who'd just given the ornament to her either. "Thank you so much," she replied graciously, returning the smile that had been given her with what she hoped was at least a comparable amount of warmth. "And a Merry Christmas to you!" That was right, right? That being said, she turned back to the tree, walking a short distance around its circumference to find a good spot to hang her new ornament.

[30 - The Christmas Tree]
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Re: .:Millie's Christmas Event [LAST 3 slots Open!]:.

Postby Flame » 01/17/2016 6:16 AM

Allorah soon found an empty space amongst the throng of various decorations smattering the branches of the tree, and gently nestled her multicolored bauble amid the evergreen twigs. As she stepped away to admire her handiwork, she caught a glimpse of her own reflection in the rounded surface of the ornament which she'd just hung and was surprised to see her own face smiling back at her. She wasn't really sure why she was smiling (after all, all she'd just done was hang an ornament on a tree), but somehow, she felt like she was...part of something greater than just herself now. As trivial as the act had been, it had somehow tied her to the rest of the people who'd taken time out of their day to hang these other ornaments, and now hers blended right in with the rest of them, as if it was always meant to be there.

Turning, she made her way back to where Pip still stood, his head cocked inquisitively up at her as she approached. "So, what was that all about?" he asked curiously. Clearly, he'd been too far to hear the exchange, but clearly something had gone down, considering the fact that the non-holiday-celebrating Allorah had just partaken in what appeared to be a very long-standing Christmas tradition. "I'm...not entirely sure myself, but it was...nice. I think it's something that the townspeople do every year. You must agree, the tree does look quite impressive though." Pip simply shrugged in response, clearly less impressed by the entire experience than she'd been "Well, whatever the case, I got a few snapshots of you while you were putting up that ornament, if you wanted to see them later. In the meantime, can we please go somewhere else? I'd really like to be out of the line of fire of those snowball-flinging children."

[31 - The Christmas Tree]
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Re: .:Millie's Christmas Event [LAST 3 slots Open!]:.

Postby Flame » 01/17/2016 6:24 AM

To appease Pip, Allorah soon ushered them on their way away from the Christmas tree, continuing down the street in the direction in which they were originally headed. Pip was clearly relieved as they left earshot (and throwing distance) of the younger children, the sounds slowly begin replaced by the noises of chattering shoppers and festive music as it drifted out of the stores lining the streets. Everywhere they looked, there were people with shopping bags filled to capacity, hot cups of steamy drinks to fend off the cold, and little bags of roasted nuts and other various snacks. "Those look wonderful," Allorah mentioned wistfully, more to herself than to her companion, but Pip took that as his cue to actually do something about it. After all, he didn't want to have to deal with a cranky Allorah for the rest of the evening, especially since they hadn't even started their actual errand-running just yet.

He paused in his note-taking for a moment to glance around at the stores near them. Not finding what he was looking for, he turned inward instead to his own internal programs, flipping through them until he found a program that could search the surrounding area for stores that matched his criteria. There was a happy chirp that emanated from the Velix which drew Allorah's attention, glancing down curiously at him. "What did you find, Pip?" she asked, curious as to what he was looking up.

[32 - The Christmas Tree]
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Re: .:Millie's Christmas Event [LAST 3 slots Open!]:.

Postby Flame » 01/17/2016 6:31 AM

"Do your best to control your excitement when I tell you this, but I've found a bakery nearby that supposed sells heavenly treats. I figured you could probably use a break from the cold, and I wouldn't mind some respite from this snow myself." He jiggled a foot beneath his body while hopping on the other. "I think I'm getting snow in my joints again. Next time, you should invent me a pair of snowshoes as well - dinosaur claws weren't exactly designed for trekking through winter weather." If anything, their adventure so far was proving that Pip was woefully underprepared for many situations in life (or rather, anything that involved leaving the lab on any day other than a beautiful, sunny day). That upgrade was looking more and more like a viable option by the minute.

Allorah couldn't keep her face from lighting up a little at the mention of baked goods. It wasn't often that she treated herself to freshly baked cookies and the such, but that happened to be an unfortunate side-effect of always working at home. Her diet tended to be primarily comprised of TV dinners and whatever Pip was capable of whipping up (which was, more often than not, chicken ramen or instant udon). Not exactly conducive to experiencing the world of fresh and homemade goods. "Well, you certainly got me," she replied with a chuckle, clearly on board with the idea already. "It's been far too long since I last had a cookie...or at least, one that didn't come out of a pre-sealed package. Let's go find this bakery of yours." With a gesture to usher Pip along his way, she proceeded to follow him towards the fabled bakery, her excitement growing with each step as they drew closer.

[33 - The Christmas Tree]
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Re: .:Millie's Christmas Event [LAST 3 slots Open!]:.

Postby Flame » 01/17/2016 6:43 AM

"Ceinwen's Bakery, huh?" Allorah asked, looking up at the bright, cheerful sign lit up in various colors above their heads. The delightful aromas of warm sugar, chocolate, and a myriad of other scents wafted out of the open doors, and a considerable line of people was already gathered inside, clearly awaiting their orders. Of all of the stores that they'd seen so far, there was no doubt in either Allorah or Pip's minds that this was the most popular one of them. It wasn't surprising though - on a night like tonight, it would be darn difficult to say no to a warm, freshly-baked cookie, or a delectable frosted cupcake. "Well, there are certainly enough people here to make me think that your findings are true," she admitted, peering in through the window at the various sweets arrayed in the display. Every single item looked irresistible, and she wondered if she would have the strength to say no to any of them at all.

"I'm telling you, my system never fails," Pip replied with just a hint of pride, although all he got in return was a light laugh from his companion. "Of course it doesn't, Pip. I built you, after all." Allorah reached down to pat the little Velix on the head affectionately, although her gaze soon returned to the cookies in the window. "Well, that line isn't getting any shorter, so there's no sense in dawdling." Reaching down, she scooped the Velix up once more, making her way towards the door of the bakery. In a crowded shop like that, it would be safer for Pip to be up out of the way of trampling feet, and plus, she had the feeling that he'd actually want to be able to see everything going on around him.

[34 - The Bakery]
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Re: .:Millie's Christmas Event [LAST 3 slots Open!]:.

Postby Flame » 01/17/2016 7:01 AM

Walking in, the first thing that hit her was the wall of smells which she'd only gotten a small sampling of from outdoors. It was as if she could smell every single sweet and baked good in that entire store, and yet at the same time, it wasn't that sickeningly overwhelming scent that she tended to associate with cupcake and frosting-scented candles. Those thing she absolutely couldn't stand. However, in this store, she felt as if she had been washed over by a sea of vanilla and baked into a warm, soft cake. She closed her eyes at first and let the different smells waft over and through her, trying to guess what each of them was but failing miserably at it. She might have been a scientist and a chemist, but baking was whole different world to her, and while she might never come to master it, she could certainly appreciate its products.

Opening her eyes once again, she allowed her gaze to wander slowly across all of the different displays spaced throughout the entire store. She let no shelf go without its due attention, and the end result of her perusal was the realization that she wanted to try everything in this store, no matter how large, small, or expensive it was. Of course, she didn't think that she'd have the stomach space to try everything, even if it was just a bite of each individual baked good, but perhaps that was good thing. Maybe she'd limit herself to just a few things this visit, and she could use this store as her motivation to come back into town during the rest of the year. After all, they seemed like a place that would have staples year-round, but also wonderful seasonal selections. Glancing around, she began the arduous process of trying to pick out just a few of her favorites to buy and take out with her.

[35 - The Bakery]
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Re: .:Millie's Christmas Event [LAST 3 slots Open!]:.

Postby Flame » 01/17/2016 7:08 AM

Allorah had soon found herself with a Velix in one hand and a shopping basket in the other, and was playing that rather difficult juggling game of trying to find creative ways of getting the products that she wanted from the shelf to her basket. Sometimes she had Pip help her grab things (after all, he had two free claws - the notepad and pen had been stashed in his chest cavity for safekeeping - and nothing better to do with his time), and at others, she did the awkward slide-shuffle with the same hand that was holding the basket to try and push the things she wanted into it. Of course, considering the nature of many of the products she was interested in, she had to be extremely careful not to damage or break the goods. After all, it was much less fun to eat a decorated cookie that looked more like red and white rubble than a Santa hat. Nevertheless, she found that she soon had to give holding Pip up. Instead, she placed him inside the basket along with the goodies she'd chosen, and he seemed happy enough to examine her selections while she continued to shop.

Shopping here was definitely one of the hardest things Allorah had ever had to do. Not because she had problems choosing things out - in fact, it was quite the opposite. She had issues not just picking up everything that was on the shelves. She considered herself a big believer in not playing favorites, but that was turning out to be a rather difficult opinion to have at this moment. "What do you think, Pip? The chocolate cupcake with raspberry icing, or the key lime cupcake with the cream cheese frosting? Oh gosh, this is so difficult."

[36 - The Bakery]
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Re: .:Millie's Christmas Event [LAST 3 slots Open!]:.

Postby Flame » 01/17/2016 7:15 AM

At Allorah's question, Pip glanced up from the iced sugar cookie which he held in his claws, careful not to mar the delicate icing which depicted a reindeer with a bright red, rather oversized nose. "Why do you even bother asking me, Ally? You know I've never eaten anything in my life, let alone even have any taste buds. How am I supposed to know the answer to that question?" If he had had an eyebrow to raise at her, that would have been the perfect moment. Allorah was quite aware of the fact that Pip didn't have any constructive answers to give, but that didn't stop her from being ridiculously indecisive about this decison. It was funny, really - in the lab, she was always the one in charge that made all of the hard calls and large decisions, and she always did it without even the hint of a hitch.

Now, however, she found herself well and truly flabbergasted by the situation and entirely unsure of herself and her own choices. It wasn't that she doubted that the pastries which she'd chosen were good...she was simply worried that she was missing out on even better ones. But how was she supposed to know which ones were the best without quality-testing them herself first? That was how she finally justified her own choices, and after a grueling half an hour, she finally made her way up towards the still-lengthy line waiting to be checked out. It was only then that she realized that she'd completely over looked the entire freshly-baked case which contained all of the hot-out-of-the-oven goods. Well, time to start again from (almost) scratch. She wasn't about to relinquish any of the goods in her basket now.

[37 - The Bakery]
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Re: .:Millie's Christmas Event [LAST 3 slots Open!]:.

Postby MillietheWarrior » 01/27/2016 10:46 PM

(Sorry about the wait on this; I had hoped two more people would enter, but it looks like thats it for this year. So I'll be doing the judging in a few days when I have time off from work and school. The 'special prize' is still being created, so that one might take a while. I'll take all prize suggestions into consideration when judging. Thank you all for participating!)

Image
Well, this had been quite the eventful year. Angel noticed, however, that it had been smaller than last year. Not as many people had shown up or shown interest. She wondered if that just meant they were busy, or if they weren't interested in havng some fun. Ah well, everyone had their reasons, and she wasn't one to pry. "That's it everyone," she called, giving her flippers a wide wave. "The festival will be closing down for the year. I do hope I see you all again next year, although I can't guarantee I will be hosting again. This was so much fun! Thank you to everyone who came out and had a good time!"

I love adventurous tales like that. That uplifting feeling that comes from seeing unknown lands and the knowledge that you came across—nothing can replace it! It opens a path from which self-confidence, experience, and important friendships—from the sharing of life or death situations—are born! But hearing it just isn’t the same. I want to create my own magnificent story!



A great adventure!


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