13614/Santa's Timelost Village

Santa's Timelost Village
Date of Scene:	23 December 2022
Location:	Santa's Enchanted Forest Village, Albany-ish, NY
Synopsis:	Megan and Harper crack the mystery, Grant shoots Santa, Franklin bonds with his son, Cain becomes legend, and Karolina sparkles. Just your average Hallmark Holiday Special.
Cast of Characters:	Karolina Dean, Grant Ward, Harper Row, Megan Gwynn, Franklin Spade, Jr, Cain Marko

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Karolina Dean has posed:
        T'was the week before Christmas, and all through the state,
        Some family dinners were missing a plate.
        State troopers and agents went looking with care,
        But wherever they looked, the lost were not there.
        At this wintery village deep in the woods,
        They'd thought that the elves were up to no good.
        But none had been found, no one to cry foul.
        So off they went home, and threw in the towel.
        But new visitors arrived, with vigor and pluck,
        Perhaps these newcomers would have better luck.~

    Out in the woods west of Albany, bright lights and joyful music ring out through the trees. A large parking lot, carefully cleared of snow, only has about a dozen or so cars at this hour. Fresh snow is roling in but nothing too terrible. No true blizzard coming until the weekend proper anyway. But pathways in and around clearings are decorated with flickering lights, life-sized dioramas of Santa's Workshop, and many attendants in warm and comfy red and green costumes cheerfully greet guests to take them on a tour of the grounds. Attendees are even promised a meeting with Santa himself, taking time out of his busy schedule to ensure everyone is properly marked on his Naughty or Nice sheet! And while the crowd is a bit thinner this evening, there's laughter and smiles and even a hot cocoa bar (or coffee and tea for those so inclined) to keep people warm.

    Truly, a winter wonderland. And among the guests freshly arriving is a tall blonde woman, wrapped up in a warm coat and some fur-lined boots over her jeans. "Oh this is a *DELIGHT* Karolina squeals, adjusting her rainbow scarf. "..there can't be anything wrong here, can there?"

Grant Ward has posed:
    He had no idea how he managed to snag this assignment. Probably someone's idea of a joke. But Agent Grant "Grinch" Ward was walking among the many starry-eyed Santafans in this village of the damned. Hands shoved in the pockets of the ridiculous looking puffy red flannel vest, he is doing his best to look like every protagonist of every Hallmark movie, all set to teach the big city girl all about the spirit of Christmas and down home charms.

    He even manages to affect that friendly smile, the sparkly eyes as he nods to each person he passses, that impeccable "I am here to show you the magic of the season" glow about his face to match the rugged patch of stubble on his chin.

    He had no idea what he was looking for. The instructions had been unclear, and the tip itself was vague. But for some reason, SHIELD brass wanted an Agent on-site. Just in case.

    He's still not convinced it isn't for beating Coulson in poker last week and then gloating about it.

Harper Row has posed:
Harper peers about, her nose and eyes visible between the scarf wrapped about her mouth, and the toque pulled down towards her eyebrows. Fidgeting with her lips, she tries to keep a piercing in her nose and lip catching upon things. Her breath puffs out and she gives a light sniff. This may not be Gotham city, but when something fishy is going on, best to take a peek when in the neighbourhood. She shuffles amongst the group, eyes curious and seeking. The good cheer is potentially coercive, and she offers a somewhat concealed smile to the others. "Hard to believe this place would have anything but a good time. Ooooh, hot chocolate..." Squirrel!

Megan Gwynn has posed:
Well, if there is one thing the faerie girl lives more than anything else, it's magic and wonder and Santa on a crisp,winter night, all rolled into one. So of course Megan is here, dressed up in a cute red velvet dress coat trimmed in white fur, with white boots and furry white hood and gloves, looking totally festive with those sparkly pink wings and rosy cheeks,eager to check out the magical workshop..

Wait, What was that about missing people and something shady afoot? Surely it was just a rumour, nothing more than that...Right? She peers around the place, eyes wide with wonder and awe..So much to see, so little time!

Franklin Spade, Jr has posed:
    It's nearly time for Christmas, and that means it's one of maybe three times of year where even notorious Bad Dad Franklin Spade Junior can't shirk spending time with his oft-forgotten fourth child and only son, Franklin Spade Junior Junior. For the sake of brevity and avoiding confusion, and because Franklin Spade Senior isn't around, we'll refer to Franklin Spade III as 'Junior' and Franklin Spade II as 'Franklin,' 'Frankie,' or 'the jerkass.'

    Presently, the jerkass has actually been acting remarkably less jerkass-esque than usual. He's not even wearing one of his usual jerkass suits. He's wearing a Christmas sweater that Junior bought for him - a turtleneck with Spiderman on it.

    Franklin hates Spiderman. He hates freaks. He hates stupid costumes. And he really, really hates turtlenecks.

    But he loves his son.

    "Hey, Dad. Can I ask you about something?" Junior asks his father, breaking an awkward silence that Frankie has been intermittently filling with one-sided chatter for most of the ride to the Christmas village and the time since arrival.

    "Yeah, sure, kid. What's on your mind?" Franklin replies, inwardly hoping he isn't about to have to give 'the talk' in the middle of a Christmas village. He thinks Junior's about that age. How old is he again? Eleven?

    "Why does Santa give more presents to kids from rich families and less to kids from poor families? Shouldn't he do it the other way around? I mean, you buy me stuff all year, but I met some kids on Fortnite who don't even have their own computers," Junior says, sounding a little glum.

    Franklin's face scrunches up in thought. Okay, his son's definitely not old enough for 'the talk.' He thinks for a moment.

    "Well, Santa's not a goddamn Communist," he finally explains. "I mean, he might wear red, but the old bastard's clearly a Smithian at heart. Look, kid, when you've been around a while, you'll realise, things are just better when you're rich."

    Frankie turns and extends a mittened fist to his son to bump. "Good thing you're rich, huh? I mean, Santa's not gonna take a proverbial dump in your stocking, buddy. I'll make sure of it."

    Junior stares at the fist awkwardly for a moment before sighing and trudging onward.

    "Hey, don't leave me hangin', bud!" Frankie calls after his son, holding his hands up incredulously before chasing after when it's clear that Junior is back on silent mode.

Karolina Dean has posed:
    "Yes! Complimentary cocoa for all visitors!" chimes in a short woman with realistic elf ears, a green uniform, and a string of LED lights dangling around her neck. "And look at all of you! The last group for the night, I'd say!" she opens her arms and waves down Grant, Harper, Karolina, Megan, and the duo of Junior and jerkass. She gives Megan an odd look, but it passes within moments. "So grab your refreshments, and get ready to walk through the most wonderful winter wonderland~!"

    She seems entirely too cheerful to be here, and from the laughter heard echoing in the trees along with the generic (and thankfuly lyricless) festive music, the entire place has an infectious quality of joy to it. Even the hut with the cocoa has happy statues holding trays for paper cups to be gathered. Very realistic statues, if not for the plasticized sheen over the surfaces. Probably molded out of fiberglass or something.

    "Oh! Harper!" comes Karolina's voice, seeing at least one familiar face. The blonde smiles broadly as she prepares a cup of hot tea for herself. "Didn't know you were dropping in! Just in time, last group huh?" the perky woman seems to be just as happy to be here as the elf. If not moreso.

    The elf who looks between everyone, "Please gather your drinks and we can start the tour~ Wouldn't want to keep Santa waiting, would you?" she winks, her attention focused more on Junior, as he's the only actual child here.

Cain Marko has posed:
Unaware that there might be something wrong here is Cain Marko. He might not be the first person people would think of when it comes to Christmas cheer. And he's not, really. But for whatever reason he decided to check out this little Christmas Village this year. He's even, for some inexplicable reason, dressed like Santa. If Santa was seven feet tall and built like a mach truck. He arrives last of the group, stomping up behind them and settling into place otherwise quietly to observe. The sleeves of his red jacket are bulging to contain muscles that most Santas just do not have. A bushy white beard obscuring his face. Ho ho ho. Really, maybe he lost a bet or something. Or maybe he's trying to avoid being spotted by the cops? Who knows.

Grant Ward has posed:
    The broad smile on Grant Ward's face as he is offered the cocoa has all the charm of someone who is thoroughly loving every minute of the experience. Not, at all, someone who is entirely loathing everything about where he is. But such is the state of Grant Ward's night.

    His gaze drifts over his counterparts on this tour. Because what else is he going to do? He's a SHIELD Agent and he is trained to notice everything. Famous child of Hollywood stars? Karolina gets a glance, and then a second glance after he sweeps the rest of the group. Each of them assessed, each of them considered as a possible threat.

    Not that he expects there to be any threats in this village. This is all just an excuse to have a laugh at his expense. He'll find a way to get back at Coulson.

    Maybe he will find something to stick in LOLA.

Harper Row has posed:
    Harper perks up. The fluffy pompom atop her hat would point upwards if she were in an animated special. "Heck ya." Rubbing her hands together, she eyes her companions. "Hey yeah, lucky us." The young Gothamite takes in her companions with a bit of suspicion, her default mode for not entirely justified reasons. She gremlins herself one hot cocoa with a scarf-mumbled thanks and turns about to get addressed by Karolina of all folk.

    "Hey! Hey you." Harper uses her free hand to pull down her scarf, dragging her lip along with it for a brief eye-watering moment. She can't help but grin though, the blonde is so sunny. "Wish I could say I planned it! Well, I happened to be going in this direction for a thing, and when I heard about this...fabulous place...how could I resist? Wanna be tour buddies? Oh jeez, I guess we're being coralled. Best not to make elves angry is what I hhhhh...huuuuuhhhhhh...hhhh...." Harper trails off like a birthday balloon suffering a containment failure as she sets eyes upon 7 foot tall Big Red.

Megan Gwynn has posed:
Megan Gwynn oohs at the elf lady, tilting her head thoughtfully, "Heey are you a *real* elf? Can I pull your ears?" she giggles a bit but keeps her hands to herself. But still she follows, beaming at the mention of cocoa, "Cool! Are you the tour guide? I'm Megan.." her iridescent wings flutter around her...Wait, are those real..?

As she peers around, she smiles and waves at those that join the small group, maybe recognizing a familiar face here and there but certainly not anyone she is overly familiar with. Harper and Cain are given a small smile and wave. "Oooh, hey mister Santa!" she giggles and winks. But there are so many other things to take in here too.."Wow.." she shivers, twirling this way and that.."So much magical energy..I guess not everyone is just wearing a costume..?"

Franklin Spade, Jr has posed:
    Junior slows his sulk-walk to a stop as the elf appears, looking up hesitantly before allowing himself to be directed to the drinks area. Franklin's knee-length overcoat stops billowing behind him as he catches up.

    "Complimentary cocoa, huh? You guys really pull out the stops on hospitality," Franklin crows with what seems as though it's meant to be good-natured sarcasm. "Hey, this is the Premium tour, right? I told my agent to make sure it was the Premium tour. Assuming that's the top flight booking. I don't mind paying for the upgrade now if there's been a mix-up."

    Frankie looks back and forth between Karolina, Harper, Megan and Grant. "I mean, if these ladies would need an upgrade too, I'm fine with ponying up for the whole party."

    There's almost always a moment in any given encounter with Franklin Spade Junior where he will inevitably pull out a stack of bills from his pocket and wave them at whatever situation presents itself.

    This is that moment.

Karolina Dean has posed:
    Ho ho hoooooh my. The elf looks up as Cain joins the group, but she shrugs. "Last one!" she shouts, beckoning for him to join up and follow. "Goodness, you'd be a fine addition to the crew. Perhaps you'd like to try on our abominable snowman costume? We've got an opening and we're still here for another week!" she looks impressed as she sizes up Cain and his arrival. "You're a little big to sit on our Santa's lap aren't you anyway?" she teases. Behind the group, a pair of other attendants, dressed similarly, pull the entrance gate closed. On the other side there's an exit, of course, as the path around the village has a set start and end point.

    Grant doesn't get much of a second glance, he blends in here as well as the trees do, and probably for the best that he isn't tagged as anything or anyone remarkable. But neither are Harper and Karolina, it seems. Two friends, or at least acquaintances, being joyful at seeing each other again. "Oh hey!" Karolina wiggles her fingers at Cain. Surely the big lug is easy to remember, how could he be forgotten? "I used to love places like this when I was a kid. Not a lot of snow in Hollywood so..." she shifts her weight between both legs before staring at Megan's sudden iridescence. "...oh... ooooh..."

    She's as speechless as the elf who very clearly is trying her best to maintain composure. "Ah, no, please don't touch the ears," she laughs uneasily and steps back from the half-fae, instead gesturing forward. "It-it's... seasonal magic, yes! A true winter wonderland!" she states, sharing a glance with the attendant handing out the cocoa and such, who looks a mixture of alarmed and bewildered. If there's something afoot, they clearly hadn't prepared for... certain eventualities. Ones that *had* prepared for, however, are the Franklin sorts.

    "Please, you're all honored guests. The premium tour option comes with exclusive time with Santa and an up-close and personal look at some of our exhibits. You're even entitled to walk the park after hours. But for now, please stay together~ There's plenty in store and awaiting you!" The male elf in the cocoa shack just stiffly holds up the tip jar, unable to keep from staring at Megan.

Cain Marko has posed:
Cain looks at the elf when she makes her job offer. His beard twitches a little. "I'll think about it. I don't bounce though." Another sip. "And not really. I'm more of the being sat on type." He glances around the village. "Very festiva sorta place, ain't it?" This directed towards Pixie, the only one there he really knows. Though Karolina and Harper are both familiar. He seems unphased by the fluttering of those wings. Probably because of that. The comment about magic...well. That sort of goes over his head. "Hey. Blue. I don't think we really talked last time we met." He says this in a relatively low voice to Harper. It's still pretty easy to make out. "Same for you, blondie." That aimed at Karolina. They might recognize the voice. And if they do, they might recognize the context. Art show. Floating rust monsters. Which would make him...

Grant Ward has posed:
    One of the skills that always stood out in Grant Ward's dossier inside of SHIELD was his incredible resistance to torture. Perhaps that is what is at work here, keeping him smiling like a dad showing his kid his first Christmas. Except there is no kid, there is no spouse, there is nothing but Ward, the ladies, the mountain, and the guy who does not know it yet but whose car is going to be impounded by SHIELD before the end of the night. Ho ho ho.

    He glances around to try to size up what threat there may be, and of course, Cain gets a certain circumspect look. He was told to look for something. Cain is something. But of course, Grant manages to look just briefly at him no time spent lingering any more than the other patrons.

    He remains silent though. He can manifest a smile despite all of this. But spreading Chrismas cheer? Bah humbug.

Harper Row has posed:
    What could distract Harper from Big Santa? Megan will do in a pinch. For a brief moment Harper wonders whether she's part of the tour. The Gotham girl smiles back and turns her attention back on Big Red, and then Karolina. "Last groups are clearly best groups. At the very least more memorable, am I right?" Bringing her hot cup up to her face, she lets it steam it before she sniffs it. That does wonder for her nose. "Hollywood...wouldn't mind a visit there one day.

    Harper turns and lifts her gaze, looking up and up. "Oh..." If realization hadn't hit yet, it does now. "You." It might have been a better fit to squint while speaking like that, but her eyes widen instead. She tries to avoid locking her knees or forgetting to breath in and out. The basics are important. Harper hovers a little closer to Karolina, stepping from foot to foot in place. "I've been meaning to talk." Swallow. She suddenly wishes she brought more professional grade party favours. "Still have your card. You here on business or pleasure?"

Megan Gwynn has posed:
Megan Gwynn grins at winks at Karolina, "Just kidding!" still, she eyes her curiously, supping her cocoa thoughtfully as she ponders her words, and those iridescent wings of hers seem quite real, fluttering on her back with a life of their own. "Huh, Christmas Magic? Is it really real then..Like elves and Santa and flying reindeer?" hey, she's a faerie, of course she's gotta believe in that sorta stuff..

Franklin Spade, Jr has posed:
    Cain's arrival causes Franklin to look up with a faintly incredulous expression before snorting disdainfully. "Jesus, Santa. North Pole Wrestling Federation send you down south for doping?" he asks off-handedly, not really noticing the genuine pixie magic going on in the vicinity - though Junior is gawking openly behind Franklin's back at Megan.

    "Seriously, where'd you get this guy from?" he asks the tour guide - before tilting his head. "Wait, this guy isn't with you?" he asks, jerking his thumb over his shoulder at Cain and looking perturbed, subconsciously reaching out to draw his son a little closer.

    "Hey, Dad, did you see the fairy?" Junior asks in what amounts to a stage whisper.

    "You can't call them that, kid. You'll get 'cancelled,'" Franklin, who's been cancelled three times today already, warns Junior loudly.

    As for his concerns about his Premium status, Franklin just smiles at the tour guide. After all, she's said that he's entitled, and there's nothing Franklin feels more in his coal-black soul than the state of entitlement. With that settled, he grabs himself a cup of cocoa. Noticing that his son still seems to be fixated on the women in the group, he smirks. Maybe he'll have to give that talk soon after all.

    "Hey, Junior. Don't wear your eyes out," he warns, before looking over at Megan, Karolina, and Harper - and frowning as he spots the wings on a certain someone's back. "Oh, Christ. Is that what you were staring at? Don't go getting any weird fetishes on me, kid."

    "What's a fetish?" Junior asks, looking up and raising an eyebrow beneath his Spider-Man tuque.

    "Tell you what. Never ask your mom that question," Franklin instructs Junior, slipping a Benjamin from his stack into the confused kid's hand.

Karolina Dean has posed:
    "They're trinkets or other ritual items that are worshiped for magical powers or because they might be inhabited by spirits," Karolina answers the 'fetish' question, helpfully, before looking around at the rest of the group. "...I've been taking some ancient history courses as one of my electives. There's a lot of actual magic in a lot of actual things," the blonde states, nodding. Which continues to drive the elves' tension levels up. "We should chat after we're done with the tour," Karolina confirms, giving that bright smile to Harper and Cain before nodding to the smaller woman, "Oh! Mix of.. both I suppose?" she asks, shrugging.

    Meanwhile the attendant simply tries to usher the group along, down a windy, snowy path that leads deeper into the woods and away from the parking area and now-closed gate. "Yes, absolutely! Real Christmas Magic!" she states, holding up her palm as she walks backwards then tapping it with her finger. Poof! A burst of glittery snow explodes from it, but not actual glitter, thank goodness. Franklin doesn't need that all over him. "Are you sure, big guy?" she asks Cain, "Big snow monster, stomp around, make noise? Could be fun for a week~!" she tries to convince him.

    All around, though, the festiveness ramps up. Past the contrivances of a cocoa stand and a parking lot, the forest descends into more magic. All around is a well-rendered scene of a workshop, just set outdoors. Statues hold signs and display toys while more advanced-seeming animatronics go through long, scripted motions that involve moving a dozen or so steps, operating a device or inspecting a toy or something as mundane as adjusting another's merry hat. And ahead in the distance, a few giant pines have been decorated to be fit for a throne room.

Cain Marko has posed:
Cain gives Harper a grin, that can sort of be made out through his beard, at her reaction. "Just here for shits, kid." Definitely not avoiding law enforcement for anything he did earlier today. That'd be silly. He sniffs at his cococ absently, then adds, "I hear that Hollywood is actually kind of shitty. Most of it. Lotta bums and stuff."

He glances down at Franklin, his brows drawing together slightly. "Nah. It was for slamming an annoying viewer through a table. Don't worry. Docs say he'll probably walk again eventually."

He laughs briefly at Karolina's explanation of fetishes. "Not the kind he means, blondie. But good to know." He glances around the place as they move through it, and says to the tour guide, "I'll think about it. Do abominable snowmen get full elf privileges?" He absently scratches at his nose, and then downs the rest of his cocoa and bourbon. "Been a long time since I went to anything like this."

Grant Ward has posed:
    The longer Grant Ward walks with this group, the more convinced he is that he is being punked. He looks around for some signs of surveillance equipment. Nothing that seems to horribly even amiss - even the big man seems to be well behaved. And other than the rich guy throwing his money around, nothing either objectionable or disconcerting at all.

    He feels his face start to hurt with the effort of keeping the smile on it as he looks at the other visitors on the door, nodding to each of them.

    Someone is going to die later.

Harper Row has posed:
    Harper does her best to move along with the group as they're herded. She's tense, and awkward, but by degrees the drinks help thaw her, and the familiarity puts some spark into her. There's a giggle-dork-snort from her, overhearing some of the conversations being had. "Oh yeah, some bend over backwards to get 'em." Okay, maybe someone spiked her cocoa. She dips into it again, occupying her mouth for something better than cracking wise. Her eyes sweep towards Cain. "What are full el-... Never mind."

    Coming upon evidence of the more sophisticated animatronics, Harper's lips purse and she makes like a kid in a candy store: All eyes for them. Gadget things tickle her fancy, and this sort of thing fits the bill. "Wouldn't mind picking your brain about trinkets later. Yeah, a nice sit down on a not cold bench. Though the only magic I might understand is what's making those work...maybe..." Harper indicates the animatronics.

Megan Gwynn has posed:
Megan Gwynn arches a curious brow, "Charms or talismans then?" or something more powerful perhaps..But now her focus is on the sights and sounds that pass them by down the trail, furrowing her brow in focused interest. She is only briefly distracted by the elf's burst of winters glitter, giving a little delighted gasp before following her and the others down the trail to the actual workshop full of..Statues..?

"Huh? How..Interesting.." she murmurs as she reaches out to touch one. "So..Realistic.." she frowns, maroon eyes narrowed in thought. "How strange..Like..Like time..Frozen..Are these..Illusions..?" she asks in confusion.

Franklin Spade, Jr has posed:
    Karolina's timely educational intervention draws Franklin Junior Senior's attention. At first, he starts to scowl. "Hey, look, Little Miss Snark -" he starts to belligerate, before taking in the blonde's appearance more fully. His scowl transitions somehow smoothly into a grin, as if his initial expression was a joke he was pulling. "- just kidding, sweetheart. That's totally what I meant. Don't I know you from somewhere?" He snaps his fingers, then does it again, as if casting a magical spell to summon knowledge from the depths of his cerebrum.

    "That's right! I'm pretty sure my daughter used to have a crush on your Dad. Wow, you've really grown up, huh?"

    Franklin looks up at Cain and cocks his head, smirking. "Oh, yeah? I got slammed through a table once at a wrestling show. I mean, obviously it was fake, just like the rest of wrestling."

    "Wrestling is fake?" Junior looks up, brows knitting together in confusion.

    "Hell yeah, buddy," Franklin confirms blithely to his son. "Otherwise I woulda totally kicked that guy's candy ass. Wrestling's as fake as Santa Claus."

    Even more horrified, Junior drops his cocoa. He steps back as the added humiliation of having dropped his cocoa and the repressed resulting urge to cry set in.

    "Oh, come on, don't tell me you're gonna cry," Franklin says, at which point Junior turns around and starts to run away into the village.

    "I meant -this- Santa!" Franklin calls out after the retreating pre-teen, jabbing a finger toward Cain. He doesn't bother to pursue, not wanting to spill his own hot chocolate - or lose face. Instead, he just rolls his eyes, then casually sips at his cocoa.

Karolina Dean has posed:
    "Oh I know," Karolina gives a cheeky grin to Cain, winking a bright blue eye at him. Then she shrugs at Harper, "Hollywood really isn't that great, lot of fake people..." she sighs. "..the statues in this village have more personality than half the people I remember my parents hanging out with..." she jerks a thumb at a figure sitting at a table, constantly repeating the motion of painting a little wooden train. Stroke. Turn. Stroke. Turn. All while sleigh bells and pan flute play in the background.

    "Full... elf.. privileges...?" the attendant elf asks, blinking. She seems a bit confused. But then she's immediately distracted by Megan reaching out for a statue. The attendant tries to dart forwad, "Hey! Don't touch--" and with a mix of poor timing and her quick motions, ends up tripping from Junior racing past her and right into poor Grant. "--that..." she barely manages, taking the SHIELD agent with her and tumbling into a pair of figures building a snowman. A snowman that... shimmers slightly on contact and while solid, feels nothing like snow. Or wood. Or fiberglass?

Cain Marko has posed:
Cain gives Harper a wink at her almost question. The smile fades as he looks back at Franklin. "Ha ha. Yeah. If you want I can show you how they do it after the tour." The continued interaction with his son makes him frown, and he mutters something unintelligible as he turns away from the guy.

His attention shifts back to the elf attendant and he nods. "Yeah. You see..." But then a comedy of errors occurs. Which leads to him staring at the snowman after it shimmers like that. That didn't look quite right. He glances at the rest of the people in the group, then says to the elf. "Hey, Legolass. What's the story here?"

Grant Ward has posed:
    Under ordinary circumstances, the SHIELD Agent would not be caught flat footed. He would have done some sort of fancy pirouette and evaded the falling elf, or caught her and spin her around in something vaguely resembling a dance move. Complete with that brief sparkle on his teeth when he grinned afterwards.

    A testament to just how much the Christmas Spirit has gotten under Ward's skin, he is too focused on plotting his escape and is caught and stumbles through the snowman. And immediately realizes that it is not, in fact, a snowman.

    He gently sets the attendant aside from hopping up and giving the snowman a far more intense inspection. _This_ is certainly something odd, to say the least.

Harper Row has posed:
    Harper stuffs her free hand into her not-warm-enough jacket, rifling her own pockets. "Iss'at so?" Another sip from her cocoa, lips pulling in an errand softening marshmellow. She's just letting it dissolves when she nearly chokes on it as she nearly trips over her own boots. Her head tilts one way, and then the other, the pompom flopping. "Odd."

    Lips pursing, Harper draws a handheld device forth, trailing a lead or two. Double-checking something, her thumb rubs along a dial before keeping a button depressed and surreptitiously hip-swaying that side of herself towards the nearest animated decoraton. While looking like she's trying to hip-check Karolina, her attention is on reading a gauge on her gadget. "What the hell are these things running on? It ain't even plugged into anything. There's no juice...They make less sound than some pretty spiffy gear." Harper's brows furrow and she tugs her scarf down and scratches at her temples. Strange added on strange.

Megan Gwynn has posed:
Megan Gwynn closes her eyes for a moment, shaking g her head slowly, hand still rested on the 'statue'. "Wait, what? This isn't a statue, it's.." dark, marroon eyes flash open and she takes a step back, clenching her right hand into a fist, which glows and shimmers with pink light. Suddenly she's holding a glowing pink dagger and, completely disregarding the warnings of the attendant, and. totally ignoring everything else going on around her, Megan then proceeds to stab the statue with her soul dagger.

Franklin Spade, Jr has posed:
    Franklin's eyes are drawn, at least for a moment, to the artificial snowman that Grant and the elf have crashed themselves into, the karma of his actions falling, as it almost always does, on otherwise innocent bystanders. At least, presumably innocent bystanders.

    "Goddammit," he mutters bitterly over his cup of cocoa, drawing in the scent of chocolate through his nostrils. "You could've stopped him, you know," he points out to the tour guide. "But do I ever get any backup with the kid? Of course not. And then it's always my fault when he acts out."

    Sighing, he starts to trudge toward where he last saw Junior retreating.

    "C'mon! Junior!"

Karolina Dean has posed:
    'Legolass' has no response. Everything is starting to unravel around her. And in some cases, literally. The elf stares at Cain, then Grant, backing up slowly. Harper's words put enough tension in the woman that she's drawn as taut as a bow string. But what really does it, the final linchpin, is Megan. She take a step back, and then another. "Oh no. No no no no no no!" she cries out, as if she's going to stop any of this from continuing to be set in motion.

    The effect is dramatic. The soul dagger pushes through, the plasticized surface of the statue melts away, showing a very, very normal looking human underneath. Who collapses as if waking suddenly while standing. "What? Where. Where am I? What's... where's... who ARE you people? I'm still in Santa's.... oh my god!" he tries to drag himself to his feet, rushing over to the next-nearest statue, a woman in a motion loop of tightening bolts on a model airplane. "Joni! Joni!" he just about sobs. Oh dear.

    As all of this happens behind Franklin, the richest Dad of the Year finds himself between a trio of massive pines with a throne in the middle of it. The pines are huge, and among the ornaments, more lifelike 'statues' in various festive poses. Holding cocoa. Sitting at little tables. Dire portents considering what's going on mere meters away. Franklin will find his son, meeting with an elderly looking man dressed as Santa. "Ohoho, of course I'm real, iand if you want to stay here in Santa's Wonderland forever, I can arrange that~" he grins as little eddies of snow swirl around him.

Grant Ward has posed:
    It takes less than a second for Grant Ward to assess the situation. The snowman is not a snowman. People are captured. The attendant is pleading.

    And Santa is trying to capture the annoying rich guy's son.

    With a flash of red and green, the flannel vested man whirls around, pistol in his hand. Two shots ring out, TAPTAP, taking Santa directly in the forehead. The would-be Santanapper's head whips back as he crumples into a pile on the ground.

Megan Gwynn has posed:
Megan Gwynn blinks slowly, stepping back from the dispelled statue. "Aha, so the rumours were true!" she spins on her heel, facing the elf, hands clenched around the glowing dagger which she waves threateningly in her face. "Why are you holding these people prisoner against their will? This is totally unacceptable!"

Marroon eyes narrow upon Santa, trying to discern something from him as well. No doubt he is in on this too, and probably as magical as the other 'elves' here. However, it seems there's. still a lot of work to do, and she follows the de-spelled man towards the one named Joni, smiling gently at him, "Don't worry, I'll free them all!"

And now that she knows what's within the statues,she is more careful in attempting to break the spell on this one, gliding the flat of the blade against the smooth surface rather than stabbing.

Cain Marko has posed:
Cain blinks at the unfrozen man after Megan stabs the statue. He rubs his eyes with a big hand. "Alright then." He seems surprised. But not that shocked. He's seen some shit in his day. He narrows his eyes, and then steps over to the elf attendant who's freaking out. Reaching towards her, he grips one pointed ear and gives it a tug.

Franklin Spade, Jr has posed:
    Distracted as he is by the fact that his son has found Santa, Franklin doesn't notice what's going on behind him at first. In fact, for a moment, he's relieved to see that the boy is getting to have some kind of Santa experience. Maybe this whole shitshow can be salvaged somehow. Except, there's that snowy stuff going on - and that bit about staying forever -

    Franklin looks over his shoulder toward the others, perceiving for the first time the statue that has now become a real, living, traumatized person. He whips his head back around, suddenly breaking into a run toward his son and the imminent stranger danger, his coat flapping behind him.

    "Junior! Get away from that sick fu-"

    Abruptly, the shots ring out. Junior's tear-streaked but hopeful smile up at the enthroned Saint Nicholas transmogrifies, eyes widening and mouth gaping as Father Christmas is brutally murdered before his very eyes.

    "Oh, God. He's going to need so much therapy after this," Franklin mutters under his breath as he practically tackles the youth, covering his son's body with his own to protect him from any further gunfire - as well as the sight of the apparently gruesomely-executed Santa. "Stay down, buddy. You're gonna be okay."

Karolina Dean has posed:
    THUNK THUNK! The tranquilzing toxin rounds send Santa to the ground indeed. And when he hits the ground... his form dissipates into a swirl of snow and ice before rising again. Larger. More meancing. And more ... primal. Instead of the bearded, jolly, red-hat fellow, stands a seven foot tall man. He looks ancient, wizened, arms thin and fingers spindly, beard stretching down to his feet, clad in grey. He looks more like a wizard, or 'Father Time' than any approximation of Santa now. Well, aside from those cool 'old world' statue designs of Saint Niklaus.

    The poor attendant shrinks from Megan's admonishment as the Blade of Souls frees another 'statue', the woman's plastic sheen turning to flesh and softness and the pair of people reunited embrace and sob together. All around, the 'village' seems to waver just slightly as the illusionary magicks are being disrupted by two dispellings in such close proximity. Then the elf shrieks as her ear is grabbed and pulled, the poor girl trying to slip away!

    "Was all in fun! Was all in fun! The Winter will have its due!" she scampers back and tumbles into one of the shimmering workshop huts. Meanwhile 'Santa' stares down at Franklin and Junior before focusing his attention on Megan and the rest. "It was only a matter of time, but you dare disrupt our proceedings?! The Solstice ends, the days grow longer, and we must make merry, feast, and celebrate before the Spring overtakes all and we return to our slumber!"

Cain Marko has posed:
When he realizes that the pointed ear is real, Cain grunts. "Okay. So this is some sorta... elf stuff." Damn elves! Always elfin stuff up. They should go back to elfland. He turns towards the Ghost of Christmas Future, and starts to stride his way. "Look buddy. I just wanted to kill some time away from town. You and your ren faire flunkies had to ruin that." As he draws closer to the skinny, gray-clad fae(?) he likewise draws back one fist. "So I guess what I'm trying to say is... Seasons Beatings to you!" And then he launches a punch at his face. Hard. And hard for him is pretty damn hard.

Grant Ward has posed:
    The smilely cheerful Hallmark man is gone, and instead it is straight business Grant Ward. As one would expect from a guy who just gunned down 'Santa'. "Agent Ward in Albany, need back-up stat. Magical creatures masquerading as Santa and his helpers taking civilians prisoners."

    He pauses as Santa gets back up, and frowns as he stares at him still holding the ICER pistol. "Well, this is..." Then, of course, Cain strides to the rescue. Maybe he will take out Santa, maybe he won't, but it lets Ward shift into gear on a different aspect. "Alright, everyone, let's get out of here!" He starts waving to the folks as they wake up, and nods towards Karolina. "Can you help get them all to safety? I'll have a team here ASAP to figure out what to do with..."

    He sighs. "They're going to call me Santa-killer now, aren't they?"

Franklin Spade, Jr has posed:
    Franklin draws in a deep breath through his nostrils and closes his eyes slowly - before opening them again abruptly when he realises that the old man who was seated on the throne is rising back again.

    Shit.

    Franklin bolts upright, whirling around toward the sinister old elf and dusting snow off of his sleeves.

    "Goddammit, I should have known it was one of you freaks! Stay the frick away from my kid or I swear I'll -"

    "Dad! Santa's okay!" Junior pipes up, now on his feet as well, from behind Franklin, smiling brilliantly. "It's a Christmas Miracle!"

    Franklin turns around and is about to chastise his son when Cain steps up behind him and aims what's sure to be a hell of a punch at Father Christmas.

    Reaction shot of Junior witnessing the revived Santa being punched by the Juggernaut to follow.

Megan Gwynn has posed:
Megan Gwynn wastes no time in checking on the reunited couple, already dashing to the next statue and the next, repeating the process with her dagger, spinning and twirling, cutting through as many enchantments as she can. There are a lot and this will take some time, but hopefully the others can deal with 'Santa' or..Or..

"Wait what? You're Winter Fae..Krampus perhaps? And the elf is real too...Heh, go figure." was Santa ever this bad? Of course her fae law is rather limited when it comes to Santa's true origins. "But of course if Santa is an elf and associated with winter, it would make some twisted sense..Even so, this is pretty low..Especially for 'Santa!" there is a bit of disappointment in her voice.

Karolina Dean has posed:
    Always elfin' stuff up indeed. Well. Fae. Fey? Fairies. Junior was right about fairies being involved, and not just Megan. "What?" Father Christmas asks, blinking at Cain's pun. "Season's--" he can't finish when an engine-sized fist smashes into his face with the force of a runaway truck. This time, the superhuman punch has an effect. The ICER shots might've killed the disguise but the actual slam of meaty fist to wizened face sends the old man back to the ice age. Literally. His entire body explodes as his corporeal form is reduced to frost, snow, and ice, filling the area with an intense feeling of /cold/ as the voice echoes, "...GET YOU... NEXT YEAR..."

    In the meantime, Karolina blinks at Grant. "Oh! Yes! Of course!" she says, hurrying over to help the first two prisoners no longer enthralled by fey magicks. Which... soon turns into a greater and greater number. Not just the disruption but the 'leader' being iced seems to make the entire winter scene fail catastrophically as if the cornerstone had been ripped from it. The small 'worskhop' nearest Megan is easily dismantled, the illusion of structure and workstations removed, the individuals who were 'working' there under spells of automation and suspension freed to realize they'd been stuck there, most of them strangers to each other.

    All aroound, festive structures turn into bundles of wood, brambles, and branches. Toys and tools into rocks. The elven attendants? Their costumes fade and more mystical, magical fey-like creatures race off into the woods or simply poof into frost.

    What's worse, though, is as the illusions all fade, so too do the lights. Late night, in the darkness, in the snowy woods and what limited shine there is from a half-fae's wings. Until there's a shimmer of liquid rainbow and Karolina ignites her powers, sighing quietly. All around, people are whimpering and whining as their enchantments fade and they're able to 'exist' again, most of them who had been completely displaced from their families. Dozens of missing people.

    Like a shimmering beacon, Karolina lets her light spread around her and she looks to Grant. "...probably..." the rainbow blonde gives him a lopsided smile. "...how long until your people get here? FBI, right? I can't keep everyone warm for too long..."

    Oh hey, the little hot cocoa shack wasn't an illusion, at least! "..is uh... hey... is he going to be okay?" the woman asks of Franklin's son, though from the sounds of brush and voices, there's more than a few other lost children out there.

Grant Ward has posed:
    As if in answer to Karolina's question, a helicopter swoops down with the SHIELD logo emblazoned on the side, a few moments before some HUMVEEs roll up with the same decal. "That long," remarks Ward with a smile bordering on a smirk as he holsters his ICER. A SHIELD agent in a tactical vest trots over towards him as the others fan out with blankets and hot drinks, seeing to all of the formerly imprisoned patrons. "Ward, please tell me you didn't shoot Santa."

    Ward looks at the Agent, and then looks over at Richard, his son, and then back at Karolina. And shrugs.

Cain Marko has posed:
.....that was surprisingly easy. Cain blinks as the guy just disappears, looking around. The cold doesn't really register. You could drop him into the arctic naked and his nipples wouldn't even get hard. He scratches at his fake-bearded chin, then frowns when the lights all disappear. He turns in place, and sighs. "Well, so much for that then." He stomps back over to the cocoa shack, reaching in and grabbing a whole put. Taking a pull he turns to the rest. "Well. Merry Christmas I suppose." Then he turns, and starts to wander off. Ah, wait. SHIELD? Yep, definitely out of here.

Franklin Spade, Jr has posed:
    Junior's expression as one Santa punches another Santa into what might well be literal oblivion is as agape and stunned as one might expect. Franklin turns around just in time to witness the same thing, and his expression is actually about the same as his son's. After several seconds to take in the disappearing Christmas village and the creatures escaping into the woods, he turns around and looks down at Junior... and smiles.

    "See? What'd I tell you? All fake! It's what happens when you mix Santa and wrestling. Just... ultimate awesome fakeness. See, this guy's the good Santa. That other Santa was the bad Santa. It was all just a show I brought you to see, though. Remember that Premium thing I was on about? And now we're entitled to wander. Wannanothercuppacocoa?"

    Signalling to Karolina that Junior - who now just appears dazed and confused - will in fact be okay with a thumb up, he turns to Marko. "Hey, Santa! Thanks for putting on such a wicked show! Can I get you to take a picture with Frankie Junior and me before you leave?" he asks, jogging after Marko with a camera in one hand and Junior in tow in the other. "And here - for saving the day." He extends the stack of bills that was originally going to buy a Premium upgrade for the party. With a glance down at his son and back, he adds, "By the way, maybe think about handing out some extra presents to the underprivileged kids this year, huh?" with a wink.

Megan Gwynn has posed:
Megan Gwynn is kept busy breaking the rest of the illusions, freeing all the people and stepping back to let them be bathed in warm, summery magic. She pauses, arching a brow at the 'elf' even as 'Santa' turns to snow. He's probably not destroyed, just transformed, she figures. And there go the elves too. Huh, more winter fey perhaps?

Either way her attention is now on the Karolina, and after pouring so much energy into the blackened portion of her soul..Some of it is starting to affect her too.."And what about you? Were you in on this too?" she points the dagger at her, confused by her magic, her senses still tingling. Another dangerous fae or something else entirely? Her head still rushing with dark magic, Megan is still in stabby mode it seems.

Karolina Dean has posed:
    "Oh.. that was fast.." Karolina laughs. "...SHIELD! Not FBI. Wow. REALLY fast!" She sighs, seeming to be even BRIGHTER when she's bathed in headlights and spotlights. The lighting in the woods will show just how much things are... weird. Just odd fae constructs as the most basic 'descorations' with magic infused to turn them into prettier things. There's even a handful of cars under foliage, likely moved and joined in with the magicks to hide missing vehicles as entire families were abducted for this... mummer's farce.

    "It wasn't the real Santa?" Karolina offers in Grant's defense, "...the real one punched the fake one and saved Christmas," she nods. Helpful. She's helping Franklin, too, clearly! Even if she's a bit blinding right now. She turns down the light a little now that she isn't needed for lighthouse duty but is still rainbowy--with a knife pointed at her. "Huh?" she blinks, lifting her hands. "Oh! Hey, no. I'm not an elf. Or. A fairy. Or. What... ever these things were. I'm Karolina! I live in Greenwich Village!" she says cheerfully. "It's over! Everyone's safe. Please don't stab me, it won't be good for you," she says, looking apologetic.

Megan Gwynn has posed:
Megan Gwynn blinks and rubs her eyes, lowering her dagger at the woman's words, and as she reaches out with her senses, she realizes quickly her mistake. "Huh? You're not..." sighing tiredly, she lowers her dagger, and a moment later it puffs out of existence. "Heh, sorry about that..Thanks for your help..I should really go.." she frowns, rubbing her eyes tiredly as she glances around at the mess left behind. And then without another word,s he spreads her wings and springs skywards, leaving a sparkly trail in her wake.