EX Mission: Santa Frost is Coming to Town

Zephyr Arc

Zephyr was waiting for a good time to deal with the giant snowball as they raced, but it seemed Shoggoth'a little stunt had shifted things for the worst. He sighed, grabbing the two behind him and flinging them to the side, out of the virtual avalanche's path.

Next, he grabbed his sled and vaulted down with his spear, Boost and Overdrive activating as he did. Managing to land right behind Bastion and Vayu, and technically in front of Komori and Amira, he raised his rapidly growing sled as a shield, the butt of his now-massive spear serving as a pillar to try and shield the blow.

"Bastion, Vayu! I'll leave further measures to you, we can't let the bystanders get hit." He was sure they could manage the rest, as the gigantified sled alone would probably end up breaking.

Chaldea
- Vayu -

Despite a giant snowball chasing them, everyone suddenly became quite competitive. Vayu was surprised when Samael suddenly launched past him, only to be slowed again by Bastion’s spell.

“Ha! I’m not planning to lose!”

Seeing Samael’s fear, he got in a better position on his sled, that allowed him to take a long look back. The giant snowball was just getting bigger and bigger and Nihility’s attempt to deal with it only made it go even faster. Indeed what the hell?

They continued to race downhill, quickly approaching the last slope where Amira and Komori were waiting.

He was left stunned for a couple seconds when Zephyr, as it was his fashion, went completely overboard by increasing the size of his sled to use it as a giant barrier against the rolling ball of snow.

Vayu sighed. It was just snow, albeit surrounding some type of demon, but still upon impact it would disperse into soft and cushy snow. All they had to do at the end of the slope was to move to the side and the giant snowball would roll right past them. Of course now, with a giant sled in the way, that option was off the table.

“You couldn’t have just let it roll past us?!” Vayu called over to Zephyr, looking amused.

“Arcane Barrier,” he called and practically cast a protective dome over them. It would be unfortunate if anyone was hit with wooden splinters. He slowed his sled a little to see if the others were able to avoid the giant sled.

"Kyaa!!" Nihility squealed as she was flung out of the sledge.

The cold snow brushed her pale bottom, sending delightful shivers through her body. The amused girl giggled and dropped onto her side, but that was a mistake in itself. The smooth, purple ooze, quickly cushioned the female vanguard inside, creating a frictionless blob that had begun rolling down the hill, following the giant white snowball of earlier.

"Whee~" Nihility chirped with a cheerful attitude. "This is fun!!"

Shoggoth, with Nihility safely inside her, picked up speed as they continued to roll downhill. Keeping to the far side, they zoomed past Santa Frost and with a final push, the purple ball sprung up into the air. Shoggoth flattened and extended her body to form a type of makeshift aerodynamic glider that dived all the way down to the finish line.

Samael

"Are you joking right now?!"  Samael yelled in fury as a heap of so snow covered his eyes, as he held up his hands to cover his face.  Though, the snow posed another major problem, as he felt his sleigh begin to spin out and lose control.

"****!  Dig in!"  Samael called out, as the feet of the spectral steed rammed into the snow, and acted as an anchor that stabilized him.  A sigh of relief was in order, before another brisk snow smacked him in the side of the head from Bastion and the rest passing him by.

That little!  What if that had made him lose more control and put him in the path of the snowball?!  Was he insane?  He was going to pay, situation be dammed he was not going to take that sitting down.

"Go!"  Samael called out, as the spectral steed again launched him in the air hover nearby Nihility as the weird vanguard zoomed past him as well, a carefree smile on her face that made him was to vomit at the moment.  Though there was no time for that, he would take out two birds with one stone.

"Void pulse!"  Samael called out raising both his hands in the air as a shock wave of darkness erupted from them flying towards the giant snowball that would hopefully kill some of its momentum, as the force of the shock wave pushed him towards the finish line.... still he lost too much ground... he was too behind.

In that case.... Samael's gaze shifted to Bastion and Samael rose his hand like he was about to snap his fingers.  

He may not win the race, but he wasn't going to let him win.....

"Noise manipulation."  Samael whispered with a snap, as an irritating ring began to erupt in just Bastion's ears that would be subtle but knock off his concentration.

- Cleo -

"By all means, get carried away." Cleo grinned as he ducked to the side, but the whip wouldn't have reached him anyway, judging from the twist of Aeris' wrist. A feint then? He should have expected as much.

Cleo let his back foot slide further back, allowing his body to rotate into the step, rather than resuming his original position. The motion felt unnatural, but that's why it would be unexpected. As he twisted on his new pivot foot, he saw the whip slash through the air where his ankles had been, and Cleo darted forward, making to close the gap between them.

If she pulled the whip back to defend herself, he would try to catch it on the backswing, when there wasn't enough force in it to actually hurt him, but he suspected Aeris was smart enough to avoid that outcome. It was more likely that she would employ the spike on the heel of those boots to try and keep him at bay. If that was the case, he'd just have to deal with it when he was in close quarters, but at least the whip wouldn't be a threat anymore.

"I'd love to get you on your back." He quipped as he darted towards her. "But I'm not opposed to the lady being on top. You've not convinced me that there's a losing position here."

- Bastion -

Bastion glanced back at the sound of a frightened yell. Rory. She was farthest behind, and the giant snowball was almost on top of her.

Just then, Samael directed a hand toward him. Bastion lurched forward, clapping his hands to his ears as Samael's spell hit him. He knew what had happened, but that did little good. His control lost, his sled careened into Vayu, losing some momentum for both of them. Samael caught up in a moment, and the three bore down on the finish line neck and neck.

-------------------------

Komori clenched his teeth at the sound of Rory's scream. Bolting from Amira's side, he raced up toward the hill. Fortunately, Zephyr turned and dug in to try to stop the snowball. Rory, face screwed up in fear, raced past Zephyr a moment before the snowball collided into his enlarged sled. A tremendous crash rang out, and the wood splintered apart. The snowball broke apart into a wave of snow that toppled over Zephyr and buried him from sight.

Rory stopped short, staring at where Zephyr had disappeared. Komori reached her, helping her to her feet.

"You all right?" he asked, checking her carefully.

She nodded, and he gave her a reassuring pat before hurrying up to the pile of snow. Thrusting his arm in, he found a limb and pulled it out. It turned out to be a leg, and he stared into a strange white face, blinking up at him from upside down.

"Hee?"

He tossed the creature over his shoulder and searched again, this time finding Zephyr and extricating him from the snow.

"You all right?" he asked, dusting the young man off.

Rory joined him at his elbow, and he smiled at her before turning his sights on the end of the race.

-------------------------

Ten feet.

Bastion, Vayu, and Samael bent low over their sleds, neck and neck.

Five feet.

It was anyone's race. The slightest movement could tilt the odds. Bastion gripped the wood hard, willing it to go just a little faster.

One-

A shadow passed over them, sweeping past the finish line a moment before they crossed. Bastion's sled spun about and finally slid to a halt, and he grimaced at the sound of Nihility's delighted giggling in her victory.

His mood didn't improve as a shadow fell over them once more, and he looked up to find Komori glaring down at them, arms folded and face stern.

"I expected better from all-" He glanced from the three boys to the celebrating Nihility, sighed, and looked back at them. "-from you three."

Bastion said nothing. It was hard to look at Komori, much less the other two next to him.

"A little healthy competition is one thing, but using spells on each other like enemies? Ignoring your friends in need? With teamwork like this, it's no wonder-"

He stopped short and quickly looked away. Bastion felt an icy weight settle in his stomach and stood up from his sled. But before he could leave, he bumped into something small around his knees, which let out a feeble "Ho!" in protest.

"Santas need proper sleds, I think," the little demon muttered to himself before plopping on the ground. "Oooh..."

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- Aeris -

Aeris narrowed her eyes as Cleo dodged her strike and moved in close to negate the range of her whip. Well, then, if he wanted to get close, she'd let him.

Cleo's body tensed as he moved in close, waiting for some counterstrike from her, but she gave none. Not until he was right before her.

"Jinx."

Her eyes flashed with a purplish glow. Cleo tripped, his right arm flinging upward instead of his leg, and collapsed forward. Aeris sidestepped him as he crashed to the ground and laughed over his body.

"Did I say no skills?" she asked, reading his betrayed expression. "Don't believe everything you hear, hun."

Chaldea
- Vayu -

Vayu almost lost his balance when Bastion’s sled veered into his.

“Hey!” he called out in protest, but it was too late. He was just able to see the outcome of the collision between Zephyr’s enlarged sled and the giant snowball before they reached the finish line.

Vayu dug his heels in and abruptly stopped his sled, causing it to topple over. He landed softly in a pile of snow. When he got up, he could see that Nihility had clearly won as she was celebrating. Then a shadow fell over them. Komori, looking rather displeased.

“Oh please,” Vayu made an annoyed sound. His good mood was clearly gone. “Spare us the lecture. If you wanted us to do team building, you should have suggested some other activity.”

“Besides, I’m sure it would’ve been fine, if this clown had interrupted,” he pointed at the little demon to their feet.

“Anyway, credit where credit is due,” he said, regaining some of his good mood, and turned to Nihility. “Congrats on your win. You can start thinking about what you would like for that special dinner.”

- Cleo -

Cleo chuckled as he righted himself on the ground. "You're a naughty girl, aren't you?" He asked, rolling over, partially to avoid an attack he couldn't see coming, but also to get a better look at the woman that had just dropped him like a sack of bricks.

The fact that she'd used a spell actually didn't bother him as much as it should. Cleo had never witnessed Aeris in action before. So, he couldn't be certain if she was actually disadvantaged in close combat, or if she just enjoyed playing tricks on people. Either way, the fact that she'd decided to break her own rules felt like a mark in his favor, despite the bruise he'd definitely find on his knee tomorrow.

He reached up with one arm, as if expecting her to help him up, but before she could either take it or lash out at him, the air around them shifted with the effects of his Bait and Switch spell. "Since I rolled over of my own choosing, I believe this means that I technically I got you on your back first." Cleo smirked, this time offering his hand to help pull her up. "And while I like that look on you, the streets are a little cold for lying around."

The purple glider plopped into the soft snow and rolled off, releasing the happy passenger. Nihility laid back into the snow for a while, letting the adrenaline rush wash out of her system. She spread out and brought together her limbs a couple of times, the feeling of cold fluffy snow was quite stimulating. Nihility could not recall ever letting herself be this free before. The feeling was quite pleasant.

Vayu walked over to her to congratulate her on the victory.

"Yes, it was clearly our victory, so feed us your good stuff, human." Shoggoth, who had formed herself into her human figure, replied with a smug look on her face.

"Oh, hush you." Nihility pushed herself up and dusted her bottom. "If Zephyr hadn't flung us out of the sledge we might have not made it to the ground before the rest. Honestly, the moment we pushed down, I forgot about it being a race and simply let myself enjoy the rush I felt for it. If this was a competition, then the real winners are Bastion, Vayu and Samael. They stayed on their sledge till the end." Nihility peeked from the side of Vayu and cheerfully waved at the other two vanguards. "I propose that everyone chips in with what you should prepare for us all. I'm sure I can't be the one to hog everything. It's mutually no one's loss and everyone's victory in this event and all others, as long as we share in equal measures. We all had fun, and I believe that is the main point of these activities, so thank you for inviting me. It was a first for me."


The lively lady plopped back onto the ground, started rounding up the snow into her hand and let it slip through her fingers. "I mean, this stuff is harmless, it doesn't matter too much if we crashed into it or it crashed into us... right?" She looked back and forth from Vāyu and Komori with confused eyes while subconsciously making a ball out of the packed snow in her hands.


In the background, a peeved Shoggoth could be heard mumbling to herself, something about having less food to consume because Nihility couldn't take the win and shut up.

Zephyr Arc

Apparently Mr. Teamwork and co. were too busy trying to one each other up to help, and Zephyr ended up taking a giant snowball to the face. Luckily he'd managed to keep Rory from getting caught up, and stopped the snow at the same time.

Komori soon fished him out of the snow he'd been buried by before he managed to extricate himself, and he began dusting himself off. "Well, that went about as expected." He commented, before going over to make sure Rory was alright.

They soon joined the others as the race appeared to have ended. Turns out, he'd flung Nihility hard enough that she managed to snag the win. She seemed to be a much better sport that the three other men too, seeing as she offered to share a feast, to Shoggoth's visible ire. He chuckled and offered Nihility a high five. "Nice work."

Chaldea - Cathedral Hill

- Bastion -

Santa Frost stomped his foot, body quivering in indignation. "I'm no hee-ho clown! I'm Santa! Santa Frost!"

Bastion stared, eyes widening. "Santa... Frost?"

What on earth? That couldn't be real.

"Yep yep." Santa Frost waved his arms happily. "Santa brings the snow. Santa brings joy and laughter to all the boys and girls."

He peered up at the faces of the other Vanguards, as though searching for laughter and smiles. He didn't find any.

"Hmm... well, I'm off to check on the rest of Chaldea!" he said, pulling out a wand. With a wave of the wand, he conjured a whirlwind of snow that sent him hurtling off into the town.

"Wait!" Bastion called, but it was too late.

"What was that all about?" Komori murmured, stroking his chin.

Bastion continued to stare out over the city. "Santa brings the snow... do you think?"

Komori put an arm on his shoulder. "Relax. I'll look into it. In the meantime..." He turned to Rory, who still looked a little shaken. "Do you want to go home?"

Rory hesitated, then shook her head. "No... I'll stay."

"Do you want to build a snowman?" Komori asked. "Don't worry. I'm sure these guys would be happy to show you how."

Bastion blinked. "What-"

Komori threw his arms out, roping Bastion, Vayu, and Samael in and forcing them to stand by Rory. "Well, have fun, you guys!"

Komori vanished almost as quickly as that Santa Frost. Bastion sighed, then turned to Rory, who smiled amd sat down in the snow.

"Show me," she said.

"I don't really have experience with snow either," Bastion replied, sitting down near her. "But I think you roll up the snow into a ball and keep adding to it till it's large enough. Then you add another ball on top of it."

"Oh, kind of like that Santa Frost!" she exclaimed.

Yes, he did sort of have a body like a snowman. Bastion shrugged, then nodded as Rory set to work rolling the snow. Bastion glanced across the snow to the place where Nihility had laid, the motions she'd made in the snow making a form that almost looked like an angel.

Angel... Bastion's eyes grew distant. Here he was playing in the snow, and Mother Harlot could still be on the move. What would Asra think if he saw him like this?

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Chaldea - Backstreets

- Aeris -

He couldn't be serious.

Before Aeris could decide what to do with Cleo's proffered arm, she found herself lying on the ground where he'd been. A teleportation spell of some kind? Switching places between two objects... Clever.

"Since I rolled over of my own choosing, I believe this means that I technically I got you on your back first." Cleo smirked, this time offering his hand to help pull her up. "And while I like that look on you, the streets are a little cold for lying around."

He offered his hand again, this time from above. Aeris took it, then smirked as she hooked her foot around his ankle and pulled, bringing him down again beside her.

"Is it who gets there first that matters? Or who ends there last?" she asked, pinning him down as she straddled him. "Now tell me, do you think it's still cold down there? Or is it getting a little hot?"

She grinned as applied more pressure on him, all the while snaking her whip around his neck. "I'm told there's a certain magic to asphyxiation," she said. "Right before you lose consciousness, it's like you can see the face of God. Want to find out?"

Cleo never got a chance - whether he was bold enough to try or not. A small bolt of lightning struck right beside Aeris' hand, and she quickly pivoted off Cleo's body and stood, facing the attacker.

"Your strange human mating rituals are no concern of mind," said Thoth, perched on a nearby roof. "But I don't the streets are an appropriate place."

Aeris snorted and replaced the whip back on her hip holster. "I assume you didn't come here just to lecture us on public decency. So, what do you want with me?"

"Not you." Thoth pointed at Cleo. "Him."

Chaldea
- Vayu -

Vayu smiled at Nihility “Yes! The more, the merrier,” he agreed. “Leave it to me. I’ll prepare a feast for everyone.”

Meanwhile Bastion and Rory started to build a snowman together. Vayu could see the distant look on his face. Clearly, he still wasn’t having fun.

His eyes fell on the packed snow in Nihility’s hand. “Hey Zephyr, Nihility,” he whispered and nudged the other two. He grabbed a handful of snow and formed a snowball. “You up for a little snowball fight?” he asked with a grin and gestured towards Samael, Bastion and Rory.

Without waiting for a response, he suddenly threw the snowball towards Bastion and Rory.

“Think fast!” he called out and scooped up another handful of snow.

Nihility's eyes widened in surprise at the sight of Vayu using the snow in the way he did.

"Oooh, that too looks like fun." she squealed like a young girl having a taste of something exciting for the first time.

She imitated Vayu in properly forming the snowball out of the scooped snow in her own hands, but then she paused for a second to look at the other group and then continued to start creating more ammunition for her team to use.

"Hey, like you said, the more, the merrier." Nihility grinned as she brought Vayu and Zephyr's attention towards the piles of snowballs she was quickly constructing.

Samael

Samael fell silent, he didn't want to lash out at Komori since he was just doing what their leader should. However, Bastion was the one that casted the spell first, he was simple 'responding' to limit his actions and make sure he didn't did anything else.

....Then there was the snowball fight that Vayu mentioned that peaked his interest.

"Gladly" Samael stated with a scowl, as he quickly picked up a snowball and chucked it at full force at Bastion's Torso. A flicker of a smile crossed Samael's face, as he quickly darted away from the rest of the group and scooped up a heap of snow with his arms and began constructing a snow fort to protect himself.

----

Goki

Goki recoiled into the air, as Ose's tail flicked into Goki yet again leaving a red bruise on the Oni's face as he slammed into the snow leaving a cloud of snow dust in his wake.

Weakness? He's tried so many things but what was Ose's weakness? He was sniffing him out, just like some of those scary Garm that would wander around their old bridge, picking off lesser oni from time to time.... Usually the greater oni would have to scare them off, but Goki wasn't big!

....Well there was that one time.

Goki dashed past Ose similar his first attempt but this time he let out a loud air ripping fart, as he quickly lunged into the snow and swirled around Ose a couple times before getting below between the demons legs,

Smash and Bash!" Goki called out, as he swung the club vertically up at the demon, bursting from the snow like a tiny snow shark.

- Cleo -

He wasn’t surprised. In fact, Cleo had expected her to pull him down. So, he was easily able to avoid falling on top of her, instead pinning her into the snow for a brief moment. Of course, that was before she rolled them over. Still grinning, he looked up at the dangerous beauty straddling him. This particular angle definitely gave him a different perspective, not to mention the very real weight of her on top of him. “Make no mistake. I’ll be sure you get there first. If the guys you’re used to can’t at least manage that, they’re doing it wrong.”

His grin slipped as he felt the cord tighten around his throat though. “There can be a certain pleasure in pain…” Cleo responded, trying to decide for himself how far Aeris was willing to take things. “But I would never cut off a woman's airway. That would deprive me of all the delectable sounds I could be drawing from her lips.”

A moment later, the feeling of her on top of him was replaced by the chill of empty space, and he moved his now free hands up to remove the whip from his throat. “If the lady wants to play in the streets, who am I to turn her down?” Cleo responded to Thoth as he pushed himself to his feet.

He had already been prepared to take his leave before the demon pointed to him, rather than Aeris. Well, that was curious, but he could venture a guess as to the nature of this visit. “Sometimes, a little more privacy is called for though.” Cleo picked up where he’d left off, although now talking about something entirely different. “Perhaps we should move this conversation to your office?”

Zephyr Arc

"Hmm... infighting. Can't hate that about an enemy." Zephyr said watching Samael, before scooping up one of Nihility's snowballs and chucking it at Bastion. Everyone was throwing things at the guy anyway. Why not make it three?

Chaldea - Cathedral Hill

- Bastion -

Rory carefully etched a smile onto the snowman's face, beaming at it. She turned to Bastion after a moment and blushed.

"What should we name it?" he asked.

"Oh." Name it? It was a pile of snow. It did look a bit like that Santa Frost thing. "Perhaps Frost...y?"

"Frosty!" Rory giggled. "Yes."

Well, as long as she liked it. Now, perhaps he could get away to-

“Think fast!”

Bastion whirled about just as snowball sailed right toward them. He turned to block Rory's body and found himself nailed in the side of the head with snow. Spluttering, he stepped back, only to receive another snowball in the torso.

"Take cover!" Bastion said, scrambling behind the snowman as Zephyr's snowball flew past. It didn't provide much cover, but it was all they had.

"What should we do?" Rory asked, flushed with a mixture of anxiety and excitement.

Bastion peeked out from around the side of the snowman's head. "We could make a run for it. Or..."

He turned around, only to find Rory crouched by his feet, carefully rolling snow into balls. When he blinked at her, she smiled and placed a snowball into his hands.

"All right then," he said, nodding. "We fight."

Steeling himself, Bastion twisted from around the snowman and launched a snowball at Samael, nailing him in the forehead. He grinned as the other man spluttered, then ducked behind cover again to receive more snowballs from Rory.

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Chaldea - Backstreets

- Ose -

Ose raised an eyebrow as Goki began to scramble about again, wondering how many times he'd need to swat aside the little oni before he'd give up. But just then-

"Auuuggh!" Ose covered his nose and hunched over, wincing. That foul smell... did oni rot from the inside out? He blinked away the tears in his eyes and looked around just as he heard Goki's cry.

"Smash and Bash!"

Ose's eyes widened as the oni's club swung upward and only had just a moment to unleash swords and block Goki's club. With a snarl, he thrust back and knocked Goki onto his backside in the snow.

"You got me to draw my swords after all. Not bad, oni. Not bad," he mused, slowly returning his swords to his back. "Certainly better than your smell..."

He folded his arms and hummed to himself, a low purr in his throat.

"Very well. I might just make a half-decent demon of you yet."

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Chaldea - Hall of Learning

- Thoth -

Aeris raised an eyebrow. Well, wasn't this unusual. What could Thoth possibly want with Cleo? And Cleo seemed to understand it as well.

"Well... I'll leave you to it then." She turned to leave, cost Cleo a coy look over her shoulder, then sauntered away.

Thoth watched her go, then ambled away toward the Hall of Learning, trusting Cleo to follow. Once they made it back to the Hall and Thoth's chamber, the monkey demon clambered onto his chair and pondered Cleo.

"I've been asked to assist you," Thoth said. "The Council believes that there might be connection between you and Mother Harlot after your little dream escapade." He pointed at Cleo's hand. "It might be possible for you to use that connection to reach her... or for her to reach you."

Thoth re-positioned himself more comfortably on his chair and hummed to himself.

"It could prove very dangerous... or, perhaps, very useful. Either way, it's imperative to teach you to control it."

- Cleo -

Cleo reached up to massage his neck as they made their way down the street. She'd actually managed to surprise him there at the end. He'd have to remember that the woman was dangerous, and not in only the best ways. Still, the fact that Thoth had broken up their little roll in the snow didn't sit well with him. She clearly hadn't been finished with him yet, and Cleo hated to leave a lady unsatisfied.

His eyes drifted to the demon, now climbing the steps to the Hall of Learning before them. Considering recent events, Thoth could only want him for one thing, and Cleo's suspicions were confirmed after they entered the demon's office.

"I don't suppose I get a lot of choice in this matter?" Cleo responded with a grin. The thought of some lingering connection to the creature that had played him for a fool sat heavily upon his mind. Thinking back to the vision in the mirror for a moment, his temples itched. Between that and the throbbing in his palm, Cleo was beginning to wonder how much of his body was truly his own.

"Not that I'm planning to turn down the offer." He continued, despite feeling a little out of his depth. If there was a way to help eliminate the threat that she - that Mother - represented to the Vanguard and the people he'd signed up to protect, Cleo was on board. "But what do you really expect to come from this? It seems to me like establishing a deeper connection to her might be a worse idea than simply ignoring her."

Chaldea
- Vayu -

"Oh! This turned into a free for all kind of thing!" he said with a grin when he saw Samael throwing snowballs at Bastion.

Quckly, Vayu grabbed an armful of snowball ammunition made by Nihility and dove to the side.

"In that case, y'all better watch out!" Vayu called with a grin and began throwing snowballs at everyone within sight. And not the kind that was thrown soft. He made sure to put some strength into the throw.

Zephyr Arc

Suddenly, Vayu swiped some of the snowballs and ran off, then began throwing them at everyone in sight. "Well, that was a quick backstab." Zephyr commented, before jumping away to dodge the volley, then piling some snow in front of him as a rampart. "Well, if they're gonna play it that way..." He grabbed Cherry off his shoulder and Shifted her to human size. "Make me some snowballs, we're going to war!" He yelled.

Cherry

While she'd just wanted to quietly observe the chaos that just unfolded, Cherry found herself abruptly plucked from her perch and Shifted up. "Hey! Don't drag me into this!" She protested, giving Zephyr a good punch in the back, then complying and making snowballs with a pout. Seeing as she didn't resist the Shift, she likely wasn't too against the snowball war.

Samael

Samael face lurched backwards as the snowball bastion threw beamed him in his head, as he quickly wiped off the snow with a slight red mark appearing on his face along with some stray snow scattered about.

"Well, that stung. Bastion's got more of a throwing arm then I thought." Samael muttered, as he quickly ducked under his snow fort and began preparing snowballs. Packing them extra hard and taking his time as the others took each other out.

He then slowly lowered his hand to the snowballs as maga channeled from his hand as the snowballs turned a light gray color that blended in with the sky. This way, they won't see where the snowballs are coming! He's got this in the bag!

Samael quickly rose from his fort and began chucking the hidden snowballs are everyone in sight before a snowball from Vayu slammed into his face and 'dramatically' fell back into his fort like he had just been shot.

OW!

And he thought Bastion's throwing arm was bad, this was on a whole different level!

-----

Goki

Goki slowly stood back up after being knocked on his back wincing from the pain on being knocked on his butt. He looked irritated like a child about to throw a tantrum, but the compliment made him lower his guard a bit, as he loosened his muscles and plopped himself back down into the snow.

"Really? I can beat those new stronger demons Samael got then.... Eventually?" Goki asked with hope in his heart, but there was still something bothering him.

"How could I get stronger though without fusion? I've never seen a lesser oni overpower the greater, and even with my spell I couldn't even match your sword." Goki stated frustrated as he slammed his hand into the snow. He didn't want to lose who he was, but he wanted to help Samael at the same time. It was only a matter of time until he found a demon that was too powerful for him to outsmart.

Chaldea - Hall of Learning

- Thoth -

Thoth shook his head and edged closer to his seat as he peered at Cleo.

"Ignoring her was never an option, I'm afraid. The connection between yours minds was already been established the moment you allowed her access to your thoughts... or perhaps, the other way around."

Not for the first time, he regarded Cleo like an interesting case study more than an actual person.

"It may be some time before she decides to use it, but make no mistake - she will use that connection eventually. At best, she would use it to keep tabs on your movements, or perhaps even gleam information from inside your head. At worst... she might be able to control you. If that does occur, there is a 0% probability that things will not end most unfortunately for you."

The demon declined to elaborate, either because the scenarios in which this occurred were either too numerous or too unpleasant to detail. Perhaps both.

"Your rather disastrous performance on your last mission may be your saving grace," Thoth mused, pouring himself a steaming drink from a nearby flask. "She has no reason to see you as a credible threat or asset as of yet, so that gives us time to prepare. Ideally, the Council would simply like to ensure that Mother Harlot won't be able to penetrate your mind unbidden, but..."

Thoth paused, sipped his drink, and drummed his fingers on his goblet.

"I won't deny the possibility of the Council using you to track the Harlot and gain insight on her plans instead. It's a dangerous gambit, and one I wouldn't personally advise, but... there you are."

He set his goblet aside and waved a paw dismissively at Cleo before climbing up his chair, across his desk, and onto a nearby bookshelf.

"We'll begin your lessons later. These types of magics work better at night, anyway. Do prepare yourself in the meantime. It won't be an easy process for you."

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Chaldea - Cathedral Hill

- Bastion -

Did snowball fights have rules? If they did, they degraded at lightning speed until everything became a senseless free-for-all with snowballs hurtling in every direction. There were many moments of great triumph and brutal casualties - Bastion successfully flanked Vayu and landed a decisive blow to his face, only to receive a double volley right against his neck from Samael. As the frigid slush seeped down his back and sent him convulsing, he couldn't help but yell and laugh in equal measure. In fact, more and more they seemed to break down into laughter until no one was quite sure what they were laughing at.

But eventually, by either some unspoken consensus or just sheer exhaustion on all sides, they all collapsed together in the fluffy snow near Rory's snowman and watched in silence as the large flakes continue to drift down through the sky.

"I needed that," Bastion sighed, realizing a moment later that he'd said it out loud.

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Chaldea - Backstreets

- Ose -

Ose sighed and nodded in understanding at Goki's frustration and concerns.

"That is the nature of demons," he mused. "Unlike humans, we cannot fundamentally grow or change. It is a strength, and yet, a weakness as well. You can train to improve what you can already do, but you cannot grow to become more than what you are. I would be lying if I told you otherwise."

He didn't blame the oni for not wanting to undergo sacrificial fusion. Even for the one being the recipient, it was hard not to feel as though they were being changed in some way, taking another into themselves. Certainly, many felt used and resentful. But it was a necessary evil... even if he himself would never resort to it.

"There may come a day when your master outgrows the need for you. You can continue on with him if he'll allow it, doing whatever you can. Or you can accept the fusion if it suits you to keep pace with him. Or you can break the contract and find another master or another role that may need your capabilities."

He wasn't used to playing the role of mentor, but he'd be lying if he said it wasn't an issue he himself had grappled with at times, and he could certainly empathize with the oni's concern.

"No demon is without it's use," he said finally. "Even in a world such as ours, might isn't the only thing of value."

Chaldea
- Vayu -

Once the snowball fight really heated up, Vayu took about as many hits as he dished out. Thankfully there was a sheer endless supply of white fluffy snow, so their ammunition never ran low.

Eventually everyone exhausted their energy. Vayu sighed and sank into the snow, still panting. This had been more of a workout than he expected.

”I needed that.”

He looked up when he heard Bastion speak and watched a few thick snowflakes slowly drift onto his arms.

“Don’t worry buddy,” he replied and chuckled. “I think we all needed that.”

Nihility ducked to avoid the volley of balls zooming over her head from multiple directions. The scene had become too hectic from the earlier simple and slow-paced, two-sided dual.

As she protected her neck with her hands and took cover behind the remaining snowball pyramid, Nihility commented to herself, "I did not ask for this."


In the end, she managed to avoid getting hit and when everyone was all spent, she too finally relaxed and laid out into the fluffy snow. Nihility sighed in relief and peered at the clouds above.
"Phew! that was terryfying."


A few seconds later, she clenched her fists, crushing the fluffy cloud in her sight, "Round Two?" She asked everyone with a slightly excited grin and her cheeks a bit flushed.

- Cleo -

Cleo frowned at Thoth's words, but that was his only outward sign of distress. Women having access to him in his dreams wasn't exactly a new thing. This would be the first time that such a connection persisted beyond that realm though. No, the other women that visited him at night left none the wiser. He'd had years to develop the persona they met there, to give them the fantasy they craved so that they'd never question the reality of it all.

This was different though. Cleo slowly stretched out the fingers on his hand, which had curled into a fist. Unlike the others, this demon knew very well how real a dream could be. That made her especially dangerous to him, who already had an unwanted connection to her. The question was, how much did Cleo want to tell Thoth about his own experience in the world of dreams...

"So, you pulled Aeris and I apart." Cleo began, sounding mildly irritated. "Only to bring me here and make an appointment for later?" If looks could kill, the one he shot the demon would have left him eviscerated on the floor.

"You couldn't have just told me to visit you later and left, without the whole private chat thing?" Rubbing his temples with his fingers, Cleo sighed and shook his head. "Leave it to the intellectual to not know how to read the mood..."