2024-11-29 - All Hands on Deck the Halls: Court of Portals Edition

Michael is on his own two feet in the park tonight. Officer Cornbread is off duty and enjoying a well-deserved rest while his rider is off attending to the great decoratening of 2024. He's still in his security uniform, but he's here as one of the worker elves. Currently, he is affixing the head of a fake snowman onto its body, screwing it in place carefully, forming a tableau of a merry chase through the snow as Mr. Snowman attempts to reclaim his tophat from a fleeing Yarble.

Dressed for the chill in jeans, a leather jacket, and offensively bright pink earmuffs, Laney's doing rounds with a large box cradled in her arms in front of her. Coming to stand off to the side from Michael she asks with nary an introduction, "Is that Snowman 12 or 7?" Awkwardly she attempts to shift the box to one arm, in order to rifle through it with one hand. It appears to be full of knitwear - mostly scarves, but some hats and shawls too, each with a label on it. "Oh wait, or is it a girl?"

Robin doesn't have a lot of clothes but he does have a couple layers on under a black biker jacket that has now seasonal graffiti on it presently with a red and white striped sleeve. He's got small jars of paint with him where he works at getting the front window of the gallery painted up for the holiday like they do the downtown shop windows.

With his head covered in a black and grey beanie cap he gives Michael an upnod with a dimpled grin until Laney awkwardly shifts the load she carries. As everything stabilizes he refrains from trying to 'help' in whatever form that might be. The Snowpal is given a big thumbs up of aproval.

Eddie's excuse for holiday cheer is a dark green long-sleeved shirt under his khaki field jacket, jeans, and a really gaudy red, green, and white-striped Santa hat. He has his camera around his neck -- along with his employee ID just so that people know that he has every right to be here. He crouches down a moment to take a picture of Robin gives a thumbsup to the gendering of a snowperson fleeing from Yarble the Yeti, snapping a couple of shots and then getting back up from his crouch. "I can't believe how organized this is, and yet they expect us to make sense of the organization."

Michael stares at the snow-person in front of him and says, "I'm not going to ask. That seems rude. I think this one was number seven on the base when I screwed it into place." He glances over at Laney, hoping that's a sufficient answer to the question to figure out which knitwear goes on which snow-buddy. He gives an up-nod of a hello to Robin in greeting as well. He chuckles at Eddie's commentary and says, "I missed all of this last year. I just saw the whole disassembly which is just as impressive all things considered. But kind of less fun."

According to everyone's best guesses, Leon should be super into Christmas. It's all about being jolly, and that's her default state. But Leon looks like she's dragging herself here against her will instead of really embracing the good cheer. Sure, she's got a fluffy red and white Santa hat on, and, yes, that is the fuzziest snowman ever to be featured on the sweater visible under her enormous puffer jacket, but there's a broody little cloud settled over her as she picks up a cup of hot chocolate and tromps over toward the small group already assembling and organizing.

"Hiiiii," she says, stretching out that vowel but without the usual lilting.

The box wobbles as Laney continues to rifle. "Seven then. I'm only asking because some of the lady snowmen get shawls instead of scarves." Wobble. She hunches forward, trying to anchor her hold.

"Thing are numbered," she retorts to Eddie with a particular sort of defensive prissiness that suggests she may have been involved in some of the organizing of the organization system. "It's really not that difficult as long as you --" Trying to grab up too many things sets the box to toppling and scarves and hats and shawls and other snowpeople decor goes spilling to the ground. "Damnit! Here," she holds a scarf and oversized knit beret out to Michael, both with tags that read '7' on them, "these are yours."

"This would be way easier if I could fly," Wesley's complaining as he stands atop a ladder, dressed down from his usual casual clothing for 'labor' - jeans and a long-sleeved shirt instead of his usual more-fashionable attire that might tear, stain, or get caught on something. Or the dragon suit. At least he doesn't need to be doing this while he's wearing the dragon suit. Small blessings. He's attaching some of the string lights of white and blue to one of the 'portal gates' around the main courtyard, leaning out to get them on a hook.

"This one had a tophat," Michael explains to Laney, which could mean anything but probably that it wouldn't likely be wearing a shawl under a tophat, so probably a scarf? That seems to be the logic train that he's on, at any rate. He winces as the box goes toppling and lets go of the snowperson's head now that it's screwed on tight and reaches to help gathering them up, taking the scarf and beret he looks confused, but decides that now is not the time. "Thanks," he offers and helps to pick up the others. "Need a hand?" he asks Wesley, probably meaning in a minute after the hat and scarf avalanche is attended to.

"I missed it too," Eddie agrees with Michael. Laney's response lifts his brows, but he gives a little shrug, "Sorry, was meant as a compliment." The first part, at least. And it does seem to be going up relatively smoothly (for now) without any interference -- besides the box tumbling. Wesley gets a glance, and Eddie lowers the camera and frowns to himself. Some of the shadows gather behind the portal, stretching out to take the light strand from Wesley (with a touch of Telekinesis) and hang it on the hook.

"Happy holidays, Leon." There's a pause there, and he turns slowly toward her, frowning thoughtfully and lifting a brow in silent question.

Her greeting gone unanswered at first, Leon takes a couple moments just to observe what's happening between Michael and Laney. Her eyes drift up toward Wesley, and flashes the fellow performer a quick smile before she shrugs up her shoulders. "I'm here," she offers, both to the group at large and to Eddie's silent question, "how can I help?"

The mention of the tophat has Laney glancing at the beret she's handing over - and she gives it to Michael anyway. The superfluous hat is now his problem.

"Hey," she greets Leon with a little nod as she drops to a crouch in order to start gathering rogue accessories. "Thanks," she tells Michael for his help, pausing to frown over two different scarves, both labeled '3'. "I think these are wrong," she mutters, very much not looking at Eddie, so soon after her defense.

Robin seems oblivious of Eddie's camera and seems at ease being cold and around others; also a testament to Eddie's ability to capture people dynamically. he signs over to Leon 'Hiiiii. Ho Ho Ho.' and then is starting in quickly getting some purples and golds swirled onto the lower 'ground' area creating some colours being bounced off some drifting dunes of snow and an ice skating pond below as to draw attention toward the Gallery's shop window and not obscure the featured art. There's a very Thomas Kincade meets some small fantasy creatures vibes happening with the window painting.

As those shadows pull the lights from his hand and hang them, Wesley first blinks-- and then he breathes out a chuckle, head shaking as he moves to start back down the ladder. "That's cheating," he declares aloud, glancing down, "Absolutely cheating. I mean, I'm not saying not to cheat. I would if I could-- "

He hops off the second-to-last rung and to the ground, pausing to look around the courtyard to see where his aid might best be required. Or if he can sneak over for that cocoa.

"Wonder if Avery's doing some ice sculptures for this stuff..."

"I think there are numbered snow-people," Eddie responds to Leon, "and some lights." He points over to Laney, "I think she's in charge though. I'm just here to take pictures, help where I can," he glances over to Wesley, "And occasionally cheat. No sense in breaking any necks, right?"

The start of the snowfall has Eddie looking up, and the camera comes up again, taking a few shots first of the snow drifting past the portals, and then looking around for reactions from the cast and crew to capture.

Leon half-sidesteps so she can look at what Robin is working on. Her smile grows a little more, and she gives him a little tip of her head in agreement. She gets that. She steps forward, frowning at Laney's muttered words. She looks down at the scarves, and then brightens just a touch. "Oh! That's where that went. God, last year, someone lost Trey's," as in the number three, "scarf, and I think we had to hustle to find a replacement. Looks like it has been found."

She takes in a breath, and lets it out in a soft, "Umm. Guess just pick the one you think looks best."

A little snowflake alights on Leon's nose, and immediately it wrinkles as she tilts her head up toward the sky. Damn you, her expression seems to say.

Michael takes the superfluous hat and drops it on top of the head of a reindeer not too far away. Reindeer like hats, too. Hat problem solved. He then goes about affixing the scarf around the neck of the snow person he'd been putting together. Once that's done, he straightens up and dusts off his hands on his jeans before looking around to see what's next.

"It's not really cheating if the island gave us the abilities, right? Clearly we were supposed to use them here if we got them?" His smile is a little skewed. Then he wanders over toward Leon and says, "Why glum, chum?"

"Who's in charge?" Laney looks up from literal wool-gathering (ish - surely most of this is polyester). No new 'shes' have arrived, so she draws the obvious conclusion and shakes her head hard. "I'm not in charge!" Don't pin this on her!

She looks relieved when Leon seems to know a bit of what's what with the scarf issue. "This is Trey's?" She waggles both '3's, then gives them a considering look, squinting a little against the snow that's begun falling. "This one," she holds a blue and white striped scarf out at Leon. Apparently Trey's scarf is now her responsibility. "Here."

"My neck'd be fine, Eddie," Wesley rolls his eyes, but he's not actually offended. Anything that makes his job easier is a positive in his book. He's about to step over and see if they need help with the scarfs and hats when a flake drifts down in front of his eyes - and they widen as he sees it, head tilting back to look up at the skies with a grin, darkness speckled with the first hints of drifting white.

"Oh man. It's a Christmas Miracle."

Whimsey and wonder takes a backseat when he continues, "Now we don't have to break out that shitty fake plastic snow."

And Eddie's there to capture the snowflake landing on Leon's nose and her betrayed nose-wrinkle, chuckling softly to himself as he looks it over. He looks up to Laney and ostentatiously puts his index finger along his nose. 'Not it.'

He nods to Michael at the mention of using powers not being cheating, and then takes a picture of the be-hatted reindeer in the snow. "Hopefully, it's not because it's gotten colder." Concern flickers into his voice and expression as he checks in with Leon with a glance, and then nods over to Wesley, "Well maybe your neck isn't the only one here. And I really hope we don't need anything like that -- although wouldn't it be less messy?"

Robin finishes some pine trees in dark green overlooking the lake and then adding white tempra paint mixed with glitter so it looks all a shimmer over the snow and boughs of the trees. Yarble the Yeti and Gryla in the background at either end of the wide window display giving homage to the Misty Mountain characters there. Bringing his paint inside as they are drying fast in the cold he moves one of the larger canvas paintings of the Ice Palace with the figure skaters in motion on the still image. This is positioned carefully with some holly and ivy at the top of the easel in display.

Coming back out he stops and looks up. A silent grin growing ear to ear. He points UP then to Eddie and then back. The flakes may not photograph well in earnest but he's pretty thrilled about them. Laney brings her 3's up and this gets a small snort of a laugh.

Leon glances up at Michael with a huff, though she does start to smile a bit. "Just got out of costuming for this Season's characters." She watches the snow suspiciously, and then looks back to Michael. "Last year, they kept me so booked with my usual characters, there was no room for something new. This year," her nose wrinkles, "I'm some Krampus-like troll witch, and I'll have a band of mischief-making... elves?" She shrugs helplessly. "Guess they're based on some Icelandic folklore." Little does she know Robin has painted her monstrous winter form right now! "I'm just not sure I'm looking forward to warts this winter. Evil, wicked Snow Queen? Sure. Warty Christmas Witch?" She wobbles her bemittened hands.

Now she looks over at Laney who has solved Trey's scarf problem, and she smiles a bit. "Don't know, you might be a natural. Trey looks very happy now, and we like happy snowmen."

"You really think this won't melt by morning?" Laney doubts Wesley's optimism with a little wrinkle of her nose. She's got everything back in the box and pushes off the ground, straightening back to her feet. "Gotta use the fake stuff so it'll last. Even if it's gross." She dusts her hands off on her jeans. "Wet and slushy isn't as magical, I hear."

She tilts her head curiously in Leon's direction. "You do character performing? They don't give you a say on what you do?"

"Aw, you'll be the best warty winter witch the park has ever seen," Michael assures Leon. "In the meantime, hot chocolate? Cookies?" He nods in that direction because he's definitely about to go pick up some for himself. He passes by Robin's art and leans in to take a look at it, taking in each bit as he goes in to take his paints back. When Robin returns, he gets a double thumbs-up from Michael. "These look great."

Eddie flashes Robin a thumbs-up and shifts around to take a couple of pictures of the snow falling around the painting and painter. Even as he photographs, he listens to Leon's complaints, chuckling softly. "Slushy isn't magical at all. And I'm pretty sure that no matter how much Leon would love to play a mermaid or a Dread Pirate, she'll never say no to the costumers." Flashing a momentary grin in her directions, he adds, "Have you been practicing your cackle?"

Robin is really enjoying the snow and the little add-ins of the characters in a Kincade meets Calvin and Hobbes sort of fusion. In goes everyone's favourite dragon into the painting. He sneaks a peek at Wes and then back giving it a nod. He's happy with it. When Michael gives the window work some love there's a shy but pleased smile signing back 'Thank you, thank you' to him and the other to Eddie.

Looking to Leon and Laney he considers. He takes out his paintbrush writing in the air leaving trace colour hanging there as if on an invisible wall: L, should get witchied and come here. Be fun to paint with you, tell that lore 2 kidz? We'll make gifts for Gryla 😃

He draws out the happy face and then flashes her a smile of teeth to match.

Leon smiles aside to Laney, and her question gets a sudden arch of her brows. "I mean... I've never tried." She looks over at Eddie when he probably speaks the truth, and she huffs out an amused breath. "I don't think I can just say, 'no.' They get really excited about their projects." When Michael offers up some comfort refreshments, she sighs wistfully. "Both. All. Everything. Extra whipped cream." She clasps both hands together. "You're a saint." When Michael has moved off, she shoves her elbow playfully in Eddie's gut when he asks about her cackle.

Now she takes in a breath. "Alright, so... fake snow?" She looks over at Wesley apologetically.

But Robin has a message for her, and she looks up at it with a tilt of her head and wider-growing smile. "Hey, I like that idea. Let's get it into my rotation." Her nose wrinkles good-naturedly as she starts to grin.

"I wish they gave us a say in what we're portraying," Wesley observes with a wry look over to Leon and Laney, his hands spreading a bit, "We can veto if we're really uncomfortable but it just shoves us down the ladder into less prominent roles usually. Less hours, less attention, less money. So it's usually just best to accept whatever they offer you, and put a bug in their ear about what you might wanna do next."

He grins, then, "You've never seen the fake snow? They need snow for the whole 'winterland wonderland' thing but, if it doesn't show, they gotta use the fake stuff. Some places they use the good fake snow, like from a ski lift, but other places they use the shitty plastic stuff. It's like plastic confetti. It's awful."

Laney leaves the box on the ground for now, the better to take a look at the window art everyone's admiring. "That looks really great - wait, what do you mean you've never tried?" She turns to Leon, startled. "So you just get hooked up with warts and don't... even if you hate it?" The concept's foreign. Wesley's explanation makes more sense and she nods slowly. "Well, that sucks."

"There's the spray can snow, too," she chimes in. "That's not as bad, but not great for big areas."

Robin arches an eyebrow to Wesley and considers head tilting. He signs back to Wes, 'Shame, we love the Dragon.' Pointing to the little effigy of him on the glass he signs 'so cuuute, rar' He can only support so far before coming to a total pause looking up and around for where the music is coming from. He does try to Shazam the song with his phone. fail!

Still the song is neat and it's coming out of his shop and through the streets and even in first aid. Turning to Laney He faux-tips his knit cap to her without actually taking it off with a bow offering to dance through the strange little music.

Michael goes over to the cocoa table and grabs one for Leon and asks for extra whipped cream. When the guy only puts about a centimeter on, he makes a motion for more. When the guy stops again he gives him a look, which is funny since he's still in his Security uniform, so it seems a lot more serious than it is, and motions with two fingers. The guy puts a full two inches of whipped cream on top of the cup. Then Michael nods, satisfied. He grabs a napkin and one of each type of cookie, four in total, and brings these offerings back to Leon. "Sugar helps."

The sound of the music playing is a little distracting, and he pauses in silence, just listening to it as it plays before he refocuses on the others around him. "Don't think they can use the plastic stuff here for environmental reasons and the lake. It's gotta be the real stuff or no snow at all," he opines to Wesley.

Her chin lifts toward the PA speakers as the strange music slips through, and Leon tilts her head. So strange, she had never heard that before. She drifts her attention away from the song and to the conversation around them.

"Are you saying you'd given up being Flynt?" Her nose wrinkles as she grins over at Wesley, agreeing with Robin. "You're a wonderful Friendly Dragon. You've even made my Malia the Wicked smile, and she's only entertained by mortal peril and turmoil." She's starting to laugh now, relaxing a bit despite the morose she carried with her when she first walked into the area. Then her eyes brighten. "I don't know, Wes... do you want to be one of my mischievous elves?" Her eyes narrow playfully. "You're usually trouble when Flynt isn't around."

She looks over at Laney, and laughter suffuses through her. "No. I mean, maybe... but probably not. It's a job. We all do amazingly shitty things for jobs like this. Don't even get me started on what I was asked to do in LA."

Then Michael arrives, and she brightens at him as she takes the offerings with hearts in her eyes. "You're amazing, really, thank you."

Wesley glances over to Robin, his lips twitching a bit and both hands lifting to sign back, 'So do I, but I'll deny it'. A wink, and then he looks up as if at the broadcast system (not that the speakers are visible, that'd ruin The Magic) as the music plays. His brow furrows a little, a hand coming up to finger-comb back through his hair"...huh. Haven't heard that before. Must've gotten new music this year."

Leon swiftly reclaims his attention, though, and he laughs, "Nah, I get plenty of hours as Flynt and that makes my bank account happy, plus I get to make faces at the tourists and nobody can see it." An amused glint in his eye, "Although being an elf might be fun. Careful what you're asking for when you ask for mischief though..."

One eyebrow quirks in amusement and Laney sweeps a curtsy with invisible skirts in return, a certain level of poise in her bearing as she accepts the silent offer, holding out a hand "It's very pretty," she remarks of the strange music. "Sounds... I don't know. Maybe a new holiday soundtrack?" Because she's never heard it either.

"Well now I want to know what you did in LA," she tosses over her shoulder to Leon with a chuckle. "I couldn't do the character work. I'm bad enough around the guests as it is."

Robin goes slightly side-eyed at the secret Wes offers with an expression that lights up in the 'you bastard, I respect it' mood. He turns and takes Laney's hand and while he is not a formal dancer he can theatre-kid fake it to do a haunting winter waltz in the middle of the Court of Portals. Maybe moments like these need a splash of aplomb to go with them, but there is music and snowing.

There's a moment where he takes one hand back in protest 'The snow is beautiful. Stop picking on it Wes!' Bigger sweepier circles to use up more space for the duration of the short song remain mindful not to knock over any decorations letting Laney be as fancy as she wishes in the fun of it.

"Ooh. I will need rum in this hot chocolate before I go sharing my LA stories." Leon's laughing lightly so it must not be too traumatic. She smiles over to Wes, chin tilting. "I'm a wicked warty Christmas witch. I say you lean in and go full mischief. We'll get Angelo in on it, and just run this place." She takes a sip of her hot chocolate, so satisfied with the sweet and warm.

Her head tilts, and she's sure she hears that little snatch of music as she passes by the snowmen, looking around at everyone's work, but then shakes her head dismissively. "Yeah, it's pretty," she says, agreeing with Wes about the music.