Christmas Eve

[skeleton_king]

Jack doesn't attempt to leave the custody of Gene as he leads the search party into the forest, map in hand.

There are a great many more doors now, each with a pumpkin, and as Jack comes into the vicinity they seem to give a little click.

He turns to the search party.

"Spread out and search each area of the forest." he says. "There is likely to be monsters behind these doors, preventing the retrieval of the first Santy Claws. Your Santy Claws is, I think, in the hands of a creature called Oogie Boogie, the former king of Bug Day, who appears as a big sack full of bugs. If you find him, or you get into trouble, shout for help at once. The other monsters should not hurt you too severely, but they will attack, so your best bet is to force them back into the door."

Comments

Re: Team 3 - Dani and Enzo

[ami_imperfect]

"Or a rocking horse."

Re: Team 3 - Dani and Enzo

[a1enzo]

"Or killer potted plants. I'm not ruling anything out."

Re: Team 3 - Dani and Enzo

[ami_imperfect]

"Okay, so when did you see 'Little Shop of Horrors'?" Dani asks.

She reaches out and puts a hand on the knob, but doesn't pull it open yet. "You ready?"

Re: Team 3 - Dani and Enzo

[a1enzo]

"What, it's been done?"

(If he ever does see it, he might recognize Bob's old friend Seymour...)

He raises his gauntlet and poises his right hand to either steady his arm or go for his sword. "Ready."

Re: Team 3 - Dani and Enzo

[ami_imperfect]

Dani stares blankly at him for a moment, then shakes her head. Now she knows what they're seeing on their next movie night...

"Okay, here goes." Taking a deep breath, Dani carefully pulls open the door.

Re: Team 3 - Dani and Enzo

[face_in_the_moon]

Behind the door, it's dark, at first; but there are some colourful lights in the middle distance, and a deep voice humming a jazzy tune.

Re: Team 3 - Dani and Enzo

[a1enzo]

Enzo shoots a glance toward Dani. Under his breath: "Flashlight or stealth?"

Re: Team 3 - Dani and Enzo

[ami_imperfect]

"Stealth," she whispers back.

And with that she reaches out, grabs Enzo by the hand and turns them both invisible.

Re: Team 3 - Dani and Enzo

[face_in_the_moon]

There is rumbling, and creaking, and a deep chuckle in the distance. Right ahead of Dani and Enzo, there is something like a narrow metal tunnel leading very gently downwards.

Re: Team 3 - Dani and Enzo

[a1enzo]

Enzo walks as lightly as he can; Dani can fly them if necessary, but better to save her power.

He can't swear their target is at the end of this tunnel, but whatever this is, it's certainly not ducks.

Re: Team 3 - Dani and Enzo

[ami_imperfect]

Definitely not ducks.

Dani may not be flying, but she can at least float and keep her feet off the ground completely.

Re: Team 3 - Dani and Enzo

[face_in_the_moon]

No ducks.

Unless ducks cause jazz music and clanking.

Re: Team 3 - Dani and Enzo

[a1enzo]

"Well," Enzo murmurs, "it'll make an interesting fight score."

Fighting to a soundtrack at all is unusual outside of Games.

Re: Team 3 - Dani and Enzo

[ami_imperfect]

"I've heard worse," Dani concurs.

Re: Team 3 - Dani and Enzo

[face_in_the_moon]

Something groans in the distance; you can't tell if it's a person, or some long-suffering, rickety machinery.

Re: Team 3 - Dani and Enzo

[a1enzo]

Enzo slows for a moment, then starts walking rather faster.

Re: Team 3 - Dani and Enzo

[ami_imperfect]

Dani finds herself being dragged along a little bit due to Enzo's increase in speed, but after a few more paces she manages to get her feet on the ground so that she's running alongside him.

Re: Team 3 - Dani and Enzo

[face_in_the_moon]

Something howls.

Re: Team 3 - Dani and Enzo

[a1enzo]

Gripping Dani's hand tightly with his right, Enzo readies his gauntlet on the left as they charge on to the end of the tunnel.

If this turns out not to be the right tree after all, he is going to be very cross.

Re: Team 3 - Dani and Enzo

[ami_imperfect]

He's not going to be the only one.

Dani resists the urge to build up an ecto blast in her fist as they reach the tunnel's end; it'd give their position away.

Re: Team 3 - Dani and Enzo

[face_in_the_moon]

The dark cavern at the end of the tunnel is -- a casino?

There's a roulette wheel in the middle of the room, there are blackjack cards as decoration, and there are -- chains?

A casino dungeon, then, inhabited by a living potato sack which is walking around the roulette wheel.

And the chains contain a jolly old man with a white beard, in his underwear, on a sloping poker table, head down.

Re: Team 3 - Dani and Enzo

[a1enzo]

Enzo's hand tightens around Dani's, and his breath hisses between his teeth. He wants to rush to the rescue immediately, but that's not the plan.

Re: Team 3 - Dani and Enzo

[ami_imperfect]

As Enzo's hand tightens on Dani's, so does Dani's on Enzo's. It's taking everything she's got to not let go of him and rush right in there, guns (or fists) blazing.

"How do you want to play this?" she whispers to him. And prays that Mr. Potato Sack doesn't have supersonic hearing.

Re: Team 3 - Dani and Enzo

[a1enzo]

"I stay to keep an eye on things here, you go fetch the others?" he suggests.

She can move faster than him. And he knows she can make herself heard, if necessary.

Re: Team 3 - Dani and Enzo

[ami_imperfect]

Even though she knows he can't see it, she nods.

"Stay safe," Dani whispers.

She squeezes his hand, reluctantly lets go and then flies back down the tunnel they way they had come like the proverbial bat from hell.