Scene #6920: Searching for Santa Claus-1

Owner	Pose
Big Boss	For some time, several years, Santa Claus has been missing. Ever since the Multiverse shifted, he has been gone from Winter. As the Christmas season truly begins, however, signs that he may still exist have appeared. A massive workshop house, connected to what seems like a symbol of the North Pole, has been discovered deep within Winter. It's absolutely massive, but also absolutely covered in snow, except for a few sides. An entrance has been excavated, showing a door inside. It seems like it was done /before/ the expedition team found it - like someone hasn't had the time to clear all the snow. There are no tracks in the snow, however, beyond your own. Clearing the snow may give a better view of the house and perhaps reveal some windows, or, alternatively, one could just use the entrance, assuming it's unlocked.
Ritsuka Fujimaru	Jeanne's approach is given away by a dark figure appearing in the sky. Riding atop a mighty wyvern, she lets her flag fly freely as she stands atop her steed's back, barely shifting her weight at all even as it dives towards the provided coordinates. Upon landing, she takes a moment to eyeball her surroundings, furrowing her brow in particular at the thick layer of snow covering almost everything. "This better not be a waste of time." She mutters, already sounding irritated as per her default tone and expression. She kicks at the door to try and open it up, possibly having to resort to pulling it open afterwards depending on how sturdy the door is and how OSHA-compliant the entryway is in case of fire. If it doesn't open up, though, then her next step is lighting several fires to start revealing whatever entrances she can find. That, and possibly burning down parts of the building if she's not kept in check.
Staren	Staren flies in from the warpgate on his new Speedster hovercycle, a gift from Northern Gun after his performance in last week's race. Being the underdog who pulled ahead literally at the last second may have generated better publicity than if he'd won first place. He parks somewhere the snow isn't piled too high, or the hoverjets MAKE such an area near the workshop when he parks. "Hey." He sees Jeanne is already here. He's also decided to go for the door, sending some drones through if it opens, or clearing alternate entrances if it doesn't.
Rean Schwarzer	Rean approaches the factory, dressed in a brown duffel jacket and scarf over his usual clothes. He'd heard people talk about Santa Claus a few times, and his world didn't have an equivalent as far as he knew. So the fact that one version of him apparently existed somewhere at some point caught Rean's attention. Maybe it would be a good chance to learn about the legend more. Admittedly, this didn't quite match up with the description he'd been given, but whatever, the multiverse was weird. He ignites his sword, using its heat to slowly melt some of the snow blocking the windows to see if there's any other entrances, or to peek into them to see if anyone's home.
Gilgamesh	The thing about agreements is that you have to renew them. You have to maintain relationships. You have to give gifts, grease palms, encourage friendships. The King of Heroes may be one of the biggest jackasses in the multiverse, but even the King knows better than to let a worthwhile alliance collapse just because he's too lazy to go walk out in the snow. Besides. He doesn't need to walk. Indeed, the golden King of Heroes just sort of cuts through the snow on the Vimana. The huge craft slices through the wind and the frost. It casts a deep shadow across the snow as it shoots along with the King atop it on the throne, his legs crossed, his head resting on a fist boredly, his red eyes staring out through the snow. He is, of course, untouched by the frost, thanks to some obnoxious Noble Phantasm or another driving away the snow. It's probably some kind of ancient Babylonian god space heater or something absurd like that. The Vimana just sort of stops above the workshop before it vanishes into a golden ripple. The King falls past the ripple, landing in the snow and probably knocking a bunch of it into Jalter, Rean, and anybody else standing near him as he hits the ground. He rises out of the snow, supernaturally beautiful and basically topless, wearing nothing but his lower golden armor and a flowing red scarf that seems to be pulsing with warmth. He brushes some of the snow off his arms with a dignified motion, then knocks on the door three times. And if he isn't answered then he just opens the door anyway. "Santa Claus, Saint of Christmas!" The King of Heroes declares loudly, "Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes, the King of Holidays, now enters your domicile once more to renew our pact!" This is about as much as you're going to get in the way of manners. He probably only barely notices anybody else is there.
Big Boss	People arrive. They start with the door. It doesn't opene aasily for Jeanne, but her superhuman physique allows her to kick open the door, the hinges rusty and unoiled. Staren sends in drones, as Rean melts snow over a window and a secondary door into the same area. They all get different perspectives. Jeanne can step forward, getting dust enough to cough. While someone's probably been here, based off the door, they don't move around much, and it's gotten exceedingly dusty. That means they're not cleaning up after themselves, it'd seem. Staren's drones spot machinery, instantly. This place is far bigger on the inside than it is on the outside, and it's pretty big on the outside. Conveyors, pulleys, elevators, and more go up between several levels, though the upper levels seem to be in disuse, from the vast amounts of dust. Red, white, and green boxes layer around, wrapping paper floods the floors, and parts of teddy bears, dolls, and toys are strewn around. Gilgamesh does not get a response. His keen eyes allow him to also make out that no one's home, as his voice echoes through the halls. He'll be the first to hear scuttling in the distance, but with how /wide/ the workshop is, it's difficult to figure out where the noise is coming from. Rean's snow-clearing, however, is helpful. Through a different angle, looking through a window and coming in another entrance, he can see shadows move. They start scurrying up the stairs, footsteps far too quiet. If this is Santa Claus, he's certainly able to sound smaller than he is. Joining the group from behind is a man in a greatcoat, a beret over his dark brown hair, and an eyepatch over one eye. He sweeps in behind the others, glancing over the ruins. For some things, you need to bring the best you have.
Staren	Snow splashes over Staren's white armor. Staren wipes off his visor. Since Gilgamesh barely acknowledged him, he doesn't comment. Though he does glance at Big Boss. "I didn't know Outer Heaven was so interested in Christmas." Meanwhile, inside, Staren sends one of his drones chasing after that shadow -- his focus is there rather than outside, so he doesn't try to actually walk in yet.
Rean Schwarzer	Rean coughs, taking a face full of snow from Gilgamesh's landing. Leave it to him to make an overly dramatic entrance. His attempt to clear out some snow otherwise worked, revealing another door. Something small was quetly skittering around inside too. "...Well, there's /something/ in there." Rean says in response to Gilgamesh complaining about no one being home. He opens the door and enters, keeping his senses open for anything else sneaking around. "Hello...?"
Gilgamesh	Santa Claus disappeared. So he isn't here to receive the King of Heroes, who took the time to visit him personally rather than write a letter or call him or do the thing he might ordinarily do for someone less important and less interesting. There is a pretty good chance that the King is going to be huffy and irritable for the entire rest of the night. People point out that there's not enough noise and that there's clearly something in here that isn't Santa. Gilgamesh, irritably, says, "Go look at it, then!" He waves a hand at Rean and Big Boss like he's giving them orders as he himself walks further into the workshop. This is a place of power, after all; it belongs to someone powerful and that means there's powerful things in it. He might as well go look and see if any of those powerful things are present. He's not going to steal from Santa, good grief. It's just a good indicator of whether or not the disappearance was intentional, hasty, or forced. After all, an intentional disappearance wouldn't leave objects of power just sitting around, while a hasty one might, while a forced one might leave them...scattered.
Ritsuka Fujimaru	Jeanne doesn't turn when Gilgamesh gets that snow all over her back, although her eye does visibly twitch. She dries herself off with a light flame burning at the end of her banner hanging behind her, taking a few steps into the dusty room before finally speaking up. "Oh. It's you again. I thought you would've been busy preparing that tower business again." After taking a moment to recall that whole... Thing, the Avenger shakes her head and mirrors Staren's sentiments while glancing over at Big Boss. "Aren't you too old to be worrying about this sort of thing?" She's totally taunting him, but not for very long when Rean points out that there's something else inside. Clearly, the solution is for her to draw her sword and start heading for the stairs in front of her. "Come out, Santa or whoever's in there! If you show yourself, we might let you live!"
Big Boss	Drones as well as Jeanne Alter and Rean Schwarzer head forward inside, trying to find the moving shadow's source. It moves faster as Jeanne shouts out her threat, scurrying up stairs towards the third floor. Getting up to it before it escapes or gets farther away might be difficult... Unless you take the pulley, of course. At the very least, the drones can catch a good glimpse of what it is. It's a dimunitive figure, with pointed ears, dressed in faded green clothes. It's kind of adorable, like some sort of humanoid familiar, not just a tiny person. As Gilgamesh orders Big Boss around, the commander of Outer Heaven takes out a cigar, cuts it, takes out a ligher, lights it, and exhales inside the house. He then moves to pull out a piece of high-tech equipment to start scanning the various machines. As he does, talking over the radio with someone, he speaks aloud to anyone willing to listen. "This is the real deal. This is toymaking equipment." Gilgamesh starts searching for objects of power. He finds absolutely none. The coat rack, where Santa's coat and hat would be, are empty, and have been for a long time. His sleigh is gone, as is his magic bag. Reindeer? No signs they've been here in a long time either. The torn apart bears and stuff seem recent, not old, so it's probably unassociated. Furthermore, Gilgamesh finds a letter, /from/ Santa. It's folded up, but it has a date clearly on it. From shortly after the Multiversal shifts, in fact.
Gilgamesh	Well. Probably intentional, then. The King of Heroes picks up the envelope and produces a golden letter opener. The opener cleanly slices the paper so perfectly it could be put back together in an instant if he desired, a cut at a level so precise that its atoms would rejoin the instant he pressed them together in a certain way. Even his letter openers are Noble Phantasms of the highest caliber, after all. He does not bother to inform anyone else of this. He frankly could not care less that most of them are here, after all.
Staren	"Hmm." Staren follows in after he gets the picture of the elf(???), showing it on a tablet to anyone still near the entrance. While others chase the elf or whatever it is, Staren now turns to examining the area for signs of use. Are some places still dusty, are only certain machines used, and is there anything odd about the pattern of use/disuse...?
Ritsuka Fujimaru	After getting a better look at the creature thanks to Staren's drone and tablet, Jeanne belts out a rather hostile laugh as she continues heading up the stairs. "Why do you keep running? Unless you're guilty of killing the fat man... Is that it?" She keeps goading the still-unseen elf, taking deliberately loud steps up those stairs just to freak out the elf as much as possible on her way up. "If you have, then I wonder how cruel these people would be once they get their hands on you... No, it'd be better to hide if that was the case!" She laughs that deranged laugh again, clearly trying to rile up the elf/whoever else is up there. There's no haste in her movements, though, as if she was giving them a chance to retort during her slow and otherwise uneventful approach. She'll leave the fire for later.
Rean Schwarzer	Rean activates the pulley and goes up, catching up to whatever the shadow is. And surprise surprise, it's an elf! Or at least, it looks like an elf. It certainly fit the description of one! Rean sighs at Jeanne's taunting from the stairs. She was going to make this really hard. "Hey, I'm not gonna hurt you." Rean says, holding his hands up in a placating gesture. "We're just trying to find out where Santa Claus went."
Big Boss	Gilgamesh opens the letter. It's pretty meaty, written in fine handwriting. The handwriting exudes humility in style, somehow - it's the handwriting of a literal saint. The letter explains that Thimble the elf, having volunteered to take care of the workshop while Santa is away with the rest of the elves, Mrs. Claus, and the reindeer on vacation, will have to keep up the machines and the snow. Make some presents for when Santa 'eventually' returns, but there's no date on when, because, currently, he's vacationing in Tahiti. It thanks him sincerely, and gives several passcodes to various systems around the house. Meanwhile, between Jeanne and Rean, the group corner the elf. He's panicking from Jeanne, but when Rean says 'I'm not gonna hurt you', the elf ducks behind him, trying not to get set on fire. "D-don't hurt me! I didn't hurt Santa Claus!" When Rean says 'we're just trying to find out where Santa Claus is', Thimble the elf calms down. "H-he's on vacation. In Tahiti. Been that way for a few years. He put me in charge of the workshop, which I'm grateful for, but...kids have missed Santa Claus - someone else has been doing his job, but it's not the same. I can't do all this work by myself, and everything I do goes wrong! I just...I just wanted to save Christmas." As Thimble says this, Big Boss starts heading upstairs, firmly, boot after boot. He's going to approach Thimble, but Staren and Jeanne have a chance to get up there first.
Staren	Staren's drone hovers over to Thimble. "Did you ever consider asking for help? There are loads of people who'd be happy to help with Christmas..."
Rean Schwarzer	Rean frowns. Normally, people don't go on vacation for /years/...unless something happened to him or he never intended to come back. He nods at what Staren said. "Right. I'd be happy to help if you need it." Rean says. He'd probably need more help than just him, though.
Ritsuka Fujimaru	Finally, progress! "That wasn't so hard, now was it?" Jeanne still has that smug aura radiating around her as the elf finally emerges, albeit while hiding behind Rean. Stopping to listen to Thimble's story, the Dragon Witch's expression slowly darkens as their mission to find Santa appears to have been resolved... Already? "Hmph. Well, if Santa's off on a vacation, then that solves the mystery of where he's been for so long." She scoffs lightly, apparently not even considering the possibility of helping. At least, not without being asked directly. "What a waste of time... Tch. Coming out here just for this..." She isn't moving to leave just yet, though, instead loitering arund the top of the stairs rather conspicuously.
Big Boss	Those upstairs, besides Jeanne who is Jeanne, immediately move to offer thei support to Thimble. He seems hesitant at first, considering, until Big Boss comes up, sweeps around the balcony, and looks over the workshop. "Look at this sorry excuse. This is supposed to be Santa Claus's Workshop. It's supposed to be bustling, vibrant, not covered in snow and dust." He takes a long puff of a cigar, and then turns to Jeanne. "Are you just going to retreat from this? Retreat from making all of those people out there's years?" "Between the five of us..." It's probable that the fifth is Thimble, not Gilgamesh. "And our allies and associations, we can revamp this workshop and get Christmas going. I can have soldiers here within a day to clean up the workshop's mess. Now tell me..." "Do you want to save Christmas?" Big boss holds his cigar to the air. Thimble's eyes sparkle, as he nods furiously. It's up to the others to see what happens.
Gilgamesh	The King of Heroes steps back into the room as Big Boss asks if they want to save Christmas. His hand goes to his forehead. "Huhuhuh...huhuhahahahahahahahahahaha!" Yeah it's that laugh. "As expected, you've already stumbled across this year's Gilcember event!" Gilgamesh raises the letter in his hand. "The Saint of Christmas is on vacation, obviously! He left this workshop to me! I simply had to remember where he left these arcane words that power his machines-" He means passwords, "-to begin the event!" Gilgamesh takes a stance and snaps his fingers. "This year, you petitioners who seek presents, your task will be simple! Save this holiday, Christmas! The tasks you complete, the works you do, will activate another machine! Each machine you activate will give you more access to complete more tasks, and thereby win this game and earn presents for the world!" "However!" The King raises the letter into the air. "If you fail, then the presents will all belong to me! None unworthy of saving Christmas can be trusted to dictate the course of present-giving, so only the King will have that right!" He rubs his chin, a satisfied smirk on his face. "It's a brilliant event that merits the adulation of the commoners towards the King, so I'll permit you to praise my genius, you dogs! Go on, go on! Tell me how brilliant it is! The Saint of Christmas gets his break and you receive the satisfaction of a proper holiday experience as you struggle against the brutal rigors of Christmastime!" "Huhuhahahahahahahahaha!"
Ritsuka Fujimaru	That's what she was waiting for. Jeanne cracks a slight smirk at first when Big Boss addresses her. "Oh? You're asking for my help with this little project?" Breaking into a wider (and characteristically deranged) smile, the Avenger saunters over to the closest thing that resembles a sturdy table just to clear a space to sit on. "If you're that desparate... Why not. It might be fun for a little while." She takes a long look at Thimble with that same murderous smile, staring right at him for several seconds just to see how he reacts. Of course, Gilgamesh has to put his own spin on the thing, and that has the Dragon Witch laughing soon thereafter. "The game is on, then! Try not to make it too easy for me to win. No, I'll need something to really sink my teeth into if this is going to be worth my time." She stomps down once to get back up, heads for the stairs, then... Turns right around and back up the stairs. "So what exactly are we going to be doing, anyway?"
Rean Schwarzer	Rean gives an enthusiastic fistpump. "Well, I'm defintely in!" Christmas time was about making people happy, right? So of course he'd help out! Then Gilgamesh threw in his two cents, making this all about him as expected at this point. "Uh...Yeeaaah. Defintiely brilliant, Your Highness." Rean says, not so enthusiastically. Well, at least it got him to agree to help...? Kinda...?
Staren	Staren wonders something but Jeanne asks first; just as well, it saves Gilgamesh insulting him. "Do tell us," his drone speaks to Thimble, "what must be done to Save Christmas?" Downstairs, Staren's just making note of the machines, trying to work out their purpose and maybe guess at the structure of this Gilcember's event.
Big Boss	As everyone asks, Thimble moves to grab a list. Big Boss just smokes while Gilgamesh goes on about his tasks. He knows that it's silly and kind of bullshit, but if they refuse, Gilgamesh will likely do everything in his power to prevent them from saving Christmas. As he grabs the list, Thimble starts rambling. "Well, first, we need to clean the workshop, so that it can actually be used. Then, we have a lot of tasks ahead of us...fix the navigation systems to track as many houses as possible, find names and assign them naughty or nice, find a vehicle to circumnavigate the multiverse fast enough on Christmas Eve, actually deliver the presents- oh wait, we have to make the presents too! We have so much to do and under a month to do it!" It's a daunting task, but... With Big Boss's confidence, Thimble is confident too. They can save Christmas.
Staren	"A vehicle fast enough to circumnavigate the Multiverse... perhaps we should seek the societies that used to travel along The Line." Staren suggests.
Ritsuka Fujimaru	Cleaning. Of course there had to be cleaning. Jeanne's eye starts twitching again. "... If you have enough sense to separate the burnables from everything else, I can handle removing the burnable items." Of course she'd go for the burning part of the job.
Rean Schwarzer	"Getting the names of every child in the Multiverse's going to be difficult." Rean says. "Is there a census of some sort, or is the Multiverse Just Too Big for something like that?"
Big Boss	Thimble starts replying again. "The Line...that's a good start! And I can sort the burnables and non-burnables, of course, and...ah, yes!" Thimble nods to Rean. "Santa has devices for it! They're...hard to use, though, and require manual sorting. Santa was like a machine when it came to Christmas, even if he had the elves to help him. I think he could have done it by himself, if he had to. Must have burned him out..." He sighs, sadly. Big Boss just turns to him. "Chin up, Thimble. Christmas still has a chance. I'll begin transition of soldiers for cleaning." And then, Big Boss saunters off, cigar still in his mouth.