* Yes, I think we... ah. ▷ Carol's ears twitch upwards slightly at the extension of the hand; she couldn't help the slightest of blushes from gracing her furred cheek, despite resisting it. Tori was always so open with these things. * Hm. Alright. --

▷ sighs... now that you've followed me, i have to out myself by saying that i'm pretty sure i've RPed with you before dirk-mun

* What a respectable fellow.

* You're always such a critic. * Can't you ever be supportive of your poor mother?

* I am. * And patient, at that.

* It's not in my hands. * You asked for God.

* Soon.

* It's not a celebration of Christmas, it's a celebration of being a Holiday, because Hometown is a Holiday town. * (Holitown... hm.) * What else am I meant to play? * Oriental music? It does come from my heritage, I suppose...

* We're the 'Holidays', not the 'Midsummers'! * They ought to know what we're about.

▷ Carol was having similar thoughts. It felt bad to keep secrets and withdraw from her friend like she'd been doing, even if (she felt) it was for a good reason. She did miss the Dreemurrs. Even 'the oaf'. * ... Ah, did you? * I'm not sure I'm as good a dancer as I was when we were young...

* ... Only if Rudy starts first. * I know he can't help himself sometimes.

* Do not.

* ... So...?

* Hmm... should I play Christmas music at the festival? * Or perhaps something more cultural?

* Ah, gay love. * I remember when I wasn't out.

* Right. It completely slipped my mind how unfortunate you've been lately. ▷ Almost entirely Carol's fault. * All the more reason for us to unwind before the festival, hm? ▷ The old doe smiled tightly at Tori's expression, for once her demeanor relaxing somewhat. * It's the Holiday Way, hah.

▷ quirked up white boy spamton says regrettable things and gets cancelled on youtube

* The internet is getting so toxic these days.

* Ugh... some of these Darkners are hopeless... is everything going to go according to plan? * ... Yes, it must.

▷ puts my 'older dreemurrs were swingers with the older holidays' headcanon out on the display shelf. this evil old bitch is bisexual

* Hm. ▷ Sips from a wine glass.

▷ Carol blinked as Toriel sneezed but quickly regained her composure as the other woman turned. * I see, I'm in a similar boat myself. * But I suppose I've developed a sort of buffer, since I practically always am at least somewhat busy. ▷ She offers out the cocoa first. * Our Holiday special?

▷ Appears with cough medicine in one hand and a cup of cocoa in the other. * Tori, dear, did you get sick?

* I'll be memorizing it for the next lifetime.

* Hah. Hardly.

* Indeed.

* Composition is one of his many strong points. ▷ Briefly, Carol allowed herself a half-smile. There was a scrapped thought in there for her too. 'I'll miss that about him.' * Of course, Noelle.

* Ah, yes... I let Rudy pose you for this one. * He has always been photogenic, just like you, dear.

* Meticulously planned, as all festivals before it have been. ▷ Though this one especially so. * You'll see, soon.

* Delightful. * My precious daughter.

* Soon. * ... Three sleeps. * Try three of them. * It'll all go exactly according to plan.

* (Ah, the objects are flirting.)

* One day at a time. * The festival is soon.

* Don't overthink it so much, dear.

* Well, now, I suppose it's time to make rounds... the final preparations are in order. * (Both for the Light World and the Dark World...)

* Hm. Yes. ▷ She nods curtly and then turns, leaving him behind in her all-business stride. Scary woman, Carol is.

* Excellent. I appreciate your cooperation. * I'm sure you're aware of the stakes. * For this year's festival especially. * So I'll leave you to it, then.

▷ She does so enjoy hearing those. * Yes, sure. * As long as it's high-quality. * ... And no funny business. ▷ Carol did receive some complaints in that regard about Sans, but efficiency was most important.

▷ Carol is one of a kind, no doubles.

* Hm. You've done well paying your dues for the time being. * I don't have much to ask at the moment except for standard festival preparations. * It draws people in from outside of Hometown, so everyone will have to be on their best behavior. ▷ 'Or else,' her tone says.

* You should put your air conditioners on a lower setting. * The power bill is going to be substantial this quarter.

* ... Where did all of these holes come from? * I'm going to have to get someone to fill them now.

* There comes a time when we have to move on. * December is not coming back.

* Hm. ▷ Carol considers the apology. Now that she's gathered her thoughts, it would end up being inconvenient if they were to be detained or prevented in any way from attending the festival as a consequence. * ... Fine. * Make certain it doesn't. * My precious daughter means everything to me.

* ... ▷ Carol waits for exactly a minute, down to the millisecond, before speaking again. Pure ice coldness seeping through her words and expression. * Your mother will be disappointed to hear about this, then. * I suppose you're fine with that.

* I need an explanation beyond 'just a joke'. * Now.

* www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8Us...

* Yes. I know. It hasn't been the same since December left us. ▷ In many ways Carol would never tell her dearest friend. * ... That would be amenable, Tori, dear. * For good times' sake. * I appreciate your working around my schedule. * I do run a tight ship, but it's all for the greater good.

* Ah, yes, the oaf. * I apologize for capitalizing on his usefulness like so, but well... he's exploring other options to repay his debt to Hometown. * Yes, I agree - but, after the festival? * I'm not sure if... * ... I'll be especially busy for a while. * Clean-up and all that.

* I'm quite busy these days, you know how it is. * But, you are an old friend - I can always make time for you, Tori. * ... Strange. * I hadn't noticed it, myself.