(Untitled)

[somanytitles]

Aragorn had not understood the change that had occurred over the island one bit. The magic required to do something like that caused his mind to spin. It was even more awe inspiring than being brought to the island in the first place. The clothes he had been given seemed bizarre, but no more so than the "modern" clothes that he saw most on the

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[somanytitles]

Aragorn glanced up to see the small planting hanging above where he had been standing. He had seem them decorating some of the doorways around the city, often combined with a wreath on the door. He had merely assumed that it was some sort of decoration, not a magical spell.

"I have not heard anything about them," he admitted. While he prided himself on how much he had learned of other worlds and cultures, this plant was a mystery to him.

[somanytitles]

Aragorn looked at the plant as the man explained what it was, and what it was doing to him. He had never heard of a plant that had the power to keep someone in place, unless it was a vine that someone was tied up with. He was quite familiar with the healing properties of many plants, but nothing like this.

"I have a betrothed," Aragorn said, somewhat wistfully. He missed Arwen deeply, more than he had even in their own world when he had been apart from her longer than he had been on the island. It was as if the distance between the worlds was a physical weight on him.

"But she is not on the island."

[lt_blade]

Sonya just barely held back from fliching when she saw the man under the mistletoe. She just had to be in the area at the time: she supposed she could just pretend to not here him, or wait for someone else to come on by, but he did as for help.

Max seemed to read her hesitation and looked at her, the concent of kissing and what it means lost on the direwolf.

Carefully, she set her basket of groceries on the ground and walked (she refused to believe she was in the 'waddling' stage just yet).

"I just want to make a few things clear: one, I'm already happily married and two, this is just a kiss-nothing more."

She gave him a quick, chaste kiss on the lips.

[somanytitles]

Aragorn wasn't sure what the woman was talking about, letting him know that she was married and talking about kisses. He was so stunned at the sudden kiss that at first he didn't move.

"I- ah, I'm sorry, lady," he said, sputtering a bit, eyes wide. "But I believe you have me mistaken with someone else?"

[lt_blade]

Sonya pointed to the sprig above their heads.

"Mistletoe. Where I'm from, it's set up during the Christmas holidays, and if a couple is found standing under it, they're meant to kiss for good luck. Of course, here the island went a step further: if you stand under it long enough, you're stuck until someone kisses you."

[somanytitles]

"That seems... like madness," Aragorn said, blinking in disbelief. He knew that he shouldn't be surprised at it, really. The island had done far stranger things, he knew that. It just seemed that it was so very pointless and out of nowhere.

[teambatgirl]

She's finally wrestled out a shirt and pair of trousers out of the clothes box after days of nothing but petticoats and, God help her, bustles. The only problem left to manage is the boobs question, because it's not like bras exist, and she sort of can't pull off just going bra-less in polite company. For now, at least, she's rocking the urchin look and has on a men's overcoat that's two sizes too big and heading toward what passed for the compound to tackle the lingerie issue.

"Hey," Stephanie says with a wave as she slows. Super handsome, and maybe it's just the Tolkien connection what with meeting Bilbo Baggins yesterday, but she places his face immediately. "You're under the mistletoe." She pointed up to the little green sprig innocuously pinned in the doorway.

[somanytitles]

"The plant is casting a spell on me?" Aragorn asked, glancing up at the offending little thing. Such a small thing to cast such a powerful spell, but somehow it didn't seem out of place on the island. Drawing his dagger, Aragorn reached up to stab at it, but try as he might, it just would not come down.

Frowning, he turned back to face the young woman. "I do not suppose that you know how to break its spell?"

[teambatgirl]

"I don't think it's the plant specifically?" She offers as she walks closer but watches curiously as she tries to stab it. That's a good approach in general though: when in doubt, stab at something. Might get you in trouble with Batgirl if you try that in Gotham though. "It's island mischief. Or, well, fictional Victorian London mischief. Mistletoe is a Christmas tradition. You're supposed to kiss under it."

[somanytitles]

"Kiss under it?" he asked, giving her a puzzled look.

He had noticed that some people liked to tease those whom were unfamiliar with more 'modern' customs, or customs specific to Earth. More than once he had been an intended recipient of such things, most often goodnaturedly. This was obviously one of those such times.

[hylianqueen]

Zelda had encountered the mistletoe last year, actually, and she knew all too well the way the island's magic worked. It was powerful, actually, and she wished that she even had a sliver of her former powers. It wasn't to be, however, but in this she could help.

"Aragorn, you've gotten yourself stuck under magic mistletoe."

[somanytitles]

Aragorn was relieved to see Zelda. She had been on the island longer than he and would be able to explain what had happened, and she was too kind to tease him in any cruel manner.

"The plant is the cause of a such a binding?" he asked, glancing up at it with some doubt. While he believed her, it was hard to accept that such a thing could trap a man in place.

[hylianqueen]

"Yes. It seems to be a tradition of earth to hang this plant during the winter festival. Christmas, I think they call it."

They were, technically, the blind leading the blind but Zelda had thrown herself whole-heartedly into learning the cultures of earth and the celebrations commonly held on the island.

"I'm supposed to kiss you and release you from the spell."

[somanytitles]

Aragorn glanced to the mistletoe, glanced to Zelda, then back to the small plant hanging over his head. The idea seemed somewhat absurd. He didn't doubt that the island had the ability to do such a thing, he just doubted the logic of it. Why would a plant want them to kiss?

"You are certain?"

[other_valentine]

Hester's first reaction as she breezed past was to give the man a look of mild disapproval for having delayed her, and walk on, but a number of things made her stop and stare.

First and foremost, this wasn't just any man, but Aragorn, who had such a regal bearing when he was building his own boat out in the jungle -- back when the Island had a jungle. Second, he didn't look stuck. There was no fence around him, and he wasn't standing in quicksand. However, Aragorn didn't seem like the sort of man to lie so frivolously, or to ask for help for something so small. Then he mentioned magic, and it was clear that something was up.

"How are you trapped?" she asked, through her scarf. "Is something holding you in place? Can you feel it?"

[somanytitles]

"I do not know, Hester," Aragorn said, shaking his head. He was free to move his body, raising his arms and legs, turning this way and that. It did not seem as if there were any unseen walls holding him in place either. His sword could extend beyond the length that he could reach without being impeded.

"But when I try to move from this spot-"

He demonstrated, trying to pull away but it felt as if something was preventing his very core from moving away.

[other_valentine]

Hester peered at the ground near Aragorn's legs. The concept of force fields was well beyond her, but she had seen an Island transform itself into a metropolis overnight, and she was taking nothing for granted. Looking up, she spotted something that looked out of place at the top of the door frame. She pointed at it. "What's that?"

[somanytitles]

"It is some sort of decoration," he said, glancing up at the sprig of something that was located above him.

"I have seen such things around the city, as well as wreaths on the door and dead trees in homes."