[A cheerful woman, dressed in lavish royal blue robes, is grinning on camera]

Why, hello everyone. Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Iono Mito Archeline. My interests include various maidenly amusments, tea time, flirtatious chit chat, and you. <3 Yes. you, whoever you may be. You see, I know without a doubt each and every one of you is special and beautiful, and I want to know you better.

So, please, won't you be my sobame?

[Fate wasn't exactly a light sleeper, but the bone-chilling cold was definitely enough to pull her out of dreamland.]

Wha...

She stirred, frowning when she felt the cold floor under her. She definitely wasn't in the house her and her friends claimed, and that immediately sets off alarms in her head. She quickly pushes herself up, shaking off any drowsiness... and immediately spots Nanoha and Vivio nearby. She then proceeds to shake them in an attempt to wake them up!]

Hey, wake up... something's wrong.

[ It took Vita only a few seconds to figure out how to work the vines; purely on accident, of course. Her attempts to order Graf Eisen seemed to be misinterpreted as orders for the vine. And she's a bit skeptical at first when a large mirror appears in front of her and gives it a strange look, before figuring that it's answering her request and she had might as well try... as dumb as she feels to be yelling at a mirror. ]

This is Vita of Special Duty Section 6, subdivision of the Time Space Administration Bureau, requesting a response from any other personal in the area! I seem to have been moved to a strange new dimension of sorts! Contact me immediately if you get this message!

If any civilians see this, I want to question you this instant! I don't have time to be stuck here! And DAMMIT what is with all of these useless familiars?! Can't those damn cats say anything useful?! Graf Eisen, start scanning this place! Let's find a weak point and be ready to break out of here! Hayate and everyone are counting on me, dammit! I have no time to take a picnic in a stupid garden!

... Why am I talking to a mirror?! This isn't helping anything! Stupid stupid stupid stupid...nnnnnnrgh!!!!!!! [ and now Vita is looking pretty frustrated. She wishes this place wasn't so cheerful and calm because it completely contrasts her angry mood, which in turn angers her more. ]

...Well, found the library. Guess you could say it's, uh...technically educational? Not any real help, that's for sure. Least it got rid of my last few doubts 'bout why we're here, for better or worse.

[She eyes the snow and shakes her head, displeased.]

I'm getting real suspicious about the Queen, considering how much weirder and weirder she's been acting. I don't like it. I get the feeling things might get a bit rough soon.

[The mirror pops into view, flickers a few times, then reveals the Queen of Hearts once again, still against a dark background. This time, there's a holly wreath perched atop her hair.]

I'm sorry I haven't had the time to listen to all your helpful suggestions, darlings! It turns out creating a world is hard work...ahahaha, who knew?

Besides, I'm feeling a bit...

[She trails off, looking absently to the side, then quickly readjusts her wreath and continues.]

Anyway! One of my less tame incarna has shown her face, has she? I may not like her attitude, but I think she had a good idea this time. There are so many ways to enjoy this season, but this might be the best!

Now, I have work to do. At this rate, the whole place will fall down around my ears while I'm working on opening the dungeons...ah, it's enough to drive a girl crazy!

[And the mirror shrivels back up. But the mistletoe, that remains, wherever you are...]

[OOC: The Queen won't be replying to comments directed at her (she is, like she said, busy), but this post is free to be used for general mistletoe antics and mingling so that everyone who wants to make use of the mistletoe doesn't have to make a whole post.]

[When night falls on the Gardens tonight, something different happens: instead of the bright-as-daylight sea of stars, a more normal sky eventually fades into existance. Stars can still be seen, though they're nowhere near as bright as the wishing stars.]

[Video]

[And then, not long after night fully envelops the Gardens, the Vine's mirror unfurls, revealing a rather serious-looking woman.]

I hope you all learned something from this. Simply wishing for something isn't going to make it happen; wishing for things from home, wishing to bring the excess stars down... you put no effort into this.

Contrary to what most people may think, this holiday is not some festival celebrating light; it's a celebration of a military victory against overwhelming odds.

As a final note: Damsel, you pronounce Chanukah wrong.