Work Text:
As Sigma was walking out of the Armed Detective Agency after her shift had ended, she stopped in the agency's breakroom to grab the book Ranpo had recommended. Walking into the breakroom, she spots Ranpo shoveling sweets into his mouth by the handful. She approached him and grabbed one of the pieces from the pile. Hm, a candy cane… That’s interesting. I didn't think Ranpo was much of a mint enjoyer. He seems like the poster child for the extremely sugary, fruity candy canes. Sigma raises her eyebrow at the thought to herself before speaking up. “Ranpo, do you have the book you wanted to give me?” The short man looks up from his pile of sweets to face her with an almost permanent, careless smile on his face. “Well, of course I do! I knew you were coming, so I already have the book prepared.” He reaches over, next to him, and picks up a book from a small pile on his desk. However, with his eyes closed as always, he looked up at Sigma who waited patiently, “Alright, here you go! Enjoy!” Ranpo shoveled another fistful of sweets into his mouth and Sigma figured it was as of any time to leave.
Walking back into her shared apartment with the other two members of the former Decay of Angels, which originally was a terrorist group before being rewritten by a particular page, Sigma sets down her bag along with the book she was lent down on the table. After dropping her belongings, she called out. “I'm home!” A white figure starts jumping much like an excited dog, Nikolai teleports behind her, which startled her. Fyodor walks in from his office, looking in their direction with a soft grin. “Welcome back, Sigma.” Walking into their shared living room, Sigma sits down as Nikolai once again pops up behind Sigma. Nikolai’s eyes were caught by the new object that Sigma brought home and he walked over to pick it up. “Ohoho what's this? A book? I bet it's another romance novel.~” A hearty laugh erupts from Nikolai and Sigma's face turns a bright pink, flustered at the exposure. “That was only one time! And this? It's a mystery novel. Ranpo recommended it to me.” She sighs as Nikolai opens the book and flips through the pages. Suddenly the pages glow yellow as rings formed by English text spin around everyone “HUH?-” The rings start to engulf everyone in the room. Each feels their weight being pulled into the book. “I think Ranpo gave me the wrong book!” Sigma yells over the commotion. As she says this, the trio is forcefully warped into the glowing pages that flipped so furiously and they all go into black.
Waking up, Sigma notices how cold the air is around her. Opening her eyes she notices snow falling from the sky, explaining the thick layer of soft snow she was laying on. Looking around she spots Fyodor and Nikolai in similar situations. Though, seemingly lying next to each other. After a moment of analyzing the situation she had been put in, she realizes all of them were in their old outfits from back when they were all in Decay. Feeling her old coat around her shoulders, it brought an old, comforting presence in the unfamiliar area they were in. Not soon after, Nikolai and Fyodor began to gain their consciousness. Both quickly got up and took in their surroundings just as Sigma did. They seemed to be in a winter wonderland of sorts with a seemingly infinite fall of snow, tall pine trees that go as far as the eye could see, and tall, giant candy canes everywhere. Nikolai’s eyes seem to light up at the sight of such a mesmerizing wonderland. “It just gets stranger and stranger by the second! What a strange landscape… And the air smells of the most exquisite confections! Isn't it so stunning, Feyda?” Nikolai turns his head to look at Fyodor and Fyodor nods in agreement to Nikolai’s question. The air was dry and cold, similar to the environment that both Nikolai and Fyodor were familiar with back when they lived in Russia. However, being sensitive to the cold, Fyodor is seemingly already cold and shivering, despite his snug coat that he clutched so closely to himself. “Would you look at all those strange candy canes? They are certainly a sight to behold.” Fyodor smirks at this new environment that despite being nothing like his homeland, reminded him of his childhood.
Standing up, they all notice a stone paved path nearby which was conveniently shovedled recently judging by the snow that covered every other land in sight. With no better option, they all decide to follow it. “My my, this forest is truly a delight for the senses! These candy canes look delicious…” Nikolai runs up to a glistening and tall candy cane before deciding to lick one in curiosity. “Mmm… Tastes minty!” Nikolai exclaims as Fyodor shivers again. “I don't understand how you enjoy the taste of mint Kolya, it's way too strong and leaves your mouth feeling tingly and cold.” Standing farther down the path, Sigma calls out to the pair, “I see a house nearby! And it looks straight out of a storybook… Plus, there's smoke coming out of the chimney, which fortunately means someone's most likely home.”
Fyodor nods his head before responding to Sigma’s call. “So it seems there is. It's in our best interest to go check it out, I suppose.” Nikolai stands up, following Fyodor after Sigma as they all continue down the path. Approaching the house they see lights coming from the inside. Opening the door, they all walk inside to see a small cottage interior; a small fireplace burning with a nearby table that was occupied by three cups of hot chocolate sitting on it. Alongside this enticing welcome was a small, locked box, and paper letter on top. Picking it up, Sigma reads it out loud for Nikolai and Fyodor to hear.
“Welcome to my Christmas Wonderland!
To make it out, you will need to find the 5 candy canes
hidden around the upcoming Gingerbread Village.
By giving the candy canes to the Mayor of the town,
he will grant you the key to this box,
which acts as your ticket out of here!
The village where I've hidden these candy canes
is at the end of this path. Follow it,
and it will lead you to your destination!
Each candy cane comes with a clue to the next one’s location.
Listen to them well, and you will be free to enjoy the rest of your
afternoon in peace! Or just stay here forever, it doesn't matter to me!”
Sigma looks at this paper in disbelief. The book was asking them to essentially play a child’s game. However, such things peak Nikolai’s interest as he breaks out in a mischievous grin. “A scavenger hunt? Hohoho~ This sounds delightful! I can’t wait!” Nikolai picks up one of the cups of hot cocoa and drinks it all in one gulp. His eyes widened in pleasant shock before commenting, “Peppermint flavored? Feels quite on theme.” Fyodor picks up one of the cups and hands it to Nikolai, “You can have mine, I am not one for mint and hot chocolate. It is too sweet for my taste.” Sigma picks up her cup but doesn’t bring it to her mouth for a taste, instead, she holds it to take it with her on their trip. She looks up to face the two, who are currently smiling in conversation. “Shall we set off? The sun is assumably going to set in a few hours, and I'd like to make it home in the real world before work tomorrow.” Nikolai pipes up from the other side of the room, “Ever the workaholic, our dear Sigma. Let's enjoy this winter wonderland! Take place in the festivities! Aren't you tired of the boring desk life? Loosen up a bit!” Sigma lets out a long sigh, knowing she won't be able to sway the clown's ideals. “Fine, let's just not take it into next week if we can.” Nikolai’s face lights up “Sounds like a plan! What about your Dostoy? Up for some winter-themed fun?” Fyodor, deciding to just go with the clown's antics, smiles in agreement. Nikolai smiles, happy to be able to go on an adventure. “Off we go then! Please keep all hands, arms, feet, and legs in the ride at all times! Please stow away all loose articles and keep a hand on small children!” With this, Nikolai puts an arm around Sigma, who shrugs his hand off as the trio sets off on their adventure.
Walking towards the village, the group spots a candy cane tied to the entrance archway. Snagging it up, Nikolai reads the small tag with gold writing attached to it, “ The next candy cane is where sweets are displayed and sold. Where small children love to take their pocket change to exchange for all kinds of candy and confections!” It was like an instant when a lightbulb seemed to have appeared above Sigma’s head, and she spoke up, “Sounds just like an ordinary candy shop! I wonder where that would be…” Fyodor points over towards a building covered in more sweets than the already decorated gingerbread houses in the village. “Might that be our target?” Nikolai smiles, clapping, “Ding-ding-ding! It seems our Feyda figured it out! Let's head there!”
The three enter the candy shop to see the entire store filled to the brim with all kinds of candy, treats, and delectables lining the wall of all shapes and sizes. Upon entering, they were greeted by a short gingerbread man. He was standing behind the counter, assumed to be the owner of this candy palace. Fyodor walks up to the cookie man and asks, “Excuse me? But do you happen to have any candy canes in stock?” The man’s face smiles, talking in a whimsical tone. “We do! We have all flavors from cinnamon to fruit to just standard peppermint!” The gingerbread man gestures all around the shop, candy canes of different sizes and colors fill the walls of the shop. Sigma sighs looking around, dejected. “This is going to take forever… There are too many to search through, and any one of these candy canes could be the one we’re looking for.” The three began looking around the shop, searching for the one they needed to come closer to their exit.
Nikolai looks around the shop as he spots a case filled with fancy-looking candy canes, spotting a candy cane that looks exactly like the last one they found, with a tag with gold lettering adorning it. “This one, please!” Nikolai points out the one in the case to the shop owner, who gladly pulls it out of the case and hands it to Fyodor, who reads the tag out, “ The third candy cane is in the center of the village, where all the town participates in their festivities! where tinsel and ornaments sit upon, way up high above eye level.” Nikolai thinks before speaking, “In the center of town? it must be the giant tree that we saw when we entered, shall we head there?”
As the trio approaches the tree, towering high above their heads, Nikolai spots their target many feet high. “So that’s what the note meant about sitting way high above eye level, should be a simple fix.” he reaches his hand into the Overcoat to retrieve the candy cane, but finds that in the world they landed in, their abilities don’t seem to work. “Oh darn. Well, that puts a wrench in my plans. I guess we’ll have to climb the tree then! Why don’t you do the honors, Sigma?” Nikolai laughs with a devilish smile. “Feyda’s is the lightest but he’s allergic to pine trees. What a shame!” Sigma sighs, realizing Nikolai is unfortunately correct. “Could you at least boost me up?” Nikolai nods and puts his hands together for Sigma to use as a step up to the first few branches of the tree as Fyodor observes, watching to make sure no one gets hurt.
Sigma climbs up higher and higher until she finally reaches the candy cane way up high, reaching for it she grabs it but unfortunately loses her hold and starts to fall back down towards the snow below. Yelling as she tumbles down, Nikolai gauges where she is going to fall and stands to catch her, successfully breaking her fall. “It seems I've caught a damsel in distress! it seems to be my lucky day!” Sigma shoved out of Nikolai's hold, handing the candy cane to Fyodor, who read the tag aloud. “ Up on the hill by the old train station, your second to last candy cane is where the villagers gather to sip and gossip about their lives, laughing and chatting over ‘hot coffee’.” Fyodor pauses to think for a moment before deducting a conclusion. “ Seems the next one is at a coffee shop, must be over on that hill it mentioned ,” Fyodor spoke up and pointed over to the hill on the edge of town, where a small building sat.
Hiking up the hill, it seemed to be late afternoon, meaning in a few hours the sun would set and temperatures would get colder. Approaching the cafe, it seemed to be an old train station that had been renovated into a small little cafe. Nikolai opens the door to the quaint-looking shop, the aroma of coffee wafting through the air. Walking up to the counter with a gingerbread barista working the counter, Sigma approaches the woman. “Hello, we were wondering if you happened to have any candy canes lying around? The cookie looks up at her and smiles cheerfully, “We have our famous peppermint shake! It's peppermint flavored and comes with a whole candy cane on top! If that's all, your drink should be up soon! Consider it in the house!” With that, the group sits down to wait for the supposedly famous drink as Fyodor says, “After the one here we will only have one left, and with the sun coming down it gets colder outside so we should probably find the last one as soon as we can.” Fyodor shivers at the thought of it getting colder. As he finishes, a loud voice cuts through the air, “One peppermint milkshake, please!” Fyodor stands up to retrieve the drink, placing it on the table. The milkshake was massive, with a gilded candy can on top, looking exactly like the three others they found. Picking up the note, Sigma reads the note, “ The final candy cane you seek lies at the place where the people of the town come to get their frivolous coats and fancy winter wear, come on down and try on a few dresses and coats, it'll surely be worth your while.” Nikolai smiles, “Well this sounds fun! We should head back into town before it gets dark, plus the clothing boutique should be there somewhere!”
Setting off once again, the group makes their way back into town and spots a boutique near the center of town, enter the shop as bells jingle overhead. A sweet-looking gingerbread woman approached the group with a soft smile “Hello! Is there something your dearies were looking for? A new coat? Dress? Let me know if you need anything.” Nikolai approaches the woman and asks, “We were wondering if you had any candy canes by chance?” the gingerbread woman smiles, “Oh, but we do! Though, first…” She sets her eyes on Sigma. “Your companion is so pretty!~ Oh, let me please dress her up! You'd look stunning in one of our dresses… And then you could have the candy cane.~” Sighing, Sigma steps forward, “Alright then.”
At her statement, she gets dragged away by the sweet gingerbread woman and her assistant, taking her to the back of the shop to get all dressed up. After about 30 minutes, The two cookie people walk Sigma up to the front where Nikolai and Fyodor were waiting, Nikolai practically lying in Fyodor’s lap as Fyodor was reading a book from who knows where. Looking up, they both see Sigma in a knee-length coat over a poofy winter skirt, all in a lilac color lined with faux white fur and carefully bedazzled with white crystals and snowflakes. On her head was a small pair of fluffy earmuffs and a pair of mittens tied to her belt. Fyodor nods in approval and Nikolai exclaims, “Look at our dear Sigma, she looks like a princess of winter! If only that one bandaged detective could see her now, I wish I had a camera.” Sigma blushes at the compliment and mention of Dazai, hands awkwardly holding each other. “OH!” The gingerbread woman exclaims, “I almost forgot! Here's the candy cane I promised!” She hands over another similar-looking candy cane, the last of their adventures. “Thank you, madam, we shall be off” Fyodor thanked the cookie before turning over the note. “ And that’s the last one! I hope you had fun looking for the candy canes! your last step is to take this to the Mayor, who should be standing by the giant Christmas tree who will give you your key to freedom!” Sigma says, “I believe the Christmas tree is just a block away, let’s head there now!”
The trio turned the block, realizing it had become night and the town they had spent their afternoon in was lit up in a stunning display of light. At the center of it all was the Christmas tree, towing over them again a bit lit up on almost every branch, ornaments shimmering in the lights. gingerbread people were gathered around the town square, enjoying the holiday festivities. approaching who the group assumed was the Mayor, Sigma held all the candy canes in her hand and spoke to the cookie “We have all the candy canes that were requested of us to find.” The man faces Sigma and the rest of the trio and smiles, “Ah yes! you’ve found them all! thank you, you three, and as promised, here is your prize!” The cookie pulls out a small gold key and hands it to Sigma. Nikolai pulls out the small box, having held onto it the whole time in his expansive coat. Sigma hands the key to Nikolai, who turns the key in the box. unlocking it he slowly opens it, revealing a small candy cane necklace, silver in color with red and white enamel.
Picking it up, their surroundings glow in the same yellow light as before. Rings of English text surrounding the trio. Before they knew it, they were all standing back in their shared living room, everything back to normal, with the book lying on the floor. Standing in the middle of the room, Sigma had a small necklace around her neck and a small smile on her face. Nikolai chuckled and said, “Well, I don’t think he gave you the wrong book after all!”