The ritzy suburbia that is Borealis District is beginning to get decorated for Christmas time. Lights are being strung up throughout the cobblestone streets, wreaths are being placed on the lightpoles, and the atmosphere - while still rather stuffy being the affluent quarter of the city - is beginning to ooze comfortable, warm vibes. People in fancy and expensive branded clothing are walking their pets and sipping on some coffee. Over in the distance, a large white building with stained glass windows claiming itself to be Borealis District's Adventurers' Guild can be seen. With a small pop of electric blue light, Patrice appears. She's wearing a light blue jacket with white and pink stripes going down the arms, zipped all the way to the top, and dark, warm trousers. She takes a look around, sees the building, and starts making her way towards it.
Along the way, Patrice notices quite a few people standing in line for something at a store about 1000ft away from Guild's entrance. A lot of them are clamoring for some kind of toy. Perhaps it's a hot new toy for Christmas? Patrice slows her pace and asks one of the people standing in line what they are queueing for. A woman turns her head towards them with a soft smile on her face, "Oh you haven't heard? Today's the day Meowmos are coming out! My son asked for one of these for Christmas, so of course I had to preorder one."
Despite the long line, it's moving pretty quickly. Patrice can see near the front of the line a display for the Meowmos. They're kind of like small cat plushies in all colors of the rainbow. With how much movement they have, however, it's almost like they're alive despite clearly made of fabric, filler, and electronic parts. They also don't seem to need batteries? Strange. "Oh, I see," Patrice nods, making a mental note to ask the store if they have any Meowmos left after she finishes the job.
The entrance of the Guild is unmanned and doors leading inside are open. From just peering inside, it's like an art museum with sculptures and paintings easily seen from the outside. In fact, even the stained glass is of such a fantastical nature, that even the windows are part of this museum. Patrice walks into the Guild proper, marvelling at the art everywhere she looks. Upon walking inside, Patrice hears soft classical music from a black and white tuxedo-clad man playing a grand piano in the middle of the atrium. All around her are works of art from all walks of life. Most pieces here are rather abstract, though some pieces depicting animals, humans, and some creatures she's never seen before are available. Over on the left wall, a help desk and a wall of what looks like tasks with star values are easily seen. At the very back of the atrium is the entrance to the larger museum, and on the right side, she finds restrooms and comfortable though lavish seating in the same white and black. They're almost like modern art pieces except designed for visitors to sit.
A white skinned grey-bearded man in a black turtleneck sweater and beige slacks with the nametag 'Museum Curator - ADMIN Polaris' calls over to Patrice as he's never seen her before. "Hello! Are you new here?" He has a soft, welcoming smile on his face. She nods and points at the wall of tasks. He takes a moment for it to register. "Ah, thank you. Please deliver this letter from our Guild to that of Solar's over in Solar District." Polaris hands Patrice a rather ornately-decorated crimson and gold wax-sealed envelope with someone named Pegasus as the intended addressee. "Mr. Pyre requested this some time ago, but he is rather feeble. I recommended he send Pegasus an email, but you know how older folks are. Pegasus is the person in charge of Solar Sanctuary, so you should be able to find them pretty easily."
She takes the envelope with a smile. "Thanks, sir. I reckon some of the older folks are playing catch-up, but it moves so fast that they can hardly ever catch up to the procession, if they can even see the procession in the first place." And with that, she makes her way out of the Guild.
The moment Patrice steps out, she notices the line of people queueing for Meowmos is drastically shorter than before. It appears that perhaps the store vastly overestimated the demand for the toys as they still have plenty left in stock. Closer to the store, she notices a 6 or 7 foot tall furry purple cat with blue eyes waving towards people. It appears to be a mascot for the new toy. Aside from that, the christmas lights and decorations seems to have been set up pretty quickly. It's slowly turning into a Christmas wonderland for the rich and wealthy.
She walks to an employee of the store, and asks if she can reserve one to pick up later. The young woman employee smiles at Patrice, "Welcome to Little Dipper Toys, and of course we can do that. Which color would you like? And may I have a name to put your reservation under?" Patrice notices the color choice is the main fur color among the main six colors of the rainbow excluding indigo. All of them have blue eyes as well. Patrice looks at the choices. "I reckon purple would do just fine. It's for a friend's kid, you see, and they love purple, so this will be a fun surprise for them. And as for names, Riko Scarlett. The last name is with two Ts instead of one." The employee writes everything down, "Riko... Scarlett with two Ts... got it. And will this be cash or card?" It appears to be the standard choices of credit cards you'd see anywhere else with a couple other choices that are seemingly native to The Magickas. The cash option also appears to be dollars much like in the Americas.
"Lemme check..." Patrice checks her jacket pockets, takes out a credit card and a pen, and passes the card to the employee. "This one is under my husband's name, is it alright?" The employee nods, "Of course." Then she swipes it through the computer and on the screen facing Patrice, it asks for a signature. The total comes out to $52.38. Upon signing, the employee nods and smiles, "thank you. Whenever you return, please just let one of us know you've returned Mrs. Scarlett. Until then, have a wonderful day."
"Thanks, and you too, hopefully," she smiles. Patrice walks out of the store.
Walking out, Patrice doesn't see much change. It's much more festive outside with some christmas music piped into some of the speakers outside. The shopping sector of Borealis, where Patrice is now, is much busier now that people are out of work. Patrice wanders round the shopping district, hoping that there's a store somewhere that sells map of the city. She unfortunately does not find any portable maps, though a signpost near Little Dipper Toys shows her where she is at in comparison to the rest of the city. Patrice notices that the city is in a hub and spokes layout with the center of the city, Nova Heart District being the central hub and the four districts being the spokes. Each spoke connects to the city by one major road, each going either North, South, East, or West depending on the District. In a sense, Capital City is in the shape of a compass rose. Borealis points due north, Lunar due west, Solar due east, and Australis due south.
She finds that she is currently right near Ursa Major Way which leads into Nova Heart District, and that taking by Corona Boulevard to the very end will send her to Solar Guild, her destination.
Someone in a Nova Heart uniform, a mint green polo with black slacks and a Nova Heart pin on their lapel sees Patrice inspect the signboard and asks, "Do you need directions Madam?" They are holding portable maps of the city.
Patrice nods. "May I get one of those maps you have there? I'm trying to get to the Solar District, but I'm afraid I'm all turned around."
The worker nods, "Of course." And they hand her a map that has the exact same information that's on the larger signboard. Then they show her how to get there, pointing out points of interest to help. "To get to Solar District, take the main road south back to Nova District; it’s called Ursa Major Way. Then when you see the clocktower at the Square, hang a left. That'll put you on Corona Boulevard, and you'll find yourself in Solar District. If you need more assistance, just find another Nova worker, they'll likely be dressed like me or maybe with a labcoat as well. We'll help you find your way."
She stands there for a few seconds to memorize the route. When done, she nods, "Thanks, you have been of great help. Hope you have a good day!" And with that, she makes her way to Ursa Major. Thankfully, it’s an easy walk there. Heading south from there puts her into Nova District just as the worker claimed. Nova Square, much like Borealis Shopping District, is slowly transforming itself into a wintry wonderland. Christmas decorations are being added to all buildings and the innate heartbeat felt by all is still there, but there's a bit more joy and christmas energy in the air. In the distance, Nova Heart District's Adventurer's Guild is seen with a line of people waiting outside and two large muscular bouncers overseeing the crowd. Upon reaching the Clock Tower, Patrice notices four major roads each leading to different Districts. She walked here from the North taking Ursa Major Way. To the east: Corona Boulevard. To the west: Albedo Drive. And to the south: Alpha Centauri Avenue. This gives the Clocktower the Moniker: "The Crossroads of the Capital."
Patrice looks at the line with curiosity. She shakes her head, as if to chase away the thought, and makes her way to Corona Boulevard. Taking that east puts her into Solar District. Solar District, unlike Nova and Borealis, is much greener with trees and plantlife abundant throughout the sidewalks. This side of town is much quieter as well. The buildings in this area are named either after parts of the sun or natural items you'd find on earth. In the distance, what seems to be a crater in the ground is blocked off by yellow DO NOT CROSS warning tape. A sign nearby it claims it to be Solaire Enterprises' original location. Also unlike the other two districts, the Christmas Takeover has not begun just yet here in Solar District, instead embracing its naturality instead of capitalism.
Down at the very end of the road, Patrice notices a large glass and crystal building with people, animals, and plants easily visible from the outside. A plaque near the entrance confirms this building to the SOLAR DISTRICT'S ADVENTURERS' GUILD and is run by NOVA FOUR ADMIN - Pegasus.