A Tropical Thanksmas (Thanksmas 2023)

[Halae]

[Meanwhile]

Koshal is going to get to watch as Skye's eye's linger on Mary's departing form, holding the box she was given close to her voluminous chest. He knows that look. She is crushing hard on that gift-giving succubus, to the point where she's barely cognizant there's another person left in the conversation with her.

[Keeper]

Meanwhile

Koshal is AWARE of people who date, like he's aware that his uncle is really into that nice magical human guy. But that's because his uncle was pretty up front about it. And Koshal knows that specific person extremely well. He is pretty unaware of how humans go about this sort of thing so Skye's look is entirely foreign to him.
"Well, now that you've done some socializing do you think you've got what you need to do now?" Koshal offers, not wanting to imply that Skye needs someone to hold her hand through a party of all things.

[Halae]

[Meanwhile]

That seems to shake Skye out of her infatuated gazing, as she turns back to Koshal, "Y-yes, I suppose so. Thank you for the help, I think. I suppose I should go... Talk to people. Perhaps have some of the food."

If Koshal doesn't have anything more to say that's relevant, she'll nod respectfully to him and say goodbye. People always congregate around the food, and being a fast growing teenager means she needs her own nutritional additions.

[Rebonack]

[Before the Thanksmas Throne]

"Umm..."

Khannie wrinkles her nose here.

What HAD the source been on that? It was some article on the Internet that she had read. "It was from some kinda interview with him, I think?" she replies, her memory on this one hazy. "I never actually played any of the pokemon games. I just... read about 'em. And kinda lived in one for, like, six years. Playing a game where you go around catching feral pokemon would be weird."

A moment passes. She isn't sure how much she should elaborate on the 'living in a pokemon game' part. Maybe if Asami asks about it she can talk about it? That's probably better than just jabbering about her backstory without being asked.

"Do you like the games or something?" Khannie asks.

While Khannie is busy talking some Thanksmas magic must be going on because her shadow is slinking away.

Whatever could this mean?

Well it probably means there's a-

[Thanksmas Fox]

-skulking about.

As Khannie's shadow moves further away it gains more and more definition until there's a pretty normal sized black fox padding through the sand. She's wearing a fuzzy Thanksmas hat with attached antlers because:

1) She's not going to let what the succubus are doing cramp her style
and
2) Chestnut may have bugged her about spreading the word that Thanksmas is an Autumn holiday in her ongoing feud with Holly. What did she get in return for this service?

Well.

That would be telling, wouldn't it?

There are a few people around the party who would immediately recognize the Fox. Or at least recognize that she's a rather powerful fae. To anyone else's eyes, she's just a little black canid with a blot of liquid shadow at the end of her tail instead of a white patch of fur. Though... the longer someone observers her the more they'll notice human traits that boarder on uncomfortably uncanny.

[Halae]

[Thanksmas Fox]

One such individual that would recognize what the fox says is does in fact happen to be nearby. The cosmologies are a little different of course, but Skye is well familiar with the concept of a primordial creature from not quite within reality. She knows what they feel like, know what they act like.

And she has a pretty good idea that the little Thanksmas fox with the not-quite-right biology is one of them.

She doesn't stop it. It could be a legitimate guest, it could be acting for good reason. There's demons here; she's not about to judge the fae just because they exist, not when she's encountered helpful ones in the past and heard about them as well. But... she does follow it, keeping an eye on the critter. She doesn't know how powerful it is, just that it's something to keep watch over, so that's what she's doing.

Maybe she's supposed to be enjoying the celebration, but old habits die hard, and a devil hunter always has work to do. Surveillance is a perfectly acceptable course of action.

[quillpleasant]

Before the Thanksmas Throne

Darko considers Krayger's statement dubiously. "Huh, that's not what the last Santa said. Oh, I know! We can do an exchange!"

Reaching into his bag, he pulls out an oblong box wrapped in sleek black paper and offers it to the minotaur. "This one is from the King, so it's probably really good," he says, nodding.

While he's doing this, he can't help but listen in a little to the conversation his two friends are having. They seem to be talking about a game, so it's not a problem that he's distracted. He'd have nothing to contribute to that topic anyway.

[Rebonack]

[Thanksmas Fox]

The Fox hasn't said anything yet.

Though several children DID approach her and she DID roll over onto her back and wag her tail and make chuckly happy fox noises while they pet her. This continue for a few minutes until they grew board and begin to leave. But before they do, she tells them a secret.

"Psst! Hey! It isn't winter yet. That means Thanksmas is a FALL holiday," she confides in them.

That gets a giggle from the kids as they depart. What a silly thing to day. Everyone knows Thanksmas normally means SNOW and SNOW means WINTER.

Alas!

The Fox tried.

Once the kids are gone the Fox continues her walk around the island. She briefly disappears behind a tree, breaking line of sight with Skye. And, of course, when Skye gets closer the Fox is gone.

"Hey Skye," comes a voice from a branch above Skye. "You looking for someone?"

The source of the voice is, of course, the Fox. She's reclining on the tree branch and grinning a wide, silvery crescent-moon grin. Her voice sounds... an awful lot like Khannie's. But with a mischievous air of playfulness the rather serious girl tends to be lacking.

"I got a Thanksmas gift for you," the Fox says, reaching her tail into the shadow cast by the tree she's in before pulling out a small white cardboard tube and tossing it to the girl. "No need to thank me. Seriously. Don't. 'cuz if you do then you're gunna owe me a favor and I can't be accountable for whatever prank fox-brain will come up with."

[Halae]

[Thanksmas Fox]

Skye catches the cardboard tube on reflex, then looks at it with confusion, before looking back up to the fox, "... What is this?" she waves the cardboard slightly, "And how do you know me?"

She's quite wary right now. She doesn't recognize that the fox is part of Khannie, but she does recognize that they seem to be connected, and that this creature is some kind of powerful.

[Rebonack]

[Thanksmas Fox]

"The answer to your first question depends on how much of a smart-alec I feel like being," the Fox replies, her grin widening further. It seriously doesn't look like it should even be able to fit on her face. "But I've seriously gotta try to resist fox-brain so I'll say something I think'll help you out. I looked up that writing you use; it's pretty cool! But hard as heck to translate. I think I managed to figure it out and the thing in the gift will help."

To the second question?

"Oh, you've met me already. Usually I'm flatter and attached to Khannie's feet. I'm her shadow. Most of the time we aren't awake at the same time but there's some Thanksmas magic going on so here I am!" the Fox says.

If Skye opens the tube she'll find what looks like a scroll inside. A pair of marble rollers with the scroll slipped INSIDE them rather than around them, their surface etched with lines filled in with shadow and points of gold. Pulling them apart unfurls it. But instead of paper there's a... sheet of shadow inside?

"If you hold it over some text the darkness'll clear up until it leaves an image of the old realm translation. I've really been practicing my enchantments and this thing's probably one of the easier items I've made. It's basically just a spell I developed in physical form! Am I not a clever fox?"

A very clever fox.

[[brackets lover]]

[Before the Thanksmas Throne]

Of course, Asami does a double take at the notion of living in a Pokémon world, nothing else being said even seeming to register. "Lived in one like Sword Art Online style?" Asami questions dumbfoundly.

[Halae]

[Thanksmas Fox]

Skye takes a moment to understand it, unfurling it and turning it over in her hands. This is a fascinating little piece of spellcraft. She's heard of translation magic before, but never actually seen anything of the sort. She's really been struggling with the way the Nexus translates most of its symbol based language into pictograms due to the way they don't usually sit properly on a surface, and this should really help.

Which is why, as Skye is inspecting it, she absent-mindedly says, "Thank you," to the fox, almost not realizing that she's done it.

[Rebonack]

[Before the Thanksmas Throne]

"Umm... I dunno what Sword Art Online is?" Khannie replies after a few moments. That sounds suspiciously like one of her uncle's weird cartoons. "I mean, I was actually there? It was one of the Mystery Dungeon worlds so..."

So.

She spent a big chunk of her life as a pokemon.

Fun!


[Thanksmas Fox]

The Fox watches expectantly, her tail wagging back and forth as Skye begins to realize exactly what she's been given. This is THE best part of Thanksmas; when someone gets something they truly need and are deeply thankful for it.

Of course...

This has a downside.

Or an upside, depending on your point of view.

People tend to thank you because they're thankful.

"Pffffhaha haha hhaha!" the fox chortles from atop her branch, JUST managing to avoid falling off it as she has her fit. "I just warned you! Like, thirty seconds ago! Oh wow that was just classic. Like faceplant right into a glass door stuff. Now you owe me one; any boon I want."

Which is a pretty dangerous position to be in, when it comes to fae.

"I'm gunna have to think about this one, so I'm not gunna call in the favor right now. I'm sure I'll come up with something good," the Fox assures Skye. "Hey, in the mean time-"

She gives her tail a flick and all of a sudden the end is adorned with a bone mask depicting a succubus with some resemblance to Mary.

"-you wanna meet Mary's sister?"

[Reinholdt]

[By the Seashore]

"Certainly sounds like it beats out home school," Reina muses. It'd be a hard sell to Toby perhaps, but he'd come around when it frees up his schedule. Probably. "So which one are you?"

Sure, demon princess is the obvious choice, but maybe Mary is also a mad scientist. You can be multiple things.

[Halae]

[Thanksmas Fox]

Skye looks momentarily extremely stricken, pressing a pair of fingers into her forehead as she reseals the darkness scroll and places it on her belt. She really did just walk right into that; it's her own fault now, "I just ask that whatever you ask me to do, it doesn't harm anyone. Odd problems for myself are fine; problems for others are not fine."

And then the bone mask! "... I wasn't aware Mary had a sister. Who is she?"

[Rebonack]

[Thanksmas Fox]

"Hehe, promises are hard things," the fox says.

Then screws her eyes shut and gives her head a shake.

"Ugh. Not trying to be a weirdo. I'm serious about the fox-brain thing being a pain. Being fae's gotta script and breaking character's a pain in the butt. I do MEAN to be like this but I don't always WANNA be like this. If you ever catch me being a creep call me out, okay? I don't wanna get comfortable with it."

There's some immaterial feeling of binding to that request.

Then the fox strikes a very melodramatic pose. "Oh no! I just wasted my perfectly good favor! How careless of me! Hehe!"

At the question the fox somehow manages to grin wider. "Oh, Mary's evil grandmother tried to Name me a succubus. But kumiho haven't got Names; she just gave me a new Mask to play with."

With a flourish the Fox holds the Mask up to her vulpine nose and all of a sudden there's a teenage succubus sitting on the tree-branch. As soon as the Fox is out of sight it's difficult to focus on the fact that she was there at all, rather akin to remembering the details of a dream. There's no indication of illusions or trickery. There's just a new person sitting in the tree.

Bella the succubus princess doesn't look exactly like Khannie, but there's definitely a resemblance. She doesn't look like Mary, either. Though if you lined up all three you might assume they're all siblings. Bella has two traits that immediately distinguish her from Mary. First? Her skin is a soft shade of lavender rather than dark red. Second? She is definitely not as curvy. Not by a long-shot.

Her hands are held up to her face as if she had just put a mask on. And almost immediately her eyes widen at Skye while she makes a wild gesture at the teen. "Holy heck you've got a crush on-"

The wild gesture causes her to lose her balance and topple out of the tree and into the sand.

"Of course the dumb Fox leaves me in a tree. Why wouldn't she?"

[Halae]

[Thanksmas Fox]

Skye blinks, rather bewildered by the sudden shift in... Everything. Then she steps over to Bella and offers a hand up. In her off hand she still holds her staff, "Hmm. So you're... metaphysically linked to Mary's family via her grandmother's attempt to adopt you, which didn't work properly because of the nature of what you already are? That's fascinating."

"What were you trying to say about crushing me, though?"

[Rebonack]

[Thanksmas Fox]

Bewildered is probably the right feeling. Bella accepts the hand and ALSO looks kind of bewildered. Her outfit is definitely set up for both the holiday and the weather. A Thanksmas themed one-piece swim suit (green with Thanksmas baubles, the two biggest ones over her chest with 'jingle' 'bells' in gold lettering written on the pair), sandals, and her inherited Santa-hat-with-antlers from the Fox. It's still sized for the Fox so it's a tiny hat sitting at a jaunty angle atop her head.

"Huh?" is her initial reaction to Skye's summery. Once she's up and dusting the sand off the butt of her one-piece she seems to make the connection. "Oh, the Fox was talking to you about what happened to me? Yeah, sorta. The important part you gotta know is that Mary and me loved each other like sisters before all this dumb stuff with Sapphira happened. At first I was basically like... Mary's minion. But when she declared me her sister that made me parta the royal family and all of a sudden I'm her equal instead of her slave."

Haha, yeah. That sure isn't a thing Skye is familiar with, right? Turning people she cares about into her subservient minions?

"I guess what Sapphira did sorta work. Khannie died and a succubus was made outta what was left. But thankfully 'cuz of the Fox that was just a dream. Now she's dreaming about being me... kiiiiind of?" Bella says, rubbing the back of her head quizzically. "Basically everything about the Fox is confusing as heck. Probably better not to try to figure it out."

She finally gives a shrug and grins. That's definitely a Khannie expression. "So yeah! I'm Bella, princess of the Scorching Depths. Or one of 'em, anyway. Not the heir apparent."

A beat.

"Oh, right, yeah. You're crushing on Mary. You weren't really thinking about it that hard but I could still feel it, like warm embers in a hearth. Sorry, I probably shouldn't have blurted it like that but... succubus infatuation radar is pretty strong and it kinda took me by surprise."

Then she fell out of a tree.

[Halae]

[Thanksmas Fox]

Skye is definitely slightly unsettled by the mention of minions made out of people who should be close to you. But, of course, mentioning that Mary released her makes that infatuation flare up. Mary is better a better person than she even knew.

"I... see? So a crush is infatuation, then," Skye lets out a long sigh, looking worried, "I... ugh. Yes, it's true, but I don't really know how to handle it. She's just..." beautiful. Friendly. Someone Skye feels like she can understand. Instead of saying any of that, she lets out a grumble, "Does every teenager feel like this with their first infatuation? She's been in my dreams."

Presumably not actually in Skye's dreams. The succubi almost certainly have the magic for that, but Mary doesn't really seem like the type to use it.

[Rebonack]

[Thanksmas Fox]

Boy Bella's really been having lots of relationship chats recently. Well, technically, Khannie was having most of those chats. But when they're all together whatever Khannie has been up to feels like what Bella has been doing, too. She remembers it all. The only weird one out is the Fox, somehow. Probably just because faeries are weird.

"Haha, personally? Yeah. Emotions are messy and I think it's harder for us 'cuz we're still trying to figure all this junk out," Bella laughs. Then makes a very UGH face. "Being a succubus sure as heck doesn't help any. Everything's so... intense."

Sure is fun being a roiling mess of hormones and emotions.

"Wait, like, literally? I know we can do that but it isn't really a thing I've tried yet," Bella admits. "And, uh, just to say I dunno if... well. Mary seemed to be more into boys before she got injured but since then I haven't seen her flirt or show off to ANYONE. I dunno if that's related but it might be?"

Sapphira hurt Mary pretty bad when her possessing spirit was expelled. And definitely damaged Mary. Maybe her princess of succubus name most of all.

Bella is trying to be gentle here with what she's hinting at. Mary probably doesn't share Skye's feelings. That's an experience Bella knows about but if this is Skye's first crush then she probably hasn't ever felt it before. It's worth noting that Khannie, and by extension Bella, also thinks Skye is really pretty. But she wouldn't call it a crush. And she sure hasn't DREAMED about Skye.

[Halae]

[Thanksmas Fox]

Skye seems to just wave that off, "I recognize that it's one-sided. It's why I haven't acted on it, especially while she's still healing. The problem is that I believe it's feeding into my existing problem, which comes with a... deep-seated loneliness and need to be with other people. It's not just one problem, it's several together," not the least of which being a huge breast fetish. That had been implanted by Libra, but it's still there, certainly.

Still, she hadn't been aware that Mary wasn't flirting with absolutely anybody since her injury. It really enhances the fact that she needed to check in on her friend's circumstance. And an idea strikes, "... Bella, was it her spirit that was damaged? Because if so, I may actually be able to help, and I do owe Mary a Thanksmas gift."

[Morty]

[Before the Thanksmas Throne]

"Yes, I do believe this chair's previous occupant was confused. But if you want to engage in the spirit of sharing, who are we to say no?" The lad seems so earnest that refusing him would be crass. Askeladd reaches into the bag and produces a magician's cane, with a white tip on the bottom and a glass crystal that shimmers between pink and violet on the top. "And this is your gift, young man."

[Keeper]

Before the Thanksmas Throne

Krayger nods to Askeladd. It’s a good gift. He seems hesitant but accepts the one from Darko.
”Unorthodox, but we’re already being unorthodox. A king, eh? You have friends in high places, lad.”

[Rebonack]

[Thanksmas Fox]

"Oh, geeze, that's gotta suck," Bella says, immediately empathetic to the feeling of loneliness. She remembers all to well what it was like being stuck in the village when she was little without any parents and few friends. Then she makes an expression like someone just tapped her on the shoulder and whispered in her ear. "Wait, you can mind-control people to like you more?"

Bella had been separate from Khannie when she had spoken with Skye about her problem outside the gymn. The Fox was kind enough to provide her with that little insight. Ugh. Being separated out like this is such a pain in the butt. Why does her life have to be so weird?

She's quickly putting pieces together, though.

"So... you've got a longing for friendship and trouble connecting with people... but when you DO connect you feel like you've gotta do your mind-wedgy thing to make SURE they stay your friend? Is that... about right?" Bella asks, wanting to make sure she's got that covered. Importantly it can be broken. She WAS together with Khannie when she had met up with Skye at the Mad Science Building and Skye reported the nurse could help with her problem, but Bella hadn't understood the context of the comment at the time.

Again.

Way too complicated.

Bella opens her mouth to explain, but then closes it again. "I dunno if it's my place to talk about it. Mary's had a whole lotta people poking at her during her recovery and she's kinda sick of it. You could ask sis about it, but I dunno if she would want to talk about it or get help."

[Halae]

[Thanksmas Fox]

"That's largely right," Skye confirms. She passes the staff she's carrying between her hands from where it had been lingering in the crook of her arm, nervous energy at play, "As near as I understand it, I pass a bit of my soul into someone, and it worms their way into their heart, latching onto any already established emotions. Once there, it takes root in the emotions and spreads to the mind, allowing me to speak to their mind and control it. It's why it's dangerous for someone to be too close to me. The loneliness appears to be part of the curse, to force me to seek companionship I can attack and consume."

"My occult training has given me a bit of skill with manipulating spirits, but if you feel I shouldn't bother her with it, then I'll refrain. Though... a question," she regards Bella herself, "You were created by being 'named' as a succubus, yes? Via the Fox's ability to take on masks and turn them into reality? That sounds like a shift in the nature of your spirit," ideas are churning, "Now I'm curious what would happen if my own power was used on the Fox, as it's also a shift in the nature of a spirit."

[Rebonack]

[Thanksmas Fox]

"Holy heck that's terrible," Bella says, looking at once concerned a bit afraid. Would that work on her? She managed to loophole her way out of Sapphira commanding her so... she isn't sure. But then again, if it's part of Skye's soul then there's a pretty good chance the Fox would just gobble it up. But that isn't as important as. "Who the heck DID this to you? Like... giving you the ability to take over people's minds and crushing loneliness? That's a sick thing to do to someone."

She obviously doesn't approve.

"No it's... I didn't mean it like that. I mean I can't answer for her. You can ask, but I dunno if she would like the idea," Bella clarifies. When she's asked about the Fox Bella wrinkles her nose. "I... I mean, maybe? I dunno if there would be enough to make a Mask outta. I dunno exactly how the Fox' powers and stuff work. If I knew everything she knew then I would just be... her. Maybe you should-oof!"

Bella suddenly staggers a bit because there's now a fox reclined on top of her head, the fox' tailing still connected to the BACK of Bella's head as if she were still just the Mask.

"Ask me? That's a good question!"
"Why are you like this?"
"It depends. How much of your identity is in the little bit of your soul? Is it a reflection of all of you? Or just a little splinter to give you access to the mind? Hehe, if you wanted to try and find out I wouldn't mind being fed. If I'm eating curses and enchantments I'm not eating people's hearts and I wanna keep it that way."
"Kumiho do the heart eating thing... pretty literally," Bella says, pulling a face. And reaching up to grab the Fox off her head. Catching the Fox turns about to be about as difficult as trying to drink water with a fork and Bella is utterly unsuccessful.

[Halae]

[Thanksmas Fox]

Skye doesn't answer as to who inflicted this power on her, but from the darkness in her expression, there's some deep pain and true, raw hatred in her gaze, only eased by the fact that the one who did this to her is very, very dead.

"I've... been encouraged to explore deeper aspects of my power, and I think interactions with other spirits qualifies as that. Would you accept the feeding? We can count it as a mutual learning experience so that nobody owes anyone. I don't know the precise nature of the soul fragment I put into someone, and I'd like to find out."

[Rebonack]

[Thanksmas Fox]

Bella definitely picks up on the dark expression and offers a sincere, though quiet, "I'm sorry that happened to you."

But then experiments!

"Don't... you need to have a strong emotional bond with, umm... with someone for that to work?" Bella asks.
"If it helps, Khannie and by extension Bella both consider you a friend and think you're really beautiful, Skye," the Fox helpfully informs the Exalt.
Bella's face immediately flushes and she makes a sputtery sound. "Y-yeah? What about you?"
The fox responds with a foxy chuckling noise and vanishes again, the Santa hat plopping back onto Bella's head.
That gets an exasperated sigh from Bella, her cheeks having deepened to pink from her usual lavender. "Umm... I guess use it on me? The Fox'll still be able to snap it up and we'll see what happens."

No doubt this will all be one hundred percent fine.

[Halae]

[Thanksmas Fox]

Skye blushes at being called beautiful, once again a little awkward at being told she is. She's not used to accepting compliments like that. But hey, she has a good opportunity to just kind of move on!

"Alright, let's see if this... works correctly," she'll attempt to take Bella's hand, to allow the contact to make it work easier. Her power wells up, her body surrounding itself in the shining aurora of her anima, and then it starts flowing in towards Bella. The emotion Bella has for Skye is too weak for the little shard of her spirit that flows into Bella; Skye can feel it there, and send something towards it, but it's still too weak for the fragment to become something that can root in and turn Bella into a pawn.

But that's fine, isn't it? Because sending it forward is still separating it from herself. Still enough for the fox to snap up like catching a mouse.

She'll find it spicy. It's several things; raw divine power, human soul, a staggeringly powerful curse, and in all of that it actually carries the baseline structure of Skye's soul. The fox should be able to tell that the shard is so complete, in fact, that if Skye was killed when one of her pawns was near, her very soul would be able to body-hop into the new vessel to avoid her death, absorbing the host of her spirit shard into her psyche, but subservient to the primary soul that is Skye.

It's so small, yet so much.

[Rebonack]

[Thanksmas Fox]

Bella isn't totally sure exactly how this is going to work, if it's going to be like when she was subservient to Mary or if the fox is going to gobble it up right away. She can definitely FEEL another sort of power entering her, something so very different from the infernal power in her own heart. She can feel it trying to take root in her, but the metaphorical soil just isn't deep enough.

Have you ever seen a fox hunting a mouse in the snow?

Where it watches for a few moments and then springs into the and nosedives into the snow?

Well, Bella's suddenly fox-shaped shadow just did that. Except it nosedived into her instead of into a snowbank.

Turns out the soul is very spicy.

Thankfully for the Fox, spicy food is her absolute favorite.

She's dealt with divine power before. She gobbled that up in the Minoan ruins. She's dealt with powerful curses before. She gobbled those up at the ruins and when Mary, possessed by Sapphira, created Bella. And eating a human soul is easy. Those are the standard fair for kumiho after all. But... it's still quite a bit. Like eating a whole pound-cake at once. Definitely something you can do, though whether or not it's advisable is a whole different story. But a kumiho is a furnace of foxfire. Burning spirits until they're consumed is fundamental to what they are. A spirit of fire, a spirit of hunger that will never say 'enough'. And with this particular kumiho's connection to the Dreamheart itself? If all else fails there's nothing that universal solvent won't dissolve.

"Umm... Fox? Did it work?" Bella asks the empty air.

She doesn't get a reply.

"I... think she's digesting it?" Bella suggests. "The more powerful the Name she eats the longer it takes for her to make a Mask outta it. It took her a couple hours with me."

In other words, they probably won't discover the outcome right away. At least not until quite a bit later into the party.

[Halae]

[Thanksmas Fox]

Skye looks... pained. Not like she's wounded, but more like she has her own heartburn to deal with; a little pain from a naturally occurring process that's taking its sweet time going away. After all, the soul fragment is still linked to Skye, as it always is when a Hearteater attempts this sort of thing, and she can feel it being digested. It's a bizarre, somewhat stressful feeling, but presumably not actually harmful.

"Oh. A few hours of this. That'll be pleasant."