See, I've met the guy and -- [The candy cane rises, and Sylvain has to quickly push his hand under the weapon. There's still pressure, made all the worse by the fact that the metal of his gauntlets pinches at sensitive skin. He can at least brace himself to keep the pressure off.

Not that he does right away. He's distracted, right now, by the fact that Chip hasn't budged. It's difficult to really focus, but in the brief seconds he does, Sylvain recognizes the expression Chip wears. Like with everything else, it feels uncomfortably familiar.

His hand drops to his belt. He'd traded out some of his Pokemon to compensate for the additional two on his team. Now, he's grateful that he'd kept Pooka in the line-up. The Furret comes bounding out in a streak of light. At first, he seems ready to pounce on Santa. Sylvain makes sure to squash that urge.]

Chip. Now.

[The Furret turns, and finds the small pile of scared child. Quickly, they sprint over and wrap around Chip -- not to constrict, but enough to feel the brush of fur against their skin. As he settles in against the child, a deep noise rumbles up from his throat. It's a warning.

With that out of the way, Sylvain turns back to Santa. His knee jams up, aiming for between the other man's legs. He's perfectly happy to fight dirty, after all.]

Where was I? Right -- Met the guy. And he didn't seem to thrilled about beating up kids.