The people need Palutena's cute Christmas accessories

A woman came to the front of the crowd, wringing her hands together in worry. Palutena attempted to assuage her concern by putting on a warm and cheerful smile, but it seemed like she wasn't going to calm down that easily-- her brow was knit with concern. "Oh, I'm probably too late, but... But..." she began, then nervously bit her lip. "That adorable hat you're wearing... My little girl would love a hat just like that!"

Palutena nodded, clasping her hands together at her cheek and tilting her head slightly-- the picture of benevolence. "Of course! That shouldn't be difficult at all. I'm sure the shopping mall has-"

"N-No, there's nothing! I've looked at all the clothing stores, all of the Christmas gift displays, all of the costume stores... everywhere! I even asked the other mall-Santas, but they can't give theirs away! I was hoping you'd be... willing to part with yours...?"

The goddess chuckled. She saw what was happening now. This "humiliation" they spoke of was a gross misjudgment of her character! Whoever was behind this and had roped Medusa into it intended to show that she was uncaring towards her subjects, or felt herself high above them. They thought she'd discard the day-to-day woes of humans as unimportant. "Of course, my dear woman! I'm sure this hat would suit your little girl perfectly. I'd be happy to give it to you," she conceded. As the woman's face lit up with delight, Palutena plucked the hat from her head and set it into the shopper's hands. "Merry Christmas, as I believe Saint Nicholas would say! Sorry I can't giftwrap it for you."

She'd meant that as a joke, but the woman's face took on an earnest, pleading look once more. "A-Actually..."

Palutena raised her eyebrows. "You need it gift-wrapped? Oh shoot... I always have Pit do that part. I mean, I'm sure I can. It's not beyond a goddess, of course!"

"No, I don't need it wrapped, I'm simply missing a bow. Those ones on your wrists would suit my gift bag perfectly!"

The green-haired goddess giggled sympathetically. "Of course. I don't have much use for them anyways, do I? Kind of strange, as far as accessories go," she admitted, unwinding each ribbon from elbow to wrist. The woman's gratitude was nice to have-- spirit of giving and all that-- but she couldn't stop herself from getting an uneasy feeling regardless. What if she'd misjudged the point of this trial? The smirk didn't seem to have faded from Medusa's face yet. If anything, it had grown more sinister.

Palutena barely heard the woman's words of thanks as she slipped away from the crowd. The number of mall-goers waiting for a turn with her seemed unreal, like it was constantly growing.

"I actually have a gift bag too, ma'am! A real small one. That little ribbon at your neck would do it just fine!"

The goddess barely paused to consider what she was doing as she unwrapped the red ribbon choker and handed it over to the man. It seemed so insignificant and what really mattered was the dark plot unraveling here.

"Truth be told, ma'am, my gifts are spilling out of my bag! I need something I can lock it up good and tight with. Your belt would do the trick!"

Palutena began to unbuckle her belt, then slowly lowered her eyebrows. "Wait a minute. My belt? You're going to make me take off my belt, just like that?" she questioned, adopting a somewhat stern expression. She was all about helping out others, but wasn't this getting a little ridiculous? Without the belt around her waist, the dress would lose a bit of its shape-- it wouldn't be supported as well on the top or the bottom. The wrong move might displace it. Who just went around asking ladies for their belts, anyway?

Above her, a laugh rang out. "That's the end of your generosity, is it? Guess you're not so gracious after all, huh? And guess you're not getting that vessel, either!" the fallen goddess of darkness taunted. "Remember the strip-a-thon sponsor's rules! If even one request goes unfulfilled before the time is up, you're going home giftless!"

"Strip-a-thon?!"

"That's what the sponsor called it."

Palutena began to grow slightly red-faced as the true nature of the challenge became apparent to her. This wasn't a misjudgment by her captor, assuming she wouldn't humble herself to be nice to mortal subjects. This was nothing less than an attempt to have her strip naked in a vision that would be not only visible to the mall-goers around her-- who likely occupied a different dimension entirely than her usual-- but also, broadcast into the heads of all of her friends and followers in Skyworld and below!

Reluctantly, she unfastened the belt's gold buckle, then held it out to the gentleman. She put on a smile as best she could, trying not to let the grim realization she'd just made show on her face. "Ha ha ha... I hope that belt really... ties up your bag, or whatever! Perfectly normal thing, tying up a big bag of presents with a woman's belt!" she finished, crossing her arms self-consciously as she felt the top of her dress slip just a bit, now deprived of its shape hugging her waist. She began to look for a way to back out of the crowd. Maybe if she could get away from them, she wouldn't be charged with honoring any more of their requests?

Rolled 5!

Outfit durability: 25/30 (Dress and boots still on, undergarments still concealed)