A pantsless Santa

Palutena felt that the challenge must be coming towards its end. A cheerful message came over the PA, telling the shoppers stores were nearly closing, and the panic everyone had been experiencing seemed to be dying down. On the other hand, with their shopping out of the way, everyone was gathering around the Christmas tree in a big circle, which was the last thing she wanted. They all joined hands and began caroling in unison, like something out of a movie. Palutena wanted to smile, but it wasn't giving her a good feeling.

"On the first day of Christmas, my true love sent to me...!"

Palutena thought she'd heard this one before. "And your next line is: a partridge in a pear tree, I take it?" she questioned, kicking her leg idly. For the first time, she'd noticed the great big clock installed over the entrance of the mall. It looked like it was getting very close to midnight. At that point, the mall would presumably close, and this whole nightmare would be over.

"... A pair of Christmas pantiiiies!"

The goddess was still kicking her leg, singing the wrong words to the song off-timing against all of the others who'd taken it another direction. She noticed her mistake as they all went quiet, ceasing their song and watching her intently in silence.

With the words finally registering, Palutena clenched her teeth, then turned her eyes back up towards the clock. Midnight had felt so close a moment ago, but it seemed somehow to be getting further now. The minute hand appeared to be frozen in place, along with the spectators.

"Ha ha ha! Don't think you're going to stall your way out of this one, sister. This is the final round. Give them what they've requested!" Medusa's voice boomed, cutting through the silence. "And give everyone in Skyworld, along with Pit, a little show while you're at it!"

Palutena scowled-- as the one who'd dressed into the Christmas costume, she knew the unfortunate truth. While her bra had a sexy ribbon underneath for an extra layer of tease, her panties had no such safety net. She'd been depicted tastefully nude by several surface-world sculptors before, but they were about to get some divine inspiration for future works that would likely not be so tasteful. "I guess it's true what those other-realmers say: Christmas traditions really do change every year. I think I liked the original lyrics better," she joked, while hooking her thumbs into the sides of panties and beginning to slide them down.

She got them about halfway down her hips before she hesitated. She turned her head, watching the eager faces of all of the men (and some of the women) in attendance and imagining those same faces all across her own realm. She bit her lip, red-faced, as she imagined people she knew watching her step out of the already immodest garment to reveal it all.

Instead of finishing the task, she backed up against the tree, then crouched behind the over-large gift package she'd been sitting on earlier. As her lips trembled, she finished pulling the garment off, first to her knees, then stepping each leg out. Her bare bottom brushed against the artificial pine needles as she rose back up to a certain height, still bending her knees to hide as much as possible, as she placed the panties into the donation box. She crossed both hands over her groin, hiding that side, but those on the sides could get a nice view of her bare hips and, from a few angles, her uncovered ass.

Evidently forgetting their assignment, the crowd swapped songs, launching into their personal rendition of "Joy to the World." As they joined hands and sang, the clock chimed above, and the PA system announced the mall would soon be closing.

"Oh, thank whatever god's above me in the pecking order. And there must be one, because I don't think a perfectly omnipotent being would allow their night to end this way," Palutena mused out loud, clenching her knees together and watching the carolers stare. "But at least it's over."

A loud hiss came from above. "Fool! You may have escaped with a small piece of your dignity in tact, but your due punishment is not yet finished! If you want that accursed vessel, you'll have to complete one final trial: the bonus round!"

"'B-Bonus round?!' What in your hell is that?!" Palutena complained, hugging the package more closely to her lower body as though afraid it was about to be yanked away.

"... I am not certain," Medusa admitted. "But trust that I'm eager to find out, if it means your ultimate humiliation!"

Roll 2!

Outfit durability: 9/30 (Gift-wrap on boobs, big gift box to cover lower body)