event pt 1 | full moon & litha

[moustre]

Event Log: June, A Midsummer Night's Dream

I. IUNERIL 17TH - THE FULL MOONS The days leading up to the full moons are the same as last month: Monsters are a little itchier and a little easier to agitate, whether they mean to be or not, which becomes increasingly noticeable the day before the full moons. But of particular note is that this may be the second full moons that some arrivals have experienced, and with that comes greater risks, greater agitation, and further reminders to take care of themselves. Weather fair, despite the worries of the city, Monsters will find that the Sisters aren't blocked away by clouds this night. The moons cast their light down on the city, and the pull is strong for even the veteran natives that call the city home. The Coven is offering potions and charms, in an attempt to encourage those without a Bond to ensure that they will be able to keep their wits about them throughout the entire stretch of the Sisters' time in the sky at their fullest. They're always allowed to reject the offer, but it's with a warning: if they let their newfound instincts overtake them, then they might find themselves back in the Coven under worse conditions. But the Sisters rise framed in stark red skies, even as evening falls across Aefenglom, much to the discontent of the city. Streets that are rarely dim are lit up even moreso, now, in the face of this omen, lanterns and candles leading all the way to the Harbor District. Their colors flicker with shades of blue, green, violet - anything to offset the red. Boats that come and go along the river also carry a lantern or two with the same intent, and ships in the harbor are decorated with magical faerylights, strung across hulls, masts, the works. There's no place in the Harbor District untouched by light, with nary a sign of red in the midst of their goods. Tensions are already high, between the humans and Monsters of Aefenglom. It's especially noticeable on this night: full moons already cause everyone to be a little jumpy, but with the red tidings for Litha, they're more on edge than ever. Some blame the new arrivals, though never directly to their face, especially when they don't know who, or what, someone might be. It's always a there-and-gone whisper, it seems like. Gossip. Distrust. Unease. It doesn't lend well to the full moons, but there are still those that want to help. Many will notice that there's already activities and decorations up for Litha, some of them still under construction despite the fast approaching festival. The most notable of all are the hedge mazes that have been constructed, both by hand and with magic to encourage their growth. Behind the festival organizers' backs, a group of people - both man and beast - are offering Monsters a chance to burn off some of their energy by embracing their instincts in a more... constructive manner, with native Witches and Monsters alike prepared to intervene if things get a little too violent. In a sort of mockery of Litha's traditions, they're partnering Monsters up with a willing participant to run the mazes, with a variety of options that they will list. The partner - or partners, if there is a party looking to go in together - can be either Witch or Monster, and the people organizing this won't judge as they inform the interested individuals of their options: a. A-HUNTING WE WILL GO, allowing the Monster to either hunt a small livestock or game animal (a piglet, fowls, rabbits, the like) or to hunt down their partner through the maze they've chosen. This need not end violently, and can become more of a game of hide and seek meets tag. b. EVERYBODY WAS FIGHTING, where one maze in particular has been devoted to a makeshift fight ring at the very heart of it. The organizers hope, somewhat, that by making the Monster(s) in question run the maze first they'll be a little tired out already when reaching the ring. c. UNDER THE PALE MOONLIGHT, because instincts don't always call for violence, the organizers offer a more intimate experience here, whether it's sexual or nonsexual. Maybe you just want a good cuddle..? The organizers emphasize the idea of consent, and will not force anyone against their will into the hedge mazes, no matter which one it is. They also want to make sure that they will step in to help if called upon, in case someone gets a little too overeager. Witches looking to use magic this night will, peculiarly, find that their magic is a little less... cooperative. Many of the Coven Witches speak of how they specifically wait to cast powerful spells on the night of the full moons, to ensure that they have the greatest chances of success with the help of the Sisters. However, Witches of the new arrival persuasion are much weaker on full moons. Their magic is still there, and they can still draw upon it for spells, but they'll have to put greater effort if they want to cast a spell with any significant amount of power. Overexerting oneself while doing this is entirely possible, so it's best to try and find some sort of balance, lest you find yourself exhausted and without a means to defend yourself. We ask that any and all NSFW threads be marked accordingly, or otherwise moved to a locked post on the log community or an entry/inbox on a character journal. Remember to please be excellent to each other, and respect all limits that your threadmates might have, if you explore the more sexual or violent aspects of the offered prompts. If things get OOCly out of hand, please let us know; if things get ICly out of hand, please let Nessie and Mhairi know.

II. LITHA - IUNERIL 21ST TO 23RD Despite what chaos there might have been on the night of the full moons, and the subsequent day after as things began to calm, Litha still arrives as scheduled on Iuneril 21st, as the sun begins to set. The summer solstice reaches its peak the following night, and the festivities wind down the third dusk. While certainly still lively, it isn't as completely festive as Boaltinn, most certainly because of the red skies, and the natives are obviously trying to make the best they can of what they perceive as a poor situation. To say that the natives are on edge would certainly be an understatement. Whatever happened in those hedge mazes is untraceable, now, and everything looks pristine. Faerylights decorate every awning, overhang, and eave, magical and twinkling with colors to offset the red skies. There are no bonfires, this go around, but much like the fires it seems that the lights all lead to the primary area of celebration: in contrast to Boaltinn, Litha is celebrated in the Entertainment, Shopping, and Harbor Districts. Doors to businesses are wide open (with many even having large signs indicating VAMPIRES WELCOME HERE - those that don't make a clear statement), and stalls offering wares and foods and activities alike are set up at nearly every corner alongside preestablished businesses in the market. The harbor is especially lively, with many sailors coming and going as they prepare for setting sail. While ships themselves are always coming and going in the port, Litha is an important time for the more longterm voyages and those meant to carry some significance, and each ship departing is bid farewell with equal fanfare. Fireworks and celebration that is, at least in some part, genuine, but does carry a certain level of enthusiasm that borders on force of will. a. ASKING FOR A LITTLE COMPANY Though all businesses in the Entertainment District open their doors for the festivals of Aefenglom, the brothels of the city in particular are offering a warm welcome this Litha to anyone who might be interested in spending some time with someone - or, multiple someones. They have open rooms for mingling, lounges with floor pillows and low tables where customers can partake in spiced and unspiced drinks alike, where the unspiced are lacking in the potions and near-aphrodisiacs of the spiced drinks. Private rooms are also available for those seeking a more... intimate experience, however one may take that to mean. The brothel workers are more than happy to attend to any interested parties, but also aren't against randomly pairing individuals up, based on their specifications. And, after a little misunderstanding regarding their classes, the Head Madame of the guild has decided that they will be offering chances for individuals to perform at their establishments. She was rather charmed by the mishap, bless your souls, as were the rest of the guild, so the new arrivals have endeared themselves to the brothel workers. Dances, conversation, assorted busking - whatever skills that their quest-takers learned, whether it be of the more sexual nature or not, they'll provide whatever they might need to put on a show and attract or entertain clientele. b. I'M WISHING FOR THE ONE I LOVE Anyone interested in making their way into the Shopping District will find just as many open doors, as well as numerous stalls interspersed where they weren't before. Vendors hawking their wares and goods like always call out with Litha specials, and businesses set up temporary stalls to draw attention to themselves, with promise of greater bargains and products to be found at their main establishment. There are many that sell spiced foods and drinks, with varying degrees of strength depending on how one wants to feel. Others are selling candles and lanterns, offering a magitech version of a lighter at a steal, depending on how much you purchase otherwise. The largest stalls, and the biggest displays at storefronts, are the flowers though. Every single flower shop in Aefenglom has come out full force, practically painting the district in a myriad of non-red colors as they put their stock on full display. They offer deals for those who wish to buy bouquets for a sweetheart or someone they admire, as well as anyone wanting to make flower crowns for those they care for. Each of the seven largest shops are also handing out a single flower for those partaking in festivities to place under their pillow to dream of future partners, the flower they're typically most well known for; this varies from shop to shop, but the up and coming Rose Bush certainly isn't going to let superstition stop them, and are handing out red roses. It's a bold move, but one that causes the tizzy that they were intending it to. And if one is feeling particularly whimsical, they can go to any well at night, looking into the depths in a bid to see their future spouse and true love within. Perhaps making an offering of a flower would bring good luck..? Just don't linger for too long, as there's a rumor that someone is pushing unfamiliar faces into the well, likely targeting those they think are new arrivals. c. GET LOST WITH ME Though the Harbor District has some bleedover from the Shopping District in terms of festivities, their streets and warehouses are where the most room is available for the hedge mazes. Some are sprawling as they fill the streets and alleys, spilling into the towering buildings that have been empty to load the contents onto waiting ships. They create their own environments, with flowers from the flower shops blooming in the rows and creating archways at entrances and exits. Some are enchanted to seem neverending, although there always is an exit, if one can only figure out the puzzle. Each maze has a different method to its madness, and arrangements that those running them have decided on. (Some faces may seem familiar, to those that encountered them on the full moons; they'll feign otherwise, focused only on the now and refusing to draw attention to any recognition.) Some mazes send in the partners together, randomly selected and tasked with figuring out how to reach the end of the maze together. Others will send the partners in from different ends, with the instructions to find one another, whether in the center of the maze or in its winding path. Another variety offers something reminiscent of the hide and seek meets tag game, tasking one as the hunter and the other as the hunted, a game of pursuit meant to replicate the "playing hard to get" variety of courtship. There's no restrictions on how many times one can enter the maze, as it allows one to forge many bonds - and possibly Bonds - and replicates the process of finding your true love. Or, loves; no one here is going to judge anyone. They certainly won't judge, either, if participants opt to take a swig of something for luck in love before they go in. However, some mazes have been tampered with: rather than opening out into somewhere safe on the street or in a building, they empty out unaware participants into the port itself. Hopefully you know how to swim. Once again, we ask that if any threads take on a NSFW nature that they be marked as such, or otherwise moved to a locked post in the log community or an entry/inbox in a character journal.

Welcome to the event log, part I! While mingling on the log itself is highly encouraged, feel free to make your own logs; take the prompts offered and go wild, go crazy, go stupid, have fun. As ever, if your character is getting into any Shenanigans, let the mods know, and if you have any questions about the log, ask them here!

Comments

[horkbajir]

She is not clear on if being a hybrid means he eats like a Gem or a human and has a momentary flicker of alarm thinking she'll have to kill something for him or risk poison with plantlife. No, no, this is humanity's much-vaunted civilization, where symbols for labor can be exchanged for material goods. ...She hasn't done that before and isn't carrying any of those symbols. Not helpful.

This feels like a moment where something should be offered sooner rather than later before he decides he doesn't need anything. Toby's spent a couple of days on conjuration, where the teacher insisted on practicing with apples. Only the ones humans find outrageously sour and woody are even palatable for her, but she was specifically instructed and expected to conjure fruit they would like. A few apples should be manageable, even if she's not feeling her best magically.

"I'll make something for you," she says while he's thinking, and runs a long forefinger down her opposite wristblade, her usual focus with magic. This school, from her limited experience, is most easily accomplished when not closely observed. "Please close your eyes and turn around four times."

[starseedling]

He's confused for a moment, but then his eyes widen in understanding. He lifts his hands victoriously, his skin hanging loosely from one fist.

"Oh yeah... you're a witch!" he announces, apparently just remembering that. He listens to her and then nods eagerly, already starting to spin, though not yet closing my eyes. "Why do I have to spin? Is that part of the spell? Oh right... eyes!"

He closes his eyes and keeps on spinning, probably more than four times over all. You might have to tell him to stop.

[horkbajir]

"It's just easier if you're not watching," she says. There's nothing to be done about other people, both of them being far from inconspicuous, but they're at least not right there. She asked him to turn... spin... whatever out of the belief that in the moment he'll be more likely to do that than to sit quietly.

Unfortunately she's not going to tell him that's enough in a timely fashion. There's a bit of a rumbling and scraping and Toby lets out a pained breath, almost a groan.

A tree has appeared sprouting from the weedy margin on the side of the road, maybe ten feet tall and laden with small russet-and-red apples. Toby's had to sit down, legs bent before her and tail on the ground behind, her neck bent nearly double to bring the underside of her jaw close to her chest. It's very nearly the pose she takes when sleeping somewhere not wholly safe.

[starseedling]

Steven is starting to get pretty dizzy by the time the tree arrives, and it surprises him enough that he falls onto his butt, his wings fluttering just enough to soften his fall. He stares at her handiwork in shock, and then starts to grin and clap his hands.

"Apples!" he says, trying to stand up, but still a bit dazed. He doesn't immediately notice that Toby has basically folded in on herself. "That's so cool! When did you learn to do this?"

He clumsily takes to the air again, plucking an apple free. It's only then that he notices something off.

"...Toby?"

[horkbajir]

She's going to take a moment, waiting for her hearts to stop pounding so hard and work in sync again. This is... she's not happy with this. As a Hork-Bajir her stamina and ability to recover are considerable, she should bounce back from anything that doesn't nearly kill her.

Did this nearly kill her, or is it a magic thing? It's got to be a magic thing, the warnings during lessons were never that dire. Toby feels faint and does not like it.

"I'm fine. That took more effort than I planned."

[starseedling]

He stares at her, as what he's seeing slowly processes. Distracted, the apple rolls right out of his hand and onto the ground.

He flutters over to the ground beside her, looking her over curiously, and with a kind of concern that is only dampened by his confusion and mental distance. Consequences are hard to process at the moment.

"Was that hard? It looked hard," he asks. He can't tell how worried he should be.

[horkbajir]

"I'm fine," she says again, modulating her voice so she does not snap. Toby has to have a level head in all circumstances, has to be an example of calm certainty in turbulent times. That's what it means to be Seer. Even without her people here, she can't fall out of practice. "Conjuration is not one of my areas of study, and I am weaker when the moon is like this."

She closes her piercing red eyes and strokes her horns, base to tip, much the same as a human rubbing their temples. "If you would bring me a branch, I would be grateful."

[starseedling]

He looks between her and the tree a few times, and then nods, taking flight again so that he can try snapping off a branch heavy with several apples. He manages to do it - though it's difficult, as the tree is very much green inside - and then he brings it down to her.

He sets it down in front of her, and then sits in the dirt, watching.

"Do they really make you weaker?" he asks, tilting his head, and then glancing up at the Sisters. "I think they're amazing."

[horkbajir]

"Thank you." Toby takes the branch, eyes it, and pulls off an apple that she casually cuts in half with one of her horns. "Here, eat this half."

She eats the other one whole. To jaws and teeth made to chew bark, even a fresh apple with thick skin is soft and pulverized instantly. She perceives it as basically a big conversation heart, chalky and horribly sweet and otherwise almost flavorless, and the skin shreds and adheres to her battery of grinding teeth. Its only redeeming qualities are the note of taste in the seeds and that it's got a great deal of water.

[starseedling]

He's clearly a bit dazzled by the display of her just cracking open an apple on her horn.

"Oh, right!" he says, having already forgotten what she'd grown the tree for in the first place. He was supposed to be eating. He takes his half of the apple, looking at it distantly before eventually starting to take a few bites.

His hunger responds a bit better once he's actually eating. He laughs.

"I've never had a homemade apple before!"

[horkbajir]

It's not a bad apple, despite the Hork-Bajir's dislike of it. Sweetly tart, very crispy and juice-filled. It's also thicker-skinned than a supermarket apple, with half that skin being the green-brown russet that goes with extra sweetness and a faintly nutty scent and taste. The Witch teaching Intro to Conjuration had very specific expectations.

Cutting it was extremely casual. Toby knows her way around her blades. Now she gets her beak and tooth-edged tongue around the broken end of the branch and peels away some of the apple bark, which is much more to her tastes.

"I don't really like apples. Why don't you have more?" This should make Steven's presumed eventual crash at least mildly less ruinous, and if it holds him still maybe give her the chance to look more closely at what's changed.

[starseedling]

He watches her eat part of the branch, completely fascinated. He nods vacantly at her suggesting he eat more apples, and he continues idly munching, even at not a particularly rapid pace.

He is, indeed, a lot more still now - the wings are completely new, of course, but the hardening patches of skin on his arms, legs, and back seem to have finally smoothed into something white and carapace-like. His antennae have grown a few inches. His skin all seems soft and new, refreshed by the molt. He seems more interested in her, overall. Where they sit on the ground, he shuffles a bit closer, touching his side to hers.

"You're really cool, Toby," he says. He leans his head against her side.

[horkbajir]

Well, that's a thing. It's less unpleasant to look at than someone in the middle of morphing. Especially morphing insects. Before remembering what Fae look like she wonders when his face will split into complex mouthparts.

Toby is not as comfortable to lean on as a lot of other people. Actually, first she saw this coming and had to move her arm and its associated blades out of the way. The defensive/resting posture has her arms angled so the long 'elbow blades bristle out at her sides. Under them her side, her scaly skin, is as textured and unyielding as if she's some kind of tree herself. She's mildly warm and at ear-touching range there's a faint, constant bubbling grind as her digestive tract works on bark.

"Thank you," she says, gingerly shifting her arm back. It's not quite a side hug, but it's not that far off either. More to herself, she adds, "It can still be all right in the end. I don't know how, but it can become all right."

[starseedling]

It's different, but it's not so bad leaning against a tree, either. He makes himself at home there, even if she has he sharp parts to avoid - he mostly seems to rely on her to avoid stabbing him with them. His thoughts are elsewhere.

"Maybe this is how it's supposed to be," he says softly as he closes his eyes, which may seem strange, since Steven has been more than a little bit anxious about being able to return home. His mind seems to be somewhere else, tonight.

[horkbajir]

That seems like an uncharacteristic sentiment for Steven. Toby gives a noncommittal rumble. She wants to ask 'supposed by who'. A higher power had wanted her to be born free, to give her people a chance at salvation, but not to save them itself, though that would be trivial for it. Is there something like an Ellimist here, nudging at events for its own purposes?

There's nothing she can do about it if there is. She can only do what is possible, witch or not. Better to focus on the tangible.

"I can tell you a story," she says. "An older one, a legend." Meaning it doesn't have a deeply sad coda about what's happened in the past thirty years.

[starseedling]

He tilts up his head to look at her with bright glowing eyes, seemingly becoming more alert at the promise of a story. He stays cuddled against her side, though.

"Oh! What is it about?" The idea obviously tantalizes him.

just gonna spend WAY TOO MUCH TIME on something, next time I'll just use a summary

[horkbajir]

As long as he doesn't go charging off, she thinks, it's probably fine.

"It's about the origin of fire. There are several stories about that, each from a different tribe, we think. This one is special because it's also about the origin of sky-dancing, and of the stars." Sky-dancing: another lost art, honestly. "I can't tell it as well as my father could, but I can speak of some of it."

Toby draws in a deep breath. A short version. She can do that. "In the long ago, when our blades were as clear and flashing as water, the night was always cold and dark. Monsters could come from Father Deep and wander as they wished until Mother Sky opened her bright-hot eye, because she had no flowers yet. No stars. We lived in fear of her eye nearing the horizon, and most of us hid alone in the dark."

"The sisters Mab and Ingu did everything as one. They were born with Ingu grasping Mab's tail. They climbed together, they ate together, they hid themselves together, and together they tired of the night. There was no Seer to guide them, but the Elders said that perhaps if they could reach the top of the Sky-Tree they could ask Mother Sky for her help."

"Mab and Ingu traveled from valley to valley looking for the Sky-Tree. They went together for seasons and had many adventures and met many strange people in that time. When they found the Sky-Tree they also had many adventures climbing it, because it was the tallest tree that ever was or could be, and Mother Sky had her own creatures who lived in it." And the story can take several nights to tell if someone decides to go into detail, as she well knows. "But Mab and Ingu reached the top, and were seen by our mother the sky more clearly than any Hork-Bajir since the first."

"It took eight days to tell her what the night hid. Mother Sky darkened and rumbled and bled with grief for her childrens' suffering, and gave the sisters a gift to take back, some of the light from her eye. They carried it gleaming in their blades. It was so hot that as they climbed down it started to burn them, and they lept and cut at the air to cool themselves. One of them accidentally touched a bright blade to the Sky-Tree and it started to burn. When they ran and jumped to another tree, they turned and saw it as bright as another eye, and all Mother Sky's creatures in flight around it."

"'Sister, we have done a terrible thing', said Mab. 'Sister, the sky is wise. She knew the Sky-Tree would not survive and still she gave us her light,' said Ingu, but her hearts were heavy too. They endured the burning to watch as the Sky-Tree was consumed, and a strange thing happened - the tiny bright blossoms in its branches survived, and flew up into the dark night, and so the first fire became Mother Sky's flowers. And so even as a wonder died, a new wonder was born."

"The sisters returned to their home, spreading the knowledge of fire and the dance that came from the sky. And so the world changed. The monsters stayed within Father Deep, and we could see and touch at night. And those who made fire or stood in its glow were changed as well, their blades darkened by the sap of the Sky-Tree and the smoke of its burning."

[starseedling]

He listens to the whole thing, but it's hard to tell what reaction he's having to any of it. He stays leaned against her side, staring into space, and then closing his eyes as he's imagining what she's describing in his head.

As the story ends, he looks up at her, seeming a bit unsure.

"Do you think it was worth it?" he asks.

[horkbajir]

Toby's throat has gone dry. She examines the branch Steven brought her and reluctantly eats the least ripe-looking apple for its fluid content. Ugh. She doesn't entirely get the point of clothing, but it does make it possible to carry water everywhere. Maybe she should consider trying that, finding a place to strap a container anyway.

"Yes. You can't just hope that monsters will stop, and you can't expect to always be able to find the way to stop them without losing something. They couldn't speak to a god anymore, but they could live without fear of friends and family dying in the night." There are a lot of aimless, odd old stories passed down in the cages. She understands this one, with its unwitting sacrifice, a little better. In a three-steps-removed way it reminds her of her great-grandparents.

"Anyway, there's no going back. You can't unlearn what you've learned. Even if you have children you try to keep it from, they won't be entirely unaware."