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

[beariot]

Well it's not as if it's the only custom I'm familiar with. [ Ursula gave a small chuckle, pulling her hand back. ]

I had a student from Japan who was used to bowing for most things. I just went with what I was most familiar with. How do you greet others where you come from?

[belligerentwarrior]

Bowing, huh?

[Fang tilts her head thoughtfully. Oerba was so long ago. She'd never thought she'd actually have to think back on this instead of doing it automatically.]

[So she offers the more familiar gesture: the one she's actually done sometime in the last millennium, but still painfully too long ago. Fang holds her forearm out at an angle.]

This is more a greeting between friends, I guess, or a little celebratory gesture. Hold your arm up like that.

[beariot]

[ Ursula nods, lifting her arms to match Fang's position. She did enjoy learning new little cultural things like this. With students attending Luna Nova from all over the world, she felt like she was exposed to new things all the time. ]

[belligerentwarrior]

[And she gently knocks their forearms together in a little X, similar to a high five.]

Just like that.

[beariot]

[ There's a genuine delight in the way Ursula giggles once completely the gesture, bouncing on her heels slightly. ]

Ah, cultural exchange! It never stops being fascinating!

[belligerentwarrior]

[Fang's mouth turns up in an amused little half-smile. Delight like that over the little things was pretty rare.]

I guess, in little doses.

[Fang leans back against the tree. ]

You some kinda teacher?

[beariot]

A professor of astrology at Luna Nova Academy for Witches. [ She'd been saying that title a lot lately. She supposed she really did give off the educator vibe. ]

So you've got me pegged, I guess.

[belligerentwarrior]

[She shrugs. ] You said something about a student. Though, 'bout the only part of that I got was 'Witches.'

[Which, she had been told there were other bits of civilization outside the city, and Ursula did fit the themes, far as Fang could tell... ]

You're not a local, are you?

[beariot]

Not at all. I came from the mirrors, same as you. [ At least she assumed that was the case. ]

I was in England prior to this, where Luna Nova is located. I'd been asleep in my own bed, and from the dream, I wound up here.

[belligerentwarrior]

That so? You sure fit the bill for this place, then. What with your witch school and all.

[And handshakes and festival-powered flower bush imitation. It seemed odd to Fang that someone would throw themselves so whole-heartedly into a festival that was alien to them. She drains the last little bit of wine from her cup, setting it beside her.]

Next you're gonna tell me there's monsters and flower crown festivals, too.

[beariot]

Flower crowns are definitely part of solstice celebrations where I come from. [ A small giggle, taking another sip of her drink. ]

And while they tend to keep away from the non-magically inclined majority populace of the world, monsters and fae-folk are an ordinary part of a witch's life, too. Most of the non-teaching staff at Luna Nova are made up of them.

[belligerentwarrior]

Sound like you're right at home.

[Fang looks up at the moons through the tree branches, and the apparently ominous scarlet sky. She probably could take off the restraint charms tied to her jewelry now that the twin moons were waning, but keeping them on couldn't hurt, right?]

Workin' with monsters, huh? Startin' to wonder if I'm the only one from a place where monsters or turnin' into one are a bad thing.

[beariot]

Oh, trust me, if normal folk are turning into monsters, there's usually some shenanigans afoot. [ Ursula chuckled. ]

But in my world, the fae and humans have lived in relative peace for a very long time, mostly thanks to witches. A lot of the foundations for this were established well before my time, though...

[belligerentwarrior]

[Fang looks at one of her hands, and with a little concentration and little curl of her fingers, those extra tendons flex and out spring slightly hooked claws.]

Yeah, well, where I'm from? They're either your run-of-the-mill pest, or something that needs to be put down. The folks with magic were usually the best person for the job.

[The claws shrink back effortlessly into regular fingertips and nails.]

Weren't witches, though. With the pattern I'm seein' here, maybe that little difference would've magically solved all our problems.

[beariot]

[ A lot of the mirth drains from Ursula not just at Fang's words, but also the way she slung out her claws for emphasis, and the context it put things in. Ursula's empathy was never quiet at the best of times, but several cups of wine into the evening, it was just that much more keen. ]

Being a witch, I can tell you that magic is never the sole solution to any problem. Things just aren't that simple... [ A small sigh. She stepped closer to Fang, eyes remaining on her hands, her own lifting up, as if to touch Fang's. ]

But... I do know that the anxiety you're feeling is normal. It's okay to be worried. I plan to do everything I can for you and the other monsters. Which must sound pretty arrogant coming from someone who just arrived...

[belligerentwarrior]

[Fang tilts her head slightly, interpreting Ursula's rising hand as curiosity, and curls out her claws again more slowly. It isn't a simple extension of fingernails into something longer, or like the claws were hidden; the nails and flesh simply change.]

[Anxiety was a good word for it, she guessed. Instead, Fang nonchalantly shrugs, the casual note of her voice not matching the tone of the conversation.]

Bein' new doesn't stop you from havin' ideas. This whole monster thing wouldn't be anything to get all worked up about, if it wasn't screwin' with my head. That's the worst part of it.

[The dark fur coming in around her shoulders felt wrong, sure, and looked weird. The claws were weird. But Fang could live with that.]

[beariot]

[ Whatever Fang might have thought Ursula was doing, she did eventually place her hand around the other woman's, grasping tenderly. ]

I know. And I'd like to help with that, too. However I can.

[belligerentwarrior]

[The touch makes the taller woman pause. Though she was physically affectionate and more or less held no concept of personal space, the gentle gesture made her uncomfortable; Fang couldn't pinpoint why. She doesn't pull her hand away, though.]

[Her claws melt away again, and Fang grins wryly.]

You figure that how out, you let me know. Or zap me or something if it looks like I'm gotta break someone's neck.

[beariot]

Well... I generally prefer to leave violence to the very last resort, personally. [ A small laugh. She pulled away her hand on her own, rubbing the back of her head. It was enough for one of the flower crowns on her hat to topple over, right into Fang's hand. ]

Oh! S-sorry about that... [ She was still pretty buzzed, after all. ]

[belligerentwarrior]

I'll live, don't you worry.

[She rolls her eyes a little, the wry grin shrinking, but also turning into something a little more genuine.]

What're you apologizing about? Not like some flowers're gonna hurt me. [She'd hold them out, but with since they were already standing fairly close, Fang's hand just moves an inch or two closer.] I'd hate to ruin that collection of yours.

[beariot]

Ah, that's... [ Ursula was more tentative in reaching for Fang's hand that time, but despite resting her fingertips across the woman's knuckle, she shook her head. ]

Actually, I think you should keep that. I only made them to give them away, after all... I guess chance decided which person got this one, huh?

[belligerentwarrior]

[The corner of her mouth curls into a smirk. Fang tilts her head a little, her other hand rising to pointedly run a finger along Ursula's ridiculous stack of flower crowns.]

Givin' 'em away. If you say so.

[Fang doesn't actually laugh, but it's in her voice. Without any further fussing, she settles the accepted crown on her head.]

[beariot]

Well, it looks nice on you, at any rate.

[ Honestly, if it weren't for the wine, she'd notice she was standing way, WAY too close to Fang in that moment, looking into her eyes, seeing herself reflected in Fang's own, feeling a small moment of... closeness with the other. She still had her hand on Fang's, warmth in her cheeks, and not a bit of it seemed strange or impolite... ]

Or at least... it suits you. Something natural and colorful like that.

[belligerentwarrior]

[All of a sudden, this felt so distantly familiar. A throwback to a small eternity ago, when Oerba was still surrounded by life and fields of flowers and Fang was young.]

[Fang was sober enough to notice that warm look, their distance, but it wasn't the distance that bothered her. She realizes that the tender touch from earlier didn't make her feel uncomfortable. It was more like an ache for something lost.]

[She didn't dare call it grief.]

[Fang closes her eyes and exhales softly.] Does, doesn't it? Used to hear that as a kid. Flower chain and all. [The déjà vu hit her so strongly, and thought it's painfully bittersweet, Fang didn't want to let go of the memory.] ...Vanille would've loved a festival like this.

[beariot]

[ Ursula kept close watch on Fang's eyes. This woman didn't seem to express herself too sincerely that often, was the impression she got, but Ursula could tell there was something going on there, in the way she spoke, those little shifts in her tone.

Fang wasn't the only one feeling nostalgic. It was impossible not to notice the similarities there between Fang and that person. Their stature, their tone...

But she wanted to keep Fang focused on those memories Ursula was inspiring. And now she had a name, too... ]

Tell me about them. About Vanille. If you don't mind, I mean.