Let the Festival Begin [Day 143 | Day 144]

[bastionmods]

Who: EVERYONE
Open: Open
When: Day 143 & 144
Where: All over the Bastion
What: The first two days of the Harvest Festival
Format Any
Warnings: None

For the past week or so, it may feel like to some that the Bastion is gearing up for something. And not anything bad, either. Something good and oh so needed. It's not just the people, the Caels and the Ura that are aware of what the coming days would mean if the world was still intact. It's like the very Bastion itself has suddenly gained new life, and there's a power over it that's greater than any person, creature or Core.

Anyone who is still awake as dawn breaks over the Bastion may find themselves inexplicably tired for no reason at all, and unable to give in to an intense need to close their eyes, just for a moment.

When everyone wakes, and I do mean everyone, the Bastion will be transformed. Decorations, lights strung across every angle, wreaths, tables with colorful cloths over them, streamers and banners and so much stuff just seemingly out of nowhere! The entire Bastion, suddenly a vibrant, beautiful place for a celebration. And not just any celebration.

The Harvest Festival!

Comments

[croceamors]

You didn't trust her to protect herself?

[orzelbialy]

I trust that any world is cruel, and has it's own dangers, and that not everyone is capable of protecting themselves one-hundred percent of the time. Polka has shown herself to be capable on the battle field, but we would not be a team if we did not rely on our teammates for equal protection.

Outside of that... I merely want her to have the life she should have been given a hundred times over. No fourteen year old should be so accepting of her own mortality the way she ways when I met her.

[croceamors]

[Saix seems to consider that as he picks at some sort of meat stick, inspecting it more than seeming to have any sort of intention to eat it.]

...I can't understand that.

[orzelbialy]

What part can't you understand?

[croceamors]

Wanting to make someone go back and experience such a period of time instead of skipping over it.

[orzelbialy]

Oh... no, I wasn't being very clear...

[Okay, how to explain this...]

To Polka, she had been experiencing the same ten years over and over again. Some parts of her journey were different, but the ending was always the same - she was going to die.

She was aware that she was going to die. She went all those years facing every day as if it might be the last. There is no life in that. She may have had moments of joy, of pleasure and of everything else that anyone else might experience but they were tainted by knowing that she would have so few of them. No child should ever have to live like that.

It wasn't until I arrived that the cycle was broken. She is able to continue on, for however long that might be now.

[croceamors]

That makes more sense, then.

[orzelbialy]

It was a confusing situation. One I still find myself surprised at, when I actually explain it aloud.

[croceamors]

There are no doubt more confusing situations. I've had to explain strange things from where I am from as well. That is probably not the worst in terms of confusion.

[orzelbialy]

[Frederic lets out a soft, almost humored chuckle at that.]

Here, the situation is far less insane sounding. Were I tell it to some one from my original world, they would have had me locked up for clear mental instability.

[croceamors]

It sounds as though your World doesn't yet realize the existence of others, then.

[orzelbialy]

No, of course not. And I honestly can't imagine a time when our world will ever advance far enough to do so.

[He pauses, pressing his lips together]

I'm... going to wager a guess from your question that it's more common in other worlds?

[croceamors]

In some more than others. My... homeworld of Radiant Garden was on the verge of interworld transport before I left it a long time ago. Since then, there are certain vehicles one can take although they're extremely rare.

Much easier although somewhat more dangerous- [He gives a wave of his hand and, behind them, a Corridor of Darkness opens up.] -would be these. They haven't connected to any other Worlds outside of this one for some time, however. I wouldn't want to risk that sort of thing anyway considering how the Calamity has affected everything.

[orzelbialy]

Ah...

[That was a bit surprising to see, but not any stranger than the powers he was given in Polka's world. Saix had likely already seen some display of those, though, considering their trips to the Skyway.]

Even within Polka's world, we only were able to leave once through a portal... not too different from that one. But it had been ripped through the fabric of reality by a very powerful explosion. The idea is still... a little beyond me, regardless of where we went and where we have ended up.

[croceamors]

Corridors of Darkness don't need an explosion, at least not that I know of. They just require a connection to Darkness and some amount of training. Safe passage through them... requires protection against that same Darkness.

[orzelbialy]

The way you describe darkness... is it an entity unto itself in your world?

[croceamors]

It's a force of nature.

[orzelbialy]

It sounds far more powerful than I would have imagined. Where I am from and even in Polka's world darkness is no more than the absence of light. However in Polka's world, it gives us the ability to control what kind of attacks we can use. A move in darkness may be similar to one in light, but would have a different affect. And visa versa, of course.

[croceamors]

That's interesting although perhaps not unusual. Hopefully it is a bit more... benign when it affects you.

[orzelbialy]

It seemed to be the natural order there, if nothing else.

[Slightly concerned eyebrow quirk]

How do you mean?

[croceamors]

Darkness has a tendency to corrupt those who use it if they're not careful in their methods. More often than not, it becomes their downfall should they become dependent.

[orzelbialy]

... a concept I am not terribly unfamiliar with, from either world. Though neither has anything to do with darkness being the corrupter. Drugs, alcohol, substances touted as "helpful antidotes and medicine" proving to instead be malicious and addictive until they eventually destroy a person from the inside out.

It's a terrible, frightening thing to witness.

[croceamors]

Now imagine those same things being able to destroy entire Worlds. Darkness could do that- has done that as a matter of fact.

I suppose that's why I'm not particularly bothered by our circumstances. I've already had to deal with similar before.

[orzelbialy]

[Frederic balks a bit at that, shaking his head in mild disbelief.]

First Polka's world, then this world, and so many others. And even before this calamity.

Is life and existence truly so fickle?

[croceamors]

The answer to that question is apparently 'yes'.

Perhaps whatever has been done can be undone, however.