The Festival Continues [Day 144]

[bastionmods]

Who: Everyone
Open: Open
When: Day 144
Where: all over the Bastion
What: Day 2 of the festival because that other post filled up fast
Format: any
Warnings: none

Day 2 - Day of Hope and Bravery

Once again, at midnight, another torch arrives - this time with a horse along with the gear and bullshead. As before, they are list by Zulf. Some of the other decorations fade out, to be replaced by Yudrig or Lemaign-specific decorations like horseshoes, saddles, hammers and plants made of colored metal. This will continue to happen throughout the festival, with new decorations overshadowing old ones, but the old ones still remaining here and there.

During the previous day, conversations with a any of the NPCs (or the recently arrived Uras) will bring up the topic of the second day of the festival. Should you care to listen, you'll learn that they use the very early morning of this day to make wishes, wishes that you must think in to a horseshoe that will be left on the side of your home that faces where the "sun" would be rising (the closest approximation to "east").

Speaking of horses! There seems to be a pen with stallions! Unlike Pyth, one must ride one of these stallions and try to stay on it as long as they can while it bucks and jumps about wildly. Good luck to whoever can manage this, it is not an easy task at all! Only one person can win Yudrig's favor, because at the end of the day the stallions will all take off back to... wherever they came from. The person that manages to stay the longest, though, will win a lovely pair of Yudrig boots, and will gain a single very fast horse for the Bastion to keep.

Along with the horses, there will also be races! Three legged races, races while balancing odd objects on spoons, so many races! Most of these are for the kids to make up for the lack of kid-focused things from the day before, but adults are encouraged to help and participate.

Incidentally, respect is also given to those considered soldiers. Be it by their own mental thinking ("I am a soldier for justice/I am a protector, etc") or by their actual title (this includes exorcists, exorcists in training, rebel leaders, etc) but they will be honored on this day for their bravery, comittment and efforts. The same goes for masons. There will be a table set up with charms for the bracelets, specifically hammer shaped ones - everyone is welcome to take one, but anyone who isn't of this persausion may find them too heavy to wear. The charm can be removed, though, but remember to keep the bracelet!

With that in mind, about midday the center of the Bastion will be cleared and people will be asked if they would like to participate in a game of "Defend Lemaign". It's basically Capture the Flag, but with a singular goal in mind - only one team has a "flag" (actually a small hammer statue) and that team must defend it from the other team. Teams can be any size, but once that statue is grabbed and brought to the other side, OR the timer runs out with Lemaign still within his "temple" the game is over. This will continue throughout the afternoon.

When evening falls again, the second torch for the day will appear to be lit, this one decorated with hammers as well as the standard gear and bull. The day begins to wind down, though there are once again other things to do - this time an entire area dedicated to various sizes of building blocks ranging from small to huge. Go nuts, build what you want, show off your creations! And keep them, they will come in handy later! This is not just for kids, even if it seems like it.

There's also jousting taking place. Nothing as dangerous as true jousting - just wooden horses on tracks that have to be manually pushed along (so be sure to take a willing friend with yout) and padded poles that strike padded armor. Winners will find more charms for those bracelets that were given out as their prize, and five shards per win.

Also, something to keep in mind: Since the day is focused around bravery quite a bit, anyone who shows off a particularly awesome show of bravery (be it personal like asking someone out that you like, facing a mild fear and not running away from it, or something even more spectacular) you will inexplicably find your entire room decorated with horseshoes. Horseshoes everywhere. Why? Yudrig, that's why.

And anyone who visits Lemagin's shrine, for whatever reason, will find themselves inexplicably hit with a wave of optimism. Just for the day, though.

This night winds down much the same as before, and again the children are encouraged to sleep outside while lulled to sleep by tales of Yudrig and Lemagin's adventures.

Comments

Anna is uneasy

[aprettyred]

[ Bravery. That was something she had overheard about this festival, and so, after she visits the shrine to let the god know what she was planning - because that seemed like a good idea.

And really, the wave of optimism was helpful.

But now she's sitting outside, looking like she'd rather curl up and never climb out of her nice little red cloak, until she spots someone she thinks was there two weeks or so ago, and tugs on a sleeve. ]

... Excuse me.

[wayofvoice]

[There's no sleeve to tug on in this particular case, but Paarthurnax turns his head to look at her at a touch.]

Greh, young one?

[aprettyred]

[ And her hand goes back to a little tight grip in her dress. ]

After the group of people, who were found all together, there was a party? And during the party, there was feelings of burning, of not being able to breathe, of losing everything?

[ She might be addressing Paarthurnax's toes at this point. ]

That.. was me.

[wayofvoice]

[There's nothing said for a moment as Paarthurnax goes over this in his mind. Finally, he gives a nod of his head.]

I see. Many wondered what had occurred. My thanks for telling me of this. It does not sound as though you meant for such pain.

[aprettyred]

[ Oh good, the dragon isn't angry and won't eat her-

Okay, so it was a silly fear, he's been living here how long and no one has gotten eaten.

But her reaction to that last is a very intent shaking of her head. ]

If I get upset, what... I felt, or what I feel, it leaks out? So I don't get upset, but it was hard to not get upset....

[ It was an accident. She's usually much better. ]

[wayofvoice]

[Fortunately for the Bastion, Paar's human eating days are far behind him. Besides, mammoth is much more filling.]

I see. [He thinks for a moment.] You had just arrived, had you not?

[dissectionislove]

Hm? [There's a tug on the sleeve of his lab coat that catches him off-guard. Sure, a giant dragon speaking to him in some sort of ancient tongue doesn't garner much beyond the perk of a brow, but this little girl approaching him sets him completely off-kilter. That makes all kinds of sense. Still, seeing Anna, his flat expression softens noticeably, even without his knowledge.] Oh, hello Anna.

[aprettyred]

Hello...

[ Softening expression or no, her hands still grip the front of her dress. ]

I'm.. sorry for running, and panicking. You were trying to help...

[dissectionislove]

[This is Stein we’re talking about, here – he gets that reaction a lot. In all seriousness, he understands why she did what she did, probably better than he’d like to. He puts a gentle palm on her hair, expression startlingly kind, for anyone who knows him. Well, except maybe his former students.]

It’s all right. You did what you needed to.

[aprettyred]

The pain and the burns were me.

[ That sure came out in a rush. ]

I panicked and they leaked out. I'm sorry.

[dissectionislove]

[That makes sense to him, actually, but he'd previously taken it as a physiological response to the body being inundated with outside influence. He's no stranger to that, after all.]

No need to be sorry.

[Whether it's something in Anna's words or the words themselves, something about them changes Stein's perspective. Is this... an ability she fights for control of? If she was an adult, he'd blurt out whatever was on his mind, point blank. However, since she's only a child, he takes a stab at using tact.]

Can I ask how you did it?

[blackblooded]

[There's a tug on Crona's sleeve, and the meister flinches, all startled awkwardness, and steps away with wide eyes. Crona is easily startled.]

Um....

[Oh no, now what?]

H-hello?

[aprettyred]

[ Sorry D: ]

Uhm... almost twenty days ago, there was a big party? And then there was a big mess. People got burnt, or felt like they were drowning? That.. was me.

[ All sorts of nervously playing with the edge of her dress. She looks really ashamed of that. ]

[blackblooded]

[Having a hangover isn't exactly improving either of their moods right now. But it does mean that Ragnarok (who got the brunt of the effects of his overindulgence yesterday) isn't in a state to do more than snarl inside Crona's head. Both of them are angry, and Crona's expression flicks from confused unsureness to determined anger.]

You did that? You hurt a lot of people.

[Both Crona and Ragnarok had been hurt, terribly hurt.]

[aprettyred]

I didn't mean to. I get upset, and what I know inside leaks out.

[ She's trying not to sound terribly defensive, but Crona's expression makes Anna feel worse. ]

So I won't get upset again, or maybe I can run to the skyway and my inside world won't leak out into everyone.

[ She's clutching her dress like its a lifeline now. ]

[hellpyre]

Hm?

[Oh, it was Anna. Rin smiled calmly at the girl, wondering silently why she looked so nervous.]

Something wrong?

[aprettyred]

Uhm.. A couple weeks ago? There was loss and burns and feeling of drowning...

[ She's rather uneasy sounding still. It has been going both well, and not well, admitting this. ]

That was me. I leaked it out to everyone... I didn't mean to.

[hellpyre]

... oh.

[Rin frowns a touch at that, eventually crouching down with her knees together so she can be closer to eye level with Anna.]

Well... I ain't gonna be one to get mad at you for somethin' like that. Accidents happen, y'know? Especially for people like us. It was a little scary but, no one got really badly hurt, right?

[aprettyred]

Not badly....

[ But she still hurt them. ]

But I knew it could happen. Getting upset makes it hard to keep everything in...

[superdrowningskills]

[Alucard turns to look at the girl. He's somewhat surprised that she'd wish to speak to him, but he obliges nonetheless.]

...Yes, child?

[aprettyred]

A couple of weeks ago, there was a big party because a bunch of new people were found.... and then there was pain from fire, feelings of drowning and loss...

[ She's studying your shoes, mr, hands fisted in her dress. ]

That was me. I lost control...

[ourlegends]

[ She didn't have any sleeves to be tugged on, so it was more a tug at the back of her vest. looked back to her not!daughter Anna and knelt down a little (she didn't have to kneel much, she was pretty tiny herself) to get a better look at her. ]

Are you feeling okay, Anna?

[ She looked a bit nervous ... ]

[aprettyred]

[ That is true. She isn't feeling good enough to try for hands right now, even if she knows Hilda pretty well. ]

I'm... nervous. They said the festival was about doing something brave, so I am trying...

[ourlegends]

[ Aww, Anna ... Hilda smiles at her. ]

Would it help if I went with you, or do you want to go alone?

However you show it, you're going to be the bravest person here today.

[aprettyred]

... You can help, without going with me?

[ Some more dress fidgeting right now. ]

The feelings of fire and drowning and loss at the party. They were me. I lost control because I got upset.

[ About what could be easy to guess. They hadn't been in Bastion long at that point. ]