thebastion | The Festival Continues [Day 144]

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Well, he can't be too far- let's go. [He reaches out, offering his hand. Time for a Kid hunt!]

[The Kid wouldn't be too far away; he'd simply taken up residence in a field near the farm. He'd given his morning prayer to Lemaign in thanks for his gift and was now just enjoying the warmth of the day. Occasionally he'd toss the Sledge Head he'd been given into the air; watching the burnished steel glint and send rays of reflected light everywhere before it fell back into his palm. It was the simple things that kept him happy...sometimes the simple things were all he had.]

[Once the Kid's been spotted by Zia, who has the pecker egg cradled closely in one arm and Zulf's hand held in her free one, she quits dragging him along behind her and waves.] Hey! Kid! [And now that her hand is free, she wraps her arms tightly around the egg and runs over to him. You're gonna have to keep up, Zulf, pick up the pace!!!]

[You youngins and your speed! But oh dear, it looks like he's going to have to pick up his skirts a bit so he can run after her.]

There you are.

[See? Not far at all.]

[Well, there were some familiar voices. The Kid picked himself up into a sitting position and raised a hand...there may have been a smile hidden behind that bandana of his; but it was impossible to tell.]

Hey. You both look excited, what's t'occassion?

Edited 2014-01-02 02:59 (UTC)

[And as soon as she's close enough to properly present it, Zia holds the egg out in front of her again, grinning.] Kid, look. Recognize this? [And then, lowering her voice:] Come close, listen. [She gestures towards Zulf and then at the egg, too.]

[Zia is one of the few people Zulf can't well refuse, especially when she's all worked up like this. Once he's caught up, he tilts his head a bit and tries to catch what sound has her excited.]

[The kid nodded and finally stood up, walking over to the two and leaning his head down towards the egg. He could hear muffled chirps and the rustling of tiny feathers...it was definitely close to hatching, it'd be like seeing an old friend again.]

Sounds close t'coming out...its like we're gettin' the old gang back t'gether.

[Zia nods, and leans forward to listen again herself, too. The bird inside peep peep peeps and her whole face lights up even more.

She pulls it away, sits down on the ground, and sets the egg down in her lap.] I wanted to have us all here before he hatched. [She glances towards Zulf.] Last time, he got hatched out of a nest found after you left and...was gone before you came back. [Whatever sadness ghosts across her face disappears, though, when she turns back to the egg.] Mhm, I bet we could hatch him right now! [And she looks between the two of them, seeking approval.]

[It had seemed like there was some inside secret he hadn't been aware of, and then Zia finally explains. Rather awkwardly, Zulf seems to go just a bit rigid and glances away. Her next words bring him back around to the conversation.]

Well, I certainly don't see why there's any reason to wait. This is as good a day as you could ask for.

Sounds good t'me.

[It would be nice to have a Pecker around that wasn't trying to get a shot at his eyes for once. He'd enjoyed its company the first time around, so he saw no reason why it would be any different now.]

[So excited that she's practically vibrating, Zia gestures at the boys to gather and gently raps her fingernail against the top of the egg until a gentle knocking sort of noise meets her on the other side. It's followed by scratching, silence, then more scratching. A teeny crack appears towards the top of the egg and the pecker inside falls quiet again.

Zia nudges the egg, lifts it up into her arms, and hugs it tight.] C'mon, li'l guy... [The pecker gets to pecking again as if encouraged, and the crack starts trailing down the side of the egg facing away from Zia. She turns it just a little, and leans so that she can watch a teeny, tiny hole get scratched out in the middle.

The scratching gets more and more frenetic and the hole gets wider. One tiny talon suddenly pops out of the side of the egg. Zia gasps and places it back into her lap just before a tiny bird head butts right out through the top.]

Ah! Hehehe, hello. Hi there. Welcome home, li'l guy. [The bird peeps at her in response, then turns sideways and peeps at the horizon, then continues glancing around and peeps rapidly at everything in its sight as it works at clawing through the rest of the egg.]

[The Kid had been so busy collecting cores last time that he'd hardly gotten a chance to see the baby Pecker being born...and now that he had, he understood what he'd missed. It was almost heartwarming...almost, if not for the many unpleasant memories surrounding the birds; but this was definitely something positive for him.]

Tiny thing, ain't he?

Well, he'll grow up quick enough. Then we'll have quite an armful of feathers on our hands.

[Zulf may sound just a wee bit distant, however, unable to help smiling as well as the little chick breaks through the shell more and more with each passing second.]

Edited 2014-01-02 07:05 (UTC)

As bitty as a button. Cute as one, too. [Zia giggles, and the pecker gets one wing out of the shell and waves it around, amazed by its own limbs.] Nope! He's never growing up. He's going to be my itty bitty baby forever. Isn't that right, cutie pie?

[She laughs and the bird chirps back at her and, once he's scratched away enough of one side of the egg, ducks his head back inside and waddles out of the gap. He stays on Zia's lap, though, and stares intently at the grass, unsure of what to do with himself.]

The Festival Continues [Day 144]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject