thebastion | The Festival Continues [Day 144]

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

"Hmm, but it would be a little confusing on the eye to have these two exquisite - and very different, mind you - works of art vying for attention, don't you think?" It was a little hard for him to keep a straight face during that one. The elephant, he would hardly call exquisite. It was a souvenir they had brought back from Bali and taken home with them, just because. Well, it was in the Bastion now. Trust that gaudy elephant to survive the apocalypse.

He gave another hum at the hand in his hair and shifted, sliding his arm though the crook of Seimei's so he could lean a little closer with a softer smile, his head resting on the onmoyji's shoulder.

"It is. You know it is."

He snorted faintly at the comment about the elephant and model building, leaving it to Kaoru to decide. He had already made it clear that the red-head was in charge of decorating the house, so long as it wasn't too cluttered or garish, and Seimei's own room was left untouched. Minimalism was conducive to a clear mind.

When the boy's head settled on his shoulder, he leaned and rested his head atop Kaoru's, eyes remaining closed as he sat there, just content to share the space and moment. He was unconvinced it was enough, but when one wanted to give another the world and only had so much to work with, they were unlikely to ever be certain about what they did. So he made a soft sound of understanding, if not agreement, and rested a hand over Kaoru's, comfortable in that moment.

Looking up at him mostly just got Kaoru a nice close-up of Seimei's throat, but he didn't shift.

"It is, you know?" He threaded his fingers through Seimei's and pressed a little closer. "We came here with nothing and nobody, but now look at us."

"Mm. I only wish there were more I could do. The Gods of this world are honest enough and do what they can, that much is obvious, but I still wish prayers were more readily answered. I want you to have everything you lost. Once, I might have been able to do that for you, but I am diminished. It troubles me. You deserve more," the onmyoji murmured, turning his head slightly and opening one eye to fix on Kaoru.

"I am not unhappy. I do not want to appear ungrateful. It is not for me that I want more; only you," he replied, turning their hands over and smiling faintly, thrilled by the simple touches and marveling over how he hardly felt a desire to recoil for the sake of appearances.

"I try not to think too much about what I lost. And when I do, I have to see it as just... being somewhere I can't get to right now." He sighed, turning his head to kiss Seimei's shoulder before smiling softly up at him. "I'd rather think about what I have right now and hold onto it as tight as I can."

"If you want to do more, then..." His cheeks puffed out for another sigh. As much as he wanted Seimei's word on this, he knew how unfair it would be to ask for a promise. "Just... don't let me lose you, all right?

"I have no intention of leaving you, Kaoru. Ever. I mean that in every sense. Should these worlds change...I have every intention of finding you again. It is one thing to accept that the worlds have ended and what once was is no longer reachable. It is entirely another for the worlds to return as they were or to expand from this and us to be separated. I will always find you, Kaoru. I promise," he stated simply, staring down at the boy with a serious expression.

"If my gods can still hear me, I pray they make me keep my word, no matter the difficulty."

He pulled back for a moment, opening his mouth to speak, before giving up and laughing shakily.

"Not that I'm not an easy person to find, all things considered... but just in case, I'll be looking for you, too. Fair warning and all that." He considered himself to have a bit of a headstart in that regard. The pad of his thumb traced ever Seimiei's knuckles, back and forth as he settled down again with closed eyes.

"In the meantime, you can have me now. Interrupting and monopolising your attention when you're trying to recreate magnificent works of architecture."

The onmyoji looked back down at their hands with a sigh, raising them to press his lips to Kaoru's fingers before letting go slowly and turning to regard the palace of blocks. It was easier to look at than thinking about what would happen if everything changed If he had to wait 900 years to meet Kaoru. Could he do it? well, it didn't matter if he could or not - he would.

"I can have you now, hm?" he asked, snorting a soft chuckle and shaking out one of his wide sleeves to wrap an arm around the red-head lightly. "Well, you can have me, instead. I can always be your Seimei whenever you like. Building things or breaking them."

A soft hum and a delighted smile at the kiss on his hand. In return, Kaoru leaned up to press a kiss to the corner of Seimei's mouth. It was strange, how such small things could be so wonderful. Of course he and Hikaru had always shared a certain kind of closeness - a familiar and comforting closeness they had had since they were very small, since before Kaoru could remember, that he never thought he could have with someone different. And Seimei was different. It was that fact that made what they had beautiful in its own right.

"I don't much like the thought of breaking things..." He had set down his house in his lap, and carefully moved it to the floor near his blocks, "How about we start with just building first?"

"Mm. I'm much better at causing things to break," he remarked, running a finger over the lines of Kaoru's house idly. "Have I ever told you of the time Susa-no-O was summoned in Kyoto?" he asked, arching a brow with a faint smile.

"It's what happened before I came here. I nearly died trying to summon Amaterasu. Kyoto was a shambles. Nothing I did could ever be easy. Good grief. You know, looking back on it, its no wonder I was never able to make genuine bonds with people. What a disaster I must have always looked to them?" he chuckled, looking somewhat abashed for a moment and ducking his head.

"I've been significantly less trouble of late, I think. Perhaps losing all of my magic was for the better."

"There are a lot of stories you haven't told me yet." He leaned against Seimei a little teasingly as he replied, "But I don't mind. I understand that you need to stay somewhat puzzling. How else would you retain that certain mystique of yours?"

He was silent for a time after that, resting his head against Seimei's shoulder to listen.

"Well… Perhaps that's why your gods sent you to me." Maybe it was a silly idea, he wasn't sure, "I mean, I've not exactly done a good job of keeping you out of trouble, but you seem to have done a lot more building than breaking during your time here."

"Ha! Terribly rude of you to say. I maintain a certain level of mystery regardless of stories told. Tch. To suggest otherwise is insulting," he grumbled, reaching up and pinching Kaoru's cheek.

"Hmpf. Maybe. I have done my best to be more accessible, to make a home and allow myself to be close to people I care about without fear of recrimination. So far it has proved easier than expected. Difficult, in some ways, definitely exhausting at times, but certainly more rewarding," he drawled the last, turning his head to press a kiss at the corner of Kaoru's mouth, lips curving into a sly smile.

"Building is at least proving more fun and less messy than expected."

He pouted a little at the kiss, despite being delighted. "...but don't I get special dispensation to know all the secrets? Being your boyfriend and everything?" Shifting a little, he moved to kneel facing Seimei, trying to keep as close as he could. Were they at home, he would have settled in his lap quite happily but... well. He couldn't throw all decorum out the window, could he?

"You seem to have resigned youself to a certain degree of mess that is incurred when building things, and that's a good thing. But you seem to think that building can't be messy and fun so... I need to prove you wrong on that point."

"Oh really?" he asked, poking a finger against Kaoru's cheek gently. And what do you plan to do to prove this point, hm? Act like a child? Kick over my sandcastle, as it were?" the onmyoji drawled, gesturing to the blocks and reaching to loop his arm around Koaru's neck gently, brushing noses with him.

"You wouldn't. Your heart wouldn't be able to tolerate destroying my beautiful palace."

He laughed aloud at that, shaking his head and leaning closer.

"No, you're quite right, I could never bring myself to destroy something so beautiful. Though I wasn't exactly talking about building blocks. There are other things to build where a bit of mess is all part of the process, in one way or another." There was no need for Kaoru to do anything to really prove his point. He was relatively confident that time and patience would give him plenty of teaching opporunities, if he just let things run their course.

"Mhm. Am I supposed to assume you're referring to you or me as a beautiful disaster? Shall I be flattered, or assume you quite full of yourself?" he quipped, tugging Kaoru off balance to fall into his lap, looking down at him afterwards.

"So will you be there to clean up all of my messes from now on?" the onmyoji asked, brushing red hair from large eyes. "You do so well keeping up after Tama-chan, I imagine you are ready for a much larger pet, hm?"

"Certainly not - I'd go so far as to say we're both beautiful and neither of us disasters." He smirked up from Seimei's lap, reaching up a hand to touch his cheek, then drape over his shoulder.

"...you are cute, you know that? And here I was thinking of messes we would end up making together."

"Cute. Tch. Just what a noble wants to hear," he drawled, putting on fake airs and tilting his chin up in a huff. "Dreadful business calling a man cute when he is most clearly stately, regal, refined, elegant, dignified and any manner of things other than cute. Honestly, Kaoru."

He pouted, lowering both hands to the sides ot the boy's face, casually rubbing his temples.

"You are terrible for my ego."

"I'm not saying that you can't be all those things as well!" Kaoru had a remarkable talent for conjuring innocence, when the occasion called for it, and right now it certainly called for it. He pouted in return as Seimei touched the sides of his head. "You can be all regal and imposing to everyone else. But for me, you're cute and you will never not be cute. And good luck trying to change my mind."

He wriggled a little bit into Seimei's lap and shifted into his touch.

"I'm fantastic for your ego. Someone has to keep an eye on it."

"Lancing my ego and draining all the hot air periodically is not being good for my ego. you're supposed to help it flourish or you'll create a complex. Is that your sinister plan? Make me skittish and socially anxious so I cater to no one else but you?" he asked, leaning over the boy to pick up another block and click it into place, his other hand combing lazily through red hair.

"I can see the benefits. Capturing kitsune is a fairly popular thing, if a bit dangerous. Keep us fed and comfortable and we do whatever you want, is that the case?"

"That's what you are, my very own magical creature!"

He turned his head, watching Seimei's hand as he added to his creation, smiling as he took the whole thing in. It was definitely going home with them. It was too well-made to leave behind.

"That sounds kind of gross, you know. Lancing and draining your ego. All I'm really doing is monitoring it - think about it. An overinflated ego would actually be terribly problematic if it went unattended, because then it would be like, boom!, and be broken for good." He turned his head back to look up at Seimei. "So you see, what I'm doing is actually in your best interest."

"Ah yes, of course," he drawled, arching a brow and clicking another block into place with one hand while the other stroked comfortably through Kaoru's hair.

"How could I be so foolish and not realize this? Clearly you are a genius, and I have seen the err of my ways. However shall I thank you, master?" the onmyoji carried on in a flat tone dripping with amused sarcasm.

"I'm sure you'll figure out a way." he purred softly, tugging idly at Seimei's clothes every now and then - not because he had any problems with them; simply because he could. With an effort to control his smirk he added - "It's partly in self-interest, though. I would so hate for you to go boom."

He leaned his head back to watch him for a couple of moments, then gently drew him down, as if unwilling to have Seimei's attention divided for too long.

"…so then, my magical creature. If you're my magical creature, what am I?"

"I suppose when you aren't my magical creature in return, you're my doting master," he mused, allowing himself to be pulled down and distracted from his project. It was just something childish he was doing to pass the time anyways, no harm in turning away for a bit.

"You're certainly no cruel lord who went out of his way to capture me and demand I grant wishes or some other nonsense. So you must be the poor fool that fell in love with me," the onmyoji chuckled, leaning down and pressing an upside down kiss to the boy's lips. "So love me, command me. I am your faithful creature."

"This poor fool will happily love you without being commanded." He grinned into the kiss, rubbing small circles at the nape of Seimei's neck. "Regardless of your wish-granting ability."

He watched Seimei through half lidded eyes, a softened smile lingering on his lips.

"...it would be tragic if you didn't love me in return. I'm more than glad that that is not the case."

Edited (._.) 2014-02-01 14:42 (UTC)

The Festival Continues [Day 144]

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Let's close this one after your response? They can go off and get nibbles.

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