And in to the third day... [Day 145]

[bastionmods]

Who: Everyone
Open: Open
When: Day 145
Where: All over the Bastion
What: Day 3 of the festival
Format: Any
Warnings: None


Day 3 - Day of Pleasure and Purpose

The next lamp appears in the Bastion, this time with mirrors on one side. And of course a certain Ura gets to light it.

Oddly enough, there seem to be roses everywhere in the Bastion, almost completely obscuring any of the previous decorations. They're still there, just... buried. Behind bushes, next to vases, under mounds of rose petals. You can't escape it! They won't do anything bad to you, of course, but you might start finding rose petals in your hair, in your pockets, or lingering on your clothes as the day goes by. Mirrors also join the decorations, but besides that, all reflective surfaces (windows and mirrors) will suddenly have clearer reflections, and be decorated in rose borders. Unfortunately this means looking through actual windows will be a mite difficult as you'll see reflections more than you'll see the other side of them.

Today will also be a day of blindfold games! Guess the object! Guess how many are in this box! Place this thing in that thing! All without looking! Prizes will be given out to those who get through these blindfold games - another charm for your bracelet, and maybe two or three shards per win.

Along with these games, there's one big challenge in the center of the Bastion - a giant thorny maze. Should you brave this mess, you'll find twists, turns, awkward corners and areas just barely big enough to walk through. However if you make it to the center, you'll be rewarded with a rose ring. And not just any rose ring. This thing is special! It will allow a user to call upon rose thorn vines that will attack an enemy at will. It is restricted to three times a day on the Skyway, but it will come in very handy, especially for those with no real defensive or offensive capabilities. (That said, if your character manages to get this item and doesn't need it for whatever reason, please be kind and give it to some one who can.)

As day winds in to night, another torch appears, this time with roses. Roses going wild on this lamp. It makes it a little difficult to light, though. And oddly enough, near the gear symbol on this lamp... the roses seem to be withered. Huh.

Dinner gives way in to a sort of "desert" for the evening, a huge selection of cookies in various flavors on tables all over the place, along with tubs of rose petal ice cream that don't seem to melt no matter how long they stay out.

But those cookies are not just any cookies - they are hollow ones. They're backed with a thin indented line down the center of them, and snapping them at this point will reveal that there is paper tucked inside. It will give advice to your character that is shockingly accurate to this person, some how. Regardless of who gets it, the advice will be pertinent to them and really only them. From there you'll be encouraged to take a second piece of paper, write your fears, weaknesses or secrets that you don't wish to tell anyone yet wish to get off your chest and then drop them in a strange mirror-decorated box sitting near the monument. If you do so, you'll find yourself oddly sleeping easier tonight...

This night closes out the same as the previous ones, with stories for the children as the adults relax in to the wee hours of the morning.

Comments

[croceamors]

...I'm not particularly good at being 'hopeful'.

[He's been told he should work on that.]

[coolerthansora]

Well, I've gotten a lot of other things I wanted, that I never thought I'd get.

[croceamors]

Such as what?

[coolerthansora]

...I'm me, for one.

[croceamors]

I see. I... suppose I can relate to that.

[coolerthansora]

Because you're- trying to be more like your old self?

[croceamors]

Yes. [Should he-? Well, if Axel places his trust so much in Roxas, maybe Saix should as well. It's not as though he can really do worse to himself right now. Isolation didn't help as much as he thought it would.] Something was trying to- possess me. I'm trying to fix whatever damage has been done.

[coolerthansora]

Possess you?

[Like what happened to Riku? Then that would mean... trying to kill Axel and everything, maybe it was because something else wanted him to.]

But it's- gone now?

[croceamors]

...No. Just- weakened. Maka Albarn, when we were in Vatheon, managed to sever the hold on me, but couldn't push it out.

[coolerthansora]

...

Seems like- you've got it under control.

[croceamors]

I thought I had myself under control before. I need to be better.

...The first step involving other people, I guess.

[coolerthansora]

...I know we're not exactly friends, but-

I don't mind working on that.

[croceamors]

...Thanks. [Wow that's a thing to say.] Axel seems to have faith in you.

[coolerthansora]

Best friends are supposed to, right?

[croceamors]

Yes... They are.

[Something he supposes he'll have to keep in mind again.]

So, how's the ice cream?

[coolerthansora]

[Oh, phew. This is an easier topic.]

It's pretty good! A little sweet.

[Of course that may not be saying much when you're used to your ice cream being salty.]

[croceamors]

I see. I've never been a fan of overly sweet things myself.

[Still he settles down for a bowl.]

[coolerthansora]

I dunno about overly...

[Just sweet.]

But I guess I don't like being stuff too sweet either.

[croceamors]

What have you had that's been too sweet?

[Yeah, let's try this 'get to know each other' thing and see how long until it gets too weird and awkward to continue.]

[coolerthansora]

...cotton candy ice cream.

[Yep, the first thing that comes to mind is more ice cream.]

[croceamors]

...

[Maybe the Organization should have taught you proper meals instead of just leaving you in Axel's care.]

Cotton Candy shouldn't be eaten as anything but as it is any way.

[coolerthansora]

[Roxas knows proper meals! He can even cook some.

But he didn't learn that from Axel.]

Maybe. I haven't had just cotton candy.

[croceamors]

[The only thing that should be learned from Axel is 'friendship' because everything else involves dumb decisions. That's what Saix says anyway.]

That's the only thing you mentioned. So what else then?

[coolerthansora]

[Friendship also seems to involve dumb decisions, actually.]

Um... I guess some candies and cakes and things. Marshmallows are okay, though, you know the little ones they put in cereal?

[...this seems a little silly to talk about.]

[croceamors]

[...Yeah that's true. Oh so true.]

I remember trying those once when I was younger. They were... alright. I liked honey better.