[SWE] Festival of Lights

Edmund had nearly skipped the festival. He didn't want to run into any familiar faces, not yet. But not going just felt wrong. Enzo deserve a lantern from his childhood friend, so he would get one. Even if the fear of being discovered weighed on the young Ancient like a heavy stone. Getting to the festival had been interesting. The people manning the Skyship had nearly panicked at the sight of a molten tiger. Edmund had a feeling it was only the lantern held in his jaws that stayed their hands. He'd gotten plenty of glances during the trip regardless. Upon arriving, Edmund jumped down and quickly made his way to the festival grounds. When he arrived, the tiger placed his lantern down and curled up around it protectively. It was for Enzo after all. He would allow no harm to come to it. He hadn't been there to protect his friend. The least Edmund could do now was to protect his memory. Edmund the prince of torchline

Melita

yes, yes, I am wild
I am the wind that makes breathing hard

She could see her uncle in the distance.

Not saying anything, and wandering along the edges, it just gave her moments of pause and space, refuge in the silence. Amidst the fireflies and lantern light, she carried the ones from last year, for she’d been chosen with them, along with Nate’s. It had been carved with presumption, but given everything else that had toppled around, the rumors, and information gathered amidst those fallen and gone, his absence just made it all the more noticeable. For all his capabilities, strength, dominion, and power…

The Honeybee didn’t finish the thought, and began to thread the cluster of lights amidst others, wondering if the vivid, painted hues would reflect the way Nate’s arms could twist around, or the little mechanical edges would signify anything.

I am the ocean and the battered shore
I will be the passion of thunder, a howl of fury

Hadama swam slowly among the lanterns that winked like stars beneath the trees and reflected from the water, their light dancing over ripples. It was almost a little disorienting, but among the shadows he recognized a few faces.

For Lena, a silent pulse of greeting through the telepathic Bond, though he made no move to intrude on her grief. Stormbreak had lost more than most, and he had no wish to interrupt her prayers or her memories of the many souls departed from that land.

For the Honeybee, when he saw her, there could be no silent communication, but his voice was quiet as he swam to a nearby bank. "Melita," he rumbled softly. A greeting and an acknowledgment, but nothing more on this night of memory, sorrow, and hope. He was there if she wished to speak, and if she didn't...

He was just as comfortable in silent contemplation of those they honored with their lanterns.

when it's just the two of us, only the two of us

"Thank you," Isla murmurs to Sunjata with a soft smile, watching as their lanterns take on a life of their own with the flames that burn within. She's about to say something else when Darkeye suddenly appears in the crowd that's beginning to form, and it's with surprise - both at seeing him, and at receiving the lantern and the letters - that she accepts them.

"Darkeye," she says. "It has been a long time. I'm sorry - I haven't been in one place for a while. I'll read your letters and write back," she promises, glancing at the Flood and remembering, briefly, the tension that Darkeye has with him. "Was this lantern meant for me?" she asks, smiling down at it. "Thank you. I'll find a place for it."

i could die

Isla

Dantalion

but you can't be free

Busy making his own mischief, Danta doesn't notice little hands and a little voice and big eyes (and a weird doll) until Trinket is directly beneath him, piping up into the snarled branches where he's sprawled out. "Because I am," he drawls, flashing a fanged smile back down at her. "Why are you by yourself? Don't kids usually have grown ups with them?"

What does he know, though - he's not been around children in literally centuries. Regardless, he's not sure he wants to make a habit of it now. "Don't you have a lantern to hang or something?" he asks, laying his head on his arms to watch the lanterns below him continue to swing, the lights dancing over Trinket like a disco ball (or they would, if Danta knew what one of those was).

'cause I'm selfish, I'm obscene

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

The strange man's reply was perfectly true, though it offered no explanation. Trinket quickly forgot about her original question, however, as the man gave her more interesting things to consider.

"I don't have any grown ups. I'm by myself." She held up her doll in both hands, the doll staring up at Dantalion with the same glassy black eyes as the girl. "And my friend."

When he asked about a lantern, Trinket gave the tiniest shake of her head. "I don't have a lantern. Lanterns are for dead people. I don't know any dead people." She tilted her head to the side, considering the question. She had not yet split open the heads of her enemies, though perhaps, once she did so, she would bring lanterns for them.

"Do you know any dead people?" she asked. "Why do dead people need lanterns?"

The courier nodded glumly to Sah's point; the Festival wasn't for everyone, though he'd been raised to it in a way that made it as much simple tradition as therapeutic expression of mourning.

Neither Hotaru nor Flora was visible from his vantage, so he began to walk alongside one of the many meandering streams, glancing back once to see if Sah was following or taking his own path. It wasn't like there was any rush and they had personal lanterns to hang, but they also had the shared respects to pay for Halo's fallen soldiers and the awkward but important farewell to a boy - man? - that neither of them had ever met but who had meant so much to their close friend.

Boreal snorted softly and shook her head, opting to remain with Lily for the time being. If Sah chose another direction she could make sure the young men found each other again before it was time to leave.

And Tal, meanwhile, found a flowering tree, short but with broad branches bearing bright white blooms like fresh-fallen snow. He affixed his lanterns to its branches, lit them, and stood back, exhaling and jamming his hands in his pockets as he eyed them with a lump in his throat he wouldn't admit to.

Sah

Sah decided he might as well stick with Talyson. Paying their mutual respects to Halo's fallen and Enzo was a factor for sure. But these kinds of things hardly ever ended as expected and if they needed a quick getaway, being by the courier already was an advantage. If they could get to the ship quickly, Tal could steer while Sah pulled their allies aboard with his magic. So, although the hunter usually preferred to grieve alone, he stayed in step with the other man.

Lilly was happy about the choice, gently nudging Boreal's shoulder with her own and giving a small wag. With her bonded's heavy emotions in the air, the normally chipper wolf was too subdued for much beyond that. Pad watched the exchange curiously but decided to stay at Sah's heel. The rebellious pup was more antisocial then rebellious it seemed.

Spotting the white flowers on the tree, Sah smiled sadly, "Good choice." A perfect reflection of Halo in the branches. White snow and warm fires, and the unity of their region. Brow furrowed in thought, Sah walked around the tree until he found a suitable spot to hang his lanterns. Once done, he simply stood back and watched them sway slightly in the nearly absent breeze. "I miss you." He whispered quietly.

He missed Aino's quiet warmth and ever-present loyalty. Her steadfast nature had been his rock as he tried to find his place in Caido. He missed Enzo and hist lust for life that Hotaru had shared in her stories of him. Too young and too brilliant. His loss was a tragedy for all of Caido.

I think there for I am,
But what if all I do is bleed?

Here you all are, gathered, ready, celebrating - and the time has come, as it does every year. And one by one the lanterns start to dim; they do not go out, of course, not ever, but their soft light becomes mute and soft and quiet. All except for one. It is not the first time an Ascended has been chosen at this festival, but this time, perhaps it's because she truly is the last of her kind that fate takes pity. Isla Lockwood's lantern remains brightly illuminated, and from the darkness, he walks. Varus sees her immediately, and he’s torn between running to her and attempting to draw her in for a kiss and a hug or to bashfully appear, sorry for the stupid decision which had led to his demise. So he opts for somewhere in between, a bright fanged smile offered toward Isla as he runs one ghostly metal hand over the lantern crafted for him, his other hand hidden behind his back, holding onto something. He turns to approach her more head on, completely avoiding anyone that surrounds her. “There’s my girl.” He starts, reaching up to cup her cheek, even if she won’t feel it. It’s an attempt, nevertheless. “Y’know, I regret a lot of things about how it went down. But I think the thing I regret the most is I never got to play for you, with the war ramping up and everything.” It’s a terrible segue, but he’s known for never having been good at them to begin with. The hand hidden behind his back comes forward with the item he’d been hiding, a ghostly fiddle that suits him as much as the lantern she’d made had. So before he starts, he sets the fiddle between his chin and shoulder, hums a soft little “I love you” and starts to play a brilliant song that’s one of his favorites and the one he’d planned to play her the second she walked through the door from returning from the war. The music fills the festival, vibrating through the trees and gentle waters, and for a moment, at least, Varus is home again. Isla has been chosen by Ludo! Reactions/responses are welcome - this thread will close at the end of the season. LUDO Braved the forests, braved the stone Braved the icy winds and fire Braved and beat them on my own

when it's just the two of us, only the two of us

There's my girl, he says, as if he'd never been gone, as if she's not been without his voice for over a year. And gods, Isla doesn't expect it to hurt as much as it does to look at his face, to feel his ghostly there-but-not touch. As Varus's fingers slip away she finds her own whispering across her cheek, as if she could summon him back if she just thinks about it enough.

"I love you too," she whispers; the rest of the festival might as well have melted away as far as the Remedy is concerned - she only has eyes for Varus and ears for his fiddle, the music sinking deep into her bones, setting them alight. It hurts, and it hurts so good, and even though her throat burns and tears wet her cheeks, she won't look away for anything in the world.

i could die

Isla

DEIMOS

Nodding towards Darkeye, Noah, and those gathered close by, he simply watched and waited, eyes scanning lights, the crowd, and anything else. In years past, the festival had seen an insurgence and revival of Ascended, and it seemed this one wasn’t going to be the same – with the way the war had struck its heavy blows.

Which, perhaps, was ironic, given who’d been selected.

But he felt no ill will – save for another missed opportunity that would come around again in the following year. Patting Noah on the shoulder, his gaze was drawn back to the muted glow of the lanterns, of those honored, depicted, and regarded. From there, he would remain until it was time to depart, taking the relics home.

i'm in the mood to dissolve in the sky

Melita

yes, yes, I am wild
I am the wind that makes breathing hard

She nodded and waved towards Hadama, but otherwise, kept everything tucked away and to herself, a rarity. She’d been chosen last year, and had so avaricious compulsions for this moment – not so greedy in some circumstances. There could be other instances to see Nate. Or others.

The Honeybee turned away though, granting Isla and her lost soul some privacy, while tending to the rest of her lanterned flock. Eventually, she quietly and carefully snagged at the ornamental denizens and their muted glows, intending to keep their lights ignited for the rest of the evening, as she wandered her way back home.

I am the ocean and the battered shore
I will be the passion of thunder, a howl of fury

Lena

hope is the thing with feathers
that perches in the soul

Perhaps Lena should’ve been bitter – considering everything that had happened over the past year. How her sister, and so many others, had fallen due to the Ascendeds’ machinations amidst Stormbreak. But she couldn’t find the rancor in her heart, permitting a tender smile to remain as she dipped her head, turning away as they said their passing words to one another.

Eventually, she too snagged at her sister’s lantern and the many others assembled, humming softly under her breath, waving lightly to Hadama as she began passing through. Sera’s memory, amidst everything else, made her homesick for the notions of the floating islands, the Celestine, and the comforts of everything she knew and understood.

and sings the tune without the words
and never stops at all

The god arrived, the lantern was chosen, and Hadama watched the strange woman and her lost one meet for only a moment before he looked away, granting them their time alone as best he could. The strains of the fiddle still filled the Waterways, inescapable but light, and he was in no hurry to leave it behind.

If not this year, then another, he hoped. His brother deserved a proper farewell, though he would gladly hear his grandfather's wisdom one last time if ever Ludo gave him the opportunity.

Comfort was offered but unneeded tonight beyond the making of that offer, and he took solace of his own in the living presences of Mel and Lena and those others that he had briefly met in various travels. He lingered in the currents of the dancing streams a while longer, paying respects even to the lanterns of strangers before collecting his own - a new one, made for these airbreather ceremonies; one of glass and water rather than flesh and air, but surprisingly comforting in its persistence.

He swam a small distance away from the others before aquaporting home to rejoin his people in their own observances of the night.