[SWE] Festival of Lights - 318 PC

He inclined his head to Mateo as he took the drink and then faded back a little ways. At least until it became clear that whatever had begun between him and Sohalia had spurred an unexpected Taliesin family reunion. Then Sohalia left and he was contemplating leaving them in peace until Remi and Mateo headed off to get refills and his gaze turned to Flora with a concerned tilt of his head.

"I am glad you came," he said quietly. It was either an act of bravery, or an act of defiance to those who had attacked her. Perhaps both. But still the Doubletake bore the shadows of her experience in her eyes, and he recognized it, though if she did not mention it he would not. "Luck to you tonight, and to Enzo." He had seen Jack earlier, though at the moment the captain was not in evidence. Still, he stood quietly at his co-ruler's side, lending his quiet support and presence until either her escort or her family returned, or she sought out a different covnersation partner.

the lullaby

Don't you worry Mateo, the actual mindreaders are very much enjoying this.

"Neppure io." Remi hisses in return, throwing up one hand (and it's lucky that he stopped himself from raising both lest he spills his drink).

Falling silent as his son twists and turns their family crisis into something he can make all about him, Remi finds himself biting back more and more colourful turns of phrase. "Si." The Bastion interrupts. "Because others did write to us, asking about Flora. They sent letters, showed up at her door. But you know who did not send letters?" Remi raises his eyebrows. "Those who knew we would not stand for it." The likes of Deimos and Isla, and, Remi had wrongly assumed, his own son.

"E non mi aspettavo che pensassi che tutto questo riguardasse te, Mateo.." Contrary to his son's line of thinking, Remi doesn't think Mateo is entitled to even one ounce of his self-righteous pity party. "I did not send word because in no world did I ever think you would believe Ronin and I would let her remain dead. Tu sai meglio di così.."

Watching Mateo drain and toss his cup, Remi isn't prepared for the vitriol that sings from his lips next, such that he crushes the paper cup in his grip, spilling hot cider onto his fingers and the grass beneath. "Your sister has just come back from the dead, Mateo. Maybe instead of making this all about you, you go and see how she is doing, mm?"

i collect scars because I want proof
I've paid for the sins I've committed

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

Mateo

who are these people?
I just woke up in my underwear

"Well I do apologise. Perhaps our flimsy family ties have made me forgetful of the things you would not stand for," Mateo sneers, narrowing his eyes only for shock and outrage to bloom across his expression. "Mi scusi?" He barks out a dry laugh. "Lo ero, finché non mi hai interrotto. Nessuno ti ha chiesto di unirti a noi e fingere di essere il papà dell'anno."

Looking at the Bastion as if seeing him suddenly in a cold new light, Mateo shakes his head. "Me ne andrò, perché sappiamo entrambi che non lo farai. Se mai volessi essere insultato di nuovo, forse prenderò una penna." Stalking past, his lantern and the rest of the festival forgotten, Mateo makes to head off into the trees to the path that will take him back to the Skyport. "Ciao, Remi."

no liquor left on the shelf
I should probably introduce myself

the lullaby

"L'ho aiutata a resuscitare dalla morte. Cosa hai fatto per lei ultimamente?" Remi snaps in response, the words slithering from his lips before he can call them back. As his son stalks off, quite right that the Bastion wouldn't have been the first to do so, Remi is left looking all the more the fool for the crumpled cup he holds and the heat roaring across his cheeks. Likely they're both equally as wrong as they are right, and no doubt in Mateo's mind the tie goes to the child, but gods if Remi just doesn't have it in him to try and explain any better than he already had.

At the end of the day Flora wasn't dead, and if Mateo wanted to hate him for how he'd handled things in the days after they'd all come back, Remi was inclined to let him.

Eventually forcing his feet to move, Remi stalks past Vesper and Jack on his way back to Ronin. No doubt the Knight will be able to feel the prickle of the Bastion's thoughts long before he sees him approach, such that the sour set to Remi's lips won't come as much of a surprise. "Once again, we are terrible parents for having not reached out to Mateo." He huffs quietly, reaching for the Knight and all but fitting himself against the other man before resting his forehead on Ronin's shoulder.

i collect scars because I want proof
I've paid for the sins I've committed

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

JACK

"Wouldn't want to pop a stitch," Jack rumbles, smirking and raising an eyebrow at Calypso, as if that's why he'd prefer her not to go in for a hug. (And not because of his inherent dislike of being touched). As for Nova, the captain scoffs a laugh and ducks his head in a nod. "I'll drink to that - though it seems as though someone else has already beaten us to it."

Glancing towards Vesper as he makes a swift exit to go and lurk around the stalls selling what he's pretty certain is moonshine, Jack is about to excuse himself to get a drink as well when the riotous, colourful ribbons of the travelling tongue - both thoughts and verbally - ring out towards him. He finds Mateo and Remi in the crowd easily enough, and then Flora as well, raising his eyebrows knowingly at her (later, they'll gossip about it all later).

"I make a point of avoidin' these sorts of gatherings," he says dryly to the girls. "Feels like I've missed a lot of drama, if they're all like this."

when I look at something, I see it for what it could be
when I look at something, I see how it ends

Code stolen from Queen Sky

Koa

There's going to come a day when you feel better
You'll rise up free and easy on that day

Glancing curiously between Deimos and Zavien, Koa doesn't comment on the odd exchange. He's relieved to hear that Sunjata is - presumably - cured, Koa feels one weight slide off his shoulders, replaced by a sense of accomplishment with his own role in the rescue. It's not much, but it's something, a blow against their oppressors that he helped strike. The most he's managed to really do thus far, and damn if that doesn't feel good.

At Zavien's suggestion he bids Deimos farewell, leaving the general to his lanterns. He's grateful to be asked to third wheel hang with the pair, a gratitude expressed with a warm smile and the insistence that he pay for a round of drinks. Dispensing them to his friends, the young man glances around before lowering his voice. "So... you gonna tell us what that was all about?" he murmurs, head inclined toward the pocket into which the note was slipped. He lets his eyes slide to Lena, wondering if she knows more about the clandestine exchange.

And float from branch to branch, lighter than the air
Just when that day is coming, who can say?

i know i should trust my gut
'cause i know that there's something up

Not unlike a storm cloud overtaking the sunshine thoughts of Caly’s mind, the young attuned watches her brother go with a slight frown twisting on her lips, content to let Nova and Jack speak as concern flares through Calypso. Perhaps she could slip him away later to watch the stars when the Greatwood grew quiet again, just so that he’d have a moment to himself.

Blinking back toward Jack a few moments later, her amber gaze flits toward the fight in a colorful language she doesn’t understand, before she shrugs it off. She doesn’t know Flora, nor does she know any of the queen’s relationships familial or not. “Ugh, well, is it even fun drama?” She can’t even comfortably watch everyone mingle to figure out what the reasoning was, not when she’s drawn to her brother snagging a drink and the concern that burrows in.

“Obviously there’s the kind that’s fun to watch ‘cause you’re not involved. But thennnn… there’s the kind that’s just shitty ‘cause you are involved.” Puffing out her cheeks, she flashes another sunny smile at Jack, one that’s fake only in name of the fact he could see her thoughts behind it. For all other intents, it was a real grin. “So prolly less fun for you, huh, pops?” It’s offered quieter, her smile twisting more thoughtful, speaking between the three of them because she isn’t in the mood of making a scene herself.

That was her sister’s style.

Calypso

i just hate the place that that path would lead me down

you wouldn't be the first renegade to need somebody

For better or worse Flora doesn't see Koa, not surrounded as she is by well-wishers. That evening though when Jack spills all the things he'd picked up from the minds of those within the radius of his magic, the queen won't be able to help the stab of pain that wrenches through her, far brighter and more demanding of her attention than her still-healing wounds were.

"Hey, let's catch up soon, okay?" The queen murmurs to Sohalia as the Luminary departs, only apparently there was no need for it given how her father and brother opted to relocate for the argument they were apparently having. Shooting a look at Hadama, Flora sighs. "Thanks. I know it's probably selfish to bring a lantern given what Remi can do, but..." The girl shrugs; she missed her brother, and selfish and lucky or not, she'd fight for any opportunity to see him again.

"They can be so dramatic." She mutters, nodding toward where Remi and Mateo stood gesticulating wildly at one another.

Rhi stuck her tongue out at Talyson for his introduction, then turned a keen eye back to his partner, who looked a bit peaky. Perhaps a kinder soul would have asked if the woman was alright, but Rhi couldn't help but judge her distance. Perhaps she was threatened by Rhi, or perhaps she simply wasn't very social, but either way, Rhi wasn't so sure she was good enough for Tal.

Sah, on the other hand, leapt straight into banter with the courier, and Rhi grinned, choosing to ignore the seer in favor of the hunter. "Absolutely vital," she agreed seriously. She had a sweet tooth herself, and she was more than happy to follow the little group over to the food vendors, where she purchased a donut of her own and raised a brow at Tal's purchases. The food she could understand, but the rubber duck?

Rhiannon Cassidy

// but darling you are a river //

Koa sliding alongside them, as well as the sudden and intriguing news, kept her away from any melancholy, sipping at her hot cider while the world tilted and skewed. “Thank you. You too,” and she wrinkled her nose at the Dragoon, before trying to listen in on everything – but without the other half of the information, she was only catching bits and pieces.

Zavien ’s semblance of a return made her brows arch, and she cast much of the same look towards Koa. “Maybe in a not-so-crowded place? Or we take turns sharing?” She smiled, an encouraging outset, but nonetheless very intrigued by the whole scenario.

Lena

// but you will never stop; you flow //

Evie

There's no greater vengeance
Than learning to enjoy again

Remi and what might be his son - how many kids does he have? She should ask him what it's like because she wouldn't mind another...- are arguing in spirited tongues, people mill about energetically, and Evie eventually looks down at the cotton candy in her hand before shaking her head and offering it to Amhran. "On second thought - I don't think I need the sugar rush if this is the sort of energy everyone is bringing tonight," she laughs awkwardly. It's a slight improvement to the normally somber tones of the Festival, but if this turns into a brawl she's having Deimos fly them all out on his largest and most intimidating shift.

"Let's go save him from too much socializing, hm?" She grins as she tilts her head toward the man in question, preferring to keep all of her boys within reach if she can manage it. It's an awfully large crowd today, and Evie will never forget how quickly festivals and celebrations can go wrong. She doesn't want to ever be so distracted as to let her guard down fully.

Therapy is tiring
But so is hiding how you feel

and the only solution was to stand and fight

With politics and other dealings done and completed, Deimos bid the Stormbreak group a farewell, along with Erebos waving goodbye (and gurgling something silly – the giggles were rampant) before opting to find his family again. Seeing them still at the cotton candy station, he snorted, and took the long strides over.

Peering curiously at the chosen spectacles, because while he was a sweet tooth, that sort of sugary fluff never seemed the best way to go for confections, he arched a brow at Amhran and Evie alike. “Saved myself,” he wrinkled his nose, winking at the Evergreen. “We can go by the lanterns now, if you have made your selections.”

DEIMOS

I can't control their fear, only my own.

He gave Erebos another playful wave, finding it painful how much his cheeks stretched as he made his way back to Lena. Trying to give Koa the 'not now' look, Zavien accepted the drink graciously. "I think this information is best shared without risk of prying eyes and ears." Even if they couldn't see Dahlia, who knew who else might be part of the Family. It seemed best to play things safe. He took a sip of the strong beverage, letting the warmth reach his eyes in a conspiratorial nature. "Usual meeting place?"

Meanwhile, he led them towards a copse of trees, selecting a tall enough one to hold their lanterns high with pride. His own was simple but bright with light, encompassing his mother's vibrant personality, and it shone wonderfully amongst the leaves. Turning to Lena, he offered to hang hers with an outstretched hand and a smile.

Zavien

I will not be another flower, picked for my beauty and left to die.

Watching her brother leave with a similar level of concern, Nova tries not to worry, instead focusing on the strange 'normalcy' of the conversation with their father. Vesper may have said dying hadn't made Jack 'nicer', but it sure seems to have made him more tolerant. She has to hide the grin spreading across her face with another sweet candy, but she can't hide the way her thoughts sparkle with curiosity and glee. "Why did you come? Since you usually avoid these?" Calypso isn't wrong in that the Captain seems to be one of the main attractions of the festival, and what little she knows of him, he detests attention. It makes her lean forward, pressing for an answer with a tilt of her head and a glint of her blue eyes. 

Just now noticing the odd language coming from nearby, she rocks back on her heels to get a closer look at the group. "And what language are they speaking? It sounds like gibberish, but I'm quite good at deciphering that, so I don't think that's what it is." Her mind twirls the awkward syllables around her mind as she mouths along, wondering what it all might mean, and if a drink of her own might help her decipher it. She wonders fleetingly if they also think like this. If so, can Vespy understand them?

Nova

I will be wild, difficult to find, and impossible to forget.