[SE] You can't love without the loss and that's the cost

COLT

If it rains it pours so go pour one strong
When it comes to this life, we only get one

She's brought a few of her stockier team down to the town to help drag some equipment through all this mud, trying to rework the roads back into something that can be called a road again. They're not the brightest bunch—seems to take a long time for a cue to reach their head, has to work hard to get through their bigger bodies and muscle she reasons. They're her wagon teams, so their place really is just to heave and ho and that's about all she needs out of them, and that's what they do just fine.

"Whoa," she says steadily to them, reins sliding through her hands as the team eases to a stop. She hops out of the wagon, stopping where the ground's still hard and she's not liable to get stuck, else she'll have a whole new set of problems on her hands. A few of the townsfolk come by to help her begin to unhitch them, the rigging they're going to wear for the work more individual based and better led behind them on foot with some long rein guidance. All tools she lacks, but the farmers and other helpful hands here have provided them, she just brought some extra horse power for the efforts to be done quick.

"Anything to get this place fair ready," she agrees to one man as she hands over the reins, leaving her with just one remaining in her own hands. A particularly large bay gelding, who's shoulder she thumps affectionately. "Alright Peanut, shall we?" Her 'brows lift as she faces down a lane of mud, some of it wriggling as it tries to reform into some memorized state after others have walked through it.

So I'm dead set on living while I'm still alive
Dead set on living til the day I die

I keep stars in my pockets
wear daisies in my hair

Nova is darting around town like a woodland Fae, her feet barely touching the ground as she goes about making sure everyone is doing their tasks properly. She can't have them ruining her festival with terrible taste in flowers or bad eyesight - honestly, who thinks putting yellow lettering on a plane white board is enough to draw peoples' attention? This is a festival! She expects to see colors and patterns and lights and glitter everywhere people look! And since no one else seems to know what they're doing, Nova has taken it upon herself to be involved in every aspect. 

The only problem has been these muddy roads, always threatening to eat away the supplies they've set down or worse, her shoes. It's been very obnoxious, slowing their progress at most opportunities and nearly managing to snag her glittery pink sneakers with their grubby swells. Luckily, Nova is amazing and she's gotten pretty good at freezing the ground beneath her feet. Just when a muddy tendril reaches for her, ice and frost solidify it in place, making the perfect steppingstone as she skips across the street. 

On her way to the bakery to check on the rainbow macaron display, Nova pauses in the middle of the road, her shimmering attention snagging on a familiar face. Perched confidently on her island of ice, she waves her arm, grinning from ear to ear. "Hi Colt! Did you come to help with the festival?!"

Nova

but I tuck you tenderly in the folds of my heart
and take you everywhere

COLT

If it rains it pours so go pour one strong
When it comes to this life, we only get one

Not as practiced in driving horses compared to riding them, least of all with the intention of cutting up and re-smoothing roads with tools she doesn't even have names for, she takes the time to recheck all the rigging. The farmer who owns the device attached to Peanut had set it up for her, but part of her feels like getting her hands on the cables of leather will help her understand what does what exactly. Which, isn't wrong, but her head lifts from her inspection as her name is called out.

Her gaze lifts to find Nova on her icy island, the sight of which hits Colt harder than she would have expected it to. She knew she'd cross paths with one of them again sooner or later now that they all live here, she just also thought when the time came it wouldn't bother her in the slightest. They aren't him, after all, but there's no denying the way he leaps into her mind at the sight of his sparkling sister. Silently she swears under her breath at the jump scare of feelings she didn't prepare for, then forces a broad smile into place, hoping it might fold over all the pieces of him instead.

"Hey, Nova!" she calls back as chipper as ever, hand rising from the cords of leather to wave. "Yeah, helping make these roads a bit more usable here." She pauses, her wave settling into a thoughtful press of fingers on her chin. "Actually, your ice magic would be a big help with the memory mud. Could freeze the path ahead of us and when Peanut and I run through it with this rigging it should smooth it all back out. Hopefully keeping the memory mud extinguished beneath." Other than stabbing it with her arrows, she'd been planning on working through the worst of the normal mud, leaving the memory mud to the more capable, like Nova.

So I'm dead set on living while I'm still alive
Dead set on living til the day I die

I keep stars in my pockets
wear daisies in my hair

Blissfully ignorant of the struggles between Colt and her brother (she prefers not to think about all that), Nova takes everything at surface value, continuing to wave her delight at seeing the woman's smiling face. She bounces again at the news, her ice holding firm beneath her feet and her eyes shining a little brighter at the possible improvement of the roads. "Good! They're gross and mud keeps trying to ruin my shoes." She lifts one to look at, scrutinizing the pink glitter for any signs of grime that may have snuck past. 

Not seeing any, she glances back up at Colt, realizing that she's missed whatever long-winded explanation the rancher has been giving. All she catches is something about her ice magic and the road, but Nova perks up, always happy to show off how amazing she is. "Oh! Okay! I'll check on the rainbow macarons after!" 

Spinning like an ice skater, the purple and white stitch of her flower summer dress catches in the sunlight, translucent in its thin material - not that she minds with its long sleeves and the buzzing magic around her. She hops forward like a petal passing ripples in a pond, each step cascading ice outward to solidify the nasty mud that threatens to ruin her festival. Humming and giggling in girlish glee, she twirls to cast Colt a playful wink. "Follow me!"

Nova

but I tuck you tenderly in the folds of my heart
and take you everywhere

Hey, what's that? Out of the corner of your eye, you see a colourful, hand-painted egg. Perhaps it's sitting amidst some flowers, on a tree branch, next to a river, or in a merchant's shop, but wherever it is, it doesn't seem to be accidentally placed there. On one side you see a painted hot air balloon. Maybe it has something to do with the upcoming festival!

Go ahead and pick it up!

---

You've found a painted egg!. Whoever is next to post in this thread will be the first one to see the egg, but if they wish to give it to someone else, they're more than welcome! No need to post in account updates, just keep track of this thread and pick up your egg IC!

COLT

If it rains it pours so go pour one strong
When it comes to this life, we only get one

For perhaps the first time yet, Colt entirely agrees with Nova. The mud is gross and has also made her trip out of a boot a time or two already, among other nuisances. "Yup!" she confirms, the p carrying a lot of lip with it so it pops. The agreement is short-lived, Colt's expression rising a bit into a slower nod of agreement about rainbow macarons. "Are you helping the bakers?" she asks with a tilt, hair turning over her shoulder with the motion. "Last I heard you were making some enchanted stick horses for the festivities, yeah?" The knowledge of which has Colt absolutely grinning for real this time as she steps back into place behind the horse.

Nova is off like the image of grace, an envious picture when the world has been a slog of late. Ice spreads like a sea from the tips of her toes, glittering out in an array of icy diamonds that snare on the cloud-muted light just enough to catch your breath with every shifting shimmer. It's pretty, and it's slick. It offers a completely different sort of terrain problem for her and her horse now, but thankfully they're still not too far off from Deepfrost and she hasn't had the farrier back out for all her stock yet. Peanut is still fitted with some specialized shoes for the cold season, especially important for her driving team where roads were bound to get icy. Little buds of metal serve as cleats, giving better traction, so she guides Peanute after Nova with a cluck and a slap of the reins at his flanks.

His horsepower lurches at first, yanking the tool against the frosted muck until something gives, him or it. He strains for a moment, momentum not built up yet, and she wonders if she's gone about this all wrong. Then, a crack, and the hard crust of ice folds into the wet mush beneath and the tool cuts and slides through it, reshaping the ground into something that could be considered passable. "Alright!" Colt calls out encouragingly, glancing down periodically to step around clumps and chunks that roll to the sides as Peanut moves on.

It's one such clump that catches her eye, her confusion verbalized with a "hang on. Hell's that?" A colorful lump rolls off to the side, undamaged, but wriggling with memory mud adhered to it. Another egg, though Colt can't quite discern that yet.

---

Colt spies the egg rolling away with memory mud on it, she'll let Nova pick it up!

So I'm dead set on living while I'm still alive
Dead set on living til the day I die

I keep stars in my pockets
wear daisies in my hair

Nova bounces along to form another patch of mud, glancing behind her at Colt. "I'm making sure they do it right! I specifically told them to include lots of glitter in the macarons and I'm not sure they'll put enough." No one ever does, and the seriousness that passes over her expression implies that she doesn't approve of such stingy uses of the substance. 

But the negativity doesn't last long, a sparkle of snow falling around her when she tilts her head at the mention of stick horses. "Hm? Oh, those? I just have a few more touches! They'll be ready in no time!" She's already sown the heads and placed them on the wooden sticks. The last touches are the manes, and she plans to make them spectacular - glitter and ribbons and braids and color that people won't be able to pull their eyes away from. She may or may not be infusing them with some magic to make them extra special.

The cry has Nova pausing in her skips, spinning to spot the rise and fall of a colorful object. If she was shifted, her ears would perk, tail waving in bubbly curiosity. Alas, all she has are shimmers that fall around her, eyes sparkling to a dazzling blue as she speeds towards the orb. 

Ice follows in her wake, cutting a path across the street for her to retrieve the prize, letting her earth and water magic lift it from the mud's grasp to her fingertips. Her grasp is delicate as she realizes what it is, admiring the array of paint around the imagery of a hot air balloon. "It looks like an egg!" Turning it in her hand, she recalls their recent alcohol induced adventures, flashing Colt a feline grin. "Should I throw it?" Nova raises her hand like she might actually attempt it - even if she has no intention of ruining such beautiful art. 

---

Nova picks up the egg and shows Colt!

Nova

but I tuck you tenderly in the folds of my heart
and take you everywhere

COLT

If it rains it pours so go pour one strong
When it comes to this life, we only get one

She isn't terribly well versed on edible glitter, so when Nova says she intends to ensure enough glitter is put on the macarons, Colt's features do their best not to shrink back in dismay. She knew Nova liked glitter, she just didn't think she meant to dust everyone's insides with it too, as if the way it spreads externally isnt already an epidemic where even the most mild encounter causes it to take over the immediate area. Mentally reminding herself not to eat the damn macarons the day of the festival, she struggles for a response that could pass as pleasant. "Oh, yes well it's always good to double check on important things."

Secretly excited to see what stick horses Nova conjures up, only having some run of the mill ones herself, most of which she'd shipped off to Jack for a good laugh, she nods at the girl. Getting to work on the road then, and the egg soon thereafter, her gaze trails after Nova as Peanut continues to work at a slow and steady pace through the frost and the mire. "An egg?" Colt repeats, 'brow furrowing as she appraises the colorful object in Nova's hand. "That's the second one now," she murmurs, "I saw one with Sunjata the other day, and he saw one before then." It's not unusual to come across a nest once in a while, birds or snakes or something else, but those aren't the same as these lone and colorful variants.

At Nova's question, Colt shrugs. "Sure, if you want. Not so sure it'll be as fun as the ones we tossed at the House though," she grins at the memory. "I kept mine. Sitting in my kitchen." Mostly because she forgot about it, not because it had a particular place of honor. She just didn't want to leave it to spoil or break apart in her saddlebags. Meanwhile the mud that had been trying to adhere to egg which Nova yanked free is now tumbling towards her on a warpath, adamant about reclaiming its prize, or so it seems. Colt isn't sure it has the ability to think that far, but memory alone seems to draw it back just the same. "Watch out," Colt cautions with a nod of her head towards the globule.

So I'm dead set on living while I'm still alive
Dead set on living til the day I die

I keep stars in my pockets
wear daisies in my hair

If she's avoiding color and glitter, Colt might find it hard to eat anything at the festival. Nova has made it her goal to spread the substance as far and wide as she can, glittery pastries are just the beginning: colorful pastas, shimmering turkey legs, floral pies, liquid glitter drinks, and ice cream that will dye her mouth. She might as well get used to the idea. 

But for now, Nova appreciates the support, lifting her head to give a proud nod, serious when she says, "You get it, Colt." Then she grins, spinning back to Operation Frozen Mud, and leaping to her next patch of ice like a ballerina draped in purple flowers though it doesn't last long before she's hunched next to the egg.

The news that this isn't the first egg is surprising, and her head tilts, curiosity flickering across her mind like a wildfire to blast out in all directions. She bounces on her toes, inspecting the brush strokes and color choices. "Hm. I wonder who makes them. Maybe they need help making more..." Or maybe she'll just make some of her own for the fun of it.

Colt's warning reaches her just in time for Nova to catch sight of the mud stretching towards her like it might offer a wet high five for her find. She's not particularly thrilled with that idea, reeling back with an adorable sneer. Only a single finger pops out to tap the mound, ice spreading to encompass it and immobilize it in a warning for any other attempts. "Rude. Find someone less fashionable to bother."

Nova

but I tuck you tenderly in the folds of my heart
and take you everywhere

COLT

If it rains it pours so go pour one strong
When it comes to this life, we only get one

That Nova's first thought about who makes the eggs is wanting to help them is quietly endearing. It tugs a little smile on her lips, breaking through the confusion of the whole ordeal with a little bite of charm she's in dire need of. "Well if you find out, I hope you make them a better basket, they're losing it all." Maybe one shaped like a chicken, it's flap at the tail feathers, for fun. She could even enchant it to cluck whenever opened. Not something Colt would want, but seems fitting of the egg-painter who can't keep track of their eggs.

With the memory mud safely encased in ice, Colt takes it a step further and strikes it with the side of her boot, sending it clattering further down the path in a series of bounces and rolls. "Let's hope it doesn't thaw out any time soon." She glances back at their work on the road thus far, which seems to be holding, the memory mud they already froze and worked over withering in with the regular mud to create a sloppily reformed road. More of it wriggles ahead of them though, and with a sigh Colt heads back into position behind Peanut.

Conversationally, she calls out to the ice dancer, "So, how have you and your family been?" The sort of thing anyone familiar would ask, and broad enough to encompass all four of them.

So I'm dead set on living while I'm still alive
Dead set on living til the day I die

I keep stars in my pockets
wear daisies in my hair

Giggling, she tucks the egg into a pocket she's sewn into her dress. "I'll do more than that!" Contrary to what Colt may think, Nova's intentions aren't 'endearing' or 'sweet' or anything else cute or sentimental. No. She's bothered by the lack of glitter, bothered that there's not more color to catch people's attention. She wouldn't mind if the egg was bigger and better. Maybe she'd even suggest whoever makes them to add diamonds. She'd also be very adamant that it should explode (preferably with glitter). Overall, she'd love to meet this person and give them her list of notes, maybe even show them how it should really be done. 

Nova waves as the frozen mud goes flying, not nearly as concerned about her magic thawing out. Oblivious to any ulterior motives, she hops to her next ice section, beaming like a wild breeze through the trees, continuing on ahead of Colt. "Good! The Ark has been fun, but the guys are boring," that's including Jack and Vesper, "so Caly and me are finding a spot here where she can set up shop!" She pauses in the road, blue eyes piercing to find Colt as she wiggles through her excitement. "Are you going to come visit?! It'll sell coffee and clothes! It'll be SOOOO cute!"

Nova

but I tuck you tenderly in the folds of my heart
and take you everywhere

COLT

If it rains it pours so go pour one strong
When it comes to this life, we only get one

Nova's ice frosts over the memory mud in an instant, freezing the wriggling road into something of shimmering calm. Peanut trudges along at the urging of her voice and the shift of reins, Colt's hands steadying the device as it plows along the dirt roads, splintering the frozen memory mud into pieces. Could be the thaw just hasn't set in yet and their efforts will all be pointless, the way Jell-O firms in the fridge but puddles in the heat. Nothing gives her an inclination to stop yet though, so onward they trek.

She does perk up at the guys, although following the Ark it could be the crew rather than her father and brother she means. Of course, Colt could practically make herself sick on hope right now, so she has no problem taking that to mean Nova has been in touch with Vesper recently. "Boring how?" she coaxes for more details.

News of Nova and Caly opening a shop is something she hasn't heard yet though. "Is that right? No more bar?" A mild shame, she's always open to new options. Sometimes she'd like to drink somewhere that didn't have tits and cocks out so freely (the House) and didn't have a floor trying to adhere to the bottom of her boot with every step (all the other sticky, shitty holes in the wall around town). "A shop sounds nice though, I'd definitely visit. What're you gonna name it?"

So I'm dead set on living while I'm still alive
Dead set on living til the day I die

I keep stars in my pockets
wear daisies in my hair

More than happy to share how everyone (other than her sister) on the Ark is boring, Nova rambles on as she works her way down the road, a bright dot amongst the brown. "Well, they like Chisweeper, but they haven't been nearly as excited about my other creations! No one wants to wear the matching shirts or put up the banners I made, and Jack doesn't like my new ideas for his sails." It's difficult being such a genius. Some people just don't recognize how awesome she is. 

Nova waves as she passes a few of the festival vendors, simultaneously continuing on her conversation. "Nope!" The bar had never been the fun part anyways, it had always been about a place that was theirs and when it failed to be that anymore, well, people knew what had become of the Hanged Man. 

The new prospect has been bright in her mind, ideas and concepts flowing easily through the excitement. She'd even been building her inventory, stitching and sewing an assortment of items that people would be able to purchase, some of which are merchandise containing the new logo they'd thought up, the same one that appears in the sky: a sunflower with a coffee bean in the middle. "Sunbean! Get it?!" She giggles, waiting for Colt's inevitable approval of the ingenious name as she jumps to another spot in the mud.

Nova

but I tuck you tenderly in the folds of my heart
and take you everywhere

COLT

If it rains it pours so go pour one strong
When it comes to this life, we only get one

"Chisweeper?" The words is said like she's practicing the sounds carefully, her mouth not quite sure what sounds its making, much less their meaning. Nova says it casually, as if it's known, and she is baffled in response. A creation, Nova shortly fills in, though what remains unclear for now. A little smile does wrinkle the corner of her mouth though as Nova complains about matching shirts and banners, but what she latches onto the most is the lack of Vesper's name among all the boring things. "I'm sure Vesper would wear the matching shirt," she offers. A casual, "have you talked to him?" laid out plainly after.

Admittedly an honest laugh does rise at the name Nova proudly announces. "That is a spectacular name." Which, wouldn't you know it, she's also in the market for coffee usually too. Might not fix all her problems the way the bars do, usually starts them actually (being it's taken at the beginning of the day), but she's open to tasting it. "Where at, here in town?" Meaning New Haven, the other good option being closer to the port.

Peanut jarrs to a sudden stop, even starting to scramble back, as memory mud breaks from around the ice ahead and begins to crawl towards the horse's front legs. Ground is not supposed to move, is the clear and loud dragon-like snort he blasts out from his flared nose. Colt offers steadying words, throwing out a summon to Nova in-between. "Some got loose!"

So I'm dead set on living while I'm still alive
Dead set on living til the day I die