[SWE] Festival of Lights - 320PC

// divide me down to the smallest I can be //

Smirking, and never one to deny Asta the things he enjoys but especially not when the season has him constantly on edge, Danta nods and heads over to the trees. He keeps his pace slow, checking over his shoulder for the other man every few steps, and once they've finally reached the safety of the bench he rescues the plate from Asta's hands so they might be able to sit together and as close as the other man likes.

"I think this is my favourite part of the festival," he confesses, "even though I think a lot of people start to leave after. I like it when the lights go low and there's this spookiness about it." Probably because it's how the festival has been intended to be enjoyed way back when, or something like that. Either way, Danta settles in against Asta's side to enjoy their drinks and snacks, eyes peeled for any drama that might rear its head before the night is through.

Dantalion

// put your, put your v-v-venom in me //

this world is a wasteland where nothing can grow

"Of course," Niki says all too willingly, smiling and letting his cane vanish back into his ring as Sunjata opens the bag of holding between them. It's his first time seeing such a thing in person, questions about it burning on his tongue that he refuses to say out loud - a time and a place and all that. Instead he handles each lantern like the precious thing it is, hands light and careful as he slips the offering to Lusea into the bag where, to his delight and surprise, it disappears entirely.

Nate's is next, Niki ensuring that he handles this one delicately for more than the obvious reasons, gazing at it with clear interest (the metalwork, of course, is what has caught his eye) as he lowers it into the bag as well. "They really are beautiful," he says again, meaning every word and straightening up to hold the bag open for Sunjata to slip Vervain's lantern inside. "I hope they get to see them one day."

Niki

i used to have strength but i ran out of hope

Nova

Here's to alcohol,

On her quest for fun, Nova weaves through the crowd. She moves like a current, brushing past without making physical contact, even as her magic hovers in the air around her. Whether it's glitter or a stream of cool air, people notice her despite the darkness, drawing gazes as she bounces to stop in front of a stall. 

The kiosk is a display of miniature apple pies that smell divine and she leans closer to the attendant, beaming a bright smile. Ordering four, she ignores the warning from the kind attendant who was talking about alcohol for some reason? Nova just gathers the pies into her arms, mouth watering and eyes glittering with excitement as she moves to find a corner to enjoy her snack.

the rose-colored glasses of life.

Lyra watches as the lights begin to wink out one by one, the lanterns dimming as though to make the chosen one all the brighter. She doesn't recognize the woman whose lantern is chosen, but the man who steps through the veil is at least familiar to her - Harper, a former leader of Torchline, and Jude's father. She hadn't known him terribly well, but she knows that his death has been hard on his son. As the woman and Harper step aside for some semblance of privacy, Lyra looks away. It's none of her business what they may be doing or discussing, and she turns her attention back to the rest of the festivities.

The vendors are quieter now, perhaps hyperaware that the dead walk amongst them. Lyra has always wondered if this day of remembrance brings ghosts to press against the veil between worlds. Do the ghosts, she wonders, hope to be picked just as much as the living? Or are they content in Mort's halls? She supposes that they will all find out one day, though she hopes fervently that her time is not soon, and she wanders off into the crowd.

lyra

Never take advice from someone who's falling apart

code by sky

COLT

Colt's eyes are trained squarely on the duo, the cup rolling restlessly in her palm and between her fingers. "Mm?" she says in response, the absent kind that's aware Thal is saying something but not registering it, not right away at least. "I think you mean what she did to me, and the response I gave her in return, which was well deserved," Colt huffs, the bitterness still sharp enough to tighten her lips and drop her voice to something displeased.

She might have launched into the drama for Thal if not for the darkening descent of Ludo. Her eyes cut towards the lanterns that are gradually winking out, and for a moment she leans in, caught on hope. Her lanterns are not chosen however, and though the disappointment is mild, it still leaves her in a low breath. The one that is selected isn't one she recognizes, even when the veil parts, though it appears to be Sohalia's with the way the Luminary steps forth.

Tugging her shoulders back, Colt pours her drink out to the side. There's no mess or disrespect to it, just the habit of clearing up camps on cattle drives, the liquid within better spent scattered on the ground than in the trash. It is a sign of departure though. "I'll have to catch you up on everything someday soon. For now, I have some business to attend to." With that, she tips her hat towards Thal, hand on her head as she does it before she steps away. She sets her cup down by the vendors and strolls out of the festival, back into the gloom.

---

Colt out

Go and fix your makeup girl, it's just a breakup
Run and hide your crazy and start actin' like a lady
Gotta keep it together, even when you fall apart