♥ March (Ainir) Event Log

[hugtopiamods]

March (Ainir) Event Log

The weather is growing quite lovely, punctuated by a sweet scent in the air as local flowers begin to grow and bloom, signifying the start of what many argue is the brightest and most comforting of seasons. While not all bend the knee for Ainea, she is beloved and well known as the kindest of the local deities, so even denizens of other chapters appreciate the good will she presents when her season comes to play. Brace yourselves, residents of Havenwell: spring has officially sprung, and the mouse is in your house. (Theologically speaking, anyway.)

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❥ PROMPT I: Skits and Giggles

As the month of Ainir wears on, things in Havenwell begin to turn towards the strange and chaotic…more so than usual. Circumstances align in unpredictable and convoluted ways, as though space and time themselves are making small tweaks here and there to rope the city's offworlders into a heretofore unseen range of odd situations. Out of nowhere, impulses will materialize into their mind(s), and while it is not forced, it might be hard to resist depending on the nature of the impulse or the people around them. Two people might find themselves on a simple shopping trip together searching for a strange item despite never having met before, or perhaps one will suddenly discover the urge to try making a multi-tiered cake and drag their friends along for the ride. It's very… unusual. One could even say such situations and desires almost feel randomly generated.

For the latter half of the month, Havenwell will be undergoing a more open-ended kind of chaos than usual; we encourage you to have fun and make your own range of situations from the ordinary to the improbably odd. (Like if Who's Line had no host but just inserted prompts into one's head.) Here are some random scenario generators, to get you started, though you are more than welcome to find your own, mix and match, or come up with something yourself:

A Very Helpful Master List

For One Character/General:
One Two

For Two Characters:
One Two

Something a Little Sillier

Curiously enough, these skits can be both contagious and magical to the point where objects useful to the scenarios themselves may manifest inexplicably to make it easier to play out. These objects don't tend to last long - they'll vanish before the end of the day if you take your eyes off of them at some point after their use has ended - but hey, maybe you'll find a use for that Turbo Doll you just fought some fella in the market for, before it's gone.

❥ PROMPT II: Festival of Flowers

With the influx of plantlife both natural and left over from the previous month's occurrences, Havenwell's residents are well supplied for the annual Festival of Flowers (MARCH PROMPT: Hold My Flower) celebrated every Ainir. Natives of the city will be happily working to weave crowns in all sorts pf colors and shapes; made with flowers real, synthetic, or a mixture of both. They will even be glad to instruct the offworlders in the art of flower crowns, or even insistently looking to weave flowers into the hair of those who might wear theirs a bit longer. If given the chance, they will even speak at length about their choices in both colors and the flowers' meanings, so long as the end result is made to suit its wearer both aesthetically and symbolically. The local greenhouses will be handing out the blossoms harvested for the festival, so feel free to participate guilt-free; remember, flowers are too impermanent to not enjoy! Offworlders will find plenty of species throughout the city, including some that might be familiar. It seems the world is still indulgently borrowing from home as it heals itself.

If anyone has leftover crystalline flowers, vines, and plants that grew from their hands last month, these items are more delicate than normal plants but can still be worked into the flower crowns with a gentle touch and a bit of effort.

❥ PROMPT III: Starlight, Starbright

Over the course of the festival, for some reason the night sky above Havenwell appears to be taking subtly different forms; it never looks quite the same twice, and often differs from person to person. The stars overhead arrange themselves into different configurations: that of Havenwell's distant past, perhaps, or even into constellations the city's offworlders might find familiar. If by chance one can see a sky that another can't, joining hands for an evening of stargazing might just sync them up to be underneath the same distant stars. Enjoy an evening of stargazing, sharing familiar or fresh constellations with someone special.

For those who are participating in the Festival of Flowers, you might notice a curious added effect: if you happen to go stargazing while wearing certain flowers, the starscape that appears may coincide with the location, season, or biome that flower is native to, as if the two are calling to one another. Since Havenwell has acquired a bountiful number of species from varying worlds over the last few seasons that this festival occurred, feel free to get creative with this concept. Does your world have a reverse sunflower that follows the moon during winter? Enjoy your winter sky and a very happy flower crown. Maybe you found a ghost orchid that only blooms in the hottest part of the summer. Sounds perfectly suited for a summer sky that just happens to appear above you now…

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This event will run from March 15-31. Click on each prompt's title to see the text. If you have any questions, feel free to direct them to the FAQ or to the Mod Question thread. You can also use the Havenwell Status page or the General Plotting Comment to give you other ideas for original prompts!

Comments

[relictus]

He doesn't respond to that. He's not wrong per se, but... the complexities of differing roles within relationships isn't a subject they need to dive into.

"Ha... Lennox would disagree with you. But I'm not the same Faust he was hoping to find..." Not that he's been able to dissuade him from continuing to try and serve him anyway...

Their discussion helped distract him enough from Teo's hands in his hair that any initial uneasiness has faded. Given permission, he finally moves his head and draws the nearby mirror closer to take a look. One small braid, but decorated with those delicate blue flowers, accented with purple and white.

He just observes his reflection for a long moment, not saying anything. The blue is soft enough that he can liken it to the crest of Eastern Country, which feels much more fitting than where his mind took him before. Finally he gives a faint nod.

"...It looks nice... you did very well. Thank you."

[ghoulserrand]

"Would he...? Hm... No... I still can't... see it... even what I... know of the... old you... Lords are... rulers and... sinister power-seekers... You're not... like that... You'd care for... those around... not see them... beneath... Not a lord..."

But maybe that's just a matter of perspectives. He only knows lords from stories and terrible histories and only in the vaguest sense.

Though, something of what Faust says does give him pause, if belatedly. Lennox knows the old Faust...

"I'm glad..." He says. Faust's reaction to the flowers is muted. He smiles anyway.

He gives Faust a little more space from there, and in the same moment, reaches back for his own braid to draw it in front. He wants to see it as well as feel it. He weighs whether or not to ask the question on his mind.

"... Was Lennox... there... back then...?"

[relictus]

His reaction may be muted, but it's sincere. His commentary on lords is a strange perspective, to him. Not entirely wrong- there are certainly plenty of those in power who abuse it and seek more, he knows that all too well... but that's hardly a conclusion that can be drawn across the board...

"I don't know about that... Heathcliff comes from a noble family, and he's especially sensitive to those around him..." Arthur cares about his people as well, but he's not prepared to say that as if he can believe in him, too. "It's just not a title that suits me anymore, if it ever did."

He lightly touches the flowers and braid as he inspects them in the mirror for a moment longer, making sure they're secure enough before he stands up. He pauses at the question, briefly glancing around. But it's not like anyone of this world would even know of past events in his own...

"...I mentioned before that three of the newly chosen wizards are connected to that history... he was my servant. Obviously that isn't the case anymore, yet that hasn't deterred him from calling me Lord Faust..."

Whether it's because they've done what was set out to be done or because he doesn't want to stand here and talk about this, he starts to head down the street.

[ghoulserrand]

Noble families and servants. He blinks behind his goggles. It's times like these that he's reminded that Faust is, in fact, from a very different time. Faust starts off ahead and, with no better thing to do, he follows.

"Old habits... I guess..."

He should probably drop the topic. He knows Faust hates this, and things have been nice... but he doesn't know when else he'll have the chance to ask.

"Who are... the other two...? Not... Bianca...?"

[relictus]

"...It's not old habits; he's simply remained as stubborn as he used to be..."

Despite some annoyance in his tone, there's a softness to it. Teo's question isn't entirely unexpected, but he sighs heavily.

"Arthur is one... obviously he wasn't there himself, so it's only a matter of his lineage... the third is Figaro."

That name he says with some distaste, a scowl creeping onto his face before it sobers as he goes on.

"Bianca turned to stone a long time ago."

[ghoulserrand]

He almost laughs, making a soft amused noise, but any humor is short-lived. None of this sounds very good, and all he has to go off is tones and bad news. The news of Bianca in particular isn't surprising, but still sad to hear.

"Ah... I'm sorry," He says softly. Even if, in reality, it's a paltry offering.

Let it drop, the wary part of his mind hisses. Still, he keeps pressing.

"Figaro is... not a friend... I'm guessing...?"

[relictus]

"..."

He doesn't want to go into the details of her death, or how he learned of it in the first place... but just thinking about it gives rise to feelings that, at the further pressing about Figaro, just fan the flames of bitterness instead. His scowl returns, and there's a seething bite to his tone.

"Not at all. He's a thoughtless, selfish man who only follows his own whims. He likes to pretend he's a harmless Southern doctor these days, but maybe that too is just a game to him..."

He takes a deeper breath, letting it out slowly, and speaks a little more calmly.

"I don't know if you remember, but in the dream we shared I mentioned an older wizard I used to look up to... the one who left."

[ghoulserrand]

The revelation nearly winds him. He can't imagine how Faust must've felt, seeing that man for the first time in centuries as they were chosen to fight.

"The man... who abandoned you..."

That's not fair. But none of Faust's situation has been. Being chosen for this fight of anything before that. Faust has never deserved anything but goodness and yet he's been dealt nothing but bad hands.

"And he never... said why...? He never..."

'I didn't think you'd come back...' His breath pulls a little at the memory. It's sharper this time than it was before. But now he wants to shove it aside, far away from him.

[relictus]

"He's never made that much of an effort to explain, no... at least, not in any way that I can understand. But that's the kind of man he is. He's a smooth talker and little else..."

It's not his responsibility to try and decipher Figaro's motivations... not when the fact is that he was abandoned. He doesn't owe him any understanding. But even if Figaro is a subject he loathes lingering on, he should at least give Teo a little more context...

"I sought him out to teach me magic, back then. I'd heard that he was a powerful wizard, and I had been self-taught up to that point. He took me under his wing for a year and joined up with us... but the moment we were on the cusp of victory, he disappeared."

More bitterness leaks through, though there's a melancholy to it, a grudge that has been long sitting and fermenting rather than a fresh injustice. Figaro left him behind, and shortly after that Alec cast him into hell.

"...If nothing else, knowing that he's strong and a decent teacher means I don't have to worry too much about the Southern kids... but it's a nuisance having him around."

[ghoulserrand]

Of course, when Faust puts it like that, there's no reason for him to try and figure things out. Figaro left the wound. He's the one who owes that.

And what a wound it is. Certainly not as significant as Alec's betrayal but nevertheless, it's been left to fester all this time. With Faust's way of life it would've been a miracle if it had healed.

How long did he wait? How long did he wonder about the man before he realized fully and truly that he was never--

--coming back. She's never coming back. The realization socks him in the gut, almost out of nowhere. He can't breathe. He--

"No..." He shakes his head, trying to push that memory down. He doesn't want it. Not now. To Faust, he says, "...Sorry... Head's being... weird..."

And with the worst timing. He reaches up for his braid to check he hasn't dislodged the flowers placed within it. He ignores the strange sense of dread settling in his heart.

"... Even after... hurting you... you can still... see his positives... You're really... generous Faust... I'm sorry... that all that... happened..."

[relictus]

Teo's strange reaction distracts him from his old grudge for at least a moment as he glances at him with mild concern. But before he can press, he's swung back into bitterness by his statement.

"Don't get the wrong idea. I'm not generous, much less for someone like that. There's nothing good about him or the time we spent together... he never cared about our cause. He never bothered to look for me after what happened, either. I just have no choice but to endure his presence as a chosen wizard."

Even if he's overstating things somewhat, it's true enough that he still holds a strong grudge against him. He'd have been just fine never meeting him again...

"...But forget about him. Did you remember something?"

[ghoulserrand]

He hadn't meant to make Faust feel worse. He hadn't wanted to. But he can't deny, he had thought that at least it kept things off himself and his memories.

This is, evidently, a false hope. Worse still, it stirrs more things he doesn't want to delve into in the wake of Faust's bitterness. He doesn't want to know what Faust would think.

"I, um..." He tugs at his braid in lieu of his hood. "More of... a feeling, maybe... someone... someone left me too.. " He shrugs weakly. "But it's not... I didn't have... a cause... I'm sure it wasn't... anything like that... Probably didn't... even matter much..."

Even if it hurt like hell. It can't be that big a deal. Same with whatever happened with him leaving.

[relictus]

Just a fragment of a memory, then. An unhappy one, but even so, any loose threads he can latch onto could always lead to remembering more. And not every memory is going to feel welcome, he's sure...

Which is why he's reluctant to press, especially after just trying to veer away from a similar subject himself. But the more he can encourage him to remember, the better it should be for him in the long run when it comes to rediscovering himself...

"It mattered to you. Did you remember anything more than just a feeling? A face or a name, or anything they said to you...?"

[ghoulserrand]

He shrinks in on himself, not even fully aware of it. His frame has always been just a touch too big for him. But if he's considering parts of himself that are discordant with who he is that's hardly the most significant.

He doesn't want to, but he follows the prompting anyway. He slows in his steps. He closes his eyes. He digs deeper into the jagged wound of a memory.

He sees more faces than he ever has, flipped through like cards. Angry, teartracked, dissmissive and amused, going by faster than he can process. None are what he's looking for. A face that looks like his own to the point he thinks it's a false reconstruction, to the point he can easily imagine her dead. But she wasn't. She was just....

Hi, it's Natalia! I'm not available to take your call right now--

"Mamá," he breathes. Then softer, quieter, "...My mother... said she'd... see me soon..."

[relictus]

He slows when Teo does, watching him and the way he makes himself smaller. It's clear he doesn't want to think about this, but...

Rather than open his eyes and shake his head in defeat, he really does remember something significant. His mother... and yet, what he says doesn't line up with someone who left him... unless she didn't follow through.

"...Did she see you? Or did she leave?"

[ghoulserrand]

"She'd... come and go..."

He's got to feel this out as he goes. The answers aren't all right there, and they're not coming in order. The consistency is that they all feel like they're bludgeoning him.

"Less and less... Cancelled plans... Didn't... answer back... Waiting and... hoping... Then gone..."

Still, even with how it hurts, he can't help feeling embarrassed too. Getting upset over a lost mother? Really? Is he really out here, talking to Faust with all his trauma and real problems about goddamn Mommy issues? He huffs out something between a growl and a shuddering breath.

"This is... stupid..." He shakes his head. "... Sorry... Can't believe I... even considered... Was probably just... a brat kid... Nothing to get... worked up about..."

[relictus]

So it was a slow abandonment, stringing him along before she disappeared... or passed away; it's not entirely clear, but that's not a detail he needs to force him to clarify. Either way, for his own mother to drift away from him... of course that would hurt.

Which is why he frowns when Teo tries to downplay it.

"There's nothing stupid about it... she left a wound on your heart. Injuries like that can be the hardest to heal... if anything, I should apologize for pushing you to remember such a thing on a day like this."

The flower festival, he means. He got the chance to do something (theoretically) fun and relaxing, only for him to ruin the mood with subjects like this...

[ghoulserrand]

He's already about to shake his head, to deny that because it's hardly fair. He pried first. Faust is trying to help. It's not like they knew and it shouldn't be a big deal, he went through the apocalypse for crying out loud.

But something about what Faust says gives him pause, makes him blink. A day like this...

"... No," He says quietly. Then clearer, "No, this... this is the... right time... Because... A day like this... We have... good things... and... we're not going... to do that... to each other... Part one day... but not... like that..."

He takes a few deep, slow breaths. Then he bobs his head to himself.

"Past is past... Day like this... show's what... is here now..."

[relictus]

He blinks at him, a little surprised by his spin on it... and the decision that they won't abandon each other the way they've been abandoned in the past. It's hardly a promise, but he wouldn't believe one anyway... but... he goes to grip the brim of his hat, only to realize he vanished it away when they left so as not to disturb the flowers in his hair. He ends up reaching for those instead, gripping the end of the small braid.

"...Is that how you would feel, if I left? That I left you behind?"

He tries to stay at the right distance from everyone to prevent something like that, although with how Teo can be that may have never been an easy option... but... would he feel betrayed if Teo left? A place like this has so much to offer someone like him, but for himself, does he have anything here that he didn't have back in his world...?

You don't have anything to begin with, the scarred part of him replies, and he's inclined to listen.

"...If you chose to leave, I wouldn't stop you... I've already told you there's no future for me." Which he has protested and denied in return, but even if he's made some concessions, he's not budging on that. "You need to do what's best for your own future... if I'm ever a barrier to that, you don't need to take me into consideration."

[ghoulserrand]

"I..."

No, he nearly says, of course he wouldn't feel that way. But... would he? He doesn't even know himself. He didn't even know about any of this an hour ago. If Faust left, would he feel abandoned?

"You have... your world... your students... your friends... You have to go... You've always... made that clear... I've always known... That's not... abandoning..."

It's not. The thought of losing Faust hurts, but it's not abandonment. And what about him then? Those faces flicker in mind again. The idea of putting Faust in there with them doesn't sit right. He looks down. His hand settles over the pocket with his letter in it.

"I'm supposed to... find her... But..." He shakes his head and looks back up. "I can't just... not think about... you... We're friends... I'd consider... I'd say... goodbye... I wouldn't just... forget you..."

[relictus]

He didn't mean returning to his world, as he's sure that's inevitable so long as he has this mark on his back- so long as he doesn't turn to stone first. But he finds he can't offer any examples that feel right. He hardly intends to simply abandon him with no warning, or throw him to the wolves... even if it one day becomes necessary due to his affliction, he would handle it himself, as respectfully as he can...

"...Still, you've panicked more than once before when I've walked away from you. Though I suspect the reason for that lies in your memories rather than with me..."

It could be related to how his mother treated him, or any other number of experiences he has yet to recall... if he ever manages to pull all the pieces back together.

He glances at where his hand settles, where he stores his letter. He (reluctantly) has his responsibilities, and Teo has his old life to find... that they have separate paths to follow isn't in question.

"...I doubt any memory of me will do you much good when you return to your quest. But a goodbye would be... enough."

More than he's had. A bittersweet ending would be preferable to one drenched in blood and anguish.

[ghoulserrand]

His hand lowers, from his heart and down to his bitten arm. It's true. He has panicked. He's even accused Faust of throwing him away. He regrets that now. He threw salt in a wound because he was being too pathetic about his own barely remembered ones.

"...I'm sorry," He says, far too late. "I guess that was... pretty selfish... of me..."

But at the same time, he couldn't bear the thought of letting Faust go. He wasn't ready. It wasn't time. Since he woke he's struggled with being a monster but besides that, besides his lacking memories, he's never felt like he was broken. Not until now.

"But you know... that was... another time I told you... what it means... to know you... Memories like that... are going to mean... a lot... They already do..." He reaches up again, touching the braid this time. "Including this..."

Goodbye is never going to be enough. But it's more than he can really remember. That's gotta be something.

[relictus]

"...I didn't bring it up to call you selfish for it. It just felt like an overreaction, even if I was being unkind to you..."

Because he was, he knows that. Even if he feels some justification for his reactions, he still let his feelings get the better of him...

"...I'm used to being alone with my feelings, so sometimes it's easier to remove myself from the situation when I'm feeling too agitated... it doesn't mean I'll disappear forever."

At least, it might not. Though out here he doesn't have his forest home to run off to and they're confined by the city walls, so it's not like he has many places to disappear to anyway. But in any case, he just wants to make that much clear in case it happens again...

But as for the memories he's made with him...

"...If just the memories are enough to help you in the future, then I'm glad for that... but hopefully you can make better, happier ones with the people you know and love."

As unlikely as it may seem, for many reasons... but at least he's able to give him these relatively small moments of happiness and normality until then.

[ghoulserrand]

It hadn't felt like an overreaction at the time, he thinks. He'd really thought, if he did nothing, Faust would turn him away forever. He's still not sure he wouldn't have. They weren't as close then as they are now.

But, maybe someone who wasn't him wouldn't have felt that way. Maybe something in his memories really did get in the way without his realizing it.

He nods his head slow. He tries to take that information in, to really stamp it into his heart and mind. Faust isn't just going to disappear because he fucked up. No matter the what-ifs that come to mind, Faust isn't going to do that. It's a hard pill to swallow.

His nodding pauses and stops with Faust's hopes. He understands the sentiment is good. But...

"You know... if there was... a choice... a way... I'd want to... see you more too... I'd want... more than just... some memory..." Memories are precious, but, that is all they are. And there will be no more memories to make someday. "But thank you... I hope the same... for you..."

[relictus]

"...I doubt that's something we will get any choice in, should we find ourselves back in our own worlds. Honestly, it would be better for you if you could just forget me at that point... but you can be nearly as stubborn as Leno at times, and he never stopped searching for me after I disappeared..." He speaks the nickname easily, whether he seems like someone that would use nicknames or not.

He sighs. On top of that, now he has these kids who look up to him, and new friends who check in on his well-being... how does this keep happening...

"What a pain... it doesn't look like I'll get to return to a quiet secluded life anytime soon..."

Even if he tries to sound disgruntled about it, it hasn't been that bad in the end...