=>[ORP] Bloodfest 2016 Boardwalk

[seekingCylem]

Rasali felt she may have to apologize for that comment later, but at least it got Luxara to leave. Awkwardly prying about Kursha to Kursha's f- ffrrieeendd(!?) was most certainly going to get back to him. For someone who operated with such broad strokes, he was surprisingly detail-oriented. Rasali didn't know to what end, but she had the uneasy feeling that he'd keep this exchange on file.

And then Rasali was once again left alone with Elidae. The circumstances were still treacherous, but at least there was one less unknown to deal with. Elidae was already curious about that bizarre introduction. She allowed some of her exasperation to crack through.

"We exchanged barbs back at the queen's Library booth, but until now that was our first and last meeting. I'm not wrong in acknowledging that was very peculiar, am I?"

Rasali was never one to shy away from a problem. If Luxara caused Elidae any unease, it was simply an opportunity for Peikoe to show the yellowblood a sign of solidarity. Peikoe had no reason not to make a new friend. Considering the turmoil Rasali had experienced in her recent past, the chance to chatter and gossip like she used to was actually rather nice.

blackbird cake

 

[Yamashii]

It had been an eventful Bloodfest, that was for sure. Cerpin strolled about the boardwalk in search of his partner in crime. It didn't help that she liked to hide in crowds. He understood the reasoning by now but that didn't mean he liked it. He paused outside the shopping area and looked over a few items. Nothing stood out much compared to that stupid X-station he hadn't managed to win back at the booths. How depressing.

Now that was interesting. A pretty girl in a white dress, awkwardly holding her sides in a nervous gesture that he instantly recognized. What was Tevini doing wearing something like that? The last time he'd suggested she wear something a little more feminine, she'd given him the cold shoulder. Maybe she just needed to meet a mysterious older troll like the guy she was talking with. Perhaps Tevini needed someone to impress before she actually worked on her abysmal fashion sense.

"What are you doing, Doradi?" He addressed the 'purpleblood' but kept his eyes on her companion. It was his job to protect Tevini from danger if they were going to make this partnership work. The boy looked kind of familiar though Cerpin couldn't say for sure that he could perfectly place the face. The troll looked a lot like Keionx, alarmingly so, but the build wasn't quite right. His mind flashed back to a brief meeting at the Cinderglow Festival- might this be the same orangeblood? If so, he'd better not blow their cover. Everyone was trying to stay disguised and hidden at Bloodfest.

"Uh, so, you said something about tea? I'm down for that!" He would tag along and keep an eye on things just in case this wasn't actually Zariah. Tevini constantly got on his a** about staying safe and being cautious of potential Royalists. He had to do the same for her!

Doutei

Cerpin just casually invites himself along!

LordPocky

Whether you want him or not!

 

[Taki-di]

Nictor Sabbat

The silence after the blueblood spoke drew out, going well into awkward territory.

What do you say when you accidentally get pollen all over a highblood's clothes besides hope they don't decide to snap your frail little wind chute. Was apologizing even worth it? Would the blueblood even take it? This was terrible. Why did this happen. Oh no, he's been freaking out for too long. The blueblood was still looking at him, at least, his face was turned towards Nictor still. He couldn't tell what those eyes were doing behind glasses and that just put Nictor even more on edge.

He opened his mouth to try and apologize, but he could barely stutter out the first syllable. He clamped his mouth shut again, chewing nervously on his tongue. his hands itched but he couldn't do anything about that because he still has a jar in his hands.

The blueblood still had yet to really do anything but snuffle a bit and admonish him. Was it a threat? Coming from a blueblood, how was it supposed to be anything else?

For a lack of a better idea of what to do, Nictor got ready to run. He typically only ran when the trolls he bumped into didn't see him, but he was prepared to take drastic measures. and hunch of his shoulders and darting of his eyes, Nictor's plan was readily visible on his face.

Of course, as high strung and distracted by thoughts of his immanent demise as Nictor was, this was what one might call a really bad idea.

Gl!tch~

i'm not sure you're gonna be able to stop him man

 

[Doutei]

"Sorry to make you wait." Tevini apologized as she returned from changing. Now wearing dry clothes, she felt a lot better, even though her hair was starting to curl again. She'd had to straighten it specially and drenching it had undone everything. It was a good thing they were heading home soon. But first she had to take care of her repayment to this troll.

"You can call me Doradi. What shall I call you?" She began to ask when suddenly a familiar voice called over to her. What was he doing here? Turning around to look, she was greeted by the sight of Cerpin in his yellowblood disguise, looking surprisingly cautious. Immediately her thoughts went to the fact that she'd just dunked his borrowed backpack into the sea and she paused. She didn't want to startle him with this revelation or let him know about it at all, really. They were still on rocky terms with neither of them having apologized or discussed that night. Shifting to keep the backpack as well hidden as she could, she forced a small attempt at a smile to him.

"Yes we're going to stop for some tea, Mickey." The girl nodded, allowing Cerpin to invite himself along. She couldn't stop him- that was something she'd learned from the moment they'd met.

"I think I see a shop over there. Is that one alright with you?" She figured it'd be better to pay Zariah now rather than later. She didn't know where he lived or how to find him again after this so it seemed the best plan. Walking over to the small trendy looking shop, Tevini swallowed nervously at all the trolls littered across the tables. She didn't do well in crowds and had done her best up to this point but was starting to feel a little frayed.

"I'm not well versed in tea. What do you suggest?" The girl asked after they were seated and looking over the menu of options.

LordPocky

Yamashii

 

[LordPocky]

"Um....Chleio....c-call me Chleio," he said, smiling. His eyes wandered curiously to her friend, thinking hard. Had he been one of the other rebels? Honestly he was just the worst with faces...he really had to do better with learning names and faces....he'd been around long enough, really. When the other troll invited himself along Zariah was taken aback, eyes dashing away momentarily before returning to the pair. "Oh.....okay, yea, that's fine," he said meekly. He really wasn't good with trolls that were so forceful....or maybe he was good with them in just that he let them push him around without minding terribly? Whichever the case he simply allowed it. Zariah followed Doradi's directions with his eyes, staring momentarily at the store. Truthfully he'd meant to invite her around for one of his own special blends....but going to a shop would be fine as well.

"Hm....w-well...usually I make my own bl-blends, but um....I suppose that depends on wh-what you like." The orangeblood unfolded the menu, looking eagerly at it as he became visably more animated, "If you like a sweeter tea one of the berry teas would be best. They have a bit of a limited selection in my mind," he commented offhand, though to him a limited selection meant only five sweet teas to chose from. "If you like bold flavours I've grown rather fond of stinging thistle in my teas...." he broke off suddenly disappointed as his eyes roved the menu, looking suddenly abashed. "Unless they don't have it....hm...well as a general rule of thumb...if you prefer something mild look for a white tea, greens are usually more subtle in flavour and calming, oolongs are quite nice with a more robust flavour and is somewhere between green and black teas, and black teas are usually the most bold flavours and spices." There were actually more types of teas....but he felt like it may be overkill to feed her too much information on her first try. "So maybe for you I would suggest a green tea...and a black tea might be more to your taste," he said, looking to each little on in turn. He had a feeling Tevini would appreciate the subtlety of a milder tea.....while Cerpin would probably feel more....fulfilled with a heftier flavour. He gestured to the headers of each tea so they would have a better idea where to look for flavours.

Doutei

Yamashii

 

[DraconicFeline]

LordPocky

oblivious keionx is oblivious

Keionx unconciously tugged at one of the curly masses of hair that hung near her face. "Squeakbeast nest?! she exclaimed in a small voice. She wasn't sure if she was offended or amused, jovial or furious. Her hair, surely, wasn't that bad. Either way, though, Miache would do something with it, and it would be fun. Or interesting, at the very least. She would let him, insult or no.

"We fought admirably against a hoarde of the dead. We trudged mightily through a swamp and fought our way through trap-laden caves. We fought each other amid the flames and death. I think we may be excused for not coming out smelling liketh petals and incense, yes?" she said wryly, smirking. "That we live to tell the grand tale of our trials is evidence of our skill, is it not? Of My skill?" She added, teasing.

"And what if... one has no quadrant?" she asked mildly. She had people she cared about, certainly, but no one in a quadrant. Not yet. Alexin, perhaps, but all the others she had thought could be her moirail had either become the moirail of another, or the lover of another (that ******** theif stole her moirail). She was almost afraid to ask Alexin if moiralliegiance (or something else, maybe? She wasn't sure...) was what they wanted, for fear that they too would turn away. Surrounded by friends and family, she was, in a manner very close to her bloodpusher, still alone.  

[Yamashii]

Cerpin had no ******** clue what he was doing with the tea. Zariah rambled on about the various options and their flavors but the purpleblood blinked in barely masked confusion. The stuff probably tasted good, several trolls on Alternia seemed to like the stuff, but the boy rarely drank anything that wasn't water or some kind of soda. This was due to both his rich upbringing seeking out rare flavors of Faygo and his recent drop in standard of living with Tevini, drinking tap water rooted to their abandoned hive.

But this seemed to really matter to Zariah. It was one of the few times he had seen the other guy animated and almost excited to talk about something. He would drink boiled onions if it made the other troll so happy. Gog knew the rebels needed to support each other through these difficult and depressing times.

"I guess I'll take the black then at your recommendation!" He winked at Zariah, grateful someone else knew what the heck to order. Thankfully it looked like the staff would take care of preparing the stuff listed on the menu. That saved Cerpin the embarrassment of admitting he had never made tea before (and thus had no idea how it worked besides somehow mixing a powder or herbs or something). Motioning to a waiter, he tapped on the menu to order his drink, requesting the nicest cups available without thinking about the fact he was disguised as a yellowblood instead of his usual highblood self. They gave him an odd look but nodded, turning to look at the other two for their choices.

"Oh and I'll get the tab. That's alright with you, Chleio?" Beetles exchanged hands in advance with the boy telling the staff to keep the change. He looked to Tevini with a shrug as if to say she didn't get a veto. He'd noticed the kind of soggy backpack she was carrying around. If she was going to ruin his stuff, she didn't get to cry about him spending some beetles for a nice night out. He'd get an earful for this later but right now, he didn't care and was eyeing some of the delicate looking tarts in the display case over there.

Doutei

He flashes a particularly expensive pretty-looking beetle at Tevini to tease her. Feel free to control the waiter as you need.

LordPocky

And Cerpin probably is watching Zariah to learn any proper tea-related etiquette since he has no clue.

 

[Doutei]

"I'll try the green tea then." Tevini nodded as well, seeing no reason to object. Everyone ordered accordingly and the waiter was off. Tevini didn't seem to mind as Cerpin took charge of dealing with the staff. While she didn't approve of overspending in their daily lives, this was a special occasion and her attempt to thank Zariah for helping her out of the ice cold ocean. It was awkward to let her partner pay the actual beetles for it but she didn't want to fight with him in public. Once in private was more than enough. Also the explanation of what had happened was too embarrassing to go over right now.

She did not enjoy the flashy beetle taunting though.

"You seem very passionate about tea, Chleio. What other hobbies do you like?" Tevini asked as the conversation quieted. She wasn't knowledgeable about tea or good at making small talk.

LordPocky

Yamashii

 

[LordPocky]

"Admirably barely got us out alive," he reminded her. Certainly they gave it their all, but it almost wasn't even enough. The undead had near wiped them out, if Keionx hadn't finished them and he hadn't dragged them clear....he may've escaped with even worse than the scars at his neck and fading marks on his arms and torso. "I happen to remember a certainl lowblood face-down in the mud as I dragged her carcass up a tree....and rather ADAMANT about keeping it there....though it seemed snuggled into my neck was a close second choice," he smirked back. Actually it hadn't been nearly so tender or romantic.....he had been COVERED in blood, sweat, and mud....probably the WORST day of his life! .....So far. His time with her seemed only begining.

He started when she asked about the quadrant. So.....she....WASN'T with the other blueblood? Or any of the trolls that had hovered around to make sure she was alright? He'd felt pangs of indignation at both expenses. "Well, I'm sure if someone is interested they will gladly make their intentions known." His insides reeled at the concept. Ugh....even Reemus had been charmed by her. If she'd had no offers it was unlikely to remain so.

DraconicFeline

 

[LordPocky]

Zariah's smile broadened as they both accepted his suggestions. His judgements weren't always right, but it would help get them off to knowing what they would or wouldn't care for. He flushed as it ocurred to him just how talkative he'd been about the subject. "Oh...um, y-yes," he agreed with a sheepish laugh. "Um...b-back when I lived on Busthind going up and down the m-mountain was....difficult....and I didn't know m-many locals. I s-suppose I found w-ways to keep myseelf busy." When their hive had been such a death trap, as well, there were times it was simply safer to be outside in the wilds. Plus it got him some good foraging skills if nothing else. He learned which plants were edible and which would cause nausea....and one that was temporary blindness. It was fortunate Keionx was out of the hive so often.

"L-lately I haven't had m-much time for hobbies...um....Xio...my twin....she's uh....worried I'm not strong enough," he grinned the same shy smile as before. Sure he didn't seem like the strongest troll....but even his pride could be hurt by his twin's constant coddling. "M-maybe she's right but it's d-difficult to find time to wr-write.....or read for that matter." Some of his most precious time lately had been spent hiding away with a kettle of tea and a book....but not many trolls appreciated having such down time. "And wh-what of you tw-two?" he asked, looking between them. Clearly friends...but they seemed to have quite different personalities.

Doutei

Yamashii

 

[blackbird cake]

Covering her mouth with her sweater sleeve, Elidae bubbled with laughter. "No, you're not wrong! It was pretty odd! I'm- I'm not sure what her deal was with Kursha- ah, the guy working my booth. Like I said! No quadrant, but I, uhh... hmm." Putting a finger to her bottom lip, Elidae seemed to lose herself in some deep thought. A moment later, she burst with energy, rocking back on her heels.

"Well, I guess it doesn't matter! The queen's booth though, huh? I stopped by there earlier! Pretty, ehe- pretty fun!" The statement seemed to end in a skewed questioning tone with Elidae shrugging, forcing a strained laugh at the remembrance of her two out of three experiences at the booth. "Been to any other interesting booths?" Giggling, Elidae wrinkled her nose and gave Peikoe a playful look. "Or maybe ran into some other interesting trolls?"

seekingCylem

sorry for such a late tag, thank you for your patience! ; m ; I'd like at least one more round between them if you don't mind! elidae is dazzled and wants a new friend

 

[seekingCylem]

Elidae seemed to be put more at ease, which in turn gave Rasali a chance to relax. The bitterness still roiled in her stomach at the mention of Kursha, but the sheer domesticity of what Elidae was describing helped Rasali pretend they were talking about someone completely different. It'd be funny to imagine that wannabe big-shot surrounded by candy and polka dots if she weren't in a much worse position herself. Silently she hoped for Kursha to get glitter all over himself from the booth decor.

Rasali hummed. "I suppose it depends on who you're partnered with. There's certainly a different atmosphere between ribbing your friends and calling out some highblood you've never met. Feels like if it weren't run by the queen herself a fight would have broken out by now." Rasali couldn't help but giggle at the thought. Peikoe might not have fared so well under those circumstances, but Rasali would have been on that like white on a lusus.

"Well obviously Aandes' booth is the best! If not for him, Odette is just lovely." Rasali grinned. Even if the true story of Odette Cygnet was less than ideal, Rasali couldn't help but get caught up in the glitz and glamour of it all. She... may or may not have snuck one of the signed headshots into her bag when Aandes wasn't looking. It was, uh, inspirational. Reference for Peikoe and all that.

"I haven't gotten the chance to play too many games, but the food has been really good this season! It seems like everyone's making their beetles' worth off of warm beverages given the weather." Rasali tried not to swoon. At the very least this excursion had proved that being a tea enthusiast was most certainly not a Rasali Panaka-specific trait. She was free to indulge herself all she liked. "That one with the greenblood... greenbloods..? Really has the works going on with it. It's been a little too crazy for me to want to wait in the crowd, though." Not to mention watching so many identical faces move so fast made her dizzy.

Rasali sobered suddenly. "That one with all the free hot chocolates, though... Don't go there. It's not worth it." Rasali's deathly serious tone suddenly broke into a dramatic whine. "I only just recovered from the spice burns from last Bloodfest! I swear that little redblood is cute, but she's a total sadist."

Rasali huffed and moved her hands to her hips, striking a pose of pure indignity. A second later she opened an eye and coyly looked back at Elidae with a tiny smirk.

"What about you? Have you managed to get out much? Boothing is fun and all, but collecting your own prizes isn't nearly as fun as winning someone else's."

blackbird cake

no prob! i could go on forever with these two. they're a ton of fun together.

 

[DraconicFeline]

"Up a tree?!" Keionx didn't remember falling unconcious and being dragged up a tree. She was pretty sure that they'd been dragged through a tunnel by his lusus, or some such thing, but then again the events between the undead attack and waking up in the swamp village were not exactly clear.

But snuggled into his neck? If she was unconcious and up a tree, as he said, how could she snuggle? Why?

The tone of his voice was odd, though she could find nothing outright in his words. "Miache... I mean, Miaahh, Tell me truly..." hereyes searched his, her tone serious with a hint of teasing cheer. "You have something you want to say." She didn't know what it was, or what about his tone of voice that told her that there was possibly a question, unasked, within it. "What is it?"

LordPocky

 

[Gl!tch~]

Well this wasn't looking good. Watching Nictor fail to speak, barely do more than hunch down in fear, ready to bolt... On the one hand, he could let the kid go. It would help the kid's nerves, and if Reemus was in his shoes he would appreciate freedom. But at the same time, the kid's presence just made him feel so bad. Could Toothy be nice? Was he allowed to make Toothy be nice?

Standing here, looking through blue-tinted glasses, made him feel like he was standing on the other hemospectrum end back when he was a kid, back at the Coliseum that one time. Maybe he could do something a little less scary? Maybe he could help?

"Er- the pollen ain't good, but. Um. I ain't gonna give ya a hard time." He just had to breathe away from Nictor. Or sneeze away? This was hard. "Uhhhh, that soup looks good. If ya ain't careful ya might drop it, n' that wouldn't be good! Relax, okay, mate?"

Taki-di

He's trying

 

[Taki-di]

Nictor Sabbat

Nictor jolted back a step when the blueblood spoke, arms jerking. Some of the soup slopped over the edge onto his already dirty hoodie, but he gamely ignored it and fumbled for his dinner. Some more soup managed to slosh onto the ground, but the jar was grasped firmly once more.

As much as his thoughts had shorted out to running being the only option, the suggestion by the blueblood stopped him. It wasn't violent or aggressive and his automatic instinct to obey for the sake of his own survival made him listen. He'd nearly dropped his soup anyway, he may as well actually relax. As long as there was some space between them, it would be fine. As long as he could still run if he wanted, it would be fine. Nictor at least tried to tell himself that.

He really ought to put the lid back on, his stomach was churning with far too much anxiety to each right now.

Shaky hands refused the idea because they were locked fiercely on glass.

He nodded feebly, face screwing up a bit from the deep desire to shut his eyes and the world out with it and the insistent need to keep an eye on the big troll in front of him.

Deep breaths, beep breaths. In, out, in out.

"S-s-sor-r-r----ry" Nictor uttered, eventually. Near incomprehensible and stuttered but the apology managed to push past his lips in a hush.

Gl!tch~

i wanted to spray him in glass chunks but you win