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 Posted: Wed Nov 03, 2010 9:58 pm
Enlei really didn't feel like staying around. It baffled her; how could nobles and legions stand to be friends with each other? Enlei was sure she could never hurt a friend, at least, not in a battle- so the obvious answer to that was to stay away from legions.
Except they seemed to be everywhere. If Kiran turned out to be one, too, she'd have to remember to avoid him as well.
"Jiejie, look, I won the game!" Ruishan pulled at her sleeve, and she smiled at him somewhat distractedly, then immediately felt bad for it- her brother should come before anything else. The little boy was beaming, and she knelt to cuddle and congratulate him before placing a few coins on the checker-board.
"Thank you for playing with him," she said to Sakngea, and immediately Ruishan, too, echoed his sister with a cheerful "Thank you~"
"I guess I'll see you two around, then," Enlei said, waving to Kiran and Xiuying. She hoped Xiuying would have fun too, today; the girl was looking really bored. She'd actually looked forward to spending more time with the quiet girl, but maybe they'd meet again some other time.
"Good luck with the game!" she called out, then turned to leave. Pointedly avoiding Huangfu and Yue Lao, Enlei had to push her way out of the crowd surrounding the checker game.
Well- the day was still young, and there was lots more to see; as long as she had Ruishan with her, things would be fine.
Yes. Yes they would. Determined to enjoy the celebration day, Enlei walked down Main Street, brother in tow, hoping to come across something else interesting.
((OOC: Pulling Enlei out because I can't tag back as fast as I'd like to, what with finals and etc coming soon. I guess you can still approach her, but tags /will/ be slow, sorry >__< ))
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Posted: Thu Nov 04, 2010 7:21 pm
Was Huang an enemy of Kiran's? That did not bode well for Yue; if this encounter proved that Kiran was, indeed, Noble... they couldn't exactly go on pretending not to know that they were fighting on opposite sides of a war. Yue hadn't asked Kiran, when they met, what his allegiance was. She never did. She could often tell, or suspect, but she didn't like to ruin an encounter by setting it in the mould of enemies, should they prove to be from opposite sides.
All the same, Kiran had smiled and responded, and she didn't feel bad about going over to see him. "Ballads, fiend? So you have some of your own? Except they're about checkers, instead of ferocity," she said, laughing. During their picnic she had pretended to have her own ballads, which she thought of then. Yue tilted her head, curious, as his sister signed to him. That was the second time in one day she'd seen sign language. Huang, earlier, had used signs at her. She was beginning to think she'd be better off if she could understand them. Yue waved at the girl, whom she assumed to be family, and smiled. "Kiran pushed me into a lake," she said, embellishing a little. "And I almost drowned. It was awful." Yue was grinning, and she winked at Kiran. "Luckily, he's a good swimmer, and we both managed to escape."
Yue's eyes flashed as the new stranger spoke. It was a mixture of a predatory instinct, curiosity, and defensiveness for Kiran. Was the stranger wearing some kind of dress...? Yue pressed her palm against her mouth, holding her laughter in. The stranger was dressed more girly than she was.
"More interesting, stranger?" Yue asked, quirking her brows. What did that mean for Kiran and the new Lunarian?
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Posted: Thu Nov 04, 2010 10:45 pm
Huang frowned as well as he noticed that Kiran took notice of him and sighed. Yue obviously knew Kiran and the girl from last night was there, the little rude one. While Huang wasn't psychic, he could tell this group was a larger more obscene gathering of nobles. And although it was a a festival he wasn't on all that good terms with them, especially Kiran. However for Yue's sake he stuck around keeping his mouth shut. She was comfortable with them, which meant maybe that she was a friends with a couple, and while it was something Huang had only experienced once with someone, he didn't feel that he needed to immerse himself in this group.
Sighing again he let his mind wander before a strange intuition went through him.
"Lady Yue, I must take my leave now, it seems I have been called back to duty." He gave her a small smile before patting her head, "Tomorrow is the last day of the festival, hope to see you then as well." Huang turned to look at the other boys and sighed, was it safe to leave Yue? He wished to stay longer but the beckoning his body was trained for strained on him. It was against his code to leave her, especially with the enemies. But he hoped they had the same honor he did for the festival and no blood shed would be...shed.
He gave Kiran a look that said he would hurt the kid if he even tried a move on Yue before turning on his heel and striding off, instantly disappearing in the sea of people and then back home.
He hoped next time, he would find something interesting to do again.
(Pulling him out till next day LOL)
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Posted: Fri Nov 05, 2010 10:30 am
 Day Three :: The Day of Remembrance :: Begin.
It's eveningtime. Formal dress - your best outfit - is what you're wearing. When you entered the Festival tonight, you were handed a candle and told to light it when directed to do so, but not before then. It is a warm night, balmy and relaxing, and tonight is a calm, respectful night where you are to remember those that have passed on and give thanks to their memories. Once the candle ceremony is done with, the last part of the festival begins.
Keep things going for this last day; there will be small things happening that are important, so keep an eye out for them.
Also please remove your signatures when posting. It makes things look much nicer.
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Posted: Fri Nov 05, 2010 3:58 pm
Jianyu's leg itched.
Under normal circumstances, this would not have been that big of an issue. But the black and blue ceremonial robes his parents had insisted on forcing him to wear were too long and too bulky to do anything about this irritation. The clothes were comfortable, at the very least, but they did make moving fast (or moving well) an issue.
The streets were quiet when Jianyu entered the last night of the Festival; he had come a bit too early, and there were only a few people milling about. He accepted the candle offered to him with a nod and held it in his hand, arms tucked together in his long sleeves as he made his way towards Main Street. Here was a bit more populated, and though the cafes and dining establishments were mostly closed, they had set out their tables for passerby to take rest in should they need it - which Jianyu took advantage of by seating himself at an empty table of one of the outdoor cafes. He very much enjoyed the quiet; the night was calm and warm, and it was peaceful. Very peaceful.
Jianyu let out a small sigh, closing his eyes briefly and inhaling the scents of the night around him. Spices and smoke mixed with the sweet dabs of perfume from the women of Lunaria. It all felt so very familiar, so very quiet and Jianyu tilted his head back, breathing deeply.
Welcome to the Day of Remembrance, he thought. Who shall I remember this night?
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Posted: Fri Nov 05, 2010 4:26 pm
It felt like all she'd done for the past three days was fuss. Li knew well the institution of tradition and formality, but by Lunaria's grace, did all the clothing have to be so...stuffy and flow-y and feminine? Part of her was ashamed for feeling so uppity about wearing the fine clothing to celebrate a time-honored tradition...and the other, silent part was grateful it was only three days of the year.
Li quietly adjusted her white hanfu, carefully holding up the hem that was embroidered in blue, the bottom of which bloomed with blue patterned flowers. She felt it was inappropriate to wear the color of mourning and had only agreed to it because of the more brilliant blue that heralded celebration. Their loved ones lived on in their memories and that was the day being honored; remembrance. Li repeated this to herself as she glided down the street that emptied into the main flow of Lunarians, all dressed to their mourning and festive best. She was there to celebrate the paths that had crossed her own, even if they no longer converged and passed. They were all there to impart their well wishes and give thanks to the opportunity to have met such divine souls...
Allowing her hanfu to ripple back to the ground, she clasped the candle between her bell-sleeved hands and silently wound through the street, taking in the surroundings and ambiance of the evening. Lifting one of her hands briefly to push back a lock of her hair from her cheek - the long winter tresses were left down in the front, the back braided and pinned with combs - she decided that she would do her best to mingle this night and live to the memories of those who could not be with her.
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Posted: Fri Nov 05, 2010 5:37 pm
"Thank you."
The green haired Lunarian gave a gentle reply as a candle was passed onto him. The night was quiet, much similar to this morning. There were more people, but his soft voice still sounded loud in the dark street. As more people joined the festival the main street would be more lit by candles, but for now, the place remained sheltered in the night veil.
People's footsteps could be heard, replacing the birds in the morning. Cui's white and green hanfu was quite obvious against the darker background. Unlike a lot of others, he walked around in the long and formal attire quite comfortably, holding the candle with both hands in front of him. One could say he was acting a bit too formal for the occasion, but his expression showed that it was nothing but a part of his leisure.
Like the usual, he wore a smile on his face, but his eyes remained empty much similar to this morning. It was a good indication that the young man's mind was wandering elsewhere, obviously not paying attention to the street nor the festival. He walked on, passing the tables and seats without stopping nor looking at others. At a corner with less people he stopped, allowing himself to retreat into the shadows, waiting for the festival to begin. With the lit candle in front of his face, Cui looked as if he'd appropriately appear in a ghost story. Nonetheless, it did not matter to the young man. He looked up to the sky, well decorated with stars, and sighed.
He supposed he should think up things to say to his parents.
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Posted: Fri Nov 05, 2010 6:58 pm
Kiran accepted the candle handed to him with a short nod. His sister handled hers like a precious treasure, almost like she feared dropping it and breaking it. Kiran smiled a little at his sister, amused by her treatment of such a simple object. She was always like that, handling everything with great care.
He dressed in a light blue and gray hanfu. He tucked his hands into the sleeves as he walked along the street. Xiuying dressed similarly in a white hanfu with a lavender floral pattern. She hurried to catch up with him and looped an arm around his arm. It was the final night of the festival, and though he enjoyed the festival, he was glad to see it coming to close so he wouldn't have to wear such formal clothing anymore, or at least not until the next festival.
Kiran's eyes automatically scanned the crowd, looking for familiar faces. Perhaps he would run into people whom he met on the prior two days of the festival. It was still fairly early in the evening, and there wasn't as many people out yet. As he walked past some of the shops, Kiran noticed Jianyu sitting alone at one of the tables. He pondered going over just give a quick hello.
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Posted: Fri Nov 05, 2010 9:00 pm
For once, Sakn was silent.
Perhaps it was because he actually felt sadness for today, remembering his grandfather and grandmother, both who had passed away when he was small. Perhaps he was remembering the fishermen he had met and grown with, the ones who had been lost at sea. Or perhaps he was silent because his mother threatened to take away his sailing privileges.
Sakn liked to say it was because of the threat, but perhaps he was actually feeling sad, for once showing his soft side. Perhaps.
Either way, there was a somber light in the redhead's eyes as he walked down the streets of the city. He wore something extra special for this evening, and while the fabric was old and smelled slightly of dust, he felt quiet empowered while wearing his grandfathers sampot chang kben and robes. The old man had been a wonderful figure in Sakngea's early life, and this was the first year his mother had allowed him to wear the robes. Usually his father wore them, but seeing as his father and mother had decided to stay home(his father was ill and his mother was caring for him), the fisherboy earned the privilege to wear the fine garments.
Sakngea walked proudly down the streets, and gave a small bow in thanks when he was handed the candle. This was probably the only day people would see him being so respectful, though why he acted like this today was uncertain to anyone.
The crowds were filling in now, and Sakn grunted and (gently) nudged people out of his way, trying to find a place to sit and give some prayers to Heng, one of his fathers recently deceased crew members. Heng had been one of the older men Sakn idolized; a strong, wise man with a good heart and eager to serve his country. He had joined the Legion, and died in the war.
He finally noticed a seat at a small table was open, and nearly pounced on the spot before noticing who was sitting across from him now.
"Jianyu," he said, voice only slightly bitter as he fiddled with his candle, running his nail along the wax, leaving a fine line pressed into it.
Of course, now that he had spoken, Sakn couldn't just get up in leave.
Perhaps, for only today, he could just deal with the legionnaire captain. "Who ya here t'member?"
The question held no taunting cruelty, though it was most definitely an awkward attempt at conversation.
(SEE HE ISNT NAKED ALL THE TIME GUYZ)
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Posted: Sun Nov 07, 2010 12:03 pm
The voice he heard was not exactly one that he had been expecting to hear. Jianyu opened his to see a very familiar redheaded seated across from him, looking somewhat unnerved and uncomfortable. A frown twitched at the corners of Jianyu's mouth, but he pressed his lips together, suppressing the urge to scowl. Tonight was not the night for animosity.
"Sakngea," he said, his voice light as he folded his hands into his long sleeves. "What a...peculiar coincidence, meeting you tonight."
An awkward silence fell between them as Jianyu lapsed into not speaking, debating on whether to answer Sakngea with the entire truth or not. He turned his head away, eyes moving across the throngs of people beginning to fill Main Street, the quiet, murmured voices, the hands holding their candles with a gentle reverence. In about twenty minutes the Lighting Ceremony would begin, and all of Lunaria would stand on Main Street, paying their respects to the dead.
A flash of green caught his eye - CuiYan, Jianyu thought, his eyes narrowing slightly as he watched the young man proceed with a comfortable pace through the crowds, sliding easily between people. He disappeared almost as quickly as he had come, and as he turned his head away, Jianyu thought he saw yet another familiar face; this one a young woman, with light hair and dark eyes, moving through the street - was that the one he had met the first day - SiMa Li, was it? - or perhaps he had been mistaken. However, he turned his attention back to Sakngea, absently reaching up to tug on a bead in his hair.
"My grandparents." he said quietly, fingers rubbing over the wood of the beads. "And...a childhood friend of mine."
He had not spoken of that incident in quite some time, and did not particularly wish to discuss it now, with Sakngea of all people. Jianyu let his hand drop, watching the redhead. "And what of you?" Who do you wish to remember tonight?"
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Posted: Sun Nov 07, 2010 9:21 pm
Huang fidgeted in his extremely formal Hanfu, though he didn't wear the hat like his mother had demanded. His was a deep color of navy blue, like his hair with burgundy linings like his eyes. It was truly a spectacle to see Huang from his tighter clinging fighter clothes to trying to figure out the loose robes.
As he received his candle and bowed in respect to the patron, he cradled it close, as to not let the light flicker out. His pace was a gentle walk as he took in all the people come to pay respects to their lost ones. The pat two days had been interesting in the least. But it was always the last day of the festival where Lunarians came together in remembrance. Enemies forgotten, now was the time to together, mourn the lost of their loved ones. be it at war, or illness or accidental.
Huang was no different. He didn't stop walking, even if he saw somebody he knew till he stood in the front of the grave that meant the most to him.
"Hello Yuan." Huang bent down to the grave, his face with contorted with sadness, "It has been many years my friend. Many years since i came to visit you." Huang sat in silence as he processed the memories of his long dead best friend.
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Posted: Sun Nov 07, 2010 11:38 pm
Bach Yen had scolded her son for barricading himself into his room during the second day of the festival. Her words merely fell on deaf ears while Cais had spent the day watching the festival unwind from his window. It was a sight he enjoyed, but didn't feel the conviction to escape his foul mood to join them. Not even Dinh, with his authoritative voice and hardened face could break their son from his trance. So they, his sister and even Nam had proceeded to enjoy the day, leaving Cais alone in his brooding.
It was burned into his mind. Two days prior he had been there at her grave, looking down at the name etched into the smooth rock. It had been his first time seeing it and as he had bent down over it he traced the name with his fingertips. She really is gone. Deep in his mind he had known that and accepted it, but now with his heart burned with image of the grave it had finally dawned on him in his entirety. Gone, and not coming back. Those words mocked him, but he had little choice to accept them and move on. Cais had never known anything harder.
Now on this, the final day of the festival, Cais was seeking desperately to fill the void which had opened due to sorrow. He had always known beauty to come from flame and it was that knowledge that drove him on this night. He had taken great care to put on the royal purple hanfu his mother had gotten him recently. He felt the color less than becoming, but his mother had felt the regal purple to accentuate him nicely. "Whatever that means." he grumbled, staring back to his hat as he placed a hand on his bedroom door. He would not be needing it tonight, much to his disdain, but he knew better than to wear it on such an occasion. Looking forward with a new passion in his eyes, he wandered out of the house and into the streets.
Alone he was able to quicken his pace to receive his candle. Taking it carefully he entered the area where many Lunarians had gathered. He scanned the crowds to find a familiar face. Perhaps Shin. he thought, walking deeper into the crowd. It was to no avail. He couldn't see anything over the groups of tall Lunarians and was barely able to squeeze through them to find an opening. Moving between Lunarians he managed to find an empty place near a table, looking deeply at his candle then up towards the sky.
He was silent, listening to the murmurs of the night as families joined together to walk for fallen members. Old friends conversing over shared loses. It had a solemn feel to it and kept Cais occupied while he continued to stare at the distant stars, seeking some comfort in their soft glow. His head immediately fell as a familiar voice broke out. With a subtle turn of his head he noticed Jianyu speaking to a redheaded Lunarian he had never met before. For moments he stared, his eyes as daggers looking him over.
After watching him a moment Cais felt his expression soften as he looked away from him. He was sure he hated him, at least, disliked him to such an extent to wish pain on him. No, it was hate. But in that moment even the deepest hatred from his heart could not sway him from the somber mood. "Tonight we're all connected by loss." he muttered to himself, quoting from his mother. Though there was that searing anger towards him, on this night he couldn't bring himself to break the tranquility for his self satisfaction. Not tonight, he thought, But come midnight, things return to normal.
With that sentiment, the young Lunarian had grown still with his thoughts returning to her. I wonder if I am alone in remembering you tonight.
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Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2010 1:05 pm
All the lit candles seemed to ask Yue the same question: Is there anyone you mourn? Her answer seemed to be No. Yue Lao had carefully avoided making any lasting bonds until recently. Jianyu, Kiran, her mothers; these were Lunarians she cared for, in some capacity or another. She tugged at the sleeves of her kimono, thinking about how she might worry if they were in trouble. How she had worried, with Jianyu. Alone, away from Yowai and Chishio, Yue accepted her candle and wandered into the festival's last evening.
She thought she saw Jianyu, for a moment, but was distracted by seeing then Li and definitely Kiran. Kiran was closer, and she wandered towards him, "Hey, fie-- Kiran!" She realized she was being a little loud, and pressed her free hand against her mouth, her long sleeve trailing down. She held tight to the candle. By nature, Yue wasn't one who liked to mourn another, living or dead. She also realized, midway while addressing Kiran, that she shouldn't really call him fiend across the crowd. So, instead, she tried to salvage it by addressing him by his name. As she made her way through the crowd to see him, she hesitated briefly, wondering if it was alright to interrupt her friend while he was likely mourning in ways she was not. At the least, Yue carried the candle in honour of Yowai's child who had been lost, and she carried it in honour of her ancestors.
Yue spotted Li yet again as she paused, still unsure as to whether or not she should approach Kiran; she waved at the Legion girl, wondering if Li would manage to see her.
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Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2010 6:01 pm
In reality, Sakngea wouldn't have expected Jianyu to answer him, even if he spoke in a slightly reluctant voice. The redheads face shifted for a moment; a glimmer of similar sorrow, an understanding, passing through his eyes. The young man nodded solemnly and shifted in his seat.
At first he had no urge to reply to the question. While Jianyu was willing to speak, it made Sakn uncomfortable to mention those who had passed. Perhaps it was because he didn't wish to bother them due to superstition, or perhaps he was confused as to how to feel and react when speaking about such heavy subjects. Either way, in the end, his eyes flashed and lips tightened into a thin line.
But Jianyu was watching him, waiting for a response, and the redhead gently set down his candle on the table between them, letting it roll underneath his hand as he spoke. "I'm here t'remember my grandparents," he stated, before adding in a slightly more pained note(his grandparents had died peacefully, unlike Heng), "An'a shipmate we los' recen'ly," he didn't mention how Heng had died because of the war, or how upset and angry Sakn felt because of it.
There was another pause then, just as awkward and long, in which Sakn glanced away from Jianyu and stared out into the crowds, his fingers clenching and unclenching around his candle. Yet he saw no one familiar in the crowd, so turned his eyes back onto the captain.
"I's a strange calm, ain't it?" he mumbled, eyes glancing around. A strange calm indeed, what with the war and the spirits and both sides mingling; hiding behind their masks. For now.
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Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2010 10:29 pm
If she saw any familiar faces in the crowd, she didn't indicate as much, walking amongst the low din of hushed voices as polite talk was made. Though she was moving forward, her eyes were somewhat unfocused, recalling the names that had disappeared in that year alone - those of the market barkers and her neighbors - though one always flit through her mind like an unsettled butterfly. Father, Li thought to herself, her expression softening with a furrowing of her brows that betrayed her quiet loss. I don't know if you're really gone, but again--
The bright-eyed femme jerked her head up and halted just short of barreling into -- a ghost? Li blinked at the apparition turned out to be a Lunarian staring at the sky, his sigh forcing her to focus a little more. That would have been truly unfortunate, to repeat her mistake with Jianyu - though that had been more fortunate than laden with misgiving, hadn't it? Li gave the unfamiliar Ciuyan a faint smile, lips parting to speak though an outburst caught her attention. Her gaze slid across the somber crowd and lit upon Yue, the much more familiar young woman bringing a slightly warmer smile to her lips. Leave it to the vivacious woman to make an entrance! Now to decide if she was calling out a name or randomly yelling the name of a sacred beast...
"Pardon me," she murmured politely to Cuiyan, carefully floating away from him in her own ghostly attire, approaching the vibrant Lunarian with her smile intact. "My Lady, how nice to see you again," she greeted Yue with a dip of her head, unable to really bow with her hair and garments as flowing as they were. "My sincerest apologies for our parting being so unkind." Li did her best to bow irregardless of the clothing, trying not to twitch at the way it tightened and glided over her skin like a cool hand. Straightening, she readjusted her grip on her candle and glanced amongst the throng of Lunarians with limited interest.
"So then, my Lady - where is that kirin?" It was about as close to teasing as she could get given her not-yet-friendly take on Yue Lao, casting her eyes towards the other beneath heavy lids, her smile taking on a slightly more playful approach.
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