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 Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2012 8:07 pm
Date: 17 October, 104 NE
Time: 6:30 PM
Temperature: 57° F The promenade that runs between the Falls and the Aurentine Embassy is alive with sound. The clatter of ornate carriages on the smooth cobbled road mingles with the snapping of colorful banners and the heavy, booted footsteps of patrolling city guards.
Just outside the Embassy's gates are the magnificent Gardens of Aubeline, renowned as one of the finest in Havyn, well-stocked with exotic plants and elegant statues.
In the center of the Gardens is an expansive plaza, centered on an exquisitely cast sculpture of the goddess Aubeline, water pouring from her open palms.
Clustered throughout the plaza, and lined along the spiraling paths that radiate from it are dozens of colorful tents, each full of the exotic wares brought from around the world by those whose shouts vie for the attention of passersby.
Bright fabrics, shining jewelry, and delicately carved wooden toys, to name but a few of the items spread across tables in the entryways, and smiling women beckon you toward darkened tents where mystic cards lay upon colorful tablecloths.
The spicy aroma of incense blends with the savory smells of cooking from the fire pits burning by many of the booths.
Strung overhead are hundreds of round, glass and iron lanterns, delicately etched with leaves, the small flames within sheltered from the wind that swayed the wires.
Music drifts through the air, and it seems the evening's festivities are just beginning.
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Posted: Thu Oct 18, 2012 11:59 am
Ari tugged at her hoodie as she stood before the beginning of the festival. Biting her lip, she was soon regretting letting her shrink talk her into this. It will help you bond, she said.
"......stupid shrink.."
She kept toward the dark part of the path, eying the stalls with dread in her stomach. Ari remebered that last time she wandered off and she will not make the same mistake again
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Posted: Thu Oct 18, 2012 12:04 pm
"She's not stupid. You just need to get use to it. Thats all," said a voice behind her. The calm face of Hakaishi appeared out of the darkness as she walked into the light of a streep lamp. Her dark hair was tinged with grey, a trait shared by all the women in her family. They all began to go grey in their 20s. Ishi was no exception.
She wore her usual black attire; a black turtle neck, pants, boots, and a barret perched on her head. Dark lipstick stained her lips, making them stand out against her light skin. She smiled softly, her grey eyes bright and cheerful. "Come on, lets go see if these Aurentines can make decent silk. Or if they are just all talk and no quality," she winked and held her hand out to Ari.
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Posted: Thu Oct 18, 2012 12:15 pm
Ari jumped a little, her hood slipping off her head. She took Ishi's hand lightly.
"....I would if it was a little quieter...and no drinking..."
As she headed into the light of the streetlamp, she put her hood back up. Her gray and red hoodie almost hid all of her except her face and hands.
".....you will soon eat your words, silk spinner."
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Posted: Thu Oct 18, 2012 12:24 pm
"Its part of a festival. Back home, in Asanuno, you should see our festivals. Loud bangs and colorful explosions," she grinned softly. She thought back to the summers she use to spend at her grandparents. Watching the dancing dragons and laterns. It was beautiful and fun. Children ran around with sparkling sticks and recieving red envelopes with candy or money inside.
"And frankly considering it's Aurentine you can't escape drinking," she rolled her eyes as she guided Ari past a few drunken participants. She smirked as Ari called her a silk spinner, a common phrase used for people from her city. After all she did still keep her Asanuno heritage in her face. She glanced around all the all the bright colors and smells. She stopped at a sweet's shop and bought both her and Ari a treat.
"So where to first, Ari?" she glanced at the girl as she popped a treat in her mouth.
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Posted: Thu Oct 18, 2012 12:34 pm
Sucking on the hard treat for a bit, Ari looked around. Toward the left of them there were some really brightly lit stalls that had something fun by the sound of it. The laughter and amount of people leaving this big stall with white lanterns looked really interesting. She looked in her jean stiched bag for a moment.
"...Perhaps we should go over there first and then back to the stall with the white lanterns?"
She pointed toward the far right, a green stall that was in between the lights and the darkness. Hanging around it were light blue lanterns and silk ribbons grabbing on the sides.
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Posted: Thu Oct 18, 2012 12:52 pm
"Alright. Lets go see what all the fun is about," she took Ari's hand again. She had been instructed by her therapist to keep hold of her hand. She found comfort in it, which may give her more confidance. She walked towards the green tent, her eyes glancing at the laterns.
"You know Ari, back in my city; the laterns are usually red. Bright red with glowing orange lights," she grinned at looked at her friend, "and with much better quality silk."
She chuckled as she looked at the ribbons on the latern. They were ok, not Asanuno quality but then again maybe she was bias. She walked into the tent without hesitation, keeping firm hold of Ari's hand to guide her inside.
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Posted: Thu Oct 18, 2012 1:07 pm
"....my second foster family had lanterns passed from the mother to daughter....they had gold on them.......so mean silk spinner, to talk ill of your cousins."
Ari slipped her hood off, the light her slowly changing the darkness. On the left , laid a table of silk handbags of every color under the rainbow with a design of patterned flowers and feathers in copper. On the right was a long table of odd objects. Lesser gems, curious statues made out of polished wood and what looked like bone. Ari stepped closer to the left, picking up a emerald and onyx hand bag.
"Odd color combination...."
Turning it closer to the light, she saw gold threading in a familiar pattern. It was in the outline of a feather.
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Posted: Thu Oct 18, 2012 1:26 pm
"Ah it's healthy competition. Keeps business going," she grinned softly. Which was kind of true, after all you had to keep your customers guessing when it came to what kind they should buy. Competition helped create new products.
She looked more closely at the silk handbags, not being able to help looking at the weave and dye job. Drat her grandparents always pointing it out when they came to visit. Finally she walked back over to where Ari was standing. Apparently something had caught her eye. She looked over the girl's shoulder.
"Black and green. I like it," she squinted at the small pattern. "Hmm, feather. Wonder if they have any other patterns?" she said looked at the purses. She didn't find anything that caught her eye until she turned to the statues. One looked almost like bone. "Hmm, looks more like a grave marker than a statue."
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Posted: Thu Oct 18, 2012 1:31 pm
"Change. This card represents great change. Soon, your life will spiral into a-"
"Is that all ya got?" Ainsley grunted at the old woman, eyeing her hands rather carefully as they laid out the cards on the table between them. Ainsley didn't trust these fortune tellers. Especially not Aurentine ones. Their accents were too carefully cultivated. Their words too specifically chosen. It all felt fake. Well, of course it felt fake because it was fake. There was no way possible a single woman with a deck of dramatic cards could tell the future.
...Then why wasn't it impossible for her tattoo to come to life?
Ainsley's scowl deepened and she took another swig of beer. At least Aurentines were good for that. Beer was good.
"Of course my life is going to change. Every day is different. Every day is change," with that, the woman stood up abruptly and tossed the woman some money. Why had she even bothered?
Maybe somewhere deep inside, Ainsley was hoping that this woman, supposedly connected with magic greater than herself would have some answers as to why things were the way they were. Maybe she could shed some light on this senshi nonsense. Maybe she could make it...stop.
Or she just wanted to be a b***h.
Or both.
Either way, she was scowling as she stepped out of the tent and back onto the street. So many people out and about. Not a single one she knew. Another swig of beer was in order.
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Posted: Thu Oct 18, 2012 4:16 pm
Ari smiled, keeping hold of the handbag. This is the one she liked so far, the others seemed too, chaotic or bright.
"...the patterns are mostly flowers and ornate..."
Seeing more people coming in, she headed back to Ishi's side. She bit her lip, looking at the statues.
"...it looks like a blank alter stone..."
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Posted: Thu Oct 18, 2012 5:23 pm
Ishi smiled and picked it up, looking it over. "I like it, I think I'll get it. How about you? You going to get that?" she pointed to the handbag. She walked up front to pay for the statue, putting it in her backpack. Then she walked back outside.
"Ok you wanted to go to the white one next? How about after that we go see the dancers down in the plaza?" The greying girl smiled at her friend. She hoped to get her more into a crowd so she could learn to be comfortable. She hadn't been told why Ari didn't like crowds, and she hadn't asked. She had only agreed to go with her because it would help her.
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Posted: Thu Oct 18, 2012 8:00 pm
Ari looked at her bag and bought it. It seemed right to go with the skirt she made the other day. After paying for it, she hurried after Ishi.
".......Okay silk spinner, just not so close to the drinkers. They make me...nervous.."
She eyed the white stall. Hopefully her lotion will still work in that..light.
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Posted: Fri Oct 19, 2012 10:10 pm
David Renden grinned happily as he glanced around the gardens. He looked forward to this festival all year. Usually these grounds weren't open to the public, and in spite of the crowd and the noise and the vendors, David preferred to wander the quieter parts of gardens, enjoying the rare plants.
He gently touched the bright yellow leaves of a strange tree. He couldn't help but love these things.
Of course Sian had run off with some of her friends the second they had gotten there, he had expected nothing different of his little sister, she always did prefer noise.
It was a gorgeous night, in spite of the chill, he sat on a cold stone bench and gazed up at the sky with a soft, contended sigh.
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Posted: Sat Oct 20, 2012 6:07 pm
Something is in the air.
It was the music that had drawn her to it.
A relatively silent evening which would have resulted in self reflection had gone astray and Luna hurried along towards the festivities. Her paws were hurried as she rustled herself over a large wall, sitting on its top for a moment to stare at the grand lights of the estate flickering over the expansive gardens.
She felt her head tilt, scanning over the array of color. Perhaps she shouldn't have allowed herself to be drawn here considering the sheer amount of people, but something other than the music had swayed her paws. Inhaling deeply she jumped forward with a lurch and tumbled through the garden towards its center.
Attempting to catch her breath, she sat on top of a wooden booth, looking over the crowd with curious eyes.
Hmmmm. They all seem to be having fun. She thought to herself.
Whether this was a good idea or a bad idea still remained to be seen.
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