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 Posted: Sun Aug 07, 2016 7:44 pm
[4/7]
"I bet I could do it! I could dance with fire." It was just normal dancing with fire sticks, right? Shouldn't be too hard! He just had to make sure they didn't get too close. Sol nodded, more than confident in his non-existent abilities.
He tugged on his Baba's hand, pulling the train that had begun his family through the crowd. From underneath his head wrap his antennae flexed, standing straight on end at times, as alert as any feline's whiskers. "Come on, come on, hurry up! I don't want to miss them."
Blah blah blah, ointments, blah blah blah, what Ygraine said - whatever! He tugged impatiently on Nimueh's hand, trying to forcibly drag the much larger man faster.
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Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2016 2:27 pm
The promise of food and cooling ointments nearly made Nimueh moan in approval, but he thankfully kept his mouth closed. The gentle support of Callum's hand on the small of his back, and Sol's tiny fingers in his hand helped lure him, reluctantly, onwards. The crowd was still bustling, but with the promise of night, and its descending dusk, the pathways were kept clear as people rushed for the food stands, or gathered around the shows that were set to begin soon. "Could you now? What if you caught your hair on fire? Or your sister?" Nimueh teased, turning his head to grin cheekily at Callum, unable to resist gently prodding at his excited son.
It wasn't difficult to find where the dancers were; there was a large swathe of cleared out space, where they were setting up their show. Nim guided his excited munchkin to the side of the crowd, where they could still see but could sit in the packed dirt path and watch. Now, of course, came the issue of food. Peering around, Nimueh spotted a line of booths and leaned close to Callum, dragging his lips against his partner's cheek, "Watch them a moment? I'll be back." He smiled, then gently guided Sol's hand to Callum's, and pulled away from the group to go and fetch their meal.
[5/7]
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Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2016 2:32 pm
"Ha! Could not!" Ygraine argued back, plodding along 'obediently' behind her fathers. Sol was hopping around so excitedly, but baba was able to keep him restrained enough that Ygraine wasn't yanked about behind them. As soon as she spotted the performers she burst into excited giggles, releasing Callum's hand so she could, instead, dart through her parents' legs and grab Sol by the elbow, excitedly hopping with him.
For the moment, at least, they could see the performers clearly as they were getting ready to begin, but Ygraine watched the growing, jostling crowd, defensive over her and her brother's spot. "D'you think they spit fire too, Sol?"
[5/7]
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Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2016 3:02 pm
There were more than a few familiar faces in the bustling throng of sight seers for Callum to nod at. Some were fellow combatants, some acquaintances they met on the road, and one was simply an over friendly toddler who took apparent delight in seeing his odd little family. There had been a time once when his children had been that small, and now here they were, making demands and growing up right before his eyes. Callum wasn't sure if he should be nostalgic or proud. Or even both.
He turned Nimueh's cheeky grin, peering around his lover to look at the wide eyed Sol. Some day the boy was going to do great things...and as much as Callum planned on supporting him, perhaps they could table fire dancing for now? Still, it was amusing to see the way the boy seemed to pause at the questions. At least he was thinking, for once, instead of going with what he thought was 'cool'.
Relief coursed through Callum once they made it. He hadn't realized just how likely the wound was to burning until they had already begun walking. The swordsman grimaced some before placing most of his weight on his good leg, causing his form to relax. Well, relax somewhat, until Nimueh's lips drug a veritable purr from his own. "We'll be waiting."
Callum gently took Sol's hand into his own, and for a moment, just a moment he had both of his children. Perhaps he was too focused on watching his lover's behind as Nimueh walked away and maybe his hold on Ygraine had relaxed enough for her to escape...or more likely it was just her spunk that led to a momentary panic. Yes, definitely the latter.
Once he saw that she was safe, he donned a mock scowl that was liberally tempered with a smile. "Ygraine. Hold onto Sol's hand or it's back on the ribbon, snowflake."
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Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2016 8:18 pm
"I could if I wanted to!" Sol puffed his chest up, letting his Baba know that this boy meant business. "I wouldn't even get burned! And...And I probably wouldn't catch Ygraine's hair on fire." It depended on how much she annoyed him, and how much he could get by with. He definitely wouldn't make her bald, or burn her skin; surely he wouldn't be that bad.
From here Sol could see a big, burly man and two women; one that was very clearly feminine, the other he had to do a double take just to make sure. All three were limbering up, and dipping pieces of wood with wadded cloth ends into...weird water? Or was that...oil? "I'm not sure, but that would be pretty cool, wouldn't it? Which one do you think would be the one to do it, if they did?"
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Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2016 6:30 pm
With all of Callum's flinches, and the way he favored his leg as they walked, Nimueh couldn't help but to shoot him a concerned look as he moved away, peering above the crowd at the assembled shops. It took longer than he had expected to find food he felt confident his sometimes picky children would consider eating, and from there it took time to get through the crowd, and served. By the time he returned, he was certain the fire dancers would have started, and so occassionally he shot a look back towards his family, concerned he wouldn't be able to pick them out through the throng.
The children, tiny as they were, were all but devoured by the amount of people; light was dimming as twilight descended, and lanterns were being lit. But there they were... Callum, almost glowing in the firelight, white hair shimmering gold, clothing bright and easy to pinpoint. As he waited, Nimueh watched them across the distance, lip quirking up into a fond, happy smile. For now, the twins simply bounced with excitement; until the sound of drums boomed across the courtyard. Oban children excitedly shot across the clearing plaza, weedling their way through the growing crowd of onlookers as the fire dancers finished their preparations.
By the time he received the armful of food and picked his way back towards his family, the dancers were moving to the center of the 'stage', dressed simply. A pair of musicians began to thrum out a hearty piece on their drum and shamisen, swaying with the beats of the music as the dancers began their routine. By the time he was back by his partner and children, they were sure to be completely glued to the performance... he snorted, and fondly shook his head.
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Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2016 6:52 pm
Ygraine jumped, puffed out her cheeks, but ultimately obeyed, reaching to grab Sol's hand with an unhappy grumble at being scolded. Squinting at the three, she hummed thoughtfully, then nudged Sol and pointed openly at the androgynous woman. "That one, definitely."
She and her brother watched as the three dancers stretched and prepared their gear, until the music began. With broad steps, the feminine dancer moved from her spot at the edge of the stage, raising the stick as if to show the audience what it was. With a flick of her wrist, both ends burst into flame - eliciting an excited gasp from Ygraine, who stood on her tip toes to see, gaping openly. At first the motions were slow, deliberate and more sensual than anything else... but soon the turns of the rod became fast, the sweeping of her arms moving closer to her body, each move more daring than the last. She was utterly captivated - perhaps not enough to attempt it, like her brother, but certainly more than enough to become entranced with the performance.
She barely even noticed when her baba returned, and instead continued to watch, clinging to Sol's arm in her sheer excitement.
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Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2016 7:24 pm
[6/7]
Sol nodded sagely. The other two seemed like obvious choices, but he knew it would likely be the least assuming one in the bunch. Two flashy dancers would have their own routine, so that one had to have the fire.
He stood with his sister, watching with rapt adoration as the female dancer moved closer to the edge of the ring. At first it was easy to keep up with her and like a nondwa drawn to the flame, Sol became entranced. His little antennae stood up as tall as they could while the boys focus was drawn in towards the dancers. It was...it was...amazing.
His parents may as well have not existed for all the attention he paid them. Sol watched as the performer's brother took up two flaming batons and spun them so fast he couldn't see where one ended and the other began. In an instant he was tossing them into the air, executing a backflip and catching both with a cheeky grin.
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Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2016 7:36 pm
At first Callum wasn't impressed in the least. The performance was too bland for his tastes; something tender for a lover, perhaps, but ultimately overdone. Even the spark of flame wasn't enough to catch his attention, though his children, on the other hand...It was absolutely precious to watch their reactions. Maybe once they returned home he could teach them some of the basics...? Nothing as flashy as fire dancing, but...
Watching the dancers did nothing for his itchy feet. Injured or not, Callum found himself moving to beat of the drum and subtly mimicking the performers. He was careful not to place too much weight on his injured leg, despite the logical side of him that pointed out he really should sit down while he had the opportunity.
The nomad's hoary eyes blossomed in the firelight when the androgynous woman came forward. He was perhaps a little too into the performance; otherwise, how else would he have missed Nim coming back to them? He turned his head to check on the children once more, and jolted, surprise covering his features before letting out a little laugh.
"If you would have been a keldari I would be dead. How long were you standing there?...and have I ever told you how godlike you look by firelight?
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Posted: Sat Sep 03, 2016 9:00 pm
As the performance continued on, Nimueh ducked down and gently pressed food into his childrens' hands, a subtle invitation to eat as they watched. The meal was simple; thick, juicy and succulent meat impaled on a stick, which the kids could eat as they watched without tearing their eyes away from the show. With each stick came a stone bowl filled with aromatically seasoned rice, covered in a chunky vegetable sauce, which Nimueh was resigned to having to hold until the twins were ready to eat it.
When Callum finally noticed him, Nimueh flashed him a toothy, amused smile, eyes crinkling at the edges, twinkling like molten gold in the firelight. It was funny that Callum would say that, when he was the one dancing like a summoned spirit, silver-blonde hair and pale skin glowing richly in the light, blue eyes shining with mirth and pleasure with the music. Nimueh flushed, pleased by the comment, if a little embarrassed. "... Not long. Captivating performance, is it?" He nodded his chin to the performers, particularly the androgynous woman who his partner had been staring at, and teasingly winked at Callum.
While many people were watching the show, the crowd was well spread out, thin enough that there was little need to group together, peering over shoulders to watch. Even the children could see without interruption, so Nimueh moved to sit, pleased with the show, but more relieved to finally have a quiet moment just to soak in the presence of his family.
From there he could simply hold the sticks, the bowls balanced in his lap, watching his entranced family with a soft, relaxed expression.
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Posted: Sat Sep 03, 2016 10:14 pm
It had to be good, even papa was dancing! Ygraine clung to her brother for support, gasping whenever a particularly great move was pulled off. How could they even SPIN the fire that fast, without it going out? And the backflips!! Just as it was getting good, Baba was there, holding up skewers of meat. Ygraine whined, upset at the interruption, but as soon as she gripped the stick, he moved out of the way again. Whatever it was, though, when she finally nibbled at it, it was delicious!!
While the performance went on, the last shreds of daytime finally disappeared, leaving the festival dark - the flames glowed brightly, flaring with each twirl of the batons. As the man finished his piece, the androgynous woman retrieved what looked to be another set of sticks - only, this time, when she lit them up they emit a series of breathtaking sparks. She spun them expertly, so smoothly that Ygraine didn't know where one ended and the other began - occasionally dimming until only the shreds of embers silhouetted the woman. Then, they flared back to life, bouncing off one another with jaw-dropping flares of fire, that disintegrated into flittering stars.
Ygraine didn't realize she had moved to sit against Nimueh until she was finished with her meat, and he took the empty stick from her slack hand. Her eyes burned from staring into the bright fire, but she couldn't tear her eyes away, captivated as she was by the beauty of it.
It wasn't until the act with the sparkling torches was finished, and the other woman came out with a set of fire fans that she began to move slowly once more that Ygraine realized how tired she was. The smooth spins were hypnotizing and relaxing, and her eyes began to droop before she even knew what was happening - and within minutes she had all but passed out against her baba, flopped limply against his side with his arm around her middle.
( Fire Fans and Sparkling for reference )
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