Welcome to Gaia! ::

"That's right! I'd love to have you back soon!" Nucleo smiled at the mention of his cafe. Panili had come by earlier and been a delightful guest with her lusus. He didn't get to talk with her very much at that visit but was more than happy to reschedule it for now. A walk would be invigorating and let them have a nice view too! The atmosphere of a festival was kind of romantic- for pity or friendship!

"This is Amonee! One of my close friends!" Nucleo threw an arm around Amonee's shoulders, happy to be hanging out a while longer. The boy was always so nice and happy, he was a great person to be around. His fascination with white and the daytime was a little odd but Nucleo liked to simply call it unique. There wasn't any thing bad about it.

"And then this is E-" The greenblood started to continue before getting yanked back by his lusus mid sentence. Goatmom had noticed some more hay in his hair that she'd missed and was not going to let him keep waltzing around with it there! That haystack attraction was really grinding on her gears, especially since she wasn't allowed to eat it!

blackbird cake

Sypon

Yamashii

((Quick tag to get things rolling! Thanks for being patient with me ;u;!!))

Panili’s mouth opened in happy surprise as Amonee introduced himself. “Oh! It’s my lucky night… A painter? I don’t know how you three ended up in the mountains, but I’m very grateful. I’d love to see your work. You could put some of it in the, um, the coffee shop!” She suggested with a giggle. “At least, I suppose it depends on what you paint.” An unexpected (and unwanted) thought of Alternian high art passed through Panili’s think-pan, and she immediately shook the thought away. Perhaps she offered to see Amonee’s work too quickly. The thought was equal parts odd and humorous, though, and was pleasantly swept away when Panili felt the sensation of her hands being clutched. She flushed orange. Fond words were one thing, but contact was so sudden! She looked into Amonee’s eyes and felt a burst of pride in her chest – but, for some reason, she was at a loss of words.

“O-oh! Um, of course! I, yes! It was my pleasure.” She mumbled. “Unfortunately my hive bears too much sunlight and lashes back to snow to really grow much other than arctic brushes. I found plenty of lovely flowers around the plains! You’d be surprised how many trolls set up shop… And how few trolls appreciate the, um, floral aesthetic.”

She released her hands and tucked her hair back behind her ears, eyes flitting sheepishly between the trolls. “But! With trolls like you attracted to the booth I’m glad I could set up.” Panili seemed to revert back to a calm, knowing state. Having recovered from unexpected compliments and smalltalk, she cleared her throat to explain her motives. “I’ve actually been meaning to make connections for a while, and helping to advertise this festival was really paramount to getting myself out there, too. I think that Alternia is an incredible planet… This festival is really unique in giving us a chance to celebrate our independence and history – as well as promoting harmony. I think those things are quite important… And lost on most of the population. Do you agree?”

“It’s lovely to meet you.” Panili clasped her hands together. Niceties aside, she had to prepare herself for her real calling.

She exhaled smoothly. “Well. I suppose things are best described in backtracking.” Panili began. As the three walked, a resounding crack came from the distance. Golden lances, streaming fireworks, cut through the haze.

“In our current society, one could say we are in times of peace. If you look around, you don’t see the great visions of space travel that we speak of in our history. It’s a gilded memory. As you know, our great glory comes from our conquering. For millennia we have sought out other planets and destroyed them, taken them over, and annihilated the lifeforms on those planets. We, trolls, have created mass genocide for the purpose of spreading our numbers and reaching peak supremacy in the universe. It’s something that, as we are told – as we are schoolfed, reinforced, and chided – is in our blood. No matter what makes us different by the color of our blood, we are supposedly all bound by a genetic disposition of violence. We have a desire to spread our kind in the heat of war and maliciousness, because aggression is hardwired into us and is a necessary evil of our survival.”

Panili shuffled uncomfortably. In her gut, she could tell these trolls were not to be taken so lightly – but at least they had a sympathetic spongeclot.

“That’s where the present comes in. Since the previous Queen was deposed and our population was cut – and cut off from space entirely – we’ve had to fend for ourselves in what our ancestors might have considered a stone age. Alternia is quiet, rebuilding, and – as you can see by this festival – so unique in this time of peace. We celebrate ourselves as trolls with unity, and hold events like this and Bloodfest. We are better than we ever have been. We can be better. I will concede that there are signs that trolls have a natural penchant for chaos, but I believe we can eschew our nature. Even if that means becoming self-reliant – not going against the government, but fostering a new standard in these important times. Once we get into space, things will change. There’s power out there. But… Is that power happiness?”

She turned to her companions. “Are you three happy? What do you want in your life on Alternia? Have you ever considered what the world at large seeks to do? When you’re of age, enlistment is necessary. It’s always been – and now, at the precipice of spacetravel, it means being a part of the tradition of universal conquest. What do you want?”