Zinris Every year, all of the Extremists and Elaria come together to celebrate the day of the first bloom from the roots of Elzira. This festival represents the birth of the Elaria race, as well as the rebirth of the Extremist ways. The Elaria collect the tiny flowers from Elzira's roots and together drink the nectar. It is believed that this nectar will help further strengthen the sisterhood as well as connect the Elaria with their mother, Elzira. Because the tree is young, there is not enough flowers to spread among the Alkidike extremists.
Note: Because of current state of the Extremists, this ORP is exclusive to the Extremists and Elaria only.
Zinris
The commotion in the village started up with the rising of the sun. It was bright and early, but the extremists and the older elaria were already at work. It was time for the great Miracle Bloom celebration! The festival was to last three days to signify the three blooms of the first elaria and it always started with the drinking of Elzira's nectar.
The tree was still young, her strength was still unable to produce enough buds for all of the population of Zinris - which expanded every year at an alarming rate - but it was enough for the Elaria. It only seemed to prove to the Alkidike residing there that the Elaria were special. By some strange coincidence, or maybe a feat of magic, there was always the perfect number to provide lotus buds to every elaria Elzira had given birth to.
It was only a matter of time before the Matron would make her speech and then the original three Elaria would be the first to pick the lotus from their Mother Tree.
|| OOC || ||. Mini-Chapter 2: Festivals starts Tuesday, July 5th and will continue for approximately 3 weeks. ||. If your character is not signed up for their thread, they may not participate. You can PM Suhuba for late entries. ||. 7 posts will count as a req for growth as with all Metas, even with the open-ended style of this chapter. ||. Please limit to up to 3 posts between NPC posts (these should be spaced out by responses from others to your post, no needless posting just to get more points). In this meta, NPCs will post once a week. ||. Growths and character quests will be closed until the time the Meta ends. ||. If you have any questions, please post them in Meta FAQ thread.
Characters Ai Akeldama Ceylinae Kanika Kiunyki Lumikani Naqenni Zandala Zayana
Posted: Tue Jul 05, 2016 5:05 pm
Naqenni || 1
Naqenni stretched: fingers bunching behind her head, antennae flicking and curling, and head tilting to one side until the bones popped. The day of her blooming was one like no other. The marked blossoming of a new race on Tendaji and proof of the fertility of a new goddess. Her goddess. While the village of Zinris, in its own way she supposed, celebrated her and her two sisters’ coming to be every day — it was what they were all here to start and see to the continuation of — this one naturally came with extra excitement and festivity.
It also came with restrictions. She had to be clean from head to toe, bathed fresh and dressed anew, as impeccable a showing of one of the First Three as could possibly be achieved by the combined efforts of herself and her two mothers. While this had excited and pleased her in her earliest years, however, the older she got, the less she wanted to be exactly where she was told to be when she was told even if it did mean to show off.
She’d slipped off before dawn, to the island shore where dark waves still lit by sprinkled starlight beat at the rocks—and there she swam. In her view, it was a necessary ritual for the morning, and knowing that she wouldn’t be able to accomplish it come the day’s festivities, it had been worth the work to make it out before them.
When she returned, it was on wet feet and before the sky was light—but near enough to dawn that her mother Kasama greeted her. Fortunately, there was no time in the morning left for reprimands, and by the time dawn did arrive and the rest of the village began to stir to proper life, Naqenni was bathed and dressed, her skin all but prickling with her own excitement and the energy in the air.
This day like no other was hers.
Little could stop her from flashing her teeth.
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Posted: Tue Jul 05, 2016 7:12 pm
Ceylinae Post 1
Ceylinae was in a hurry, facing along toward where she was supposed to meet up with the rest of her Elaria sisters. Today was a very important day for both herself, the Elaria, and the rest of Zinris and yet somehow she'd still nearly missed it due to the fact that she'd been out doing some training on her own the day before. Training had lead to a need for a bath, then sprucing up, fixing her hair, and otherwise making sure that she was presentable. She didn't want to show up looking a wreck after all! That wasn't something that she could allow, not on a day like today. As such she'd dug around through her things to find her nicest clothing, tied her hair back in what she hoped was an immaculate braid, and then she was off again heading toward where everyone gathered every year.
It was an every year occurrence and yet somehow I was still nearly late she thought to herself, giving a bit of a sighing sound, her antennae twitching rapidly. There was still a lack of balance within her, to be able to do all of the things that she felt that she was supposed to do to live up to what the ideal Elaria was supposed to be. Not only was she an Elaria but she was among the first three born putting that much pressure on her to succeed. Here was to hoping she wasn't the last of the three of them to show up she thought to herself with a slight groan, not sure if she would ever live that one down.
Just the thought of being the last to arrive was enough to cause her steps to quicken, hoping to at least be there at the same time as Naqenni and Ku or, if she were really lucky, she'd make it before them! That was the goal at least.
Posted: Tue Jul 05, 2016 7:37 pm
Naqenni || 2
Naqenni exhaled in a puff, buggish teal eyes flicking about the camp and all her scurrying cousins and sisters as the dawn sky gradually brightened. An interesting contrast, she thought, between the slow, impending progression of morning and the condensed flurrying and energy that was the camp itself—everyone with somewhere to be.
And rightfully so.
Her eyes then landed on a fellow sister. One of the three, Ceylinae, and Naq rolled her shoulders back, the smug stretch of her grin spreading wider as she encroached on her sibling—and butted a shoulder against her. “Good I won’t have to do it all on my own,” she said. “Your hair looks nice. Do you think our mother would be lonely if we had to do it just the two of us?”
Ku would be there, of course. Naqenni had no doubt, and of all her sisters, Cey and Ku were far and away the closest to her, so she bore the girl no ill will. But it seemed a divine opportunity to comment, regardless. Given her upbringing, competition became nearly everything, and tended to school the words that left her mouth before she even thought on them.
Besides, her sister would surely do the same for her.
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Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2016 5:05 am
Akeldama Post 1
Ciriet had taken the time to clean Akel up and make her "cute" for the festival before setting out to help the other Alks. So that left the young girl to sit and wait for things to start. It wasn't exactly what she was hoping for but she had been told not to get dirty.
Since this day was for Elzira, and the first three blooms, Akeldama was on her best behavior. Any other time she would have disobeyed her alk mother and went off to play or something. Today, and the following two days, she would act like a daughter fit for her Mother Tree. As she stared at the tree that had given life to her and her sisters she was in awe. Akel always was when she was in the presence of Elzira. The only time her attention left the tree was when she saw someone bustling by and even then she only watched them for a moment.
Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2016 7:33 am
Lumikani Post 1
The shortest of the Alkidikes stood outside of the commotion, her dark eyes glancing upward at the ever-growing tree that was Elzira. Considering there were no Alkidike youth to grow any more, Lumikani would always be the shortest of the sisters. That being said, her passion and strength established itself in the group, and these days none of her sisters spoke of her size. At least not to her face.
Lumikani shifted slightly to glance down at her daughter, a growing Elaria blessed upon her by Elzira. If anyone had an issues with her, they couldn't really argue against it considering her prayers were answered. Placing a hand atop her daughter's head, she glanced around for Zandala and debated getting closer to the festivities.
The lotus marked Elaria was bouncing on her toes, her eyes wide as she glanced about. Old enough to wander on her own, Zayana still settled next to her monther. This was a rare time where she was surrounded by her sisters, something she often was shielded from during her training with her mother. She was both filled with anxiety and excitement, and did a somewhat decent job of hiding her emotions to appear calmer and collected.
Glancing up to her mother when she felt the hand rest on her head, Zayana smiled slightly, before reaching up to take the hand in her own.
"When will we get to drink the nectar, Mama?"
Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2016 10:31 am
The Only Black Uke
Ceylinae - Post 2
Cey couldn't help but to give a bit of a sigh upon spotting Naqenni, taking the sight of her as a sign that she had most certain been later then she'd hoped to be. She'd been hoping she'd arrive first but at least she'd beat Ku here? Coming to stand beside her sister she lifted her hands up, smoothing back her hair to make sure it was in place when Naqenni commented on it looking nice, just in case. Once she was certain that it was all still in place she said, "Thank you, Naqenni." She seemed to be complimenting her sincerely so Ceylinae would be kind in turn and thank her for the words.
Glancing around, scanning the crowd for the third and final member of their illustrious trio she gave a humming sound, "I don't know... I don't see Ku yet." She murmured, the after lifting up onto her toes for a moment she said, "I do see someone I've chatted with before though, Akeldama. Not one of the 'first three' born but still Elaria." So there was at least her that would be joining them in the ceremony.
After a quick scan of the place she saw a few others as well, which was nice. She knew that the nectar was still only for the Elaria so having more of their sisters around meant less people starring at just the two of them. The thought of the whole village watching their every move, which some still might do given their status, made her antennae all twitch. She had to be careful to do everything just right! No slipping up in front of the Great Mother or anyone else she told herself, clasping her hands tightly behind her back. Save for nearly being late she'd make sure that this year was a good year!
Kiunyki watched the firstborn (and laterborn) gather from further than she would have, perhaps, liked. She'd settled into Zinris, had established herself here, but there were many who did not accept her. There wasn't much that Kiki could do about that, save simply continue to prove herself. She dared not move too much closer to the great tree than she already was, but she didn't need to be close to admire Elzira's beauty and grace, or to watch this young festival of the Elaria unfold.
Though it was different in most every way, it echoed fond memories she had of attending the festival with her mother, of sharing nectar from Aisha's roots. There was little nectar here for the Alkidike, and certainly none for Kiunyki, but she didn't mind too much. Not now. One day, she would prove herself worthy of what little Elzira could grant to the exiles. Now, she simply watched, writing down things in her book to keep her hands and mind busy, and away from the suspicious glares that she still drew...
Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2016 3:32 pm
DraconicFeline
Akeldama Post 2
From where she sat she could see everyone coming in and waiting for what would be a beautiful and fun filled festival in honor of her mother. What she caught in the back made her tilt her head a little. It was that late comer. Akel looked around to see if she could spot her alk guardian then back to the one that had the weird winged creature from Jauhar. Deciding to make a move she got up from where she was sitting and headed toward Kiunyki. Since she was young and light her footsteps were fairly silent and once she was upon the woman she cleared her throat. "I'm surprised you showed up." Akeldama still wasn't sure how she felt about this one, though if she followed her mother's thoughts then this one was a spy from the mainland. "You aren't planning on hurting Elzira, are you?" Not that she expected to get a "Why yes, I am" but it didn't hurt to ask.
Notes, thoughts, ideas for improvements... whatever came to mind that had nothing to do with her complicated feelings came out onto the page. She certainly had ideas. She nearly jumped at the sudden voice. "Oh! Hello!" she greeted with some wariness. Who knew what she was in for when one of the little ones came up to her. Harassment? Insults? Questions? It was rare to have anything more than that, even from Lumikani and Zandala's children.
"No, of course not." she said. She wasn't even surprised that the girl had asked it, considering how people thought of her here. Just that she'd asked it straight outright, without any real lead up or prodding or any sort of verbal duelling.
Keratna for his part had stuffed himself to the extent of his exoskeleton on fruit already and was resting in a nice sheltered place nearby. He wiggled his antennae lazily in greeting, as if to say 'Hi there, friend'.
"Actually." Kiunyki said, tilting her book so that Akeldama could see, "I'm thinking about ways to make the festival better. Maybe." If her ideas were any good. If anyone would listen to her.
Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2016 7:31 pm
Ai - Post One
The time surrounding the festival was always an odd one for Ai. The normally vicious, grumpy alkidike felt a sense of contentment that left her actually rather approachable. It was strange to say the least. Ai found herself with more patience than usual for the elaria youngsters, and their endless chattering. Actually, they looked almost cute, playing around with each other, which either meant she was sick or being lured to their side.
She wasn't sure which was worse.
Elzira had proven herself; while she was no Aisha, she had given them the surge in numbers that their group so badly needed. It still didn't feel right for her to pray to Elzira in the same way that she had Aisha, but here she was, seeking guidance and bonding. That had to mean something in the grand scheme of things.
Her keldari, Syn, undulated against her shoulders as the serpent moved his way down her arm. She lifted the appendage, allowing him to first slither onto her palm, then to rise up as if he too were sizing up the gathering.
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Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2016 4:34 pm
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Quoting you because we talkin' 'bout your girlie. ;D But no need to necessarily react, just a heads up. :]
Naqenni | 3
Naqenni felt a brief swell of satisfaction. So she had been first amongst her early-bloomed sisters. It was worth at least a moment’s preening. Then, her attention flit to Cey’s fingers as they combed up over her hair—
And off, to the younger Elaria indicated.
Naqenni squinted, eyeing Akeldama, and then puffed, rolling her shoulders dismissively. “And I have,” she said. “Bit small. Got tongue, though. There are worse runts.” And that much was true. As was arguably the case with her — according to some misguided souls — many of the young Elaria had been spoiled in one way or another by their alkidike mothers, and while she didn’t see it in herself, it was unpleasant to confront in others.
But then, many of them were feisty little scurrying, budding soldiers, too, and some were not much younger than herself or her two same-bloom sisters. That, though, just as often as not made them more likely to be indignant and not of a mind to treat herself, Ceylinae, and Ku with the distinction they deserved. At least, in Naqenni’s perception of it all.
Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2016 6:02 pm
The Only Black Uke
Ceylinae - Post 3
Giving a bit of a grin she said, "Not to the worst... though I have to admit I don't have a lot of experience with the others. I have been so wrapped up in my training that I don't exactly socialize as much I should." She didn't want to appear as being stuck up or unapproachable after all... but at the same time she didn't want to spend too much time chatting with others and neglecting more important aspects of her like. It really was a pain, wasn't it? Perhaps she could consult the mystics or some of their more seasoned warrior cousins to see how they did it? Provided she could do so without appearing as though she were weak. Did consulting their elders for help constitute as a weakness? Hard to say really.
Crossing her arms over her chest she glanced around before she looked over at Naqenni and asked, "Have you met many of our little sisters then?" If she thought that there were 'worse runts' then Akeldama then surely that meant that she must have met more of them? Those who were considered to be 'worse' then Akeldama was. It made her wonder what made them worse? Possibly what their cousin had mentioned, how she thought the Elaria all spoiled?
It was a thought that made her antennae twitch, not liking the idea that their little sisters might being getting spoiled to the point of being weak. Surely their cousins wouldn't allow such a thing? Right? That was what Ceylinae hoped for after all, not wanting to end up with a bunch of soft and weak little sisters, not when she was putting her all into her training.
Zandala had gone out for a small hunt in the dark of the night before anyone was up preparing for the festival. Kanika and Zayanna had been sleeping peacefully and she doubted her daughters would awaken. She also hadn’t bothered waking up Lumikani either; she wanted to stretch by herself in the quietness before the great celebration. She also hadn’t thought Lumi would want to get woken up at such early hours of the night. While she didn’t catch anything, she used the time to quietly reflect on the past couple years since Lumikani and herself had asked Elzira for children.
She was happy that today they would get to celebrate that.
After cleaning up and returning, Zandala woke up a sleepy Kanika and helped her with her hair. The youngling was still half asleep and it made her fussy. So by the time Zandala was ready to go and meet Lumikani, she’d grabbed Kanika in one arm and headed out. Kanika settled against her shoulder and didn’t peep a word; she was hoping her energy would pick up once she was by her sister.
“Lumikani,” Zandala called as she drew closer. She dropped Kanika next to her sister, gave Zayana a quick one armed hug and kiss on the forehead before settling by Lumikani’s side. “I hope I haven’t missed anything, how are you?”
