|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2021 8:17 pm
Azreal had opted to travel down towards town while the rest of his family was off on different ventures. The young teen was busy walking along the cobbled streets with a leather satchel of freshly purchased tomes tucked neatly inside. His attention had been so caught up in the books that he hadn't even realized that it was later in the afternoon and that the usually more quiet streets were decorated with ribbons and other festive items. There were even some vendors set up with food prepared specifically for the holiday and the smells were what truly caught his attention. "Hmm?" Azreal tilted his head thoughtfully before noticing some of the others wearing golds and whites as they walked past in groups. Wooden charms were clinking from waists as they passed, the little bells reminding him of the wishes that one would get before leaving them hanging outside of town to celebrate the new year.
The new year...
"Oh." Azreal blinked again as realization finally caught up to him. Had he truly missed that it was already the beginning of the new year? Time truly was flying lately now that he was caught up in his studies! Now it was just a question of if he wanted to go towards the outside of town and purchase a little wooden charm from the vender there. It was almost tradition to buy the charm, write your wishes for the year and then hang them from the large tree that stood outside of town by the mountain path. Once he had delighted in hanging wishes but now he was more skeptical. Did it truly matter if he hung a wish or not at the tree? What did he even hope for this year? To get stronger perhaps? Adventure? Love? Happiness? There were a lot of default options it appeared and Azreal could guess that many of the charms read similarly but even he wasn't certain exactly what it was that he wanted just yet. Either way he did decide to linger a little bit in town and at least pick up some steamed buns from one of the festival stalls. If anything at least his appetite was always there despite other uncertainties about the future.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2021 7:25 pm
Ixora was taking the opportunity to explore the festival. She was feeling pretty comfortable in the town, having been there for a few weeks now. It helped that her parents weren't too far away in their goods stall set up. She surveyed the area around her, looking for some more goodies to nab. So far she had picked up a warm cake that she was chewing on as she explored. Festivals, though crowded, were always exciting for the youngling as every town seemed to have different tradition and a whole host of different treats to try. Maybe she'd get get some of the pretty accessories, too. Any thoughts of very far into the future were far from her mind tonight. As she was heading towards a different stall, a familiar face caught her eye. Excitement welled up in her chest, and she waved big. " Azreal!" the small girl called out to him, trotting over with her sweets in hand. " Isn't this amazing? There's so much food!" she grinned up at him, not realizing he had been lost in thought.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2021 3:17 pm
Hmm? Azreal was confused for a moment whenever he heard his name being yelled but once he turned and spotted Ixora a small smile crossed his features. "Ixora!" He nodded in greeting before chuckling at her excitement. "It's pretty nice. This town is pretty good at offering a lot of delicious food during the festivals." He had his own steamed bun in hand and had been quietly eating the snack whenever Ixora caught him. Azreal even took another bite before glancing around thoughtfully, his gaze studying all of the villagers who passed and noting their excitement and the clinking of the familiar charms supposedly good for wishes. He had been contemplating getting one already but now that Ixora had showed up he wondered if she even knew about them and would want one for herself.
"How are you?" Azreal finally found himself asking after he swallowed another bite of his steamed bun. "Are you settling into town okay and enjoying the new year's festival?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2021 12:59 pm
Ixora was happy to see her friend. The festival was very busy, so she wasn't sure if she would find him or not. She didn't know a lot about the traditions other than what she could smell. " Yes! It's been a lot of fun seeing everything change. All of the decorations are so pretty!" She was excited to take in everything she could. She found herself glad that they were staying in this place for a while. " What do we do to welcome the new year here? Mom and I used to dance" she was happy to share the memory. It was one of her favorite things to do.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Feb 06, 2021 10:40 am
Azreal grinned at the girl's obvious happiness. It was nice to see that she was enjoying herself in the village and that no one was giving her too many problems. Perks of being so close to the border and isolated from others at the same time, I suppose. Finishing off his steamed bun, Azreal neatly wiped his fingers against his tunic before looking back to Ixora. "Dancing? That's interesting...I'm not much of a dancer but some do dance towards the evening whenever they set up a bonfire to watch the moonrise for the new year." There usually was a bunch going on in the center of town with dancers, artisans and the like...Azreal often just kept his distance though since he wasn't always the best at being too sociable. Maybe this year though he would change that a bit and actually try considering he had company now. Shouldn't he bring up the biggest tradition of all? Azreal nodded before he continued speaking. "Another popular thing is for everyone to grab tokens and write their wishes for next year to hang on this huge tree outside of town. It's so big that surely it's seen centuries and people have been hanging their wishes there for as long as I can remember." The teen gestured as he spoke to demonstrate how big the tree surely was with it's sturdy trunk and large gnarled limbs that twisted towards the gray sky above. Some could even sit around the roots of the tree wherever they emerged from the ground and if it was anything like last year Azreal could already imagine the chiming of the wooden trinkets and any bells and decorations hung up by the locals for the occasion. "I was thinking about following tradition and getting a charm to hang if you'd like to join as well?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Feb 18, 2021 10:04 am
Even though Ixora wasn't so scared to be in town, she didn't have many friends here. So she was always happy to listen to Azreal. He didn't seem to think she was anything different. Or if he did, he was good at not showing it. She loved learning about the traditions he would tell her. She felt like there was so much she didn't know about things. So they did have dancing, but it wasn't the main thing they did. She was sure she wanted to see it, though. Since so much else was different, surely their dancing was too. " Dancing in the moonlight sounds beautiful." As he talked about tokens, she glanced around at the people around her, taking note of the charms. Her eyes whipped back to him when he offered. " Yes! Please. I would love to see the tree and make a wish," she had thought of how her mother told her she was born, but knew it couldn't be the same. Were all trees something special? What would she wish for?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Mar 07, 2021 7:09 pm
Azreal nodded with a small smile. "Then I'm certain you'll enjoy the evening festivities." Despite his inclination to stay away from most parties the teen did have to admit that the town square was rather lovely in the evening with all of the lights in the trees and the dancing people. The music wasn't too horrible either in all honesty....Azreal shook his head before glancing back to Ixora. She truly did seem rather excited about the idea of visiting the tree and so he couldn't help but to smile himself. "Okay then. We can head out that way and find a place to purchase our own charms..." His voice trailing off thoughtfully Azreal gave another nod before gesturing for Ixora to follow him towards the outer edges of town where a few merchant stalls were set up including one with a variety of little wooden charms, their design simple yet colorful with the bright beads and strings hanging from them.
Handing a few coins over to the vendor, Azreal glanced towards his younger companion with a small smile. "Go ahead and pick one. You can write your wish and then we can hang it on the tree with the others."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Apr 14, 2021 10:36 am
Though she was a little overwhelmed by it all, Ixora was filled with excitement. The idea of being in the middle of things was scary, but she trusted Azreal. All parts of town were bustling it seemed, the whole village gathered for the event. Maybe some of these individuals were even from out of town? Eventually, it dawned on her that Azreal was with her rather than with his family. " Thank you for spending time with me again," in all of the towns they had been to before, he was the first one who wasn't her parents to really take time for her. Once the pair reached the charm stall, she scanned over all of the options. After a moment, she settled on one that had blue and gold beads. Carefully picking it up so as not to mess up the display around it, she looked over at Azreal. " What colors are you going to choose?" She wondered what he would wish for, but was never sure if wishes were meant to be shared or not. It was all quite a lot to think about.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Apr 18, 2021 11:37 am
Azreal just gave a slight nod in response to the thanks. The teen was typically more reserved but apparently he had a weak spot for hybrids like himself. It also helped that Ixora was very well mannered and so far hadn't given him cause to dislike her. If anything she seemed more mature than other youngilngs he had encountered before which made it even easier to spend time together. If I had a little sister it would be nice to have someone like this. He found himself thinking with a small smile.
"Hmm?" As they reached the stall the teen had found himself drifting towards the chimes, his fingers carefully brushing across the wooden ones with carved images. "That one you have is pretty. I'll probably just go with something like this one." He held up a dark wooden charm with golden vines swirling up the side. "I don't know what to wish for but I'm sure I'll think of something to write." Azreal admitted as he studied the charm and handed over a few coins to the vendor. "They have brushes and ink here so you can write if you're happy with that charm." As he spoke he was already walking towards the brushes so that he could begin pondering on his own wish to write on the charm.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jun 04, 2021 10:31 am
After they settled on their respective charms, Ixora felt like they had reached the truly hard part. What to wish for. She stood there for a moment, thinking, with her brow furrowed slightly. " It was a lot easier last time when we had more wishes, wasn't it?", she said kind of quietly as she thought back to the stars. They seemed endless then. However, somehow, this time around felt a little more important. Was it because of the potential magic of the tree? Or because it was only one wish? Having grown up an only child, she'd always kind of wondered what it would be like to have a sibling. It seemed selfish and impossible to ask for one from her parents, knowing what they went through to even have her. She wondered if how she felt around Azreal was how it felt to have an older brother. She smiled at that thought. So maybe, she could wish for some friends. She picked up a brush, dipping it and very carefully if not a bit clumsily writing "To be happy with friends". She hoped that, if anyone saw it, they didn't think she was too lonely.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 09, 2021 7:26 am
"Perhaps." Replied Azreal with a small smile. "I feel that it's easier to wish on the stars in the moment but harder to try and think a whole year ahead." As he spoke the teen considered his own wishes. What did he want for the new year? To become stronger? His brow creased slightly before he finally dipped his own quill into ink and wrote in elegant script. To be stronger and protect others. Azreal finally settled on that so that he could make up for his past fears. Never again would he sit around while fearing for someone he cared for.
Admittedly he did sneak a peek over towards Ixora's talisman and Azreal's heart twisted slightly. At least he had a huge family to keep him company. He could not imagine what it would be like to be a strange hybrid all the way up here in Zena. Azreal bit the inside of his cheek thoughtfully before shaking his head. "You know once we hang these we can go find some more treats if you'd like." He began quietly before slowly adding. "My home is also not too far away so if you ever feel like visiting feel free. I have a rather large family at the animal sanctuary and I'm sure they would enjoy having a visitor."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jun 10, 2021 3:19 pm
Ixora listened to his response and nodded along. Star wishes felt like they could be fleeting and in the moment. This one did take more planning, since it was one big one to cover a whole year. She felt pretty satisfied with her decision, though. Even if it was a little embarrassing. She wondered what Azreal had written, but decided not to ask yet. " Maybe we can get some treats to watch the dancing and eat?", she walked beside him as they made their way to hang the wishes. Flushing slightly, she looked up at him in surprise at his invitation. She was feeling lost for words, so a quiet " I'd like that," was really all she could manage in response. If it was his family, they'd be safe. She trusted him to not take her somewhere that she wouldn't be accepted. She smiled, knowing that as long as he was around, she wouldn't have to feel lonely.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jun 10, 2021 3:34 pm
"Certainly." Admittedly Azreal had not planned on staying out so late but since Ixora was with him the teen didn't mind. The last thing he wanted to do was leave her alone in this crowd. He truly was thankful he had made that decision when he heard her response and Azreal found himself reaching out to pat her head. "Good. I'll make sure that you have fun. My aunt takes care of all sorts of beasts there and the grounds themselves are fun to explore." Perhaps he was biased but he truly did enjoy his family's homeplace and while he knew that sometimes it could feel a bit restrictive never leaving Zena, Azreal truly didn't mind as much as the rest of his family.
"Alright, let's go hang these talismans and welcome the new year." Azreal finally managed as the tree came into sight and he prepared himself to find a branch that was low enough for Ixora to reach on her own. When he located the perfect branch, a twisting thing that dipped down before reaching upwards once more, the teen placed his own talisman before stepping back so that Ixora could do the same. Happy new year indeed. Here was to hoping that all of their wishes came true and that everything would work out for the best.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jun 10, 2021 4:14 pm
Ixora's chest flooded with warmth as he told her about his family, and patted her head. He really did feel like family. And exploring lands filled with animals felt really exciting. " I can't wait to meet them and see all of the animals," she smiled. She felt sure that it would be a lot of fun, and couldn't help but wonder if some of the animals would be friendly enough to let her get up close. She hadn't had a lot of experience with them outside of the ones in the village and wild animals with too much fear. She stood a little behind Azreal as he tied on his talisman, looking up at the tree in awe. It really felt magical, carrying everyone's wishes and hopes for the next year. Spotting where he put his, she stepped up to tie hers below his once he was done. She made sure it looked like it was secure before returning to his side. She felt happy as they went to go get some snacks to watch some of the dancing before turning in for the night, as it was growing quite late. She was thankful to have spent the new year with a friend, rather than sitting at the back of her parents' stall like she usually did. She felt incredibly proud of the growth she had done by approaching and making a new friend to start the new year with.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
