Solo or RP Format Counts as 5 RP growth Points Solo word minimum is 750, RP post minimum is 7
Summer was drawing closer and closer and the different villages around Tendaji were beginning to plan their summer festivals. It was a tradition in Tendaji - to celebrate the Gods every year in the summer when spirits were high and food was at its most abundant.
All the races had their own gods to celebrate, whatever those might have been, and every person had their own feelings one way or the other.
[ What did they mean to you? With the summer fast approaching, it must be somewhere (no matter how small) on everyone’s thoughts. And what are your thoughts on the other culture’s gods? ]
As much as Xenia mourned the loss of her family, missing out on Yael's summer festivals burned just as much. She missed the way her little siblings would hold onto her hands and drag her from stall to stall, nearly causing her to trip over skirts that had always been too big for her petite frame. They would have been much older now, attending festivals on their own with friends and she just...
She just felt so trapped.
Still, Oba had it's own particular flavor and it was hard to stay trapped in her head for long. Slipping away from the crew for the day, Xenia had managed to maneuver into the city proper and found a festival! The sweet scent of flowers and honeyed drinks carried across the city in much the same way the floral adornments did as women walked past. Xenia found herself being swept up into the crowd, nearly being jostled by person to person until a large Oban caught her arm.
"Where's your crown?!"
"I-I don't-" With a squeak, Xenia ducked her head, preparing for some sort of physical blow but found herself at a loss with a large yellow flower crown was placed atop her curls.
"May Hatald bless you." He smiled and meandered back into the crowd.
Posted: Fri May 21, 2021 11:02 am
Painted Moose
[1/7]
Usually, festivals like this were perfect opportunities to make extra money because absolutely nobody wanted to work during a festival. One would think that Illapha, short of coin as he normally was, would leap at the chance to earn extra. But the truth was... the time of year just reminded him of home too much. He missed the people who'd taken him in and raised him - the settlement of monks and priests and their humble celebration of the summer months, the peaceful joy that was found after long days of hard labor.
He missed it, and he hated that he missed it, and so he threw himself into the celebrations of Oba - both so similar, and yet so different. He was a large man, and even now people parted around him as he walked, if not from his looks alone then from the way his face naturally fell into a near scowl, his heavy brows drawn downward of their own volition. Still, that visage was broken apart by the bright yellow and orange flower crown he'd been given.
Illy had paused to regard a stall which sold combs and hair bands (of which he was in dire need, both for his beard and hair itself), when the sight of a Yaeli caught his eye. He paused and half turned to watch, alarmed at first at her own fear, but then calmed when it became clear she was just suffering typical Yaeli fright, and not being actually harassed.
Still, given the void that seemed to surround him most of the time (with people being wary of standing too close), as she stumbled to a stop, the crown in her hair slightly askew, she actually ended up close to where he was loitering, pausing a moment as if to catch her breath.
"Obans are very handsy." He pointed out, his voice deep and a little rough without meaning to be. He offered a twitch of his mouth by way of apology, then flicked his eyes back to the stand.
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Posted: Fri May 21, 2021 11:18 am
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Xenia laughed a little, a dusting of a flush blooming on her cheeks. She reached up to adjust the crown atop her curls, frowning a little as it seemed caught in her hair. "I don't think I'll ever quite get used to how open everyone is-" The yaeli was half turned in an attempt to see the voice so close to her when she found herself looking up and up just to see his eyes. For a moment the petite slip of a foreigner simply gaped, her hands seemingly frozen in her curls as her glasses slipped down the freckled bridge of her nose.
All of her mother's spiritual warnings blared at her that this was some sort of ill omen, a demon clearly come to steal her soul, but logic prevailed. A hybrid, obviously and no more a demon than a hulking man! Embarrassed at having been caught staring, because how could he not have noticed, Xenia quickly diverted her eyes to the ground and lowered her hands. "I'm so sorry; I shouldn't have- I've never seen a hybrid of our kind before and I just - You're so tall -" Taking a moment to collect herself, Xenia raised her eyes once more and offered an apologetic smile. "I've made a mess of this and I'm sorry. I'll just leave you be now."
Xenia tried to take a step back, but once against she was jostled by passing Obans. This time, however, she was offered a single flower and told, once again, that Hatald's blessing is with her.
"Wait! What does...." The oban had passed and with more confusion clearly on her face she turned back into the hyrbid she'd so clearly made an a** of herself infront of. "Excuse me, but...who is Hatald?"
Posted: Fri May 21, 2021 11:29 am
Painted Moose
[2/7]
That 'handsy' comment must have extended to himself, because for a long moment Illy considered helping her untangle the crown from her wayward curls. Still, he'd not expected any sort of reaction to his statement - so when she began to speak, he watched her, curious. But sure enough, her conversation quickly faltered, and instead came the staring, and a flicker of unease went over her features that immediately killed his interest. He grunted to show he was listening to her babbled apologies, but turned his focus back to his shopping, reaching to pick up an obsidian comb that was clearly far outside his price range, but looked rather nice.
... The last thing he expected, after the rambling of the yaeli's embarrassment, was for her to come back. He set the comb back down and finally turned away from the display, looking down at the woman with a considering look on his face. Having been raised in Oba, despite the years he'd spent with his mother, Illapha had never considered other gods - so honestly, the question piqued his curiosity. "The goddess of women and womanly things. Marriage. Babies. Feasts, apparently. You don't know of the gods?" He asked the last bit with an edge of humor, canting his head to the side like a raptrix trying to puzzle out something confusing.
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Posted: Fri May 21, 2021 11:38 am
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If she was supposed to show fear or hesitation about approaching him then Xenia was clearly in the dark. As intimidating as his size may have been he was still a steady point in the chaos that was an Oban festival and she found herself joining him by the stall.
"Oh, I know a great many gods and spirits, but none that live here." There was something about the way he asked the question that took some of the edge off his features. It made him seem...a little younger than she'd first guessed? "Goddess of women...I bet that's why everyone's been so nice to me, but if that's the case....why did they give you a crown?" Had she...had she assumed when she shouldn't have...?
Instead of focusing on that bit, Xenia chose to turn attention towards the things he'd been looking at. "Are all Oban combs usually this steep?'
Posted: Fri May 21, 2021 11:50 am
Painted Moose
[3/7]
It was strange. Most looked at Illapha and were afraid, but Xenia was the one who came off rather ominous to him as she spoke so cryptically about gods and spirits. He wanted to ask more, and in a way was gratified she was asking so many questions of her own - it meant he could justify asking these things later, once he'd given her answers and a reason to answer him in the first place.
"I wanted a crown, so I got a crown." He said, simply, with a shrug. It was true- they were intended for the women, but there was a certain joy in wearing something nice, and he wasn't devout enough to think the goddess would smite him for it.
As for the comb... the vendor was giving the two yaeli a sharp look, growing less friendly as the crowd stayed away, thanks to Illapha's presence. That, and now they were loudly discussing the cost of his wares - "If you don't want to buy, then move along why don't you." He made a shooing motion at them both, but Illapha didn't hasten to obey. Instead Illy reached to pick up a simple white bone comb, carved but otherwise without decoration, gesturing it towards Xenia so she could look at it, "And not normally - I could get a normal comb, sure. But if I have to use it every day, shouldn't I get something I like? Don't your many gods and spirits want you to celebrate the summer months, too?"
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Posted: Fri May 21, 2021 12:01 pm
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Xenia's smile couldn't have been brighter. It was such a pure and honest statement that she just couldn't help it. "Fair enough; It makes your hair look like a sunrise." If there were a few pink petals or maybe even a dash of purple then it would really spark~
Of course she was aware of how the vendor looked at them, but Xenia just assumed it was because they weren't normal. Never once had it occurred to her that it was less the presence of a small, freckled yaeli and more so the larger, scarier looking man at her side. "I never said I wasn't going to buy." She looked up at the vendor over the rim of her glasses, and despite her smile there was an edge to her look. Instead of giving the vendor more attention he didn't deserve, she instead looked at the comb. "I'm not sure how Obans celebrate their deities, but back home the Sanctum teaches how to respect our gods. On the day of remembrance Lurin is given gifts and our utmost attention, lest we fall into Dafiel's domain-" turning towards the vendor, she gave an almost sad look, "-the goddeess of the forgotten. Can you imagine how horrible that is? To walk the lands as a forgotten spirit, with no family to mourn you and no peace for your soul? I can't imagine what that would be like...to do something so shameful on a goddesses day...."
Such as, you know, sass a woman on a day celebrating women...
Posted: Fri May 21, 2021 12:22 pm
Painted Moose
4/7
The statement about the crown had been so casual, he hadn't even thought much of it - so when she smiled Illy was surprised, then a bit flustered when her response was so endearingly kind. He turned back to the stall, but raised a hand to adjust the crown just a bit, happy even if his face didn't convey it very well.
As for the vendor - watching his annihilation at the hands of what had looked to be such a demure young lady was absolutely priceless. The man looked petulant to start, but became more uncomfortable as she spoke on the harrowing idea of being a forgotten spirit. A few other shoppers who, seeing Xenia come closer had become brave enough to peruse the wares, had stopped to watch, and looked just as disgusted at the vendor's behavior as Xenia was - and with those looks, and a flash of superstition born from her words, the man finally managed to slap on a fraught look.
"Right -right - my utmost apologies, miss. I meant no offense on - a festival day. Please, have one of my wares --" His mouth opened,halfway motioning to the side of the table with wood and bone accessories, clearly wanting to offer a free item from the cheaper side - but at a disapproving tut from a middle aged Oban at the other edge of the stall, he snapped his mouth shut and lamely dropped his arm.
Illapha had never looked so delighted, and the expression was perhaps a bit intimidating on his face. "Lo, but what gods could not smile on such a man today?" He professed, affecting the worshipful tones his adopted father, so long ago, had used when preaching of peace and the gods. The words earned him a glower from the vendor, who had quickly wilted under the pressure and turned away to pretend to shine some of his mirrors and hair clips on the other side of the stall.
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Posted: Fri May 21, 2021 12:31 pm
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Got him.
Despite her upbringing, Xenia's time spent among pirates and thieves had given her a wicked edge that she'd begun relishing in. For the first time in her life she could make confident decisions that often paid off in the most spectacular of ways and right now she felt as perfect as a peach! "Of course you didn't; it's just the heat putting us all on edge. No offense taken." He was fast enough to back pedal and that she could be grateful for. Because despite the near high she was feeling off her 'bold' remarks Xenia was still fairly new to it and might have crumbled if he'd pressed her.
"If it's alright with you I think I'll take this one." Passing over the less expensive bone clips and plain combs, Xenia picked up the very obsidian comb Illapha had been eyeing. "Looking at it reminds me of home and makes me feel as if the spirits of the gods are with me. Thank you so much for your generosity; I'm confident that Hatald is with you today."
Smiling as bright as the sun itself, Xenia gave a little bow to the shop vendor and turned toward Illapha. "Are you ready to leave?" Was she wrong or was he enjoying this just as much as she was?
Posted: Fri May 21, 2021 2:04 pm
Painted Moose
[5/7]
Who would've thought the petite, sweet looking little lady would be such a swindler! Definitely not Illapha, and the Obans shopping at the stall didn't seem to suspect her of any tacit manipulation. The man could only watch, helplessly, as she plucked up the ornately expensive comb, mumbling some sort of response that no one could quite hear.
Illapha, for his part, took the cue to leave. True, he could keep shopping and consider their conversation over, but he wasn't eager to stay much longer than he already had, and was far too curious and hopeful that the girl would keep talking to him. So - when she spoke to him, he nodded once and turned to follow, seeming to have no problems with letting her take the lead.
The streets were still ridiculously crowded, but the two managed to step away, heading down the street until it opened up into more of a square, giving more room to stand and chat. "I don't think I've seen a god weaponized so artfully." He praised, with a slow smirk. "At least by someone who wasn't a priest. Was that true, about the Yaeli gods?" It was... shameful that, half Yaeli though he was, he knew absolutely nothing about religion there. Honestly, he'd assumed it was like Oba and Matori - with the same gods, perhaps with different names.
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Posted: Fri May 21, 2021 2:11 pm
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"As sweet as my mother is she is the master of religious manipulation." Xenia twisted the comb between her fingers, marveling at the way it glistened in the light. It truly was an ornate piece and she might have felt bad if she were a truly pious woman. "Fallen behind in your studies? It's a demon come to eat your eyes. Ate too much bread? Gluttony." She waved her free hand with a giddy little smile. "You tend to pick up a thing or two. She never meant it in a bad way, it's just superstitions, you know?"
She waved him closer, motioning for Illapha to bend down because even standing on her tip toes there was no way she could fix that comb into his hair! "Come here, I can't reach-" Pausing a little, Xenia's smile softened and she nodded. She hadn't really considered that he might not have the same education on yaeli gods as she had and that was...more than an oversight on her part. "It is. To the yaeli death is as much a celebration of life as it is something to be feared and we take it very seriously."
Posted: Fri May 21, 2021 2:24 pm
Painted Moose
[6/7]
Really? He'd heard the stereotypes and jokes about Yaeli, but he had never had the chance to rub elbows with his kind, and learn for himself if they were true. The way she said it, so matter of factly, was perfect - and her giddy smile was infectious. But his eyebrows shot up, surprised, when she motioned at him, though he did duck down obediently - only to feel his cheeks heat up in realization. He'd noticed she took the same comb he'd looked at, but he'd assumed it was simply due to its price - nothing more. And the very last thing he'd expected was for her to give away her hard won prize.
How far the two had come, from her first stuttering apologies. With the hair comb fixed into his curls, he straightened again, fixing her with a wondering look, expression unexpectedly soft. "Well. A priceless gift, a crash course in the Gods, and enough entertainment to last the day - and I don't even have your name yet." He smiled, though even now his expression looked a bit fierce, with his toothy smirk and heavy brows. "I'm Illapha. Illy to friends. You in Oba for long?"
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Posted: Fri May 21, 2021 4:48 pm
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Last tag on my end~
Styling his hair came as easy as breathing to Xenia. Even though her own locks might have been harder to tame she had two sweet sisters, an adoring mother, and a brother whose locks had been as soft as seafoam. By the time she was done with Illapha she'd managed to somehow blend the comb in with the flower crown and yet have it stand out in a subtle enough way. It was definitely...strange, to see such a large...man? boy? adorned like that, but it suited him.
Getting used to the intensity of him would take time, time they didn't have, but at the very least she thought he was enjoying himself. So, she returned it. "My name's Xenia. Thank you for your help today, Illy." Without him she might have very well have been carried off into the festival without any idea why. Getting the comb for him was the least she could do.
"I'm actually just passing through. I'm part of a...trading ship and won't be in port long." Her smile faltered a little thinking of it. "If you're ever in Matori, though, we dock there more often than not. We've been known to swing by here every once in a while, though, so maybe we'll see each other again?"
Posted: Fri May 21, 2021 4:54 pm
Painted Moose
[7/7]
Oh. That was too bad. But, it was just another brief encounter, albeit a pleasant one, in a long line of them, so Illy didn't swell on the disappointment for too long. Instead, he commit the name to memory, and filed that bit away for later. It had been... a while since he'd looked for work in Matori, but the last time he'd been there it had been pleasant. He'd left because of the swathes of Yaeli who came through looking at him strangely.
"Very possible. I move here and there, so maybe we will. Well - try to enjoy the festival while you're here, at least. Strange gods or not."
