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 Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2023 7:37 am
Siel 1
Long before the sun had started to set Siel was busy transforming the hut into a 'proper' space for solstice celebrations. While he'd been raised with them in mind, having one parent who'd hailed from Sauti and the other Zena, they were only ever loosely followed. Whenever Siel's family settled for a season it was always a gamble as to which traditions they would follow and which would fall to the wayside in favor of more practical practices. Familial bonding was only as good as the fire was warm and there had been years when Siel could remember skipping it all together. Now that he was in a 'stable' home, at least for the past few years, he decided to bring back as many from memory as possible.
His children were constantly exposed to influences from Kiros and Pale'iko so...why not some from Zena and Sauti as well?
For the better part of the day he'd kept a simmer pot over the fire and would occasionally stop by to either add a sprig of something or a pinch of spice. He'd managed to nab as many traditional fruits and spices as possible before his spare coin ran out and now he was making due with what was local. The wassail didn't smell quite right, but after taking a few sips the hybrid deemed it good.
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Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2023 7:45 am
Tsisia 1The scent of warm cinnamon and berries filled the hut. Tsisia's entire body warmed the longer she was around the scent. Now that it was getting colder outside Papa would have wassail simmering nearly every night until the longest night, when they would light candles around the hut to keep the dark at bay and celebrate their family. It wasn't something that she could easily explain to her friends, curious though they were, and while Tsisia herself didn't fully understand it she loved it anyway. In the meantime, though, they needed to make the candles! Tsisia had a little station set up on their kitchen table, complete with melted wax pot - one that she was far too young to warm up and touch herself - wicks to dip in and a rack to let them hang. They could have just bought candles, but Tsisia firmly agreed with her Papa in that it wasn't nearly as satisfying if they didn't make them themselves.
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Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2023 9:12 am
Quiana was always intrigued by earthling customs and so the idea of celebrating the solstice was a much welcomed one. The Elidae had done what she could to help set up for the event, bringing in a plant that they could decorate with whatever leftover bits of silk and beads she had. She had been working with Quetzal to string them together, her son enjoying crafting in silence as she sang a soft tune, and now they would be making candles. There were even twisted branches with berries lingering in every corner and window with sticks of cinnamon for the festive spirit. Little pouches, sealed tightly with ribbons, were tucked away as well to pass out the night of the solstice. The earthlings definitely knew how to hold festivities, that much was for certain.
"I've never truly made candles before." She admitted quietly, brushing a light kiss on top of Siel's head as she ventured over to check on him and the wassail. It had smelled strange at first, the cinnamon and berries a bit overwhelming, but now Quiana found it rather enjoyable. It wasn't like the spicy curries she enjoyed making but it still made her feel warm as the scent took over their home. "I hope it's not too destructive to craft so many." She teased lightly, glancing over towards the little station where Tsisia was. She had grown up with torches and bonfires outside, the few candles they burned at night had been either crafted by her grandmother or traded for within the community.
[Quiana 1]
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Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2023 9:15 am
Even though Quetzal didn't fully understand why they celebrated the solstice like this, he did enjoy the preparations for it. Crafting was one of his favorite things and twisting together the strands of ribbon and beads for the plant and the walls had been fun. The youngling was tucking one of the final strands away as his mother sashayed towards his father, and once he finished with his little project he found himself wandering over towards Tsisia.
"We can make different colors, right?" He asked, his golden gaze gleaming with interest as he looked over the display. "One of the merchants even said that you could add oils to make it scented. I really like the cinnamon..."
[Quetzal 1]
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Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2023 9:27 am
Tsisia 2
"It's not hard," She said toward her mother before going in for another dip of her wick. The long, threaded cord would be cut in the center once the candles had properly dried, but for now it was the perfect place for little fingers to hold on without getting burned. "You just dip, and keep dipping...and dip some more..." How many times was she supposed to dip them? Papa said until they were about as wide as a thumb, but his thumb was bigger than hers and Mamas was bigger than all of theirs so...
She let the last dribbles of wax fall off her first wick before hanging it on the rack and reaching for another. She'd learned - through prior experiences - to let one dry before trying to do too many layers. It got really messy really fast. "Uh huh. You can take the wax and put some in another bowl then add some color to it."
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Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2023 9:34 am
Siel 2
"I brought some oils out if you want to use them, Quetzal. They're just on the counter." He motioned toward them with a nod of his head. Too many conflicting scents would make their home a nightmare so Siel had only brought out the ones that would pair well with what they already had.
"I've never made them either," He leaned in with a whisper toward Quiana. "But I got the supplies from a trader. She said it was easy and if the wax gets on their skin it won't do lasting harm so long as it isn't too warm." Not that that was his only concern with those two, but crafting was something they genuinely agreed on. It kept them content and busy.
Before he pulled away, he murmured, "Do you want to tell them tonight?"
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Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2023 10:07 am
"I see." Quiana nodded towards her daughter with a small smile, that didn't seem quite so bad then. Was it bad that she was still slightly worried about what could possibly go wrong though? To think she used to never be as worried about things and then she had children...more specifically Tsisia. "If you add colors to one layer you probably could hide it within the other layers even." She offered as she encouraged the pair to continue working with the candles, the Elidae supervising even as she lingered by Siel.
"Well, so far so good." Agreed Quiana quietly as she listened to Siel before the next question had her pausing, a thoughtful expression crossing her features as she thought about it. Was there any reason to delay it any longer? The decision had been in the air for days, the pair thinking hard about the future before finally deciding to go for it. They had to tell them eventually, right? It was a festive night too so there was less room to be upset, especially with presents and activities already happening...at least that was the hope. So after a moment, Quiana glanced over at Siel and slowly nodded with an expression that was basically saying why not?
[Quiana 2]
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Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2023 10:10 am
They could add scents and do layers of color?! It was rare that Quetzal showed a lot of emotions, but there was an obvious gleam of excitement in his expression as he smiled at the very idea. "Sounds good to me. What about green, Tsisia? Or do you want yellow?" There was also some blue so maybe something blue and green for both of them? For once he was actively moving with things, the youngling seeming more like an actual youngling in the moment as he went to pick up the oils to sniff them.
One made his nose crinkle, another had him sneezing and the final one got a firm nod from him. It was like a spiced fruit or something that matched the cinnamon while giving a bit of something else behind that. If he had to imagine the taste then it would be tart and warm like a cobbler, one of those desserts he had once before when Chantara tried a recipe from one of the Belrean towns. "I think this scent is the best." He stated, holding out the bottle for Tsisia to inspect.
[Quetzal 2]
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Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2023 11:04 am
Siel 3
It was hard to judge exactly how all of this might go. On the one hand Siel was loath to tip the scales because his children were genuinely enjoying themselves. The way Quetzal's eyes lit up softened his heart and caused the bard to lean over to tap on Quiana's arm as if she weren't watching the exact same thing.
And yet...it felt wrong to make any moves without letting them know so...better just get to getting, right? "Soooo. I saw Sasasoo's wife and her little one earlier today. It's always nice seeing family's grow." He said it casually enough, but made sure not to murmur so his kids could hear. Sasasoo and his wife had become parents once again, which was thrilling to hear coming from Siel's new Kaha'iko friend, and maybe it made the perfect segway into their own explorations.
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Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2023 11:12 am
Tsisia 3
"We could do both? If we dip them like Mama said." They could make a rainbow of colors if they had the right ones! She carefully set her freshly dipped wick up on the rack and scooped out some wax into another pot before taking a little stick to stir in some color. First the green, then blue, and yellow. At first she wasn't sure how well the colors would meld, but after a bit of stirring - possibly a little aggressively - they turned out nicely.
She gave the offered scent a few test sniffs and nodded. "I like it. It'll smell really nice when it burns." And she was content to go back to her candle making until the comments about Sasasoo caught her. "Why would they want more? They already have three."
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Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2023 11:19 am
Maybe they were pushing it, this night was already a miracle in itself so far. Little Quetzal was bright and energetic while working alongside of his sister instead of avoiding her. The very sight kept a smile on Quiana's lips even as Siel dove into the topic which gave her stomach a nervous flutter. When she had first asked Siel about blooms, it had simply been the two of them preparing for this on their own whim, but now there were two additional opinions to involve. It felt different and yet similar to the nervous energy she felt now, the fear of upsetting their children making her flutter around as she fixed up some of the hanging decorations.
"Sasasoo? Is that so?" Quiana asked, trying to be distant despite engaging in the conversation as if she didn't have a stake in it. "Maybe the little ones would enjoy having younger siblings to play with. Wouldn't you?" She peeked towards her children, tucking in a stray ribbon around the window as she waited to see how they would respond.
[Quiana 3]
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Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2023 11:24 am
Quetzal leaned forward so that he could watch Tsisia work on the colors. "I think it looks good." He acknowledged with a small nod after the colors finally started to swirl together. "Let's add this scent then." He carefully took the bottle and tilted it, tapping at the bottom so that a few drops splashed out towards the colored wax. Not only would their candles be bright but they would smell nice too!
Placing the bottle to the side, Quetzal moved so that he could reach for one of the wicks as if testing it. "So just dip and repeat?" He asked before pausing as Sasasoo came into the conversation. The youngling's lips pursed thoughtfully at the question as he pondered it. Would younger siblings be okay? Quetzal eyed Tsisia for a long moment before giving a slight shrug. "I suppose it depends." He finally replied, thinking maybe a quiet sibling or something wouldn't be so awful. Someone else to birdwatch with that wouldn't come flying through to scare them away in a whirlwind of chaos? Perhaps that would be acceptable.
[Quetzal 3]
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Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2023 12:28 pm
Tsisia 4
Tsisia waited patiently for the scents to fully blend before she lifted one of her previously dipped wicks. Since there was only a few layers of wax adding more would come easy and this time she decided to plop them down into the yellow. "Yep. Dip, let the wax drip off, set that one to dry and pick up another one."
Looking at her brother across from the dipping station, the little one pursed her lips and gave a hmm. "Maybe. It would be nice to have someone on lookout." Having some clingy little thing chasing after her didn't sound fun, but a partner to help torment Quetzal? That wouldn't be so bad.
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Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2023 12:33 pm
Siel 4
He ever so casually moved from the simmer pot in search of cups. Siel passed by Quiana, his nervous gaze meeting hers for a second before continuing his walk and gathering the supplies. "Having siblings that close was so nice. I had Morain and Lutana, sure, but when the twins came it was like they'd never been missing to begin with." He let out a totally normal, utterly smooth chuckle and walked back to the simmer pot to start ladling everything out. For the adults he could spike the mulled wine later, but for now it was utterly alcohol free.
"Makes me wish it could have been the same with Sol and Ygraine. They were so much older than us that it felt like they were more like an Aunt and Uncle than my siblings." He moved to set a cup down by each of the children before walking one over to Quiana.
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Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2023 12:44 pm
"I always did wish I could have been raised with my sister, it would have been nice to have some company." Mused Quiana slyly, giving Siel a small smile as she rotated around the room to check out all of their decorations. "I hear the closer the ages, the better. It wouldn't be as fun having to babysit when you could play around together instead, right?" She felt a bit more encouraged since neither of their children had immediately spat at the idea, so there was hope yet that they could get away with this!
Once the decorations were tucked into their places, Quiana started to arrange the table with little cloths and a wooden tray of flat bread, sliced meat, cheese and spiced nuts to go with everything else. "You could have lookout buddies, someone to help share chores with even so that you could play faster..." She listed off a few things that may entice the others, avoiding the idea of sharing space and other things that siblings probably weren't quite as fond doing in comparison.
[Quiana 4]
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