The Wishing Tree (1): A Destiny City Star Festival Tradition to be held every year; In Town Square, there is a beautiful tree with spreading branches. It is tall, but the lowest branches are easily reached. The city has decorated the tree with small, starlike ornaments and glistening lights. Thick leaves and beautiful purple flowers dangle from the branches, along with a myriad of different colored papers with handwritten wishes. Next to the tree is a stack of blank paper with twine attached, and a handwritten sign that explains:
Write your wish on a sheet of paper and tie it to the tree. Take one wish off the tree and do your best to grant it. When you have granted the wish, bury the paper in the park.
The papers are biodegradable and filled with seeds. There are no rules for wishing, but you are encouraged to wish for something vague enough that it can be interpreted in many ways so that it can be granted; you do not write your name on it, but it is encouraged to write something that doesn’t wish for self gain, but rather something that can make the world a better place. Some wishes dangling from the tree already include things like “I wish there wasn’t so much litter in the park,” “I wish someone would clean the graffiti off the old historic buildings,” and “I wish there were more volunteers at the shelter.”
If you choose to use the Wishing Tree, what do you wish for? If your wish is private, you may write it on the paper and choose a spot in the park and bury it yourself instead of hanging it on the tree.
Dragged to the Festival by his younger sister, Zaidyn found a spot near the Wishing Tree while Jenna ran off to find someone who knew where she could get one of those star fruits she saw on social media. Why she was so obsessed with them was beyond him, but so long as she was having a good time he didn’t mind relaxing with Riley in the shade.
He reached over and gave his dog a pat on the side which caused the Chesapeake Bay Retriever’s tail to start thumping against the ground from the attention. “You’re gettin' old boy,” he commented affectionately. Turning nine years old in a few months which was approaching the average age for his breed.
But Zaidyn, despite work both in uniform and out, took the absolute utmost care of Riley and per his recent vet appointment, seemed to be doing well.
He looked at the orange star charm Jenna put around his dog’s collar and smiled at how well it suited him. “I wonder if Nataniel still collects these.” He considered it a moment before reaching into his back pocket to snap a photo of the charm and send Nat a quick text.
Quote:
Hey, are you planning to come to the Star Festival this year?
Quote:
Not sure if you’re still collecting these, but this is this year’s design [img - sending]
indigo_plateau
Posted: Sun Jun 23, 2024 1:00 pm
xShanyume
Nataniel was attending out of no particular desire to be present, so much as many of the festivities happened to be occurring in places he frequented. One of the most populated festival areas was also nearby Basyl's favorite cafe, which Nataniel passed on his usual jogging route. And since it was no great inconvenience to him, he frequently found himself picking up a couple drinks on his way home.
He was standing in line (and dutifully trying to keep a respectable distance from anyone else standing around, since it was summer and he'd been working out and was now hot and sweaty and admittedly should probably not spend this exact moment patronizing eating establishments) when he received Zaidyn's text. A picture of a charm clipped onto what he assumed was Zaidyn's dog, considering how much of the photo was dog fur. But just over at the edge of the screen, Nataniel was pretty sure he was seeing the building that he stood in right at this second. He glanced out the window, scanning the greenery across the street for where it might have come from.
His answering message was short:
Quote:
Wait there a few minutes.
He made his order, waited for his drinks, and then once they were in hand, headed back outside, dark gaze flickering over the grass and trees until they landed on a man and his dog. ...Nataniel was not a fan of dogs. He exhaled a stiff breath. This was fine; he doubted Zaidyn would want his company for more than a minute or two.
"Here," Nataniel offered as he approached, tapping a cool bottle of Coke to Zaidyn's shoulder. His own was simple sparkling water with bits of strawberry fruit. Basyl's, in his backpack, a canned sweet coffee with mochi balls. Besides coming close enough to hand him the drink, Nat offered him the same courtesy he had those in the shop, keeping a slight distance. His black tank top was tight and damp across his chest, baggy jogging shorts hanging off his hips, backpack slung over his shoulder.
"Oh, to answer your question: I do not and have never collected them." Then a sigh, soft and defeated. "But they do find me," holding up an orange charm matching the one Zaidyn had sent a picture of.
Basyl loved trinkets, just in general, and every year he presented Nataniel with a new charm as a display of his affections. It was endearing in its own way, even if Nat wasn't often one for collecting useless items. He canted his head down at Zaidyn, a quizzical expression on his face. "Is that how you show affection too?"
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Shanyume
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Posted: Mon Jun 24, 2024 2:39 am
Riley noticed Nataniel’s approach before Zaidyn did, his tail thumped the ground in greeting at the familiar scent and face but remained lying against the side of his master’s leg. The spot on the grass was cool and the added heat made the retriever loathe to get up when he’d just be told to lay back down again.
The cold spot against his shoulder was a bit startling since he’d been lost in thought about something insignificant, but he still managed a nod of thanks as he reached up to accept the glass bottle Nataniel offered him. “I appreciate it,” more so since it was Mexican coke, something only a few people knew he liked and assumed it was probably because he had an empty bottle or two out the last time Nat came to visit. Or maybe because he saw it in the fridge, but he couldn’t remember him going into the kitchen.
Either way, he was thankful for something cold to drink. “How I show affection?” Zaidyn parroted Nat's question as he removed the metal cap.
“I honestly don’t really know anymore,” he shrugged, unbothered by the fact he had no real answer. “It has been several years now since I’ve been in any sort of committed relationship. My last one lasted five almost six years and ended about two years before I joined your team.” Zaidyn offered as a means of explanation a small glimpse of personal information regarding his past he had no need to bring up prior to this conversation, more so since it was something he could never return to.
“There was no affection between us in that last year which is probably why it didn’t work.” Not all true but not a complete lie either. Secrets were being kept and a space that was once just theirs to share had been opened up to others he did not know, and had no interest in knowing him, without his consent.
Zaidyn’s gaze wandered over to the Wishing Tree where a small group huddled around beneath the branches to tie pieces of paper to them. “Perhaps that’s what I should write on one of those papers,” he nodded in the direction of the booth where people handed each other pens and pencils to jot wishes on the special pieces of parchment. “To find someone with whom I can be affectionate towards.” He smirked then raised the glass bottle to take another drink of Coke and wash away the bad taste in his mouth left by such a such a ridiculous idea.
Indigo_Plateau
Posted: Mon Jun 24, 2024 1:02 pm
Shanyume
"You... do not know how you show affection?" It was a bland, quiet statement, only tipped with the sharpness of incredulousness at the end. "That must be... very disappointing," Nataniel hummed quietly, taking a small sip from his drink as he peered down at Zaidyn. As someone who took significant time to warm up to new people in his life, Nataniel understood being reserved with what he was willing to give out, so as not to encourage those he didn't enjoy to loiter around him when they were unwanted.
But he at least had a reliable grasp of how he might express himself to his partner. Or his close friends. Or his family. Nataniel didn't think showing affection was dependent on being in an intimate relationship, as Zaidyn seemed to.
He genuinely doubted he had any grounds to be offering advice in this regard, but if Zaidyn's last relationship was five years ago, and that was what he was using to judge his ability to show compassion, even Nataniel thought that was distinctly not good (was it something to do with his corruption? Some piece of himself that he'd forgotten? It was disgusting how often the words circulated that Chaos made those who accepted it less human, when Nataniel had never felt any such change, but- But if it did... He hadn't known the man Zaidyn was before, and didn't know how he was changed).
"I apologize if this is not my place, but I am unsure if you should be seeking a committed relationship if you doubt the ways you might express appreciation for that bond. But if it is any consolation, I do not think you are incapable." He'd sent Nataniel that picture, after all. Zaidyn had seen something that reminded him of Nat, and messaged him.
And he was here, of all places, the annual festival meant for expressing appreciation and thoughtfulness toward others.
Nataniel shrugged, still standing a respectable distance away. "It is never too late to remember how."
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Shanyume
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Posted: Tue Jun 25, 2024 2:23 am
“Never too late to remember…” he repeated.
Holding on to the bottleneck, Zaidyn rotated the base in a circular motion so that the Coke spun inside the glass like a contained whirlpool. He considered the words but felt them to be untrue, that at least for him it was too late.
His memory was fragmented, littered with gaps of missing moments, while his heart was full of holes; both containing deep voids that could not be filled. At times it felt like he had been a used puzzle and only after putting in the last piece did he realize that a least a handful or so had been carelessly thrown away leaving the picture unclear.
“Right now, the only constant in my life is my sister, Jenna, and Riley. For them, there is very little I’d say no to.” The only two that knew him in his previous life, before he had to reforge new friendship or find himself a new job since no one who once knew him as Aiden would recognize him as he was now. “They are the only reason I am here today.” Zaidyn reached over and patted his dog on the side which earned him another tail thump.
“I suppose that must count for something.”
Indigo_Plateau
Posted: Wed Jun 26, 2024 1:04 pm
xShanyume
"Hmm." 'The only reason he was here...' In the park? Beneath this tree? Or here, generally? Like, alive? Nataniel certainly understood how a particular amount of gross inconvenience could make someone do something they couldn't recover from, and it was generally agreed upon that a corruption from the White Moon was an inconvenience, at best... He hadn't thought Zaidyn to be the kind of person who would do something irreparably drastic, but what did Nataniel know? It wasn't as if they were very close friends...
And Nataniel did know how to bring down a mood, didn't he?
Not intentionally; he wouldn't have even expected it to go that way, but it did seem like that's what happened. Hm. That was upsetting. Communicating with this man had always been a bit difficult, though. He was not like Basyl, Ivory, or Mier, who were all perfectly vocal in a myriad of different ways. And less likely to fall victim to Nataniel's lack of charm...
He canted his head back, peering up between the sun-soaked branches of the huge tree littered with little papers for others to take. It was supposed to be a festival of kindness, which was far from an area Nataniel excelled in... He had only a very limited number of ways in which he even knew how to be 'good' to Zaidyn right now, to help him.
"If it bothers you," Nataniel started slowly, "To only have your sister and a dog as confidants, you should come out with Basyl and me." He was hesitant to offer. Generally Nataniel and his fiance enjoyed one night out every six months or so, something a little chaotic, a little loud, something too much for Nataniel to handle in frequent doses, but he enjoyed sparingly. They would go to a club, they would dance, Basyl would let Nat drink himself stupid. They would meet people. Expel whatever pent-up frustrations there were, and spend the next day or two easing out of it and coming back down.
He wasn't sure Zaidyn would enjoy all that commotion, but what was one time, and what else did he do to expand his civilian circle?
A headshake. "There is no obligation, but Basyl would probably like to see you again."
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Shanyume
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Posted: Wed Jul 03, 2024 2:28 am
Zaiden shifted where he sat and raised a knee so he could prop an elbow on it. He did nothing to hide the questioning glance he spared Natanial.
He’d been on the verge of kindly rejecting the offer, not wanting to be a third wheel or impose on their date time, but when he suggested the Basyl would like to see him Zaidyn snapped his mouth shut as he watched Nat, carefully listening to his tone and observing his posture as if he suspected the statement to be a half-truth at best.
Before he’d joined Rakovanite’s team, before he’d had to assume a new identity, he had been decently social within the swimming, parkour, and ballroom communities. But since he had to find himself a new home, a new job, a new everything… Zaidyn had become more of a recluse than he’d been when his father kicked him out of the house.
Though he didn’t really want to admit it out loud, he did miss being around people. But since he’d unintentionally adopted the mentality of separating work and personal life, it’d been difficult for him to reach out or make new connections. He’d have to work on eventually if only to get Jenna to stop commenting on how he looks like he’s brooding and pointing out that it intimidates people and probably why nobody talked to him.
But Nat was here, tentatively reaching out an olive branch to him. Yet- For one reason or another, it felt difficult to accept.
“I’ll consider it,” he replied, his response noncommittal since he assumed that the offer made would be forgotten in a day or two.
While he would have liked to have said more on the topic, Riley’s attention snapped to Jenna who was running across the street towards them with two Star Fruits in hand. “Nataniel, hello!” she greeted in kind as she handed her brother something to snack on.
He nodded his head in thanks and accepted it with a smile that honestly didn’t reach his eyes.
Indigo_Plateau
Posted: Thu Jul 04, 2024 6:36 am
Shanyume
He could hardly even fathom a reason for why Zaidyn wouldn't believe him about Basyl. They'd interacted only a handful of times, yes, but as far as Nataniel could remember, those scattered meetings had been nothing but earnest, because that's who Basyl was. Sweet and genuine and friendly and eager to appease and not easily intimidated by broody behavior (or he wouldn't be with Nataniel, would he?). Literally anyone should be so lucky as to have dealings with him.
Because of that, it never crossed his mind that Zaidyn could be doubtful. The questioning glance skated right by Nataniel's notice.
"It can be a bit of an acquired pleasure, but I will call you when we have a date set." A shrug. "Accept or refuse at your convenience. And..." A flutter of hesitation stalled his words, ever unsure where other's boundaries were and how close someone like him should actually come to them. "And you may call me, if you just want to have someone around." Zaidyn had reached out this time, but their civilian dealings were quite limited, which Nataniel didn't inherently mind, but he was starting to believe the other man was lonely.
'Sister and dog' definitely never would have been enough for Nataniel (though Basyl and chinchilla did come very close). He was sure there were other people Zaidyn would prefer to spend his time with- their relationship was a little on the stiff side, but Nat didn't know how to be any other way. This was just the most he could offer, the best he could do.
If it wasn't enough for Zaidyn's tastes, that had to be fine.
And then Jenna skipped into the picture- Nataniel hadn't even known she'd been close by. He should have, he supposed. It should've been obvious as the sun in the sky that she would be out with her brother, his only lifeline to social activity. "Jenna," he greeted quietly. "It is nice to see you." And she certainly looked lively and sounded to be in a better mood than when she usually saw him.
It would be polite to not ruin it. "I should return home. Enjoy the rest of your day. Zaidyn, I will call later." Nataniel gave a shallow wave of his hand in farewell before leaving them to the rest of the festivities.
