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Post by Daos on May 3, 2018 16:16:12 GMT -8
The last few days of summer pass in peace, as does the bulk of autumn. The temperature drops and the leaves turn color, but no goblin army arrives to attack Buho. Indeed, there is no goblin activity seen at all, and eventually the tension in town melts away as people turn their attention back to their normal lives.
The party finds that they have developed some fame within the village, as well. Ladonna and Ryan, having already made names for themselves previously, are now well known by everyone in town. Katya now finds that when she enters the village, most people recognize her and know her name. Lillian finds the villagers now know she exists, although many seem to think she just moved to town, having no idea she's actually lived here 20 years. And likewise, people seem to now recognize Theron as something other than an alleged criminal. They still clutch their coin purses when in his presence, however.
Today is the Harvest Festival, held every year to celebrate the end of the farming season. Thus the party is quite familiar with it by now. In the morning, all of the locals gather in the inn for breakfast and to mingle, talk business and just have some fun while the village square is prepared. In the afternoon, everyone enters the square for the real fun. There are often contests of skill in which you can win prizes, food and drink, and of course, the grange display. Anyone in town who crafts, harvests or breeds can turn in their best work to be judged for a big prize.
It's a cold day today, as winter winds from the north are already starting to blow in. Everyone will need to bundle up a little bit, if they want to remain comfortable while outdoors. It won't be long before the first snows begin.
Ladonna arrives at the inn that morning with her parents and sister. Ryan arrives with his mother. Theron shows up with his adoptive mother, Gilly. Katya arrives with her mother, Mereida, after they drop their horses off at the stable. Lillian arrives alone.
Nearly everyone in town is present, so the place is packed. But numerous extra tables and chairs have been set up to accommodate the extra people.
(OOC: It is now Turquise 28th, Rockday, at 7 AM. Everyone is back to full health. Spellcasters can pick new spells.)
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Post by Ezeze on May 3, 2018 17:11:49 GMT -8
What an abrupt change it must be for the people of Buho to go from seeing Katya once or twice a year only, to once a week for Rockday mass, and now suddenly she has defeated Ser Walls in a swordsmanship contest, saved the town from peril by slaying a ogre, and spends her every spare moment in town training with the militia on Walls' personal invitation.
Certainly she has more spare time now that she's not spending any of it with Jherek. They've not shared the reason behind the sudden chill between them. Their parents didn't even realize there was a problem for weeks, and now they are at a loss as how to remedy it as neither is inclined to talk with them. Jherek falls into taciturn depression when pressed, and anyone even mentioning her betrothed's name practically sends Katya fleeing the room.
So Ladonna may have a fair idea what Katya wants to talk about when, only a few moments after arriving at the inn, she approaches and asks "Ladonna, do you have a minute to talk? Maybe somewhere quieter?"
The Harvest Festival is a great deal less formal than the Seldon Festival, and Katya has dressed accordingly. Where as before she came to town in her favorite green dress today Katya is wearing trousers and a loose fitting shirt, distinguishable from her normal attire only in that it's clean, unstained and without any holes. As last time she has a sword put up in Oliver's saddle bags, though now it's hers rather than her mother's.
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Post by HorizonsDream on May 3, 2018 19:06:58 GMT -8
OOC:
Spells
Charm Person
Detect Magic
Charm Person
Alter Self
Scare
IC:
Ladonna was wearing a thick cloak over her long sleeved dress so that she could stay warm during the festival. She also wanted to make sure that she looked to be in style as well. Since almost everyone in the town knew who she was, she was making a lot more of an effort to make herself as good as possible. "I always thought it was a bad idea to start the festival this early in the morning," she comments to her sister as she pulls out a chair to sit next to her and her family at one of the tables. She stops herself from sitting down as Katya approaches her. "Quieter?" Ladonna asks in amusement while gazing over all the people in the inn. They were not going to find a quiet place to talk in the inn, that was for sure. Though, Ladonna pushes the chair she just pulled out, in. "Don't let anyone steal that chair," she tells her sister. "Let's go outside," she tells Katya. "It should be quieter out there."
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Post by Ezeze on May 3, 2018 19:39:11 GMT -8
Katya ducks out into the stables with Ladonna, standing two feet from the spot where she'd confronted Jherek nearly three months ago. It's warmer out there with the animals close by.
She dithers a moment, unsure where to start. She decides to jump in with both feet; "have you spoken to Jherek recently?"
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Post by HorizonsDream on May 3, 2018 19:43:04 GMT -8
Ladonna looks around the stables absently before Katya starts to speak. ~I wonder if they can do anything about the smell,~ she thinks to herself as she focuses on Katya. "Jherek?" she asks curiously. "Not recently, no. I don't even think he has been in town," she admits. "But I have heard some rumors about how things aren't going well between the two of you."
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Post by GravityEmblem on May 4, 2018 3:31:05 GMT -8
While Lillian is now known about by the majority of the townspeople, she still feels awkward standing around looking for a place to sit. She glaces back and forth, trying to find somone she knows nearby.
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Post by Ezeze on May 4, 2018 6:15:37 GMT -8
"He's changed since getting back" Katya confirms.
"I didn't think anything could take the fight out of that man, but that's exactly what happened. He just wants to settle down and raise a family. He asked me to settle down with him." Katya sounds a great deal more upset than her words seem to suggest she should be.
"I don't know what to do."
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Post by Daos on May 4, 2018 9:49:42 GMT -8
Lillian looks around the room for familiar faces. Just about everyone in town can be found here. The reeve and all of the council members are present, as are the innkeeper and the kohen. There are a few others she recognizes. Damon is sitting with his intended, Kara. Ingot, likewise, is sitting with his intended, Myra. Garnet is sitting with the kohen, while Finbul sits with Anara. Liala is sitting with Lenk and Marcus. Tavos is sitting with his mother, Porrima. And Coha sits with Gerald.
She spots Katya's mother, but not Katya herself. Likewise, Ladonna's parents and sister are here, but not Ladonna. Same with Jherek's parents, who are both present, but there is no sign of Jherek.
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Post by HorizonsDream on May 4, 2018 12:39:41 GMT -8
"Sadly, that is typically what happens in this town," Ladonna points out. "Those of us that don't conform to that way of life, settling down and raising a family, tend to be viewed as outcasts. In Jherek's case, it was pretty clear to me from the way that he treated that goblin baby that he has always wanted to settled down and raise a family. Maybe that had more of an effect on him than we all believed," she suggests. She can't honestly say she has a lot of insight on Jherek, so that is the best so can offer Katya in that regard.
"Whatever his reasoning, it is pretty obvious you want more than what this town has to offer," Ladonna points out while studying the look on Katya's face. "The fact of the matter is, the town is starting to finally recognize who you are which means that you are starting to move up and on to possibly better things. You can continue to climb that ladder to see what awaits you, but that means leaving Jherek behind. You can stop climbing the ladder and be happy with Jherek as his wife and raise a bunch of little kids like most people in this town do, but there is a possibly that you'll be miserable. Finally, you can still marry Jherek and continue to climb the ladder, but that means putting off having the family bit for a little while."
Ladonna's smirks a little bit as she starts thinking about her family. "Having ambition tends to hurt the people that care about you in the beginning," she explains. This was stuff that she knows all too well considering it is her ambition that has put her in the position she is in now. "Ultimately, in the end, I believe that my ambition will bring happiness not only to myself, but to those I care for as well. I don't know if any of that helps you at all though."
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Post by Ezeze on May 4, 2018 13:15:39 GMT -8
"You make it sound so calculated. Like a simple trade off-" Katya's tone betrays her distaste. That doesn't stop her from admitting "... Maybe it is."
"He knew what I wanted, and promised to be there for me. So I defended him, and tried to push him to be better, and hoped he would do the same for me. I thought it was working."
"He promised" she reiterates, her voice laden with emotion. She takes a deep breath to compose herself before she continues; "I'm glad I asked you. I think you might be right."
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Post by HorizonsDream on May 4, 2018 13:43:59 GMT -8
Ladonna raises an eyebrow at Katya's distaste with what she has said, but the surprised look quickly turns to amusement. "Katya, I'm not making it sound so calculated," she points out. "That is how it is. Marriage is a simple trade off, at least in the eyes of Gonto. Surely, you of all people, would know that better than anyone?" she asks. "As for Jherek, is it really that surprising that someone who isn't a very good Gontorian didn't keep his promises to you?" she asks.
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Post by Ezeze on May 4, 2018 14:24:38 GMT -8
"He was my friend before we were ever betrothed" Katya defends herself.
"My best friend, or so I thought. I trusted him." She folds her arms over her chest, a physical manifestation of the unease she feels. "It's hard to treat it like a business transaction when there is that much history behind it, even if 'business' is all it's supposed to be."
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Post by HorizonsDream on May 4, 2018 14:48:32 GMT -8
"If marriage is a trade off, then friendship is a trade off as well," Ladonna explains. "If you aren't getting what you use to get out of the friendship you have with Jherek, then it might be time to break it off. Considering the history behind the friendship doesn't matter because that is all in the past," she points out. Ladonna absently rubs at her left arm as the cold starts to seep in just a little bit. "I don't see the benefit of holding on to a friendship that isn't working out anymore."
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Post by Ezeze on May 4, 2018 14:56:56 GMT -8
"Perhaps" is Katya's only response.
She isn't surprised by what Ladonna said, but it's certainly not the way she had been thinking about it.
"I'm going to stay out here a little while longer"- it's clear that Ladonna is cold, and she doesn't want to keep her. "Thank you for the advice."
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Post by notARobot on May 4, 2018 19:19:44 GMT -8
As Theron stands there next to his Aunt Gilly, the increasingly staccato rhythm of his tapping foot betrays his impatience. The inn's warmth was nice, at first. Now that he's been sitting in it a while, though, the combined heat from more-or-less the entire town's population has become stifling. Worse, he's bored. Nothing fun ever happens at these things.
His thoughts adrift, and his foot still tapping, he happens to spot Lillian looking around from across the room. "Lillian!" he calls out to her, though his shrill voice is nearly drowned out by the murmur of Buho's chatting citizenry. He steps forward as if to dart through the crowd to approach her, then stops himself. "Aunt Gilly," he says, turning around. "I'm gonna go say hi to one of my friends. I'll meet back up with you later, okay?" Then he turns back and scampers up to the aloof bard.
"Lillian! You made it!" he squeals. "How're things? Have you seen any of the others around? I don't, uhh...Jherek's bee sort of scarce as of late, and I'm kinda getting worried about him."
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