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Post by Daos on Feb 5, 2019 13:58:04 GMT -8
Time passes, and things start to get back to normal. The snows and chill winds of winter arrive, and people start bundling up and making preparations for the spring. Before long, the Solstice has arrived.
The Solstice is always a joyous time, when families get together and exchange gifts and a large feast is always held at the inn. To those without families, however, it can be a difficult, even dark time.
It is lightly snowing outside, and has been for days. The entire town is blanketed in snow, giving the village a very peaceful feeling. It's hard to believe the town was in such mortal danger not once, not twice, but three times over the past year.
Ladonna Marche Solstice was always a big time for the Marche family. No matter what disputes or arguments were going on at the time, they were all set aside for this day. And Ladonna always enjoyed getting three gifts--one from each parent and one from her sister. As one of the higher prestige families, the Marches always spent a great deal of gold on each other, to signal to the rest of the town their success.
But that was a different timeline. In this one, Ladonna receives no gifts at all. Her mother is gone, her sister never existed, and her father had no coin, even if he was sober enough to remember a present at all. Even today, of all days, he cannot pull himself together enough to accompany her to the inn. She arrives at the inn alone, surrounded by happy families; all a reminder of her own broken home.
At least there is a wide and delicious selection of food and drink at the ready. Almost the whole town is present, including the council, the reeve, the kohen and all of the people Ladonna has adventured with over the past year.
Katya The last few months had been odd for Katya. Things just didn't add up to her. After the incident with that Crizzite doppelganger, she noticed some of her friends seemed more distant. Garnet, especially, seemed nervous around her and would make any excuse to avoid her. She sometimes caught Liala glaring daggers at her for no reason at all. And even stoic Ingot somehow gave her the impression he was annoyed with her, but he insisted otherwise. Did it have something to do with the doppelganger? Or was it all just a weird coincidence?
Katya and her mother arrive at the inn to find a wide and delicious selection of food and drink at the ready. Almost the whole town is present, including the council, the reeve, the kohen and all of the people Katya has adventured with over the past year. Mereida, who has yet to give Katya her gift yet (and is being strangely cryptic about it), takes a seat quickly near the fire to warm up.
Lillian Lillian, having no family at all, is accustomed to doing without on Solstice. After waking up alone in her house, she gets ready and heads out, treading through the snow to reach the inn. At least there is a wide and delicious selection of food and drink at the ready. Almost the whole town is present, including the council, the reeve, the kohen and all of the people Lillian has adventured with over the past year.
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It is now Onix 25th, 312 at 10 AM. It is the Winter Solstice.
(OOC: Casters may choose new spells, if they wish. Everyone is fully healed again.)
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Post by GravityEmblem on Feb 5, 2019 15:48:33 GMT -8
Lillian smiles at the crowd of people in animate conversation, surprising herself at how many she knows by name. Normally, she never really enjoyed the Winter Solstice, staying away from Buho’s citizens, but today was different. It seems foolish, now, how long I hid away behind a shell, she thinks to herself, approaching Katya and her mother. “Katya!” she says. “It feels so long since we last talked.” Lillian uses her Know Alignment ability on Katya. |
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Post by HorizonsDream on Feb 5, 2019 17:56:40 GMT -8
Ladonna seeks out Liala after getting a drink. "So, this is a new experience for me," she says softly and thoughtfully. "I've been spending a lot of my time trying to piece together what has happened, and I'm still not any closer to finding out where my mother is."
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Post by Ezeze on Feb 6, 2019 9:35:40 GMT -8
Liala's behavior was the easiest for Katya to rationalize. Liala's breakup with Marcus had been public, and embarrassing, and he had implied that he wouldn't have broken up with her if she were human. Katya is a human girl who spends a great deal of time at the barracks - including with Marcus. Katya's feelings towards Marcus were entirely platonic, but she is of the belief that Liala knows as much about her as she does about Liala; next to nothing. So, it must be simple jealousy. No doubt it will fade with time, or when Marcus starts paying attention to someone else.
As for Ingot. The gensai is hard to read at best and completely inscrutable at worst. So, in the absence of having done anything to merit his scorn, she assumes that she must simply be imagining things and takes him at his word. Nothing is wrong, they are on good terms.
Garnet's pulling away is the only thing that causes her real distress. Katya has put effort into their relationship, has started to pick up more on what her behaviors actually mean, and it is clear she does not want to be alone with Katya. Katya worries herself nearly sick that Garnet has had some awful vision of the two of them together. She cannot imagine what else could be the matter. The Kohen has been no more or less formal with her, though, and Ser Walls hasn't acted any differently during their jousting. If Garnet has had a vision she has kept it to herself. Katya has resolved to ask her about it if she can get her alone, but that hasn't happened.
Over the last few weeks Katya has used her time in town to pick up little trinkets for her mother, Ser Walls and Finbul. She considered getting something for Drundor and Thessila, but each passing day makes it seem less and less likely that they will ever be family. She and Jherek still have not reconciled.
For her mother she chose something useful. Mereida is not sentimental, never has been. For her she picked out a new cloak with a soft lining. She presented that to Mereida before they even came to Buho proper, and was greatly gratified when her mother chose to wear it.
For Ser Walls she picked out a necklace being sold by one of the merchants who passed through town. Nothing gaudy; she doubted Ser Walls would ever wear something impractical. She thought the knight deserved something pretty, though. She selected a necklace with a high-quality, but small gemstone that Ser Walls could wear even under armor with relative comfort.
She and Mereida together had thrown a rather extravagant little dinner party for the Padners the night before Solstice proper, and given them a "gift" of a bonus of gold from the ranch's take that year.
Finbul was the hardest to shop for. She would have asked Garnet's help in findingg a book for him, but she was avoiding her. Without that guidance she settled on a pair of good gloves.
And, while she was shopping, Katya decided to spend a little of the gold she acquired during their most recent adventure to buy herself a warm dress made of thick fleece, dyed burgundy. She wore that today, with a white shash around her waist.
She had just settled next to the fire to sit with her mother, her gifts for Ser Walls and Finbul each in their own little box by her feet, when Lillian came to say hi.
"Does it?" she responds with a smile. She gestures to the seat next to her and her mother, an invitation to join them. "I've been so busy, I swear it feels like the harvest festival was only yesterday. Mom, this is Lillian. She is one of the party who went out on that business with the goblins last Summer. Lillian, this is my mother, Dame Mereida Waelnod."
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Post by Daos on Feb 6, 2019 13:41:39 GMT -8
Ladonna Marche "I'm sorry," Liala says. "But isn't that a good thing? You always complained about your mother and how much you disliked her. Now she's gone from your life; I would have thought you'd be pleased by that."
Katya and Lillian "Nice to meet you," Mereida says to Lillian. "I don't think I've seen you before. Are you one of the Lavellans? Or one of the other elven families?"
Katya reads as Chaotic Good, currently. It would have been interesting to compare her to her counterpart after the betrayal. It's hard to imagine one shifting to evil so quickly like that without forewarning.
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Post by GravityEmblem on Feb 6, 2019 13:51:49 GMT -8
Lillian shifts a little awkwardly. “I...don’t really like to talk about my family. I didn’t have the most pleasant childhood,” she replies. After clearing her throat, she changes the subject, saying, “Do you have an idea of what you’re going to do today?”
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Post by Ezeze on Feb 6, 2019 14:03:31 GMT -8
"I have presents to give Finbul and Ser Walls" Katya tells Lillian with a gesture to the gifts near her feet - there was no reason to hide that "and wanted to spend some time with my mother, but otherwise my plans weren't more specific than 'celebrate the Solstice.' Why, did you have something in mind?"
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Post by GravityEmblem on Feb 6, 2019 15:23:22 GMT -8
"I have presents to give Finbul and Ser Walls" Katya tells Lillian with a gesture to the gifts near her feet - there was no reason to hide that "and wanted to spend some time with my mother, but otherwise my plans weren't more specific than 'celebrate the Solstice.' Why, did you have something in mind?" Lillian chuckles a little. “No, not in particular,” she replies. “I mostly just wanted to change the subject. Well, regardless I hope you have a good time.” With this, Lillian bids Katya goodbye and goes to sit with Liala and Ladonna. In a tone quiet enough so that only the two of them can hear, she addresses the former: “We need to talk about what happened with Ghalt...and with that dart.” |
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Post by Ezeze on Feb 6, 2019 15:36:08 GMT -8
"Well, that was a little strange" Katya remarks to her mother once Lillian has left the table. She went so quickly from wanting to talk to wanting to get away...
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Post by HorizonsDream on Feb 6, 2019 20:52:42 GMT -8
"You would have thought that," Ladonna says thoughtfully. "But it doesn't seem to be the case, and I really hate seeing my father like this."
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Post by Daos on Feb 7, 2019 14:45:32 GMT -8
Ladonna and Lillian"Well, you helped Councilman Benton out of his drunken stupor," Liala points out. "Maybe you can help your father out of his, too."
Liala frowns and says quietly, "What more is there to talk about?"
KatyaMereida chuckles. "That's elves for you. Nothing ever seems to hold their attention for very long. But I'm glad to see you've made friends. Sometimes I worry that you spend more time with the horses than other people."
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Post by Ezeze on Feb 7, 2019 14:53:15 GMT -8
"She's a nice girl, and brave. She did march through the swamp to prevent an invasion" Katya reminds her mother politely. She smiles and shakes her head when her mother accuses her of avoiding people. She rests a hand on her arm "I could say the same thing about you. This is, what? The second time this year you've left the ranch?" She follows it up with a laugh, to show that she is teasing and means no disrespect. She is still talking to her mother, after all.
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Post by HorizonsDream on Feb 7, 2019 14:53:29 GMT -8
"My dad doesn't have a lost brother," Ladonna says with a shake of her head before she looks towards Lillian. Liala asked the question she wanted to ask, so she remains quiet to wait for the answer.
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Post by Daos on Feb 8, 2019 14:21:52 GMT -8
Ladonna and Lillian
"No, he has a long lost wife instead," Liala replies. "Or an ex-wife, anyway. But maybe if you can get him cleaned up, he can have a second chance with her."
Katya
Mereida makes a dismissive gesture. "Eh, I'm old. Besides, it's not exactly easy for me to get around," she adds, gesturing with her cane to her missing foot. "And you're young and have your whole life ahead of you. But lately...you've not gone into town as much. I haven't seen Jherek come by in awhile, either." She looks around the room. "I don't see him here, either. Come to think of it, I don't remember seeing him at the Harvest Festival. I guess he keeps pretty busy these days?"
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Post by Ezeze on Feb 9, 2019 13:25:55 GMT -8
"I don't know what you're talking about" Katya answers her mother. "I've been coming to town once a week for mass, then spending the day training with the watch and Ser Walls after that - just like I have been since Summer."
She deliberately does not respond to her comments about Jherek.
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