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open | a merry meri mingle
Who: Meridians new & old!
What: Cookout mingle
Where: Alenroux
When: Mid-March, after Vander's rescue
Warnings: Potentially alcohol consumption and violence, for the rowdy
PREPARATION:
THE EVENT:
What: Cookout mingle
Where: Alenroux
When: Mid-March, after Vander's rescue
Warnings: Potentially alcohol consumption and violence, for the rowdy
After the initiation of Springstar's invasion plans for Alenroux, tensions among the Meridian-aligned might be a bit strained. The move comes as a surprise even for many of the shard-bearers within the faction itself, to say nothing of those whose livelihoods depend on the farms here. It's not yet clear what Highstorm's response will be, but one will certainly be coming; when that happens, someone is going to come out on the bottom, and their blood will be at least partially on Meridian's hands.
At times like this, the importance of maintaining morale can't be understated. A call goes out to the newest generation of those harmonized with Meridian's light: it's time to have a party!
PREPARATION:
Those who can are invited to help with the set-up. There are drinks to procure, foodstuffs to acquire and prepare, canopies to erect for shade, entertainments to organize. It's not meant to be a grand affair — the gathering is private, intended to foster camaraderie among the shard-bearers after long days and nights of work — but it will be a comfortable one, with edibles and enjoyments to offer to those taking solace in the company of their fellows.
It takes one of Alenroux's long days to make all the necessary arrangements — and then, late the following morning, after the night's monsters have slunk back into the woods, things are made ready. All that's left is for the guests to arrive.
THE EVENT:
Spring is still in the midst of taking hold over Alenroux, so a tall bonfire at the centre of the gathering place offers a toasty place to linger and chat throughout the day. Hot drinks and a variety of fire-roasted foods are on offer, including an entire deer helpfully supplied and prepared by Liem. Logs and stumps provide simple seating, and nearby canopies provide shade around the tables of food and drink. A little further away, sturdy tents provide more private gathering places for those wishing for a break from the hubbub.
And there will be hubbub. To break the ice between unfamiliar faces, a variety of contests have been set up over the course of the gathering. These range from simple arm-wrestling competitions, to three-legged races, to friendly sparring matches for those so-inclined. Gathered Meris are encouraged to spectate and bet amongst themselves on contest outcomes — and better yet, to volunteer to participate themselves during the next round.
For those who have already had a chance to relax and let off some steam, the gathering is a perfect opportunity to get to know one's fellow sect-mates a little better, and to reaffirm why Meridian called to them in the first place. Those gathered are encouraged to take the chance to tell a few tales about the place they came from, and to share the visions inside their Sunbeam with those from other worlds. A favourite place, a cherished person, an unkept promise, even an old enemy: all could be worth revisiting for a moment with new comrades in arms.
link, savant
[ While training and patrolling around one of the Alenroux outposts, Link heard word of the "cookout" to be held for Shard-Bearers both new and old and decided it would be wise to go, even if these kind of events are not normally his thing. Fast-forward through a day's work of set-up, food prep, and making a fool of himself, and Link is as tired and ready for rest as Alenroux's slow sun seems to be, as it begins to leisurely dip below the horizon.
They say that monsters come out at night in this place. Real ones, not people shaped differently from the people he's used to seeing. This strikes Link as a bit concerning — won't all the work they did to prepare for the party the next day be at risk of meddling from these monsters? Maybe their location is too close to one of the outposts, too well-protected by the patrols of the Springstar soldiers, but he's concerned all the same.
So he decides to stand guard. He doesn't mind sleeping outside — at this point, it feels more like home than any room in a building would. As the twilight fades, Link lingers around the cookout area, busying himself quietly with miscellaneous tasks. Even in the dark, you can hear him chopping wood from a good distance away. Later, a small campfire crackles in the same wide fire pit that will house the bonfire tomorrow. Those who might be lingering in the area will surely come across Link at some point, even late at night, where he keeps his back to his small fire, watching over the wild surrounding him. ]
II. cookout
[ The sun rises on a beautiful day, sunny and clear, but cooled by the springtime air. Link managed to get a few hours of sleep sprinkled through his dutiful watch, either by accident or with the help of a new acquaintance. After a quick bath in a nearby stream and a fire-baked apple for breakfast, he is ready for the festivities — and, hopefully, the fun it will bring! The last week has been hard on him. Much harder than he even realizes. ]
(A: contests.) [ The ice breaker contests draw his attention at first, but he does not attempt any until several people have... well, broken the ice, putting themselves out there to get some games started. Perhaps you notice the young man lingering at the edge of the crowd, or maybe it's after he decides to go for it on his own, but you find yourself being partnered up with him for the three-legged race.
Link does not understand this game at first, having no memory of playing it or even hearing about it before. Nevertheless, it's has he's following the judge's instructions and starting to tie the rope around your ankles that he stops and asks: ] Wait... how does this game work, exactly?
(B: your tales.) [ Into the afternoon, the air is filled with the irresistible smell of cooked meat and baked goods. The forums hosted in Highstorm and Springstar, and their accompanying feasts, were only a few days ago, but Link is already ready to stuff himself into a food coma. When he finally retires to one of the tents, he's carrying an absolutely enormous slice of meat pie with him. If it weren't for the conspicuous nature of his portion and choice of food, you might not even notice him as he settles down to listen in on the stories being shared of other worlds not his own. What's yours? ]
(C: my tale.) [ At a certain point, the conversation makes its way to Link. At first, he does not realize why his conversation partner(s) are staring at him, but the glances towards the iliachtida dangling from a cord tied around his neck clues him in. Quietly, he sets down what remains of his food and unwinds the core from his neck.
He's not so sure about this. He hasn't actually gazed into his own sunbeam yet. He'd simply accepted it for what it was purported to be — when everyone says it is what it is, why question it further? What he's seen here today is, at least, as much proof as anyone else would need, but... the thought of looking into his own bead and sharing what's hidden within it... it births a subtle but insidious sense of mild anxiety in him. ]
Well, then... what do you want to know? [ he pauses, seeming to realize that this isn't a question anyone will be able to helpfully answer. ] ...I should say... I don't know my world as well as you might expect someone to.
C
Hey, knowing everything about an entire world is a big ask. But you still knew a little corner of it, right? You could start by talking about where you're from.
[Even the most sheltered person in the world has to have some kind of frame of reference to draw on, he thinks.]
no subject
Link knows that the man's suggestion came from a place of wanting to help and reassure, so he tries his hardest not to let his trepidation show through. Maybe something else, something less... weighty, something without such a clear label.
So he focuses on the shining bead. It is easier than he expected. Within just a few seconds, it's as if he's standing in the Lost Woods, looking up at the Great Deku Tree, like he'd suddenly grown not just a second pair of eyes but an entire second body and is now in two places at once. The experience is bizarre, but awe-inspiring at the same time.
Seeming to realize the awkward pause that's settling into the silence, Link blinks and clears his throat. He's hoping that he's sharing this correctly, and not just looking at it himself, but he had sees what the others had shared so far, so hopefully it's equally simple. ]
...This is a forest in my world. A very dense and remote forest, said to be haunted by the spirits of the wood. It's not really "haunted," though... the spirits are just mischevious. They're pretty nice, if you can get to know them.
[ A dozen little Koroks bound through the dense tree cover and underbrush. Link is not standing on grass or dirt, though, but on an ancient-looking stone platform decorated with geometric carvings. ]
I remember first coming here a few months ago, but apparently, I'd been here before then when I was a kid. I don't remember that visit anymore, though.
no subject
A friend from my world says all trees have spirits. I guess some are just easier to see than others... given everything trees do for us, I can't imagine any of them being bad.
[He probably shouldn't pry when someone is near enough a stranger and already showing him a personal memory, but he can't help but ask nonetheless--]
Why don't you remember coming here as a kid? Were you really little back then?
no subject
[ He stares at his sunbeam with a near-neutral expression, tainted by only the slightest tension in his brow. The topic of his amnesia has not come up with anyone before now. What meaning does it have anymore, in this completely foreign world? To either himself or anyone else? But... it was bound to come up eventually, especially now, as he starts to walk through the knee-high vegetation in the sunbeam vision. In front of the stone platform is a massive tree, not dissimilar in size to the Tree of Life, although its branches have a clear, finite height that Kenos' mother tree doesn't have.
Link takes a breath and continues. ]
A while ago... about a year ago at this point, I think... I lost all of my memories. I've managed to recall a few important things from right before I lost them, but everything else is still a blank. So that occasion... like everything from when I was a child, I can't remember it anymore.
ii-b
So, I told him! “Oh, no! That's not what I meant. We won't keep the bones, we just want to borrow them. The humans would be mortal, and would eventually return to you, just like how everything else is born and eventually dies, even the Sun itself. Only we Teteo live forever. You wouldn’t really lose anything, prometo, and in the meantime, your fame would grow.” That's—
[ It’s at this point that she realizes someone else has joined in to listen to her story, so she does pause to give Link a little wave. ]
Ah, another! My story is getting popular… [ She laughs, taking the moment to take a bite of her food before she nods towards him to give the background for what he’s missed. ] Mm, I’m telling the story of when I went to Mictlán with my twin Xolotl! We had to go rescue the bones of humanity from there, you know?
[ you know, normal story??? ]
no subject
The... bones?
[ What is she talking about. He's... having a hard time even thinking of what the beginning of this story could have been. With his gaze lingering on the woman, Link picks up the knife he'd taken along with his slice of pie and cuts a small piece. Glaringly, he has no other silverware with him... just a blunt table knife. ]
...I don't know, actually. What does that mean?
no subject
[ She laughs as she props her head in her hands with her elbows on her knees. She’s at least getting used to the reaction of people not knowing what the fuck she’s talking about, since it seems the legends of her divinity weren’t so well known here in Kenos. It doesn’t bother her in the slightest, though! In fact, it makes the stories a little more fun to tell. ]
It’s hard to make people, you know? So it took a few tries to get it right, at least in my domain. This is the era of the Fifth Sun, but there were four that came before where we tried to make people but it didn’t quite work out. So, their bones were left behind. And with a little bit of divine power, bones are like seeds: everything that dies goes into the Earth, and from them, new life can be born. It’s a cycle, and the cycle of everything, right?
[ And, to the side, one of the people mouths a “thank you” to Link because they were wondering the same thing… ]
no subject
The Elder Goddess Farore created people, along with all other life. And then she and the other two Goddesses, Din and Nayru, gave birth together to the Goddess Hylia, to act as their liaison.
[ Link doesn't say as much with words, but his slightly argumentative tone says it for him: what she's saying isn't right at all. Everybody knows the Three Golden Goddesses created the world. ]
no subject
[ The lightly argumentative tone doesn’t bother her in the slightest, since her world already includes this kind of conflict. The way that her people were created differs from that of, say, Babylon and its gods, yet they’re not in conflict at all. How, you ask, well you see (static noises bc canon never actually explains) ]
There’s lots of stories of creation, sí! It’s hard work to create people, after all! So even my going to Mictlan, that only made the, ah, what was it— Mesoamerica, I think it’s called later? Just one part of the whole world!
no subject
Meso... america?
[ He has no idea what that is. But, the argumentative pout is gone now, as Link is more earnestly trying to figure out what she's on about. She isn't saying she's a... goddess or something, is she? It's hard for him to believe that. ]
No, they... there are only four Goddesses. If they created everything, then that must mean...
[ that Kenos and all the other worlds fall under that. Everything means everything. The longer he thinks about it, the more he's hunching his shoulders and looking very lost. ]