open | a merry meri mingle

[sterngaze]

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

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.

Comments

[hauntedking]

I cannot tell you why your world is so different.

[ He thinks he can sense a touch of resentment there - or perhaps just distaste - for the lack of gods or goddesses in these other worlds. He's not sure what can be said about it, though. It isn't as if he has the power to call the goddess into being. Still... the conversation is going elsewhere.

Without asking, he settles onto the ground, legs drawn up as he regards Set.]

I suppose I can try that. Even if a part of me still longs to find a way that will not end in so much sorrow. You're right, though. At a certain point... it is better to not show mercy. To simply cut your way through and end it as quickly as you can.

[ His eyes settle on the little sunbeam that Set toys with. ]

...do you have fond memories of home?

[redsoil]

I believe I have come to know why. Others come from the same world as I do, but different moments in time. It appears that the older my world becomes, the less the humans turn to the gods. There are books in the library that speak of ages beyond the one I recall most vividly.

[ Not 'the one I know', because some part of him knows all of the history that he reads of. Perhaps not actively, though. It simply tells him to nod, to know that one day, Egypt as he knows it is gone. That foreigners steal their history and imprison it in their own nations, that the gods are distant — thought of as myth.

Dimitri joins him, and he cannot find it in his heart to protest. No dismissal comes from his mouth, as they had made a vow. An agreement, and so — he will uphold his end of it, to stay at Dimitri's side as he does Hayame. Even if their opposing aspects will make it HELL ON THEM!!! ] You try hard to be a good man.

[ That one statement carries more weight than not.

He is quick to tuck his sunbeam away, into the fall of his hair as he shakes his head and fans the red locks back over his shoulders. A curtain of carmine, the same shade as his brows, his lashes, the depths of his kohl-lined eyes. His brow knits, in hard thought over the question. Are his memories fond? He would not say so, nor would he say they are all miserable. 'Fondness alone does not lead me to seek its restoration.' / 'I recall it as a place difficult to feel solely fond of.' / 'I was never home. Not often enough to desire it as much as my siblings would.'

Things he thinks to say. Things he wishes he would have, instead of what he does: ] I was fond of it, once upon a time. What I feel for my world now is — I do not consider my feelings toward it, really.

[hauntedking]

I don't know if that's a matter of age or not. But I also don't know how old my world is...

[ He makes a low 'hum' sound. There's a lot to consider there. A lot to think of. He doesn't necessarily want to detract from Set, now that he's starting to feel like he understands him. But he can't say he totally understands his attitude, although the comment about Dimitri trying to be a good man catches him a little off-guard. He laughs and glances away for a moment, expression settling into something a little abashed. ]

...I am not sure I could try to think of it as anything but my home. I won't say that you're wrong to feel that way. I don't know what's happened to you to make you feel differently. But I hope you manage to restore it, all the same.

[redsoil]

[ He flops. Right back down onto the ground, casting hair and limb into a heap as Dimitri continues to offer the proverbial olive branch, to extend a metaphorical hand. Trying to get to know the war god, trying to understand him — why was it so easy for humans to do that? How could they get it in their head that he was in any way something that could be understood? For a long moment, he is quiet; his hands resting upon his bare stomach, eyes staring up — far up, unblinking into the sky. Into the sun above Alenroux, without even needing to squint. Inhuman. ]

I took the throne from my brother. Ruled my lands, abused my authority. I slaughtered humans for centuries, generations upon generations of them. Not one god stood against me, until my older sister and her son returned to claim what was 'rightfully theirs'. As if authority is passed down through lineage! It belongs to those who prove themselves!

[ Welcome to 'this is the myth that sets up the structure of inheritance'! ]

— I lost our competition. Mine and Horus's. I was banished. I was told to atone for my crimes, and I cannot atone if the land and people I harmed are gone. I have to restore it, even if I do not... I do not care. [ He cares a little. It's hard to tho'. ]

[hauntedking]

[ There is discord brewing between them because of what they are; who they are. But he tries to ignore it in favor of speaking. In favor of watching the way that Set acts and moves and listens to the words he says. It's an interesting story. ]

...that is not a terrible reason to wish to restore it.

[ Dimitri glances down at him thoughtfully. ]

...my own uncle tried to have me killed. I think he feared me.

[redsoil]

It was a terrible thing to do. Yet, I do not always feel as remorseful as I should. Most of the time, I simply want the world to be over with. To wipe it clean, as it would have been one day. Why not today? Why should I not allow it to return to the primordial sea?

[ He murmurs it, as he rolls onto his side to gaze up at Dimitri. Just a little, below the curtain of red hair and equally red lashes. Their Discord will simmer between them, on a delicate loop of innate incompatibility, despite that they — are similar in some ways. How strange, the structure of these Aspects are; his own marking is bold upon the hand of his skin, as the bracelet of black miasma is around his opposite wrist. ]

I think you would have liked Horus. His fate would have been similar to yours, if I had known he existed.

[ He says it, with the ghost of a terse smile. It is the first time he's really thought about his nephew, opposed to how often he considers his son, his sister. Horus, he tries to keep from his mind; stalwart, strange of heart, enigmatic in his supposed compassion... ]

What did he fear you for, Dimitri? Or, what did he fear from you? Was it your right?

[hauntedking]

I think, because you told me once, you are bound by your nature.

[ He remembers that conversation and he tilts his head to meet Set's gaze. ]

You feel you have to try, at the very least. You cannot just let it slip because... to do so would go against what you are. What you are intended to be. But... [ He offers a shrug. ]

...I cannot say for certain.

[ The change of subject - the one he brought up - makes him sigh softly and there's a distant sort of look in his eyes. ]

...I think he feared that I would become little more than a beast. I think he feared my being king. I think he thought I would kill him, if I had the chance.

[redsoil]

[ That Dimitri had listened and remembered is something that warms some part of Set's being. Whether he truly understands what it means to be bound to his nature, to the boundaries of divine parameters he was carved from, remains to be seen. ]

You are not wrong. I do, know that I must fight. Always, forever. I fight the world, and even my own self. The failure to do so would be my own unmaking.

[ And he sits up a little, curling his legs under his hips in order to lean towards his fellow man. To observe the way his visible eye goes far away, into a memory. ]

You said you did. Become no more than a beast, I mean. And king, as well. That is two true things, in his favor. Did you kill him, too? If so, it must be hard - to know he was right.

[ god set you are the MEANEST???? but most honest..... ]

[hauntedking]

Maybe he was right.

[ Dimitri allows this wearily. ]

He was killed by someone else. And I think his suspicion and attempts to undermine me helped set his own fate in motion. But I cannot die my own hand in it. Or that I lost control of myself. I do not know what that says about me, except that I have the capacity for great violence and that... there is a darkness in me. Even now.

[redsoil]

Even so — you do realize, that all men are capable of such darkness. Women, too.

[ +1 to feminism, go Set. ]

To be unique in one's darkness is a rarity. To find oneself among like souls, a surety. Whether your uncle's foretellings were fated or simply self-fulfilling prophecy, you will not know until the end of your mortal life. I know you hold yourself to higher standards now, though. I do, too.

[ He, who slaughtered his own brother. ]

Why do you want to return to your home, Dimitri?

[hauntedking]

Perhaps I am not unique. The war that gripped Fodlan changed many people and many of us killed without needing a reason. The continent burned and we still demanded more blood...

[ He shakes his head. It's not a good memory. But it is something he participated in. He takes a long slow breath. ]

...because it is my duty to them. [ He responds to that, voice firm. ]

I am their king. I am meant to help my people. To protect them. Uplift them. If I give up on trying to revive them, then... what is the point of bearing the title at all? If I run from that duty now, what good will it have done me to claw my way out of that darkness?