festivals and mur--ahem, investigations 🎊🔍

[beleos]

COMMUNION WITH YIMA

After given some time for recovery and for Yima to hear reports of what transpired at the Tree of Life last month, a Communion message gently flows through the minds of each Shard-Bearer. They will have to choose to accept this message, and once they do, they will be greeted by Yima’s voice resonating pleasantly in their heads. She first apologizes for their harrowing experience with the Dryad, and that she hadn’t anticipated such a violent reaction from the Tree; she believes that their experiences point to an imbalance within the Tree itself, most likely brought about by the soon-to-come arrival of the Oracles.

She has spoken with Cyrus, and they have jointly decided that an investigation into the matter - and potentially the destruction of the Dryad - may be required to purge its influence from the Tree. Yima requests that any who would willingly seek out the Dryad volunteer to do so and will be outfitted with a ward against any tampering to prevent them from falling into the creature’s clutches a second time. It will take her a bit to fashion enough of these wards - but she anticipates being ready toward the end of the month.

She concludes her message with another heartfelt apology for your suffering, that she would not have sent any into such a situation she believed were truly dangerous. That being said, she takes responsibility for your ordeal and asks that if there is anything she can do in recompense, you have but to ask.

Yima will be available for Communion chatter here!

FESTIVAL OF REMEMBRANCE - HIGHSTORM

Takiltu is a month cycle the natives of Kenos regard with some amount of reverence and a hearty helping of excitement: the first part of the month (November) is spent reflecting on and celebrating the differing cultures and worlds each Kenosian represents. The second part of the month (December) is spent celebrating unity and togetherness, to come together with friends and family, to be kind to others and share in one’s wealth - whether that comes in the form of knowledge, monetary gains, or the exchange of gifts and one’s time.

Each city celebrates differently, the flavor of their festivals a reflection of their people.

In Highstorm, the first thirty days of Takiltu are spent in Remembrance. The city is decorated with string lights, paper lanterns, candles, and torches to illuminate the streets in beautiful colors and shimmering magical illusory shapes. The focal point of the festival takes place in The Court, where the reflecting pool has been especially decorated with arrangements of flowers and lights. Festival stands erected around the Courtyard peddle paper lanterns as well as refreshments, fanciful decorative items, and enchanted jewelry that is said to make one’s recollections of the past temporarily clearer.

The pool itself is the main attraction, here; citizens who approach its waters and gaze into its depths will find its normal abilities to reflect memories enhanced. The images are surreal for their clarity, vivid - and normally, one is requested to look into the eyes of those most precious to them whose souls remain lost, to pay homage to their memory and sacrifices, and to wish them rebirth in the new world to come. A purchased lantern is then lit and sent skyward where it floats into the moonlight, joining the others hovering above.

But this year, there is an addition to the usual fanfare. Emet-Selch has been asked to assist with the festival; as long as he is given permission, he can recreate the memory displayed in the reflecting pool. Yima has granted him a temporary blessing which enhances his natural creation abilities - a gift for their people she is grateful for. Your character can choose what it is they see in the water - whether it’s a place, a person, or the feelings of a certain point and time, he will temporarily recreate it around you. Everyone will be able to see this conjuring and interact with it while it is functional. It will last between 15 to 30 minutes before dissolving into beads of light that slowly trickle skyward before disappearing. You’ll be told to light a lantern, send it adrift, and that this will give peace to the part of you and your Shard that surely aches. But does it…?

Elsewhere in Highstorm, the High Theater has been painstakingly decorated and aglow with magical floating motes of light; the interior has been transformed into something of an Art Gallery. The pieces within are dedications to parts of worlds long gone, as well as the people in them; some are beautifully painted landscapes of exquisite, far-away places beyond the imagination. Some are more mundane and familiar snapshots of life in a home world not too different from your own. There are portraits of families, loved ones, and those the Zenites long for most. This is their time to mourn, to grieve, and to appreciate their pasts - the pasts that will lead them to a brighter future, one day. They must move on into the future, but treasuring that which came before is equally important to them.

Should you touch any of the motes of light that are around the art pieces decorating the Gallery, you will find yourself able to feel, hear, see, and taste a piece of the world the piece represents. Some of these are warm gatherings over a dinner table with family; others are heart-wrenching expressions of loss and bitterness and pain. Be cautious which you choose. Oh, and do be careful not to stand too closely with someone else when you touch one, or one accidentally touches you - the experience is absolutely contagious through Communion.

CELEBRATION OF CHERISHMENT - SPRINGSTAR

While Highstorm’s Festival of Remembrance is a more demure and reflective time, Springstar takes a much different approach to the season. In true Meri nature, the Celebration of Cherishment encapsulates celebrating life in all forms - and that means parties! The Psychagogía is the main hub of excitement considering, but festivities can be found in almost every single district of Springstar. Wherever you go, something is happening and someone is trying to rope you into having a good time.

The city has been decorated with bright and colorful multi-purpose magical ivy-like vines that sprouts buds that bloom over the course of the month into gorgeous flowers. These flowers are considered sacred, and their blooming is a momentous time of joy and good fortune. Each flower is left intact; disturbing one is tantamount to a war crime by the natives, so don’t get observed if you try to pluck one!

The Psychagogía is incredibly lively, teeming with people and events; almost every venue is peddling some kind of ‘Cherishment’ celebratory sale or discount. The first portion of the month includes what the locals call “the meri-ment” (and seem quite chuffed about that pun), in which Kenosians are encouraged to go bar hopping and taste the wide variety of specialty ales and liquor unkegged only around this time of year. Participants are highly encouraged to share stories of their worlds and cultures, to tell those they mingle with tales of the worlds they will one day return to and why they’re special, unique - to celebrate their one-day return.

Alongside this comes a great deal of outdoor grilling, fresh meats and vegetables sending tantalizing scents everywhere you go once the evening hours arrive. Some of these food and drinks can cause… interesting… effects if you consume them in excess, especially at the Emotional Damage - so try to show restraint. It would be a bit embarrassing to find yourself strangely infatuated with the first person you lay eyes on after your fifth night out on the town, or feeling compelled to express warm feelings aloud you wouldn’t normally commit to another. Luckily, it only lasts a short period of time - but beware the wicked hangover afterward. Strangely enough, if you’re suffering, you feel oddly compelled to seek out a little TLC from someone else - someone with whom you might have some unresolved feelings toward, positive or negative. Is it longing? Anger? Jealousy? Unspoken affections? Love? Whatever it is, you're more likely to seek them out for some care.

At the Coliseum, nightly brawls between Meris take place and the usual assortment of monsters are temporarily taken out of offer. This part of the festivities is one where each Kenosian is encouraged to settle any differences or misgivings with others and to get it out of their system, cleansing them of bad mojo - “leave it in the ring,” as it were. Despite beating each other bloody at times, most combatants willingly stop before it gets too serious and fighting to the death is not permitted. You must embrace your adversary before you leave, and your ‘bad blood’ will be considered purged and settled so you can start anew.

The Empório district is celebrating consumerism, because of course it is! All the usual goods are on a considerable discount, and for a brief time, gardening tools and supplies are free! The reason for this is that Springstar’s citizens are encouraged to plant one seedling in the gardens in Katoikitikós once the flowers lining the city have gone into full bloom. It is said this honors gods across cultures and time as well as invites good fortune. You are encouraged to plant a seedling in a group or pairing, as space is limited - and there are superstitions regarding this togetherness resulting in more favorable results. Should you plant a seedling with someone else, you might indeed find that something is beginning to blossom between you… Based on your Aspects, you might find yourselves feeling closer and more connected - or repulsed depending on your compatibility. This effect will last through the month after planting. Should you check on the seedling later, its health will be reflected in the state of your relationship. Friends will find the little plant thriving; enemies will find it is sickly and dying.

For those Shard-Bearers who have already harmonized with the Meridian or who have quarters in Heliopolis, you will find the communal meals much more lavish and indulgent than usual. There may even be a taste of home waiting for you among the spreads on offer, or some comfort food you haven’t had in a while. It is encouraged to share anything to your taste - or even to share why it is meaningful to you via Communion. Or you can just eat. You do you, man.

Once the flowers have bloomed and the festivities reach their peak, one might find the city loud and boisterous and sleep a little more difficult to come by. Springstar is absolutely thriving and alive - and you, too, feel more invigorated and energetic despite any lack of zzz’s. Should you leave the city, however, this effect will vanish and you might find yourself unnaturally fatigued and in need of more rest than is customary. Returning to Springstar will slowly build up your stamina again. This effect lasts until the end of the month.

THE MYSTERY OF ALENROUX

Once celebrations are in full-swing in the cities, some characters (i.e., any characters that choose to participate in this prompt) will be contacted by Cyrus or Yima, depending on their faction or whichever they feel a stronger inclination towards if they are currently Unharmonized. Both will explain that there’s something that they’d like you to investigate, but also to prepare and be careful, since this request doesn’t come without danger… A Shard has been lost in Alenroux, and they both hope you’ll be able to retrieve it.

MERIDIAN

“I’ve gotten word that a Zenith Shard-Bearer was sent to Alenroux a little bit before you arrived, and they haven’t come back yet. Normally, none of our business, but based on what some of the farmers have been saying, I think they’ve gotten hit by Discord. If it gets high enough, well… You don’t really have your mind anymore. We can help them through Purification. Even if it’s just for long enough to calm them down, it’s better than them being trapped in madness. It might be easier to dissipate them first, though, then Purify their Shard. They were last seen heading to the Northern forests. Let me know what I can give you to help, and make sure to help each other. Good luck.”

ZENITH

"Please heed my request, though I do not ask this of you lightly... One of the Zenith's children has been lost among the fields of Alenroux come nightfall and I fear the worst has befallen them. There are dangerous elements attracted to the presence of a soul, and the likelihood our brethren has been lost... it is great. Seek out the Shard - and if you are able to retrieve it, please do so. If it has suffered corruption too great to be saved or would place you in too great a danger to take back, then... I trust you to make the merciful choice. I place this in your hands and will give you whatever you require to see it through. Look out for your fellow Zenith and work together, as I do not want to lose more of you. Be well."

Both factions will offer their recruits access to standard weaponry and armor/protective clothing. If a character asks for more, they’ll be given a weapon or a piece of armor with minor magical properties which would normally cost 1 AC token to purchase. Magical weapons are on loan however. If your character takes these and/or chooses to keep it, please note this in your Committed Actions! If they choose to keep standard weaponry, Cyrus/Yima will just be disappointed in your dishonesty. :(

When you arrive during the day cycle, you’ll also find horses and magic hoverboards to use (they go the same speed tbh), because heading North to the forests is a bit of a trek, and you might not make it there in time on foot! As the sun starts to set, you’ll see the people in Alenroux start to leave, going clearly your opposite direction. Once night falls (Nov. 9th OOC), it doesn’t take long for things to change.

There’s just a sliver of a crescent moon in the sky, which makes the rolling hills and forests much more ominous than they were during the day. And as the stories say, it only takes an hour or two before you start to run into strange creatures. Closer to the Cornerstone, there are indeed strange creatures, and while they may not all look scary, they might present different kinds of dangers such as…

• A light in the dark looks like a fairy, but stare at it too long and you’ll find yourself hypnotized by a ghastly fish will lead you to a body of water to drown you.
• An innocuous puddle may form up into a mass of corrosive goo, complete with the bones and items of the last person it came across. When you slice it, it simply creates a copy of itself, so hopefully you realize this before you’re surrounded.
• A strange straw poppet (sans pins, of course) that possesses you once you touch it and will use your body to try and fight anyone else while your consciousness is trapped inside the doll. To be freed, you only have to destroy the doll, but you’ll feel the pain of how its destroyed even if you don’t bear any injuries from it.

However, as you get closer to the Northern forests, they become significantly more fearsome…

• With a roar, a massive, multiheaded beast descends, and each of its mouths is perfectly capable of taking a bite out of you. Watch out for the snake’s head in particular, since its venom will cause you to hallucinate your worst fears.
• As you come face to face with an odd creature, bioluminescence lights up on its skin, and the spins on its back quiver with a sound like a rattlesnake’s. As the spines quiver, you find it exceptionally difficult to take your eyes off them and move as it stalks closer slowly. You can fight blind, right?
• Diving in and out of larger shadows like its water is a slimy beast that’s incredibly fast. Its teeth may be small, but its tail is a razor-sharp whip that could remove a limb if you’re not careful.

These are just examples, however. There are many creatures lurking the wilds of Alenroux, so feel free to create your own monsters with unique effects.

It's a difficult trek North, and you may be tired from hours of running, fighting, or both… But eventually, a few people do find what they were looking for. They might have even missed it, if not for how their Shards suddenly felt like they were burning. From the shadows, a twisted creature of roots and lights which what looks like many crystals in a glowing mass appears and one of its eyes locks on you. It looks like now is your chance.

NOTES

Weather summary for the first 30 days of Takiltu (NOV & DEC):

Highstorm is in late fall, early winter season. Some flurries may occasionally fall and it is getting considerably cold out there! Bundle up!

Springstar is in the throes of early summer; the weather is climate and pleasantly warm for outdoor celebrations (but not sweltering). There are occasional afternoon showers, but they don’t last very long.

Notable city changes:

If you wander the Markets in Highstorm, you might notice some of the peddlers seem a bit wary of you. Hm, guess something happened around here! Probably totally unrelated, but Silco and Vander (or anyone with them) will be treated with nervous suspicion.

Similarly, if you're traveling with Set (or you're Set) in Springstar, you might occasionally find yourself getting strange looks. Ask Set why.

Faction updates:

There are no explicit changes in faction behavior at this time. This will be a staple in all future event write-ups to catalogue the fluidity of the conflict as it progresses, though, so we're including it here for posterity!

Event Notes:

The Reflecting Pool in the Courts of Highstorm can be observed normally with no addtional effects or can bring your memory to vivid life thanks to the help of Emet-Selch (and Yima). If you grant him permission (which can be handwaved), he will breathe life into whichever memory you have chosen to view! If this includes any NPC’s or interactive elements, you will be responsible for playing them out in any tags until they disappear. Please see Emet’s toplevel for any interactions you’d like to thread out with him as a part of this.

For the Gallery in Highstorm, the art depicted in and scenes experienced through the pieces are up to you to create! Feel free to go wild with any associated NPC's in the scene and worldbuild as you see fit. Highstorm holds a variety of citizens from across the multiverse, so you could feasibly go fantastical places, or experience something distinctly profound and beyond your imagination...

The drinks and refreshments in Springstar can be enchanted in just about any way you’d like, including bringing upon minor physical changes of the cute, fun, and flirty variety! Feel free to get creative (as long as you get permission from your thread partner), the Meris would also merrily insist growing extra fluffy, scaly, etc bits during the celebration will only help you party harder! 🥳

As reminders for Alenroux, once night falls, a character is not able to leave until sunrise, which is 24 hours later. If your character is dissipated, you can have a PC retrieve their Shard or the respective Faction they're allied with will send out a search party to find it. Remember to report character deaths!

CODING

Comments

[sanguinary]

[Not mourn something that can't be dead, huh... Well. Many things that aren't human have a very human way of processing grief and loss, after all. Even he isn't entirely an exception.]

I see.

[A quiet response, without much emotional lean to it in any particular direction. He takes a few steps to his own left and to her right, speaking as he moves. It's an idle sort of movement, so as not to be overt in trying to get away from her sightless side. The judgment in her voice regarding Yima isn't missed, though he doesn't address it. Instead:]

The one that I serve is not here. [An equally placid statement as the one that came before, despite what "not here" means. If his saniwa is dead, there isn't much to be done for it, is there? But that's neither here nor there. His steps still, and he looks at the lanterns in his arms for just a second or two too long before his eyes close.]

--When a spirit or soul is not "dead" but is still "gone", it can be a comfort to them when others reach out. In song, or with the warmth of a candle, or words of prayer... Even one voice calling to them can make a difference, when there is little else for them to seek.

[He is a helpful type, in a way, but it sure ain't always for the non-spirits. It's a natural inclination, wanting to prioritize them.]

[warmare]

[In Horos, the Regent had claimed that all of their worlds had been destroyed. Here, the woman Yima claimed the same- the doom of entire “planets”, whole civilizations. And Hayame… she just cannot imagine it. Not she, who had before all this never even fully comprehended other countries beyond the sea, let alone understood the concept of a universe beyond her own. Something that big couldn’t simply vanish, or be “killed”…

So her world had to be there, somewhere that she was denied. It had to be, so there was nothing to mourn or remember as if gone.

And he speaks of… speaking. To those who are gone. Communing with them, across time and space, and just what- hoping somehow that they will be heard?]

I do not know the sutras.

[She had commanded subordinates to read them, time to time, those who had the ability to read that she did not. Because that was the form of a warrior, and she wished to make herself match that. Warriors believed in the preachings of the temple monks… and even though she hadn’t, she could fake it well enough in front of judgmental eyes. But the truth of the matter was-]

Nor how jinba pray.

[If it was the wild jinba in that village… did their gods answer them? They’d never answered her, when she’d been young and foolish enough to speak her thoughts and hopes and pleas to some higher power.]

How do swords?

[sanguinary]

[There's a little "ah" - a sound of understanding that lacks in judgment of any particular sort, as most from him tend to.]

I do not think the method of prayer is important.

[Definitely something heretical-sounding, something that would cause quite an uproar among the rank and file of each and every vastly different religious body - but being a minor god himself, he can probably get away with a little heresy.]

There are as many prayers as there are individuals. For us, some swords choose to pray with sutras and prayer beads, or hymns and scriptures. Others prefer an anointing with blood, or an offering of food and drink. A simple word tucked away in one's heart can be a prayer just as much as an omamori in one's hand... At least, I believe this to be true.

[He lifts the lantern stack a little, glancing up toward the sky.]

A prayer at its core is not necessarily for the gods or the dead, anyway.

[warmare]

[Definitely heretical-sounding. Though she didn’t believe in them herself, was ignorant of much, Hayame still knew even amongst the same religion that there were fights and debates over the method of prayer, of offerings, of study, or every little pointless dithering thing that fat eleventh princes given shiny monk’s robes had the time to think about.

But for her… ?

At her core… She associates prayer to the departed with absolution, to the gods for blessings…]

Who is it for then?

[And she isn’t deserving of either of those things. So if he says “the living”…]

[sanguinary]

["The living" would be a good answer, as far as he's concerned, but that's because his view of prayers - spirituality in general - exists on a much wider scope. Just about anything could be a prayer as far as he's concerned, regardless of the way it's delivered or who it's for or why it happens or where it comes from.

But the fact that so many facets of prayer potentially exist in his opinion is summarized neatly by his actual answer.]

Only the person doing the praying can decide such a thing.

[Whether it's for a god, or the dead, or for their own peace of mind, or any of the thousands of possibilities in between.]

...It is the individual behind the prayer that gives it meaning, after all.

[warmare]

… What a frustrating answer.

[Hayame supplies that honestly enough, simple and unsophisticated as it might make her seem. There had never been much need for a jinba desperate to be sold as a warrior to debate the method of prayer or religion. All she’d needed to do was to be able to mimic the proper obeisances.]

But I suppose you are not a priest.

[Gracious of her, to absolve him of responsibility for her lack of resonance. She should just excuse herself, since she has already admitted she wasn’t her to pray, and yet… there is something just a bit soothing she isn’t fully conscious of, something that makes her want to stay near him rather than return to the outskirts alone and shiver as her dryad-cursed shard made her entire body feel like ice.

But to do that… Her lips thin as she holds out a hand, gesturing to the lanterns that were stacked so tall as to partially obscure his vision.]

- I will assist, though.

[Magnanimous, too.]

[sanguinary]

[It's the honesty of the answer that he values, and he can't help but smile just a little on hearing it.]

It is true; I have never needed to explain such things to even one person, let alone a clergy.

[Thank god for that, too, phew! That's a position he sure never wants to be in, for various reasons... As for the incredibly magnanimous offer, he pauses for a moment and then shifts the lanterns in his arms, leaning forward so she can easily grab the top few off without upsetting the stack.]

I appreciate the assistance.

[An equally simple, honest statement.]

There are a few people I said I would pass these out to. If you would like, there will be enough left over for us to send off a couple of our own.

sorry for the continued delay skdmfmf will be back to normal from 12/3!!!

[warmare]

I will ask a priest if need be.

[She did know one.

Without further ado, Hayame takes the lanterns stacked at the top, handling them with a certain degree of intentional delicacy. Whether she thinks it foolish or not… She will respect the tradition, for now, it seems.

But the idea of actually sending one herself… makes her expression darken again, even as she gestures for him to lead.]

You cannot convince me that lighting a lantern will bring anyone peace.

no worries at all!!

[sanguinary]

[That's all he could really ask for, anyway - and even then, it's not like he cares all that much about whether or not any one person in particular does or doesn't show respect for the customs of this place. It's just a little nicer that way, he thinks.

But he'll take the lead at the gesture, making his way through the (much more tolerable than their sibling city's) crowd with careful footing.]

I don't believe such a tradition would endure if no one found any meaning or peace in it.

[It's his experience with tradition in general, anyway. There's always some meaning to be found in the bits and pieces that stick around over the years... Though he'll add:] If not peace, they are still enjoyable to look at.

[That's what he likes the best, prayers and gestures aside. It reminds him of less complicated times.

But!! Away they gooo, and they're making a first stop pretty quickly! A little kid runs over to Matsui, tugging at his coat sleeve and then stopping to stare up and up and up at Hayame... Damb, they think, that's a tall horse-person.]

Hello, there. You're here for a lantern, yes?

[The kid nods! But ultimately seems more interested in Hayame.]

[warmare]

[No matter the bright streets of Springstar or the gloomy paths of Highstorm... Either is too crowded for a woman who hailed from a breeding stable in the borderlands of Echigo. Even Auction Day, when wealthy lords from the many provinces sent representatives to bid on that year's crop of jinba, was nothing compared to Kenos. Anywhere on Kenos.

Weaving through the crowd somewhat gracefully despite her large size, Hayame can only offer a vague sound of acknowledgement. She supposed... they might be beautiful, in the sky. She supposes some must think... even if they are useless, at least they are beautiful.

When a child approaches them, however... Hayame stiffens. Human children were unpredictable, they would run under a horse's (or a jinba's) belly without fear or provocation, and if one were injured through their own actions she'd be the one-

No. There is no stable master here to punish her.

But she still doesn't know what to do with... she knew, just barely, how to deal with jinba children, but. Her expression, however, is likely... not the most child friendly. The effort she is putting into her actions makes her brows furrow and her jaw stiff when she thrusts a lantern at the child.

Does it want one or not?]

[sanguinary]

[This is the funniest thing he's seen all night full stop, help.

The kid, apparently not fully dissuaded by her generally unfriendly vibes, only stops staring at her once she offers out the lantern, which was indeed The Goal Of This Visit and thus quickly steals their attention away. Reaching up, the child takes the lantern with delight, trying not to crush the delicate paper.]

Thanks! [Is the cheery and grateful-sounding chirp of a response she'll get for her incredibly hilarious handling of a kid... Then, being a kid and all, they will just kindly add:] You're really tall, lady! I bet you can pick lotsa good apples out of the trees.

[Ah, the sweet nonsense of a child's brain. Matsui's looking visibly amused by this point and even smiling a little, and he gives the kid's shoulder a gentle nudge.]

Do not linger. You have a lantern to set off, don't you?

[warmare]

[The child accepts the lantern, at least, which at least means it has some sense to it... Not that Hayame seems to think that's high praise. It says "thank you", so some manners are also present, but then...

Apples???

Her already frosty expression twists into one of confusion and frustration. What is she supposed to do with that? At least if her pupils in the village had asked about picking apples it would have made more sense, she was able to get things their yet-stubby equine legs could not reach, but... they're in the middle of a city! A city of stone and darkness! There's not even a decent tree in eyesight to spur that sort of thought... ? So what did she say?

Nothing, apparently, she just stares at the child with that weird (slightly constipated) look on her face until the shikigami says something instead, and she finally mutters,]

Go take care of your business.

[Matsukaze had once told her that she couldn't speak to children like tiny adults, that she should teach them how she wished she'd been taught, instead of how she was, and yet-

That lesson is months old, now. No one had renewed it.]

[sanguinary]

[The child, stuck dealing with one person who doesn't know how to interact with children and one person who talks like he's still in the 1800s, is just standing there like ??? for a second before laughing for lack of any other way to react to this, really. But!! After a second, they'll hoist the lantern overhead, beaming up at both Matsui and Hayame in turn.]

Yeah, okay - thanks! Don't forget that you gotta light one too, okay? See ya!

[And with that, the kid goes scampering off to join a little gaggle of other kids waiting off near a bridge, which they crest over and vanish behind.

Matsui turns to Hayame after they're gone, and though there's no judgment in his tone or expression, there's the barest twinkle of amusement in his eye.]

I take it that you do not interact often with children. You'll have several more to deal with, but none of them are a handful.

[warmare]

[Don't forget to... Who did that child think he was, reminding adults of their duties? She would discipline him in place of his obviously lax parents, except he's already run off... and she's not about to disgrace herself chasing him for anything less than an actual crime like theft. Instead, Hayame scoffs.]

I was raised for sale as a warrior, not a wetnurse.

[There are phrases that she just... says, that in her world are normal, without the werewithal to imagine how they could sound to others. But surely the intent is there. No, she did not interact much with children. At least-]

- But I have experience enough.

[With... jinba children. But she still mutters it defensively.]

What? Do you like them?

[Was that normal, for a tsukumogami born of a blade?]

[sanguinary]

[She really does just wholeass say concerning things with a straight face... Even Matsui, far from being human and far from human standards, finds such words a little concerning. After all, unlike himself - truly a tool from conception to current time - she very much seems to be as good a person as any.

Still, he keeps any speculations or questions to himself for the time being, instead focusing on the fact that she's definitely not a certified babysitter.]

I see... I do not dislike them. [His head inclines a little as his gaze lingers on the bridge horizon that the kids had scampered over, quiet for a moment.] ...But swords do not tend to have "good" interactions with children.

[Y'know. On account of being weapons of war and murder. Any child he's familiar with, he's familiar with because they had to go to battle young, or because they never made it out of childhood.

Anyway!! He'll turn after that, heading toward another throng of people, socially conscious enough to not traumadump on a veritable stranger (who isn't also a sword, at least).]

If you see an older woman wearing a shawl with beaded roses on the hem, please hand her one as well. She's a little hard of hearing, but she should be expecting the delivery.

[warmare]

[He thinks her as good a person as any, and many in Horos had seemed to think the same- but Hayame had yet to believe they honestly believed it, not truly. Humans, as she knew them, were weak creatures, able to conquer the much stronger jinba only by virtue of tool and numbers... and all too eager to see anything that did not look exactly like them as "other". As something closer to beasts than to men, something that it was acceptable to eat in times of famine, to breed and ride like horses, to flense the arms from to make of them chattel...

So, no. She was not accustomed to being around human children. She did not like children... much at all. They were... things she could have been, and things that she could have been forced to bear, and she did not-

She'd had only one day with those students, in that village hidden in the mountains, where perhaps they would have considered her a good, kind teacher. It had taken all her effort to be that- And the she was in Horos. Now she is here. And they..

Swords, well. He didn't have to actually express to her why he didn't have many good interactions with children. Swords killed whatever their owner's hand commanded... and those hands could claim the lives of the elderly, the sick, and the young in a time of war just as often as actual warriors.

He does not say anything about her comment. She does not say anything about his.]

I understand.

[She is all business. When she does spot the woman in question, from her vantage point with more than a foot or two on most peoples' heights around them, she pulls out a lantern to present it to her with a simple,]

Your lantern, madam.

[- Simple, but with a slightly raised voice.]

[sanguinary]

[The woman, who looks to be in about her sixties or seventies, doesn't seem to turn for the sound of a voice addressing her so much as Hayame's imposing figure, which is hard to miss. She seems a little surprised, at first, but there's a warmth in the creasing of her smile as she reaches out to take the lantern with a grateful little nod. When she speaks, her voice is even and of expected volume, as someone used to speaking without full hearing might manage after some time.]

Why, thank you, young miss. Here, take this for your troubles.

[At which point she'll reach up with weathered hands and try to place something in Hayame's free one. If she looks or accepts it, she'll see it's some small wooden figure, rough like it's been carved by hand.

Matsui glances over from where he's passing another lantern off to a rather somber-looking gentleman, dressed more for a funeral than a celebration of any sorts, even one as quiet as this. In the same way he doesn't question Hayame, he doesn't tend to question much about anyone else he interacts with, either. Maybe he is on his way to a funeral, for all Matsui knows. He'll call out, not wanting to interrupt the interaction but to inform Hayame of where to head next.]

We can leave most of the rest of these at the tavern a street ahead.

[warmare]

[Hayame had admitted to not having much experience with children. Actually... she had less experience with the elderly. Her stable master had been the oldest human she routinely dealt with, and he was in his fifties. Most people did not make it to a ripe old age in the rough borderlands of the northeastern mountains, and though she had seen an elderly merchant or porter in her time... She had not interacted with them.

She'd certainly never met an elderly jinba. They did not survive that long in the breeding stables.

So the woman... looks so frail, up close. So weak. She's so distracted that she even lets the woman put something in her hand and then it's too late, she refuses to take it back and keeps prattling away independent of whatever Hayame actually says...

She returns to the tsukumogami's side with it in her hand.]

Here.

[She holds out her hand in order to try and gift it (force it) on Matsui instead.]

She provided payment and would not be refused.

[And he was the one who actually wanted to be providing these lanterns to people. She... She just didn't want to be alone, but couldn't admit it even to herself.]

[sanguinary]

[Tragically, he doesn't hold his hand out in return. He just observes the strange little trinket, head canting to the side.]

I see... Well, you are the one who gave her the lantern, so she would likely wish for you to keep the payment. What a strange little thing, though. Did she tell you what it is?

[To him, it looks a little like a protective charm of sorts, or some sort of token item of fortune or well-wishes, but he'll leave his speculations unsaid for the time being. Instead, he shifts his last couple of lanterns to one side so he can set off toward the tavern at a slow enough gait that they can keep pace and continue the conversation easily enough.]

[warmare]

No, she did not.

[She didn’t. Also, why… won’t… he take it? Hayame stands there trying to mentally force him to open his hand for… longer than can be denied was obvious, yet he just-

Keeps walking?

Eager to be free of the unwanted tether, she follows, insistently attempting to offer it again, this time more directly stating-]

Take it. You are the one who decided to participate in this.

[The… lanterns, specifically, that was.]

[sanguinary]

[She is so determined... Matsui makes a temporary halt in his walking, if only to look more directly between her and her new and apparently disliked trinket with a pale shade of curiosity.]

You decided to participate with me, did you not? [HAYAME.] Do you find that it isn't to your tastes?

[Or, with what little he knows of her, he could probably make a more accurate guess - that she doesn't know what to do with it, because she, unlike himself, is probably unused to having things just for the sake of having things. It's with that in mind that he carries on with:]

If you do not wish to have it, I suggest giving it to a friend. I can't be certain of what it is, but it looks like a charm meant to bring good fortune, to me...

[He's not in need of such things, considering there aren't any battles to worry about breaking in just yet - and that wouldn't be a worry of his, even if there were.]

[warmare]

[MATSUI.

If there was anything that Hayame was, it was determined. Some would say stubborn to the point of self-destruction. And right now, thanks to her own perception of unasked for debts, honor, and morals... what she has locked her knees and dug her hooves into the ground over is whether or not she deserves to be gifted something for what she is doing.]

...This does not look like an omamori at all.

[It would be kinder on herself to accept that Horos, now Kenos... are not her world. The people are not the same, the culture is not the same, and yet still she clings to the only thing she'd ever known.]

And I do not have any friends.

[She says it as a fact, as if she weren't aware some people found that sort of thing pitiful. No one had ever called her that. She had never used that word for anyone else. Even those members of that hidden village in the mountains, she had... become friendly, somewhat, with them... she had tried to trust... but they had not been... friends.

She doesn't even know how you become that.]

You may take it, or I will dispose of it.

[Two choices. That old woman wasn't the only person who could press something into someone's hand and then walk away while their protests fell on deaf ears.]

And I do not have any friends.

Take it.

[sanguinary]

[Hayame has truly done something incredible in this moment in that even he, an absolutely alien tsukumogami with a very limited view of humanity's true scope, can't miss how sad this is. Not pitiful, necessarily - if only because pity isn't an emotion he tends to feel. But it's definitely a little jarring from a person he would consider closer to being human than he himself...

It looks like he wants to say something for a moment, but whatever it is, he apparently decides to keep that to himself, too. Instead, after a beat, he'll hold his hand out to accept the little figure.]

I will take it.

[But he has no need for it either, and hardly expects tokens of gratitude for what he does, so it won't stay settled in his palm for long.

Rather, it's the second thing he gives away once they've made it to the tavern, full of people celebrating the festivities in a quieter, cozier way than those of the other city. A few people make offers of sharing food or drink, generally directed at either Matsui or Hayame whenever they come. Several people who had been expecting the delivery also come to pick their lanterns up, and it's the second person - a younger-looking gentleman - to whom Matsui passes the token, with a quiet:]

Take this, too; may it bring you good fortune in the coming days.

[This token's truly been on a trip today. The guy eyes it with good-natured curiosity before pocketing it with a smile and a well-wish in return. Once all's said and done, they'll have exactly two lanterns left.]

[warmare]

[Hayame silently puts the supposed charm into Matsui's hand, and that is that.

She should have known better. What a fool she had been, being desperate enough for company from someone she'd identified as at least somewhat familiar to her that she would get involved in something as emotional and foreign as these lanterns of reflection. Even in the tavern... some woman clasps her hand in thanks until she jerks it away, there are so many kind words from strangers that make her vestigial mane bristle, and-

What she has said lingers in the back of her mind as she imagines... Perhaps she had been hasty, to feel something like kinship with a tsukumogami. It was likely that same desperation again, she is sure, but the more lanterns they give out... the more people she sees who are apparently willing to bare their souls and openly admit the people they left behind, the ones they mourned...

She becomes sure that she cannot do it.

When the lanterns are distributed, and there are only two remaining... Hayame bows slightly to the spirit, her voice colder, more removed.]

You must excuse me here. I wish you well in your "prayer".

[She had helped. Surely that was enough.]