I saw Mommy kissing Samba-Claus (KISS BINGO EDITION) 💋🌿

[beleos]

QIASU (HIGHSTORM)

On December 15th, the marker of the latter half of Takiltu, Kenos comes together to celebrate 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. This celebration is an amalgamation of many worlds’ winter festivals, and as such, is known in the two cities as the Year’s End Festival, or Qiasu as Highstorm calls it.

This part of Takiltu is when Highstorm truly starts to hit winter. Snow is a frequent occurrence, but it’s one that the city welcomes, since with the snow comes a few of the most beloved traditions of the city. By far the most popular is heading to Greenwood Yards. The gardens themselves may be either dormant or showing their simpler winter gardens, but you may have noticed an area by the bathhouses left in surprising amount of disrepair… This is because during the winter months, this area fills up with a natural outdoor hot spring! Take a swim under the moonlight, and even explore some of those ruined old manors, now with their first floors warmly flooded. It’s a tradition to bring in your favorite drinks and spend an evening sipping it in a parlor with friends, and to make new ones by sharing your drinks. Of course, do watch out for the ghosts. They’re mischievous more than malicious, but this is their favorite time of the year too!

You can also head to the Great Tree, which is decorated for the season with glittering glass orbs and is the current roost for the pale Moonbugs of Highstorm. Write a wish on a slip of paper and hold out your hands, and one of the Moonbugs will come sit within them. Whisper the wish to the Moonbug and it’ll take the paper and fly away to find someone to fulfill it. Of course, this also means that a Moonbug is likely to come find you! Besides it being good karma to fulfill the wish, you’ll be given a brief vision of the person whose wish you fulfilled and be blessed by the tree for the duration of the month depending upon your Aspect:

• Advocate: People are more likely to buy you meals/rounds and every recipe you make turns out perfectly.
• Exalt: Animals seem to think more kindly of you, and you'll find them much easier to befriend.
• Harbinger: You're given a more silver tongue as your arguments seem to be better at persuading people.
• Iconoclast: You won't be effected by cold weather in any way.
• Savant: You heal much more rapidly from any injury and are generally the very picture of health.
• Stargazer: Your indulgences (whatever they may be) are both easier to find and are of higher quality.

And of course, there’s one more well-known practice in Highstorm, though it’s more of a tradition of Kowloon’s… The Gävle family is a well-known family who has lived in Highstorm for a long time, and they brought a tradition of building a festive Yule goat made straw in the square outside of their businesses. However, it also happens to be outside of Yura Szczepanski’s home. He’ll never do it himself, of course, but if you manage to burn it down? He’ll reward you, obviously. It doesn’t make it any more legal, so those that try generally spend some time in a Highstorm jail, but it’s an enshrined enough practice at this point that not only has it burned down more often than it’s survived, but there’s even a betting pool in Kowloon for whether it survives or not.

Of course, if these traditions aren’t quite your vibe, you’ll also find the city just generally set up for a metropolitan winter. The Antiques & Baubles Market is rearranged to make room for a large ice-skating rink, Tasseography (the coffeeshop by the Tomes) has a seasonal special for a hot chocolate that will fortify you from the cold for a few hours (and make you fire resistant? Weird,), and the city also hosts a full-size gingerbread house that you can indeed take a bite from, to name a few things. Generally speaking, if it’s something you could do in a snowy city at home, you’ll probably find an equivalent somewhere in the city of moonlight.

Be warned, however, if you are visiting from out of town. Highstorm's reception seems just a touch bit chiller than the weather!

YEAR'S END FESTIVAL (SPRINGSTAR)

Springstar will never turn down a chance to celebrate, but eternally Highstorm’s opposite, this is the warmest time of year. With the sun always shining, some days can get near sweltering, but that just means you have a different set of traditions to have fun with it!

The ivy-like vines that decorated the city in the beginning of the month (November) are now in full bloom, and you’re now likely to learn why the Meri consider them sacred. Wherever the flowers bloom, they encourage feelings of warmth and slightly higher inclination for physical contact within those that encounter their magical pollen*. Holding hands with someone by the flowers will give you feelings of liveliness and happiness, and for a few hours, the positive traits of the person you’re holding hands with become more prominent in you and vice versa. These effects do linger a bit longer, since for a month, you’ll also find that being around this person also gives you both a little boost in energy. It’s very sweet! This also comes with a bit of a further game, if you’re at all a frequenter of Psychagogía...

Madame Dee’s hosts a very popular competition simply called Kiss Bingo. Approach the booth set-up outside the brothel and touch your Shard to a special card, and names will appear upon it. From there, the rules are simple. Just give that person a kiss! It can be on their hand, their lips, their [redacted], all of it counts, and once you do, a little kiss mark will mark their name out. Get a bingo, and you can pick from a variety of prizes such as a ticket for a week’s worth of visits at a local buffet, a shopping spree at a nearby store, or a box seat for a day at the Coliseum. Of course, if you’re really an overachiever, fill out the whole card to get multiple prizes. Madame Dee might just give you a job!

With the promise of home that the Meri deeply believe in, they have their own gifting tradition. The Shard-Bearers know best that it’s possible to receive gifts from the Timestream, and for Year’s End, it’s tradition for the Tribune to pull out all the stops. For a week of the Festival, the Tribune works just outside of Heliopolis, and with the help of priests from the Church of Helios, reaches into the Timestream to produce a gift for anyone that comes to ask. This year, however, he's asked Quetzalcoatl and Samba's elves to deliver gifts, but you might not get anything you asked for (or maybe you did!) but they're all gifts the timestream spit out!

On rainy days (or simply the unbearably hot ones), you can also go to Starlight Park, which offers a reprieve from the weather. Inside the dome, you’ll find a idyllic, snowy valley where you can partake in all the natural joys of winter. There’s (highly) competitive snowball fights, sledding, and skiing to partake in, though you might be cautioned away from one slope. Head down that course and about halfway down, you’ll be chased by… a yeti? Luckily it doesn’t seem to be able to harm you, but it’s still shockingly fast and will catch you no matter how quickly you ski. You can also spend a bit of money to rent a yurt along the river for a relaxing and exceptionally cozy glamping experience. Some Yurts are even adorned with the sacred vines. You know, for no reason.

You’ll also find the Meri heading away from the city of Springstar a bit to head down to some of the beaches that surround Springstar. Being an island within an Island (capital ‘I’ meaning the Kenos kind of island), Takiltu is the traditional start of Springstar’s summer season and all the fun that comes with that. The beaches are bustling, but the cool and crystal-clear waters of the ocean surrounding the city make it worthwhile. Surfing, diving, and sailing are popular activities, but just make sure to stay within sight of the shore. It doesn’t take too long to hit the end of the Island and sailing outside the magical barrier that keeps Springstar floating in Kenos’s starscape generally isn’t survivable.

Just be mindful, if you're trying to escape Highstorm's chill for some summer fun, as attitudes are shifting toward bearers in general, and it might not be as easy as it once was.

NOTES

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

• Highstorm is out of fall and into winter. While there are some milder days, snow (and heavy snow at that!) is getting more common.
• Springstar is hot and humid, and it's not uncommon for brief thunderstorms to roll through in the afternoon.

Notable city changes:

• Both cities have experienced changing attitudes toward shard-bearers. You will need to be mindful if you want to travel to a city that doesn't house your faction, as things might not be as easy when it comes to getting around.
• Springstar has had an increase in attacks toward it's citizens, and they are often fatal and destructive. Rumors travel among Springstar's seedier types that these are escaping from Ryad, and they aren't being reigned in. That always comes with a flicker of worry.

CODING

Comments

link 🍏 savant, zenith 🍏 open

[bakedapple]

1. greenwood

[ On this day, about a week after the Harbinger Oracle was claimed by the Meridian, Highstorm's twin moons shine brightly from behind thin, wispy snow clouds. Despite it being especially cold, the weather spurred Link to venture out from his makeshift camp in the Beyond to run a very important errand. It took him an hour to trek across the city to Greenwood Yards, as his usual mode of traversing Kenos — climbing up the outside of the building and cutting across rooftops — isn't going to work today. In his hands, he's carefully cupping a small flowerpot housing a small, sickly-looking flower bud.

But when he arrives, he's saddened to find that the winter season is not exactly the busiest time of the year for the gardens and their botanists. Although he wanders for a while, he can't find anyone to give him the information he's looking for. No, he's not trying to find out who delivered this flower to his camp without him even knowing (although he'd love to know that, too)... he needs to know how to take care of it!

It had been a long walk. To get back to his small camp south of Yima's manor, he'll have to walk all the way back to the south side of the city and then some. When he thinks of having to cart the poor flower bud all the way across town again, it just feels... unacceptable. No, he won't leave until he either finds out how to keep this plant from dying or finds someone who can help care for it. Even if he has to wait all day, pestering anyone he sees visiting the gardens. ]

You! Excuse me! [ Yes, you. You're his next target. He jogs up towards you, although not too fast, as he's still carrying that flowerpot. ] Do you work here? Can you help me with this?

2. hot spring

[ Over the course of the long day that Link spent at Greenwood Yards, he'd gone so far as to wander into the ruined mansions in his search for a gardener, or a groundskeeper, or someone to help him with his little plant. Of course, he didn't find the help he was looking for in a bunch of run-down buildings... but he did find the hot springs.

A place to bathe, with hot water, that doesn't require him to step foot in Yima's Manor and risk being Perceived? Oh yeah. For a guy who's decided he'd rather live in the woods during the coldest time of year in Highstorm, it's a godsend.

The following day, Link travels all the way to the northern reaches of the city again. Instead of lingering in the gardens, he heads straight to the bathhouses and ruined manors. After stripping down into his smalls, he trudges into the water, sinks in up to his neck, and soaks.

Anyone who might venture in will find him in one of the flooded old manors, sitting on the mantle of the fireplace like it's a pool seat. He jumps in surprise when he hears them come in and eyes them warily, but does not move. The water is so nice that it might be enough to get him to talk to someone. ]

3. i want that goat obliterated

[ Link's trips to Greenwood Yards end up being better for him that he could have imagined, because it actually got him out of his head and into the city itself. It doesn't take long for him to hear about the situation in front of Yura Szczepanski’s house. Standing out on the street, hands on his hips, he stares contemplatively at the large goat figure made of straw.

What is he thinking about? Perhaps he's concocting a plan somewhere between those pointy ears of his? Or is he just enjoying the nice view and the seasonal atmosphere? He stands there for a long while, staring, only looking away to make way for people passing by on the sidewalk.

And then, during a period where the street is quiet, and he doesn't see anyone coming... he kneels down, picks up a rock wedged between the cobblestones, and hurls it as hard as he can at the goat. It smacks the side of its straw torso and falls to the ground. Then, he throws another rock, and another. When he runs out of rocks around his feet, he steps down from the sidewalk to grab one that had been just out of reach.

Sometimes, you just gotta throw rocks at trains goats. It's an south Philly Hyrule tradition! Okay yes I wrote this prompt to make an Always Sunny reference. ]

4. wildcard!

((Orrrr tag him with whatever! Link is not traveling to Springstar during all of December, but he can do just about anything in Highstorm! ))

2

[kaientai]

[ with all the gossip going around lately, ryouma has been leaning into the fact that he's still an unknown for the most part. even though he'd recently decided to Harmonise with Meridian, it didn't stop him from coming out to see what was happening in Highstorm.

he spends hours excitedly exploring the city, but eventually, the cold starts to get to him. he might not be human any more thanks to the restoration of his Servant magic, but he still has his preferences; ryouma has never been very accustomed to the cold. a nice soak in the hot spring sounds like the perfect thing in this weather.

it's purely by chance that he decides to explore one of the manors that happens to be occupied. dressed in a black kimono and grey hakama, he doesn't seem to mind that he's found himself standing in water up to his knees. his left sleeve hangs empty as he has his arm tucked casually into the front of his kimono. dressed as he is, his Shards — both of them — are exposed for anyone to see, but he doesn't seem to be concerned about that at all. ]

Oh, hey there! I didn't know anyone else was in here. Does the water feel as good as it looks?

[bakedapple]

[ For a few moments, Link can only gawk at the stranger who so casually waded into the hot water while still fully dressed. He's trekked through enough frigid mountains and frozen valleys to have done a similar thing before — finding a natural hot spring and delving into blissfully hot water, still completely clothed, like it was his salvation.

But he's experienced the second part of that bliss, too. Where it's time to get out and keep moving... and all his clothing is wet. ]

Erm — yes, it is. Although you look like you can feel it for yourself...

[ Oh, he does not envy the walk home that this guy is going to have later. He bites his lip slightly, wondering if he ought to say something, until he notices the two Shards peeking out from the neckline of his kimono. His concerns immediately shift from the stranger's wet clothes to much more pressing issues. Another Shard-Bearer... but is he from the current generation that's fighting over the Oracles, or is he one of the many people in Kenos with Shards who arrived in past generations? ]

I don't think we've met before, sir? My name is Link.

[kaientai]

Hah! Well, I guess that's true.

[ but it's an excuse to make friendly conversation anyway! ryouma makes his way over to where a bit of railing juts out well above the water line and starts to undress. he might as well hang things up to try and spare what hasn't already gotten wet, but it's a good thing he has the benefit of magic on his side again, given the water he ends up pouring out of his boots once he takes them off. he should think about these things before he does them, but it will probably never happen if he hasn't figured that out by now. ]

I only got here after that Oracle business was all finished, so I'm still figuring out who's who.

[ all that free publicity juuuust missed him.... ]

I'm Sakamoto Ryouma. But, er, just Ryouma is fine!

[bakedapple]

[ The fact that he's a Shard-Bearer really does change Link's concerns about him walking home in wet clothes, too. Not only is he likely versed in some kind of magic, but there's a good chance he has some special power or another to begin with. With that new knowledge, Link regards him with curiosity instead of worry, only looking away when Ryouma goes from removing his outer layers to exposing bare skin. ]

I see... nice to meet you Ryouma.

[ Link stares down into the dark water, illuminated by whatever moonlight is filtering in through the ruined manor's partial roof. A blanket of steam hangs over its surface, where the hot spring meets the frigid winter air. So... he's a new Shard-Bearer then. Very new. He wasn't even here for the Oracle a few weeks ago. Unavoidably, Link's heart sinks with sympathy. ]

How are you handling everything so far?

2

[settingup]

[ Not wanting to be perceived? What a wild notion! It's not something that Atsumu could ever relate to, and definitely not something that Atsumu can imagine other people would actually want.

So sorry to Link, but the minute Atsumu spots him, also having come here with every intention of enjoying the hot springs when word got around that they were back for the holiday season, he's making his way over to him.

It probably does not make matters better that Atsumu is treating this like a real bath. Stripping down to his smalls? Keeping on his underwear? Absolutely not. He's here to fully enjoy a soak, and so far the place has been pretty devoid of life, plus the first guy he sees is also a dude, so it's fine!

He just also doesn't have nearly the modesty others would probably hope he would...

It doesn't even seem to matter that the last time he saw Link was when he was trying to coax him into giving up something very important that was going to have a heavy emotional burden to it. Atsumu is doing his best to aggressively ignore how poorly so much of that went for them all.

So I'm sorry to say, Link has a very naked guy raising his hand in greeting, and very nakedly strolling over with a very cheerful. ]

Yo! Didn't expect to see you here!

[ Like they've bumped into each other in the grocery store after not having seen each other for a bit under completely normal circumstances.

It's probably not too late to just run past him. ]

[bakedapple]

[ .......Oh. It's not like Link is particularly puritannical, or even modest about his own body, but it's not ever day a friendly acquaintance strolls towards you completely naked like you're passing each other by on the street. ]

Atsumu! Um... hello.

[ Blinking, he glances away, feeling a bit unsure of... where he's supposed to look. ]

Yeah, ah... well... you know. The water is... warm.

[ And with his choice of residence being the woods, he hasn't showered or bathed in days. Atsumu is lucky he found Link after having already soaked for a while. ]

[settingup]

[ Blame it on half a lifetime of sharing locker rooms with his teammates. Though Atsumu might have more shame and panic had Link been a girl, he seems completely comfortable letting it all hang out in front of another guy.

He also seems perfectly comfortable knowing where to look despite Link's state of mostly undressed as well, and keeps his eyes on his face. Even as he eases himself into the water, he's not really bothering to check the rest of him out, because that shit gets you teased to hell and back in the locker room again.

Or called out by your icier teammates in a way that wishes people were just ripping into you. ]

No kiddin'. I didn't get a chance to get out this way last here, even though there were rumors about this place.

[ Damn he is making himself nice and cozy in the water now that he's lowering himself into it. ]

[bakedapple]

[ The quiet sloshing of water reassures Link that Atsumu has waded in past his hips, so he dares a glance towards him again. The other boy looks so happy and content to be in the water, one might forget the ordeal they went through just a couple weeks ago. ]

You seem like you're doing better than you were the last time I saw you.

[ Pulling his natural hand out of the water, he gestures towards his face, indicating. When he and Atsumu met in front of the Effigy, Atsumu looked like he'd been in five different fistfights. At the time, Link had been too wrapped up in what was going on with him to ask what happened. ]

Are you doing okay now?

3

[alliterating]

[ Fortunately, someone hands Link a rock. Or maybe a brick. A brick is a kind of rock, right? ]

Have at it, blondie.

[ She waves a hand at the goat. Someone's enjoying his destructive tendencies, anyway. ]

[bakedapple]

[ The hand that juts into Link's peripheral vision makes him jump in surprise. He was so focused on throwing rocks at the goat that he hadn't even heard this person approach. Did she sneak up to him on purpose?

But after the surprise subsides, he looks down at the offered brick. Considers. And takes it. Without missing a beat, he curls the brick as hard as he can at the Yule Goat. It's an impressive throw, smacking the goat directly in its straw face. ]

[alliterating]

Nice throw.

[ She laughs and settles her hands on her hips. ]

You just feel like breakin' something or what?

[ It's a weird tradition, but she's not gonna complain. ]

[bakedapple]

[ The way she laughs, friendly and casual, makes Link look back to her again. He's never meat this woman, but she makes a good first impression. ]

Yeah. I guess so. Apparently, people try to burn it down every year, or so they say?

[ Something that he and Gavial will be doing later, and very nearly succeeding at it... but that's later, after this is happening. ]

2.

[wolof]

[ In one of the manors, the one Link happened to visit, it was already occupied. Not by a woman, no, or at least, not by someone who looked like a woman. Floating atop the surface of the water was a black swan, looking quite comfortable, fluffed up and almost indulgent. If a bird could be said to have a personality, it would be one that was... quite pleased with themselves.

Though when Link entered, and slipped in, the bird almost looked away, as if polite, before it settled back into place, looking comfortable.

After a few moments, it made a sort of soft honking noise. Half to announce her presence, and half to chirp, making sound specifically so Link would notice that she (the black swan, not a human being named Akua Sahelian) was there.

The bird stared at him, with golden eyes. ]

[bakedapple]

[ Link spotted the swan when he first came in, but it was only a glance, with a passing thought to himself about how he's never seen a bird like this in Kenos before. Then again, he is still new to Highstorm... and who would blame any of the local wildlife for being drawn to the springs during the winter cold, just as people were?

It's after he is undressed, submerged in the water, and selecting the fireplace mantle as his spot for the day, that the swan calls out suddenly. Almost as if it were... calling out to him? Looking at it again, a closer look this time, he sees that it's staring at him. Huh, that's weird. And the longer he looks, the more he notices how unique the creature is. Golden eyes, coal black feathers... he hasn't seen a creature like this anywhere in Kenos before, not even Alenroux.

He gazes back at it, thinking, and then wades back to where his clothing and belongings are neatly piled along the bank. After rustling through his pack for a second, he pulls out a fist-sized item and peels its wax paper wrapping back to reveal a small roll of bread. Pinching the corner in his fingers, he tears a small piece off, looks out at the swan, and tosses the scrap towards it. ]

LINK??? YELLS!!!

[wolof]

[ Was he.

Was he feeding her bread?

Akua looked down at the small, soggy clump of bread as it drifted in the water. She leaned down, as if she might eat it.

Her head tipped, and then she looked back at Link, her expression pointedly unamused as she regarded him. She ruffled her feathers, puffing up like an annoyed bird, before she really did lift her head and tip it back, as if to say: "thanks, but no thanks". ]

c:

[bakedapple]

[ The curiosity with which Link watches the swan is pure and earnest. Like he's made an offer of peace and friendship to a wild animal countless times before, genuinely wishing to commune with it in some way, to share space together and show it the same respect he would any human. So when the swan lifts her head and looks away, as if rejecting the food, Link just blinks. ]

Don't like bread, huh?

[ Gaze lingering on the swan for another few moments, he eventually turns away to wrap the roll back up in its paper and tuck it into his pack. Then, he wades back to his seat on the submerged mantle. ]

I don't have any seeds or fruit. I'm sorry.

[ Unlike his body language, when Link talks to the swan, it does seem a lot more like he's talking to himself. With a sigh, he leans back and closes his eyes, ready to assume that he and the bird will sit in silence together, enjoying the water. ]

2. MERRY CHRISTMAS

[tattooism]

[The last time Kiritsubo had seen this man, she had been a different woman. Her hair had been a light blonde, her eyes an innocent teal, and her skin nearly white as snow. He had not seen a slip, not a single glitch in her form, because she was not some sham of a shapeshifter barely able to hold onto her transformation through sex... Though, depending on how closely he followed the news, he might have learned some things about her since their little... encounter. She has learned some things about him, too.]

Good evening, lover boy~

[The woman who approaches him in the Greenwood Yards hot springs is nothing like the one he had bedded during the Harbinger Oracle trial. Her skin is a honeyed caramel, and though her hair is blonde still it is now burnished, not clear. Maidenly proportions have been replaced by almost overly generous curves, and her eyes- This time, her eyes are gold, sharp but mirthful when she smiles with clever lips.

Was that chosen little moniker a coincidence, or... Oh, of course, perhaps she'd read it off a headline? With one hand, the woman holds up an almost comically giant bottle of sake as if in offer, and with the other... she is already beginning to undo the sash of her simple bathing robe.]

Mind if I join you... ?

[Ah. She is not wearing anything under that robe. Surely not strange... it's a hot spring, after all!]

[bakedapple]

[ Link's gaze rises towards the woman when he hears her approach. Not recognizing her, his first assumption is that this is just another random citizen of Highstorm who's come to enjoy the winter springs. It's what she calls him that makes him hold his breath, tense his body, and look at her with much more trepidation.

Could it be...? He's read by now that the woman he had sex with during the Oracle could change her shape. Nobody knew much more information than that, though, and in this moment Link can't even remember what her name was. He's been trying to forget all of that happened, ever since he saw the way Springstar exploited it to insult him whenever possible...

But if this is her, he can't and won't pretend not to care. Even as she starts to undress, Link does not look away; a fierceness is seeping into the way he looks at Kiritsubo, not aimed at her but aimed at something bigger and more intangible. What they did together, maybe, or the way it's started to haunt him. ]

Who are you?

[ If it's her, will she lie? Maybe there's no point in asking. But, he has to at least start with that. ]

[tattooism]

[If he asked the citizens of Highstorm, Link might find them saying that she is just a random resident. She's been using this shape for that role, for shopping, exploring, cafe trips, and... some more interesting "after-dark" activities in the city of eternal night. It was useful, she'd learned, many many centuries ago, to keep a variety of "identities" handy. Not that she was pleased in the slightest that she'd needed to fall back on them.

Exhibitionism was one thing. That broadcast, though... It wasn't easy to anger her, not after all this time and not over things that would not stand the test of time. But she certainly was... annoyed.

She doesn't look it now, though, when she shamelessly strips off her robe and abandons it to begin wading into the steaming water, sighing happily at the sensation. The air around them is cold and sharp, making her nipples tighten and gooseflesh pepper her skin as she shivers, but the hot spring is welcoming and, careful not to wet her liquor bottle, she sinks smoothly beneath the surface, leaning back against the rocks with a sigh... and a smile.]

Kiritsubo.

[She answers easily, setting the bottle on the spring side beside her, as if they simply hadn't had the chance to exchange names in a completely normal situation.]

And you... ?

[bakedapple]

[ It's when she starts to wade into the spring that it finally registers in Link's head that she is naked. He looks away, but reluctantly; if this woman isn't the shapeshifter then it wouldn't be right to gawk, but if she is... well. That's not really her body, is it. So would it even be wrong for him to look? Is that why she strips down so casually to begin with? ]

...Link.

[ With the sound of her settling into the water, he dares to glance back. "Kiritsubo," she said... ]

It is you. The woman from the Oracle.

3

[kinaesthesia]

((Sorry for the delay in getting to this! Semi-hiatus turned into more of an actual hiatus ;;))

[Spending some time with Link in Highstorm isn’t really a new experience for her. What is new about it, is the fact that they’re both aligned with Zenith now. She’d say she’s surprised (and honestly, she is a little), but considering the sorts of conversations the two of them have had in the past… it almost feels like something a little inevitable, that Link would make his way over to this side of things.

Considering the way his responsibilities back home had weighed on him and the fact that he’s gone turncoat here has him hiding outside of the city out of, seemingly, guilt or shame or whatever, she’s pretty confident in saying that Link is the sort of guy who is a little too hard on himself. And Gavial being Gavial, is never one to allow someone to mope. No, she’s making sure Mr. Elf here is getting his butt out of those woods he’s been hiding in and having some fun for at least a little while.

It’s hard not to catch wind of the situation surrounding the straw goat sitting out in one of the plazas. A little tradition of mischief sounds like just the thing to get into, and as Gavial watches Link start hurling stones at the thing, she’s feeling pretty damn sure that taking up the challenge would make for a pretty fun way to spend an afternoon. So during a pause in Link’s rock tossing, she steps closer and leans in close, almost conspiratorially; her face is lit up with a mischievous grin as she speaks, voice lower than her typical brash volume.]

Y’know, I think we’d have a real good chance of lighting that thing up, if you want to really have some fun with it.

no problem at all!

[bakedapple]

[ It feels good to spend time with Gavial. She's friendly, easy to talk to, and easy to trust. That's why she was one of the very first people, if not the first person, who managed to get Link to voice his earliest doubts about himself and the Meridian. But that was months ago at this point, and the situation has changed significantly since then. To his relief, but not to his surprise, Gavial's company is just as reassuring and positive as it has always been. Even though he senses that she has questions, she hasn't pressured him to answer for anything, and for that, he is grateful.

Link is leaning down to grab another pebble from the road when she leans in, grinning at him mischeviously. He pauses, looks around to see if anyone else is listening — the coast is clear — and takes a half-step closer to her to speak in a low voice. ]

Yeah? [ He's inclined to agree. With the right equipment, a good plan, and a little luck, they could set that thing ablaze in no time at all. But... ] We won't get in trouble, will we? I've heard this is some kind of Highstorm tradition, but...

[kinaesthesia]

What’s a little fun without the prospect of some trouble, huh?

[Which is to say, she’s not entirely sure on that one. But even if there is trouble down that road, that playful grin of hers says plenty about how little the prospect of it would hold her back.

Still, she shrugs a little and glances around a bit before letting her tone fall back into something a little less conspiratorial.]

Serious answer, though… I don’t think so? I mean, if it’s a tradition and all, they gotta be happy when people get in on the game, right? Engaging with the culture and all that.

[aka it’s the perfect excuse! Mostly, she’s just concerned with having a little fun and making sure Link has himself some fun too. What better way to get to know his new home than engaging in some arson hijinks?]

[bakedapple]

[ Well... that sounds right, as far as he knows? And if Gavial is saying it, it's probably true... she's the senior Zenite here.

Nodding, he looks back up at the goat while still leaning in close to talk to her all sneaky-like. ]

Okay. Let's do it. What are you thinking? [ he gestures vaguely at the street and buildings surrounding the goat. ] It looks like it'd be easy to destroy this thing, but... I'm guessing they probably have people keeping watch over it.