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

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

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

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[EUSTACE. Just show up at their house and corner him, it's fine.]

...

[It dawns on him that so many Zenith teenagers give him a hard fucking time all the time. She really took his "I love apples" and asked him if he hated oranges then.]

You said the payment should match the service. You were helping me with a gift, so in exchange, I was offering to help you. I don't mind giving you the money.

[His arm begins moving beneath the long cape.]

How much do you want for it?

[Would she expire on the spot knowing they all live together? Maybe.]

Whoa there, buddy. Back up a little — you haven't even told me what gift you want to get her. A quick-healing ointment? A mystic code that sweeps all the floors for her? A hairband that makes her resistant to magical types of persuasion, like hypnotism? The type of gift you choose and how versatile it is will change the price. That's why I cannot accept a kiss to exchange for a gift that hasn't been determined just yet.

[It would be very funny and a hard ping-pong of feelings between, like, three of them in the house because they are stupidly connected somehow.

D pauses, though it's less in giving up on the money and more he now has to think about Gray. If he gets her healing, he knows she will use it on someone else. He knows because they are very similar people, and that is what he would do. She would stubbornly and humbly rather do her own chores, too... since again, so would he, and they are the same person.

He wonders if it's an insult to get her a protection against his kind of hypnotism if he gets bloodthirsty. That seems rude. Selfish? He needs something she would have to use on herself, but also something beneficial.]

A hair brush.

[He says this with such decision. Something simple. Her hair is different now, and he doesn't know if anyone has told her it's fine that way too. Some people put a lot of attachment on a woman's longer hair. Anyhow, he has to pause to think again about the magecraft.]

One that makes hair soft and shiny when used, if you can.

...Hm. That actually sounds nice. No need for a wooden comb for more even distribution of the hair oils since it's so short now. Perhaps a boar-bristle brush with a spell engraved on the paddle? Yes, that should be simple and easy enough.

[Tohsaka squeezes by him to march back toward the sectioned off area that looks like the "check out" spot. After pushing aside the Bingo card, she begins pulling out some tools. A set of vials, cleaning supplies for sterilization, and a few ingredients. A dried bundle of rosemary, a few sets of oils...]

This should do it. I'll need to buy a brush, but otherwise I think I have everything—

[Tunnel Vision Mode: Activated.]

[Carefully, he takes half a step back to allow her through on her hyperfocused start to the request. And he really just stands there for a while as she tunnels through the motions of the process.]

I will pay you for the brush.

[He'd offer to simply buy it for her, but makes the assumption she wants to do it on her own since he does not know anything about the workings of magecraft. Maybe she needs a certain brush?

His eyes watch her set up with a strangely hungry sort of studious desire.]

May I watch you work?

[He figures he will be polite rather than do the usual and stand unmoving.]

Actually, if you want a discount you'll do more than that.

[Tohsaka latches onto that curiosity of his as he draws in toward her work. She's always been a bit of a teacher. For Shirou, for Atsumu... she can't help it! She likes flaunting her knowledge, but also to see people grow and gain experience. She likes watching people try hard, and get rewarded for it.

Rin presents him with a mortar and pestle before pushing a bunch of ingredients his way.]

I will leave you with instructions while I go procure a brush. Do you think you can handle a little hard labor?

[Hardly labor - unless you count the meticulous grind of herbs into a fine powder.]

[He watches the ingredients and mortar and pestle come his way. It doesn't appear to bother him, the idea of having to work to help.

In fact, even work like this he doesn't turn his nose up at. It's work.]

Sure.

[He only has one hand, but he doesn't make any kind of excuse or complaint for it.

Reaching up, he removes his hat to put it out of the way, and then he steps up to the mortar.]

I'm ready.

[It seems that despite his handicap she doesn't seem all that worried about his capabilities to complete the work. Instead the main take away is that her mood has markedly improved.]

You'll want to grind the rosemary into a fine powder so it can be combined with the argan and tea tree oils. I'll consult you about about a scent mix when I return. The Edelstein will be locked up while I'm gone so no one bothers you while I'm out.

[She wouldn't want a someone wandering in and chasing off her little Meridian porcelain doll — actually, come to think of it, he looks a lot like those ethereal resin ball-joint dolls. Doesn't he?

Anyway, Rin scribbles down a list of instructions stating what the consistency of the powder should be like, the measurements of the oils, and how to add the ingredients bit-by-bit so they don't clump or separate. Very casually she'll pat him on the shoulder before leaving and locking the door (magically!) It will take her roughly 20 minutes to run off and come back with a very well crafted looking paddle brush with boar(?) bristles. If D is diligent he should be doing the final stir-mixing of the ingredients as she comes back in.]

Alright.

[After so long of facing immense prejudice on the Frontier, he still finds it a bit baffling she would even think to allow him in this store much less allow him the freedom to stay here inside unattended.

Not that he has any nefarious intensions whatsoever. And aside from looking around again, he now has a task.

Patiently, he stands there quietly and waits for her to finish the instruction. For as much as he is a vampire hunter, he is also a chemist. He doesn't dismiss her teachings even if what they mean make more sense to him than he lets on. He may be a chemist, but he isn't a mage of any sort.

She leaves, and he is left with the mortar, and pestle, and one arm. Then he gets to work. The good thing, if anything, about D is he is quick and efficient.

By the time she returns, he is indeed finishing what he had been given. Immaculately, too; little mess for a man who is now down an arm. He might not say anything about having an affinity for this sort of thing, but perhaps the work speaks for itself. Or maybe Rin just gives good instructions!

He is... right where she left him? It doesn't look like he moved smat all (he didn't).]

Welcome back.

[It is Rin's own assumptions about Meridian Men (soft hearted, sentimental) and Advocates (subdued, pushovers) that make it so she feels confident leaving him alone in there. If he is so much like Gray, then there is no issue with him.

As it is, it didn't really matter if he did well. It was simply something to keep him busy while she was out. When she comes to find him... unmoved, she's a little unsettled. However that is outweighed by the fact he is looming statue in her own shop. For a moment it almost feels like he belongs there.]

Already finished? Perhaps I should have given you something more difficult to do.

[Tohsaka puts the brush down on the table — the wooden paddle facing upward, and the bristles on the tabletop. Once she's behind the counter, set across from him, she reaches under to procure an emerald green gem. It looks small, like something that would be inlayed on a vase or something similar.]

There might be a burning wood smell shortly.

[After pressing the gem to the back of the brush, its tip begins to scorch a pattern onto it. Rin encourages the magical energy she had stored in the gem to flow outward and inscribe a magic circle onto the brush. When the circle is complete the gem shatters. Almost into nothingness.

An expensive hobby, to be sure.]

Pour the mixture into the scorched depression.

You made it fairly straight-forward.

[He does not say "easy" because his intention is not to insult her line of work. The little bit is only a small part of the whole thing. He also does not mean to boost her ego any by complimenting her, but here we are... His rusty eyes lower to the brush with which she has returned.]

I don't mind.

[Dutiful student, he stands there out of the way while she continues the work, though he is watching her hands, and the brush, and the gem. He is surprised the shattering happens, but not surprised by the necessity of that requirement. It reminds him of his own world, even if those things are a mystical sort of mostly unfunctioning art.]

Is it a form of alchemy?

[His hand holds the perfect balance when he lifts the mixture, unwavering, and he manages to tip it at the right angle and right speed for it to funnel into a clean, thin line between the grooves of the scorched design. What could have been excused as swordsmanship is now too much like routine for him to not have some kind of experience like this.]

In a sense, yes. None of the ingredients I had you combine were magical, but they're all natural contributors to healthy hair and scalp. The only magic is making it so that the brush applies them in a way that doesn't make the hair feel heavy or slick with the oil. It also shouldn't need to be "refilled" unless something interferes with the spell.

[Tohsaka watches him as he works. Impressed by how diligent and precise he is. She shouldn't be surprised, considering, but she appreciates it nonetheless. If only he weren't on "the wrong side," she might ask him to be her only employee. He'd fit right in.

Bit by bit the solution soaks into the wood of the brush. It gives the scorched indent a lovely sheen and the bristles take on the fresh scent of tea tree oil and rosemary.]

I see. You're very skilled with it.

[Once finished, he pulls everything and his hand away so he can watch the results of their efforts.

The smell is medicinal, but clean, and likely only overbearing to his own senses. He's hoping, at least.

It's simple, but functional... He thinks it suits Gray, though can't be sure if she will be offended at attention drawn to hair stolen from a traumatic time. Maybe he should have just got her a magical gag for Add. His face is a marble statue; however, this clinical overthinking shows in his eyes.]

Thank you for your help.

[He is surprised at bring helped after everything, but he doesn't say it. Self esteem is abyssmal.]

Look, it's...

[With a heavy sigh she pushes the brush toward him.]

It's no charge. I wronged Gray just as I wronged you in that labyrinth, and she deserves something nice. If this were for anyone else I would make you pay. So just take it and make her happy, okay?

[She refuses to even look at him. A bit of color burns itself onto her cheeks as she begins cleaning up her supplies.]

...

[HE SEES. He looks from the brush to her, watching her unwaveringly even as she begins cleaning up the space. Is she blushing...? He can hear the quickening of her blood...

He thinks to ask her if she likes Gray in a certain way, but it feels rude. That isn't his business. If Gray really is anything like him, then he knows Gray doesn't hold anything against her for what they were twisted into doing.]

You should visit her at the house. If the Discord wouldn't trouble you.

[Not his business, but he can give her an invitation... Also, he is hoping it makes her pause at least. He's stubborn, and he does not want her work to be for free. Quickly, he reaches out to take one of her hands; he's worried she will pull it away if he waits too long, so he raises it and kisses the knuckles where they meet the backs of her fingers. Brief, simple, and he lets go.]

For the card.

[TAKE HIS PAYMENT!!!]

[It's curious that he'd say, 'the house' rather than 'her house,' but Rin supposed that if they're close enough to be gift-giving that he probably knows Gray's living situation. And Rin still doesn't dismiss her own mental gymnastics that they might be an item.]

I don't think it would be good to show my f—

[Huh? What's that she feels on her fingers? Something soft, and—]

[HE FUCKING GOT HER. HELLO???

Rin bristles like a startled cat as color floods her face more effectively now.]

I TOLD YOU IT WASN'T NECESSARY!

[And yet she doesn't tug her hand away. She just kicks up a verbal fuss and makes a face. It's all performative.]

[Hehe.

His expression remains neutral as he retrieves the brush and his hat. BUT!! As he starts to turn around, she probably can see the faintest hint of the upturn of his lips in amusement. Not at her fluster, just at his success.]

Consider it a tip then.

[He is so funny about this when he has done the same thing to people plenty of times. Annoying. BOYS ARE ANNOYING.]

Should I let Gray know to expect you?

[Truly she wishes she could respond: "Only if you're there so I can exact revenge." Instead she bites it back.]

No. It's better if we don't see each other.

[Now get out of her shop so she can stare daggers into your back and not think about how absolutely soft and lovely his lips are.]

[He stops a little ways from the door as he puts the hat on his head again. Then he glances over his shoulder at her.

Just watching her for a moment, brush in hand.]

Don't leave her guessing and hurt her feelings by avoiding her. She may take it the wrong way.

[Tohsaka's expression sours further.]

As if that might not be better for her in the long run anyway. We're on opposite sides, you know! Now get out of my shop, and only come back if you need my paid services.

[Angrily she points at the door — gesturing for him to leave.]

[For a moment, he pauses in a way as if he wants to say something. He wants to tell her they don't necessarily have to be on opposite sides, but it will solve nothing, and he also doesn't know their history.

So instead, he tips his head and bows the hat to her in a polite nod of departure.]

Thank you again for your help and your lesson, Rin.

[Then he leaves as quietly as he had entered.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

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

ty, i am!!

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1/? i apologize in advance i'll let u know when im done

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ok 3/3 it wasn't as long as i had anticipated

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