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taxfest log | open

Who: Alenroux residents and visitors!
What: It's Taxfest: an Abadaran holy day celebrating the local community on the day taxes are collected
Where: The settlement in Alenroux
When: Mid April (Pelu)
Warnings: None expected (Warn as appropriate in headers!)

A HOLY DAY FOR TAXES

Every spring, after last year’s profits have been tallied and Alenroux’s snowy winter has melted away, the time comes for the local citizens to bequeath a portion of their earnings back to the growing little town; it’s tax season.

Over the past century, a tradition has grown in the quaint little settlement, influenced by the local church of Abadar: the holy celebration of Taxfest. On this special day, citizens celebrate the town, each other, and the future they hope to build together. It is a day for business, but also for contemplation, as priests cite the public works the citizens’ past contributions have funded and speak on those planned in coming years.

The business of the day is conducted in person. Rather than mailing cheques, residents hand theirs directly to collectors who go door to door all throughout the day, each accompanied by one of the temple priests or acolytes, who observe to ensure the proceedings are respectful and just. Abadar’s clergy thank each citizen for their contributions, offer comfort to the poor, and hear any concerns or suggestions about how the money should be best used.

Throughout the day, tax collectors from the town can be seen accompanied by white-robed acolytes, or priests in yellow-trimmed raiment. Aside from these busy individuals, most of the town’s folk spend their day on leisure, having earned a respite from the last year’s labours.

~~EVENING~~ AFTERNOON FESTIVITIES

Traditionally, the festivities of Taxfest would begin with sunset. Due to Alenroux’s 48-hour day–night cycles, however, business is typically concluded well before noon, and the day’s celebrations begin when the sun is still high in the sky. Just as the morning had been dedicated to reflection on the year’s efforts, so the rest of the day is spent in celebration. Local tradition dictates that partying hard on Taxfest both honours the work of the past year and brings good luck in the one to come, so locals and visitors alike are encouraged to let their hair down and enjoy themselves thoroughly.

Throughout the town, entertainment and refreshments are on offer, organized by the Abadar’s temple and provided by local businesses. Offerings vary by neighbourhood, and over the years different parts of town have become a little competitive over who can throw the best festival celebration. Priests officially begin the festivities with a brief dedication to Abadar, to Alenroux’s town and to its people, and the rest of the day is devoted solely to merriment.

On the town’s eastern side, a spacious park hosts a cheerful, whirling mass of dancers in groups or in pairs, dancing to the tunes of talented musicians from around town. Food and drink stalls line the perimeter, luring people from their revels with sweet and savoury scents.

One of the stalls, selling little sweet buns with coins stamped on them, swears it’s good luck to find someone bearing a coloured token matching one you find inside your own bun. (Not all the buns have tokens, of course, so better buy a few!) Those with matching tokens will feel more trust and closeness with their matched person for the rest of the festival.

A broad plaza on the town’s west side sports a slightly more carnival air, with entertainers and game stalls taking up much of the available space, some offering rather strange prizes. One of the games, involving a spinning wheel covered with paper balloons, advertises a free drink at the associated tavern for anyone who can hit five balloons without hitting any “bad” ones. Bad balloons will burst in a puff of coloured smoke, causing a minor magic effect lasting for the next hour:

• Higher or lower voice
• Slight intoxication
• Ability to blow smoke or bubbles
• Small objects you hold float away (for a while) if released
• Small objects you touch stick to you as though magnetic
• Other harmless, temporary effects (Pick your own!)
In front of Abadar’s church, the clergy themselves host a cheerful (if quite obviously religious) celebration with tables of food and a hearty ration of wine for everyone in attendance. This year, it seems the clergy member to bless the wine was over-zealous, as partaking may instill feelings of contemplation even in those disinclined to melancholy. Hymns to Abadar are sung, and everyone who attends is given a token for an extra wine ration, which can be traded in by those who attend a church service within the next month.

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[Alice has been flitting around the whole of Kenos for much of the month. A lot of her time is certainly concentrated to Old Springstar, it's "veterans" and it's orphanage but she does like to visit Alenroux now and then. They have the monsters far more under control nowadays but she still volunteers for some of the night time hunts and just generally likes to keep an eye on things as is her way.

Today she's tripped upon this settlement having their festivities. She never got to enjoy the ones back home surrounding the Nebulo Peace Conference so it feels like a waste not to allow herself some free time to mill around at this one. She might be something of a workaholic but she's slowly learning the value of quiet moments and downtime.

This moment of downtime puts her right in line with the whole incident of Liem's backside. She's innocently beginning to nibble at one of her buns, a sack of them in the same hand she's eating with and an ankle-length braid of hair draped over her left shoulder so as not to obstruct her sword. For a moment her attention is more directed to the person who did the deed slipping away into the crowds.

Then it's back Liem's way, her brows raised gently and mouth still occupied by that bun.]

[If Alice has one thing going for her, it’s that despite being directly in Liem’s sights when he whirls around with colour high in his cheeks, she looks a bit too guileless with that bun in her mouth and the surprise on her face for him to just assume she’s the guilty party. His eyes (hidden behind his customary dark lenses) snap to her, then sweep around to catch sight of anyone suspicious who might be trying to slip away. Unfortunately for him, nobody seems to immediately stand out.

His gaze flicks back to her.]

Did you see who did that? [he demands, a little breathlessly. Indignation makes his tone a little sharper than he’d meant it to sound, but in fairness to him, he’s been working his butt off preparing for this holy day, and now someone’s gone and pinched it. In front of witnesses, to boot.]

[Here Alice stands trying to chew that mouthful of bun in double time so she can at least give him some kind of eye witness report. By the time she swallows it back down Liem is breathlessly indignant and she's under his sharp stare.]

A little taller than myself, dark hair and dark eyes. I believe they might have had a horn?

[Then again she's seen so many people with horns and scales and the like as of late that almost seems like a given.]

[The description Alice gives Liem is actually more detailed than he expected. He’d been prepared to receive an answer along the lines of “it was a man,” or “they were short.” Even if the descriptors he receives aren’t exactly enough to identify a specific person out of everyone who’s currently in this plaza, it suggests a sharper eye than many people tipsily enjoying the waning afternoon normally would employ.

He also cannot help but note the tell-tale feeling of familiarity that he always encounters around other Harbingers, though he has not yet met this one in person before.]

Just one? [he asks, less because he’s invested in finding the culprit and more because he wants to distract himself from the embarrassment he’s just suffered. He’s still holding the little red-and-yellow ball in one of his hands; in a moment he’ll probably need to turn round again and toss it back to the jugglers, but he’s not quite ready to stop pretending that he still has at least a chance of salving his dignity in some tangible way.]

[Blame it on having to memorize things as part of her military duties. It helps that she's stone cold sober too of course. As it is she's finishing off the bun in her hand and wondering over that feeling of familiarity. She had it with Jade was well and had chalked it up to related signs since she had heard that could occur. Jade hadn't been sure and until now she hadn't run into anyone else that felt quite the same.

She nods as she chews and once she's swallowed she adds:]

Would you like me to go hunt them down?

[She looks and feels absolutely sincere in that offer.]

[The offer surprises him. Liem blinks, and the only reason he doesn’t refuse immediately is because it hadn’t occurred to him that this stranger might volunteer to actually hunt down the person in question.

After a moment, though, he does shake his head.]

It wasn’t unkindly meant, I’m sure. There’s no need to make trouble over it.

[It’s telling that Liem doesn’t consider being pinched by an unseen stranger “trouble,” but by his reckoning, that’s just a festivalgoer being a little rowdy. It’d be more trouble than it’s worth to make an issue of it when they’ve already departed.

Finally, he does turn and hail one of the jugglers so he can toss the ball he’s holding their way. Once the juggler catches it, he turns back to Alice.]

I’m sorry if I was sharp with you. I was just startled.

[At least that sort of reply seems to earn a feeling of gratitude from the woman. Alice might like to see justice served and all that but if someone can make exceptions for others and think of their situations? She appreciates that a great deal.

His apology gets a bright smile out of her as well.]

I can imagine having that sort of sensation interrupt your day would startle anyone. No apology necessary.

[Though...]

Is that common during this festival?

[Apparently she's either not paid attention to the kissing thing or hasn't really put two and two together that Liem is a priest here. She has been asleep a while after all, same as any other Shard-Bearer.]

[Surely Alice doesn’t want to interrupt her snack to go hunt down some drunkard, anyway. Liem isn’t about to inflict that kind of chore on her, even if he might still bear some annoyance about having his rear pinched. She looks like she’s having a fine time at the festival, and he has no wish to impinge on that.

Her question turns his serious expression a little wry.]

I have no idea. This is my first time experiencing the Alenroux version.

[Strange, to wake up and find that his church has established entire traditions here in his absence. As pleased as he is to see Abadar’s presence taking root, it’s a little unsettling to feel like a stranger amidst traditions he seeded.]

Some Taxfests back in Taldor could be like that. This certainly isn’t my first time getting pinched by someone cheeky. [After a moment, he thinks to reassure her.] But that was just when I was attending as a priest. I doubt you’ll be troubled.

[Of course he wouldn't know. Despite such a long 'sleep' being universal for the Shard-Bearers Alice forgets easily enough in the moment. There's a slip of embarrassment that runs through her but it's soon gone.

His reassurance brightens her up quickly. In spite of all the recent troubles Alice exudes contentment in the moment. Apparently she's a person who can be at ease and level-headed in odd circumstances ... like sleeping for a hundred years and waking up to ass-grabbing festivities.]

Don't worry, I'm fully capable of protecting myself from such.

[Standing here with a sword on her right hip and all of five foot perhaps she doesn't quite cut the figure of someone who could protect themselves as she says. But books and covers and all those sayings.]

If you like I'm happy to guard you as well.

[Not that he necessarily needs it but Alice is just the sort of person to offer the same way she offered to chase down the former pincher to begin with.]

[Though Liem sometimes feels paranoid about the possibility of leaking feelings through communion when he hadn’t meant to reveal them, he doesn’t always take note of this phenomenon with other Harbingers in person—mostly because he has always been quite good at picking up small shifts in people’s moods. Though many of Kenos’s current harbingers keep their feelings repressed just as tightly as he does, it’s easy for him to mistake a small brush of feeling as simply intuition.

He does so now, and offers a pleasant look down at the woman next to him, though she doesn’t really seem in need of reassurance.]

I’m sure you could. You’re Alice Malvin, right? A second lieutenant in your country’s army? I remember your introduction.

[Even if he doesn’t recall much in the way of visual representation to go with his recollection of this woman, her manner is familiar enough. He’s already met the only other woman Harbinger he knows of in Meridian, so he easily remembers the presence of this one he’d never met at all.]

Have you been enjoying the festivities?

[Oh! Well then. She hadn't expected anyone to outright remember her, much less her rank. The surprise on her fact is evident until she laughs a little.]

Pardon me, it's been a while since I've heard mention of my rank.

[Then she nods, turning a look to the crowds around them.]

It's been very nice honestly. The last time I was anywhere near a festival I didn't have the chance to enjoy it.

If people take the time to mention such a thing, [he explains,] I tend to assume they prefer the information is remembered.

[Otherwise why mention it at all? He certainly hopes that the surprise Alice displays is positive, and that he hasn’t dredged up something she’d rather remain forgotten.]

I’m Liem Talbott, in case you were wondering. [He doesn’t want to just assume she remembered his introduction, or successfully connected it with who she’s talking to now.] And I’m glad you’ve been able to enjoy it. Our welcome back to the world of the waking has been a strange one, but somethings are fairly universal, I would think.

[Like killing time at a festival, enjoying food and drink and entertainment.]

I do appreciate it. It's nice to be reminded of home.

[She's being thoroughly honest here. Alice does her best to focus on everything and give equal attention to all concerns but a human can only do so much. Her worries are settled more in Kenos than at home for the moment and remembering home is done sparingly -- or was when she was last awake anyhow.

She pulls another bun from the bag of them she holds and then casually offers it out to Liem himself. Just in case.]

You're certainly right about that. Festivals really don't change much beyond what is being celebrated.

[Now she gestures the bag again.]

Alongside the food and games.

[Liem looks down at the bag of buns, surprised, when she offers it to him. He has to consider the unspoken offer for a moment before, after she gestures again, he reaches over and plucks out one of the buns.]

Thank you.

[The contents of the bag do smell nice, and the bun she’s given him is still a little warm. Despite that, he finds he has no real desire to eat it—so for now he just holds the little baked good in his fingers, happy that someone was kind enough to give him a snack they’d originally bought for themself.

Glancing around the plaza, Liem takes in the many stalls and the crowds of carefree people, and tries to recall the last time he celebrated Taxfest in a small town like this.]

Did your own country have many festivals?

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taxfest log | open

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