expiationlogs | {Mini Event} Day of Devotion

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{Mini Event} Day of Devotion

DAY OF DEVOTION

This is an entirely opt-in very casual event that has nothing to do with overarching storyline and is just an additional introductory log, and a means for characters to meet. We hope you've all had a very happy Valentine's Day week however you've chosen to spend it!

SCARVES OF LOVE

The season of affection and love of all kinds falls upon Aldrip in the wake of their festivities for Those Who Were There. As part of the celebration, what's referred to as the 'Day of Devotion,' local merchants carry a variety of wares, but none so coveted as their multicoloured scarves available in a variety of prints, designs, and fabrics. Perhaps consider picking one up and giving it to someone who's important to you. No money? No problem! Whilst Aldrip doesn't exactly work on a layaway system or akin to, you'll find the mercantile business owners are quite open to trades and other means of bartering. Maybe they'll give out a scarf or two in agreement for running some errands...

Lucky recipients of these very fashionable scarves will find themselves suspiciously open to sharing positive, warm and fuzzy, or perhaps downright amorous feelings toward the person who gifted them the scarf to begin with, regardless of whether you've known them for years or even just a couple of weeks. But don't worry—the feelings are temporary! Once the Day of Devotion comes to a natural conclusion, your feelings will return to something like normalcy and you'll still wind up with a new fashion accessory. Of course, if you've always been amorous with that special someone, you likely won't notice any sort of change.

Take the opportunity to embrace the celebration, maybe embrace one another a little bit, too, and begin forming some potentially everlasting bonds with others.

BRING PROTECTION

Not everyone is choosing to celebrate the Day of Devotion in the same way. Due to the heightened popularity of the pretty scarves, some of Aldrip's jewellers have been bitten by the green bug of jealousy. In an attempt to compete with the sales of scarves, jewellers are advertising pendants, brooches, and other assorted charms that are meant to serve as warding and protective trinkets. What are they protecting one from? It's difficult to say and the merchants aren't inclined to give a straight answer. But whether you need protection from love, personal feelings, or perhaps something more physical, they've got you covered!

If you choose to give these amulets to others, recipients of them and their related will be compelled to share their true feelings with those around them in addition to the person who gave them the protective charms. This sounds like it could be a good thing, however, that means it covers the array of positive, negative, and every shade in between, without a filter in place. Consider these accessories a potential test of friendships, familial relationships, and more.

Like the scarves, this need and desire to be truthful with your feelings will be temporary, lasting until the Day of Devotion celebration is over. But at least you'll be protected. From something. Maybe. Probably. Or not!

FLOWERS FOR ALDRIP

By now, you may be well familiar with Aldrip's variety of fields that are filled with vegetables and fruits that grace the dinner tables of the town and local cuisine. During the Day of Devotion and weeks leading up to it, you'll find that they're clearing another field and preparing the soil. What for, you won't find out until the actual day of the celebration. Once it arrives, there's a collection of simple carts filled with flowering plants. Locals and newly-arrived alike are welcome to lend a hand in planting them along the neatly tilled rows.

You may find plants that resemble or are identical to plants from your home world. You may find plants that you've never seen in your life. They come in a variety of colours and are accompanied by a lightly pleasing scent that shouldn't be too overpowering, though may still disturb those with allergies.

All who help out with the planting, watering, and other tending, will be rewarded with a bouquet of flowers that can be passed onto others to show your appreciation and other forms of affection. You may even find yourself making a good and lasting impression on the locals by offering some assistance.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I think you mean a paper fairy.

[ If she wasn't going to say it, he gladly would. ]

But not the fun kind of paper fairy. Although, I'm not really sure what sort of person would look forward to a visit from them. It didn't occur to me to try and bury my paper though.

[ There's a brief pause here as he strains to dig out a particularly stubborn weed. ]

I lit it on fire and that didn't work either. Bit fascinating to watch really.

[ It was the whole idea of a time capsule that'd come to her mind. It seemed like a good idea at the time, though thinking on it now only makes her sad, and also tired for all the effort she put out. She'd basically made it look effortless to show off to Peter, but it still took a lot out of her. ]

Damn, [ Speaking of effortless, she notices him struggling and decides to help, yanking the weed out with a smooth motion. ] I should've thought of that. There was whole fire pillar that night and everything that I could've chucked it into.

[ Wouldn't have worked, but maybe would've made her feel better. ]

What happened to it? [ Did it at least burn? ]

[ Well, okay, Mizuki. Show off why don't you? Aside from the mildly startled look, he manages to recover quickly enough with a nod of thanks to her before digging his spade into the weedless-spot in the dirt to make room for the next set of flowers. ]

Sorry to disappoint you but it wouldn't have worked.

[ As if reading her mind, he responds in the affirmative — ] It did. But not in the way you think it would. It started eating the flames after about a minute or so. [ It could have been disconcerting if he hadn't found it so dreadfully interesting. ]

Apparently, they really want us to remember what we're being charged with.

[ You're totally welcome. Since he's got the spade and all, she decides to reach into the wagon for the next set of flowers. Since he's got some sort of pattern going (she thinks?), she'll keep that going. The flowers she choses are a vibrant yellow.

She is so focused on it, in fact, she doesn't catch onto the fact that he just read her mind, though she does give him an odd tilt of her head as he finishes digging. Did she say that aloud after all? ]

Well, we're living pretty comfortably for a bunch of sinners. Could hardly believe it when the innkeeper said she wouldn't charge us.

[ It's less that he's creating a pattern and instead just kind of subconsciously creating one. And with that in mind, the yellow is definitely next. He probably won't kick up too much of a fuss if she decides to stray though. Seeing that she's reached for that one, he shuffles over so she can make room for her to plant it.

He starts working the soil a couple of inches over, his eyes flickering towards her. ]

Do you think it's suspicious?

[ Don't you? she wonders. She's packing in the dirt after she's planted the yellow bloom, but she also freezes for the moment, thinking such a response might be too aggressive (or something). Especially if this guy starts hacking up a lung again any minute. ]

Yeah. It makes me wonder what we were "Chosen" for and why these Gods of theirs are so great.

But I don't have any evidence right now to really put together any answers, so I guess you could say I'm still in info-gathering mode.

[ Surprisingly there's no hacking or coughing. More reason to be suspicious? Or maybe it's not the dirt that was the cause of his hacking. The evidence seems fairly inconclusive at this time, unfortunately, just like whether or not the locals are actually suspicious or some weird cult. ]

Probably one of the smarter answers I've heard.

[ Thankfully the weeds he's turned his attention to are easier than the last set. ]

Found anything interesting yet? Apart from none of the locals having a bad thing to say about them that is.

[ Mizuki noticeably stops at the compliment. She's not really used to that, no matter how much she relishes the praise. Her lips twitch with pride as she continues working, though sadly, she's forced to shake her head. ]

Not really... I've been trying to get to know them better. Maybe get them to open up to me.

...One did give me a map, though. [ Her voice perks a little, like hey! She's got that going for her so far. Investigations can be a slow process. ]

[ The momentary pause goes unnoticed. He seems rather focused on the task at hand, and unceremoniously tosses the weeds into the little bucket beside him for composting purposes later.

The sound of Mizuki's voice perking up however does catch his attention and he turns towards her with interest. ]

A map? Of the surrounding area? Or of the entire continent?

[ She watches his weeds go into the little bucket with a thunk, then stops as well as she straightens, looking for the next flower to his pattern. Before that, however, rather than answer him, she simply reaches into her pocket.

It takes a minute, but she pulls out what appears to be a world map. ]

Here.

[ With the map extended towards him he dusts his hands off before reaching for it. Gardening may as well have been a thing of the past as far as his attention span is concerned. He pours over it, recognizing all of the names from the surrounding towns thanks to his research. ]

I wonder if we’re the only ones that ended up here. Or if other poor lost souls [ There’s definitely some dramatics added in here for flair. ] landed somewhere else. And if we were brought here, why Aldrip in particular?

Right?

[ So many questions. Mizuki doesn't seem to mind the fact that his attention span has shifted, either, and just keeps working while he looks it over. ]

Guess we lucked out, as far as I can tell. I doubt everyone will be as welcoming to us lost souls, but it's worth seeing who else is out there, if we can find a way to get far enough.

There's definitely some wildlife to watch out for, though. They say sometimes the aggressive ones get too close to town.

[ He worries the inside of his cheek, thinking partially out loud and partially to Mizuki. ]

The locals didn’t seem too surprised when we dropped in which means they really aren’t that bothered by the prospect of strangers from distant worlds. Or this has happened before. [ His eyes seem to light up, mind already whirling down a rabbit hole, chasing the thought even though it’s likely to lead to nowhere. ] There might be others like us out there who might have become locals over time.

[ And then — wildlife? Wait why were they talking about wildlife? ]

You’ve run into some I’m assuming?

[ Well, if they were going to explore or head out to one of those other towns......

Anyway, doesn't matter. Even as Genetically Weird^TM as she is, she wouldn't take the journey on foot. Her expression also darkens somewhat when he asks, and she doesn't answer right away. Even when she does, it's vague. ]

Yeah. I... helped them get some more meat for everyone. [ That night of the festival... She doesn't really wanna talk about it. ]

Was it the geese?

[ It's hard to say whether or not his tone conveys that he's particularly worried about the geese potentially meeting their unfortunate demise (he still remembers after all the ferocious bite he'd been given by one of them). It's also hard to say if he's noticed the subtle hint of Mizuki's recollection of that night harkening to something else. He doesn't know her well enough to understand and even if he had suspected something, he isn't about to go digging into someone's head without their permission. ]

They were aggressive but I don't think they deserved to be eaten. Unless they have a geese population problem in which case — [ He shrugs. C'est la vie. ]

[ Not geese. She hasn't had the pleasure. The fact that his run-in with them was significant enough to get a mention though is interesting. Perhaps there's a story to be told there, but for now, she just fidgets for a little while longer. ]

......Boars.

[ Yeah. ]

[ There's some palpable relief in hearing that it wasn't the geese. Or is it really relief? Maybe it's a mix of relief and trepidation because it still means they're out there somewhere waiting. ]

Did you end up on the wrong end of a boar or something? Although you could argue that either end of a wild boar are unpleasant for different reasons.

[ Having committed the map to memory he folds it up and hands it back towards her, ready to get back to the task at hand. The careless, almost throwaway joke is one that the Doctor doesn't realize might hit more of an exposed nerve than he intends. ]

[ Mizuki reaches for the map readily, and puts it back in her pocket for now. She seems eager to get back to the task, perhaps even more than the Doctor, though even then she manages to snort at the joke. Perhaps she's just faking it, though. ]

Something like that... [ Vaguey McVaguerson. Sorry, but she's pretty much leaving it at that. ] Anyway, doesn't matter.

At least you're not coughing anymore.

[ He realizes a beat later that he is, in fact, no coughing. Huh. Maybe his body was just being dramatic (ie. he was being dramatic). There's a bit of a huff of noise as he adjust his ridiculous sun hat further onto his head. ]

Are you sure you're not the doctor between the two of us?

. . . It'd be hard to miss all those years of school.

[ Though, honestly, Date lost what, 6 years of his life? Twice? So sadly it's not as impossible as she'd like to believe. It is weird, though—guess allergies work like that, after all? ]

Wait, you're a doctor?

Knowledge can always be taught. It's the experience that's more important. [ Absently he motions back towards the village. ] There's probably only one or two clinics in town that would be happy to take on an apprentice.

[ No, Mizuki. He's just being dramatic. Him. ]

Kind of. Not really, only sometimes and it depends on the topic of study. But I am the Doctor.

Edited 2023-03-27 02:16 (UTC)

[ PLEASE? Mizuki would probably be out here causing the injuries people go to the clinic for. The role of nurse or some doctor's apprentice doesn't fit her at all, though she doesn't reject it outright.

She just looks a bit boggled, because she's pretty sure you're either a doctor or you aren't. The...? ]

Doctor who?

[ Someone could argue though that if you’re the cause of the injuries, all the more reason to learn how to patch someone else up, right?

Hearing the question honestly never gets old. His lips twitch slightly in amusement. ]

Just the Doctor, no last name like Cher or Prince.

[ Technically both of those figures have last names but anyway that’s not the point. ]

So it's an alias? That's... different, but okay.

[ Maybe he just really, really wanted to be a doctor when he was a kid. Maybe he just didn't feel comfortable giving out his real name here. Who is she to question these things? ]

I'm Mizuki. [ He didn't ask, but it only seemed polite. ]

No it's my name.

[ The look on his face clearly says it a little more rudely than what leaves his mouth, but arguing about it seems a little moot. ]

Is that an alias?

{Mini Event} Day of Devotion

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