{Mini Event} Day of Devotion

[expiationmods]

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.

Comments

𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫

[makemeasong]

❥ 𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔

[ Clara hasn't got much of a green thumb, but she can prune well enough. She's pulling off browning or curled leaves, snipping off thrones, and making the ends look pretty. Some petals are ever so delicately pulled, so that all she has left behind is a perfect flower.

With an armful, carrying them like a pageant winner, she approaches someone else who seems to be doing the arranging. ]

Could you do with some purple tulips?

[baldrshand]

[Ethlyn is busy working on a little patch of flowers, wondering what she'll put in next, and how to arrange them, when she's interrupted--pleasantly so.]

Purple tulips? [She sits back and dusts some dirt off her hands.] Oh, I think those would be just the thing for this patch. They could use a splash of purple.

[makemeasong]

[ Clara's happy to help, and she holds them out in offering. ]

I don't normally like getting dirt under my fingernails, but what the hell? Can I do anything?

[ The vibe is nice and so have the people been that she's met, so she figures she might as well hang around and be useful. ]

[baldrshand]

I'm not used to it myself, but it's very satisfying, to be honest. [Being a noblewoman, Ethlyn might cut and arrange the flowers, but didn't have much to do with the planting of them. She takes the offered flowers and takes a sniff.] You can grab a trowel! Or there's a watering can there--what I've planted already probably needs a drink to get started.

[makemeasong]

I think I'll go with the watering can for now, but I won't rule out the trowel for later.

[ Happily, she gras the watering can. ]

I'm Clara, by the way. I'm gonna go out on a limb and assume you're new here, like me?

[baldrshand]

Yes. My name is Ethlyn. [She smiles, pleased to make a new acquaintance.] I'm still not sure what to make of our situation, but at least Aldrip seems to be very welcoming--they're certainly taking our arrival in stride.

[It's a relief, honestly. Sure, part of Ethlyn isn't sure how believable it is, but it seems to her that the town would need to be populated with a lot of very good actors for the friendly reception to be a total sham.]

[makemeasong]

Ethlyn, that's a pretty name. [ It sounds old-timey and unique, Clara likes it. ]

It could definitely be worse, our surroundings. I hope it at least stays nice and tranquil like this. I wonder if anyone knew this was happening? Maybe not them—[ She nods at people simply going about their day. ]—but someone running things. Maybe even someone they don't know of.

[baldrshand]

[Like most names in Fire Emblem 4, it's lifted almost directly from Nordic and Celtic legends.]

Thank you--so is yours.

Staying tranquil... that would be nice. [From her tone, it's clear that Ethlyn is waiting for the other shoe to drop. Being here, alive again against all possibility, taken to a distant land and given a slip of paper accusing her of a crime she didn't commit... no, she's sure it can't last. But she will enjoy it while it does last.] I'm sure someone did have to organize all of this--I was picturing something like the town elders. But there could be a more mysterious hand on the tiller, too.

[makemeasong]

I'm super curious about what it took to get us all here, and the energy it must take to keep us from finding a way to leave.

[ Clara has no doubt there is a shoe, probably with a spiked heel, ready to kick them all in the face. But like Ethlyn, Clara's trying to enjoy while she can. ]

Have you found anything interesting around here? Or a place worth checking out, anyway.

[baldrshand]

[Ethlyn raises her eyebrows. It hadn't occurred to her yet that she ought to be looking for a way out. Of course, she was brought here from a fatal spear wound--she has little to go back to. Others would naturally want to turn around and walk right back to their own busy lives.]

What troubles have you had so far? [She hopes to phrase it in a way that doesn't immediately betray that she hasn't been looking for herself--she doesn't want every conversation with someone new to be about having died.] I've found employment in one of the clinics--not something to interest everyone, but I'm a healer, so it's good to be able to keep my skills in practice.

[makemeasong]

The only trouble so far is that there doesn't seem to be an exit to this place. Not anywhere.

[ Which suggests a whole other technology to get them here, like teleportation or a time cortex manipulator. Hmm. ]

That's good you found a job so fast. I've really been slacking, but I don't mind the odd jobs I've been doing. And now I know who to go to if there's a medical emergency.

[ It's always good to know a healer or doctor. She's yet to discover a clinic yet, but she will, eventually. ]

[baldrshand]

An exit? [That's an interesting way to phrase it. Ethlyn has also come to the conclusion that they've been brought here by powerful teleportation magic, but thinking about it in terms of an exit would be like thinking about her home continent of Jugdral having an exit.] We are near the ocean. Unless someone's job is to come out and grab anyone who tries sailing away, I don't think we're actually prevented from trying to leave.

[But that puts a new thought in her head. Having been snatched from the jaws of death--well. Her job is absolutely to try and get herself back to Jugdral. It doesn't matter how long it takes, she needs to go home to her kingdom and her children and try to right the shambles they've been scattered in.]

The problem is that we'd need a proper ship, not some little fishing boat, if we were to have a chance of actually making it back to where we came from.

[makemeasong]

Usually, there are, you know. Roads leading out, to other places. Airports, and yeah, boats. Some form of transportation, a teleportation hub, maybe.

[ She isn't dead set on continuing to find a way out or necessarily beating a dead horse. It's just weird. ]

I have no boat-making skills, but it'd be a fun project. In any case, unless or until someone who's actually from here can explain more, I guess I'm here for the ride. Hopefully, there's no other shoe that'll drop. Just a cozy life while we make up for fake crimes.

[meiren]

[ There's something almost meditative about planting, which is why it taks Zhou Zishu a moment to realize there's someone speaking to him. He sits back on his knees and peers up at the woman, and then the bright flowers she's offering over to him. ]

...is that what they are? [ He considers a moment, then shrugs as his eyes flick back towards the rows he's been planting. ] Why not.

[ His work so far hasn't exactly been the most aesthetic, mostly because that feels like a lot of effort. But flowers are getting put in the ground and it's not the worst looking thing ever, so there isn't much to complain about. Or no complaints Zhou Zishu is willing to hear, at least. ]

Do you have more?

[makemeasong]

[ Handing them over, Clara nods with enthusiasm. ]

Not purple, but I have some yellow, red, and pink. Any color strike your fancy in particular?

[ She's happy to help, feeling like she's possibly found her place in helping. Maybe not necessarily working with flowers forever, but it's a nice start. she's meeting people, and so far, no one's been grouchy about flowers. ]

[meiren]

[ As he reaches to gather the flowers, he starts to say he'll take just about anything and then pauses to give her a considering look. She clearly has some enthusiasm here, and it's not as if Zhou Zishu much cares about what it all looks like. ]

What do you suggest?

[ Delegating opinions? Far too many years spent in leadership roles has at least taught him something. Mostly when to get other people to do things he can't be bothered with. ]

[makemeasong]

Hmm.

[ Freed from her current armful, she places a hand on her hip as she assesses what's already there. ]

The purple's actually gonna need something subtle to go with it. I think I saw white tulips, too. Sorry, I know I'm boring. But purple and white'll look good together.

[meiren]

[ His eyes flick briefly back to the patch he's been kneeling in as if assessing. Something subtle? Sure, why not. ]

It will do to start. [ A pause and then glances back at her. ] Do you want to help?

[ This part, at least, he doesn't mind doing. But it seems at least mildly polite to offer. ]

[makemeasong]

Maybe some pink?

[ When he offers to let her help, she smiles with full dimples ]

I can do that. I never knew I'd like doing this sort of thing. I'm more of an explorer. I like getting my hands dirty because I've found something. I'm Clara, by the way.

[meiren]

Zhou Zishu.

[ He sits back on his heels, shaking some of the soil free from his hands and long, trailing sleeves. The somewhat unavoidable consequences of this kind of work, but his sleeves have seen worse. And it gives him time to cock a thoughtful eyebrow at her. ]

An explorer?

[makemeasong]

An explorer, wanderer. I've never really felt settled. There's so much out there, in the world, in the universe. How could anyone stay in one spot knowing there's an infinite number of things to discover?

[ Realizing she's sounded more passionate than she meant to, Clara at least looks sheepish. ]

My mum loved traveling, too. In any case, it's good to meet you. I don't normally go on like that.

[meiren]

I don't mind.

[ Being a spy does oddly tend to make one a good listener, when you never know if you might overhear something useful. He doesn't need to worry about that in the middle of this garden, but some habits are hard to shake.

He flicks her a faint smile before moving to begin making room in the soil for the new flowers. ]

I never traveled much myself.

[makemeasong]

[ Clara glances over as they walk and smiles a little in return. ]

I guess it depends on what you like. Not everyone thinks doing the equivalent of throwing a dart at a map, blindfolded, and then going wherever you land, is a good time. That all said though? I really do like staying at home in pajamas, reading a book with a cup of tea.

[ For all her love of traveling, she can be homebody for long stretches when she wants to. ]

[meiren]

I had my duties.

[ So not so much a matter of choice, even if it hadn't bothered him at the time. His more recent attempts to see more of the world had seen some mixed results, but Zhou Zishu can't really say he regrets that either.

It does make him pause to glance at her again, though. ]

As a traveler, then. What do you make of this place?

[makemeasong]

[ Clara hums in thought, looking around for a second as if assessing it all for the first time. ]

I think I've been in worse places, but I've also been able to leave those places whenever I wanted, for the most part.

[ If the Doctor hasn't lost the TARDIS somehow. ]

And I think the crimes are pointless; mine's fake. So I'm suspicious of an ulterior motive. That all said, until I'm proven right, I'm happy to be wrong.