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.

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[ The Doctor is about three seconds away from a full on rant about how bored he is, about how quiet and normal this place is, and if this was meant to be hell for him, the gods or powers that be or whatever they were calling themselves were doing their job. But then Clara stops him short by handing him a bag and he doesn’t even have a chance to comment on the comically large sun hat on her small head. ]

For me? [ As a baffled as he looks, he can’t help but be a little flattered too. It takes him no time at all to open the nicely wrapped gift and to unearth the scarf inside. Carefully he turns it over in his hand before gazing up at her. ] Were you running errands too?

[ The thank you is in there somewhere, Clara, we promise. ]

[ She tries to brush it off a little, like it's no big deal. She knows his question is his thanks, and there's a small shrug of her shoulder. ]

Maybe a few. Do you like it? I've been looking for days, trying to make sure I picked something that was...you.

[ In the past, she'd happily gifted him bowties, he didn't seem very particular. But now he is, and his style has changed. She's yet to give him anything like this, but she feels like she knows him now. This him, who he is in front of her at this second. And there's a part of her that just wants to make him happy, she always has. Happy and proud of her, though for now, she's going for the former. ]

[ There’s something on the tip of his tongue, an impulsive bluntness that usually supersedes any social niceties he’s gathered up until this point — but he sees how much effort she’s put in. How tentative the emphasis is on the fact that this is for him. It’s enough to stop the impulsiveness. ]

I never considered the colour before but it might actually go with my new wardrobe.

[ Of which currently only consists of the clothes on his back. But details. He’s quick to throw it around his neck. It doesn’t quite look that good with a t-shirt but he still hams it up for her anyway. ]

What do you think? Does it work?

[ Clara's already bright smile grows even brighter. ]

Perfect. It looks good on you, it brings out your eyes.

[ She means that seriously, too. The dark color makes the coolness of his eyes seem sharper. ]

You don't have to find a reason to wear it or anything; I know it's not an everyday item.

[ She's just glad he likes it, and she seems pleased with herself under his hat. ]

[ The bright smile and the doe eyes are really in full force today and he can't help but pause a moment. Something in the back of his brain tingles, like there was something about the scarves that he heard as he ran all over Aldrip dropping off packages in exchange for nothing at all.

As his brain percolates on it he absently clutches the ends of the scarf. ]

I used to wear a scarf every day. Lot more colourful than this one really, but colour isn't really my thing anymore. [ And while the bit about the scarves hasn't quite hit him yet, he realizes belatedly that he had something for her too. ] This reminds me I had something for you where did I — [ Cue a familiar pat down of his pockets until he finds what he's looking for. A small box, neatly wrapped with a blue bow is presented to her. When she opens the box she'll find nestled in some dark blue velvet, a brooch. ]

Since I didn't get you a Christmas present.

[ Clara looks at him in surprise; his gift to her has always been the TARDIS, their traveling. It's never crossed her mind to expect gifts from him at any time, not even her birthday. She feels a pleasant warmth bloom in her chest, and she takes off the hat before racing out for the package almost reverently. For a few seconds she traces the edge of the ribbon, until she can't help stand it anymore and opens her gift.

It's beautiful, and Clara brings it out, holding it up to the light. She isn't wearing anything that will look right with this, but her lips are parted, those doe eyes wide. She's pleased and looks at him. ]

You picked this? It's perfect, I didn't think you paid attention to the things I wore.

[ Because it looks like it came right out of her jewelry box, if she had one of those. She clips it on, even though it isn't the outfit she would have chosen. ]

I like it. I like it very much. Thank you, Doctor.

[ There's something akin to a look of anticipation on his face as she opens it. It's not nervousness, because why would he be nervous about getting her a gift? It was Clara after all. But there was always the chance that his choice would be off. In the time it takes her to wrestle with the ribbon he's already decided in his mind that if she didn't like it, he'd tell her it was the vendor's fault.

But then that bright smile blooms again and he straightens up, more than a little pleased that she likes it. ]

Well I figured you wouldn't wear it with something like a nightgown or what you're wearing now, although that would be completely your choice if you did - [ He cuts himself off again before clearing his throat. ] I just thought it would look nice on you. With the - [ He waves his hand vaguely towards her face. ] Bambi look you have going on. And the merchant said something about it protecting you, whatever that means.

I—the Bambi look?

[ Clara arches an eyebrow to look at him, but she's only joking about being put out. Really, she's turned a shade of pink because he admitted he thought she'd look nice. ]

Protection, that sounds right. [ And more like a reason for him to get it for her. ]

You always look out for me. I was afraid for a minute I wouldn't have that, here.

[ With or without the amulet compelling her, it's not something she would keep from him. And it's as good a time as any to tell him her momentary fear upon arrival. Not that she was in a weird place, but that she was there without him. ]

Yes, the Bambi look. [ He's about to say, like the one she has on right now, but that isn't the case. Her cheeks have gone all pink and he can't imagine why, except in the dim light of their tiny inn room, a fleeting thought flies through his mind that it doesn't all that awful on her either. Much better than when she had painted all that awful stuff on her face. ]

You know the one where your eyes go all wide and glisten from time to time. It makes you look like you're surprised by something.

[ It's a compliment, we promise.

Confusion crosses his features as he steps up towards her to look down at her. ]

Why wouldn't I look out for you? Did I do something that made you think that?

Edited 2023-02-24 01:40 (UTC)

No! No, you didn't. I was just alone for approximately a half hour and got worried. But I should've known. You never leave me for very long.

[ Her smile is warm, and she really can't help her eyes, looking up at him when he's so close she has to. She isn't sure why she needs him to know these things when she'd happily kept them to herself, before. ]

You make me feel safe when I know you're close.

It wasn't half an hour it was a whole day.

[ He can't help but gently correct her, revealing that he does in fact, always know how long it's been since they've been apart even if it's subconsciously. The sudden warmth takes him aback again because for a minute he thought he had done something wrong, and the last thing he wants to do is ruin a second chance after he's just gotten it. ]

...You're doing it again. That doe-eyed Bambi thing. But it's not sad this time. [ There's another brief pause. ] But I won't wander too far.

[ That, too, makes her feel warm, that he kept track, that he knows. But of course he does. He likes to pretend he's more absent-minded than he is—if he is at all, really. ]

I think maybe I only do this 'Bambi' thing you're going on about when I look at you.

[ Which could be interpreted different ways, and she looks away because now she's self-conscious about it, and maybe turning a little pink. ]

I don't wanna be sad with you anymore. We've had enough of that.

[ Clara thinks about her crime that she still hasn't told him, and she fidgets with the ring on her finger before meeting his gaze again. ]

And we both know you will wander, so it's good you didn't put a promise at the end of that sentence.

[ The statement sends him into another mathematical spiral of trying to understand what it means. Feelings had always been elusive to him, in part because he purposefully distanced himself from them, and partly because feelings had never been a Time Lord's forte. It was perhaps a miracle (or the greatest disappointment if you were in the company of other Time Lords) that he had gotten as far as he had with feelings to begin with.

He worries for a moment that she means he's the cause of her ire and potential tears (he has not forgotten their adventure on the Orient Express and the confusing expression on her face, nor what he's been sentenced with). Being the cause of many people's sorrows and disappointments isn't new and he is under no impression that that will continue.

But then she dispels that worry with her next sentence and something warm flickers to his face. Warm fondness that is more of a promise than he could ever provide with his words alone. ]

We have, haven't we? Boredom though... [ He tilts his head slightly pulling a face. ] I've had enough of that and we've only been here a months. [ It has not been a couple of months. ] Wandering seems like the only cure for boredom right now.

Edited 2023-02-26 20:10 (UTC)

[ When he looks at her like that it makes warmth flood through her, coming straight from her heart. Sometimes she thinks she should and could tell him everything she meant to on Trenzelore, and right now, looking at her like this, she nearly does.

But then he moves on to boredom. Her eyes take in the scarf again, and she bites back the urge to stand, reach up, and smooth it out the way she used to straighten his bowties. ]

At least nothing awful is happening. Yet. I dunno, maybe it will, but I weirdly like this. It's time with you that isn't running, and it's different.

[ She does know it's hard for him though, so she adds: ]

I'll wander with you anywhere you want, promise.

[ Aching loneliness has always followed him ever since he was a child. It was the monster that slept under the bed, it was the root of the heaviness in his heart. No matter what he did to try and chase it, drown it, burn it away it always came back, surviving from one incarnation to the next. As much as curiosity and the taste for exploration and freedom had driven him to leave Gallifrey in the first place, loneliness, perhaps, had been the other half of that coin, gently biding its time until he was at his lowest to cover his eyes, surprising him, reminding him, that it was always there.

But loneliness is quiet tonight; in fact it feels eons away like it belongs in another world or universe. Tenderness reserved for her that had settled into his bones a long time ago stirs.

Clara. The Impossible Girl. Defender against loneliness.

His hand reaches out, brushing briefly against the chain holding the pendants together. ]

Good thing you're going in prepared then, hm? Although, we might have to look at getting you different shoes. The soles on those are going to go any day now.

[For a beat of her heart, Clara thought the Doctor was going to brush her cheek, and she'd been ready to turn her cheek into it. When he touches the chain of the pendant, though, the result is still the same. She feels something unspool in her that's directly connected to him.

And then he's on about her shoes and she lets out a huff of a laugh, trying to ignore the burning of her cheeks, the heat creeping up her neck. As a distraction, she reaches for his floppy hat again and puts it on top of her head, looking up at him, quite honestly, adorably. ]

Then let's go shoe shopping. Or out to find a cobbler. By the way, we haven't been here months. We haven't even been here one month.

[ The dim light only lends to his usual oblivious nature meaning that even if a blush had threatened to show somehow, he would have missed it in its entirety. Most things aren't as obvious as the Bambi eyes after all.

Although the floppy hat does seem to suit her just as well and his lips crookedly lift before he scoffs slightly. ]

I know. Time Lord, remember? And when was the last time you went to a cobbler anyway?

I dunno, they exist, though. And in a hamlet like this, there's gotta be at last one.

[ She stands and, still close to him, she reaches out to touch the silk of the scarf lightly. Then, she looks up at him, smiling. ]

I wanted it to be perfect. I'm glad you like it. I like trying to find the things that make you smile at me.

[ It's the first time something she didn't mean to say actually slips out, and she quickly drops her hand, turning to take off the hat and put it back on his bed. ]

Sorry, forget the mushy stuff. I know you don't like it. C'mon, we'll see if there's a calendar for you we can find while we're out.

There is. I delivered a package there earlier today. [ And the cobbler had been incredibly chatty. Rather young too - or at least that's the impression the Doctor had gotten. Their general energy had been ridiculously exuberant and he'd had tried to excuse himself from them as quickly as possible. He sighs slightly at the thought. ] They're a bit chatty. You two will probably get along.

[ Clara's smile distracts him from his thoughts, and he blinks down at her, forgetting how close they had been standing to one another. It takes him another minute to process what she's saying. And then quite inexplicably he offers up his own, very accidental thought — ]

You don't have to try that hard, Clara.

[ Out of all the things to come out of his mouth, that isn't what she expected. Now she's the one who looks owlish, looking at him, hand still against the scarf. ]

Oh.

[ But now, she wonders what that means. The gifts to one another, her crime, the fact that they're here together after only a few weeks of traveling together again. Maybe this is the place she can finally get feelings together. ]

Doctor, I—I try that hard because I'm not always brave when it comes to saying things. And if you don't like something, it's just the thing.

[ Not her. ]

If I don't like something I don't have a problem saying it, Clara. [ He can't help the wryness that colours his tone. ] You know that.

[ For all his grandstanding about how shy he is (he isn't), this incarnation of him had always been incredibly blunt which had nothing to do with this accent either. His choice of words, the way he now expressed his thoughts had changed since the boyish incarnation of him. Flowery words weren't used to soothe those around him or rather, they rarely did. All of that felt odd on him, like an ill fitting jacket that no longer fit. But who was in front of him mattered and often changed how he wielded that bluntness.

Clara mattered. ]

But what I'm trying to say is that you don't have to try so hard to make me smile because you already do that without putting that much effort in. [ He huffs, so focused on trying to figure out how to make her understand that while cautioning her against becoming someone that she wasn't, that he doesn't realize that his words may imply something else. ] Isn't that saying, "work smarter, not harder"?

[ It's only since she started traveling with him again that she's realized while he's telling her she doesn't have to try so hard, he actually does try. He really tries, but he's standing here telling her she doesn't need to do the same.

Huffing out a laugh, she rolls her eyes a little even though she's turned a little pink. And then he has to prepare himself for a hug on short notice, because her arms are going around him before he can say much about it. ]

I'm glad, then. That I make you happy, I mean.

[ How they'd left things had felt so awful, but now, hearing that she makes him happy, that makes her feel like breaking out into dimples. ]

[ The hug catches him off guard, so the stiffness in his body has less to do with rejection and discomfort and more to do with surprise. This isn't the first time they've hugged since reuniting. He's become more comfortable with touch like this, or rather, with her. There's an understanding between them now that she needs this, and a part of him, perhaps, is starting to feel like he doesn't totally hate it. At least when it comes to Clara.

What surprises him the most however is how quickly the discomfort is dispelled, replaced instead with comfort that he's starting to relate specifically to her.

There could very well be something else there about how it all relates back to her, but the thought is quickly brushed off for another day. His arms have to remember how to work. After a beat, his arms go to briefly wrap around her slight form letting them linger there for a second longer than he might otherwise before pulling back. ]

I'd probably have to file a complaint to the human resources department if you didn't. [ His lips quirk. ] Something about poor working conditions?

[ She knows the hug has gone over well and he didn't hate every second of it, when he hugs her back, even briefly. It's enough to make her happy, though she'll always want to linger longer, head right against his chest. ]

I'm pretty sure eth TARDIS qualifies for human resources, and she'd side with you, so, you've got me there.

[ The longer they stay in the hug, the more comfortable he feels. There’s a familiarity there, which shouldn’t be so much of a surprise considering how long they’ve travelled together. If he thinks about it long enough he may realize that the source of the familiarity has less to do with the time they’ve travelled together and more to do with how Clara feels like another extension of him. Like a limb, or the beats of his hearts.

But it’s him and he doesn’t dwell on it, instead just letting his chin rest lightly atop her head and savouring the moment. ]

Ah that’s right. Although you two have been getting along much better lately. You never know. You might catch her in a cross mood with me and win that argument.

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{Mini Event} Day of Devotion

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