[That is... a curious way of putting things, especially when he still considers her to be a child. He raises his eyebrows momentarily but keeps that thought to himself, knowing teenagers tend to distance themselves from their pre-pubescent selves. And then there's the idea of her only being treated as a servant...
Another time, he'll think further on that.]
You've never played hide and seek? I'd think little nooks and crannies around town. Behind boxes or curtains, under tables or bushes—not anywhere difficult to reach, but out of sight.
[In her world, the aristocratic children "come of age" at 15, and she's 16. Not that she's an aristocrat. Or been alive for 16 years. It's complicated.]
No. I assume that is a game?
[Someone hiding things in such odd places does remind her of a certain someone. Actually, he'd probably be the one hiding in them. Regardless, that association makes it feel as though this makes much more sense to her now. Or rather, she can see why it seems like nonsense.]
Thank you for clarifying. You mean to look in places like this?
[Echo goes to a nearby bench and leans down to look underneath. There's no egg. Things can't be that simple.]
[Cultural facts he's more than ready to disregard! But then if he didn't have such strong opinions about children, maybe he wouldn't be the drastic person he is...
He nods in response to her initial question, ultimately not all that surprised she hasn't played it before.]
A little less obvious, maybe, but that's the idea. [He heads in the same direction with long almost leisurely strides, hands in the pockets of his hardshell jacket as he looks around. There's a set of unused drying racks not far off, set together closely enough that the ground under the middle of the cluster is obscured.]
[Echo, in turn, nods in response to his question before making her way over to the racks. She seems to be approaching this in a very business-like manner, honing in on her target and carefully assessing everything around it. At least she's not running.
She crouches and cranes her neck to get a good look at the otherwise hidden area. After a moment, she squints. Another moment late, Echo reaches one of her large sleeves underneath the racks. When she pulls her arm back, she holds a bright red egg in her hand.
Although she knows this was the goal, Echo just remains where she is and frowns at it.]
That is what we're looking for, yes. You should be able to break it open and see what's inside.
[As much as Altius is hoping for something useful, he's not getting his hopes up. But even something like a toy or candy could be given away to help build good will, he supposes... If Echo didn't want it. He'll certainly be recommending against the latter, though.]
[She turns to frown to him as he's speaking, then Echo looks back at the egg. She stands up, and then with a swish, a small sword appears from within the sleeve of her free hand. She doesn't actually slice through the egg; she understands that much. Instead she uses it more like a blunt object to shatter the shell.
A small, blue item falls to the ground. Echo unceremoniously drops the rest of the shell in her hand, then looks down at the prize. After a moment, her eyes go wide and she gets as stiff as a board.]
[A bit of a drastic tool, but it gets the job done... His eyebrows are already almost hidden by his bangs when the item falls out, but they certainly stay there when he sees her reaction, stepping closer to get a look at what she's gaping at.]
[Altius will see a rather innocuous hair clip of a blue feather. Echo is still stunned by it, however, and her face is gradually growing pink.]
I-I-I... H...How did th-this...?
[She kneels down very slowly and carefully picks up the feather between her fingers. Somewhere in there she also puts away her sword however that works, thanks canon. Despite her huge sleeves, the hair clip is clearly visible.]
[After a moment of silence, she noticeably goes tense again. Right, of course the other person here is the one guy who has any idea of who Oz is. Is that why this happened?
Echo look at Altius.]
This...was—
[Her eyes drift to the ground.]
It looks like something that was given to me by Lord Oz once. It is...strange to see it here.
[The shade of bright red her face turns probably answers that question. She buys herself some time by standing up. Echo places the feather in her upturned palm and stares at it.]
It was not exactly mine to possess. But, it was...
[What was it about talking about the first time she was happy that made her feel so uncomfortable? Heart pounding, face hot... Actually, it was fairly similar to what she went through when she was happy. But she's definitely not. Echo knows these things.
After the awkward pause, she finally looks at Altuis again. It's almost like she's only looking certain ways to avert her gaze from other things...]
[With that flustered response—or at least, it's flustered in terms of Echo's reactions—a knowing smile comes to his face and he places a hand on her shoulder.]
Well—it seems to be yours now. Would you like me to put it in your hair?
[Oh, this outing is turning out to be more entertaining than he expected. Bless you, Echo. He lifts his hands briefly in a placating gesture.]
Alright, alright. That's reserved for a special someone, then. [And for all he knows, it might be St. Bridget's Day! He certainly stepped out of January into October in this place.] But it does seem to suit you.
W-Well, it's not really reserved. I am not anticipating— [She doesn't even know how to talk about never speculating about herself in a romantic relationship, so she trails off and moves on.]
The symbolism behind the story of the festival is the what matters. That's why you should not just casually hand them out.
[Wait, it's finally dawned on her.]
Although St. Bridget's Day would not be until late next month by this calendar...
Consider me informed. It's an early summer occasion? I admit I haven't given much thought to holidays from separate worlds...
[Except for during Christmastime, when he found himself vaguely annoyed that no other winter holiday was apparently being acknowledged, out of all the possibilities?? But then he never takes vacations so—]
I have seen various festivities ever since I found myself in another world. Many of them seemed to be essentially the same in practice, however, even St. Bridget's Day. I also heard of one from some place that involved giving people compliments.
[Or she just misunderstood somebody's post in Trench, but what's done is done.]
This egg-based tradition is new to me.
[Which should have been obvious, but she states it anyway.]
Compliments. [Huh.] Sounds pleasant enough. But that is odd, given the number of holidays in various cultures on my own planet alone...
[Trapped in a world with people from other universes and he doesn't even get to enjoy different cultures? Honestly, this place continues being horrible.]
Where I'm from, this sort of thing is part of a celebration for a prominent religion's messiah. But more importantly than that—why don't we see what else we can find?
[He turns to look around as he says this. Perhaps closer to the town center...?]
[Her's had the unspecified religion with their saints/angels and at least one cult.]
A messiah with colored eggs... [Probably some chicken?] There are strange customs in every world, it seems.
Ah, y-yes. It did sound as though they expected us to find more than one. Where else might a child search?
[Instead of joining him in looking, though she looks at the hair clip in her hand again. Echo's not sure if she should try to put it in her hair or stow it in a safe place in her jacket.]
All culture is strange to those who aren't used to it.
[Though he looks about for a few seconds and considers mentioning a shed he can see a few yards away, Echo's lack of movement catches his eye and he turns back to her. After a moment:]
... There's nothing that says you can't put it on yourself, is there?
[Echo stiffens. She hadn't meant to be that obvious about how much she's still thinking about the feather.]
N-No, I suppose there isn't...
[Pointedly looking away from Altius, Echo slowly and gingerly places the clip in her hair. She's blushing, though she's really not sure why. Once it's fixed, she starts scanning the area as though this little diversion had never happened.]
[With a quiet chuckle he briefly puts a reassuring hand on her shoulder, then gestures towards the shed he saw, near a bit of old, abandoned fishing equipment. It seems like a good place for children to think secrets would be hiding.]
How about over here? I've heard people have picked up a few useful prizes out of these; tools, seeds, that sort of thing.
[If Echo wants to move on from the clip, he'll let it happen. That doesn't mean he's going to forget all this, though.]
[Of course he's not... Why does she manage to embarrass herself in front of people with good memories?
Echo nods and begins strolling in that direction.]
That would make this a less strange tradition. I cannot imagine a such a thing lasting if it involves searching for a hidden object only to receive something purely superfluous.
[Altius raises his eyebrows briefly at the sentiment, even though he himself is largely interested in the practical outcomes for the current situation.]
You'd be surprised, then. People need enjoyment and "superfluous" things in their lives, my dear. That's why festivals and holidays exist.
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expiationlogs2025-04-13 10:48 pm
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Another time, he'll think further on that.]
You've never played hide and seek? I'd think little nooks and crannies around town. Behind boxes or curtains, under tables or bushes—not anywhere difficult to reach, but out of sight.
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No. I assume that is a game?
[Someone hiding things in such odd places does remind her of a certain someone. Actually, he'd probably be the one hiding in them. Regardless, that association makes it feel as though this makes much more sense to her now. Or rather, she can see why it seems like nonsense.]
Thank you for clarifying. You mean to look in places like this?
[Echo goes to a nearby bench and leans down to look underneath. There's no egg. Things can't be that simple.]
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He nods in response to her initial question, ultimately not all that surprised she hasn't played it before.]
A little less obvious, maybe, but that's the idea. [He heads in the same direction with long almost leisurely strides, hands in the pockets of his hardshell jacket as he looks around. There's a set of unused drying racks not far off, set together closely enough that the ground under the middle of the cluster is obscured.]
Perhaps under those?
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She crouches and cranes her neck to get a good look at the otherwise hidden area. After a moment, she squints. Another moment late, Echo reaches one of her large sleeves underneath the racks. When she pulls her arm back, she holds a bright red egg in her hand.
Although she knows this was the goal, Echo just remains where she is and frowns at it.]
...Then, this is all?
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[As much as Altius is hoping for something useful, he's not getting his hopes up. But even something like a toy or candy could be given away to help build good will, he supposes... If Echo didn't want it. He'll certainly be recommending against the latter, though.]
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A small, blue item falls to the ground. Echo unceremoniously drops the rest of the shell in her hand, then looks down at the prize. After a moment, her eyes go wide and she gets as stiff as a board.]
...W...what.....?
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Are you alright?
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I-I-I... H...How did th-this...?
[She kneels down very slowly and carefully picks up the feather between her fingers. Somewhere in there she also puts away her sword
however that works, thanks canon. Despite her huge sleeves, the hair clip is clearly visible.]no subject
Something you're familiar with?
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Echo look at Altius.]
This...was—
[Her eyes drift to the ground.]
It looks like something that was given to me by Lord Oz once. It is...strange to see it here.
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[Hmm... Through his magic senses, it looks harmless—much like his own "gift" was.]
I wouldn't worry about the how of it. Is it something you're fond of?
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It was not exactly mine to possess. But, it was...
[What was it about talking about the first time she was happy that made her feel so uncomfortable? Heart pounding, face hot... Actually, it was fairly similar to what she went through when she was happy. But she's definitely not. Echo knows these things.
After the awkward pause, she finally looks at Altuis again. It's almost like she's only looking certain ways to avert her gaze from other things...]
...n-not...bad.
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Well—it seems to be yours now. Would you like me to put it in your hair?
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N-no, you cannot! The...the blue feather. On St. Br-Bridget's Day— from a male to a female...i-it signifies—! L-lord Oz did not know...!
[That was still a pretty embarrassing part of it. She'd just been happy because it was the first time someone treated her like a person. That was all.
Echo's also forgotten that it's not actually St. Bridget's Day, even if it were celebrated here.]
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[Oh, this outing is turning out to be more entertaining than he expected. Bless you, Echo. He lifts his hands briefly in a placating gesture.]
Alright, alright. That's reserved for a special someone, then. [And for all he knows, it might be St. Bridget's Day! He certainly stepped out of January into October in this place.] But it does seem to suit you.
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The symbolism behind the story of the festival is the what matters. That's why you should not just casually hand them out.
[Wait, it's finally dawned on her.]
Although St. Bridget's Day would not be until late next month by this calendar...
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[Except for during Christmastime, when he found himself vaguely annoyed that no other winter holiday was apparently being acknowledged, out of all the possibilities?? But then he never takes vacations so—]
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[Or she just misunderstood somebody's post in Trench, but what's done is done.]
This egg-based tradition is new to me.
[Which should have been obvious, but she states it anyway.]
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[Trapped in a world with people from other universes and he doesn't even get to enjoy different cultures? Honestly, this place continues being horrible.]
Where I'm from, this sort of thing is part of a celebration for a prominent religion's messiah. But more importantly than that—why don't we see what else we can find?
[He turns to look around as he says this. Perhaps closer to the town center...?]
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A messiah with colored eggs... [Probably some chicken?] There are strange customs in every world, it seems.
Ah, y-yes. It did sound as though they expected us to find more than one. Where else might a child search?
[Instead of joining him in looking, though she looks at the hair clip in her hand again. Echo's not sure if she should try to put it in her hair or stow it in a safe place in her jacket.]
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[Though he looks about for a few seconds and considers mentioning a shed he can see a few yards away, Echo's lack of movement catches his eye and he turns back to her. After a moment:]
... There's nothing that says you can't put it on yourself, is there?
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N-No, I suppose there isn't...
[Pointedly looking away from Altius, Echo slowly and gingerly places the clip in her hair. She's blushing, though she's really not sure why. Once it's fixed, she starts scanning the area as though this little diversion had never happened.]
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How about over here? I've heard people have picked up a few useful prizes out of these; tools, seeds, that sort of thing.
[If Echo wants to move on from the clip, he'll let it happen. That doesn't mean he's going to forget all this, though.]
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Echo nods and begins strolling in that direction.]
That would make this a less strange tradition. I cannot imagine a such a thing lasting if it involves searching for a hidden object only to receive something purely superfluous.
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You'd be surprised, then. People need enjoyment and "superfluous" things in their lives, my dear. That's why festivals and holidays exist.
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