tramitem_log | 2020 June Summer Solstice Plot

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2020 June Summer Solstice Plot - Catch All!

Who: Anyone and everyone in Trames - Please use this as a catach all for all your Summer Solstice Plot fun!
What: Exploring a whole knew world
When: Anytime between June 20 - July 4
Where: Around Krajina Božstiev
Rating/Warnings: Please add warnings to your top-levels/threads as needed

The streets of Krajina Božstiev are dusty and crowded. So many people on their way to live their lives. Markets, taverns, the Temple, the Palace. What do you look at first? What do you buy? Where to do you find yourself exploring?

Take a moment to appreciate the shine of the Temple. The beauty of the Palace gardens. The quiet serenity of the Library. The simplistic, but filling food in the taverns. Or the peaceful quaintness of the hills. A new world has opened up and somehow it all just seems simpler over here. People seem happy (mostly) in this existence.

Maybe...

Watch out for the occasional person going into a rage on the other side of the street or tavern. That can't mean anything...

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Paid to do what you love," he sighed. "Living that dream already- here, anyway. If only the currency was tranferable, huh?"

Elliott nudged him. "Have you been to the palace gardens yet? There's some inspiration for you."

So optimistic. Clarence only wished he had that sort of outlook on life. He shook his head, the sour look falling from his features. "Well, at least I can buy some of the cool stuff from here. I'm thinking of getting one of those fur-lined hats they got. Maybe something else..."

He kind of wanted something... flow-y. But he wasn't sure if he wanted to out-right say that he was thinking of getting a skirt tailored to him here. He wasn't sure what Elliott thought about something like that. It was one thing to make a joke at prom.

"Uh, I haven't. Are we allowed to go over there?" He had mostly stuck to the more public areas.

"Yeah. The lower palace grounds are open to the public. But we can brave the markets first, if you want."

Elliott spent about enough time in the markets to buy a stone before ducking out. The crowds were stifling in an already warm city. Still, he did wonder what all they had on offer...

"Oh. You're not busy doing something else?" Wouldn't it be boring to just walk around the market again. He imagines Elliott already saw stuff yesterday.

"You don't have to change your plans just for me every time, you know."

Elliott blinked. It felt like there was a message in those words somewhere that he couldn't quite grasp.

"Do I do that a lot?" Hesitation colored his voice. "I mean, I don't have any plans, so I don't want to interrupt yours.."

Oh. Oh, no. He hadn't meant anything like that. Clarence shakes his head, reaching over to tug at Elliott's sleeve. "No, that's... Sorry."

He sighs, swiping some sweat off his forehead with the back of his wrist. Jeez, he was terrible at this.

"I just... I figured you would have seen everything here already. I only just started looking around this morning and I guess I just... figured you'd already have a plan for today."

"Oh," he settles with a relieved smile. "Okay, then. I've just kind of been going wherever. I mean I might try the temple later, but it's not important. So we can hit the markets if you want or I can show you around the gardens."

Relaxing, Clarence smiled a little. "Why don't you show me the gardens, then? I've been selling stuff here all day. My wrist could use a break."

He slips his sketchbag into his backpack and hefts it back over his shoulder. "Lead the way."

"Yeah!" Elliott brightens and leads the way.

He at least seems to know where he's going despite the lack of navigational technology as he winds them through the streets.

"The palace is on the eastern side of the city," he tells Clarence as they walk. "And it's kind of hard to miss."

As for the gardens themselves- well, it's readily apparent why Elliott's so attached to them. They give off the same wonderful aura of cultivated nature as the Botanical Gardens in New York. More simplistic maybe, but no less appreciated.

"I'm so glad we're allowed in here. I'd be pretty crushed if we weren't, I think." He laughs. "I'd just stand outside the bars like that meme, probably: 'let me innnnnn!'"

Clarence followed, basking in the glow from Elliott's smile. He was more than happy just to tag along, glad to see his friend having a good time after the disappointments he had faced earlier this month.

The gardens really were splendid. Several flowers and trees Clarence could see were things he had never seen before. Seems Elliott was right, there was a lot here that would make a great subject for a sketch challenge.

Clarence huffed, shaking his head. "Eric Andre scream your disappointment, huh? I'm sure that'd win you points with the guards."

"For sure," he agreed, throwing a grin over his shoulder.

Elliott let his fingertips brush over the different plants and trees they passed. The pond gleamed with reflected sunlight and the lazy sway of leaves overhead. He took a seat on a wooden bench with a happy sigh.

"Kind of glad I have a lot of free time right now, so I can come here and relax. Sitting here makes me wonder what royal life is like."

Instead of taking a seat on the bench Clarence made himself comfortable on the ground, taking advantage of the angle to furtively sketch Elliott smiling in the sunlight. He would have tons of time to come by the gardens himself to sketch the flowers at a later date...

"Royalty, huh?" Clarence chuckled, pencil moving across his sketchbook with practiced ease. "Did you dream of being a prince when you were little?"

"Have you considered asking if you could take some of the flowers? See if you could transplant something from here to back home?" He looked up from his sketch, gaze traveling along one of the closer flower beds. "I don't recognize a lot of these plants, but I'm also not as into them as you are."

Elliott glanced around, able to pick out a few varieties, although not all of them.

"Not really. This place has a different climate than New York. Even if I had a garden, I don't know how it would fare."

He shrugged. "And it's not that I ever dreamed of being a prince, but that.. well, I guess my past life was supposed to be one. But that kingdom fell shortly after I was born so it never happened. Raised in a... quaint village in the mountains instead. Still, made me wonder what it would have been like in those sorts of times."

“Oh. I didn’t really think of that,” he said. But it made sense for Elliott to take in details like a change in climate having an effect on how the plants would grow. It was a pity but at least they could enjoy them here.

Clarence was happily sketching along, nodding a bit as Elliott talked but a few moments later his pencil stuttered to a stop. “.... wait. You were actually a displaced prince in your other life? Like, for real?”

He glanced off, coloring a bit.

"Yeah- at least according to a letter from my birth mother in the other world. Anyway," he waved a hand. "I grew up closer to a farmhand than anything like royalty, so it's not like I lived that kind of life at all. ..Unless the kingdom was rebuilt later, I guess. I dunno."

"Oh. Huh." A prince, huh? Orphaned again.

Clarence wondered if their lives would mirror their old selves further as more and more memories resurfaced.

Not really thinking too much on it, Clarence started sketching again, his pencil moving with renewed purpose.

"Does it make you sad to think about that? I mean, it's not who you are now so... do you feel connected to that still?"

Elliott hummed thoughtfully.

"I think... the day or two after the memory, I think about it a lot and feel connected to it, then fades. But I know that the sadness even my past self felt about it was complicated and a little distant."

He glanced down, kicking his feet a bit.

"Really, it just made me wonder about my own birth parents. I mean I'm happy with my mom of course, but now I kind of wish I'd gotten a letter explaining everything. Though it's probably just something stupid like an unplanned pregnancy and not anything like that. Still, I'm curious now."

Clarence hummed. "Yeah, makes sense if you were separated from them early on."

A huge part of Clarence wanted to roll his eyes, but he didn't feel like Elliott of all people deserved that. Instead he sighed, forcing frustration into his pencil instead of allowing it into his voice.

Instead, he found himself fighting back a small lump in his throat that he had to clear away. "... Did I ever tell you that I was adopted at one point?"

His feet stilled, attention turning fully onto his friend. He tried not to look or sound too interested.

"No, I don't think so. ...When was that?"

Oh great, now Elliott was looking at him. That made this a lot more difficult.

He cleared his throat again, trying to keep his voice as disinterested sounding as he could while keeping his own gaze on the sketch that was becoming slightly blurry. "Well... the Blakelys adopted me pretty much right after I was born."

He licked his lips, mouth suddenly really dry. "I... Well." He shrugged, swallowing again. "Whatever was on my original birth certificate, I don't really know, but I couldn't care less about the ones who threw me away to begin with."

Elliott winced. That was a harsh way of putting it, though he understood the feeling.

He'd always known he was adopted, but Yotsuyu was such a good mother to him that he stopped thinking or caring about it after too long. But that didn't mean he didn't remember thinking similar things a time or two. He's chosen to think better of them since.

But for Clarence.. That the adoption with the Blakelys didn't work out was obvious, but his friend had always been so reticent about the topic that he hesitated to ask what happened. That left him with very few things he could think to say.

"I, er- I'm sorry. If you ever do wanna talk about it..."

He couldn't sketch like this. Sighing, he reluctantly closed the sketchbook. He'd have to fill in the rest from memory later, but for now...

He blinked the beginnings of tears out of his eyes and looked up at Elliott for a quick moment before turning his face away. "... Thanks."

The last time he talked about this wasn't too long ago, hiding away from his guardians in the park and unable to speak even an iota of falsehood. It was... fine in the end. He didn't mind telling someone like Anthony about it, but it hadn't been on his own terms really. Elliott could tell he didn't really want to speak, not if it was going to make him cry, but a part of him wanted to open up to someone his age and also had, well, somewhat similar experiences anyway.

He breathed out, trying to control his voice once again. It wasn't his best effort, but it could be worse. "I... want to tell you about them someday. But maybe not today."

Sympathy tugged at his heart and left him with a will to reach out to Clarence and do.. something. Hug him? Or just touch his shoulder. Something reassuring in the absence of useful words. But given his friend wasn't in immediate reach, he didn't do either of those things.

Instead he summoned up a smile. "Sure. Whenever you're ready."

It had been years. Six years, going on seven. Clarence needed to stop reacting like this every time, but he couldn't help himself. This was one wound that time never could heal.

Nodding, he brushed himself off and stood again. "... You mind taking a walk with me?"

"Of course."

Elliott pushed himself to his feet and gave into the lingering urge to reach out and touch Clarence's elbow.

"Wherever you wanna go. Still plenty to see around here."

2020 June Summer Solstice Plot - Catch All!

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