tramitem_log | EVENT LOG: Strangers Waiting

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EVENT LOG: Strangers Waiting

✦ STONE FESTIVAL SOIRÉE ✦
... And when my good dream came to an end, I woke up more than ready to bend ... Full Game Navigation

Watch on YouTube Who: All player characters What: The Stone Festival Soirée that marks the end of the celebration When: July 4th Where: Krajina Božstiev Rating/Warnings: Warn in subject lines, please i. Arrival Everyone has been preparing for this day, fussing with hair and makeup, obtaining fancy clothes and shoes, and perhaps even finding a way to make their entrance in style. This is the night everyone’s anticipated, and some of the Different may even think it’s the night they’ve earned. Upon entering the grounds of the castle, the Different who are attending the soirée, along with all the others from this universe who are attending, are met by the court jester, who greets them with a tip of his hat. "Good eve to you, good personage, and welcome to the annual Stone Festival Soirée here in Krajina Božstiev! We do hope the amenities and the environment of the party will delight your senses and engage your spirit." With a deep bow, after the jester checks for invitations, he lets the invitee in. There are more performers and entertainers than just the jester here in this courtyard, the Different begin to realize. It practically has the same ambiance as a circus: trained elephants follow their trainers and perform here and there, standing on their back feet; sword-swallowers jeer with fire-swallowers as these entertainers vie for the audience’s attention; acrobats and jugglers perform from small stages at opposite corners of the courtyard. They are obviously proud of their craft, and happy the corruption has ended—their performances are delivered with genuine and grateful smiles. Hats or baskets are set in front of each performance area for tips. And the patrons of the party appear, so far, to have been generous. The baskets are overflowing with bills and coin. At the back of the courtyard, past the entrances to the castle, there is another jester holding court. The jester’s hat isn’t sitting out collecting money, however; no, the jester reaches toward the audience, where he is collecting the semi-precious teardrop-shaped stones that people collected earlier in the week, one by one. With a momentary sleight-of-hand, the jester makes the stone disappear. And should the stars align, the jester will grant them a wish. Between these pronouncements, the jester’s tricks include fireworks, rising into the air and popping with a delightful shower of sparks. The astute will notice that most of the wishes that are being granted are related to the soirée itself—wishes for dance partners, reunions, special treats to be consumed, or an emotional feeling of completion. Should your character truly desire something that would affect the soirée positively, they should choose wisely. Just one wish will be granted per customer. ii. Food It's when the people who have come to the party enter the castle that they find that the ambiance has become more formal and contained. This is the location of a sumptuous feast filled with delightful foods of all kinds; from finger foods fit for a charcuterie plate, to heftier cuts of meat—a boar with an apple in its mouth, a side of beef, goose, lamb, rabbit, and fowl; from fruits such as grapes, apples, oranges, and plums, to nuts, cheeses, and dishes of honey; from basically anything you could possibly think of to anything you could desire. This is the party to end all parties in Krajina Božstiev, after all. In addition to the food, the wine and mead are flowing. Settle in at a table after choosing whatever you want to eat and drink, and the party hosts will keep everything you desire coming to you. Whatever you need to sate your pleasures. iii. Dancing The dance floor is in the next room, and if decorations can be described as ‘sumptuous’ well, that’s what these are. Silken buntings festoon the walls, with dangling ribbons and flowers trailing from each join in between them. Crystal chandeliers dangle from the ceiling with candlelight bouncing in between them as the bodies move on the dance floor. There are many styles of dance represented here, from the more traditional, to the more interpretive, to the casual. And among the beaming faces, characters might see some familiar ones—Nádej and Strach and all the other gods. No one at the party seems to be taking any particular note of them. The gods don’t seem inclined to speak this time around—they just hand your character another of the teardrop-shaped stones and move on. The opportunity to couple up here is constant, and it’s important to plan ahead. Do you want to dance with him during the slow dance, and with her during the faster one? Make sure to choose wisely. iv. End of the Night Things are winding down now. One by one, the candles are being snuffed out, the plates and the glasses are being cleared—even the smiling performers in the courtyard are going home. It seems this is your signal to make your way home. Only one way for that to be done, at least until you make your way to New York City—you have to walk. So join your fellow travellers as they make their way—you might learn something new about them. *Points Bonus* Participation in this log will grant a special points bonus: Top-leveling: 2 points The first 5 tags in a thread in other character's top-levels: 2 points
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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

For the first time in Bail's life he experienced a weird mix of emotion: abject fear, and solid attraction.

He didn't like it. or he did. He didn't want to examine anything too closely right now.

"Then I'll buy you a nice, sturdy ladder. Or something with a safety net underneath," he said, trying very hard to remain composed.

"Can you sit down again?"

He laughed, but it was pretty gentle.

He also sat down again, without much concern about where he was going. He had a lot of faith in his center of gravity, though he did use his hands to help.

"I've changed my mind. Definitely don't come see my next show." That's gentle, too, and he reaches a hand out for Bail.

"Ben," Bail said with a look.

But he tried to not grip Ben's hand too tightly as he slid back by Ben's side. Maybe he failed. His heart was beating faster than he felt it had any right to do.

He returned the grip solidly, reassuringly, and warmly.

There was still a slight smile on his face, though, that was affectionate rather than mocking.

"Bail?" Little bit quizzical. What's the look now for?

Okay, maybe Bail was also holding his breath.

But he was quick enough to note that Ben did sit back down when Bail had expressed concern and asked him to sit back down. Ben wasn't trying to scare him. Which was acceptable.

"I... like you," he said, drawing out the first word. He closed his eyes and let his head fall back for a moment before resting it on Ben's shoulder. He was smiling again. "I like you."

He shook his head slightly and used his free hand to rub the back of Bail's neck, almost massaging it and some of the tension out - gently but with deftness and some weight. "I like you too. Is this a realization you've just had?" He might still be a little bit amused, in a warm, affectionate, way.

Trying to gentle Bail but also- A little confused.

Bail chuckled softly. "I knew I liked you the moment I realized you'd asked me on a date accidentally."

His heart had stopped trying to beat of out his chest now. At least in one way. When he was around Ben, he always felt a bit elevated.

"I'm glad. I knew I liked you about the time I accidentally asked you out." Which was true. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," Bail said, because he was. "I was scared you might fall, that's all," he admitted. "Your antics are exhilarating and terrifying at the same time."

He hooked a leg around behind Bail, as another point of contact. "I'm sorry I scared you. I liked the way you handled asking me to stop - though me falling was really unlikely." Just so Bail doesn't think he's too insane.

It was Bail's turn to be confused.

"I just... asked you to sit down again." Because that seemed rather simplistic, not exceptional.

"No." He shook his head slightly and his smile warmed a bit more. "You asked me what I was doing. You listened to the answer. You made suggestions - albeit snarky ones - to achieve the same result. Then you asked me to sit down."

Bail pulled back enough to look at Ben, shaking his head. "You're giving me too much credit." Or maybe Bail was just already practiced at emotion management.

"I'm not. You forget how much of my life is wrapped up in enjoying people telling me what to do." He's not saying he got off on this interaction. "I've seen a lot of methods and approaches. Most of them okay, some are good. Add fear and the... method of request or even ordering tends to shift toward most being at least kind of bad and some being terrible."

"What's an example of a bad or terrible request or order?" Bail asked, finally catching on more of Ben's meaning. He hadn't even thought about that aspect applying to this situation at all.

"Bad? Assuming a snapped order will gain compliance. Worse? Fear being used to justify anger - and an assumption that I'm deliberately doing something to get a negative reaction or create fear. Terrible? Physically grabbing me and pulling me down."

Well, Bail had asked.

Bail's eyebrows knit together. "None of those responses would be effective- that last one could actually make you fall. Aside from also invading your personal space, that is the opposite of what I wanted."

"I did say I liked you, too," he pointed out, still smiling. "Though honestly most of those would have been effective at getting me down. Except the last, which would have either made me fall or pissed me off once I'd recovered from my near death experience."

Bail smiled again. "I can honestly say it's my goal to never make you pissed off at me, or give you a near death experience."

He laughs, but leans in and kisses Bail, softly. "Okay. Now do you want to talk about what about this scared you? Where the lines are, how I can avoid them?"

Bail thought it was obvious, but apparently not.

He did enjoy that kiss for a moment before answering, though.

"You could have fallen, it's a long way down and we're in a primitive place with very little by way of emergency services or health care. There are no safety precautions here- this," he touched the stone banister, "is the safety precaution."

That he could have fallen and hurt himself was obvious, but he needs to know where the lines are.

"So, skydiving and spinning twenty feet above ice holding onto a ribbon are okay?" Not sarcasm he is trying to figure out. "It's the medicine and safety precautions?"

"You told me about skydiving after the fact and you were still alive," Bail pointed out. "Any concern over the that kind of activity was mitigated the moment you told me about it for obvious reasons." Basically, what was the point of getting worked up after the fact.

"I also assumed you skydived with proper equipment and a qualified instructor, if it was your first time. And I assume you practice for your performance in a controlled environment, mastering skills before moving onto more complex maneuvers. And I'm assuming, but could be wrong, you takes steps to prevent as much injury as possible. And at least with your performances, medical aid is close at hand."

"That is all valid. I'm not trying to argue with you, just understand." If he wanted to argue he could argue a transference of skills and mitigation and relatively lower difficulty level here, but his goal is not to win. His goal is to have them reach a place where they're both okay.

And in this case he was always okay so it's about Bail.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to be argumentative," Bail said. "I really am okay. Are you okay?"

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