[WORLD ONE | POST-UVI CELEBRATION]

[spellbindmods]

Who: Coven members and Palai
Where: In and around the Aimintas marketplace
When: Day 39
Open/Closed: Open to All

After an appropriate amount of time for mourning, the Palai have shifted into a more positive mood -- they're a very resilient species, though there is a bit of a muted tone to their celebration. The whole event is a little hodge-podge, mostly because they aren't used to having to celebrate with the coven members added to the guest list. The Palai have gathered together all of their people and have invited the coven members to a small, intimate gathering -- the purpose of the event is to thank them for their service in fighting the Uvi, and the success of freezing the Uvi in their home. While no one knows how long the Uvi will stay gone, any amount of time without the Uvi being a concern is fine by them. The event takes place in the very center of the marketplace, with the Palai interacting on the fringes of the party throughout the rest of the large building. The coven members have time to spend by themselves, but there's room for moving around on their own and also spending time with the Palai if they so choose. A ▢ One of the more noticeable editions to the food the Palai have provided is a large pile of sweet, sugar dusted pastries. You may notice that something about them seems...odd, to say the least. It looks as if the pastries are vibrating slightly, but they smell divine. If you're so inclined to ask what the deal is, these pastries are magically infused by Eltos, which somehow gives them a sweeter flavor and enhances the sensation of tastebuds. The Palai sometimes eat these before meals in order to better the flavor of their entire spread -- though adding this energized magic to an already magical being means magic powers may be a little off kilter. Don't be surprised if suddenly your abilities go a little crazy. B ▢ The Palai aren't participating the party for two big reasons. One, the purpose is to celebrate the victory of coven members. The other reason, however, is one that may be more interesting to outsiders. While previously the Palai were peaceful people, happy to exist submitting to the Uvi, the coven's show of strength and valor has inspired them to be more aggressive in their approaches. Grown Palai can be seen working on makeshift weapons, but the idea of smaller tools like slingshots have already been constructed and almost perfected. The Palai youth have discovered these tools and are playing with them gleefully, though occasionally hitting each other -- and potentially you -- with energized, paralyzing rocks fueled with Elto energy. Watch out or you might get zapped! C ▢ Other Palai youth aren't as fortunate to be so distracted and happy. While fewer Palai died during this attack, the casualty number wasn't zero. Most Palai children still have at least one family member to care for them, but they're still a little disconnected from their people by means of grief. Some are milling about with the coven members, trying to eat or pester them for attention. If you're good with kids this may be more your speed, but those bad with children can find this irritating. Some Palai youth are more muted, however, content to just sit and listen to stories or eavesdrop on conversations. D ▢ For some people, rain isn't that big an issue -- but it certainly puts a damper (get it?) on a party. The Palai seem a bit confused by the sudden shower that comes in heavy as the evening dies down. The Palai have never experienced rain before, using irrigation systems and existing ground water as their means of hydration (both for themselves and for plants). Because the rain is coming from the ocean, the drops are large and salty, and the marketplace quickly begins to flood. The Palai move the party indoors for the most part, but that doesn't mean you or the food aren't already soaked. It's much warming underneath the roofs in the marketplace, but that doesn't provide much relief since the ocean rain is warm and humid. E ▢ Wildcard! How will your character handle this violent and volatile situation.

Comments

[talim]

[ jude's smile is soft and so very warm in the midst of the cold downpour. he should really get inside — 2b might not catch a cold, but he very well might. and to think he's the doctor here.

he's not too worried about it. he'd rather stay here with 2b. ]

There are still so many things you have yet to discover. So many other beautiful things about the world. Isn't it exciting?

[apatheia]

[At some point she'll probably realize that this probably isn't good for a human's health, and then he'll be hearing about it. Why isn't he taking care of himself, she's supposed to be helping humans, not causing them problems!!]

When you put it like that... [And to think the first night she spent here was literally the first night she ever experienced. It begins to dawn on her that there's a whole plethora of weather she now has the potential to experience, and all the new things that could bring alone.] What other kind of weather patterns are there?

[talim]

[ he was sort of hoping she'd ask. there's something he... likes? about explaining these things. jude can't quite place why — maybe it has something to do with the fact that he's had to once before, back in rieze maxia. back when he met milla.

it's a comfort, he supposes. perhaps a selfish one. ]

Well... to start, there are times when it rains, it storms. The rain pours down harder than it is now, but the only other difference is the addition of thunder and lightning. Thunder is a loud, booming rumble that comes from the sky, and more often than not, thunder is paired with lightning, electrostatic discharge that strikes and creates flashes of bright light.

Another common weather condition is snow, which occurs when the atmosphere is cold enough for precipitation to freeze and form into ice crystals. When snow falls, it looks like a pure white blanket is covering everything on the ground. It's more common in chillier regions, or, seasonally, winter.

[apatheia]

[Thinking about it, these are all concepts she vaguely knows of from different old archives she's seen. Even now, they're all still conceptual, but it's interesting to hear about them in more detail. From someone who's actually experienced it and not just an old record.

If she can, she thinks she'd like to see a storm for herself. And snow. And seasons, however those work.]

What are the other seasons?

[talim]

Spring, summer, and autumn. Winter comes between autumn and spring. Spring is when all the plants and flowers that died in winter start blooming anew, and the winter melts away into warm weather. Summer can be sweltering hot, and in autumn, the leaves on the trees change colors as the weather cools back down.

One season lasts around three months. My favorite is spring.

[ he smiles cheerfully. jude gets a real sense of accomplishment out of being helpful — much like an android does, maybe. ]

[apatheia]

They all sound very different from one another. Things were always changing.

[In comparison, the world she knows only has temperate day and cold night, and you can really only see one or the other depending on where you are. She knows that his world probably isn't the Old World, but she imagines that this must've been what the Old World was like regardless.]

Why do you prefer spring? [His enthusiasm in answering questions really does remind her of 9S. It'd probably put her at ease if she wasn't constantly aware of the fact that Jude is human.]

[talim]

They are different. On the other hand, there are regions where the climate is too harsh to include a change in seasons at all. There are places cold enough for snow in summer, places too hot for winter... You get it.

[ it doesn't take him long to mull it over. it's a very easy question to answer. ]

I prefer spring because I love watching everything blossom and come to life. There's nothing else quite like it. Spring means a fresh start, a new beginning. It's a good time to reflect on the previous year and think about what you want to change in the coming one.

[apatheia]

That sounds more familiar to me. [tbh that's exactly what she should know from earth being tidal locked but It's not hot on her side of the world, but she can only imagine that the Night Kingdom is quite cold.] Reflecting on the previous year though...

[And thinking about what you'd want to change for the next. She supposes it makes sense to think about that when you have visible reminders for what's changing around you. Living in a static environment with a seemingly futile and never-ending war didn't exactly provide that kind of opportunity. It felt like nothing ever changed. She'd like to see something different from that.]

I wouldn't mind seeing spring.

[talim]

Who knows? Maybe you can see it. I still don't know exactly how seasons work in an upside-down world like this, but...

[ he pauses, fondness coloring his expression. ]

Well, I'd like to see it together. With Nines, too.

[apatheia]

All of us together?

[She knows he considers them to be friends somehow, but still... It seems strange to her, that he'd want to spend time with them like that. Surely he has other friends (human friends) who would be more worthwhile to spend time with.]

Are you sure?

[talim]

That's right. All of us together.

[ jude is used to the confusion by now, the knowledge that 2b and 9s don't understand why they'd be worth a human's time, so he doesn't ask her why she's unsure at all. he's past those questions, as unhappy as it makes him to see that they still don't get it.

instead, he simply reaffirms. reassures. ]

I think it'd be nice. Don't you?

[apatheia]

[It's not like she can deny that it sounds nice, especially if he thinks it would be. The only way she could justify this is that with both her and 9S around, it'd be very unlikely for anything dangerous or bad to happen to Jude. He might not have needed her to actually guard him all the time, but. It's not like she's not always lowkey ready to guard humans anyways!

With justification in hand, she nods.]

Alright. If the opportunity arises, we should all see the season change together.