[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

c

[talim]

[ jude spends quite some time observing robin and the palai from afar between munching on pastries, silently admiring the gentle way in which he handles them. jude has a weak spot for children. it's always nice to see someone getting along with them.

when he eventually strides over, it's with an amicable smile. unfortunately, he wasn't close enough to hear the nature of robin's story. ]

You're very good with children, aren't you?

[guerrilla]

After you've babysat some of the monsters I've had to deal with, every other kid is a cakewalk.

[He didn't even have to bribe these ones with candy.]

And I feel for the little guys who lost someone. I knew we weren't gonna be able to save everybody, but...

[But it's still a tragedy when a child loses a parent.]

[talim]

... Yeah. It must be rough on them. My parents are pretty... absent, I suppose, but I don't know how I'd handle losing them.

They're strong kids, though. Stronger than I could be in these circumstances, living under a constant threat.

[guerrilla]

You'd be surprised. People are pretty resilient.

[Though he doesn't really know enough about lizard people to say that's true for them, too...he's doing his best.]

After a while, you just sort of get used to it.

[Living under a constant threat, he means. His village was close to starvation on a regular basis, even before he finally stepped up to do something about it. That had just been the way it was. The changes the coven made here...hopefully they'll be enough to improve the way that it is.]

[talim]

[ jude is curious, but he doesn't want to pry into his personal life too much and overstep his boundaries, not when he doesn't even know this person's name yet. ]

How can you get used to it when something so awful is always looming over the horizon? These kids... They don't know how to protect themselves, fight back. They shouldn't have to know how. They're too young.

[guerrilla]

What other choice do they have?

[Lay down and die? Meekly wait for the day the Uvi take so much there's no recovering from it? If given the opportunity, greedy predators will consume whatever they can grasp, and even start going after things they can't.

It didn't really occur to Robin how personally he's taking this until just now.]

...You're right. Kids shouldn't have to know how to fight, but the reality is that they do, so we just have to figure out what to do with the cards we've been dealt. Sometimes there are only bad choices to make, I guess.

[Too often, really.]

[talim]

... No. You're right.

[ jude hangs his head, a forlorn frown pulling at his lips. ]

I was being naive. In a perfect world, maybe, but this isn't a perfect world. No world is. The best we can do is put everything we have into helping everyone here, and in the meantime...

Well, like I said. You're good with them. It's nice to give them the opportunity to take a break from the harsh realities they're facing.

[ jude crouches down in front of some of the pala children himself, reaching a hand out and gesturing for them to come over so he can pat them on the head. ]

[guerrilla]

That's exactly how you get used to it when the horizon looks crappy, you know.

[Maybe it's a little too late to bring that back up, but there it is.]

Even though reality sucks, you can't leave it, so all you can do is try to enjoy the downtime you have. We have to teach 'em that, too.

[That's why he's been such a stickler for getting the more somber children a little closer to the festivities. Though not every child is immediately ready to re-engage with their peers, the earlier they learn to cope, the better it will be.

It will never really be good, based on what the coven's seen so far, but better...better is possible.]

[talim]

[ it's never too late when there's still a point to be made. ]

That's an admirable approach to take. All I can say is that I'll do my best to help you out.

[ when one of the kids has wandered close enough, he smooths a hand down its back with a gentle smile. he doesn't look up when he speaks again. ]

... Forgive me if I'm just tossing out assumptions, but it seems like you can understand them better than I can. Relate to them, and the situation they're in.

[guerrilla]

...Well, both my parents died of illness, so not as well as you think. It's a pretty good assumption, though.

[There wasn't any fighting until Robin started it, after all.]

Mom went first, and I didn't really have anybody to give me a pep talk after my dad died, so I just kind of...secluded myself, I guess. That sucked, so I might as well do what I can to make sure it doesn't happen to the kids here.

["That sucked" is something of an understatement, but this conversation is about the kids, not him.]

[talim]

[ that does indeed sound like an understatement. his lips curve into a sympathetic frown. he's not quite sure how to react — something tells him his pity would not be appreciated, but jude doesn't want to downplay such a thing, either. ]

You don't need me to tell you that you're doing a good thing, but...

[ jude scratches the back of his neck, awkward and a little shy. ]

You're doing a good thing. These kids need someone like you. And if you ever need to talk... well, I don't mind lending an ear. I'm Jude, by the way. Jude Mathis.

[guerrilla]

["Need" is a strong word, but Robin's not about to dump his self-loathing issues all over someone he just met, and who's trying to help.]

...Well, thanks for saying so anyway.

[He looks a little embarrassed and happy to receive praise. It's kind of nice to be told he's doing a good thing. That kind of acknowledgment means a lot, simple as it is.]

I'm Robin Hood. I'm not really big on conversation, but I'll be here if you get bored or something.

[talim]

[ in all honesty, jude wouldn't mind — if anything, he'd try his very best to reassure him. as it stands, though, he's not going to press the issue, especially with robin hood not seeming to want to be too bothered. jude can understand that much. ]

Well, I'm not going to force you into one, but I promise I don't bite.