[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

[guerrilla]

[It takes him a few moments to realize what she's getting at, but then he looks at the sky and grimaces.]

...I guess the fact that we're not really in the ocean so much as underneath it doesn't help much, does it.

[sealeted]

Not... not that much, no. I was...

[She goes quiet.]

In the Core, I just sank and sank and sank.

[guerrilla]

[Robin's not sure there's anything suitable to respond to that with. In the end, he just adjusts his cloak around her, trying to swaddle her up even more so she'll be warm and toasty and not liable to fall out of the pocket.]

...I'm a pretty mediocre Servant, so I can't make any promises, but I'll do whatever I can to keep that from happening to you.

[It's a poor reply, but Robin can barely deal with his own baggage. He has no idea how to handle other people's, especially without coming across as insensitive.]

[sealeted]

[She snuggles up, but the smile on her face is easily heard in her voice.]

That you would even try means more than I can say. Thank you, Robin.

[guerrilla]

[He's a bad Servant but not that bad. Also, he needs her to live so he has a battery.]

I'm pretty sure I still owe you one, so don't worry about it.

[After all, in killing him the second time, she'd saved him from something far worse.]

[sealeted]

[Hakuno pats his shoulder as best she can.]

Hey, you and me are a team now. Don't worry about debts.

[guerrilla]

[He's spent so much time stealing, it might be a refreshing change of pace to repay a debt for once...and he's sure that if he said that out loud, Hakuno would understand what he meant. She, along with Elizabeth, are the only people who possibly could.]

...If you say so, Master.

[But he lets it go this time, if only because he doesn't want to ruin the celebratory mood with even a minor argument.]

I'm still not much of a team player, but I've gotten better at it.

[sealeted]

[She would. It's nice not to have to argue, all the same.]

Well, we're at a band new starting line in our lives. The only way to go is forward, right?

[guerrilla]

[If you can only see one way to go, you're not thinking hard enough, is what Robin wants to say. But Hakuno has completely different circumstances, where often the only thing she could do was go forward.]

It's my least favorite direction, but if that's where you want to go, it'll have to do.

[If he needs a shadow to hide in it might as well be hers.]

[sealeted]

Sorry. I won't ask you to clomp around a step behind me all the time, but we're still in the same boat.

[And she's not one to wallow when she doesn't have to.]

[guerrilla]

If I didn't want to follow you I would've turned you down.

[Or maybe it's not so much wanting to follow her as seeing something worth pursuing in the way she lived.

Either way, it's a mutually beneficial agreement, even beyond their basic relationship as a protector and a power source.]

[sealeted]

[...she's currently the size of his hand and nibbling at a purloined sunflower seed. She's not exactly the paragon of smart life choices at the moment.]

Oh hey, speaking of following me, have you been around and I just haven't noticed, or have you been off doing your own thing? I'm still getting used to having a Servant who isn't the living, breathing definition of ostentatious.

[guerrilla]

A little bit of both. The Palai are pretty harmless, so I don't feel like I need to watch you like a hawk or anything, but I drop in every hour or two. I'm pretty good at not being noticed.

[Something she knows better than anyone else here, really.]

[sealeted]

Well, feel free to... say hi, if you have the time.

[She can't exactly hit him up for My Room conversations, and it's a little awkward.]

[guerrilla]

...Is it lonely not having a Servant around?

[He'd been trying not to be presumptuous, but maybe that backfired a little.]

[sealeted]

It's lonely being... well, not alone, obviously, but...

[How to put it...?]

...for my entire life, not having a Servant with me meant I was skirting the edge of death. And now that's not true anymore but, well, sometimes it still feels like it is. If... that makes any sense. I get... I get nervous, I guess. It's silly, right?

[guerrilla]

What? No.

[If she weren't Tiny right now, he'd pat her on the head. As it is, he just sort of supports the cocoon of cloth she's bundled in with his hand.]

You spent your whole life one step from being killed. It'd be weirder if you weren't nervous, and I should have noticed that.

[It's a failing as a Servant to not think of it.]

[sealeted]

It's not something I expected, at first. I figured it was just the lack of active command seals that had me jittery—SE.RA.PH really hammered home that those were essential for my "right to exist" and all. But, I still have... moments.

[It's embarrassing. She feels... she feels like a little kid, wary of the other side of the closet or shadows beneath the bed.]

It's not like anyone has been anything other than kind to me, and I'm happy to be here. I just get nervous, is all. ...I'll get over it eventually, I hope.

[guerrilla]

...I'm used to my Masters being perfectly fine without me, but...

[Dan Blackmore had years of combat experience himself, so despite his age he wasn't to be trifled with. And his Master at Chaldea...talk about completely independent. With so many Servants, it would be impossible to linger for too long amyway.]

...I've picked up a couple of skills that help with looking out for cute girls, so I'll make sure I'm here to help you adjust, okay?

[What he's not mentioning is most of those relate to babysitting cute children. Like Ibaraki, the rambunctious, sake-guzzling, chocolate-inhaling Berserker. Compared to the Halloween team anything Hakuno might need is a cakewalk in comparison.]

[sealeted]

I'm not used to getting called 'cute' by my Servant, but I could definitely get used to it.

[...well, to be fair, her new animal powers are basically the distilled essence of adorableness, and she can own up to that. But still, it's nice to hear all the same.]

...thanks, Robin. I keep saying it, but I really do mean it.

[guerrilla]

You said it yourself. We're a team now.

[It's so weird to say that. He's been part of a team for a long time now, but it's still against his nature.]

...You don't have any idea when you're going to go back to normal, do you?

[Otherwise he'd just suggest she take a nap to see if the rain passes while she sleeps, but he doesn't want to break his back with the sudden weight of another human being.]

[sealeted]

Oh, no. None.

[She squirms a little, trying to get purchase on the cloth of his hood.]

I should probably get out, before you end up with me sitting on your shoulders out of nowhere, huh?

[guerrilla]

...If you still need to be warmed up, sitting on my leg or something would leave you in my lap, so there's that.

[The hesitance with which he makes the suggestion is palpable, but he doesn't mean anything untoward, he promises...]

[sealeted]

Sure, that sounds good.

[She crawls out, sitting on his shoulder and mindful of her balance.

Don't worry, Robin, she's already been tucked into Percy's cleavage, she won't denounce you as a womanizer.]

[guerrilla]

[Robin's already under some shelter, so it's just a matter of making some room to sit.

Once he does, he carefully seats himself, a hand instinctively hovering near his shoulder to catch her if she stumbles. He almost reaches for her and picks her up, but...]

You want to climb down yourself or do you need a lift?