lifeaftr | June Aftermath: Magic Lantern Strange

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June Aftermath: Magic Lantern Strange

JUNE AFTERMATH: MAGIC LANTERN STRANGE

Who: Everyone!
What: A celebration!
When: Evening of June 21st, and well into morning
Where: Ensō, E3 and E4
Warnings: Mark as needed!

Slide the Light Off You
As promised, the evening of the 21st finds the Jormun hosting a party on Ensō's largest beachfront. Near immediately, it should be clear that they've spared absolutely no expense when it comes to showing their story-walker brethren a good time.

Of course, they may also be...showing off a little.

The stalls and comfortable seating supplied around multiple firepits appears to be a mishmash of Jormun built contraptions and items requested from the Storyteller- many may be delighted to see the variety of beach cushions and blankets, items the Jormun will be happy to let their story-walker friends take home at the end of the festivities. A veritable smorgasbord of food and drink is also readily available, from the kid-friendly options of brrshavak (a spicy drink with a taste akin to liquified chili pepper) and molkavarr (a rich chocolaty broth) to the alcoholic rakvrhak (a rich wine that tastes oddly plumlike). Do be warned, however, that the last is incredibly potent.

Large slabs of driftwood have been laid out to form impromptu tables, bristling with the Jormun's culinary expertise: fried squid, seaweed wraps, spicy pickled kelp, kebabs of roasted eel, hard-boiled snapling eggs, and so on. The vegetables and meats of the sea have been laid out for all to enjoy, so tuck in!

Throughout the evening the air will be filled with the sound of music, with multiple Jormun eager to show off their skill in instrumentation. Conch-shell horns, carved driftwood flutes, urchin-needle harps, and countless more contraptions engineered by a deep sea-dwelling people fill the air with the most peculiar but nonetheless not unpleasant sound. Most of the bands will be set up in the shallow waters, however, as their instruments are not made to be used in open air - try playing them above the surface of the water at your own risk.

Of course, there's plenty more to entertain even the most difficult of people.

You're Living the Strobe Light
Those interested in proving their strength and skill will be encouraged to enter one of the many tournaments across the shoreline. The tournaments vary, featuring such challenges as play fights with the schlacknorkcvic to prove who is the greatest warrior, timed events to see who can stay on a bucking tigershark for the longest, and even a tourney of brovonkosshk, a board game somewhat similar to chess. Don't see anything you're interested in? Make your own. If you can think it, the Jormun will happily accommodate it - impromptu challenges are the highlight of such evenings, after all, though the Jormun won't be taking any responsibility for the first poor soul that decides to usher in a drinking contest.

A small variety of walker games are also available. Jormun children are more than eager to play such games as hide-and-seek or red light, green light, while Connor Murphy will be bringing his Cards Against Humanity deck, for those ready to completely screw with the idea of a fourth wall. There's even a game of Spin the Bottle... except the bottle is being spun overhead like a mace. Being hit by said bottle requires you to do a stupidly ridiculous task, so perhaps it's best to avoid that particular adaptation...

And of course, there's the lightshow.

As mentioned previously, the main show of the evening is the show of brssticca: bursts of magical light beneath the water that will put any fireworks show to shame. The lights are safe to wade and swim through, do keep in mind that the phosphorescent algae tends to cling to the skin. And should you reach into those spiraling, fluorescent nebulae of patterns beneath the surface, some of the configurations of light may abruptly shatter like broken glass.

Additionally, skilled Jormun will be happy to assist those who care to dress up for the event with intricate applications of shellivthiss - a style of waterproof body paint that is not only bright, but luminescent. Something the Jormun may forget to mention, however, is how similar shellivthiss is to henna; should you decide to get all dolled up, except to shine bright light a diamond for weeks to come.

Lastly, those who wanted to bring their own adventures are welcome to as well! Supplying some dope roast? Bringing those sweet, sweet greens? Have some alcohol to supply? All is welcomed by the Jormun - and undoubtedly, your fellow adventurers as well.

You May Find Some Peace
Feeling a tad adrift? Make sure to check the OOC Event Post, which has details regarding the event timeline!

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( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

...hmph.

[Ardyn sighed in a sharp, irritated breath, not raising any immediate complaints.]

Do as you will.

[At least he's more tolerant of Ignis. He's not sure he could handle sitting back and letting him snarl insults at Iggy the way he has been at Gladio all day. He gives Ignis a moment to get settled, tugging a few things from his pocket, pressing the coconut bowls of paint into the sand to keep them steady and then eyeing his boyfriend.]

It'll be easier to keep this even if I straddle you.

That okay?

[Not even sure who he's asking exactly.]

[As he settles, Ignis slides one of his hands off to the side in an effort to find and take a hold of one of Ardyn's in a silent 'thank you.' He starts a little when Gladio asks his question, face coloring slightly.]

Ah...yes. That's fine.

[Ignis pauses a moment frustrated by his unsteady tone and takes a breath to pull himself together.]

I swear, if you take advantage of having me in this position to tickle me, you will regret it.

[Teasing threats will cover his embarrassment, won't they? Oh Astrals, hopefully Prompto won't stumble by just in time to catch a shot of them like this...]

[Ardyn scowled in silent response to Gladio, bristling with something that he recognized as some odd volatile cocktail of anger and...jealousy? No, that would have been ridiculous.]

[Whether he was conscious of it or not, his hand curled around Ignis' even as he glared daggers at the Shield.]

[Maybe he should have offered Ardyn the paint instead, maybe he should have bowed out when the redhead made it clear that the only complaint he had was Gladio's presence. Maybe he should have just let them have their time together and stopped pushing so fucking hard.

Ardyn takes Ignis' hand, glares up at him and he closes his eyes for a moment, that big goofy grin wavering briefly.

Then he sinks down onto his knees, next to Ignis, not straddling him, not too close to Ardyn, distancing himself a bit to give Ardyn the space he needs to at least accept Ignis' affection. But, distance aside, he does still dip one finger into the pale blue paint, drawing one sweeping curve along his chest, tracing the line of his pec, then drifting up to his collarbone to highlight that as well.]

[Ignis may not be able to see the glares and scowls that are being passed along, but he can feel the tension and he isn't surprised when Gladio kneels in the sand next to him instead of in the position he had originally suggested. The Shield is trying to compromise and Ardyn is trying to do the same in his own odd way. The two ways just don't quite meet in the middle. Not yet.

That is where he comes in.

Without letting go of Ardyn's hand, Ignis shifts his own so he can run his fingers over the back of it in soothing circles. It's actually kind of hard to keep his breathing steady when Gladio starts applying the paint, but he tries his best, speaking softly as he does. Even as he does, his other hand searches out Gladio's knee so he can rest his fingers gently on it.]

Tell me what color he's using?

[The concession seemed to take some edge off of Ardyn's general 'angry coeurl' demeanor, but he didn't seem all that happy. Not that he ever really did, lately.]

...It's blue. Not too far off from your average warding runes, really.

[Lines mimicking the base on the opposite side. The swoop curving up along his chest is off, compared to the other one. The angle is wrong and it curls in a little too much at the top. He bites his lip but says nothing. If this is where he needs to be for Ardyn to be comfortable then so be it.

A soft hum of agreement. He wouldn't have thought to compare it to the old runes but it's something that would still be familiar to Ignis.]

Pretty close to the color of your egg, too.

[A soft smile as he considers where to go next, lifting the bowl to offer the paint out to Ardyn, just in case he wanted to add something.

Maybe?

Hopefully?]

A beautiful color, then. Hopefully, the canvas does it justice.

[Ignis chuckles softly, keeping the second thought that strikes him to himself. Aside from being a beautiful color, it's also one that denotes safety, and he really hopes someday he can be considered a safe place for both of them.

Confusion clouds his features for a moment when Gladio stops--certainly after all that the Shield has more in mind than just a few lines--but he catches the soft sound of the bowl being extended and realizes what is going on. The fingers on Gladio's knee give it a soft squeeze of appreciate before he speaks.]

Will you mark me as well, beloved?

He gave Gladio a deadpan look that at least wasn't another scowl, the implied 'really?' left unsaid.]

Blue isn't exactly my color.

[The bowl gets nestled into the sand between Ignis' shoulder and Ardyn's leg, perfectly accessible should he feel the urge to help him out.]

No... but we're not putting it on you. [It's Iggy's color though. That and the green Gladio moves up to settle beside Ignis' other shoulder. He dips the fingers of his other hand into the green, fanning it across his chest in an arc, three parallel lines.]

Green. [An indicator that it's a different color but not enough to satisfy Ignis. Hopefully it'll make Ardyn talk a little more and then Gladio won't have to admit that he chose the green because it reminded him of Iggy's eyes.]

[The corner of Ignis' mouth turns up in a small grin.]

No, you're definitely not a blue person. Purple would be much better for you. Or perhaps orange to match your scarf.

[Okay, the second one is a joke, but he can't help but wonder if there is a nice purple among the colors of paint there is to choose from. Without sight, he wouldn't be very good at it, but he would love a chance to put a few markings on Ardyn. Something feather-like perhaps? To match his beloved chocobo.]

Green. You do realize there are somewhere around 75 different shades of green and that's not counting the variations between each shade.

...

[Ardyn did smirk just a little at that, running a light hand idly through Ignis' hair.]

He's right, you know. I'm aware subtlety is far from your strong suit, but you should be more specific.

There's a really nice purple they've got over there?

[If Ardyn would let them use it on him he'll totally go get it.

The sass from both of them gets an eyeroll and it would get more than that but he sees those fingers in Ignis' hair and he can't help smiling.]

I wasn't the one on detail duty but y'know. It's bright, these are all bright. A little bluey. Kind of a seafoam only brighter. Like-

[And there might be a faint waver in his voice just because he remembers so well a color he hasn't seen in more than 10 years. One fingertip tracing a vibrant line of color over one cheekbone, up and around, a half circle around Ignis' damaged left eye.]

Like your eyes, babe.

[A soft chuckle escapes Ignis and he gives the hand in his a squeeze.]

We could give you chocobo feathers. Just like your favorite girl. Oh!

[What starts off as a tease almost ends with his suddenly sitting up from Ardyn's lap as an idea hits him. Thankfully, the hand in his hair keeps him in place.]

Do you think she would let us highlight some of her feathers? She'd look marvelous with some gold or yellow paint, don't you think?

[Ignis tries to hold onto his good mood as Gladio finally specifies the color of green the paint is, but the waver in the Shield's voice and the gentle touches to his face undo him. He tightens both the hand he has around Ardyn's and the one resting against Gladio's knee unconsciously.]

I'm sorry, Gladio.

[For what Ignis doesn't specify. Maybe, it's for failing to think of the consequences of his actions in Altissia. Maybe, it's for the man he became in that future world. Maybe, it's something else completely. He doesn't specify because he doesn't know for sure. He just needs to say it.]

...

[Ardyn had been about to say something in response to the question about Hresvelgr, but the implied mention of Altissia cut it off. Instead he just looked off to the side, unpleasant mood firmly back in place.]

[Gladio drops his hand down to Iggy's, squeezing gently, smearing paint sloppily on his wrist. There's nothing to apologize for, not really, even if he still doesn't know the full details of what happened there. He leans down, kisses Ignis' shoulder lightly and then smiles at Ardyn.]

Think she'd let us? [Gladio chuckles a little, lifts Ignis' hand to his arm where he might be able to just barely distinguish the texture of the dried paint on his skin.]

Used gold to highlight my feathers. We could do hers too~

[This is the hard part about being a bridge between them. Sometimes, trying to comfort one, hurts another no matter how careful he is. Ignis gives Gladio an apologetic look and then leans up to press gentle kisses along Ardyn's jaw.]

Don't. Please. It was my choice and a lifetime ago, it seems.

[He shifts just enough so he can turn his head to 'look' between them.]

I want to be here. Now. With you two and none of the past.

[Ardyn looked off to the side, yellow eyes narrowed and cold as if he was contemplating the easiest escape route. He hated this, hated every second of this charming little domesticity thrown in his face like he was really some part to it. Liars, the pair of them. Like it would ever matter once Gladio knew the truth of Altissia, or once they finally decided the charade had worn itself out and grown tiring.]

[When they were tired of pretending Ardyn could ever be one of them, then this would all be over and all sides would be better off for it.]

[He raised a hand to his mouth, whistling sharply--on cue Hresvelgr trotted over and nibbled harmlessly at Gladio's hand seeking attention.]

Do what you like. I don't care, and I doubt she will either.

[Gladio looks between them for a moment, keenly aware that he's missing something here. He doesn't have much time to think about it though because Hresvelgr is suddenly all up in his business and he smiles at her, careful to keep his stained fingers away from her beak.]

Okay, gorgeous. Why don't we go find a shade that suits you and your dad. And then we'll see if we can't get some progress made, hmm?

[And he is going to just roll to his feet, scritching gently at Hresvelgr's chin, pausing briefly to rest a hand on Ardyn's shoulder before he is crossing the beach once more, giving them a few moments to work out whatever this is that he's not supposed to know about.]

[It's not that Gladio shouldn't know; it's that there has been so much to tell him, it hasn't come up yet. He probably would have mentioned it when he told the Shield about the vision Pryna show him except he had just told Noct about it and torn them both apart in the process. Ignis wasn't ready mentally or emotionally to cover it again. Even if he had been ready, dumping a year's worth of changes and then secrets that his other self had kept for 10 years all on Gladio at once would have overwhelmed him. Still, the guilt of not telling is a heavy weight on him, just as the weight of the copy of the Ring he still carries with him is heavy in his pocket. They need to talk again and soon. About more than just this complicated relationship.

For now though, that talk will have to wait at least until tomorrow morning. There is another person who needs his attention.

Ignis pulls himself up out of Ardyn's lap and then turns to face him, reaching out to rest his hand on the redhead's knee.]

Talk to me, beloved. I can guess where the thoughts in your head are going. Get them out so we can deal with them.

You've not told him, oh that is hilarious. I might yet get to see the look on his face when he realizes the truth.

[The mocking smirk was entirely evident in Ardyn's tone, cold and derisive.]

Do any of them actually know? No, surely not--else at least one of them would have come for my head by now.

[Oddly enough, the smile that crosses Ignis' face holds no ill emotion. Instead, it holds only fondness despite Ardyn's mocking tone.]

That's where you're wrong. Both Prompto and Noct know. Gladio is the only one I haven't had time to tell and that is just because everything else has come up first. It's not because I'm keeping it secret from him.

[Lets just make that clear right from the get go.]

It seems your head will be staying right where it is. Good thing. I like it there.

Oh, I'm sure that's what you think. I can scarcely wait to see how amicable the behemoth is when he finds out what happened.

[Something just a little sly turns Ignis' smile into a smirk.]

If he wishes to remain amicable with me, he will remain amicable with you. You were here first, after all.

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