lifeaftr | Light up the Night - [BACKDATED to 2/5]

Light up the Night - [BACKDATED to 2/5]

Who: Ammy + Anyone interested
What: Fireworks show for the Lunar New Year!
When: Evening of 2/5/19
Where: Monkey Compound
Warnings: None so far, tag as needed!

[It's about noon when a message is posted to the Message Rock, as well as over the Stones of Farspeech - an elegant writing in kanji with a translation below. The voice is foreign, not often heard and possibly lost from most peoples' memories, but it sounds...excited? There's definitely a chime-like laughter hidden in the depths of it.]

All interested in a beautiful sight, please show up at dusk at the Hana--eh...the Monkey Compound. Drinks - for the elders among you - and some snacks will be provided, but I encourage you all to pack a box lunch.

Those unable to attend...I'll try to make sure you see it. Thank you.

[How very enigmatic indeed.

Still, those that do show up as the sky begins to change into a purple-blue color, dotted with small, glittering stars, will see that the Monkey Compound has been done up a bit. There's a line of small, flowering cherry blossom trees creating a lovely arch by the entrance, and little paper tags have been hung from a few of the branches, holding pictures of a tiny boar, or piglet, and a prayer written on the opposite side in kanji.

Inside has a very, very pleasant air to it. Much different than what this place used to be. It's laid with fresh, clean, springy grass and flowers, and a bountiful garden off to one side, which looks a little barren...probably because most of the foods have been harvested and laid out neatly on a bushels of palm fronds. Fresh vegetables and fruits from Ammy's garden, ripe for the taking and eating, if you're more the rustic type. There's also fire-roasted fish, skewered on a stick and cooking nicely by a crackling bonfire. Eat, enjoy, converse with neighbors and friends alike! Drinks have indeed been provided for the adults, a large barrel of sake with a ladle to pour it into one of twelve dishes. And yes, a bowl of water has been added to the side to rinse them off.

The centerpiece is a very basic shrine put up with a folding wall, once white in color but painted over with a beautiful portrait of a boar rolling a round firework, and a tiny, ceramic figure on a boar topping a little rock pile. Below the statue is an offering of sake, a single sakura mochi, a grilled fish, and some flowers. That is where the wolf will be when you first spot her.

For...a moment, at least. Because once the sky grows truly dark, and the embers from the bonfire has crept to soft, orange glow, a whistle will wheeze its way through the sky as a streak of light soars up, and up...before it explodes in a puff of white sparks. Nothing exciting, more a call to attention.

A minute passes, then another, and the're movement by the far end of the compound as the wolf readies everything she needs. A few final touches--...there! All ready for the show to begin.

And what a show it is.

The fireworks are beautiful and vibrant, coloring the skies in a vast array of rainbow hues, dancing like they're actually alive. True artistry, and a blessing from the God of Explosions, Bakugami (and the local rabbit god, who provided a number to help make this work). An explosive force meant to open the gate for a blissful new year - full of color, full of life, and bountiful in all things that bring happiness and joy to those with good in their hearts.

Happy Lunar New Year. ♥]

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[Before she flutters off to who knows where, she sets her grimy bag behind them, in case they need a pillow while she's gone.

And then off she goes, disappearing into the crowd for a few minutes, re-emerging from a totally different section with a cup of water. Apparently sake is off limits to kids??? Too bad, she thought they'd like it. And she hurries to their side to drop it off and-

Heads back into the fray again. Like dust in the wind or something. Until she's able to get more fruit in the palm of her hand, that she happily holds out to them.]

There. This is for you.

[The Drifter's eyes slide half-open again when she approaches. It's for the best she hasn't brought them alcohol - they're not one to drink, even recreationally.]

[They look down at the proffered food, and shut their eyes again, fighting down a wave of intense nausea.]

perhaps later

Okay.

[They really aren't feeling good and she eyes the little fruits in her hand, playing with them between her fingers, before piling them to their side. They can get it later then.

At least they have water and can lean against her bag if they need it. That's a little bit of comfort she can offer them in this trying time. They denied food earlier, too, but they'll get hungry eventually. At least she feels better knowing something will be on their person when that time comes.]

Does it hurt everywhere?

sometimes

[Most of the time.]

[It's the pitfalls of their illness, compounded by their recovery from their present circumstances.]

used to it

[Being used to it is one thing and she understands how that is. It's easier to deal with symptoms that come and go like clockwork.

But it still hurts at the end of the day and she's been able to find small ways to comfort herself in those moments her medicine is out of reach.

Squeezing her hand is probably out of the question and it's a request she doesn't voice. Instead, she pulls the Solgaleo plush Guzma gave her from her bag and sets it on their lap.]

I like to squeeze this thing when it hurts. It helps. You should try to hold that cat really tight.

[They pick up the little thing carefully, turning it over and over in their hands in a slow, continuous revolution. They won't profess to understand or recognize whatever it represents, but they understand what a stuffed animal is. They understand that children carry toys as a way of comforting themselves.]

[It is not surprising that she would have one she carries herself.]

do not recognize creature

[This little toy is more powerful than her hand, that's for sure. It was a staple during the flower plague, when she was too weak to carry her bag and even gripping that cat was a chore. One she persevered through because it offered some kind of small protection, until she gave into the illness completely.]

It's a pokemon. It's called 'Solgaleo'-that's its name.

[It's not in her grasp, but she folds her arms against her chest, like she's clutching the creature close, as a demonstration on what to do here.]

You do this and then shut your eyes and everything stops hurting for awhile.

[It's not true, of course. Nothing stops this sort of pain from tiding over them, absolute. Nothing save for death, and even then, it's only for a little while. They would rather have the excruciating reminder that they are alive than the coldness of complete ruin.]

[They don't say anything else, for a moment.]

some pain does not fade

I know. It comes back, even if you squeeze for a long time.

[But that doesn't mean it can't help temporarily. Doesn't mean they can't shut their eyes and ignore it for awhile. Allow themself a chance to breathe and pretend like they aren't hurt while they listen to the sound of residual fireworks, chattering people, the crackling fire.]

But it helps-that's why you can try.

[That's why they should try.]

[The Drifter doesn't sigh, doesn't issue a sound of weariness or resignation or defeat. There would be little point in it. They pick up the stuffed toy, squint at it, as though by looking at it hard enough, they might tempt it to reveal its healing magic.]

[There isn't any healing magic, of course. It's just a toy, at the end of the day. They hold it gingerly for a few minutes, and then...set it down again.]

don't wish to dirty it

[Dirty it?

In Ren's radius of filth, they are the cleanest person around. That bag? Has seen better days. Definitely smelled better days. That cat? Came out of the bag, actually. Though it's clear she's taken care of it, there's still the typical kid wear and tear from taking it on adventures. And if the elves didn't make her wash up on a near daily basis, well-

Well.

The point is dirtying it shouldn't be their concern. Even if they cough on it-she's not worried about that.]

You won't. It's okay.

[They are still bedraggled, and they can't guarantee they won't spontaneously vomit up the odd stream of pinkish blood.]

still sick

[They gesture at their mantle, hoping that may communicate the risk of coughing up blood upon the precious little thing.]

[It's because they're sick that it shouldn't stop them and she's not particularly concerned-a dunk in the river would clean up anything. The elves might know a way to get that pink out. Oh well.

And she leans over to her bag, shoving her hand into the top without much thought, shifting and wiggling her hand around in it until she can grasp-

That little flower yukata she used to wear. She wraps it around the stuffed lion, so only its beady little eyes look up at Drifter.]

Solgaleo's warm and now you can hug it a lot.

[THIS IS A WIN/WIN.]

[The solution she offers doesn't seem to align with the problem they have, but she's persistent in the same way that they are: single-mindedly devoted to a solution to a problem she has perceived. The problem has very little to do with the solution she's offered, but it's possible that it might make her feel better, to see them acquiesce.]

[So they do.]

[They pick up the stuffed creature and hold it a bit awkwardly in their hands, at a distance.]

like this

[No??? Not at all??? This is tragic. Did they not have any tiny Drifty toys to play with as a kid?

She carefully, carefully pushes the animal towards them, all the way to their chest. Like that.]

Now you hug it tight.

[The Drifter was never a child. They were constructed, synthesized, to fight a war they did not, in truth, want to fight. They never learned the necessities of something as simple as childhood; it was a privilege that they were never allowed.]

[They don't mention this, of course. They never do.]

[Still, they do want to make her happy, so they...tentatively draw it close and pat its head, once, twice.]

[Look, she's proud of them. They can make up for all that lost hypothetical time now, by giving into her terrible requests to do all kinds of nonsensical stuff.

She does seem pleased they give it a little pat and again, she folds her arms across her own chest as a demonstration.]

Now you hug it.

[The motion is swift and they wince, very slightly, after, because the sharpness of the movement aggravates their still-healing injuries, but the obediently bunch the thing close to their middle for half a second and then offer it out again.]

[Does that count? That counts, right?]

Do you feel better?

[It counts, but their reaction isn't what she expects and while she didn't think this was a cure, she really thought it would ease something.

Looks like it did very little, if anything at all, and as the lion's handed her way, she looks into its beady little eyes.

Maybe it's because she's good at talking to cats. Drifter might need a stuffed animal that resembles a creature they like. Maybe a snail? But she pats its head regardless, tightening the yukata around it so the inanimate creature is cozy.]

[They consider lying for her benefit.]

[It was an uncomfortable motion to make, considering that their injuries are all-encompassing, and one of the most prominent was the one on their abdomen. It was largely - entirely - for her benefit, in the end.]

[In the end, they're not one for deceptions. That is too unkind a ploy, even for them.]

still hurts

[It didn't help-not even for a second.

She didn't expect a miracle from the stuffed animal and knows the Drifter's illness is so deeply rooted in them that minor movements can send them in coughing fits. Even her medication would be useless-its purpose meant to prolong a catalyst's life and deal with those symptoms. It wouldn't help the Drifter, though she would share in a heartbeat if she thought it would.

The disappointment on her face is short-lived and she presses her fingers against the lion's stuffed paw.]

I'll keep sharing things with you. If something makes me feel better, I'll come to you and say 'Try this' and it might work for you to.

i will try what i must

[That is the long and the short of it. If there is the slightest chance that something may grant them some relief, they will take that chance with almost no hesitation. Far-fetched cures. The long and arduous service to a god that cannot guarantee that their efforts will cure them.]

[Whatever it takes.]

[And so will she.

No matter how pointless or fruitless it is, she'll keep trying until her own time comes. That's the least she can do for them. If she can find something that alleviates their pain for a second, a minute, help them sleep at night or walk freely like they're back on the sky islands, then-

It could be the one kind thing she does for them. It would be a drop in the bucket after all the kindness they've shown her, but it would be something.

She really hopes she can find it one day.]

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Light up the Night - [BACKDATED to 2/5]

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