As the moon rises on the 21st, all non-emergency businesses will be closing early as the Winter Solstice celebrations are of the utmost importance. Those who participated in the ritual will feel the night is different in their very being. Anyone who participated in the Winter Ritual preparations will be immortal for the next 24 hours. No harm may come to them, they will not be affected by the cold, and their magic will be amplified significantly as they are currently a conduit for the world's magic. Everyone, regardless of whether they participated in the preparations or not, is welcome to partake in tonight's festivities as there are many ways in which the Winter Solstice is celebrated.
The most significant event of the night is the Solstice Night Run. If you didn't participate in the ritual, you may be able to get a hit off of someone's Everwarm to participate. At the edge of the City of Camelot, heading into the Brocéliande, characters will be asked to remove their clothing (or if they aren't comfortable with that, change into very light robes provided by local donations) to return as close to a natural state as possible, then run through the forest. As characters run through the forest, despite everything being covered in ice and snow, the woods will begin to come alive. Will-o-wisps sprout out of the snow and shake the frost off, floating in the air to provide lights throughout the forest. The trees seem to move and dance as you pass by, flurries pick up, and even some animals will start running alongside you. It's a celebration for all, as magic flows through your body as becomes part of the forest.
Inevitably, somehow, someway, those participating in the run all end up reaching what seems to be a crack in the ground, slabs of rock surrounding a stream of water flowing through the crack. This is the fairy fountain of Barenton, a crack in the fabric of Avalon that connects its waters to other worlds. Though it's currently unable to connect now due to the time freeze, some of the fairy folk running with you will happily let you know that some of its powers are still in tact-- try sprinkling some water on the stone slab nearby. As the waters trail down the slab and form a puddle on the floor, the drops from your hand will open a vision of a treasured memory. Anyone near you will be able to see it, so only do it if you're willing to share. There are many other uses, but since you're still very new, this is the only one they're willing to share for the moment. Regardless of whether you choose to use that form of magic or not, as you approach the fountain, it will begin to bubble and glow, and lights like an aurora borealis will begin to glow around you as your connection to Avalon deepens. You'll be able to feel the life of the forest, a connectedness to the world you've likely never felt before. Every leaf, the wind, every living being, the magic in the fabric of the world, is a part of you and you are a part of it.
As the night presses on, a large number of fairies begin to form fairy circles, both in the forest and back in the City-- so you needn't have participated in the run to find one. Toadstools and flowers sprout up through the snow that hadn't been there before, forming near-perfect circles in nature. Stepping into one, whether on purpose or on accident, will shrink you down to the pixies' size so you can dance with them, if you promise to keep going for the whole dance. The dance lasts about 20 minutes straight and there don't seem to be any rules besides keep moving around the fairy circle, even if you bump into someone. In the last minute of the dance, pixies will fly above the circle and sprinkle dust over the whole party. Anyone who completed the dance will be returned to their normal size and granted the ability to fly for the duration of the witching hour of 2-3am. You'll be invited to drink with them afterward, if that's your thing, but will not be offended if it isn't.
Not completing the dance despite stepping into their circle, being rude to the pixies, or attempting to stop anyone who is dancing will anger the pixies. Pixies are a tricksy bunch, so you'd be better off avoiding this, but if a character happens to get on their bad side, there are a few different types of pixie curses they may be inflicted with:
Small Soul: They simply won't return you to your normal size. You may need to find some other way to remedy this, or else you may be spending some time quite small. This can be fixed by a person with healing magic and a simple healing spell, as the spell wasn't originally meant to last this long to begin with.
Pixy-led: The pixies will upset your center of gravity for the rest of the night. Though in reality, there's nothing going on, you may have a huge sense of Spinning Vertigo for the next hour or so. Good luck getting home! You may want to find help. The way to break this spell is to put your coat on inside out, so you'll have to find someone willing to share that with you- the pixies might if you promise to give them something good.
Bellbark: Until broken by anti-magic, any time your character hears a bell, they will mentally act like a dog for the next half-hour. This will last beyond the span of the event until your character is able to get their hands on a counter-curse potion, so be wary if you choose this one for your character. As the night winds down, anyone who had participated in the ritual will find themselves rather suddenly sleepy regardless of where they are and may fall asleep as if under a spell right there out in the snow. They'll wake up normally in the morning, the land having used their slumber as time to finish off its work using you as a conduit. Don't worry, those under the influence of the ritual's effects won't catch cold or anything... though, we can't guarantee anything with those pixie effects-- they weren't really harmful, after all, just irritating. Anyone who fell asleep outside will find that the snow has melted in their area for about 5 feet and bright green plants have started sprouting around them on the ground, some vines growing around their limbs but ultimately nothing that can't be brushed off easily.
It would appear that while it was a permitted act during the Winter Solstice, the fae who may have told you about that little trick with the fountain and the pedestal may not have shared the whole story. As it turns out, the slab that everyone was trickling water onto is a stone known as Merlin's Step. Merlin's Step, when a little bit of water is sprinkled upon it, summons rain. When a lot of people put water on it, it summons a huge thunder storm. It is certain to, as many of the fairies are happy to attest, wash away the freezing snow so they can move about freely during the winter again. Fae often have ulterior motives, even if they're often coupled with good intentions. This may have gone a little beyond their expectations, however, as enough people have done it that the storm has brought about torrential rains and hail, frequent zaps of lightning, and strong winds. Most people are being urged and ushered into cellars throughout the city as the hail has been causing injuries, breaking windows, and the lightning is strong enough that it's been striking the ground frequently. You may end up crammed together in a small, dark room while a storm rages outside with little to do except what's in the cellar-- eat canned foods, play old board games, dust of a.. uh oh, is that a Ouija board? Get creative and have fun with what you think could be in the cellar you end up in.
After what seems like most of the day, the storm is still raging on, but the next moment you find still water, the Lady of the Lake's face shows up, with another woman beside her. The Lady of the Lake's ability to communicate via water is being used to reach everyone at once. The Lady doesn't say anything, once she's got it live, well aware that they're short on time as the lake surface is choppy and dangerous right now. They have a limited time above the surface to speak, so she leaves it to the woman with her. |
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isleofavalon2020-12-20 12:32 am
Re: CLOSED PROMPT ALL FOR ME
The sound of the bolt hitting the shingles ha her ducking as well but did direct her attention over there.
Where she spotted Dust. She ran towards him stopping abruptly and taking a moment to catch her breath once she reached his front. Her fear was evident in her gaze so it was possible Dust would be able to sense the toll it took on her to go out and search for him.
Once she had recovered enough to speak, Zelda pushed her wet hair out of her face and spoke with a sense of urgency.
"Come, we have to get to shelter!"
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Though he really had to respect her spirit, coming out here when she was obviously afraid. A quick glance around, making sure no one else was blatantly in danger in their vicinity, and then Dust yielded to the knowledge that getting her to safety meant getting himself there too.
Stubborn girl. Admirable, but stubborn.
"Right, come on. There's a street nearby that's on an angle, if we can find someplace to hunker down there."
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It was actually a miracle that Zelda was able to move at all, her strength most likely found only by being in Dust's company.
"Ho...w far?" She asked when a flash and thunderous boom had her ducking and covering her head.
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What had compelled her indeed. That, Zelda couldn't explain herself if she tried. She just suddenly had an overwhelming fear for his safety; and there was no way she could just let it sit.
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"You okay?"
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"I will be better once we are within the walls of shelter.
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She offered an apologetic smile and a nod to reassure that she was okay and the pair resumed their trek through the flooded streets, finally arriving at their destination. Zelda hurried down the rickety stairs, breathing a sigh of relief when the doors slammed shut, muffling the sounds from the outside.
And then they were in the dark, alone.
The princess offered him another apologetic half smile.
"It seems in my intent to rescue you, I'm ashamed to admit that I was the one to get rescued in the end." she commented sort of sheepishly.
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Still... it was nice to have someone care.
"But neither of us are hurt, right?"
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Truthfully, she was really grateful that he hadn't ended up stuck somewhere out in the storm, or struck by lightning, or worse.
"I am alright. You're not hurt are you?"
She was still feeling the rush of adrenaline pooled with the relief at his safety. Why was she so concerned about him anyway? He had proven on numerous occasions that he could take care of himself.
The thought brought attention to something else that was there in addition to the feelings of relief and surge of epinephrine. A compulsion she couldn't quite explain.
Despite the awkwardness of their first meeting, Zelda had continued to spend a lot of time around Dust over the three months since the both of them had arrived in Avalon. She was still completely lost on whatever draw continued to pull her towards him. In all actuality she should have been avoiding him at every turn, but it seemed she had done the exact opposite.
And whatever that reason was, it also compelled her to sit beside him, and to place a hand gently over his. Maybe it was the strange dread that she felt at the thought of losing him which had surfaced the previous night when Chang Geng asked her who else she had in her life that she cared for, other than her mother.
Maybe it was also the dim lighting of the cellar that gave her a measure of courage as well. In any case, there was something she needed to say; and she needed to say it now, before the adrenaline wore off and she lost her nerve.
"Dust," she prodded a little heitantly, but swallowed hard and steeled herself. "There is something I have been meaning to tell you. Well, if I am to be honest, show you."
Under normal circumstances, she would have had better self control, and taken things a lot slower with the admission, but as it was, the combination of all the environmental factors was just a bit too much.
If it was even possible for her heartbeat to quicken more than it already was, it did as she also did exactly as she implied. In one swift movement that Dust probably wasn't even aware that Zelda was even capable of, the princess unexpectedly moved in close, tilting his hat up with one hand, her other shakily cupping his cheek and abruptly brought her lips to meet his in a passionate kiss.
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When Zelda first spoke up, he turned his attention back to her. Tell him something? Maybe that she was tired of him, he thought wryly; she'd spent the last weeks being unfailingly decent and kind and courteous to him, despite his struggles with things like sleeping indoors and doing activities that weren't hitting things with swords.
But that wasn't really like Zelda, so what could it --
That was the last conscious thought he had for some time.
Shock, first of all, and surprise, because he hadn't seen this coming. Not even the last thing he expected, it was nowhere near the list. For a second that stretched on for an eternity, his adrenaline-soaked brain froze. With it absent, three impulses surged up to fight for control.
The first, Cassius: assassin and warrior, driven by challenge and competition, seeing in this moment just those things and eager to respond, unwilling to simply let this happen and surrender the moment.
The second, Jin: a teenage boy, whose thoughts and feelings should have been on girls if not for the war, the murder of those he loved dear, his desire for vengeance and his killing of and murder by Cassius cutting it all short. The part of Dust that kept coming back to their first meeting in the spring, more than what was at all proper, and who had been pondering that perhaps fur wasn't necessary to make a girl attractive.
The third was, well, Dust, to whom Zelda had been good and kind and decent to all this time, a welcome companion when he was feeling lonely, a friend, and now, perhaps more?
As it happened, the three impulses took only a heartbeat to realize that despite their very different sources and motivations, their end goals were all surprisingly compatible.
The arm Zelda leaned over came up, wrapped around her waist, and pulled her close to him as he met her kiss with a sudden upswell of passion to match her own.
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It wasn't like she had actually kissed anyone before. That certainly wasn't allowed of the princess, so bear with her until she learns how to do it properly! It was all new and she was pretty much leading with her heart and a little bit of what could only be called a primordial urge.
Not that she had any intent of going any further, than this; or even knew how or what that would entail, at this moment in time.
Needless to say, there wasn't much room for any other thoughts in her mind other than what was happening right now.
Considering the fact that Zelda was mortal, she did have to break for air, though she did so in a lingering manner, remaining close to indicate that if he wanted to continue with this, she was more than willing.
Even if there were slight thoughts of embarrassed panic beginning to creep in. Did she really just do that?! Was it too forward? What would he think of her now? What if this drove him away? But it wasn't as though he had rejected her...? In fact, it seemed he did the exact opposite in pulling her closer.
So what was she so worried about?
Zelda didn't voice any of this aloud. Instead, she concentrated on the hope that shone in her eyes that Dust would indeed initiate a second kiss.
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But it was nice. Her lips were soft, and she felt solid but yielding against him in a way that combined the best traits of both. The longer the kiss lasted, the more he wanted of it, with not only longing but a growing ferocity that startled him, as much as he was capable of noticing anything outside of that kiss.
When she broke from him, he had to gasp for a quick couple of breaths himself, his eyes bright despite the darkness as he held her gaze. The pause didn't last long before he took his turn to lean forward and capture her for another kiss, with even more passion than the first.
Aaand probably a good idea boot this into a private thread? Damn teens and their repressed hormones!
There were other things Zelda hadn't considered when she chose to act on impulse. For starters, the fact that, logically, she shouldn't even be attracted to anyone outside the Hylian race as it really wasn't something that happened; even in her own world. But what was even more confusing was how surprisingly difficult it was to hold back on giving in to those hormonal urges. The same urges that she wasn't even aware had existed, pent up within her, until a moment ago when she took this chance... and when Dust had unexpectedly returned it.
Perhaps it was a combination of these things, mingled with a taste of rebellious excitement and her insatiable curiosity, that made this all the more desirable.
Yielding, yielding would be a good way to describe where Zelda's own yearnings were swaying her, even if her original intent hadn't been to do so. And yet, she couldn't deny the pull that only grew stronger the more they reciprocated one another's affections.
This is what drove her to press her form as close to his as she could, and to entangle her fingers in his hair while her other hand clutched at the still drenched fabric of his shirt in a struggle to maintain at least some measure of propriety.
Zelda was panting somewhat hard when they parted again, her face rosey for reasons other than the lack of oxygen.
"Dust... I..." she started to say softly when she bit her lip and fumbled for the right words, "I had no idea that you felt the same. Had I realized sooner, I would have..."
Right... what would she have done? What was she going to do now? This was hardly the time nor place for it.
But still...
"I want... I mean, do you...?"
The temptation was definitely there though, and Zelda was vaguely aware of it; where things could potentially go, as well as how close she actually was to just submitting to said temptation.
All she really needed was a sure sign.
Given the warmth that had blossomed in her chest and the certain heat that now flickered in her eyes when she trained them back to his; along with the shy smile and blush that showed exactly where her thoughts and feelings may have traveled...
Well... would there be enough signals there for her to communicate what she was asking for, even if she couldn't exactly put the whole of it into words herself?
((DM me on Discord to decide where exactly this should go... lol))