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
A
But he hadn't really known what to expect when the memory comes to pass, though. It wasn't a full memory, but it was easily the best part of one of their cooking days. It was time to flip the okonomiyaki that they made together, Takao unsure if he would really be able to flip something so large so easily, but he did it and there was a cheer behind him not unlike what they hear on the court when a sweet play was made and succeeded. Kagami even gave a thumbs up as he laughed in pure delight. The memory ended as they set the timer for another three minutes and covered it with the lid.
He rubbed his neck, embarrassed, before looking over to see what Takao had seen as well.
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He has a wide grin on his face as he comes up behind Kagami as the memory played. That grin softens from mischievous and his whole face lights up by the time Kagami looks over at him. He remembers that day, it was a lot of fun, one of the first times they cooked together. Also the first time he petted Kagami's ears and his ear tips flush at the memory.
No fair, but that look on Kagami's face spurs him forward, the point guard takes the taller player's hand, stretches up, and kisses his cheek.
"My turn, want to see?" He holds his droplet poised and ready.
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Would it be a basketball game? Or something Lunatia related as well? Maybe it'd involve Midorima. Those two did often get into some unforgettable shenanigans.
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He adds his water to the rock, keeping hold of Kagami's hand as he leans into the larger male's side a little.
As the memory starts it's fuzzy at first, then it becomes clear, there they are on what became their first date. It shows the two of them chatting, the banter back and forth, then Kagami is on his feet, his hand held out and here in reality that expression on his face, that hand that is currently in Takao's makes his heart race all over again. The memory fades when he reaches out, taking that hand and there it is, the faint coloring to his cheeks as he looks up at Kagami with a genuine smile, no devilishness, okay maybe a little as he arches onto his toes and steals a soft kiss.
"That was a good night."
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Kagami hadn't actually expected that. But it spread warmth through his chest nonetheless and he wasn't really surprised when Takao stole a kiss, although he didn't quite return it in time as he was still staring at the water and thinking about what he saw. He leaned down and stole one of his own. "Ah."
It had been a good night. Nothing all that special happened, but it was still something that eventually led to the relationship they had now. Kagami took Takao on a "proper" date on a whim, but that whim gave him a very lovable, if a little insufferable, partner and friend.
"A good date, you mean."
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Oh. He is surprised when Kagami steals his own kiss but it certainly makes him happy. Not thinking anything about the fact that they are both in such thin robes he can not stop himself from stepping into the other so they are close, feeling the warmth coming from Kagami he can not do anything for a moment but snicker at the comment.
"My first proper date ever too." Something he has never admitted out loud, though Kagami should know he was Takao's first actual date that was not in a group of friends back home and the first one he even considered and went on in Lunatia.
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"You would have been a lost cause had I not," He grinned, although he really did never let that fact slip to the others. It was a nice little secret between them. "Just glad you decided to allow me to take you on more."
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He snickers at the comment because it is very true, he was so inexperienced on Lunatia at first, he arrived with such a solid support system that he was able to keep on like his normal life more often than not. Then there was a fateful party and Takao found out just how much he really had to learn "I was pretty pathetic, wasn't, I, luckily you took pity." He teases.
The last comment makes him beam though, moving in so he is still hugging around Kagami's middle but so he can rest his chin on the other and look up at him.
"Yeah, don't you go forgetting it either Taiga-chan."
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His voice lowered so he could whisper to Takao just what he wanted to do. He knew kids were around and also he just wanted to embarrass Takao just a little. For being a little shit on the court, the guy got surprisingly flustered at this sort of thing.
"I’m assuming we’re done here, right? Or do they need anything else from us?"
Because he had a feeling Takao wasn’t going to want to wait. Kagami sure didn’t.
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Oh, oh well, then those whispers happen and the point guard flushes right to the tips of his ears as he clears his throat. Okay, maybe he is that easy.
"We're done..." His voice is a little tight after that and he turns, grabbing his boyfriend's hand, pulling him through the woods and toward the inn. Nope, patience is for the boring and Takao is not boring, what he is, is thinking naughty thoughts and going to go do something about it.