isleofavalon | EVENT ✨ Something (Celli)Wigged This Way Comes

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EVENT ✨ Something (Celli)Wigged This Way Comes

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Autumn, despite the chillier weather, is a season of warmth and gathering. Perhaps moreso this year than normal, given the rather unplanned gathering of Celliwig and Lestari underneath Camelot's roofs. Though significant contributions from otherworlders have made food, shelter, clothes and other productions and donations, medical care, security and protection, and childcare an amazing group effort, typical individual celebrations for the departure of the dead from Avalon aren't being held, like Lestari's Death Ball. After looking at all the support they've been given, Lestari and Celliwig have looked at what they have to offer to help both their own people and the people of Camelot and other worlds.

The people of Lestari excel in cognitive magic, and while there are those who use it for mind-altering magics, there is a good portion who dedicate their studies to emotional and psychological support. One such method is the enchantment of origami paper into something affectionately called Worry Monsters: an specialized counseling technique used to help form support bonds between people with negative emotions. Having spent a portion of the month enchanting paper, two square sheets of paper are handed out to anyone the encounter. The first paper says: "Personifying your emotions can give them a tangible form and make them easier to face. Write down something that causes you worry, stress, fear, or sadness. This is your Worry Monster." The second paper says: "When your Worry Monster is present, how does it make you feel? Any reaction is valid."
When both papers are written on, the writing on both will disappear as if absorbed by the paper, then the pages will animate and fuse, then begin to fold into a monster! Halloween is this month, is it not? There is no sense in not having a little fun. These little Worry Monsters will stomp off and begin roaming Camelot until they find a match-- someone who shares those feelings. Once they find an emotional matching Worry Monster, the monsters will return to their creator and grow to the size of kaiju. They are very light, enchanted paper, so even if someone or something gets stepped on, they won't be hurt or damaged. However, they are strong enough to pick their makers up and carry them to the matching monster who will do the same. Don't worry-- characters will be invisible while being carried by their monster, so their identities will be protected until they are brought to their match. The paper monster will turn to butterflies and fly away once their task is complete. What matches do after they are brought to each other is up to them-- but they will know, undoubtedly, that they share the same worries-- they are with someone who understands. Do it as many times as you'd like, for as many negative emotions as your character wants. For finding something to do, Celliwig offers a solution. While Lestari's people have spent their efforts this month enchanting papers, the people of Celliwig are less apt to share so openly. Instead, they take their time learning about a variety of holidays from other worlds, and come to find one they can apply their particular talents to. While most of their showcase in the past has been on light magic, a holiday such as Halloween plays in particular to their talents in dark magic. A number of locations that have opted in and won't interfere with other relief efforts have been enchanted with dark magics for brave souls to venture into and test their courage! What's more, each of these locations will yield tokens for the victors that can be used to gain prizes. All courage tests must be performed with partners. Costumes are encouraged but not required.
	The library has been converted into a haunted art gallery, many of which have had their paints and other implements enchanted. Some paintings will seem like they're watching you, others will seem like a small figure in the background is following you throughout the library in different paintings. A painting of fruit may start throwing the fruit at you and materializing it into real fruit, so you may find yourself pelted with tomatoes if you don't run fast! A single painting filled with black paint might start leaking and filling the room you're in, pulling you into shadow until you're stuck in the library's underground labyrinth. (Reference monthly quests here and here for more info about the labyrinth.)
There are a variety of paintings with different curses applied. Navigate through the library and escape the haunted paintings-- pairs who make it through without turning back will gain a Celliwig Token.
Another token can be gained via scavenger hunt in the Broceliande. Find cursed dolls from within tree hollows. The dolls will giggle and try to run away, may move when they're only visible in the corner of your eye if you set them down. What's perhaps a little spookier is that they take on the appearance of the first person to touch them, though they will never exceed three inches in height. Beware during your search, however, as there are a good many trees that have been transfigured into mimics. Though the mimics are not going to attack anyone, they do have giant hidden, wriggling tongues that will reach up and wrap the unalert up above the ground for capture. The only way down is if a partner fights the mimic, so don't go alone! Find a doll of both you and a partner and make it back to Camelot to obtain your token. The curse will break once they're exchanged for a token, so you can keep the cute little doll for yourself if you'd like.

The last test of courage invokes a temporary blindness hex on one of the partners. Both partners are walked into a soundproofed room, entirely silent in a way that truly seems to mess with one's head.

The unblinded partner is only allowed to answer "yes" or "no" questions, though no one will fault them for giggling as long as they give no clues otherwise. The blind partner is to stick their hands into a tank of water with mystery items hidden within. These items may be mere objects like peeled grapes in soggy noodles, or perhaps the tank is filled with chicken bones and those tiny garra that eat dead cells and are sometimes used for pedicures. All the items are set up to feel spooky, but ultimately are unharmful. As long as the partner who can give clues doesn't break the yes/no rules and the item is guessed within 3 guesses, a token will be rewarded!

Bring tokens to the inn where a stall has been set up, with Gwion working the booth to exchange tokens for the following prizes:

1 Token: Celliwig glasswork glass set of 4-- spooky themed! It's filled with candy upon receiving, so they are friendly for everyone.
2 Tokens: Recipe: Smokescreen - Cast this spell on any liquid to make it billow plumes of fog. The smaller the water surface, the smaller the billow. A shot glass might just create a small whisp, but two mop buckets would be enough to fill up a medium room. Will not effect the contents of the liquid. Cannot be used on water bodies larger than a swimming pool (could screen about half a block).
3 Tokens: Recipe: From the Void - Summons a disembodied tentacle from the shadows. It takes a lot of energy, so you could probably manage up to three casts a day at most before becoming exhausted. Great for binding enemies, sneaking in small spaces, and reaching places you might not be able to otherwise. The tentacle will follow whatever command you have in mind upon summoning, so be sure to concentrate on the task at hand!

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Whatever it is it's clearly something serious. Something big and Lorenz finds himself growing more anxious with every breath. Worry and concern clear on his face. Then Claude starts talking and that swiftly changes.

Ah-hah!

His expression softens, turns towards a smile even if it is tinged with sadness. He knew it. But the fact that Claude seems determined to pull away from him hurts... that despite his words he-

Well... he certainly seems to have made a choice here. He doesn't want to be dishonest. That's good. It is. It really is. Even if it's her that has made that clear for him it's still good. He should be happy that Claude has someone he cares for enough to... to be that for. The confirmation that he does still care for him is sweet, really, but it only makes his choice sting that much more.

Never enough.

"I knew she was wrong... insisting you didn't care for her." There's a soft huff of laughter with those words, a bittersweet sort of humor. "Haven't we just spoken of how little you care for convention?"

But his smile is unsteady and his eyes grow misty as he steps back just a little, accepting the distance Claude's put between them. He wraps his arms around himself though, to stop himself from reaching out again, from embarrassing himself. "But I suppose that's part of it, isn't it?"

"She has no reason to question anything. Goddess, she hates convention as much as you do. While I-" His voice breaks then and he looks away sharply, one hand coming up to cover his mouth lest he do something truly unseemly like... cry.

Claude had expected Lorenz to be furious at him, to lash out, not... to retreat on the verge of tears. And in that moment he realises he's misread the situation-- or at least, how Lorenz would handle it.

"You're not Flayn, and you never will be. Nor is she anything like you. But like I said... I love you both. Not in spite of how different you are, but because of it. Please believe me."

"Khalid I-" He shakes his head a little, taking in deep steadying breath. "I love you too, you know that..."

At least he hopes he does by now.

"Are you-" Both hands come up to cover his face for a moment, pressing the heels of his hand into his eyes to rub away the threat of tears. For a moment at least. "Are you saying you want... to keep us both?"

There are so many other things he could say there but keep is the only word that doesn't tread too close to things he hasn't dared ask if they apply or things that are too risque for him to say, especially right now. And if there's a a soft lilt of hope in his voice he doesn't have it in him to hide it.

"Keep you? You're not... things to possess or throw away," he murmurs, averting his eyes slightly with guilt. He hates to see Lorenz having teared up like that, and having been the cause, too, so that phrasing only piles on the discomfort.

"But... yes. If you'll still have me, and if it's something you think you can handle, I'd like that. But if the idea doesn't sit right with you, or with Flayn, then..."

Then, he couldn't possibly choose between them, could he? Breaking one of their hearts would be unbearable. He just trails off with a helpless shrug, forcing himself to look back at Lorenz again to gauge his reaction. He wants this to be a decision Lorenz has come to on his own; he doesn't want to twist his arm into something the other man is unhappy with.

He honestly doesn't even hear the rest of what Claude says. As soon as he gets that yes out Lorenz lets out a breathless laugh of relief and, whatever distance Claude's tried to maintain be damned, he steps in to wrap his arms around him again. Lorenz sniffles a little, presses his cheek to Claude's hair and just clings to him for a moment.

"Stop it. You knew what I meant." Keep or a certain inflection when saying be with it doesn't matter, it all means the same thing. Another huff of laughter, wet but relieved. He loosens his grip enough to look down at Claude, leaning his forehead against the other man's. "Don't scare me like that ever again."

"You... you made it sound like... you were choosing her over me."

"Oh--" Claude lets out that little surprised noise when Lorenz suddenly engulfs him in a hug. He freezes for a second like his mind is catching up with what's happening, before he slowly puts his arm around Lorenz in return. Lorenz is... relieved? Happy?

It's definitely not the reaction he'd been expecting, so Claude is still a little confused when they regard one another again, unsure of what to do with all these emotions in such rapid succession.

"No, not at all! It's just... I just thought you'd be furious with me, so I was bracing for the worst. I'm sorry for giving you the wrong idea."

"No... you're right..." A sheepish sort of smile. "I'd probably have yelled at you if-"

Looking him in the eye would probably be the more convincing thing to do, the more appropriate thing to do but Lorenz can't bring himself to draw back all that much, instead nuzzling against Claude. One hand comes up to slide through his curls, soft, affectionate little touches that he can't deny himself after that moment of panic.

"Flayn mentioned that you'd... had two women you were very close with before I arrived. She was worried about Baiken, believe it or not." A kiss to his hair, another breathless laugh in his ear. "I'd never heard of such a thing, of course. No one in Fódlan would dare- regardless I... I did some research."

Finally, he meets Claude's gaze again, feeling silly for both the research and the refusal to let him have more than the barest space to breathe. "Just in case she was wrong."

Claude doesn't mind the affection being lavished on him, but it's only adding to his confusion, especially with what Lorenz says next. "Baiken?" he repeats the name incredulously. Certainly he'd flirted with her and they liked to spend time together, but it had never gone beyond that, and he's sure he'd be stonewalled if he'd tried. Did that mean... Flayn had been gossiping about him with Lorenz? For how long, he wonders?

"Um, nothing has happened between me and Baiken. Like, ever. And before that, Blaze and Lizzie were..." He pauses and shakes his head, looking up at Lorenz. "I never realised it, but I suppose Flayn must've been jealous of them."

"She'd sooner stab you than kiss you." Lorenz shrugs ever so slightly, as though he should apologize for that somehow even though they both know it's the truth.

"I imagine so..." He's certain however much she'd insisted otherwise that she'd been hurt when she'd found out about them. Probably jealous of him too. "She... well I suppose I was doing a pretty terrible job at hiding my feelings for you right from the start. Especially with... her birthday..."

He can't help blushing even bringing up that party and his behavior at it.

"She was trying to save me from heartbreak... and I had to tell her that- Well it was right after that first time we'd kissed..."

"Stab me?" Claude blinks and shakes his head. Things aren't quite that acrimonious between them, but it seems that's a stone best left unturned, if the nuances of their relationship are a subject of discussion between Lorenz and Flayn.

Then, when Lorenz elaborates, he murmurs, "I see." He really had put Flayn's feelings through the wringer without meaning to, hadn't he? He pulls back from Lorenz, slipping one of his hands in his once more. "Want me to tell you a little about them? Maybe that'll help explain how things were back then."

He's still terrible at talking about himself even without meaning to be, he realises, so it's worth trying to fix that.

It's more Lorenz is of the impression that Baiken would be here for stabbing over kissing with pretty much anyone, okay. She's just a hard ass like that.

"I don't want to press you for anything that would be painful to talk about." Lorenz squeezes his hand lightly, leans down to kiss him, something chaste but reassuring. He hopes. He remembers that little flash of pain in Claude's eyes when he'd been asked about his feelings.

"But if you want to I would love to hear about them. They were important to you... There's a lot of things that are important to you that I don't know anything about." Another squeeze. "I'd like to start changing that."

Claude returns the kiss with a slight smile. "Really, it's okay. I'm happy to talk about them. Let's see..."

He reaches into his pocket for his phone, flipping through the older pictures until he finds what he wants, and shows it to Lorenz. A smiling group photo, with the tallest figure -- a very tall, muscular woman with a scar across one eye and a shock of pink hair -- holding the camera. Claude's between them, grinning, and beside him is a smaller woman with rose pink hair and distinctive, rabbit-like ears.

"She's Blazing Sky-- Blaze for short--" he points to the taller woman, then to the smaller, "and the other lovely lady is Lizzie. They were quite the duo! From the same world, but different races. Blaze is a roegadyn, and Lizzie is a viera."

Lorenz has, up until this point, only explored the technology of the phone to determine how to use it for communication. When Claude shows him the picture he has a moment of being too surprised by the image to keep up with what Claude's saying. Especially when Claude looks so happy in the picture.

"Blaze and Lizzie.... I see where Flayn got the idea that you have a type." A soft chuckle and he rolls his eyes a bit. "They look like lovely people..."

Really with the three of them smiling like that there's a bit of an impression that they are likely just as chaotic as the man beside him. There's a moment where he has to wonder, then, what in the world Claude is doing with someone like him but... Nothing good comes from that line of thinking.

"If they were from the same world then were they already friends or... Ahem more? When they arrived here?"

"Nah, they met here. We all showed up about the same time, and Blaze was one of the first people I met. I was curious to learn more about her, and we hit it off well, so we became roommates. Then there was a ball at the spring equinox, Blaze invited her friend home after the ball, and... Well, stuff happened from there."

He'll let Lorenz fill in the blanks (or not) of what 'stuff' that was. In the meantime, he takes a last look at the picture with a rueful smile before pocketing his phone again.

"Lizzie said that viera like to live in the trees back in Eorzea, and I liked the idea, so that's how we wound up moving in to the treehouse together. It was... freeing, you know? Just living impulsively like that. Spending time with people who didn't care who I was or where I came from. I knew it wouldn't last forever, but I'm glad I met them."

He doesn't want to fill in what "stuff" is, he doesn't mean to wonder at it, however briefly. But his cheeks flush and his gaze skitters away for a moment. Claude continues, saves him from his own curiosity, thank goodness.

"So the tree house wasn't just your penchant for heights." Soft and amused. "It sounds like it... That is something this place has in abundance. Freedom. It's something I've spoken with Byleth about as well."

Lorenz wraps an arm around Claude, giving him a sympathetic smile. "I'm sorry you lost that... And them. I can't imagine how much that must have hurt."

"Thanks, Lorenz," he says, closing his eyes and leaning into the hug. He never thought he'd be able to confide in Lorenz of all people like this, but times have certainly changed.

"So that's the story... and that was why I was worried about getting too close to you or Flayn. Back home I knew I had to leave Fódlan, and here, anyone could just vanish any time. I still worry about it. But..." He opens his eyes again, looking up at Lorenz a smile. "Seeing you as happy as you've been lately makes it all worth it. No matter what happens."

Even having so much evidence to the contrary he'd been absolutely convinced that Claude was in danger, that something terrible had happened to him when he left. He can't imagine finding him gone in the same way Marianne was. He'd be inconsolable.

He meets Claude's smile with one of his own, leaning down to steal another soft sweet kiss. "It's a risk I'm willing to take if it means that I get to have these moments with you. Thank you for giving me the chance."

"Thanks for being brave enough to give it a shot," Claude says, his smile becoming lighthearted once more as he returns the kiss.

"But that's enough of a history lesson for now, I think. How about we get back to looking for that other doll?"

"I don't know that it's bravery, precisely... and certainly nothing to be commended." He shakes his head a little, embarrassed at his own absurd hangups on this particular thing. "But I appreciate your patience with me."

There's a momentary pause, he takes a breath and the anxious hesitation is clear even though he very studiously does not glance around them. The odds are slim that anyone's even out here anyway and Claude has shared so much with him, given him the opportunity to stay by his side with Flayn.

It makes it much easier to push himself to take risks, even if he feels like a fool for considering them risks. He brings a hand up to cup Claude's face, nodding slightly to his remark. "In a moment..." And then he presses his lips to Claude's but this time it's not quick or careful or even soft really. No, he kisses him firmly, parting his lips almost immediately to deepen the kiss.... Not for the first time since he'd panicked but certainly the first time he's offered such a thing outside of the privacy of his home.

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EVENT ✨ Something (Celli)Wigged This Way Comes

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