isleofavalon | EVENT ✨ Snow Flu-rries

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EVENT ✨ Snow Flu-rries

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Though it's been a year for us OOC, that timeline isn't necessarily something everyone thinks to celebrate, especially in the midst of all that's going on. What they are thinking about are more solutions to the food rationing for two very key reasons: 1. the winter solstice will be spent in Elphame next month, and food from the fae lands cannot be consumed by non-fae or there are very terrible side-effects, the details of which seem ominously vague. 2. winter is coming and with a lot more mouths to feed, the usual preparations likely weren't enough for everyone to remain healthy and happy. This has lead a cadre of likeminded mages to gather together and perform a ritual at Merlin's Step (past info here) to temper the rains and extend the harvest season a couple of weeks to reduce crop loss. Unfortunately, the magic flu is still at large, and someone thought they were above it all and attended the ritual, which has made things go... awry.

Winter was coming.. and now it's here. Right now. The ritual has gone south thanks to the magical flu and a snowstorm has rocked Camelot overnight. There's about 6 feet deep of snow so those on the first floor of their buildings may have some trouble getting out. The snow stays heavy throughout the day, and around sunset the power goes out in Camelot. Anyone who can is sharing a magical spell from olden days before electricity, (Spell) Candlebloom. Candlebloom can be cast by putting out a plate, bowl or anything and chanting the spell over it until a flower-shaped piece of wax begins to grow upward out of the surface.
Keep chanting, the petals will bloom, and then "melt" down to form the sides of a candle and fill in with wax. You can cast this on as many dishes as you have to create multiple light sources! They don't self-light though, so good luck! Thankfully, living so close to the storm sprites up in the Ash Mountains has given Lestari's people ample knowledge about how to deal with sudden weather and living buried under plenty of stuff. They've got a special spell to dig tunnels under the deepening snow, so you may find yourself able to get to and from different locations through snow tunnels.. if you have a little bravery and faith to travel through them. It's kind of reminiscent of crawling through the tunnels of a fast food PlayPlace as a kid, especially since at the end of one of the tunnels, all of that missing snow is piled up in enchanted balls of snow that create a large (snow) ballpit, the magic keeping the snows bunched up into balls unless they are explicitly thrown (then they turn back to normal snowballs and will burst on contact).
	Within the next days, the snowstorm evens out to alternating between snow and rain in the final weeks of the month. The Elphame Traders arrive in Camelot early, having rushed their journey and skipped a few of their usual stops on orders of the Fairy Queen to bring a special item for free distribution to all of the otherworlders in Camelot. Delivered to everyone is what appears to be a totem, woven together with a variety of dried plants pulled into wings held together with twine. At the end, a fragment of moldavite smaller than half your pinky nail. With it, a small half-inch wide scroll of paper that simply says: "The Fairy Queen permits you safe travel to the Land of Maidens. Burn in December. We will bring the newcomers to us."
The totems are enchanted to be unburnable before December starts, so if your character tries, they will find themselves very frustrated and likely catching whatever is next to the totem on fire (including their own hand if they're foolish enough not to follow directions). The totem will only work once and does not include a recipe or a totem back to Camelot, so make sure you find someone who has one or you'll find yourself on the scenic route back. The Elphame Traders plan to stick around the last two weeks of December to make sure everyone receives their Land of Maidens Totem. During this time, they have a "Sorry You've Been Stuck for a Year and Thanks!" Sale with some very intriguing free samples. Their new flavor of their hottie sauce that causes illusions of flowers and sparkles to form around your head when someone gazes upon you for the first time is a hot item! Try the Wuh-Woh Wrench, a small alan wrench that causes a non-fatal accident within earshot when you drop it. They really seem to be trying to get rid of the Snek Tunics, which just appear to be shirts with pictures of a cartoon snake on them. There are no disclaimers that when you get water on you in this, you turn into a Naga until you are able to completely dry. There's also a special free (Spell) Cool Firework donated by Merlin to help you celebrate, or commiserate-- with this spell, you can shoot rocket fireworks out of your fingers into the sky!

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( oh! the realisation goes off like a lightbulb, Izumi's eyes brightening for a split second as she puts two and two together (fire magic, of course) and dimming only as she also realises that he really was at fault for her embarrassing tumble.

rude.

but that scowl aside... )

That's going to be a lot of work... Can I help you?

[But did she die though???!

At least he had caught her before she'd had an even more embarrassing fall onto the ground, though admittedly he wouldn't have needed to do that had he taken a little more care with what he had been doing out here.]

Hm? [It does occur to him then that he doesn't actually know what kind of magic she has.] If you can, I don't see why not.

( well, no, but was that just protagonist plot armour?

no

she hums. light magic can allow her to do a few things but probably nothing that would fix this. but as for Bargaining...

would the Fear Gorta she contracted earlier this month be any good here? maybe only for dissuading visitors with his smell. )

W-well... I can make a sign. ( she begins to write in the air, forming the words WARNING: SLIPPY out of a soft pink light. ) And go get salt.

A sign?

[Hm, that might not be too bad of an idea until they can get this situation under control. He can't be standing here to watch out for every person who comes sliding down the path.

A few small flames spark up in one of his hands, and he nods.]

All right, then. I'll watch out for other people until you return.

Got it. ( the sign is quickly finished, though Izumi changes the colour of the light so it becomes something which more easily stands out against all the white.

now... to find some salt. Red Wine will have to hold down the fort while Izumi runs off to try and discover that little garden shop she saw a couple of weeks ago.

she returns, a while later, with a lioness, whose expression clearly betrays that she would not be doing this if it weren't for Izumi, helping her drag a sled with a big sack of rock salt. )

H-hey...!

( oof, it's not like she's a stranger to lifting heavy things - that happens with all sorts of theatre props - but dragging the salt this far definitely makes her miss Omi and Tasuku. )

[While she's gone, he considers defrosting the path but decides against it given that it's only going to end up freezing over again, and the more he tries the more likely he's just going to end up with black ice. So rather than do that, he waits for Izumi to return and politely warns anyone passing by that the path is slippery.

When the young lady returns, it does occur to him that he probably should have taken on that task himself. But then, she had offered, and he has the feeling she's not the kind of person to be easily talked out of such things.

But, of course, he moves quickly to assist.]

Where did you find all of this?

[And more importantly, did she pay for it? Because he's going to insist on reimbursing her.]

( he'd be right about that. easily talked into things, perhaps, but when she's got an idea... well, that train will only stop if there's real evidence it's a bad idea.

(and given some of the things she decides to do later in canon, that's a very high bar). )

There's a gardening shop nearby. I thought they might have this.

( after all, even if this turn of weather was unexpected, winter isn't that far off, and people will still want to be prepared for any potential cold snaps.

and yes, she paid for it! )

Let me know how much it cost you.

[It is not a request. One way or another she's going to be paid back for this - after all, it was his own error that caused the problems in the first place!

In the meantime though, he'll give some assistance in pulling it along.]

Luckily enough, you've been the only person to come down the path while it was an ice rink.

( hONESTLY. )

It was 1300 gold. ( the typical it's fine comments sit heavy on her tongue, but Izumi knows that tone of Red Wine's well enough by now. it's very similar to some of his reprimands during their sword lessons. the kind of tone which reminds her more than a little bit of Sakyo. though, at least Red Wine hasn't started the money saving lectures yet. )

I guess that sign worked. ( does she look a little bit proud of that? yes. it might not be the most flashy use of light magic, but maybe it did some good.

but for now... ) Miho-san, can you open the bag for us?

( one of the advantages of an intelligent lion companion is that she can easily slash open the bag with a claw. )

[Money saving lectures are something that Izumi can, at least, not expect from Red Wine. As someone who really does enjoy the finer things in life the idea of going without just to have money that he isn't spending isn't something that he ever really does. If he has the money to buy something nice that he wants, why on all of Tierra would he not buy it?]

The sign worked very well. [He tells her with a wry smile.] But I think ensuring there's no problem at all will be better.

[His own familiar, a grumpy little Fallen Angel, has decided to not come out in the snow and can perhaps be spotted watching them from one of the windows of Red Wine's home.

Like an angry purple potato.]

How does your familiar like the snow? Mine hasn't been a fan of it.

( well, to be fair, it's not like Mankai as a whole have had the money to buy themselves nice things. she only just finished the act off that cleared their debt, and there's still a while to go before they go from "free of debt" to "actually having disposable funds". (though Sakyo is, uh, rather intense about saving, even by those standards.)

but they can get started now, and then the sign won't be needed at all! :>

and, as for Red Wine's question, Izumi casts a glance at Miho... she knows the answer, but still. )

I don't think she likes it either. ( which makes sense, because lions aren't really creatures who deal with snow, are they?

but more importantly; )

Um... what kind of creature is that?

( he almost looks like a mascot character. )

That...

[The little creature, noticing it's being watched, scowls at them both (or maybe that's just its face?) and disappears out of the window.]

Something from my own world. It's harmless. We call them Fallen Angels and they are normally far larger, but tribes of smaller ones exist. They're mostly pests.

[As long as it remains unprovoked, it's harmless. It does know how to use that little sword that somehow remains strapped to its round purple body. Right now it's annoyed because the snow is so deep that it can't go outside unless Red Wine carries it around, and it isn't too fond of being picked up.]

You can meet it later if you like. Shall we get on with this?

( while Fallen Angels are a concept she knows of, from fiction and the like, the ones back home are... not little purple blobs with swords. usually they're, well, angels.

but since that's what Red Wine calls them, she will nod along and accept that. )

Oh! Yeah. ( there's one quick turn to Miho, telling her she can go do what she wants now, and the lioness sprints off and into the ether in a way Izumi has finally grown accustomed to.

as for these two... time for some good old fashioned manual labour! )

[With all of his elegance and his general attitude perhaps it will surprise Izumi that Red Wine puts as much effort into actual labour as he does anything else. Not without some muttered complaints that he can feel himself overheating in his clothes, but he certainly throws his all into what they're doing to make sure that the path is safe to walk on.

Despite the chill in the air, by the time they're finished the smaller wisps of his hair are sticking against his forehead and he looks a bit flushed, though that could just be from working in the cold.]

What do you think?

[He presses one hand against the small of his back, forcing himself up straight with a faint grimace.] Have I adequately made up for my missteps?

( initially, but then the logical part of her brain — the part which remembers swordfighting lessons and how hard Red Wine works at teaching her — takes over and it makes sense. you wouldn't do something as physical as combat if you were opposed to hard, physical work, would you?

and likewise, she's not about to sit back and let him do all the work. she's more than happy to get stuck in and make this go quicker, and when it's done, the warmth of exertion helps knock away the chill in the air long enough that she can catch her breath and push her hair back. )

I think so... ( oof. she's definitely fitter than she was back home, but that was backbreaking work. and that respite from the cold the effort gave is quickly vanishing, the breeze tickling beads of sweat at the back of her neck. ick. )

But... How about we get a hot drink?

( any hot drink. or at least get out of the cold before they end up sick. )

I think that sounds like a good idea.

[Because now they've stopped moving, he's started to feel the cold seeping in against his skin as well. While he definitely prefers feeling cool to feeling too hot, there's still something unpleasant about it regardless.

He makes a gesture towards the door of his house, given that it's the nearest convenient place where both getting out of the cold and getting a hot drink might be achieved.]

Would you like to come in?

( it does! and she's glad to accept the invite to his place, slipping off her shoes at the doorway (she'd do it regardless, but with the weather it seems extra-important) and chancing a quick glance around. )

Thank you! ( lead the way, sensei! ) It's such a cute place! Do you live here alone?

( maybe one day she'll get a house, but she likes the closeness to her Kaika boys offered by the apartment she rents. )

Alone? No. My partner lives here, and another of my kind. Another Food Soul.

[Though, he supposes, they are as much mortal as anyone else here is at the moment... you don't lose your sense of identity just like that.]

His name is Century Egg. He is... [Red Wine hesitates as he thinks of a way to put it kindly. He likes Century Egg, sincerely, and feels a certain kind of responsibility for him outside of their distant kinship, but...]

He can be unsettling in his way, but he's harmless if you mean to be kind to him, I promise you.

( that means this house probably feels much more full most of the time, then. that's nice.

but that's... one heck of a way to describe someone, isn't it? )

I see! ( it's Izumi, that's not going to be a problem. ) Did you two know each other back in your world?

Ah...

[Hmm. He isn't sure how much he should really say about Century Egg. The other Food Soul deserves his privacy, after all.]

No, we've never met.

[Red Wine opens the door for her to enter the house ahead of him.] I'm from one of the kingdoms of Nevras, while Century Egg is from the Light Kingdom. Food Souls there are... a different sort, I've always found.

( she'll take that invite and wander on in, nodding along to what Red Wine says. )

That's pretty interesting! I think the only people from my world are my actors... ( maybe there's someone here who actually is from her world and they just don't know it. )

What's Nevras like? ( if she ever meets Century Egg, she'll talk to him more herself. instead, she'd like to hear more about Red Wine! )

It's... [How to describe Nevras? It's unique amongst the regions of Tierra, but in truth they all have their quirks and oddities.]

There are kingdoms there ruled by Food Souls. Ones that have proven themselves in countless battles and earned the respect of their peers and their people.

[Champagne was one such ruler. Turkey, also. Red Wine can't think of any other nation immediately which willingly gives such power to the Food Souls who live there.]

I always enjoy returning there.

( Izumi, being Izumi, and having Red Wine as her first and only impression of Food Souls, can't imagine why anyone would have trouble accepting Food Souls as kingdom rulers. as long as they're the best person for it, right?

besides, having seen Red Wine's skill with a sword, she has no trouble believing that Food Souls are perfectly capable of battling well enough to win the trust of a large population. )

Do you get to return often?

( excuse her the interrogation, it's just fascinating to learn about a world so very unlike her own. ~~great inspiration for a play, maybe.~~ )

Not as often as I might like to, but... I'll live a long time, and I doubt the kingdoms are going anywhere.

[It's hard to go back to those places as often as he might like when Bloody Mary's dogging of his every step for two centuries has sowed the seeds of mistrust of him in so many communities. He will pretend he doesn't care, but when you have spent your entire existence fighting for humans only for them to be able to turn on you so easily...

Ah, but she doesn't need to hear all of that.]

I'm familiar with two of the kingdom's ruling Food Souls. They tend to welcome me and my companions when we happen to be in the area, but we travel often.

( Red Wine does carry himself like someone who has seen a lot, worldly and experienced. (compare and contrast herself, who sometimes feels like she's scrambling to make sure no one figures out she's making things up as she goes along and hoping they work out.) )

Travelling must be nice. I don't get to do it often.

( one day, perhaps, they'll be able to look forward to the idea of Mankai Company On Tour, but the first year of reviving the company has been busy and full of financial worries. the furthest she got to go was the training camp with summer troupe. )

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