The Heart's Festival

by **Luminescence** on March 19th, 2018, 2:11 pm

The 22nd of spring, 518 AV

Lhavit had been abuzz with activity the last few days - more so than usual - as the city prepared for the Heart's Festival. Across the peaks, paper lanterns hung from buildings, jars with lightning bugs that glowed in all the colours of the rainbows sitting on doorsteps and in every nook and cranny. At night, the city could almost rival the stars with the way it glowed.

But even more impressive were the flowers; despite the dry weather, they were present in an overabundance, filling the streets with a heady floral scent. Splashes of colour greeted the eye at every turn; pinks, reds, yellows, and whites were the most predominant, but among them was the occasional burst of violet or blue.

The day of the twenty-second dawned warm; even with the pale wash of watery sunlight that lit up the grey sky, it was easy to tell the day would be hot. It wasn't unbearable, however, as a mild breeze blew in from the direction of the ocean, drifting among the streets and ruffling flower petals in its wake, sending lanterns gently swaying.

With the end of the dawn rest, people began to flood the streets. Most didn't have work on such a day, save for those vendors who flocked to the crowds, hoping to sell their wares. Music played, solo musicians and groups setting up on corners, hoping to earn some Kinas. Singing and laughing filled the air as the atmosphere shifted from sleepy to excited.

People danced through the streets, and even the oft-solemn Ethaefal residents were enjoying themselves. Many of them were adorned with dozens of flowers already, from friends and strangers alike. Vendors called out to passerbys, offering flowers and jewelry. As the morning wore on, the smell of sweet pastries filled the air, mingling with the scent of the flowers as baked goods, chilled wine, and tea were added to the wares being peddled along the streets.

On the Zintia Peak, a large stand selling tea was being manned by Atsuya outside of the Teahouse; the young woman looked incredibly bored. In the Springwater Square on the Shinyama Peak, an Ethaefal of Syna was singing to the accompaniment of a fiddle, and couples danced around her. Varda was selling the Jugged Hare's famous meat pasties outside of the shop, looking grumpy in the heat. A few stands here and there had even set up games such as dart-throwing and bobbing for apples, among others.

The air was light and cheery, but underneath it all sat a tension. Winter had not come yet again; but spring was a time of renewal and rebirth. A time of hope and love. The Heart's Festival was exactly what Lhavit and its people needed to lift their spirits, to bring in the new year with a fresh sense of hope and a new start. Things surely would begin to look up; in any case, they could hardly get worse...right?

Prices :

OOC Note :

by **Zen Tanka** on March 22nd, 2018, 11:49 am

"Flowers, orchids, ribbons - get everything your heart desires from Tekki's stand!" Zen shouted as he gracefully moved trough the crowds, accompanied by the hunched form of an elderly merchant Soft leather straps were fastened over his back, stretching over his shoulderblades and neck. It was not necessarily hard to carry, but once Zen saw all that weight pulling down on a man deep into his late years, he couldn't help but volunteer to carry the stand for a while.

And by volunteering, he meant, basically stealing the stand, and informing the merchant, one he came to know as Tekki, that he will be selling his wares. And much to his own surprise, he was rather successful, so to say...

"You there!" Zen called out, adding some spring into his step as he spotted a young couple walking hand in hand, observing the ongoing festivities. The younger of the Tanka twins was rather tall, and all the commotion he frequently made has honed his skill of being noticeable. Though, that rarely meant a good thing.

"Who, us?" Asked the man, letting go of his significant other to turn in Zen's direction. The acolyte had patrolled the city for enough time to be able to spot someone who was not native to Lhavit. Like a predator eyeing his prey, the young Shinya stalked closer - it was time to cash in that knowledge.

"Why, yes you!" Zen said as he approached, quick to continue before either could ask why is it that he was calling. "I couldn't help but notice that you have yet to purchase a gift for the lady!"

"A gift?" Asked the young man, scratching his chin at the remark.

"A gift?" Zen repeated, maintaining a puzzled expression on his face, as if he was not talking about it until that very moment. "I have exactly what you are looking for!" He exclaimed gleefully, removing one of his hands that helped him with carrying the stand, only to drag it trough the open air, displaying the wares that rested neatly on its wooden surface. A variety of flowers were stacked one next to another, alongside colorful ribbons that limped for the stand's sides, whipping Zen thighs as wind would brush against him.

"I don't know, ho-" The man said with uncertainty, his indecisiveness prompting Zen to market even more aggressively, cutting him off mid-though.

"Did you know that the Shinya shop almost exclusively at Tekki's?" Zen asked, stepping a bit closer as he did, though it was more of a statement than a question. A false one of course.

"The Shinya, you mean the-" Inquired the man, tilting his head slightly to the side, gesturing towards a Shinya protector, one that seemed to be doing is regular rounds. The man threw a disapproving glance in his direction, before striding away.

"Exactly!" Zen quickly confirmed, a wide smile plastered over his face as he moved the stand slightly away from himself, displaying his robes. As the man slowly nodded, the acolyte realized that they were not yet immersed enough to notice the subtle differences in different Shinya attire. "And if I were in your stead, I would not waste another though before buying this bouquet!"

"At the, very humble price of only eleven Kina!" The blonde swiftly added, before the man could express his discontent with the price. "I, of course, would never stoop so low to say that one's love is worth that mesely price."

~A few ticks later~

"But, I insist!" The young Shinya exclaimed as he pushed five small, jaded coins back into the merchant's hands. The elderly man, however, was far more persistent as he managed to take them, holding onto the money and item in question for but a moment, before skillfully stuffing both into Zen's pockets, saying that it was the least he could do. The blonde-haired man was mildly annoyed by that, but he seemingly gave up, finding the scuffle over a little ribbon more than time consuming. Not that he had anywhere he needed to be - patrolling was boring as ever - but finding someone who was his match in stubbornness was not something one gets to observe every day.

As Zen helped the man strap the contraption on his back, he regretted not being able to ihale the sweet scent of the gathered flowers. it might be hard work, ludging that thing all day, but it sure had its merits.

"Farewell old man!" The acolyte said as he ran past Tekki, leaving his five jaded kina on top of the stand, knowing that there would be no way the elder could catch up to him. and so, he perished behind the human forest, fading from view.

~Half a bell later~

Lhavit surely was a sight to behold, especially once the sun began setting behind the horizon. Light was, however, provided by candles and lanterns alike. Likewise, one could not help but mention that the coastline, and peaks of skyglass were not the only things worth seeing. The sky was not unlike a great, inky ceiling, impossible to completely envelop with one's vision, dotted with specks of starfire. At times, he would wonder if other cities had the same luxury they did. the stars would, of course, always seem closer to them - as if they were alive, and taking part in the celebrations and festivities,.

They were certainly more alive than his bother, Zen thought as he gripped the ribbon he bought earlier. He hoped that his mother would like it. It certainly was not much, but he knew that both she and his father frowned upon reckless spending. The acolyte pulled his scarf closer around his neck, his gaze dropping to the road.

"...only five topaz kina!" Came a booming voice from the sidewalks, causing Zen to drop his self deprecating smile and take note of what was being sold. He came to spy a small target range, with what appeared to be feathers of several darts sticking out from a stained glass cup. The Inarta gamemaster offered and taunted bystanders in equal amounts, tempting those who thought they had skill to come and demonstrate.

"I'll take my shot!" Zen said as he skipped towards the range. He raised one of the darts, and inspected it closely, getting used to the weight. The young Shinya certainly knew nothing about managing thrown weapons, but he'll be damned i that would stop him from trying.

"Anyone up for a bet here?" He would add as he drew three kina from his pouch, each coin placed between the gaps of his fingers.

OOC-5jK for the ribbon
If anyone is up for testing their luck (or skill) at dart throwing, feel free to approach. We can roll a dice to see who hits what!

by **Estavar La'loon** on April 5th, 2018, 1:34 am

While waiting for his job application results, Estavar was taking a walk in the elaborate streets of Lhavit.
He had forgotten that the place was so lively in the Spring when The Heart's
Festival was happening.

He was wearing his normal attire with the only acception that he wasn't wearing his cape because he was feeling brave. He could smell the wafting fumes of baking and Lhavitian dishes which instantly made his mood skyrocket.

Initially he was very tired and you could see the bags forming under his eyes due to lack of sleep but now that his mood had changed he looked the same but just looked like he was trying to look normal when he wasn't.

There was a lot of commotion in the place, but one stall still managed to catch his eye, a man was beckoning people to come over and play darts with him. Although money was involved, Estavar's mind was set on befriending the man.

So he walked up to the man who looked not that many years older than him and attempted to twist the man's shoulder round to grab his attention.

"Hey there! I'm Estavar! I'll bet with you!" he exclaimed with his usual tone of optism and glee. He thought to himself, "I might be able to have some fun here!"
"So, what's your name? You look like you're Lhavitian too."

Estavar was contemplating whether it was a good choice to play darts or not, because he had never used any type of weapons apart from his fists before, so he was very nervous.
The man looked very confident in his skills and held his Kina in between his fingers, to Estavar it looked as if the man might be a master at dart throwing.

He was only slightly smaller than Estavar and had dirty blond hair, he was wearing strange garments which intrigued Estavar.

by **Saiyin** on April 5th, 2018, 11:58 am

"Speech"

The Heart's Festival came around, as it always did, with a cheery disregard for sadness. Saiyin loved all the festivities that the city of Lhavit put on year-round, relishing the chance to breathe in the mountain air and see the happy, smiling faces of loving parents with their children, lovers and their disarming sweetness, elderly age-weary folks reliving their youth and looking ten times younger because of it. She loved it all. The laughter, the fresh blooms decorating the streets. The blossoming of love and life that filled the air.

Saiyin walked peacefully twisting a fresh new hair ribbon through her fingers as she perused the bustling streets. There was a lot to see. She had overheard someone mention an Ethaefal fiddler over at the Springwater Square, and hoped that by the time she got there the horned musician hadn't left. For now, she wandered the streets where vendors and stall owners distracted young children with delights and amusements. Saiyin ducked out of the way of a gaggle of grinning kids that rushed past her, chasing a young girl with toffee apples, and couldn't help but laugh at their antics.

It was not all smiles, though. After all, another year had passed without a hint of Morwen's Winter, and though many were putting it from their minds, the worry still existed. What had happened to her? Saiyin tried not to let her thoughts dwell on it, but habitually she listened in on the grumbly conversation of the gossipers and the topic cropped up regularly. If her father was still alive, Saiyin supposed she would have asked him about it. He had always been the most knowledgeable about those things in the Sesr family, but now the bookshelves were gone and the few precious tomes he'd owned were in the hands of another. Saiyin preferred talking anyway, rather than pouring over the illegible handwriting of rushed scribes. Morwen was a goddess, and the gods were free from the dusty constraints of books and scrolls.

Still, would Morwen return, or was she gone forever? Saiyin wouldn't believe she was lost completely. The world would suffer because of it, surely... Surely? She refused to accept that the gods would allow Mizahar to suffer again, not after the Valterrian, though that event seemed almost alien to her anyway. A thing of the ancient past.

Saiyin's thoughts were suddenly distracted by a brisk shout from nearby. The voice was young, and male. Her attention lifted to it, and she grinned and walked over to the stall. A bet, huh? She rolled up the sleeves of her green top, exposing lightly tanned arms that were vaguely pitted with a few scars, the injuries of a glassblower. "I'll join in with your bet too, Mr..? And you too, Mr Estavar. What is the bet, after all? The one who hits closest to the target, I suppose. Daft question." She winked and nodded to the two young men, and looped the new ribbon into a hoop before scooping back her light auburn hair into a rough ponytail.

She meant business, but her lips were quirked into a playful smile. She rummaged in her trouser pocket and withdrew the stall owner's fare of five kina and added three kina on the side for the bet and reached for a dart of her own. Like the as of yet unnamed stranger, she felt the weight of the sharp little dart and rolled it between her fingers. Did she know what she was doing? Not at all. But Saiyin wasn't in it for the display of skill or prowess. Instead, she wound back her arm and experimented with the feel of the projectile.

She let the other two men go first, noting where their darts fell with a mixture of appreciation and curiosity. The stall owner spoke, saying, "You each have three goes. Three darts each." Then it was Saiyin's go. She pulled her arm back, and then pushed her hand forwards whilst letting go of the dart so that it flew through the air towards the target. She gazed at where it had landed, and raised her eyebrows. If there was anyone else, she would gesture for them to step up to the plate. Otherwise, she stepped back and folded her hands into her pockets to watch.

OOC :

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by **Estavar La'loon** on April 6th, 2018, 7:07 pm

As Estavar was talking to the man he suddenly saw a young woman walking up to the stall, she had red or brown hair that was plaited at the back and she had green eyes, there wasn't anything striking about her but she seemed to wear clothes the same colour as her hair and eyes. She asked to join in with the bet and Estavar was pleased. "Sure, why not, the more the merrier!" He smiled and glanced towards the woman. He anxiously dropped the 5 Topaz Kina on the table to give to the stall owner and kept three Kina back for the bet. He was ready to play and gave the other two some encouragement. "Even if you lose, just know that you have met new people and you have enjoyed your time with them, let's play!"

"I don't mind who goes first, but I will go second if that is all right with you two, if we're talking about what the bet will be then closest to the target seems fine." Estavar's expression suddenly changed from happy and optimistic to determined and ready to win, although, it all depended on his skill and luck, not his will, although it may contribute. He stood silently waiting for the first person to go, like a lion waiting for its prey.

Then it was his turn, he examined the dart, it didn't feel that much diferrent from a chopping knife, but it was definitely a lot lighter. He angled the dart to the middle and concentrated solely on that middle point. Poised at the ready, holding his right arm back and his left arm pointing to the target, he bent his knees and it flew to hit the board, he was watching in anticipation.

He then watched the woman throw her darts, she looked like she knew what she was doing because she was smiling with seemingly no care in the world for anything, Estavar was very intrigued at the woman's strange behaviour that he just stood there staring at her while she threw the darts. She had also examined the darts like him and the other stranger but instead of just looking at it she rolled it in her fingers. He thought to himself, "maybe I should've done that too, it might've gave me an upper hand.

OOCI'm not sure if I posted this correctly, feel free to tell me if I didn't. I was thinking we could roll d20s because there are 20 numbers on a normal dart board and we are also throwing the darts three times, right? Either way it's your choice, Sayin, if we are then my rolls are: 1st Dart: 1d20=(6) 6 2nd Dart: 1d20=(3) 3 and 3rd Dart, 1d20=(8) 8. No bonuses because Estavar has never had practise in throwing similar objects to darts.

by **Rigel Nebula** on April 6th, 2018, 10:37 pm

Rigel hasn’t seen the inhabitants of Lhavit this excited since, well… Ever. The usually serious, somber mood that most Lhavitians adopted during the day did not exist in the presence of The Heart’s Festival. Today was a day of celebration and everyone was in on it. The entire city seemed to burst with color.

As Rigel wandered Lhavit’s streets, he noticed a red-headed vendor, who seemed very bored behind her tea stand. Making a mental note to cheer her up later, he passed by her and flashed her a promising wink.

Rigel wore his usual black outfit today, with the exception of his travelling cloak, backpack and sword, which he left in his room at The Solar Wind Apartments. It suddenly dawned on him that, amongst the city’s variety of colors, he would probably be standing out, noticeable by all. And not in the good kind of way.

He stopped to take in his surroundings and, finding what he was looking for, he approached a vendor selling clothing accessories. He needed something to break the monotonous color he was wearing. Something like–– Scarfs!

”Hey, you there! Young man!”, The vendor addressed Rigel. ”I noticed you looking over here. See anything you like?”

”I need something to add variety to what I am wearing, preferably a scarf”, Rigel replied, briefly meeting her gaze.

She seemed to contemplate this for a moment and, upon meeting Rigel’s gaze, her face lit up as she seemed to stumble upon an idea.

”How about this one?”, she asked, bringing Rigel’s attention to a blue scarf. ”To compliment those strikingly blue eyes of yours! Only 1 Topaz Kina!”

”Perfect!”, Rigel remarked, offering her his best smile. Handing her the coin, he accepted the scarf, loosely hanging it over his shoulders.

No sooner had he continued his stroll down the street when he overhead something about a bet being made. The prospect of earning easy money was too tempting to resist, especially on a happy day such as this. Approaching the target range, he noticed a group already participating, two young men and a red-headed woman–– Another red-head!

”I’ll take you up on that bet!”, Rigel announced, addressing the acolyte.

Paying the game-master his requested 5 topaz coins, Rigel held an additional 3 kina close-by. He briefly waited his turn and, when it came, he chose a dart from the glass cup, weighed it in his hand and took aim.

OOC :

by **Saiyin** on June 2nd, 2018, 1:27 pm

"Speech"

The dart-throwing was a pleasant pasttime, though Saiyin saw she wasn't at all good at it. Still, the sun was shining and the city was abuzz. That was all she could really ask for. It was somewhat of a surprise when the original game setter wandered off, but Saiyin only watched his back as he walked off, wondering what his motives were. There were other, more interesting games, perhaps? Nevertheless, there were enough strangers clustered around the stall for the game to continue. Saiyin shared a friendly smile with those left, and as they organised who would go first, she tested the sharpness of the dart tip and grimaced as she felt that it was indeed incredibly pointy.

Saiyin's next few darts fell wildly short of the mark, and she sighed with exasperation but a smile as she slid the kinas over to the winner. "I guess that teaches me for making bets in a game I've no skill in!", she laughed. "Well, it was nice playing with you good folks. Congratulations. I'll take my leave now, though I hope I see you both again!"

With great cheer, though it was a loser's cheer, she strayed from the game and began to explore the rest of the festival. It was a lovely time to be alive, she thought. Sunshine's warmth rolled across her skin, and she felt the tug of a nearby musician.

For bells, she walked around and around the city, exploring and wending her way through burgeoning crowds in search of nothing in particular except happiness, of which she found plenty. She saw dancing, singing, flowers and smiles, and plenty of love. Though she herself was alone, there was a certain joy from seeing others happy, and Saiyin's spirits were cheered by the atmosphere of the festival. By the time she reached home, her cheeks were aching from all the grinning she'd been doing, but it was well worth it.

OOC: Apologies it's such a short reply.

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Money deducted	Purchase
1 tk	Blue Scarf
5 tk	1 round of darts

Event The Heart's Festival