[Open, Major Event] 12 June 2066

[geistnet]

Over the course of the last week, you'll have likely noticed the buzz and excitement that's been building all around Metro Manila -- if you've been around awhile, you know what time of the year it is. If you're new: well, this is an experience you're sure to enjoy.

The festive mood surrounding Philippine Independence Day is hard to miss. Wander around the metropolis and you'll note that the streets are filled with tourists and locals; turn one corner and you'll see parades, turn another and you may be treated to performances set up on strategically placed stages.

As for Falner, the colors of the Philippine flag seem to be everywhere you look: the kids who live or study at the estate are mostly running around with their faces painted. If you wander down towards the Fair Grounds in the South District, there are a couple of booths set up offering anything from body paint and temporary tattoos to local delicacies. West District establishments The King's Rest and Liquidated also have special treats aligned with the theme of the day. There's also talk about the annual street party which will be held over at the Baywalk later this evening, and the younger initiates are abuzz over the yearly light show held over Manila Bay that showcase reenactments of all the major battles all the way up to the Darkest Vigil.

Independence Day is also not all that's being celebrated, because for Keepers of the Vigil and supernatural communities all over the world, today marks the second anniversary of Arcis Fortress City.

OOC NOTES FOR PLAYERS

Don't forget to mention in the subject heading if your threads are OTA (Open to All) or Closed, and the time in which the exchange takes place. Feel free to make a top-level comment of your own if none of the placeholders fit. For details on each of the locations found at the Falner Estate, here is a handy link!

Comments

[clayce]

[ Oh, he loves that stuff. Using a little cantrip to float one into his mouth.

Mmm. uwu ]

This is excellent suman. Did you get it from the festival?

[lyall]

[ That's a series of quiet, shy nods from this one, even as she's kind of... looking around for a place to... wipe her hands.

Sticky. Why is it sticky? ]

[clayce]

Oh, let me.

[ ...And now you're going to have a folded handkerchief landing on your lap. ]

There.

[lyall]

[ ...

Um. ]

Thank you, sir.

[ She'll wipe her hands now. She didn't want to do so on the cloak her King had given her. That would have been... wrong.

There's a crease between her brows before she looks back up at Aidan. ]

Why is it sticky?

[clayce]

[ This is a marked improvement from the first time you met. Falner has been good to you, it seems. ]

Ah, it's because it's the way that it's been cooked. I can explain the process to you, if you like.

[lyall]

Pro... cess. [ She's canting her head to one side and frowning again. It's a Big Word, but she's heard it. ]

That is how things are... made?

[ She's not quite sure if she has it right, but it never hurts to ask? The people are kind here. The Kings, even more so, even if they do not always look it. ]

[clayce]

That's correct.

[ Still smiling. Also wondering if he should just shift into Portable Man Form now so that he can join you properly. But... other children...

Maybe later. ]

I see that your lessons with Hikaru are going well.

[lyall]

[ At the mention of her King, a smile tugs at the corners of her mouth. ]

I have been listening well to my King.

[ Ducking her head now. Hearing you say such things gives her a fluttering feeling in her chest. ]

He is a good teacher.

[clayce]

[ Your King.

He wonders, briefly and a little painfully, how Hikaru feels about you calling him that now. He's seen things. He's seen the way Hikaru moves around you.

All good things in time, perhaps. ]

He is, isn't he?

[lyall]

[ That smile broadens, lighting up her face. Because her liege lord holds you in such high regard and thinks of you as family.

And then she's nodding and looking back at her hands.

That smile is playing awkwardly on her lips before it fades into the expression she usually wears. ]

F... Father Dragon? May this one ask a question of you?

[clayce]

Of course. Ask whatever you like.

[ Yeah, he's honestly happy that you're talking to him, and talking to people in general. Or trying to, anyway. ]

[lyall]

[ Um. Yes, she's pressing her lips together and trying to Word this Right. ]

What does... [ a shy look your way ] 'majestic' mean?

[clayce]

Hmm.

[ How does he put it... looking thoughtful for a moment. ]

Someone or something awe-inspiring and noble.

[lyall]

[ 'Awe-inspiring and noble'.

Her lips form into a quiet 'oh,' and then she's pressing her lips together, brow furrowed in thought.

She is dead serious when she replies: ] That is a word that suits you well, Father Dragon.

[clayce]

[ And once again, he finds himself completely unsurprised by the fact that Hikaru Shinta is so attached to you. ]

I am honored that you think so, Lyall.

[lyall]

[ You'll get that smile again, Father Clayce and then her gaze will stray to your claw. The smile fades, but the look in her eyes is serious, but more curious than anything else. ]

Father Dragon... were you... always like this?

[ Two blinks, right up at you. ]

[clayce]

No, not always. I used to be just a man. One of the Awakened, yes, but still human down to my bones.

[ And life had been much simpler back then. ]

[lyall]

[ But how did...?

Canting her head to one side now, and then coming to her feet and backing up a little so she can see as much of your size as she can.

It's pretty much there in her expression: How does a man become a dragon? ]

[clayce]

[ He gets that a lot...

Clearly amused when he speaks again. ]

When the Fourth World died, I absorbed the remainder of its will as penance for my actions. It made me what I am today.

[lyall]

[ 'Penance'. That's giving her some pause. ]

I do not... understand, Father Dragon.

[clayce]

[ While he's still smiling, the look in his eyes is sad. ]

It's a difficult story for me to tell, Lyall. Just know that I am the one who destroyed the Fourth World, and - in a way - the form I have now is my punishment.

[lyall]

[ She is bowing her head contritely and worrying at her bottom lip once the words you have told her and the sadness in your gaze sinks in.

She did not mean to upset you, Father Dragon. ]

But it is a beautiful form... [ Can she say that? Is that allowed? Please know that she means well, sir, because for all that she had feared you upon your first meeting, she knows full-well how 'frightening' and 'beautiful' can sometimes be applied to the same thing ( or people. ) ]

[clayce]

[ And the sadness eases a little there. ]

Thank you. Many appear to think so, and many others - like yourself - have told me that. Perhaps I should start believing it for myself.

[lyall]

[ She moves before she can think, one hand lifting to settle over one of the large scales that curve over your paw. The warmth ( is it from you? is it from the sun that has been shining down since this morning? ) beneath her palm is comforting. ]

Someone thought it fit to call you 'majestic' Father Dragon.

This one hopes she is not overstepping her place to say that if a word so full of meaning is given, it must be true.

[ Noble. Awe-inspiring. It had been enough for her before that her King called you brother. But you are kind and the people on the Estate love you in similar measure to how those who love her King love him. ]

[clayce]

You're not.

[ You are still a girl at the end of the day, aren't you, little one? Regardless of how damaged you are. Regardless of whether you will ever see that your King does not view you simply as his bodyguard or not.

Maybe - hopefully - Falner will change you, and all will be well. ]