[Event] Wild Pumpkin Party (Lily Ambrosia)

Event Details:

Lily looked up at the tree reaching towards the heavens before her, its leafs already a mixture of brown, red, and yellow. The heat of summer was quickly fading, and the plants knew it, shedding their vibrant coat to turn barren and withdrawn for the incoming winter. However, while they may appear dead from the outside Lily could tell that this tree, just like the others, was merely going to sleep. It would rest for as long as the cold lasted, protected from its bite by its hardy trunk, only to awaken when the weather was favourable once more and spread its green glory.

As a dryad, one might think that Lily wouldn't like either autumn nor winter. And the truth was that she always felt a bit lethargic during these cold days. However, she embraced them just like she embraced spring and summer, a part of the cycle of life and death that all that was nature experienced. Most creatures didn't pause to complain about the harsher parts of life: they just struggled their way onwards, either conquering those challenges and earning the right to live another day or falling prey to the obstacles and becoming a stepping stone for future lives. That didn't mean unfairness didn't exist, or that complaints were never justified, but it helped put things into perspective.

But Lily hadn't come here to think about such things. She was merely wasting time as she waited for her partner for the occasion to arrive. You see, the civilized folk liked to make celebrations for pretty much everything, from the hottest days of summer to the coldest days of winter, to everything in between. And they had a celebration for this time as well: the time that they would harvest the fruits of their hard labour and hunker down to survive the winter. As civilization had progressed the survival part had become easier, but they definitely still enjoyed this harvest festival, even giving it a bit of a scary theme to remind themselves that autumn was the time that the world turned darker (which, for most civilized species, was dangerous due to their diurnal nature).

This was the first time that she was experiencing the harvest festival as a member of Meliora Vitae, so of course she'd asked around whether any of the other members would be willing to join her. Eventually one had agreed, and they'd then quickly laid down the details of where they would meet up to enjoy the festivities. Lily had turned up early, as she was wont to do, together with Basin, her eternal, trusty partner. Together they enjoyed the peace and quiet before the festivities would begin, at which point Lily was quite sure there would be a lot of noise and merriment.

And since she'd learned last year that you were supposed to wear a costume for such an occasion, she'd gone through the trouble of creating a costume for herself, and convincing Basin to do so as well. As the festival was supposed to have a creepy theme they'd both done their best to look more scary than usual, with Lily having abandoned her softer appearance to instead double down on her innate nature as a tree spirit. Basin, already quite intimidating due to being a giant animated boulder, had collected some darker stones and crystals to give zirself a more menacing appearance, with sharp crystals jutting out of the guardian's surface. Together the two of them looked quite like they represented the more threatening sides of nature, the wrath of the forest and the merciless mountains that would crush all underfoot.

Lily certainly hoped that their companion would appreciate the costumes. She'd forgotten to ask him if he'd be wearing a costume as well, but she certainly hoped so: civilized folk were always so creative and ingenious, so any costume Rhace chose to wear would probably make the two of them look drab in comparison.

Lily's Appearance:

Basin's Appearance:

WC: 657
PWC: 657/2,000
TWC: 657/4,000

@Rhace Tarrin

As time passed Lily's expression would become worried despite the wooden nature of her current appearance. She wasn't used to telling the passage of time using the methods that the civilized folk used, but she was pretty sure more than an hour had passed already. She had arrived early, sure, but she didn't think she was so early that her partner shouldn't already have arrived by this point. "What do you think?" She asked Basin, who had not moved this entire time. The guardian finally shifted zirs weight, gazing out at their surroundings, before slowly shrugging and returning to zirs original position. Ze didn't know either: all ze knew was that there was nobody approaching their spot.

Lily was confident this was where they were supposed to meet up, but the other person hadn't arrived. Should they keep waiting? But if they kept waiting then they might miss the festivities... But it might also be that something had happened and that their fellow guild member needed help. But she didn't know where they might be... As she thought about all this she looked back up at the large, sleeping tree whose branches presided over the both of them. She didn't have any way of contacting her companion for the evening, and she didn't want to miss the festivities. "If they're just late they can find us in the city. Come on!"

Basin nodded, but when ze reached out to help pick Lily up the dryad shook her head. "I want to try walking like this." The guardian didn't comment, only giving a nod before straightening up. Lily wasn't used to the shape her body was currently in, so she carefully began to walk towards the city, Basin right alongside her with slow, heavy steps. She quickly found that she didn't have much difficulty moving like this after all, but even as she began to step more lively Basin still needed to move quite slowly to not leave her in the dust. While the stone figure wasn't the fastest zirs large body meant that every step covered a lot of distance.

Reaching the edge of the city Lily came to a halt as she saw that right outside the settlement a large stage had been built, large enough that there probably wouldn't have been enough space between all the buildings. With Basin as her silent companion she changed course to see what this was about, as it looked quite intriguing to her.

"Excuse me, but could you please tell me what's happening here?" She addressed one of the many people who were gathering around the stage. As the man turned around he first did a double-take as he saw Lily's appearance, then took a step back when he noticed Basin. When he realized that neither of them was hostile he quickly relaxed. "W-well, it's the costume contest, isn't it?" He gave her a quizzical look. "You know, where we see who has the best costume? I would've thought with a costume like yours you'd already be signed up."

Lily blinked before smiling. "I didn't know about that, but it sounds fun! Sure, I'll join!" She had put quite a bit of work into her current appearance, so she wouldn't mind showing it off. "And Basin too!" She knew how much effort Basin had put into zirs appearance, even if it was mostly because of her interest.

The man looked from Lily to Basin, guessing that the big stone giant was who she was referring to. "Ah, well, if you haven't signed up yet there's still time, but you should probably hurry. You can sign up there." He pointed towards a small tent next to the huge stage.

"Thank you very much!" Lily thanked the man, who nodded and smiled back at her before turning away. Lily and Basin made their way around the crowd and towards the tent, although people quickly began to make way for them once Basin's presence was noticed. When ze was far away ze could still be overlooked, but once ze was in your face it was like trying to ignore a mountain.

The sign-up process went smoothly: the organizers were expecting the best costumes anyway, so Lily and Basin looking like wrathful nature monsters didn't bother them in the slightest. Although Lily did have to write down Basin's name, as the guardian's large hands didn't allow for such level of precision with pencil and paper.

Once they were signed up it was behind the stage and waiting for the event to actually begin. As the man had said that didn't take long, and within mere minutes they stepped out onto the stage, Basin supporting the stage with a sturdy layer of stone underneath to keep it from collapsing underneath zirs feet.

They weren't the only ones with unusual costumes, however. One of the other participants looked like a storm given life, a body completely shrouded by dark clouds and eyes like lightning bolts. Yet another had gone for a more traditional style but no less impressive, dressed like a clockmaker so extravagant that the air was filled with a soft whirring from all the moving cogs and other mechanical parts.

There were vampires, ghosts, skeletons, doctors, strange creatures that looked like they belonged on another planet, dragons, beastfolk... The organizers must have known they would have such a massive turnout when they constructed the stage.

One by one each of the contestants was asked to step forward and show off their costumes. The living storm made electricity bounce between their clouds, the clockmaker demonstrated that their many clocks showed the accurate time in many different places.

When it was Lily's turn she stepped forward and raised her arms to the side, mimicking the branches of a tree. Pouring her energy into them numerous buds first formed along her arms and on top of her head, which then blossomed into brightly coloured flowers. After receiving applause from the audience she stepped back, after which it was Basin's turn.

The guardian took a single step forward, immediately reaching the edge of the stage. After remaining motionless for several seconds ze lifted one foot and gently stomped the stage, then smashed zirs fists together while the sharp crystals adorning zirs body began to glow. The audience at first was frightened by the huge behemoth's performance, but then applauded zir even harder. Basin waited another couple of seconds before stepping back, after which it was the next contestant's turn.

While the other contestants did their best it quickly became clear that there was a favourite in their midst, and it was no real surprise to anyone when Basin was chosen as the winner, zirs fearsome appearance unsurpassed.

Lily's Appearance:

Basin's Appearance:

WC: 1,117
PWC: 1,774/2,000

x1 Kernel Obtained
Total Kernels: 1

The member 'Lily Ambrosia' has done the following action : Dice Rolls

---

'Normal Dice' :

"You put a lot of work into it, Basin! Don't say you didn't earn it!"

After the costume contest had ended Lily and Basin were walking through the streets again. Due to the difference in size and Basin's imposing figure Lily had felt compelled to let her partner carry her despite her desire to walk on her own feet. The guardian had also expressed the thought that it was easier for ze to change zirs appearance than it was for the people made of flesh and bone, which made zirs victory less deserving. Lily was protesting this passionately: even if Basin was correct in the first part, the amount of effort put into perfecting the stone giant appearance still meant ze hadn't just won the contest without any investment.

Basin wasn't easily convinced, however, and the two of them continued to argue as the guardian made zirs way through the crowds, walking through the middle of the street so everyone else could get around zirs bulk regardless of which side they were on. Lily's side of the argument was vocal while Basin relied on their empathic bond, which might have made the dryad look a bit silly if it wasn't for the fact she was clearly talking to the hulking rocky figure carrying her.

As the discussion wasn't going anywhere Lily let out a huff. "It's not like anyone minded you winning, so just don't worry too much about it." Indeed, some of the contestants might have been a bit disappointed that their own hard work hadn't earned them first place, but even so everyone had applauded Basin's victory.

The guardian reacted with the mental equivalent of a sigh. Ze knew that Lily had a point there, but at the same time ze just couldn't help feeling like maybe it would have been better if ze hadn't let Lily sign zir up. But there was no real use talking about it any more: it had already happened and nothing truly bad had come from it. Better to just focus on the rest of the festivities.

With that argument having been brought to a tentative end the two of them walked in silence for a moment, taking in the sights of the festival around them instead. There were a lot of children running around despite the fact that the sky was already beginning to grow dark. And nearly everyone was dressed up as well. There was a lot of laughter and talking and the unintelligible noise of many people enjoying themselves in close proximity. A sound so unlike the wilds, where making this much noise was a privilege for those strong enough to not have to fear any predators.

"Hey, what's that?" Lily pointed towards a large stand in the distance as they entered one of the city's squares. Basin walked up to it and lowered Lily so she could have a look for herself, where she turned her focus to the sign next to the stand. "Free punch... taste testing?" She looked at the various bowls filled with liquids of different colours, the red one containing what looked like eyeballs and the blue-green one having the occasional fake tentacle breaching the surface. "Looks like we can try out these drinks!" She declared. Grabbing two cups she filled them with the blue-green liquid, then handed one to Basin who carefully grasped the flimsy container between two large fingers.

The two of them both gulped down the drink in one go, but their reactions were notably different: Lily made a face and quickly pulled her head away from the cup, holding it away from her as if she was afraid it might explode. Basin simply lowered the cup and placed it back on the stand.

"Yyyyuk! What is this?" Lily wasn't even sure how to describe the taste other than that it tasted horrible and she regretted having noticed the stand. Basin, lacking the tastebuds to be subjected to the same horror, just found it cool and refreshing. Shaking her head the dryad quickly placed the cup back and climbed back onto Basin, rinsing her mouth with freshly conjured water. "I hope the other drinks taste better than that..."

Lily's Appearance:

Basin's Appearance:

WC: 697
PWC: 2,471/2,000 (Completed)

x1 Kernel Obtained
Total Kernels: 2

Rather than trying her luck with the other bowls of punch Lily would ask Basin to resume walking, which the guardian did without complaint. It's not like ze had much interest in foodstuff anyway, as ze gained zirs energy from the earth and the world around them. Lily spent some more time trying to get the taste out of her mouth before finally giving up and instead doing her best to keep herself distracted from the lingering aftertaste, openly talking about all the people they saw and the other festivities going on. There was some kind of event going on where people were carving strange things into pumpkins, but since that had already started they didn't really have an opportunity to join in on the fun. Not that Lily wanted to, after Basin pointed out that it wouldn't be fair if she just grew the pumpkin into the desired shape. Everyone else, magic or not, was busy with their knives, and Basin knew that Lily wasn't good with those.

"I do hope Rhace is all right." The man who was supposed to meet up with them to partake in the festivities was still on her mind, but there was not much she could do to check his well-being. She'd just have to take care of that once they returned to the guild. Either he had gone somewhere else or he was still at the guild. "The guild master should know where he is either way." Dagda seemed to care a lot about looking after the people of the guild, so she doubted Rhace would be in danger without him being aware of it.

But her thoughts were redirected once again when she saw a small tent which stood out amidst all the other things going on in the streets. It wasn't exactly decorated with creepy stuff as much as that it was just mysterious, made from dark purple cloth and with yellow stars glittering amidst all the lights that were illuminating the street. "I wonder what that is?"

Basin, already aware of what Lily would ask next, headed for the tent and lowered her down so she could satiate her unending curiosity. However, before she could enter the tent someone stepped out, dressed in strange clothes of a similar shade as the walls of the tent. "I've been expecting you. Unfortunately, I must say that my tent cannot host the two of you, so we shall have to attend our business outside." While the clothing made it a bit harder to tell Lily was pretty sure this person was female but taller than most men. She also had bright, piercing blue eyes, like sapphires which studied the dryad and the guardian without giving any reaction to either's appearance.

"Hello! How did you know we were coming?" Lily wasn't about to be brought off-balance by this person either, instead eagerly asking the question that begged to be asked.

"I am a fortune-teller. Foreseeing what cannot be predicted otherwise is what I do." The fortune teller laughed softly. "But let's not get lost in that conversation. I shall give the both of you a glimpse into your futures, free of charge. I'd normally use the tent for privacy, but given that impossibility, we'll have to make do with less. Follow me." Without any concern that her possessions might actually be stolen she walked away from the tent, Lily and Basin silent for a moment before hurrying after her (hurrying for Lily: Basin was as careful as always).

The fortune-teller led them to a spot close to the city's famous spas, where a convenient corner between buildings gave them a small amount of privacy. "Now, I cannot tell your whole future: that would take too long. But I shall give you valuable foreknowledge which you can use to change your fate."

"How do you do that?" Lily was dying to learn more about this woman's enigmatic powers.

"Fortune telling is a complicated art, with many nuances and differences between practitioners. Suffice to say that I can tell how events will develop if not altered." The fortune teller wasn't going to say anything else about that as she instead brought her hands together and closed her eyes. "Now, listen carefully: the peace of recent years is going to fall apart as the worshippers and revilers of magic go to war once more. All shall be dragged into this war, regardless of personal attachments. You two will help decide the outcome of this war, even if you are not alone in this. But to achieve the results you want you may have to make decisions you aren't comfortable with." As she said this her voice gained a quality as if it was simultaneously distant and close by, leaving Lily and Basin confused and more than a little worried.

A silence fell before Lily spoke up. "What-"

But the fortune-teller cut her off. "I cannot tell you more. Predicting the future changes it. I've already said as much as I can." She opened her eyes. "Go, enjoy the rest of the evening. Don't worry too much about what I've said: you will know what I was talking about when the moment arrives."

Lily wanted to ask more, but Basin motioned for them to leave. The dryad gave the fortune-teller another look, who nodded at her, before she reluctantly climbed onto Basin's back, who strode away at the same deliberate pace as always. While the two of them would try to enjoy some other festivities, it would quickly become clear that neither of them was able to forget about what the fortune-teller had told them.

The fortune-teller mused to herself as she returned to her tent, where everything was still in its proper place. Predicting the future was dangerous: the future was always uncertain, with any individual's actions being able to change it, but once you started using information from the future to change the present things deviated very quickly. The more information you pulled from the future, the more unreliable things became. If she'd told the two children of nature more about their future their fortune might diverge to the point that her advice would become all but useless.

But some risks needed to be taken. She had many more customers left today who would have to be nudged in the right direction.

Lily's Appearance:

Basin's Appearance:

WC: 1,057
PWC: 3,528/2,000 (Completed)

x1 Kernel Obtained
Total Kernels: 3