bravenewworld | A Well Earned Celebration

A Well Earned Celebration

[The battle was over and the god Reshiram defeated, driven away by the aid of Union and its allies. The city was safe, by and large, and as the news spread throughout the peoples of the tundra, they began streaming back into the settlement in droves. Dirty, ash-coated faces were filled with relief and gratitude when they saw that it wasn't just a rumor and that their home had indeed been spared. Not everyone was so lucky, but they'd weathered worse, of course. The people of Glacier endured, as they would always endure, and they were also a people that repaid their debts. And they most certainly all agreed that they owed their rescuers a debt.

So, as night fell after the battle, a great celebration was prepared in the center of Glacier. A wide square was cleared away in a matter of hours, and the people gathered what they could in a show of thanks. Tables of food, bonfires towering into the night sky to keep out the autumn chill, and throngs of cheering wellwishers lined the area. Warriors of glacier, men carrying swords and women all bearing axes offered enthusiastic handshakes and claps on the back. Music of all kinds was played, though tribal tunes full of horn and percussion, chanting and yodeling, and even some brass groups dominated the soundscape.

A platform for various elders was set up, and they offered speeches, of course...but those were somehow dwarfed by the presence of the divine beings that were waiting silently for the proceedings to end. Some of the gods that had come to the aid of the war parties had apparently decided to stay, though their reasons were as mysterious as they themselves. The humans would have their time, and the Servants would mingle freely throughout the evening.

Food, of course, is set out in piles. Meat, fish, arctic berries, and various pastries and the like line table after table. A smorgasbord of Glacier specialties, each with a new and unique flavor all their own, and some (such as the stew) possessing a smell that only a native could probably endure. Akutaq in particular seems to stand out among the worst offenders, but the Glacier natives seem rather fond of it, and offer it to their rescuers with great gusto.

And the rewards do not stop at simple meals. either. As the speeches begin to wind down, a woman some might find familiar walks up onto the stage carrying a singularly massive trunk and dropping it down onto the wood with a heavy thud.]

Southerners! You have done a great deed this day! We, the people of Glacier, would like to thank you and honor your sacrifice! Few would do as you have done, coming to the aide of strangers against the might of that dragon...and you have accomplished something we did not think possible. To that end, we would like to present you with the first of many gifts, a token of our gratitude and a promise that should you need it, we will come to your defense in a time of need!

[And then with a sharp kick, she cracks open the trunk and reveals a veritable treasure trove of three different stones to be distributed by her subordinates.]

Rest well, and enjoy the festivities! You are welcome here, for as long as you like! Eat, drink, and be merry within our halls!

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[ That is an interesting philosophy, and not one Sky has considered before. Being a lady (usually) makes her happy, but in this case... ] B-bear!

[ She curtseys to Stradivarius and then, after some more fidgeting, throws herself on the snow. (The snow!) Rolling commences.

Haruka grunts in assent at that, smiling and holding tightly onto that hand. They've always had a choice, but what can they choose except that path that best lets them be themselves?

Still, there's a question she's never asked her partner. She exhales, leaning against Michiru. ] What do you want to do?

[Stradivarius just smiles and after a moment, starts piling snow up in a mound. It sort of went like this last time...?

Michiru glances fondly at you.] Something silly, like saving the world.

[hah. Look at how far they've come.]

[ Sky is not sure what Stradivarius is doing, but carefully keeps out of the way during her rolling, all the same. When she's flattened all the snow in the area with her bulk, she tosses some up in the air for the sheer joy of having snow. It lands on her head and sticks in her bow.

This will never do. Time to take off her bow and clean it, with a glance over to see exactly what her friend might be constructing.

Haruka's silent chuckles turn into a silent dip of her chin towards Michiru's forehead. Bad (or at least odd) news can wait until after an answer like that.

Kissing Michiru's head is a better idea. ]

[it's almost dome-like, whatever it is Stradivarius is making. There are still possibilities yet, but the look of concentration on her face probably means she's too busy making it just right (geometrically) to think about what the end result should be.

Michiru smiles, and then turns, tilting her face up and leaning in.]

Bear.... [ Far be it from Sky to interrupt such an intense endeavor. Replacing her bow, she begins scooping snow up and bringing it over. She won't put it on the....whatever that is....but she will make a pile of resources for her friend. Ladies assist those important to them.

Don't make Haruka keep laughing, Michiru. It'll be harder to give you what you're requesting that way.

Harder, but hardly impossible. You demanding woman for whom the forehead just wasn't enough.

Mm. ]

[yup. Here's a perfect dome, nice and smooth. Stradivarius finally takes a couple of steps back and just looks at the thing.] Ni? [what...should they make out of it?]

[hey, her daily quota of kisses has yet to be filled. She's well aware of Nocturne against her back, so she'll keep it light, though she can't help that smile.

Nocturne, for her part, is totally dozing off. This is normal.]

[ Sky looks over at Stradivarius. This isn't the finished product? ] Bear?

[ Haruka makes up for their inbalanced quota, then smiles back before her gaze turns inward. This is lousy timing, when they're both feeling so good. But if she doesn't say it now, who knows when she'll get a chance? One thing could lead to another. ] Rise quit.

Queen. [probably...not. Stradivarius gives Sky a bit of a Mareepish smile. Somebody was too focused on the details.

Michiru sighs quietly, and then leans in. The intel provided should've been more thorough.]

There's no chance of changing her mind?

[more to the point: does the DDF have any other Analysts?]

Bear. [ It's so perfectly rounded that Sky almost feels bad turning it into something else - there is a true elegance to its curves. Perhaps they could decorate it, and make a castle? She heard about "castles" from...

...remembering from whom (read: an expert on all things Impressive) she'd heard about castles, she gives Stradivarius a knowing smile. Sources.

The DDF does not have any other Analysts. That's totally why Haruka seems out of sorts about this. No doubt. ] We don't need an unreliable strategist.

[ Said perhaps a bit too forcefully. ]

[Stradivarius is a bit confused, but smiles all the same while waiting for an explanation. It's nice to have a friend she can depend on.

Of course. Mildly:] She has done very well all the other times.

[fighting a bonded god can be considered a special circumstance]

[ Castles! Castles are types of buildings people live in in fancy books and sometimes also in Sanctuary. Sky does not know much more about them aside from that they have tower-like portions called "turrets" from which they fly flags. They could find bits of wood or foliage and decorate the mound to make a castle. ] Bear! Bear bear. Bear.

[ To make this point, she picks up a piece of tree bark and places it (elegantly) against the bottom of the snow mound. There. That represents the door. ] Bear.

[ Haruka doesn't appear to be listening. She is in a Sulk - what's more, she's sulking in denial of her sulk. ] It was her decision.

[ The next bit comes out in a mutter. Honestly. The girl fails her and then, on top of that... ] Radio can have her.

[Stradivarius nods thoughtfully. She might know more about this stuff if she paid attention to the plays, but that's the domain of some other Nido. Either way, she's stomping forth to gather some more bark and branches.]

Are you sure? You don't seem very happy about it.

[ Sky is heartened to see this. Ladies, she hears, live in castles.

She's taller, so she goes to see whether she can't find some good decorations up higher in the trees. ] Bear...

[ Haruka just closes her eyes. Not her business, she wants to say. She's got no cause to feel one way or another about it - save perhaps angry at Rise's mistake in the first place.

She sighs, hoping that will get rid of some of her illogical tension. ] Anyway, we're down an Analyst.

[Stradivarius is going to have to find out what a castle is. She brings back what she can find and if that's a door, maybe she can make a little window here. That should fit into the overall pattern.

Michiru almost sighs too.] What did you say to her?

[ Sky comes back bear-ing pinecones. Castles have little sticky-up parts on the tops of them...she thinks. Besides, these are elaborate-looking. Shall they make a ring around the top of their castle? ] Bear!

[ Haruka twitches - this was not her fault - but then settles down when she realizes her visceral reaction's probably trying to tell her something. Even when she's faking herself out, she can't lie to Michiru. ] She chose it herself. I put her on recon only and she resigned...

[ This makes no sense. It's what she wants to say, but why should she? Rise screwed up. They don't need people who screw up. But still, her expectations were doubly betrayed: ] She gave up.

[sticky-up parts? Stradivarius nods uncertainly but then starts helping out with that, spacing the pinecones out.] ...Queen? [oh! Like one of those crowns?

That sounds like she was already feeling guilty.

[recon and the presumed loss of faith probably didn't help]

Bear! [ That's an excellent comparison! Now that Stradivarius has said that, Sky feels certain that must be the logic behind how castles are built. (It is exactly the sort of thing that would appeal to Ferrari.) She takes care to keep her pinecones perfectly-spaced, as well.

Haruka thinks this over. Had her own negativity fed Rise's? Both of them knew the facts....but she can see how that could have happened. Talking at cross-purposes takes two people erring.

Anyway, that's done. It takes her a while to talk again. ] ...She hates radio.

[ It would almost have been easier if Haruka'd done the kicking out. As best as she understands, Rise had come to the Theater to claim new pieces of herself. ]

[Stradivarius checks out their handiwork and nods in approval. So this is what castles look like...

All the better. Michiru likes the girl.] Will you talk to her or should I?

[she's pretty sure she knows the answer to this one, but a nudge won't hurt]

[ Sky nods - this must be it - but a small voice (that sounds oddly like Passion) in the back of her head asks her whether she has ever known Ferrari to be right about anything in the past. But that sort of doubt is unseemly in a lady!

...do you suppose they're done? Nowhere is in need of embellishment? ] Bear?

[ Haruka indulges her sulk a moment longer, then turns her head completely away from Michiru. Rise did still fail them. But Haruka feels more at ease when she speaks up. ] After the performance.

[if Stradivarius knew who Sky's source was, she'd have doubts too. But since Sky seems confident, she's not going to question it too much.

Hmm.] Nido ni? [they can add on patterns to the walls since they do seem a bit bare.

Michiru leans back against her Pokemon, eyeing you sidelong. Asking for a more complete report next time is much more efficient than finding a new Analyst.

She's quiet though, as she takes up petting Nocturne again.]

Bear! [ Sky claps her paws together. That would be so lovely! She taps the frost beneath her bottom lip with a claw, debating what to draw, and then tentatively reaches out. Nobody ever went wrong with curlicues, have they...

Haruka leans on Michiru, too. It's been a long night. But being here helps. ]

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A Well Earned Celebration

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