[EVENT] THE TIES THAT BIND US

[khuimods]

Characters: Everyone!
Date: February 14-28
Location: All around Aifaran
Situation: The last two weeks of February celebrate Tine's Commemoration, a celebration of renewing friendships and signaling forgiveness.
Warnings/Rating: Shouldn't need any, but add to subject lines as needed!


During the last week of February, the mood shifts around the city. The tension over the missing Kin'nal girl eases some, and there's a lot of talk of renewal and remembrance. In the days leading up to the 14th, some shopkeepers begin reorganizing to make space to feature knotworks and related crafts, and photos on Xa Xa feature knots in process, some made by special artisans. If asked, they will say that all of this is in preparation for Tine's Commemoration, two weeks that are dedicated to renewing and recognizing friendships, forgiving past grievances, and recognizing our most important ties through an exchange of intricately tied knots.

There are specific knots and knot colors meant to signify different kinds of relationships. Friendship knots come in white and blue. White is for the bond of new friends, blue to recognize the joy of old friends. The blue knots typically are added together in a series, one made for each year of the friendship and tied to each other sequentially. More complicated knots are made when forgiving a grudge or past grievance, or to tell someone that they are considered family. While not a major focus of the exchange, there are also multi-colored knots for romantic relationships.

In recognition of this tradition's roots, there is also an ornate tassel knot made for those who have been lost. The color signifies if they have been lost to death (black, often laced with another color like blue for the sea) or the Dreaming (gray). Most have the person's name woven into them, either on a metal disc or a piece of fabric. Rather than being worn, these knots are hung by the door as a waysign: come home; your spirit may rest here.

Shops around the city sell these knots, but there are also ample opportunities to tie your own! The Tifaut in particular take this tradition to heart and have areas set up at several of the city's parks and civic centers, including one at the Dreaming Bridge. They teach knot-making and provide materials (with a suggested donation for those who can afford it), or you can bring your own cord! Making knots of recycled material, like old clothing or retired fishing rope, can add special meaning to the creation - some believe that doing so means sharing a part of yourself with the intended recipient.

Knots can be worn as jewelry or braided into hair (or sometimes hair itself gets tied, with one friend attending to the other's hairdo), and it's customary to keep them on your person throughout the month. While they can be given or exchanged all on their own, it isn't uncommon for knots to come with small gifts or trinkets as well. After February comes to a close, it's important to store the knots somewhere safe, often in a special box or bag with numerous pockets.

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OOC Notes: This is an open, game-wide event for your characters to participate in (or try and avoid, if they're that type) as much or little as they want to. New Dreamfolk are always popular integrations of these kinds of festivals in the city, so you can write yours attracting lots of positive attention if you'd like.

Provided below are some starters, but you can make your own too if none of these work for you!

Comments

[annihilist]

"That's part of it," he agreed. "And certainly in the grand scheme of the world, it's one of the more dangerous things to want or rely on, in my experience."

Trust got you killed; he had lived by that assertion. Devin could acknowledge, however, that it wasn't always true. There had been exceptions, especially during the two world wars.

"There isn't much that I truly fear," Devin continued after a moment. "And of those, I never thought that anything could exceed Bobby. The redhead." Keeping her name a secret didn't have much of a point. "But now there's something happening-- something most people would consider good, I suppose."

Devin closed his eyes. No need to hide, right? Valdis would understand better than most people what had him so unsettled. "He just sees me. And I have no idea what to do about it."

[redlightgreenlight]

"Devin," Valdis replied, unable to make eye contact, "I'm not sure I'm the best one to ask about this."

Romantic Love wasn't really something she had much experience in, and it had ended in heartbreak the last time she had felt it.

"The only real relationship I've ever had...I didn't really know what it was at first. We bickered constantly. I'm pretty sure I tried to kill him at least once. But when he told me I was beautiful, it meant more than it ever had before. Because he wasn't talking about how I looked."

Anani reared up to brush his cheek against her chin, causing her to flinch, though she resumed petting him, which was clearly what he wanted.

"I don't think either of us really realized it at first. It wasn't sudden or passionate, but slow and soft. I'd been with other men before, I won't lie about that. But this...I hadn't felt anything like it before, ever. And I'm not sure I will again."

She turned to look at him, "I'm not sure if that helps or not, just as I'm not sure why you are so afraid of it. But when I was with him, I knew I could face anything. Even my worst enemy. If this man gives you that feeling, or any of the ones I've mentioned, then I'm not sure you need to be afraid."

[annihilist]

That was not even remotely the reply he was expecting, though he wasn't being very direct about it either. It was intimately personal, and Devin turned his head to look at her as she spoke. He was, in a word, humbled. This didn't seem like a subject Valdis would share with just anyone.

A strained smile pulled faintly at his mouth. "The only relationship I've ever had was with a woman who turned out to be a demon and tried to cut my heart out, so I think you have a slightly better outlook than I do." He rested his head in his hands and took a shivery breath. "Bobby... made me feel something that wasn't real. She gave me the world and then stabbed me in the chest with it. Repeatedly." It might almost be funny if it hadn't been completely agonizing.

"So that... does help, some. I don't know what this is supposed to be like when it is real. I have no reference point." Another pause, and his voice was barely audible. "The fact that I can't tell the difference between what she did to me and him-- it's not him I'm afraid of trusting. It's me."

[redlightgreenlight]

Valdis listened, not looking at him even when he looked at her, nor when he placed his head in his hands, trying to sort through what he was feeling. The amount of betrayal he must have felt when this Bobby turned on him...no wonder he had such a hard time trusting everyone, but to have his own confidence in his ability to judge destroyed in such a manner, to not be able to trust his own instincts. The fact that he was trying just showed how strong he was.

"As an empath, I can tell the difference between the truth and a lie, but even I couldn't identify what I was feeling at the time. Living without emotions for two thousand years leaves some confusion over certain ones I suppose." She sighed, "I wasn't there, so I can't know for sure, and as I said, I don't have much experience with it."

She hummed, continuing to pet her cat, who continued to purr, gazing at Devin through narrowed eyes.

"I guess the only thing you can do is figure out how this time is different. I know a thing or two about manipulating men, so I'm going to ask you: How did she make you feel? In what ways did she lure you in? How did she act and dress? What did she know about you beforehand? Did her perception of you ever change? Did you ever fight with her?"

Valdis looked over at him, knowing that going through his memories of Bobby would be painful, but he would need to face them eventually.

"You don't need to tell me the answers, but I want you to take those answers and compare them to the answers for him."

[annihilist]

Revisiting his time with Bobby was something Devin did not look forward to, but there were extenuating circumstances that meant he couldn't avoid it, either. Regardless of Sam, she was back. Examining their history would be painful no matter what. The list of question Valdis offered would be useful, but he was already concerned about any parallels he might find between Bobby and Sam. Whatever was happening between him and the doctor was also very new and very fragile.

"Thank you. I'll do that." Devin took a steadier breath. "This probably doesn't sound like it's related to what I did, but with Bobby showing up and Sam being Sam, what little certainty I had has quite literally gone up in flames. It scares the hell out of me," he admitted. "And hiding just seemed safer, if irrationally stupid and pointless."

[redlightgreenlight]

Valdis arched a brow, regarding him with a new sense of curiosity, "For all your outward confidence, you really are quite insecure, aren't you."

In a way, it made sense. He hid everything behind a mask, even his insecurity and especially his fear. She could probably blame it all on his family, and then Bobby, for manipulating him in such a way. Just like her, he had probably never known love, but she had the added defense of her empathy, he couldn't have known that what he experienced hadn't been love.

"I suppose in hindsight I've been somewhat unfair to you." Valdis admitted, continuing to stroke Anani, "For starters, I presumably once had a family that loved me. I haven't hated myself for as long as you have. I lack the same fear you possess, because I've only ever fought for myself, and I haven't experienced betrayal as you have." Or at least, not that she remembered, "We may be alike in many ways, but our differences deserve attention too."

Yet Valdis hadn't known any of this before and learning it was a painful process, apparently for both of them. She understood why he pretended now. He had to hide all his insecurity in order to survive, something she had never needed to do.

"I suppose the problem with being so badly burned in the past, is that even a minor burn may hurt more than it otherwise would, especially if it is in a similar location." Valdis said gently, "So no, it's not stupid, even if it's unneeded."

[annihilist]

"And realization dawns," he joked wearily.

Devin had held back some knee-jerk responses to her observations, because while they made him uncomfortable to be spoken of so bluntly, she wasn't wrong. He did hate and he did fear. He pretended to be someone he was not because exposure could quite literally mean death. It had before, more than once. Too human to be a vampire, too much a vampire to ever be human, and with the fragment of the angel he carried, Devin stood apart from everyone and everything in his world.

To be so unique was to be utterly lonely. Maybe, though, it did not always have to be that way.

"And people wonder why I'm so averse to forming attachments," he sighed, raising his head. She'd argued with him about that before, and it probably wouldn't be the last time. "I think it's probably good that we're different. Two of me would be insufferable, wouldn't it."

[redlightgreenlight]

"Perhaps if you actually communicated with people, instead of being a jerk and pushing them away, they'd be more understanding, and more willing to give you space when you need it."

She looked at him, one brow raised, almost as if evaluating. Having to deal with two vampire possessing self-confidence issues and a tendency to aggravate people probably would be a recipe for disaster. She only had so much patience to go around.

Anani mewed loudly, crawling out of Valdis' lap to shove his cheek against Devin's arm.

"Two of you would be aggravating, that is true," she mused, watching her cat demand attention from the vampire, " But emotional differences aside, I'm slightly better looking too," she teased.

[annihilist]

"Ah, logic," Devin replied, as though the concept were a very quaint thing.

He glanced down at Anani; apparently the cat wanted his attention now, so he ran a hand along the creature's back. It was a weary acceptance of the fact that Anani seemed to have taken to him for reasons Devin didn't understand.

"I concede that particular battle," he allowed, mustering a strained smile. It faded after a moment, and he sighed. "Old habits die hard, and that's one of my oldest. I don't know how to be any other way yet."

[redlightgreenlight]

Anani purred so loudly that Valdis wondered how far the sound actually carried. Her cat's taste in people seemed to be quite questionable, except when it came to Leo.

"Yes, but your habit is born from deep emotional scarring," Valdis said honestly, "However, old dogs can learn new tricks, I know that better than anyone. And now that I know, I can offer more patience than I have in the past."

Perhaps if she remembered what happened to her soul, she'd have a different view of the world. Not possessing those memories was probably a mercy.

[annihilist]

'Deep emotional scarring'. Yes, that was an apt description, Devin allowed privately. He'd had a few chances for healing along the way, rare glimmers into a happier frame of being that he'd abandoned - both out of punishment, and out of fear. The scars had themselves been shaped into his habits, constricting his movement and strangling his judgement.

Patience. "You're going to need it," he replied, injecting some self-deprecating humor into the conversation. Devin had never pretended to be well-adjusted, and it was going to take him a long time to change; some things never would, he believed. "Though you seem to have noticed that already." He sighed and rubbed his forehead. "I suppose I should let you get back to this," he said, gesturing to the cords.

[redlightgreenlight]

"Yes, well, I normally have little patience for fools," she teased, "But I can try at least."

She glanced over at the cording she had left, shrugged and nodded, "I'll admit I don't have many people to give knots to, those are just...memories I guess."

Anani purred more loudly, shoving his head against Devin's arm again. Then the cat turned, jumped on a roll of cord, knocked it off the bed and shot out the door at top speed, dragging the unwinding roll behind him. Valdis arched a brow.

"He may know how to open doors, but I think my cat is insane."