[EVENT] Moon and Mirrors (Welcome Mingle Log)

[khuimods]

Characters: ALL
Date: January 15
Location: At the Dreaming Bridge and all over Aifaran!
Situation: A large influx of Dreamfolk arrive in time for one of the Lunar Festivals, and they're all invited!
Warnings/Rating: N/A


A surprising amount of Dreamfolk have arrived within a short time frame - a peculiarity remarked upon by a number of Aifaran's residents. It is unusual in that it coincides with a lunar festival, one which only happens every fifty or so years.

Newcomers will find the streets packed with all sorts of people, stalls of fried and sugared foods, carnivalesque games and rides, and all other manner of things to do. Merchants are very keen to get their wares out there, and the stipend given may just burn a hole in your pocket when you see what's for sale.

Comments

[priforprince]

The beauty of the ephemeral.

[ Hibiki nods. Immortality....No wonder this individual catches the eye! They have achieved a changeless Perfection. ] Another Romantic ideal.

[corundrum]

You seem to be fond of these ideals of yours. [Padparadscha is a little...perhaps not jaded, but aged for that simplicity. An ideal often runs the risk of a focus too narrow to see the results of what you do for the sake of it.]

But it's interesting to hear ideas like that from another world, huh?

[priforprince]

I'm simply explaining the most refined human method of viewing the puniverse.

[ Namely,

hers. ]

[corundrum]

Is it that tiny of a thing? ["Puniverse" sounds too much like "puny verse" to go unremarked on, though Padparadscha still largely seems amused by it all.] But sticking to one opinion seems much to narrow for a world where worlds meet.

[priforprince]

Then the world shall expand.

[ She's fine with that. Going out and exploring new ground, striking into uncharted territory, is another kind of revolution. ]

This is an adventure.

[corundrum]

Is it? That's a funny thing to call it. [Not the one Padparadscha would use, but then, they generally think of an adventure as something undertaken willingly. Perhaps they could decide to make it an adventure after the fact.]

But there certainly is a lot more to learn here.

[priforprince]

[ Hibiki is helping herself to more chocolate pastries. This puniverse also featuring such confections is a fortunate sign.

It also sounds like this person is ready to continue investigating....everything. Which, she can understand, even if she wouldn't. Perhaps discretion can only come once one is aware how lesser other things are. ] Should you later desire to specialize in the finest aspects, you may follow my example.

[ The stall keeper is approaching for their money. ] ....Yes, how much?

[ So very unconcerned with cost. ]

[corundrum]

I think I'm done following other people's examples for now. [Padparadscha says that somewhat idly, but there's a lot more thought lurking under the words. There's no leader for them here...no leader who most of the older gems had inklings of misgivings about anyway, even if Padparadscha worries for all the ones they left back on their world. And nobody like Phos trying to lead them somewhere they'd never even considered before.

It's an odd feeling to not be obliged to anyone after 3700 years.

Padparadscha spares the shopkeeper a glance, though mostly out of curiosity.] This is that trading system of yours, right? Exchanging those weird tokens for things.

[priforprince]

Indeed.

[ Hibiki counts out the money, not seeming to notice she is handing over almost all of what she has left. She had a lot of tea earlier.

Here, vendor. Your funds. ] It's a useful falsehood.

[corundrum]

[That seems to be most of what this person has, but Padparadscha doesn't remark on it. The tokens have little meaning to them at this point, and they haven't yet spent any of their own.]

Someone mentioned to me earlier trading useful items for useful items, which makes a little more sense to me, but I suppose it's one of those strange things I'll have to get used to, huh? [They shrug a bit, stretching and looking over the other stalls in the area, which are mostly food. They're not in any danger of spending any of their own money anytime soon.]

[priforprince]

Barter has also been known to happen. [ This person truly knows nothing....?

How poetic. A literal unpolished jewel. Hibiki pockets her change. The vendor is smiling rather smugly behind a hand as she turns around.

She didn't count her change, and they shortchanged her. ]

[corundrum]

[From the look on the vendor's face, Padparadscha is assuming this person got cheated somehow, but since they don't know in what way, it doesn't seem important to bring up anyway. Especially if the human doesn't care about it either, since she actually seems to know how it works.]

That was the word. I'll have to keep it in mind...and hope I'm not considered a thing of that kind of worth, huh?

[Padparadscha smiles like they're having a private joke.]

[priforprince]

You're likely priceless.

[ A sharp smile. Hibiki is disposed towards those who are literally made of high-quality material. ]

[corundrum]

Ah, see, I can't even tell if that's a compliment or not in this world.

[They laugh a little, as if the matter isn't of much concern to them, but it is a little troubling that even the basics of how things work here are so wildly different that it seems they'll have to relearn a lot from scratch.]

[priforprince]

It's very high praise.

[ If you were a Princess, Hibiki would never let you go.

She lifts her beverage in a small toast. ]

To illumination.

[corundrum]

[A toast is another thing Padparadscha doesn't recognise, but it seems to them like some kind of variation on a salute, so they smile slightly and tap a closed fist gently against their chest to express solidarity despite not having a drink.]

Well, I have as healthy a respect for it as anyone. [Both literal and figurative illumination.]

[priforprince]

[ This tea is the best thing about this entire puniverse so far. Hibiki feels fully confident she's going to enjoy this sojourn purely because this is a society that has produced chocolate tea.

She's quite pleased when she lowers her cup. ] May you make only brilliant discoveries.

[corundrum]

Hm, but that sounds a little bit boring, huh? [As old as Padparadscha is, it's hard not to appreciate new discoveries of all kinds, not just brilliant ones. After all, there's not much left to surprise someone after that long.

Still, since this human seems mostly interested in food and philosophy, Padparadscha thinks it might be time to look over the rest of what's here. Stretching one arm up and running it through their hair, Padparadscha waves a little lazily with the other as they start to turn away.]

Well, it was an interesting talk, little one. Until next time.

[priforprince]

[ You should get her on the topic of entertainment. Then you'll really have a broken record on your hands. ]

Au revoir.

[ Hibiki goes to sip her tea, then pauses with a rather confused look on her face.

"Little one"? ]