[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

[prana]

This much is true. (And to be fair, she only popped up suddenly because some stranger had approached the door of her assigned living quarters.

Others... probably won't received such a ceremoniously greeting in the future.)

Listening to others makes it's easier to gauge their experiences. (And their expectations.)

[corundrum]

Of course. If someone talks before they listen, they have no idea of how what they say will be taken. [All people will react to things differently, according to what they know and expect. As someone mindful of far-reaching consequences, Padparadscha isn't one to let potentially ripple-inducing information slip until they know full well it's not going to do so in the hands of a certain person.

Especially so, after what happened with Phos.] But most of the people here seem talkative, so I don't think that'll be hard for us, huh?

[prana]

That's correct. (It's only a matter of time before they start taking to their devices in an attempt to communicate among themselves.)

When thrust into a difficult situation or thrown from their patterned life, people tend to ramble on endlessly. Perhaps it's the familiarity of their own voice that steadies them in an unfamiliar world.

[corundrum]

Ah, well, people like to have something to ground them in a situation like that. And if the only thing familiar is themselves, then their options are limited, right?

[There's a logic to it, which means it's something they can reasonably rely on happening with at least a few people. Padparadscha lies back on their bed, looking at the plain ceiling with a faint smile.] So maybe the best thing to do is wait a little longer. Or see how many others have found this place so far.

[prana]

It wouldn't be easy to count. (There are too many people here and some are better at blending in with the locals than the others.) I don't envy the individual who decides to task themselves with counting heads and herding sheep.

Waiting it is. (She looks towards them curiously.) Do you intend to sleep or are you just resting?

[corundrum]

Maybe not, but keeping an eye on how people move in and out of here is one way of doing it. We all have to come here to find our bearings, huh?

[Barring particularly stubborn people, but then, it's probably not necessary to know every person here in-depth. Just enough to know who seems trustworthy and who doesn't.

Padparadscha laughs softly, pats their hands against the mattress, then sits up again.] Ah, I don't feel like I want to sleep for a long while. But it's nice to know how soft your bed is going to be.

[prana]

Is it? (Sera went without a bed for a long time, so she's a bit curious herself, but not enough to actually go through the effort of hopping on a bed mid-conversation. Not that she's bothered by their actions now that they have explained the reasoning behind them so if they wanted to remain that way, they could have.

She might feel a bit of guilt when they sit back upright.)

I don't think I can sleep here anytime soon either. (Who can sleep after being kidnapped suddenly?)

[corundrum]

It's about what I'm used to. [So, not great, but not bad either. The gems had never been a luxurious lot, but there was no reason to make bricks for beds if they had the resources to do something else. It's not quite honest in Padparadscha's case, though, since they're more used to slumbering in their box than on an actual bed.

Padparadscha is fairly sure they have an idea what she means with that sentiment, and they glance out the window.] There's a lot to explore here anyway, isn't there? Sleeping this early is time wasted.

[In finding out where they stand, and what exactly is going on here.]

[prana]

There's some kind of festival going on outdoors. (That's where she had been before suddenly teleporting back, but it isn't as if they need to know the details of where she had been prior so she keeps them to herself.)

I'm not sure what it's for, but there's a large crowd that has gathered there.

[corundrum]

Ah, I asked about that on the way in, actually, because I'd never seen anything like it before. [They didn't exactly like the answer they got, but Padparadscha is going to assume the moon means different things to the people here, otherwise it just feels too offputting.]

It's some kind of celebration of the moon. Funny thing to have a party over, but everywhere has their traditions, huh?

[prana]

The moon..? (Sera looks up towards the ceiling as if she's seeing beyond it... or maybe she's just looking at the ceiling. She's kind of a weird girl.)

I wonder if it did something special prior to our arrival.

[corundrum]

Maybe. [That's a very distant sort of look, but Padparadscha simply observes it without commenting on it before looking up themselves. The moon, to them, has always been more of a theoretical and a threat than anything, but considering they woke up there before waking up here, things have changed a little.]

Is that why people usually hold these "festival" things?