[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

[corundrum]

I don't think they have the spare space to put unnecessary pieces in. [But whoever that third might be, they don't appear to have come through yet, so that's a problem for later.

As it is, Padparadscha pauses at the belated remark before laughing and turning properly towards her again.]

Oh, do I? Well, while we're saying things like that, I've been wondering what it is you are. Nothing that I've seen in my lifetime, certainly.

[She bears some likeness to a Gem in shape, but she's much too soft to be one, and the colours of her hair and eyes don't match closely enough for it to fit. And Lunarians and Admirabilis are very different beings from them.]

[prana]

( The remark catches her off-guard, but it doesn't offend. It's just that she's not entirely sure how to answer it. She is one of the Prana, but that is a guarded secret that she can't just let slip so easily. Perhaps this individual doesn't mean that though? It isn't as if they could tell she's more unique than the other humans walking around... right? It's a gambit, but one she'll have to take. )

I'm a girl. ( The answer is a simple one, though she suspects they weren't looking for simplicity. )

An Egyptian girl. ( A bit more of a distinction might help. ) From Egypt. It's a land that is far, far away from here.

( That much she knows already. She circles around a bit in place as she looks around the room. ) Hmm... You didn't choose to come here, did you?

[corundrum]

[While Padparadscha does get the sense this child is more than she appears - aside from the teleportation, there's the sense of someone who has endured hardships coming out more and more as they talk - that's something that should be revealed on its own over time. No need to force or hurry it, especially if it puts themselves open prematurely as well.

Padparadscha listens to her explanation with a thoughtful look, tilting their head from side to side a little as they think on it. That last question gets a hum and shake of the head, though.]

I didn't. And those words you called yourself mean very little to me, so we must be from very different places. [Still, there is one thing they noticed out of it all.] Do your people call themselves by where they're from instead of what they are, then?

[prana]

Sometimes. ( Sera answers a complicated question with a simply vague reply. ) Some people take pride in their heritage, others don't find it as important. Whatever a person introduces themselves as must be what resonates the strongest within them.

( It's too complex for a child to explain normally, but she doesn't seem to struggle with it. )

None of it is familiar? That's troublesome... ( To who exactly she doesn't specify. )

[corundrum]

[Padparadscha seems to consider that for a moment before nodding.] Yeah, it makes sense. Where we come from is less substantial to us than what we are.

[They'd elaborate more, except it already seems that she's noticed the problem here, and they offer a somewhat lopsided smile.] I'm afraid not. Even what you meant by "girl", I can only guess at.

[The term sometimes gets used for animals where they come from, but Padparadscha isn't really familiar with the logistics of it. It's a word they know, but don't really know the meaning of.]

[prana]

Then you shouldn't wonder what I am any longer. ( Sera says simply as though it were a simple matter. )

I'm Sera. ( It's rare that she gives her name, but she suspects she'll have more moments like this. Of strangers gathering together to make sense of what has happened to them and in turn, exchanging their names. Explaining who they are and where they are from in a meager attempt to decipher the meaning behind their abduction.

If there even was a link between them all. Her pessimism keeps her from thinking that there is one. )

You don't need to guess if you have questions. ( She gives them permission to just ask them. )

[corundrum]

[Well, that makes things easier. Padparadscha offers a somewhat grateful, if still somewhat amused, smile.] I'm Padparadscha. It's good to meet you, little one.

[Though perhaps not as little as she appears. She certainly doesn't speak like as little of a one as she looks.

But on that note, Padparadscha goes on, seeming a little thoughtful.] I've heard, I think, some of the others use "girl" for animals. Some of the same species are distinct from each other, and pair with the different ones to make more of themselves. Is that how it works for people like you as well?

[Don't mind them not realising reproduction is a bit of an odd subject to broach gender with, but it's their only comparison point for the concept.]

[prana]

( The feeling of meeting them is mutual, though she doesn't express that since they have already moved on to a more important topic: determining the similarities between their worlds so that they can communicate better. )

Girl. Female. Sometimes a girl animal is called by an entirely different name than a male animal. ( Like cow and bull. Ox even. )

I don't know much about that, sorry. ( She is still a child in some regards. ) There's probably someone here who can explain it better.

[corundrum]

Ah, well, it makes sense since some of them are so different. [There's not a lot of animals large enough to really make that useful where Padparadscha comes from, though, so it's an unfamiliar practice to them.

It sounds similar enough as a concept, though, and Padparadscha nods a little in acceptance of that answer.] I'll ask again later. But with humans as different as they are, I think I'd be better served waiting for people to tell me which one they are anyway.

[There don't seem to be any consistent and clear indicators from what they've seen so far, so it might be easier this way.]

[prana]

It's customary for most sentient races to want to introduce themselves. (Humans especially, seeing as they are very self-driven.) You won't have to wait long.

I wonder if they will gather us all up somewhere to talk among ourselves...

(She hopes so. It'll be easier to listen in on everyone's conversations if they have them within earshot of her.)

[corundrum]

Well, it does help identify yourself for the future. And show you're open to communication. [Perhaps a little too open, in some cases, but here Padparadscha is somewhat grateful for the ease of it. There's not yet the kind of problems between species they have back home.]

Maybe. But I think some of the ones here might do it themselves. The people who most like to talk are the ones most likely to mingle among each other.

[prana]

I suppose that means I will need to learn to be cordial. (Not that it seems all that difficult of a task for her, but they did start off rough as is.)

Though I much rather listen than speak myself.

[corundrum]

Ah, I'm sure people won't mind that much, having someone suddenly pop up behind them like that. [Padparadscha didn't really care personally, since they've lived more than long enough to distinguish that from an actual threat, but there's an amusement to their tone that says they know full well others might not agree.]

There's nothing wrong with that. After all, people who have the most to say often say the least, in every sense.

[Those who have nothing to say ramble without meaning, people who have things of importance to say keep it to themselves except when needed.]

[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?