libraryassistants: (Default)
Unfinished Library Mod & NPC Account ([personal profile] libraryassistants) wrote in [community profile] unfinishedlibrary2026-04-24 07:14 pm

maybe a hero is just what we call someone - AFTER WE BREAK, ACT 1

Who: The attendees of the Grand Festival and residents of Rivers' End
What: The Grand Festival has begun!
When: The beginning of spring, for a week long festival (OOC: April 24-Mary 7)
Where: Rivers' End, all around!
Content warnings: Mentions of Godly Death and aftermath of that; put your CWs in the headers!

The streets of Rivers’ End, or at least the main street at the center of town, is alive and bustling as the Grand Festival begins. It's a mostly human city, stone walls thick enough to blunt any siege, timber-framed houses roofed with sturdy slate, narrow cobbled streets and a central market square large enough to hold half the population. The main thoroughfare is broad and open and laden with bright colored banners, tents and stalls to welcome any and all who wish to attend (and spend coin) at the Grand Festival. The air is still crisp in the mornings but warms by midday into the warm golden welcoming of spring.

Outside its massive gates, flung open for the festival, cherry and apple orchards on the surrounding farms and settlements have exploded into pale pink and white, and the city itself has been transformed by hands determined to pretend the war amongst the gods isn't happening. Every balcony, sill and lamppost drips with garlands of flowers and ribbons, some holding stores of fireworks waiting for nightfall. Music spills from every corner, street musicians playing tunes from hymns to one of the divines to rancorous ballads meant to lift spirits and forget the pall of more recent, terrible events. There's even a pair of wooden stages hosting troupes of dancers in flowing costumes. Disregard the way people occasionally flinch as pigeons and starlings thunder into the air, stirred by firecrackers and happy barely-controlled bedlam.

As the gates are opened for the beginning of the day's festivities, a variety of new people seem to be visiting the town for the festival- including the Readers. People are excited, eager to let go of their concerns for a little while, and don't bother to pay attention or care about the influx of tourists; during the Grand Festival people come from countless kingdoms around, strangers are a given.

Of course, given that the Festival is a time to worship the gods and have them all brought together, the temples and their people can be found all around. The Temple of the Artificer is the only one on the main pathway, beautiful sculpted stone and statues of various types (wood, marble, at least one well trimmed bush), with many of the crafting guild halls surrounding it. Their people are around the entrance, some demonstrating the majesty of their craft and the power their god gives them, a spectacle in its own right.

The Temple of the Veiled Lady is by the entrances but a block or so away from the main road, the main decoration being thin drapes acting like veils for the architecture. Since their temple is not on the main road, they have what is probably best described as a booth with a rotating cast of their clerics, paladins, and layfolk- almost always with a crowd of ghosts, all of whom seem to be dancing along to whatever music is playing on the stage. (They do mostly stick to ghosts now, though children periodically try to bid for the return of the dancing zombies.)

The Temple of the Advocate is located further into the poorer area of the city, as that is where their work is most needed; it has the air of a building that is well maintained but would rather be putting food on people’s table than gild their own hall, thank you very much. It is a busy and bustling place that likely has never seen a moment’s peace, even during the festival, priests speaking with those in need and clerics administering aid and paladins running around making sure people and supplies are where they’re needed. Despite this, they too have a booth of sorts, though it is far less about spectacle and more just another avenue to offer their aid. There’s always at least one lawyer-priest there to talk through issues, and at least one paladin keeping an eye out for the children and other more vulnerable parties at the festival.

The Armoured Hound’s Chosen do not have a temple to call their own, but they can be found amongst the crowd as well. Periodically a section will be set up as some sort of fighting ring, and one of the Chosen will enter their Holy Rage, smashing through any and all obstacles to cheers and excitement without harming anything or anyone else. Sometimes they just do ridiculous strongman type tricks as well, even though they’re about the same strength as any other Chosen.

And then… there’s the Thing With Feathers’ Chosen. Having been taken in by the Advocate’s temple, they can on occasion be found lurking around their booth, what few of them there are. A few opt not to wear their raiments and therefore can vanish easily into the crowd, but the ones that do are difficult to miss. Most people seem to treat them with a mix of fear, pity, and curiosity- an unhelpful combination that mostly ends in lingering, uncomfortable stares. These Chosen are not showing off the powers of their god. If anything, they seem to be trying the best they can to pretend they’re not there.

The various temples aren’t the only ones out in force, naturally. The rest of the street is lined with merchants of all stripes, food vendors, and small performances that continue outside the main stage. Most are legitimate; some are… less so. There’s a fortune teller who claims they can communicate with the dead (and a paladin of the Veiled Lady may or may not be keeping a close eye on them), a merchant who claims to have feathers of an extinct bird (one of the Thing’s Chosen looks like they’re trying really hard not to punch him in the face), and so forth. All in all, the atmosphere is lively, light, and filled with revelry. Time for everyone to enjoy themselves!
aetherweaver: (Default)

[personal profile] aetherweaver 2026-04-27 05:12 pm (UTC)(link)
"Sure." He smiles - it wouldn't be weird to him, but maybe the other might think it is. "What's the layout here like?"
bashasasdemon: (Kai-Enna [default])

[personal profile] bashasasdemon 2026-04-27 07:17 pm (UTC)(link)
Nothing is normal anymore with him being what he is. So anything to do with him is probably weird, he’s pretty sure. “Well, this is the main road, and if you go down that way…” He’ll give Nara’a the basic idea of the layout, with the remaining temples as landmarks.
aetherweaver: (smile)

[personal profile] aetherweaver 2026-04-27 09:16 pm (UTC)(link)
He listens carefully, committing the map to memory as best he can. He'll still probably get turned around on occasion, but at least it'll be easier. Once Cinera's done, he straightens up a bit. "Do you want me to get you anything while I'm running around? Because I'd like to see you again."
bashasasdemon: (Kai-Enna [default])

[personal profile] bashasasdemon 2026-04-27 09:47 pm (UTC)(link)
“Uh.” Yeah, this expression is familiar, of Kai/Cinera having no idea what to do with niceness/flirting. (You heard the part about him losing his mind, right? He neglected to mention that people died during it. Maybe he should have brought that up.)

“I… no. I’m good.” Well, he’s not, but Nara’a probably knows what he needs. “The Advocate’s people might need something?” And he’s, you know, here.
aetherweaver: (eh?)

[personal profile] aetherweaver 2026-04-27 09:52 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh gods, that expression makes him want to kiss him again. As much as he wants to, and as much as he wants to hang around here... he can't. There are people behind him, and even aside from that there might be more people who need help.

"Where are you going to be later on? Maybe I can get a drink with you."
bashasasdemon: (Kai-Enna [default])

[personal profile] bashasasdemon 2026-04-27 10:00 pm (UTC)(link)
What is even happening right now. Cinera is not the kind of person people ask to have drinks with? What does he even do??

“I- I live at the Advocate’s temple?” Seriously what. “But I’ll probably just… be around…”
aetherweaver: (surprised)

[personal profile] aetherweaver 2026-04-27 10:05 pm (UTC)(link)
"... If you're not here or there, I'll ask around. If that's okay, I mean - I wouldn't want to pressure you. But... it's a festival. You should be able to have fun too."

Even if it's only a small bit of connection with someone else...
bashasasdemon: (Kai-Enna [why this])

[personal profile] bashasasdemon 2026-04-27 10:21 pm (UTC)(link)
Ah. Is that it? That’s probably it. “I feel like you’re just going to wind up disappointed,” he points out. But it’s not a no.
aetherweaver: (smile)

[personal profile] aetherweaver 2026-04-27 10:23 pm (UTC)(link)
"I feel like it's worth a try. And I can pay." It won't even be a waste of coin! See?
bashasasdemon: (Kai-Enna [why this])

[personal profile] bashasasdemon 2026-04-27 10:39 pm (UTC)(link)
“What? No. You definitely don’t need to do that.” He doesn’t know how to spend the money he has anyway!
aetherweaver: (serious)

[personal profile] aetherweaver 2026-04-27 10:41 pm (UTC)(link)
"... I just thought I'd offer." His voice goes a bit soft. "Look, I don't want to push you into anything. We only just met." Sort of. "But you seem like a good person."
bashasasdemon: (Kai-Enna [Upset])

[personal profile] bashasasdemon 2026-04-27 10:49 pm (UTC)(link)
Cinera sighs, reaching up to refasten the pin holding his braids in place- not because it needs it, but because he needs to do something with his hands. “You can’t say that,” he says quietly, “You don’t know what we did.”

The people they killed, the things they destroyed, in the deep, mad grief that came after the Thing died. There’s a part of him that knows it couldn’t be controlled. It doesn’t assuage the guilt or bring back the dead.
aetherweaver: (uh oh)

[personal profile] aetherweaver 2026-04-27 10:56 pm (UTC)(link)
... If he can forgive Meteion, he can forgive almost anyone, but... "We don't have to talk about it. Either now or later." A few nearby people shoot him a Look, but Nara'a ignores them.

"And... we all have things that we regret." Does he feel okay about killing all those Garleans, especially now that he's seen the system that bound them in place? Not exactly. Does he feel okay about putting down sin-eaters? Also not exactly. And then there's the things he failed to do...
bashasasdemon: (Kai-Enna [Upset])

[personal profile] bashasasdemon 2026-04-27 11:34 pm (UTC)(link)
Cinera does not like this conversation. Not at all. He does not want to talk about this, or even remember it, as it haunts his every waking minute. He does not deserve this kindness, or whatever it is.

"Don't," is all he says. All he can say. He can't handle this, right now. Maybe ever.
aetherweaver: (serious)

[personal profile] aetherweaver 2026-04-27 11:38 pm (UTC)(link)
"Okay." He meant it when he said Cinera didn't have to talk about it. "... But can I still get a drink with you later?"

... This may not be the smoothest move he's ever pulled.
bashasasdemon: (Kai-Enna [why this])

[personal profile] bashasasdemon 2026-04-27 11:41 pm (UTC)(link)
There's a choked sort of laugh that escapes him, almost forced out of his throat. Yeah. He has no idea what to make of this guy. "Yeah. Sure." Why not.
aetherweaver: (smirk)

[personal profile] aetherweaver 2026-04-27 11:42 pm (UTC)(link)
"All right. I'll see you shortly after sunset." He grins and then winks, moving to head off with his tail swaying behind him.
bashasasdemon: (Kai-Enna [why this])

[personal profile] bashasasdemon 2026-04-27 11:44 pm (UTC)(link)
Wha-- what was the wink for??? Oh no he was being flirted with after all, wasn't he?