LUNAR FESTIVAL | DAY THREE | ELDERS & FIREWORKS DISPLAY

[paradisamods]

[Just as before, today finds two new figures standing in the courtyard. They are great figures of the past for some residents. Perhaps their stories can be shared?

In the city, people are talking rather excitedly about an event to take place in the evening. They say a great fireworks display is scheduled, and they can't wait to catch a glimpse of it. It's said to be an extraordinary show.

Will you pay patronage to the elders? Will you grab a seat for the show?]

_{[ LUNAR FESTIVAL EVENTS: OOC POST | DAY ONE | DAY TWO | ELDER: DATH'REMAR SUNSTRIDER | ELDER: ANDRASTE | FIREWORKS DISPLAY ]}

Comments

[common_name]

[Julia may be lost in a few thoughts of her own. So lost, in fact, that she doesn't immediately notice she's no longer alone.

But even if it's not immediate, it's not on much of a delay. Her entire livelihood has depended on her ability to pick up on subtle changes in her environment for far too long. A change in the pattern of footsteps behind her, a figure that hadn't been there moments before and faded away just as fast, anything like that could spell trouble if she didn't notice it. The other woman's presence in her peripheral vision wouldn't be something she'd miss for too long.

For now, she chooses not to acknowledge it, instead raising her cigarette to her lips for another drag. However, despite how awkward that first meeting might have been for her too, it's not unwelcome. If there's another thing Julia can appreciate, it's someone who also understands the value of silence.]

[inafadingcrown]

[She certainly does understand the value of silence. But she's also curious by nature. After some time, she moves a little closer to Julia, offering a nod and the first acknowledgement of the other's presence.]

I do not intrude, I hope.

[Simple enough. Julia has an easy out if she would prefer to enjoy the night in solitude.]

[common_name]

[More often that not, she might've preferred the solitude. She always had a lot on her mind, but lately, it seemed like it was running on overdrive. There were things she needed to sort out, to piece together.... But at the same time, there was something about this woman. Something that intrigued her. Maybe company wouldn't be the worst thing.

Rather than choosing to take the obvious out being offered, she turns, letting her attention drift away from the fireworks for the moment and her gaze offer her own acknowledgement.]

Of course not.

[inafadingcrown]

[She nods and grows quiet for a few moments before speaking again.]

Strange, is it not? How one moment this place inspires fear without reason and the next seeks to amuse us with such frivolities.

[Not that she wasn't enjoying the festival. Seize the day and all that. But it didn't make it any less odd. Or make her any less wary.]

[common_name]

[That moment of eye contact was short at best. Before long, her gaze is on the fireworks, contemplative as always. The cigarette now placed between her fingers sends an idle trail of smoke to the sky.

If anything, she can't help but agree. Sure, she'd been more than used to long stretches of mundane nothing followed by short bursts of chaos. But here, it was different. There was no logic to it, no....--]

It has a way of keeping us on our toes.

[inafadingcrown]

[It's probably for the best. Galadriel has no intention of using her gift at the moment, but even without such things she's good at reading people- prolonged eye contact may have told her more than Julia would have liked.]

And yet many grow complacent.

[Despite appearances, she is almost never completely relaxed. There's a part of her that's always aware, always watching, even during harmless events like this- or perhaps especially during events like this.]

[common_name]

[Perhaps she gets a sense of that, the look of someone who knows too much, or maybe it's a simple matter of habit. But, regardless of the precise reason, Julia continues to keep her eyes firmly elsewhere, allowing her to maintain a calm, collected, unruffled exterior. This is an art she's more than well-practiced in.

A mask she's been wearing for so long she barely remembers a time without it.]

Seems par for the course.

[inafadingcrown]

Perhaps. Still, I wish it were otherwise.

A MILLION YEARS LATER, sob ;; I have been terribly slow lately

[common_name]

[Her cigarette is now on its way out, its smoldering heading for the edges. ... Just how long had she been out here, anyway? It seemed so hard to keep track of time in this place. Especially lately.

Well, she'll keep this one until it dies. She'd rather not have to rummage for another one while the other woman is standing there. It seems impolite.]

So do I.

It's okay, bb.

[inafadingcrown]

[It's not like she would have minded. If she will tolerate Gandalf pulling out his pipe and fishing in his bag for pipe-weed, she can tolerate Julia searching for a cigarette.]

Have you been here long?

;; <33

[common_name]

[... Nevertheless. Through the wariness that always comes with interacting with (relative) strangers, she is truly starting to find herself enjoying the company. (Who knew?) She'd hate to put someone off with something like that.]

Not as long as it can sometimes seem.

[inafadingcrown]

[That earns a slight chuckle.] Time flows strangely here, it is true.

[common_name]

[At that, she'll turn back in Galadriel's direction. There might be just a hint of a smile on her lips.]

Sounds like you're speaking from experience.

[inafadingcrown]

Do we not all speak from experience in this matter? [She's smiling more openly. It's a soft, subtle smile, but it's there and she makes no attempt to hide it.] I daresay I have seen more that is new to me in the year I have been here than in centuries past in my own world.

[common_name]

[... Centuries, huh? Ordinarily, that'd definitely be a cause for a raised eyebrow. But here.... that seems to be just the kind of crazy that's in line with a magic castle.

Still, even if it strikes her as odd, she won't comment on that. She's more than used to not asking questions.]

Somehow, I'm not surprised.

[inafadingcrown]

[For as long as she's been here, Galadriel still has the habit of mentioning such things far too casually. It's perfectly normal for her, after all, and wouldn't be shocking for any from her world to hear.]

And you? Have your days been full, your time weighted with new experience?

[common_name]

[At that, she turns away her gaze as quickly as she can while still making her best attempt at subtlety. That half-smile does falter just a bit, even if there's no other visible shift in her demeanor. But for someone observant...--]

So to speak.

[inafadingcrown]

[It's enough to tell that there's something on her mind. The playful tone she was using becomes something a little more serious.]

I apologize if I have disturbed you.

[It's an open acknowledgement of something unspoken- perhaps breaking the rules of their little game.]

[common_name]

[Despite all her attempts to fight, to carry on as she always has, her time in Paradisa has slowly worn down her ability to play that game as well as she would've liked. Every little thing that happens starts to chip at her, more and more. Even though she'd never admit it to herself, it's becoming more difficult to hide those little nuanced flecks of emotion that somehow manage to seep through the cracks.

That open acknowledgement makes her somewhat nervous in spite of herself. No, more than that; she feels almost... exposed. But, of course, she can't show it. She can't afford to show it. The most painstakingly careful effort to keep her voice as even as possible, to maintain that facade of hers, is now crucial.]

You haven't.

[inafadingcrown]

Of course.

[It's a quiet, unassuming statement, but the subtle shifts in her tone and face reveal what she really means. She knows. There's no point in trying to fool her. But she's happy to play along, if that's what Julia wants.]