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]

[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.]