lucetilogs | The Cultural Fair!

The Cultural Fair!

Who: Everyone's invited!
What: The Cultural Fair
When: June 5th- 12th - admittedly dates are sort of nebulous - set up could have begun as early as the 5th, but given the event recently, more days could have been taken to do it and for people to involve themselves, so it probably "officially" starts a little later (by the 8th at the very least, though work can go on throughout it) - feel free to use your judgement/have fun!
Where: All around the town square!
Summary: Here.
Rating: ... who knows?!

Notes: Booths can be labeled as separate comments! Just put [booth name] or something in the subject line so people can find top level comments easier.

Work probably started for it on the 5th-7/8th for labor purposes, though feel free to use dates to your advantage here! (Even if characters slapdash something at the last minute, it would be fun to see! It would even be encouraged after the crazy from the last event - kind of a way to get back in touch with themselves.)

CHARACTERS ARE WELCOME TO TAG THE LOG FOR INTERACTING WITH OTHERS, NOT JUST BOOTHS, SO FEEL FREE TO TAG IN! Also a character who might not know what's going on is welcome to walk by and question it! And so forth. (Helios and Ikki made posts in regard to it and there have been art club posters around, so anyone could have noticed those as well!)

I'll leave descriptions up to you all as there isn't much that is too uniform about the displays, as everyone is encouraged to be creative about their presentations and how hard the characters worked isn't something I could define for each of you. Just keep in mind that this takes place in the plaza, there shouldn't be an issue with blocking traffic (there may be ropes up to try and keep pathways clear, however!), though it may branch around various points of the square depending on where someone wants a booth located / the number of actual participants. The square will also have a lot of brightly colored signs and decorations indicating what is going on!

For ideas/reference on how it was handled last time, feel free to look through here! There's no official signup, so go forth!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

It's better to start somewhere than do nothing at all, isn't it? [It was more than she would have been able to provide about Auldrant, anyway. Reading about cultures, and actually experiencing and living in them more than just in passing, were completely different things.

She kneels down in front of the display, noticing the white construction in the middle of the others. Pointing to it, she looks up at Eley with eyes full of curiosity.] Would there be anything about this one that sets it apart from the others?

I had hoped so. Perhaps next time I can offer more in the way of individual cultures.

[He watches as she kneels down to look more closely at the map, tilting his head a little as she points out the white mass in the center.]

That is Agkelos. Originally it occupied the center of the Circle Sea and worked as a mediator between the other three kingdoms. The Agkelon race was designed to uphold peace to prevent outbreaks of war. However this plan failed and I took them to the skies to nurture on my own.

You did? [Now she's wondering what exactly he meant by nurturing, the way he described the role of Agkelos sounded similar to the role her own home took, though they weren't as worried about preventing the outbreaks of war as they pretended to be on the surface. She had learned that the hard way.]

Your words imply that you almost see them as your children, do you realize that?

...children?

[No, he hadn't thought of it like that, in fact. Then again, as a Spirit, he didn't think of people in relation to family. Families were human things, animal things... something else he didn't know all that much about, at least not in the metaphorical sense.

He knew enough to denote parent and child however.]

I have no children. However I suppose I can see why you might think of it that way. Parents are said to nurture their children after all, yes? I wish them the best for their future and hope they will continue to walk the path of peace as much as they are able...

Yes, parents are meant to nurture their children in much the way you are describing. [She can't help smiling a little, one didn't have to actually have blood children to feel that way. It was something she tried to not reflect on too much, but Luceti had given her a taste of what motherhood felt like.]

They must be doing well if you hold them in that regard.

[He certainly hopes so, and he can't help but feel a little proud at those words. He didn't get much praise anymore back in Aether. Not away from the Agkelons at least.

But the way she smiled like that got him wondering.]

Is there anyone you would consider your... 'child'?

There was. They are no longer here, it has been some time since they left. [Her smile doesn't fade, but there is a hint of sadness to her eyes thinking about it. Even without the effects of the experiments she was genuinely fond of them.]

That's something I have only had here though, I didn't know what that felt like back in my world. I wonder what your people think of you?

[Eley can sense that sadness too... It reminds him of Tsuzuki, during their previous conversation. He's starting to realise just how many people here must have lost those they were fond of. How many more would leave and get left behind, knowing they've been forgotten?]

Hmm... Do you consider it a good thing that you were able to experience that here? As for my people... I cannot say. There are those who still look up to me, I know that. However, I have never felt that they would look to me as a parent. Perhaps I am wrong.

There are others on the ground who still turn to me as well, though their numbers are dwindling.

Whether it's a good thing or not, it doesn't change that I have experienced it and hold memories of those times, those feelings. But I know for certain that I don't regret it, or meeting the people that I have. [Truthfully, she didn't see the difference between what she did here and what she did back home anymore, the experiences didn't outweigh each other. The significant difference was that her goal back home was much more urgent, and it was where she was needed in the end.]

Do you mind if I ask why the number of people turning to you on the ground are dwindling?

[He gives a nod at that.] I suppose sometimes there is no need to compare such experiences.

As for your question... I am afraid I do not have a firm answer. Humans have been moving away from the Spirits for some time now. They are turning to their machines for help and to each other - to their intellect. Many do not think we are a necessary part of their lives any longer... some have gone so far as to renounce our existence entirely.

[And of course he doesn't sound particularly happy to acknowledge this...]

What would that mean for you? [It sounded like a drastic change, and she remembered some of the things he had spoken of when he had fallen victim to that cupcake. She had witnessed similar situations back home, but she couldn't talk to any deities like she could to Eley.

His mood isn't going unnoticed either, and she reaches out to only just touch his arm in her concern.]

[The touch is light, but noticeable, and while he doesn't make any move to avoid it he does look up, a little surprised. He really did need to get used to being touched by people...

Eley can see her concern though.]

We will become weaker in time, but we will not perish. We will simply carry on our purpose and try to keep the world alive for as long as we can. [He pauses before continuing.] However, there are stories of another world named Earth. The people there followed a similar path and in the end, they destroyed themselves and the planet. Some say that this is why Aether is here now. It is a new start, a second chance. It would seem a shame to waste it.

My Agkelons were a race designed to prevent war from breaking out in Aether. However, they have already experienced war and in my haste, I removed them from the world. Perhaps... this was a mistake.

Even if it was a mistake, that doesn't mean it has to have only negative consequences. You do what you must, what you can, with what you have. [But to hear that a world was following a similar path that would lead to destruction is concerning. She didn't know to what extent, but it was clear that Eley cared for the world.]

Why not trust them?

I... find it difficult. I originally worked with many tribes in the jungles and swamps of Esperando, but they turned their backs on me for new idols. Some still remain, but they are few and far between. Around that time... I began to develop emotions. I did not know what was happening to me or how to cope with these feelings, so I struck back and took Agkelos from them. I left them to take care of themselves.

I was angry. Hurting. If strangers tried to set foot on Agkelos I would simply strike them down. All visitors on the island who were not Agkelon were cast away to their deaths.

[Eley knows he's probably said too much at this point but somehow he couldn't stop himself. Once he started his story, his explanation, he needed to see it through to the end.

And now, realising just how wound up he was getting, he takes a deep breath and begins to walk away.]

I am sorry.

[What he tells her is enough to leave get stunned, if only for a few moments. There's a twisting sensation in her stomach as she takes in every word, noting similarities to situations she has seen firsthand, consequences she has had to help resolve. It was all too familiar.

For that reason, she's not going to let him walk away. Eleytheria, as he has described himself and from what she has seen, was so much like him. Perhaps she was being selfish, but right now she didn't particularly care. He was hurting, and she had learned from times before.]

Eleytheria. [Firm, clear and standing her ground, that was the tone of her voice that matched the hand that reached out to grab him by the arm.

She wasn't angry.]

[He had thought they would just leave it at that, but... suddenly there was a firm grip on his arm and he heard the sound of his name from behind. If he was really angry he might have pulled away, tried to shake her off. But he wasn't angry with Tear... so instead he simply stopped where he stood and turned to face her.

What was she trying to do here? Why was she looking at him like that?]

...yes?

Don't walk away... from me. [She wasn't the helpless little girl she had been then, or the person who thought she could handle everything on her own if she held her secrets. They had known each other only a short time, but already he was someone whose back she did not want to see as he went to a place where she couldn't help him.

She breathes in carefully, collecting her thoughts and the words she wanted to convey. ] You told me the truth, and I do appreciate that. But don't walk away from what you did like this, it serves no one and least of all yourself. Say what you feel about it, and move on, but you don't have to do it alone.

[Eley listens, not quite expecting such a reaction from her. He hadn't meant to upset her by walking away but he can see that what he had just done had provoked something within her... Had this happened before?

Whether it had or not, the Spirit didn't try to move away. He didn't turn his back again. It was true they hadn't known each other for all that long, but she had already done enough to allow him to trust her more than he might have done with anyone else at this point.]

I had not thought that you would care so much about my being alone. [He admits.]

Is it wrong of me to? [Being alone was a sentiment she understood well, even if she had learned to not mind it so much as years passed. Yet for that same reason she couldn't stop herself from reaching out to others—no one should have to get used to being alone.]

However you may think of it, the truth is that I do, and for however long, we're both here. Don't push people away. [Though now she realizes that she's still holding on to him, so slowly, and with some hesitance, she starts to let go.]

[Really, the very fact he had allowed her to grab onto him like that without reacting badly should show that he thought more of her than he might let on. And still when she lets go she doesn't flinch away or try to fix some idea of a mistake. Was she really that afraid to let go of him now?]

No... it is not wrong. And... you are right. I have had the opportunity to get far closer to people here than I ever did at home. Perhaps the idea of growing too close is somewhat... frightening to me. It is one thing to harm strangers but quite another to harm friends.

That it is, but it takes time. [His fear after the way he had spoken of his role back home was understandable. This was a person who had experienced a lot of hurt.

Though she remembers the attack he had started on the village with the last thing he says.] You fear hurting your friends?

[Eley had been trying to avoid bringing that up again but... it was still something that played on his mind. Perhaps it wasn't directly is fault but he had showed a weakness and the consequences could have been far worse. Who was to say it wouldn't happen again in future?

He sighs, looking back to his map. It was easier than looking to her now.]

I crave peace, though I know it is not an easy thing to find. Now I have formed connections with people in Luceti, enough to call them friends, I fear losing them, hurting them physically or otherwise. It is selfish to think like this and it is not something a Spirit should be concerned with... but the feeling is there all the same.

I have already come close to repeating what I did in Aether. I know that I am capable of repeating history, given the right circumstances.

And even if those circumstances arise again, your friends here will be there to call you back. [At the very least, she would make it a point to be there even though right now he wouldn't look at her.] Even if it is selfish, it isn't wrong to be every so often.

So let us help you, the same way you are willing to help us. Let's all strive toward that goal.

...indeed. Friends are there to help each other, yes?

[It was still a somewhat alien concept that anyone would try to come to his aid and protect him. Usually he was the one doing the protecting. It was... strange feeling as though he was part of something here, on the same level as everyone else. Strange and perhaps slightly uncomfortable if he's honest...]

I... will not stop you from attempting to help me. However, I would not wish for you to put yourself in any danger for my sake. Whatever happens, do not sacrifice yourself. It is not worth it.

Always. [She says it with a gentle smile, though it does hold hints of sadness as she hears the rest of his request. His fears were justified, but he didn't have to voice them. In a way, she already understood, but having grown up with the mentality of the ideal soldier, it is still difficult to shake the notion that she shouldn't place herself in front of others if it meant protecting them.]

That is a difficult request to fulfill, do you realize that? In the same way you don't want to see me in that danger, I don't want to see you in it. But I assure you... I'll do my best, so that we don't have to be faced with that decision in the first place.

The Cultural Fair!

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