Daytime Solstice Party

[windandrain]

Who: Anyone and Everyone
What: A party to celebrate the longest day of the year
When: June 21st, Noon to Nightfall
Where: The Southern Lake
Summary: Helios and Saori decided to host a party with food, dancing, and friends to mark the solstice, the birthday of a friend, and several other personal things. Residents volunteered to help get it together, and now all the work is done so it's time to set aside their troubles and enjoy summer!
Rating: PG to PG-13 at most (For language most likely)


It'd taken a week, getting everything together, but with everyone pitching in they'd managed it. Food, drinks, decorations, and all the trappings of a fine summer party. An area had been roped off for dancing and music, umbrella'd tables had been procured for meals and relaxing in the shade, and they'd even set up a piano for Fredric to perform with. A gentle breeze kept the lakeshore cool and mosquito free, and by noon everything appeared to be ready for the midsummer party.

The Longest Day, Helios' boyfriend's birthday, and Saori's ascension day had all conveniently coincided, so no matter what you're here to celebrate, enjoy yourselves and have fun! Toss your character anywhere, and remember that all important rule. As a note, teleport sigils to the other party were set up by Helios so feel free to pop between the two. Go ahead and start new top-level comments if you like too, these are just generic ones!

Comments

[skysung]

She nods repeatedly, the answer to both questions a resounding yes. Kitten enjoys parties, provided they aren’t too stuffy and the company is good, and she especially enjoys the special cooking that tends to happen in preparation for a party.

The dragon gestures to the performing area, then to Saori, and whistles her compliments. Then she faces Keiko and chirps a greeting. Even if dogs have as much trouble understanding Kitten as humans do, she has always had as many animal friends as human.

[windandrain]

"I'm glad. Thank you, too. I enjoyed playing for the audience. It's always been a fondness of mine." She squats down to meet Skysong's eyes, playfully smiling. "So, I hear you whistling a lot. Do you have any musical talent, to go with your name?"

Because the idea of Skysong whistling a tune was just adorable.

[skysung]

Kitten gazes thoughtfully at Saori for a moment, then tilts her head quickly in what serves as a shrug. She has a good memory for tunes and understanding of pitch, but the dragon has never been a performer or musician. Part of that is simply that her voice is also a tool and a weapon, given the vocal triggers for all her spells, but that is no reason to avoid making music. She can certainly avoid whistling spells easily enough.

Experimentally the dragon whistles a verse of the ballad about the stag who met the Goddess as maiden. It can't tell the actual story, not without words that Saori can understand. The song isn't just a story either; it is history as much as mythology, or at least someone's variation on history. The gods and their actions are very much real and present in Kitten's world. Someday she will have to write down the words of such things if Saori wants to know more.

For now, this will do. Even without words it gives an idea of what music sounds like in Kitten's home country. Saori's music reminded Kitten of the music of the Yamani Islands, more prevalent in Tortall since the treaty and arranged royal marriage.

[windandrain]

Listening, Saori commits the tune to memory with the intent of whistling it back, or perhaps playing on her shakuhachi later. She gets a sense that it's more than just a song, and Skysong thinks it's important in some way, judging by the way it sounds. She can't be sure because, well, the little dragon can't really talk.

When it's over, the goddess smiles appreciatively, nodding her thanks. "That sounds lovely. I'd love if you could help me learn the tune sometime. Maybe I can play it for you on an instrument? If that's alright, of course."

Better not to make the little dragon feel uncomfortable if the tune was of religious or cultural significance. Who knew, with Luceti.

[skysung]

The offer catches her by surprise, and Kitten pauses briefly. She is enthusiastic enough to make up for it, though, nodding emphatically and thanking Saori in dragon tongue.

She looks down and scratches with a claw in the packed earth, "I will write the words for you later." It would be good to hear something from home.

[windandrain]

Saori looks down at the words and beams. Education! Improvement!

"So you've been learning to write? That's lovely!"

[skysung]

Saori has probably seen the books Kitten brings home from the library often enough to know the dragon can read just fine. Writing is new, though, and she is still more accustomed to scratching out a message with a claw than she is to gripping a pen.

She nods, laughing at the praise. She draws out a few more words, huffing a little in annoyance. "It's slow." It takes so long to say anything in writing, and Kitten always has something to say. Frequently questions. She has an abundance of those. The dragon is still very grateful for the help Moiraine gave her, but she's impatient and easily bored too.

[windandrain]

Well, Saori has but reading is different than writing.

"Writing is never the easiest thing to learn, but I've got faith you'll manage! I'll even help you practice if you want. I could use the chance to improve my English writing as well. It's so very, very different from what I learned as a child."

She reaches down and traces out her own name, in the full kanji rather than English letters, so that Kitten can see what it's like.

[skysung]

Kitten watches intently as Saori writes, eyes widening at the kanji. She's seen those before. The dragon can't read them, but she whistles excitedly. The excitement wanes somewhat as she curses how slowly she writes, but eventually another message is written for Saori in the dirt.

"What was the name of your country? The writing and the music of the Yamani Islands in my world are like yours. I cannot read the characters, though."

[windandrain]

Saori takes a moment to actually scratch out the kanji for Japan: (日本) before explaining.

"Japan. Or Nihon, or Nippon. It has many names, but that's what it's called. And that's how you'd write it in my native language. And...it is a series of islands, but I don't think it's ever been called Yamani. Can you tell me a bit about them? I'm very curious now!"

[skysung]

Saori is treated to another frustrated sigh before Kitten gives in and writes. Her own love of learning makes her inclined to indulge other people's curiosity, but that doesn't mean she enjoys it. Not when it's so tedious to go about it.

A paragraph slowly takes shape in the earth.

"Traditional clothing is robes, kimono. Face paint is worn in formal situations. Weapons include glaives and swords that are tempered somewhat differently than those produced by our smithies. Shows of emotion are considered rude. I have watched the ladies who came with the delegation play fan toss games with shukusen."

Kitten hasn't spent as much time as she'd like with the Yamani ladies. They all made good impressions, though; she likes them. And most of the women in Kitten's acquaintance want war fans of their own.

She looks up at Saori to hear a little more about Japan. Kitten is intrigued now by the parallels between worlds. She wonders how close they run. What things hold true, and what things are different?

[windandrain]

"I'm sorry I'm asking you so many questions. I know it can't be easy, writing all that. But..." She reads the writing, surveying what was written. "It sounds a lot like Japan. A lot like it."

Saori reaches into her clothing and pulls out her sword, Cloudshifter and holds it out for Kitten to inspect. It's curved, and plainly forged "differently" than a western blade, the scabbard and hilt worked with intricate designs of herons, thunderclouds, and lightning.

"This is a katana. A sword from Japan. And we use a glaive too, called a naginata. I don't carry one, but I've used them in the past. And..." she tugs gently on her kimono, "this is called a kimono. The face paint was something noble people used to do, though I never did. Children don't wear it, and the last time I was in a formal situation as a human I was only nine."

She pauses, thinking on the fans. "We do keep fans around, as well. Though, again, that's more formal than I am most of the time. As for other things? Well, you've seen me playing shamisen, and Makie as well. Do people in Yamani use honorifics, like -san or -chan with names? That's common in Japan. And we value jade as highly as gold. There's a lot I could tell you, but that would depend on what you're interested in."

[skysung]

Kitten nods. Shinkokami and her ladies have been in Tortall long enough for some things to transfer back and forth, though morning glaive practice in the palace is the first that comes to mind. Naginata is the word for the weapons in Yamani as well. The princess does her best to fit into her husband's culture, but her friends and in-laws help her keep some aspects of her own. "Tortall's future queen is Yamani, a marriage that sealed our treaty."

Another nod at the sword as Kitten leans close to examine it, the blade similar to everything she's seen coming out of the Islands. As for honorifics, Kitten can only shrug her head helplessly. She has not picked out the syllables in the little bit of Yamani she's heard, and they are careful to follow Tortallan protocol and titles while in Tortall.

The most eager gesture of agreement, though, is in response to the part about jade. Perhaps it's Tkaa's influence, but she has always liked stones. Kitten uses them for spells while her basilisk cousin eats them. She remembers how much he enjoyed the rare bits of jade he's had since trade between the two countries picked up. "We do not import much jade from the Islands because it is so valuable."

She is visibly regretful about that. Kitten would like the chance to try spells with jade. For now, she's just as happy to let Saori keep talking; Kitten can write commentary as the conversation goes on. So the dragon beckons for Saori to continue. Of course she's interested. Kitten finds everything interesting, and this is doubly compelling because it pertains to her friend's life.