September Event - Guest Appearances

[pumpkinhollow]

GUEST APPEARANCES

Ignition

September 20th is the Autumnal Equinox. Many places across the world of Concorde celebrate the first day of fall. While various nations and regions have their own cultural practices surrounding it, nature is god everywhere. And so the inception of Mother Autumn’s domain is universally recognized, even if the names change from place to place. But on a little island named Marrow, in a little town called Pumpkin Hollow, there is another reason to celebrate.

The birth of Dahlia Leeds is not so important an event that it supersedes Celestine herself, and neither Dahlia nor anyone in town is foolhardy enough to claim as much. In fact, after the events on this very same day last year, one might argue that perhaps her birth at least started out as a bad thing. But she is certainly the wealthiest person in town. It is through the combination of substantial wealth and a generous heart, two things that are very seldom found in the same place, that we end up with a soiree where the birthday girl would rather spoil everyone else on her day than herself.

The doors to Leeds Estate, which presides proudly over the town upon its throne at the crest of Founder’s Hill, are flung wide open. Large sums of Brass are paid to caterers, florists, and seamstresses to make sure this place is decorated to the nines. Some businesses labor all year, just to prepare for the handsome payoff they’ll get from this event alone. And you, dear neighbor, are invited. Not only are you invited, but you are dressed for the event in whatever your heart desires, completely at the birthday girl’s expense. Dahlia ensures no cost nor conflict stands in between anyone in town and a much-needed break. She is determined for this birthday of hers to be a good night.

Or else.

Incipience

{ The timeframe between ignition and the peak of burning, where a small, contained fire spreads and grows gradually into an established flame. All it takes is a spark. }

The whole town is abuzz as preparations for the gala begin. From the moment people begin to wake up for the day, the air throughout Pumpkin Hollow just feels electric with excitement. After August, people have been needing this lift in morale, and after how last year’s gala went… well, there’s a lot riding on this one. And Dahlia seems much more in control now.

Speaking of being in control, the whole lead-up process has been incredibly organized. You wake up to a delivery--- your outfit, perfectly tailored and completely paid for. Accessories are included. She truly thought of everything.

It’s noteworthy that Dahlia’s invitations this time included another name beneath her own. “Suzanne Marie Dyneax,” it said. Most people don’t know the name, but gossip gets around in a small town like this. It’s not hard to pick up on the fact that this probably refers to Susie, one of the teenagers that Dahlia recently moved into her home, whose own birthday was ruined by Seemingly’s attack. Gift baskets have been delivered to others whose days were in proximity to the disaster--- Zivia, Capochin, even CT. Wine, fruit, and sweets, along with a birthday card. Dahlia has said in the past, “my birthday is your birthday,” but never has that felt more true.

With businesses mostly closed for the celebration, you are left with the majority of the day to prepare in relative peace. For many of the women in Dahlia’s inner circle, there is even a pre-party group dressing room set up on the third floor of her home. Only those who received her special invitation (Susie, Noelle, Fever, Cassandra, Anya, Alice, Patty, Melanie, Basira, Elsie) are permitted to join, but any friends or partners are gladly invited to wait at the bottom of the stairs for the girls to make their grand entrance.

The food is laid out, flowers placed, dresses laced and buttoned. The clock strikes 6pm, and the fun begins.

FLASHOVER

{ The moment when a blaze reaches its maximum size and heat, and the radiant heat in the space is such that all combustible materials ignite at once, allowing the flame to steadily and freely burn for the rest of the night. }

By the time it reaches 6:15, the ballroom is already flooded with eager dancers and hungry dinner guests. After all, the whole town is invited, and everyone’s excited to see Dahlia’s beautiful new ballroom and take a load off.

The music is elegant, played by a rotating cast of musicians who join the party when their act is over. The food is extravagant--- Dahlia and two of her partners are some of the biggest foodies in town, so this is expected. There is talking and laughing and the swirling of ballgowns, and all is well.

But there is a guest you do not recognize in the corner of the ballroom. An older man with white hair, strong features, and a dour expression. You can see Dahlia eyeing him, then flitting over to him, then talking to him. Her expression shifts from anxious, to annoyed, to resigned, before at last she sighs heavily and leaves him to it. Whatever it is that’s going on, clearly it’s something Dahlia is willing to begrudgingly tolerate in order to get back to having fun.

The reason for the disturbance becomes clear in short order, but by the grace of Celestine (and perhaps Eligos), it isn’t a reality bending nightmare or an attack by some monstrous beings. It is simply more guests.

A lot more, in fact.

Those who were on the island in September of the previous year will recall the Visitor’s Center, which appeared briefly just past the beach and served as temporary living and meeting quarters for visitors from the homeworlds of current residents. It would seem that this is a repeat incident. For the night of the gala, one to two “plus ones” have been invited for the vast majority of offworld residents. Most of them are friends or family who are happy to see their guests--- but this is ultimately a working of Eligos, so naturally, this is not always the case.

At the very least, Eligos seems to have been generous with his own granddaughter. As she turns away from him, she very nearly runs into someone much shorter than her. A dark haired human man with dwarfism. He laughs at the accident, grinning up at her as she stares back at him, utterly baffled. Then, petticoats billowing out, Dahlia sinks to the floor and embraces him as tight as she can, head pressed to his chest with little regard for her carefully-styled hair. Even those across the room can hear her shout his name. ”Jonah!”

Within the hour, the ballroom is packed with nearly double the people originally expected, turning the party livelier than it’s ever been. Tearful reunions, laughter, dancing, mischief, romance, sparring, cruelty, and even proper, righteous violence. Truly, this Leeds Gala will be one for the books!

--------
[ OOC reminders: each apped-in player character is entitled to one or two guests from their homeworld. This can be former selves, family, friends, enemies, and they do not have to be from the character’s exact canonpoint. They can be from the past or the future. You may play them yourself, ask another member player to do it, or recruit a non-member player to do so with moderator approval. Non-member players are permitted to join the Discord server while they’re active in this event! Threads you write for your own guests are eligible for AC for the character they’re there with, and threads you write for someone else’s guest can be used on the AC of a character of your choice. Just make sure to mark them as guest threads. After the gala, guests will be allowed to move freely about town, stay the night on Saturday and go home Sunday, or leave right after the gala if preferred. And last but not least, characters played in the gala can be apped directly from this event, rather than going through the normal arrival process. Let a mod know if you have questions, and have fun! ]

Smoldering

{ The decay of a flame as available heat, oxygen, and burning material gradually diminish. Eventually, the flames will recede entirely into glowing embers, glittering like orange starlight amid the ashes of what once was. }

The party rages well into the night. It’s not typical for residents of Pumpkin Hollow to stay out this late, with everything around here that goes bump in the night, but eventually party-goers begin to find their way out. They move in small groups, huddled around lanterns, may they ever stay lit. Perhaps the surprising bit is that their guests can go with them. There are even reservations made for board overnight at the Oak & Iron, all under the name “E. Rex”.

But alas, these reservations are only booked for one night. And by the time the sun begins to set on the darker half of the year for the first time, an unfamiliar black boat is moored at Jack's Marina. One that the guests will recognize as the vessel on which they arrived. They must leave by the time it becomes dark.

Or must they? Perhaps for a select few, they will fail to feel the call which draws them home. It is unclear why. There are many that Mortanne would have allowed residency for, if she could. But for some reason, all but a small few feel the pull. Perhaps Eligos has simply abandoned them here. (Or maybe none at all end up marooned and everyone goes home? That all depends on you, dear reader.)

When the sky goes dark, the aptly named Heavy Heart shoves off, with only her crimson sails hanging suspended seemingly in midair in the moonlight. The black ship is otherwise consumed by the night. And soon, even those flashes of red vanish into the distance.

Moments recede into memories, like a dying fire settles gently into glowing embers at the bottom of a hearth. The festivities are over, and the guests are gone. Life in Pumpkin Hollow resumes as before. But maybe just a little warmer and brighter.

“My birthday is your birthday,” as Dahlia often says.

Happy birthday.

References to the appearance of Leeds Estate can be found here!

Comments

[faithful_lt]

It might have been someone else, but there are very few people who could have been as successful as Felix and Tom Zarek had. For some definition of success, anyway, given how close they'd come to their end goal.

The very thought of making that point, of fighting over it, exhausts him. Hoshi sighs. "I wish there had been," he says instead. "So I'm still sorry I didn't. That I wasn't there when you needed me."

[not_a_traitor]

Gaeta looks away.

He thinks of how he spent his first year on the island trying, in fits and starts, to reach out to the community. How much easier it felt just to keep to himself -- because who could ever understand? Hardly anyone, especially after Tayrey left. Even after he began to get the hang of it, he backslid for months in a moment of weakness and nearly lost Mulcahy as a result.

That tendency started long before he ever got to the island. Swatting away outstretched hands. Isolating himself. He may have left Louis to protect him, but that doesn't change the fact that Louis was there, and Gaeta was the one who walked away.

"I'm sorry, too." Very quiet. "That I hurt you. I wish everything had been cleaner. It was supposed to be, I, I thought we could manage it with minimal bloodshed. But we didn't."

[faithful_lt]

Minimal bloodshed. He thinks about Peter Laird, among others, who'd survived so much just to die doing his job at the hands of those he'd had no reason not to trust.

He sighs, long and slow. "I guess - I mean, I always knew you didn't want it to - any of it to go like that. But it's good to hear it, too. You know?"

Rather than think about that much more, Hoshi makes himself refocus on what's important here and now. After all, he doesn't know how long exactly he'll be able to stay before this chance is gone forever, and there are more important things, surely, than rehashing some of the worst moments of their joint past.

"Anyway," he murmurs, and somewhere finds a little hopeful smile for the other man. "Tell me this: are you happy here?"

[not_a_traitor]

Unconsciously, the corners of Gaeta's mouth lift, too. (Louis always could get a smile out of him easier than most.)

"I don't know if happy is the right word," he says honestly, and hitches one shoulder in a little shrug. "It's tough here. There's some new crisis every frakking month, it seems like. The technology's so primitive they don't even have an island-wide power grid yet. And... there's a lot I've needed to sort out. I'm still sorting out."

Yet here he is, still smiling faintly as he says all of that.

"But the community's... it's really good. Most of it. It took me a while to settle in, and I'm pretty sure half the people here don't even know my name because I, ah, don't get out too much. But, I have a job at the library. I'm learning -- "

And he breaks off there in a sudden chuckle. "Learning magic, if you can believe it. Actual magic. They've got that here."

[faithful_lt]

He remembers all too well how Felix had held himself apart after New Caprica, until he'd slowly allowed himself to be drawn deeper into friendships that had been previously laid on rocky terrain. It sounds to him like something of the sort might be happening here as well, but at least he's not isolated, if he's--

It's about then that the reality of the other man's words catches up and slams into him.

"Magic?" His voice scales upward in surprise and amazement. "Like in stories? And you're learning it?"

[not_a_traitor]

"Yeah." He can't help it: he breaks into an outright grin, brighter than Louis has seen him smile in ages. (Happy may not be the right word, but it's unmistakable that Gaeta is doing better here.) "Honestly I thought it was insane when I first got here, but the way it operates, it's more like a -- a secondary or tertiary force acting on the planet. And you can pick it apart just like you'd pick apart gravity. Well, electromagnetism, more like," he corrects himself, "that's the closest analogue I found, but it's got its own scientific and mathematical principles, and once I figured out how to translate it to what I already knew..."

He turns one hand palm-up, whispers something under his breath -- and there, over his hand, three lights blossom and begin to orbit like electrons in an atom.

[faithful_lt]

Wonder breaks over his face like a wave as he stares, followed by a beaming smile and pure delight in his eyes, his voice, and every light of him.

"You - Felix, that's amazing!" For all his excitement he's practically whispering, as if afraid to scare the dancing lights away. "Can I?"

He's already reaching out as though to touch, but stays himself from doing so without permission.

[not_a_traitor]

"Yeah, of course." He beams back. "Hang on, watch this -- "

One of the lights splits off from the others and begins to orbit Louis's hand instead, slow enough for him to catch it in his palm. There's a slight resistance to the surface, like pressing against a thin gel.

"That spell's pretty easy compared to some of the other ones, but it comes in handy when I don't want to light a candle."

[faithful_lt]

He cups the little glowing light in his palm as gently as if he's cradling a butterfly and bends his head over it. It's cool to the touch, but has enough of a feel to it that it's more than a backwards shadow on his fingers.

"I used to watch falling stars over the ocean," he murmurs, whisper-soft. "And wonder what it would be like to catch one. I guess it would feel something like this."

[not_a_traitor]

Oh, that earnest sincerity. How his heart aches; how badly he wants to reach out to take Louis's hand.

Gaeta has missed him so, so much.

With a small flick of his wrist, the other two lights drift to join their sibling. They've begun to dim -- fractionally at first, then more and more -- as the spell reaches the end of its short lifespan. Lightly, trying for a joke, he says, "I promise I'm not going to ruin the moment by pointing out any size or heat discrepancies."

The philosopher and the scientist, always caught in their gentle debates. He's missed that, too.

[faithful_lt]

A breath of laughter escapes him as he looks away from the gleaming impossibility at his fingertips and up to the equally impossible gift of Felix's presence.

"Then I won't need to point out how perception can define reality and much of what makes up starlight is in how we perceive it, will I?"

[not_a_traitor]

Gaeta exhales a similar laugh. Fondly, "No, I guess not."

He hesitates. In Louis's palm, the lights dissolve and vanish. He almost raises his own hand to conjure them again, to keep the moment alive a little longer. He doesn't.

But he does blurt out, after another moment: "I've missed you."

[faithful_lt]

"I've--"

For a second, as his vision blurs, he's not sure he's going to be able to get words past the sudden choking tightness in his throat. When he does manage it, they come out hoarse and raw.

"Felix. I've missed you too. I--"

He closes his fingers over the memory of flickering light, then opens his hand again and holds it out to the other man in a silent request.

[not_a_traitor]

And Gaeta, eyes burning, closes his hand around Louis's without hesitation. Warm; solid. Familiar. Even after all this time, he knows every line and callus, every bump of his knuckles, how the shape of his own hand folds to meet his.

"I've... been here for a while now." He swallows. "Longer than it's been for you, I think. There's..."

He just has to say it, he supposes.

"I met someone. We have -- it's not the same as what you and I did. But we're close. And I love him like, ah. Like I didn't expect to love anybody this soon after." He makes himself meet Louis's eyes. "Because I didn't stop loving you. Ever. Through everything."

[faithful_lt]

He nods, holding on to Felix's hand as though the other man might be torn away from him at any moment, and makes himself draw a deep, steadying breath as he listens.

Then another. Then a third, before he can manage to find the right words, or any words at all.

"Longer, yeah. Has to be, given how - how you look. You look... better. Happier. Better. So..."

Hoshi makes himself open his eyes and meet Felix's gaze with his own, clear and direct and honest.

"I'm glad. That you're not alone. And that you're happy. Because I never stopped loving you, either."

[not_a_traitor]

"Oh, Louis."

Maybe it's a stupid thing to do. But Gaeta has done far worse when his heart is so overwhelmed, that he can only see one possibility in front of him.

He pulls Louis into a tight, faintly trembling embrace.

[faithful_lt]

His arms go around the other man without hesitation, and as always Felix fits right into them.

A rough gasp chokes him, but he doesn't pull back. On the contrary, he holds on tight, buries his face in Felix's shoulder, and lets himself breathe.

[not_a_traitor]

Gaeta doesn't mean to at first, but within a few seconds, he's clinging just as hard as Louis. One hand curls to hold onto the back of his dress grays. He has to let go eventually, he knows it, he knows, but -- but.

"You could stay."

Barely audible, like he knows damn well he shouldn't say it at all. He tries to correct course: "It -- wouldn't be like before. And it wouldn't be forever. The barrier's going to come down eventually someday. But you could stay until it did, then go back like you never left."