"Right, this way, love!" Nahva said, carrying a basket of bread in one hand and beckoning the little child to follow her. "Mummy's over here." The four-year-old hurried past her and ran to his mother in the courtyard. "Thank you, Nahva!" The grateful momma exclaimed with a smile. Nahva smiled vibrantly in return, humming to herself as she set the bread down on a table in a graceful flourish.
Oh Ambrus,She prayed, Let tonight be what everyone needs right now. Keep us safe.Looking up at the night sky, she patted down her grey tulle dress a bit. She hoped their god was watching over them, and she hoped she looked pretty for him. Being one of the oldest members of the clan, Nahva didn't catch most men's eyes in that special way. She had certainly more of a mother role for nearly everyone around her. The fires and lanterns were lit, music was being played on the platform and some folks were even dancing together. Stories were being dramatically told at the fire pits, there was laughing and crying. The mature mender smiled as she saw Insignious join everyone at last.
Nahva clapped her hands to the music, jumping in with the dancers and laughing happily. Even in the savage darkness there was hope and there was life, stubbornly, stubbornly making all the difference in the world.
[attr="class","sheng4"]Catastor brushed her hair casually, her eyes fixated on the dancing embers of one of the bonfires. A stony expression decorated her face but did not reflect her feelings; though it was inconvenient to not have any sparring partners for evening training, seeing the warriors relax for once was a welcome sight. She'd figured that, until the celebration completed, her own practice regimen could wait. Much of the past half-hour had been spent hanging up lanterns, a duty assigned quickly to her, given the height advantage she possessed in this regard. One of the junior healers called Catastor's attention and showed the durian fruit they were hoping to eat. The warrior nodded quietly before receiving the pungent yet tasty fruit and, after making sure the healer was more than a safe distance away, swiped her sword through the middle of the durian, which of course was physically unscathed-- now its odor was gone, making it a tasty treat with no olfactory caveat. "Thanks Säure!" they cried with glee. Such a easy-going use of her magic always quietly delighted Catastor; such delight manifested as a happy gleam in her otherwise calm eyes as she watched the healer hurry to a bonfire to serve the fruit. Once, she'd been asked to cut away the smell of a lamb roast meant for a surprise party; in Catastor's defense, hiding the delicious scent worked perfectly-- it was the cramped hiding spots being rather inadequate that alerted the guest of honor to the presence of their surprise guests.[break][break]
Catastor picked a firepit at random and sat near to it, crossing her long legs before tucking them in close; her hair she allowed to cascade onto the ground in all directions around her. Several dancers kept in rhythm just nearby, Nahva among them. Catastor did her best to clap in time with the tune, though her more obvious misses elicited a few giggles from her fellow clanspeople. Sheepishly shrugging it off, she sighed happily before reaching to pull over a basket of bread and fruit from a nearby table-- her long arms and the aid of her sheathed sword made swiping faraway food a simple task.[break][break]
The basket made a full circuit around the firepit before Catastor took anything from it; she settled on a simple dinner roll-- anything heavier than that and she worried it'd make her slightly sluggish during training. Thoughts of what route to patrol next or how to improve her efficiency during training appeared but, in the spirit of celebration, she tried her best to put them aside for the time being. Placing her sword along her lap, Catastor leaned back and put as much effort as she could into relaxing.
Looming around the edges of the festivities, one could find Kazumi with a mug in hand. Ale of the rawest sort swirled around the rim, sweet, fruity, and full-bodied. Shaky flames reflected from the beverage, stirred by the warrior's constant shifting of the container. Raspberry irises gazed elsewhere than into her cup, for she was entranced by the dancers. Their vibrant energy transcended beyond themselves, each hop into step quaint in nature, but grand in meaning. Nahva glistened with the embers behind her, making them seem as though they moved by her will alone, coaxed by her gleeful state.
The music itself may have elicited a headache, but the warrior watched the merriness, the joy, the laughter from her clanmates she was too far to hear-- she smirked, weary from her earlier mission. Exhausted. She took a sip, hoping it would light the internal blaze which drove her. Participate. Celebrate, for them.
While the ale sped up her drowsiness, it filled her with warmth all the same, adding a bit of color to her cheeks.
Setting her beverage down at a self-serve table, she caught sight of Säure and inadvertently- though awkwardly- held it. A memory surfaced, back in the days where Maelstromclan was considered their enemy. A time where Tempestclan saw their lethal forces firsthand. Terrifying, yet exhilarating. Inspiring, even. Tempestclan's equal; a unique balance.
"Do you remember?"
She sighed, approaching Catastor and anyone else who may have been present. She attempted to center her thoughts, recalling the events which led up to a significant encounter.
"The dragon. Not Celah's, but Apollo's. Were you there?"
"I remember when they returned from that fight!" Tadi responded excitedly from where she sat amongst them. Her mask was hanging around her neck, giving everyone full view of her energetic smile. "I was just an apprentice at the time, but I remember Beryllium telling me all about it." Her eyes grew just a little sad as she recalled the day the clan lost Beryl, but she shook it off. "Maelstrom's magic was so beautiful. And- oh my gosh do you remember when they had that new litter of wolves and the newborns were this big?" At that she parted her hands to the size of a loaf of bread, laughing. "And they had all those wrinkles and their whining was so loud and-" At this point Tadi's voice was reduced to a rambling, joyful squeal of describing how cute they were.
[attr="class","sheng4"]The simple, small beginnings of a smile appeared at the edges of Catastor's face; wrinkly little wolf pups were a truly cute memory of Maelstromclan; she'd managed, somehow, to have forgotten about them inbetween then and now. Tadi and Kazumi's sharing of stories helped, though Catastor furrowed her brow in thinking about Kazumi's specific account of things. "I didn't get to see any dragon..." she said quietly as if pouting, almost. Her eyes remained unflinchingly still and didn't blink as the fire crackled heartily in front of them; instead, Catastor took a sizeable bite from the dinner roll she'd picked up.[break][break]
Brushing some of her hair to one side, the quiet warrior fondly recalled how, even before a fierce battle, Maelstrom's best animal handlers distributed treats to their trusted steeds and animal companions; it was, nice of them. Catastor pulled the basket of snacks close once more and munched on a tomato, half-wishing it was customary for her and her clan to share treats before entering the fray together. Tadi's glee was infectious and Catastor's smile evolved into a slow nod of agreement, coupled of course still with a faint and casual smile.
Kazumi grinned as Tadi spoke, wrapped up in memories that continuously played in her mind, scene after scene. Tadi's fawning was enough to make her giggle, recalling when one of the wolf pups, older then, which tackled her to the ground with licks of kisses.
Catastor's pout wouldn't go unnoticed, however. Warrior added from Tadi's words, explaining what she remembered.
"It wasn't a real one, it was Apollo's, made of pure magic. Nothing beats the actual thing, though. Proof being the wolves; definitely real. Would know."
Gesturing to her forearm were scars of what one could assume were teeth. Wolf teeth, at that. Many years ago, during battle, she'd been bitten by the beasts. She grinned, however, the marks valiantly earned in battle akin to medals on her chest.
"Considering how big those babies got, I can't believe they started out so small."
"You never did let Venge stitch that up properly." Nahva said over Kazumi's shoulder as she walked around and sat with them, her hair in a wild mess after dancing. "He's complained to me about it more than once." She added, laughing sweetly. The mender crossed her legs and rested her hands on her knee.
"Now I haven't been here nearly as long as you ladies, but I do remember a special time at Maelstromclan. Their rose festival." At that, Tadi smiled and nodded as she remembered too. "Ohhhh that's right!" Nahva smiled and looked at each of them. "I remember you were all at the one a few years ago! They put blue roses on everything! The roofs, the pathways, the seating, the lamposts! And Tadi you were dancing with a fine fellow that night."
Tadi nodded, her smile fading- but returning stubbornly. "Oh he was very fine, Nahva. Marius." She sighed the name aloud in a blissful way. "We teamed up for the tied race and did horribly." The girls laughed together. "I remember that!" Nahva said, her face scrunching up as she laughed.
[attr="class","sheng4"]Catastor bobbed her head with careful, minuscule motions; even she couldn't help but enjoy the joyful rhythm playing at one of the other firepits. The songs slowed down somewhat, leaving fast drumbeats for smoother tunes, as clanspeople took quick breaks from dancing to get some refreshments and sit to chat. Nahva's mention of the rose festival stoked Catastor's memory. "I remember I picked up a lot of blue roses; some of them I was given. I put a bunch in my hair when my arms got full. Someone tried to keep count of how many I could wear in my hair at once. I don't know how that worked out for them," she mused casually, as if reciting an errand list. Catastor finished off the dinner roll in her hand and briskly dusted her fingers off on her shorts. "I think my hair looked like a great ocean wave by the end of the festival," the warrior said, nearly giggling.[break][break]
The tied race, she remembered well; specifically, the memory of Tadi and, who was it, Marius? The memory of those two frantically hopping about in no particular direction, while others inched their way towards the finish line, returned quickly. Catastor recalled trying to offer them advice from the sideline but being drowned out by the cheering of the other, louder spectators. It occurred to her that she had been asked to participate but had sheepishly declined, citing knee soreness from... dancing, of all things, earlier during the festival. Säure blinked at the firepit, wondering if Kazumi and the others had managed to forget that semi-blunder of hers.
Although Kazumi wanted to wave a hand off at Venge's concern, she continued to listen to each story, smiling all the while. Laughter from the ladies elicited adjoining chuckles of her own, the race especially a fond memory. As was Catastor's elegance surrounded in roses, which had gotten the stares from many of the warriors-- Maelstromclan and Tempestclan alike. Surely such memory outdid that of semi-blunder Catastor committed.
"I'm surprised they didn't get too tangled by the end of the festival. I put one, just one rose behind an ear and it ended up yanking out a few hairs, caught by thorns."
She shook her head, thankful she hadn't a head of hair as heavy as Catastor's must've been. While her voice may have sounded annoyed, the warrior's face hadn't expressed so.
From the corner of her eyes she noticed small blurs rushing by, calling forth another thought of the festival she assumed forgotten.
"The kiddos were adorable all dolled up with roses. Didn't one of them try diving into a patch like they were autumn leaves or something? You'd think they'd have remembered there were thorns attached to them."
"Sera! That was definitely Sera!" Nahva laughed, watching as a fellow warrior approached them. He was a mature soldier with a sturdy build and shortly trimmed brown hair.
"Jeremiah, sit with us!" The mender said, urging him towards a spot next to her. The man smiled slightly with a nod of thanks, sitting with the girls and leaning in close amongst their little group.
"Something has happened." He said abruptly in a very low voice.
Nahva's smile disappeared and she exchanged looks with her girls before also leaning in. "What? What's going on?"
"Akihito. The man who brought the children." Jeremiah took a breath before leaning in further, "It's Kirai."
Tadi gasped quietly and covered her mouth in shock. Nahva's brows pressed together. "I've heard that name....Who...who was he again?" Tadi put a hand on Nahva's shoulder, looking at her in worry. "That was Apollo's demon. Remember when we told you he used to have a demon? Kirai killed a lot of us years and years ago. Yuuki ended up killing him, for Apollo's and everyone's sake."
"Insignious found out and had him placed in cell six." Jeremiah mentioned, shaking his head before resting it in his hand exhaustedly.
Nahva's expression fell as she immediately reverted to mother mode, sitting straighter and looking around at the crowds of people. "What...! Where's Insignious?! How could he allow that to remain in our village? What's he thinking??"
"I don't know, Nahva," The man spoke from where he rested his head, "I don't know what he's planning to do with him. You should have seen Etoah though. The man fuckin' lost it. I mean lost it. He tried to kill him. (At this, Nahva huffed "And so he should!") But Insignious told him to leave and off he went. He didn't take a partner either. But look," Jeremiah looked up at all of them closely, "Don't tell anyone else about this, yeah? Insignious wants everyone to enjoy themselves tonight. I know I can trust you ladies though."
[attr="class","sheng4"]In consoling a post-dive Sera, Catastor had let the kiddo play freely with her rose-veiled hair; the long flowered locks had acted, when bundled up enough, at different points as both Sera's imaginary royal mantle and great ninja cloak. it was a fond memory for the warrior, who'd been sitting and carving wooden practice swords during the kiddo's fantastical adventures with her hair.[break][break]
Before Catastor could chime in with this recollection, she noticed an unnerved Jeremiah approach; for some, his hushed speaking indicated his unease; for Säure, the way he shifted which foot he placed weight back on forth even while seated was a faster, larger tell of discomfort. With his revelation of Akihito's identity, almost all eyes had turned to Jeremiah, all listeners hoping to hear what they might need to do now. Säure looked first at a shocked Tadi; her reaction was perfectly understandable and yet, to see both Tadi and Nahva of all people so disconcerted spoke to the gravity of this bit of news.[break][break]
Not one for fear, at least of individuals or beings not in front of her presently, Säure exhaled softly and drummed her fingers along the sheath of her sword as it lay in her lap. Kirai. Demon seemed like the only real way to describe him and his history, as far as the clan was concerned. Säure hadn't been able to be of much use then, when Kirai actively threatened Tempestclan but now, as both a warrior and weapon for the clan, she let hypothetical plans of action stew in her mind; at least until Jeremiah had passed along to them that Insignious hoped for this to remain under wraps-- and that the party was the focus for tonight. Catastor drew her hand back from her sword and returned it to idly brushing some of her hair. "What's he doing..." she murmured under her breath, herself unsure if she meant to ask it or say it. Catastor's eyes looked right at the crackling firepit; at the slightest hint of one of her friend's voices, her attention and gaze would be roused and directed fully to them; but for now, she stared at the dissolving embers and blinked only a handful of times.
Disbelief was the first expression to cross Kazumi's features, her grin immediately flipping as she half-listened to Tadi's explanation about who the Demon was. Needless to say, she didn't need a reminder.
"You're kidding me."
She bitterly scorned, rolling her eyes as she glanced back at her drink, finding its temptation more enticing than ever. Instead, the warrior fully joined them, seating herself beside Catastor as she propped her head up by an elbow on her knee. Listening. Pissed, but still listening.
Raspberry irises searched inconspicuously for the clan leader, if only to merely check his expression. He was always hard to read, although out of most of his decisions, leaving Kirai alive was one of the oddest. Nahva said so well what Kazumi wanted to-- What the HELL was he thinking?
"If Etoah shows back up before sunrise, color me surprised."
Keeping her line of sight on Insignious, she pitched in needless speculation, well aware of the drama she potentially stirred. Too bad she was too tipsy to care.
"We just spent a whole day at Maelstromclan with that Demon and didn't realize a thing. He tried to play us. Etoah's always listened to Insignious, but watch this be the one order he won't accept. He's a menace-- what if Maelstromclan was his part of his doing?"
Insignious was standing in a group near a separate fire pit, far from where the ladies sat. His expression was entirely normal as he and the men around him laughed and seemed to be teasing each other over something. One of the warriors shoved him playfully, making him spill his drink. He laughed with the others, flipping the guy off dramatically and saying something that made the other men exclaim things like "Ooooh! Damn son!" If his mind was somewhere else, it was expertly hidden.
Meanwhile, Jeremiah was nodding to Kazumi's words. "Exactly."
"He was so kind with the children..." Tadi said, mostly to herself as she stared hard at the flames before them.
Nahva was watching what she could of Bleu and Sera fiercely as a mother bear would. "I can't just sit here knowing this. Those two precious children just lost everything, and this creature swoops in and takes advantage of them. He could have killed them. He could have done something to them that they aren't mentioning." At that, she stood up in a panic.
"Nahva-" Jeremiah said quietly, raising a hand. "We can't do anything about it right now. We don't want to start a frenzy, either. Trust that Insignious knows what he's doing." The woman slowly sat back down, her face full of grief- an incredibly rare thing to find on her. The sounds of celebration had become muffled in her ears.
[attr="class","sheng4"]Kazumi's suspicions of the Demon and the demise of Maelstromclan stirred unconscious worries in Catastor; and she reflexively leaned a tad bit on Kazumi as if to brace the two of them together against any other impactful revelations to be delivered to them by Jeremiah. Though all of them present at the firepit talked around Insignious and his plans for the demon, many gazes made their way over to him directly, even if just for fleeting half-seconds-- Säure however kept a concerned watch over each of her present companions; of course, the Demon was kept in a cell away from them but, with this hushed alarm raised and brought to her attention, Catastor couldn't help but maintain a protective eye around their immediate perimeter. Her fingers drummed on the sheath of her sword which, according to some, was a bit of a bad habit of hers; at the very least, it caused slight worry to some unfamiliar with how she operated.[break][break]
The words of the others sounded at once both agreeable and almost lamenting. Worth remembering, Säure thought to herself, was how the Demon's guise had been seen through when it was, and not a second later. Jeremiah's cautioning against uncharacteristic or rushed actions sat, logically, well with Nahva and the others. Anything out of the ordinary could create panic and commotion-- potentially what the Demon hoped to instigate in the first place by reappearing. "I get it, Jeremiah. I can watch over the kids as needed. I keep quiet well, I keep calm well," stated Catastor with a blank look towards the ground, her mouth formed into a thin angled line. Only those who'd spent a significant amount of time around Säure knew just how much emotion she hid, unknowingly, behind her pursed lips and level stare; it was perhaps one of her finest skills and her most unconscious one at that. As if to punctuate how deeply important this was to her, Säure lifted her head to look at Nahva's grieving expression. Why can't the Demon leave us alone, I don't get it, Catastor pondered silently with a sigh; she leaned some more on Kazumi on reflex as her train of thought chugged along with a full head of darkened steam.
Feeling the pressure of Catastor against her, Kazumi shifted herself off her palm to better support the additional weight. Equaling the force from Catastor with herself, she brought an arm back and around the warrior's hair, brushing a hand around long locks. Something she'd done before, hoping it would give Säure that extra bit of reassurance she likely needed.
"I'm with you, Nahva."
Returning her gaze from Insignious, the warrior slowly nodded, keeping her volume low. Action was called for-- but there was a time and a place. They'd have to wait. Besides, Jeremiah trusted them.
From behind the group, a high-pitched voice startled her. She paused from weaving through hair, her head craned back to get a better view at the little ones. What felt like an ambush was the work of the twins; Sera holding tightly onto her brother's hand, as usual. Innocents.
"Have you guys seen Aki? I promised him to dance."
