Event Twenty-One

[awashmods]

Sometimes I feel happy, Sometimes I feel sad. Sometimes I feel curious, Sometimes I feel mad. Sometimes I feel silly, Sometimes I feel surprised. How many feelings, Do I have inside?

t's another regular, normal day in the Town. There's absolutely nothing to show that anything could possibly be wrong; the birds are chirping, the sky is bright, and everything is absolutely, entirely wrong. This time, though? The problem is internal. Slowly, bit by bit, people are going to stop feeling entirely like themselves -- or maybe even stop feeling at all. And suddenly that nice, bright day doesn't seem quite so nice and not quite so bright any longer after all. Welcome to Awash's Twenty-First event log, everyone! Further information on this event can be found here at the OOC post. You are welcome to make your own logs and posts for this event! If there are any questions, please ask them here. Thank you!

Comments

[noholdsbard]

As long as she’s coming back to her old self, he’s not complaining. Magilou certainly is a woman of many mysteries!

“Ahaha, that is indeed a far more adventurous life than the one I have led.” Well, while living, anyway. He knows he isn’t half as remarkable a knight as the likes of Sir Lancelot or something. But what happened after his death is another thing entirely.

“And yet you have maintained such exuberance throughout your many trials. It is commendable, Miss Magilou.”

[witchual]

"Well, you know what they say. If you can't beat 'em, might as well roll over and live freely."

There's a bit of nihilism in her smile, but it's still a smile, and he's been able to drag that much back out of her.

"Aw, come on, you have no escapades to speak of? You're a bard; you've had to have played in some interesting places. Tit-for-tat: tell me another story, since I gave you one!"

[noholdsbard]

It’s a start. Even that breezy maxim strikes him as being more like her than she’d been earlier on, and it’s very encouraging.

“I cannot deny such heartfelt pleas from so lovely a woman.” And it’s back to the dramatics for these two, apparently. “My exploits might not be the greatest, but I have had my fair share of accomplishments—such as the defeating a wicked king in a duel to the death to save my kingdom, if you would care to hear about so paltry an achievement.”

[witchual]

"Oho, now that one does sound interesting." She leans in fully in interest, now, putting her palms on the grass to lunge her body forward toward him. It's not quite an invasion of personal space, but it's more spirited than she was capable of. "Tell me all about it, every juicy detail. How many people did the king hurt before you stepped in like the dashing knight you are?"

[noholdsbard]

…Yep, he’s definitely going to keep this up. Seeing her this way just feels so…right. And he’s learning a bit more about her the longer they go on about this, which is definitely a win.

“Oh, countless. Ours was a great kingdom, presided over by a great man. Thus, it was only right that my lord uncle would send his greatest champion to defeat this most perilous threat.”

[witchual]

It helps that his spirited statements are lifting her up, bit by bit. Divulging dramatic details always gets her attention.

"So did you defeat the king who killed 'em with kindness, or some naughty successor of his?" This time, her smile is coy. If he's being sincere, she's hardly in a position to judge. "They do say the ones who show their opponents mercy can be the most dangerous of all. But I get the impression that you had a beautifully brutal monopoly over the battle."

[noholdsbard]

“Alas, a man such as that cannot be reasoned with. He was a bit of a bully, after all.” He pouts; understatement of the year, that.

“But he was, in his own way, a good and strong knight. He fought with valor and died an honorable death.” Unfortunately, the thought of this and what came after does dampen his mood some, and his shoulders slump.

“Ah…I cannot say that many men of that age were as fortunate.”

[witchual]

They must be reaching a subject too difficult for him to dwell on for long. The way his posture changes isn't lost on her, and though her enthusiasm to hear more hasn't dimmed, she dials back the vigor.

"So... A lot of unfortunate subjects, and a lot of unhappy royals. And he was defeated with a simple and brutal battle to the death. Another world in which the foundations of monarchy have crumbled away, if they ever existed in the first place." Her words aren't bitter - just a simple, blithe statement of fact. "Rather commendable, Archer. Assuming you fought with the valor and chivalry you've shown in your words."

[noholdsbard]

A world in which the foundations of monarchy have crumbled away…it’s scary how right she is, and how much he wishes he could still change all of that.

He sighs. “Certainly, I have fought as a knight should. My victory is something that I am justly proud of. But what happened in the aftermath is another matter.”

But this, he knows, will only pique her curiosity. For the time being, he turns a soft little smile her way. “And I am afraid that I will have to leave that tale for another time.” If ever.

[witchual]

"You certainly are a man of many mysteries."

Any other day, she'd pry - but today is not any other day, when she feels so unlike herself. It's probably a blessing that she doesn't feel like pushing past the boundaries he'd set. Despite it all, she does feel more like herself. She stands up, brushing off her knees and turning around so he can't see her face.

"But we all have things we'd rather keep buried. I'll dig 'em up someday. We can make it a competition: who cracks first?" There's a sly smile on her face, directed away from him, but her words are warm. Like she's addressing a friend and joking with them in turn. "Someday you'll be singing a lament for a lost bet."

[noholdsbard]

She truly is a dangerous woman, in the end. But he can sense no malice behind her words or her actions, and so takes the jesting for what it is.

“It is a game you would win without a doubt, Miss Magilou, for I would not be so uncouth as to wrest a woman’s secrets from her.”

And a woman, he knows, tends to have far more secrets than any man ever has. He knows that more than anyone else, given the women of his own life.

“But…whatever you might see fit to tell me, I can assure you that I shall guard it with my very life.”