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🌸 flower festival overflow (april 2022)

[hearthwarming]

🐱 sana

[hearthwarming]

( from here! )

[ Although it goes unseen, positioned as they are, the warmest of smiles blooms on Ori's face at what Sana says. That she would feel comfortable enough with Ori to let her braid her hair like this, and to tell her when something feels like A Lot, and everything else feels like a precious gift. She's glad to know someone like Sana, too, especially if her presence helps even just a little bit. ]

I am having fun, thank you for asking! Springtime is my favorite season, but it's been a while since I've been to a festival that celebrated it like this. It's nice!

[ As she reaches the ends of Sana's hair with this first braid, she ties it off neatly with a ribbon. ]

Big crowds can be a lot, though, so I understand how you feel. I'm glad we managed to find each other here.

[inveilsible]

Me too... [ She doesn't want to think about being completely overwhelmed in a place without knowing a single soul, like she had upon arrival. And thankfully, that hadn't actually happened. ]

But I'm glad you're having fun, too... I've never heard of a festival like this, but a lot of people go to watch the cherry blossoms back home and have picnics.

[hearthwarming]

That sounds like such a lovely time...

[ To just sit and have a picnic underneath blooming trees does, in fact, sound like an ideal outing for Ori. The way that she and Sana are sitting right now isn't too far of a departure, although there's certainly much more of a bustling atmosphere to this festival than what she's picturing with the cherry blossoms.

Ori begins to braid the other half of Sana's hair. ]

Is that something that you did, too, Sana?

👑 tifa

[hearthwarming]

( from here! )

[ She feels a little bashful when Tifa giggles at her, but of course, Ori knows that it's meant as an endearing soft of laugh. The word "photo" doesn't do much more to illuminate the concept for Ori, but she doesn't want to annoy Tifa by asking a billion questions, so ultimately she just nods along. "Picture" is at least a good start, and Ori has a vague idea of it some kind of visual thing! ]

Oh... That sounds interesting! Is it like making a painting...?

[ But, yes, it might be easier to understand when demonstrated. Fortunately for everyone involved, there seems to be a bloke nearby taking photos— not of the two of them, mind, but of the various floral sceneries around the festival. At least they seem friendly enough! ]

[starshower]

[Ori needs to ask more questions! There are so many things that she's missed out on that Tifa wants to make sure she gets to experience them all at least once, even if it's only through words and not show.]

Yeah, sort of like that!

[Tifa points to the man nearby with the camera—the very same one that had stopped her for photos earlier—and he seems preoccupied with one of the trees and its blossoms to even notice that they're there.]

I bet if we ask him nicely, he'll take a few for us.

[Time to float over there and say hello!]

[hearthwarming]

[ Ori follows the line of Tifa's finger and finds a man who appears to be scrutinizing the scenery with a gadget in hand - that must be the "camera" - and the recognition lights up on her face. ]

Oh! Then, let's go. I'm really good at asking nicely.

[ Some may even argue that she is too good at asking nicely, in that she's basically a doormat.

Ori wills them to float on over, cumulus mount and all, towards the man taking photographs. Once they're within a respectable, conversational distance, the tiefling speaks up: ]

H... Hello! [ come on, Ori, you said you were good at this. ] Is that a, um... "camera"? Would it be okay to ask for a few "photos" of my friend and I?

📖 somnus

[hearthwarming]

( from here! )

I, um... I mean... I'm a witch-in-training, right?

[ Perhaps it's a bit of Oriphi's own insecurities coming into play, here, but she can't help but feel that modifier of "in-training" must be there for a reason... narratively speaking. ]

I don't know if my... mentor, if they've taught me the kind of magic that lets me lift bovine curses...'

[ There's a beat before she pipes back up, as though she's just had some kind of revelation. She's really not doing the "taciturn" aspect of this role any good. ]

Unless... This must be some kind of test that they're giving me!

[luciing]

[ He appears to notice her prompt, and he works with it. ]

A test indeed, and one you must not fail for all of those within this demesne. [ If he is aware that he is putting more pressure on her, it doesn't show.

They pass into the outskirts of the village as he speaks, where pastures and fields of flowers line the dirt road. There are sheep, goats, and horses in various paddocks, but no cows yet. ]

You are blessed with magic. Others are without.

🍪 susato

[hearthwarming]

( from here! )

[ She really can't help it, but Ori audibly sighs with relief at Susato's reaction. "Druid" doesn't typically mean something scary where she's from, but she's beginning to second-guess herself after a few stressful encounters in this realm.

Of course, she's also well-aware of the actual scary things she can do, as a druid, but...

She gives Susato a bit of an uneasy smile. ]

I see... Where I'm from, there are some places where magic isn't as common or accepted. So I think I understand what you're thinking...

But, here, we don't have to worry about any of that, right? [ She perks up a bit, and the flowers adorning her entire person seem to bob a little in response. ] And dreamotion really is such a fascinating power! Don't you think so, Susato?

[judicialassistant]

[ All Susato can do is listen and watch the way the flowers respond to Ori. She can sense that she is trying to cheer her up, so even though she can see the uneasy smile, Ori will get an earnest one in return.

The pastel-colored flowers in her princess flower crown may have also looked a little brighter just then. ]

It is. I could practice for the rest of my days and still find something new to learn, I think. Anything is possible... though for now, what I've managed mostly revolves around fire. [ Which is... quite opposite to flowers. ]

⚡ eustace

[hearthwarming]

( from here! )

[ Oriphi earnestly cannot remember the last time she was ever called a brat. Perhaps, when she and Valphi were little and lived in that village that Eustace saw in her dreams, the sisters might have been looked down on and called such by the villagers. But there's nothing malicious or demeaning about the way that Eustace calls her one, now.

In fact, it feels... familial. Warm, in its own way. Like something an annoyed older sibling would call their little sister. Somehow, even through the foggy bleariness in her mind, she sees the small smile on his lips and feels like she can breathe a bit easier. ]

You... You don't? Even when I'm being... a brat?

[flamekthunder]

Yes. Even now.

[The bar is gone, and there is plenty of space now for her to come out...or for him to pull her out if she continues to waffle. So with one hand on a remaining bar, he steps onto the edge and hold outs his hand, reaching in for her to take.]

Now are you going to take my hand or am I going to have to pull you out?

[It might sound like an ultimatum—and really it is; he's going to get her out of her and not have her stuck in there one second longer if he can help it—but he says it a little gently, as if still trying to coax her. It would be better if she came of her own free will, but he knows it's difficult.]

🍷 barok

[hearthwarming]

( from here! )

[ How dare he say something that she could easily take seriously, being the way that she is...

What he says following, at least, seems to lift her spirits even just slightly. She is versed in plant magic, that's true, some may even argue well-versed. ]

I'll try not to... It's a little hard in this dress, though. I'm not used to there being... so much dress.

[ it's just so... poofy? ]

A—Anyway, I meant to chat with you on the night the winery opened, Mister Van Zieks, but you looked quite busy talking with your friends! [ Those were his friends, right? ] So... it's little late, but - congratulations on a successful opening!

[discourtesies]

I was not so busy as to deny the conversation of one so integral to our success.

[Honestly, conversation with her might have been an improvement over a couple of those with his......... "friends." (Not that he doesn't have a pleasant relationship with several of those who approached him at the time.)

Truly, though, van Zieks is sure that the... temporary unfortunate transformation of the area around his home (and thus part of the vineyards) into an icy fortress were not an issue he could have handled on his own while still allowing their efforts to proceed at a reasonable pace.]

I pray that you found it an enjoyable affair.

🍗 zhao

[hearthwarming]

( from here )

[ Curiosity lights up in her eyes at what he says. Food research! That sounds like so much fun! ]

Oh! Is that so? Wow, it really feels like so many people are starting their own businesses, here... How fun!

[ With a decisive nod, she adds: ]

I'll be happy to help you sample the chicken dishes! Is that your specialty?

[seemagicshit]

My specialty is Chinese cuisine, but some of it does include chicken. So I'm curious if they have an equivalent at all, or something completely different.

Plus, it might give me ideas, right? And it's fun to just stick with one type and try to pick a new favorite.

🌳 trahearne

[hearthwarming]

( from here )

[ Ori has been more than happy to allow Trahearne the space and quiet that he might need to feel whatever he needs to feel in light of everything he's just seen and revealed about himself. Each time he falls silent in his own thoughts, she's stayed silent, simply watching emotions play across his face, and this time is no different when he seems caught up in examining how the petal appears in the vial she's given him.

When he finally returns to the moment with a question for her, she smiles. ]

That's right. I know it's a bit... uncommon, but I promise it's a healthy relationship and we're happy together!

[pactmarshal]

[ A genuine smile crosses Trahearne's face when she tells him that. It's strange, knowing that he does indeed consider her one of his own, because if she were actually sylvari, he would have been able to feel her joy from her smile alone. And for some reason, the prospect is enough to make him happy, too. A welcome relief from...well, everything else he'd just felt. ]

I'm so happy to hear that, Ori. You have not one, but two people who love and care deeply for you. I know we've not known each other long, but I'd say you deserve that sort of happiness.

[ After witnessing her put herself down multiple times, despite the kindness and gentleness and sheer potential that brimmed from her, he says this with conviction. It's not up for debate.

And either way, he's the first of a people whose views on love and romance left the other races clutching their pearls. For a people where it was totally normal, and almost expected, for twins to become romantically involved because of their intense empathetic bond. So long as it's healthy for all involved, Trahearne does not think it weird at all. ]

🍃 venti

[hearthwarming]

( from here! )

[ Ori hums thoughtfully. Thoma and Diluc aside, Ori has undoubtedly met many people who have become quite important to her. People like Eustace and Hilda and Beatrix and Trahearne and Tifa who have made her smile, made her laugh, have been there for her when she felt down. She sincerely hopes that Venti comes to find people like that, too, if he hasn't already. If someone like her can find genuine companionship, even love in the span of a few months, she's sure that someone as dazzling and bright as Venti will, too. ]

Is that so? I'm glad. You know, I think you would get along well with my friend Mellon, if he ever got pulled into this place, too. He likes plants and flowers and is happy-go-lucky and a bit of a free spirit, too.

[ and is also something of a raging alcoholic but she will leave that part out for now. ]

[concierto]

[He giggles in return feeling a little fond that she thinks of him like that. He certainly loves flowers and is a happy-go-lucky free-spirited person. Although on the lonelier side of things at times and he wouldn't mind finding the sort of companionship she has found. If he lets his heart open to that sort of thing again.]

That does sound like someone I would get along with! Ehe! Is it common for you and your friends to love flowers? I'm sensing a common theme here!

[With her flowers and love for them too.]

I am happy to see so many new faces in this world. I think I'll be writing ballads and songs about all of them for as long as I'm here. Would that be alright, Oriphi? If I wrote a song about you and yours?

🌹 beatrix

[hearthwarming]

( from here )

[ Ori's expression softens somewhat when Beatrix sighs, although a rueful sort of smile remains on her lips, still. She has encountered her fair share of individuals who insist on being able to look out for themselves. She is in a relationship with one such person, even, and just recently that kind of mentality backfired on him tremendously, nearly getting him killed. Which isn't to say that people like Diluc or Beatrix isn't capable of looking out for themselves— but they worry her. She's far from being in the kind of position where she would feel justified in telling Beatrix the sorts of things she had told Diluc, that night, but she does promise, silently, to be there for the other woman. ]

We've all been thrust into this strange world together, so it makes sense for people to want to work and stick together, doesn't it? Whether it's out of kindness or necessity...

[ She is also no stranger to banding together and helping other folks as a matter of need, although her kindness surely plays some part in that.

Ori rummages through a small pouch hanging at her hip for a brief moment, pulling a small vial into which she deposits the flower petal. ]

You know, I bet there are more than a few people who are looking out for you, whether you like it or not. Just like you're looking out for me.

[roseofmay]

It does for those who normally employ such methods. [The implication being that Beatrix is not one of those people. Never really has been. Doesn't seem to have plans of changing that. Although...] There are those who protect and those who deserve protection. It has been said by some that hearts unified are accompanied by a strength that otherwise may be absent.

[She might consider pushing the issue a bit more, but she suspects she's made her point quite clear. Beatrix isn't going to magically change her thoughts on the matter. What Oriphi follows up with renders from her a rather abrupt pause. Of course she's right. Zidane, perhaps. Tifa. Dohalim. For just a breath, she frowns sharply. She isn't worth that effort.

Double standards, much?]

In the case of you and me, Oriphi, I intend to only intervene when necessary. After all, I am aware you are not defenceless. I will not treat you as though you are. It would be patronising and insulting of me to do so.

🦄 ira

[hearthwarming]

( from here )

[ She smiles a bit sheepishly at the realization that she doesn't know who Toge is. Though no one could blame her, seeing as there really are quite a number of dreamwalkers around. But perhaps she'll met him sometime! ]

Really...? Not even a different kind of festival to celebrate springtime or other seasons?

[ Naturally, Ori hasn't experienced a festival quite like this one, specifically, although she's certainly attended ones that celebrated other seasons or other such celebrations. ]

There was a festival where I'm from, called the Apple Blossom Festival. It was to celebrate the blooming of the apple trees, of course. But it went a little bit like this one.

[iracorn]

There were often events, usually to mark a holiday of some sort, in my hometown. But I didn't normally participate. As for other worlds, it was hard to say.

[Too caught up in too many things to travel to other worlds. And not knowing how to lighten up.]

I imagine it would be, and likely flowers everywhere as well.