EVENT #17: EPULUM - IC EVENT LOG

[abraxasmods]

Event #17 - Epulum

OOC Plotting Post ⦁ Coordination Post ⦁ Nocwich

Nocwich is familiar territory, having invited the Summoned over a year ago. While Luna and the werewolves are a prominent presence, Ikorr has chosen to keep to itself. That is, until now.

Stamped with Ikorr's signature wax seal, the red-enveloped letters invite you to a grand street festival called Epulum. While the Carnivale itself will take place on FEBRUARY 25, you'll be asked to come one day beforehand to enjoy the sights and prepare for a fantastic night. Food, accommodations, and clothes will be provided. All you have to do is show up.

As the night goes on, however, you'll notice something is afoot. Do you ignore it and continue partying? Or will you find yourself swept up in this unusual mystery?

Players are encouraged to incorporate aspects of the celebration into their investigation threads. Explore the mirror hall while looking for clues or wear a mask to blend in! And if someone's a bit tipsy? Well, let's hope they won't mess up the investigation too terribly.

Please note that the confrontation and choice at the end may temporarily impact the state of Nocwich. Nocwich is not guaranteed to be open in March.

The Carnivale

Each Epulum, Ikorr draws from the Major Arcana to determine what direction the world will take. This year, Epulum is represented by The Tower. Indicating change through chaos, Ikorr believes that The Tower is a sign that it's time for the city to open its doors to the Summoned - even if the decision might cause some strife with Luna.

Shops and stalls will sell accessories with the symbol of The Tower on them, from necklaces to embroidered shawls to hand-inked cards. If you happen to be a Tower yourself, you might be given a small trinket or two for free!

The main celebration will take place on the night of FEBRUARY 25, but characters can explore Ikorr's main streets the evening prior.

Arrival

You'll enter Nocwich as usual, wearing the pendant that allows you through the portal at Oleuni Square. Once there, you'll be given a warming potion to keep out the cold, and a second portal will take you into Ikorr.

Unlike Luna, Ikorr's architecture favors height, stone, and stained glass. Pointed arches stretch towards the stars. You can explore a variety of taverns and shops around the Carnivale area, which has been blocked off for the celebrations. Leaving the checkpoint is possible, but you'll be patted down and examined each time you reenter, so you may not want to come and go too often. Ikorr is taking a bit more care ever since the attacks on the delegates and given the scale of this event, security is fairly tight.

Nonetheless, there's no shortage of things to look at: street vendors, eateries, taverns, art galleries, and more. You'll have a few hours to look around before you retire to your tent.

Getting Ready

Since your stay will only be overnight, Ikorr has set aside one of the massive tents near the Sanguine Promenade for you and your friends. There are no rooms. Every Summoned will be piled under the same tent. You'll have plenty of space, though not much privacy. Maybe you can take the opportunity to make new friends and help each other dress up.

On that note, you must find the right attire. You can bring an outfit or purchase something from the shops, but if you don't want to spend the gold, the tent will have several wardrobe trunks and closets filled with clothes and accessories. You can borrow anything you want for the Carnivale.

You'll have a pretty good idea of what you're expected to wear to blend in since natives around the Promenade will be getting ready at the same time. Outfits are eye-catching , and bolder guests tend to cover very little. Men in particular will forgo a top in favor of wearing little more than strings of beads and crystals. Ikorrans are more lenient with foreigners who don't want to go all-in, but you should make an effort. You've taken the warming potion, haven't you? So the chilly weather is no excuse!

Carnivale Night

Extravagant and over-the-top, the Carnivale is all about excess. Shops and buildings are decorated with colorful flags to match the tents that line the streets. Even the Sentinel Guards have made the effort to add decorations to their uniforms. If your clothes are too understated, someone will come by to drape you with beads and feathers.

The main display is the parade. Competition is fierce for participants, who spend months planning the float, costumes, and magical displays, including pyrotechnics. Some floats have up to a dozen performers while others utilize intense spells to create an unforgettable show. The parade is typically led off with a float dedicated to the chosen Arcana - the Tower for this year.

During the parade, you'll be given some flowers to throw onto your favorite float. At the end of the night, the float covered with the most flowers is crowned the Golden Petal, a title that guarantees them a slot in the next celebration's parade. While Ikorr does its best to keep the competition in good spirits, sabotage has occurred in the past.

Attending Guests

The majority of Ikorr's population are vampires, or Ikorrans. While Oleuni Square sees werewolves and vampires mingle in small degrees, werewolves and vampires don't enter each other's borders, with rare political exceptions. The Draconae from the Nether are frequent visitors to Ikorr. Some settle in Ikorr for years or decades.

A handful of humans are also in attendance since Ikorr extended the invitation to natives of Thorne, the Free Cities, and Solvunn as a courtesy. Lesser-known but notable representatives will observe the event in a diplomatic capacity. They'll stand out a little more, as their outfits won't be as bright or revealing.

Sights & Sounds

As you enter the block, small pieces of glimmering confetti float down from above. Don't try to brush them off - there's no escaping the glitter and shine. You'll quickly realize the only taboo at the Carnivale is to have taboos in the first place. Partiers are here to let loose, and won't take to it kindly if you've come to bring down the mood. If you're shy, the locals are encouraging and will direct you to one of the main festival sections.

◎ Sanguine Promenade

Here, large tents in bright colors fill the walkway. Each tent hosts a different activity: drinking, bathing, gambling, and more intimate desires. The Promenade is illuminated with floating candles that shift colors to match the surroundings. Aphrodisiacs can be obtained upon request. They offer a range of effects from heightened sensitivity to relaxation. Avoid unlabeled foods - you might accidentally take something you didn't want.

A few of the tents will have a wall of colorful masks, each one featuring a different animal: a mouse, a rabbit, a wolf, a bear, a snake. Donning the mask will cause you to take on the physical traits of those animals. Scales emerge along your skin, ears sprout from your head, your nails become claws. You won't gain any special senses or strength. The transformation is strictly visual. It'll fade the moment you take off the mask.

Designed for anonymity so that guests can indulge in more extravagant behaviors without attaching their name, they make for a fairly quick and easy disguise if you need to remain unidentified. Or, you can just have fun with them.

◎ Feasting Quarter

The Feasting Quarter is a glutton's paradise, especially for the Summoned who can dine and drink for free. Enticing smells from vibrant stalls beckon you forward. While typical Ikorran dishes are dainty and petite, the Carnivale brings rich flavors, thick slices of meat and fruit, and overflowing plates. And one can't forget the wines! Blood-free varieties are available. All attendants will receive a special chalice decorated with the Tower. With the chalice, you can go up to any stall and fill your cup as much as you like. You can also buy trinkets and flowers to add to your costume.

As is tradition, samples from a small eatery called Thought For Food are placed on tables around the Quarter. These small candies feature different flavors: spicy, sweet, and sour. The flavors give the effect one might expect (spicy enhances passion, sweet delivers euphoria, and sour induces clarity)...except for you, the effects are reversed. Does it have something to do with being a Summoned? Nobody can say, but the result is the same:

• a spicy morsel will dull all your emotions
• a sweet treat will make you irritable and moody
• a sour candy will cloud your judgment, thereby increasing impulsivity

To your relief, the effects wear off within the hour. Be careful you don't eat one of these while investigating. These candies are also dissolvable. Maybe you can slip a witness a candy to change their mood? Just remember that as native Abraxans, witnesses will experience the proper effects, not the reverse ones!

◎ Blood Moon Ring

The Blood Moon Ring is an arena lit with floating red orbs. No seats are available, so you'll have to crowd around if you want to watch. Sword swallowers, fire jugglers, and other extravagant displays are here to entertain you. Most of it uses illusory magic, but the Ikorrans are hardier than your average human, so some of their stunts are quite real.

At the far end is a hall full of mirrors titled The Unending Face of Madness. The plaque explains an Ikorran artist designed it as a tongue-in-cheek reference to rumors that vampires lack a reflection. It isn't meant to have any mystical properties. Indeed, none of the natives will experience anything unusual - but that isn't so for you. As you navigate the maze of mirrors, your reflections begin to move independently.

When you lean closer, you notice your image bears your Arcana across its chest. Then it begins to transform into the very thing that defines your Arcana Sign as you. Are you an outcast? Too unyielding in your judgement or foolishly hasty with your decisions? Was there an event that shaped who you became? Maybe your features will shift into another individual, or you'll face a past version of yourself at that defining moment in your life. Or, you see yourself as the person you're afraid you might become: a monster or a corrupted ruler. Whatever it is, the mirror will reveal a piece of your soul - not only to you but to anyone else who's in the maze with you.

The Crime

On FEBRUARY 25, the night of the Carnivale Epulum, you notice some oddities afoot a few hours in. Are the guests behaving strangely? Is it a strong instinct you possess? Did somebody tell you that they saw something weird? You should probably investigate in case things go south.

If you think you've solved the mystery, don't be hasty about chasing down the accused! Instead, bring your suspicions to Celeste. She'll decide who to apprehend based on all sets of accusations. Her temporary office is near the celebrations. You can't meet with her directly, but you can drop off the details with her secretary.

Characters should REPORT to Celeste rather than pursuing the suspect themselves. This is to avoid conflicting scenarios as to how and when the culprit is caught. The culprit will be one of the four Witnesses described under Investigating.

Rising Suspicions

Your suspicions might arise from one of the three scenarios below. Each scenario will lead you to the same information outlined under The Missing Artifact. You might be on your own, or you may be with a friend. Of course, you can also learn the details secondhand from someone you know.

Players can incorporate the information provided to flavor their threads and are welcome to take control (within reason) of the NPCs involved in these scenarios. If you have any questions about specific responses or behaviors, use the MOD CONTACT section.

If your character is inclined to announce the full details to everyone immediately, we recommend delaying their in-game discovery time a little. This will allow other player characters to engage in the discovery scenarios before they learn everything over the Network!

Scenario #1: Sentinel Guards

There's been a sudden increase in Sentinels, Ikorr's guarding force, around the perimeter of the street party. Approaching them, you learn that they won't let you leave. It's a matter of safety, you understand. They promise you everything should be sorted by morning. If you're polite and question them further, they'll admit that a thief has struck the vaults. Though they can't disclose anything else, they'll direct you to their Deputy Sentinel, Soraya Moran. Speaking to her, the deputy will tell you it's unorthodox to involve an outsider, but due to the emergency, she'll make an exception.

Scenario #2: Angry Guest

A distressed woman wanders the promenade in tears. She declares she's barricaded from retrieving her jewels in the vault and that her costume for the parade is now ruined. If you can calm her long enough to talk to her, she'll tell you that the Vault Guardians have sealed off the vaults to everyone, even esteemed patrons. Visiting the Vault Guardians, you learn that there's been a theft in the area. While they don't usually divulge the vault's precious contents, they admit they could use the help from a Summoned, given the potential consequences.

Scenario #3: Abandoned Skulls

Throughout the street festival, you can find several lost skulls from someone's costume. You might recognize it from the Drowning Maiden who went by during the parade...except the float and its massive tank never finished the circuit. When you locate the prop's owner (it is just a prop, right?), you realize why: the soaking wet maiden, now out of her costume, sits beside the defunct float with its cracked tank. Upset, she insists that someone must've tampered with the tank. Have you heard of the theft in the vaults? She's sure the thief did something to her tank to cause the distraction. She directs you to Ikorr's Deputy Sentinel, Soraya Moran. Speaking to her, the deputy will confirm the theft. While it's unorthodox to involve an outsider, due to the emergency, she'll make an exception.

The Missing Artifact

Whether you speak to the Deputy Sentinel or the Vault Guardians, they'll tell you the same thing: that the item stolen is of critical importance and extremely dangerous if not contained. Historically, Ikorr's secured vaults have never been broken into, so this is an unprecedented situation. Officials suspect more nefarious forces are at play.

Ikorr will stress that the goal is to recover the artifact undamaged so that it can be safely locked away again. While characters will be faced with the decision to destroy or preserve it at the end of the night, they will not know that this is a potential option until after the artifact is recovered and Luna has made its stand.

Further questioning will reveal the following details:

◎ While the item itself is, of course, gone, you can take a look at a painting of it located in the public art gallery directly above where the vaults are secured. Called the Twin Latchkeys, its origins are unknown, but its appearance is unlike other artifacts in Abraxas. The vivid paint is well-preserved despite the passing of time. When the blades taste blood, the user becomes a conduit for great power.

◎ Inside the vault, next to the missing artifact, is an ancient headless torso fossilized in stone. Its chest has been split open and folded back - like two doors opening. The Sentinels explain that this is the last known user of the daggers. While the specimen holds no relevant clues, seeing the consequences for yourself might spur you to action.

◎ The vault shows no signs of forced entry. The powerful wards aren't broken at all. The Sentinels claim this can only be possible if the ward were taken down, then erected back up, something that would require an unusual amount of magic.

◎ From the Sentinels, you can learn the names of key Witnesses as outlined below. They'll also point out that the Vaults and the gallery above are a good place to start. The dressing room at the Blood Moon Ring may have experts in lesser-known magic, as well as somebody who might know what really happened with the tank and the Drowning Maiden. The Sanguine Promenade is ideal for eavesdropping, where talk flows freely. Finally, the Feasting Quarter has shopkeepers who're privy to all manner of gossip.

Investigating

The Sentinels can suggest some key names (Witnesses) or locations (Scenes) to help you get started. Examining a witness or scene will lead you to Evidence that you can investigate further or add to your notes. You won't find evidence unless you look around first. There are no strict limitations on how much you can do or examine at a time, but keep in mind you'll be working with others - so it might be a good idea to delegate and share the load!

Keep your focus on the noted evidence and witnesses. You're welcome to go off track, but you're unlikely to uncover anything useful. Ikorr officials will suggest you take a partner in case you run into any danger. Try your best to be discreet. While you can use the authority Ikorr bestowed on you to get information, making it known you're investigating may result in witnesses being less cooperative. The choice is yours!

Characters can investigate or interact with any of the points provided below. Interactions can be accidental if your character wouldn't get involved on their own. Further, the Horizon is available for coordinating evidence, recreating crime scenes, and more.

Images are purely references for visualization. All necessary information will be in the text. You can explore what you like for CR purposes, but only the items listed below will help you solve the mystery. Forms are available in the body of the Coordination Post itself.

Witnesses

Each witness has an assigned location. They won't stray from there, so they'll be easy to find if you need to see them again. You can either talk to or spy on an individual. The higher your rank, the more trouble you'll have spying. Try your abilities or look to the Carnivale Night Sights & Sounds to see what you can use. Any one of these witnesses can become a suspect. Be careful! Delivering unsubstantiated accusations to Celeste can lead the real culprit to escape.

Babis ◎ Interact
Sanguine Promenade

Bright-eyed and earnest, Babis has traveled to Ikorr to celebrate his 20th birthday. Despite his youth, he's a talented blacksmith seeking to hone his craft and expand his horizons outside the Nether. He has a record of theft for stealing an expensive wine, demonstrating his impressive lock-picking skills. Security claim they saw him in the gallery above the vault at the time of the theft - unusual, since most of the crowd would've gathered outside for the parade by then. They'll also note that he viewed the painting of the Twin Latchkeys frequently, returning to it over and over. The other witnesses may know more about him...or you might want to follow him first to see what he's up to.

Retha Zelpha (Firewing) ◎ Interact
Blood Moon Ring

Retha Zelpha is an Ikorran performer for the Blood Moon Ring. A well-respected figurehead for the event, Retha knows anyone and everyone who takes part in the performances - both past and present. A skilled ventriloquist, she sometimes speaks through her bird, named Firewing. Confusingly, "Firewing" is also Retha's stage name, leading to rumors that Retha and the bird are the same individual. You can find her looking after the performers or resting in her dressing room. Or, if you have good timing, you can catch her after one of her impressive acrobatic displays, where she soars nearly as high as Firewing (the bird). As with many in the entertainment business, she has a fair number of rivals...and a history of being vengeful.

Soraya Moran ◎ Interact
The Vault

Soraya Moran has been a Sentinel her entire life. Young by Ikorran standards, she was promoted to Deputy six years ago. Soraya is most informed about the vaults: its history, access records, information about the wards, and security protocols. While she was once a common sight during late nights, the past year has seen her take more time to herself ever since she began dating Marcellus Ver, the famous chef. Or, that was the case. In the month leading up to the festival, Soraya began taking extra shifts guarding the vault, which her colleagues find odd. What happened to all her talk of finally settling down? Gossip around the blood cooler is that her relationship with Marcellus was growing turbulent, causing her to avoid her home life by throwing herself back into work - but it's equally possible there's more to it.

Marcellus Ver ◎ Interact
Feasting Quarter

Marcellus Ver is a talented chef who's become a wealthy businessman and landowner. He made his name on his signature wine, the coveted Dusk Rose, an expensive vintage that uses a secret ingredient. The wine isn't available to the public. Marcellus sells it to an exclusive clientele list. He has a hand in nearly every shop established in the Feasting Quarter. Despite his considerable riches, his generosity is well-known, as well as his support for the arts. Coupled with his charms, Marcellus is a popular figure in Ikorr. He can often be found sampling the food and wine around the Feasting Quarter to make sure they're up to standard for the guests - and his name. If you need to know who to talk to for information on a particular subject, he can likely point you to the right shopkeeper. Of course, you may have to wonder, is his reputation just a little too spotless?

Scenes

You can investigate these locations below for any reason. Maybe you think it's a good idea to begin somewhere, or you spoke to someone who gave you the lead. While you can explore the broader area, it's best to narrow your focus to one of the key aspects (denoted with an underline). Any one of these scenes can contain evidence, which you can pursue further in the Evidence section below.

The Vaults ◎ Interact
Vault/Gallery

Underneath the art gallery, you can find the vaults, now sealed off by a team of Vault Guardians. Supervising them is Deputy Sentinel Soraya Moran, who'll guide you around the crime scene. There are two key sections you might want to examine: the warding that surrounds the vaults and the blood signature used to seal the artifact inside its (now empty) case. You can also look upstairs and speak to the gallery security guards, who keep an eye on the public artworks. Many of Ikorr's important figures keep their valuables in these vaults, too, but you'll need a good reason first to go through someone else's private vault.

Dressing Room ◎ Interact
Blood Moon Ring

You can find several dressing rooms at the Blood Moon Ring, but one locked door stands out: while the area is busy with performers coming and going, no one seems to be using this particular room. To gain access, you'll need to bypass the lock using your magic or skills. Having a special lockpick may help. If you've heard of a certain Draconae thief, you can try seeing if he'll lend you a hand. Or, you can go at it yourself. Sneaking risks getting caught, but it'll get you in and out much quicker. However, should you get on Retha Zepha's good side, she'll let you in to look around without trouble. Once inside, you can examine one of the following: the closets and dressers, the vanity table, and a wall decorated with paintings.

Merchant Stalls ◎ Interact
Feasting Quarter

The Feasting Quarter includes the famous Sun Petal, a flower stall run by an expert botanist who could know a thing or two about unusual plants. Another wine merchant is rumored to possess a bottle or two of the Dusk Rose vintage. They aren't advertising this fact, though, so you'll need to eavesdrop or ask a witness who might know about wines. Of course, it'll help if you can explain why you're so interested in either information. If you'd rather look around, you can examine one of the following: the storage area behind the merchant stalls and the carts of food samples.

Bathing Tent ◎ Interact
Sanguine Promenade

This is where the Ikorrans go to have a dip in the heated pool. If you want to talk to anyone discreetly, you'll also have to strip down and don one of the disguising masks to blend in. If you show up fully clothed or unmasked, you'll draw more attention to the investigation. There's no right or wrong way to do it! Being upfront will give you the authority to look where you want, but folks will be unhappy. Discretion will keep everyone none the wiser. Once inside, you can examine one of the following: a series of locked trunks where people store their belongings (located behind a curtain), a sauna that's mysteriously out of commission, and the lost and found barrels. If you've chosen to go undercover, make sure you use a distraction or keep watch so no one catches you rummaging where you shouldn't.

Evidence

Evidence can only be examined after it's found. You can find a piece of evidence by investigating a Scene or a Witness above. For simplicity, there are three "types" of evidence. However, there are multiple items of each type - so don't worry if someone else has already "taken" one of the evidence items. Keep investigating, and you might find something of your own. For example, you may find a third or fourth letter that previous others didn't.

Letters & Records ◎ Interact
Unknown

Important letters and other records can be found in the various scenes you explore. Once you have one, you can examine it in detail, cross-reference it with other letters or records, or use the information you learn to return to a Witness to pursue a new line of questioning.

Leather Sachets ◎ Interact
Unknown

These unusual leather sachets will surface around the Carnivale area. You're likely to find one hidden in an unexpected place, though it's possible one of the locals will have found one, too. Be sure to examine its contents closely, and compare what you find inside to other sachets that show up. There doesn't appear to be any rhyme or reason as to where one is located. In fact, you might not even be investigating on purpose when you stumble across it.

Blood Signature ◎ Interact
Unknown

You'll be informed that of the authorized personnel who have access to the Twin Latchkeys, none of them match the blood signature used. As a result, it'll be up to you to search for a match. You'll have the best luck if you focus on one of the four Witnesses. To find a match, you'll need to obtain the person's hair, saliva, or blood. How you accomplish this is up to you! If you're positive someone's innocent, you can request they hand a sample over to clear their name. However, you'll risk alerting the culprit if you target the wrong person or are caught stealing a sample.

The Confrontation

Fortunately, whether or not the culprit is identified, Ikorr will recover the missing artifact. The Sentinels will notify all of the Summoned about the news, even if they weren't involved in the investigation, and will request everyone gather in Celeste's office.

There appears to be a small hiccup, however: due to the Twin Latchkeys going missing, Luna has caught wind that Ikorr possesses the object, and they've come to do something about it.

Brewing Tensions

Luna is demanding the artifact be destroyed rather than returned to the vaults. They've sent one of their own, though the werewolf who arrives is not the one some may have grown familiar with. Accompanied by only two guards, Thyra, a member of the Circle, is here to deliver a message that if Ikorr won't give up the artifact, the vampires could very well disrupt the tenuous peace built over the past two years. Naturally, Ikorr holds similar sentiments should the Lunae refuse to leave Ikorr's borders.

◎ IKORR claims that destroying the artifact will risk unleashing a dangerous unknown power. Keeping it contained is the only surefire way to keep everyone safe. Ikorr's vaults haven't been breached in thousands of years, and they don't foresee this happening again.

◎ LUNA claims that containing the artifact will risk that power escaping in the future. Destroying it is the only surefire way to keep everyone safe. It only takes one misstep for something to go wrong, as tonight demonstrated.

With how involved the Summoned have been in Nocwich and the measure of respect some of you have gained, a few eyes turn to you for answers. Most of Ikorr's Sentinels want to go home without starting a war. Other Summoned may feel the same. Thyra and her guards don't appear interested in conflict, either, but they firmly believe the world is threatened by the existence of this object and will do what it takes.

Tensions aren't just between Ikorr and Luna. There are the other Summoned to consider. With so many of you gathered together, and emotions running high, you might find yourself in the middle of more than one conflict or arguing with your friends.

Taking Action (or Not)

For some of you, the choice is easy. For others, you might feel conflicted. Do you help? If so, whose side do you take, if anyone's? You won't have a lot of time to decide while tensions rapidly mount. Either option poses a risk: you can't take it back if you accidentally release the dark force inside the artifact, but nor can you predict if or when that force could escape on its own somehow.

And if you don't want to get involved? Nobody could blame you for stepping aside to let Ikorr and Luna resolve their centuries-old conflict. In fact, neither Luna nor Ikorr will explicitly ask you to intervene. They're more than ready to take matters into their own hands, and they understand you aren't responsible for Nocwich's politics. But they are willing to hear you out if you have something to say. You get the sense that you're the only person they'll listen to.

Still, you wonder if you're letting all the importance bestowed on you as a Summoned get to your head. Or maybe you don't wonder anything. Maybe you're acting just to keep things from spiraling out of control, or you're positive you have to save these people from themselves - and protect your friends, too. You've seen firsthand the kind of havoc that can occur with untested powers. What if this artifact disturbs the Singularity or worse? You certainly don't want a war (do you?)

No matter what you do next, you'll leave your mark behind. Will your meddling make things worse? Or will you walk away only to discover you should've made a stand?

No vote will take place in-game, but OOC, players will SUBMIT THEIR DECISION as a vote. The deadline is March 3 at 11:59 ET.

Each character can have a vote as long as you can link a thread of them participating in the event. You can side with Ikorr, Luna, or Abstain. All three choices will carry consequences. You can also use the Coordination Post to play out any rapid IC exchanges while everyone is gathered together.

---

Comments

Closed to The Doctor

[divinityfrompain]

Julia was absolutely delighted to get the invitation to Ikorr, a brand new place, where apparently there's going to be a party. And a Mardi Gras-esque party, she guesses, when she gets there and sees the set up. She's having a grand old time taking in the sights, and of course goes looking for the Doctor as soon as possible. She snags his hand when she does and grins, tugging him toward the tend where they're all supposed to get ready.

"You are not going to believe this," she laughs, and pulls a trunk open full of costumes and cloths that fit the theme. "It's dress up time for real!" Julia thinks it only fitting that their first big party together is reminiscent of the type of fun they had when they were alone. She's in a very good mood. When the energy is high and she's surrounded by happy or excited people, there is an underlining aspect of her power that helps her soak in positive energy. Life magic can take all kinds of form.

She has no access to fancy clothes in Solvunn let alone this kind, so she decides to go big and really fit in. Coming back from the dressing area with her chosen look, Julia realizes only as she's stepping out that she's nervous. This is also a reminder of their moments together in the TARDIS, when she realized she wanted his attention, that feeling his eyes on her felt better than when other people did. Is she dressing this way to make herself feel good or to catch his eye? Probably both. And because she can.

Her dress is not much of one although it does fit in with the theme of the party. She's been to carnivale-themed events in college so it's not entirely new. The dive down the front of her dress is low, but everything still is covered. It's supposed to be tantalizing without going too far, the skirt of glowing beads down to her ankles. She's wearing heels so she finally won't be a foot shorter than him.

Her dark hair is curled just right and her only real makeup is a purple eyeshadow that makes little wings at the end. It fits. Julia steps out and does a tiny spin, the skirt floating because of it. "Ta da!" is all she says, trying to act like it doesn't matter what he thinks.

[thedreamer]

"Oh, see, we're old hands at this now. Not at all out of practice," he grins back at her. Entirely different from the TARDIS wardrobe, of course, but in the Doctor's mind, that makes it all the more thrilling. A new place to explore, new people to meet, curiosities to unfold. Having glimpsed what the Ikorrans tend to wear, he has a general sense of what might be on offer, but he's more looking forward to what Julia will decide on. And he hasn't the faintest idea what to expect, but when she comes out dressed like that, he has the immediate sense of being quite pleased.

"Can you do that spinny thing again? Your sort-of-not-quite skirt, it goes whoomph," he puffs out his cheeks a bit, making a sound like air being half-puffed, half-whistled out of his lips, while making a show of exploding his hands apart. As if that explains anything at all. "I liked that! Like you might be almost about to take off, but not. Which is good! Because I prefer you here. On the ground. Near-ish me."

[divinityfrompain]

Julia does a little spin again and the skirt floats with the movement. Once she stops she instead shimmies her hips and that makes the beads clink together in a cute jingling sound. She's quite pleased with it. It's more daring than she's been since getting here, but she feels good about it. She doesn't understand what he means by whoomph but hopefully her movements will fulfill that need for him.

"What does near-ish mean? Five feet apart like we're at a middle school dance?" She laughs because the two of them would never manage. They're always giving each other little touches, it's almost out of hand at times, but so far it's been gestures of affection within boundaries. Like now when she reaches out to ruffle his hair.

"I am excited about trying out the food, but I was warned to check the drinks for if they're blood-infused." Julia is not interested in blood wine, no thanks.

[thedreamer]

There are times he doesn't entirely understand what he means, either, except he enjoys the sounds of the beads and the movement in the air as it's displaced just a bit by her spinning. The Doctor doesn't see beauty in the way others might, in the way so many of his dearest friends from Earth would. Beautiful is a word they say, and they know what it means, and they feel it when they say it. The Doctor sees beauty in different ways, on a smaller, detailed, molecular level — he can name the properties that would identify something as beautiful, he can explain the scientific reasons something might be objectively or even subjectively beautiful. He can expound on angles and shapes and circumferences and the rotation of a planet relative to the position one occupies standing there in front of him at this precise moment and how the light hitting her hair illuminates her in a way that's altogether pleasant. He can explain beauty on a broader level, too, the birth of a star that would capture anyone's attention.

Somewhere in there is Julia, showing off her dress and spinning for him again because he asked. And she smiles and laughs, and he thinks she must absolutely be beautiful in this moment because he can feel that laugh, and because when she smiles, it is a fact that she shines like the first light of a new star. An undisputed truth.

He doesn't know how to say that so he smiles, and there's an obvious brightness in his eyes. "I don't think anyone could wear that better than you, Julia," he manages.

"Near-ish is...ah, well, did you know the average and most widely accepted range of space between two people who aren't friends or family is 120-360 centimeters? So if we're, oh, approximately 60 centimeters apart or less at any given moment, that cements us as the best of friends. We're actually, right now, only seven point six two centimeters apart. Obviously because you wanted to ruffle my hair," he teases her.

"No to the blood-infused drinks, yes, agreed," he agrees quickly. "And I think I've got my outfit decided, you tell me." He steps away just to grab a few things that caught his eye and when he comes back, he's wearing this. There's an undershirt but he's left the top unbuttoned so there's just a bit of skin showing on his chest. Keeping on theme!

[divinityfrompain]

"I'm pretty sure these are all hand-me-downs so you can't know that for sure, but thank you, flatterer." They're all clean, she would not put on something grimy no matter how cute it was, but they didn't just create these clothes for the Summoned. These are examples and suggestions, far as she can tell. But she loves this one and she's glad to have it for the night.

"Your hair is cute, it is begging to be ruffled. I'll make sure to be 60 centimeters from now on though." Julia steps about a foot away, see, she's respecting it, amused because she knows he's saying it to say it. He loves fun facts. She waits though for him to go and change since he's found something he likes.

She doesn't expect him to be shirtless, he doesn't have that vibe, so this lines up with her expectations. She claps, smiling. "Well don't you like shiny and ready to party. Also with a glorious hat." Julia knows he likes hats, and it fits the mood, there are hats everywhere. He looks very handsome, as per usual, and if she spots that little patch of skin at the top button, no one should blame her.

Julia picks up a little bag. "I was told we have to throw these flowers at the parade float we like best." She put the flowers in there for when they get to have a discerning eye.

[thedreamer]

"Who's the flatterer now? Keep it up, I may even agree to a distance of only thirty centimeters apart," he teases with a little twinkle in his eyes. At the compliment to his hair and the mention of the glorious hat — yes it is glorious, he can't help but think — he tips his head back playfully and pulls the hat down briefly over his eyes before pushing it back up again so he can see her.

As if to further emphasize it's all just silly nonsense on his part, he immediately closes the gap between them so he can peer into the small bag and have a look at the flowers.

"This will be fun! Where to first?"

[divinityfrompain]

"Or maybe no centimeters apart," Julia teases back, and shows what she means by putting her hand into the crook of his arm. So they don't have much distance at all, but they're about to stroll around the carnivale. She only internally thinks about how this could arguably be called a date, but so could most of their meet ups in the right lighting. She's probably just in a really good mood and everything feels fun and thrilling.

"I'm thinking a non-blood-infused drink. Maybe try out the local cuisine. I hear they've got these cool masks you can put on." That is very carnivale/mardi gras of them. If she didn't know this was another world, she'd think they were connected. She tugs him with her.

Not that later Julia has given up his arm in exchange for a glass of wine and trying the new fruits and cheeses that they offer here. She looked kind of warily at the meat since it's unclear what animal it comes from, so she'll just wine and cheese it, maybe with some sugary goodies along the way. The parade has not gone fully into swing and there is the sound of jolly music in the area.

"Hey, do you dance?"

[thedreamer]

"If you insist, I suppose," he smirks a little, playfully acquiescing as though it's some terrible hardship to allow her arm to slip through his. He doesn't really mind the closeness, he just never really quite knows what to do with it so he makes jokes about it.

He's grinning and taking in all the sights as they walk, and of course, he can't seem to shut up about anything at all, per his usual. So he'll go on like this for a bit: "This reminds me of Carnival in Venice, 18th century. Oh, that was a treat, Julia! Beyond splendid. The masks, the costumes, the endless delights! So many people to meet, places to see, foods to savor, chickens to rescue."

The Doctor isn't quite as skeptical about trying different meats, but that doesn't mean he necessarily actually likes everything. He can't predict how his tastebuds will shift around, so it's all a new adventure to him. But the sound of music playing catches his attention as well, and while he's just swallowing a bite, he nods and hums a little. It's strange to think back (and he tries not to) to his younger self, in those days after the Time War. He'd been playfully reticent about it, though he'd given in, of course. How could he not? He does love dancing, he loves weddings and parties, but there's so much to see.

"I have, occasionally, the odd century or two. Don't want to boast, but I've definitely got the moves. There's so much to see first, though, shouldn't we..."

Of course, if he were tugged over there, he wouldn't give up much of a fight.

[divinityfrompain]

Julia listens to him ramble on with a smile, listening intently to all of his stories. His enthusiasm is something she can't resist. He makes everything sound like a grand adventure. He could probably make a visit to the grocery store into an epic poem. She shares her own stories. "Mardi Gras at NYU, not quite as culturally relevant, but during a party on one of the quads they set off a bomb of light glittery beads that pelted us like hail. It took them an entire year to find every single one in the grass. A few were unearthed during the winter."

Julia isn't a party girl but she knows how to enjoy parties when they happen, and she's showing that now as the two of them chatter and see the lay of the land. She likes the ambiance, it has positive energy. She downs the rest of her drink in one go, not helping her image of party girl, but to be fair she had like three sips left in it, and sets it down.

"Don't worry! One dance and then we will. I just don't know how long there will be live music, there's other things they have planned." The crowd may shift to a different kind of energy and she'll lose out on the chance. Julia does like to dance and these heels are just stable enough to be able to. The music currently is upbeat and bouncy so they don't actually need the moves to enjoy it.

"Although you could leave me to dance by myself." She walks backwards toward that area, crooking her fingers at him as she does, but she puts on an over-exaggerated pout at him with that last idea. Dancing by herself? How sad. But she proves that she doesn't need a partner by going ahead and starting alone regardless.

Julia is very graceful so she makes even rave-like dancing seem artistic, dark hair waving and circling around her as she moves. She doesn't care if her feet will hurt tomorrow in these heels because it'll be different from every day soles in Solvunn.

[thedreamer]

He loves her stories, everything she might ever want to tell him, always listening intently. The Doctor's idea of a good time when it comes to parties is, perhaps, a bit out of touch and out of step with what most might tend to think of. He envisions balloons, board games, karaoke, endless plates of creative and mysterious nibble food, and dancing, of course! All the dancing. Though here again, his definition of dancing might not match everyone else's. Still, he thinks he's quite good.

That is, until Julia begins to dance for him. She's quite the sight as she warms up and really gets going. He wonders if she has any sense of the way she shines; for him, for others, for everyone around her. As she twirls about, he's captivated enough to forget himself for just a moment. Watching her is its own kind of magic.

But! He can't actually let her be alone for long, no. That pout does exactly what she'd hoped it would.

"And let you have all the fun? I think not!" He teases, calling out to her, grinning playfully. "You've really perfected that pout over the years, too, haven't you? Dangerous, that."

Now as he comes closer to join her, the Doctor decides to close the gap between them by executing his signature very good and not at all ridiculous dance move.

[divinityfrompain]

Julia is not currently glowing to the level she sometimes does when excited, although there does have a low level energy underneath her skin that subconsciously people might feel as magnetic. Divinity is meant to draw attention. She doesn't ordinarily like doing that, but she feels his eyes on her, and it makes her feel good. Bright, interesting, attractive. Whether that's what he thinks when he looks at her or not, it's how it feels under his gaze.

"Of course I have perfected it. A girl needs every weapon in her arsenal she can get." And a pout is good for that. Julia's used it more times than she count on Quentin to get him out of his shell, to tell him that everything's okay and he can follow her into whatever she's doing next. It's a signal to them that she's being persuasive and he wants to be persuaded. And it works on the Doctor in the same way.

Then he dances at her with a particular move that has her laughing out loud. Julia looks right at him and mimics the exact thing, not caring that it might look silly. Because she's with him, no one else matters. If they want to dance like weirdos at each other, they can. The music is joyful and so are they. They move near each other rather than directly together for this point.

Julia's flushed, hair wild, when this particularly lively jig ends and she's still got laughter in her eyes when the excited beat slows down. She just is happy, honestly. That's what he brings out in her. Anyone will make this night fun and special for her, but it's only him that when the music turns gentle and light, slowing down, she steps closer. At least with her heels she doesn't have so far to look up at him, but she still does.

"May I have this dance?" It means the two of them getting closer than ever before physically, when they have been relatively so, but Julia usually shies away from too much touch. And maybe it's a bad idea given the boundaries he made, but why does a dance have to be anything more than what it is? Her treacherous heart wants to have a few stolen minutes of feeling safe in his arms. Surely that is not a bad thing to desire.

She doesn't pout or say 'come on' or try to push it in any way. She asks, hazel eyes on his, and that's it.

[thedreamer]

She looks so beautiful there as she asks him. That's the first thing. Oh, it's been fun and wild and absolutely brilliant, all this flapping about they've done together. But the music has slowed down significantly, and the dance that comes next isn't one suited at all for throwing arms wildly in the air. It's meant for holding each other, he knows that much, and that's implied in the way she asks, that soft and gentle question.

It shouldn't really take very long to answer, it's just the weight of all that's come before this moment that lingers between his hearts and a solid yes. But he's very, very aware of not wanting her to think he doesn't want this, so he steps closer and reaches out to take her hand for a moment briefly, cradling it between both of his.

"You're so alive, Julia," he ducks his head briefly, pressing the lightest of kisses to her wrist, where her pulse thrums with life, before he pulls back with a soft smile. "I'd freeze this moment a little longer if I could. Well, maybe not this one. Maybe the one right after, which promises to be a real cracker. You said something about dancing, after all."

He's trying not to let his darker thoughts surface, holding them back. She's strong, she's not a fragile human like so many he's loved and lost. That should steady him, but this world worries him, and he'll be glad, he realizes, for the gift of holding her near him for a moment while those thoughts tumble around unbidden. She wants a dance, and he's thinking of how terrified he would be to lose her. Leave it to him, of course, to turn a simple request into something with further reaching implications. In the end, he's just always been afraid, hasn't he? Of the thing that always happens, of the thing he tries to run away from.

But he pulls her close at last, as close as she seems comfortable with, and wraps an arm around her waist.

"You can have this dance and the next one, if I'm any good. I might even let you steal a third one, you know, at some point in the future if you want to get greedy about it."

Less with his usual boasting, apparently, at least when it comes to this kind of dancing.

[divinityfrompain]

Julia doesn't know what to expect but he does the unexpected by grasping her hand like that before agreeing to the dance. Her skin blushes when she feels his lips on her wrist and her eyes go wide, surprised, but not against it. It feels more intimate than on the knuckles or anywhere else, it's over her pulse, where her heart beats faster. It's intimate and she wouldn't know what to expect herself to feel until it happens. There's no preparing for it.

All she feels is flushed and vulnerable, but not in a way that makes her want to shut down. The Doctor always splits her open emotionally, and then catches her at the same time. Her skin doesn't crawl from an unexpected touch, she doesn't jerk back like she was afraid she might, she doesn't shy away. Julia steps closer to him when he pulls, drawn like a magnetic force greater than either of them is tugging, and straight into his arms.

She has allowed some embraces since her trauma but it is different when in the arms of someone that has a romantic undertone. And that is absolutely what is between them, Julia would call either of them liars to say otherwise. The words he's saying, the kiss she can still feel on her skin, it's all staggeringly romantic. Hugging Quentin isn't the same thing as feeling the heat of the Doctor's body as she steps into him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I think you literally just took my breath away for a few seconds, so smooth moves, Doctor." Was she breathing? She probably didn't need to, so if she stopped, it was purely due to him. Julia is a little tense but not for the reason she thought she would be; she's nervous. It's been a while since the last time she was in a man's arms that she felt fluttery and breathless about!

She'd get emotional about realizing she could feel that way again if she wasn't so focused on this moment with him. Instead of dwelling on that, Julia flashes him a smile and it's full of that happiness he fills her up with. Also humor and perhaps a sparkle of hope. She offers him her other hand again since they're dancing, twining their fingers together.

"Careful I might end up having you dancing for an entire day if you put that in my head." A day curled up with him sounds amazing, actually. "I think I'd freeze every moment we've shared. If there was a way to do a memory scrapbook, I would."

[thedreamer]

He shouldn't be quite so oblivious by now, really, and yet somehow he manages to be surprised by the the words, I'd freeze every moment we've shared. It's a sentiment that feels as though it runs deeper, deeper than...they're friends, right? Very, very good friends. The best of here, he'd easily say. That's all! Maybe. Sort of. But it's all a big pile of feelings that he's sure he's made a mess of already because he usually does, even (and most especially) when he doesn't mean to. That quickening pace of her heart could have easily been attributed to the dancing they'd already done, but it's her words that catch him and hold him.

"If that's meant to be a threat, I'll take the risk," he teases, willing to keep their fingers laced together as they dance. The atmosphere all around them is so full of vibrancy and life, it's so busy and joyful, but for a little while, it feels like only them. Strange, how that could happen.

"I noticed your heart's beating about ten beats more per minute than it really should, though to be fair, we were moving quite quickly. Gets the blood pumping," he teases again gently. "It's good we've slowed down, though, catch your breath." He might sound completely oblivious, and he's only halfway there. He's never really as oblivious as he seems. Well, most of the time. Sometimes he really is entirely lost in his own mind, or elsewhere altogether. Not tonight, though. The mention of a memory scrapbook gives him an idea, though, for something to give her later. The next time they meet in Nocwich.

"I haven't danced like this in a long time. You've set a new bar, as it were. All other dances will accordingly be judged by this one. No pressure or anything!"

He couldn't be sure, really, how nice it might feel to keep her close to him like this, and his hold on her tightens just a little, a protective surge in him, the irrational thought that if he could only hold her long enough and tightly enough, she might always be like she is now, safe and thrumming with life and beauty and joy.

i am so wordy I'm sorry lol

[divinityfrompain]

They are friends. The best of, or at least they could be, as they get to know one another more. From the first moment they met, Julia felt something significant was happening. She'd call it a sort of destiny if asked, because most of her life has a touch of that. God-touched, a daughter of fate, our lady of the tree, there is nothing about her as simple as girl meets boy and likes him. They want to explore the endless galaxies together. This is not an average bond.

"Oh yes, it was the dancing that was making my heart race." She doesn't know if he's oblivious or just pretending to be, but it won't stop her from lightly teasing him about it. It would be like him to not know the effect he could have on someone. She wonders how many women, men, and others who have gotten pulled into his magnetic presence and he didn't realize how quickly they got caught up.

"I work very well under pressure, don't worry." Julia sinks into him and it all feels perfect. She feels his hold tighten and she leans forward like unconsciously reassuring him that she's there and she isn't pulling away. The world around them fades away until it truly feels like they're cocooned into their own corner. Maybe it feels that way or maybe something genuinely magical is happening, given that she isn't always aware of how her goddess powers work. The noise drains away. The music is clear.

Julia puts her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes. The natural sway of their bodies to a melody lets her heart slow to a relaxing beat. She told him in the TARDIS that she wanted to be that girl again, and right then, she feels like she is. Despite what was said then, what was brushed aside, she knows what this is. She's felt it before, and both men were lost to her, due to her own mistakes.

He may want to protect her from the world, to keep her safe and close to him, but she wants to protect him from her. The world has never been kind to her and her heart has been cut to ribbons, the thud of it heavy if she gets too into her doubts about letting anyone be this close to her. Fate is a blade that cuts every which way.

"Maybe we'll dance on every planet we travel to together. Maybe all we'll ever be doing is dancing around each other." Those mean two completely different things. One is whimsical, the other, more pointed.

love it!!! i'm no better lol

[thedreamer]

For most of his very long life (too long, some days), the Doctor has enjoyed proximity and touch. He hasn't always known how to employ touch, as though the simple act of reaching for someone's hand or offering his arms for an embrace might first necessitate precise mathematical computations before he makes a go of it.

X equals friend, Y equals Doctor, and Z is the hope of time enough with those he's been grateful to call friends over the years. Sometimes, occasionally, approaching more than friendship, which gets its own equation splitting off from the original, creating unit vectors he can map in his mind so they all have their own axes and variables.

Where was he?

Oh, right! Julia. Julia, very real and very, very here Julia. He's no stranger to touch, he's sought it out often, though perhaps sometimes in years past, he'd wanted it less; different preferences, different experiences. As he's aged and continues to carry scars and shadows that weren't there before, he's enjoyed hand-holding and hugging a bit more than before. The weight of someone in his arms just a moment longer, when he can feel the reassuring beat of their heart and tell himself another lie about that particular sound and the permanence of it. Or lack thereof, which he loathes.

But she's here, she's close, she's resting her head on his shoulder, and he starts to solve for x again in his head, calculates all the unknowns of this world and the ones beyond. Everything he can't predict, everything he wants and doesn't want, everything he fears and tries to hold onto. For a moment, she's letting him hold her, she's clinging to him all the same, and the thoughts tumbling in all different directions slow to a momentary crawl, a brief pause. She can't see him, so he allows it as his own eyes close and he lets out a breath he wasn't aware he'd been holding.

"It's a physics question," he notes in response, answering a question she didn't technically ask. It was an observation, he realizes, and one with broader implications. "Sort of. Not that you asked! But if we're dancing around each other, we're not altogether different from two spherical objects in close proximity to one another. In physics, a positive or negative charged spherical object spinning about creates a magnetic force field. Question is, of course, does that field repel or attract? Now! Not to worry, of course. The answer depends on the orientation of the rotation of both objects around each other. It also depends on the rotation axes and the strength of the line connecting the two spinning bodies."

He doesn't entirely answer the question, of course, he leaves it hang. To him, this is an answer, though convoluted and he's aware of that, too. But he's...not the best at this sometimes, even if it feels hopeful to him.

"No matter the outcome, one thing is guaranteed: they'll always dance together." Oh, yes — "We, I mean. We'll always dance together, Julia."

There's more he wants to say, so much more. It's all bundled up in his hearts and he wants to figure out what it all means, how to get it out, how to trust it being shared openly. For now, he leans into the truth of how close they're standing and how much certainty exists in the way they hold each other.

[divinityfrompain]

Julia's the opposite of him in many ways, she's a terribly lonely person. She grew up in a loveless and difficult family situation. She struggled to make friends outside of Quentin, but she did have him, and the two of them clung together for many years to stay sane. She got better at locking parts of herself away so she could 'fit in,' told herself to grow up, she got better at adult life but less willing to believe. Less like herself with each passing year.

Until magic broke her free. But it damaged her too. Jane Chatwin may have saved Fillory by throwing Julia out into the cold, but she left her on a path of destruction. She did the math; one person's suffering against the fate of everyone else. Julia can do that math too, and she has, but it still made her more alone than ever before. Every time she reached out to others, had something special, it was gone by the time she could hold onto it. Quentin's the only thing she's ever been able to keep for herself, and now he's lost to her too. The last thing she remembers from her world is his pain and the lengths she would go to heal it.

She's made friends here. Closer than she's had since her coven. She met the Doctor. And right now in this moment she feels like this is something she wants to hold onto, and that means that any second she'll blink and he'll be gone. Maybe he will. There's no controlling that. So she has to make a choice. Cut off contact, save them both potential pain, or decide that voluntary loneliness is not enough for her.

She listens to him chatter on about physics and any lingering weight in her mind lifts, and she laughs softly, shaking her head against his shoulder. "So you're saying I'm magnetic." Julia doesn't think there's any question which of them is the negative and positive here. She's being playful though, knowing he's talking in a circle both because it's his way and he is struggling on his side to pinpoint what is best.

She's stuck in her head but so is he. And in that, at least, they're very similar. She wants to believe his words so she does. She just lets herself believe it. "I haven't let anyone be this close to me since Richard." Maybe it's not the right time to talk about an ex, but Richard wasn't even that. He was taken from her before he could be, but she wants to remember him, she wants to remember the last time she felt this way. And that's the first time she could say that, considering what happened to his body.

"You would have liked him. He was a philosopher, a counselor, a believer. Like me he'd made mistakes, but he was willing to do anything to make up for them. He had this skill for making everyone feel calm and steady." The Doctor may not have liked his mistakes, but she thinks they would have been able to philosophize together, talk nerd, laugh. "He was my friend."

Julia lets her hand move from his shoulder as she speaks, wrapping around him more as an embrace, nuzzling into his neck, holding tight. "I think the best romances start as friends." A weighted statement.

[thedreamer]

"I'm absolutely saying that the electrons in your body are spinning in the same direction rather than the opposite, which gives you a charged magnetic field, and naturally some other matter floating about close to you might be drawn near. It's a scientific fact," he explains, with all seriousness, like she'd just asked him for an actual explanation.

The Doctor would freely admit to being absolutely terrible at this. All of this. Everything. Whatever this is, exactly. Oh, yes, yes, of course, he knows, he knows — in the vague sort of flap your hands about and speak quickly way of knowing things. Specifically as it pertains to this. He's actually clued in that something is happening, while he also somehow maintains his usual brand of practiced and purposeful not knowing because that's easier (or at the very least, another clever little lie he tells himself). And everything just settles in his mind and for a little while, he doesn't have to think about it.

But Julia asked him to dance and he could have said no, but he didn't, and now she's holding onto him in a way that's very much...not the way it was before, and oh, this is good and lovely and terrifying, and all his thoughts are colliding together.

Somewhere in there she says words, he's sure of it. He definitely heard her talking.

What was it — romance and friends and...Richard. Richard, yes, an easy topic. Well, no, not actually easy. Sad, very sad, in fact. But it's at least a bit less terrifying than the other stuff.

"Richard." He remembers. He'd never forget anything she told him, not something that important. Silver, Menolly, Bender. And Richard. "I do wish I'd known him."

He can't quite avoid her other words entirely, he really can't. He could, technically, but it would be a level of unkindness he couldn't abide, especially not towards her. She's so close and it feels so perfectly natural holding her here, her breath against his neck. His arms move without much thought, his hand cradling the back of her head now. Briefly. Then he lets out a quiet breath; nearly a sad sigh, but not quite.

"And I think romance — I'm rubbish at it, honestly," he admits softly, starting to pull back a little, but only in an effort to see her eyes, his hand very lightly cradling her cheek. "I usually get it wrong. Fairly guaranteed. But you — I know what you think of yourself, but you're so much more. You have been, you will be, you can be. I know it, I always have. And love and romance, all of it messy and confusing and wonderful and terrifying, you should have it. If you want to be that girl again, like you told me."

Somehow, even knowing, he doesn't quite know, hasn't completely made the connection back to himself and that she's talking about them, even though his hand is still on her cheek and he makes no move to separate from her.

And if you want to RUDELY INTERRUPT THEM go ahead lol

[divinityfrompain]

It was difficult for Julia to separate Richard from Reynard, which seemed terribly unfair, since she knew the man she admired first. There's just so much association with his face. But when she saw him again in the Underworld, it did feel like the Richard she loved, and she didn't cringe away from him. Reynard makes his face ugly, wicked, cruel. Nothing like the man himself. That's how she separates them. Richard's soft half-smile versus Reynard's mean grin.

She doesn't say maybe he'll show up here because she knows that's possible, but Richard's entire goal is to reunite with his son in the afterlife. He wouldn't want to be here with her, so she shouldn't put a wish like that out into the air. She knows he'll get what he wants some day, she has faith in that. It'll have to be enough.

Julia lifts her head when he touches her cheek, their eyes locking together. Her eyebrows furrow at him because for a moment she truly cannot believe he is being so blind. Is he being blind? Is he willfully ignoring it? It's so hard to tell with him. They are dancing, wrapped up in each other, their hearts right on their sleeves, and all she would have to do is go up on her tip toes to kiss him.

"Doctor," she says, her voice even raspier when it's this quiet. "Aren't you paying attention?" She reaches up to brush his hair behind his ear, curling her fingers along his cheek too. Maybe Julia should let them both keep running but what if she doesn't want to? What if being selfish isn't always a bad thing? She's allowed to want something, she has to be.

Their dancing comes to a natural conclusion as the bard gets ready for whatever next, the music stopping, but Julia's still in his arms, and she has no intention of moving away. "You let me dance in your arms, you tell me I'm so much more, you're excellent at romance." Those are explicitly romantic things, and yes, technically friends can do that too, and they could be just those if they wanted to, no one is forcing them to be like this. It happened. It's happening.

She feels light-headed and on the verge of something, and Julia's never been afraid, even when she should be. She licks her lips, unconscious in a way, bringing attention to them, hazel eyes fixed on him. "I do want it, I told you. What do you want?" Her fingers move into his hair, as blatant a movement as possible, leaning up so they're only a few inches away at most.

All he has to do is close the space.

#meanie

[thedreamer]

For all that he's so very not afraid of most things, it seems the whims of the heart have the power to paralyze him more than nearly anything else. How could just looking at Julia and contemplating how easy (or not) it might be to close the distance between them, stop him in his tracks? He doesn't entirely understand how she could feel this way about him, how anyone could, and it takes far longer than it really should for his brain to catch up and clue in to the fact that yes, she really is actually talking about him, about them.

He's going to muck it up. He's going to lose her, like he's lost so many before. More than anything, though, more than his own fears and his loneliness, he's afraid of what he knows of himself, the way he's hurt others, all the things he's done. It's selfish to lean in closer, to go a step further, to even imagine kissing her when she doesn't know the sort of man he really is. But then he wants — yes, he wants more, he does, and that's his selfishness coming through again. He wants something he shouldn't want, but she's so close and she makes it sound so easy, to just say it.

"You're so important," he starts, licking his lips quickly, nervously, and taking a breath. "You are, you have been, and I don't want to lose you and it's why I'm so —" Her fingers in his hair soothe him for a moment, steady him, and he charges on, "I want — what I really want —"

Before he can actually finish saying anything at all, a woman clearly in distress wanders past, crying and saying something he can't quite make out, but now his attention is drawn to her and he frowns in concern.

"Sorry. Rain check, promise. I really, really promise." He reaches for Julia's hand now. "That woman, she's absolutely not okay, we should have a look."

and fini womp womp

[divinityfrompain]

Julia is brave and sometimes that makes her unwise. Her mind tells her to be cautious but her heart then does whatever it wants. This thing between them has spiraled out of their control but that is what happens when the heart is in control. There are as many reasons for her to run away from this but she wants to stop hating herself. And if she wants to love herself, she should allow what moments of happiness there are.

"You won't lose me," she whispers, shaking her head. She understands the fear. Of all people, she does. They might be lost to the magic of this place, that is a reality Julia understands, but if it's here, it's them, he can't lose her. "Tell me." It's almost a beg, she just wants to know. What he wants, if she's crazy, if this is real.

But exactly like him, which perhaps says a great deal about the people they are, Julia snaps out of their intense moment when she hears crying. Her head turns toward the crying woman almost at the same instant. By the time he says rain check Julia has already pulled her arms away from him. He doesn't need to explain. It's disappointing, and she'll get into that later, but for now, she takes his hand.

"Let's see what happened."