Roleplay

Apollo watched as his sister and the other dancers performed, swaying with the music, the slight breeze they made making the small flurry of snow swirl around them, almost becoming a part of the dance. However, as the music and the dancing continued, Apollo got sidetracked.

Once the dancing was over, the lanterns would be released.

And with the lanterns being released… that meant… speeches:(

Once again, Apollo dreaded the upcoming forced public speaking, he was slightly prepared… probably. Alina had drilled some important speech things into him, but other than that it was all nerves. Bursting, itching nerves that wanted to bolt up and run far far away from the soon to be watchful judging eyes.

As Apollo spiraled, his eyes staring blankly at his feet, the drums changed rhythm, the
instruments played a more lively tune, and the dancers moved faster and faster. It was the final song, the one before the speeches. A few younger pure enchanted shuffled along the outskirts of the crowd, moving behind the dancers, ready to take the stage. The only problem was… Apollo was anything but ready.

---

Xander had been watching the performance from the back, supposedly looking for the two potential hosts. However, he found his eyes drawn in by the dancers, his focus diverted by the steady rhythm. He found himself drawn back to the past, when pure fire enchanted had elaborate dances like this. Back in the days when enchanted didn’t have to be in hiding; back when there were more of them…

…

Those were the days of the pat though, no point in getting caught up in them.

((Webackwebackwebackkkk

HELLO hi yes hello. I’m ready to get this rolling again >:3
Also yes I did I did try new methods, I’m decent with lineless now hehehe

I’m kinda trying to move through this quicker as we have literally been doing this part… for over a year :> Definitely not because I want to get to the dancing scene… No ulterior motives here And also the next part is exciting because I have some character development planned >:D

Once the drumming pittered out, the clearing seem to shuffle. The crowd seemed to still be swaying to the soft payying of the music, and the melody was still humming in Cheryl's ears like a soft whisper. She couldn't help but notice, however, that Apollo only seemed to tensen.

``Are you alright,`` she whispered, trying a smile. ``I promise you'll do great.``

She reached for his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. It wasn;t much, but she tried imagining all her warmth and courage bundling up into her hands like a torch being passed, and could only hope that Apollo could feel it. ``I'll be rooting for you.`` She assured him.

---

Quincy looked down at his friend, watching him move steadily as it he were a part of the gentle rhythm. He didn't have to ask to know what Xander was thinking about. The same thoughts invaded his mind, taking him to a place that was so, so much better than anything today's world could have offered. He tried his best not to let himself get too invested, though. So, blinking back the wetness that had glossed his eyes, he tried once more to scope the crowd. Luck evaded him.

((ghjfhjhsjhd 11 days that's not too bad ;-;

THE BALL IS STILL ROLLING!! JUST SUPERSLOWLY!!! we still here!!

what? rushing to get to a dance?? have no idea what your talking about and yES CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT WE LOVE :clapping hands: TO :clapping hands: SEE :clapping hands: IT :clapping hands:

Apollo smiled at Cheryl’s kind and reassuring words, nodding, before standing up and moving to line up with the other pure enchanted. He moved behind the stage where the dancers were slowly making their way off, taking deep breaths to try and calm himself.

A pure water enchanted was the first to step up, a man who looked to be in his early thirties. It was obvious he had done this before, he spoke without falter. “Once again we celebrate the gift of magic, given to us by the spirits of old.” His voice rang of dying passion, tired of saying the same thing year after year.

Apart from Apollo’s family, there weren’t many pure enchanted. But, per tradition, as many different pure enchanted had to speak, to call out to the spirits. As Apollo looked up, the water enchanted had finished speaking, with a younger earth enchanted taking his place.

The girl was younger than Apollo, maybe fourteen or fifteen; the impressive antlers on her head not yet reaching their intimidating size. If Apollo recalled correctly, she was from a smaller nearby village that had gotten attacked, making her a relatively new arrival. “Tonight we ask for another year of good harvests and safety, sent up with our lanterns.” She shuffled and continued talking.

What was he going to say again? Apollo’s mind blanked, the speaking points Alina had been telling him about for months left his brain, leaving only worry in it’s place.

As the earth enchanted left the stage, Apollo realized it was his turn. After all, pure enchanted were so few nowadays and, according to his father, the two who spoke before barely qualified as pure enchanted. With a gulp Apollo moved on stage, fearfully glancing out at the sea of eyes now watching him. He stood in quiet for a second, before a huff behind him jolted him into speaking.

“Um… O-On this day…” He mumbled through the beginning of the speech, losing his confidence. He glanced around before eventually locking eyes with Cheryl.

This… This was her first, possibly only, lantern festival. He couldn’t ruin it for her. With a deep breath he began to speak, not looking at anyone or anything else but Cheryl.

“On this day, we enchanted received the gift of magic from the great spirits, who saw our ancestors and bestowed upon them their pure power. Since that day, we celebrated our gifts and sent messages up to the great spirits, letting them know how much we have grown. Concerning the fighting with humans, we look to the spirits for guidance, to protect our gifts, our lives, and… those who we hold closely to our hearts.”

He smiled towards Cheryl, the kind words she spoke really had done wonders. At this point, the two other pure enchanted stepped forward, holding lanterns. Apollo momentarily panicked before Ayla stepped up and handed him his lantern.

“For water” Apollo watched as the lantern glowed blue on the inside, slowly activating the magic inside.

“For earth” The lantern did the same.

Apollo took a deep breath, “For light, may it always shine bright” He lit his lantern as the three of them held them up high, before releasing them.

---

Xander really wanted to jump up once he saw the pure light enchanted get up on stage. They were so close to talking to the hosts, the night was almost over, would it really be so bad to just get up and grab the two of them to talk to?

“Quincy” he hissed softly. “He’s right there, we should just go and grab him, get this over with.” It was clear that Xander was getting a annoyed at dragging this outing out for so long.

((Dude hello you just made my day. I’m working rn and my shift has been awful ;-;

Also I have a thing to upload once I get home… I’ve drawn some things hehehe. Also started a long term thing involving this but it’ll probably take several months to finish at the rate.

Long post long post hehehehe

Here is the thing I did, some of it hasn't actually happened yet tho lol

(((OHOHOOO I WILL BE POSTING SOON we love content yess

Sorry you had a bum day at work m8 :( yeah I can’t imagine it be any fun—ever since I’ve come to this new school thingsve been rough so I may understand—but honestly posting here feels so much like coming home haha

I’ll be Praying for your week.. hope it gets better and you meet nice people and everything heals. Your workplace doesn’t sound necessarily fun, and If it’s work I can’t say that I can even picture a fun setting


And the art is so pretty :0 your getting so much better at shading and aPPOLO WITH TATTOOS ABSOLUTELY SETS ME WHAT A MAN LOOK AT HIM

On the note of sharing art, I have some nifty additions—excluding paper ones
https://i.imgur.com/TGrwZR2.jpg

Each enchanted came and went, and Cheryl couldn't help but gawk as she hyperfixated on every word of every speech. Learning about the Enchanted's history was particularly fun, and she was absorbing every second of it.

And yet, she found her concentration wandering, noting the behavior of the families around them. It felt strange, to stand amongst the crowd without Apollo. Nobody noticed her, and she was happy for it, but without her friend she felt very misplaced. Like a toy left on the shelves of a store she didn't belong in.

And then Apollo came on, and all other thoughts vanished. He had her full attention, and she put two thumbs up in the air once they made eye contact. She imagined herself sending all coragous vibes into his brain, and it seemed to have worked because he scarcely made a mistake.

As the lanterns trickled into the air, their light leaked into the sky and painted the faces of all the other wonderstruck faces around them.

She could only stare at them for so long before turning back to Apollo and pumping a fist in the air. She mouthed "you did great!" so him, and turned back to stare at the lanterns wobbling into the sky, taking their light with them.

---

Quincy put his hands firmly on Xander's shoulders as if he were afraid the little fire goblin would sprint op there, grab their successors, and skip away. ``Patience,`` he scolded. ``Aren't you always telling me not to make rash decisions? What happened to rational Xander?`` he whisper-hissed.

``I know it's taking a long time, but it's not like we don't know where they'll be after tonight. They're not going anywhere,`` he continued. Quincy gave him an epic side-eye and focused on the little light boy. Then following his gaze to...

``Look, there,`` he noted, pointing subtly to a little gap near the back of the crowd where a little person sat looking far too pleased any one person should be sitting by themselves.

((HUEHUEHUHEUEH I MADE GOOD ON MY PROMISE ISNT THAT CRAZY

honestly just exited lol

Apollo sighed in relief, the main concern of the festival was over. Finally he could relax. Er, relax as much as he could. There was still a lot going on…

He moved down the stage, watching as the other enchanted took their lanterns and lifted them up to the sky, watching them float up and eventually disappear into the night sky, becoming secondary stars.

He moved towards Cheryl as the crowd began shuffling around, a few people mumbling things as they still sent up their lanterns. “Thank you.” He said once standing in front of Cheryl, a soft smile lighting up his face. “Are you sure you don’t have magic?”

He looked towards Cheryl’s lantern and grabbed it with gentle hands. “Did you want help sending this up? Or keep it? I-I mean, it's yours so…” He trailed off, holding the lantern out in front of him.

In the background, enchanted moved around, clearing the square of tables, platforms, and anything else that would prevent it from being an open space. The group of musicians that played for the dancers was getting set up on a different platform. The lantern festival would soon end…

---

Xander huffed, glaring at Quincy. But, unfortunately Quincy was right, rash decisions weren’t normally his style. “I am being rational.” He grumbled, simply trying to defend his pride. “I just want to get this over with, there’s no point in dragging this out for so long.”

Although, Quincy did have a point. Nobody was going anywhere after this and… it was nice to visit a festival after all these years. Xander turned to look towards where Quincy was pointing, glancing at the little person (Cheryl? I’m assuming?) “I suppose we can wait a little longer.” He huffed.

((Hehehe yes EXCITEMENT >:33333333

I actually have a different job (Fun nifty coffee shop that’s locally owned) now with much friendlier and nice people, they just scheduled a newbie on a busy morning shift so -^-

And yes ehehehehehe Apollo with tattoos was really fun to draw. Winter clothing doesn’t allow for them to be seen but I need it to exist lol.

Also I love the art you draw fire so well ;w;. I need to figure out how to draw Cheryl’s lil fire bits properly

Also I take it you still don’t have discord ;-;

She was practically bouncing up and down by the time Apollo made his way over. She could tell at least three people were side-eyeing the strange dynamic; overbearing giddiness versus a nervous-twitchy, quiet kind of happy. But Cheryl payed no mind.

She let out a soft chuckle. ``Not all magic comes in the form of things we can see,`` saying it with a calm kind of fascination that she surprised herself for using. Then she chuckled again, asking to herself: ``But what do I know?``

The lantern in his hands looked next to hopeless compared to the others dancing in the sky, which earned Cheryl an embarrassed grin. ``Yea, I have no idea how to get that thing up there.``As the crowds shuffled away, the abundance of people was becoming thinner and thinner...

``If you could help..`` she trailed off, leaving the rest for him to fill in.

---

To his credit, Xander was being wonderfully stubborn as he begrudgingly acknowledged the rational factor. But he looked twitchier than normal, as if he wanted to sprint off, grab the nearest person and run. Some of that twitchy energy was rubbing off on Quincy, and suddenly setting things on fire was sounding much more appealing than waiting.

But they both had a reputation to keep.. and dignity to protect.. and pride to guard. Precious things all so temptingly thin.

``We are not dragging it out,`` Quincy said matter-of-factly. ``We are perfectly on time.`` Quincy did wish the festival had a sense of urgency, though.

He looked up at the lanterns above, finding it frustratingly hard to differentiate lantern from star. But perhaps that was the point.

((wwHHOOPS im late

but not 11 days late!!

priorities!!

coffeeshop!!1!! those are always... rollercoaster-esque haha

i do n o t have discord :sobs:

Apollo nodded at Cheryl’s request and channeled his magic into the core of the lantern. It glowed softly as it slowly got brighter, getting lighter and lighter in his hands. “H-Here.” He said, giving the lantern to Cheryl. You can lift it up, just hold on tight so it doesn’t fly away until you’re ready. He chuckled softly. The silence filled the air, quiet enough to hear the steady breathing of people and his fluttering heart. And then the music started. The sudden start in music made Apollo jump, he watched as the square filled with enchanted, holding hands and beginning to sway with the melodious sounds. This was it. The end of the lantern festival, the beginning of the end of the night. Apollo felt the little butterflies in his stomach again, which was a little weird. Somehow his nerves were rising to the level of worrying about the speech… weird. It was probably just leftover nerves and the cold, that explained it. As he stood in the square with Cheryl, enchanted moved around them, interlocked in a spiraling dance, weaving in and out. Their movements were synchronized, elegant, and orderly. Apollo never really liked this aspect of dancing, you had to stay in line or get trampled, outcasted if you went the wrong way. The dance was an artform that the village had been doing for years. However, Cheryl didn’t know the steps to the dance. And honestly, he could hardly remember the correct order of movement. So… maybe for once… he wouldn’t try to blend in, to disappear into the crowd. He extended a hand outward to Cheryl. “May I have this dance?“ ----- Xander perked up as the music started, staring off into the sky inky a few moments before. The sound drew him in as he watched other enchanted move and start filling the square. He reminisced about the old festivals, back when he visited more often. The festivals that had been run by fire enchanted certainly weren’t as fancy as this, but there was still a connection. Still a draw back to the days before… He really needed to stop dwelling on the past. There was no going back in time to return it, he needed to move on. “Finally.” Xander half mumbled, brushing a few stray snowflakes off his form. ((Omg hello you made my day (night?) again ;-; I’ve spent the past hour and a half recording 70+ attempts for a stupid assignment for orchestra ahshejsjeksla Stupid screechy violin -^- Rollercoaster-esque is probably the best way to describe it lol. But now I’m good at washing dishes so that’s something. I can get through an entire bin of 20 dishes in like 3 mins >:3 RIP no discord, one day we’ll be able to message off site lol Edit: Hehehe more art >:D New wallpaper acquired >:3 [img]https://i.imgur.com/Jtl1mew.jpeg[/img] I've been experimenting with ponytail Apollo; debating on if the braid will be freed for this next bit

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOHOO

posting because weekends are my friend. say it wth me: weekend, weekend, weekend

BUT ALSO POSTING BC AWESOME ART????? AND NEW LIGHTING TECHNIQUES??? AND AWESOME BACKGROUND??
bestie is is VERY LIKELY i spent a GOOD PORTION of my morning staring at this

YOU EVEN MADE THE RED HIGHLIGHT SHADOW THINGY ***


my post will appear in, like, five min

Cheryl watched as the lantern gradually hummed with the soft glow she was growing oh so fond of. Confess, she probably spent a few minutes standing there with her hands underneath his. She wasn't necessarily a calm, quiet person, but until the day she was, this was the closest she'd ever become.
Alas was time it had to join the others.
So she raised her hands, holding onto it a bit longer before letting it go. It was a little wobbly and lop-sided at first, but it found its way.

Her eyes were still sparkling with what remained of the lantern's glow when she told Apollo, ``Thank you.``

And almost on cue, the music started.

“May I have this dance?“

She might've thought he was a madman. She didn't know squat about these dances. And she knew Apollo preferred a less.. outstanding stance on everyone else. But she looked around, and there was nothing flowing about the way these dancers moved.

If humans had one thing right, just one thing at all, it would be dancing.

So she grabbed his hand, intertwined their fingers, and tuned out the ridged air around them. ``The dance is yours,`` she said, letting giddiness melt into a kind of savory happiness. The lantern festival was amazing, and in all her years she'd never let herself ever forget it. But if she had to remember just one moment out of all the moments, her mind would seldom take her anywhere other than here.

---

Quincy let the music flow to one ear and out the other, watching as the dancers filled the square.

In a way, it reminded his so much of his past. Nostalgia flooded him, and for a minute or two he could do nothing but watch. Stare. Remember. But there was also something... something so incredibly ridged about everything. He remembered the light festivals weren't necessarily as ottuned, but that's perhaps because there was much more wine in the days of old.

A sharp "finally" fished him out of his head.

And then he noticed that everyone was dancing. Maybe not necessarily where they were standing, but less and less enchanted were hanging around. Everyone was either.. walking fancy , or shuffling to their uniform homes.
And they couldn't afford to loose their leads.

Quincy spun to face Xander. ``Dance with me. Immediately.``

((huehuehueh
one more time because your art is beautiful

you even did, like--the blurry perspective snow :0
and cheryls face looks so soft :puppy_eyes: literally love

also violin is hard bestie i could never
and 20 dishes at a time? w h a t? i could get, like, maybe five in three minutes