aterat | Winter is not a season

Who; Everyone (don't forget to tag in & tag around!)
What; The Winter Festival
Where; The circus complex and the park
When; Today & lasting for 1 week
Warnings; None, but if something needs a warning, please label as such!

Back in November, Ignis petitioned Halcyn for a Winter Festival. He requested snow, lots of lights, and an in ground hot tub or two or more.

Train/moogles/horses - There's also a small train to go ride around the city, and horses will again appear for sleigh rides. Moogles will be appearing/on hand to give directions to where things are if people get lost. They are also serving as sources of information in case someone doesn't know anything about a festival or activity. Just ask the moogle kupo!

Food/shopping - Ignis also learned of and requested that European style christmas markets (including Japanese ones) so all of the foods for those countries and all of the things/traditions that they are associated with will be available. Whatever country has what, feel free to learn about it, or whatever different world. Recipe books will be available for whatever place too so pick one up while you can because you might want to learn to cook it for yourself! (Sorry folks, Remy not included) Enjoy all the shopping and fooding even if you've never heard of that place, world or food before. So eat, drink and be merry!

Activities/things to do - Skiing, sledding, skating and tobogganing will be available and if you're really tough, maybe archery hunting in skis may appeal. Riding on a ski lift can be a relaxing thing to do as well. Snowboarding is available as well, but a few words of caution on that. There may be sledding moogles as you go, lots of trees to run into, balloons, and if you hit an igloo, there may be an angry moogle that throws a table at you. There are also snow chocobos and snow moogles along that path.

For those not so daring to go snowboarding, the snow moogles and snow chocobos will be around town in different spots so that they're not missed. And while they won't throw snowballs at you, your friends just might! And you can ride a horse to go see a model of a royal library. A word of caution however, as there may be monsters even if they're mostly slimecicles. There may be some Luminous Lamplings or Bongo Fandangos lurking about too.

Other activities/happenings - There will also be events and things for the Chinese New Year, such as lion dances, all sorts of traditional foods, decorations, fire works, firecrackers and kids might get red envelopes. Since it is now the Year of the Rabbit, adorable rabbit decorations of all sorts are everywhere. On the last day of this Winter event will be the Lantern Festival.

Something else to note - If you're feeling adventurous there's a place or two to get married! The Hunting Lodge is always open so you could married there too! Take a walk through some Christmas illuminations for romance, or just because they're pretty.

Other notes - People from home will appear this week too as it's a fourth wall event, so be on the lookout for them! And if all of this stuff doesn't work, feel free to choose your own wintry adventure!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"That guy you've got going to be okay with being second fiddle?"

Gladio would be impressed if so. Because most people couldn't understand that.

Ignis sighed. "Yes, he is well aware of that fact."

He sat down and exhaled. "If we can get away with it, there is a young boy we've taken in as well. His name is Mono and if it can be arranged, he will come as well."

A young boy? Gladio's eyebrows might well be off his damn head now.

"A husband AND a son? That you're bringing back?"

Ignis looked at the king's shield. "Yes." He had no idea if the place would do what he wanted it to do, but he had plans of course to make it bow to his will.

And a family had never been in his plans.

"Sometimes I still wake up and wonder if I'm dreaming all of this."

Dreaming all of it? Damn, that would be something worth fearing.

"ARe you happy?"

Ignis smiled at Gladio's question. "Yes I am quite happy." But he looked at Gladio and half of him wished the shield could stay, or that they could all leave together. He hadn't realized how much he missed the other.

However, he knew the king needed Gladio or both of them.

"Then that's the important thing. From me and him both I think. Glad for you, Specs."

Because Ignis rarely thought of himself first.

"Why thank you." Ignis replied smoothly.

It took him a moment and he shook his head. Time for a little bit of intel if he could get it. "Since you're not going to tell me about the king, what are things like back home?"

"Dark," he says with a sigh. "The nights got so long that they don't stop."

That worried Ignis. "That doesn't sound good. But if the darkness is increasing.."

And those questions he wasn't sure he wanted the answers to at this moment.

"Exactly," Gladio said. "It's bad, Ig. Real bad."

Ignis couldn't help but sigh and shift. "This is a future you're speaking of, that I haven't been to as of yet." And as puzzling and perplexing as that was, he was admittedly curious as to how things are panning out there.

"That's fair," Gladio says with a nod. "It will come. We can't stop it. But sometimes we can change things that are bad."

And he was resolved, just like Ignis, to do so.

"Of course." Ignis replied, recalling the message that Pryna had shown him. Whatever it was, it coursed through his system as he thought about it.

Fortunately there would still be time to save the king. And Gladio wasn't giving him any information which was rather puzzling.

Because of course he wasn't giving Ignis information. The plan to save the King is Ignis's. What if Gladio accidentally gives him the answers Ignis needs to struggle to find? Doesn't that mess up time?

He's read too many fantasy and sci-fi books maybe.

Plus he doesn't know if Ignis even knows yet.

"You're settled nicely here though?"

The advisor nodded with a sigh because he knew he couldn't stay here forever even though the place had yet to send him home.

"Settled in as nicely as possible. I run the Hunter's Lodge so any time you would like to come see me at work, let me know. I'll set you up with a meal and introduce you to some of the hunters here that helped me work on my house."

"Alright," Gladio said. If he was going to be stuck here, he was going to hang out with his best friend as much as possible. Anything else would be silly. "Good seeing you again man."

"It's good to see you too. I'd rather hoped for better tidings, but at least I'm somewhat aware of events that await me when I get sent back."

He sighed and looked at his empty cup.

"Do you need a refill?"

Aware to a degree. There was so much, so much the Ignis didn't know. For them all.

"Please," Gladio said with a smile.

"Coming right up." Ignis replied with a smile.

As much as he might not admit it, it was nice to be able to wait on one of the lads again. And so he busied himself with getting the refills.

Once that was done, he brought Gladio's refill back to the man and set it down. But before he himself sat down, he waited,

"I can procure us some food as well if you'd like."

"I'm good for now. Stop working. I'm not used to being served, Ignis," Gladio said with a shake of his head. These days he definitely wasn't used to it, so he didn't want to indulge in it a lot.

"Sit down and take a load off."

Ignis sighed. Waiting on others when not working was a habit for certain, but it was one that kept his mind going as long as he kept moving.

So he did as requested and sat down. This was harder for him, not being in motion especially while still stewing over the news of how bad things had been back home.

"Relaxing and I aren't on the best of terms I suppose."

"You're going to do it anyway. Gotta assume that partner of yours would want it. Pretty sure I'm not wrong."

Because no one should be with Ignis who wasn't supportive in that way.

Ignis sighed and smiled only slightly. "Yes he does rather have a habit of taking over the kitchen when he knows I'm overwhelmed now that you mention it."

He smiled again and it was brief. "I think you'd rather like him."

He does? Well, Gladio smiles in approval. Just the sort of man Ignis needed.

"Well, it sounds like he keeps you in line, doesn't he?"

(no subject)

faithfulsupport - 2023-05-02 06:17 (UTC) - Expand

I would like to wrap this with a handwave if that's okay

ziedrich_bearer - 2023-05-02 14:31 (UTC) - Expand