Errand Dance of the Bushpeople

( INTERACTION: @GRANT DALE ; @REBEKAH MORTON & @ANDREW VANCE )ー

Arista's eyes lit up when Grant mentioned needing a sort of plant-based help. A chance to be helpful! And make friends! She couldn't believe her luck today - it was probably because she said out loud that the moon was beautiful last night, and now the Moon Goddess or Spirit or whoever had graced her with an exceptionally good string of successes.

"You would look absolutely lovely," she proclaimed boldly to Grant, glancing over at Bex to plead approval through her eyes. "Let me get some more greens and stuff!"

But before she could pick up some plants, Arista paused and put her finger and thumb on her chin; appearing to be thinking solemnly. "I suppose I'll need some flowers for myself too, maybe anklets...? A flower crown seem a bit excessive; it could possibly attract undue attention... Yes, and perhaps some leaves and other greens to drape over like a skirt..." she mumbled, quiet enough that one would think it was for herself, but loud enough that the other two Hufflepuffs could definitely hear her.

With that in mind, Arista rummaged the crates that were beside their table, fishing out various plants and flowers and arranging them neatly in front of her. She worked fast: nimble hands twisting and bending vines, fingers conjoining leaves and flowers and branches together. By the time she was done, dirt and a tinge of chlorophyll had sullied her clothes and hands. The head nanny back home would most certainly tsk'd in distaste, but that was there and this was here. She didn't need to mind fussy nannies at Hogwarts.

Stepping back just half a step, Arista admired her work. She had made some anklets and a hula-type leaf skirt for herself - to protect her actual skirt against more dirt and stains - and also a couple of rustic and robust vine-and-branches wreaths. Perfect.

Smiling softly, she stood on her tiptoe and put on one of the wreaths on Grant's head. "There," she said. "Looking swell, Grant."

Then, turning to Bex, she handed the other witch a wreath too - just in case she wanted them. Arista didn't want to make her feel left out, after all.

"You don't have to put it on now, if you don't feel like it," she told Bex. "It could be hanged on the wall, perhaps, or placed on a dresser as decoration... But it's yours to keep." She beamed.

Then, as if out of nowhere, a taller wizard appeared [@Andrew Vance]. Arista jumped a little at this, one hand instinctively clasping her chest to slow down her heartbeat.

She looked up at him nervously. An older student was most definitely not a part of her, ah, game plan today - she anxiously wondered if this would be the end of her streak of good luck. Surely there was a bigger chance of embarrassing yourself if you're faced with a senior? She could've said something stupid and silly, and her ears and cheeks would go red, and she'd stammered, and, and...

Stop that, Arista firmly thought to herself. She was fine. She would be fine. This student can't be older than her own brother, Hugo, can he? And besides, he didn't look mean. In fact, he was friendly enough to greet Bex and Grant and ask for Arista's name! That was a good start, right?

"I'm Arista Elderman. Um, First Year," she said, nodding softly to acknowledge him and offering a timid smile. "Nice to meet you, Andy."

He mentioned something about an ocarina and Arista furrowed his eyebrows. She wasn't familiar with that term at all.

"What's an ocarina...?" she asked, then quickly gave a little gasp and covered her mouth. Did she really said that out loud? Now, she was ruined; she just knew it. They're going to think she was some sort of ignorant cavegirl who knew nothing of the world. It was over for her!

Before she could feel the hot redness of a blush creeping to her cheeks though, Arista tried to push her dramatic thoughts away. No, she could still salvage this. The Moon had given her Her blessing and she was not going to put that to waste.

"Is that an instrument?" she said, trying her best guess. "What does it look like? How do you play it? I haven't seen any, so..." she admitted.

She hoped she didn't sound too stupid. It wasn't like she was trying to impress anyone in the group; Arista simply didn't take too kindly to being looked down on. Blushing and feeling humiliated was one thing, but her social life would truly end if it's gotten to the point where she actually cried in public over matters as trivial as this.

Word Count: 784

INTERACTIONS=========================== @Carolyn Hunt; open to more interactions! MENTIONS @N/A

Lucia was happily spending far too much time sorting through the flowers (and probably getting more stains on her skirt in the process) when she saw a pair of black ballet shoes walking up to her. When the part-Veela looked up, she saw that the shoes were attached to a familiar dark-haired Ravenclaw - Carolyn Hunt. "Carolyn! Hello! Thank you," she said brightly, with a slight blush at the compliement. She knew she looked nice, but it was nice to hear other people say it. Then, the Hufflepuff nodded to the flowers which the other girl had chosen. "Ooh, they're pretty. What are you going to make?" She grinned, not awkward for once in conversation. Somehow, she felt at home here, surrounded by crates of plant life with the beat of drums echoing in her ears. "Oh hey, you're in black and I'm in white! We should do opposites," she suggested. Of course, they wouldn't properly be opposites, what with the different styles of their dresses, and Carolyn might not want to anyway... no, of course she wouldn't want to. What was Lucia thinking? "I mean," she quickly backtracked, "I'm sure you have your own costume idea in mind. You can do what you want to, of course."

After another thirty seconds or so, Lucia had gathered what she thought was enough flowers in colourful shades of pinks, blues and purples to make into a headband; though in reality she had probably taken far too many. They were just so pretty - how was she supposed to only choose a few?! "I'm going to be the Spirit of Summer," she told Carolyn. "She's from a book I used to like when I was little." Well, she still liked it really, but Lucia wasn't going to tell Carolyn that she still occasionally liked reading books meant for seven year olds. "Lots of flowers, everywhere. These ones are going to make a flower headband-y crown thing... once I figure out how to make it, of course."

Interacting with @Rose Moon, @Henry Knight's cat, Loki, & @Andrew Vance

Starlee nodded after Rose re-asked her name. She smiled, not one to judge for possibly not remembering a name. After all, they hadn't really talked too much and now was the perfect opportunity to do so. While Starlee was typically shy, there was something about the night that made her feel at ease.

If Starlee's compliment was enough to make Rose blush, then Rose's compliment in return made Starlee beam with delight. "Heehee... well thank you very much!" she said, making a little curtsy motion as a princess would, even though she was clearly wearing her typical leggings and boots. Starlee nodded at the girl saying this was a good idea. She certainly agreed. It almost felt surreal in a way, like some sort of strange plant cult. If there was any cult that Starlee wanted to be a part of, a plant cult was definitely the one.

She returned a wave to Andrew as they locked eyes, and Starlee continued to bob somewhat back in forth in front of the fire. She took notice of a cat giving affection to Rose, one that she had seen once before, back up in the astronomy tower for that sleeping lecture when Cash had let out all their feelings about the past holiday break. Cash had said it was Henry's cat... right? She vaguely remembered the cat returning to Henry after the cuddles he had given to Cash that night. She looked down again as she noticed some playful batting at her dancing feet. She leaned down to give the cat a few head scratches, as well as pulled out a long flower from her cape, and dangled it in front of the little beast, hoping to get some energy out of him.

Once she felt he was satisfied, she threw the flower a few feet away, hoping the little cat would scamper off to play. She stood back up and looked back at Rose, who had just asked a question. "Yea!" she responded brightly. "Plus it was such a good excuse to get out and enjoy this spring weather; it just feels so nice out!" she said, doing another twirl as she started back up her bobbing dancing from side to side. "Plus, who could say no to anything having to do with plants? I just love herbology! Some of these plants I know are pretty unique, I just couldn't resist when I saw them and..." she continued, meanwhile realizing she was rambling on about plants again, and she cut herself off before she had gone on for too long. "So what made you come down then?" she decided to ask, in hopes her earlier ramble wasn't too embarrassing.

Reducio

The Cape & Flower Headpiece

19th March 2021

Spring was fast approaching; Gabriella could feel it in the air. While she liked snuggling up with a blanket and a mug of hot chocolate, safe inside while a roaring blizzard blew outdoors, spring was and always had been the young Ravenclaw's favourite time of year. Luckily for her, she had never been one to get hayfever, so in her experience spring was all new life and Easter and the delicious smell of freshly-fallen rain on the grass. Today it was not raining, but that didn't matter; the temperature was relatively warm and a buzz of anticipation seemed to fill the air.

Gabby checked her watch; Gia should be here soon. The two best friends had agreed to meet here for this errand - it couldn't be like the previous errand Gabriella had taken part in, in which she had ended up trying to collaborate to build a bonfire with her arch-enemy, Tory Williamson. And while she loved to be around people and liked doing things like this with others, those "others" didn't really take Williamson into account.

As Gabriella approached the site where the errand was due to take place, she saw a large pile of foliage and flowers waiting for her to dress herself in. There were some snacks - including s'mores, the Ravenclaw noted with a sly grin - and a huge, roaring fire that looked as though it could burn all night or even longer. Forever, maybe. Maybe it was a magical, enchanted fire that carried on burning even through the eventual decline of the human race. Gabriella frowned; it was not like her to get existential, but it had been happening easily recently. All her various trains of thoughts ultimately seemed to end with the end of the world, or life after death, or extinction or heaven or what if there is no God?

Still slightly discomforted, the Ravenclaw shook her long mane of black hair behind her head. Her hair wasn't particularly tidy today, but as she was about to dress herself up as a plant she decided that didn't matter particularly. Hmm, she thought to herself, surveying all the plants and tools she and her fellow students had available for use. Maybe I'll quickly make a headdress first, to surprise Gia with when she gets here.

Soon enough, Gabriella had decided what she wanted to use in her headdress. There were some beautiful pink flowers that the Ravenclaw was surprised hadn't gone already, so she picked a few of them, making sure to leave a few for others too. She chose some fresh-smelling leaves and scooped up some seeds too. That should be enough to start with, Gabriella thought to herself. Plus, I can't carry any more plant matter than this.

As she made her way back to the place she had cleared for her and Gia to make their garments, it occurred to her that this was the closest thing to Herbology she had ever done and actually enjoyed, and the girl counted that an achievement. Not only did Gabby hate Herbology, but she was terrible at it too, and she couldn't wait to deliberately fail her OWL so nobody would try to make her carry it on.

Just as she was about to start on the headdress, she spotted a familiar figure approaching. "Gia!" exclaimed Gabriella. "Come on and sit down; I was just getting started."

Word count so far: 568/800
Waiting for/interacting with: @Gia Adelard
Mentioning: @Tory Williamson

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Interacting with; @Grant Dale • @Andrew Vance • @Arista Eldermanin

Clapping her hands together in excitement, Rebekah waved away her friend's comment on his shirt choice. "Orange is close 'nuff! Plus, it just means more leafy, earthy colors." In her opinion his outfit was brilliant, better than anything she could do. Just then someone joined the pair, someone Bex didn't recognize. Then again there were so many in the castle she often had a hard time remembering who was who outside of class.

Head nanny? Rebekah had to choke back a snort, some of her reaction slipping through. That seemed rather silly... or perhaps that was typical of wizarding families? Bex wasn't sure, this year had been chock full of learning about an entire new plane of existence. Either way the fact the girl had to state head nanny for some reason had almost set Bex in a gigglefit.

Craning her neck to peer over at the snack options, she was drawn back to the group by Arista mentioning Grant and lovely in the same sentence. A slender brow raised on the girl's face as she tilted her head to one side. Boy, this girl said some funny things Bex never expected to hear. Let alone from someone she had just met. She stood blinking at the girl as she continued to talk about flowers and crowns and... Bekah's mind was already wandering. A small rumble let loose from her belly. "O-oh ah... thanks!" A wreath was thrust her way and Bex wasn't sure what to really do with it especially since she already had a hat on. One corner of her mouth tugged up slightly in a smile as she removed her hat and squeezed the wreath down over her head. "There's others already got crowns on though, I don't think they look bad." Always rather direct, Bex remarked back on the girl's comment about undue attention er something-or-other.

"O-okay but-mmf" It was getting stuck around her eyes for a moment before she gave another tug. "But- snacks?" Another growl from her stomach as she manged to get the wreath around her neck before returning her hat atop her head. Excited to dive further into the decorating her outfit part of the evening, plus SNACKS, Bekah was about to turn around when a familiar voice rose from behind her, the weight of another person's body pressed down on her shoulders.

"Heeeyyy!" Bex whined in a playful tone and grinned up at Andrew. "Nice face!" The young girl's face sqwinched up as she wrinkled her nose playfully at the Slytherin. "He's actually here?" Bex mused as she tried to glance around for the groundskeeper, only a large lumpy bush catching her eye, no way that was him. Or.. hmm. She squinted waiting for the bush to move but keeping to her impatient nature she moved her gaze along back towards the group. Bekah's eyes lit up at the mention of an ocarina but Arista was once more already quick with a reply. "They're great! Small little instruments kinda like a flute. They're holes in 'em." Not sure on how much the other knew, Bex didn't want to jump into a whole conversation explaining away videogames and how she knew about the instrument so instead she looked through some of the supplies laid out for students and began to pick some leaves. Grant had been right, some would be great to do some Huffle colors, digging a little deeper she tried to find something orange to match her friend.

Andrew could probably fill any of the rest of the girl's questions in, Bex was elbow deep in leaves and sticking some bits of berries in the strap along her hat. "Oh!" Withdrawing a length of ivy she waved it at Grant. "Right, I think I'm pretty well decorated!" Yellow and brown leaves along a bit of rope around her waist and embellished hat, she felt fairly dressed up. All of the outfits everyone else had on made her feel like she was one of the lost boys in the woods. "Talk about ah fancy scarf." Swinging the ivy hanging from its vine around her neck dramatically she waited for the others.

Interacting with: @Rhys Hughes
Mentioning: Felix Renshaw, Aeron Frey

"Hmm." Jacquelyn paused to closely inspect a piece of her crown that she hadn't braided quite right, carefully twisting it back and fixing it with twine like Rhys had demonstrated. "Gooey, I guess? We made them in the oven." She supplied as if it would help paint the picture of what her father had been doing wrong. "So they weren't really...on fire...like those ones." Still, though, it looked like it was worth a shot. She didn't like the taste of blackened burnt pieces (she'd tried that already on toast and grilled cheese) but maybe the gooey marshmallows would make up for it?

At this point she wasn't as obviously startled by the curse as she had been in September, though it still warranted a grin. "No, yours looks great! You're a natural at this. Hmm...I dunno. Whatever colours you like should go around the front, right?

After approximately half a minute of consideration, Jacquelyn selected a pink flower from her own pile and tucked it behind her ear-- which may be about as far as she would actually get that evening in dressing up in foliage. "Do you think Felix and Aeron came down?" She asked, "And- the most important question-- do you think they're dressed up like bog wizards?"

Word Count: 841/800

Open to Interactions
Interacting with: @Lucia Fox

“Oh…thank you. I just thought they were a perfect representation of spring.” Carolyn smiled at the girl as she started working on her flower crown. "Oh hey, you're in black and I'm in white! We should do opposites." The young Ravenclaw raised her head upon hearing the suggestion. “That’s actually a pretty good idea.” She smiled gently. It did appear that Lucia wasn’t entirely sure about the proposition but Carolyn liked it. Truth to be told, when she decided to join the event today, she didn’t feel up to socializing with other students but now that she started talking with someone, it actually felt nice. It also helped that it was a familiar face. “I think I saw some Hellebores in one of the crates…” The girl stood up and walked to the closest one, pulling a bunch of almost black looking flowers. “…I’d say these look almost perfect opposite of mine in case you want to incorporate them somehow.” She smiled at her classmate as she laid the flowers in front of her. Leaving the decision to her.

Soon enough Lucia also gathered some blue and purple flowers which, would no doubt look really pretty on her. "I'm going to be the Spirit of Summer.” The young Hufflepuff revealed her final plan. That one didn’t ring any bells but it was not surprising. Carolyn’s parents didn’t have time to read her bedside stories and by the time she started reading on her own she would pick rather difficult titles for her age. Still she did read some children books and enjoyed the stories immensely. “Really? What is she like?” She asked curiously. At that point she was nearly done with her own flower crown only adding some pink flowers in it to further match Lucia’s own choice. She decided the pink flowers might serve as a nice connection between the opposite colors they have chosen. “I can help you with the flower crown if you want. My grandmother taught me how to do those quite well.” Which was probably obvious judging from her own creation. She felt strangely hesitant to mention the older woman now that she was in the hospital and her fate remained unclear but she also didn’t want to suppress all the good memories they created together. They had so many, it probably wouldn't be possible anyway. I’m sure she’ll be okay…

INTERACTIONS=========================== @Carolyn Hunt; open to more interactions! MENTIONS @N/A

Carolyn didn't shoot down Lucia's suggestion as the Hufflepuff had thought she would, instead apparently liking it. Lucia grinned. "Okay!" she said happily, and took one of the deep purple flowers which the other girl put on the ground in front of her, turning it over in her fingers. "Definitely!" Lucia decided enthusiastically. "Wait, so do you know all the names of all the flowers? I only know the really obvious ones... roses, foxgloves, poppies, you know."

Carolyn asked Lucia what the Spirit of Summer was like, sounding rather curious, and Lucia paused. "Well, she's got a white dress and blonde hair, and daisy chain necklaces and a flower headband, and flowers in her hair. I was going to do a veil-type thing for the flowers in my hair, but I probably won't. I might end up looking like a bride." She flushed. "Personality-wise, if that's what you mean, she's... quite kind, most of the time. She's friends with most animals and she appears younger than all the other Spirits, although they're all as old as each other really. She's the most carefree. Even she has a dark side though - they all do. It's just not very pronounced." She blushed, suddenly realising that it might now become apparent that she still liked the book, for her to remember all the facts. "I, um, can't remember much though," she lied quickly, "I haven't read it for a few years."

"Oh, thank you! Yes please," Lucia said gratefully in response to Carolyn's offer of help. "Yours is very good," she added. "I think I'll use the purple-y black ones and the blues - or do you think just the purples would be better? I think the Spirit's was all colourful, but it doesn't really matter."

Interaction : Open

It was like every other day for Aurora. She was inside her dorm room, with her coloured pencils scattered all over her bed. The other student she shared her dorm with are nowhere to be found. It did not bother her too much as she appreciates quietness. It always a challenge for her to talk to people, and the only way to keep her at ease was spending some alone time with herself and her sketchbook. She overheard people talked about something about bonfire and the groundkeeper. Perhaps, it would be a fun thing to attend. She wished her hometown friend, Naomi, were here with her so she doesn't have to stress her brain out because she cannot master the technique of making a new friend.

Each page of her sketchbook were full of scribbles and pencil scratches which representing her ideas roughly. People who saw it might not understand what it means. If one day Aurora lost her sketchbook, some analytical wizards and witches probably think it was an ancient code or something. She flipped the page to draw in a clear, blank paper. That was when she realised that it was the end of her book.

"Great! I am cursed." She mumbled to herself.
Aurora closed her sketchbook and laid on her bed, eyes to the ceiling. Suddenly, an epiphany hit her out of nowhere. Maybe it was boredom who caused this, she decided to get up and put on her sweater, shoe, and her wand (even though she has not know any spell yet, but better be ready), then she proceeds to walk out of the Ravenclaw common room and straight to where the bonfire took place.

Aurora always so fascinated with Hogwarts' architecture. Each place seemed to has its characteristic, which creates a different ambience. She wondered if it was purely created by magic or not, and what that spell could be. Maybe, when she is older, she will build her house in Hogwarts style but much smaller. Just some architecture here and there.
Her mind took her everywhere, she did not even notice that the bonfire was in front of her eyes already. Some students sat around the fire and ate snacks, and some of them have flowers and branches all over them. Aurora skimmed through the area to find out where they got it. The first thing she saw was something green and weird.

"Was that a monster? Was that a- oh nevermind, that might be the groundkeeper," She thought to herself. She saw some part of his face through the green moss which covered his entire body. Once she saw a student who took a couple of flowers and something that looked like green moss from some opened crates, she immediately jogged in that direction. This might be the most exciting expression Aurora has ever made during her times at Hogwarts. She let out a high pitched gasp which made some students drew their attention to her for a couple of seconds. Her hands were itchy to create something. There were lots of idea on her mind, and she wanted to go totally crazy with it.

Aurora ran back to her dorm to take some needle and thread from one of her bags filled with mountain art supplies. She grabbed a dress her stepfather gave to her for her last year birthday, and she brought it to Hogwarts because her mother put it inside her trunk without her knowledge. Aurora does no have the best stamina, and she was shorter than most people her age. Although she could swear that was the fastest run she ever did, a slug will still win the race.
She was back at the bonfire ground and rushed to the crates to collect the materials. She picked a different kind of flowers, some branches and leaves, and a bunch of green moss.
She sat near a cabin a bit away from where the students were and laid down all of her materials and began to show off her art and craft skill to herself and the wind.

Imagine a fashion designer making a dress for London Fashion Week. That was the scene at the greenkeeper ground minus the professionalism. Aurora started to rip the seen through outer layer of her dress so she can sew moss underneath it and put some leaves at the bottom of her dress. Then, she sewed back the transparent layer back to the dress and sewed white flowers in some places. She proceeds on making a flower crown that was not matched with the moss colour of her dress. But she did not care because she was having an absolute blast.

Surprisingly it did not take her too much time. Maybe it was because there was no distraction, and she enjoyed every little second of it. She was so excited to wear the new dress she re-decorated. But she felt like something was missing. Aurora looked around her, and there were some branches, wood planks, some leaves and flowers. And she looked down at her leg, her shoes. She took off her shoelaces, tied them with the wood planks and add little branches as a decoration, and she made a sandal.
She stood up and took her new dress and all of the accessories she has and ran to the nearest empty room to change. She was so happy with her creations, and it somehow added a little confidence within her. Her footsteps led her back to the bonfire. She decided to enjoy tonight and hopefully making some friend.

Pericles arrived with silence and subtlety. His attire was not eye-catching, though it rarely was outside of formal functions: black turtleneck, grey slacks, white cloak, dark shoes. Simple, plain, anti-thematic. It didn't matter what he was wearing to the event, but more so, what he would make upon arrival. The prefect's badge was tucked away into a pocket. He anticipated their host to manage any miscreants, though with any luck, the presence of an adult would be enough to dissuade pranksters and other suck seekers of attention. Glasses also pocketed, the tremendous bonfire blaze shone in his eyes as he drank in the scenery. He would begin by investigating the crates their Grounds Keeper had stocked.

The first material which caught Pericles' attention was a sheet of emerald flame moss. With the start of a preemptively satisfied smile, he ran freckled fingers across the surface of the topmost layer. Its texture, along with the dank earthy aroma, was reminiscent of combing the coat on some great animal. It conjured imagery of the portraits hanging in his home: that of long-gone men and women wearing mantles of wolfskin or bear. He collected it over an arm before perusing the selection of flowers. After some rummaging about, Peri was fortunate enough to find the flowers of his birth sign: a Gemini's lavender, the flower of serenity, and lily of the valley, representing rebirth and humility. Both were also perennial plants, deceptively tenacious in spite of their delicate appearances. Deciding their symbolism to be more than sufficient, never mind the aesthetic combination of desaturated purple and cream, he collected a batch of each atop the moss. Materials gathered, he then withdrew to the edge of the event, where he would work on his craft both out of the way of those looking to collect their plants, and also out of reach from distractions. As much as he appreciated the opportunity to celebrate, alongside the relaxing rhythm that came with creating something, an underlying voice reminded him that this was an errand. There was work to be done before he could play with the others, and what he had in mind would take some time.

With the simple improvisation of multiple safety pins, Pericles was capable of transforming the moss into a sort of mantle. This would be worn without fear for the stains it was sure to inflict upon his snow white cloak. Perhaps it was the privilege of his upbringing, the thought that he could simply buy another; though knowing Pericles, it was far more likely due to his confidence in the quick fix magic might provide. He could banish any unsightly marks with a mere wave of his wand. It had a comforting weight to it, not to mention trapped an unexpected amount of warmth. If the bonfire wasn't enough to keep him cozy, this would surely do the trick. While conducting his fancy capelet, Peri had already imagined what may be done with the lavender. Using a bit of old twine, he bound it into the rough shape of a tie, which was draped around his neck with string tucked below the moss. Saving the more complicated work for last, he began to weave both twig and lily, constructing a kind of interweaving circlet. The boy did not have much experience with daisy chains or the like, but he knew how to make a wreath for the holidays. He would utilize the same process, only much, much smaller. Repetitive motions were soothing. Eyelids drooped, mouth relaxed into a neutral line, spine slightly hunched as he tuned out his surroundings and succumbed to the continual over, under, over. White, bell-like flowers dangled all around the outside. After some consideration, he guided twigs through the top, adding a spiky finish to the crown-like creation.

Moss mantle over a white cloak, lavender tie and lily-twig crown donned, Pericles appeared as a young personification of winter, calmly surrendering itself as Spring overcame it, fading gracefully away as new life sprouted from the snow. His palms were browned by soil and fingertips green from weaving stems. Back again he drifted to the bins, waving his wand with a whispered Orchideous to replace what he had taken. Creativity came easily, immersing himself in the event itself would be the real challenge! He had read about similar ceremonies, and even celebrated something similar on a small scale, celebrations at home hosted by his adoptive sister Abigale, a former native of Ireland. It rang familiar to Beltane (or Lá Bealtaine), the Gaelic May Day festival. Only this wasn't May, and he did not have the comfort of family nearby. Pericles resorted to lingering off on the side near the bins for a time, picking idly at a bit of stem beneath his nails, watching the partygoers with a faraway expression of vicarious euphoria.

﴾ WC: 805 | REFERENCE ﴿