Event | Sinbrilee | Bacchanal

[ironwood]

Characters: Any and all!
Date: August 24 - 30th
Location: Sinbrilee
Situation: An ancient festival of an ancient city, all are welcome at the Bacchanal!
Warnings/Rating: Please label threads as appropriate.

Death and destruction cannot curtail the single most important festival celebrated by the denizens of Sinbrilee: The Bacchanal! The ghosts in and about the city have begun to gossip about high fashion and festivities, sending any that inquire to the Amphitheatre -- a grand, circular structure nestled in the west side of the city.

This structure bore the fall of Sinbrilee and the wear of time with dignity, having lost handfuls of archways and one long stretch of wall to crumbling decay. Despite this, it is obvious that the amphitheatre once hosted many a display and every more festivities than the mind can grasp. This was their solace and safety; here is where the people of Sinbrilee came to find the mind's escape from all that threatened them and their great turtle.

Ghosts have been busy throughout the week, clearing paths through debris and hanging great cloth banners of soft blues and greens to disguise the more blatant signs of its decline. Many hundreds of them shimmer and slid through the area, providing for tables upon tables of food, offering drink, and overseeing competition of sport and skill (some even denying death's non-corporeal curse to enter).

Here, well... Here is where the party begins!

Food & Drink | Music, Discussions, & Dancing | Wrestling & Competitions

Comments

[lineality]

Lin, for her part, has tried to push the dream out of her mind, with limited success--or at least the part where she slipped up and told Toph more about her future than she ever intended to. She's hoped Toph would have done the same, but as the girl approaches, she's almost certain that isn't the case. Wishful thinking on her part.

She doesn't relax, but she puts her arms behind her back with the same apparent casualness.

"You look nice," she comments, half-teasing. "Who got you into that? Korra?"

(Of course it was, Lin. Stop trying to stall.)

[dustonmyfeet]

"Korra," Toph agrees with full wryness. Deadpan expression, go. "Thanks."

Pushing the dream out of her head isn't an option for Toph. Lin has seen something delicate, fragile. Something that Toph would not willingly give to the majority of people. There's quite a bit that's unsettling in that . . . even though Toph tends to be fully straightforward herself. There are always pieces of the self that people aren't fully willing to give, let alone have taken.

Lin has some of those pieces now. And even though the dream had been reassuring to a certain extent, though she feels fairly confident in her ability to trust Lin, Toph isn't completely at ease. There's just too much that's been stirred up.

"You know me." Her words are quiet. Almost flat. "In your time."

[lineality]

It's possible there are less awkward places to have this conversation, but Lin has never been one to run away from anything, and she has the feeling postponing this will only make it worse.

It stands to reason Toph would figure it out eventually--or start to develop suspicions, if nothing else. Before the dream, Lin might have done her best to deflect the questions. Of course. Everyone knows you. You're a legend. Now--now, after what she's seen of Toph's mind, after their conversation in that other world--whatever it was--to lie would feel disingenuous.

Even if Lin's not sure what the consequences of telling the truth will be.

"Yes." It's all she says for now, her voice even--not volunteering anything, but not holding it back, either.

[dustonmyfeet]

Lin couldn't lie . . . Of all people, she would know one of her mother's gifts -- to be able to pick out lies from the human heartbeat, from the very rhythms of the body. Just from Toph's intent stance, she must know that Toph is listening to her now with absolute intensity.

"And . . . I have a kid." The words came out even more quietly, but the flatness has changed, sharpening into some nameless note. It may be hard to guess how Toph feels. "A daughter."

She doesn't ask this one for confirmation. She's silent for some time, glass still poised between her fingers.

Then: ". . . Did I mess her up?"

[lineality]

"No." The response is immediate. Automatic. "No. What I told you back then, in that dream? It's all true. She's as proud of you as you are of her."

She resists the urge to shift her stance: she hasn't been the type to fidget in a long, long time. Not since she understood what it meant to be her mother's daughter. And as closely as Toph is listening, it must be absolutely clear to her how tightly wound Lin feels.

After a moment, she adds, more quietly, "You gave her space when she needed it. And your shoes were large ones to fill--in a manner of speaking--but you let her be herself. That's as much as any Beifong could have asked for."

[dustonmyfeet]

Toph is quiet for a long time. Still. If Lin looks, she'll find Toph's eyes closed. Depending on when she looks, she'll find them closed tightly.

Toph is used to confronting things head on. Earthbenders confront things head on. When a boulder comes hurling towards you, to dodge is to risk injury or even death.

But not all things can be confronted head on. For Toph, the topic of family is one of them.

She gives a nod -- a short, tight nod. One foot takes a step back. Then two.

And then suddenly she's gone, weaving into the crowd.

[lineality]

She almost follows. Does, for a moment. In fact she's almost pushed her way into the crowd herself before she pauses, feet settling automatically back into an old, familiar stance.

Hesitation isn't in her nature, but the strange rapport they've built over the last few months--it's something foreign, something delicate, and it's that emotion which keeps her rooted where she stands, an expression of concern still lingering on her features.

Toph needs time, she decides. Time to think it over. To have Toph's deep-seated frustration at her own mother revealed to her, and then this sudden realization immediately after--it's been a stressful few days, and Lin can't even begin to imagine how she might feel right now. She'd be doing her mother a favor by not pushing her luck.

She exhales, turns on her heel, and heads off towards two ghosts bearing a large jug containing something unquestionably alcoholic. She's not much of a drinker, usually, but she's more than willing to make an exception tonight.