[EVENT] Bonfire Night

[ironwood]

Characters: ALL!
Date: February 21st
Location: Various.
Situation: It’s cold. Time to cuddle up and make bonfires for the warmth.
Warnings/Rating: Add warnings as needed.

As night falls the city’s lights take something of a unique turn. Instead of being lit by millions of paper lanterns, Keeliai is tonight lit by the flames and warmth of dozens if not hundreds of fires. Some of them are small, not much more than warming hearths in a barrel on a street, but others encompass squares and boulevards.

The fire lighting procession winds through the city’s streets, beginning at the first bonfire in Fire Sector. By the time full night has arrived, that procession is a snake illuminated by dozens of torches, parting from the main parade to light smaller fires in smaller streets. It ends, finally, in Central, in the Courtyard of Public Opinion, whose bonfire is second only to the initiating one in Fire Sector.

In some areas an exchange of goods arises, mostly in terms of woollens and other warm clothes and blankets. Though food is considered a public resource on this occasion, bartering small knickknacks, songs, stories and even other woollen items is not uncommon an exchange.

Meals are shared among kedan and Foreigners, commoners and emissaries--primarily stews, soups and other foods easily baked in the coals of the fires. Everyone brings food, and what isn’t contributed to the pot is nevertheless shared around after preparation. Although some bonfires are markedly wealthier than others, food and shelter is spread around to make sure everyone is safe and warm. No one goes cold and alone on this night.

---

LINKS
Fire Sector (main bonfire) | Water Sector | Metal Sector | Earth Sector | Wood Sector | Central Keeliai

OOC Notes
The five Bresilykian emissary NPC can be found moving from Sector to Sector and partaking in the various traditions of each, and so can be engaged anywhere, while the Keeliai NPCs generally are staying in their respective areas as detailed below. Please put the name of the NPC you're requesting in the subject line of your tag if you want to interact with them. Thank you!

Comments

FIRE SECTOR / MAIN BONFIRE

[ironwood]

Tu Yunxu begins the preparations for this one as the sun starts to set. The Snakes are in the Fire Sector in abundance, but rather than policing or patrolling the streets their main task is keeping the spreading bonfires safe. They make sure no fire is left unchecked, and that flammable material important to the sector isn’t appropriated for use as kindling.

In this sector coloured powder is distributed among the children--and a great many adults. This powder, when thrown onto the sector’s natural non-burning fires, turns them vivid hues; pink and purple and blue and green and orange and some colours most cultures don’t have words for. Though short-lived, the use of the powder creates an ever-changing mural of patterned light across nearly all the architecture in Fire Sector.

Yunxu himself, along with his assistant Meisheng, spread the first cooked meals and blankets out beyond the main bonfire, starting the night’s tradition of generosity and comradery.

[lordhotman]

Having volunteered to help with the big bonfire, Zuko is here when the whole thing begins. After all, this is the sector that he had lived in when they still had soul lanterns, and its his native element. He's actually quietly excited about this whole thing. It reminds him of the festivals back in the Fire Nation. Minus the fire flakes and kimodo chicken of course.

When its time, Zuko would be found at the site for the first ad largest fire. Both he and his tiny dragon companion waiting until they are signaled. He then took a deep breath and centered himself, focused his chi, and then bent a stream of flames to help ignite the fire. Watching him, the tiny dragon, who has been named Druk, belches out a much smaller stream of flame too.

Once the fire is going, he stands back with Druk on his shoulder, watching the fire with a content smile on his face. The light of the fire dancing in his golden eyes. Then watching as other fires were soon lit throughout the sector. It's here that he'll remain for some time before heading towards the Water Sector where his friends are.

Re: FIRE SECTOR / MAIN BONFIRE

[whitelotustile]

Iroh is watching the children play with the fire, and had snagged some of the colored powder himself. That and a bit of firebending allowed him to make some pretty impressive pyrotechnics, to the delight of the kedan children. They were starting to make requests.

ota

[denyamenti]

One area of the Fire Sector has an extra treat tonight as, amid some of the fire fountains, what appears to be a beautiful young lady is dancing, unhindered by the heat or the flames. It's quite a lovely dance, full of twists and bends, hair draping and shimmering cloth fluttering. While she doesn't speak, she acknowledges the excited children with gestures and smiles-- and not a few winks at the adult observers who are, admittedly, mostly men.

Bakura is out of the immediate way on one of the benches, bearing no outward sign that the Fire Princess is his doing, save for the telltale aura of shadow magic that has spiked in his immediate area, for those who can sense it... and the satisfied smile he's wearing.

Tu Yunxu

[lordhotman]

It's just after the big bonfire has been fully lit, that Zuko directs and manages the flames to make it more easily controlled by the Kedan. Once that is done, he steps away with Druk on his shoulder. It's then that he'll catch sight of Yunxu nearby and approaches him.

While not having officially met the man or having spoken to him personally, Zuko does know of him. He will take a moment to pause and give him a customary Fire Nation bow in respect, his fist held against his palm.

[unetrustworthy]

The fourteen-year-old stared curiously...perhaps a little warily...at the powder in her hand. It seemed to be distributed at random to any passer-by who wanted some. A quick whiff gave away absolutely nothing about its consistency, or what it was meant to be used for. A food? Yeah, like she was going to test that theory out.

Fortunately, only a few minutes of watching those around her provided an answer. Oh. It was...supposed to be tossed into the flames? Why?

Still, if that was what she was supposed to do...Midii found one of the lesser crowded corners of the bonfire, took a deep breath, and tossed her handful in.

A small puff of smoke emitted from the spot it hit, turning the flames momentarily green. Bright, shimmering, and startling enough to cause her to jump back in visible surprise.

"Oh!"

OTA

[inkulcation]

China is staying clear of most of the crowds, because that's more annoyance than she wants to deal with tonight, but this is her home sector now and it would be a shame to miss the displays, honestly. She can be found at the fringes for the most part, watching the fires with a thoughtful, pleased look, and occasionally giving a lovestruck kedan a very pointed brush-off.

Someone paying very close attention may catch China tossing a handful of colored powder into a fire for a small child who's just a little too short to reach the one she wants on her own, and subsequently acting as if she did no such thing.

OTA

[strokeofgenis]

Genis of course isn't going to miss out on this. A celebration he can get behind filled with fire, special coloured power for children, and the food. It's a great day to be a kid, where he doesn't have to worry about the adult responsibilities of the world, and he also doesn't have to worry as much about the strange stares from all the kedan. Today, weirdly enough, he's treated as just another person. He's been warned that it's only going to last the night, but he doesn't care; he's going to enjoy this moment of normalcy while it lasts.

Genis, perhaps surprising to a few, has brought some food of his own to the common lot: he's managed to put together a curry out of a few ingredients he's managed to put together and boil by the fire. And of course, he's willing to let people try it out. Cooking, after all, is his forte. And he's not going to be modest at all about it either. He's had lots of practice at this recipe, so it's not going to be a bomb either. It's absolutely divine.

Otherwise, you will find him adding to the fire throwing various coloured powders into the fire and practically jumping up and down at the colourful effects. He's practically caught between wanton excitement and intellectual curiosity about what substances made the fire do that. But ecstasy wins out, and he'll practically be throwing in the powders two fistfuls at a time, often different colours to have them mix together in the fire.

meisheng + ota

[akito]

[ open ]

The Fire Sector may not be his favourite, nor The Snakes his favourite of the kedan, but Akito has learned to appreciate it. After agreeing to contract work with Yunxu he worries less about any retaliation from The Snakes if they find him a pest, and he's learned to like The Snakes as individuals even if he isn't fond of them as a whole. Still, he makes sure to avoid them as much as possible without going out of his way to do so. Akito is more focused on eying the brightly coloured fires with a childlike curiosity than keeping his guard up for the time being, anyway.

He can think off the top of his head which elements create which colours for maybe half of what he sees, but the rest are a mystery to him - including what the colours themselves actually are. There are some Akito has never seen before, and he ends up stumbling over his own two feet more often than not with how distracted he gets. He tries not to think about how he wishes he could share this experience with Agito, and the rest of Kogarasumaru.


[ idkmybff Meisheng ]

Akito stumbles upon Yunxu and Meisheng entirely by accident, though he can't say he's displeased by the turn of events. Sure, he would rather have given a polite bow than fall on his face in front of them but you can't win at everything! He's more distraught by the loss of coloured powder that had been in his fist before he fell, but was now scattered in his hair, if the uncomfortable feeling on his scalp is any indication.

"Hello, Yunxu-san," he greets politely first once he's righted himself, offering a small bow, then turns his attention to Meisheng. Akito offers her a broad, genuine smile and a more enthusiastic greeting. "Hello, Meisheng-san! You and Yunxu-san have done a really good job in your Sector! There are so many colours!" He claps his hands together, as though barely able to contain his excitement. Because, honestly, multicoloured fire. "We had something similar where I come from, but this is way more cool!"

WATER SECTOR

[ironwood]

In Water Sector the fires have spread without much fear for the architecture. Though no fire is ever left untended, the residents here make a game of blending fire with the waters of their fountains and canals, turning flame and water into art in the company of music and sound. Music indeed, is the order of this district and a pleasant mix of competing beats and tones drift over the rest of the city. Many of the handouts are types of noisemakers and simple instruments like whistles and hand drums, singing is highly encouraged, and it's not uncommon to see impromptu "bands" forming around the fires, giving each a unique sound. These performances are well received regardless of the level of skill, and even those new to playing an instrument will receive hearty applause and cheering, simply for sharing.

Milyn can be found all over the Water Sector throughout the night, moving among the different musical groups and talking animatedly to those she recognizes. In some cases, a little too animatedly, and sometimes her conversation partners may borrow the nearest Foreigner in an attempt to redirect the Healer's chatty attention.

The Cherrywood Healer has been busy working on a new project since the weather turned frigid, and also has with her a number of small bags, containing individually wrapped candies that look like glittery gumballs. Their taste is peculiar, like a cross between a spicy cinnamon and a very sour grapefruit, but when they're sucked on, they provide a surprisingly effective warming sensation from the inside out. The candies last about ten to twenty minutes typically, providing a nice heat boost to the fires. Milyn will warn people not to eat too many of them, however, and definitely no more than one at a time! She hasn't quite gotten a saturation problem worked out with these candies, and eating too many start turning people's skin glittery as well.

Milyn/OTA

[lordhotman]

Eventually Zuko migrates to the Water Sector, where he was told some of his friends would be meeting up. He spends time with Wan, but also goes off on his own at some points too. Especially when he catches sight of Milyn handing out the glittery candies.

When he sees a good opportunity, he approaches the Cherrywood Healer with the intent of talking to her.

Otherwise, he meanders around the Water Sector until he finds his friends, where he can be seen hanging out with them. Little Druk still riding on his shoulder.

[oceanblue]

It was the music, surprisingly, that drew Katara to he Water Sector. The fires were amazingl, but the way the people interacted with each other was beyond anything she had seen in a long time in this place. It was beautiful, and the music only lightened the mood even more.

And her friends would be there soon to meet her.

For now, she simply wandered, sharing the food she had prepared--because honestly, everyone needed to be subjected to water tribe style 'sea prunes'-- and pausing here and there to admire the music and the intermingling of the water and fire at each stop. Here and there she would also gather up water once she had relieved herself of her burden, and would occasionally send a swirling spray into the air before catching it once more, to the delight of a few of those around her. When more and more began to notice her little game, she began to play, easily leading herself into the dance she had practiced so often with her bending.

ota

[wintershepherd]

Jack had to pass on the proffered candies when he learned what they did, laughing it off as oh, so you want me to melt! and giving them instead to children. The night air was still cold enough that the heat from the fires didn't bother him, so long as he didn't get too close to them.

"Hey, look at you go," he said, sitting in the snow as he listened to a small toddler tooting very energetically on a whistle with no discernible tune. But the Winter Spirit was encouraging anyway. "How about an encore?"

OTA

[walkthedarkpath]

Vergil had at first ignored the festivities in favor of reading but the new found part of him desired to go out into the streets and see who he could meet. It was stange to him, the feeling of wanting to mingle, it as not how he usually was. He blamed the other side. He no longer heard the voice, nor felt anything trapped but he could feel things he never bothered with before.

Like guilt, he felt guilty for what he had done to Valdis and Gene. He did not seek them however. He just stepped out of his apartment and made his way down the steet. His hands shoved into the pockets of the long black coat. He stopped to watch some of the festivities, he was curious about the bending clearly happening randomly, but he tried not to stay in one place too long. He aimed to be a shadow more then anything.

OTA!

[needmetoo]

It was still cold out, really cold, but with much warmer clothes and a scarf and the fires about, it didn't bite nearly as hard as it had on the day she got here.

The water district so far had been just... enchanting, almost. Between the warmth of the fires, the fire and water creating plays of color and light, and the music weaving its way around her, Xion couldn't help but be slowly drawn out of her nervousness. Because at first nervous is what she was. Keeping to herself, avoiding crowds, arms wrapped around herself even as she stared around in awe.

Slowly that faded, however, and while she still doesn't approach the crowds, her posture eased and those who looked would be able to find her, spinning in time with the music, or perhaps humming along - though given the improvisational nature of the music it was hard to really keep to the "tune."

Still, it was probably the happiest she'd been since arriving here. And before that, in some ways.

Milyn/OTA

[aquanimity]

While it certainly remains bitter and cold out, the combination of warmer clothing and the fires springing up all around make the evening far more bearable and pleasant. Aqua is enjoying herself greatly, watching the kedan joyously take part in the festivities. She's already been pulled into an impromptu dance by an enthusiastic group, who, in the atmosphere of the night, did not take issue with her being a Foreigner.

Aqua has since excused herself from the dancing, thanking the kedan for the fun, and now sits at the edge of a fountain, watching the delightful blend of flames and water. A small part of her wonders if she might be able to add to the spectacle, perhaps a burst of rainbow lights to give color to the waters. It would take a bit of concentration, but she does wish to add into the night's delights.

For the moment, though, she is fine simply watching the happiness and joy around her.

milyn + ota

[akito]

[ open ]

For all that Akito likes any opportunity that arises where he can be loud without the fear of retaliation for it buzzing in the back of his mind, he stays silent while exploring the Water Sector. His sensitive sense of hearing makes every song that much more lively to his ears, though every mistake in pitch causes him to cringe just a bit - moreso if the note is sharp. It's loud and crowded and he's by himself (Bird had decided to take refuge in their apartment not long after arriving in the sector, leaving Akito without his feathered company) and usually he would be uncomfortable; worried that he might get knocked over and trampled if he wasn't careful, or overwhelmed byy being around so many people.

And he is uncomfortable, but not unbearably so. The crowds are manageable, and Akito can block out the noise when it gets to be too much for him. He finds himself lingering by any music with strong percussion or any resemblance to bird song, humming along under his breath with near perfect pitch. When he was younger he used to like singing. But then things changed and he was scared to make too much noise growing up, and ever since then Akito has stuck to humming quiet notes to himself whenever he felt the need for music or sound.

The music is worth any amount of discomfort Akito feels, not realizing how much he missed being surrounded by it. iPods and mp3 players were something he took for granted before, but if he ever has the chance to use one again in the future he'll remember just how much duller life was without it.


[ milyn! ]

One of the main reasons Akito ventured to the Water Sector had been to greet Milyn. He hadn't really spoken to her before, and since he awoke from the year long slumber Akito can't recall seeing her at all apart from the occasional random passing. It isn't that he begrudges her - quite the opposite, in fact - but something about her makes him... Not sad, but something similar? And he can never pinpoint why. Perhaps because she's so kindhearted and caring, and so giving even when the other kedan are not? And all she gets in return for it seems to be the undercurrent of betrayal by her people. Though he thinks (hopes?) that as things are improving between the kedan and the foreigners that things have improved tenfold for Milyn as well.

When Akito finally spots the Cherrywood Healer he walks up to her with only the slightest hesitation, not wanting to take up her time if she's busy yet also desiring to thank her for tending to him and the others during their slumber.

"Miss Milyn?"

Milyn/OTA

[michaeljangelo]

The weather had been hard on Mike. Almost as hard as the loss of his last cousin.
Almost, but not quite. He was slower in the cold, and the magic warming rocks from before were gone.
Everything was gone.
All that was left for Mike was survival. Scrounging food where no one would miss it, stealing warmth where he could find it, and finding shelter anywhere out of the way and vaguely safe.

This new status quo would find him keeping as far away from large groups of people as he could, but the bonfires were too tempting. The warmth that radiated was too hard to just dismiss.

As was the draw of the candy that he'd overheard warmed you from the inside.
He needed one of these gumballs. The question then became: how would he get one?

METAL SECTOR

[ironwood]

The Metalworkers have the care of the bonfires in Metal Sector. Most of the bonfires take place in large metal bins, designed with pockets to more easily reach the embers without risking the flames. As a result, baked goods are especially common in this sector--from potatoes to a flat kind of sweetcake.

Here also the fires leap highest, due to the confines the bins provide, until it’s something of a game to stoke the flames. Though this casts drifting embers through the air, children are ‘paid’ in the form of boiled sweets to track wayward embers and stomp them into lifelessness.

Zanru can be found being chivvied from bonfire to bonfire, asked to judge which of the bonfires are most impressive, which she does with all due concentration--perhaps a little more than is necessary. When not occupied with this important task, she otherwise seems distracted and a little sad. Xuiyu is also present, partaking heavily but without any apparent effect of the hot alcoholic beverages available, and complaining heartily whenever someone forces her to move from one bonfire to another.

ota/xuiyu

[denyamenti]

A. OPEN
Bakura is out tonight to for the warmth, not the festivities. He's visited all of the Sectors briefly, but Metal with it's precisely contained bonfires is where he's spent the most time. He's carrying a paper-wrapped sweetcake that someone offered him -- which is actually about the fifth he's had shoved in his direction, he keeps pawning them off on hyperactive kedan kids -- but he seems to have forgotten he's holding it. The thief watches the children chase down the stray embers eagerly before darting back to receive their rewards, but the expression on his face suggests his mind isn't in Keeliai at the moment.

He steps back as someone passes in front of him, attention re-situating back to the present, and speaks exasperatedly before he even notes who it is. "No, I don't want another cake."

B. XIUYU
It's not hard to see that the two Metalworkers judges are in two very different mindsets of their appointed task tonight, and from the edges of the gathered crowd, Bakura's been watching them for a little while. There's a particularly ambitious competition between two bonfires that Zanru is judging, and Bakura utters a quiet "Hinotama Soul," and the flame creature appears unnoticed in the bins of the two fires, alternately stoking and drawing down each of them. To observers, it merely looks as if the fires are in a neck and neck race, making them difficult for Zanru to judge the winner.

The thief carries two fresh mugs of the hot alcoholic drink to where Xuiyu is, sitting across from her and holding one of them out. "Looks like you have a little extra time to enjoy this one," he smirked.

ota

[looksfine]

Aya was still holding the candies she had received earlier as she made her way to the Metal Sector, recognizing it as the place of residence she and several colleagues had once resided in. There was some sort of contest at present, although she was not yet aware of the parameters of such.

Instead, the majority of her focus was on the item in her hand. Which she paused long enough to analyze--out of sheer curiosity, more than anything else--her eyes glowing a bright blue as the various bits of data scrolled across her visual receptors.

"I am detecting mostly naturally-occurring elements, including carbon, hydrogen, oxygen..." (In other words, it was essentially sugar.) "...and a strange enzyme I have not come across previously. Interesting."

[akito]

The Metal Sector is now Akito's new 'home', and so he makes sure to take extra time to explore the area, getting to know it better than he did before. Sure, he knew of shortcuts and pathways, but he never had a chance to really pay attention to the overall camaraderie of the people in this sector. It surprises him how many familiar faces he sees, though he knew in theory that the Metalworkers pretty much all lived in the Metal Sector, it's different to see it for himself.

The baked treats are more alluring to him than the fires are, meaning Akito has at least one sweet on him at all times, in addition to the ones he keeps on him to give to his Metalworker companions should he encounter any of them. His main goal is to greet Zanru, as is polite, but he wouldn't mind seeing Ayin, or perhaps even having the chance to meet Xuiyu, and so he makes sure to keep an eye out for them. They're sure to be busy, however, and so Akito won't be surprised if he can't find them.

EARTH SECTOR

[ironwood]

Earth Sector’s fires are understated, like much of the sector itself. Though they burn exceptionally hot, the residents here are more interested in the coals and the ash than the flames. Like in Metal Sector, this makes baked goods especially common, but unlike Metal Sector many artisans have brought their tools to give impromptu crafting lessons.

Clay-work, kiln-firing, ash-paintings--this is the only sector where an exchange of juulan for product occurs this evening, as sidewalk artisans sell their wares to those around the bonfires. There is only one, if ‘unofficial’ rule: only wares created that very night may be sold for juulan. Anything else is traded, as in the rest of Keeliai, for woollens and the like.

As the darkest sector, due to the dimness of their fires, many kedan here have the paper lanterns as a secondary light-source--though they are all, inevitably, lit from one of the fires. The coals of dying fires are carefully collected and taken home, as both a symbol and a resource, and the ashes are collected and sold, by the individual families as ‘businesses’, to various gardeners, artisans and the Woodsmen who may use them.

Azehaiss

[sonjaofyellowcomet]

Sonja walked down the street with two pieces of pottery in hand. One was a well-crafted bowl with a pleasant orange/red glaze that Sonja had purchased for three Juulan. The other was a misshapen, would-ask-to-be-put-out-of-its-misery-if-it-was-alive cup that Sonja had tried to make with instruction from one of the local artisans. With one last pitiful look, Sonja dropped it into one of the fire pits. It's ashes would be more valuable than it's continued existence.

She spotted Azehaiss a moment later, and immediately recognized the demeanor of a career military man. She'd spent most of her life surrounded by them. She recalled that several Bresilykian were on the shell, and considering the lack of any real Kedanese military force, she felt safe assuming he was one of them.

"Hello, Azehaiss, if I recall correctly?" She was confident that she was since she had just looked it up in the notes on her phone. "I'm Sonja. Are you enjoying the... Bonfire Night, I think its called?"

WOOD SECTOR

[ironwood]

Wood Sector is where the most concern has been taken regarding fire safety. If not careful, the whole sector could be set alight--so fires are carefully tended, placed in circles formed by clay bricks and only where there is a minimum area of safety around the site. No fires exist in smaller alleys, which from the sky turns Wood Sector into a place with swathes of darkness competing with strong areas of light.

Many of the Woodsmen have come into the city for the occasion, appearing wordlessly out of the darkness and carrying torches and baskets of food to offer to the general public. Heojin can be seen there, helping to distribute food and trade for blankets, along with his perennial guards in the form of restless purple-haired Lin and perpetually bored Ran.

The Woodsmen have also brought with them slabs of ice from outside the city, an occurrence at first looked upon with confused suspicion until it becomes clear the ice is for nothing more than sculpting. After that, wood-carvers and construction-workers abound in co-opting their tools to create artworks in front of the bonfires--a feat made more difficult and more amusing for observers when the ice melts as the piece is sculpted.

Ota, but hoping to drawn Heojin

[raavashing]

Wan followed the fire procession from the first lighting through the sectors until it reached Wood. He pulled away from main procession to hang back at one of the larger bonfires lit with the fire from the first one.

He waited until the crowds started to really gather and mingle before he very carefully and obviously - so it was clear the fire he was using came from the bonfire and no where else - pulled some of the fire towards him in a long 'rope'. He seemed to pull at it as he started stepping around the bonfire in a slow dance that dragged the flames with him. Careful, so very careful, to remain close enough to the fire pit and well within the cleared area as he started a show for those gathered. A variation of the Dancing Dragon form where instead of starting and putting out a fire with each punch or kick, he instead pulled another rope of flame from the central bonfire, eventually encasing himself in a complex weave of fire that went on for close to five minutes. Every form dragged out in perfect precision.

When he came to the end of it, he released the flames back to the main bonfire, then bowed to it. He hadn't asked permission to do the performance, he'd just felt very moved by the festival. Particularly within the Wood sector where his heart felt most at home. His lantern had once burned brightly there and though he had moved on with Zuko, he still found peace within the great trees.

CENTRAL KEELIAI

[ironwood]

Though the ‘business’ district, Central also has a large population of well-wishers--though a transient one, as most of those attending the bonfires here are taking the opportunity to visit friends and family by moving through the sectors.

The Courtyard of Public Opinion, as well as the second-largest bonfire, has the most ‘official’ exchange area for those seeking to trade their unwanted but useful items. Though something of an impromptu event, it has apparently occurred often enough that the Merchant’s Guild has established some loose guidelines and are on hand to render a professional opinion on heirlooms and family treasures left to collect dust in the attic.

Some combination of barter and bluster at once, many of those who bring objects to the Courtyard are simply looking for an opportunity to tell stories about their family and their past, and show off their treasures in equal pleasure as they listen to others.

The Midnight Hotel, though Foreigner-run, has also taken to the event with a bonfire outside its main entrance. Though its rules are still enforced, its doors and kitchen are open to the general public, and there is a great cauldron of a sweet drink readily distributed to anyone who passes. The main topic of debate in this area is what the drink is; tea, hot-chocolate, some kind of honeyed tincture? It’s difficult to tell, and the proprietor remains close-lipped. Those who were particularly adventurous in Khatronma will note that it tastes quite a bit like one of the ‘chocolate’ drinks common in the empire, but with a unique--but pleasant--flavour.

GETCHA WOOLLEN SOCKS HERE

[gistful]

The various gang-members who had been in and out of the Hotel all day had been talking of almost nothing else but the bonfires that night. More than one--over a dozen, in fact--had asked 'Mr Shudder' if he intended to build one in front of the Hotel's main entrance. So he had.

Though the bonfire had been lit by the procession, as with all the rest, Anton had asked Skulduggery's help in making the fire was warm and striking with as little risk as possible, with the result that it's among the largest in the sector and warms the whole of the courtyard onto which the Hotel's main entrance opens.

Anton himself sits by the Hotel's open doors, though relatively few are inside this evening; he's wearing the black turtleneck Dante had given him for Christmas and a long, rather tattered rainbow scarf that looks like it's over a century old. (It is.) His cauldron of 'hot-chocolate' is near enough to the fire to be warmed by it without risking Anton's fingers, and on his other side is a table of the Hotel's cups and mugs. At his feet is a basin of warmed water, with which he washed the cups as needed to ensure they were always enough on hand for any passersby.

And he's knitting. Yep. There's a basket full of rolled socks of various sizes and colours nearby with a sign saying 'free to good home'. In spite of that, one of the kedan has put a bowl in front of the basket for juulan donations, and from the looks of things, the socks have been popular; some kedan have even commissioned specific colours or styles outright.