undergrounds | Fall into Summer (OPEN)

Entry tags:

Fall into Summer (OPEN)

Some witch holidays were meant to be enjoyed by all, regardless of species, alliances or preference to magic. Holidays like Lammas! Think of it as witch Thanksgiving.

An old woman by the name of Agatha Chapman was of the personal opinion that there was just too much infighting between her fellow witches this year. Those Circle Midnight witches were practically children! Agatha had raised enough children to know they were just going through some rebellious phase. It would pass. But this wasn't the time for expressing such things. This was a time of togetherness! Which was why Agatha had, through her daughters and granddaughters, sent a very public invitation to the supernatural community:

~Lammas Day Celebration~

Come celebrate the great tradition of the first harvest and shorter days with a beach party and bonfire!
Food, fun, and sun! No limits on guests, bring your friends!

AUGUST 1^st 2015
12 PM - 2 AM
(public rituals @ 10 PM)

KINGSGATE CASTLE, JOSS GAP ROAD.
BROADSTAIRS.
KENT.

Transportation from the city will be provided from Victoria Station. Present this invitation at the ticket office.

You totally want to go right?

Like the invitation said, all guests transportation will be provided. The train happens to go directly from Victoria Station to the castle, which totals up to a two hour trip - giving plenty of time for people to run into one another on this train-ride. Let's get along everyone.

Upon the guests arrival everyone is greeted by the hostess; a very old, very cheerful lady who insists on being called Ms. Agatha. She introduces her daughters and their daughters. Hit on them at your own peril. After the brief introduction and delicately worded warning that no witch need reveal their coven to others, and no one need attempt to confront them about their choices, everyone is invited down the side of the slow incline of the cliffs to the beach. Time to have fun.

Lammas was traditionally a holiday to celebrate the last day of the wheat harvest. It seems like the witches hosting this party went all out in incorporating that. Golden colored canopies cover the tables that are set out for food. Along with them are large punch bowls filled with different colored liquids and a small bar for anyone who wants something a little stronger than fruit, both of which are abundant - after all this holiday was centered around a community feast. There seems to be a general theme following the decor; apples, cinnamon, and vanilla feature heavily in every dessert of pies, cakes, puddings and ice cream in very creative ways. The more savory foods, less so. But they all fall into the category of typical beach party foods.

There is a changing area towards the face of the cliffs along with bathrooms.

Another fun tradition of Lammas is competitive and athletic games! There are two volleyball nets set up, and what looks like an area for sandcastle building. The team that wins the most games, and the person who builds the best sandcastle wins a prize! The prize is a Maen Magl necklace. The stone is said to bring good luck and good health to the owner. Additionally, they can cure diseases of the eye if rubbed on one's eyelids.

If you're not interested in games, there's always the golden sand to relax and tan on and the water to swim in!

Later, after the sun sets a bonfire is constructed - you can help, but enough driftwood has been collected for the fire itself. As the sun sets, the women hosting the event let everyone know what the purpose of it is. The fire is meant to - while also help people make amazing smores, roasted corn, and apples wrapped in foil - allow the witches and everyone else in attendance to participate in the Lammas rituals. Everyone is encouraged to engage in the rituals, though no one is required to do so.

Nowadays, Lammas is the time to cast off bad habits, thoughts, and what is no longer needed in your life. This spiritual cleansing is represented by fire, and burning things. There are two that will be done tonight, but they won't take longer than thirty minutes when alls said and done. They maybe be performed in any order.

A ritual called 'Winnowing' is meant to cleanse, where everyone writes down negative emotions and bad habits they want to lose on a piece of paper. The witches in the group will all know the chant:

Blessing and curses
Come from the harvest
Return to the earth
To nourish next years

The paper is then thrown into the fire, where it will spark and disintegrate.

The second is highly encouraged for everyone to participate in, as the more people who do so, the more the blessings will be! Everyone is given nine sheaths of wheat, which they are to weave into a braid, and then attach a ribbon to the base of the braid. The witches in the circle around the bonfire should, as the braids are being done, chant:

We weave you and hail you
As queen of the corn
When all's gathered in and
When you are sown.

Once the braids are done, those that weaved them are meant to grab a piece of paper and write what blessing they wish for their friends to have, such as 'Friendship' or 'Mobility'. They must keep the blessing secret and secure it to the ribbon. The ribbons are meant to be kept till Imbolc - another witch holiday - and then be burned, while the ashes are meant to be kept on the individual until the next Lammas. Hope you'll attend that party wherever it is!

After the Ritual, there are plenty of smores to make and some lovely music to listen to while everyone gathers around the bonfire and relaxes until they want to leave. There is no curfew, but the witches hosting the party will be going back up to their flat in the castle around two in the morning.

Happy Lammas!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Ah. Clara thinks she has a better idea what she means now. Maybe. She hates presuming things and this is a rather personal topic for her friend. "He liked just being there. Enjoying the breeze, the feel of the sun?"

The moment, perhaps. It makes sense if he knew Maera's real fate.

"Something like that. Not so much on the beach itself. Back when he took me to Wales, we'd sit together on the cliffs and just- look out, you know." She takes a deep breath, and turns back to Clara. "This- reminds me of that. That's all."

"I'm sorry Maera." Clara looks worried as she says this, her lips pursed together for a few seconds as she tilts her head in concern "I didn't mean to make you sad. I-- I was curious is all. There's a lot I don't think I know of you proper and I didn't think... I should have though. For you."

"No- don't apologize, silly." Her face lights up a little as she smiles, trying her best to reassure her friend that nothing's wrong. "I like remembering my dad. I like talking about how things used to be. It helps me keep him in my mind more." Because a part of her is always afraid that she's going to forget.

Clara looks worried still but nods, taking her friend's words at face value. "I can see why. You two sound so close! What's that phrase people use when describing a very tight knight pair? Bread and butter, I think."

"There should be a phrase with three things," Maera says immediately, lips twisting slightly as she thinks. "All three of us were super close. Like- bread, butter, and jam." That works, right? "

"That works!" Bread, butter, and jam? That sounds delicious to her. "There's also peas in a pod, corn on a husk, thorns to a rose.

"I think the last one would be appropriate, in my opinion. Your parents clearly did they best to raise someone wonderful as you."

"And we're all a bit prickly if rubbed the wrong way," Maera adds on with a smile that's distinctly sharper than her usual expression. "I like it. It describes us well."

Sharp smiles are scary smiles in her opinion but it's a smile all the same from Maera. Clara nods and laughs, "I'm glad you do! It does fit you well, doesn't it?"

"I admit, the more I learn about the Courts, the more I think that line is very fitting for both you and the groups as a whole." Prickly if rubbed the wrong way. Interesting to know, dangerous to tread against. "If you don't think it's rude of me to say."

"I don't think it's rude. I'd be careful, though. Others might not be too fond of the analogy." However true it might be.

"But you were married too, Clara, weren't you? How would you describe you and your husband?"

"You think they'll be flattered to be related to nature."

Still, she'll keep that in mind and try her best to now answer the question. It's a tricky one because much as she loved her husband-- "Yes, I was married. To Francisco, remember? I loved him, still do, but the I admit most of the time it was a balancing act with each other. Always trying to be equals when so very different."

"Oh, of course. Good old Frankie." The least ridiculous of the nicknames she'd come up with for the man, surely. "It's always a balancing act, though, isn't it? Goodness knows how much my parents had to work through to try and meet each other on the same level."

"That's good to hear. Any relationship is about keeping a balance with one another but, I have to say, at times it felt like a challenge." She smiled though, remembering everything, from the agreements to the disagreements, with fondness. Those memories kept her grounded for so long after all.

"Like any good relationship, both parties have to know that it isn't last person standing but, rather, teamwork. I like to think that's the key to keep something going."

She can't help a little giggle, covering her mouth with one hand. "I'm sorry, that's rude of me," she says apologetically, though there's still mirth in her eyes. "It's just- you and my parents had the same idea, but Mama wouldn't be caught dead saying she believes in teamwork rather than fighting till the end. It's- not that she doesn't believe in that. It just sounds so sweet when you say it."

"It isn't at all rude," she assures her friend, waving her hand as if brushing away Maera's worries. "All marriages are different and work in their own ways. I have no issue admitting that, at times, I needed Francisco and Francisco needed me."

There was no shame in her asking Francisco for help when she had a hard time carrying the groceries or Francisco asking her for help because his work shirt had stains on them. "Your mother sounds quite independent! Must do a lot of work or has a lot of things to keep an eye on."

"Independent is the nice word for it, I think," Maera says with a little giggle. "My mom just doesn't like people. Neither did my dad, really. All their ability to like people went to me." And even then, Maera isn't good with keeping people around her. "Mama's lucky that she doesn't have to work with people much when it comes to being a Seer."

"A seer? Oh! Like what Magra can do then. See... all sorts of things." That's the best way to describe it. Even now she doesn't really have a strong understanding besides knowing that she can see things if she wants to but gets a headache if she tries too much.

It's interesting to know that Magra had similar powers to her friend's parent. Though she has a feeling that compared to Maera's mother, her granddaughter's aptitude and control for it isn't as impressive.

"She mostly sees the future, really. And even then, her vision isn't perfect." Maera shrugs, as if the idea is foreign to her. As if she doesn't have similar powers of her own. "I guess you could say it's good enough, though. No one's really complained about her abilities."

Not all children will be like their parents. Clara knows that quite well.

So, thankfully, she doesn't ask if Maera has powers like that or if she ever wanted powers like that. Plus, it seems rather rude to do so. "It must be such an interesting job to have! I wish I could say people depended on me when I sew their clothes but I don't think that was the case back then."

"Aw, of course they depended on you, doll. Who'd sew their clothes otherwise?" Maera gives her a bright smile. "And plus, you really don't want my mom's job. It's super taxing - and imagine all the bad news she has to deliver."

She smiles at the compliment, flattered, but she continues to look worried a bit. Mostly because of hearing the last part, the idea of having to pass along bad news to the other fae never occurring to her.

It must be... Something. From her experience with the other fae, they don't seem to take bad news or turns against them very well. Heiji and Maera are the exception, of course, but they seem to be far and in between. "I hope they realise that there's a reason for her telling those things. Better to be be prepared, right?"

"Of course they understand," Maera replies, with a hint of a scoff. "You come to get your fortune told, not for a pretty bedtime story. It just... weighs on Mom, sometimes, to have to see terrible things and to not be able to do much about it."

"Oh my," Clara covers her mouth, looking a bit concerned. It makes her think of Francisco coming come every early morning, ragged and tired but only having a few hours to sleep, clean up, and leave for work once again. And all for 'simple' work too.

It makes her worry how much work Maera's mother has to do then considering her skillset and since fae lived a long time... She must have been at this for a while.

"Does she-- I mean--" What could she say? "It definitely sounds like she needs a break from that. Every now and then at least. How are her vacation hours? I hope her bonuses reflect the hard work she does for them."

Because surely the fae have concept of worker benefits and rights if they mingle with humans and others so much. Surely.

That brings a laugh to Maera's lips, and she shakes her head as she giggles. "You think of the weirdest things, Clara. It's not like Mom works salaried shifts, to qualify for vacation hours. It's like... I don't know." She thinks for a moment, trying to come up with a human equivalent. Finally, she decides to say, "it's like babysitting, with humans. You wouldn't give a babysitter vacation hours and bonuses. You'd just give them some money for their time and maybe a little extra if they did really well. It's like that for Mom."

Clara blushes a bit, feeling silly now. She tries to tell herself that she learned something interesting: There's no version of a union for the faes there in their world.

The more you know about the others from a conversation.

"So I take it then that you and your mother... volunteer your services to the Courts. It's optional to be involved with it." Otherwise they can do as they please, from what she's gathered. It would explain the constant idea found in almost all culture of the wandering fairies and spirits in the countryside, pulling tricks and pranks on passerby. They must be the ones who don't have jobs proper with the Courts.

(no subject)

goroesi - 2015-08-30 04:52 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

warmheartedly - 2015-08-31 11:46 (UTC) - Expand

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only