Festival(West)

[milicia]

(Thread up for those that go to the west side of the Festival. Food stuffs and the Millennium Order are here.)

[genericvillain]

((OH GOD NO ONE'S POSTING ANYTHING I'LL DO IT ALL MYSELF IF I HAVE TO))

There were a lot of people here. A lot of them Nia didn't recognize.

That's okay because Nia was now too busy destroying enjoying the snack tables. She wore one of her few amazing hats (she'd started quite the collection at home), her hair hanging loose and curly around her shoulders and wore her favourite white summery dress.

She was ecstatic as she dug into a few sweets, tarts and cakes were her favourite and she blissfully ignored any 'real' food there.

[Van]

"Kinda hungry?" A voice said behind Nia. Van had just got with a roll when he had seen Nia's hair under her hat. He hadn't seen her much since he had come back from Earth, so he couldn't miss the oppritunity to talk to her.

[genericvillain]

Nia whirled her head around to the source of the very familiar voice. She couldn't help but drop everything in her hands at that moment just to charge at Van and nearly tackle him with a big hug.

"V-V-V-V-V-V-VAN!"

[Van]

Van returned the big hug, hugging longer than he was known to. He finally pushed away and looked at the hat that was on her head. "You look more elegant than the last time I saw you," he said, lightly tugging on the brim of the hat and making it dip. "How hav you been?" He sat down beside her seat and turned to her.

[genericvillain]

Nia giggled happily as Van played with her hat, her face flushing slightly at the compliment that accompanied it.

"I'm good. R-r-r-really happy living w-with Aya. H-h-h-he likes my cooking," she announced proudly before tilting her head to the side and asking, "how about you?"

[Van]

"I'm fine as well." Van hesitated, not knowing what to say next. "So..," he finally said, "is the food that good?" He swiftly reached out and swiped a tart and took a bite out of it.

[sabin]

As the festival moved on with the setting sun, the men and women garbed in the Milleninum Orders vestments gathered by the empty stage and lit a circle of braziers around it. Most receded back into the neighbouring tents after doing so, while some remained. They watched, stoic and silent as they faced the crowd that could not seem to help gathering. As they passed there was no words, only a luring desire.

Slipping from the right tent closest to the stage came a figure tall and decorated with fine jewelry. His body obscured by a robe similar to that of the Order's members around him, yet by appearance alone one could tell he stood above all the others. His shoulders were crested with a wide pad that made his figure seem massive, and the way his peaked hood drew above his actual head made him look as regal as a man disguised by shadow could look.

He came to the front of the stage and looked left, and then right. He held the same silence his followers did as he seemed to observe the crowd. At last a low throaty voice came from him.

"You have all seen much, dear people of Crepusculum. Twas not one year from this day that you locked your doors and held your loved ones tight in hopes you would protect them from Hell incarnate. And lo these months have passed, toiling away tirelessly for you and your neighbour to erect that which had fallen. To create that which was destroyed." Sabin spoke strongly, with a passion that should by all means have come only from one who was their in the walls of Nachtundtag the day Trucido attacked.

"Why though? Why the suffering and torment? Why the countless hours, slaving away at the wreckage you all called home? Was it because you were weak?"

"No!" Exclaimed the crowd below him.

"Was it because you and your Queen brought it upon yourselves?"

"NO!" They cried out again.

"Then tell me, why?" He shouted back at them, drawing his hands up to him in a beckoning motion.

Silence. A few men and women looked to each other, and some began to mumble back and forth quietly. Whether by ignorance or shyness none seemed to have an answer.

[genericvillain]

Nia nodded rapidly, fully enjoying every little treat she picked off of the table. As she and Van sat taking in everything that was totally delicious the voice of Sabin was heard throughout the area. Nia tilted her head as she watched him and tried to listen carefully, getting excited as people started to yell along with his words.

When it came down to the 'why' and no one was willing to answer Nia felt it her job to do it herself.

"F-F-F-F-FAMILY!!" the small girl shrieked happily, leaping out of her seat to bounce excitedly.

[sabin]

Sabin chuckled to himself, seemingly bemused by the young lady's response. "A fine notion my dear, for have you not all struggled such that your family may be happy?" The crowd nodded to themselves, finding consensus in Nia's words.

"But my question is not why you feel that obligation, but rather why did this plight befall you at all? I'll tell you. It's because they have forsaken you!" His arm snapped up as his finger jabbed accusingly at the sky. "The Sumata cared not for our world, for their dispute was with the gods themselves. We, the common, the meek, the underprivileged were made to be collateral damage in a battle that was never ours to begin with!"

The crowd seemed stunned by his words. True they reeked of blasphemy, and in a land with its roots in worshipping the gods it was amazing that many of the bystanders did not speak against him, much less climb up the stage to kill him.

The truth was Sabin had been releasing his power slowly over the people. Those with weak wills found themselves compelled by his words, and even the tiniest sliver of doubt grew within them with each word of his.

"And what did our all-powerful deities do when they saw our plight...? Nothing! They saw the threat coming over our lands and only watched. Where can our faith lie when the gods have abandoned us?" He watched and smiled to himself as he could tell his speech was working.

[Van]

Van smiled at Nia's answer. Nia would be one to say that, and to Van it sounded like the truth. He looked back to the man as he continued his speech. As the man started accusing the gods, Van locked his jaw. To accuse the gods, what is he thinking? As the man finished speaking, Van stood up and looked directly at the man. "One person did. One person tried to help us when she saw our plight, Profeta." He didn't shout or yell, Van just spoke loud enough to let everyone hear his words.

[sabin]

"And you are right my good man. One person did seek to help us. Profeta was a strong woman and it is the keep erected in her name that serves as a reminder of those that took up arms against our enemy." Sabin directed his attention solely on Van, seemingly staring at him, though the hood concealed his as to where they watched.

"My friends. It is people that our faith must rest on! When the gods leave us to our own fate it is our fellow man that we must turn to. While prayer has left us with ruination, our own sweat and toil has brought us back from it. For a hand closed in prayer is a hand closed to-" Before his last words could be heard an explosion mere meters away from the crowd rocked the area and drowned Sabin out.

[cloaked]

From the smouldering wreckage of one of the food carts came a group of four warriors that charged into the crowd. With only the crest of Ariadelvento worn on their leather armour they made no battle cry nor declarations of any kind.

One of them followed up from the smoke with a bomb of his own, hurling it into the stands near Sabin while the remaining three took to the innocents, cutting down a few before the rest tried to flee.

[Aya Dauzi Invargas]

Ayalan however, burst through a few of the civilians: He was normally a hero in these situations, but he was in no condition, as he ran up to Nia, seeing her barely, as he approached her from the front.

"We have to go home dear." He said to her, as he looked at Van, "Ariadelventan rogues are attacking. We gotta leave." He grimaced saying it, but all of the talks of Nia saying how much she didn't want Aya, 'killing himself again.' He figured her owed her at least this much to get out of this situation without nearly dying.

[Van]

Van gritted his teeth, looking at the attackers. He turned to Aya, his face grim. "Aya, get Nia out of here. I'll buy you time." He glanced at Nia and turned away. Van ran into the chaos and charged at one of the closest warriors.