songerein | [Semi-Open] Oh, would you look at that. It's Joshua Day.

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[Semi-Open] Oh, would you look at that. It's Joshua Day.

Who: FF16s and anyone who has positive CR with Joshua is invited (friends of friends can also drop by!)
Which: Semi-Open Log
Where: Starflower Cafe!
When: Backdated to March 25th
What: Once upon a time, some people looked at a baby and said, "You are Joshua." Today, we celebrate the 29th anniversary of that occasion.
Warnings: None!

It's early evening, and the golden hour sun shines gently through the windows of the Starflower Cafe. There's a modest array of red, white, and black decorations strung from the roof and set upon the tables to catch the flickering flames of lantern centrepieces, but the overall ambience is simple and warm, reminiscent of Rosarian hospitality.

Clive and Jill extended invitations earlier in the week, emphasising that the celebration is a surprise for Joshua. Guests are encouraged to arrive early, whereupon Jill will guide them not into hiding, per se, but at least to places where they can't be spotted through the windows. Meanwhile, Clive will be escorting Joshua to the party under the pretence of treating him to a name day dinner.

As such, guests are also encouraged to surprise some JOY into Mister Phoenix Boy when the brothers arrive.

Once the excitement of the surprise subsides, all guests will receive a softly glowing phoenix feather imbued with healing dreamotion. Joshua is handing them out personally as tokens of gratitude, so come and get yours!

Early mingling will happen over the appetizer buffet, which features potato croquettes, charcuterie boards with a heavy emphasis on cheese, various veggie platters with dips, and small cups of ice cream. Or, guests can sit down and chat over dinner: a roast with all the fixings.

After dinner, everyone will be escorted outside to where a bonfire has been set up. There, guests can enjoy roasting marshmallows, s'mores, and other sweet treats over the fire while watching a fireworks show to end the night.

TL;DR it's a party. So, like, party y'all.

(Clive and Jill will be around, but they'll be busy ensuring everything goes off without a hitch, so they won't be interacting much. Please feel free to assume that introductions have happened & that everyone present has been invited to their wedding, where they will be much more present!)

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Oh absolutely, Joshua. They would make for a great set of bookends for the books and lovely decorations as well. Style and function meeting together to make something very wonderful. I think that Pooka and Mashka would agree on that. Isn’t that right, you two?

(Both dog and rabbit nod in agreement upon hearing their master’s question. She is pretty amused that they all agreed with the figurines being a beautiful set of functional bookends. It is the thought that counts the most.)

Then they have taste as good as their master's.

[The compliment comes as Joshua places the gifts back into the box. He's fast but thorough with retying the ribbon. He excuses himself quickly so he can place the box onto a nearby table that's meant for his gifts. When he returns, he holds out an arm to gesture for Anya to enter further into the café.]

May I invite you to partake in a meal?

I thought as well. Who said animals can’t develop good taste in gifts?

Oh why yes. I would love to enjoy a good meal even if it is a very simple one and I’m pretty sure that Pooka and Mashka would love to join in as well.

Bark bark, bark! Bark bark!

And they are more than welcome.

[There are plenty of other animals hanging around, after all, so Joshua isn't adverse to allowing a couple more into the café proper. Besides, Pooka and Mashka have proven themselves plenty well behaved.]

[With that, he moves towards the spread and grabs a plate.]

What can I get for you?

Well it is a little early for dinner at the moment so I would want something on the lighter side for the time being. Maybe some potato croquettes and cheese would be fine by me.

(She follows after him to the food spread and she is quite impressed by the variety of food options on the table. Pooka and Mashka followed suit, their paws making soft sounds as they hit against the ground. If there are any animals wanting to play with them, they will go after them in sheer happy delight.)

As the lady requests.

[Joshua carefully places a few potato croquettes and adds a generous portion of cheese onto a plate before handing it to her.]

If it is all right to ask, I am curious about celebrations in Russia.

Wow, thank you very much.

Arf, arf!

Oh don’t worry, Pooka. I’ll get you and Mashka some treats in a little bit. Just hang in there.

(This got her thinking about birthday celebrations in her world and in Russia in particular as she bites into her potato croquettes. The last batch of birthdays she had after she wound up in the orphanage weren’t the greatest but honestly, things could have been much worse. Social class is a complicated matter for her to discuss as she experienced both extremes in her entire life but she decides to give a bit of info to Josh to give him a good answer.)

I’m afraid that back in my world not everyone gets to celebrate birthdays that often. At least from what I have seen. Maybe some wealthy people can afford big banquets or extensive trips but sadly not a lot of people have the time and luxury to have their own birthdays being celebrated. It is a bit more complicated than I can explain in depth but social classes can be a nightmare for people in most countries to bend easily.

(She could tell firsthand since she is originallt born into royalty only to experience rough conditions in the orphanage in her amnesiac years and eventually fall in love for a certain ex-kitchen boy turned con man.)

As for me: whenever me and my sisters had ours, we only just had at one pearl and diamond from Mama and Papa to be added into our necklaces. They didn’t want to spoil us a lot, it is not within their nature. We had a simple family dinner if I can be honest although I did believe that Papa and Mama might have attended big parties for manynoble and royal ladies in their youth. Makes me wonder what sort of celebrations me and my sisters and brother would have if my family didn’t suffer a rough fate when I was still young.

We might have gotten some new outfits, toys and other things from our other relatives and maybe even some diplomats if they want to but we tend to celebrate with a more modest way than most royal and noble houses in all of Europe.

[Joshua nods thoughtfully as he listens to Anya's explanations and experiences. He can't help but feel a pang of empathy towards her family's tragic fate. It takes all he has to not glance over at Clive and Jill as she speaks. The fact that they managed to find one another back home after his own family’s near annihilation was a gift, and that they’re here now in Songerein is nothing short of a miracle.]

I see.

[His response is soft as he takes in more of the details she shares.]

Your parents’ choices are quite admirable. Your home is poorer for their loss.

[He considers her mention of the necklaces, and a question arises.]

The pearls and diamonds—do they hold a special significance to your family?

It seems to be a cultural thing for the ladies of Earth to be wearing pearls and/or diamonds for jewels, especially among nobles, royals, and people who could afford them.

A lot of women back at home tend to wear pearls a lot, it seems to be a suitable gem for both day and night time events. Diamonds meanwhile tend to be prized for many around the world. I had always assumed that my parents thought that by letting us slowly build up on these gems instead of maybe buying them in bulk or just buying ready to made jewelry so often, we could have them be made into necklaces in any style we wanted or we could go the traditional single strand style.

[There’s something to be said about the similarities that can be found between worlds, and as Joshua spends more time surrounded by so many unique individuals, those patterns continue to grow in their evidence.]

The people of Valisthea hold a similar regard to precious gems. They’re used as decoration, jewelry, and, of course, a mark of status.

Even more valuable than gems, however, are crystals. Those are used to channel aether and cast magicks.

Wow. It looks like our worlds do share similar views on gems, how fascinating indeed. Although I don’t know if Earth people has ever used gems for magical purposes that often outside of myths and ancient civilizations and tribes. It would made for some interesting magical experiments.

Crystals on the other hand, I’m interested in how your world use them. I could guess that they have such powerful properties that people would want to get their hands on to cast all kinds of magics in your world.

Indeed.

[His tone blurs into melancholy as he considers his explanation.]

Crystals in Valisthea are essential for the practice of magic. Most people cannot use magic without a crystal to channel the aether, the energy of our world. So, we've come to rely on them for many aspects of life.

But, as you can imagine, no power comes without repercussion. Those who can use magic without a crystal, known as Bearers, are often mistreated. And the land itself suffers—the crystals absorb aether from the environment, leading to its slow decay.

To be honest, I prefer the relative simplicity of gems.

Oh my. I didn’t know that those crystals do come with some dangers in using them for magical purposes. I assume that they have such strong powers that one must practice caution in using them.

(Pooka and Mashka might have gasped in horror upon hearing how badly mistreated the Bearers got in their world although Anya didn’t mentioned being honestly worried for them outright. She thought that such heavy topics would be rather rude to talk about a birthday at this time. She is just trying to be a good party guest.)

And I’m honestly quite shocked that the crystals could do some damages on the land without anything to keep the balance afloat. And just like with you, I would rather take the gems instead. At least they don’t sap away so much aether from the environment.

[Joshua nods solemnly at Anya's response, his gaze reflecting the weight of the topic they've touched upon. He feels a pang of regret for potentially dampening the celebratory atmosphere with such heavy conversation.]

Yes, the power of crystals can be both a blessing and a curse—although that scale often tilts towards the latter.

[A sigh.]

I apologize if I've brought any unpleasant feelings to the surface. That was not my intention.

[With a glance towards Anya's beloved pets, Joshua adds:]

And I'm sorry if my words caused any distress to your adorable companions as well.

Oh no. That is okay, Joshua. I understand that sometimes such power can be hard to keep a good balance of for most of the time, especially if it is placed under the wrong hands. It is best that we can try to learn from the mistakes and errors of the past as much as we can so it wouldn’t happen all over again.

And don’t worry, they’ll eventually get over it soon. They’re just as worried as the next person over the use of crystals and magic too even if they can’t use them themselves.

Arf arf!

[Joshua spares Pooka and Mashka a smile and a nod.]

I can assure you both there is little need to worry. Your owner and I are amongst many individuals who will give our all to protect against any such chicanery.

[He shifts his gaze back to his friend.]

Isn’t that right, Anya?

Oh yes, that’s correct. We won’t let such horrible people to try to get their hands on great power and magic and use it for their own nefarious efforts. We will make sure that they won’t try to hurt more innocent lives while attempting to take such powers and bend them to their will.

(She smiles back at her dog and rabbit, giving the animals a great relief from the panic they had experienced. Pooka happily barks in return, tongue panting energetically in return.)

[That response is all Joshua needs to know that Anya's faithful companions have been properly reassured. Satisfied, he places a hand on Anya's shoulder.]

I must attend to the other guests, but please continue to make yourselves at home.

Thank you again, Anya--for the wonderful gift, and also for your friendship.

That is good to know, I’ll enjoy the rest of the party with the animals and Pooka and Mashka, perhaps even the other guests.

And you’re very much welcomed, Joshua. I greatly appreciate the words very much.

Bark, bark, bark!

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[Semi-Open] Oh, would you look at that. It's Joshua Day.

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