londoncallingrpg

phouka posting in

The first day of Spring had come and gone. The prince had left to the Seelie lands, but only for battle preparations. He was back with the full moon. Phouka had remained behind to see after Winter and Fin, though for them the days were much the same. In truth, Phouka was a bit bored. He longed for court intrigues and gossip. As a guard he'd never been a part of things, always on the outside, but he'd heard and he'd seen. Now he got his entertainment from the telly. He found it to be so contrived. It lacked fire. Passion.

And so with the prince back he had been given leave for the day. He immediately set out to find intrigues. He wandered the park, found a market, sat outside in the chilly air to sip a coffee and watch. Watch and see. Everywhere he looked he saw people with lovers, with friends. He didn't know their lives so some of the drama was lost. But at the cafe he found hope. On one side of him sat two women chatting incessantly about the one's disasterous love life. The friend concurred with the righteous anger over many, many men. On the other side sat a couple who, at first, were the picture of romance. But then he checked a text and the woman...well, she became a bit mad. Angry, yes, but Phouka thought she was absolutely nutters as she questioned him on who he was talking to, grilling him with such jealous fury the Phouka kept waiting for the man to leave. Watching them he saw what others might not see. The man was positively eating up her jealous outburst. It stroked his ego, clearly.

"Hmm." Just that. One small sound. And he sipped his coffee.

[Find him at the cafe or in the park, market, or on the street, wherever works best!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

akatawitch

Ah, shit.

But Sunny did approach, and without blushing. She even smiled, wry and a little tired. "I don't feel lovely right now, but thank you."

From:

phouka

"You do look a bit weary. What has you thus?" he asked, tilting his head and looking at her with gentle eyes full of concern.

From:

akatawitch

"Regularly staying up too late to meet all my deadlines," Sunny explained with a one-shouldered shrug. "I'll be fine with a little sleep, and Easter's coming up soon, so I'll get a long weekend to catch up."

From:

phouka

"What is Easter?" he asked, pulling out a chair for her. His manners and etiquette were ingrained, servant that he was.

From:

akatawitch

Almost as automatically as Phouka pulled out a chair for her--and she accepted, because tempted as she was to look for an out she kind of couldn't--she started reciting a bit of the credo, "Et resurrexit tertia die, secundum Scripturas..." She bit her lip thoughtfully. "So answering this the right way kinda depends on how much you know about Christianity."

Edited Date: 2016-03-24 05:31 am (UTC)

From:

phouka

"I know they came to our lands and drove us beyond the veil with their God," he said. "They hate us because we haven't got mortal souls. But I quite liked Christmas. And no one has swords and few mortals even believe in the fae anymore. Other than that? I know the Christian God made a son named Jesus by a virgin and he died to take sin from the world. I do not think it worked," he added thoughtfully, as though he knew quite a lot.

From:

akatawitch

"Not inaccurate," Sunny allowed, taking a moment to sample her coffee. "When Jesus died, he was resurrected three days later and assumed into heaven. These days are marked on the calendar as Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Though of course, like Christmas, the actual placement of the holiday seems to be more about piggybacking on an existing pagan holiday than about when it actually happened."

From:

phouka

"Ah, yes. I do know they took over many mortal rituals," he said. "This is the season of Ishtar. She is a goddess, though she is old and feeble now. None worship her and her power has diminished."

From:

akatawitch

"The one God is a jealous god," Sunny replied with just enough mocking in her tone to say that she accepted she was probably going to hell years ago.

Were she at home, she would be gearing up for a lot of church, because of course Mama would make them all go. She'd even asked if Sunny would be in church the last time they'd talked. But rather than relief, Sunny felt a pang of homesickness.

"But yeah. If you're a religious Christian, most important holiday of the year. If you're not... it's a weekend--a long weekend or even spring break for students--that ends with candy on sale. Because candy got involved somehow, the secular celebration is a complete mess."

From:

phouka

"I see. Winter says it is the day the mortals worship pink rabbits and sweets," he replied. "Is this also true?"

From:

akatawitch

Sunny opened her mouth to refute that, and then after a beat of silence and thought she started to laugh aloud instead. "Okay, honestly, I have no idea where the hell the bunny got involved. Worship is a bit strong, though. The Easter Bunny and candy is basically the same as Santa and presents. It's what brings people who don't believe into the holiday."

From:

phouka

"There is a pink bunny that brings candy? Santa came to our flat and left many presents. Things the prince could not have known of. Winter says Santa is not real but I believe someone strange was in the flat that night. Elves are tricksy," he said, quite sure he was right about this.

From:

akatawitch

Now that, Sunny wasn't sure what to say to, since it was actually kind of... sweet that he believed. "That's what parents teach their kids," she settled on finally. "I haven't believed in a really long time."

From:

phouka

"Why?" he asked with a curious tilt of his head.

From:

akatawitch

"Caught Mama with the Christmas presents when I was seven," Sunny explained with a shrug. "Easter... it just never made sense that a bunny brought plastic eggs full of candy."

From:

phouka

He looked a bit crestfallen at hearing that.

"Your mother brought the gifts?" he asked, the corners of his mouth turned down and eyes sad.

From:

akatawitch

Ah now that, that made Sunny feel a bit like a jerk. You usually saw this sort of realization in kids somewhere between the ages of five and nine, but somehow seeing it in a grown man was... well, sad.

Not pathetic, just kind of sad.

"Yeah."

From:

phouka

Phouka thought about that for a moment, the puzzling in his head readable on his face.

"I do not have a mother," he said. "The Queen created me. Perhaps Santa brings gifts for those without mothers."

That, to him, made sense.

From:

akatawitch

To that, Sunny only shrugged. She didn't have to be a dick. "Maybe."

Of course, she didn't believe that, but there really was nothing to get out of poking holes in that thought.

From:

phouka

That was a fine answer and so he smiled brightly. He was dubious of a pink bunny, though it may come from Wonderland, but Santa was an elf and Phouka knew elves were real.

"Maybe so," he nodded, a proud smile on his lips.

From:

akatawitch

Stop. Stop being adorable. That isn't fair. Sunny grinned at him and shook her head a little, but she brushed it aside before they could go any deeper. "So yeah, I'm waiting to take advantage of religious holidays to get some sleep. How's your life?"

From:

phouka

"It is a very good life," he replied. "I have good friends and good food and a large park where I can chase a ball when Winter throws it for me. I live a life of ease and comfort. And I never lack for sleep. I feel sorry that you do."

From:

akatawitch

Sunny snorted and let herself laugh, not at him exactly, it was affectionate, not mean.

But she had to ask, even as she kind of hated that she was asking, "And how are you and Winter?"

From:

phouka

He blinked a couple times and tilted his head again.

"I just told you I am well and happy. Winter is well also. He has been busking with the prince and has been getting better since someone stole his memory," he explained, clearly missing the point of her question.