Good Solstice, milliways_bar

[jack_inthegreen]

In the gray pre-dawn light, the man in green has been busy.

There are rows of trestle tables set up by the lake--far from the new grave as well as anything else that might be disturbed by such things--and on the central table he sets up the horn of plenty he carved the day before. Now he lays a hand on the wood and quietly asks the elements around it to fill the horn and assemble themselves, so that there will be plenty to eat and it will all be nourishing and tasty. When he has done this the horn begins to fill and soon food is spilling out: fruit and bottles of wine and loaves of bread and slabs of cold cooked meats and wheels of cheese and whatever else a patron might think to ask for.

At the end of the rows of tables there is a wooden platform, with a small raised stage for musicians and plenty of room for dancers. Jack has found no one to play pipes but no matter, there are still musicians aplenty should anyone wish to dance. And he hopes they will, for what's a celebration without dancing?

Beyond the tables there is a small course set up for races, just a starting- and finish-lines marked off. There is a large rope for tug-of-war, various props like sacks for sack races and spoons for an egg-and-spoon race, and a pitch for bowls and another for playing horsehoes. He thought about playing tossing the caber but decided that might be pushing things a bit, even here.

Farthest from the bar proper is the bonfire, currently unlit. He pauses there and asks the fire within the wood to do no harm to anyone, that there will be no stray sparks or wayward ash to burn.

There is a great deal of magic at Milliways for him to draw upon and soon the party preparations meet with his satisfaction. He blesses the area before he goes back inside for some more rest before the party begins: that no one will be hurt in play or eat themselves sick, that not even a dancer's ankle be turned.

When he is done the morning fog is just beginning to burn off. It's going to be a beautiful day.

Comments

[desert-worm.livejournal.com]

Luke has found an inflatable raft somewhere -- probably abandoned after the last Lake Party -- and is sitting on it, out in the middle of the lake, with his robes pushed up to his knees and his feet dangling in the water.

He has not yet given any thought to how he's going to get back to shore.

[empath-wiggin.livejournal.com]

At some point in time, one of his feet is pulled playfully. One would think it would be impossible for one whom Luke can sense to sneak up on him, but it would seem that Val has. She's underneath the water.

[ooc: For whenever you're back]

[desert-worm.livejournal.com]

He jumps, pulls his foot up, tips slowly backwards, flails a lot, and falls headfirst into the lake. With the inflated raft bouncing off his ass on the way down.

Luke has dignity. Not to mention sort of a lack of swimming-while-fully-clothed skills.

[empath-wiggin.livejournal.com]

There would be a giggle, if Val wasn't underwater. However, Luke is deftly caught, and swum over to the other raft in the middle of the lake. And then the hands which caught him disappear again.

[desert-worm.livejournal.com]

He clings to the raft, and sulks. Because obviously there are EVIL UNDERWATER GREMLINS taunting him.

... Or, y'know, evil underwater gremlins with a suspiciously familiar Force sense. Which only intensifies the sulking, really.

[empath-wiggin.livejournal.com]

Well, we can't have that now, can we? Val pops up out of the water, a furious twinkle in her eyes. She's wearing a rather plain boring green swimsuit. "Sorry. Couldn't let you sit there and be all dry."

[desert-worm.livejournal.com]

"I'm wearing robes. Nice robes. You made them." It is a tragic whine.

[empath-wiggin.livejournal.com]

She sticks her tongue out at him. "So? If I made them once, I can make them again." Her eyes twinkle, as she splashes him. "Take off the outer robe and boots, and tunic, and come in here."

[desert-worm.livejournal.com]

He sulks, but hauls himself the rest of the way up onto the raft and strips as commanded, then flops back into the lake. "My point was more 'why are you trying to drown me' than 'I'll get the pretty robes all wet,' but fine, you win."

[empath-wiggin.livejournal.com]

"I wasn't trying to drown you. I was being silly. Besides, robes get wet when they're in the wash anyway." She kisses him.

[desert-worm.livejournal.com]

He paddles a few extra inches until he can stand up more comfortably, then kisses her back. "You know, I still can't really swim. Float, sort of. Swim, no."

[empath-wiggin.livejournal.com]

"I can fix that, you know." Her eyes twinkle, and she holds out her hands to him. "Come over here."

[desert-worm.livejournal.com]

"Oh, not this again. There are tentacles." But he paddles over obediently.

[empath-wiggin.livejournal.com]

"I won't let the tentacles get you, love." She takes his hands. "Ok, this is going to be a bit strange for a bit, but here." She puts her own hands on the raft, and stretches out on top of the water, kicking her feet. "Watch this, and copy what I'm doing."

[desert-worm.livejournal.com]

He obeys, for a second, and then makes a face. "Can I learn how to swim sometime else? I want to go back inside and get dried off and curl up with you until I have to be in the bar tonight."

[empath-wiggin.livejournal.com]

She chuckles. "Of course." For a moment, she disappears under the water, then re-surfaces in front of him. "Let's go." If the light-hearted manner seems a bit forced again, well, perhaps that's Luke's imagination. Really.

[desert-worm.livejournal.com]

He reaches over and catches her wrist, just for a second. "Val. I'll stay out of trouble. I promise you. At worst I'll come back with a dashing new scar or two."

[empath-wiggin.livejournal.com]

Val just nods. "I know, my love. I can't help but worry." She bites her lip.

[desert-worm.livejournal.com]

"I know." He pulls her into a tight embrace, then lets go, gathers his clothes from the raft, and starts walking toward the nearest shore. "Come on. We can just... be together, for a little while. It'll help calm me down, I know."

[empath-wiggin.livejournal.com]

She follows him. "Good. You need to be as calm as possible, love. But, well, uh, I'm probably the pot calling the kettle black here."

[desert-worm.livejournal.com]

He laughs as they step through Milliways' back door, dripping on the floor. "I love you, Val. More than anything." And with that, they're gone, through the House of Arch painting.