deercountry | you can't wake up, this is not a dream // closed october catchall

[ Flynn, as a rule, kind of loves parties.

Festivals, parties, celebrations: you name it, he is into it. The Lower Quarter's celebrations were never as elaborate as the rest of the city's, but there was always food and music and laughter, enough for everyone scraped up from collective resources. Peace Day was always particularly raucous, marking the end of the war and transformed over just a decade from a day of remembrance to a day of life and celebration. Festivals bring out the best in people, the most collective spirit. There's always a kind of crackling energy in the air, the aura of a people determined to celebrate against all odds, especially around the Fall Harvest.

This one reminds Flynn a lot of that, actually: there are the same masks, the same fervent celebration of life in the face of death, although tinged with fear in a new and unwelcome way. He's felt that twinge often in the last few days, been urged into training in the backyard, dueling an invisible version of Anakin, trying to think through ways all of that could have gone better, ways he could have gotten away—

But now is not the time to focus on those things. Now is the time to find Yuri and drag him to have fun. ]

Yuri!

[ Hope you weren't doing anything important, Yuri, because Flynn is practically vibrating as he comes up, already wearing his jacket. The parade has just come past their house on its way into Cellar Door, and the scent of candy and apples is thick in the air. ]

The parade is passing. I want to get a better look.

[ Which is, of course, their old code for: come climb on a roof with me. ]

Edited 2021-10-07 17:53 (UTC)

[ Yuri doesn't mind parties. They're fine, especially if he can just sit back and watch everyone else make a fool of themselves. That part's fun. He likes watching drunk people have fun, he just doesn't like being one of those drunk people himself.

It was really a matter of time, on reflection, until Flynn would ask him to go. Things have been good, really good, between them since Flynn... resurrected or whatever happened there. It's been good and Yuri looks up from the bread he's kneading, flour on his forearms, face, and clothes. He's about to protest but that smile makes him melt a little. This is getting stupid. He can't help but smile back, a little quirk of his lips ]

Sure.

[ The bread might be slightly underworked but... whatever. He scrapes it up from the counter and drops it into a bowl. He shakes the flour off his hands, making a bigger mess of the counter and the floor.

It's good to see Flynn smiling, really. He has been in something of a funk, chasing answers he'll never have, and Yuri helps, when he can, but somethings Flynn has to do himself. All Yuri can do is tell him he did everything he could, and act as his human punching bag when he needs it.

Smokey flies over with Yuri's new jacket in his talons with a screech. He drops it onto Yuri, who barely catches it in time with a laugh ]

Thanks.

[ He jerks his head back toward the stairs. They can get onto the roof through the window in Flynn's (their) room ]

Thank you, Smokey. You're as reliable as any of my knights.

[ Flynn flashes the bird a grateful smile, glad to have another ally in the long battle to make Yuri take care of himself in a meaningful way. It's hard to do alone, and Yuri seems to listen to Smokey more than he listens to Flynn.

He's listening now, at least, flour-dusted as he is, and Flynn barely waits for him to get the jacket on before heading for the stairs, thrumming with the infectious energy outside. ]

I saw something coming in the sky. Have you heard any of the rumors about this? The locals have been talking about it for a few days now. Practically every time I've gone to the market someone's tried to get me to buy a mask. They must have some significance.

[ Yuri laughs a little at Flynn's excitement, following after him just as quickly. Smokey caws overhead, flying in a little excited loop. The tramp up the stairs, Yuri taking them two at a time. ]

Yeah, people won't shut up about it. They said something about the masks keeping us safe, but-- how?

Ideally we won't have to find out, but saying that is just tempting fate. I'm sure we'll know before too long. To be safe, we should buy some.

[ Or get their faces painted, Flynn really isn't picky. He pushes open the door to their room—neat as ever, no matter what a mess Yuri leaves it in when he leaves—and then to the windows, pressing them open like he used to at the Comet without hesitation. The strength, at least, has returned to his limbs. ]

It's been so long since I've been to a proper festival. The ones at the castle weren't the same.

[ Too bad Yuri really doesn't notice that it's clear. It's like magic, stuff just gets put away. Maybe it is nice to live with Flynn again.

He climbs after him with a laugh, pulling himself up onto the roof ]

Nobles don't know how to have fun.

[ He drops down next to Flynn, close enough to feel the heat of him. It's already so hard to stay warm and it's only fall, he has no idea what he's going to do in the winter. ]

I'd rather not get attacked out of nowhere, so, hey, anything helps, right.

[ The parade is in fact passing. A giant puppet is coming down their street, and Yuri points to it with another laugh. ]

Damn, look at that thing!

[ Flynn turns to look at it and immediately bursts out laughing, bright enough to even surprise himself. ]

What a strange tradition! Oh, no, Yuri, it's moving, look at its arms—

[ It's a jointed thing, made to look like it's walking, and it's kind of horrifying but Flynn can't seem to look away from it, laughing against Yuri's side. ]

Creepy.

[ He laughs as he says it, and finds himself looking at Flynn instead of at the puppet. He hasn't smiled or laughed like this in ages. Since... he doesn't know when. Since before he was the Commandant at least. It does strange things to his chest, and he can't help but laugh with him, nudging him back ]

Those scare the ghosts? I don't blame them. I'd be spooked if I saw that thing coming.

Edited 2021-10-11 23:33 (UTC)

Oh, is that all it takes? One creepy puppet to scare Yuri?

[ Unfortunately for Yuri's heart, Flynn's still grinning at him as he nudges an elbow into Yuri's side before he lurches up to his feet to see the parade better. This would be dangerous were it anyone but Flynn: as it is he throws out a hand toward Yuri and... possibly uses the top of his head for balance. ]

It goes on as far back as I can see.

[ Yuri ducks under his hand, waving him off. No, thanks, Flynn. He isn't a cane or something. ]

Jeez, come on.

[ Instead, he pulls himself up, standing next to Flynn. He can lean on his shoulder if he has to, but not on his head. ]

Dunno. Don't like them.

[ Flynn does, in fact, lean on Yuri's shoulder. He got used to doing in the few days after coming back, when he was still coltish and unsteady on his new-made legs, and now it's something of a habit. Anyway, it helps him crane his neck to see better into the glittering distance. The parade actually rumbles the ground a little. ]

We should follow them.

[ Well, what else do they have to do? Yuri grins, leaning against his side, because he's warm. He's warm, that's why Yuri wants to be so close to him. He keeps gravitating there, whenever he can, and he's not going to think about it much more than that ]

Yeah. Let's go.

[ He grabs Flynn's hand, and tugs him toward the back of the house, where they can leap from the roof to the stable, and shimmy down from there ]

[ It's just like when they were children, and also just like that is the way Flynn thinks about protesting that it's dangerous and then ends up trying to get off the roof faster and with more skill than Yuri. He lands in the mud of their garden a millisecond before Yuri and flashes him a wide grin. ]

Too slow.

[ Yuri rolls his eyes, pretending for a moment that he doesn't care before he pushes off the ground into a dash, running around the house toward the street. ]

Catch up, Scifo!

[ He falls for the bait easily, because this is what they do. Yuri and Flynn, Flynn and Yuri, they can barely have a civil conversation without turning it into a competition. It's how they stay sharp. Even if Flynn almost always wins, Yuri gives him a run for his money every time. It's part of the reason why Flynn's so good, he thinks, because he would hate to fall a step behind Yuri ]

Edited 2021-10-17 00:56 (UTC)

[ Yuri makes it fun, is the thing. Yuri gives into Flynn's more childish impulses, eggs them on and encourages them, and it's such a relief just to chase after him with an annoyed shout, leaping over the gate after him instead of pushing it open just because it saves him a few seconds. Giving into the pound of feet and blood, dragging cold air into his lungs and pushing his muscles, is a reminder that Flynn is alive and can do all of those things.

Yuri wins this time, by somehow unspoken agreement that this race is to the corner of their district where it begins to bleed into Willful Machine, and Flynn catches up with him laughing breathlessly, his cheeks pink from the cold and his grin massive. ]

Does the cold make you faster?

[ Yuri barks his laughter into the night air, breath puffing steam into the air ]

Nah, you're just a sore loser.

[ His eyes are bright when he looks at Flynn, his hair glinting in the streetlights. Yuri sways closer, but doesn't touch him, shoving his hands into his pockets. He can keep himself warm. Or, well, he can try.

They're a few streets away from the parade, but they can still hear it, the thundering music, the shouting, the laughing. It does feel like home, like the festivals that would take over the lower quarter. No one knows how to party like the people of the lower quarter. No matter how little they had, they always had the best time, and Yuri would soak in the atmosphere, thriving in seeing the people he loves having fun ]

At least this place isn't all dreary rain all the time. I was starting to think that boardwalk was false advertising.

[ Flynn snorts and shoves an elbow into Yuri's, swaying against him as they walk toward all that sound. ]

You won fair and square and I can admit that. I am defeated.

[ Who is a sore loser now, Yuri!! Not Flynn, especially since he's kind of distracted by Yuri smiling at him like that, by the opportunity to just... have fun. There's a diffuse kind of excitement around Flynn, bubbling through him the closer they get. ]

Anyway, even dreary cities like this one must have something to celebrate. It's nice that it isn't all rain and monsters. A reminder of life.

Nice to hear you say it.

[ Yuri's teasing him, waving off his arm even though he stays close, too. ]

Yeah, like back home. It couldn't just be monsters all the time. Man, it did feel like it was just gonna be rain and monsters, huh?

[ He laughs, loud and bright, heading toward all the noise. It's just a block down until they hit the parade again, all noise and music and dancing and those big, weird puppets. Yuri glances back at Flynn with a grin, weaving his way through the crowd ]

[ Flynn takes a minor detour to get them some cider, which is pressed into his hands for free yet again. He has to thank the vendor profusely before carrying two cups back to Yuri and prsssing one into his hand. ]

Don't abandon this on a pier this time, it's the only thing that's going to keep you warm. Are... those masks?

[ Was this here yesterday?? ]

[ The cider is warm and welcome. He's already starting to cool down from the run, sweat making him even colder under his coat.

But that isn't important. He follows Flynn's gaze and laughs ]

Yeah. Yeah they are. Pretty cool.

[ He heads over to them, his eyes skipping over a lot of them until they land on a few that are black. ]

Wouldn't hate one.

Oh, you fought us forever about the rabbit ears but a mask is fine?

[ Flynn grins at him and leans over, plucking a wolf-shaped one from the rack to present to Yuri. ]

You don't want any of those puppets to find you. Supposedly covering your face wards off evil.

It's not gonna be a rabbit mask.

[ Yuri shoots him a glare, that morphs when he sees the wolf mask. His lips form a little "oh" and he takes it, turning it over in his hand.

He puts it up to his face, and peers in the little mirror on the stand. He laughs softly, admiring himself. ]

Damn. Good pick.

[ Sometimes.

Sometimes Yuri does something completely innocuous. He'll taste something he's cooking with a finger like an idiot, or lift his hair up to tie it back, or, apparently, put on a mask, and Flynn's heart will just sort of lose its rhythm for a moment. It's been happening more and more frequently, likely because he's around Yuri all the time now, and Flynn has no idea where to put the warm, sharp swell of feeling that washes through him like the rising tide. He can't look away from Yuri in that mask, turning his head this way and that, grinning under its contours. Yuri likes it, and Flynn picked it out, and that makes him unbearably happy for a few moments. ]

It suits you.

[ He can't quite keep the affection from his voice, has to clear his throat afterwards and hurry onward, his face hot, ]

Slightly better than a rabbit one.

Bunnies aren't my vibe.

[ But wolves? Wolves are cool. Yuri likes wolves, feels a kinship with them (just look at Repede).

He's oblivious to the effect this is having on Flynn, but the way he says those words makes Yuri feel warm in a strange way, and he shoots Flynn a grin, half-hidden by the mask. ]

Good thing I brought some money.

[ He pulls a few rocks out of his pockets, offering them to the vendor. ]

This do it?

[ He's probably over paying, but they're just rocks, he doesn't mind. ]

Yuri, you're supposed to ask first—

[ Flynn has to bodily resist the urge to pull Yuri's hand back. It's not like his sense of how much things are worth is any more developed, it's just that Yuri's sense of money is... warped... and while it's easy enough to pick those rocks up, Flynn would like to make sure they're able to actually get through the month.

Luckily, though, the vendor just blinks at the rocks, then up at Yuri, and dryly informs them it's a buy-one-get-one special. ]

for Yuri // festival party time

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