[Center][img]https://i.imgur.com/ycGwds6.png[/img][hr][hr][b][colour=009fff]Event:[/colour][/b] Small Steps, Graceful Strides. [b]|[/b] [b][colour=009fff]Location:[/colour][/b] Enise'Ersand[hr][hr][/center][center][h3][url=https://youtu.be/UbCZLbvf1bM?si=U4fXXJAil7qmKaw4]♫[/url][/h3][/center]
The events of the revolution were certainly a turning point in the history of the world. Who would have thought Upta had been a Grand Demon who had taken over the academy? It seemed that this fact alone had essentially excused all of their actions and transgressions in the form of a general amnesty, though the repercussions and very real consequences were still sorely felt by everyone.

Even with all this, Ayla found parts of herself very excited, simply buzzing with excessive energy. She couldn’t exactly put her finger on the pulse of the matter, but a little positivity in this dark time was surely needed. She remembered that warm smile that spoke from the heart as she held the girl’s hand, of someone who appeared to understand. She picked Asier up in her excitement, swung him around, and then put him down on her bed as she grinned from ear to ear. She had finally done it; she was about to make friends with a Yasoi! Casii, Ismet, Tyrel, it had all failed horribly. Well, Jamboi technically counts, kind of, but everyone is Jamboi’s friend, and he wasn’t the kind of boy you would invite out for some coffee. No, this is going to be her new friend, a tall pretty girl with white hair and a good heart. A good, normal friend to go out on dates with—no weird awkwardness, no boys involved, and especially not pretending to be a boy and unintentionally getting introduced to her parents as a potential suitor again. She brushed her hair for the nth time, put it down, then clapped her box of treats, picked up a bottle of wine, and took that long moment to breathe and settle back into being herself again.

One downside of the revolution was certainly the damage done to the green spaces. Thankfully, Ersand’Enise had some trained gardeners, but the scars on the land would take time to heal. It gave her some anxiety, especially as she knew Yasoi loved nature, but she hoped she chose wisely in choosing the arboretum. After all, they could always go for a walk instead. She decided to bring out her flute as she played, waiting for Seviin to appear as Asier lounged nearby.

Seviin didn't so much arrive as she appeared, leaning almost impishly against a nearby tree trunk. [color=F0FFF0]"Sorry,"[/color] she began. [color=F0FFF0]"I've been here for some time and missed you, and then your playing was so nice that I fear I was entranced."[/color] She pushed off and strode forward, smiling shyly. [color=F0FFF0]"Might you forgive me, Ayla?"[/color]

Ayla’s playing almost came to an abrupt stop as Seviin arrived. The girl clearly looked pleased to see Seviin before her expression dropped for a moment, and her eyebrow raised. [colour=009fff]“Forgive you? We certainly do not. You have done nothing that requires our forgiveness.”[/colour] Ayla smiled impishly after the comment as she went to give Seviin a hug. [colour=009fff]“Thank you for patiently waiting for us. We are very pleased that you arrived.”[/colour]

Her expression changed again for a moment as she recalled something. She went to collect her picnic basket and opened it up to reveal the macaroons inside. [colour=009fff]“Help yourself to one. We have brought plenty of food and drink.”[/colour] Asier continued to lie on the grass, his eyes peeled open, only to yawn, and then appeared to continue resting as they closed again. [colour=009fff]“And this sleepy one is Asier; he is doing the important job of looking after the picnic basket,”[/colour] Her voice purred as she teased the cat.

[color=F0FFF0]"These look... delicious,"[/color] Seviin remarked, kneeling demurely once she had been released. [color=F0FFF0]"And so does [i]*he*[/i]!"[/color] she squealed, holding a hand out towards the cat to help him acclimate to her. After a tentative peace had been established with the distinct possibility of petting at a later juncture, she reached for a macaroon. [color=F0FFF0]"I think I shall,"[/color] she agreed to Ayla's offer, but then she paused. [color=F0FFF0]"Oh! Um... there aren't any... animal products in them, right?"[/color] The yasoi smiled uncertainly, fingers just about to grasp one.

The Puff-lion sniffed curiously toward Seviin’s fingers as she stretched them before its maw. It looked towards the digits in a wary manner, then moved closer to sniff at them, licking the tips of the fingers. After this brief investigation, it withdrew to continue snoozing, seemingly losing interest.

Ayla, on the other hand, was caught off-guard by the question about animal products in the food. She glanced toward the macaroons, saying, [colour=009fff]“They are baked with egg whites. Does that suit your palate?”[/colour]

Seviin blinked. [color=F0FFF0]"Well, you see, it's something of a moral choice,"[/color] she replied. [color=F0FFF0]"Mother Oirase created all and she gave to the yasoi - and to huusoi, of course - reason and empathy. Why is it that we raise some animals en masse to be slaughtered while, others, we give a nice comfy bed, all the food they could want, and plenty of petting?"[/color] She shook her blonde head. [color=F0FFF0]"It has always seemed an odd and unjust thing to me, so I choose not to participate."[/color] She seemed to catch herself there. [color=F0FFF0]"Egg whites are fine, though, so long as none of the eggs are fertilized, of course."[/color]

Ayla looked flummoxed at the sudden moralizing as she chewed on her bottom lip, her cheeks rosy, and she appeared a little flustered by the speech. She sheepishly offered the macaroons she had poured her heart into making once again. [colour=009fff]"Was that a rhetorical question, or do you enjoy sharing ideas on concepts such as these?"[/colour] Ayla’s eyelashes batted gently as she ran her fingers through her hair, twisting a few strands. [colour=009fff]"We... have a reputation for wanting to enjoy long discussions on morality, philosophy, and history. We haven’t met someone open-minded enough to enjoy such deep, exploring, and intimate discussions with."[/colour] Her heart thumped in her chest, and her cheeks almost went as red as her hair. [colour=009fff]"It's okay if you don’t. We just thought we should ask."[/colour]

Her eyes did glance toward Asier, as she silently sent her thoughts toward him. [i]"Sorry, little one, might have to wait until after the walk for your beef bully stick."[/i]

[color=F0FFF0]"I never ask a question that isn't meant to be answered,"[/color] Seviin replied. [color=F0FFF0]"That I [i]*do*[/i] believe there are right and wrong answers, not like some of these new Yan- [i]*huusoi*[/i] and siisoi philosophers who'd steep everything in ambivalent shades of grey."[/color] She took a bit of the macaroon and smiled widely. [color=F0FFF0]"It's delicious, by the way! You are [i]*very*[/i] talented."[/color] After finishing the treat, she swallowed and cleared her throat. [color=F0FFF0]"I simply don't believe that we are random things. The gods made us with intentionality and I intend to live in a way that reflects that."[/color] her eyes darted towards the treats once more and she smiled shyly.

Ayla took a macaroon and placed it between her lips, taking a bite as the other spoke. The soft shell melted within her mouth, and the vibrant taste of the fruit jam in the middle complemented the texture. [colour=009fff]“There are certainly black and white in the world, but instead of things being grey, we like to think of it as yellow, red, blue, purple, and orange. After all, there are [i]at least[/i] five gods,”[/colour] her voice a subtle purr as she playfully highlighted the difference, [colour=009fff]“and when they are in unison, we have our white, and when they are absent, it is a void.”[/colour] She beamed brightly towards Seviin, using hand gestures to emphasize her points. [colour=009fff]“We live in a rich and colourful world, and you are right, everything is very intentional. Even the way we treat different animals, sometimes even different peoples.”[/colour] She offered the box again to Seviin, shuffling it to encourage her to take the white one, or was it the red one next to it?

Seviin grinned wickedly. [color=F0FFF0]"You're my type of lil' ol' agitator."[/color] Daringly, she chose [i]*both*[/i] macaroons. [color=F0FFF0]"And you're not wrong. The world is full of colour, verve, and option, but I think we have to pick ours: pick what matters to us, and champion it."[/color] She bit into the white one first. [color=F0FFF0]"That's not to say we can't change, but it should only be done for a truly compelling reason. Wouldn't you agree?"[/color] She flipped the other between her fingers nimbly and smiled.

Ayla gasped in faux terror, [colour=009fff]“Both? How dare you have more than one. You have a dark soul, Seviin, and we like it.”[/colour] She giggled playfully, [colour=009fff]“The white reminded me of you,”[/colour] she smiled shyly as she watched the girl bite into the treat and enjoy it. She then moved her hand to the other side of the basket, to the box, and pulled out a beef bully stick from under a blanket, [colour=009fff]“Since we are on the topic of being controversial. Macaroons unfortunately won’t feed him.”[/colour] She cast it towards Asier, giving Seviin a look of playful defiance, as the puff-lion began to wake up, sniffed over towards it, and then began to bite and chew on it, his paws gripping it hold it as he savoured his treat.

[color=F0FFF0]"Provocative,"[/color] Seviin remarked, averting her eyes. She finished the white macaroon, eyes roving about the Arboretum. [color=F0FFF0]"So, not to completely change the subject, but... to completely change the subject."[/color] She blushed. [color=F0FFF0]"I've made a rather big leap. I cannot countenance my people's violence, even if one buys the line that it is well-intended, but now I find that violence has followed me here."[/color] She swallowed and cast her eyes downward. [color=F0FFF0]"Tell me, truly, Ayla, for I feel as if we are just kindred enough that we may understand each other."[/color] She lifted her face towards the other. [color=F0FFF0]"What is Ersand'Enise like? What can I expect?"[/color]

Ayla smiled gently as she gazed up toward Seviin, pausing to reflect, [colour=009fff]“Ersand’Enise is full of diverse ideas and people. How else could two distant roses ever hope to meet?”[/colour] She blushed lightly as she shared an expression of kinship with her, [colour=009fff]“Yet, amongst this diversity, things do tend to be relatively peaceful in general, recent events notwithstanding. We enjoy it here, making new friends, ones that otherwise never would have met. Maybe you'll find out not all yanii are bad,”[/colour] she gave her a wink, and then held her hand, [colour=009fff]“and perhaps here you can lead by example, like the other night. Perhaps we can show others that we don’t need violence to solve everything.”[/colour]

Seviin bit into the red macaroon, finally, and smiled. [color=F0FFF0]"I shall take you at your word, Ayla, for you have earned that much."[/color] She chewed and swallowed. [color=F0FFF0]"I know at least [i]*one*[/i] huusoi who I will trust not to commit daily crimes against all that is holy and decent."[/color] She winked. All around them, nature was rebuilding, rejuvenating, with the assistance of people of all sorts instead of their indifference or even antagonism. It was... something new, something that would take time to get used to, but something that she thought she could grow very much to like. [color=F0FFF0]"I so ardently hope you are right, suunei."[/color] She finished the last bite, dusted off her hands, and began to rise. [color=F0FFF0]"Might you be willing to give your lost little foreign friend a tour?"[/color]

Ayla looked up at the tall girl and raised her eyebrow. [colour=009fff]“Not so sure about a little foreign friend, but we are happy to show around this really tall one.”[/colour] She moved onto her tiptoes, as if trying to measure up next to Seviin, using her hand to indicate their height difference, grinning widely.

[colour=009fff]“Yes, let’s go for a walk, there are some nice woods nearby.”[/colour] She held her friend's hand, her smile beamed as she walked, calling on Asier, who had finished his treat and came running after them.

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