Festival of Nalam
The festival of Nalam is held towards the end of the year, preparing to celebrate the renewal of the new year. It is primarily held during the night, with some events held during the day for those who would rather spend time outside when it's light outside, or those who tend to end their days early. The event celebrates the new year and also gives devotees to the Goddess of death, birth, and renewal a more prominent time to pray and speak to her. Unfortunately, she hasn't spoken back in some years, having gone silent many many years before the time where are story takes place. No one knows why, but the tradition of this ritual and worshiping is still in place after all these years. From good food to beautiful home made trinkets and toys, it's Helimire's largest tradition in its history. While it's not held during the entire month of Nalam, there's still smaller celebrations here and there through out the land and the city of Helimire specifically, that all grows into a larger one during the last week of the month.
The twins have mixed feelings about this time of the year, for one it's the month during which they were created, and two, there was always a feeling in the back of their minds that they should be celebrating more for one reason or another. Neither of them knew that their mother, their other creator, was the goddess Nalam, they only knew her as what she told them. She was a Lost goddess, a lesser deity, but she would later tell her children who she is. When the time is right. When she was done playing.
Christopher was putting up decorations on the front of his Helimire townhouse, a little ways down from the Council building. Dark colored moons and stars, and things primarily found during the night. He didn't put up many decorations when events and holidays came up, but he always went a little bit wild when it came to the festival for Nalam. Something in the back of his head told him he should, but also he was always drawn towards the darker and different aspect when it came to this festival compared to anything else. How he felt more empowered during these times when it came to his own magic as well. He slips inside his home for a moment to change into something more fitting for the night time festival activities, dark and sheer, comfortable against his skin, paired off with a little more jewelry than he usually shows, just like the outfit shows off a bit more skin than normal. Christopher grins at himself in the mirror and ties his hair back in a loose ponytail with a long piece of crimson fabric before he heads out for the night.
The night closes in and the red moon rises over the ocean, full and large. Christopher looks up at it and breaths out a soft, happy sounding sigh, as he finishes paying for some little sun and moon shaped chocolates from one of the stands a few blocks from his home. He's always enjoyed the night in Helimire, the night markets here that have grown since the creation of Helimire are some of his favorite in the world, stalls for just about anything you could think of line the way. He stops at one, running his fingers over a pair of elbow length silk gloves, he also eyes the sign that says they do embroidery for an extra cost.
"How much extra would it be for me to get a snake embroidered on both of them?" The woman behind the stall is younger, and her eyes light up when he gives her the idea. It's not too complicated for her, judging from the premade embroidered ones already laid out for viewing.
"Not too much! Where would you like them placed?" Christopher picks up the gloves and turns them over in his hands, humming to himself as he thinks of where would be the best place.
"How about around the opening? The snake starting and ending at the top?" The woman has a hand on her chin, looking at the gloves. She nods.
"Perfect perfect. Any other suggestions?" She has to look up at Christopher to look at him properly. He shakes his head and smiles warmly.
"I think that's all, if you'd like to add anything else I would love your creative input into it!" She laughs and nods excitedly.
"I can do that! You can come pick them up closer to morning, if I'm not here, just give them your name. Here, first actually." She hands him a small card and a fountain pen so he can fill out his information. After he does that she asks to take some measurements from his arm, just to make any adjustments if needed. Then Christopher pays what she asks before heading off deeper into the festival.
It's a few hours later and Christopher has slowed down in his walking around, wanting to enjoy more of the sights as he gets deeper into the festival. He stands watching some street performers, leaning up against a shorter stone wall, enjoying the warmth of the night.
"Lovely night, isn't it?" There's a voice to his right and he turns towards it, a smile growing on his face when he sees a dear friend walking through the crowed towards him.
"Hello Elijah. And it is a very nice night, a bit cooler than it usually is though." Christopher watches as Elijah stops next to him, their shoulders brushing ever so slightly together. Elijah nods, then pulls a little box from a pocket inside his coat. Christopher narrows his eyes and Elijah leans a bit closer to Christopher to whisper to the man.
"A little cat tells me it's your birthday today. Well... tomorrow technically. But it's close enough to tomorrow for me to give this to you." Christopher sighs and rolls his eyes, but not hiding the grin that comes on his face.
"Morgan is a little shit sometimes. You didn't have to get me anything." Elijah shrugs.
"Felt like it, plus it's fitting, for the festival that is. It's a bit funny to me, how similar you and the supposed Goddess is." Christopher pauses after taking the little box from Elijah, fingers pushing at the ribbon tying it all together.
"....Really now?"
"Something about the two of you, I can't put it together. But any of the tales of her are so long old, it could be just something similar."
"You... wouldn't be the first to say it, and it's not a bad thing. If I were to worship any deity, I think she'd be up there in who I'd pick." Christopher opens the box and sucks in a soft breath at the contents, a thick banded bracelet made of dark metal and stone, lined with bronze. Also etched in bronze, is a small crow, with a red eye. The sign for Nalam.
"I can... see why you got this, thinking of myself and Nalam." He chuckles a bit, pulling the bracelet out of the box and sliding it onto his wrist. It doesn't move around much, and fits pretty much perfectly.
"I was hoping you'd like it." Elijah smiles a nervous smile.
"I do, I very much do." Christopher puts a hand on Elijah's shoulder and leans over, kissing the man softly on the cheek. "I'll treasure it."
Later, as the two men are walking around the festival some more, the moon at its highest in the sky, Elijah asks Christopher a question.
"Is there anything else you do during these festivals?"
"I like to help at the hospitals and such, while Nalam is the goddess of Birth, they're not easier during this time, no matter how much praying. So I help out to the best of my abilities, making sure things go along smoothly if they're looking rough." He runs his thumb over the beak of the raven on his cane. "It gives me something to do anyways. Something I like doing. What about you?"
"Taking things where they need to be, if I'm not in the council building, I like to help with transporting goods. Easy work, something simple that helps out here and there."
Now the two have walked in a full circle, coming to a slow stop in front of Christopher's home.
"Christopher, if you'd like, I'd... Like to treat you to something nice tomorrow, not even just for your birthday, but it's been some time since the both of us have been able to spend time together, and I miss that time." Elijah looks up at Christopher from where the man stands at the top of his stairs, Elijah at the bottom. Christopher smiles softly at the other man and nods.
"A celebration of Nalam then. That's what I'd like for us to do." Elijah nods and smiles.
"Sounds perfect."
The two split for the rest of the night, preparing for the next round of celebration for the next day.
The twins have mixed feelings about this time of the year, for one it's the month during which they were created, and two, there was always a feeling in the back of their minds that they should be celebrating more for one reason or another. Neither of them knew that their mother, their other creator, was the goddess Nalam, they only knew her as what she told them. She was a Lost goddess, a lesser deity, but she would later tell her children who she is. When the time is right. When she was done playing.
Christopher was putting up decorations on the front of his Helimire townhouse, a little ways down from the Council building. Dark colored moons and stars, and things primarily found during the night. He didn't put up many decorations when events and holidays came up, but he always went a little bit wild when it came to the festival for Nalam. Something in the back of his head told him he should, but also he was always drawn towards the darker and different aspect when it came to this festival compared to anything else. How he felt more empowered during these times when it came to his own magic as well. He slips inside his home for a moment to change into something more fitting for the night time festival activities, dark and sheer, comfortable against his skin, paired off with a little more jewelry than he usually shows, just like the outfit shows off a bit more skin than normal. Christopher grins at himself in the mirror and ties his hair back in a loose ponytail with a long piece of crimson fabric before he heads out for the night.
The night closes in and the red moon rises over the ocean, full and large. Christopher looks up at it and breaths out a soft, happy sounding sigh, as he finishes paying for some little sun and moon shaped chocolates from one of the stands a few blocks from his home. He's always enjoyed the night in Helimire, the night markets here that have grown since the creation of Helimire are some of his favorite in the world, stalls for just about anything you could think of line the way. He stops at one, running his fingers over a pair of elbow length silk gloves, he also eyes the sign that says they do embroidery for an extra cost.
"How much extra would it be for me to get a snake embroidered on both of them?" The woman behind the stall is younger, and her eyes light up when he gives her the idea. It's not too complicated for her, judging from the premade embroidered ones already laid out for viewing.
"Not too much! Where would you like them placed?" Christopher picks up the gloves and turns them over in his hands, humming to himself as he thinks of where would be the best place.
"How about around the opening? The snake starting and ending at the top?" The woman has a hand on her chin, looking at the gloves. She nods.
"Perfect perfect. Any other suggestions?" She has to look up at Christopher to look at him properly. He shakes his head and smiles warmly.
"I think that's all, if you'd like to add anything else I would love your creative input into it!" She laughs and nods excitedly.
"I can do that! You can come pick them up closer to morning, if I'm not here, just give them your name. Here, first actually." She hands him a small card and a fountain pen so he can fill out his information. After he does that she asks to take some measurements from his arm, just to make any adjustments if needed. Then Christopher pays what she asks before heading off deeper into the festival.
It's a few hours later and Christopher has slowed down in his walking around, wanting to enjoy more of the sights as he gets deeper into the festival. He stands watching some street performers, leaning up against a shorter stone wall, enjoying the warmth of the night.
"Lovely night, isn't it?" There's a voice to his right and he turns towards it, a smile growing on his face when he sees a dear friend walking through the crowed towards him.
"Hello Elijah. And it is a very nice night, a bit cooler than it usually is though." Christopher watches as Elijah stops next to him, their shoulders brushing ever so slightly together. Elijah nods, then pulls a little box from a pocket inside his coat. Christopher narrows his eyes and Elijah leans a bit closer to Christopher to whisper to the man.
"A little cat tells me it's your birthday today. Well... tomorrow technically. But it's close enough to tomorrow for me to give this to you." Christopher sighs and rolls his eyes, but not hiding the grin that comes on his face.
"Morgan is a little shit sometimes. You didn't have to get me anything." Elijah shrugs.
"Felt like it, plus it's fitting, for the festival that is. It's a bit funny to me, how similar you and the supposed Goddess is." Christopher pauses after taking the little box from Elijah, fingers pushing at the ribbon tying it all together.
"....Really now?"
"Something about the two of you, I can't put it together. But any of the tales of her are so long old, it could be just something similar."
"You... wouldn't be the first to say it, and it's not a bad thing. If I were to worship any deity, I think she'd be up there in who I'd pick." Christopher opens the box and sucks in a soft breath at the contents, a thick banded bracelet made of dark metal and stone, lined with bronze. Also etched in bronze, is a small crow, with a red eye. The sign for Nalam.
"I can... see why you got this, thinking of myself and Nalam." He chuckles a bit, pulling the bracelet out of the box and sliding it onto his wrist. It doesn't move around much, and fits pretty much perfectly.
"I was hoping you'd like it." Elijah smiles a nervous smile.
"I do, I very much do." Christopher puts a hand on Elijah's shoulder and leans over, kissing the man softly on the cheek. "I'll treasure it."
Later, as the two men are walking around the festival some more, the moon at its highest in the sky, Elijah asks Christopher a question.
"Is there anything else you do during these festivals?"
"I like to help at the hospitals and such, while Nalam is the goddess of Birth, they're not easier during this time, no matter how much praying. So I help out to the best of my abilities, making sure things go along smoothly if they're looking rough." He runs his thumb over the beak of the raven on his cane. "It gives me something to do anyways. Something I like doing. What about you?"
"Taking things where they need to be, if I'm not in the council building, I like to help with transporting goods. Easy work, something simple that helps out here and there."
Now the two have walked in a full circle, coming to a slow stop in front of Christopher's home.
"Christopher, if you'd like, I'd... Like to treat you to something nice tomorrow, not even just for your birthday, but it's been some time since the both of us have been able to spend time together, and I miss that time." Elijah looks up at Christopher from where the man stands at the top of his stairs, Elijah at the bottom. Christopher smiles softly at the other man and nods.
"A celebration of Nalam then. That's what I'd like for us to do." Elijah nods and smiles.
"Sounds perfect."
The two split for the rest of the night, preparing for the next round of celebration for the next day.
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