by Silverion Fri Mar 05, 2021 9:16 amAnd so the day has finally arrived, the second part of the Dance of the Tulips where the men of Esterelf are to give a gift to their object of affection. And for today, you were given very specific instructions to wait at the outskirts of Leiger, more precisely in one spot that's popular for its beautiful vista of the rural skyline. It definitely helps that today happened to be a rather magnificent day, with nary a cloud in sight and a sun that radiated a warm but inobtrusive feeling. Indeed, the beauty of the scenery almost made you forget why you were here, and such a thought wouldn't come to your mind until you hear the distant sound of pedals turning, like someone was riding a bike while they were being chased by a vengeful Incantus!
That was because that was indeed happening. Well, minus the Incantus part. Turning to the source of the sound, you notice a man approaching quite rapidly, his brown/orange hair and nubby stag horns being the first things your eyes fall upon. Followed by the face of this strange man, that go from strained to delighted as your eyes meet. "Ahoy!" The man shouts, using one hand to wave at you, even if that caused his bike to become a bit unsteady, specially since he didn't notice a slightly large pebble hit the front wheel of his bike, causing the man to lose control of his ride. As the man attempted to regain control of his bicycle, you notice that he had a strange, wooden rectangular case strapped on his back, almost the same length as his body, and strapped to that, a smaller box wrapped in colorful red and pink paper, with festive decorations.
"My apologies, I did not mean for you to observe such a careless display." He said, trying to mask his frustration with a more humorous tone. "But at the very least, no accident has occurred! Meaning your gifts are still safe and sound." And the truth is revealed, the Enkidu directed here to wait for him so that he could give you a gift! You are surprised about the revelation, not exactly because you didn't expect to get gifts, but rather because you didn't think Goibniu McCrae cared for today's festivity. You know not all Enkidus celebrated The Dance of Tulips, but you weren't sure he did, as he always seemed to be a rather busy and analytical man. Then again, the man had a propensity for the absurdity, so maybe this shouldn't have surprised you as much.
But wait, did he say gifts?
"Now, I know what you are thinking. I know I may be overstepping with two gifts, but there is a caveat for them: I'm allowing you to choose one of them!" Goibniu added, as he removed the straps from his chest, holding both gifts carefully so that they don't fall to the ground. "One is a small gift, and the other is a big gift. Keep in mind, their size is just literal, as they both hold a lot of sentimental value." He said, his face flashing a smile at you, a more... caring kind of smile, rather than his usual confident smile. It was certainly quite odd that he would allow you to choose the gift instead of just giving one to you straight up, but then again, maybe its just due to a lack of proper understanding for the festivity? Or maybe it was just a personal choice?
With your curiosity quelled, you decide to make a choice. The small one seems rather standard, while the big one is rather mysterious. What sort of thing has this man cooked up for you?
Once your gift was presented, Goibniu's cheek turns slightly red as he looks at you, suddenly looking bashful. "Well... Happy King's Return! That's how it goes, right? Aha, I'm not exactly used to this, I haven't had much chance to celebrate this in my youth..." The man began looking distracted, almost unsure as to what to do next. Where did that confidence go? Well, it seems you will have to do something to snap the man from his confused stupor.
That was because that was indeed happening. Well, minus the Incantus part. Turning to the source of the sound, you notice a man approaching quite rapidly, his brown/orange hair and nubby stag horns being the first things your eyes fall upon. Followed by the face of this strange man, that go from strained to delighted as your eyes meet. "Ahoy!" The man shouts, using one hand to wave at you, even if that caused his bike to become a bit unsteady, specially since he didn't notice a slightly large pebble hit the front wheel of his bike, causing the man to lose control of his ride. As the man attempted to regain control of his bicycle, you notice that he had a strange, wooden rectangular case strapped on his back, almost the same length as his body, and strapped to that, a smaller box wrapped in colorful red and pink paper, with festive decorations.
- Be intrigued by the boxes:
- You blink and look at the boxes with a curious look in your face, seemingly unaffected by the fact the Enkidu was wrestling against his own balance and the basic laws of physics to not crash into a nearby tree. Thankfully, he managed to eventually regain control of his devilish ride, and managed to stop near said tree, which was used as support to leave his bike behind, as he whipped his brow with the back of his hand. "Phew! Glad that's over." He muttered to himself, before he turned and went towards you at a brisk pace.
- Attempt to be of use in this situation:
- Being of use in this situation was not particularly easy, as there is little you can do to help the man. The only thing you can do is call out for him, urging him to use his feet to stop the bike, which you do. This made the Enkidu let out a shout as he attempted to follow your instruction, causing the bike to still skirt out of control, but its speed was reduced exponentially, until it managed to get to a complete stop. The man made a sigh of relief as he got off the bike, as he went to put the bike next to the nearest tree for support, before turning towards you and heading your way.
"My apologies, I did not mean for you to observe such a careless display." He said, trying to mask his frustration with a more humorous tone. "But at the very least, no accident has occurred! Meaning your gifts are still safe and sound." And the truth is revealed, the Enkidu directed here to wait for him so that he could give you a gift! You are surprised about the revelation, not exactly because you didn't expect to get gifts, but rather because you didn't think Goibniu McCrae cared for today's festivity. You know not all Enkidus celebrated The Dance of Tulips, but you weren't sure he did, as he always seemed to be a rather busy and analytical man. Then again, the man had a propensity for the absurdity, so maybe this shouldn't have surprised you as much.
But wait, did he say gifts?
"Now, I know what you are thinking. I know I may be overstepping with two gifts, but there is a caveat for them: I'm allowing you to choose one of them!" Goibniu added, as he removed the straps from his chest, holding both gifts carefully so that they don't fall to the ground. "One is a small gift, and the other is a big gift. Keep in mind, their size is just literal, as they both hold a lot of sentimental value." He said, his face flashing a smile at you, a more... caring kind of smile, rather than his usual confident smile. It was certainly quite odd that he would allow you to choose the gift instead of just giving one to you straight up, but then again, maybe its just due to a lack of proper understanding for the festivity? Or maybe it was just a personal choice?
- "You dummy, that's not how it works.":
- "Heh, maybe so!" He said, giving you a dismissive handwave. "But I thought of doing something unique for this celebration. After all, coming up with a worthy gift was not easy, just had too many good ideas to pick from!"
- "Oooh... why the choice though?":
- "Well you see, it was surprisingly hard to think of a good gift to give!" Goibniu responded think, as you think to yourself that maybe he could have chosen something you liked. Although, that might have been the source of his conundrum... "In the end, I decided to prepare two gifts, and have you choose one! Fear not, nothing will happen to the one you didn't choose. Or, actually... it might depend on what you choose." He added, and then corrected himself, making you feel more intrigued of what he got for you.
With your curiosity quelled, you decide to make a choice. The small one seems rather standard, while the big one is rather mysterious. What sort of thing has this man cooked up for you?
- Choose the small gift:
- You decide to point to the small, wrapped box, and there's a look of utter elation in Goibniu's face, almost as if he's trying to contain his excitement and barely managing to do so. You take it and remove the wrapping, only to reveal that... it's a box of chocolates! "Surprise!" He expresses as you look at the many different chocolates. Some are dark, others are a bit clearer, other are even a milky white! And with many different shapes as well. It's... a rather typical gift to give, but hey, you can't go wrong with a box of chocolates. Taking one random piece of chocolate, you decide to sample the box by taking one hearty bite, which would be then when the Enkidu decided to open his big mouth.
"I hope you like them, I made them myself!"
Suddenly, you feel a sense of regret like none other.
The taste is... indescribable. Is it sour? Sweet? Salty? Maybe some ungodly mix of all three, with other tastes added for flair? It barely qualified as chocolate, and it was certainly not tasty, that's for damn sure. Still, after a valiant effort to not spit the chocolate outright, you manage to bashfully munch the otherworldly treat, and swallow it with trepidation, your fear of the taste sticking in your throat being realized. You attempt to not express disgust in your face, and you seemed to have been successful in such an endeavor, as Goibniu didn't seem troubled by the difficulty you had eating his food. Does the guy even sample the stuff he makes??? You are not sure what answer terrifies you more, but before you could ponder on it, he finally speaks up. "So, what do you think?"- "It's... delicious... yeah!":
- You decide that maybe not hurting his feelings would be a priority here. Maybe he spent all night making them! Isn't the fact he went through the effort of actually cooking the stuff already worth of more praise than just buying them off some cheap bakery? You try to repeat that in your head over and over in an attempt to find some reconciliation in yourself for defending his dreadful cooking, all while the man looks more than glad for your answer. "Aha, that's great! I knew I managed to nail that recipe successfully. And my father said I was using too much cinnamon... 'Preposterous', I said!" He mused to himself, all while you try and smile and nod, opting to not sample the chocolate any further. "But... I'm glad to hear you like it." He said, your mind wondering if you did the correct thing to enable this man as he gives you another warm look. Well, as long as he's happy, right...?
- "I wouldn't even offer this to a Moira, you fool of an Enkidu.":
- Screw his feelings, you are now wondering if you have a week to live after sampling his food! To your surprise however, the man began to... chuckle? You didn't expect him to react like that, in fact you weren't sure how he would have reacted at all, the only thing in your mind was to express your distaste for his chocolate. "Well, maybe I made a small mistake... I'm going to need to revise my recipe to see what went wrong. Maybe adding parsley to the preparation was not a good idea? I swear I read it enhanced flavors!" The man spoke with himself as he tried to deduce the fault behind his cooking like it was some sort of complex jigsaw puzzle, as you stare in horror at the chocolate. What... what did he even add to the stuff???? "Ah, but no worries, I'll try and find out what went wrong and make you a better batch!" Well, at least he showed some spirit in trying to improve, although given the context here, you are not sure if 'a better batch' is intrinsically a good or bad thing.
- Do not demand compensation:
- Deciding to not be too demanding, you simply smile at the man and close the box. Its the thought that mattered, right?
-Gift accepted-
- Demand compensation:
- You ask if you could have the other gift, as the one you chose did not go as planned. "Ah, well... its only fair. I can't let you suffer for my own mistakes. I'm sure this one will not disappoint you, and fear not, you don't need to eat it! Well, I'd hope you do not." He relents, as he takes the box of chocolates and hands over the other gift. Well, that was surprisingly easy!
-Gift swapped-
- Choose the big gift:
- You don't want to appear vain, but you are awfully curious about the contents of the big box. You choose it and Goibniu did not appear bothered at all, in fact he looked just as curious as you were, only with a more gleeful expression. "Ah, I know you will enjoy this one. You could say I... saw it from afar!" The man said, giggling at the pun only he understood because you had no idea what he was talking about. You open the case and see that... its a rather strange tube with a wooden body, and metallic rings around it, and next to it there appears to be some long pieces of wood with some sort of small chain keeping them attached.
"Behold, a patented McCrae telescope!" He announced, and you realize what the object it once you look at one of the ends. It was indeed a telescope! You take it out and see that one of the extremes extends into thinner wooden cylinders, with a small hole at the end. "I got help from my brothers to design it. One gave me the wood needed for the body, the other polished both lenses, and I put them all together! The legs I made to form support to keep it steady! Isn't it grand?" He said, as you decide to give it a test run by taking the legs out of the case. The tree sticks opened as they were placed on the floor, managing to remain in place as you attached the telescope to it, and peek from the smaller end. And... it works! You can see some distant houses and flora from your vantage point, and even if you don't appear to be able to adjust the exact zoom of the telescope, the distance it can cover was already pretty impressive. "I'm sure it will be great for stargazing as well!" He said, as he stood next to you with an expectant look, once you take notice of once you stop looking through the gadget. "So, what do you think?"- "It's quite impressive!":
- To be honest, you are surprised he would go this far, often the tradition was to give baked goods and stuff to someone, but then again, the man was already skirting around tradition already. He gives you a toothy grin at your praise, which almost feels contagious. "Hahah, I'm glad you feel that way! It was not easy to get those two to do their part, as they were quite busy lately. But the effort was well worth the results!" He exclaimed as you put the telescope and wooden tripod away. You cannot wait to see what stars you can find in this thing!
- "Not exactly what I had in mind, but it could be useful.":
- To be quite honest, such trinkets are not exactly your speed. Its a bit too ostentatious for what you are used to, but you figure it could have its uses, like a much powerful and much bulkier binocular, only with one spectacle instead of two. "Mmmmh... well, as long as you enjoy it whenever you use it! I have felt it would have been a much more creative present than what other people give in these festivities." The man said with a slight bit of pride in his voice, as you stow the telescope away. Well, you can't blame him for being enthusiastic, that's how he is after all.
Once your gift was presented, Goibniu's cheek turns slightly red as he looks at you, suddenly looking bashful. "Well... Happy King's Return! That's how it goes, right? Aha, I'm not exactly used to this, I haven't had much chance to celebrate this in my youth..." The man began looking distracted, almost unsure as to what to do next. Where did that confidence go? Well, it seems you will have to do something to snap the man from his confused stupor.
- "Happy King's Return to you too.":
- You are not to seeing the Enkidu being bashful like this, and you are not going to start doing so today. You opt to reply to his salutation and manage to get the man to pay attention to you again, another chuckle escaping him. "Ha, right! Apologies, I must have been caught in the moment." He says, his confident tone returning to him, as you stare at this silly moustache practically flare up slightly. You are not sure what you are going to the rest of the day, but you are happy to have share this small moment with the man.
- "Errr, sorry, I sort of need to leave.":
- Are you speaking the truth? Is it just an excuse? No one knows but yourself, and Goibniu cannot tell one from the other, but while he looked a bit confused, he didn't seem keen on inquiring. "Oh? Blazes, I didn't realize that. Apologies for keeping you." He said, as he tried to give you a smile, with you nodding in return and turning to a side to walk away. This was quite something unexpected, but even with your gift in hand, you decide to not dwell on the matter at the moment, lest you feel regretful for walking away from the Enkidu. He will probably not think about it tomorrow, and just keep being his normal, goofy self.
Probably.
- Words are for nerds. Smooch the deer:
- You attempt to eschew words and get to business right away, the Enkidu being completely blindsided at your surprise smooch. And as quick as it came, it went, with you retreating and staring at the dumbfounded man, looking unsure on how to even react. "I, uh, y-you, well," He began, blabbering something incoherent as he blushed harder, letting out a confused chuckle. "Haha, that was not exactly what I expected, but... I guess that's good?" He added, sounding like he was even unsure if he wanted the kiss himself, but the man knew exactly what he was getting into the moment he chose you as the recipient of the gift. At least, you hope so.
