ϡ - Chapter FortyNine; This is Halloween [action|video]

[folklorist]

[ Well if anyone is walking through the village today they’ll see Helios with a wheelbarrow piled high with pumpkins. Yes, that’s right, you saw correctly that large orange mountain is pumpkins of all sizes and shapes. Helios is going all out this year to decorate the tree outside the house and the surrounding area with Halloween paraphernalia. If one passes by House 44 on this lovely Autumn day they will be greeted with this sight. Every day the mound gets a bit bigger and the pumpkins a bit larger and more menacing looking or funny looking too. Helios isn’t going to deny help either, and he may even wander around town and start to place pumpkins around the area. The fountain, outside the bakery, and the other shops as well. The Library gets a makeover too as spider webs and chattering bats, fake but made to move with magic, flutter about the ceiling. He’ll be doing this for the entire week as it gets closer to Halloween. Don’t mind him he just likes Halloween. ]



[ It’s during one of his training sessions in the woods that he happens upon an interesting little spectacle of nature today. The video function of the journal will come on abruptly today and Helios will sound ecstatic over the journal system. Though it might not mean anything to a lot of people in the enclosure Helios is very pleased with his findings. A fairy ring sits just a few feet away from where he’s recording. ]

Ah! What a perfect time to find one of these! How many of you have heard of fairy rings before? Ronds de sorciers otherwise called sorcerers' rings in France, and Hexenringe which is witches’ rings in German. I was wondering when I would find one of these here! Oh these things are so wrought in folklore and superstition I’m rather excited to get to see one again. [ It shows Helios, you dork. ]

Did you know that fairy rings are said to be the result of elves and fairies dancing? It’s also claimed that entering one on Halloween is especially dangerous, it can cause all sorts of entrapment from the fae or even the devil himself. One superstition claims that anyone who steps into an empty fairy ring will die at a young age. While others, like the Welsh, believe that mountain sheep that eat the grass of a fairy ring flourish, and that crops sown from such a place will prove more bountiful that those from normal land. And of course the only safe way to investigate a fairy ring in to walk around it nine times, for doing it ten times to do it a tenth is dangerous and a terrible mistake.

[ And Helios will proceed to walk around it nine times while he talks.] Ah, but, of course it’s all legends and such. I’ve met a good few fae in my time, they weren’t so bad, at least not to the point of making mortals dance until exhaustion and death inside a ring. There's a good few poems about fairy rings too. But-but I won't get into that. Do any of your worlds have such myths or-or folkore? Perhaps not with a ring exactly but, you know, with other objects instead. [ He’ll stop at the ninth full circle and smile as he looks down at the ring. ]

S-Speaking of Halloween. [ Halloween tended to have bad shifts and even though his past two weren’t so fond, he still tries to have a positive outlook on the Halloween. He doesn’t want the shifts to sour one of his favorite times of the year. ] I know there’s a lot of…things that have happened recently, but maybe something to liven up people spirits might be good. Help get p-people's minds off of things and all that. [ He wasn’t unknowing towards the shift bomb or the Iron Eye, it still made his stomach turn at learning about all those people gone forever because of the decision of people in this very enclosure. ] Oh! Maybe a-a pumpkin carving contest! Those are always fun and you can make lots of pumpkin pie from the rest of the pumpkin. [ Pumpkin pie for the entire village yes, good. ]

((ooc; You can run into Helios with action from the 9th-14th. He'll be around town and the house. The 10th can be used for voice or action as well~))

Comments

[ action ]

[magicmaestro]

[Frederic had seen Helios' video feed on his journal then finds him in the woods while taking a walk.]

Helios?

[ action ]

[folklorist]

[ The crackling of fallen leaves and twigs makes him turn only to see Frederic behind him. He'll only jump slightly, but the look on his face his a happy one. ] Oh! Frederic I'm sorry, I didn't hear you until just now. Is everything alright?

[ He knows what this month means so his expression turns to one of mild concern. ]

[ action ]

[magicmaestro]

[He nods though he does appear a bit melancholy, he's been kind of coped up in the house and this is one of the first days he's been out. Yer he can tell right away from Helios' expressions that he's worried for him.]

It's all right, Helios. And please, don't worry about me. Besides, I saw your message over the journals and wanted to help you with some ideas.

[Action]

[spohkh]

[Spock can't help the quirk of an eyebrow as he spies Helios placing a pumpkin on the fountain...]

Professor Helios? What are you doing?

[Action]

[folklorist]

[ There's a few already there some traditional looking pumpkins and Helios will lift his head up from his positioning of said pumpkins when Spock stops by. He gives a wide smile and motions towards the pumpkins. ]

Oh! Ah, just getting into the spirit of things! Pumpkin carving is a very popular past time for Halloween enthusiasts. I-I thought the town could use a few here and there.

[Voice]

[shamelessness]

Isn't it difficult to cut into pumpkins?

[Voice]

[folklorist]

Mm not really. If you have a good enough knife that should do the trick. I-I mean it's easier with a bit of help from magic here or there...but most people have no trouble carving them, magic or not. The trick is to cut the top, bottom or back off first and take everything out before you start carving. The hollow inside makes it loads easier to work with!

voice;

[funnygirl]

Pumpkin carving? I'm afraid I'm not certain what you mean, Helios. What does this...pumpkin carving entail? [Why would you want to carve a pumpkin? Unless it's meant to use in baking...which isn't what she thinks he means.]

voice;

[folklorist]

Well it's exactly what it sounds like! You just find a pumpkin, empty it out until its hollow on the inside, and carve figures or faces into it. There used to be a reason for it back in the old days, but now people just do it for fun mostly. You've never carved one before, Belle? [ Gasp! Shock! Horror! This will not do at all! ]

[Action]

[wildbluevagner]

[Kitty's arrival had managed to get Kurt out of the house and in a relatively better move atfer what had gone down in the House of M. He still had decided to activate his image inducer after they went their separate ways, however. He walks around for a little bit - and stops to gawk at the pumpkin army, impressed.]

Oh man! I think I found Tim Burton's garden!

[Action]

[folklorist]

[ He actually knows who that is! Helios will look up from his current carving project of a witch on a broom. He'll flash Kurt a warm smile and laugh a little. ]

Oh you think so?! He's the, ah, film maker isn't he? I-I'm not even halfway done yet to be honest. [ He may be going a bit overboard but he doesn't even care! ]

[sun_showers]

I didn't know that Luceti had fairies. Not ones that made rings like that. I thought there were just the filial spirits that resided here. [Confusing. Maybe Helios has some further insight?]

[folklorist]

I-I'm not sure that it does. Well...full fae I mean. [ Max is part fae but he's positive that his boyfriend doesn't know anything about these circles. ] I don't think these were caused by fae, more like the natural occurring ones caused by fungus and such.

[Voice]

[winds_voice]

So many conflicting beliefs... I have to wonder what the faeries must think of this.

[Because obviously they exist, why wouldn't they?]

There are enchanted objects in my world, though many do not seem to be active anymore. While humans cannot use magic by themselves, the planet still holds a great deal of energy, and it seems that harnessing it can give way to unnatural powers. There are also smaller supernatural beings... lesser spirits, I suppose you might call them. They can assist us in our work.

[He pauses, then decides to address the latter subject of Helios' discussion. Eley had had a hard time dealing with recent events... perhaps he should try to turn his attention back to 'fun' again.]

What exactly do you carve out of these pumpkins?

[Voice]

[folklorist]

They-they aren't too pleased about it. Well, the Unseelie Court at least. The Seelie court is more amused about it than anything, but that's typical of-of the fae. They do tend to find humans rather amusing. [ Helios lets out a curious little hum at that explanation. ]

Fascinating. What do these other, lesser, spirits look like? And, ah, as for the pumpkins well you can really carve whatever you want! Symbols, pictures, even people if you really have a talent for it!

[windandrain]

[Holiday spirit is all well and good, but Halloween is a particularly troublesome one. One she's been dreading for quite some time, given the Malnosso's propensity for cruel jokes. But then, the happy little pumpkins around the house are a nice break from the horror Saori's mind can conjure up. OF course she doesn't really know much about Jack O' Lanterns and such...]

Helios, dear...[Steps over a few pumpkins]

Why are there so many pumpkins around?

[folklorist]

[ It certainly is troublesome in Luceti, even Helios has had his full of the things the Malnosso has done so far. But he doesn't let that ruin his mood, despite all the heartache he's had here in the last three years. He'll be humming a soft, happy, tune until he stops short and looks up at Saori with a soft smile. ]

Oh! Saori! I-I'm decorating for Halloween! [ He will look at the mounds of pumpkins with a sheepish smile on his face. ] I-I may have went a little overboard...I realize.

[Action]

[of_sablier]

[That is indeed a very large mountain of pumpkins. So large, in fact, that it's hard to miss when Helios passes by outside the windows of the school, drawing Jack outside to come see what's up.]

Ah, getting ready for Halloween already, Helios?

[Action]

[folklorist]

[ Helios never does things halfway. It's just how he rolls. He'll give Jack a bemused look as his attention shifts back and forth from the pumpkins to the other man. ]

Oh yes! You could tell? [ He laughs. ] I'm making the front yard of-of House 44 completely orange for the autumn season. [ Though he's joking it's hard to tell with the large amount of pumpkins in said possession. ] Do you celebrate it?

[Video]

[z_jay]

Fairy rings, huh? A few of those stories sound familiar.

[Time for him to smirk, considering mention of pumpkin pies. Basically a siren call for him, at least, the prospect of cooking]

I knew you were interested in Max for a reason. What with all this talk about meeting fae.

[Video]

[folklorist]

Well they are popular is some cultures, especially in England and Wales, which are both very close to Ireland and Scotland. So it's...not too terribly uncommon for them to passed around. [ He is just gonna look a bit red at that. Oh goodness Eugene you always manage to fluster him. But he does smile and laugh, a hand rubbing the back of his head as he does so. ]

I-I didn't even consider that he was part fae when we-we decide on well, d-dating. [ That definitely wasn't the determining factor on their current relationship, no. Max could have been part angel, demon, vampire whatever else and he probably never would have cared. ]

But it-it does come out in him sometimes. [ Helios wouldn't lie and say Max isn't attractive, because he is, and that fae blood in him might help with those looks. ] S-So! Have you ever come across one before? A faerie ring I mean.

[Voice]

[semper_cogitans]

[Hear this voice, Helios? Even if it's a bit quiet, Robert seems a little better off than the last time he spoke, and he immediately enters into a detailed diatribe.]

Ah, this particular phenomenon... in my world, these "rings" of mushrooms are... created by colonies growing around a central mycelium structure in the soil below...

Essentially, mycelium colonies take hold in drier periods, when the roots of grasses and... other such plants die out, and in turn starve them of further nutrients, creating the necrotic zone present in... the centre of the ring. Thus the development of... sporocarps, the fruiting structures we recognize, becomes significantly more... obvious, as a result.

[No fairies necessary in Robert's world.]

... I, personally, find this process... quite fascinating. Were you aware that the structures can assume... vastly different shapes, depending on the concentrations of mycelium in the soil? Or... that there are essentially two classifications of these structures - ones dependent on surrounding trees, and others dependent purely on... soil chemistry?

[Voice]

[folklorist]

[ Helios listens with rapt attention because while he knew some of the specifics, he wasn't as detailed in his knowledge as Robert clearly was. ]

I-I never knew it in that detail, but thank you for telling me. It's rather fascinating when you think of it in scientific terms. I suppose the fairy theory doesn't sit well with you, does it?

[ He smiles on his end a teasing tone in his voice. ]

[Action]

[abjurer]

[The house is looking kind of... orange today and Max is staring at the carved pumpkins with a certain amount of fascination when Helios comes out. It's not just those, there's decorations everywhere and it's impressive how much he's managed to get together.]

I do not think that I have ever seen so many pumpkins in one place. I mean, not that I see a lot of pumpkins anyway but... this is an American thing, isn't it? Or a Romanian thing?

[Action]

[folklorist]

[ It looks 2spooky, doesn't it? Helios is so very proud of his work and it shows on his features as he beams with happiness when coming outside. He pauses when he sees Max not entirely expecting the other man to drop by. ]

Max! I wasn't expecting you. [ He smiles though and looks around at the field of pumpkins. ] It's actually Irish and Scottish in origin. You don't...carve pumpkins in your world I take it?

[ He looks surprised at that, head tilting slightly to the side with a thoughtful look. ]