It's the early morning on the day of the festival, couples young and old were dancing through the streets and fun was in the air, all was merry and well except for one, an old man with one eye strolled through the streets, passing parties and romance around the city without that much care.
The street in the old Ithanian district was almost filled with parties in the various colourful cafe dotting the buildings, a couple with arms over each other's shoulders lightly butted shoulders with him, they didn't pay him any mind but the old man stopped, a familiar scent hit his nose for a split second causing him to turn around, but the two already turned corner and out of sight, leaving only a flash of pink dress for a split second before disappearing. Sure, perfume only stick to the owners for extended time but the scent remained around him, it was very familiar yet he couldn't point out exactly what kind of perfume it was. He just knew that scent. It hanged his mind in the air, rustling something deep under his consciousness and long long forgotten…
Walking on without paying it much mind and trying to shake it off, he came across a man sitting at a cafe while drinking some kaffee, he knew it, the smell of it was clear. The scene also looked somehow familar with the bouquet of white roses placed on the table. The old man squeezed his eyelids together and opened them again to find out that he had been looking at an empty table, a waitress of said cafe caught him and was approaching the man to maybe ask him what's the matter, only to have him slowly meander away as she neared.
Up to the main street, he slowly walked through the street towards the first square, his mind blurred for a second, he squeezed his eye shut again to clear it up…
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The dark-ish Regalian houses turned into colourful Ithanian city street, vendors lined the road and many people were walking about, in the center of the square a fountain took the spot where the tree used to be. One blink and the lovely Ithanian city turned back into familiar Regalian street…
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The man shook his head, thinking his lack of sleep must be taking its toll. Of course he just gotta go pick up some things before heading home, he could manage a little hallucination and fading consciousness. He turned left with the intention of washing his face in the park lake. And he enterred the green enclave of early morning tranquility against busy backdrop of the bustling metropolis…
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And into a snaking path of a lakeside park, unlike in Regalia it also has a grand fountain in the middle and several people paddling their small boats around. In front of him was a blurry figure in a pink dress and hat sitting on a picnic mat, she turned to him and called out something he couldn't make out while vaguely gesturing for him. The confident voice sounded so close, yet also so far. He started off towards her for a few steps before stumbling...
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Onto the lake bank, he immediately cupped some water in his hands and splashed his face, shaking it violently as to call his senses back to him. He sat there on his knees looking at his reflection in the water as many questions popped into his mind. What was that? What did the woman say? Who was she? Why did he have that...hallucination? Is someone hexing him? He rose to his feet again after a short while, better make the trip quick then so he could hit the hay. And he walked off from the park, past the Coen Forge and the intersection, and the smaller taverns…
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"...two seats, no reservation, please!" A voice called to the waiter standing in front of a cafe, and placed on the floor by the door was an advertisement sign that a town famous band was playing. the same figure in pink dress was giggling and laughing with a smaller man in a high class Ithanian citizen outfit for a brief moment before the waiter guided them inside the establishment and out of his sight.
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Back to reality, the old man walked past the street and the Norrvakt's pub where the figures would've went in, only a few brutes were enjoying drinks inside. And so he walked on with much swirling in his head. Most of which are What's and Why's. Soon the Merchant Guild building was in sight, but he briskly walked past before he could get any weird hallucination about it. He kept his eye to the ground and his hands in his pockets as he walked and walked until no shadow of a building crossed his person. He lifted his head again and found himself at the clearing before the Imperial Bridge…
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Where men and women of many ages dance to a band of musicians, all around him. They smiled and laughed as they moved in tone to the upbeat song. The figure in pink appeared from the crowd and walked up to him and took his hand, her brown skin felt almost hauntng as it burned its way into his deepest mind, one doesn't even need clear sense to know. The woman leaned closer to him before whispering something in his ear, he could even feel her hot breath as she spoke
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"...."
As soon as the start of a word came out of her mouth, everything turned back to normal. But now his mind was replaying a scene that he could never recall. A vigorous dance with her. Every twitch of the muscle , every steps and every touches, it's almost as if he actually danced with her, some time long ago…
He turned left again and after some imposing buildings later he emerged into the bustling commerce district which was also in line with the festival of love. Lovebirds everywhere and the merchants are trying to make the most of it. He walked through the crowded street trying his best to keep his wits about himself. Then a particular something at a jewelry stall caught his eye. He walked closer and took up a certain pair of necklaces, their gems are made to be able to be locked to each others. Where has he seen this before…
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"Is it beautiful?" This time it was the man's voice. If the usual youthful tone was stripped down to bare bones it'd be similar to the old man's own voice. He felt another feminine giggle over his shoulder and immediately whipped his head around...the same woman was looking over his shoulder. Strange, this time he heavily focussed on his consciousness so he got somewhat clearer picture, and he could've sworn that her face was forever etched into his mind, somewhere…
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"Oi! You gonna buy it or nah?!" The peddler slapped at his arm with his fan, pulling him from the reverie. And when he looked at the necklaces again they became mundane heart shaped rubies. So he just put them down and walked off hurriedly to finally go buy whatever he was here for. But he didn't make it more than 10 steps before he slowed down again, in the middle of the road…
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The scene warped itself again at the blink of an eye, and the crowded street suddenly became wider and more neat looking Ithanian city market. Shops are more organizedly spaced and the street is wide enough for people to stroll back and forth without any problem. And right in front of him was the two people he had been seeing. Both the man and woman, they were walking next to each others, talking and giggling. The old man's legs couldn't do anything but slowly follow them through the street as more and more people seem to feel the need to get in his way until they were basically shielding him from the two. Although the old man didn't really try to shove or aggressively push his way through, he just slowly moved on and on until the end of the crowd was in sight, he saw the woman slinging her arm over the smaller man's shoulder and felt a strangely warm sensation on his own shoulder, only a second or two before he got out of the suffocating mass of people...
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And along with the dreamscape altogether. Man just popped back into reality with only a short walk left to the store he was looking for.
After procuring what he needed, the old man opted to take a swift journey home, but it turned out running actually worsened the deal as he was no longer interrupted by short daydreams, but instead it came in a rapid manner. The image of him running along with the girl constantly flashing into his mind, her happy face and those dark chocolate eyes haunting him. It was almost maddening and he couldn't be happier to see the door of his home in sight. He almost bashed through the wood and slammed his back against it shut, but as soon as he slammed it shut the image of the woman appeared again, leaning down onto him with an elbow against the door above his head, a foxy grin on her face. But she was only there for the length of a blink. A sense of strange dread crept up his spine, not because of the woman herself, but because of what he didn't know. His head was full of questions. He then took a bottle of ale from a cabinet and sat down on the couch, uncocking it and downing it in hope of either letting loose something with the drunken stupor, or fall asleep without a dream. He drank and drank, draining the bottle of its content. And then at the faint line between consciousness and the dark depths of slumber, he fell lying on the couch and let the bottle roll out of his hand onto the floor, he felt his consciousness slowly creeping out of him, flying to somewhere far far away…
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The sun was bright and springtime breeze caress the exposed skin of the man's arms as he walked through the streets of the festival, cherry blossoms almost painting the street entirely pink. Lovers frolicked through and fro as shopkeepers cried advertisements of their wares, trinklets, drawings, aptly made to match each others in a pair according to the festival of love. The small man went and take a look at a pair of necklace with gem that could be locked together and decided to buy them, keeping them in a pocket on his shoulder belt. He walked on and on with the intention of finding something to buy for his sleepy girl, assuming that he left before she was awake. Finally he settled on a nice looking bouquet of white roses and sat down at a cafe ordering some bread and coffee for breakfast. Sitting down at a table and placing the bouquet he looked around, on the other side of the square was a party with some bards playing and people dancing, the fountain hosts a flock of bird and some old couples feeding them. Hmm... he wondered if that would be them in the future. He didn't know how long he sat there but suddenly a pair of hands slapped onto his shoulders and a voice boomed behind him.
"----!"
Man almost jumped 3 feet in the air to the presence, whipping his head around and she was there, her undercut hair partially concealed in her hat and having a bang as if she actually had long hair, and her usual outfit was replaced with a neat pink dress, she looked just like an Ithanian upperclasswoman disregarding her tan skin and dark chocolate eyes. She was leaning down about his shoulder smiling at him and then at the bouquet of rose.
"What's that? Buying roses?"
"Wh- No! ...A girl gave me it... she said I looked good" The one eyed man said, not wanting to accept the fact he was blushing hard to the face that he got caught. The woman giggled in return before continuing.
"Stop lying, I followed you here you know, I saw everything. Besides, I also bought you this" She said with a smile, raising her hands and placing something on his head. He looked up and immediately saw that it was a white flower crown, a little too big on his head so it partially fell to be just over his eyes, he gave the woman a sheepish smile and grabbed the bouquet, extending it to her in return.
"Okay okay, I confess, bought it for you. Have it"
"You look nice, where did you buy the dress?" He continued, trying to change the subject so he wouldn't get any more embarrassed than he already was.
"Oh, a tailor near the inn has it for rent for the day, come, they got man clothes too!" And at that she took his hand, dragging him off running towards said tailor.
Some minutes later they were back at the cafe, with the woman in that pink dress and the man in a nice high class Ithanian fashion outfit, it was not exactly cheap, but at least it was affordable comparing to other tailors thank to the "dress nicely for the festival" promotion that probably got the shop a lot of income. Now the two look prim and proper like true citoye Ithanians that live in riverside estates, they also smell of nice perfume, the woman having confident scent about her and the man having that "pretty boy" kind of smell. They finished their breakfast while trying to talk in posh accents, pretending to be the nobles they were dressing like. Then The woman finally spotted the street music that was going on, and immediately dragged the smaller man off to join the dance. And it was in that festival the man could swear that he was at the happiest time of his life. They danced and danced to the music and the cheers of the locals before going off to various places around the city inspecting markets, parks, and theaters. The day was almost surreal and everywhere romance filled the air. They danced throughout the streets as if they were lively teenagers and almost sung love songs to each others as they went, joining the people dancing to musicians along the way. The leaves and breezes seem to move and sang according to the music playing at the moment, even those on the ground seem to rustle up and swirled around them.
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He shot himself up into a sitting position, several other pieces of the dream appearing in his mind like trees coming out of the ground, playing in his head over and over as a single teardrop ran down from his eye
The times of laughter and happiness
The moment he gave her that necklace
The lovely show they watched at a grand theatre
The dance on the bridge to re-enact her favorite scene
The way they held hands while drawing dreams of the future
He remembered both her face and the day's proceedings clear as daylight, but their names were somehow drowned out or illegible every time they were said.
The single trickling tear escalated itself into a full cry. He cried in both sadness and agony, his heart felt as if it was struck right through by a lance and he tried to clutch that dream with him as long as possible. Remember the names, remember the names, who are they, who were they. But the dream was like flaming coal, the harder he tried to recall those names in his mind, the lance in his heart drove itself deeper and deeper. He couldn't take it anymore.
Slamming his door open and close he ran away, the pain inside his chest was too much for him to sit there idly. He didn't know where or how long he ran, but he ended up outside the city in the noble park under the night sky. The old man collapsed down on his knees as he cried out, being a safe distance from the houses as to not make them pay attention.
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A hand lightly grasped the man's shoulder and a presence was felt kneeling across from him, and when he opened his eye he saw...her, again. She leaned in and planted a long, passionate kiss on his lips, sending a strange fulfilling sense throughout his body and soul as if something long missing was returned to its rightful place. The kiss dragged on and he felt himself standing up- no, he felt that he was lifted up, and soon he felt his feet slowly floating off the ground. And then she let go, sending his feet back firmly on the dirt again. And her smile almost stamped clear in his mind, pulling along the exact same scene, the last piece of the jigsaw of what happened.
The enchanted kiss under the pale moonlight
The old man felt his eye watering again with an overbearing sense of longing, he reached out to her and could almost grasp at her hand-
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BAM! He was suddenly yanked from the dream and back to reality again, finding his arm hanging stupidly in the air. He saw her disappearing right before his eye. Everything was just a dream after all? No, it couldn't be, all the feelings and all the memories were clear, it's as if it actually happened!
Along with that realization, the pain surged through his chest again, the same lance of mental agony mercilessly impaling him right through.
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Mr. Ford's scream ripped through the silent nightly air, it was long and agonizing akin to someone who had lost something very very dear to him. And for that night the old man felt the level of loneliness he had never ever thought possible, and his beloved stranger once again branded herself into his heart.
The nobles who heard it, however, paid him no mind as they took him as a testament to the fact that the alternative name of the festival of love is The Annual Heartbreaking Day, thinking him as just another poor soul rejected by the girl he confessed his love to.
Happy Valentine's Day
((@Eccetra look what you've done to me))
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