I can and will blame Jax for this, he's the one who decided to make me stay up and scribble out a quick oneshot in 45 minutes while I could've been doing anything else
warning: this isn't proofread at all, prepare for 50 billion spelling mistakes
Every year in the Lost Cities, one of the most important events of the year would commence. Or, dare I say it, the most important event.
Almost every elf (of course, there are always a few recluses) would light leap to the stadium, donning their best clothing and gear. They'd sit on the benches, chattering excitedly to one another, snacking on the refreshments provided, eagerly waiting for it to start.
And then the lights would aim at the center of the stadium, where the grassy field was, and a booming voice would shout out, "ANNOUNCING... THE ANNUAL GAME OF TACKLE BRAMBLE!"
Cheers would fill the stadium, deafening, as elves cheered on their favorite players.
(sadly, Emery had banned teams, after that one day where the council got in a 3-hour long fight about their team names. He still had nightmares)
And then, all 12 Councillors would appear in a dramatic entrance complete with sound effects and sparkles (elves could never do anything without flair, could they?).
They got into their positions, and then...
"LET THE GAMES COMMENCE!"
▪▪▪
The second the horn blared, signaling the start of the games, Oralie had taken off.
She was a decently fast runner, not as quick as Kenric or Velia, but far faster than Bronte or Ramira. But in this, the key wasn't speed. It was stealth.
Which Oralie had in abundance.
She sprinted to the far side, thankful that she wasn't wearing one of her signature poofy dresses. A pale pink and white tunic was far easier to run in. Surveying the wide area they played in, she noticed that to the far right, the gnomes had planted a grove of trees. Perfect.
Glancing around, she observed that everyone was occupied, chasing for the ball. She could make a run for it while they were busy dogpiling it other. (She made a note to tease them about that after)
Waiting for the right moment (when Emery let out a banshee howl of pain as Darek tackled him), Oralie ran for the trees, hiding behind an especially large one and nimbly climbing onto a low branch. It was high enough to not be seen but low enough to jump down safely on a moment's notice.
Now, to wait, as everyone finished each other off.
Oralie smiled.
▪▪▪
"Wait for meeee," Finna, Oralie's younger sister whined as Oralie raced ahead of her. Sighing, the Empath turned around, waiting for her sibling to catch up so they could go to school already.
"Come on Finna," Oralie urged. "The Tackle Bramble tournament is today and I don't want to be late."
"Well I don't want to go to school with messy hair," Finna retorted, making a huge show out of brushing her long straight brown hair. Oralie wished she could have hair like that, glossy and smooth and not so curly it was torture to brush.
After a few minutes which Oralie could've sworn seemed like hours, Finna was done, her hair perfect as always.
"Now can we go?" Oralie asked impatiently.
