When the festive island of Imporia crumbles to an intense eradication, a handful of survivors discover scarves tied around their necks. These survivors live under the presence of an eerie cloth-covered star that is slowly depleting itself. Rumors st...
In utter disgust, the guardian glares at the eavesdropping man. "T-Thevenin!" The guardian spouts irritably. "Stay put! I'm coming down!" Thevenin excitingly bellows from above. The hooded prophet cracks an invisible smirk upon witnessing the interaction. In a short matter of time, the eavesdropping Imporian arrives at the watchtower's entrance.
Thevenin makes his way forward, "Sup. I'm Thevenin and uh—" the intruding man was interrupted by the gatekeeping guardian, "One moment, Thev?" she mutters with an irritated expression drawn on her face. Thevenin pauses and shifts his attention directly to her. Here, she grabs his chest and draws him towards her face.
"Can't you see I'm doing my job?" the guardian brashly grits. In response, the relaxed Imporian places his hands on her shoulder pads, "Zyra, chill! It's so boring around here anyway, hearing a story couldn't hurt." – "It's not about the damn story, it's about getting credit." she states, knocking his hands off of her. "Well, sorry that someone got caught napping the other day." Thevenin bubbly apologizes.
"...But I'm dying for some entertainment. Whatcha' got, prophet?" Thevenin ignorantly blurts. With a wider grin, the hooded prophet enticingly clears its throat and announces its prophecy. "I must warn you, this is not a fictitious story for your entertainment. It's a warning you should not take lightly." – "Yeah, yeah. If it's entertaining enough, I'll tell the watchtower on your behalf. Otherwise, my partner will have to escort you out of here." Thevenin playfully adds, winking at the stern gatekeeper.
"Very well." The hooded figure nods. The prophet then elaborately explains that everyone must partake in a non-stop festival in efforts to prevent the next calamity. "Pfft, really?" Zyra snorts and tries to retain her composure. "You want us to dance our problems away? You think dancing is going to stop a natural disaster?" Zyra sarcastically adds.
The blank-faced maidens slowly look at each other in confusion. "Why is she laughing?" one of the maidens softly spoke as the others remain quiet. During the disrespect, Thevenin inputs his thoughts with, "Sounds fun!" Zyra's unsteady giggling grows silent. "I mean, doesn't it sound fun to take a break?" Thevenin rhetorically asks.
Glad to hear the positive results, the prophet takes a few steps closer to Thevenin. "I like that spirit." The voice gratefully thanks. The hooded prophet then pulls out two long pieces of grey cloth from its loose sleeves. "In fact, I want you to keep these as a token for giving me the opportunity to preach my prophecy." Immediately, Thevenin tilts his head in confusion, "Woah, wait, you really think that dancing can stop a calamity?" the Imporian questions goofily.
Zyra tugs Thevenin to remind him that they're wasting their time. "Of course! Everyone is searching for a mechanical solution to prevent earthquakes and such, but this one..." the prophet speeches while gently wrapping one of the cloths around Thevenin's neck. Mesmerized, the Imporian allowed the prophet to get extremely close to him. "...This one's a bit more magical." The hooded prophet says after establishing a scarf around Thevenin's neck.
Seeing the cloth tied up to Thevenin's throat made Zyra take a defensive stance. To this, she takes a step forward with her sword out. "You are to leave this area or I will have to take necessary actions." The guardian threatens. Thevenin stammers and attempts to calm her down, yet the prophet understood. The hooded figure takes a few steps away from the general direction of the watchtower.
"It's okay. It's my mission to spread the prophecy." The prophet announces before walking away. "I'm grateful for your time, gatekeeper and fellow Imporian. Perhaps you can spread the message to your tower?" Without hesitation, the hooded prophet escorts the three maidens towards their next destination. Once the coast was clear of the visitors, Zyra firmly aims her sword at Thevenin's neck.
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The Imporian then carefully places his hand over the erected sword. Zyra then slowly pulls it downwards. "I thought it was refreshing hearing something new! It's always do this, do that and before you know it, we're just doing the same thing over and over again." He states, now in a melancholy tone. "Besides, dancing? Yeah right." he jokingly emphasizes.
Thevenin then sloppily glances at Zyra. She notices that his disheartened expression. Regardless, the Imporian struggles to remain cheery. The guardian withdraws her blade and fixes Thevenin's hunching posture. "Don't get in my way next time." she sassily says. Thevenin snaps a small smile, "You know..." he pauses, lightheartedly nearing to her face. "Looks like I'm not the only one who wants a break."
Biting his own tongue, Thevenin unwraps one of the grey cloths around his neck. Satisfied to see him following commands, Zyra eases a bit. "Now, let me finish my duty until—" The guardian was interrupted by Thevenin wrapping the loose grey scarf over her neck. "Until I finish my gatekeeping majig thingy, yadda-yadda." Thevenin teasingly mocks. "What are you doing?" Zyra erupts.
"I think you're just super jealous of my awesome scarf, so might as well share one with you." Thevenin replies, widening his grin in the process. He giddily skips around her to tie the scarf. "I want you to think about it as a gift for being super chill with me." Thevenin states. The guardian soaks in the bestowed cloth. Its fluffy wools did blanket her collar stylishly and kept it warm from cool breezes.
Stunned, the guardian winces at the Imporian. "You're a fool, you know that?" Her uneasy voice gave Thevenin a sense of joy. As if hearing her speak apprehensively was refreshing of her. "Now we both look like fools where bibs!" Thevenin spouts with a burst of laughter. "Well, I got some assignments to do, miss gatekeeper." Thevenin farewells. He heads back towards the watchtower's entrance only to be stopped by Zyra's words, "I'm not done with you." She blurts. The guardian had been glaring at him.
"I know, I know, you still got to focus on your duty." he tauntingly says, "If it makes you feel better, this scarf thingy stays between you and me." Thevenin winks before emerging himself into the watchtower. And with that, the gatekeeping guardian releases a heavy sigh. Zyra directs her guard outwards as she holds onto her post.
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. . .
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