If You Build It - RPLOG
Participants
Date
28/6/476
Log
A somewhat drizzly summer day. The drops wash away the dust and leave the statues before the church gleaming and the cobbles clean. Beings move carefully across the potentially trecherous footing up into the church proper to see this exceptional mass. Above and further towards the sea, the great light tower and church ball tolls, calling the faithful to service.
The king isn't the only unusual arrival at church today. The lizard clan that Liss belongs to showed up as well all dressed in their best church clothes, four brothers, a sister, and a mother, all of them talking to each other constantly about this and that, rarely finishing a thought before jumping to another conversation with another family member making the constant stream of chatter incomprehensible unless you are very, very fast and able to sort it all out.
The family showed up early in case there was free food and tried to meet as many new people as they could meet which was awkward for some people as the gang of lizards would hone in on anyone who acknowledged them in any way and include them into the mass-conversation that never seemed to stop unless someone asks the non-family member an interesting question then they just stop and stair silently at the stranger with wide, excited eyes waiting for an answer before the mass conversation once more begins bombarding the poor souls nice enough to pay the group of farmers attention.
When church is ready to begin the lizards move to a seat near the front with one of the church elders who was lucky(?) enough to become their collective new friend and wait surprisingly quietly. They can be quiet when they need to.. really.. they can. So that's where they can be found, at the front of the crowd where the good view is sitting there like little green children gleefully happy to be around so many people and glad they got to the church early.
Lillian is strong in faith, so of course she comes when the bells call her to service. She steps slowly and stays towards the edge of the traffic moving into the square, as a courtesy towards folk smaller than herself, though her proudly worn vestments earn her relatively unhindered movement into the press of the crowd. She smiles constantly, making quiet small talk on the way in, waving and greeting frequently.
Food is to be found, set out on short tables designed to be plucked from while chatting amiably. As service gets closer to actually getting underway, they are pulled back and away from the main proceedings, giving more room for latecomers to filter in and get places, even if standing.
Sveta arrives in time for the mass - at least she's taken the time to clean off her usual soot-speckled feathers. Noonday mass isn't exactly her strong suit - the sheer density of people tends to spook something in her hindbrain - but one needs to stretch and get some fresh air from time to time.
Lottie rolls her shoulders as she makes her way up the hill. Not quite as devout as her sister, she does at least make appearances. And her sister's easy to spot so she picks through the crowd murmuring, "Pardon, excuse me, watch out" and various other things. Always polite though. Slipping in alongside her sister after a bit, she murmurs, "What's this all on now?"
'All this' appears to be the Good King, the large hippo monarch, standing where the priest(ess) usually stands. He opens the First Text, and the room starts to quiet down in a hurry. "My children," he reads from it, "I know your future will be full of bright possibility, but also grave danger. Never forget the strength of one another, and to stand firm against adversity. We built you well, and with every victory, you make us prouder to call you our creation. We have set you in motion, but it is only through your will that you can prevail."
Lillian beams at the other skunk, sidling over and giving her a brief, but firm, hug. "It's mass! Is that not a good enough reason?" she looks up as the king ascends to the podium, going quiet and clasping her hands as he begins to read from the Text.
The lizards in the seats all seem to be behaving pretty well unless you pay close attention the youngest of the brothers is still eating and the mother of the group at the other end of reptiles leans forward to look down the row as her child tries to stealth-snack. She nudges the oldest brother who nudges the next youngest and so forth and so on with a series of forceful nudges that end with the youngest being elbowed hard in his sides. He hides the raisins he was eating and leans forward to look down the row.
The glare from the clan's mother is such that the child leans back and makes himself very small while putting the handfull of raisins in his coat pocket for later. All of this might be missed if you are not paying attention.
When the king comes out the family all look on in wonder having never seen a King before, well, not in person... only in really wide paintings.
Sveta eventually manages to find a seat, although not without considerable difficulty, and leans back to listen to the Good King's speech. Sure, his mouth is moving, but he doesn't seem to be saying a lot, and the goshawk resists the impulse to frown. Would he cut the chaff and get to the meat already.
Lottie leans over and murmurs, "Yeah well, most meetings like this don't involve the Good King'n all. I know I spend too much time buried in books, but really, what's going on?" She then stands up straight and holds her hands behind her back, standing on her toes to see over the crowd.
The king's large hand closes the book, the traditional reading of a verse complete, "It is good to see you all, my people," he speaks, looking directly into the crowd, his sword gleaming on his back as he looks from left to right, taking the time to give each person the impression he acknowledges them, "It has been too long, with sieges and shadowy invasions, since our last, city wide, event. It's not good, for our spirits, for the economy. I am here to let you know that I have not become a reclusive king, and to hear your thoughts. Who better than my people to speak of what grand event we shall hold? How long has it been," he says with a dramatic pause, "Since the last lowball tournament? With the Creators here, perhaps we should invite them. What spectacle would that be, to demonstrate our fitness, and our sportsmanship. I'm told the sport was not even invented before we reached Promise, so it will be a fresh experience to them entirely."
Lillian relaxes as the Reading finishes, and hmms a bit as the king starts to address the crowd, leaning over to murmur to her sister, "Guess that's it, he just wanted everyone here for his announcement. Doesn't seem like the most proper venue for it though, does it?"
Sveta considers the news. A lowball tournament sounds fair enough, not that she's usually kept up with the yearly Sweetwater Cup. But inviting the Creators? Last she saw of them was their ship back in Shalresta...just how does the Good King intend to invite the Creators over, if they would accept in the first place?
Lottie offers a shrug and murmurs, "Works well enough for me. Enough people will show up, makes sense really." She then murmurs, "Wait you're upset it's not a traditional mass aren't you?" She begins snickering, then shakes her head quickly and resumes her previous stance, straight, hands behind her back and watching the crowd. Those nearby might notice her muttering about being terrible at lowball though.
One of the lizard boys who is far, far to into sports says, "If they've never played before we'll kick their" mmr mrrwa mrrrm mrmmmrawha mwar! as the oldest brother muzzles the younger lizard with a large hand and continues to listen to the king. Even Liss knows better than to interrupt the King.
