Bamboo and Edelweiss

Bamboo's voice dropped, but Edelweiss was still able to pick out what he was saying in the quiet space. "You know the way to get here now," He told Bamboo, "You can come and hide here if the festival gets to be too much. I get the day off, and by now I'm sure you noticed that I'm not much of a people person." His eyes narrowed at no one in particular, just the thought of being in crowds made his skin crawl. At the same time he couldn't believe that Bamboo's parents were trying to marry him off by the sound of it. Wasn't he a little young to be tied down? He had always assumed the two of them to be the same age but now he might be second guessing.

"How old are you anyway?" Edelweiss asked bluntly before realizing he didn't extrapolate any of his previous thinking that led him to his inquiry, "I mean, if they're trying to marry you off... it seems overbearing." If he had run into them he didn't have a memory of a vision about Bamboo at the very least, he couldn't help but wonder if they looked like him.

"They won't." Was all Edelweiss said about the matter of angering other acolytes at the temple. He would see to it that it didn't. It felt mostly for selfish reasons that he wanted to keep Bamboo close, but he also felt the need to protect him. He just gave off that air of a helpless puppy sometimes.

Bamboo's exclamation about his living quarters made Edelweiss take in the room like he didn't return here every day. He removed his hood, taking a good look at one of the older curtains.

"They wanted me to take over the oracle's chambers after she left the temple but those rooms are too big, these are just the apprentice rooms. I like it here." His words sounded almost practiced like he had to explain to the priests over and over why he wouldn't move out of his nest. "I heard about the quarters you're given but I've never been. If it's too bare bones for you, feel free to take a pillow." He swept out an arm at his pile without looking at it. The sweep of his sleeve billowing out behind him.

"If it's all cleared out then, let's go down." He shook the bottle, reminding Bamboo about the real task at hand.

((aaah they are so cute... ;_______; I'm listening to 'Selfish' by Virginia to Vegas and it just works muahahah))

"I'd...really appreciate that, thank you. Sometimes I can go out on errands, but its so crowded during festival time that its hard for me to get away. That would be really nice, though I'm sorry to encroach on your space. I'll make up for it by cooking something special and staying out of your way."

His expression trailed off as he pictured the possibility of a day hiding away from the crowds ( and likely his parents with someone in tow) in a quiet room with Edelweiss.

"Actually, I could also bring some books that day if you wanted and start teaching you some of the scripture language..." He began to offer only to be surprised by Edelweiss' question as it seemed to come out of nowhere. "I ah..." he blushed. "I'll be nineteen moons in the spring. I'm just stupidly tall so people assume I'm older, I guess..." he grimaced in some embarrassment. "Lots of people seem to assume things based on how a person looks." He was the youngest of the acolytes, as far as he knew.

"Yeah, I'm an only child and they expected me to take over. They were actually pretty angry when I chose to come here. Honestly I don't think it was about concern, rather that I embarrassed them. If I can't give them that... well, I guess they want me to start working on grandchildren or something equally off putting." he sighed. "The girl seemed nice enough, but as soon as they told me what they were proposing I ran. Like... literally ran out of the room."

As Edelweiss explained he realized they weren't so different in some ways, both expected to fill someone else's shoes.

"I like that you made it your own. It suits you." he watched as he removed the hood and offered one of his pillows, feeling his face get impossibly warm. It would add so much colour and life to the draft cell; would it smell like him? The thought of curling his limbs around something that had the oracle's scent was entirely too appealing and he was relieved when Edelweiss broke through his reverie.

"Yes!" he grinned, bright eyed. "We have a mystery to solve. I still think its a grocery list." He smiled. "But we won't know until we crack the code. Hm, we can take the back halls there, no one should be around at this time."

((I love all this music sharing! xD I’ve been listening to “Haze” by Tessa Violet on repeat a lot recently and I feel it’s very Edelweiss, also “Bad Ideas” by her is verrrrryy Bamboo.. at this point we should just make a playlist hahaha)) 


“I might hold you to that,” Edelweiss agreed, placidly. He was really starting to grow a palate for coconut and he’d only tasted it for the first time this morning. Even more surprising he was developing a taste for Bamboo’s company as well. It didn’t even cross his mind that he would be encroaching on his precious space if he descended upon him on festival day, especially if he was offering to teach him something new. It was hard breaking out of the tedium of the temple, and searching for a teacher was even worse so having Bamboo teach him ancient scripture was in his favor after all. 



Crossing his arms, Edelweiss considered, “Only Eighteen? So you’re still younger than me, then.” And Bamboo was taller than him on top of it. Edelweiss frowned at the top of Bamboo’s head, hoping he wouldn’t still have growing left in him. He already looked physically older than him, he didn’t need the added extra competition.

The image of Bamboo blanching at the thought of marriage enough to run out of the room speechless made Edelweiss chuckle. He put a decorated hand up to cover his mouth, trying not to blatantly make fun of how serious Bamboo took the matter.



“Now I think I need to meet the people that think it’s such a good idea to put you in a position like that,” He added, teasing him, the emphasis on it was Bamboo who might be the weird one here. 



“What do you want to wager it’s not a grocery list.” Edelweiss offered, turning on his heel back towards the door, robes sweeping out behind him. He unhooked a plain bag off of a hook near the door and dropped the bottle in without a second thought. 



((Aaaah  oh man that's perfect!! oh Bamboo.... he really is that sort of smitten puppy lol and no one will EVER call him smooth so... Hahah, we really should. XD XD ))

"Good! Fair is fair; if you're giving me sanctuary from the crowds and my parents it would be a good way to spend the day." Yes, yes it would. A whole day just with him... "We can look through some of those books today too, if you like? Just some basic stuff to start with. I bet you're a faster study than me so you'll get through them in no time..."

They moved quietly through the halls and he found the blush extending to his ears as he remarked on his age. He didn't really advertise it; in fact Edelweiss was the first person he had told many of those things too. "Well, almost nineteen. Spring is not that far away..."

At the chuckle he looked at the oracle and grimaced, chagrined.

"Oh, you really wouldn't want to. My mother would love you though she'd probably start trying to find ways to convince me its in my best interest to just go home. To their ideas. And their girl. And their..." he shook his head. "I like my life here. Its not perfect, but its... MINE, you know? I chose it. " He rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed. "I'm not that fond of girls. Women. I mean, I love Water, of course... that's why I'm here, right? But not like.. uh... I mean, she's a god, its not like I ever think of her like..."

He winced and decided to stop putting his foot in his mouth, thankful for the change in topic.

"Wager?" Oh Water, he would have asked him for a kiss. Obviously he couldn't ask that, and he fumbled as he thought of something else to distract his rather befuddled mind. "I .... uh...." he hesitated. "I have everything I want. You asked me to be your retainer and attendant, so... I mean... not sure what else I could ask for if I won. You to teach me something?" he asked shyly.

"What about you then, if you're right and its not a list? I'd do anything you asked..."

((ahahah oh Boo, poor choice of words... Oh and HAZE is amazing! Now I have to check out more of her music)

((I just read through this and I was like "Wow, Apis made it so easy for me to torture him...excellent." lol))

"True, if you start me on the reading it would probably make deciphering faster so you're not doing it all yourself." Edelweiss put his hand up to his chin, deep in thought. He'd been to the archives many times in the dead of night but this was a different experience, his mind already separating the two experiences into almost separate archives. The symbols on the cipher kept swimming through his vision and he wanted answers.

Edelweiss gave Bamboo a crooked smile. Arching one eyebrow he looked at him sideways, "You know the more you tell me I shouldn't do something the more I want to do it." It wasn't important to him really if he ever met Bamboo's family but it's all the more intriguing if he's trying to keep it a secret after all.

He let Bamboo finish rambling. Edelweiss could tell he was slowly getting more mortified the more his words kept betraying him. He also noted that Bamboo blushed a lot and was blushing again now, but that was a common trait among truthful people as well and he liked that he could easily read his face.

"So you prefer the company of men, then?" The words rolled out of his mouth very matter-of-fact, but it may of ended up sounding way more obtuse than he intended. Edelweiss couldn't help it, etiquette wasn't something that was taught to him and he never had a friend he was close with before either. "Or..." He edited his previous sentence slowly, "You don't prefer any... company." Was that delicate enough? He wasn't sure and instead waited for a reaction to really know.

"Teach you something?" Edelweiss crossed his arms and sighed. What could he have that he could possibly teach someone? He wasn't worldly in the least. He read a lot of books about history and maybe even myths if he was lucky enough to find them at 3am in the empty archives when he couldn't sleep, but that didn't seem like something Bamboo might like. What if... "I can teach you how to read cards. Read fortunes in a sense. It's not as reliable as having the "sight," but it can still be interesting. It's what they start apprentice seers on, but it can be read by anyone really." He glanced at Bamboo, his expression even, "Would you like something like that?"

Edelweiss pointed at himself, "If I won?" He didn't even have to take time to think about what he wanted. He gave a definitive answer, "Ten coconuts," and then continued to say, "You know if you do anything i asked it sounds a bit sacrilegious doesn't it? Don't let Water hear you saying that." He bet with that he could get Bamboo to go crimson again. This was starting to become an interesting experiment.  

((right? her music is soooo good and bubbly! I've been addicted to how catchy it is! Also geeeez these posts are getting long, man Edelwiess has to stop with the inner monologuing ))

((MUAHAHAHA! I'd say I"m innocent as freshly fallen snow buuuuuut.....))

"But..." the thought of  him meeting his mother sounded like a very bad idea. She was very good at talking people into things, and he hated the thought of her manipulating the oracle to get to him. Still, Edelweiss didn't seem like someone that she could really get to do her bidding. All the same, it was probably better not to find out. He wasn't crazy about that smile. "She's sneakier than she looks, Edelweiss. If you ever meet her and think she is some kind and clueless middle aged lady you should worry."

Hopefully this would be the year they chose to skip the festival altogether, and if he kept the seer occupied in his rooms then they wouldn't have any chance to run into him anyway.

At his friend's blunt question he fell wordless for the first time in his life, stammering as he tried to think of a response. Did people ask about such intimate things that bluntly? No one had ever outright asked, but maybe he was just a bit out of touch and it wasn't a big deal. Edelweiss didn't seem to think it was one, anyhow.

"I-I...." he swallowed. " I know that girls don't make me... feel the sort of things I feel sometimes for...uh... some men." he said diplomatically. One man. One. "But as for company I haven't... I mean... Water, I'm not sure I'm supposed to even thing about those things, being an acolyte. But I guess I do. Anyway, better talk about other things, right? That's not that interesting, right?"

He tilted his head so that stray locks of hair hid his face from the oracle a bit. Could oracles know if you were telling a lie? Or hiding something? He hadn't really ever lied before and didn't want to start now, especially to Edelweiss, but he suspected his answers would not please him terribly.

At the mention of being sacrilegious the crimson intensified on his face.

"Its not... I mean... I serve Her always! She accepts me as I am and I... but I... I mean..." He bit his lip. "I don't see a day where I would have to choose between serving her and doing something for you, Edelweiss. It's not like...like I'm being unfaithful to her, like you'd ask for something..." he drew a breath, picturing that kiss in his mind's eye. "Can I not care for another and still hold her in my heart?" he murmured under his breath.

"Anyway... " louder then. "Ten coconuts is fair. Maybe if I win I'll take you up on the pillow you offered instead, because I"m not sure I'd be any good at reading fortunes. I'd be too afraid of them..."

( He is having entirely too much fun with this. I'm not complaining LMAO! Hm, brings up the question is acolytes and priests are meant to stay celibate, if she is jealous? XD))

I'm gonna answer that question as an aside because I feel like I'm gonna get wordy xD
ahhh so glad Water is mine so I can make this shit up hahaha SOooo what I was basically thinking is that the gods in general are very prideful. Water wouldn't so much care if acolytes or priests remained celibate, it's more important to her that they don't consider anything else a higher power than her, so as to say, if Bamboo would do ANYTHING Edelweiss said it might have a more powerful sway than what Water wants him to do. This probably leaves a gray area for maybe giving your heart to someone else? (I'm leaving this open because it's delicious character building hahaha) I also don't think the gods in this world are like necessarily omniscient or omnipotent, more like extremely powerful primordial elementals which is why (spoiler) Edelweiss would have to report to Water on a regular basis about ~the future~ and why she would always have an oracle present in her temple.
Unrelated, I also think I consider Water as an asexual being and doesn't care about intimacy on a personal level!
Worldbuilding, yay!

okay, now to continue the RP hahaha lemme jump back in

"I can take care of myself," Edelweiss frowned at Bamboo's warning, trying not to take his words personally. He knew it was more about family and upbringing and things he didn't get to experience in quite the same way so he brushed it off.

Edelweiss shrugged, a curious expression lighting up his face, "I don't know... it could be interesting, I haven't really thought too much into it myself, sometimes I hear the priests talking about it in passing," Sometimes he could've sworn they were even including him in their conversations when he walked by but he didn't feel the need to bring something so inconsequential up to Bamboo, "Don't worry, Bamboo, we can find you a nice boy," Edelweiss offered, "I'd say I'd look into it for you, a lot of patrons ask about love, but I don't think that's something you'd want, am I right?" Seeing Bamboo so afraid of the ocean this morning he figured he could add more prophecies to the list of things that would give Bamboo a heart attack.

Bamboo started talking himself into circles again and Edelweiss gave him a genuine smile, one that dimpled his cheeks. "You're blushing again." He pointed out, pleased that his hypothesis was right. He turned away from Bamboo, keeping his pace down the steps to continue their descent towards the archives. He stopped short of the double doors, the wood was old but well preserved, worn only in the place where many hands had touched its oaken ward. He placed one hand on the door before turning his gaze back to Bamboo.

"I don't know," He answered truthfully, his expression serious, almost rueful on behalf of the acolyte, "I never thought to ask her about hearts." Edelweiss leaned into the door on the right, pushing with his weight to open a smaller gateway that was carved into the towering closed door. It was almost hidden from view if you didn't know about it, tiny hinges the same color as the wood would give it away if you knew where to look. During the day the large doors were open for priests and acolytes to have access, but at night when the archives were closed off and more than one person was needed to open the enormous double doors, this was how Edelweiss entered.

"A pillow is fair," Edelweiss acquiesced, he had already offered, "And if not fortunes then, I would throw one good story into the pot if you do too."

((oooh that is all most excellent! *nods* and hey look at these two cuties...awwwwwwwwwwww!! <3 ))

"I know you can, you're one of the strongest people I've met. I'm just worried she'd try to mess with you to get to me, and I couldn't forgive her if she did that." He admitted.

At Edelweiss' sudden smile his heart just about stopped. Had he ever looked so honestly sweet before? He could see more of the glimpses that he allowed sometime to someone his age still trying to figure out things, just as he was.  "No, no, please don't. No looking into any prophecies for me, really. I'd like to live under the illusion that my life is of my own making."

He felt a delicious shiver go through him. " Besides, I've already... there's a nice boy. Doesn't know I feel that way, hah, but... well, that's okay. And I guess I've thought about it. What it would be like to kiss him. If he would like it, or if he would blush."  He smiled. "Anyway, best not ask Water. If she hasn't put out a decree over one's heart then... then maybe it can stay my own, and I can choose who I share it with."

Bamboo was distracted as he watched the oracle press into the hidden door, once he had never noticed.

"I never knew you could do that... I feel like we are sneaking in." he admitted with a thrill. "And yes, the pillow... I'd like that. And I'd love any story you wanted to tell."

He followed in behind him, curious to see how the archive transformed at night; he had never been there that late, and it felt oddly empty and full of echoes.

"I won't let that happen either," Edelweiss found himself saying. He didn't know why he felt a compelled protectiveness on Bamboo's behalf. "I won't make you see her on festival day if you don't want to either, don't worry. If anyone understands wanting to stay far away from people it's me."

Edelweiss looked at him out of the corner of his eye, furrowing his brow. "Your life is your own no matter what web I may weave or happen to come across, but I'll also stay out of it if you ask me to." He didn't mean to scare Bamboo with his teasing, hoping his words was enough to retrace his steps a bit.  

"Hmm," Edelweiss mused at the news of Bamboo's crush, "I wish you luck in that case." He presumed those were the right words to say in this case. Wishing your friend along, kismet might be on his side after all, it's hard to say when you're not allowed to look deeper.

Waving Bamboo in behind him, Edelweiss entered the archives, his robes snaking in behind him. "It's not sneaking in for me at least, the head librarian lets me come in here when I can't sleep." He left out the part where that was almost every night. Insomnia is sometimes best cured when you can shake off nightmares with books Edelweiss always thought. he immediately when to the closest lantern to the door, the one always left specifically for him and lit it with a book of matches. He took it in hand and held it up to shed some light on the rows of scrolls and books.

"Maybe we need some more light?" He inquired, not used to having another guest with him in the dark chambers of the archives.