RP:Ostara Celebration

Summary: Lanara plans a celebration for one of the high holidays that she holds sacred to her heart, Ostara. She wakes Largakh up before sunrise and the pair makes a small herb garden, eats breakfast, and has an egg hunt, all while watching the sun rise high in the sky, from the rooftop of his shanty. Later, Lana surprises him with a pet rabbit, and they head to the orphanage to spend the day with the kids and share in their festivities. The 'L' word is almost uttered, again.

Room Description: The rooftop of the apartment building that Largakh resides in, has been transformed, seemingly overnight. The surrounding swamps of Gualon are long forgotten as one takes in the shards of grass that have been carefully been laid out, to resemble a lush, green carpet. Several medium sized rocks are scattered throughout the grass floor, and flower petals of various colors have been sprinkled, to mask the stench of the orc city. Various statues of rabbits and chicks are placed at random intervals, and a large basket sits to the side, housing various gardening objects. At the far left sits a square table, covered with a white cloth that reaches to the grass, and two wooden chairs are positioned across from each other. On the center of the table is an elegantly decorated egg, with various shades of green, in a swirling pattern. You feel compelled to crack open the shell, but think better on it, as it’s a lovely centerpiece and the planner of this event would be -very- upset if any surprises were spoiled. Upon the table sits two glasses of chilled milk, a platter of honey cakes and peeled hard boiled eggs, two plates, and some cloth napkins. Small lanterns line the edges of the roof, providing illumination, as well as a security measure so one doesn’t topple off the side. Dawn should be breaking within the next few minutes, and this is the perfect location to watch the sunrise, without being disturbed.

Lanara unlocks the door and slips into Larz’s shanty, wearing nothing more than his oversized flannel shirt, and a pair of socks that have been bunched at the ankles. The apartment is pretty dark, and the only form of light is from the lantern in the kitchen, which throws shadows and barely illuminates the living room area. The half-orc is still asleep on the bed and hugging a pillow, likely thinking it’s the form of his only, who had snuck out about an hour ago. She tiptoes through the room and over towards the wall where she had last placed her duffel bag of belongings, and stubs her toe on a small end table. Biting back a curse, she bends at the waist, removes her outfit for the day and slips into the washroom. Emerging twenty minutes later in an off-the-shoulder yellow romper, embroidered with small red flowers, which ends just above her knees, she looks bright eyed and ready to begin the holiday. Stepping into tan sandals, she pulls back her upper layer of hair and pins it at the back of her head, while the rest falls freely, to the middle of her back. One wouldn’t know that she was up more than half the night, eating too much cake, having too many laughs, and plotting celebrations on the roof, for there isn’t a hint of tiredness on her fair face. She lights a candle in the living area, so that she can see where she is going, and so that Larz will know just who his assailant is this morning. Lana walks the short distance to the bed, and literally, pounces on top of Larz, snatching the pillow from his arms, and bopping him on the face with it, as though she were engaging in a single sided pillow fight. Straddling his waist, she’s jumping up and down, and shouting, “Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! It’s Ostara! Come on, we have to get going before the sun comes up!” If he doesn’t respond fast enough, she will resort to tickling his sides, or perhaps call Bjorn over to team up against the half-orc. There would be no containing of her excitement today, as she slips from the bed, and bops him with the pillow, once more. “Larz! Go get dressed! We have a big day ahead of us!” She’s giving the man a goofy grin, and swats his behind, as he heads to the washroom. She impatiently waits outside the door, pacing back and forth, and giving the direwolf a worried expression. “Do you think he’ll like it?” Bjorn whines, clearly not enjoying having been woken at this hour, and he curls into a ball and goes back to sleep. The witch and the half-orc were on their own for this date, as the canine was returning to dreamland. Lana pulls Larz in for a quick morning kiss once he exits the washroom, and she leads him out of the shanty, locking the door behind them. Taking a short staircase at the rear of the hall, she leads her warrior up to the rooftop of the complex, a big smile on her face, as she moves aside to let him take in the decorations she had spent her morning working on.

Largakh woke up easy enough to the interruption of his slumber and grinned when the first thing he saw was his only, but there was danger afoot when she wielded the dreaded pillow weapon towards his face. The hit connects and knocks the sleep from his demeanor, a playful narrowing of those flickering tuscan eyes to match the grin as he sits up. When he does, an arm slipped around her middle and he rolled her over on the bed to give her an unrelenting attack of tickly fingers! An ‘apology’ for his counter attack in the form of a passionate good morning kiss and then he got up, helped her up as well while saying, “it's one of the best feelings having the vision of you being the last thing I see before I sleep and the first thing I see when I wake up.” He noticed she changed and a slight panic trickled down his spine regardless of how calm he remained. Did she already see the note? He gives her another kiss for good measure before disappearing into his washroom to wipe the sleep from his face and brush with some mint after he took an extra second to recognize the scent of her perfume lingering in there. Once he came back out he let her take him by the hand and go up, up, up until they were on the roof… Or what he thought was a roof?! Surprise takes him and his jaw hangs open slightly, “Llama…” Slowly his lips form a grin, “you did this??” He looks down at her in amazement while hand in hand he walks over to the table and picks up the large egg, “what's in this?” He holds the thing up to his ear and gives it the lightest of shakes, nothing rough in case something precious was within. After gently placing it back down he turns to her and asks, “what is it you’ll have me do.” A grin, “and remember, be careful of what you ask of me.” A quick wink.

Lanara melts at his words, nipping her lower lip to bite back a squeal, as she’s tickled, complimented, and kissed, seemingly all around the same time. This guy… He was something else! She’s continuing to ask her comatose wolf about if Larz will like his ‘surprise’ as he emerges from the washroom and takes her by the hand. She’s excited, practically skipping down the hall and as the door opens onto the rooftop she inhales the scent of the freshly scattered rose petal. Instead of eyeing all that she had carefully set up, her gaze remains glued to his face. He was surprised, his mouth slightly open, and she can’t help but giggle as he walks her over to the table to the left. However, as soon as his hand grabs the carefully painted egg, naturally green, as it’s her new favorite color and in his honor, her eyes widen. “N-No! No. That’s for later.” Something rattles from beneath the table, though the cloth covers up what lies under, and she stands before the opening of the linen. The egg is gently lowered to the table and she heaves a sigh of relief, though she doesn’t want him to notice her nervousness, so she distracts him by pulling his face to hers and placing her lips upon his own, in a lingering kiss. “Good morning…And the first thing I want you to do is…” She spies that wink, and throws her head back to laugh, before lowering her voice in a husky tone, though there was a devious glint in her eyes, as she’s teasing him. “I want us to get -really- dirty. Filthy. Right on this -private- rooftop…” A beat, waiting for his reaction, as she holds him close, giving his biceps a squeeze. “With nature.” She winks, laughing at taunting the poor guy, and she leads him over to the large basket with gardening supplies. “Okay! So. I’m not sure how much you know about Easter, but from where I’m from, and being a witch and all… We call it something a little different. Today is Ostara! So… Here’s a bit of a history lesson, Lard. Listen up, it’s important! There are four high holidays that I celebrate, and this is one of the big ones. It’s known as the spring equinox. Ostara celebrates the change of the seasons… From the dark of winter to the brightening of spring… One thing that those that celebrate this holiday do is… Plant seeds! It’s all about putting out into the world what you hope to reap in the coming months. It’s also a big season for having babies, but we don’t want any of those right now.” She ignores the fact that they can’t have children, as she’s mostly referring to chicks, ducks, and bunnies, and carries on, her eyes lighting up as she fills him in. She was far too excited to dwell on the previous week, or her life altering surgery. “We can’t exactly plant a tree in Gualon. And you aren’t a witch, nor are there three of us, so casting a circle and doing a magic ritual would be a moot point. So… I figured the next best thing would be for us to plant a window box herb garden. And I gathered all these supplies.” She motions to the planters, the various types of seeds, a bag of dirt, mini shovels, two sets of gloves, and fairy figurines. “In witchcraft… You -only- practice the craft in perfect trust and perfect love. So when we plant these seeds, you can -only- feel positive emotions. Expel any negativity, elsewhere!” Grinning, she shows him all the seed types, kneeling beside the basket, and patting the grassy floor for him to sit at her side. “I figured I’d get you things that you could actually use for healing, should you get hurt, or Theo ever visit. So, here is peppermint, and this is sage, that one is thyme, and this is aloe vera… And… Ah, here it is. This one is rosemary. So… We should plant them three inches deep in the dirt, and about six inches apart. Water them twice a week, and you can keep them in front of your window, in your home… Ooh! And I brought little fairies and stuff, so it’s like a fairy garden, and you’ll think of magical me, when I’m not around.” She pauses, giving Larz a sidelong glance. “We have to hurry, because we have to do this as the sun is rising.”

Largakh’s permanent grin falters just a moment when it seems she was getting suggestive and a brow raises in the break of her words he said, “I like the way you think.” He went along with the jest and chuckled shortly as she moved on. He is adoring how she's bringing him into her world and he hangs on every word. Kneeling down next to her in the grass and taking up some tools in his hands while still watching her, flattered that she was still making this about him in a way. A light nudge with his shoulder, “around you, there are always positive feelings.” He asks, “which seeds are time.” Once she points them out he picks up the seeds and asks, “so, you're saying I've potentially got thyme on my hands?” It was a groan worthy pun and he knew it, that's why he was grinning like an idiot. Then she said they must hurry, “bet. I'll race you,” a wink as he takes her direction, being careful and efficient at the same time. When she mentions how she won't be around he gives a playful pout, with that slight underbite that is usually hidden, it's believable. He messes around, wiping a dirt covered finger on her cheek after planting most of the seeds and when the sunrise breaks after the last seed is planted he sits back on the grass. An arm around her shoulder after getting the dirt off his hands and her cheek, but he found he wasn't watching the sunset for he was distracted by her and he got that sinking feeling in the pits of his stomach once more. He wants to blurt it out so bad, but she needs time to marinate. Using his arm that was around her to pull her close so he could place a soft smooch on the apple of her cheek before whispering with excitement, “what's next?”

Lanara smiles as he says there are always positive feelings when in her presence, her heart skipping a beat, as she returns the nudge. “Duh! I’m awesome, Lard, and don’t you forget it!” On a somewhat softer note, she purses her lips, trying not to smile. “And yeah… The feeling is mutual… Even if you are the type to eat rocks and gnaw on frozen steaks.” She looks at the sky, sensing that the darkness seems to be lightening, and she separates the seeds, making sure that all of the same type are planted in the same area. She slips on the gloves, and flicks Larz on the cheek, shaking her head at his -horrible- joke, which makes her groan. “For a second there, I was fully prepared to name all the herbs again, thinking you had taken a liking to thyme!” They work out of the same pot, their fingers touching every so often, and she can’t help but smile the entire time. This was a first for her, sharing a holiday with someone that wasn’t magically inclined, and she had never spent a holiday with a boyfriend. Larz was a lot of new ‘firsts’ for her, and she finds that she’s staring at him, and how intently he is diving into this little project. Those feelings bubble up inside of her and she sighs, as though she were about to say something, when the dawn begins to make it’s presence, and she squeals, wrapping her arms around her warrior. “We did it!” For a moment, she sits next to him, her arms around his waist, as he dangles his arm around her shoulder, and she forgets the hidden surprise under the table, the ‘renovated’ rooftop, or even the holiday. It was two people, secretly in love, watching the sunrise. At the same time they reach up to rub the dirt he had smeared on her cheek, and they lock gazes, as she laughs softly. “I did say we were going to get dirty…” Nudging him in the ribs, she looks to the sky once more, and now that it had fully brightened up the area, she answers his question. “Next… We will have breakfast! Come.” Rising to her feet, she extends a hand to help him up, and she leads him towards the table. “These are basic foods that are normally eaten on Ostara. Eggs, honey cakes, and milk with some sugar sprinkled into it. It’s not fancy, but I was trying to stay true to the holiday. Whatever we don’t eat… You are supposed to leave the remnants behind for the fairies.” Lana takes the chair with the miniscule opening at the base of the tablecloth, as though she suspected he’d take a peek if he were given the chance. Crossing her legs, she’s mindful of the ‘thing’ under the table and is careful not to give it a swift kick, as she bites into her honey cake, and meets Larz’s gaze over the table. She’d make small talk while they ate, before the next fun activity. “So… Do you celebrate any holidays? There are quite a few in my culture, though I make it a point to celebrate the main four… Ostara, Beltane, Samhain, and Yule… I’m sorry, I feel like I’m chewing your ear off and talking to much!” She gives him time to talk and eat, and when their breakfast is complete, she lifts her glass of milk and takes a sip. “Okay. So this next part is more of a newer tradition, as it wasn’t a huge deal in the older times. You see this egg?” Her pointer finger gently taps the egg he was shaking beside his ear, earlier. “There are four more. Identical to this egg. I should know, I spent -hours- painting them by hand to make sure they all looked the same. And they’re green!” Ahem. “They are all hidden. On this rooftop. Feel free to look behind rocks, statues, lanterns, under the grass, anywhere you feel like, however, you -cannot- look beneath this table. When you find each egg, you crack it open… And there will be a prize inside! So, my warrior, you may begin your hunt!”

Largakh ate with Lana and talked probably as much as she did, “every season change we go in the woods and pay tribute to Lauria, leaving out fruit for the god.” Explaining how special fruits were picked and brought in from all over, then Seldanna would bless them before they offer the gift to the god. After they eat, he was scanning the area with his eyes, “oh?! Sneaky, painting them green so they match the grass.” He booped her nose softly with his finger, “let's play the hot and cold game, if I'm near one you shout hot, but if I wander too far away, you shout cold.” He started to back away from her before stalking through the Ostara wonderland roof she made while listening to her instructions and one by one he found the eggs in order to take them over to where she was. Once they were all collected he broke them open one by one, the first one revealing it was hiding rocks, “Haha! My favorite,” he smiled up at her while popping open the next and a small bottle fell on his lap, it's body lotion. At this he grins to her, “now now, if you give me that massage you still owe me, how am I going to get you to keep coming around?” The next one hides a miniature deck of cards, “oh, is this so you can whoop my ass again and humiliate me more?” Another quick chuckle. Of the hidden ones he cracked open the last one and read the paper, “hm… Any dance type, huh?” This one he slips into his back pocket for safe keeping, “I'll be taking you up on that offer soon.” A wink before it's time for the very last egg… which has a carrot in it?? “Um… Thanks?!” Another short chuckle as he waits for her to either prank him or explain what carrots mean during Ostara? “Do we also eat carrots today?” He would begin to inch the carrot close to his mouth if she didn't say anything.

Lanara listens to his words about Lauria and her blessings, while finishing up her breakfast. She finds it strange that he didn’t mention celebrating Yule, and tilts her head to the side. How could he have grown up without decorating a tree, exchanging presents, or spending time by the hearth with loved ones? She makes a mental note to plan an extravagant celebration for Larz and his grandparents, this coming year. She’d properly school them on how to celebrate such a sacred holiday! The warm smile on her face grows wider with each egg that he finds, and she snickers as she toys with him some more, continuously saying ‘warm, warmer, and BURNING HOT’ only to sit back as he’s a little too close to the edge of the roof, and shake her head. “Oops. My bad! I meant to say COLD!” Laughing, she excitedly claps her hands as he eventually finds the last egg and returns to the table, opening them one by one, the expressions on his face endearing to her heart. As he opens the egg filled with rocks, she throws her head back, laughing so hard that she has to clutch her middle. “Your favorite!” She watches as he reaches forward and grabs that final egg, the centerpiece of their table, and her heart races, as she sees the confusion in his eyes. “You can eat the carrot if you like, though it wasn’t intended to be eaten… By you.” A long pause, as she takes his hand and her expression grows serious, as she’s nervous of how he’ll take this little surprise. “Now… Don’t freak out, but I got you a present that’s held close to my heart… Like you. And, um, if you don’t want it, you can just be honest with me, and I won’t be upset. Your apartment is rather lonely… And though you have that awesome herb garden to remember me by, and I will spend most weekends with you... I figured that you could use a constant companion during the week. This one requires minimal care, and it’s one of the most docile of animals, so you won’t have to worry about it rejecting you… Plus, I, uh, tested the waters with a few of your neighbors. It’s amazing what some of these orcs will do for a batch of homemade cookies!” Grinning, she lowers his hand, and looks beneath the table, reaching out to open the wire cage that she had kept hidden, and she resurfaces with an adorable, short haired, brown rabbit. The rabbit isn’t a dwarf, nor does he have floppy ears. His fur is velvety soft, his markings are striking, and he has excellent muscle tone. Overall, he’s healthy, and rather masculine for a bunny, and definitely not a pet that a male would be ashamed to have. The rabbit sits on Lana’s lap, curiously peeking over the table at Larz, his ears erect, and his big brown eyes falling to see the carrot in the man’s hand. Lana clears her throat, her fingers gliding over his back, as she gives her warrior the true meaning of the Easter bunny. “So… There’s a Goddess of spring, and her name is Eostre. One day she found an injured bird and she took him in to give him rest and some food. However, both of his wings were broken beyond repair, and they were frozen from the harsh winter’s snow. Eostre grew to love the little bird, but she could see how unhappy he was, without his gift of flight, and so she used her powers to turn him into a snow hare. He would run free, evade hunters, and he had a whole new outlook on life! However, when the spring came, because of her powers and the transformation… The little rabbit was also able to lay eggs! Eggs of all different colors of the rainbow and that’s why we decorate eggs today…” There’s a long pause, as she rises to her feet, clutching the bunny to her chest, and she waits for Larz to extend his arms, showing him how to hold the animal and to always support its back legs, because they have a fear of heights. “He won’t lay eggs. Nor is he a snow hare. But… I really want you to have him. I picked out a suitable cage, and I can show you how to take care of him… He’s the perfect indoor pet. Just don’t scratch beneath his chin, he will nip. Rabbits hate being rubbed under their chin…” She watches as he makes his acquaintance with the rabbit, and she takes a step back, unsure if he’d like her little surprise. It was a big step giving another a companion, especially one that they didn’t ask for, and she knew his reservations about animals. Would he be upset? Flattered?

Largakh admires animals from afar for he knows they don't always take to him. He listens to Lana and grins lovingly to her for he adores how she wants to make sure he's never alone. The bunny was eyeing him and surely it’s little heart was pounding viciously at the smell of the evil in his blood. “You're so thoughtful, this is a very fun surprise,” then she's holding out her arms for him to take the bunny and he's already apologizing to the animal in his mind, but he didn't want to upset Lana because she seemed to really put a lot of thought into this. Once the rabbit was in his arms it seemed calmed only for a moment before it started to claw at his arms and attempt to nip at him, “this is a lovely gift, I love it. I can tell you put a lot of thought into this,” he successfully avoided letting the animal bite him by placing the carrot to its mouth instead, for he didn't want it to be poisoned from his blood. After successfully leading the animal back into its cage so it could calm down and latching it closed he stood up and pulled Lana into tight embrace, “thank you so much for sharing this with me. I am sure the bunny will warm to me, but until then let's share all of this with the orphanage. I am sure they would love to hunt for eggs, play with the bunny and maybe they will help us name it.” He leaned in to give her a sweet kiss on her cheek before lifting the cage carefully under his arm. Bunny cage under his arm and he gently snags her by the chin to lock their gaze, “you are so amazing.” The bunny adjusted itself to sit on the corner the furthest away from the half orc. “Instead of hunting let's surprise them with baked treats and a feast from the nearby eatery. We will have it all delivered and spread the joy of Ostara. I know those kids love you just as much as I do and they would be elated if you shared this with them.” He laced his fingers through hers and moved right on… Did he just say? Well… It's out there now. Making their way back down into his apartment so he can let the bunny relax before heading out to begin their shopping.

Lanara watches as the rabbit aims to sink his incisors in Larz, her eyes widening slightly, and she stifled a groan as those powerful back legs aim to kick the half-orc in the chest. Well… That was… Expected? Unexpected? She’s not sure what to think, and she narrows her eyes on the bunny, as though willing him to behave. They had trials with other orcs and he passed with flying colors! And then, it dawns on her… She had been holding him, and they were merely patting him on the back or head. Her empathy passed into the animal and thus allowed others to fawn over him, unhindered by its fear. Larz is being a champ, smiling, and avoiding its teeth and nails, and she feels her heart swell for this man, as he was trying so hard not to show his discomfort. “Um… Do you really like him? Maybe I can, uh, enchant something? So he’ll warm up to you a little more? I… I should have thought about this more, and come prepared… I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have forced a pet on you.” She’s riddled with guilt, though the bunny is beyond precious, as is the man holding it, so she tries her best to maintain a smile. As her fingers come into contact with the rabbit’s left ear, he calms, almost instantly. Stiff in Larz’s arms, he allows any pets and at least stops struggling so the man can put him back into his cage. Maybe the rabbit was like Lana? She had to warm up to the man, too, right?! She gives a nod, “Yes! The kids will love to play with a bunny on Easter, I’m sure! That’s a great idea, because he needs a name!” They lock gazes as he kisses her cheek and tells her she’s amazing, and mid-eyeroll, he has a slip of the tongue, and he would see the gears turning in her head. Had he just dropped the ‘L’ word? One could wish! She couldn’t exactly return it, as he was talking about the kids and how they’d love Ostara and all that… And maybe he was just being nice. Saying how the kids enjoyed her company? If she dwells on it, or asks for clarification it would seem rude, and what if he was just making small talk?! Lana is visibly stressing now, as she doesn’t want their first ‘love’ talk to include orphans. So she smiles, her cheeks flooding with color, as they join hands and return to his apartment. As he places the rabbit cage on a shelf, she fills a small bottle with water and fixes it to the side of the cage, wiggling her finger through the bars to rub its nose. Bjorn comes over to inspect the newcomer, gives it a sniff, and his eyes glaze over, as drool pools at the side of his mouth. “Don’t even think about it, Bjorn!” Defeated, the direwolf retreats to his area and angrily tosses the bone across the room. The personality on these animals! Lana stifles a giggle, and looks around, picking up her belongings and putting them in a neat pile, as she’d head from the orphanage and back to the Rolafir’s, as the next day was a weekday. “Um…” Fear grips her heart, as she looks at the vacant card table, and then the bookshelf, and finally she steps into the washroom, as tears spring to her eyes. Seldanna would never forgive her if she lost those pearls! “LARZ!” She shouts, even though he’s like four feet to her left, and she taps impatiently on his arm, hating that he couldn’t read her mind. She was struggling to get the words out. “The pearl necklace. Where is it? I have to return it to Seldanna tonight. I.... I lost it. It has to be around here somewhere…” Frantic, she leaves his side and looks beneath the couch, on the bed, and then heads back into the kitchen area.

Largakh shakes his head at her regretting the gift, “no, it is perfect. I love it and I would accept any other gift you bestow on me if it will allow me to make this bunny comfortable.” As soon as she start to have a panic attack he takes her by the hand once more and starts to lead her to the door, “trust me, they are in a very safe place Llama.” Out the door and locking it behind them before he slips his arm around her shoulders while they walk and shop, “I cannot wait to see the look on those kids’ faces when we bring a whole feast to them and play with the bunny.” He will definitely wait till another romantic moment to confess his love for her, but doing that at the moment just wasn’t right. All the while they shop he turns the gears in his head on how he will tell her because he cannot hold it in any longer. The rest of the day was filled with laughter and smiles, sneaking looks and secret hand touches for kids still don’t know they are an item.